Forced Perspective
Fandom: Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
Category: Pre-slash
Archive: Sure, but ask first.
Feedback: Yes, thanks
Pairing: Casey/Olivia
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Season 5 "Loss" et al. If you don't know who Casey Novak is there's not much in it for you.
Disclaimers: Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and its characters belong to Dick Wolf et al. No infringement on any copyright is intended and no profit is being made.
Notes: Sequel to "Most People."
The gin helped ease the conversation. She still avoided, strayed away from topics that remained too close, had too much of her in them but they talked as they hadn't before. Not simply colleagues, or co-workers, but simply as two women sitting on a sofa, one trying to desperately to get warm after too long a walk in the snow.
She was curled into the corner of her couch with a blanket over her legs as Olivia told tales from squad room; she saw how Munch's cynicism, Elliot's traditionalism and Fin's streetwise watchfulness somehow together allowed them to function as a pseudo-family under the watchful eye of Cragen, always trying to keep them as balanced as possible. Olivia seemed to be mix of many things that she found hard to put into words. Casey listened eagerly, aware that at some point she too would be a part of such stories.
She found herself telling stories of law school: of almost making the law review but not, of almost deciding to go into environmental law but not, of almost dropping out altogether and moving to California to find something more than the certainty the law seemed to offer at the time, but not. Telling forced perspective and she thought for the first time since being assigned to the unit that she had made the right choices.
She tossed off the blanket to go get another drink but Olivia put her hand on her knee and told her to stay as she was, and went to the kitchen. The touch had the same warmth as it had in the car and Casey debated about drinking anymore, wanting a clear head. Olivia returned with the bottle of gin and another beer for herself. She filled Casey's glass and then took her seat, smiling carefully from behind her bottle. Casey grinned.
"You know that probably isn't necessary."
"What?"
"If anything happens tonight it will happen whether I drink what's in that glass or not."
"What could happen?"
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