Title: Off Night
Disclaimer: I do not own SVU or these characters (darn it!) nor am I making any money off them (darn it!). No infringement intended.
Fandom: Law and Order: SVU
Pairing: Alex/Olivia
Rating: M (though a very mild M)
Summary: Sometimes, even the best have off nights.

Off Night

Dinner, late as usual after a long day at the office for both, had been consumed and the dishes were being stashed in the dishwasher. Then, just as Alex finished that task and was drying her hands, she felt other hands land on her hips and then snake around her, and felt a warm body nuzzle up behind her.

The contact was both expected and unexpected, for dinner had been eaten, for the most part, in silence. The day had not only been long but had also been trying, involving more than one spat (and that's putting it lightly) in the squad room between the detectives and their ADA, and not all of the lingering emotions from those run-ins had been put behind them. So, in that regard, the contact was unexpected.

However, both women worked hard to ensure that such 'lingering emotions' didn't linger for too long. They couldn't help but bring them home with them sometimes, but they made a concerted effort to make sure they were dealt with, one way or another, before bedtime. And for that reason and in that regard, the contact really wasn't all that unexpected.

So Alex exhaled on a sigh, acknowledging with that sigh Olivia's first offering of an olive branch. And wanting to respond in kind, she released some of the tension in her upper body and allowed herself to just breathe and just be held for a few moments; using those moments to try to clear her mind and body of any negative feelings and instead try to focus on the positive feelings that always arose within her whenever Olivia stood this close, whenever she found herself wrapped in the detective's strong arms.

Finally, after bringing herself some measure of calm, she asked quietly, knowing she had to even though she really didn't want to, "Do you want to talk about today?"

She felt Olivia's warm lips on her neck for a moment before hearing the detective's quiet response, "Not really."

Alex couldn't help but smile slightly at the detective's answer, turning around in Olivia's embrace so she could loop her own arms around the detective's neck. "Good," she whispered back before both leaned in, their lips meeting softly, caressing briefly, their bodies adjusting to bring them closer, Alex's arms twining more tightly around Olivia's neck, Olivia's hands spreading across the attorney's back, both concentrating on the taste of the gentle kiss, the quiet of the apartment, the simple presence of the other, both preferring this evening to use actions rather than words to forget the disagreements of the day and remember all the things they most certainly did agree on.

And the kiss was just starting to deepen further, both were just starting to get fully lost in it, when Alex suddenly broke it, pulling back sharply and exclaiming quietly, "Shit!"

Startled by the abrupt end to the kiss as well as Alex's expression, Olivia's brow furrowed in concern and she looked with worry at the attorney, "What is it? What's wrong?"

Alex inhaled deeply and exhaled on a rush as her eyes slid shut in frustration, "Oh, nothing, really. I just remembered that I told Rebecca I'd review her brief before court tomorrow but I forgot to bring it home."

Olivia quirked an eyebrow at Alex's answer, trying, really trying, to be more amused than annoyed, but with her emotional reserves already running low, with her patience for the blonde in her arms already a little frayed, and most importantly with very un-work related thoughts and desires at the top of her agenda right now, she mostly just wanted to get Alex back on track. So, she simply leaned back in and placed a soft kiss on the attorney's cheek, murmuring quietly, "Maybe," she gave Alex another kiss, this time on the corner of her mouth, "We can worry about that," she brushed her lips softly over Alex's before whispering against them, finishing her thought, "Later?"

Olivia pulled back slightly to find Alex's eyes open again and a small apologetic smile on her face. The attorney shook her head minutely, as if to clear it, conceding Olivia's point. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Alex repeated. Her smile then slowly transformed from apologetic to mischievous as she swiveled her hips just slightly, pushing her pelvis and body back against Olivia's, trying to re-establish the previously burgeoning mood, "Now where were we?"

Olivia returned Alex's smile before bringing their lips together again, deepening the kiss quickly this time. And doing her best to keep Alex focused, she wasted no time letting one hand slide down to Alex's lower back while the other one came up, up between them, under Alex's shirt. Her hand soon encountered Alex's bra, pushing it up and out of the way when it did, allowing her hand to move over and grip warm willing flesh just as her tongue entered Alex's mouth.

But just as she did these things, just as she felt Alex's nipple harden under her palm, just as a soft moan was escaping Alex's throat, it was she, Olivia, who suddenly and abruptly pulled out of the kiss this time, her body slumping slightly, her hand on Alex's breast going slack, and her head dropping and landing on Alex's shoulder as she muttered, "Aww, crap."

Now it was Alex's turn to have her brow furrow in concern just as Olivia's had previously. "Sweetie?" she asked as she moved to lift Olivia's head from her shoulder so she could look into the detective's face and eyes, "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

Olivia shook her head, "I'm sorry. Really I am. And it's not that big a deal. I... I just forgot to get a gift for Kathy for Elliot. I told, I *promised him* I'd pick it up today and I didn't. Crap!" Olivia berated herself again.

Alex, again just as Olivia had done previously, was trying to be amused rather than annoyed by the detective's answer, but she wasn't as successful at it as Olivia had been, no, not *nearly* as successful. After all, she had just been chided for getting distracted and here was Olivia doing the same thing! Further, while Alex's thoughts had been about work, Olivia's had most certainly not been!

All of the concern and most of the good feelings that had just started to flow dissipated immediately and Alex just couldn't keep her annoyance in check and also couldn't keep from voicing that annoyance, "Is this some kind of payback for me thinking about that brief I need to review?" she snapped. "A taste of my own medicine or something like that? If it is, it's very funny and I really don't appreciate it."

Olivia's jaw clenched and she took a small step back from the attorney, Alex wasn't the only one having trouble keeping her emotions in check right now, "No, it's not some sort of payback!" her voice rose, "Come on, I honestly just remembered, okay?"

Well, that answer did *nothing* to placate Alex. Quite the opposite, in fact. The attorney took another step back and crossed her arms, pinning Olivia with a look the detective had seen Alex use numerous times on defense witnesses, and using the same tone of voice, as well, "Oh, I see. So, let me get this straight, you kiss me and touch my breast and that somehow makes you spontaneously think of Kathy? Is that what you're saying to me?"

Shit.

Sometimes, dating a prosecutor really wasn't very fun.

Olivia tried to keep from growling, clenching her jaw again, and a fist as well, and taking a deep breath, considering her options before speaking, and really not finding many. "Fine!" she spat back, "Fine. Then it was payback. Okay? Satisfied now?"

"Oh, no you don't! You can't just change your answer, Olivia! That's not what you said!" the ADA arched an eyebrow and set her jaw and Olivia was afraid she was about to ask the court reporter to read her previous answer back to her as proof.

So standing here in the kitchen, in the middle of this standoff, at this precipice, Olivia knew there were two options: escalate the fight or roll over. And while a fight might have been right up her alley about now, in the end she knew it wouldn't get her what she *really* wanted tonight. Sure, she'd enjoy the emotional release in the short term but in the long term she knew she'd be hating it, especially when she found herself sleeping on the couch that night.

So she went with option B.

She sighed and her body slumped, signaling retreat, even a bit of defeat, "I'm sorry," she said as sincerely as possible, "I'm not sure why I thought of picking up that gift right then," Olivia took a small step back towards the still hostile attorney, tentatively placing her hands back on Alex's hips, "But I promise you, it had *nothing* to do with what I may or may not have been touching at the time. Nothing. I promise." She ducked her head a little bit, daring to inch in just a little closer, "So, can we, maybe, just start this whole thing over from the very beginning and try again?" She gave Alex a hopeful, puppy-dogish look she knew the blonde had trouble resisting.

Alex exhaled and her shoulders relaxed marginally. She recognized the tactic Olivia was using and also recognized the detective's ultimate goal. And while part of her was still genuinely annoyed, genuinely pissed off, a larger part of her knew a fight right now would do neither of them any good. And, besides, she'd be lying if she said that in the end, she didn't pretty much wanted the same thing Olivia wanted.

So, telling herself that she could have resisted the brunette if she'd wanted to, Alex relented, uncrossing her arms and putting them lightly on Olivia's hips, and the edge was mostly gone from her voice when she lightly nodded and responded simply, "Okay. From the beginning."

Olivia exhaled in relief and then smiled lightly, "Okay," she repeated before leaning back in and brushing her lips once more against Alex's, taking another step closer, feeling Alex's hands go around her back as she moved her lips to Alex's cheek and jaw and then down her neck, pausing to inhale deeply through her nose. "You smell good," she murmured before placing two, three more lingering, sensuous, tender kisses on Alex's long exposed neck, trying a slightly different tact than before.

A tact Alex was agreeable to, tilting her head to the side and letting her eyes flutter shut, sighing softly at the sensations and the words, and once again willing her mind to empty, willing her body to relax, willing her spirit to just unwind and enjoy. And she may have succeeded...had it not been for Olivia's next words.

"Wanna fuck?"

Alex's eyes snapped open and she immediately pulled back once again, forcing Olivia to also raise her head and pull back, and then pinned the detective with a hard glare. "Really, Olivia? Really? THAT'S your idea of starting over?"

Olivia just stared back at the blonde, her own annoyance, now thoroughly mixed with frustration as well, once again rising just as quickly as Alex's, "What!" she asked exasperated, though she knew exactly what.

"'You smell good, wanna fuck?'? Way to sweet talk me and seduce me and sweep me off my feet, there Romeo," Alex shot back sarcastically.

"Look," Olivia said matter-of-factly and unapologetically, really, REALLY not in the mood to deal with this any more, "I'm sorry, I know you like it, and I like it, too, but sometimes I just don't feel like being all suave and charming and seductive and whatever, okay! Sometimes I just want to..." Olivia searched for a way to put it lightly, but coming up with none simply finished, basically repeating her earlier request, "I just want to fuck." The detective shrugged and looked into the Alex's eyes challengingly but openly, knowing that all she was doing was being completely honest.

And it was that honesty and the recognition that while Alex would have preferred right now the suave and charming and seductive and whatever lover that Olivia normally was, while that would have gone a long way to ease the tensions and annoyance within her, the fact was that Olivia was tired, physically and emotionally. They were both were. And, in the end, as before, they both ultimately wanted the same thing, the same resolution, the same release for their pent up emotions, regardless of the path it took to get there.

So Alex relented. Again. She exhaled. Then, without a word, simply took Olivia's hand and led her to the bedroom, turning around and facing her when they got there and finally speaking. "Okay," she repeated her earlier statement, "We'll give this one more try." She then gave Olivia a dry look, "But maybe neither of us should talk anymore."

Olivia couldn't help but chuckle despite the tension, "That's probably a good idea," she agreed.

And so, with a promise of no more talking and the belief or at least hope that that would solve all their problems, both women reached for the other's shirt and managed to get them up and over the each other's heads without further incident, both of them smiling at the other over this minor miracle and emboldening them both to lean in and give kissing one more try as they reached around each other's back to unhook their bras.

Olivia soon felt the pressure on her breasts ease and knew Alex had succeeded in her quest, but try as she may, and even as they tried to continue kissing, Olivia just could not for the life of her get the evil little hooks at Alex's back to give up their prize. Finally she gave up on them and pulled away from the attorney, choosing instead to just start pulling the bra up and over the attorney's head like she had done with her shirt. She'd show those hooks who's boss.

Unfortunately, just as she was about to triumph and get the thing up and off the attorney in an awkward struggle of arms and straps and loops, the one hook she had managed to undo somehow found the one minor tangle in Alex's otherwise perfect hair, catching it and pulling.

"Ow! Ow ow ow," Alex exclaimed quickly but for the most part quietly as she leaned her head towards the nearly discarded garment, trying to reduce the pull.

"Sorry," Olivia muttered as she quickly got the hook free from Alex's hair and the bra finally tossed aside, then figuring that it would just be easier, quicker, and apparently safer, if they both undressed themselves, went immediately for the button and zipper of her own pants. Alex followed the detective's lead, reaching for the bindings at the front of her own jeans. Both women got them undone at about the same time and proceeded to push them, along with their underwear, down their hips and thighs.

Olivia's were soon off and tossed in the direction of the rest of the clothes. However, Alex seemed to be having trouble, bent over, one hand on the end of the bed for balance, the other pulling and twisting and tugging and trying to get the tight and unyielding denim over her heel.

After a moment of watching this little battle, Olivia anxiously bent over, too, to take a closer look and perhaps to help. But just as she did so, Alex's foot came free, the jeans were tossed aside, and Alex straightened rather quickly, and, yes, brought her head up rather quickly, as well.

And, of course, in so doing, smashed it directly into the bent and downturned face of her lover, the back of Alex's head connecting rather solidly with Olivia's left cheekbone.

"Ahhh! Fff..." Olivia almost swore but somehow held it in, her head jerking back and her hand coming up to her face, dabbing at her nose, she didn't think there would be any blood but she wanted to make sure.

"Oh my God, Olivia, are you okay!" Alex also reached gingerly for Olivia's face.

But Olivia pulled her head back further before Alex could touch it. "I'm fine," she stated almost convincingly. Because, yeah, it might have hurt like hell, but she knew nothing was broken and she knew the pain would recede. And, looking over her now very naked girlfriend, she also knew there was something else that would very much help ease the pain further, so she continued to reassure, "No, really, you didn't get me that hard," she lied a bit, "I'm okay."

Then, not wanting to loose too much momentum or let Alex fret too much, Olivia reached for Alex again and pulled her into a kiss as she also pulled them both awkwardly down onto the bed, teeth and knees bumping as they collapsed backward.

From there, the two women, for some reason still trying to maintain the kiss, inched their way up the mattress, knees bumping again, legs tangling, arms getting trapped under them, in their struggle to reach the headboard. And just as they neared it, one of Olivia's toe nails, which she really should have trimmed last week, scratched, I mean really scratched, the front of Alex's shin when she tried to get leverage to push further up.

Alex hissed loudly at the not so pleasant sensation.

"Hm?" Olivia asked at the sound, not at all aware of what she'd done and really, really, REALLY just wanting to get to the head of the bed and under the covers at this point.

"Toe nail," was all Alex said in explanation.

"Oh, sorry," Olivia murmured, "You okay?" she asked absently, almost completely distracted as they finally reached their destination.

"Yeah," Alex answered, though in all honesty it was still stinging and she thought it might have broken the skin and, oh boy, wouldn't that look attractive in court. Maybe no skirts for a couple of days. But Alex quickly shook herself out of that reverie and tried not to be sidetracked by or think too much more of it as they both quickly and anxiously pulled down and crawled under the blankets.

And as soon as they were under those blankets, they both took sort of a mental deep breath, and forced themselves to slow down and try to relax, figuring that certainly the worst must be behind them and that they could finally, FINALLY get on to the task at hand.

So with this mindset, they smiled at each other again with genuine tenderness and Olivia placed a gentle kiss on Alex's lips as she slowly maneuvered herself above the blonde, rolling over and on top of her, straddling one of Alex's thighs with her legs, then gently settling her core onto the blonde's skin, gasping and her eyes closing at that first and much longed-for contact.

She felt Alex's hands come up to her breasts and tighten as she still slowly but also unabashedly rubbed herself along Alex's thigh for just a moment, unable to keep from enjoying the sensations and the pleasure and wanting just a bit more of it. But just a bit more was all she allowed herself before reopening her eyes and smiling again at the blonde, both relaxing further.

Olivia then adjusted herself, communicating her intentions with her eyes and her actions, holding herself up on two arms so she could start to bring her own thigh up higher, aiming, hoping, wanting to bring it into contact with Alex's center, to give her lover some of those same sensations and pleasure she'd just experienced.

And she was almost there, oh so close, and she would have made it, too, but Alex chose that moment to move her free leg, lifting and bringing it up to wrap around Olivia's hip. And in the process somehow, somehow, who the fuck knows how, one of her toes scraped across the bottom of one of Olivia's feet.

Or perhaps it should be said, one of Olivia's super, ultra, uber sensitive and ticklish feet. Feet that the detective really doesn't like tickled.

And knowing these things about Olivia's feet and really not having meant to scratch one, Alex tried to begin a profuse apology, but she didn't even get the chance.

For Olivia really wasn't in control when the bottoms of her feet are tickled: the detective's knee jerked forward, almost instinctively as she unconsciously but desperately tried to snatch her foot away from the offending sensation, and in so doing, you guessed it, slammed that knee right into Alex's groin.

The attorney's would-be apology turned into a yelp as her pelvic bone (not to mention a number of softer, squishier parts) took the brunt of the impact, Alex's body and abs contracting and curling in on themselves, and her head shooting up off the pillow...

...and right into the same cheekbone of Olivia's that had gotten hit earlier.

"Son of a FUCK!" There was no holding in the string of rather loudly uttered four letter words this time as Olivia immediately rolled off of Alex and covered her face with both hands, the impact to the already tender area hurting ten times worse this time.

"Oh, fuck, Liv!" Alex echoed Olivia's epitaph, her own tenderness and pain forgotten as she rolled up onto her elbow and looked concernedly at Olivia, reaching out but not sure whether she should or shouldn't touch the detective, who was still rolling back and forth a little holding her face, and finally issuing that profuse apology she'd tried earlier, "Olivia, sweetie, baby, I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry, oh my god, are you okay?"

Olivia inhaled a pained breath through her teeth and then let it out very very slowly, willing the pain away just a little, before finally slowing her rocking and opening her uninjured and uncovered eye to peer up at the distressed face looking down at her.

And it was all too much. The tousled hair, the genuine concern, the pain in her cheek, the one thing after another after another throughout the entire night that had led them to this moment, all of it together and combined making it so abundantly clear that it was just not meant to be tonight.

And that there was really nothing left to do, but to laugh.

So that's exactly what she started doing. Honest to goodness laughter.

And when she started, the tension broke in an instant and Alex also started to laugh, collapsing back onto her own back, both women caught up in peels of laughter at this point; laughing at themselves, laughing at their day, laughing at the entire situation, their stomachs aching and tears coming out of their eyes by the time they were through.

When they had finally quieted somewhat, but with smiles still on their face and a few last chuckles spilling out, the rolled onto their sides, facing each other now and just looking, almost blissfully, at the other for several long moments.

It was Alex who finally broke the silence, saying wryly, "Well, I guess we can't be incredibly hot and sexy and just on all the time."

Olivia chuckled and returned Alex's wry smirk, "And here I was thinking we could..."

Alex quirked an eyebrow, replying teasingly, "Well, *I* can be, of course. But you obviously need some work."

"ME?"

"Yes, YOU, Miss 'wanna fuck?'"

"Hey!" Olivia teased back, "*I'm* not the one who couldn't even get their pants off!"

Both women laughed again quietly at the various mishaps through out the night, Alex finally conceding on a smile, "Okay, so we both could use some work, I guess." She leaned in to give Olivia a light kiss, before pulling back, seeing Olivia's slight wince when she did so.

The attorney got marginally more serious at the sight, very carefully touching the spot right below Olivia's left eye that had gotten walloped not once but twice, and which was already starting to swell a little. "You're going to have a little bit of a shiner there tomorrow," she said a little ruefully with a small sympathetic wince of her own.

Olivia also put her hand up to press on the spot tenderly. "Yeah, I am," she agreed resignedly. "Oh, well. At least Elliot will be entertained by it."

"Oh, really?" Despite the situation, Alex couldn't keep the amusement from her voice or from her face, "What are you going to tell him?"

Olivia sighed but also couldn't help but be amused, "It really doesn't matter what I tell him, he's not going to believe it. Because in his own mind, he'll be convinced that I got it having, um... very enthusiastic make-up sex with you."

Both women chuckled again and shook their heads, knowing what Olivia said was probably true and once again left with nothing else to do but laugh.

They lay like that again, then. Facing each other and just quietly looking at each other and smiling at each other and letting their hands gently entwine together between them, silently communicating, silently reconnecting, silently just being, together.

It was Alex who once again broke the comfortable silence. "I'm sorry about today," she said just barely above a whisper, quietly referring to their earlier arguments at the office.

Olivia reached up and moved a stray piece of hair off Alex's forehead, then brushed a finger down Alex's cheek and over her lips before returning it down between them and looking back into Alex's eyes, "Me, too."

"No, I'm really sorry. You were just doing your job," Alex persisted.

Olivia squeezed one of Alex's hands in her own, reassuring the blonde with both that and with her words, "So were you."

They smiled a little ruefully at each other, but also with a look and a feeling of mutual understanding and respect, an understanding and respect that was, in fact, present in all of their interactions, even if it got a little lost in the shuffle sometimes.

And with those feelings and that acknowledgement reestablished between them, they knew all was forgiven, and they could go to sleep without doubts or regrets. So Alex lightened the mood again, "And I'm sorry about..." her smile became more amused as she continued, "This evening, too."

Olivia smiled back, shrugging a naked shoulder, "We'll do better next time."

They happily lapsed into silence once more, gently caressing each other's arms and faces, neither quiet sure for how long, both just enjoying the quiet and the closeness. Finally, Alex bit her lip, as if she wanted to say something again.

"What?" Olivia prompted in a whisper.

Alex reached out and ran her thumb very gently over Olivia's cheek and paused another moment before finally replying, "I just love you."

It's not like she hadn't heard it before but sometimes it still just got to her and Olivia had to swallow the sudden lump in her throat and blink back the sudden tears in her eyes as she leaned forward and gave the attorney a tender and heartfelt and emotion-filled kiss, her answer to Alex's words.

Then with both women growing more and more tired and the hour getting late, Olivia rearranged them both, rolling Alex onto her other side so she could drape an arm over and spoon up behind the attorney under the covers.

Alex nuzzled into the solid body behind her and sighed contently. And as she snuggled and settled in she observed quietly, "You know, while 'very enthusiastic make-up sex' is fun and all, this... this isn't so bad, either."

Olivia pulled Alex even tighter against her, their bodies molding perfectly together, skin meeting skin their entire length. "You're right," Olivia placed a gentle kiss on Alex's shoulder as both of them began drifting off into sleep, "This isn't so bad, either."