When Alex awoke, Olivia was still sleeping.  Aww, she looks so adorable and innocent, she thought.  Well, I know better now after those kisses.  Just then, there was a knock at her door.  Quickly moving to the other side of the bed, she answered, “Come in!”

 

Janice opened the door and peered in.  “Miss Alexandra, breakfast will be served in 20 minutes.”

 

“Hey, Janice, can you set another place at the table?” Alex requested.

 

“Yes, Miss Alexandra.  I will see to it,” Janice answered.

 

As Janice turned to leave, Alex called out to her again.  “Oh, and Janice?  Tell Mom and Dad that Olivia Benson spent the night and will be joining us for breakfast, please.”

 

Nodding, Janice responded, “Yes, of course, Miss Alexandra.”

 

At the sound of her name, Olivia stirred.  Looking sleepily up at Alex, she asked, “Mmm…what time is it, Alex?”

 

“7:10.  Come on, we need to get up.  Breakfast is at 7:30,” Alex said, jumping out of bed to go brush her teeth.

 

Olivia yawned and groggily got out of bed, following Alex into the bathroom.  “We need to get dressed,” Alex said, spitting out toothpaste.  “I’ll find something, um, more suitable for you to wear.”

 

Olivia smirked and Alex went back into her bedroom to look for clothes.  Throwing Olivia a green button down t-shirt and some black slacks that had proven too big for her, she began pulling on a blue skirt and white blouse.  Then grabbing Olivia by the hand, she started tugging her towards the door.  “Come on, we have 5 minutes!”

 

As they entered the dining room, John and Madeline Cabot turned to look at them.  Standing up, they walked over to kiss and greet both girls.  Olivia was seated next to Mr. Cabot but across from Alex.  Alex felt for Olivia’s foot under the table and flashed her a reassuring smile.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Cabot asked Olivia a series of questions, which she answered as cordially as possible.  Alex smiled apologetically as she spread jam on a croissant.  When breakfast was finally over, the Cabot elders wished Olivia good luck on her remaining basketball season and in her studies then walked out of the dining room. 

 

Standing up from her seat, Alex apologized, “Well, I hope that wasn’t too painful.  Don’t worry, all my friends get the third degree.  It’s just a one time thing, though, so don’t be scared off.”

 

“Thank God,” Olivia muttered, standing up.

 

“Was it that bad?” Alex asked, draping her arm across Olivia’s shoulder.

 

“Nah, they seem really nice.  They just made me a little nervous, that’s all,” Olivia said, smiling.

 

“Hell, they make me nervous, and I’ve been with them all my life!” Alex joked.  Linking her arm through Olivia’s, she continued, “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think they like you.”

 

“How do you know?”

 

“Because when Dad left the kitchen, he looked at you and then nodded at me.  That’s his way of telling me he approves of my friends,” Alex answered matter-of-factly.

 

“Ah, the silent approval method, huh?” Olivia teased.

 

Alex just smiled in response.  When they entered her room again, she asked, “So what are your plans for today?”

 

“Hmm…I dunno.  I need to go workout and I’ll probably run around the track a few times,” Olivia shrugged.

 

Draping her arms across Olivia’s shoulders, she asked, “So does that mean you’ll be hot and sweaty?”

 

Smirking, Olivia responded, “Most likely.”

 

Alex reached under Olivia’s shirt and placed her hands on her stomach.  “God, I love touching your abs.  I bet these are great to do body shots off of.”

 

“Maybe you’ll get to find out,” Olivia said with a sly grin.

 

“You know, you look great in this shirt,” Alex complimented her.  “But you look even hotter in that wife beater.”  With that, Alex picked it up off the floor and threw it back to Olivia.  “Come on, let’s catch a few more hours of sleep.  I want my basketball star to be well rested before her workout.”

 

Alex went into the bathroom to change into her tank and pajamas, leaving Olivia her room.  When she came back out, Olivia was already under the covers.  Cuddling up in her arms, Alex drifted back off to sleep. 

 

Several hours later, Olivia carefully eased herself out of Alex’s embrace and began putting on her clothes from the day before.  Walking back over to the bed, she gently shook her awake.  “Hey, Alex, I’m gonna get going now.” 

 

As understanding registered on Alex’s face, she groaned.  “Why are you leaving so soon?” she pouted.

 

Bending down to give Alex a quick kiss on the lips, she said, “Sweetie, it’s almost one.  I’ll call you later on tonight, ok?”

 

“You promise?” Alex whined, pulling Olivia down for another kiss.

 

“Cross my heart,” Olivia promised, doing the motion over her chest.

 

“Ok, I’ll walk you downstairs,” Alex mumbled, throwing her legs over the side of the bed.

 

Seeing her off, Alex blew her a kiss and Olivia honked in response.  Then Alex trudged back up to her room and climbed in her bed, which felt abnormally bigger than usual without Olivia there.