Love and Litigation - An Alex Cabot/Law and Order SVU fanfiction

Chapter 8

The flame of a candle danced in the shadows on the living room wall. Soft music provided background noise for Alex's thoughts as she sat curled up on her couch. She should already be in bed, but sleep had been more elusive as of late. And for such a juvenile reason, she silently criticized herself. 

She watched as the blades of her ceiling fan spun round hypnotically. The reasoning behind why Luke had asked her to dinner tonight had completely escaped her. What was wrong with their usual takeout at her desk? Why go out? And he didn't take her to just any restaurant. They had gone to one of the finest Italian restaurants in the city. And, judging by the decor and quality of the food, it couldn't have been cheap by any stretch. 

After transferring to her bed and shutting off the bedside lamp, she lay staring into the darkness. She wracked her brain trying to pinpoint what had changed with Luke in the years she'd been away. Sure, his looks had changed slightly. He had a bit more gray near his temples and his sultry green eyes had further deepened. It was also evident that he had put on more muscle in the past few years, but it wasn't just the physical. No, there was something else. He was still the same kind and genuine man she'd always known, but something in him had changed. And there was a pull between them that hadn't been there the first time around. 

Somewhere between analyzing his behavior and his words, Alex fell off to sleep.
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The next day: 
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Alex woke up the next morning determined to keep a level head and put her foot down. These feelings for Luke had to be put out of her mind for good. Nothing favorable could come from this. And there would be no chance of anything happening because she was going to keep her distance from him today. Keep busy, she kept reminding herself. Just keep your head down, do your job with no extracurriculars and go home. 

As if the universe enjoyed screwing with her, Luke was the first one she saw as she walked into the squad room. He was standing next to Olivia at the coffee pot, the two engaged in conversation. Suddenly, she realized she didn't need coffee and dipped out and into her office. Her throat tightened at the sound of a knock on the door. When she saw it was only Olivia, the tension fell from her face. 

"You seem as though you're finally settled back in." Olivia smiled. 

"Indeed, I am. It's been wonderful being back." 

Olivia took a seat opposite Alex's desk. 

"Are you staying this time?" 

"I'm sorry?" 

"It's just--it took you awhile to come back. You've been out of Witness Protection for a couple of years now." 

Alex searched for an answer within herself, but wasn't convinced that even the truth would satisfy her friend.

"Well, I'm back now. Having my life put on hold really helped me put things in perspective." 

Olivia's interest in what she had to say next was evident. 

"Let's just say I don't have plans of leaving anytime soon." 

Her friend smiled and rose from her chair. 

"I'm gonna hold you to that." She said and walked out the door. 

Alex's plan for the day had worked so far. She had kept her distance from Luke. How long she'd be able to pull that off, she wasn't sure. Even if he didn't seek her out, they were bound to run into each other at some point. The whole situation made her sad, but it's not like there was anything she could do about it.

Maybe she just needed to breathe some different air. There were tons of bars in Manhattan, and they host no shortage of single men. So that would be her plan. She'd go out, order a couple of drinks, and see where the night took her. Who knows? Maybe her Mr. Right was just down the street, waiting for her to walk in the door.