DISCLAIMER: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and all characters are
property of NBC and Dick Wolf.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Any Good Excuse
By sHaYcH
I should call and cancel our date. Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak sagged into her chair and groaned. Her neck and back felt as though it had been used as a football player's practice dummy. Raising one hand to rub ineffectually at one side of her sore neck, she let out another groan of pain.
Her doorbell chose that moment to buzz insistently.
Suppressing a sigh, she staggered to her feet and shuffled to the door. Through the peephole, she spotted the leather-jacketed form of Detective Olivia Benson.
The ADA frowned, but opened the door. "Hey, Liv. I was about to call you. What are you doing here so early?"
Both of Liv's hands were stuffed deep into her back pockets. Smiling shyly, she said, "I was at the game. I uh, saw you go down, and um ..." She shrugged diffidently. "Well I thought you might like a little TLC."
That Casey played on the SVU softball team was no secret. That Olivia had actually attended one such game was. The two women had begun a tentative courtship which had yet to progress beyond the occasional dinner or movie. They hadn't even moved past the awkward hand-holding and goodnight peck on the cheek, much less into the realm of Liv rooting for her girlfriend at the company softball game.
"I didn't know you were there," Casey muttered as she stepped aside to let the detective into her apartment.
Olivia's smile blossomed. "Elliot begged me to go - the twins needed an adult to accompany them and Kathy couldn't be there."
Nodding in understanding, the attorney said, "And I suppose that neither Maureen nor Kathleen wanted to play chaperone?" She ambled back for her chair and collapsed again.
"Bingo, Counselor. All right, where do you keep your muscle rub?" Liv shucked her jacket, tossed it on the couch and began to head for Casey's kitchenette. Once there, she opened the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers and set them on the counter.
"Medicine chest in the bathroom. But Liv, you don't have to -"
"Hush. You and that ground met under unhappy terms, and it didn't help that the catcher was determined to get you out before you got home." Olivia was referring to the spectacular leap for home base that Casey had made at the bottom of the ninth. The cops team was two runs down, and Casey had tried to make it one, but failed when the catcher had tackled her like a linebacker going for an out of pocket quarterback. Both had ended up in a tangled pile.
Casey winced, remembering it. Bruises shadowed one side of her face and she knew that before long, bright red splotches would blossom all along her left side.
"Okay," said Olivia once she had retrieved the liniment. "Shirt off, Counselor."
Flushing slightly, Casey slowly peeled off her jersey, thankful that she was still wearing her sports bra. And that it was a little cold in the apartment. Clutching the shirt against her chest, she tried not to think about what the other woman was doing while she laid her head against the top of her dining table.
"Relax, Counselor. I promise to be gentle," Olivia said softly as she anointed her fingers with a dollop of cream. After briskly rubbing her hands together, she laid them against Casey's neck and began to slowly knead the knots from the ADA's shoulders.
Unable to stop the long, slow moan that bubbled up from her gut, Casey could only cling to the table while Liv worked the kinks from her back.
Absorbed in her work, Olivia was only peripherally aware of Casey's reactions. Instead, she lingered over every hurt, soothing the knots until they melted under her touch. She was frustrated by the presence of the bra, though. A purpling line of bruises was clearly obstructed by the article of clothing and Liv knew that the pressure of the lycra had to be causing the younger woman some discomfort.
Without thinking, she slipped her fingers under the bra and pulled it from Casey's almost unresisting body.
"Olivia!" Casey yelped almost fearfully. "What the hell?" She had been floating on a sea of absolute calm until she had felt the detective's fingers slide under her bra and tug.
"Sorry. It was in the way."
Bright red from embarrassment, Casey tried to cover herself with her jersey. "Liv, really, I'm not used to uh -" She looked up at the detective, who smacked herself in the forehead.
"Oh shit, Case. I'm sorry. I forgot. I'm just so used to sharing a locker room with the guys. I never even thought. Damn." Liv shook her head. "I'm really sorry."
Casey turned to face Olivia. Her heart was doing a jagged dance while her stomach turned somersaults and the detective was looking at her... like - Casey licked her lips. God, she was looking at her like she was really sorry and - She watched as Olivia's nostrils flared softly.
I keep forgetting how beautiful she is. Olivia could barely yank her eyes from Casey's half naked body. "I'll get you a beer," she said, suddenly nervous.
"Liv." Casey's voice stopped her. She turned. "Come here."
Swallowing heavily, Olivia approached the ADA.
"I don't need a beer. I do need a backrub though." The ADA presented her now bare back to the detective.
This time, when her hands made contact, Casey arched into the detective's touch, purring softly as Olivia rubbed slow, soft circles over her sore muscles.
Bending down, Olivia whispered, "Like that, do you?"
Eyes half lidded, Casey nodded. "Yes," she mumbled. "Don't stop."
"Casey?" Liv's tone was heavily laden with equal parts confusion and desire.
Slowly, Casey reached for the detective's hands as she leaned back against the chair. Pulling them down over her breasts, she looked up, caught Liv's gaze and said, "Don't. Stop."
Holy fuck. Like a rocket from her brain to her groin, Casey's actions had set fire to Liv.
"Liv," Casey whispered, tugging on the detective's hands.
Olivia felt herself falling, sloping inward toward Casey. A thousand scenarios had played over and over in the detective's brain and somehow, she had never dreamed, never dared hope that it would be like this, happen just so simply, so easily.
She was kissing Casey Novak.
God.
Olivia's breath hitched her throat as Casey opened her mouth and drew Liv's tongue into her mouth, sucking on it softly.
She ran her thumbs over Casey's nipples and felt them harden, which sent off a pulse of desire that robbed the detective of breath. Casey pressed up to kiss her harder, pulling back to nip at her lip before seizing her mouth in a mind-blowing embrace that damn near stole Olivia's ability to remain upright and functional.
"Couch," Olivia gasped. "Casey, please, couch."
The ADA barely paused in her kisses as she stood and stumbled from chair to couch, dragging Liv with her. They tumbled together, Casey landing astride Olivia.
Cupping her hands around Casey's face, Olivia proceeded to kiss the attorney slowly.
At the end of several long minutes, Casey pulled away and laid her head on Olivia's chest.
"God, what took us so long?" she whispered as the detective wrapped her arms around her.
Sighing happily, Liv said, "I dunno. I guess... timing?" She shrugged, which made Casey giggle. "I mean, I never knew how ... public or... God, I don't know, Case. I guess we just needed a reason."
"Any good excuse in a storm, hmm, Liv?" Casey rumbled softly. She was tired, and even though it felt lovely to be finally able to kiss Olivia the way she did in her dreams, it was even more wonderful to be cradled in her arms.
Olivia closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation of holding Casey close. "Yeah, yeah, that sounds about right, Counselor." She brushed her lips over Casey's forehead. "You've got to be exhausted, sweetie. Why don't you relax and I'll just..." she trailed off as soft snores trickled into her ears.
Smiling tenderly, Liv reached up, pulled down an afghan and covered them with it.
Whatever had prompted this change in their relationship, Olivia wasn't going to fight it. She had come prepared to massage her friend's back and she would stay, and hopefully wake in the arms of a lover. What could be better than that?
As sleep stole in and gentled her into dreams, Olivia whispered, "Not one Goddamned thing, that's what."
The End