1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay so somehow Fame and Fortune disappeared from my profile and I have no idea what happened to it. To make matters worse, I got a new laptop and all my documents for the story is on the old one which won't let me transfer them over, so just think of this story as one to replace that one. **

**I did post a poll about a future story and while I was getting my thoughts together for that, this idea was presented to me by someone who is exceptionally awesome though they need to know when to take it easy and not do so much all the time. *cough* soccer *cough* ;) anyway, I loved this idea so much that I enjoyed playing around with it, thus creating this monster of a first chapter. I hope it lives up to all of your standards and I think you guys are gonna like it! Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Any unoriginal character in this story doesn't belong to me.**

The shrill ringing of a cell phone breaks the heated atmosphere or the excessively lavish penthouse in the more upper, expensive parts of New York. For the longest of times, the ringing continues before the phone goes silent, simply because it's owner is currently occupied with seemingly more important matters. It's only a matter of time before the harsh, and rather annoying, ringing starts up once again, earning it an annoyed grunt of frustration, though it is still ignored.

"Y-You're phone's, ringing." The flustered brunette pants as the blonde hovering above her continues the passionate assault on the skin of her neck.

"Ignore it." Is the muffled reply from the blonde in question as she pins the woman's wondering hands firmly against the mattress. "Probably nothing important."

Unfortunately after about a few more minutes of silence, the ringing starts up once more, once again succeeding in ruining the heavily passionate mood that is filling the bedroom. It's almost as if with each passing second, the ringing is intentionally getting louder as if it is a small child begging for attention.

"Damnit…" the taller woman grumbles darkly before she reaches over towards her nightstand, retrieving her cell phone. Without looking at the caller ID, she immediately puts the device to her ear, letting whoever is calling know that they are being more than inconvenient at the time. "What!?"

"Wow, you sound rather pleasant this morning." A rather amused voice says from the other end of the call followed with a humored chuckle. "Was I interrupting something?"

Alexandra Cabot scowls at the phone at her hand as if it is the one at fault for her current caller interrupting her morning activities. She sighs drastically and drags a finger through her hair, turning her attention back to the phone call as her current guest begins placing delicate kisses to the side of her neck.

"Possibly. Why are you calling me, and what do you want?"

"Well you sound like you're in a peachy mood this morning. I thought I would take the liberty of calling you and informing you that you're in fact late."

Alex scowls at the word late before she rolls her eyes. "Abbie, we've been through this. I'm in charge. Which means that I can come in whenever I want to."

"Well yes, that may be true your highness, but I wasn't referring to you being late for work. I was referring to the board meeting that you're grandmother had set for this morning that started approximately ten minutes ago."

Alex's eyes widen to where they're practically about to pop out of her head before she catches a glance at the clock where the time reads nine thirty. "Shit!" she hisses, springing from the bed and her guests arms, cradling the phone against her ear as she begins tossing the woman's clothes to her from where they were spread across the expanse of her bedroom. "Look, tell them that there was an accident on the highway and I got stuck in traffic. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Sure thing, Boss." And then the line goes dead.

"Is everything alright?" the brunette woman asks with a curious tilt of her head.

"Yeah, fine." Alex mutters as her brain begins racking itself for this woman's name. When she can't seem to come up with one, she settles on shaking her head before running another hand through her hair. "Uh, listen. I had to be somewhere ten minutes ago, so I'm really gonna need you to…leave."

"Leave?"

"Yeah, you know that thing you do when you put your clothes on and get out of my house? Leave."

"But…but I thought we shared something special last night."

'Great, she's one of those…' Alex thinks before she sighs heavily and rolls her eyes. "Listen, you're nice, really. But I wasn't looking for anything long term right now. Really you're a great girl, just not for me."

The woman's hurt expression turns anger before she purses her lips into a tight thin line. "Do you even know my name?" she asks tightly, scoffing when she receives silence as her response. "I figured. I should've known that leaving that bar with you was a bad idea. I should've listened to my friends."

Alex shrugs not even bothering to disagree with this woman's accusations. "Well, you should've just left when I said so. Next time just let it go." She explains nonchalantly before she disappears into her bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind her. Shaking her head, she quickly climbs into the shower, ready to take a nice relaxing shower before she remembers her meeting that she's late for.

After taking what can be seen as the fastest shower in history, Alex flies from the bathroom, just finishing buttoning her dark blue button down. Thankful that the woman (whose name she still doesn't know) is no longer in her bed and any trace of her being there has disappeared completely except for the tousled pillows and ruffled sheets.

Deciding to forego dragging the blow dryer through her hair, Alex pulls her long blonde hair into a tight ponytail before throwing on a minimal layer of acceptable make up. She grabs her phone off of the nightstand and her blazer from her closet before she all but runs out of her bedroom. As she practically flies down the stairs, she nearly collides with her live in maid who is waiting for.

"Jesus, Martha, I'm sorry." The rambles quickly as she moves around the older woman who is chuckling quietly. "Have you seen my attaché? And my purse? I'm sure that I left them down here somewhere last right but I wouldn't put it past that whore I threw out earlier to steal it."

Instead of responding, Martha shakes her head and holds up the two items in question. "You should look more carefully next time dear. Do you have time for me to make you a quick something to eat?" she asks sweetly, taking in the fragile state of her blonde employer.

"No thanks, I'm actually running late for a meeting that started almost twenty minutes ago. I've really gotta run." Alex huffs in reply all the while continue to dig through her purse. "Ugh, damnit. Car keys?"

"Inside left pocket, Miss Cabot."

"Thanks Martha, you're the best."

"Oh and Miss Cabot?"

"Yeah?"

"Your contacts…"

"Right..." Alex replies before she takes the contact case from the maid before she rushes out the door. As she makes her way into the elevator, she bangs her head against the cool metal wall as the lift begins its painfully slow decent. She glances at her watch and taps her fingers repeatedly at the metal bar against her back. "C'mon….c'mon…."

As she reaches her garage, she pulls out her car keys and swiftly makes her way over to her sleek black Mercedes E350, not having had time to contemplate what car she would be driving for the day. "Damn, and I was feeling like driving the Audi today too." She murmurs in reference to one of her three remaining cars as she pulls out of the garage drive and out onto the street, en route for her meeting.

* * *

Approximately another dreadful ten minutes late, Alex finds herself pulling into her reserved parking spot at Cabot Industries' Cooperate office. Taking care to lock her car, the late blonde sprints into the skyscraper of an office building immediately finding herself greeted by the front desk secretary in the lobby.

"You're late." The secretary, Linda states with a smirk, loving just how much she is able to push the young blonde's buttons. Seeing Alex's mouth fall open with a quick (and probably harsh) response at the ready, she chuckles again before she points her pen towards the elevator. "Board room six, twentieth floor."

"Thanks Linda." Alex replies as she sprints into the elevator and immediately begins pressing the button for the twentieth floor repeatedly.

"Oh and Alex?" The secretary calls from over at her desk.

"Yeah?"

"Your grandmother is most definitely not happy."

"I figured…" Alex replies with a heavy sigh just as the doors to the elevator slide closed.

Alex finds herself rapidly pacing the elevator as the floor numbers begin to tick by one by one. Sighing heavily, she glances up at the number panel once again, her heart slamming to a halt when she realizes that she's hit floor nineteen. She hadn't anticipated just the nerves that suddenly came with her tardiness to the meeting, and she hadn't had time to plan out in her head how she's going to go about entering this meeting; until now when it is much too late.

The elevator lets out a ding as it reaches its desired floor, and the blonde in question takes a much needed deep breath as she steps out onto the floor. She is greeted by yet another secretary who is also aware of her tardiness.

"I'd be terrified if I were you." The younger blonde woman, Nancy says with a small shake of her head as she leaves her perch at her desk to escort the mogul to her meeting. "Miss Cabot is very unhappy that you're late."

"Which one?" Alex questions reluctantly, her shoulders slumping as she begins following Nancy down one of the many hallways.

"Your grandmother."

"Of course."

Nancy chuckles again at one of her many superiors as the two slow to a stop just outside of one of the many board rooms in the building. "Here you are." She states before whispering. "If I were you, I would also act very quickly."

"Thanks Nance…" Alex murmurs quietly, waiting until the secretary has disappeared before she sighs heavily once again.

Cabot Industries is successfully compiled of a board staff of all the women following in the Cabot line, herself included. The board includes her mother, as well as her four remaining aunts, herself, all the while being headed by her grandmother who has gained recognition for being one of the only women in America who has built a successful entrepreneur business from her own two hands. Business is not particularly a sector that women are known for excelling in and Alex is proud to say that she stands with a group of powerful women of a powerhouse cooperation. Though there are times where her antics are frowned upon, but she is sure that is simply because she is the youngest and many of her aunts (and occasionally her mother) feel that she is too young to handle such things.

"Alight, here goes nothing." She murmurs as she places her hand on the handle and pushes the door open, halting the conversation of the meeting . Deciding it's best not to make eye contact with anyone at the moment, she quickly inches her way around the table and takes a seat in the only empty leather chair next to her mother.

"This meeting started forty five minutes ago." Her mother, Veronica, whispers harshly into her ear, low enough that it is concealed from the other women at the table.

"Traffic." Alex murmurs in response, though she knows it's a lie her mother can probably see right through.

"Alexandra, you're tardiness is by far unacceptable," Celine Cabot states firmly, as her hard blue eyes practically burn holes into her granddaughter. "This meeting started at nine twenty, and it is just now getting two be five minutes past ten o'clock. Would you care to explain to the rest of us, your reasoning for your lack of judgment in regards to the time? Pray tell, what was keeping you from showing up on time just like everyone else here?"

"Well, you see, I, uh, there was this…accident…on the highway. And I had to…find another way to get here." Alex stammers, slightly shrinking in her chair under her grandmother's scrutinizing glare. "I'm sorry…I won't be late again."

"I shall see to it that you won't." Celine replies firmly before she turns her attention fully back to the table. "As I was saying earlier, now that everyone is here, I expect a full status report in regards to the upcoming status of these businesses. I have a business to run and for my business to be successful as a whole, I need for all of you to do your jobs, is that clear?" she concludes, her eyes purposefully landing on the youngest blonde in the room.

Alex feels everyone's gazes fall on her which causes her to shrink in her chair even more as she pulls out her notepad and begins to take the necessary notes on the meeting, suddenly resenting the start to her day.

At the very end of the meeting, Celine dismisses all of her daughters, but she asks her granddaughter to stay behind, holding out a hand towards one of the chairs seated directly next to her. "Come, have a seat."

Swallowing thickly, the young blonde stands from her chair before moving closer to her grandmother who is now wearing a softer expression than before, but not by much. She takes a seat in one of the chairs and after a long moment of internal battle, finds herself able to look her grandmother in the eye.

Celine sighs heavily as she shakes her head and continues to tap her nails against the furnished wood of the table. "Alex, you know that you can't just show up whenever you feel like it to these meetings. I know you may feel it, and they may seem boring to you, but they are very important and there are a lot of things that I need you to pay attention to. You especially since I know how much your mind likes to wander." She trails off, noticing how Alex's gaze has drifted off to somewhere else in the room. She sighs again before she decides to continue on. "You have made it clear to me that you wish to head the industries one day, do you not? That's why you have spent countless amount of hours working to improve the magazine? To prove to me that you can do it?"

"Yes, and I know I can do it." Alex replies firmly as she sits back in her chair. "I know that I am more than capable of running the industry. You just have to give me a shot."

"And why should I?" Celine snaps as she stands up from her chair and begins to pace. "Why should I hand my business to you? The instability in your life would be the very thing that would make Cabot Industries fall."

"My life is not instable!"

"Which is why you are out bedding half the women of New York!"

At this Alex falls silent as she handles her head to her hands where she is twiddling her thumbs out of nervous habit. No matter how much she wants to argue, she knows that she is unable to lie to her grandmother despite her reluctance to admit it.

Celine sighs once more before she pauses and folds her arms tightly. "You try to prove to me in your work that you are capable of running this business, but your character proves to me otherwise. You still behave like a delinquent Alexandra, and I will not have an indecisive teenager running my cooperation. I do not appreciate having word coming back to me that my favorite granddaughter is treating the women of New York like they're harlots. It shows that you lack the character you would need for this job and it shows me that you still have much growing to do. But I will make you a deal Alexandra, because I do see a strong potential in you. I will give you your chance at running this business, if you do one thing for me. You find a good woman for you and you settle down. You take responsibility for someone else in your life and you stop this running about, sleeping with anything that has breasts and a pulse. You find this woman, you prove to me that you can take care of her as well as still maintain your work and I will give you the keys."

Alex is silent for the longest of times before she blinks up at her grandmother in surprises. "That's it?" she asks after a long moment of silence. "That's all you ask? Find someone and stay there?"

"Yes, that's all I ask." Celine replies with a firm head nod. "But I have to approve of her and your parents do as well."

"Great. I won't disappoint you." Alex says quickly as she places a kiss to the older woman's cheek. "Thanks Grandma."

Celine smiles warmly and gives Alex's shoulder a squeeze before she watches her youngest board member exit the conference room. She sits back down in her chair and sighs heavily before shaking her head. "That child is way in over her head…I can feel it."

* * *

**Later**

"I can't believe she actually wants me to settle down with someone. Can you believe that?" Alex exclaims loudly as she continues to pace back and forth.

"You? Settle down? I've never heard of such things." Abbie Carmichael responds absentmindedly as her attention is more focused on the photo shoot that is happening in front of them. She tilts her head to the side in interest before biting down on her bottom lip. "Damn I love this job."

"I mean that's not even fair! It's my life I should be able to live it the way that I want to. I don't have to 'settle down' if I don't want to. I'm sick of all of them thinking that they can run my life. It's because I'm the youngest you know, that's why they all decide to pick on me. 'Oh Alex is too young she can't do this. Oh Alex is too young she can't do that. Oh Alex has no idea of what she's doing, give it to someone who knows what they're doing.' Yeah! Well damn them. If Alex didn't know what she was doing then Alex wouldn't have the most successful fashion magazine in the world. But _nooooo_ Alex is too incapable. Alex is too immature. Alex is too-Are you even listening to a word I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I'm listening."

"What did I just say…"

Abbie blinks several times before she locks gazes with her best friend. "Okay, so maybe I wasn't listening completely. But can you blame me? Do you see the greatness that's presented before us? I'm surprised you haven't had any of this yet."

"I try not to sleep with any of my models." Alex replies before she folds her arms and frowns as if remembering something. "Though, there was that one time...but nevertheless, it's not a habit that I want to pick up."

Abbie chuckles before slapping the blonde on the shoulder. "Ah, that's right. You're more of the love em' and leave em' type. You don't wanna have to come to work the next day and see your playmate from the night before waiting for you at your desk."

"Exactly."

"I like your logic. It makes sense. Hey, you never told me. How pissed was your family that you were late?"

"Beyond." Alex groans as she drags her fingers through her hair. "I can't believe that I forgot about that stupid meeting."

Abbie shrugs as she takes her attention away from the photo shoot to fix Alex with an 'I told you so' expression. "Well, had you had a personal assistant like I've been suggestion for the past three and a half months, that wouldn't have been an issue. You would have had more of a reminder and not had to rely on me. You're lucky that I even remembered. There are people out there whose jobs that is and I say that you need one. Your life would probably be a lot more organized."

"A personal assistant would be just one more person that I would have to pay. Not to mention that they would be in my private life practically all the time." Alex replies as she wrinkles her nose in disgust. "No thanks."

"Suit yourself. Pretty soon your disorganization will get the better of you." Abbie replies before she catches the arm of a passing photographer. "Hey Liv, where ya headed?"

Olivia Benson blinks in confusion for a moment before she holds up her camera. "Oh. Serena Southerlyn is doing a shoot in about fifteen minutes and I'm going to set up."

"Is that the lingerie one where she's doing poses on the bedspread?"

"That's the one."

"I am so there." Abbie states as she claps her hands and follows the photographer, leaving her best friend and boss to shake her head in her wake.

* * *

**The Next Day **

Casey Novak swallows thickly as she gazes up at the building in front of her. She looks at her watch and sees that she is a little early for her appointment before she quickly shuffles towards the building, pulls open one of the glass doors, and slips inside.

The young redhead glances around the lobby of the building, taking note of the many large, poster sized frames lining the walls that house blown up print out of previous magazine covers. She is immediately transfixed by the beautiful modern décor and set up, complete with the indoor fountain in the center of lobby.

She slinks her way up towards the front desk, where a raven haired woman appears to be flirting with the woman behind the desk, judging by the secretary's amount of blushing and giggling. Feeling a little more than awkward in the situation, Casey quietly clears her throat before lightly tapping the desk with her finger.

"Um, excuse me." She begins quietly as she draws the attention of both of the women. "I, um, well, I'm here to see Alex Cabot."

"Do you have an appointment?" The secretary asks, quirking an eyebrow as she turns her attention away from her admirer for a brief moment.

Casey blinks several times before she quickly nods her head, reaching in her satchel to pull out the printed email complete with the appointment time and directions to the office. "Oh, yes, I do. I was responding to the opening for an assistant. I spoke to an Abbie Carmichael about the position but as you can see, I'm not sure how to find either of them."

"Well you've found one." The lanky brunette pipes up before she extends her hand. "I'm Abbie. You must be…Casey right?"

"Y-yeah, yeah, that's me." Casey responds with a nervous smile before she clears her throat. "I-I realize that my appointment is at two but I just…well I just wanted to be a little early."

"Nah, it's no problem." Abbie replies with a waft of her hand before eyeing the blonde behind the desk. "Don't worry Manda, I'll show this one where she's supposed to go. You stay gorgeous 'till I get back, you here?"

The secretary smiles bashfully and blushes once again before she quickly presses a button on her headset and answers an incoming phone call.

Meanwhile, Casey blinks in utter amazement as she is led through the hallways of the publication office. Each and every inch of the building is seen to be decorated with the utmost expensive amount of furniture, décor, and mother miscellaneous items. Hell, even the light fixtures find a way to look amazing.

"You should be glad. You're the only one that I've actually scheduled an appointment with." Abbie begins with a shake of her head as they exit the elevator on the top floor. "All of the others seemed like complete bimbos through their application. One actually put in the footnotes 'I just wanna sleep with you'. Man, Alex would've flipped if she saw that."

"Oh, thank you. That means so much. I really need this job." Casey replies as she reaches a nervous sigh. "You see, my mother has brain cancer and she needs this operation for it before it's too late and with my sister in jail I-I'm the only one that actually has a chance at helping her. I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound like a pity sob story just so I can get this job, I just…I just really need this."

A soft expression passes over Abbie's face before she nods her head. "Well I wish you the best of luck, for your mom. But I'm not the one who has the final say so, you still have to convince Alex that you're up for this."

Casey jerkily nods her head before managing a nervous smile. "Yes ma'am, I intend to." She states before they come to a halt outside of a set of double doors, her nerves suddenly increasing all over again.

"This is it. Just relax, act natural, and be yourself. Unless yourself is revolting then don't do that." Abbie attempts to joke as she knocks one of the doors and opens it without even bothering to wait for a response. "Hey, your two o'clock is here."

"Great." Alex mutters quietly as she is currently busying herself with typing on her computer. "Send her in."

"Good luck." Abbie replies with a smile before she gives Casey a reassuring nudge into the office before she leaves, closing the door behind her.

Casey nervously clutches her satchel as she makes her way further into the office, taking note that the décor in there is even more extravagant that it is anywhere else. She swallows nervously as she carefully approaches the blonde's desk before slowly taking a seat in one of the chairs across from it.

"What's your name?" Alex asks flatly as she finally turns her attention away from her computer screen to focus on the woman across from her desk.

"Um, Casey Novak, Ma'am. I'm here about the position for an…assistant." The redhead trails off quietly, finding herself a little intimidated under the harsh gaze of steely blue eyes. "I have my resume here with me if you would like to take a look at that and I can tell you a little about myself if you'd like."

Alex holds out her hand for the resume before she takes the folder and settles back into her chair. "Do you have a job right now." She asks flatly, briefly looking at the redhead from over her glasses.

Casey opens and closes her mouth several times before she awkwardly rubs at the back of her neck. "Um, no…no Ma'am. That's why I'm here."

"Then tell me why I should pick you? Out of anyone else?"

"Well, I…as I told the woman who brought me here; I'm not trying to attempt to present some made up sob story just to get this position. But you see…my mother is really sick. She has brain cancer and she desperately needs an operation but her insurance won't cover it. I'm the only one who has any chance of getting her what she needs. I desperately need this job for the money so I can help my mother. If she doesn't have the surgery she…she'll die and she's really all I have left."

Alex purses her lips tightly before she returns the folder back to its owner before she leans back in her chair and folds her hands on her desk. "It said there that you are an artist? Are you in school?"

Casey hesitates for a moment before she shakes her head. "Well…no. I had to stop because I couldn't afford to pay for that and support for my mom. Mostly I try to sell my paintings at amateur art festivals or any place that I can to get the money. Every little cent counts."

Alex is silent for yet another moment before she sighs heavily and removes her glasses. "Listen Casey, you seem nice, you really do. But I just don't think that this position would be the one for you." She begins, pausing before she continues on. "You don't particularly have any experience in business and management and that is one of the very important things you would need if you were going to work for me. I just don't think you're the person who can fill this position."

"Oh…well, I…do you have anything else open? I-I'm hard working and I have flexible hours. I can be here as early as you need me to and I can stay as late as you need me to. Please, I really need something. Anything."

"I'm sorry Casey. I really wish I did have something, but I just don't think my office is what you need. Again, I' m sorry."

Casey hangs her head before she gives a slow nod. "I understand. I'm sorry for wasting your time." She mutters quietly before she stands up from the chair and quietly makes her way towards the door. As she exits the office, she fights tears, wondering just what it is she's going to do next. If there is anything that she _can_ do.

**A packed first chapter wasn't it? Don't forget to leave your thoughts! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, this story was a first hand hit with you guys! I'm really glad that all of you like it! Here's the second chapter, enjoy my lovelies! **

Alex groans quietly to herself as she gently massages her temples with the tips of her fingers. She looks up only to find her best friend once again fixing her with an accusing and scrutinizing glare. She holds the gaze for a brief moment before she rolls her eyes, huffs, and manages to look away.

"You've been giving me that look for the past two days now. Can you at least tell me what it is that I've done?" the blonde questions firmly as she spins around in her chair once again. "I think that much is the least you can do."

Abbie clicks her tongue and shrugs before she sighs. "I just think that the least you could do is take this whole personal assistant thing seriously. Your life is a mess Alex. You know as well as I know it's damn near impossible for you to remember every single thing that you've got going on for you. Meetings, interviews, public appearances, the list is just endless. It's physically impossible for anyone to remember when to do all of that practically all the time." She then pauses before shaking her head. "And I think the girl that you spoke to yesterday was nice."

Alex rolls her eyes before she spins in her chair once more to make eye contact with her right hand. "That's what this is about? Because I'm the successful entrepreneur who wouldn't break and stoop to the level of commoners? Get real Abbie. I don't just pass out charity cases. I've got a job to do and a business to run. I don't have time to worry about such things."

"You're denser than I thought." Abbie replies with a shake of her head as she clicks her tongue once more. "Stop and think about it. Think back to what your grandmother told you. She said find a good girl and settle down right?"

"Yeah, and where am I gonna find this so called 'good girl' nowadays anyway? Think about it Abbie, women are just as bad as men these times. The only thing anyone ever thinks about anymore is sex. No one has time to look for someone that doesn't."

"One just walked into your office yesterday Alex. I was only around her for maybe five minutes but I could tell she was different. She was one of those rare ones that you find once in a blue moon. Think about it Alex, Casey is the kind of girl that your grandmother was talking about. She's the one that you need."

Alex is silent for a moment as she begins to tap her nails against her desk. "You know I don't go for that kind of thing, Abbie. One girl means commitment and I just…I'm just not good at that sorta thing. I don't want that sorta thing."

Abbie shrugs nonchalantly at the comment. "Well then come up with something. I mean, it can't be as hard as it sounds right?"

"Unless I don't really settle down." Alex replies as a tiny smirk tugs at her lips. "It all makes perfect sense. I'll go find her and then make my grandmother believe that I've found the 'perfect woman'. It's brilliant."

"Or you could do that."

"Thanks, Abbie. You've been a big help, but just one more thing, how do I find her?"

"Shit, I don't know, Alex. I don't have all the answers to everything." Abbie shrugs once again before snapping her fingers. "Actually, you're in luck, because I do seem to remember something. There's some kinda art festival going on somewhere near central park. She might be there checking stuff out. You might find her hanging around there. If you don't, well, I don't know what to tell ya."

"Great. Thanks." Alex says quickly as she springs from her chair, making sure to grab her keys and jacket on the way out. As she makes her way out of the office and to her car, she can't help but hope and pray that her plan in action will succeed.

* * *

Alex frowns behind her designer sunglasses as she makes her way through the crowd at the art festival. Crowds of people line various booths containing paintings, sculptures and any other various items that could be classified as art. It's not anything that Alex is used to seeing considering all of the artwork that she has in her home is imported.

"There are just too many people down here." Alex grumbles under her breath as she practically has to force her way through the extensive crowds of people. "There's no way that I'm going to find her out here."

As if fate was listening, Alex continues to peer through the crowds of people right before she spots a very familiar redhead clutching her satchel as she casually browses one of the art booths. "Sorry, excuse me, sorry, excuse me…" Alex murmurs quietly as she once again has to practically fight her way through the crowd to get where she's going. "Casey!"

Casey frowns slightly as she hears her name from somewhere in the crowd. She shakes it off as nothing but squeals quietly when she feels someone grip her shoulder and immediately spin her around. What she doesn't expect is to see a certain blonde starting at her with intensity.

"You scared me…" she mumbles, nervously adjust the strap of her satchel out of nervous habit. "What-what're you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you. I had a hunch that you'd be down here." Alex says before she clears her throat and straightens herself out. "Is there place quiet that we could possibly talk? Alone?"

Casey opens and closes her mouth several times before she finds herself at a complete loss for words. Is this really the same woman that had rejected her job application from earlier? And now is here she is, standing before her, begging to speak with her as if she needs something? Is this some sort of crazy dream that she is going to find herself waking up from in only a matter of time?

"Um, sure, I guess. There's a quiet internet café that's right around the corner." The redhead begins quietly as she nervously rubs at the back of her neck. "It's not that far of a walk from here and I'm sure that there will be no one in there considering a lot of people are out here."

"Great. Lead the way."

All the while on the walk to the café, Casey finds herself occasionally glancing at Alex out of the corner of her eye. She can't help but feel that the powerful blonde seems a little more than out of place, wandering the streets of New York in her expensive suit and designer shades. She has power and authority radiating off of her and once again Casey finds herself to be a little more than intimidated.

"Do you want a coffee or anything?" Casey asks nervously as they find a quiet table tucked into the far corner of the café.

"No thank you, I'm here on business." Alex begins as she removes her sunglasses and folds her hands into her lap. "So where shall I begin…"

"The beginning would be nice."

"Right. You see, Casey, as I stated before, you're a really nice girl. I believe that and I'm sorry that things turned out the way that they did. What do you say that you and I get off on another start, yes?"

Casey blinks in confusion as she stares at the blonde seated across from her. How is it one day she throws her out of her office and the very next, she's seeking her out asking for something. "Um, I-I guess so." She mutters before continuing on. "If you don't mind me saying, why did you go through the trouble of looking for me? I mean…I don't mean to sound rude, but I really should be out trying to figure out how to get my paintings into the next amateur art show that's coming in about a week. I really need the money if I'm able to get it."

"But what if I'm able to help you with that?" Alex inquires, a satisfied smirk spreading across her face when she sees that she has captured the redhead's attention. "What if I'm able to help you get the money that you need to help your mother?"

"You would do that?" Casey whispers as her eyes suddenly begin to gleam with hope. "Oh please Miss Cabot. I'll do anything. I just…I really need to help my mother."

"And that's what I want for you. And please, call me Alex." The businesswoman responds as her smirk begins to widen. "You see Casey I have a problem, much like you have one. I believe that it is safe to assume that you have heard of my family's corporation? Surely you know that Cabot Industries is one of the most, if not the most, powerful business corporation in the world."

"Oh, yes, Ma'am, I know. But if you don't mind me asking; what does that have to do with me?"

"Ah yes, back to my point. You see, Cabot Industries is headed by my lovely grandmother, Celine, but you see as she is about to retire, she needs for someone to take over her place as the owner and CEO of the industry and I intend to be that someone who inherits the business. Do you follow so far? I digress, my mother has gotten it stuck into her head that I need to be 'tied down' for lack of a better term, but someone in my life. That's where you come in. If I am able to convince her that I am responsible and I have a responsible woman by my side, she will hand me the keys to the industry. Does all of that make sense?"

Casey is silent for a long moment as she continues to blink in confusion. "So let me get this straight. You want to inherit the CEO position from your grandmother and in order to do that she wants you to find a woman to settle down with? I'm afraid I still don't…" she trails off before she looks up with widened eyes once again. "You want me to be that woman? Miss Cabot…Alex…I don't know. I really don't think…"

"Oh, but Casey, please?" Alex begs as she putts on her sweet, persuasive voice. "It would me so much to me if you helped me out here. And think about your mother. I would give you everything that you would need so she could have her operation up front. No back clause and no chance that I would go back on my word; even though I am a woman of my word anyway. Please?"

Casey is hesitant for yet another long moment before her mind wonders to her ill mother. She did vow that she would do anything to get her mother the operation that she needs, and let's face it, she really doesn't have any other options at this point. "I would be going against all of my morals to help you with this, but I really do need the money to save my mother. So…I'll do it, but you better keep your word and help her just like you said."

"I swear. You have my word." Alex explains before she smiles once again, showing off her perfectly whitened teeth. "Do we have a deal?"

"…Yes. We have a deal."

* * *

**Later **

"Wow…" Casey whispers in utter amazement as she follows the blonde into her expensive and lavish penthouse. The artwork displayed around the foyer is amazing, as well as the various plants, and modernized furniture. "This is your house?"

"Yep." Alex replies nonchalantly as she tosses her keys onto the center table in the foyer. "You like? I had it customized to suit all of my likings."

"I just…can't believe that you actually live here." Casey whispers once again as she glances around her once more before her eyes land on a specific painting. "Is that a Monet?"

"Yep. It's an original. Bought it myself." Alex replies nonchalantly once again before she turns and heads off towards the living room. "You might wanna keep up. It's real easy to get lost in here."

Casey is broken out of her stupor as she follows the blonde into the large living room. She is once again immediately transfixed by the large wall length glass windows that give a perfect view of the city, the plush leather sofas, the large fire place, all sitting atop a finely furnished hardwood floor. It's actually one of the homes that she would see out of one of those dream home magazines.

"I'll have Martha bring us some wine." Alex says as she flops down on to the sofa and extends her hands. "Please. Have a seat."

Nodding, Casey takes a seat on the edge of the sofa as she continues to look around the living room. She continues to look around in amazement before she snaps back to reality and finds a pair of steely blue eyes trained on her. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to stare. I've just never seen anything like this before. Your home I mean." She stammers before she clears her throat. "So…can you explain this to me again? What it is that you need me to do?"

"Easy. You pretend to be my girlfriend and then I introduce you to my family. Then I eventually ask you to marry me and once my grandmother gives me the business and my inheritance, we can divorce. Simple as that. You agreed to do this for me, and I swear that I will pay for your mother's surgery as well as any other necessity that she may need."

"You'll do all that…" Casey whispers, nervously wringing her hands as she still can't believe that she's doing this and that all of this is happening to her. "I will help you, but I do have a set of conditions of my own."

"Hm, and pray tell, what might those be?"

"While we are 'dating' and even after we get 'married' you are not allowed to be too touchy feely with me and I decide whether you are doing so or not. The only time that you would be allowed to touch me would be when we are in the presence of your family or any of your other seemingly important company, but mainly in front of your family. You don't get to kiss me and even when it might seem appropriate for you to do so, you can only kiss me on the cheek. Nowhere else. And the one last very important thing; do not, I repeat do NOT expect me to have sex with you. I'm not going to subject myself to giving myself to a woman who I'm not in love with, much less a woman that I'm not married to. Plus, don't think that I don't know about you either. Word does travel Alex. I'm not even going to sleep in the same bed as you. Do _we_ have a deal?"

"Uh, yeah, noted…" Alex responds, completely taken aback at Casey's conditions. She isn't going to lie and say that she's not completely surprised by Casey's admissions. She never once thought that people still went through the traditions of saving themselves for marriage. It all just seemed to be a bit old fashion, and Alex is all about the now. Monogamy is just not a word that's in her vocabulary. "Is that everything?"

"That's everything."

"Excellent. We will start with moving most of your belongings in here as well as any other item that you desire. Any questions?"

"No…I guess not."

"Great," Alex replies as she stands up from the sofa with a wide grin. "Then we shall start grooming you to be the future Mrs. Cabot."

"Future Mrs. Cabot…Great." Casey sighs as she shakes her head and stands up to follow the blonde where ever she is going.

_ 'What have I gotten myself into…' _

**What HAS she gotten herself into? Leave your thoughts! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Another semi long chapter for you guys. Hope you all enjoy it! **

"I don't know, Kim. I just don't know what I'm doing with my life anymore." Casey sighs quietly as she hangs her head and absentmindedly pushes her pasta around her plate. "Everything just got so weird so fast and I just don't know anymore. What am I doing with myself?"

Kim Greylek quirks an eyebrow at her best friend's anguish as she adjusts the tray on her shoulder. "Just let me go deliver these orders and I'll be right back, alright? Then we can talk about whatever's going on." She says soothingly before disappearing off to deliver the orders. Moments later, she returns and slides into the booth across from her friend. "So talk to me. What's going on?"

Casey nervously bites down on her bottom lip as she finds herself nervously fiddling with her hands. Should she tell her friend what's really going on, or should she tell her the story that she's supposed to tell her? After a long moment of contemplation, she realizes that the only thing she can do is tell her best friend the truth.

"It's, a long story actually." She begins with another quiet sigh. "I-well, you know of Alex Cabot right?"

"Yes. One of the most successful women in the country and heiress to Cabot Industries right?" Kim inquires, nodding when she receives a nod of confirmation. "Yeah, I know of your. But why? What's she got to do with anything?"

"Well, as I said. It's a long story. But to shorten things up, I'm kind of…her girlfriend now." The artist trails off quietly, nervously wringing her hands once again.

Kim is silent for the longest of moments before her mouth falls open in shock. "Girlfriend? Like…girlfriend, girlfriend? I didn't even know you KNEW her let alone started to date her. Geez Case, you really don't tell me anything anymore!"

Casey rapidly shakes her head as a tiny smile tugs at her lips. "No, Kim it's not like that. We're not REALLY dating, it's just…" she trails off once more, pausing as her mind attempts to come up with the correct word. "It's really complicated. We aren't really dating but we're pretending to so her grandmother will approve of her and give her the inheritance to the business."

"Okay…but tell me, what does that have anything to do with you?"

"I asked myself that too, until I remembered that she's paying for my mother's surgery."

"Surgery?" Kim repeats with widened eyes as she rubs at the back of her neck. "Gee Casey, we really do need to catch up some more, I feel like I don't know anything anymore. I just-wait a second. You're dating her so she can get her inheritance or whatever and because she said that she was going to pay for your mother's surgery? Casey, that…that's so selfish of her. How could she ask something like that? Especially when you don't even know each other? And why did you agree to do it? What about all that dreamy talk you do about falling in love and then having 'your perfect other half' and having the perfect wedding? You're basically throwing all of that away here, Casey!"

"I need this for my mom!" Casey exclaims, slamming her fist down on the table in an act of complete frustration. "I need this for her Kim. With Hannah in jail, I'm really the only one that she can depend on. If she doesn't get the surgery she's going to die and she's all I have. I-I can't lose her Kim, I just can't. I need her."

Kim sighs quietly before she nods her head. "I understand what you're saying Casey, really, I do. But I just don't want to see you ending up hurt okay? You know Alex has a reputation for getting around, especially when it comes to throwing her money around to get what she wants. I just don't want her to hurt you."

"I appreciate your concerns, but I know how to take care of myself." Casey replies firmly before sighing heavily. "I've been doing it long enough."

"Just be careful, alright? As I said before, I don't want to see you get hurt." Kim then pauses before she tilts her head in confusion. "But why the nerves right now? Something coming up?"

"Yes, actually. We're having dinner tonight where I am being introduced to her family. She's bought me new clothes and everything."

"Seems to me like you've just made a deal with the devil…and a charming one at that."

* * *

"I do believe that I said we were leaving at seven." Alex huffs impatiently as she folds her arms and taps her foot against the floor.

"Would you relax? It's not even seven yet!" Casey calls back from somewhere up stairs before she continues on with an equal amount of agitation in her voice. "Cut me a little slack here, it's been a little while since I've last worn a pair of heels, and you did give me little to no notice about this dress that I'm wearing. I thought the one that I had on was fine."

Alex rolls her eyes in agitation once more as she shifts her weight and sighs drastically. "I didn't like that one." She replies simply with a shrug as if Casey can see her. "It didn't match anything. Much like the rest of your clothing."

"Which is why you took it upon yourself to replace my entire wardrobe?"

"You should be thanking me. I wanted to scream when I went through your things and found this hideous lime green…I'm not even quit sure what it was. All I know is that it was lime green and awful and I refuse to allow you to wear that thing anywhere. I figured you wardrobe just needed to be a little more…uplifting. Again, you would think that I would receive thank you considering that I've done so out of the kindness of my heart."

"Yes, the kindness of your cold, black, un-beating heart." Casey grumbles lowly, only loud enough for her to hear before she appears at the top of the stairs. "I'm sure that you do lots of generous things in regards to other people. Including your overly generous contribution to the satisfaction of the female population in the entire state of New York; and anywhere else I'm sure that you set foot."

Alex scowls at the way the comment was worded, and despite being educated to the fullest extent, she struggles to figure out whether or not the comment was meant to be offensive. "Did you just indirectly call me a whore?"

Casey smirks for a brief moment before she shakes her head and makes an attempt to descend the spiraling staircase without falling. "Now, that would be far too crude of me, don't you think? I'm sure there are may be a handful of women that haven't gotten the luxury of seeing the more intimate sides of your bedroom. I can only feel so much pity for poor Martha who has to be the one to do your laundry."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"What it means, Alex, is that I'm sure that more women have leaked on your bed sheets than the total amount of rainfall that this country has gotten in a full year. Why is that?"

"It's not your business." The blonde heiress mutters as she somehow manages to forcefully put on her coat. "Are you ready?"

"Aren't you going to help me with my coat?" Casey responds with a smirk as she finds that she's enjoying pushing Alex's buttons.

"Why should I? You have two arms that work."

"But aren't you supposed to be the man in this relationship? The provider?"

Alex scowls deeply at the word relationship before she swiftly turns her back. "Put on your own damn coat." She mutters darkly before stalking to the door.

Casey quirks an eyebrow curiously before she giggles quietly and shrugs her shoulder, taking careful care to slip on her coat and follow the blonde out the door. "Oh what an interesting night this is going to turn out to be."

Down in Alex's garage, Casey can't help but raise her eyebrows at the four lavish luxury cars presented before her, all bearing the Mercedes, Lexus, Audi, and BMW emblems respectively. "Are all of these…yours?" she whispers in complete shock. Being one who is used to getting around on public transit, she can hardly believe a person to have one luxurious car, let alone four.

"Yep." Alex responds in a slightly clipped manner as she makes her way over to her metallic silver colored Audi A8 before swiftly climbing into the driver's seat, chuckling quietly when Casey slowly joins her as if too much movement would stir her from her dream. "I had all of them customized to my liking, much like my house."

"What things do you own that aren't customized?" Casey responds rhetorically as she quirks an eyebrow in suspicion once again.

"Maybe if you're good I'll tell you later." The blonde replies with a smug smirk before putting out of her garage and out onto the road. "But yes, these four beautiful works of art in there are all my precious babies. And now. They're yours as well."

"Mine?"

"Yes. Well, for the time being."

Casey is tight lipped for a long moment before she blinks rapidly in confusion and shock. "Mine. You're letting me drive your cars…"

"Yep." Alex responds in a clipped manner once again as if trying to appear nonchalant about the idea. "You do know how to drive, don't you?"

"Of course I know how to drive. I used to have a car before I sold it to help pay my Mom's medical bill." Casey murmurs in response as she turns her head to look out the window at the rapidly passing lights of the city. "New York is so lively in the day time and even more alive at night. No wonder it's called the city that never sleeps."

Alex, however, doesn't respond right away as her mind is still lingering over the fact that Casey sold her car in order to help her mother. The act of selflessness is something that Alex isn't particularly used to, though she would deny the living hell out of being selfish if it were ever mentioned to her. Instead of responding to the comment, she deems that it is best for an abrupt change in subject.

"My parents and grandmother are really looking forward to meeting you." The heiress begins casually, internally flinching when she can practically feel Casey's eyes studying her. "My grandmother especially."

"Well, I suppose that we are going to have to sell the deception tonight then, won't we?" Casey responds with a quiet sigh. "You just remember my rules. Don't touch me."

"You're supposed to be head over heels for me. Which means that I am going to have to touch you."

"But I said-wait a second. Did you just said I'm supposed to be head over heels for you? Where the hell did that come from?"

Alex winces a bit before she begins drumming her fingers against the steering wheel. "Well you see, the way that I explained it to my grandmother-"

"Probably made me sound like a gold digging whore. Thanks Alex."

"Oh, stop that. I did not make it sound like you were a 'gold digging whore' as you put it. I just may have made it sound like that we're totally in love. I don't expect you to fawn if that's where you're going with that. I just know that my grandmother will get extremely suspicious if we act like we are repulsed by each other."

"She'd be half right." Casey mutters quietly, looking away at the window just in time for her to miss a look of hurt flash across the blonde's face.

"Oh, and there is one more think I believe you should be mindful of."

"What's that?"

"The questions."

* * *

Approximately fifteen to twenty minutes later, Casey finds her eyes lighting up once more as they turn into a gate that leads to a long narrow driveway. At the end of the paved driveway sits a large, extravagant mansion with a glowing fountain surrounded by various forms of vegetation that make up a beautiful front garden to show off to incoming guests as they make their way up the driveway.

"Wow." The redhead whispers once more, hear breath practically taken away at the sheer beauty of the house. Yes of course she knew that the Cabots had money, but never once did she think that they would live in such palace like structures. "This is amazing. Okay, I know I've said this before about your penthouse, but someone actually lives here?"

"Yeah, dear old grandma." Alex responds with a tiny hint of amusement in her voice as they exit her car. She absentmindedly tosses her keys to a patiently waiting man clad in a long tailed tuxedo and patiently waits for Casey to exit the car.

"There are so many people here if we're just here for dinner." Casey speaks with observation as she glances at the various cars and such around her, dropping off various people in suits and dresses. "Alex…"

"Okay, I may have neglected to mention that it was a dinner party…"

"A dinner _party_?! Alex?!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't want you to feel too overwhelmed on the way over here. It would have caused you to freak out and do that weird wheezing thing that you do when you get nervous."

"I-do-not-wheeze." Casey gasps out as she begins to do the very thing that she claims not to do before forcing her body to calm down. "I'm okay. I'm okay. It's just…it's just a party. A party with a bunch of very important people who can probably buy me and sell me as much as they want and-and I'm just a nobody who really shouldn't be here and…"

"Would you calm down? Everything will be fine. Anyhow, I suppose that now's about the time that I be 'gentlewomanly'". Alex responds, before she awkwardly clears her throat before she offers the redhead her arm. "Shall we?"

Casey nods shakily as she slips her arm through Alex's and allows for herself to be led up the staircase to the house. She swallows thickly as another man in a tuxedo nods his head deeply before opening the door for the two of them. "Here goes nothing." She mutters to herself as they step into the lavish house.

A crystal chandelier hands high above the ceiling in the grand foyer which two large curved staircases descend from two separate wings of the house, accompanied by much smaller ones, leading to other various rooms. The polished flooring reflects the lighting perfectly, which succeed in adding even more light to the grand room.

"I feel that this would have been much more of a suitable occasion for you to wear a tux." Casey jokes, in a desperate attempt to use humor to play off her nervous.

"And I feel that is just a sad excuse for you to get me into men's clothing." Alex responds before leaning in close to Casey's ear. "Besides, I think our dresses complement each other perfectly. You look gorgeous."

Casey mentally curses herself when she feels her face heating up from the compliment. She doesn't particularly believe that it's sincere, but simply another move in the cat and mouse game that they've been playing since the beginning of the night; and unfortunately for her, Alex's latest comment has landed her the role of the pitiful little mouse.

"Miss Cabot, it's a delight to see you once again." An older man with a slight British accent greets warmly as he approaches the two. "Am I right in assuming that this be the lady friend your grandmother is so deadest on meeting?"

"Yeah, Alfred, this is Casey." Alex begins introducing the two. "Casey, this is Alfred, my grandmother's head butler."

"A pleasure to meet you, Madame." Alfred greets the redhead warmly as he lightly shakes the redhead's hand before turning to Alex. "Come. Your grandmother is waiting at the table she had specifically set for herself, your parents, and your guest. If you would follow me."

As the couple follows the butler through to the main dining hall filled with various white cloth covered tables, Alex once again feels Casey slightly tense against her arm. "Relax. Just act natural and all will be fine. It will be over sooner than you think."

"Not soon enough." Casey mumbles quietly as they are led to a table already seating three people; a man, and women. The man at the table, a tall, finely built fellow with slick black hair, clad in a black tuxedo, stands as the two women approach. It is clear to Casey that he is a man of manners and she is a bit surprised, considering it's not particularly something you can find in men these days.

"So pleased you could make it dear." The older of the two seated blondes says cheerfully as she manages a smile, though something seems to be hidden underneath as she eyes Alex harshly for a brief moment. "We were just about to have the appetizers sent out."

Alex rolls her eyes as she knows that what was just said was her grandmother's stab at her tardiness once again. In her defense, at least she made it before the appetizers were actually placed on the table. "Yeah, well…" she mutters before clearing her throat to begin the formal pleasantries. "Uh, so, this is my father, William, my mother Veronica, and my grandmother, Celine. All of you, this is Casey."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Casey states politely after shaking hands with each family member respectively before she takes her seat. "It's really a pleasure to be here and thank you for having me."

"Well it is a pleasure to finally meet the woman that has managed to put a permanent smile on my granddaughter's face." Celine states sweetly, though she knows there is a certain tone in her voice allowing for Alex to realize that the playthings she would amuse herself with were completely unacceptable to bring to family functions.

Seeing the look exchange between her mother and daughter, Veronica quietly clears her throat as she moves to discretely seize control of the table. "So Casey, Alex has told us so much about you and nothing at all at the very same time. So please, tell us, what is it that you do?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Casey see's Alex's hands briefly tense before she moves them to her lap underneath the table. "Um, well, I'm an artist." She responds truthfully, finding herself unable to lie about the thing that she loves most.

"An artist? That's fascinating!" William chimes in with an interested grin. "I have a keen eye for art myself. Maybe I've seen something you've done?"

"Probably not, Sir. I mostly try to-"

"To boast about her successful pieces." Alex interjects tightly with a nervous chuckle. "She's very modest you know."

"I see." Celine hums, this time being the one to take the conversation in the direction where she wants it to go. "Where did the two of you meet?"

Casey chuckles at the memory as she opens her mouth to respond. "Well actually, we met-"

"At an art gala. Total black tie even." Alex interjects once again with a wide smile. "She was there showing off her art work and there I was browsing the pieces and our gazes met and it was like…like…"

"Love at first sight." Casey grumbles darkly as she finds that she was interrupted once again. She had no idea what Alex is trying to play at here but she most definitely does not like it. "And the rest is history."

"Oh, such a lovely story." Veronica swoons dreamily before sighing happily. "And I'm sure that there will be many more come from the both of you."

"I'm certainly looking forward to it." Celine adds on with a smile as she nods her approval and satisfaction for the moment.

"So are we. Aren't we honey?" Alex asks sweetly as she leans over and gives the redhead a swift peck on the cheek.

"We sure are." Casey responds with an innocent smile as she kicks Alex hard under the table, causing the blonde to yelp quietly and fix her with a glare to which she can only respond to with a satisfied smirk.

"Oh pretty soon the two of you will be talking of the wonders of love, marriage, and grandchildren for me!" Veronica swoons once again, completely unaware that her absentminded comment is what causes her daughter to choke on her water.

The blush on Casey's face is painfully evident as she gently pats Alex's back to get her to stop choking. She can see that the blonde is turning a severe shade of pink, but whether it's from the choking or the comment, she can't exactly be sure.

"Mom!?" Alex exclaims as she finally manages to find her voice and get the appropriate amount of air into her lungs. "Don't you think that it is MUCH too soon to be speaking of such things?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. You just can't blame me for getting excited! My baby is all grown up!"

"Yeah, and sleeping with all of New York." Casey mutters under her breath, though she knows that Alex heard her from the glare that she receives in response. She flashes her 'girlfriend' a cheeky grin before turning her attention back to the rest of the table, happy that game of cat and mouse has successfully shifted in her favor. She catches the look that Alex is giving her before she leans over to whisper in the blonde's ear.

"Your move, Sweetheart."

"Game on, Baby…"

**I am REALLY loving the way this story is turning out and I hope you guys are too. Leave your thoughts? **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: My chapters in this story are particularly longer than the others I've written…wonder why that is. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! **

Casey swallows nervously as she glances around the blank, colorless walls of the visitation room at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. She taps her fingers against the hard metal of the table before her as she continues to shift uncomfortably on the cold metal bench. Clearly, correctional facilities do not put 'hospitality' as their number one priorities.

Her nerves quickly mask themselves as she hears the clinking of keys followed by the appearance of a guard tightly holding the arm of a tall, thin redhead with handcuffs securing both of her arms in front of her. She manages a tiny smile as the two approach her though the guard wears a stony expression.

"Just remember, number one rule, no touching. Remember you're being watched." The guard says firmly before pointing her finger harshly at the inmate. "And I've got my eye on you."

Casey raises her eyebrows in confusion as she watches the guard disappear from the visitation room before she turns back to the woman now seated across from her. "You seem like you've made quite the friend there," she states sarcastically before she tilts her head in genuine sincerity. "How're you doing Han?"

Hannah Novak eyes her younger sister curiously before she snorts and shakes her head. "I'm in prison, Case not on vacation in the Bahamas." She snorts, before chuckling sadly. "But all jokes aside, I'm still trying to adjust. Some say that you only need six months to adjust to prison, but after those hard six months, I can tell you first hand that it's not easy, but hell, it's home now for me, so it's about time that I get used to it right?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Casey responds sadly hanging her head. "I just wish you weren't in here. There's gotta be something that I can-"

"Casey stop, you say that every time you come see me. There's nothing you can do honey." Hannah replies with a shake of her head before she sighs. "I'm probably gonna be in here till I die."

Casey finds herself blinking back tears as she begins to wring her hands out of anxiety. "But you don't belong in here, I know you don't and I know you're innocent. I just don't get why everyone else just doesn't understand that."

Hannah shrugs her shoulders in response to the questions and comments they go over practically every time Casey comes to visit. "Yeah well, whoever set me up hand a pretty deadest intention to make sure everyone else understand that I'm not. We go over this every time Casey. There was too much evidence against me and whoever planted it in front of the cops made sure that it got me convicted. Someone wanted to make sure I was here for life and now they've got what they've wanted."

"Yeah, and they've succeeded in tearing our family apart." Casey sniffles as she wipes her tears that have somehow made their way past her emotional barrier.

"Hey, don't talk like that. We're still a family. Even if I am now rocking this orange piece of crap they call clothes." The older redhead chuckles before her face turns sad and concerned. "How's Mom?"

Casey's face lights up at the mention of their mother which actually takes Hannah a little by surprise. "That's another main reason that I came to see you today!" she exclaims with a bright smile. "She's having her surgery today!"

"What?"

"Her surgery! Her surgery that's going to get rid of the tumors; she's having it today. She's going to get better Han!"

Hannah's face breaks into a grin as tears of happiness as well as sadness spring to her eyes. "Casey, that's amazing. Really it is and it kills me inside to know that I won't be able to see her when she comes out." The older woman says before her face drops and she tilts her head. "Casey, be honest with me, what did you do to get the money for her surgery?"

Casey's face contorts in to a brief front before she purses her lips tightly. "What do you mean?" she asks innocently, not quite sure where her sister is going with the tightly phrased question?

"The money Casey. Where did you get the money to pay for Mom's surgery? What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything Hannah; why are you looking at me like I might have done something illegal to get the money for her? You know that I would never do anything like that right?"

"I'm sorry Casey, I'm just trying to make sure that you got things honest in your life right now. I don't want to see you in trouble or anything. But you really gotta tell me; where did you get the money for Mom's surgery?"

Casey sighs heavily and drags both of her hands roughly through her hair before folding them to rest on the table. "I've been…seeing someone…" she begins, deciding that it's best her older sister doesn't know all of the details of the situation. "I've been seeing someone and I told her what's going on, and she said she'd pay for Mom's operation."

Hannah quirks her eyebrows at the confession from the younger woman before she purses her lips tightly. "You're seeing someone? Well, clearly you haven't been seeing them too long because the last time you came in here, you never once mentioned you were 'seeing someone'." She responds firmly, scowling once more before she continues on. "And what person just willingly offers up thousands of dollars for someone they hardly even know. Who is this person?"

"Um, her name's Alex."

"Alex? Alex who?"

"…Cabot…"

"Cabot?" Hannah repeats as her eyebrows briefly shoot into her hairline before her face contorts into the deepest of scowls. "Casey, I don't want you anywhere near her."

This time, Casey is the one to frown, only her frown is one of confusion and curiosity instead of anger and resent. "What? Why's that?"

"Because she gets around. She's notorious for leaving women broken hearted. I used to work for her aunt, remember? At the dealership? There'd be talk about how she'd be with a new woman practically every week; sometimes every night. I don't want you getting tangled up into her mess."

'You have no idea.' Casey thinks mentally before she shakes her head. "Hannah, I know what I'm doing. I'm not getting tangled into any kind of mess. I'm a grown woman and I know how to take care of myself. Plus Alex she…she…"

"She what?" Hannah repeats before she rolls her eyes. "Don't you dare say she loves you because I'm pretty sure that spoiled little brat is incapable of loving anything. I actually wouldn't put it past her to have some ulterior motive to paying for Mom's surgery."

"Well she doesn't. She really cares."

"Right. Just watch your back okay? And you come back here and tell me if she hurts you alright?"

"Alright, Han." Casey chuckles, giving her older sister a warm smile. She can see clearly how prison is taking its toll on the other woman, and it's practically breaking her heart. "Do you need anything?"

Hannah shrugs for a moment before chuckling quietly. "Some toothpaste would be night. Something tells me that the toothpaste they give us here is made from the shoes that they burn out back." She jokes before shaking her head. "But you take care of yourself, alright? Don't go getting yourself into any kinda trouble."

"I won't, I promise and I promise that I'll give Mom an extra kiss for you."

"Good. I love you, you know that right?"

"I love you too, Sis. I love you too."

* * *

Once Casey is back in the city, she casually makes her way towards the familiar little Italian café to share her good news with her best friend. As she steps inside, she is only half surprised to find the woman in question in the middle of a heated argument with who appears to be the manager of the establishment.

"I can't handle this foolishness any longer, I quit!" Kim shouts finally as she removes the black waist apron from her waist and all but throws it at the older woman who is continuing to yell at her in Italian. "Fuck you and this restaurant. The food here isn't even good anyway! C'mon Casey."

Casey blinks rapidly in confusion before she spins on her heel and follows the angry brunette out of the cafe, finding that she is already halfway down the sidewalk. "Whoa, slow down! You wanna tell me what I just walked in on?"

Kim huffs in frustration as she crosses her arms tightly over her chest. "You just witnessed me making probably one of the smartest but at the same time dumbest decisions of my life. I am so sick of working for that idiot. My hours are unreasonable and I hardly make anything and that's with tips included. I just can't keep putting so much work into a job that I especially hate and then end up getting so little in return."

"Gee, Kim, I'm sorry."

"Yeah well, it needed to be done. It sucks now, because I really don't have a job anymore and now I have to go through the pains and frustrations of getting a new one. Do you know how much I hate waiting tables? Especially for those unreasonable assholes whoa act like total jerks and then don't even bother to leave a tip!? Not to mention job hunting, god I hate job hunting!"

Casey eyes her friend sadly before shrugging her shoulders. "Again, I'm really sorry. I wish that there was something I could-" she pauses as a thought briefly springs into her mind. "You have a degree in business and management right?"

Kim blinks in confusion before she shrugs as well, though keeping her arms folded. "Yeah, so?"

"I think I might just be able to help you out after all. C'mon."

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

"And I'm fluent in over four different languages and I am extremely flexible as well. I can bend backwards so far that I'm able to touch my forehead with my toes. Would you like to see?"

"Uh, no thanks. I'm okay." Alex responds with a rather blank stare. She is almost eight three percent sure that this woman sitting here in her office is most definitely not interested in the job she's offering, and she's almost ninety nine percent positive she is most definitely not fluent in over four different languages. She can't say that she's really surprised. It wouldn't be the first time that someone has told a lie to get into her good graces. "Listen, uh, Christa, is it? You seem…nice, you really do, but I really don't think that this job would fit you."

The rather ditzy brunette in the guest chair pouts briefly at the comment though it takes her a little while to process what was just said. "Well poo." She pouts before a seductive grin spreads across her face and she easily slides from the chair with ease. "Well, maybe I could show you one of my talents? Perhaps it could change your mind?"

Alex's eyes widen briefly as the woman manages to snake her way around her desk. "Um, what are you doing?"

"I'm just trying to persuade you to hire me, that's all. You know I like a woman of power like you and I'm sure that you're quite the top, if you catch my drift." Christa purrs lowly before climbing into the blonde's lap, straddling her. "I want to feel what it's like to have you take control over me."

"I'm really flattered, but I'm really not interested in what you have to…offer."

"Aw, but come on. All we would need is maybe fifteen minutes. I already told you. I'm very flexible."

"Listen, if you don't get off of me, I'm going to call security and-" Alex pauses abruptly when she hears her door open and she turns her head to see Casey frozen in the doorway with someone behind her. Great.

Casey blinks rapidly at what she's just walked in on and she awkwardly clears her throat at the situation. "Uh, clearly I'm interrupting something. I can come back later?"

"No, it's fine." Alex responds quickly as she practically forces this overly persistent woman out of her lap. "She was just leaving."

"I was."

"You were. Get out. Now."

The brunette quirks her eyebrow at the tone before she gathers her things and huff audibly. She dramatically storms towards the door before turning up her nose and stalking away with more added overdramatic affect.

"_This_ was your bright idea?" Kim mutters sarcastically, flinching when she receives a harsh elbow in the ribs. "Hey! I was just sayin'…"

Clearing her throat once again, Casey manages a smile despite the awkwardness when Alex approaches them. "Alex, this is my best friend Kim. She's actually here and the assistant position."

Alex sighs heavily as she holds up her hands in defeat. "Listen, if you're gonna just come in here and try to sleep with me to get this job then-"

"Gross. I'd rather French kiss a frog." Kim replies flatly as she scrunches up her face in disgust.

Alex's mouth snaps shut and she blinks silently for a few brief moments before snapping her eyes towards Casey. 'I can see why the two of you are friends…" she mutters sarcastically before motioning to one of the chairs across from her desk. "Please…have a seat."

"Great, you two have fun with that and I'll just…busy myself elsewhere. Bye!" Casey exclaims cheerfully before she closes the door behind her before Kim has the chance to hurl something at her head. "Please don't let that blow up in my face…"

* * *

Casey wanders around for a brief moment before she spies a couple of people that she recognizes. She slinks her way over to Abbie who is standing next to Olivia who is busy taking pictures of a blonde modeling an outfit on a motorcycle.

"Do the leg thing again, that was hot!" Abbie shouts over the noise of camera flash pops and the fans.

"This isn't about you right now, Abbie!" the blonde responds briefly before striking another perfect pose.

"Maybe I should go into photography." Abbie hums absentmindedly, though it is more directed towards Casey who she knows is now standing next to her.

"You have to know what you're doing with a camera to work in the photography business." Casey chuckles quietly, bursting into full on laughter when the tall brunette settles for immaturely sticking out her tongue in response. "Classy. I can see why the ladies love you."

"Nah, I have a certain charm about me that they just can't stay away from."

"Or they just know that you're best friends with Alex Cabot." Olivia chimes in with a knowing smirk before she goes back to taking photos.

"Or they just know that you're best friends with, blah!" Abbie mocks the photographer before she folds her arms. "I have my own pull thank you very much."

"Every woman you've had always says Alex is better." Serena adds as she finishes the last photo and strides over to take her break. She smiles warmly when her eyes land on Casey and she extends her hand. "Hello, I don't believe we've met. I'm Serena Southerlyn."

"I, ah, Novak…Casey Novak." The redhead stammers before shaking the blonde's hand. "I-it really is a pleasure to meet you. I love your work. You, uh, model really well."

Serena giggles quietly as she places her hand to her mouth. "Thank you. I get that a lot." She responds, rolling her eyes when she feels an arm wrap around her waist. "Can I help you with something?"

Abbie grins widely as she mulls the model's body closer to her. "Actually you can. I was wondering if you were heading to your dressing room to do a wardrobe change." She whispers hotly.

"Actually I was." Serena inquires before leaning in towards Abbie's ear, her voice dropping down to a low purr. "And you can actually come help me take this off."

"Mmm, lead the way."

Casey can't help but shake her head as she watches the two slink off towards the model's dressing room. "Alex hasn't slept with either of them, right?"

Olivia scrunches up her face and shakes her head as she sets about changing the memory card on her camera for the next shoot. "Definitely not. Abbie is like her sister and she makes it a habit not to sleep with the people that she works with. You can imagine the disappointment of many of the models around here."

"I just don't understand why over half the female population goes crazy about sleeping with her."

"Well you're her girlfriend now, right? I'm sure that you'll find out soon enough."

Casey shudders at the thought before offering Liv a smile and a nod, despite the mental thoughts that are running through her head.

_ 'Definitely not…'_

* * *

"Well, you seem like you have good work ethics, and you do have a rather impressive degree…and you don't seem like you'll try to kill me in my sleep, so I suppose we can give this a shot." Alex responds as she leans back in her chair. "How soon can you start?"

"Tomorrow." Kim responds, lightly tapping her fingers against the chair. "Just one question; you don't make passes at your employees do you? Because I know Tae Kwon Do, Judo, and Jiu Jitsu if you try to touch me."

Sighing heavily, Alex shakes her head before folding her hands on her desk. "Okay Miyagi, we'll set the record straight here; I don't try to have relationships with any of my employees."

"Seems like you don't do relationships at all."

"Look do you want this job, or not?"

"I do, I just…" Kim trails off, sighing heavily as she decides to get rid of her standoffish attitude for the time being. "Casey told me the stipulations of your…arraignment and I just don't want you to end up hurting my best friend."

Alex chuckles quietly at the comment before she nods her head in comprehension. "So that's what this is about. If it's all the same to you, I don't think that she's overly fond of me anyhow. I can assure you that our arraignment is strictly for business purposes. I'm helping her mother and she's helping me win over my grandmother. Simple as that."

"Good, because if you hurt her, I'll make sure you regret it." Kim growls darkly before she manages to smile. "But I can start tomorrow. Thank you for the opportunity."

"It's my pleasure." Alex replies, shaking hands with the brunette before she leaves her office. Sighing heavily, the heiress flops back down into her chair, slumping lazily right before her phone rings. She sighs once more and presses the speaker button, too lazy to pick up the phone. "Cabot speaking."

"Alex dear, how are things holding up at the publication?" Celine's voice rings through the speaker.

"Things are great." Alex responds easily. "The models are happy, I'm happy, Abbie's happy. Then again, Abbie's always happy when the models are happy so…"

Celine chuckles quietly and Alex can almost picture her grandmother shaking her head. "You keep a sturdy eye on that one."

"Oh don't worry. Anyway, Grandma, not that I don't like taking your calls or anything, but what have I done to deserve a personal call? Is something wrong?"

"No dear, nothing is wrong. I just wanted to call you to inform you that your mother and I plan to spend a little time away from the office with your Aunts Claire and Victoria. The others unfortunately couldn't make it. But we are planning to spend a little time at my summer home in Maui and I think that it would be a splendid idea if you would bring Casey along."

Alex practically pales about ten shades as she hears her grandmother's words. She knows that this is another way that Celine is testing Casey and she honestly has to give the older woman credit for doing it so finely. If she weren't her granddaughter, Alex is sure that she wouldn't have caught on. But on the flip side, because she is Celine's granddaughter, she can't deny the invitation.

"A vacation in Maui? That sounds great." Alex manages with a nervous chuckle. "I'm sure that Casey will be looking forward to it. I'll tell her as soon as I get home."

"Great darling. I'll be looking forward to hearing from you." Celine says before ending the phone call.

Alex groans audibly and digs her palms into her eyes as her brain finally begins to process her grandmother's invitation. "A house full of Cabot women…there's no way Casey's going to survive…" she mutters before sitting straight up in her chair.

"Hell, there's no way _I'm_ going to survive."

**Hehehe, I'm not sure how Alex is going to survive her Maui getaway. This is going to be interesting. Leave your feedback! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: You know, me and these long chapters I just…I'm blowing myself away with this. I mean 3k+ words is a lot for me guys, seriously. Anyhow, this is a filler chapter, but as you can see, it's a fat filler chapter. Hope you all enjoy!**

"You know, I'm not sure I greatly appreciate you coming home to tell me that we're going to Hawaii on such short notice." Casey continues to ramble on as she folds her arms tightly across her chest. "Besides, I don't even have very many summer clothes anyway. What am I supposed to do while we are on the beach? Go in jeans and a t-shirt?"

Alex sighs heavily as she rubs her fingers over her throbbing temples. "Have you even bothered to check your closet since you've been living here?" she mumbles before she looks up and purses her lips. "I told you I've completely replaced your wardrobe which means that everything you will need is in your closet. Not to mention that I called ahead yesterday and your bags were already packed and ready to go. Do you have any more complaints?"

Casey falls silent and blinks her eyes rapidly for a few moments before her shoulders fall. "Well, I guess not then." She replies quietly, still a little shocked at the blonde's deliberate planning. "What time is our flight?"

"We have to be on the tarmac in an hour." Alex responds taking a quick glance at her watch. "My grandmother is sending a car that will pick us up here and we will board the jet once we reach the airport. While we are there, your luggage will be loaded onto the plane for you."

Just before Casey is about to respond, a sleek black stretch limousine pulls up next to the curb. "Good morning Miss Cabot. Miss Novak." The chauffer greets warmly as he opens the back door for the two women.

"Morning Claude." Alex responds as she strides across the sidewalk and gracefully slides into the limo. She quirks an eyebrow in confusion when she sees that Casey is still lingering on the sidewalk. "Hey are you coming? Because if I have to go to Maui by myself and explain to my grandmother that you were left here, it's not gonna be a pretty conversation."

"Sorry…I'm coming." Casey rambles quickly as she too slides into the limousine, sitting opposite of Alex. "Is this your grandmother's limo?"

Alex shrugs nonchalantly as she casually grabs a champagne flute from the side table in the car. "One of them. Probably one she doesn't care for too much. She responds with another shrug before taking a sip from the glass. "Care for some?"

"No thanks." The redhead replies as she shifts uncomfortably in the seat. It's not that the limousine isn't comfortable; that's far from the problem. But it's just that she has never had such nice things in her life before and now here she is being handed everything that she could ever ask for with a little less than ethical circumstances for getting them. "So…Maui?"

"Yep, Maui." Alex replies, letting out a drawn out sigh as she stretches across the limo seat as they begin moving towards the airport. "I don't know what it is about my grandmother that she wanted to put her summer home in Maui, but alas, that's where it is. She says something about it being relaxing, away from people."

"But…isn't Maui always filled with tourists and vacationers?"

"Well, yes, but those tourists and vacationers aren't Celine Cabot with a private beach and all."

"Private beach." Casey whispers before she shakes her head and stares down at her hands. This is all so much so fast, she supposes that she is still having trouble processing all of this. Yes she knows that Alex is selfish, but if she was really as selfish as she appears, why would she be doing all of the things for her? It just doesn't make sense.

Alex notices how quiet the car ride has fallen and she looks over to find Casey staring at her hands, deep in thought. Feeling a little more than uncomfortable with the silence, she clears her throat as she casually begins to trace her forefinger around the outer rim of the champagne flute. "If you're worried about going to Maui, you don't have to be. I've extended my services and have arraigned for someone to be up to date with your mother's status, twenty four hours a day and they will provide you with current updates when you so request them. I have also arraigned for you to have contact with Kim whenever you feel like it so she can give you status updates as well."

Casey blinks silently for another moment before she releases a sigh of relief. "Thank you." she responds, managing a small smile before she attempts to relax her body. "I'm sorry. I'm just nervous about spending time away with you and your family, to be honest. I mean, the dinner party is one thing, but a vacation is on a totally different spectrum. What if your mother and your grandmother come to realize that they don't like me so much after all after actually spending quality time with me?"

"Oh please. They practically fell in love with you at the dinner party. They even forgot that I was even sitting at the table during dinner…"

"That's not the same thing Alex and you know it's not. Plus, what happens when they figure out that I'm not as great as you've made me out to be? I'm not some big shot artist who is at the height of her career. I'm still trying to get my work out there for someone to notice. Plus how can you even say that I'm a good artist when you haven't even seen anything that I've done? You can only stretch the truth so far Alex, but I draw the line when it comes to you lying about the thing that I love most next to my family."

Alex holds up her hands as she sits up straight in the seat once again. "Alright, I'm sorry, but I was nervous too, alright? I had never once brought anyone that I am 'with' to meet my family before and you being the first one kind of freaked me out a little."

Casey takes several deep breaths before nodding her head in comprehension. "I understand. I'm sorry I snapped at you. Like I said, I'm just extremely nervous about this whole Maui trip."

"Relax. It'll be fine and I'm sure that you'll manage to survive…one of us has to."

"Yeah…hey, listen, I kept meaning to ask you about our airline tickets. Are we flying first class?"

Alex is completely silent for the longest of moments before she bursts into a fit of hysterical laughter, nearly causing herself to fall from her seat to the floor of the car. Her laughing continues on for another two minutes straight, much to the other woman's confusion.

"What?" the artist quips in genuine confusion at why her statement is being laughed at like the punch line of the world's funniest joke. "Are you laughing over that fact that I was asking you if we're flying first class?"

"No," Alex answers, with amusement still evident in her voice as she recovers from her bout of laughter. "I'm laughing over the fact that you even asked me about airline tickets at all."

Casey opens her mouth to respond, but promptly shuts it as they bypass the ordinary route to the airport and pull out onto the runway. She continues to blink in amazement as the limousine slows to a stop next to a man and two women waiting for them.

The man and one of the women are both clad in crisp with shirts with pressed black ties, all underneath a jet black blazer with identical matching slacks. The only hint of a difference is that the woman has four silver stripes on her blazer arms while the man only has three. The remaining woman is also wearing a black blazer with a matching knee length skirt and a blue neck scarf tied daintily at her throat above her white blouse.

"Right, private jet. Of course." Casey mutters to herself as she follows Alex out of the car and over towards the crew. "Is this your grandmother's plane too?"

"Nope. It's mine. She's already taken her plane down towards Maui." Alex responds with a small shrug as she holds her hand out towards the crew. "Casey, this is Captain Erin James, First Officer Rick Taylor, and our lovely and talented flight attendant, Laura Grey."

"I'm sure you have amazing insight on her talents," Casey mumbles, low enough for only Alex to hear before she puts on a wide smile and shakes hands with the crew. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

"Likewise." The captain responds with a grin before motioning her hand towards the Gulfstream G650. "If you ladies would like to board, Laura will show you all of the accommodations inside the cabin while your luggage is being boarded."

"Thanks Erin." Alex responds nonchalantly as she nudges Casey towards the ascending stairs to the plain. "Careful there. Your nerves are showing."

Rolling her eyes, Casey has to resist the urge to shove the blonde back down onto the tarmac of the runway as she ascends the stairs and steps onto the jet. Her eyes widen for probably the hundredth time since she's met Alex and she's sure that this time most definitely won't be the last. "Good god, you could practically live in here!" she whispers, in reference to the rather large space of the interior cabin. One would never once think there was this much room from just looking on the outside.

Alex chuckles quietly as she haphazardly flops down onto one of the plush sofas. "Ah, plane sweet plane," she sighs happily as she lets her head rest against the plush cushions.

"You are such a spoiled brat." Casey replies with an eye roll and a quiet giggle as she takes a seat on the sofa across from the relaxing heiress.

"Hey, I'm not spoiled! I'm a grownup!"

"Your age does not change the fact that you are a spoiled little brat."

Alex rolls her eyes before she once again goes back to lounging across the couch of her jet. Her jet. Nobody else's jet; but her jet. The jet that SHE paid for with HER money and NOBODY else gets to use it without her saying so. Why? Because it's her jet.

After being acquainted with the rather lovely, and of course lavish accommodations of the plane, Casey finds herself humming quietly to herself as the plane takes off from the platform and is beginning its ascent into the air. It's only twenty our so minutes later when the captain's voice comes over the speaker system.

"Ladies, we have now reached our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. Please feel free to move about the cabin."

"Great. Although, I think being in here for twelve hours is gonna run me insane." Casey groans, wincing when she feels her ears pop for hopefully a final time until they land in Hawaii.

"You'll find something to do." Alex replies after having checked something on her phone. She grabs another glass of champagne that had been set before her before she sighs happily once more. "You should really fly more often Casey. It relaxes you."

Casey winces at the comment before she shakes her head in complete disagreement. "Yeah well, not everyone enjoys being in a confined metal container almost 35,000 feet above the ground." She mutters as she takes a deep breath, finally finding herself able to calm her nerves. "Plus, there aren't a lot of ways I can 'entertain myself'."

"As I said before, you'll come up with something. I know I will." The blonde answers with a wide grin before downing the rest of the glass and standing from her seat. "If you'll excuse me a moment."

Casey watches as Alex disappears somewhere in the front of the plain before she shrugs her shoulders and sighs heavily once more. She pulls out her iPad, logging onto the jet's wireless internet network before she requests a video call, praying that her best friend is able to pick up.

"What's up? Do you need me to come get you? Do I need to kill her?" Kim asks rapidly as her voice appears on the screen of Casey's tablet.

Casey giggles at her best friend's persistency before she shakes her head in the negative. "No, it's nothing like that. She's not even here right now."

"Oh? Where is she? Leave her at the airport?"

"No, no, we're on her plane, but she's not with me right now. She's probably somewhere fucking the flight attendant. Anyway, I just wanted to check in to see how you were doing considering I have nothing else to do at the moment."

"Casey, I'm wounded! I'm wounded that I would be your last resort!" Kim gasps, feigning innocence as she clutches her hand over her heart before laughing lightly. "No, I'm just kidding. But things are great here, this job really isn't as hard as I thought it would be. Especially since Alex is gone with you right now all I have to do is organize all of the stuff she's missing, which really isn't all that much. See look, I'm even sitting in her office right now. Do you know how comfy this chair is?"

Casey giggles are her best friend moves her tablet around to show her that she is in fact sitting in Alex's office at her desk. "You know, she's not gonna be too pleased to hear that you were going through her office while she wasn't there."

"Oh whatever. She'll be okay. It's not like I'm going through her desk or anything…hey, that's an idea!"

"Kim…"

"Kidding; I'm kidding. But are you looking forward to it? I've never been to Hawaii. I've always wanted to go."

Casey sighs as she shrugs her shoulders. "I guess. I guess I'm just a little nervous about spending this much time with her family. What if they don't like me? Then what?"

"Well, if you think about it, your mother already had her surgery, she's doing great by the way. But she already at her surgery, what's it matter if you continue to help Alex or not?" Kim inquires with a curious tilt of her head.

"Because I'm a woman of my word, that's why. She kept her promise to me and now it's only fair that I hold up my end of the deal. No matter how convoluted this plot is. Oh Kim I don't know. Maybe I'll just force myself to relax until we get there. It's twelve hours you know."

"Yep. Twelve long hours with America's Playgirl. Sounds like a blast. Listen, I have to actually go work, but you'll check in with me later?"

"Sure thing. Love you."

"Love you too. And have fun!"

"Fun. Yeah." Casey murmurs before ending the call and relaxing into the sofa cushions. "I think I'll have that drink now…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Alex has the captain's ankles locked tightly around her waist as she continues to trust into the shorter blonde woman at an excruciatingly pleasurable place. An arrogant smirk is plastered firmly on her face as she leans in an places a drizzling lick up the other woman's sweat slickened neck.

"Oh god, I can't believe I've flown this plane for you this long and we haven't even done this until now." Erin pants heavily as she tangles her fingers into silk blonde locks pulling the taller woman impossibly close. "Oh no."

"Good thing Rick knows how to fly this plane then, right?" Alex husks jokingly before biting down hard onto Erin's pulse point, smirking soundly when she receives a half scream in response. "Who knew that being bitten was your turn on?"

"I've only imagined being bitten by you, amongst other things. You have no idea how much you turn me on." The captain whispers, pulling the heiress away from her neck long enough so their eyes can meet. "You have no idea how hot I get just by looking at you, by imagining the feel of your skin on mine You have no idea what you do to me."

"Well I think it's about time that I continue to find out, huh?" Alex responds with another wide smirk before capturing the other blonde's lips in a searing kiss.

* * *

Casey looks up approximately forty five minutes later to find Alex finally returning to the cabin. In the span that the blonde has been gone she has been able to play she doesn't know how many rounds of Temple Run, Tetris, and any other game she's found on her iPad to amuse herself for the time being. She continues to stare for a long moment before Alex breaks first and blinks innocently.

"What?"

"You've been gone for over a half hour. What did you do? Go to Milan for a brief visit? It's a plane Alex, you couldn't go very far."

"Was busy." Alex shrugs nonchalantly before attempting to turn her attention to something else.

Casey frowns in confusion as she replays the last forty five minutes in her head. "Laura brought me a glass of wine while you were gone so you clearly weren't with her." She states aloud before her eyes widen in realization. "Oh my god, Alex, you are such a pig!"

"What did I do?"

"You know very well what you did. You were fucking the captain?!"

Alex's face turns defensive before she sits rigid straight against the back of the sofa. "That's not true!"

"It isn't?" Casey inquires, folding her arms tightly. "Then why did you come back with that overly satisfied expression on your face? Not to mention your hair is a little messed up and you looked the tiny bit flustered when you came back. Your biggest giveaway is that you keep messing with your belt as if it's bothering you that it doesn't fit right. Did she not put it back correctly?"

"…no…" Alex mutters shamefully as she quickly moves to readjust her belt before she too folds her arms tightly. "What's it matter to you? It's my plane. I can do what I want."

"Who the hell is gonna fly the plane if you're in the lavatory banging the captain?!"

"Duh, that's what a co-pilot is for!"

Casey shakes her head in complete disapproval and partial disgust. "You are completely unbelievable. You can't even keep it in your pants even on the plane."

Alex frowns at the rather offending comment as she opens her mouth with a quick response. "Hey, in my defense, I am going to be stranded on an island for god knows how long with the most nosey women my family can muster; which means that I'm probably not going to have sex in a while. With them thinking that I'm 'dating' you there is no way that I am going to get any while we are in Maui. At least let me get some before we land!"

Once again all Casey can do is shake her head and blink silently. "Unbelievable. Un-freaking-believable. You have more sex than anyone that I have ever met in my life and you completely disregard anyone's feelings after. Congratulations; you truly are America's 'Playgirl' as Kim would put it."

"What can I say, I have a pull. Wait…that wasn't meant to be a compliment was it?"

"…You know, for one of the smartest women in the county sometimes you can be as dumb as a tree stump…"

"Wow. Thanks Casey."

"My pleasure."

**I don't even know what to say about this Alex. She's…well she's different that's for sure. Haha, leave your thoughts? **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry about the missed updates. I had personal business to attend to but it's all better now. Hope you guys enjoy. It's kind of another filler but it's all I could get out right now. **

"I'm starting to really feel like this was a very bad idea." Casey mumbles quietly as she climbs out of the car that had picked her and Alex up from the airport. She glances at the blonde who has yet to say much since their discussion on the plane regarding certain 'relations' with the pilot. Rolling her eyes, she crosses her arms and strikes a rather indignant pose. "Are you gonna ignore me the entire time?"

Alex blinks at the direct address which succeeds in bringing her back to reality. "What? I'm sorry, I wasn't really listening." She states before taking a much needed deep breath of encouragement more for herself than anything else. "It won't be all that bad. Just…try to relax and have a good time and everything will be okay."

"Which is why you're so tense…" Casey murmurs quietly as she follows Alex up the front steps to the multistory vacation home that sits on a high hill, looking over the crystal clear waters of the ocean down below. The white sand of the beach practically sparkles against the sunlight and its vacancy really does let her know that the beach is in fact private.

Alex takes another much needed deep breath before she tries the handle on the front door. A disapproving scowl crosses her face as she continues to rapidly jingle the handle, still finding the door locked. "Why is this door locked; who else is gonna be out here?!" she grumbles indignantly before knocking on the door in an irritated fashion.

Moments after the first knock, Veronica appears at the door with a wide, excited smile on her face. "Oh, it's so good to see the both of you!" she exclaims before she pulls Casey specifically into a tight hug. "Especially you! I'm so glad you could make it, honey!"

"Hey, where's my hug?" Alex inquires as she is left with the task of taking all of their luggage into the house. "You know? Your daughter?"

"I see you all the time." Veronica responds with a dismissive waft of her hand. "Make yourself useful and take Casey's bags to your room for her."

"But Mom-"

"Now Alex."

With a heavy sigh, Alex glares hard at the floor as she grabs Casey's luggage and begins to haul it towards a bedroom, all the while a fair amount of grumbling can be heard as she graciously stomps her way up the stairs up to the second landing of the house.

Casey chuckles quietly at the blonde's behavior before turning back to Veronica. "She resents manual labor."

"Oh, tell me about it." Veronica replies with a chuckle as she shakes her head. "Ever since she was a small child she has always hated doing things on her own, but I'm sure that a woman like you will be able to teach her otherwise. How was your flight, dear?"

"Oh, it was nice. I enjoyed it very much. It was actually my first time on an airplane in quite a few years now."

"Well, I'm sure that's bound to change. Alex loves to fly."

'I can understand why.' Casey thinks to herself as she mentally regards the whole incident with the airplane pilot. "Is that so? Well, I suppose I'll be looking forward to it."

"Doubtful…" Alex mutters quietly to herself as she decides to make her presence known once more. "Where is everyone else?"

"Mother has resided for the night and your lovely aunts are out exploring Hawaiian territory." Veronica replies, shaking her head in what seems to be disapproval towards her younger sisters. "I was just about to turn into bed myself when I heard you making quite the racket outside the door. You could have used the key that's hidden outside. You know where it is."

Alex smacks her hand against her forehead before she sighs heavily and moves to grab the last of her own bags. "Forgot…" she mumbles before heaving yet another heavy sigh. "Listen, Mom, not that chatting with you isn't fun, but I think that Casey and I are going to turn in for the night. So, we'll see you in the morning…goodnight."

"Goodnight dear!" Veronica calls with a small hint of amusement as she watches Alex practically dag Casey up the stairs. She shakes her head once more before turning out the lights to resign to bed herself.

"Is your Mom always that happy?" Casey teases, able to clearly see just how much Veronica's mood irks Alex down to the core.

"Definitely not." The heiress mumbles before retying her hair back into a tight ponytail. "I don't know about you, but I really feel like a shower and then I'm going to bed. What side of the bed do you prefer to sleep on?"

Casey's eyebrows furrow deeply at the question. "What do you mean 'what side of the bed do I prefer to sleep on'?" she asks curiously before her eyes wide. "I'm not sharing a bed with you! Definitely not! Hell to the no!"

Alex closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose out of exasperation. "Casey, we have to sleep in the same bed whether we like it or not."

"Oh? And why is that? So you can have no problems taking advantage of me?"

"What? No. In case you have forgotten; women come to me. It's not my fault that you are one of the select few that choose to miss out on the greatest experience in your life. But I digress; we have to share a bed because I know that my grandmother is testing me and won't it seem a little more than suspicious that we are supposed to be 'desperately in love' and we're sleeping in separate beds? She's a light sleeper and I know that she'll be in here in the middle of the night to 'check up on us' while we are supposedly asleep. It kills me to say it, believe me it does, but we have to act like we're in love."

Casey pouts for a little while longer before she sighs heavily and hangs her head. "Fine." She mutters before snapping her head up and pointing a firm finger at the woman in front of her. "But let's lay down the ground rules. If you touch me, I'm going to kick you and I don't kick lightly. It's going to hurt which will be my intention. Understand? Don't touch me." She says firmly."

"Fine. We have an understanding, now can I please go take a shower?" Alex practically whines, before disappearing into the bathroom to take a much needed shower after a ridiculously long time on a plane.

Casey sighs quietly to herself before she sits on the edge of the king sized bed. She pulls out her phone before making the long distance call all the way to New York. She waits patiently as the phone rings several times before a rather groggy and slightly irritated voice responds from the other end of the line.

"Gee, what's the matter with you?" she asks curiously, slightly surprised at the greeting she gets.

"It's two in the morning Casey…" Kim replies gruffly before attempting to clear the sleep away from her throat. "And I was sleeping rather soundly."

Casey winces as she realizes that she completely forgot about the time change. "Oh geez, I'm really sorry. I completely forgot about the time change. It's only eight o'clock here. I can leave so you can go back to sleep and we can talk some other time."

"It's no problem. I'm awake now." Kim responds with a much needed yawn. "How was your flight?"

"It was fine…you know after I got over the completely repulsed feeling of knowing that Alex went and had sex with the captain while we were in the air."

"Shut up. She did not." Is the completely disbelieving response.

"Yep. She did."

"Wow. She gets around more than I thought!" Kim exclaims as her surprise is evident in her tone of voice. "How's her family and everything?"

Casey sighs once more but this time it's a sigh of relief. "It's not like I had anticipated. I mean when we got here, it was just her mom that greeted us. Her grandmother was already asleep and her aunts are out exploring the island. I'm really nervous about being here. What if they don't like me?"

"Oh relax Casey, they'll like you. You're a likeable person. I mean hey, I like you and I don't particularly like anybody."

"Don't I know it. If you don't mind me asking, how's Mom?"

"She's doing great. She came through perfectly from the surgery and she says that she can't wait to see you when you get back. The two of you apparently have a lot to talk about."

"Yeah we do." Casey replies with another tired sigh. "Did I tell you that I have to share a bed with Alex?"

"What!?" Kim exclaims once more through the phone, her eyes widening as she sits straight up in surprise.

"Yes...I have to share a bed with her."

"Well, I mean the two of you do have to act like a couple."

"But still…what if she has an STD or something?"

At this Kim bursts into hysteric laughter from her end of the line. "You know you would have to have sex with her to catch that right?"

"Kim, I'm surprised I haven't caught anything just by being in her presence."

"What?"

Casey is practically startled into a heart attack by the new presence in the room and she turns to find Alex having emerged from the bathroom clad in shorts and a tank top with her damp hair tied back into a high ponytail. A look that seems to be a mix of anger and hurt is etched across the blonde's face as she continues to stand rooted to the floor. Fuck.

"Uh, Kim, I'll call you back some time tomorrow, okay?" the redhead says quickly before she ends the phone call and backs away towards the glass doors of the balcony patio. "H-how much did you here?"

"Enough…" Alex replies as she removes her damp towel from her shoulders. "You think that I have an STD?

"What? No! No of course not! I-I was only joking."

"Well it didn't sound like you were joking and even if you were, that's not funny. I don't know what it is that I've done to you. I don't know if it's because I didn't give you that job that you resent me so much. I don't know what it is that I've done, but all I do know is that for the past few weeks, I've been nothing but nice to you and you only give me attitude in return. Listen, if sharing a bed with me is really that…that disgusting to you, then I'll just sleep somewhere else."

Casey sighs heavily and shakes her head before raking her hands trough her hair. "I didn't mean what I said, Alex, honest. I…I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm sorry. You don't have to sleep somewhere else. That wouldn't be fair and I'm sorry that I've been unfair to you. Please. Stay."

Alex simply shakes her head before shrugging her shoulders. "Are you sure? Because I wouldn't want to infect you…" she responds with cold sarcasm as her eyes remain hard.

"Alex please…I'm sorry and I'm sure. Look, I-I'm gonna go take a shower okay? Maybe we can come up with some sort of compromise when I come out."

"Yeah…"

* * *

Later when Casey finishes up her shower, she reenters the bedroom to find the blonde on stretched across the right side of the bed as her attention is focused on the pages of the novel she's reading. Swallowing thickly, she makes her way over to the left side and cautiously slides underneath the blankets.

"I'm clean you know." Alex says out of the blue breaking the intense silence, though she doesn't turn away from the pages of her book.

"What?" Casey responds dumbly, having been lost in her own thoughts.

"I mean I don't have any diseases." The blonde reiterates as she finally turns away from the book. "What you said really hurt Casey and the fact that you were joking about it makes it even worse. I know how to take care of myself and I know how to stay clean and protected against stuff like that. The fact that you would even think to joke about that, hurts."

Sighing heavily, Casey bites down on her bottom lip for a moment before shaking her head. "I've said I was sorry. I guess I just…I don't really peg you as one to having feelings, okay? You show complete disregard for the women that you sleep with I just figured you felt that way about everything."

"Well you were wrong. Goodnight Casey." The heiress replies bluntly as she places her book on the end table and turns out the light. "Oh and one more thing; do you know how to surf?"

"Surf?! Absolutely not."

"Well then that's a shame because you're going to learn."

"…Great…."

**Things got kinda tense huh? Why do YOU guys think Alex gets around so much? Leave your feedback! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry, I'm like lacking in my updating, but life has been…well, it's been giving me a lot lately, so I'm just trying to get back on track. Hope you enjoy. **

Casey blinks several times to bring herself into the reality of consciousness. As she is finally able to crack her eyes open, she is able to make out the surroundings of what is her bedroom as her brain continues to wake itself from its surprisingly peaceful slumber from the night before.

With a great yawn, she sits up amongst the plush comforters of the bed and stretches greatly, allowing her muscles to join the rest of her body in activity. She yawns once more as she lets her arms fall to the mattress and she is able to make out the barely beginning sunrise beginning to break the horizon. With a click glance at the clock, she realizes that it is just a little past six o'clock in the morning; a time that Casey would never find herself awake at if she were back home in New York.

Glancing next to her, she realizes that the space in the bed next to her is empty, though it does like fairly slept in and her mind immediately begins to wander on when the woman occupying the space had disappeared and where had she gone? Not that she is complaining much or anything. Casey had spent the better part of the night staring at the blankness of the extinguished lighting fixtures waiting for Alex to fall asleep first simply because there was a voice nagging at the back of her head that she just couldn't put her finger on.

Slowly managing to get dressed, and putting her swimsuit on underneath her clothing just in case, Casey then makes her way from the bedroom and down the long hallway of the second floor landing before she makes her way down the stairs, quietly glancing around to see if anyone else is inhabiting the house at the moment.

"You don't have to creep about you know. Try not to feel so much like a guest, but more like a visiting family member." Celine crisp, clear voice breaks the silence, drawing a chuckle from the older woman when she sees that she slightly startles the redhead. "How did you sleep through the night, dear?"

"I slept really well, thank you." Casey replies honestly with a genuine smile. "I don't think I've slept that good in awhile once I found myself able to fall asleep."

"I could tell from the mess of limbs that you and Alex were last night when I decided to drop in and check on the both of you. I swear I have never seen two people so tangled up like that when they slept."

A hard blush appears at Casey's cheeks as she realizes two things; one, Celine HAD dropped in on then much like Alex had predicted, and two, somehow in the night she and Alex had gravitated towards each other and had ended up making physical contact with one another. Now she is more gracious than ever that the blonde was absent when she woke up not too long ago. Speaking of which…

"Speaking of which, have you seen Alex? I woke up only a few minutes ago and I couldn't help but notice that she wasn't there." Casey asks as she attempts to make her voice sound like she has a unique, genuine interest on where the woman in question is at the moment. Not that she cares entirely, but she would like to have a good piece of mind that says that Alex didn't decide to hop on the jet sometime between now and the time she fell asleep.

Celine smiles widely as she closes the magazine she was reading and sets it to the side before she stands up with a quiet chuckle at the back of her throat. "Come now dear, everyone is outside enjoying the early morning luxuries of the beach."

Casey blinks several times as she follows the elder woman through the lavish beach house and out onto a large patio deck which leads down to the private beach area. Out on the beach, Casey can see one lone figure lounging in a beach chair while two appear to be arguing over something or another, while the last is gracefully navigating a surf board over and across the large waves of the Hawaiian beach. Immediately, Casey recognizes one of the arguing two as Alex. Surprise, surprise.

"Always arguing those two." Celine says disapprovingly as she and Casey make their way further out onto the beach. "Will the two of you cut it out and stop acting like children? I've had enough of this when you were children. Stop it and behave like adults."

"Well, tell Claire to stop trying to boss me around and then we won't have a problem." Alex replies indignantly as she folds her arms tightly.

Claire, also a tall blonde much like the rest of the family, promptly sticks out her tongue before striking a pose, purposefully mimicking the younger woman. "I'm older and I'm your aunt. Which means that I have basis to tell you what to do."

"You're only older by two years!"

"It still means that I'm older. Now be a good niece and introduce me to your girlfriend."

Alex's eyes harden in frustration before she pinches the bridge of her nose. "Claire this is Casey, Casey this is unfortunately Claire."

Casey manages a grin as she extends pleasantries with the other woman, promptly shaking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You'll have to forgive me, but did I interpret correctly when I heard you say you were Alex's aunt?"

"That's right." Claire responds with another wide smirk purposefully throwing it in her niece's direction. "It's alright. Most people are thrown off, much like you were, about out age difference, or better yet, lack thereof. Somehow my lovely mother here managed to have us past the age of 35. Surprise, surprise."

"Us?"

"Us." Another blonde chimes in, walking up to the group with a surf board tucked under her arm as water continues to drip from her skin. It isn't until a moment of slow realization that Casey realizes the two new women standing before her are in fact twins. In fact, she is so transfixed by the anomaly, she doesn't realize that the second twin is introducing herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention." The artist responds nervously responding to the handshake. "I'm Casey."

"Victoria. But I usually just go by Vickie. So, you're the one huh?" Vickie replies with a quirked eyebrow and a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "Can't say that I ever thought I'd see the day. To be honest, you're not what I was expecting. I was expecting, well, you know how this one is over here." She trails off, thrusting her thumb in Alex's direction.

Alex clenches her teeth together so hard that they nearly shatter in her mouth. If she were looking for utter humiliation, she would have just spent another weekend with Abbie. She doesn't need it coming from her own family, much less the duo that she borderline despises simply because their extensive amount of teasing. "You know what, the both of you can go shove your-"

"Alex!" Veronica calls out disapprovingly as she removes her sunglasses to glare hard at her daughter. "Don't talk to your aunts that way."

"Yeah Alex." The two twins chime in a rather snarky unison before they both head over to their respective lounge chairs.

Sighing heavily, Alex wraps her arms around herself before she slinks over towards Casey with her pride a little more than wounded. "I'm sorry about…them. Did you sleep okay?" she asks curiously, still a tiny bit hurt from the small disagreement that had happened the night before.

Casey blinks silently for several moments before she jerkily nods her head. "Yeah, yeah, definitely." She responds before nervously clearing her throat as her mind shoots back to what Celine had said. She can't believe that somehow she had ended up in the blonde's arms at night but couldn't even remember anything of it; once again, not that she's complaining or anything. "I was just curious as to why all of you were up so early? And why you're out here?"

"Ah, we like to watch the sunrise." Alex replies with a shrug before she nods her head towards the ocean where giant waves are breaking beautifully in the water. "Not to mention that waves are the best in the morning time when the sun's just coming up. Do you wanna try your surfing lesson that I promised you?"

"I think that we can try that a little later on when the water isn't so…active. Right now, I think I'll just sit here and observe." Casey responds before she slowly lowers herself onto the sand, drawing her knees up to her chest with a smile.

"Suit yourself." Alex answers with a shrug before she raises her arms above her head and easily slips out of her t-shirt. With the same swiftness, she then steps out of her shorts, folding the two into a neat pile before grabbing a surfboard to head out into the water.

Casey's eyes blink rapidly as they roam over the lithe yet well toned body clad in a light blue two piece bikini. She immediately chastises herself with a frown as she catches herself staring, looking away to focus on the beautiful white sand under her toes. The Hawaiian beach makes the so called beach in New York not even look like a beach at all. She could get used to this.

"So, how'd you do it?" Claire asks in interest as she plops down next to Casey in the sand. Her smile widens and she lets out a humored giggle at the redhead's confusion. "I mean how'd you get Alex to settle down? Last I checked she was screwing half of New York."

'She still is.' Casey thinks mentally, but she verbally responds with a semi forced chuckle. "Well, uh, it wasn't easy that's for sure." She begins, clearing her throat once more out of nervous habit simply because she hadn't prepared this story in advance. A fault that she now curses herself for. "I suppose you just have to keep looking until you find that one person that's right for you, right?"

"Yeah. One thing I'll give her is she does have a good heart somewhere in there, it's just buried underneath all of that spoiled rich girl attitude of hers that often gets her into trouble." The elder blonde responds with a shake of her head. "She does know how to ride those waves though and you can't tell just by looking at her. Is she gonna teach you how to surf?"

"She's gonna try." Casey replies with a humored snort as she shakes her head. She can't help but watch in amazement at the blonde in the water who is gracefully riding the waves of the clear water. She watches in heightened interest as she disappears briefly inside of a spiraling tunnel wave, only to appear moments later on the other side. To be honest, the sight is actually beautiful, more than Casey would actually care to admit.

Moments later, Alex appears back onto the beach, tossing her board onto the sand next to her sisters'. "Think I saw a shark out there, Vic, why don't you go try to feed it." She teases with a smile as she approaches Casey who seems to be deep in thought. "You doing alright over there?"

"Yeah I-" the artist begins but finds herself immediately cut off as she looks up to find the same body as before now standing above her dripping with sea water and glistening perfectly off of the sunlight. It takes her a minute or two before she actually finds herself able to recover. "Yeah, I'm alright. I guess I'm still a little jetlagged. You looked pretty great out there. I had no idea that you could surf like that."

"Yeah, well, I taught myself when I was little and I guess I've just improve on my own ever since. So, is there anything specific you want to do today? Explore the island? Hide from my family? Kill my aunts?"

"Somehow, I don't think committing federal offense was on my list of things to do, but you can keep trying."

Alex chuckles quietly at the small amount of banter between the two of them and she realizes that this probably one of the first times that they've spoken to each other and some kind of argument and disagreement hasn't spurred from it. She supposes that this can be seen as some kind of progress.

Meanwhile, Veronica looks up from her magazine at her daughter and her girlfriend before a smile spreads across her face. "They just make the cutest couple, don't they mother?" she says joyfully as she glances at the older woman who has suddenly fallen rather silent. "Mom?"

"Hm? What'd you say?" Celine inquires as she continues to cast an inquisitive glance in the couple's direction. "Yes, they don't. Just lovely. But something's not right. I can feel it."

"What do you mean? Casey's a sweetheart and Alex just adores her."

"Don't be fooled Veronica. A mother knows these things. A mother knows."

**I just wanna thank you all for the support and patience that you have with me. It truly means a lot that all of you have stuck with me for this long. **

**Random note: has anyone else noticed that is now a character on the character list?! I don't know why I'm excited over that. I just thought I'd share that fun fact. Guess it's the 3am exhaustion starting to kick in. **

'**nother question: it seems to me that I have unintentionally created yet another pairing that has potential likeness amongst my readers? What you guys have dubbed as 'Kimily' ? Now my question being, is would you guys read a story if I wrote that? Of course I would keep the lovely A/C pair in the story simply because I can't get rid of it and you guys wouldn't have to worry about abandoning your ship, but lately I've been thinking that I wanna write a story that at least has K. Greylek under the character name in the fandom simply because not a lot of people have done it with a legit story plot. Mostly it's been bashing. But alas, I like to be different and I feel that Kim hasn't gotten enough credit for well…anything. I just really like writing her for some reason. I actually liked her character aside from the whole attitude issue. But yeah, I'm not saying I'm going to do it and if I do it wouldn't be a right away project of mine, I just wanna know your thoughts, because I kind of have an idea in the works but I wanna know what you guys think. **

**Enough of my rambling, leave your thoughts !**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hopefully next chapter I will get them out of Hawaii because it's putting a drag on this story for me and where I want it to go. Anyway, here's the next chapter, hope you all enjoy it. **

"The two of you should really go out and explore the island. Hawaii does have a lot of romantic sights to offer to a young couple like yourselves, you know." Celine offers with a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she gingerly swirls her wine around in its glass.

Casey stiffens briefly, but Alex is the first to recover from the stated suggestion with a wide smile in place. No matter how much she would like to decline the offer, she can see the wheels turning in her grandmother's head and she knows for a fact that she needs to stay at least four steps ahead of the older woman.

"That's actually not a bad idea. It sounds like fun." She manages to respond with a wide smile as she slips an arm around Casey's waist, pulling her in closer. "Doesn't it, Baby?"

"Yes…yes it does." Casey responds nervously, trying to suppress her extremely uncomfortable feeling of being touched at the moment. "Perhaps romance is what the both of us need to get away from the daily grime of the big city. I'm sure that we will find the perfect time to have a nice romantic dinner, just the two of us."

Celine raises her eyebrow in slight suspicion before taking another sip from her wine glass. There is something that just isn't right at this very moment, but she just can't seem to put her finger on what it is. It isn't until after a moment of thinking that she realizes it's the lack of intimacy between the couple. What she had been expecting as a sheer amount of physical and emotional intimacy between the two, and the fact that she's surprised that she isn't getting that is a mere understatement.

"I suppose I shall retire to the kitchen for a snack, leaving the two of you to settle your thoughts over what you will do for the evening." The elder Cabot states with a small self induced smirk as she gracefully strides towards the kitchen, seemingly out of sight.

Alex quirks an eyebrow in genuine suspicion for a brief moment before it immediately dawns on her what her grandmother is doing; hell, she should know exactly what she's doing, she's known her long enough. Groaning quietly, she mutters the quietest of apologizes before she moves quickly and does the very thing that she had hoped she would never had to do.

Casey's eyes practically pop out of her head when she feels a pair of lips firmly press themselves against her own. She feels a hand on the back of her neck as well as an arm slip easily around her waist, pulling her deeper into the kiss. However, she can feel a pair of eyes boring into the back of her head and she has no choice but to reluctantly relax into the display of affection.

After a suitable amount of time, Alex breaks the kiss and rests her forehead against Casey's. "You're amazing." She whispers lovingly, seeing her grandmother lingering just in the family room out of the corner of her eye.

Celine clears her throat with a satisfied smile on her face as she makes her presence known once again. "On second thought, I think maybe I'll just retire upstairs for the time being." She says with a well knowing smirk as she makes her way up the stairs without another word.

Casey glances out of the corner of her eye as she watches Celine ascend the stairs. She waits for about thirty more seconds before she abruptly shoves herself out of the embrace and strikes a slap across the blonde's face so had that it leaves her own hand stinging excessively.

Because she doesn't anticipate it, Alex finds herself briefly thrown off balance when the harsh, face paced palm comes into direct contact with the side of her face. She can feel the side of her face reddening rapidly. In fact, her face seems to be about as damaged as her pride right now.

"What the HELL was that for?!" the heiress explains, swearing numerous profanities as she staggers over towards a mirror to examine the damage. She swears once more then she can see that obviously notable deep red handprint that stretches across her left cheek. "What the fuck is your problem?!"

"What the fuck is my problem?!" Casey repeats, trying to keep her voice down low and her anger contained in case anyone is listening. "We had a deal! No kissing!"

"Will you keep your voice down!? She was watching. I had to do what I had to do. You know that. There's no way that we are going to convince her of anything if the two of us are acting like we are completely repulsed by each other all of the time. You have realized that we have not come into contact with each other not once?! Yeah I get it, you don't want to be around me, I get that because frankly, I don't want to be around you either, but if we're going to make this work, we are going to have to be a hell of a lot more convincing than we already are. Do you understand?"

"Yeah I understand, but damnit can you at least give me a little bit of warning the next time you go and pull something like that? Ugh, I think I need to go brush my teeth about fifty times now before I feel comfortable with doing anything else with my mouth for the rest of the day.

Alex rolls her eyes drastically and disappears into the kitchen before briefly returning with an ice pack to her face. "You know, numerous women would kill to be in the position that you are in now and here you are being completely ungrateful for it."

This time Casey is the one to roll her eyes as she folds her arms tightly over her chest. "I'm really getting fed up with you thinking that you're God's gift to women. What do you expect me to do, drop down to my knees and then make you feel the worth of your importance?"

"It'd be a nice start."

"You are impossible and I can't believe that I actually agreed to help you with this."

"You agreed because I'm irresistible."

"…Prick."

**Later That Evening **

Alex exhales deeply as her board continues to guide steadily and evenly over the crisp, clear water of the ocean. As she nears the end of the wave, she gracefully slides down to where she is merely floating on her board in the center of the body of water, staring off at the sunset absentmindedly.

For some reasons, Casey's words from earlier seem to bother her and she's noticed that they've been doing that quite frequently as of late. She notices that whenever the redhead mentions something regarding her 'relationship status' for lack of a better term, she feels something churning deep within her that sparks amount of frustration, agitation, and even a small hint of anger.

"She doesn't know what she's talking about…" the heiress mumbles as she irritably flicks the water with her hand. "None of them know what they're talking about. It's my life and I should be able to do with it what I want. If I don't want to settle down with someone, why should I have to for my family to deem it acceptable? Just because Mom and her sisters and her mom got married doesn't mean that I have to. They're all being narrow-minded and selfish. Not letting me live my own life like I want to. Great, now I'm even crazier than I initial thought considering that I'm here talking to myself right now.

Paddling back to the shore, Alex is thoroughly surprised to find Casey seated on the sand with her knees drawn up to her chest, gazing out over the wide expanse of the ocean before them. With a sigh, she absentmindedly drops her surfboard on the sand and wraps a towel around her shoulders before going to join the redhead on the sand.

"I'm sorry I slapped you earlier…" Casey mumbles after a long, tense silence of them just sitting there, watching the waves of the water. "It was out of line for me and I'm sorry."

"It's okay…" Alex responds with an identical tone as she absentmindedly draws shapes on the sand with her fingers. "Take a walk with me?"

Gazing up at the hand being offered to her, Casey ignores it briefly as she stands on her own and puts a respectable amount of distance between the two of them as they begin walking along the shoreline edge of the beach. "Any particular reason we're taking a walk right now?"

Alex shrugs after a moment of thought as she pulls her sweatshirt over her bikini clad body. "I figured it would give us a little time to talk, seeing as we don't ever really do much of that other than arguing. Tell me about yourself?"

"There isn't much to know." Casey mutters with a sigh as she wraps her arms tighter around her body. "I'm the youngest of two. My older sister Hannah is eight years older than me and she's been in jail for murdering our estranged father for almost two years now. She was framed but no one believes it so there really isn't anything we can do about that. My mother was diagnosed with cancer about a year and a half ago and ever since then I've been doing anything I can to take care of her. I sold my car, I moved into a cheaper apartment, I had to drop out of my schooling to pay for all of her needs and necessities. Um, I'm an artist. At least, I like to think I'm an artist. I have dreams and goals of where I want to go with my art, but I haven't been able to put much time into myself because I've been taking care of my mom. As I stated a while ago, I mostly have my art into amateur art festivals and things like that, maybe someone out there will see my stuff and actually see potential in me. I also try to sell my art because I really need the money. Things just…don't pay for themselves; I just really need something to get by. Other than that, the only thing I really have left is that Kim is really my only friend and I've known her since I was ten. That's basically the entire synopsis of my sad little life. What about you?"

Alex hesitates for a moment before she shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly. "There really isn't anything about me that you probably don't already know. I was born into a rich family, got everything that I could ever possibly want, I grew up with the world in the palm of my hand. As a child, I never really had very many friends because I didn't go out much. I was always attending events with my parents and the fact that I was homeschooled didn't help add to that. Like I mentioned before, I spent a lot of time on the beach with my grandmother and my aunts and I taught myself how to surf. Grandma always thought I was insane for wanting to do something so 'preposterous and dangerous' but to me it was fun. It was a way I could pass my time and not have to worry about anything else. A way for me to just get away from it all and go into my own little world. So yeah, that's a guilty pleasure of mine. I love to surf, surfing is my thing, it's what I do what I have the time."

"Wow. You just never really pegged me for a surfer." Casey states honestly before her face falls serious. "Why do you get around so much? Why do you sleep with all those women that you don't even care about?"

Immediately, Alex's walls go back up again and her face seems to harden at the question. "I think that we should head out for dinner." She says firmly, managing a tight smile as she succeeds in changing the subject. "I'm sure that we will be able to find whatever would suit your fancy. Then we can explore the island a little and do whatever you want. Hopefully spending some time away from the house will be enough to convince my grandmother that we are 'in love'."

Casey blinks rapidly against the rapidly widening rift that had spawned from her question. Now she realizes that there is more to the blonde's story than she's letting on, and she's determined to find out what it is.

**Hm wonder what it is that bothers Miss Cabot so. Leave your thoughts? **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: kinda a little buzzed here. Too much of something makes for weird writing so yeah there's that. Heh, cool. Enjoy guys.**

"You know. I really think that you and Erin could actually have something if you just gave it a shot." Casey offers with a small shrug as the two of them exit the plane upon landing.

Alex quirks an eyebrow in curiosity before she rolls her eyes and climbs into her car that she had waiting for her once she was sure they would reach the landing strip. "I'm not going to date my pilot who I have banged a total of one time."

Casey frowns with a rather scrutinizing glare as she climbs into the passenger seat.  
"You mean that you require that you have sex with a woman more than once before you even consider dating her? Alex that's sick."

"No, I just simply don't consider dating her at all. What's the point?"

"What do you mean what's the point?! The point is that you have someone who is special to you in that way. Someone who will stand by you no matter what and she'll always be there for you when you need her to and she'll love you no matter what. Don't you even care enough to want to experience what it's like to love someone?"

"I don't believe in love." The blonde shrugs nonchalantly as she taps her fingers against the steering wheel. "Love is so cliché and stereotypical, not to mention that it doesn't last. It's completely pointless to invest so much time and energy into something that isn't going to benefit me in the long run. I like what I have. I get what I need and I don't have to bother with any kind of emotional attachment. I don't have time for that."

Casey snaps her mouth shut and shakes her head as she stares out the passenger side window. "That's just unbelievable. I've never heard anyone talk like that before." She says quietly before she sighs and shakes her head once more. "I have never heard someone be so against the idea of love that they resort to using another person to fill that void. Do you even realize what you do? And how it affects other people? All of those women that you use on a daily basis, do you even stop to think about how they could possibly feel about it? Do you even ask? Do you even care?"

"No." Alex responds flatly though she keeps her hardened gaze firmly on the road. "I don't care and I thought I made it clear already that I don't. No one has ever before complained that they have a problem with me."

"Maybe they've complained before and you've just neglected to listen. Listening seems to be one of those critical skills that you lack greatly in." Casey retorts quickly, her glare zeroing in on the blonde that refuses to look her direction. "Maybe if you stopped and actually bothered listen to the things going on around you, then maybe, just maybe, you would care about someone other than yourself for a change."

Alex clenches her jaw tightly as well as her hands around the wheel as her now icy glare remains on the road in front of her. "Maybe that's all that's worth carrying about." She mutters quietly under her breath. When she doesn't get a response she isn't sure if Casey heard her and is simply ignoring the comment, or if she just simply missed it.

Casey sighs quietly and begins ringing her hands as she shakes her head. "I want you to take me to see my mother." She says firmly after a rather lengthy silence. "I haven't gotten the chance to speak to her since she made it out of her surgery and that was almost a week and a half ago. That's where I want to go."

Without word, Alex silently shifts into another lane that will take them in the direction of the hospital. It doesn't dawn on her until about fifteen minutes later when they are pulling into the visitor's lot that this is the moment where she is going to meet Casey's mother. A moment that she had not taken the time to prepare herself for.

Alex shifts uncomfortably in the elevator as they ascend up to Casey's desired floor. When the lift dings, signaling their arrival, the blonde once again finds herself going completely rigid as they make their way down the white hallways that smell of medicine and latex. She isn't sure why hospitals have always made her uncomfortable. They just have.

"You don't have to come in if you want, but I really would like for you to meet her." Casey says gently as they pause outside one of the lone hospital rooms. "She's very nice and I think that she would take to you very well."

"If it's what you want." Alex responds nonchalantly as she shoves he hands into her pockets and shrugs. "I'm comfortable with waiting out here but if you want me there…"

"I do."

"Alright then."

Casey takes a deep breath and knocks on the door before she gently opens it. The blinds are pulled, successfully blocking the bright sunrays from entering the room, though the television mounted in the corner of the ceiling provides for a feint glow to the room. A soft humming can be heard from the bed which synchronizes with a catchy tune from an ice cream commercial.

"Mom?" Casey calls out quietly as she fully enters the room, smiling brightly when her mother's tired eyes land on her and she can't help herself from rushing forward to give the woman a careful and gentle hug. "Momma. I missed you."

"I missed you too sweetheart." Brenda Novak whispers lovingly as she places a loving kiss to her daughter's head. "I was beginning to think that you had forgotten about little ol' me."

"Momma never!" Casey exclaims as she pulls away with widened eyes.

Brenda chuckles and combs a stray strand of crimson hair behind Casey's ear. "It was a joke Casey, please. You have always taken things much too seriously." She chuckles quietly before she notices the stranger lingering in the more shadowed area of the room. "And who is your guest that you've brought here and why does she seem so shy?"

Casey manages a small smile as she motions for Alex to come out of the shadows; honestly, she doesn't think that she had ever expected to see a look of sheer shyness plastered across the blonde's face, but alas, there it is, only as soon as she approaches the two Novak women, she manages it to cover it up rather well as if it were never there to begin with.

"Mom, this is Alex. She's my girlfriend." Casey manages yet another seemingly euphoric grin as she introduces the two. It kills her that she has to lie to her mother about such things, but what's done is done; unfortunately.

"Girlfriend?" Brenda gushes as a wide tired smile spreads across her face. "Why Dear, I had no idea that you were seeing someone. And someone of such high stature none the less."

Alex quirks an eyebrow at the statement, tilting her head as she shakes the older woman's hand. "You know who I am?" she inquires curiously.

"Dear, your family has been in the news well enough for me to know who you are by now, even if I have been cooped up here for quite some time. You are just the spitting image of your grandmother, she must be so proud of you."

"Yeah well…" Alex murmurs with a shrug before clearing her throat. "It's really nice to meet you, Mrs. Novak. I hope that you have found everything to be very accommodating to you."

"Alex is the one who helped pay for your surgery Momma." Casey exclaims enthusiastically as she gives her mother's hand a small squeeze.

Brenda's eyes widen before her eyes land on the quiet blonde in the room. "Is that so?" she whispers in amazement before she turns to Casey with a smile on her face. "Oh, she sounds like she's a keeper, Honey. I wouldn't let a sweetheart like that get away from you."

"Yeah." Casey mutters forcing another smile with a rather uneasy laugh escaping her lips. "She's a keeper alright…"

* * *

"Abigail, this has probably got to be one of your worst ideas." Alex grumbles begrudgingly as she rolls her eyes and shakes her head in complete and total disapproval. "I mean seriously. What is the point of this?"

"Sales my friend!" Abbie exclaims enthusiastically as she claps her hands together. "It's a special edition issue of the magazine, and as the head honcho in charge around these parts, I only thought that it would be acceptable to have you on the cover! Not the mention you kind of have this multi-millionaire heiress rep going on here. What's the big deal? You've been on magazine covers before!"

"Yeah, but not like this!" Alex replies firmly, glaring hard at her best friend while the angry redhead in her proximity matches it perfectly. She groans quietly and shakes her head before continuing on with her complaint.

Casey's face contorts into a scowl before she huffs quietly. "As much as it kills me to do this, I have to agree. I've never wanted to be on the cover of a magazine and for what? Because I'm dating someone of 'high importance'? I really don't think this is a good idea."

"I mean seriously…" Alex grumbles, shaking her head in disapproval once more.

Abbie sighs heavily and pinches the bridge of her nose before waving her hand towards the two women before her. "But it's perfect! Alex, listen here, as I said before, it's a special edition issue and it has that whole interview section for you in there? And of course you talked about how happy the two of you are in your relationship, why not express that for the world to see? The world wants cuteness and cuteness is what we are going to give them in the form of you two."

Casey purses her lips tightly and places her hands on her hips in defiance. "I still don't see how that is of any significance to me. I don't appreciate being exploited."

"You aren't being exploited." Olivia chimes in as she finishes changing the card in her camera. "Just think of it as sharing a little piece of you with the rest of the world."

"We might as well just do it. The quicker we do this, the quicker I can get out of her." Alex mumbles quietly, her disdain clear on her face as well as her tone of voice.

"Can't you just fire them?"

"I wish it were that easy but I'm just not in the mood to look for replacement."

Casey rolls her eyes for probably the hundredth time in the same afternoon before she sighs, relenting into the task, though it does come with a heavy sense of defeat. "Fine." She grumbles before pointing a finger at Abbie. "But you owe me for this later."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Abbie replies with a dismissive waft of her hand before folding her hands together once again. "Now, do something cute and couple-y. Express the love that the two of you harbor for one another. Tell em what you need, Liv."

"Basically what I need is enough shots of the two of you for the cover and the interview section opener." The photographer explains with a small shrug. "Like Abbie said, but in more professional terms, I'm looking for intimate shots. No I'm not telling you to have sex or anything on camera but something that demonstrates your love. Just don't feel like your forcing yourself, because if you feel like you're forcing, it's gonna look like your forcing and we don't want that. So try to relax and I guess we'll just go from there. Let's start with some standing shots. Let's start off with just a simple hug embrace, huh?"

Several moments pass before Casey rigidly steps forward and manages to wrap her arms around the taller woman while trying to maintain at least a two and a half foot distance between the two of them. Unfortunately for her, it's apparently not good enough.

"Casey, you look like you're scared to touch her." Olivia deadpans with a shake of her head.

"Yeah well…" the redhead responds quietly with a shrug before she folds her arms. "I'm not used to doing this."

Abbie watches with a quirked eyebrow at the scene before her as Serena randomly approaches. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Just finished my shoot for today. Had to deal with Lisa Buns…" the blonde model responds with a knowing shudder. "That woman I swear eats nothing but grass and twigs on a daily basis with how thin she is. I mean yes, I get that we 'model type' have a certain figure to maintain but that doesn't mean that we need to walk around looking like living death. But enough about that, what are you doing?"

"Photo shoot for the magazine. It's the whole special edition thing and I was originally gonna Alex do this one massive picture with all of the models for the magazine, but Liv talked me down to just giving it be a couple feature with her and Casey since the media seems to be so fascinated with her love life." Abbie responds with shake of her head, cleanly glossing over the fact that the relationship is nothing more than an act. The less that know, the better. "It'd be going great, except Casey is as stiff as a board."

"I'll say." The model responds as she raises both of her eyebrows and folds her arms. "It's like she doesn't even want Alex to touch her. If I didn't know any better, I would say that they weren't even a couple at all."

Abbie blanches briefly and coughs before she nods her head in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. Good thing we know better then, huh?" she responds with a wide grin, before dropping her head with a heavy sigh. "Casey really has to relax or else this is definitely not gonna work out."

Serena hums for a moment as an idea clicks into her mind. Granted, it's not the best of ideas, but it's an idea nonetheless and hopefully she can kill two birds with one stone. "Here, let me have a go. Just to demonstrate." She says before making her way out onto the shoot. "Casey, I can sympathize with you because I remember my first time doing something like this. Granted, I was eight, but still. Anyway, you have to get yourself to relax and get into the mindset of the shoot."

"Well I'm trying." Casey retorts quickly, eyeing the model as if daring her to challenge back.

"Well try harder." Serena responds nonchalantly as she approaches Alex and begins to demonstrate what she's speaking of. "Like I said, you've got to get into the mindset of the shoot. Get into its theme. Liv get the camera ready." She instructs again before she begins by draping her arms over Alex's shoulders and smiling at her lovingly for the flash of the camera. "Theme is intimacy and that's what you have to remind yourself of." She continues on, as she moves to where she is standing behind the heiress and she then rests her chin on her left shoulder while her arm is loosely draped over the right. For added measure she brings her left heel slightly off of the ground in fairy tale fashion. "Look here." She instructs, turning Alex's head to gaze at her just in time for another camera flash.

Humming, the model then proceeds on with her demonstration, moving to the front once again as she takes Alex's arms and wraps them around herself from behind before looking towards Casey once again. "Act as if you are telling a real life story. Submit to her, make it look like you belong to her." She states, dropping her head against Alex's shoulder for another take. "But at the very same time. Dominate her, give contrast within the photos, telling a tale." She continues as she spins around and tightly grasps the lapels of the blonde's jacket in her hands and brings the two of them closer together where they are only a breath's width apart. Once she's satisfied with that take, she shifts into a new pose where she now has one of her legs halfway around Alex's waist while her arms circle themselves around the blonde's neck. Then, she leans in and gives the heiress a chaste kiss on the lips long enough for the photographer to take the photo. "Intimacy is key in shoots like this. If you're gonna be a feature, you've got to go all out honey."

The other four women remain completely slack jawed at the action as the model struts off of the shoot and returns to her former post where she wears a satisfied expression on her face. "Feel free to continue."

"That was so hot." Abbie whispers in complete awe, turning to the woman next to her.

"What?" Serena retorts quickly, her smile immediately falling from her face.

"Well, I mean yeah you just kissed her but that doesn't matter. All that other stuff you did, I mean wow. How come you never do that for me when we have our…sessions?"

"You are incorrigible." Serena mutters shaking her head as she spins on her heel and storms off of the set.

Abbie stares after the model in complete confusion before she turns back to the still slack jawed photographer. "Was it something I said."

Olivia blinks several times still staring after the blonde in question. "Man, if you don't hurry up and ask her out on a date, I'm going to." She mutters quietly before clearing her throat and shaking her head to turn her attention back to the shoot. "So are you two ready?"

"Y-yeah," Alex stammers, still completely in shock at what has transpired only seconds ago. "Yeah, um, Casey? Are you, uh, ready?"

Casey's lips have now pursed themselves into a single thin little line as she feels her face beginning to grow hot. "Yeah, I'm ready." She grumbles darkly, feeling a strange feeling wash over her all of a sudden; and not a good kind.

Alex raises her eyebrows at the redhead's flustered state and once seeing past the heavy reddening of her face, she notices something in those sharp emerald green eyes that looks a little like…jealousy?

_'But what could she be jealous for?' _

**A little guilty pleasure shipping of mine went on there. You take what you get right? Hehe, anyway, leave your thoughts! **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I finally realized of what I wanted to do with this so I was able to get this chapter out. I know that this was much long awaited for some of you so I hope you all enjoy! And I hope me posting this chapter will make up for what I'm gonna do later :-P **

Casey storms through the front door with an ever present scowl plastered upon her face. She huffs greatly as she then proceeds to dump her purse on the sofa and sit stiffly upon the cushions. She doesn't bother looking away from the blank television screen as her icy mood begins settling a chilling tension in the air.

"Is there a reason that you stormed in here and nearly slammed the door on my face?" Alex questions tightly as she too joins the icy redhead in the living room. "It's been like this ever since we left the office. What's going on with you?"

Instead of responding, Casey simply continues to stare harshly into the television set as if her steely gaze can melt the electronic into a pitiful little puddle. Her jaw is clenched tightly and her eyes are narrowed into tiny, thin slits. It's a look that she's so many times that her mother has actually told her that if she continues to look like that, her face will freeze that way. Of course that isn't true.

Alex quirks an eyebrow in patience for a brief moment before she sighs heavily and folds her arms tightly before she sits on the edge of the sofa. "Is this about the photo shoot?" she asks gently, hoping to get an answer. When she doesn't, she decides that she can only press on further. "Look, I had no idea that Abbie had that set up. I would've done anything to counter the decision, honest I would have, it's just we have a deadline to meet and with time and everything it just doesn't possible. I can retract the issue if it really bothers you that much."

For the first time since earlier in the afternoon, Casey makes a sound, though it sounds more like a dismissive snort than anything else. "I thought you told me that you haven't slept with any of your models." She replies tersely with a hint of mockery lacing her tone.

"I haven't. I mean, I have once, but that was a long time ago." The blonde replies with a curious frown. "She doesn't even work at the magazine anymore. Wait-is this about what happened with Serena?" she asks, her eyes widening when the pause in silence lets her know that she's correct. "Jesus, Casey, what happened with Serena wasn't anything. She was just demonstrating how to model a shoot for you. That's all that was."

"It didn't seem like that while you were enjoying her tongue in your mouth."

"First of all, her tongue was nowhere near my mouth. It wasn't even that kind of kiss. Second of all, she kissed me, I didn't kiss her back. Why does this bother you so much? Better yet, why does it sound like you're accusing me of cheating? It's not as if we're really together, Casey. You've said it yourself. This is all an act and you really don't want me touching you, so what does it matter that someone else kissed me?"

Casey's resolve begins to fade as she realizes that she doesn't exactly have a response to said question. "It doesn't bother me." She responds quietly, though the tone in her voice does seem to betray her otherwise less than confident statement.

Alex raises an eyebrow in question once again as she takes a seat on the coffee table, forcing Casey to look at her. "You know I can sense when someone is lying to me, right? Things have happened to me in the past that I have to be good at that sort of thing." She trails off quietly, clearing her throat when she realizes that her wall crumbled a bit. "Why does it bother you so much that Serena kissed me? If I recall correctly, the last time I kissed you, you slapped me across the face."

"Well maybe I shouldn't have done that." Casey responds flatly as she forces her gaze to look anywhere else in the room other than at the pleading blue eyes in front of her. She feels this strange, foreign feeling in the pit of her stomach and she sucks in a great amount of air before regaining what little composure she may have had left. "It doesn't matter anyway."

"Casey, if it's one thing that I can stand it's people lying to me."

"Oh like you've never lied to anyone in the past. Look at what we're doing now Alex! If you ask me, your entire life seems like it's based off of lies. The women, the sex-capades, everything you do seems like a lie Alex! I don't even know how I am supposed to trust you with this."

Alex purses her lips tightly before she stands from the coffee table and nods her head. "You're right. You have no reason to trust me. I haven't given you any kind of reason to trust me. I mean, why would you? Look at me. Everything about me screams a fake and a lie. If you don't want to do this anymore, then I'm not going to force you. There's the door. You can feel free to use it if you want."

Casey's frown dissipates before she sighs heavily once more and rakes her hands through her hair. "I'm not going anywhere." She says shakily before she begins to pace vibrantly. "I somehow feel like I am indebted to you because you helped me with my mother. So I'm not going anywhere." And with that, she spins on here heel and storms up the stairs towards her bedroom without another word.

Alex raises her eyebrows in genuine confusion before she sits back against the sofa. What has gotten into her? For as long as they've known each other, she was sure that Casey loathed her with every fiber of her being, but now she's suddenly acting as if they are actually a couple, only to close off when she's confronted about it. A familiar ache streaks through her chest before she shakes her head and heads of to her personal bar to find a drink.

_"I love you." Alex whispers gently as she presses her slightly damp cheek to that of the blonde woman lying beneath her. They have just finished making love for probably the fifth time that night, and it's those three little words that reminds Alex of the first time that she said them. "I love you so much." _

_ "I love you too." The woman, Lila, responds with a grin tugging at her rosy colored lips. She snuggles further into her lover's body and hums greatly when she feels arms wrap tightly, and protectively around her waist. "I wish that this moment between the two of us could last forever." _

_ Alex frowns at the statement and she rises up just enough to come into contact with bright green eyes. "Don't talk like that." she whispers softly yet firmly as tears begin to prick dangerously behind her eyes. "Don't say things like that." _

_ Lila sighs heavily and turns over to where they are facing each other. "You knew that we were going to eventually have to come to this conversation, Alexandra." She says quietly as her thumb gently strokes across the heiress's cheek. _

_ Allowing that Lila is one of the only people that can call her by her first name, Alex closes her eyes briefly and turns over to stare at the ceiling of her bedroom. "That doesn't mean that I was looking forward to it." She mumbles quietly as she attempts to will away the tears that are stinging at bay. _

_ Lila is silent for a brief moment before she wiggles closer to her lover and straddles her waist, forcing Alex to look her in the eyes. "Will you still love me…after I've lost all my hair?" she questions sadly. "Will you still want to be with me?" _

_ "Of course I will want to be with you. This," Alex pauses as she runs her fingers through waves of silky light blonde hair that flows down her girlfriend's back before bringing it up for Lila to see. "This isn't the reason that I feel in love with you. This," she pauses again as she brings her hand up once more only this time to place it over the bare skin of Lila's chest just above her heart, right before she brings her lover's hand to rest atop of hers. "This is the reason that I feel in love with you; because of what's in here. Losing your hair won't make you any less beautiful to me than you are at this moment right now and it won't make you any less beautiful than the very first day that I laid eyes on you. I will still love you the same, if not more." _

_ A tear slides slowly downs Lila's cheeks a she places her hands on either side of Alex's face. "I don't know what I ever did to deserve an angel like you." she whispers, her voice cracking with emotion. "I really do wish that I could stay with you forever." _

_ "Let's not worry about that." Alex replies shakily, feeling her own tears leak from her eyes. "Right now, let's just revel in the time that we do have together and not worry about the future." _

Alex squeezes her eyes shut tightly to keep the tears from flowing down her face. She grips the neck of the whiskey bottle tightly in her hand before she grunts irritably and flings it towards one of the walls in her living room. The glass bursts immediately on impact, creating a loud ring throughout the house as the amble liquid begins to slowly drizzle down the wall, pooling on the floor amongst its glassy remains.

The blonde's breathing has become heavy and labored as her eyes bore dangerously into the liquor stained wall. "MARTHA!" she barks, her voice carrying heavily throughout the house, much like the sound of the glass only a few moments before.

The maid practically runs out of the kitchen upon hearing her name and she enters the living room with quick haste. "Yes Miss Cabot?" she pants eagerly as she briskly continues to wipe her hands dry on her apron.

"Clean up this mess." Alex states dismissively as she motions her hand towards the glassy mess on the floor. "Have my dinner sent up to me once it is prepared and tell Casey she will be dining alone. I'll be in my office."

"Yes Miss Cabot." Martha repeats as she moves to retrieve a broom and a dust pan to begin cleaning the mess. She glances up briefly as her employer ascends the stairs and shakes her head when realizing just how troubled the heiress really is.

* * *

The following morning, Casey finds herself tucked snuggly into one of the arm chairs as she faces the opposite wall containing the large panel windows. Her pencil scratches quietly against the paper as she carefully continues to map out the outline of the figure sitting on one of the sills of the large windows gazing out as the drizzling rain falls to the streets below.

This isn't the first time that she's caught the blonde seated at the window; in fact, she's actually lost count. The first time she came down and she saw Alex seated at the window, she thought about speaking up, but easily decided against it. She did notice, however, at how good of a portrait it would make, so ever since then, she would sneak down when she thought Alex would be up and settle herself in the chair and begin sketching. She knows that Alex knows that she's there, but it's been a silent agreement between the two of them that neither of them speak when the time comes.

Only this time, Alex proves things to be different.

"Did you enjoy dinner last night?" she asks blandly, not tearing her eyes away from the rain droplets that race down the panel of her window.

"I did." Casey responds, briefly looking up from her pad before returning to her sketch. "Martha told me that you had work to attend to so I ate alone. I hope it wasn't anything that I said last night that made you retire early."

Alex frowns for a moment before she resorts to shaking her head in the negative. "I just needed some time alone." She replies quietly, attempting to keep the brokenness from her voice. She clears her throat as she continues to stare out at the rain slicken streets. "I've arranged for you and Kim to have a day to yourselves. I driver will be here to pick you up within the next hour and a half. You'll find everything you'll need once you're off for the day."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Casey asks with a teasing smirk, only for it to fade when she doesn't receive a response. "Alex?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I just…I need to be alone. I have a lot of work that I need to take care of for today and I would feel rude if I was pent up here the entire day leaving you with nothing to do." The blonde replies as she rests her head against the window, a tear falling shamefully down her cheeks much like the rain droplets against the window. She just can't bring herself to voice that she doesn't want Casey to see her like this. She doesn't want _anyone_ to see her like this.

Casey frowns and opens her mouth in protest, but closes it when she realizes that it's probably in her best interest not to say anything at all. She can sense that something's wrong, and now she's made it her goal to find out what that something is. No matter how long it takes her.

**Hmmm, interesting right? Leave your thoughts? **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Man, I bawled like a little baby writing this chapter. But you guys asked so I decided to be generous. This is a mostly Alex-centric chapter told mostly through flashbacks which are italicized. Enjoy!**

_Alex frowns deeply as she enters the darkness of her apartment. Through the darkness she can see a lone shadowed figured huddled towards the end of the couch seemingly shaking every moment or so. Her frown deepens when she flips on the light only to see her girlfriend huddled into the corner of the couch with a wool blanket wrapped firmly around her shoulders. _

_ "Lila?" Alex questions worriedly as she drops all of her things in a split second and runs over to the sofa. "Lila, honey, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" _

_ "N-no…" The smaller woman whispers as she shakes her head and rubs her eyes. Despite responding with 'no' she pulls the blanket tighter around her body and proceeds to look elsewhere in the room other than at the concerned eyes staring at her. _

_ Alex feels her heart break as she pulls the woman she loves into her arms despite the hint of resistance. In truth, it hurts her a little bit that Lila refuses to even look her in the eye, let alone tell her why she's been crying. "Honey, please tell me what's wrong." She pleads, wiping the tears from her lover's cheek. "If you can't tell me, I can't fix it. Please." _

_ Lila shakes her head again as she feels more tears spring to her eyes and she finds herself having to look away once more. "I can't understand why you still want me." She whispers quietly, her voice coming out as hoarse and even a little forced. _

_ "What? What do you mean? Why wouldn't I want you?" _

_ "Because I'm ugly…" _

_ Alex's eyes widen in pure shock as she wipes the tears from Lila's face once more. "Lila, no…" she whispers, pulling her lover tightly into her arms. "Sweetheart, you aren't ugly." _

_ Lila's eyes flare in anger as she rips herself away from Alex's grasp. "I'm not ugly?! Look at me Alex!" she screeches, motioning towards herself. "I used to be beautiful. At least I used to like to think I was beautiful. Now all of my hair is gone and I look like I've been starved for months. How can you even stand to look at me?!" _

_ "Because I love you." the heiress responds in a whisper, running a hand down to Lila's chin to get her to look at her. "And it's because I love you that I still think you're the most beautiful woman in the world." _

_ "I feel so disgusting." Lila whispers, running shaky fingers over her head that used to house her beautiful blonde locks that easily traveled down her back. "I-I don't feel beautiful anymore. I feel ugly and sick and disgusting. I-I don't know how long I can do this Alex." _

_ Alex sighs quietly and pulls Lila back into her arms, lightly resting her chin on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?" she asks reluctantly. "Health wise?" _

_ "The radiation makes me sick and I'm very tired all the time. All of my food is starting to taste like metal or acid and I really don't want to eat anything anymore." Lila explains sadly, dropping her head to where she is nervously wringing her shaky hands. "I-I'm so scared Alex. I'm only getting worse." _

_ Tears fill Alex's eyes almost immediately as she shakes her head rapidly as if she can just shake the truth away. "N-no, don't say that." she stammers, frantically wiping at her eyes to erase her tears. She has to be strong; she has to be strong for Lila. "Please, don't say that." _

_ Lila laughs shakily as she shakes her head and her own tears begin to fall down her face once more. "I don't want to say it, I really don't, but it's happening. I-I'm dying Alex and there isn't anything anyone can do about it. The doctors have tried everything, but the cancer…it keeps fighting back. Pretty soon I'm going to have to stay in the hospital…" _

_ "No! No, don't talk like that. Don't say those things. There has to be something someone can do. I'll pay to have them bring in new doctors. I'll bring in different ones; ones that know what they're doing. We'll get you a specialist and they'll—they'll take care of you and they'll make the cancer go away and—"_

_ "Alex…" _

_ "We'll go away from here. We'll move to where every you want; to wherever makes you happy. Then we'll buy a house and we'll get married and—"_

_ "Alex." _

_ "We'll start a family and we can have however many kids you want. I don't care, as long as you're happy and we can—"_

_ "Alex!" _

_ "Yeah?" _

_ Lila shakes her head again with a sad smile on her face as she places a weak, shaky kiss to her girlfriend's lips. "You talk too much." She whispers as her thumbs wipe away tears. "Alexandra, you know that we have to face the future. We can't hide from this anymore. I need you to understand what's going to happen." _

_ Alex removes her glasses and digs her palms deeply into her eye sockets. "I don't want to face this." She whimpers quietly before her body involuntarily breaks down into heavy sobs. "I can't face this because I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you. I need you here with me all the time because we love each other and—and we're supposed to be together forever. That's what we said. We promised each other forever and then this stupid thing happened and now everything's ruined. You can't leave me…you can't." _

_ "I'll stay for as long as I can…" _

Alex scowls deeply at the memory as she continues to stare harshly at the papers spread out across her desk. For the past hour or so she has been trying in vain to bury herself in her work to take her mind off of the painfully resurfacing memories, but as of right now, nothing seems to be doing the trick. She is moments away from tearing her home office apart when she hears a rather tentative knock at the door.

"Come in." she calls gruffly, resting her now aching head in her hands as she door carefully swings open.

Casey raises her eyebrows in genuine concern as she takes note of the blonde's posture and mood that seems to be radiating about the atmosphere. "Hey, um, I came to check on you." she begins nervously as she nods towards the tray of food in her hands. "I even brought you some breakfast since I thought you might be a little hungry."

Alex motions for Casey to place to food on the coffee table over in the seating area of her office. "I thought surely you would be gone about your day by now." She responds blandly, still not looking up from her desk.

"I told the driver that I wasn't feeling well and I decided to stay." The redhead responds with a smalls shrug. "I was worried about you after our conversation this morning and I thought I'd stay to make sure you were alright."

"Well that's very nice of you but I'm fine."

"Now who's the one telling lies?"

Alex's eyes shoot up to find Casey staring back at her with a challenging look. She holds the gaze for a brief moment before she turns away and shakes her head vibrantly. "It's not anything of your concern." She says firmly before her voice drops down to a low childlike whisper. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." Casey responds firmly as she takes a seat on the sofa in the seating area, patting the cushion next to her in silent command.

Sighing heavily, Alex stands up from her desk and makes her way over to the sofa where she takes a seat next to the waiting artist. She folds her hands together and rests her forearms on her knees as she tries to figure out where to begin. She wouldn't do this on a regular basis, but something tells her she should open up.

"Her name was Lila…" the heiress begins, her heart clenching tightly at the use of the name after so long. "I met her when I was accompanying my grandmother on an impromptu trip to where she needed to find a certain book. Lila owned the little bookstore we stopped at and there was an instant attraction between us. She wasn't like any woman I had come across before. She didn't care about my status in society or my money. In fact, I think that's what impressed her the least. We soon began dating and I found myself falling for her; hard and fast.

We were together for almost two years when she developed a tumor in her spine. I paid for her to have the surgery to remove it but it returned full force and more only a few months later. The cancer cells began to spread throughout her body until there was very little anyone could do to save her. I called in specialists from other countries, I had her in a private room at the hospital, I did everything I could to try and save her…"

_"Remember that time we fed the ducks in the park?" Alex recalls with a chuckle as she gently rubs the back of Lila's hand with her thumb as their intertwined hands rest on the blankets of the hospital bed._

_ "And you got scared when one of them started chasing you." Lila whispers weakly, unable to laugh for too long before her smile fades. She takes a much needed deep breath, though despite the need, it seems to take a lot out of her. _

_ Alex notices this and tilts her head to the side in worry. "Maybe I should let you get some rest. I'll come back tomorrow." _

_ Lila smiles weakly once more before she reopens her glossy green eyes. "Alex I-" she begins put pauses when she has to take another much needed breath to continue. "I don't think there's going to be a tomorrow for me." _

_ "Don't say that. You're going to get better. You have to." _

_ "Just stay talking to me, okay? Don't leave just yet." _

_ Alex nods her head, swallowing the thick lump in her throat before she pulls the velvet ring box from her pocket. "You know, I wanted to wait to do this, but I-I think you deserve it." She begins before opening the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. "I remember when we first met. I tried to charm you with my money and good looks but you saw past that. You saw right through me and saw who I really am. I'll never forget all of the times we spend together; holding hands as we walked in the park, the two of us going ice skating, snuggling on the sofa while we watched romantic comedies, the memories are endless. I can't exactly say that I have a favorite one because all of them are just so amazing and priceless to me. I love you with everything that I am and everything that you expect me to be. Lila Hanson, will you make me the happiest woman in the world, by becoming my wife?" _

_ By now Lila has a waterfall of tears flowing down her cheeks. Because of her exhaustion and emotional wear, all she can do is nod faintly at the request. She swallows thickly and finally manages to utter a shallow 'yes'. _

_ Alex lifts her lover's shaky hand and slides the ring onto her ring finger. She smiles brightly as the diamonds reflect perfectly off of the ray of sunlight streaming in through the window. "It looks beautiful on you." she whispers, her own tears beginning to fall as her chest begins to become tight. "Now we can talk about the wedding you've always wanted." _

_ "I-I want purple flowers." Lila whispers as her breathing becomes heavily labored. "The theme can be purple and crème. I can wear a crème colored dress with purple accent and a long train. I've always wanted a train on my wedding dress." _

_ "What about the music? What should be our song?" _

_ "Oh Alex, I don't know. There's so many songs we could choose from I can't pick just…just one." _

_ Alex nods her head before she gently brings Lila's frail hand to her lips, kissing it softly. "You'll make a beautiful bride." She whispers, noting how the other woman's eyes have drifted shut and her breathing seems to have evened out to nothing. Panic soon begins to rise in her throat as her heart slams to a halt. "Lila? Honey don't—don't close your eyes." She whimpers, giving her lover's hand a small shake only to receive no type of response. "Lila don't…don't go. You have to wake up. Open your eyes. Please. Not yet. You can't leave me here. Lila, please. I can't lose you. Not here, not like this. Please just open your eyes. Please." _

"Even after the doctor pronounced her dead, I sat there for hours and begged her to wake up." Alex concludes with a shake of her head and a mirthless chuckle. "God, I must have looked like such a fool."

"You loved her." Casey responds gently, wiping her own tears away at the story. "Being in love with someone doesn't make you a fool."

"Yes it does." The heiress snaps quickly as she abruptly stands up from the sofa. "Because nothing in the world lasts forever, including love. And when that doesn't last, it leaves you looking foolish and pathetic amongst everything you've ever worked for in your life."

Casey stands up as well and lightly places her hand on the blonde's arm, flinching when Alex snatches away. "That's not true. Some things are worth fighting for. You've just got to set your heart to it."

"Yeah, well I don't think I have much of a heart left." And with that, Alex storms out of her office, slamming the door behind her leaving the room in a tense and heavy silence in her wake.

**Like I said, I cried during this. Leave your thoughts? **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I explored a little bit of a darker side to Alex at the beginning of this chapter. Hehe enjoy. **

"That's beautiful." Kim points out quietly as her eyes move over the canvas on the easel housing the partially finished artwork. "Is this supposed to be you?"

"Uh huh." Alex mumbles in response as she folds her arms and taps her fingers against her half empty whiskey glass. "She sneaks down every morning while I'm sitting on my window and she'll just scribble on her little pad. I hadn't noticed she was gonna turned it into a full blown thing or whatever. She's a really good artist you know."

Kim quirks an eyebrow at the blonde's speech but thankfully she has her back turned towards the art so Alex can't see her. "She's a great artist." She corrects before spinning around to face her boss. "Where is she by the way?"

Alex thinks for a moment before she shrugs and refills her glass. "My mother has successfully kidnapped her for the day. Some kind of girls day out or whatever that I wasn't allowed to go to. Something about them getting to spend more time with Casey alone."

"Well I sure hope you didn't call me over here just so you can wallow in your problems." Kim retorts as she subtly nods her head towards the glass in the other woman's hand. "Just because I'm your PA doesn't necessarily mean I have to deal with your personal problems."

"I'm paying you, which means that you do whatever it is that I tell you to do." Alex all but growls as she quickly finishes off the remaining amber liquid in her glass. What is this? Her fourth, fifth glass this evening? Oh well, it doesn't matter. It's her house and her whiskey and she can drink as much of it as she so pleases.

"You shouldn't drink like that this early in the day. It's not good for your health."

"I don't need a babysitter."

Kim is silent for a long period of time with her lips pressed tightly together before she opens her mouth and daintily clears her throat. "There's something I've been meaning to speak with you personally about." she begins, pausing briefly as she seems to be gathering her thoughts together. "I want you to know that I don't appreciate how you've been treating Casey."

Alex quirks an eyebrow at the a little less than confident statement before she leans against the counter of her bar. "Is that so? And pray tell, Miss Greylek, how exactly have I been treating Casey? Have I not been giving her everything that she could ever ask for and more? Have I not provided a stable roof over her head, rent free? Have I not provided for her a completely reestablished wardrobe, countless jewels, and the finest dining that any woman could ever ask for? Have I not done all of that just for her?"

"Material things aren't important, Alex. I see the way that you look at other women when Casey's not around. I can see the wheels constantly turning in your head as you set your plan into motion on how you intend to get them to fall into bed with you. You get this predatory look in your eyes. I've seen it when you look at a few of the models. Hell, I've seen it whenever you walk into work and you speak to the poor girl at the front desk. There's just this look about you…"

"In case you haven't noticed dear Kimberly, Casey and I are not really together, therefore I am not obligated to be 'faithful' to her…since we aren't together."

"While that may be true, I do believe that you can at least be a little respectful when doing that around her. She told me about what happened on the plane going to Maui. I find it extremely…mind boggling that you can't even keep your hands to yourself for nine whole hours without finding some senseless behind to fondle."

Alex smirks, albeit a little darkly, as she picks up the now empty whiskey bottle and begins to absentmindedly run her fingers over the labeling. "Green is a color that can symbolize many things you know. It can symbolize nature; the more natural and beautiful environments of this earth. But you know, Green is typically associated with envy; a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions or qualities." She recites before her smirk grows gradually. "I do believe that you are jealous."

Kim frowns deeply at the accusation as she vigorously shakes her head. "Jealous? Why would I be jealous?"

"Because I am providing all of this for Casey, and not yourself? Because it is her on my arm day in and day out while you struggle to make it through to the next day despite what I'm paying you. How that if it weren't for me you would still be a lowly waitress trying to find a job. I know about you see. Practically raised yourself, grew up alone, barely managed to put yourself through college. I know all about that and I believe that you are jealous because I'm not the one taking care of you."

"Hardly." The brunette replies as she folds her arms before going rigid as she notices Alex beginning to approach her like a lioness stalking a mere helpless gazelle. "What are you doing?"

Possibly clouded by the alcohol, the heiress continues to advance upon her assistant until she has her cornered against a wall. "Why, I'm just giving you what it is that you really want."

"You're drunk." Kim responds as she wrinkles her nose and tries to move away freely. "You're drunk and I'm really not interested in you like that. Not to mention that you are my boss and this is extremely inappropriate. I thought you said you don't hit on employees?"

"I could have lied."

"Please move. You're really making me uncomfortable."

"I'll move when you admit that you're jealous."

"Or how about you move now." The slightly shorter woman responds, with a small embarrassing tremor in her voice as she tries to move away. Her body stiffens and her eyes widen when she feels hands snake their way up her sides, fingers lightly dancing under her shirt. "No, don't touch me!"

The heiress grins wickedly as she leans into her assistant, pressing their bodies together and pressing her tightly against the wall. She grasps both of the other woman's wrists tightly in her hands and pins them firmly to the wall before burying her face into her neck. "You smell like lavender." She purrs before chuckling lowly.

"And you smell like expensive liquor." Kim responds tightly as she tries to shove the taller woman away from her. Her throat constricts tightly as her actions promotes a struggle between the two that once again leaves her tightly pressed against the wall. "Alex stop! Please!"

Something clicks in the back of Alex's mind and she steps away before shaking her head, the alcohol in her system causing the room to dip a little bit. What had she just done? And what exactly what she about to do? "Oh god, Kim, I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…god, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…sorry."

Kim finally manages to calm her breathing as she pushes off of the wall and proceeds to put herself back together. "Yes well, I'm sure we all have our-our moments." She stutters, clearing her throat before grabbing her purse and attaché. "Listen, I think that you can email me whatever work you need me to do and we can work from there. Right now I think you need to be alone."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll do that." the blonde murmurs as she makes her way over to her favored window and folds her arms tightly. She faintly hears the door open and close right before she drops to her knees and begins to sob uncontrollably. No one would ever know it from just looking at her, but she feels like her life is falling apart.

**Later **

"Why didn't Casey wanna come out with us?" Olivia asks with a curious tilt of her head as she takes a knowing swig from her beer.

"She was probably tired from being dragged around all day by my mom." Alex responds with a quiet shrug as she goes back to absentmindedly nursing her drink. "To be honest, I didn't want to come out either, but I knew you guys wouldn't take no for an answer."

"You know us so well." Abbie responds with a wide grin. "Besides, you look like you need a bit of cheering up. What's got you look like that? You look like someone punched you in the stomach a few days ago and you're just now feeling the pain."

The heiress is silent for a long moment of time before she sighs and nods her head. "Well it's something like that." she mumbles before tapping her glass once more. "I-I told Casey about Lila the other day."

A silence falls amongst the three other women at the table as all of them know the sensitivity of the topic. After the heavy silence, Serena is the first to speak up. "And how did that go?" she asks softly as her hand gently rubs up and down the other blonde's shoulder.

"It went…I wish it had gone better. I kind of snapped at Casey when I didn't mean to and we haven't really spoken that much since then. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings and I know she meant well, I just…I don't know what happened."

"You're still mourning for her and that's perfectly okay. Of course it's still going to be a very touchy subject for you to talk about her." The model answers, "We can talk about something else if you want, if that will help you any."

Alex is silent for another moment before shakily nodding her head. "Yeah, that'd be great." She says before clearing her throat and managing a smirk. "Besides, if you three are going to drag me out, I intend to have a little bit of fun tonight."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Abbie explains, signaling for the bartender to bring them another tray of shot rounds. "Think I want a basket of fries too."

While Olivia simply rolls her eyes, Alex can't help but snicker in regards to her best friend. Out of the corner of her eye, she can't help but notice how Serena will longingly glance at the raven haired woman sitting across the table from her; and this just isn't the first time. She's seen it on several occasions around the office and she's beginning to wonder if everyone has noticed but Abbie.

A brief from crosses Serena's face before she replaces it with a smile and stirs her vibrantly colorful drink with the straw. "So I got asked to do a Victoria's Secret shoot the other day. I'll be modeling their brand new line of lingerie."

"Wow that's great! Congrats." Alex exclaims with a grin.

"Yeah, that's really amazing. I'm sure that you'll look great." Olivia adds in with a rather shy smile.

Serena smiles her thanks and glances at Abbie once more who seems to have her full attention on her cell phone. Sighing heavily, the model refuses to resign to defeat as she runs her fingers down Alex's shoulder. "Hey boss lady, how about a dance?" she inquires slyly as she pulls the taller woman out of the booth and onto the dance floor without giving her much of a chance to protest or respond.

Alex quirks an eyebrow in minimal confusion as Serena's arms drape loosely over her shoulders. "You know, you're pretty bold since you're dragging me out on a club dance floor and I have a girlfriend at home. You would think you'd be a little more courteous than that." she teases lightly.

"I could." Serena hums with a smirk of her own. "But considering the two of you aren't really together, I don't think Casey would mind all that much."

"Alright, how'd you find out?"

"I weaseled it out of your assistant."

"And how'd you manage to do that? She seems to be very tight lipped."

"I have my own ways of persuasion Miss Cabot."

Alex chuckles at the models playfulness before she turns back to her original question. "So this is all about making Abbie jealous, am I right?" she offers, motioning towards their dancing with a subtle nod.

Serena's grin falls and she sighs heavily as she risks a glance back at their table. "I don't know what else I can do at this point." She mumbles glumly. "You know that we've been sleeping together."

"I had my suspicions but I didn't want to just assume. I felt if I really needed to know, either of you would tell me."

"Well I'm telling you now; we've been sleeping together, but that's all we've been doing. Yeah I mean when it first started, the casualness of it was pretty fun, but now I want more. I want her to actually take me to a restaurant and romance me. I want an actual relationship with her, but it's like she can't even take the hint."

Alex hums for a moment before she tilts her head. "But she's usually all over you? She's complementing you practically all the time."

Serena shakes her head before giving a humorless chuckle. "For me, telling me that I'm hot and sexy isn't the same as telling me I'm beautiful and desirable. I want romance with her but either she doesn't notice my hints or this is her subtly telling me she doesn't want that. I just know I'm getting pretty tired of waking up every morning to an empty bed after we've had sex."

"So you're here, dancing with me to see if you'll poke a nerve.?"

"Exactly. That's why I was all over you and I kissed you at the photo shoot. Well partially. I really was trying to help Casey with the art of seductive posing but mostly it was to get a rise out of Abbie. You're her best friend and I felt if she thought I had an interest in you then…"

"She'd step up and make a move." Alex finishes off with a nod. "You know you can always tell her flat out how you feel."

Serena laughs mirthlessly once more before ducking her head. "Things like that aren't really easy for me."

"They aren't easy for anyone. Trust me. I know."

**Hmmmm interesting right? Leave your thoughts! **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: This chapter is a little shorter than usual but I like it anyway. I hope you guys enjoy it too :)**

"Uh yeah, I think that'll be fine." Abbie murmurs into her cell phone as she continues to run her fingers through her bedmate's silky blonde hair. She is silent for a moment as she listens to the caller on the other end of the line. "No, I think that the second one is better for the opener. It shows off more leg. No, Liv, I'm not saying that you can't put the first one in there, she looks hot either way, but I'm saying that if you put the second one first then it'll create a better pull. Why would I ask her which one should go first? Her job is to stand there and take the picture, not decide where it goes. It's not like she'd care either way. No, I'm not your boss but I do have the authority to tell you what to do, so I'm telling you to put the second one first. Put in on my desk when you come in then. Great. Bye."

"What was that about?" Serena asks groggily as she rests her chin on Abbie's shoulder wondering which project she and the photographer were discussing so intently.

"Nothing really. Getting the spring wear section opener straightened out." The brunette responds as she peels back the covers and begins moving around the room replacing her clothes.

Serena sits up and further clutches the duvet against her chest. In truth, she anticipated this happening, but this one night (much like many others) she had hoped things would be different. "You know, we've talked about this before. Why don't you just stay here for the night?" she offers with a tilt of her head. Honestly, she feels like she's beginning to sound like a broken record.

Abbie makes a face before she shakes her head and pulls on her jeans. "That's alright, I really need to be heading home anyway. It's late and I don't wanna keep you up all night. We both know that's what would happen if I stayed here."

Serena is silent for a long moment before she scowls deeply and slides out of bed. Clad in only her bra and panties, she briskly moves about her bedroom, proceeding to throw the remaining of Abbie's clothes at her, shoes included.

"Serena?! What the hell?!" the brunette exclaims as she narrowly dodges being clocked in the head with her own shoe. "What's the matter with you?!"

"I'm sick of doing this every single time." Serena exclaims harshly as her breathing becomes a little ragged. "I'm so sick of doing this every single time with you. I'm tired of letting you in here, letting you have your way and then you just leave right after like nothing even happened. I'm so tired of being your-your little plaything whenever you get bored. I'm tired of being your go-to girl whenever you want to have sex!"

"Serena, what are you saying…" Abbie replies exasperatedly as she drags her fingers through her hair.

"I'm saying I'm in love with you, Abigail!" the model exclaims probably a little louder than intended. "Can't you see it? I want you to romance me properly. I want you to take me out to dinner, and hold my hand when we take romantic walks in the park. I want to cuddle with you on the couch when it rains while we watch a sappy romantic comedy and I want you to carry me up the stairs and make love to me in here properly. I'm tired of settling for just being your sex kitten. Not when I feel this way. I can't keep offering you my body and my heart when you only accept half of the deal."

Abbie frowns and folds her arms as she sits in the silence that follows the blonde's rant. Sensing the tension rising, she sighs heavily and finally manages to make eye contact. "Serena, I had no idea that you felt that way, but I'm not…I'm not interested in that. Not right now at least."

"I should have known." Serena scoffs bitterly as she shakes her head, fighting heavily with herself as she feels her tears beginning to form each time she blinks. "You know what's funny, is that you and Alex are best friends with the same problem. The only difference is she has a legit reason. She is against relationships because she lost the one person that meant the world to her and she's terrified to let herself move on. You on the other hand are against relationships simply because you are a coward. You don't like the idea of responsibility. Don't even try to look at me and argue on this because you know damn well that I'm right. You're a coward and I honestly can't understand why I let myself fall in love with you."

"Serena I-"

"Since you want to leave so bad. Get out. And don't even bother coming back. I'll have Alex bring you the rest of your stuff in a box because I can actually stand to look at her. But I'm done being used like this Abigail. I can't keep offering myself and getting nothing in return. Get out."

"Serena you don't mean that…"

"Like hell I do. Get out!"

Abbie holds up he hands in surrender as she stands from the bed and shrugs on her jacket. "Fine! Fine, I'm gone." She exclaims as she quickly makes her way out of the bedroom and down the stairs towards the front door. Only when the door is open does she pause and spin around towards the seething woman behind her. "But you're blowing this completely out of proportion. It's not that big of a deal."

"OUT!" Serena exclaims as she shoves the taller woman out of the door and slams it behind her. She rests her back heavily against the door before she slowly slides down to the floor and draws her knees up to her chest. It is only a matter of seconds before her body racks down into heavy sobs.

**Meanwhile…**

"Y-you live here?"

"Mmhmm," Alex hums in response as she presses her latest conquests back further into her front door. "Impressed yet?"

"Highly." The other blonde haired woman mumbles before wrapping her arms around the heiress's neck, pulling her into another searing kiss. She can't hide the moan that escapes her lips when she feels a tongue quickly enter her mouth and a thigh press firmly up against her center.

Alex smirks into the kiss as she very skillfully reaches behind the woman and inserts her key into the lock. She gently pushes her though the door, all the while keeping their lips locked together. As soon as they're both through the door, she kicks in closed and then presses the woman tightly up against the wall once more, deepening the kiss as she does so.

"I've waited all night for this." The woman whispers huskily as she slides Alex's jacket down her shoulders. "Ever since we locked gazes on the dance floor, I knew I had to be yours for the night."

"Well I'm sure I won't disappoint." The heiress replies as they proceed to stumble through the foyer tugging at each other's clothes. She is only brought to a stunning reality when she realizes that the light is on in the living room. She frowns deeply as she pulls away from the woman and her eyes land on a very family redhead sitting on her couch. "Casey?"

Casey blushes lightly at the current predicament she's in and she stands up from her perch on the couch as she wraps her arms around herself. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd be brining a guest home. I was waiting up for you because we need to talk."

"Who is that?" the strange woman asks curiously, looking between Alex and the redhead in the living room. "Alex who is she?"

Alex says nothing in response other than the sigh that escapes her lips as she shoves her hands deep into her pockets. "You should go." She speaks flatly. It's not as if it matters because once again, like many times before, it's not as if she knows this girl's name.

The girl in question scowls deeply before she tightly folds her arms. "Are you serious right now?" she scoffs exaggeratedly.

"Yes, I'm dead serious. Get out. Now." Alex answers flatly with a subtle but noticeable nod towards the door. She rolls her eyes as she hears a quiet 'humph' followed by the ferocious clicking of heels and the slamming of her front door. Some people are just so over dramatic. It isn't until then that she realizes she has a certain talk waiting for her. "You were saying?"

Casey fiddles with her fingers for a brief moment before she manages to straighten her posture. "I talked to Kim today…she told me what happened…" she trails off quietly as she sees the blonde cringe. "Did you…did you force yourself on her?"

Alex heaves a very heavy sigh and drags her fingers roughly through her hair as she begins to pace the length of her living room. "In all honesty, I don't know what I was doing when she was here earlier. I had drunk an entire bottle of whiskey in under two hours and I suppose that just got to me. I had no intentions of forcing her to do anything that she did not condone and I deeply apologize for the entire situation. I didn't mean to upset your friend."

"Surprisingly enough, that's not what bothers me." Casey replies with a small shake of her head. "Alex I-…I'm really worried about you. I know that you come in here with random women whenever you please, but I'm starting to feel like there's more to this. Lately, you haven't been yourself and I truly am worried. Don't think I haven't notice how much more you've been drinking and it worries me that you don't seem to get drunk. At least, not like the average human would get drunk. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know something is going on and I honestly think that it would be good for you to talk about it. You obviously don't have to talk about it, but it's just a small suggestion."

Alex is silent for the longest of moments before she folds her arms tightly and looks off at a random spot on the wall. It seems like an eternity before she finally speaks in an eerily calm voice. "No one will ever understand how much I loved her." She whispers quietly, not taking her steely gaze off of the imaginary spot. "No one will ever understand how much it still hurts that she's gone. No one will ever understand that I can't just forget about her."

"Simply forgetting about her isn't something you can just do whenever you feel like it, and whoever said it was, they were wrong. Obviously you loved her deeply, and that love isn't something you can just turn off. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult this is for you." Casey trails off quietly, feeling her own tears in her eyes.

"All of those women I take to my bed, I don't respect them." The heiress begins firmly and sincerely. "In complete honesty, I don't respect them and that's why I take them to bed. They fill that void that I need filled for the time being and because there isn't any emotional attachment between us, I can discard them easily once I'm finished with them. Ever since Lila died, I felt like there was an entire part of me missing. I used women to fill that void temporarily because I felt like they can't replace her. Then I met you…"

This throws Casey for a loop and she frowns deeply at the statement. "M-me?"

Alex squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head before she turns her back to the redhead. "I've said way too much already. Please, I don't wish to talk about this any longer. I hope you will understand."

"I-I understand." Casey stammers, watching as the heiress treks her way up the stairs, all the while wondering what she, herself, has to do with anything.

**Uh oh. Hmmm progress? Or no? Leave your thoughts! **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: You guys are gonna like this chapter, I can feel it. Enjoy!**

"_Lila was no doubt the most important person in my life. I know for a fact that she positively touched the lives of anyone she came to know, but I feel like she touched my life the most. Before I met her, I was scared, naïve and had no idea of what I wanted in life. But Lila helped me find my way. She made me realize that there were some things in this world that were forth fighting for, and she proved that to me by just being herself. She didn't make it easy on me in the slightest, and she made me work extremely hard for her love but in the end I guess I won out because I have never loved someone the way that I loved her. She was dedicated to her job and it swells my heart to think about all of the children she's helped out in her career. Being a pediatrician simply wasn't an easy task for her, but she loved kids so I guess it was just her calling. When she was diagnosed with cancer I-…I felt like the weight of the world landed on our shoulders and our blissful world began crumbling around us bit by bit. In all honesty, when it came to her disease, I think I was more afraid than she was, and I think that she knew it. I just felt like I was supposed to be the strong one for her, you know? Like I was the one that was supposed to provide and take care of her, just like I had promised. I paid to have several specialists brought in to try and help her, but it seems like every time we took one step forward, we got knocked three steps back. I was just so scared because I couldn't push myself to think about losing her. Random times throughout the day she would catch me staring at her and she would just laugh and tell me that I worried too much. Sometimes I can still see her smile, hear her laugh, and imagine her telling me that I have a big head. The afternoon that she died was probably one of the hardest days of my life. I remember sitting by her bed, laughing with her, reminiscing with her, and just simply enjoying having her by my side. I think that somewhere deep down I knew I was going to lose her that day, but a part of me just didn't want to accept. She was tired and weak and I wanted her to rest, but she insisted that we keep talking, because I think she knew that her time was short. I-I proposed to her right there in her hospital room because I just wanted to show her how much I loved her before she left me. She said yes and we began to talk about the wedding; our perfect wedding. When we were talking about our song, she closed her eyes and that was the last time we ever spoke. I-I knew it was going to happen, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. She died with her hand intertwined with mine and she had the most beautiful smile on her face like she had finally found her peace. She was phenomenal woman in all that she did and I'm blessed that I was the one lucky enough to have her in my life." Alex pauses, taking a much needed deep breath as she casts her teary gaze towards the open casket down below the stage as her voice comes out as shaky and hoarse. "I-I love you Lila, and I always will. I'm so glad that you finally found your peace and you are no longer experiencing the pain that you were in; even if it means that I wasn't ready to say goodbye…" _

"She reminds me of you, Li." Alex whispers as she gently runs her fingers over the cold marble of her former lover's gravestone. "She's smart, cunning, and intellectual but at the same time, she can be sweet and soft and attentive. She's also not afraid to call me out on my bullshit and she has no problems standing up to me when I get out of hand. I think that's what reminds me of you the most. But that's why I'm here. To tell you that I think I have feelings for her. Actual feelings for her; feelings that I haven't had for anyone since I lost you. And you know what? That scares me, Li; that scares me a lot. The reason that I'm telling you this is because I felt like you deserved to know first. I wanted to make sure that you were okay with it. I know that it's been a couple of years since you passed away, but I still feel like you deserve to know. I-I'm not sure I know how to do this, Lila. It seems that lately I don't know how to do anything right anymore. I feel like if I take all of those women to my bed, it will get rid of that emptiness that I feel but only for a little while because I'm so scared to let them in. I take them home because I don't care about them and I don't care about how they feel. It's only about me and what I want at the time and as soon as I get it, I cast them aside and wait for another to cross my path. But it's not like that with Casey. With Casey I feel like I'm actually allowed to be myself and not have to hide behind this mask of what everyone expects me to be. I feel like I don't have to hide anything from her and I can be open about myself and my life. I-I often feel like I want to let her in and that scares me a lot. I keep thinking that what if I let myself fall deeply in love with her and she leaves me when she realizes just how worthless and broken I am? Or what if something bad happens to her that I end up losing her? I-I don't know if I can put my heart through that again. It hurt so badly when you died Lila. Hell, it still hurts. When I had to go home and realize that you weren't going to be there when I wake up every morning killed me. I began to lose myself with the drinking. I don't do it as often now, but occasionally I just feel like I need it. I always end up doing something drastic that I might regret. The last time I drank like that I almost forced myself on my PA and I barely even remember any of it. God, I'm such a mess without you Lila. I wish you were here so you could tell me how to deal with this. It was like you always had the answers to everything. I know what you'd tell me to do, you'd tell me to 'get my head out of my ass and follow my heart'. But I'm so afraid. After losing you, I feel like I just don't have enough heart to give anymore."

* * *

"You messed up." Alex says flatly as she stalks into her best friend's home with the rather heavy, but manageable box in her arms. She drops the box on the floor and turns to Abbie who has still yet to say a word about the whole situation. "You really messed up."

"How bad?" the brunette wonders as she drags a hand through her hair. "How was she when you went over there?"

"Hysteric." Alex replies in her same flat tone of voice as she immediately shakes her head. "Abbie I-I know that I can't speak much, but I have been in love and I know where she's coming from. How she feels about you has been practically eating her alive and you haven't even taken the time to notice it. She's been in love with you for months and you just bang her whenever you need a good fuck only to go flirt with Amanda at the front desk the very next morning or something. She's tired of you using her Abbie, can you blame her?"

Abbie sighs heavily before she nudges the box containing her things with her toe. "I had no idea she felt like that okay? I just thought it was kind of a mutual agreement that this was a casual thing between us. I'm not looking to settle down. Not right now at least. I have so many other things that I've gotta worry about."

"You're being selfish."

"Look who's talking. At least I've had the courtesy to stick with the same woman unlike you who has fucked all of New York. And don't try to play it off as if you have an excuse, because being married to a memory is hardly an excuse."

Alex's eyes harden and before she can even think about it, she has Abbie pressed firmly up against the wall with her forearm thrown tightly across her throat. She presses in tightly, just hard enough to receive a faint cough in response. "Don't you ever speak about her like that." she all but growls, her voice taking to a tone that has never been heard by anyone before.

"When are you gonna let it go, Al." Abbie replies exasperatedly, slightly wincing at the arm at her throat. "She's gone and she's not coming back. You need to move on. It's killing you."

"You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know anything!"

"I know that you've been hung up over a ghost for the past couple of years. I know enough to know that you still cry whenever you hear glitter in the air because you know that was her favorite song. I know that you still regret not doing enough to help-"

Abbie is completely unable to finish her statement for she is cut off by a heavy fist slamming into her nose, breaking it instantly. She groans audible as her hands clasp over her face and she slides down the wall. As she blood gushes heavily out into her hands, she can hear heavy footsteps and the door slam behind them.

* * *

"You keep staring at me." Casey states as she pauses the movie on television. "You keep looking at me when you think that I'm not paying attention. It's okay if you want to have that talk now.

Alex sighs heavily for a moment before she turns and faces the redhead completely. "Before I met you, being in the presence of other women wasn't a problem. But there's just something about you that's different from all of them that I immediately noticed that's why I-"

"Immediately rejected my job application." Casey finishes off with a knowing tilt of her head. "But why'd you come back? Why'd you find me?"

"Greed and want. Greed for my grandmother's chair in the business and want for you. As soon as you left my office I felt some sort of strange absence that I haven't in a long time. I'm not used to instant attractions, but with you it was there and I just had no idea of how to deal with that. I still don't know how to deal with it."

Casey closes her mouth and she feels a strange tugging in her heart as she realizes she's at a complete loss for words. "Alex I-…I'm not going to lie and say I haven't thought about it…feeling that way for you. You just never acted like you had any kind of interest."

"Because that would mean letting you in." the heiress explains as she turns on the sofa so that they are facing one another. "And letting you in would mean that I would be exposing my inner most secrets to you. You'd realize how disgusting I am on the inside and you'd leave. I can't handle loss Casey. I can't."

"I won't leave if you don't want me to." Casey replies softly as she realizes that she has somehow inched forward on the sofa, minimizing the distance between them.

"You can't promise that." Alex murmurs sadly as she turns her head and gazes elsewhere in the room.

"I can try." Casey whispers in response before she gently cups the blonde's face in her hands and places a firm, but equally gentle kiss to her lips. For the longest of moments she can feel Alex's hesitation before she feels hands at her shoulders, urging her closer. She wraps her arms around Alex's waist as the two of them gently guide themselves down onto the sofa where Alex has her head against its armrest and Casey is nestled between her legs.

After a heated moment of shared kisses, Alex pulls away, her breathing shaky and ragged as there is an overwhelming fear in her voice. "I-I don't know if I can commit to you." she whispers sadly as if the statement alone is tearing her apart. "I'm going to break your heart."

"Then I give it full permission to be broken."

**I feel like this is one of the most emotional chapters I have ever written. I really enjoyed writing this one as I'm sure you enjoyed reading it. **

**Also, check out my story 'Solace' if you haven't already. I'm really excited about that one. **

**Leave your thoughts! **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Took me long enough, right? Lol, I think I'm pretty happy with how it turned out so…yeah. Please just be patient with me on updates guys, that's all I ask. Enjoy!**

Casey takes a much needed deep breath as she nervously smoothes her hands over her dress. Being completely honest with herself, it's really not a dress that she would have picked out on her own. The mid thigh length deep blue dress that accents her curves perfectly, showing off just the right amount of leg and cleavage is the dress that Alex had Martha lay out for her; so she assumes that the blonde had picked it herself.

Because she is in a dress she wouldn't normally wear, Casey finds herself to be more nervous than usual. Funny. One would think that going out on an actual date with the notorious bed hopping Alexandra Cabot, would be enough to make her nervous, but alas, she's more focused on her dress than anything else. At least at the moment. Or perhaps the dress is just a distraction of the real source of her nerves.

Swallowing thickly, she gazes at herself in the mirror for another reassuring moment puts on a face of confidence and exits her room hoping to keep up said confidence. As she slowly descends the stairs, she finds her breath hitching in her throat when her eyes land on Alex who is waiting patiently at the bottom. Casey feels her cheeks flush slightly when she finds herself admiring the blonde's appearance. She doesn't know why or how, but somehow, Alex manages to make practically any article of clothing look amazing.

Clad in form fitting black slacks, and a deep purple button down short rolled up at the sleeves, Alex has to keep her hands in her pockets to keep from wringing them; a nervous habit of hers that she has never been able to break. She is actually on the verge of pacing when she spots Casey descending the stairs wearing the dress she had chosen for her. It looks even more gorgeous on the redhead than it did when she had first picked it out.

"You look gorgeous." Alex comments with a grin as she takes Casey's hand in her own and drops a gentle kiss to the back of it. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am." Casey responds, swallowing rather nervously. "You look great too by the way." _'It's amazing how she can make that suit look so handsome and beautiful at the same time.' _

"Shall we?" Alex inquires with a small smile as she offers her arm.

"We shall." Casey answers with a grin as she slips her hand through Alex's arm, allowing herself to be led from the apartment. She is a tad bit confused when they end up exiting through the apartment and not though the garage like she had anticipated. She is about to voice her confusions when Alex leads them out of the building where a limousine is waiting by curb.

"Alex…?"

Alex simply grins and lightly tugs on Casey's hand, pulling her towards the limo. "I already told you I plan to make this night perfect. This is just the beginning."

Casey opens her mouth but her response dies on her lips as she slides into the luxurious car. She settles into the back seat, thoroughly amazed by the size of the interior. It's a wonder to her how a car can look so lithe on the outside, and be so spacious on the inside.

"Champagne?" Alex inquires, offering the chilled flute to the silenced redhead seated across from her.

"Thanks…" Casey answers awkwardly, taking a sip of the bubbly liquid before she nervously taps her fingers against the glass. She stares examines her overly expensive jewelry and clothing in her reflection on the window and she just can't help but feel like she's out of place. "You picked my dress?"

"I did." Alex hums with a nod as she takes another sip from her own glass. "I assumed that it would look good on you and I'm glad to see that I was right. I also felt that those specific pieces of jewelry would complement the dress perfectly. As I stated before, you look gorgeous."

Casey sighs quietly, something that goes unnoticed by the blonde across from her. She doesn't particularly know what she was expecting, but for some odd reason, she wasn't expecting for her first time to actually be out with Alex for real to be so lavish, and dare she say, expensive.

Around fifteen minute later, Casey glances out the window once more as she finds them approaching what looks to be a set of docks. She frowns in slight confusion once more when the limo slows to a stop on one of them, and the door is opened a few moments later by the chauffer. Upon getting out of the car, her eyes widen when they land on a brightly lit boat docked against the bay, but not just any boat; a full blown yacht.

"Is this…"

"Mine, yes." Alex chimes in before the redhead can finish her question. "Well, one of them at least."

Casey swallows thickly and nods her head in comprehension as Alex takes her hand and leads her towards the yacht where they are greeted by a man wearing a tuxedo. Honestly, in her time of knowing Alex, Casey has seen more butlers and maids than she has in her entire lifetime.

"Good evening Miss Cabot," The man begins with a wide smile. "Everything is set up just like you have instructed the staff to do so, and everything is ready for your evening. If you will follow me please."

"Thanks." Alex responds, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly, since it's her boat, they should know by now that she is more than capable of navigating through it to where she wants to go, but alas, she's on a date which means it's no time for her to reprimand her clueless staff.

"Oh wow." Casey whispers quietly as they are led out onto the back balcony of the boat where a prestigious candlelight dinner is set up. As they approach the table the butler pulls out her chair before moving around to pull out the chair for Alex who quickly dismisses him with a waft of her hand.

"Do you like it?" the heiress inquires with a self-satisfied grin as she tilts her head.

Casey blinks rapidly for a moment before she realizes that Alex is talking to her. "Oh, um, it's really nice." She responds, gazing over the railing and out over the dark waters in which the boat is resting. "Did you plan out all of this?"

"Somewhat." Alex responds with a shrug as she leans back in her chair. "It wasn't really that much trouble. I had Martha call and arrange for the staff to have my boat ready because I wished to have dinner with a guest."

"I see." Casey responds, nervously toying with the edge of the table cloth. "Well, it's…a really nice setting."

Alex smiles and hums in she taps her fingers against the table and glances at her watch. "Jesus, you would think that since they knew I was coming they would be a little more put together with things." She mutters quietly, though it doesn't go unheard.

Moments later, a rather frazzled woman appears from inside the boat as she balances a tray of hors d'oeuvres and wine on her shoulder. "I deeply apologize for the delay Miss Cabot, the chefs encountered a last minute problem with your dinner selection but I assure you that it is working to be fixed." The waitress explains as she sits the tray down on the table and picks up the wine bottle. "May I pour your glasses?"

Casey notices the woman's nervous smile and the way that her hands are shaking as she holds up the wine bottle. She simply smiles politely and shakes her head in response to the question. "No thank you. You can just leave it on the table. We've got it." She answers gently, hoping to put the woman's nerves at ease.

The waitress nods her head and risks a glance towards the blonde heiress who is glaring at her in response. She gulps nervously before she spins on her heel and barely manages to keep from sprinting back inside assumingly going back to the job she fears she won't have by the end of the night.

Alex simply glares after the woman for a moment before she sighs heavily and clears her throat. "You know, you could have let her pour your glass," she states when she sees Casey pouring her own glass of wine. "Since it is her job and everything."

"I know, but she seemed terrified. I just wanted to put her at ease a little." The redhead responds before she sits the bottle back on the table and takes a sip of the ruby colored liquid. "Wow. That's probably the best wine I've ever tasted."

"It's imported," Alex responds nonchalantly as if its question she's asked every day, "From some company in Italy that my grandmother has connections with, I think. I never particularly pay attention to what comes from where. I just know it's imported."

"That much cost a fortune…"

"Not really. A few hundred thousand at least."

Casey nearly drops her glass at that. A few hundred thousand is considered to be not that much? Yes she knew fairly well that Alex had money, but the fact that a few hundred thousand dollars seems like only pocket change is all just too much.

Conversation is light and a little scarce on Casey's part even after dinner has been served and unfortunately, it's something that doesn't go unnoticed by Alex. Finally as they begin nearing the end of their main course meal, she sets her fork down and folds her hands in her lap.

"Casey, what's wrong? You really don't be seeming to be having a good time." She points out blatantly.

"Because I'm not." Casey responds with a heavy sigh as she puts down her own fork and gently nudges her plate away. "All of this, it's just…it's just too much Alex."

"What do you mean 'too much'?"

"I mean too much! This doesn't even feel like a date at all. This feels like you've taken me out of the house so you can put how much money you have on display. Not only that, but have you noticed that the entire staff is afraid of you because they messed up a few little things tonight? This is more of a display of your money and your power than it being an actual date."

Alex frowns at the comment before she shakes her head. "I'm afraid I don't understand…"

Casey squeezes her eyes shut and runs her hands through her hair out of slight frustration. "I mean, look at all of this. It started even before the date. You had Martha call and set up everything, hell, you even had Martha set out what you wanted me to wear. And then there's that. You picked my outfit and accessories for tonight. Everything that I have on probably costs more than double Kim's annual salary when she was worked as a waitress! Then we get here from the expensive limo to your expensive boat with your fancy chefs and fancy butlers and everything and have an extremely expensive dinner. It's not what I want Alex! I don't want to be showered in gifts and in luxuries. I don't want your money, hell, I don't care about your money! I want to go on a date that's sentimental and special. I want to have you pull out my chair for me, not your butler. I want you to plan it from your heart, not have your staff plan it for you, and I don't want to be surrounded in your money. I don't want to go on a date with Alexandra Cabot, multibillionaire, heiress, business woman, 'America's Playgirl', and everything else that you have a reputation for. I don't want anything to do with her. I want to go on a date with Alex, the kind, caring gentle woman who I know is in there somewhere. I know she's in there, she's just being covered up by all of that other stuff. That's who I want to go out with."

Alex is silent for a long time before her icy resolve shatters and she breaks the eye contact that was being held. "I don't know if she exists anymore." She whispers, more to herself than to Casey.

"I think she exists…I think she's just scared to be herself again since she's been buried under all of that superficial stuff for so long. Maybe she doesn't know how to be herself again. But I can help her…if she'll let me."

"You don't understand. She was buried two years ago when…when it happened. She went into the ground then and she hasn't come back out."

Casey bites down nervously on her bottom lip as she realizes she is about to step into very dangerous territory. "What would Lila say?" she asks gently, cautiously continuing on after an appropriate silence. "What would Lila say about all of this? Granted, I didn't know her at all, but from what you've told me about her, she didn't care at all about your money either."

Alex sighs heavily and she shakes her head. "You don't understand Casey." She begins sincerely, her voice becoming effected by the heavy weight on her heart. "It's not the same thing."

"I'm not saying it is and I'm not saying that I can be her for you because I can't. But she meant a lot to you and I want you to think about what she would want for you."

"She would want me to be happy."

"Then why can't you?"

"It's hard okay!" Alex exclaims loudly, briefly losing her composure for a split second before she manages to calm herself down. "It's just so fucking hard. You don't know how hard it is still waking up every morning realizing that I let it happen."

"There was nothing you could've done Alex." Casey explains gently. "There was no way for you to prevent it."

Alex snorts bitterly as she shakes her head. "I try to tell myself that but there's always this little voice in the back of my head that tells me I just didn't do enough. It tells me that if I had spent a little more time, and a little more money and put in a little more effort that I could've saved her. But I didn't and she's gone."

"If you're not ready then we don't have to…"

"No. I want to." Alex cuts in, surprising even herself. She takes a deep breath before she nods her head and continues on. "I want to. And next weekend, I'll take you on a real date. A date planned by Alex."

* * *

The following day at the office, Alex folds her arms across her chest as she finds herself supervising over the current shoot. It doesn't particularly surprise her that she's supervising over the shoot, considering everything that's happened within the span of a week.

Yes she and Abbie did kind of talk out there different, with Abbie apologizing for her smart mouth and Alex apologizing for breaking her friend's nose. They both agreed that they were both speaking on emotional stress and things just kind of happened on their own. But part of that emotional stress it what has Alex supervising the shoot for the day.

Serena had actually personally requested that Abbie be nowhere near the photo shoot while she is working or she wouldn't do it, which meant that Alex had to stand over things and do it herself. Even as she watches the model work like she is supposed to, Alex can't help but notice all of Serena's smile seem kind of forced. Of course it won't look like that on camera, but because she's known the model for as long as she has, Alex can just tell.

"How about we cut this one here and take a twenty minute break." The heiress calls out, taking notice of her friend's mental exhaustion. "Serena that'll give you a chance to take a little bit of a breather and you can start changing when your twenty minutes is up."

Serena nods her thanks and pulls her hair back into a ponytail before she begins making her way off of the set. As she plans to just duck into her dressing room and hide out there for twenty minutes, her plans are thwarted when someone calls her name. She spins around only to be met with the eyes of a very expectant brunette. "Yeah Liv?"

"Um, I was kind of wondering how you were doing, you know with…everything." The photographer trails off quietly as she nervously rubs at the back of her neck.

"I'm fine Liv, thanks for asking." Serena replies with an at ease smile as she relaxes a little.

"Good, that's good. Great." Olivia rambles, mentally kicking her brain to come up with something intelligent to say. "Listen, uh, I know that you've been kinda down, so I was just kinda wondering if you'd like to maybe grab a coffee with me sometime? I mean, that's only if you want to, you really don't have to, but I was just…you know, offering to see if you would want to. Unless you don't like coffee then we could go grab whatever you would want and if not then that's fine to, but I was just, you know, kinda wondering and-"

Serena giggles quietly before she places her finger over the rambling woman's lips. "I'd love to get coffee with you. How about we go to that little café on the corner after we finish the second shoot? Maybe we can even grab lunch too?"

Olivia blushes heavily before vigorously nodding her head. "Y-yeah! I mean, yeah, that's cool. We can go then." She stutters once more, managing a nervous smile.

"I gotta go right now. But that sounds good?"

"Yeah! Yeah totally! I'll see you then. Well I mean, I'll see you before then because we have another shoot to do but I meant I'll see you then when we go get lunch and you know…coffee."

Serena giggles again before she spins on her heel and makes her way towards her dressing room. It actually surprises her how easy it was to say yes to the photographers offer and she realizes that she hasn't exactly thought about Abbie all day. Maybe this is a good thing.

**As I said before, I liked this chapter. Leave your thoughts? **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Update for you guys! I hope you all enjoy this one!**

Alex crosses her arm over her chest while her other continues to be responsible for holding her cell phone to her ear. Her face slowly contorts into a deeper frown and she begins to tap her fingers repeatedly against her arm as she continues to listen what's being spoken to her from the other line. Once there is a break in the conversation, she sighs heavily and rolls her eyes.

"Grandma, I really don't want to go to this." The heiress practically whines into the phone, throwing her head back for added histrionics. "Why can't you or Mom go?"

"Alex Dear, we've talked about this on numerous occasions. Considering you are in charge over the fashion sector in the company, it is only your duty to attend the largest fashion extravaganza of the year. Come now darling, you know how it is such a thrill to be there."

"Yeah, but it's so last minute."

"You have known about this for months Alexandra; it is not my fault you have neglected to keep it on file." Celine speaks firmly before her sigh is heard through the receiver. "Listen Dear, if you have any desire to be head of the board and run my company, you must show me that you are prepared. Being in charge does not mean you get to just put your feet up and tell you employees what to do. I can assure you that I work twice as hard as you and my daughters do to make sure that this company run fully and successfully. If you ever want to be that position, you must step up and show me you can handle it and you can start with the little things. Have I made myself clear?"

Alex is silent for a long moment before she relents and sighs heavily. "Yes Ma'am, I understand. I'll begin arrangements for everything immediately and I can assure you that I will be there when the event starts. Is there anything else?"

"I think that is all. You will have a good time, Alex, I know you will. Don't stress yourself out over it."

"Yeah, right." Alex mutters before she ends the phone call with her grandmother. She grunts irritably and tosses her phone on her desk. She paces for a moment, roughly dragging her hands through her hair numerous times as about a thousand and one things run through her mind. She is only startled from her stupor when she hears a light knock at her door before it opens to reveal a grinning Casey. Seeing the redhead pad into the room, a grin spreads across her face despite her earlier distresses. "Hey you."

"Hey yourself." Casey replies with her same content grin as she wraps her arms around Alex's waist and rests her head on her shoulder. "You've been in here for quite a while, I was beginning to worry about you."

"I'm fine…I was just on the phone, taking care of some things." Alex responds rather uneasily. "Work things…"

Casey quirks an eyebrow briefly before she 'ahs' and nods in comprehension. "Oh, I see. Well, I just want you to know that I'm just buzzing about what you have planned for our date on Saturday. I have no doubt that you will surprise me."

Alex winces at this before she reluctantly steps out of Casey's embrace. "About that…there's actually something I need to talk to you about," she begins awkwardly, taking a deep breath when she sees the rather expectant look etched across the other woman's face. "Um, we aren't going to be able to go out on Saturday. At least, not like I had originally planned."

"What…? What do you mean?" Casey questions, feeling her disappointment beginning to slowly sink in as she tilts her head

"It's what I was on the phone about. I had kind of put off something that I shouldn't have and my grandmother was calling to remind me of it." Alex murmurs, silently cursing the old woman for her persistency. "I actually need to be in Milan on Saturday."

"Milan? You mean…Milan, _Italy_?"

"Yeah…Milan, Italy. It's fashion week and I feel really stupid for putting it off but apparently I need to be there because several of our models participate in the fashion shows where my grandmother likes to unveil the new line of clothing. It's highly frustrating and hectic for me, that's why I always try to avoid going…I guess I avoid it so much I just forgot this year."

"Oh, I see…" Casey murmurs quietly as she hangs her head. "Well, I hope you have a really safe trip. I'm sure you'll manage to have a good time." She trials off sadly before she turns to leave.

Alex bites down on her lower lip before she gently pulls Casey back to her. "Come with me."

"Come with-what? Alex, I…I don't know…"

"C'mon, it'll be fun. You'll have a great time and Kim will be there because I have to take my immediate staff so you'll have a friend. Please?"

Casey nervously chews the inside of her cheek as she begins to nervously wring her hands. Going to Italy is a huge deal for her, especially considering she is so passionate about art and Italy has some of the most beautiful art in the world. But considering she has never left the country before, she can't help but feel a little more than scared.

But upon seeing the pleading look on Alex's face, she finally relents with a small sigh and a nod of agreement. "Alright, I'll come with you. But you'll have to give me some time to pack though. Not everyone knows what to pack when they're taking a spontaneous trip to Italy you know."

"Of course and I promise that I'll make it up to you for having to cancel our date." Alex responds with a satisfactory grin before giving the redhead a quick peck to the lips. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make a few phone calls."

* * *

Towards the middle of the week, Casey finds herself curled comfortably into one of the sofa's on Alex's jet while she occupies herself with mindless entertainment such as finding potentially pointless apps for her iPad. She blinks several times and looks up to find Alex still pacing the cabin; something that she has been doing since they have officially hit cruising altitude.

"Alex, sit down, you're going to end up tilting the plane with all your pacing." Abbie speaks up, attempting to put her best friend at ease.

"Then maybe we'll crash and die and I won't have to spend seven plus hours in a compressed area with you." Kim mutters darkly from her own perch on one of the sofas.

"Well aren't you just a little ball of sunshine." Abbie sneers sarcastically. "Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?"

"Excuse me if I am not too keen on waking up at three thirty in the morning to get on a stupid plane and be trapped there for approximately eight hours. Oh yes, I am just thrilled to be here…not to mention Italy is going to remind me of the crummy job I had before this one."

"At least you can speak Italian." Casey pipes in, hoping to cheer up her best friend who is in a rather crabby mood…well, more crabby than usual.

Abbie's eyes widen at this and she turns to Kim with amazement in her voice. "Whoa, seriously? You can speak Italian? Fluently?"

"Sì, e mi dà molta più libertà di insultare voi…(Yes, and it gives me much more freedom to insult you.)" Kim responds perfectly before turning her attention back to her book.

"Wait, what'd she say?"

"She said she's flattered you think it's so fascinating." Alex speaks for the first time since they boarded, with a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth as she understood Kim perfectly.

Casey sighs quietly and shakes her head at her exchange. Despite not knowing a single lick of Italian, Casey knows Kim well enough to figure out that is most definitely not what came out of her mouth and she can only give Alex a brief frown for instigating.

"For the love of God, Al, sit down." Abbie pipes in again after another fifteen minutes of watching Alex pace back and forth across the cabin. "You're makin' me nervous with all your nerves."

"I'm sorry, I can't help it." The blonde replies with a sigh as she takes a comfortable seat on the sofa next to Casey. "I just keep thinking about work and what we're about to do. I mean, Milan fashion week is probably the biggest fashion event in the world. Do you know how many people are gonna be there? Too many for me to deal with at once, that's how many. Not to mention there are going to be cameras, and reporters, and tabloids, and Casey's going to be there and I just-" her rambling slowly trails off when she feels lips lightly press themselves against her cheek. She looks over to find Casey grinning at her sympathetically and she grabs her hand, giving it a small squeeze. "Thank you."

"So, Alex, is Serena coming?" Abbie asks out of the blue after a rather comfortable silence.

A stony look crosses Alex's face and she immediately shakes her head. "Abbie, don't…"

"Don't what? I'm just curious over whether or not she's gonna be here…"

"No, you no fairly well she's going to be here and you also know that she doesn't want anything to do with you. I don't want you messing with her and getting into her head at all. You've done enough."

Abbie sighs heavily and drags her hands through her hair as she leans back against the couch. "I know, alright? I know I messed up, but I just wanna apologize to her. It's kinda hard to do that when she doesn't wanna talk to me."

"Gee, I wonder why…" Kim comments under her breath, whether it is unheard or ignored she doesn't know, but at the same time, she really doesn't care."

"Give her some time." Casey adds in her two cents. "I mean, I don't exactly know the full extent of the situation, but I think you should just give her a little time and then try to talk to her. It's too soon, especially with this thing going on she's probably stressed out. Just let her focus on modeling for right now."

"Don't worry Abbs, she'll talk to you eventually."

"I sure hope so…"

* * *

Finally landing in Italy, Alex finds herself to be just a little more than exhausted. After an almost eight hour flight to London, England, they had made a mandatory stop for the pilots to rest up and for the rest of them to actually sleep in a real bed for a brief moment in time. Even after that, they still had to continue on another hour and a half flight to Milan, which was slightly delayed by storms going out of England. Needless to say, Alex is exhausted, and being at what Abbie calls a 'social party' is doing absolutely nothing for her.

"So many people…" Serena mutters under her breath, though it basically gets lost in the loud thumping base of the music in the club. She glances up at Alex who is downing another glass of vodka like its water and she quirks an eyebrow in suspicion. "Should you be drinking that."

"Probably not." The heiress replies as she all but slams the glass back down on the bar before signaling for the bar tender to give her another. "Why're you standing around here worrying 'bout me anyway. Go dance with Liv or something…"

Serena's face falls for a moment before she briefly becomes defensive. "First of all, what's happening between Liv and I is not even like that Alex and I'm only going to let you get away with saying that because I know you're halfway drunk. You need to stop drinking. Does Casey know about your problem?"

Alex snorts at this and begins to absentmindedly swirl around the contents of her drink. "She knows I drink…"

"Alex…"

"What? She does."

"Does she know about your problem?"

"It's not a problem!" the taller blonde snaps harshly, her body going rigid at the question. "It's not a problem."

Serena closes her eyes before running a hand through her hair. "Alex, it's a problem. You control it well, but when you don't, you tend to get out of control, therefore, it's a problem. I think the two of you need to sit down and talk about this."

"You don't know what you're talking about…" Alex snaps bitterly, finishing off her third drink. "I don't have a problem."

Serena opens her mouth, wanting to respond, but for as long as she's known Alex, she knows that arguing with her would be completely wasteful and pointless. "You're on your fourth drink, and that glass isn't a shot glass. I'm stopping you after this one."

Alex snorts at this before signaling for another despite Serena's protests. "I handle my liquor well and I'm a grown woman, you can't tell me what to do. Where'd Casey go anyway?"

"Mmm, the last I saw of her was she was talking to someone about art I think."

"Oh…" Alex murmurs, starting on a new drink. It actually surprises her how much Italian clubs are so much like American ones, but she has to deduce that some things still manage to never change.

As she is finishing her drink and barely managing to keep up conversation with a rambling Serena, Alex is approached by a blonde woman maybe a few inches shorter than her who is wearing a seductive smile in which she smirks back. "Hi."

"I was beginning to wonder if I'd see you here. It's always been a dream of mine to meet you in person," the woman speaks, her British accent prominent in her voice as she offers a hand towards the taller woman. "Carol Masterson."

"Hm, Carol…" the heiress purrs in response as she brings the woman's hand to her lips. "Alexandra Cabot, but you can call me Alex if you would like. I've seen your work on the runway and I've got to say that I'm very impressed."

"Oh, come now, you're making me blush. I just wear whatever they tell me to."

"Well, I can assure you that you wear it quite well."

A flirty smile passes across the model's face before she tilts her head. "You know, I was just curious as to wonder if I could steal you for a dance? Maybe to discuss some…business opportunities?"

Alex grins at this, completely oblivious to the harsh glare that she is receiving from Serena. "Well now, who am I to refuse a business deal?" she replies, allowing for the woman to lead her out onto the dance floor.

Serena shakes her head in disapproval as she uses her straw to stir the fruity contents of her own drink. "She is on her way to being hammered…" she sighs quietly, mentally praying for the well being of her friend.

Meanwhile Casey is talking animatedly to Kim in an attempt to get her best friend to have a good time. "C'mon Kim, you don't get out much when we're back at home, at least let loose while you're here. Think of it as a little bit of a vacation."

"Casey, I have extreme jetlag, I am tired, and you know I really don't like loud places like this. It's too loud, too hot, and everyone's hot sweaty bodies are always pressed up against each other. You can't move without someone running into you." The brunette responds as she wrinkles her nose for emphasis as someone accidentally bumps into her. "See?"

"You're so uptight. Let loose! Have fun! Have a drink for once in your life and have a good time because I am!"

"Seems to me like you're not the only one having a good time."

"What?"

Instead of responding verbally, Kim takes Casey's head and turns it towards the dance floor. If she and Casey weren't standing so close together so they could talk, she would have most definitely missed the small gasp that leaves her friend's lips.

Casey feels her heart drop to her shoes as she gazes out onto the dance floor only to find Alex dancing dangerously close with another woman. In fact, it appears that the strange woman is grinding her body back into the heiress, in which Alex has her hands on her hips and proceeds to pull her even closer.

"Oh…um…" Casey begins nervously as she glances down at her hands. "Actually, I think I'm going to head back to the hotel. It is starting to get pretty late. Maybe we should...head back."

Kim sighs heavily before her face of annoyance morphs into one of concern. "Case, are you gonna be alright?"

"What're you talking about? I'm fine." The redhead responds with a waft of her hand. "C'mon, let's...let's get back to the hotel. Coming here was probably a bad idea anyway…."

**Uh oh…leave your thoughts? **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Sorry I didn't get this up sooner. I was surprised with a trip to an island for three weeks and I've been pretty much running all over the place with packing and stuff as of late…anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

"Hey, what's up?" Olivia asks curiously as she approaches Serena who is still casually leaning by the bar. "Are you having a good time?"

"I guess you could say that." The blonde replies with a small smile and a shrug. "I think the nerves are just starting to get me. I've only done these particular shows once. This would be my second time."

Olivia's eyes widen briefly before she tilts her head in genuine curiosity. "You mean you get nervous? You mean after all of the fashion shows and photo shoots that you do, you still manage to get nervous?"

Serena giggles at this before taking a mindful sip of her drink. "Surprise, surprise. But being serious, yeah, I get nervous all the time. I just think of something else that'll help take my mind off of what I'm doing just enough so I won't have to be nervous about it anymore."

"I see…well, I'm positive that you'll do fantastic. You always do." the photographer states with a rather sheepish grin. "I'll um, I'll be clapping for you; well, when I'm not taking pictures that is, but I'm sure there will be a time where I won't be taking pictures, so I'll definitely be clapping for you when you, uh, model…"

"I really appreciate that." Serena answers with a sincere smile, before turning her head in various directions. "Um, this is going to seem pretty random and out of the blue, but have you seen Alex at all?"

Olivia's eyes widen at this and her mouth falls open several times before she nods her head. "Oh, yeah, um…the last I saw her, she was over there." She responds, pointing her finger over the crowd of people. "I doubt that she's moved since then, but if she's not over there, I don't know what to tell you."

Serena blinks several times before she puts her drink on the car counter and begins to make her way through the crowded club. "Where is 'over there'?" she wonders aloud as she plows through the sea of gyrating bodies and drunk people. Upon reaching the other side of the club, her face falls completely as her eyes narrow into thin slits and she places her hands on her hips. "Alex…"

"Serena! So glad you could join the party!" the blonde calls out from the roped V.I.P. section of the club where she is seated on a plush velvet sofa surrounded by several women, plus the model she had met before who has opted for sitting in her lap instead. "What can I do for ya?"

"How about you put down the drink and come out so I can call Abbie to take you back to your hotel room?" the model responds with a quirk of her eyebrows that show that her question was more rhetoric than inquiring.

Alex frowns at this and her drunken mind seems to contemplate this for a moment before she juts out her lower lip and shakes her head. "Nah, I think I'm good right here. Right ladies?" she slurs, grinning when she receives a collective 'mmhmm' in response. "See? We're good. Why don't you come join us?"

"Because I have better things to do, like get you out of her." Serena replies with a sigh as she hangs her head. "Alex, please just make this easy on yourself and come on. You know you're going to feel horrible about this in the morning."

"Shit, I'm probably not gonna remember any of this in the morning." The heiress mumbles to herself as she finishes off her whatever number drink and sets the empty glass down on the tray. She then proceeds to pull out a rather impressive stack of one hundred dollar bills and simply begins to throw them Serena one at a time. "Let's see girls, how many Benjamins will it take to get her to go 'way."

Serena's face morphs into sheer annoyance before she simply shakes her head and scoffs. "Alex, you're acting foolish. Put your money away…"

"Why? I've got enough of it…these are like my pennies that I just carry around for change."

"Normal people carry around ones…"

"A one? What's that?"

Serena rolls her eyes at this and it isn't until then that she notices that all of the women surrounding Alex are looking at her with disdainful and dismissive expressions. She shoots them all a collective glare before pushes the velvet rope aside and storms over to the drunken women. "Alright, we're done. I'll have Abbie meet us outside but we are getting you back to the hotel."

Alex whines in a rather childlike fashion before she rests her head on the back of the sofa. "But I don't wanna get up."

"Too bad." Serena retorts before glaring harshly at the British model in Alex's lap. "Move."

The other model scoffs and turns up her nose in a haughty fashion. "As a model of my stature, I most certainly do not have to listen to a cheap, envious-"

"Maybe you don't as a model but you do as the skanky whore that you're being right now. Move." Serena snarks back, grabbing Alex by the wrist and all but leading the stumbling woman out of the club where Abbie is waiting.

"Abigail! Where were you?! I missed you!" Alex exclaims loudly as she wraps her arms sloppily around her best friend's neck. "Serena had to go and ruin all my fun."

"Well, you had me working…" Abbie replies as she slightly struggles to keep the taller woman from falling over. "How many has she had?"

"I lost count after seven…"

"She drank that much?! Oh man…"

"I tried to get her to stop but you know how much she listens to me. Anyway, I'm pretty sure she's on her way to passing out. Just keep an eye on her…you know how she gets."

"Don't I ever…"

**Meanwhile…**

"I just don't get it, Kim, I really don't. Am I just not pretty enough?" Casey sobs onto her best friend's shoulder.

Kim sighs quietly and plucks another tissue from the tissue box before offering it to her friend. "Casey, you're beautiful, and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

"Then why? Why would she do that? For the past two months she's acted like she's liked me and we'd cuddle and kiss here and there and she'd treat me like someone really special to her though? If she felt like that and felt all of those things for me, then how come she was with another woman like that?"

"Casey, honestly, can you say that you're surprised?"

"What?" the redhead responds as she blinks in confusion and continues to wipe away her tears with the Kleenex. "What do you mean?"

Kim rolls her eyes and shakes her head in disapproval before folding her arms. "What I mean is, are you really surprise that Alex is acting this way? Alex Cabot? She's notorious for doing things like this Casey, you know that; it's one of the things that she's well known for. It's just what she does. There are just some things that will never change and I truly believe that she's one of them."

Casey is silent for a moment before she shakes her head. "Well, I don't…" she murmurs. "I just…she told me that she would try for me, you know? That she would actually put forth an effort to make things work. We had an actual date planned but then this stupid thing came up and had to ruin everything. But she said she'd try, and it just hurts so much for her to tell me that and then go and pay attention to other women like that. I'm not used to this entire relationship thing, but I don't think that it's supposed to work like that. I feel like she's using me."

"I told you that at the beginning…" Kim murmurs quietly.

"You know, you're not really helping here."

"Well damnit Casey, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to lie to you because I'm not gonna do that. I didn't want you getting involved with her from the start because I knew that something like this would end up happening. She's a spoiled rich brat who thinks she's entitled to anything in the world and I just don't think that you should trust her with your heart like that." Kim finishes off, slightly panting from her rant.

Casey sighs heavily and brings her knees to her chest before resting her chin on them. "I've already given her my heart Kim." She whispers quietly before dropping her head to look away from her best friend's gaze. "I-I've fallen in love with her…"

Their conversation is interrupted by a racket coming from the living area of the hotel suit that Casey is sharing with Alex. She and Kim share a brief frown with one another before they both get up and exit her bedroom, only to find Abbie trudging through the living room carrying what looks to be an unconscious Alex in her arms.

"Abbie?"

Abbie looks up upon hearing her names and she blinks several times before managing to grin. "Oh, uh, hey. Sorry if I disturbed you or anything. It was kind of hard to get in here with the key while I'm holding…yeah. So…I guess I'll just put her to bed."

"Is she drunk?" Kim speaks up with a rather disgusted look on her face as she curiously eyes her boss who has yet to move since Abbie has entered the apartment.

"Plastered." Abbie answers with a shake of her head as she looks down at her best friend in her arms who is basically out cold. "She's so far gone that I'm pretty sure that you could light firecrackers in her nostrils and she still wouldn't wake up."

"Now there's an idea…"

"Kim." Casey snips disapprovingly as she lightly pops her best friend in the shoulder. "Thank you for bringing her here Abbie. Just lay her down on the bed in her room and I'm sure she'll be fine come tomorrow."

Abbie nods at this and disappears into Alex's bedroom for a moment before she returns, lightly closing the door behind her. "I sure hope she's fine come tomorrow. We've got a lot of work to do and it can't get done of she's in her hotel room asleep all day. Now I know why she probably had me working. She knows I wouldn't have let her drink like that."

Casey frowns at this and tilts her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Abbie is hesitant for a moment before she sighs heavily and shoves her hands into her pockets. "Well, look, you didn't hear it from me, alright? Though, she's probably gonna figure out that you did, but just don't say anything, got it?" she pauses, continuing on when she receives a nod from both women to continue. "Alex has a drinking problem. She pretends it doesn't exist and she doesn't like to admit it because she knows that if she does, the media will be all over it and it'll 'ruin her reputation' like she says. It started to get really bad around the time that Lila passed away and I guess that's just how Al would try to dull the pain. She goes through really terrible mood swings when she's drunk and you never know which one you're gonna get. Sometime's she'll seem like she's completely fine, or she'll be falling all over herself, and there have even been a few times that I know about where she has gotten a little violent. I try to keep her from drinking at all, but the three of us standing here know Alex and we know keeping her from drinking completely is damn near impossible. It just has to be moderated."

"I didn't know she had a drinking problem…" Casey whispers sadly. "Why didn't she tell me this?"

"I already told you; she doesn't like to admit it. Hell, I don't even believe that she thinks it's a problem. I've been trying to get her some help, but she doesn't listen to me or anyone else. I just want her to get some help before she ends up killing herself or something. It'll destroy her."

"She's an entirely different person when she's like that." Kim speaks up absently, shuddering at the memory of that one time in Alex's condo when they were alone and Casey was awake. "We'll be sure to give you a call when she wakes up tomorrow."

"Great. You ladies have a goodnight."

"Goodnight Abbie." Casey calls out, locking the door behind the door behind the tall brunette before she collapses on the sofa in the living area. Between Lila and the alcoholism, Casey feels like Alexandra Cabot is just a basket of secrets, and it makes her wondering what else it is that she's keeping covered up.

**Leave your thoughts? **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: No, Cavak, it's a romantic getaway to Aruba ;) anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's…interesting. **

Alex frowns deeply against the brightness of the sunlight shining through the windows of her hotel room. She groans quietly before she manages to open her eyes slightly, only to bed met with said brightness that immediately gives her a headache. Grunting, she slowly sits up in bed, becoming aware of the fact that she's still in her clothes from the night before and that her mouth still tastes like an entire bar.

"What even happened last night…" the heiress grunts as she staggers out of bed and stumbles towards the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and can only groan once again. "I look like hell...I need a shower."

After about spending nearly an hour in the shower and thirty more minutes preparing herself for the day, Alex exits her room, albeit a little slower than normal because things are just a little too bright for her liking, and she's not particularly confident in being steady on her feet.

She enters into the living room of the suite and a small smile crosses her lips when she sees Casey already up and seated on the sofa, watching something on television. She walks over to the sofa and leans down, attempting to place a kiss to the redhead's cheek, only to find her face to be pushed away. "Um, good morning to you too then."

"You know, you have some nerve." Casey speaks, though her voice is a little shaky as she switches off the television and stands up from the sofa to face the woman in question. "You really do have a hell of a lot of nerve."

"You need to calm down." Alex states, holding up her hands as she proceeds to the kitchen to grab herself a bottle of water. "I don't even know what I did, so the least you could do is tell me why you're pissed at me before you jump all over me like that."

"Right, of course you wouldn't remember." Casey snorts sarcastically as she shakes her head. "And I'm sorry if I was mistaken, but you have seemed to make it crystal clear that you enjoy it when women are all over you."

Alex rolls her eyes before she closes them and exhales softly. "What are you even talking about…"

"I'm talking about last night Alex! But you were too drunk off your ass to remember! I'm talking about last night at the stupid club when you wouldn't even pay attention to me. Not once did you ask me if I wanted to dance or anything, but the next thing I know is I look up and you're all over other women, and this is AFTER we had already talked about going on an actual date back home. This is after you told me that I'm special to you and that you would actual try to be a better person for me. Is this your idea of trying, Alex? Because it sure as hell doesn't look like you're trying very hard. Do you know how that makes me feel? For you to tell me that I'm special, for you to treat me like I'm special, and then for you to completely go back on all of that by going back to your old self? It makes me think that you haven't even changed at all."

"First of all, I've never claimed to have changed! I am who I am Casey and you're just going to have to deal with that. Secondly, what happened last night wasn't even my fault! I don't even remember anything that happened last night right now so who says that I was even rationally thinking then?"

"Well maybe if you weren't an alcoholic you would actually remember these kinds of things!" Casey shouts, backpedaling immediately as the silence that follows is almost deadly.

Alex's face is completely unreadable as she stands motionless and silent and continues to stare blankly at the woman in front of her. "What did you just say to me?" she finally speaks with calmness in her voice though there is a tiny hint of an edge.

Casey swallows the thick lump that has formed in her throat and she opens and closes her mouth several times before she is able to come up with a suitable response. "Alex, I-…I know about your problem. Abbie told me and it scares me to think that this has been going on with you for awhile and you felt like you couldn't tell me. I know you might not think it's a problem, but if you're having trouble remembering things because you're so drunk then…I think so should get help."

"I don't know what Abbie said to you, but she needs to remember to mind her own damn business, especially if she has any intention of keeping her job." The blonde growls as she begins to pace vibrantly back and forth. "And you have no idea of what you're talking about. I am not an alcoholic. I know how to control myself."

"What about when you don't? They say you take drink after drink after drink. Alex, that's not good for your health! You're going to end up hurting yourself or worse!"

"I'm fine Casey, why can't you see that?! Look, I'm sorry I got a little drunk last night alright? I'm not some addict who doesn't know how to control themselves. Just forget about it, alright?"

"Alex, I'm just trying to help…"

"I said forget it!"

Casey snaps her mouth shut and looks down at the floor before sighing heavily. "You sound like you need some time by yourself…" she murmurs, grabbing her purse before heading for the door. She turns around to say something, but simply shakes her head and slips out of the suite without another word, leaving Alex alone to her thoughts.

A little later on, Casey finds herself seated on the bed in Serena's room while the model cycles through the closet. "I can't believe you've brought all that stuff with you." she speaks in awe as she watches the other women continue to toss various articles of clothing on the bed.

"I'm a model, sweetie, I have to travel with options." Serena replies as she steps out of the closet and places her hands on her hips. "I didn't even make a dent in my wardrobe with all of this stuff that I brought, so it's completely fine. Besides, anything for a friend in need."

"And you are most definitely in need." Kim chimes in, earning a look from her best friend. "What? I'm just saying. You could use a little boost."

"Oh yeah? Well smart pants, when's the last time that you went on a date?"

"Hey, we're not talking about me here. We're talking about you."

Casey rolls her eyes and draws her knees up to her chest. She watches as Serena tosses something on the bed and she picks it up between her thumb and forefinger in complete curiosity. "Serena, what is this?"

Serena appears at the entrance of the closet with her hands on her hips once more as she tilts her head. "Oh that? That's a skirt. I think I may have worn it once."

"A skirt?" Casey exclaims, holding up the article of clothing so she can examine it some more. "Serena, there's about two inches of fabric here!"

"There's not two inches of fabric there! There are three." Serena responds with a wink before tilting her head back to laugh. "Actually, that gives me an idea. Put that in the 'maybe' pile."

Kim snatches the skirt from Casey and puts it in the designated pile, before wincing at the loudness of her best friend's outbursts.

"The 'maybe' pile?! Serena, I'm not going to wear that! It's hardly considered to be clothes and I bet it hardly covers anything!"

"Hey, it'll cover enough. Besides, Alex is a leg woman. You want to show off your legs. Be glad that you are among those of us who are fortunate enough to have great legs. So because you have great legs, you gotta use them."

Casey bites nervously down on her lower lip before she sets the skirt down on the bed. "Don't you have anything else? You know, maybe I nice skirt that comes a little below the knee?"

"BELOW THE KNEE?!" Serena and Kim exclaim simultaneously as Kim stares at Casey in shock while Serena pokes her head out of the closet to do the same.

Casey blinks several times before slightly shrinking into herself. "Or not?"

"What is this, the 50's?" Kim states with a snort and a shake of her head. "Casey, no one wears things that stop below the knee anymore. It's time to break out of that 'Gone with the Wind' shell that you have going on here."

"I've just, never really been all that confident when it came to clothing." Casey explains with a shrug. "I like being…covered up."

"Well it's about time you like being uncovered." Serena hums as she exits the closet once more, holding several items on hangers as a wide smirk spreads across her face. "So…where shall we begin?"

**Later **

Later that evening, Alex finds herself mingling at a gathering with various designers, moguls, models, and anyone else of higher importance who wants to talk to her for the time being. To be completely honest, she would want nothing more than to go back to her hotel room and curl up with a bottle of wine, but it doesn't look like that's happening any time soon.

"You know, Alexandra, I am a bit disappointed that I did not get to see your dear, darling grandmother at this occasion." An older woman speaks, her French accent mixing soothingly with her English words. "Tell me dear, how is she?"

"She is well." Alex responds after a brief moment of contemplation. "She sends her regards on not being able to be here, but something came up."

"Mmm, Je comprends. Quelque chose semble toujours venir de dernière minute, oui? (I understand. Something always seems to come last minute, yes?)"

"Oui, mais rien ne peut être fait à ce sujet. (Yes, but nothing can be done about it.)" Alex responds with a small laugh before she turns her head and her eyes nearly pop out of her head. Her throat immediately goes dry and she finds herself staring though she knows she probably looks like a teenager. Remembering where she was, she clears her throat and gives the designer a small smile and a nod. "Excusez-moi."

Alex shoves a hand into her pocket as she easily navigates through the crowd of people standing around discussing fashion until she approaches a certain redhead who is still lingering by the entrance. Her eyes roam over Casey's body, taking in the thigh length black dress that clings to her curves and shows off the right amount of cleavage. "Wow…you look…wow."

Casey smirks at this, per Serena's instruction to play hard to get, before she tilts her head in a smug fashion. "Is that your way of saying I look nice? Please Miss Cabot, use your words. They're very helpful." She replies, taking the wine glass straight from Alex's hand. She takes a tiny sip of the wine, humming as the taste fills her mouth.

Alex watches in silence as Casey's tongue darts out just enough to lick the bottom of her ruby colored lips. It's enough to start a churning in her stomach that she can't particularly act on at the moment and to say that it irks her to no ends is a complete understatement. She allows for her eyes to roam over the redhead's body once again, pausing when she gets to the alabaster skin of her legs. God those legs.

"It's impolite to stare, Alex." Casey whispers hotly into the blonde's ear, smirking when she receives a shudder in response. "Didn't your mother ever teach you those mannerisms?"

"I'm the perfect gentlewoman, thank you. Are you teasing me, Casey? Because you know, it's not very nice to tease."

"Then where's the fun in that? I like making you squirm." And with that, Casey winks and disappears into the crowd, leaving a gaping billionaire staring after her.

**Meanwhile…**

Serena grins proudly as she admires her handiwork. She sighs happily and takes a sip from her wine as she gives herself a mental pat on the back for a job well done; and this is only the beginning.

"Why are you over here looking like that cat that ate the canary?" Olivia asks curiously as she approaches the blonde with caution.

"No reason." Serena responds before spinning around to face the photographer. "I got your flowers that you left me in my dressing room earlier today. They were beautiful."

"Oh! Um, I was hoping you would like those…I'm glad you liked them…" Olivia blushes sheepishly, mentally cursing herself for not even making it five minutes without blushing like an idiot.

Serena catches this and she giggles quietly for a moment before she leans in and lightly presses her lips against the photographer's. The kiss is chaste and gentle, and as she pulls away, she can practically feel the warmth radiating between the two of them. "You're very sweet, Liv, and I'm flattered that you feel this way. Maybe once we're back home we can go to dinner?"

"D-dinner?" Olivia squeaks before she recovers. "I mean, yeah, dinner! Dinner sounds fantastic. Dinner, yes, dinner."

**Meanwhile…again…**

"Mind if I sit here?" Abbie inquires as she nods towards the empty spot by the fountain in which Kim is sitting.

Kim narrows her eyes in a deathly fashion, sighing heavily before she glances up at the other woman. "There is a perfectly useful bench all the way over there, far away from me. Why are you choosing not to use it?"

"Excuse me for trying to be friendly." Abbie responds as she shoves her hands into her pockets. "You're pretty mean, you know that?"

"Thank you."

"It wasn't a compliment. Why are you so mean to people, more specifically, why are you mean to me?"

"I can answer both questions; I don't like people and I especially don't like you. You're an idiot."

"Oh, well, now you're just being a bitch."

"Really? That's the best you could have come up with? It really displays how much of a mindless idiot you are."

"Bitch."

"Imbecile."

"Skank."

"Dumbass."

"Whore."

"Asshole."

Instead of continuing on with the degrading and responding with a derogatory term, Abbie growls loudly in frustration before stepping forward, placing her hands on the other woman's hips before pulling her into a rough and angry kiss. The lip lock is harsh, angry, and consists of a lot of teeth as it only seems to deepen by the second with fiercely roaming hands and harsh tugs on hair.

Finally needing air, Abbie pulls away first and rests their foreheads together all the while keeping her hands tightly gripping Kim's waist as she feels nails on the back of her neck. "Your room or mine." She growls, their labored breathing beginning to mix at their close proximities. When she gets her response, she growls again and presses their lips together in another angry kiss as they beginning to make their way back to the hotel.

This is going to be a long night.

**Hm…leave your thoughts? **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Mmm, not to proud of this one, but it's here. Between my engagement and some other stuff I'm not sure where my mind was when I wrote this. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! **

"Hey, Al?"

Alex looks up from her tablet to find her best friend standing in the doorway. She immediately frowns deeply and tilts her head in genuine confusion. "How'd you get in here?"

"I told the maid I forgot my room key." Abbie states as she enters the room and shuts the door behind her. "I need to talk to you about something…"

"Okay…What's up?" Alex responds cautiously as she sits up and swings her ledge over the edge of the bed. He eyes widen and she holds up her hands quickly when she sees Abbie reaching for the hem of her shirt. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I didn't pay for a show or anything. What the hell are you doing?"

Abbie simply rolls her eyes and strangely enough, the humor is absent from her face for once. "Will you be serious for a second a bare with me? Just for a second?" she pleads before she pulls her shirt over her head and spins around.

Alex's eyes widen to the size of saucers and her mouth drops to the floor. "Holy shit. What the hell is all of that?" she exclaims, her eyes roaming over the long red gashes that travel up and down various places of her friend's back.

"Is it that bad?"

"I don't even…does it hurt? Abbie, what is all that?"

Abbie takes a deep breath before she puts her shirt back on. "They're scratch marks…"

Alex is silent for a brief moment before she arches an eyebrow in genuine confusion. "Scratch marks? What, did you get attacked by a bear or a cat or something?"

"Or something…" the brunette responds with a mumble as she shoves her hands into her pockets and ducks her head.

"Did you get some last night?" Alex questions, a smirk spreading across her face as her eyes twinkle with mischief once again. "Oh my god, you totally did, didn't you? Who was it? Was it the sexy Australian chick who kept giving you 'the look'?"

"No Alex, I-"

"Oh, oh, I know! It was the bar tender wasn't it? You know, you used to have a thing fo bar tenders, I bet it was the bar tender."

"It wasn't the bar tender…"

"Reporter?"

"Alex…"

"Journalist? Photographer? The clerk downstairs!"

"Alex!" Abbie shouts loudly, gaining the blondes undivided attention. "I-it…it wasn't any of those people…" she explains before trailing off awkwardly. "It was Casey's friend…"

Alex is stunned into complete silence as she stares at her best friend with a blank expression. Her mouth opens and closes several times, resembling that of a fish before she is finally able to force some type of wording past her lips. "Casey's…friend? When you say Casey's friend you mean…you mean some random friend of hers you just met right? You don't mean…you don't mean Kim do you."

Abbie rubs at the back of her neck awkwardly before reluctantly nodding her head in confirmation. "Y-yeah, it was…it was Kim." She responds with a sigh.

"What is she, a cat?" Alex questions rhetorically as she runs a finger over the gashes on her best friend's back, laughing quietly when Abbie hisses in pain. "Holy crap, I can't believe you had sex with her…"

"I don't think 'sex' even comes close to what we did." Abbie responds with a sigh as she replaces her shirt. "It was unlike anything I've ever done before, Al. It was so…angry."

"So you and Kim had angry sex…"

"Like I said, I'm not even sure it was sex! There was biting and scratching and god, it was everywhere. We basically tore each other's clothes off. I'm pretty sure that I ruined her shirt. I've never done anything like that before."

Alex blinks blankly for a moment before she raises an eyebrow and tilts her head. "Wait, what do you mean it was everywhere?"

A look of bashfulness crosses Abbie's features as she ducks her head and rubs at the back of her neck. "I mean that we had sex everywhere. We made out in the back of the cab on the way to the hotel and I could barely get my key in the door once we stumbled out of the elevator and then it just went from there. The hotel room door, the counter, the floor, the bed, everywhere. It happened everywhere Alex."

"Wow…look at you." Alex responds with an astounded whistle. "So, what're you gonna do now?"

"I don't know. Thankfully she was gone when I woke up because I was so not ready for that conversation. But I really don't know. What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to call her or something?"

"Well, do you wanna? It all depends on whether or not you want something to come from this."

"I don't! Of course I don't. I've never even thought about her that way and she hates practically everyone."

"Apparently not if she let you lick her-"

"Alex! You are so not helping right now!" Abbie exclaims with a horrified look and a blush coating her face. "Look, just don't tell anyone else about what happened alright? It's not something I wanna spread around."

"Who am I gonna tell Abbie…" Alex responds with one of her 'looks'.

"You never know. I know you and Casey have gotten kinda closer and you talk a lot."

At this, Alex sighs heavily and returns to her perch on her bed. "Yeah well…I think Casey has been hanging out with Serena too much. Last night she showed up in this mini skirt or whatever and she was teasing me. Since when does Casey know how to tease?"

Abbie smirks and waggles her eyebrows suggestively. "Since she started hanging out with Serena apparently." She teases before chuckling. "What was the deal with Casey anyway? She seemed kinda upset earlier yesterday."

"She got a little mad that I was dancing with this model at the club. I was drunk so I don't remember any of it."

"Oh I know you were drunk. I had to carry your ass up here." Abbie snorts before turning serious. "Alex, you really need to get some help. I know that I've said it hundreds of times and you've just kinda blew me off about it, but this time, I'm serious."

As if on cue, Alex rolls her eyes at her friend's comments. "You had no idea what you were talking about then and you have no idea of what you're talking about now. It's not a problem."

"Does it still hurt?"

"What?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Does it still hurt?"

Alex falls completely silence as her lips form into a tight thin line. After a moment she finds herself having to look away because she can no longer maintain any sort of eye contact with her best friend who is gazing at her with an expectant look.

"All the damn time." The deflated heiress responds as she shakes her head. "It hurts all the damn time."

"Alex, drinking the pain away isn't gonna make it go away." Abbie replies softly as she takes a seat on the bed. It's only gonna make things worse. First you'll lose yourself in the alcohol, then you'll lose everything you've ever worked for, and most importantly, you'll lose Casey."

Alex's head snaps up and she frowns deeply. "What do you know about that?"

Abbie scoffs and shakes her head disappointedly. "I'm not blind Alex. I've seen the way you look at her. You've fallen for her."

"I haven't fallen for her Abbs."

"Yes you have. Your heart has fallen for her but your mind won't let you. You still think about Lila."

"I loved her Abbie!" Alex exclaims, the emotion evident in her voice. "I still love her and no matter how I feel about anyone else I can't…I can't just forget."

* * *

Back home in the U.S., Alex takes a much needed deep breath as she stands in front of one of the doors in her pent house. Her hands shake as she moves to put the key into the lock, and she closes her eyes as she turns the knob, the lock giving way easily. As she enters the room, her heart clenches as the scent wafts across her nose. It's simply amazing what smells can be reserved after two whole years.

Slipping into the room, she closes the door behind her and opens her eyes, as her stomach does flips all over again. Alex let's her eyes scan across the span of the entire room as she takes in the various cartoon posters, included that of Scooby-Doo, Snoopy, Garfield, and several others. The comic book character quilt spread across the bed is still perfectly in shape as well as the matching pillow cases on the fluffed pillows. The vanity is neatly organized with various make up accessories as well as varying accounts of jewelry. Books, both medical and personal, line two bookshelves pressed neatly against a wall. In the closet hangs a plethora of clothing, casual wear, formal wear, scrubs, and a few white coats complete with a vast collection of shoes neatly organized on racks.

Alex slowly makes her way over to one of the end tables and picks up a photo of her deceased lover smiling at the camera. She smiles sadly as she runs her fingers over the picture, and tears begin to form in her eyes. The dress Lila is wearing in the photo is by far one of Alex's favorite dresses on her and she remembers trying to get Lila to wear it every chance she could get.

When Lila passed away, Alex sat in their bedroom for days trying to figure out what she was going to do with her life. She couldn't eat, she couldn't sleep, hell, she felt like she couldn't do anything. Finally, she decided that she was going to move all of her stuff out of their bedroom and move all of Lila's stuff into it. She even went as far as to using the doctor's favorite bedspread as well as maintaining her personal items. In a way for Alex, it is like she has never left.

"I know what I'm supposed to do Lila." Alex whispers as her tears are now freely flowing down her face. "I know what I'm supposed to do, but I'm so scared. I've never felt this scared since…since we found out that you had cancer and the day that you died holding my hand. Those are the only times that I've been this scared. But I know that I'm supposed to do this. I just need you to hold my hand. I know that I can't get through this by myself and I just need to know that you're here standing by me. You promised me that no matter what happens that you will always stand by me no matter what and now…now I need you. I trust you that you will be here with me every step of the way just like you promised but I just wanted to let you know that I finally realized what I'm supposed to do and I'm going to do it."

Approximately an hour from that moment, Alex finds herself sitting in front of her computer in her home office. She had been sitting there for god knows how long simply staring at the site that she has pulled up on the browser. As she stares at the title, she thinks about her friends, her family, Lila, and Casey. She knows they would all want to do this.

After another moment of contemplation, she pulls out a pen and a stick note as she quickly scribbles down the address given to her from the website and at the top of the note, she adds the name of the organization.

_ 'Alcoholics Anonymous' _

**What do you think? Will she actually go? Leave your thoughts! **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Not proud of this one either but eh…Hope you enjoy it anyway. **

Alex takes a much needed deep breath, though it turns into a quite sigh as she stands in front of the facility. She pushes her sunglasses to the top of her head before she nervously bites down on her lower lip. Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out the note card that she had written all the necessary information on which had been confirmed by making a quick phone call before she had left her house.

She hadn't told Casey where she was going, despite the redhead's numerous attempts to get her to share. Alex had only simply responded with saying that she had some important business to take care of; which is one hundred percent true. She has already decided that in due time she will tell Casey where she is and why, but only when the time is right.

To be completely honest, ever since she has been standing in front of the building, Alex has considered just getting in her car and driving home, but she remembers the promise that she had consciously made before she left home and it's because of that promise that she can't turn away from this now.

Saying a quiet prayer, Alex finally digs deep and enters the building. In the back of her mind there is a tiny voice screaming at her, telling her that this isn't for her and that she needs to turn back now, but she somehow manages to keep that voice locked in a tiny little crate, buried under a sheer amount of confidence. She follows the signs and finds herself directed towards a small room where about fifteen women are seated in an elaborate circle.

One of the women, the discussion leader, looks up from the group and a smile spreads across her face. "Hello. Are you here to join us?" she asks nicely.

Alex blinks for a moment before she clears her throat and manages a response. "Um…yeah…."

"Well please. Have a seat." The woman responds with that same smile as she motions her hand towards the only remaining chair in the circle.

"Thanks…" the tall blonde murmurs as she slinks over to the chair and takes a seat. She keeps her gaze locked on the floor as she can feel fifteen pairs of eyes staring at her. She knows that it's no secret that they know who she is and that little fact does all the more in aided the increase of her nerves.

"Will you tell us your name?" The same woman asks politely after contemplating how exactly she was going to ask.

Alex can practically cut through the fakeness of the woman's question. She raises her eyes from the floor, locking gazes with the woman across from her. "Judging by the awkwardness of even the air in this room, all of you know exactly who I am, so I prefer that we skip with the introductions please…"

The discussion leader, Margaret, takes a shaky deep breath as she nods her head. "Miss Cabot, I meant no disrespect of any kind. I only asked because I felt that it would begin a bridge of trust between the group and yourself…" she explains, trailing off quietly under the blondes scrutinizing glare.

Alex's eyes soften before she shrugs and folds her arms. "In that case, my name is Alex."

"Hi Alex." The rest of the group choruses in an attempt to make the new comer feel welcome.

A small smile flits across Alex's face as she raises her hand in response. "Hi…"

"Do you know why you're here, Alex?" Margaret asks gently with a tilt of her head. Not only is it just standard procedure to ask such a question at these meetings, but she can't help but wonder what Alexandra Cabot, _The_ Alexandra Cabot, could possibly be at her meeting for.

This particular question is most definitely the question that Alex has been avoided for as long as she can remember, but that is the entire point for coming to the meeting, right? To finally accept everything and put forth an effort to fix it?

Taking a deep breath, Alex finds herself nervously beginning to wring her hands. "Um, well, I'm here because I have a problem with alcohol…" she admits rather shamefully before she looks up again. "My story isn't what anyone would expect it to be…behind all the money, the lights, and the fame, I'm just like anyone else I guess…"

"Would you like to share that story, Alex?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt." The heiress responds as she takes another much needed deep breath before she begins. "Two years ago, I lost someone who was very important to me. Her name was Lila, and to this day she was the love of my life. My entire world revolved around her. She saw a side of me that no one else could and with each passing day I fell in love with her even more. Just when I thought everything was going great, everything just took a complete turn for the worst. When we found out she had cancer we were both very afraid of what that would mean for our future. She was afraid of dying, and I was afraid of her leaving me behind. When her disease worsened and there was nothing more we could do, I proposed to her when she was in the hospital. I don't know why I did it, I-I guess I knew that it was her time and I really wanted her to see how much I had loved. She died holding my hands only a few minutes after I asked. Ever since she passed away, I would turn to alcohol as my out. It would dull the pain of not knowing Lila isn't with me anymore. I drink whenever I get the chance and I often end up hurting those around me. I don't want to continue hurting those who mean the most to me any longer. I don't want to see them in pain because of my problem."

* * *

**Several Days Later**

Casey is seated on the floor covered in various forms of gray and blue paint. Of course she has the option to use her easel, but she has found on more than one occasion that some of her best artwork is done when she's seated on the floor, crawling about in the most awkward positions.

She sighs quietly to herself as she sets about trying to find the perfect mixture of white, yellow, and brown, to perfectly match the color of Alex's hair. So far she has tried a total of four times and she just can't get the paint to turn into the shade that she wants it. Finally, after the sixth try, she manages to produce the color that she wanted which brings a satisfactory smile to her face.

Just as she is about to paint in Alex's hair, she hears a lot of clattering in the hallway that startles her from her concentration. With a small frown playing at her features, she stands up and wipes her hand before poking her head out of the room in which she had been given specifically for her artwork. As she pokes her head into the hallway, she frowns when she spots Alex in the hallway, carrying an empty trash bag down towards her bedroom.

"Alex?" Casey calls curiously as she carefully approaches the entrance to the blonde's room.

Alex blinks upon hearing her name and stands up with a tiny smile. "Hey. What's up?" she responds with an expectant tilt of her head. "Were you painting?"

Casey looks down at her clothes and chuckles nervously before she nods her head and folds her arms. "Oh, um, yeah, I was just working on something when I heard you in the hall and I was wondering what you were up to."

"Oh…cleaning." Alex responds as she moves across her room to open up the top drawer to her dresser. From there she pulls out several bottles whiskey, some being unopened and some being almost empty. She hesitates for a moment before she haphazardly dumps the bottles into the bag, before she moves on to the next drawer where she does the same with the bottles from there.

Once she is sure she's cleared out her dresser, she moves to her closet where she flips on the light and empties several cases of hard liquor into the bag, before she moves to under her bed where she pulls out three cases of beer and adds them to the bag as well. She disappears into her bedroom for a moment before she returns with two unopened bottles of wine in each hand. By the time she's finished moving about her bedroom, the bag is nearly overflowing with alcoholic beverages, all ranging to probably be worth over thousands of dollars.

Casey watches silently as Alex takes the bag and leaves the room and she chooses to follow with a hint of reluctance. As she descends the stairs behind the blonde, her eyebrows raise to her hairline when she sees there are already three full bags sitting in the living room.

"Alex…?" she says hesitantly once again, but this time she finds herself unable to continue.

Alex looks up once again and this time a blush immediately colors her cheeks. "I—I didn't know that I had this much." She admits shakily before taking a breath. "I thought it was only what I had in my bar, but then I remembered the kitchen and then the places where I would keep some incase I needed it or incase I ran out. I didn't know it was this bad. I didn't know I had become this…this dependent on it. Every day since she died I've had a drink; whether it was just one or one hundred, I've always had a drink a day. It's a wonder I'm not dead yet…"

Casey sighs quietly as she approaches the blonde and takes both of her hands. "Alex, don't talk like that…"

"What? It's true? I've drank so much Casey that sometimes I don't even know who I am anymore, let alone where I am or what I'm doing." Alex responds before her voice cracks and hangs her head. "Casey, about what happed in Italy at that club, I didn't…I didn't know what I was doing. I barely even remember it and I'm sorry that I couldn't just fess up and tell you. I was scared to admit I had a problem."

"So what helped you? What made you want to throw all of this out?"

"I've…I've been going to AA meetings. I didn't want to tell you right away because I wasn't sure that I would stay but…I really like it and I'm comfortable with the other women there."

"That's amazing Alex, really, but…what made you go to the meetings in the first place."

"You."

Casey's breath hitches in her throat and she opens and closes her mouth several times before she forces words out of her mouth. "M-me?"

"You…" Alex responds with a firm nod. "I've never felt this way about anyone since her and you make me…you make me feel like me again. Casey, I-I…well, I…I love you."

"W-what?" Casey whispers in response, feeling as if she is dreaming and she is going to wake up any moment. "Alex, I-"

"It's okay if you don't want me to. When this whole thing started I didn't have any intention of falling in love with you, but somewhere along the way I did. It took a little while for me to admit it, but as I was sitting there in that meeting, telling them how I lost Lila, I realized that I didn't want to risk that with you. There's always that one in a million chance that you're going to find that special someone that takes your heart, and I didn't want to risk you walking away not knowing how I felt about you."

Instead of responding, Casey lifts her chin and lightly presses her lips against the slightly taller woman's. She can tell Alex is stunned by the kiss, but she soon relaxes as she loops her arms around Alex's neck and Alex responds by wrapping her arms around her waist as their bodies meld together as one.

The kiss is passionate and speaks about a thousand words, and as Casey pulls back for air, she can see the tears sparkling in Alex's eyes. "Ever since I was a little girl, I've always dreamed of what it feel like to fall in love. Now, you've shown me that it feels a lot like flying, not knowing what's below, only knowing the sheer rush of adrenaline that flows through your veins. It feels like…"

"Taking a chance?" Alex finishes off with a light chuckle as she rests their foreheads against one another.

"Yeah," Casey whispers as she presses their lips together once more in a reassuring kiss. "Taking a chance…"

**Leave your thoughts? **


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Trying to get through as much as I can guys…Enjoy.**

Casey wears a wide smile as she and Alex walk into the office hand in hand. She smiles and waves at Amanda behind the front desk who returns the smile before taking a call. The elevator ride is spent with her head resting on the blonde's shoulder until they reach their desired floor.

"I think I'm going to run to the restroom." Casey says as soon as they step out of the lift.

"Alright. I'll be in my office if you need anything." Alex replies before she gives her lover a quick, chaste kiss to her lips. "Love you."

"Love you too." Casey responds with a school girl like smile before she spins on her heel and heads off towards the ladies' restroom, feeling like she's floating on cloud 9.

As she enters the restroom, she can hear a small amount shuffling, and as she moves further inside, she freezes immediately with her jaw hitting the ground. Her eyes blink rapidly as they take in the sight of her best friend with her hands tangled in Abbie's hair while Abbie has her pressed against the sink of the counter with a thigh between her legs as they are heavily attached at the lips.

"Um…" Casey draws out after a brief moment of stunned silence for having to find her voice where the pair immediately breaks away and snaps their heads in her direction.

"Casey!" Kim exclaims, her voice an awkward three octaves higher than it normally is before she clears her throat and runs her hands through her own tousled her all the while trying to calm her breathing. "What…what are you doing here?"

Casey raises her eyebrows and casts a brief look at a blushing Abbie before turning back to her best friend. "I was going to use the restroom when I saw…" she trails off, before snapping her gaze back to Abbie.

Abbie, who has yet to say anything, awkwardly rubs at the back of her neck before she clears her throat. "Oh, um, I should probably be getting to work. I'll just…" she trails off before turning her attention back to Kim who she approaches and gives her a quick kiss. "I'll um, call you later."

"Okay." Kim responds with a rather shy grin be her standards.

Casey watches in utter bemusement as she catches her best friend slightly biting her bottom lip as she checks the other woman out while she's exiting the restroom. Once she is sure that Abbie gone, she whirls on Kim with her eyes wide and confused.

"Would you care to explain what the hell I just walked in on?" she inquires, thrusting her thumb towards the bathroom door.

Kim actually has the good graces to blush as she turns towards the counter and turns on the sink. "It was nothing." She murmurs lamely as she runs her hands under the water and then rakes her fingers through her hair, dampening enough so she is able to slick it back into a ponytail.

"Nothing?" Casey echoes before blinking rapidly. "When I walk in and see you mouth fucking a woman you take great joy in insulting on an hourly basis, it becomes a little more than nothing."

"Oh you're overreacting. We were not, as you say 'mouth fucking'."

"Kim, she looked like she was performing dental work. So…you wanna tell me what's going on? Or more important, why?"

Kim sighs heavily and leans against the counter before she folds her arms. "We had sex when we were in Italy."

Casey's eyes widen to an impossible size before her mouth falls open with shock once again. "What?! In Italy? That was-god Kim! Why didn't you tell me before now!? You had-why!?"

"In all honesty Case, I really don't know why we did. We were both angry and then it just kind of happened after that. After we got back, things were a little awkward, but two days later she called me and asked if we could meet for coffee so we could talk so…I accepted and we met. We talked, apologized for what happened, vowed to forget it, then on the way out, she kissed me and about fifteen minutes late we're back at her apartment."

"Kim what even…and she'll 'call you later'? What is that about?!"

Kim blushes heavily once again before she rolls her eyes. "It's not even that big of a deal." She mumbles, shaking her head.

This time, Casey is the one who rolls her eyes before she narrows them. "You need to end this; whatever this is. You know what happened with Serena. Don't let it happen to you too."

"Oh please. It's not even like that. You know I don't get emotionally attached to anything."

"You say that now until you find yourself sitting by the phone waiting for her to call and then you'll be drawing hearts around her name in your notepad."

"Oh that's rich coming from you who has fallen for the country's resident heartbreaker." Kim snorts mirthlessly.

Casey's lips purse into a thin line before she crosses her arms. "Alex has changed. She's not the same person she was when I first walked in her. I…I love her and I really believes her when she tells me she loves me."

Kim's expression softens drastically as she tilts her head to the side. "Really? She told you she loves you?" she asks softly, a small smile gracing her features when her best friend nods in response. "That's great Casey."

"I've never felt like this with anyone Kim. I've been on dates with people, but I've never felt the connection with them like the one that I feel when I'm with Alex. I…I think she's the one, Kim…"

"The one? Like…the _one_, the one?"

**Meanwhile…**

"Yes Liv; the _one_, the one." Alex replies, leaning against her desk with her arms folded. "I'm telling you, I haven't felt this way since Lila. It's almost like I can feel Lila telling me it's time for me to move on…and I think I'm ready to do that with Casey."

Olivia whistles as she nods her head in comprehension. "Wow, Alex…this is big for you." She says seriously before she chuckles. "What will the press think when they find out you're settled down for good?"

Alex smiles at her friend's joke before she shakes her head. "Honestly, I don't want to even think about the press right now." She explains before she moves around her desk picking up her beeping phone. "What's up, Amanda? What? Right now?! Oh god, um. Thanks for letting me know."

"Everything alright?" the photographer asks when she notices that her boss has gone considerably pale all within the span of fifteen seconds.

Alex's mouth opens and closes several times as she keeps her eyes trained on the door. Her eyes widening a little when it opens and closes, her impromptu guest striding through the door, their typical demanding aura following not too far behind.

"Grandma…" Alex speaks, shocking herself out of her silence. "What…what are you doing here?"

Celine simply smiles in response before turning towards the lingering photographer. "Do you mind, Dear?" she inquires, though, it's more as a statement of 'get out' rather than a suggestion.

Olivia is silent for a moment, still stunned by the older woman's sudden appearance before she blinks rapidly and nods her head. "Oh, no, Ma'am, not at all." She stammers with a smile before grabbing her camera from one of the plush chairs. "I should be…working anyway. Alex, let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks, Liv." Alex responds, before turning back to her grandmother. "Uh, Grandma, what a surprise. Please. Have a seat."

"Thank you." Celine hums as she takes a seat in the seating area of the office, gazing around as she does so. "I love your office and what you've done with it by choice of decoration."

"Thanks." Alex answers as she takes a seat across from her superior. "Um, do you need anything? I can have Kim bring us some coffee, or water, or anything."

Celine shakes her head before folding her hands in her lap. "No thank you. I'm quite fine." She responds before a smirk spreads across her lips as she can practically sense her grandmother's nerves. "Oh, Alexandra, relax, you are not in trouble."

Alex blinks rapidly, though a tinge of relief hits her like a ton of bricks. "I'm not?" she questions, heaving a much needed sigh in order to relax. "Thank god. Grandma, no disrespect is meant when I say this but…if I'm not in trouble, then what are you doing here? It's not like you to just drop in for unannounced visits."

"I came to see how the company is doing on your end." Celine replies seemingly nonchalantly before her grin widens. "And I came to congratulate you."

"Congratulate me?" Alex echoes with confusion.

Celine sighs quietly as she stands up from her chair and begins to pace absentminded circles around the office. "I must commend you for your work that you've been doing here on this side of the company. Fashion sales are through the roof and I'm being contacted major, _major_ designers for around the world who are all interested in collaborations." She then pauses, looking to her granddaughter with a smile. "And then there is your relationship. Honestly, when I told you to find a nice young woman who you could see yourself settling down with, I thought you would blow me off. I didn't think that you had the willpower or the maturity to actually do so. Casey is perfect for you and I think that she will fit well into the family. With that being said, you have impressed me with your work and your improvements in your personal life, Alexandra. I do believe that you're ready."

Alex's eyes widen and she can practically feel her breath leaving her body. "Grandma, I…I don't understand."

"You've matured to the point, where I think you're ready to step up and take over my position as CEO of Cabot Industries. Of course, this will mean you will have to move into my office at the cooperate building."

"Grandma, I don't…" Alex trails off, taking a much needed breath. "Thank you so much. This is all so much all of a sudden. I—I really don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything right away, Dear. I know it's a lot. How about you give me a call tomorrow, and we can discuss it more?"

"Yeah…that'll be great…"

**Later**

"She wants me to make me CEO." Alex says out of the blue as she and Casey are settling into bed for the night.

Casey freezes for a moment before she continues to slowly slide underneath the blankets. "Celine came by today, I take it?" she guesses.

Alex nods in response and keeps her eyes on the magazine sitting in her lap. "She came by…" she begins quietly. "She complimented me on my work in my success in running my part of the company. Then she told me she believes I'm ready to step up and take her position."

She doesn't know why, but Casey feels a slight weight in her chest and she can just bring herself to say anything about it. She simply settles on smiling and placing a hand on her lover's shoulder. "Well, that's good, right…? Congratulations."

"I told her I would go home and think about it before I called her tomorrow." Alex continues on, her voice coming out as absent and colorless.

"Well, I mean…I'm really happy for you, Alex, and you are entitled to do whatever you want. I promise I'll be here to support whatever decision to make." Casey speaks up after a brief moment of silence between the two of them.

A tiny smile tugs at the corner of Alex's lips before she leans over and captures Casey's lips in a gentle, loving kiss. "Thank you." she whispers, tucking a stray strand of crimson hair behind her ear. "How about we get some sleep yeah?"

Casey nods her head, stealing another kiss before she sinks down into the cocoon of blankets. She sighs quietly when she feels arms encircle her waist, as she is pulled back into a warm body against the cold of the bedroom night air. Even as she, herself, drifts off to sleep, she can practically hear Alex thinking with her eyes wide opens.

**Hmmm…leave your thoughts? **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I think you all are really gonna enjoy this chapter! **

Alex pulls into her parking spot at the cooperate office, and she gazes up towards the top floor of the massive skyscraper with a small sigh leaving her lips. She pockets her keys and exits her car before she makes her way into the building, nodding a greeting to the secretary at the front desk. As she enters the elevator, she presses the button for the executive floor of the building and leans against the metal bar as she waits for the lift to begin it's painfully slow ascent.

Through the transparent glass of the elevator, she watches as the lift takes her higher and higher above the streets of New York. She finds herself becoming part of the clouds high above the city, as she reaches the very top floor. She steps off of the elevator and onto the executive floor, feeling the aura of importance as she makes her way down the hall.

When she comes to a large set of double doors, Alex takes a much needed deep breath as she raises her rather shaky hand to knock lightly. After knocking, she waits for only a brief moment before she is met with a muffled 'come in' from the other side and she then proceeds to step through the doors.

"Alexandra, what a surprise." Celine exclaims with a wide smile as she approaches her granddaughter and places a quick kiss to her cheek. "I didn't think you were going to stop by as I was sitting here awaiting your phone call."

"Yeah well, I thought it would be good for us to talk in person." Alex answers with a tiny, rather nervous smile.

Celine hums and nods her head before she extends her hands around the office. "What do you think? Of course once it's yours you will have full authority to redecorate everything to your liking. You will also have the option of keeping your current PA, or hiring a new one; the choice is yours on that as well."

Alex nods her head and blinks lamely as she gazes around the massive office. "It's…it's certainly a piece of work." She chuckles, taking note at how her grandmother's office is probably about four times the size of her current one, and Alex already considers her office to be pretty damn huge. "It's really nice, but that's actually what I came to talk with you about."

"The office?"

"No, no, the job. Come on, let's…sit."

Celine nods her head as she follows the younger blonde to the seating area of her office and she eloquently perches herself on the edge of one of the leather sofas all the while analyzing Alex. "Something is bothering you?"

Alex thinks for a moment before she shrugs her shoulders. "I…wouldn't say something is bothering me. I just don't quite know how to explain what I want to say." She trails off, looking her grandmother square in the eyes before she takes a much needed deep breath. "Grandma, as much as I would really like to be CEO of the industry; I'm afraid that I can't accept your offer."

"What?" Celine exclaims, her eyes widening and her eyebrows shooting into her hairline at her granddaughter's admission. "Alexandra, I don't understand. This is what you've always wanted and you've shown me that you're ready."

"That's the thing, Grandma, I'm…I'm not ready." Alex counters with a shake of her head. "I…I lied to you. When you gave me your ultimatum, I was terrified of the idea of settling down with someone, but I really wanted this job more than anything else. I met Casey and she seemed like the perfect woman that you had described. I made a deal with her stating that I would pay for her mother's surgery to get rid of her cancer, if Casey pretended to be my girlfriend in order to impress you. Somewhere along the lines, I managed to fall in love with her, and while I do see myself spending my life with her, it's not fair of me to accept this job when I had meant to deceive you in the first place."

Celine is silent as she wears a mask of stone and eloquently crosses one leg over the other. "So you lied to me in order to get what you wanted and you used an innocent young woman in the process of doing so. And somewhere in all of this, you managed to actually develop feelings for her, and because you now feel guilty for lying to me about it in the first place. Is that correct?" she finishes off, firmly, her voice stern and her face void of any emotion.

Alex hangs her head before she gives a rather shameful nod. "Yes Ma'am." She murmurs, before barely managing to meet the older woman's gaze. "I'm sorry. That's why I can't take this job. I—I've disappointed you and I feel like I can't take this job knowing that I lied to you. I've…had a drinking probably, but I've been going to meetings to take care of that and right now I just want to focus on finding who I am again and spending as much time with Casey as possible."

Celine continues to stay silent as she stands up from the sofa and makes her way over towards her desk on the other side of the room, leaving a sunken looking Alex seated on the sofa. She ruffles through one of her desk drawers for a brief moment before she returns to the seating area, this time, opting to stand instead of taking a seat.

Alex remains silent as well before she sees a small silver key being held in front of her face. She frowns in genuine confusion before she looks up at her grandmother who is standing above her, holding out said key. "Grandma, what…what is that?"

"Your honesty for your actions has shown me that you have in fact grown and matured enough to handle this job." Celine speaks with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "This key here is the key to this office. Well, a spare rather. While you may feel like you are not ready now, I am giving the key to you so that when you are ready, all you have to do is show up here. The job is already yours, Alexandra, when you decide to actually take office…that will be your decision alone. Take it."

Alex smiles as she accepts the key, closing her fingers around the coldness of the metal. "Thanks Grandma." She murmurs as she stands up and pulls the older woman into a tight embrace.

"I love you Alex," Celine says quietly, as she returns the hug. "And I am very proud of you."

**Several Weeks Later **

"I didn't even know that you liked baseball." Casey exclaims, trying to hide her excitement as she and Alex are led to a private club suite in Yankee Stadium.

"I understand enough of it to get by." Alex replies with a shrug before bringing the back of Casey's hand to her lips, kissing it softly. "Besides, anything for you."

"Gross. Try to keep the grossness to a bare minimum." Serena teases as she saunters past the couple, dragging Olivia with her.

Alex rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to reply with a snide remark but fortunately, Casey beats her to the punch.

"You just try to keep your hands to yourself while the game is going on. I don't need your PDA distracting me from my game." The redhead counters, causing Serena to stick out her tongue in response.

"Damn Yankees…" Abbie murmurs with a shake of her head as she plops down on one of the luxurious leather couches placed against the wall.

Casey chuckles before shaking her head. "You're a Texas native, why are you even here when it's no secret you don't like the Yankees?"

Abbie simply smirks in response to the question. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out." She answers cryptically before pulling Kim down into her lap. "You know, I think I deserve a kiss considering I'm here in the stadium of my arch enemies.

"And you were worried about my PDA." Serena grumbles darkly as she stuffs herself into the corner of another sofa before she folds her arms tightly, leaving Olivia looking rather confused.

Alex doesn't miss the awkward exchange between the two couples but she decides saying nothing would be for the better. She looks up and spots Casey already seated at the table by the viewing window, eagerly waiting for the start of the game.

* * *

Once the game has started and everyone is officially settled, Olivia looks over at Alex, voicing a concern of hers ever since they arrived. "Alex, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure." The blonde replies, picking up her empty soda can before she heads over to the secluded kitchen area away from everyone else so they can talk. "What's up?"

"Does Serena seem off to you?" The photographer questions with genuine worry in her eyes as she looks over to the blonde in question who is still tucked into the corner of the sofa, not having said a complete sentence since they got there.

Alex raises her eyebrows as she casts a glance at Serena before she turns back to Olivia with a shrug. "I mean, she seems a little more quiet than normal. A small part of me would even go as far to say that she seems a little bit upset about something…" she points out before tilting her head. "Did she inquire that she was upset before you guys got here?"

Olivia shakes her head in response before she drags her fingers through her hair. "No…I'm sure if she was upset about something, she would've told me. I've been asking her if she's okay, but she keeps saying she's fine. I hope it wasn't anything I did…"

"I doubt it was something you did." Alex responds with a quick shake of head. "Would you like me to go ask her what's bothering her?"

"Would you? I feel really bad about asking you to do something like that, but I really wanna know what's going on."

"No problem. Maybe it won't take too long."

After grabbing another soda, Alex grosses the suite, passing Abbie who has Kim giggling which is quite out of character, before she plops down on the sofa next to the silent model who doesn't even bother to acknowledge her existence.

"You know, I'm a little surprised that you're sitting over here on the couch instead of being over there enjoying the game with Casey." Alex begins, taking a sip from her soda. "If anything, I know the two of you bond quite frequently over baseball."

"I don't feel like watching the game right now." Serena mutters in response, still not bothering to look over at the other woman who is being a little more than patient with her.

"You were excited yesterday."

"Well now I don't feel like it, okay? Why are you bugging me, Alex?"

"Because you're upset and as your friend, I wanna know what's wrong." Alex replies with a nonchalant shrug as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

Serena is silent for another moment before she sighs quietly and hugs her knees to her chest. "What's so special about her?" she asks in a quiet voice as she glances over the back of the couch at Kim who is laughing at one of Abbie's jokes.

Alex hums as she nods her head and sets her soda on the coffee table. "I figured that's what this was about." She begins before she turns to fully face her friend. "You're jealous…"

"It's not like I wanna be." The model sighs before she turns back around, returning to her earlier cocoon position. "That's just not fair. How come Abbie is all flirty and romantic like that with her, but she was only crude and brash with me? Was something wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you, Serena."

"Then how come she's treating her like that?"

"Why does it matter?" Alex counters, shocking the other woman into silence. "I thought you and Liv had a thing going."

Serena sighs heavily at this before she rests her forehead on her knees. "I like Olivia, don't get me wrong. She's really sweet and that's why I feel guilty for feeling jealous. I hate it."

"Well, all I can tell is you is that you need to figure things out in your head before you end up hurting both Olivia and yourself."

"I will…thanks, Alex."

Alex smiles in response and gives Serena's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before she stands up and joins Casey once again. "Having fun?"

"Definitely." The redhead responds before she places a loving kiss to her lover's lips. "This is the perfect weekend present. Thank you."

"It'll only get better from here." Alex hums as she tugs on Casey's hand to pull her away from the game that is now going into break. "C'mon."

Casey blinks in confusion as she stands from her chair and follows Alex out of the room. "What? Alex? Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Casey snaps her mouth shut as she finds herself being lead through the stadium. Her eyes widen when realizes that Alex has somehow managed to find away to pull her out on to the actual field where she spots the players of both teams standing in two straight lines as they enter the diamond.

"Alex, what are you doing?" Casey hisses, feeling her heart rate speed up when realizes that fifty thousand pairs of eyes are all on her. "Alex?!"

Alex chuckles in response before she gives Casey's hand a reassuring squeeze. She pulls her over to the pitcher's mound where a light chuckle leaves her lips again as she takes in the redhead's nervousness before she pulls her in close. "Do you trust me?" she whispers into Casey's ear, loud enough to be heard over the roar of the baseball fans.

Casey swallows the thick lump in her throat before she shakily nods her head. "O-of course I trust you." she stammers.

"Then read the board."

A brief look of extreme confusion crosses Casey's features as she spins around towards the giant screen. Her eyes widen and her heart slams to her halt while her hand flies to her mouth as if to cover her inescapable gasp.

_**"Casey, Will you marry me? –Alex" **_Reads in giant flashing letters on the electronic board and Casey spins around once again to find the blonde in question down on one knee.

Alex can't help the self satisfied smile that spreads across her lips as she takes her lover's hand. "I knew how much you liked baseball, and when coming up with ways to do this, I figured that this would be one of the best ways." She chuckles before taking a deep breath. "Casey, you and I…we've come a long way. That day you walked into my office, I had no idea that was the day that I would meet the woman who would help me get back on my feet. I had no idea that was the day that I would meet the woman who would capture my heart and I had no idea that was the day I would meet the woman who I would fall in love with. You've taught me how to be a better person and get rid of that selfish rich girl persona that I used to hide behind. You've taught me how to face my demons and most importantly, you've taught me how to love again. You're amazing, funny, smart, and you are a magnificent artist who has a lot of potential. I know…I know being married to a celebrity might not be the easiest thing in the world, but I'm here on this day to ask you, Casey Novak…will you marry me?"

Casey's mouth falls open, but she finds herself completely unable to respond. As she tries in vain several times to get words to come out, she simply settles on shakily nodding her head as tears start to form being her eyes.

Alex grins and plucks the elegant engagement ring from the ring box, before she slips it onto the redhead's shaky hand. She admires the ring on Casey's fingers for a moment before she stands up and pulls her new fiancée into a passionate kiss as fireworks go off around them.

"You had this all planned out, didn't you?" Casey whispers over the applause and cheers from the entire stadium.

"I did." Alex replies with a grin before she nods towards their group of friends who are standing off to the side all wearing matching smiles. "I did have a little help with planning though. I wanted it to be perfect."

"Well it was. So…is it about time we start grooming me to be the perfect Mrs. Cabot?" Casey smirks, quoting Alex's words from when they had first met.

Alex chuckles at the reference before capturing her fiancée's lips in another lingering kiss. "Definitely."

**It's a little hard to believe, but this story is starting to wind down. I think either the next one or the one after that will be the last chapter. Anyhow, leave your thoughts! **


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I broke the wedding chapter up into two chapters for length sake. The next chapter will definitely be the last for this story. Hope you guys enjoy! I know I have!**

"I'm just so excited about showing Mom my ring." Casey gushes as she admires the sparkling diamond engagement ring on her left hand. "I can't wait to tell her the good news."

Alex simply smiles in response as she slows down and parks the car by the curb in front of Brenda Novak's home. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled." She responds as she leans across the consol and steals a quick kiss before she gets out of the car. She walks around to the passenger side door and opens it before offering Casey her hand. "Shall we?"

"We shall." Casey responds as she slips her arm through her lover's as the two of them happily stroll up the concrete sidewalk. As she approaches the door, she rings the door bell before stepping back and clasping their hands together. "I sure hope that I'm not interrupting her nap or anything. I would hate to ruin her rest."

"I'm sure she'll be glad to see you regardless." Alex hums as she takes a rather shaky deep breath to calm her spontaneous nerves.

The turning of the locks on the door can be heard from the other side and Casey is practically vibrating with excitement as she waits to greet her mother. However, when the door swings open, her excited face turns into one of pure shock as her eyes go wide. "Oh my god."

"Um...not exactly the greeting I was expecting." Hannah Novak responds with a half smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she takes in her younger sister's shocked expression. "Surprise?"

Instead of verbally responding, Casey rushes forward and wraps her arms tightly around her sister's waist, burying her face into the fabric of the older woman's shirt to make sure that she is real. Finally, she pulls away, looking into her identical green eyes that are laced with amusement.

"Han, what're you…how did you…" Casey stammers before taking a much needed deep breath to continue. "What're you doing here? I thought…"

"That I got a life sentence? Yeah me too." Hannah responds with a chuckle before she shrugs. "Somehow, someone found corruption with the prosecutor who tried my case. Turns how, he had it out for Dad and had him killed and whoever he was working with felt it was easy to blame me for it. When they found the break in the case, they retracted my sentence and let me go. I was going to surprise you at your apartment, but Mom told me you didn't live there anymore so…"

"Oh, yeah, I'm living…" Casey trails off, her head snapping up as she remembers her main reason for being there. "That reminds me, Hannah this is Alex Cabot. Alex, this is my older sister Hannah."

Alex smiles and extends her hand towards the older redhead. "A pleasure." She says, her smile fading when Hannah simply stares at her in response and makes no move to accept the gesture.

"I know who you are." Hannah responds in a dry tone. "What're you doing here?"

"Um…"

"Okay! Hannah, where's Mom? Is she asleep."

"No." Hannah quips, addressing her sister though her narrowed gaze doesn't leave the blonde in front of her. "We were just watching a little TV. She's in the living room."

"Great. Because I have news." Casey responds as she grabs Alex's hand and leads her into the house. She navigates her way into the living room where she finds her mother engrossed in something on the television. "Mom."

Brenda's head snaps up and a smile spreads across her face when her eyes land on her youngest daughter. "Oh, Casey. What a pleasant surprise." She gushes as she stands up and pulls Casey into a tight hug before doing the same to Alex. "Alex, it's always a pleasure."

"Thank you, Ma'am." Alex replies with a small smile and a respectful nod.

"What brings the two of you by?" Brenda asks curiously as her bright smile doesn't waver.

Casey's heart is filled with warmth at seeing her mother return to her vibrant state. Ever since the surgery to remove the cancer, she can see her mother returning to her old self, a part of her that Casey had missed greatly.

"I have good news." She begins giddily before she glances at Alex and holds out her left hand. "Alex proposed. We're getting married!"

"That's great sweetheart!" Brenda exclaims as she hugs Casey once again before she pulls away and takes her hand to admire the expensive piece of jewelry. "Oh, dear, the ring looks even more beautiful on your finger."

Casey frowns at this before tilting her head in confusion. "What do you mean it looks even more beautiful on my finger? You've seen it before?" she asks, before her head snaps back to Alex.

Alex blushes a little as she ducks her head and shrugs her shoulder. "I, ah, after I bought the ring, I came here and asked your mother's permission for your hand in marriage. I wanted to have her blessing before I asked you to marry me."

"You're so sweet." Casey murmurs as she lifts her chin and places a gentle kiss to her fiancée's lips.

From the corner of the living room, Hannah rolls her eyes drastically as she glares daggers into the heiress across the room. She clears her throat before she steps forward and leans against the wall, "Hey Cabot, can I speak to you for a moment?" she inquires, nodding her head towards the kitchen.

Alex glances at Casey who gives her an encouraging nudge before she follows the older woman into the kitchen. When she gets there, she lingers by the door a little, shoving her hands into her pockets when she spots Hannah watching her from where she's leaning against the counter. She opens her mouth to speak, but promptly closes it when she wonders if she even has the permission to do so.

"So you're gonna marry my sister." Hannah begins, her comment coming out as a statement rather than a question as her voice is still void of any emotion.

Alex purses her lips tightly before she nods her head. "Um, yeah, I am…" she responds. "Are you…okay with that?"

Hannah crosses her arms tightly before her eyes narrow once again. "Honestly? No, I'm not, because from seeing how you act in the public, I don't like you." she states firmly. "But there's something in you that Casey loves; I see it in the way that she looks at you, so I guess I'll just have to get used to it. It'll take me some time."

"So…you brought me in here to tell me you don't like that I'm marry your sister?"

"No, I brought you in here to tell you that you better not hurt her. You've made quite the name for yourself, and I'm here to tell you that your little games aren't gonna work in this family. That's my baby sister in there and for the longest of times, we were all each other had so I'm real protective of her. You better not hurt her."

Alex nods her head in confirmation before her mask softens. "I can't say I understand completely, since I'm an only child, but I understand your reasons for wanting to be protective of her." She begins before lowering her voice. "I know I've done some less acceptable things in the past and I know that right now I'm probably not worthy of your respect. But if it means anything, you have my word that I won't hurt Casey. I love her and I would want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life loving her. I promise you that I will always treat her with the utmost respect. I'll treat her like a queen. You have my word."

"That's all I ask." Hannah responds firmly as she extends her hand, another half smile appearing on her face when the blonde hesitantly accepts it. "Welcome to the family."

**Several Months Later **

"Deep breaths, in, out, in, out, in ou-" Serena pauses as she takes note of how her friend has fallen silent. "Casey? Are you still with me, Hon?"

Casey blinks rapidly, swallowing the thick, reappearing lump in her throat as she stares at her paler than normal reflection in the mirror. "I-I don't think I can do this."

"Every woman feels that way when she's about to get married." The model supplies as she continues to curl the ends of Casey's red hair.

"You've been married before?" Kim inquires from her spot in the corner of the room.

Serena hums for a moment before she shakes her head. "No, I was just going by what everyone else says." She responds with a small giggle before sighing happily. "I imagine that it's nice though. You know, once you've gotten past all the nerves and everything."

Casey groans quietly as she continues to stare at herself with a wide eyed expression. "I think I'm going to throw up." She murmurs, suddenly feeling a wave of nausea hit her.

Acting quickly, Kim moves across the room with the trash bin right as the redhead lurches forward, emptying the contents of her stomach into the metal bin. "Yikes…glad we haven't put the dress on yet." The brunette murmurs as she rubs soothing circles in her best friends back. "Deep breaths Case."

"I can't do it. I-I can't do it." Casey stammers, shaking her head vibrantly as she gags again but her stomach has nothing left to give. "There are so many people out there and cameras, and, magazines and they're all going to be watching me for any little mistake that I might make. Remind me why I'm doing this again?"

"Because you're in love." Serena chimes in, setting the curling iron on the vanity. "You love Alex and she loves you. That's why the both of you are doing this. What you're going to do is first we're going to go into the rest room to get you cleaned up, then Kim is going to do your make up, and after that, we're going to help you into your dress and you're going to go out there and have the best wedding in the history of weddings. That's what's gonna happen. Okay?"

"Okay…"

Meanwhile…

"This would've been so much easier if you had just word a dress like your mother suggested." Veronica points out with a small sigh as she busies herself with tying the bowtie around her daughter's neck.

"Mom, you know I don't like wearing dresses unless I absolutely have to." Alex responds, wincing when her mother purposely squeezes the tie around her neck. "Besides, I think it looks nice."

"I'm not saying it looks bad. I'm just saying I wouldn't be standing here doing this if you had on a dress." Veronica retorts before a small smile tugs at the corner of her lips. "I'm only teasing sweetheart. You look amazing and I am very proud of you."

Alex smiles before she leans in and places a gentle kiss to her mother's cheek. "Thanks Mom." She murmurs before she steps back towards the mirror, smoothing her hands over the deep plumb colored vest covering her torso, on top of the crisp, white tuxedo shirt. The entire look is complete with white trousers, tailored to fit her lithe form as is the white coat hanging on a hanger.

"You look dashing." Abbie gushes exaggeratedly, earning her the middle finger from her best friend. "Ouch Cabot. That stings. You're going to abuse me in front of your dear mother?"

"She'll be okay." Alex responds nonchalantly, casting a grin at her mother who glares at her in response. "Love you Mom."

"You better." Veronica retorts as she heads towards the door, spinning around before she takes her exit. "Olivia, Abigail, I trust that you two will be capable to tie your own ties?" she asks, nodding in approval as the two brunette in question give her a thumbs up in response. "Excellent. Alex, I'll be taking my seat now. I love you."

"Love you too Mom." Alex replies before she exhales and turns back to her best friends who are lounging bout the dressing room. "Well guys, this is it."

Olivia stands up from the couch and places her hand on Alex's shoulder. "Are you freaking out yet?"

The blonde jerkily nods her head in response as she takes a shallow deep breath. "Extremely." She breaths before blinking rapidly. "Remind me how everything is going to go?"

"The orchestra starts playing the intro piece. You walk down the aisle first, then Olivia walks Serena down, and after that I walk Kim down. Then your little cousin does her flower girl thing right before the band switches over to the bridal march. Casey comes down the aisle, looking stunning I'm sure, then the two of you get married where you live happily ever after." Abbie explains in rapid succession.

Alex licks her lips and nods her head before turning back to the mirror right. "Right." She responds. "What if I mess up and forget what I'm supposed to say?"

"Don't think about messing up." Olivia quips shaking her head. "Think about how you're about to have the perfect wedding and marry the perfect woman. If that's all you think about then you'll make it through."

"I sure hope so."

**Leave your thoughts? **


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Here it is guys! I hope you all enjoy!**

"Just deep breaths sweetheart," Brenda coaxes soothingly as she gently strokes her youngest daughter's cheek. "Everything is going to be perfect."

"What if I mess up, Mom?" Casey wonders, the fear and nervousness evident in her voice.

Brenda simply smiles and shakes her head at the question. "Don't think about messing up, think about how you're about to have a beautiful, perfect wedding. If you start to get scared then just take a deep breath and let it all out before you remind yourself that Alex loves you regardless."

Casey shakily nods her head after a moment of hesitation before she smiles nervously at her mom. "Thank you for walking me down the aisle."

"It is an honor for me to give my daughter away on her wedding day." Brenda responds, taking a shaky deep breath of her own as she dabs her eyes with her handkerchief. "It just brings tears of joy to my eyes. I'm very proud of you, Casey and I always will be."

"Thanks Momma," Casey responds, placing a light kiss to her mother's cheek. She nearly drops her bouquet when the band begins to softly play the bridal march on the other side. She gives her mom a reassuring nod before she slips her arm through the older woman's as the doors to the chapel are opened.

Immediately, her heart shoots into her throat as she realizes just how many people have attended their wedding, press included. She remembers the discussion she had with Alex several months prior as to possibly having a private wedding, but Casey had simply brushed it off saying that it wouldn't bother her if the press was there and she's long since gotten over making the cover of magazines. Now, though, the flashing cameras are just adding to her nerves.

"You're doing fine." Brenda whispers into her daughter's ear as they begin their slow walk down the violet petal covered aisle. "Deep breaths."

Casey subtly nods her head as she takes a shallow but needed deep breath to help calm her nerves. As she makes her way down the aisle, her eyes land on Kim and Serena standing near the altar, both wearing matching encouraging smiles as they each clutch smaller bouquets of plum colored roses.

Then, her eyes lock with the icy blue ones of her future wife. A small giggle nearly escapes her lips when she reads that Alex is probably just as terrified as she is, but she is doing her best to wear a mask of elegance and precision. She sends the blonde a small, bashful smile and her nerves are calmed immediately when Alex smiles back.

As they reach the altar, Brenda turns and places a loving kiss to her daughter's cheek before she takes her hand and delicately hands it over to Alex. She gives Alex's arm a light squeeze of encouragement before she turns around to take her seat on the front row, right next to Hannah who is watching proudly.

"You look gorgeous." Alex whispers into her bride's ear as she places a gentle kiss to the back of her hand and turns towards the woman that is going to be marrying them.

"Marriage gives permanence and structure to a couple's love. It's a way to tell one another that no matter how much you snore or how much you spent while out at the shopping mall, we're still in this together. Marriage is telling the person you love that you're not going anywhere and that's a powerful commitment for two people to make to one another.

A good marriage must be built on the foundation of this commitment. In marriage the "little" things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say, "I love you" at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is standing together and facing the world. It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is not only marrying the right partner — it is _being_ the right partner.

The road that has brought Casey and Alex here today hasn't been easy. It's been filled with challenges that they weren't necessarily prepared for. But together they've taken each one on and have used those experiences to strengthen, not weaken their love."

As there is a pause, Alex glances over at Casey who glances back and gives her a warm, loving smile. Alex gives Casey's hand a warm squeeze before turning back to the minister as she continues on with the ceremony.

"Casey and Alex, the vows that you are about to make are a way to share your love and commitment to each other in your own words. Sometimes poems, verses and quotes just don't get the point across the way you need them to and the best option is just to do it yourself. These vows are your way of openly declaring your promise to one another as well as to all of those who are here in attendance today. As the both of you join hands, Casey, you may go first if you would like."

Casey nods her head as she hands her bouquet off to Kim before she and Alex face one another, clasping one another's hands. She takes a much needed deep breath of confidence before she begins. "Alex…Wow. I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said that we haven't come a long way, because we have. When I first met you, I was looking for a job and nothing more. I had no idea that I would build a friendship with you and then eventually fall in love with you. Love…it's a new thing for me. I grew up watching those cliché fairytales thinking that I wanted to be just like those princesses. I had no idea that I would find my knight in shining armor in you. You've opened me up to so much and I look forward to learning with you and growing with you as your wife and life partner.

"Alex?"

Alex chuckles nervously before she bashfully glances at the ground and shuffles her feet. "Casey I…, I honestly don't know where to begin at this point. I had tried writing out my vows, but I figured that whatever comes from my heart would be just as special. Casey, I don't know how much I can thank you for coming into my life. You've showed me how to have fun again, be free again, and most importantly, you've shown me how to love again. Meeting you and falling in love with you is one of the best things that could've happened to me. You've stood by me even when most people would've just given up on me and left. You've showed me how to be myself again and for that, I cannot thank you enough. I promise you from this day forward I will spend the rest of my life loving you and treating you like a queen as we spend the rest of our lives together as a couple."

As the couple finishes their vows, the minister smiles widely at the two of them before she begins. "Such lovely vows for a lovely couple." She compliments before continuing on. "Casey and Alex will now exchange rings to symbolize their commitment. Rings are derived from humble beginnings of imperfect metal to create something striking where there was once nothing at all. It is customarily worn on the ring finger as it is the only finger with a vein running directly to the heart. The wearing of the rings is a visible, outward sign that they have committed themselves to one another. May we have the rings please?"

Alex turns around and glances at her best friend who looks extremely confused for a second before she remembers what she's supposed to be doing.

"Oh right!" Abbie exclaims as she immediately begins patting her pockets on her person. "Wait…uh….hang on a sec…"

Alex rolls her eyes before she drops her head and groans. "I knew I should've given the rings to Olivia…" she mumbles shaking her head.

Casey giggles quietly and gives the blonde's hands a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry about it. What kind of wedding would it be if Abbie didn't find a way to mess something up."

"Found them!" Abbie exclaims, plucking the wedding bands from her inside jacket pocket before she walks over and places them into the minister's hand. "Sorry about that."

"Right." The woman responds before she clears her throat. "As I was saying, Alex, please take Casey's hand and repeat these words. I give you this ring, as a symbol of our love,"

"I give you this ring, as a symbol of our love"

"For today and tomorrow and for all the days to come,"

"For today and tomorrow and for all the days to come"

"Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day,"

"Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day"

"And know that my love is present. Even when I am not."

"And know that my love is present. Even when I am not." Alex concludes as she shakily slips the ring onto Casey's left hand.

"Oh, it's just the most beautiful ceremony." Serena gushes as she wipes a stray tear with her hand. "I always cry at weddings."

"Your mascara will run if you cry." Kim supplies quietly, "And I really don't think this is the time where I can redo your makeup if it does."

"True."

"Casey, do you take Alex to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Casey answers with a wide smile.

"Alex, do you take Casey to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

Alex nods her head as wide grin stretches across her face. "I do."

The minister smile at the couple before she addresses the entire audience. "Then by the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce the both of you joined in union. Alex, you may kiss your bride."

Alex takes a half step forward as she raises Casey's veil and leans in to place a delicate yet loving kiss to her lips. "I hope you know this means you're stuck with me now." She jokes as she takes Casey's hand and places another kiss to it.

"Good." Casey responds, angling her head to steal another quick kiss from her wife's lips. "Because I don't plan on going anywhere."

* * *

"They really do make an extremely cute couple." Serena sighs happily as she watches Alex and Casey share their first dance as a couple.

"Yeah." Abbie agrees before awkwardly clearing her throat. "Hey, uh, can I talk to you for a second?"

Serena remains silent for a moment before she relents and nods her head. "Sure." She responds in a clipped fashion as she strides past the brunette and leads them to a quiet secluded corner so they can chat. "You wanted to talk?"

Abbie runs a hand through her hair before giving a shaky head nod. "Uh, yeah." She begins before awkwardly clearing her throat once again. "How're you doing?"

"Managing." Serena responds with a nonchalant shrug as she looks away.

"Well that's good. I just…well, I just wanted make sure we were okay."

"We're fine…everything's fine."

"That's why you haven't talked to me in months?"

Serena sighs heavily as she rakes hers through her hair. "Abbie it's…Just let me deal with things my own way, alright? I'm…I'm still trying to get over you."

A brief look of fear crosses Abbie's face before her expression softens. "Oh…I see…I just thought with Liv you were all…you know."

"Things weren't working out with Liv, so we decided to take a break. We decided I needed to figure myself out before we actually think about a relationship."

"Oh…well, I wish you the best."

"Thanks." Serena mumbles, glancing down at the ground before she folds her arms. "So…how're things with Kim?"

"G-great!" Abbie stammers, clearing her throat for probably the hundredth time that evening. "We uh, well, while Alex is on her honeymoon you know, she gave everyone a little time off…so I kinda planned to take Kim back home with me for a little while…"

Serena bites the inside of her cheek before she slowly nods her head. "That…that's great. I hope you two have a good time."

"Yeah…do you have any plans or anything?"

"Me? Oh, you know…I'll probably have some kind of shoot to to…you know..."

"Yeah…" Abbie trails off quietly before she looks up. "Listen, Serena, I know that we had…a falling out, but I really don't want there to be any bad blood between us. I just want to put all of this behind us and maybe start over? As friends?"

Serena nervously gnaws down on her bottom lip before managing a subtly nod. "I think…" she begins before a tiny smile appears on her lips. "I think I'd like that…"

**Honeymoon**

"Alex…" Casey whimpers as her wife gently lays her down onto the soft mattress of their hotel suite. "Alex, I-I've never…"

"Shhh," Alex shushes, hovering over the redhead before she leans down and captures her lips in a gentle kiss. "I promise that I'm going to take care of you, okay? You don't have anything you need to worry about."

Casey shakily nods her head as she feels a hand gently grazing up the inside of her bare thigh. "I just don't want to mess anything up."

Alex tilts her head as she looks into her lover's emerald green eyes. "Casey, there is no possible way that you can mess anything up. Right now, this moment is going to be all about you. I just need to know, do you trust me?"

"Y-yeah," Casey answers with a nervous tremor.

"Casey…" Alex warns in a firm voice. "Do you trust me?"

Instead of responding, Casey wraps her arms around Alex's neck and pulls her down into a firm kiss. "I trust you." she whispers against the blonde's lips once they've broken the kiss.

Alex nods her head before she turns her head to the side and begins placing delicate kisses up and down her wife's neck. "That's all I need from you." she whispers, trailing her hand down Casey's thigh. "Just relax, okay?"

Casey nods her head, her heart rate increasing when she feels talented fingers inch closer and closer to her seeping desire. A small gasp escapes her lips when she suddenly feels fingers gently slip into her center and a groan of pleasure escapes her lips when those fingers begin to slowly continue their journey.

"Are you doing alright?" Alex asks worriedly, pausing briefly to check on her lover.

"I-I'm fine. P-please, more."

"More?"

"God yes."

Pretty soon, Alex has settled into a steady rhythm with her wife arching into her, matching each thrust as nails involuntarily claw at the bare skin of her shoulders.

"Oh god," Casey moans, feeling a spring beginning to coil in the depth of her stomach. "Alex, please! I'm so close,"

"Cum for me, Baby." The blonde whispers, burying her face into her lover's neck, inhaling her pleasurable scent. "Let it out."

Casey's mouth falls open in a silent scream as she is heavily hit with the waves of her orgasm. She collapses against the mattress while the heiress collapses on top of her, holding her close and placing gentle kisses to her body.

"Are you okay?" Alex asks with a gentle chuckling once their breathing has calmed.

"More than." Casey responds with a hum as she allows Alex to hold her close. "Have I ever told you that I love you?"

Alex grins at this and steals a kiss from her beautiful wife. "You might've mentioned it once or twice…Mrs. Cabot."

"Mrs. Cabot, hm? I think I like the sound of that."

"I sure hope so, since you're stuck with it."

"Always."

**I really hope you guys all enjoyed this story. It is always truly a pleasure to finish a story for you guys and I'm always glad for you guys to stick with me. Hope to see you guys on my other stories! So for the last time on Growing Pains; Leave your thoughts! **


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