“I needed one of the best friends I’d ever had.  I ran back here, never looked back.  I wanted it all over, and it was over.  I never thanked her, or you for that matter,” said Alex.

            Olivia waved off the thanks, “You don’t have to thank me.  I was and am your friend.  This woman…”

            “Sabrina.”

            “Sabrina, were you two…?”  Olivia tried to say the word intimate, but she couldn’t.

            “No,” Alex said.  Olivia seemed relieved for a moment, and then saw the look in Alex’s eyes.

            “You wanted to be,” began Olivia, and then she stopped.  The conversation becoming more than awkward between them.  Both women ate their food for a few moments, Alex saying nothing, thinking about what she wanted to say.

            “I didn’t realize it, until I saw her shot.  Then today, when I saw her again, she took my breath away.”

            “That beautiful?” asked Olivia, taking a sip of her drink.  Alex nodded, “To make you breathless, she has to be.”

            “You’re very funny.  I have a bad habit of getting crushes on my co-workers,” admitted Alex.  Olivia blushed, “Yes, I was talking about you.”

            “I know.  I heard about Mike,” offered Olivia, changing the subject. 

            “I’m not going to get Escobar, they covered their tracks.  I will get this Clark Dutch, but I’m not sure if I’ll get what I want.”

            “Which is?”

            “Redemption.  For me, for Mike.  For the office, I’m not loved like Mike was.  I’m a hard nosed…”

            “You don’t have that hard a nose.  Alex,” Olivia began, “you’re home now.  I think you should track down, Sabrina.  Talk to her, because, face it, not many women can put up with you.”  Alex laughed and Olivia continued, “As for you ditching me for months, you’ll pay me back, starting with picking up the bill.”

            Alex laughed, nodding and they fell back into an easy conversation about work, all the while Alex was thinking about Sabrina.

~*Conviction*~

            “Tighty whities,” announced Christina, making Brian laugh. “Do you think we’ll get him, this Clark guy?”

            “Oh yeah, if the comeback kid says we’re going to get him, we’re going to get him.  Have you seen her in action?”

            “Oh yeah.  She’s phenomenal.  Goes right in there and tears it up.  I was in awe, I’ll never be that good, and that confident.”

            “You will be,” said Brian.  “that baby case, the one with the leukemia kid?  That took balls to keep searching at it.  Took bigger balls to stand up to Steele about it.”

            “But Cabot is the one that closed it,” said Christina, picking at some of the noodles from the box next to her. 

            “Yeah, but if it hadn’t been for you, they’d never have known it was a case,” reminded Brian. 

            “Ok, stop stroking my ego, lets get back to work, or do you have a hot date later?” 

            Brian smiled, stroking his chin, “No date, just me and you, Chris, just me and you.”