As she waved off their friends, Olivia looked round at the apartment, and smiled. Alex sat on the couch, baby Eleanor at her breast. And the apartment itself had been transformed, it seemed. Everywhere she looked, she saw something else for the baby. Annie and Casey had done rather more than buy just the essentials.

Glancing into her small kitchen, Olivia spotted the sterilizer kit, along with several cans of baby formula. When she went to the small closet in the hallway to hang up her leather jacket, she saw a folded stroller. And the baby's room was full – crib, changing table, bookshelf, and a new closet that was filled to bursting with clothes. She and Alex weren't going to have to shop for ages, and for that Olivia was grateful. Right now, what she wanted most of all was just to sit with Alex and look at their new daughter. She wiped away a tear, hoping that Alex wouldn't notice how emotional she was feeling.

Alex looked up, and saw Olivia wiping surreptitiously at her face. "Come sit with us," she said quietly.

Olivia nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She kissed Alex very softly, making sure not to disturb the baby. She tried not to stare at the nursing child, worried that Alex might feel self-conscious. "It's okay," Alex said softly. "You can look. I like it when you look," she admitted shyly. "This is how it should be. Our family."

"You're both so beautiful," Olivia choked out. "I didn't know it was possible to be this happy."

Alex looked around her, and smiled. "Jesus," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "Is there anything A-J and Casey didn't buy at the baby store?"

"If there is, I don't know what it is," unconsciously Olivia stroked their daughter's cheek. She looked into Alex's eyes. "Your breasts are beautiful," she said, in awe. She loved Alex's breasts, and Alex had always enjoyed seeing how aroused Olivia would get just by looking at them. But what she said wasn't sexual, not this time.

"You can touch, if you want," Alex said. She knew that Olivia wouldn't touch her without invitation. Her attack had left her skittish, and they had still not renewed the physical side of their relationship – she was still working through the trauma. Olivia had been unbelievably gentle and patient with her. Olivia didn't move, but kept her eyes fixed on her creamy breast, smiling unwittingly as the child slipped off. Alex reached out for Olivia's hand, and pulled it to her. She molded it around the breast, smiling at the look of wonder on Olivia's face. "You like my udders, huh?" she teased.

"I adore you," Olivia heard her own voice cracking. She lifted the breast very gently, wiping a small bead of milk from the nipple. "And I love that you want to nurse our daughter."

Alex smiled. She loved hearing that. "Our daughter," she repeated softly. "Our baby girl." She lifted the child and passed her to Olivia.

Olivia's heart fell wide open as the child snuggled into her. She could tell that she felt safe with her. Very tenderly, she kissed her on the forehead. "I'm going to keep you safe, Eleanor," she promised. "You, me and your Mommy, we're going to have a wonderful life together."

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"Your place," Annie took Casey by the hand. "It's closer."

Casey nodded agreement.

Annie held up her hand to hail a cab.

"It's only a few blocks," Casey protested.

"I don't care," Annie said, as she opened the cab door to guide Casey in. She slid in beside her. "Three minutes from now, you're going to be buck naked," she whispered, as she slid her hand dangerously high up Casey's thigh. "I for one would prefer that to take place in your apartment. Okay with you, Red?" she checked the driver's eyes in the rear view mirror before daringly pressing her hand against Casey's center.

Casey tried to suppress a gasp, as arousal flooded her senses. She had spent much of the afternoon watching Annie, clad just in jeans and a wife beater, as she assembled furniture. She had had trouble keeping her hands to herself and, if Olivia hadn't called at just the right moment – or the wrong moment – she would have taken her on the floor of Olivia's small living room. "Okay," she choked out. She couldn't keep her eyes off Annie's breasts, and knew even without touching that her nipples would be rock hard.

The cab drew up in front of Casey's apartment, and the cabbie grinned when Annie threw $50 at him, exhorting him to keep the change. Fortunately the elevator was on the ground floor, and Casey dragged Annie in with her, pressing the button for her floor repeatedly.

Annie grinned at her, as the door slid shut. She pushed Casey gently against the wall, and lifted her tee. She had been aware all day that Casey wasn't wearing a bra, but still the sight of her erect nipple sent shockwaves directly to her core. She closed her mouth around the oh-so-tempting bud, her ardor sent into the stratosphere when Casey emitted a gutteral moan. After a few seconds, Casey pushed her away. "Wait," she gasped, as she pulled her tee back down, just in time before the door opened, to a blissfully empty hallway. She fumbled in her jeans pocket for her key, laughing as Annie pressed behind her, her hands on her butt as she negotiated the lock. Finally, the door opened, and they fell through.

Casey rapidly closed the door behind them, and they both burst out laughing. "You," she pulled Annie to her, "are gonna get me arrested one day."

Annie waggled her eyebrows. "Now that's just what I need," she laughed, as she expertly unbuttoned Casey's jeans and plunged a hand in, delighting at Casey's obvious arousal. "A woman-behind-bars image."

"You don't think I'd look good in orange?" Casey teased. "Oh, Jesus," she cried out as Annie's finger slid into her. "Oh sweet Lord."

"You would look good in anything," Annie tried to keep her breathing even. "Or nothing. I vote nothing," she smiled.

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The bassinet by their bed surprised and moved Alex. There was nothing that Annie and Casey hadn't thought of. And it had the softest blanket, and a white undersheet. "See, Ellie," she spoke to their daughter. "You can stay with us, at least until you get used to being here."

"And until we get used to her being here," Olivia smiled. "See if you can sleep, Alexandra," she said softly. "They say you should try to sleep while the baby does."

"You too?" Alex lowered the baby into the bassinet, glad when she remained asleep. She knew that Olivia must be exhausted too. She also wanted her in the bed with her. The emotions swirling in her head were almost overwhelming, and she knew that she would have to process everything one day. One day soon. But today all she wanted was to be held by her love as they looked over at their daughter.

"Of course," Olivia said. "You need anything?"

Alex shook her head. Then she nodded. "You?"

"You have me sweetheart."

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"I hate that you have to go," Casey knew she was whining. She also knew that it wasn't fair to add to Annie's stress. They were at the airport, and Annie was already tense about flying. Her frequent flights to and from Chicago had done nothing to assuage her fears, and she was already looking a little pale. "Sorry," Casey sounded shamefaced.

Annie tried to smile.

"It's your fault, though," Casey decided to tease her a little, to distract her from the forthcoming flight.

"My fault?" Annie tried to join in.

"For being just so … damned hot," Casey let her hand slide over Annie's firm backside. "You're gonna have to Skype me tonight. Otherwise I may never get off to sleep..."

Annie looked up sharply as her flight was called. "It'll be after midnight," she reluctantly lifted her bag.

"I'll be ready for you," Casey said. She drew her into a deep kiss. "You know I love you, right?" she said softly.

Annie nodded. "It's mutual," she hoisted her bag onto her shoulder. "See ya, Red," she winked as she strode toward the gate, pretending a calm she didn't feel.

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Olivia rocked the tiny baby. "It's okay, Ella," she whispered. "It's all okay. I know, baby. It's gonna take a while to get used to being here. But you have your wonderful Mommy, and you have me. And we're going to introduce you to lots of aunts and uncles, who are going to take care of you too. Shh," she smiled as the baby calmed. She knew she wasn't hungry, and she had a clean diaper.

"You have the magic touch," Alex whispered, her arm around Olivia's waist, as they both looked down at the baby.

Olivia smiled. "2am. That's not bad. There, baby girl," she lowered her back into the bassinet. "You just take it easy."

Olivia settled back into the bed, loving that Alex immediately snuggled into her. "You feeling okay?" she asked her.

"I feel great," Alex said.

"You must be sore as hell," Olivia smiled at her.

"I feel great apart from that," Alex smiled back. She reached out and rested a hand on the bassinet. "She's really ours," she whispered.

"All ours," Olivia agreed.

Alex's face clouded. "I don't know what to put on the birth certificate. Under 'father'. And what are we going to tell her?"

"We'll get advice," Olivia said.

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Irenka's face split into a wide grin at the sight of Alex and Olivia, as they stepped into the coffee shop four days later. Alex had baby Eleanor in a loose sling under her coat, so she was not immediately obvious. As they sat down in their usual booth, Olivia helped her to ease the baby out of the sling.

Tears sprang to Irenka's eyes. "So beautiful," she whispered. Eleanor looked up at her, her gaze calm and appraising. "Wait here," she said to Alex.

Irenka returned a moment later, a small gift-wrapped package in her hand, which she passed to Olivia. "For baby," she said. "You open."

Olivia opened the paper to reveal a soft, white baby blanket.

"I make," Irenka smiled, shyly.

Alex was trying not to cry. She reached out and touched Irenka's hand. She nodded, unable to speak. She held out the baby for Irenka to hold.

Irenka looked at Olivia, who smiled approvingly. When she took the small child, her face was suffused with joy. "Lucky baby," she said softly. "Such good mamas."

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"How did she know?" Alex mused later, when they were back in the apartment, and she was in her favorite place – on the couch, in Olivia's arms. "We told her she was going to be adopted."

Olivia shrugged. She was about to say something when she heard a soft tap on the door. She slid out from beneath Alex and went to the door, looking through the spyhole. "It's Elliott," she mouthed to Alex. Alex smiled, and sat up.

Elliott came in, a huge bunch of flowers in one hand, and a soft toy rabbit in the other. "For my favorite girls," he said, keeping his voice low. "Is she asleep?"

"She's been sleeping for nearly two hours, she'll be up soon," Alex eased off the couch, accepting the flowers. "Thank you Elliott, these are lovely." At that, she heard a soft cry coming from their bedroom. "I think it's almost time to introduce you," she smiled, handing the flowers to Olivia while she went to comfort their child.

Olivia passed Elliott a coffee, directing him to sit. He looked tired. "You missing me?" she teased.

Elliott took a grateful gulp of his coffee. "More than you could ever know," he sighed. "I'd rather look at you over the desk than Munch," he added with a smile. "So... parenthood," he grinned. "How's it treating you?"

Olivia's face was suffused with joy. "Better than I could ever imagine," she said, her voice cracking. "And here she is," she looked over to see Alex carrying Eleanor into the room.

"Eleanor Olivia," Alex said softly. "I'd like you to meet your favorite uncle. This big, bad man here is Elliott Stabler, and he drives your Mama nuts every day at work," she smiled as she lowered the baby into Elliott's waiting arms.

Elliott looked down at the tiny bundle. His throat constricted with emotion. He had long known what a wonderful mother Olivia would be, but he hadn't imagined that it would happen with Alex. But, looking over at both women – both exhausted, physically and emotionally – and he knew that it was right. "Hey," he whispered to Eleanor. "Welcome to this crazy world."

Elliott held her expertly for almost half an hour, until she began to fuss a little. "You looking for some lunch, little one?" he asked.

Alex scooped her up, and headed for the bedroom. She was more than happy for Olivia to watch her nursing, but she didn't yet have the confidence to do it with Elliott in the room.

Once the door was closed, Elliott turned to Olivia. "I must go in a few minutes," he said. "But first, there's something I want to talk to you about. It's okay," he saw the expression on her face. "I'm not going to beg you to come back to work. Not yet, anyway. It's about the birth certificate. Kathy and I have been talking."

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Eleanor slipped off Alex's breast. "No sleeping yet," Alex said quietly, as she put her over her shoulder to wind her. "Not until," she smiled as Eleanor let out a small burp. "That's it. Good girl."

Once Eleanor was once more settled in her bassinet, Alex reached reluctantly for the breast pump. She didn't enjoy using it, but she knew that she would start to leak soon if she didn't. Also, she wanted to make sure she had plenty of milk in bottles, so that Olivia could feed the baby too. She smiled as she remembered the last time Olivia had fed her – the look on her girlfriend's face was pure joy. She just didn't enjoy using the contraption, though it wasn't as bad when Olivia attached it for her. Olivia was being amazing; she was participating in everything. Despite them not having been physically intimate since her return, she had never felt closer to Olivia. And she knew they would resume their lovemaking soon. She felt so secure in Olivia's love. She looked up as the bedroom door opened. "He gone?" she asked Olivia.

Olivia nodded. "He's gone." She peered into the bassinet. She settled on the bed, and kissed Alex, slowly, tenderly. She loved that they were so close. As the breast pump finished, she removed it from Alex, and secured the bottle of milk. She went to the kitchen to put the bottle into the refrigerator, and rinsed out the pump. She returned to the bedroom, and sat on the bed next to Alex. She reached out for her, smiling as Alex immediately leant into her embrace. "Elliott had a good idea."

"Oh yeah?" Alex's blood ran cold. She hoped that Olivia wouldn't be going back to work earlier than intended – she still had ten weeks left with Alex and Eleanor.

"Not to do with work," Olivia could read her mind. "He's been talking to Kathy, and they want to offer his name. To put on the birth certificate. Eleanor was 11 days early, so he's going to say he met up with you two weeks before your … attack. So there won't be any questions. Ellie will think that he was the donor, when she's old enough to ask. And there's going to be no mention of her at all at the trial. So there will be nothing to link Ellie with ..."

"With the rape," Alex finished off for her, in a quiet voice.

"Yeah," Olivia agreed.

"And Kathy doesn't mind?" Alex wanted to be sure. This was a lot to take in, but it could solve so many of their problems. Above all else, she wanted Eleanor to be protected. She knew how much Olivia had suffered over the years, wondering about her paternity, hating what it had done to her mother, wondering why her mother resented her so much, and she couldn't bear for Eleanor to ever think that she had ever been cause for anything except joy in their lives.

"It was Kathy's idea," Olivia said. "Look, we don't have to decide now. It's just an idea."

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Casey was downcast. "So you can't come this weekend," she felt more devastated than she had expected.

"I'm sorry, Red," Annie explained, hating that she had to tell her over the phone. "It's this new initiative. Poetry for the People. It's my fault, too. I suggested it to the Dean. I just never imagined it would take shape so fast." She had just learned that she was needed to give a 90-minute 'Introduction to Poetry' class to be attended by anybody who lived in the Chicago area. She was delighted that the initiative was going ahead, but less thrilled that the lecture was going to take place mid-morning on Saturday, which she had planned to spend in bed with Casey. "By the time it's done, it won't be worth me coming to New York. So … I don't suppose I could persuade you to come to Chicago?"

"Me come there?" Casey didn't know why she was so surprised.

"I … I just want to see you," Annie knew she sounded lame. "I'm missing you Cassandra. And that hot little bod of yours too," she tried to sound cool, but she was desperately hoping Casey would come. "The lecture's only 90 minutes."

"Can I come to the lecture?" Casey teased. "I wanna see my sexy girlfriend in action."

"I'll get you a ticket," Annie was excited. "What time can you leave on Friday? I'll fix up flights for you."

"You don't have to do that," Casey protested.

"I want to," Annie was firm.

"Let me talk to Liz. She might let me scoot a little early, I haven't got court on Friday."

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Casey saw Annie waiting anxiously in the crowd as she made her way across the terminal. Annie was looking in the wrong direction, so started with surprise when Casey tapped her on the shoulder. "Are those flowers for me?" she gestured to the large bunch in Annie's hand.

"They're for my lover," Annie teased. "But since you're here, you can have them," she grinned widely at the look of mock-fury on Casey's face. "Christ, it's good to see you, Red," Annie kissed her soundly. She grabbed her small backpack from her. "You packed light," she said.

"I figured I could borrow stuff from you if I needed to," Casey shrugged. "Anyway, I'm not planning to wear clothes for much of the weekend," she winked, watching as a broad flush made its way up Annie's neck. "Right now, though, I'm starving," she complained. "Are you going to cook for me?"

Annie laughed. "We both know I don't cook," she said. "There's a great little Mexican I know. We'll get some food, and then I'll take you back to my apartment. You can unpack then," she grinned wickedly.

The food was excellent, and Casey was pleased and relieved to find that Annie was exactly the same in Chicago as she had been in New York. There was no tension between them, they talked easily and laughed often. After the meal, Annie took Casey by the hand as they headed back toward her truck.

"Hey Joe," Annie called, as a man in his forties turned to lock the door of a store.

The man called Joe looked up, and smiled widely. "If it isn't my favorite customer!" he said.

Casey saw that the store was a tattoo parlour.

Annie smiled back. "Casey, this is Joe. The best tattoo artist in the city. Joe, this is my girlfriend Casey."

Casey reached out and shook his hand. "Did you do Annie's arm?" she asked.

"I sure did," he smiled. "She designed it, I inked it. And my wife is responsible for any piercings she may have, too," he laughed. "That's between Joanne and Annie, though!" he grinned, knowing full well that Annie had a pierced nipple.

"It's all beautiful," Casey said sincerely.

Joe smiled. "It's always good to have a happy customer."

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"It's not much," Annie sounded a little embarrassed. "I never really have visitors," she showed Annie into her small apartment. It was neat and functional, but nothing fancy.

"I want to see all of it!" Casey declared.

"That won't take long," Annie laughed. She showed her the small living room, tiny study, kitchen and bathroom. Casey was particularly interested in the study, staring in awe at Annie's own books on the bookshelf. She lifted one up and flicked through it carefully. "I can't believe you're an author," she said.

"I'm not a real author. I've just written a few books," Annie was embarrassed.

"Yeah. That's not an author," Casey teased. "So," she reached out and flicked open a button on Annie's shirt. "Just one bedroom?"

Annie's throat went dry. She nodded.

"You have $38 mill in the bank, and you have only one bedroom?" Casey was astonished.

"I've never needed any more," Annie said. "I mean, I always knew, if I had a family or something..."

Casey slid her hands onto Annie's torso, her fingers teasing the underside of her bra. "You'd better show me this one bedroom then," her voice was even lower than usual.

Annie took her by the hand and silently led her across the hall.