DISCLAIMER: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and all characters are property of NBC and Dick Wolf.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Written years ago as a drabble attempt. I failed.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
FEEDBACK: To darandkerry[at]yahoo.com
Snowed In
By Ann
Olivia stood near a window, staring out at a blanket of white. The record snowfall had successfully accomplished the one thing the police department continually strove for: crime had come to a standstill. Even the pickpockets and shoplifters stayed away. No one – rich, poor, young, old, pillar of society, or criminal – dared to face the elements Old Man Winter had thrown at the city. And so, Olivia was just one amongst the many, stuck in her apartment with nowhere to go, but the worst of it wasn't her forced imprisonment. No, it was that her imprisonment was in the form of solitary confinement.
Reaching up a hand to wipe away the condensation that had formed on the glass, Olivia spared a glance at the sky, noting the white flakes still falling steadily. She squinted and looked past the crystals of snow, hoping to spy any sign of air traffic. She knew it was foolish to expect to see blinking lights of airplanes flying overhead, but she couldn't help but wish it was so. Instead, the dark sky only offered more flakes of snow, its meaning clear; Alex wouldn't be jetting her way home anytime soon.
Olivia didn't take any solace in knowing Alex was probably just as miserable, and more than likely, stuck in a terminal at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Sighing, she moved away from the window and pulled the curtains closed, not wanting the constant reminder of why she was stuck in her apartment, alone and missing her lover. The feeling of isolation, coupled with the memory of the falling snow, sent a chill down Olivia's spine, and she crossed her arms to ward off an involuntary shiver. Angling across the room, she headed straight for the kitchen; she needed a drink.
Miles away, a snowplow slowly worked its way down the center of the street. The blonde, sitting in the passenger seat, wrapped her arms around herself tightly.
"Can't this thing go any faster?"
The driver shook his head in reply and reached for the thermos beside him. "Here; there're some cups under the seat."
Alex narrowed her eyes and stared at the offering until her gloved hand slowly reached out and took the thermos. Opening the lid, she sniffed the contents and smiled – hot chocolate. Alex didn't waste any time digging for the cups, and just a few moments later, she leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes, allowing the liquid to warm her body as her thoughts shifted to her lover. She'd much rather have Olivia warming her at the moment, but fate had moved directly into her path.
Everything had been going according to plan. She'd managed to get an earlier flight out from O'Hare and had arrived at JFK just as the airport had cancelled all incoming and outgoing air traffic. Alex resisted the urge to phone Olivia, wanting to surprise her instead, but by the time she'd retrieved her luggage and made it to the front entrance, the surprise was on her.
The snowstorm had blown in so fast, all transportation to and from the airport had also been suspended. She'd sat on her designer luggage for over an hour before spotting a snowplow making its way to the front of the terminal. A flash of her ADA badge and a made-up story of an emergency trial had Alex sitting in the cab of the truck and smiling brightly. She had no idea how long it would take to reach the city, much less make it all the way to Olivia's apartment but, at least she was making some progress.
"So, what's the case about?" The driver's query brought Alex out of her thoughts. His curiosity had finally gotten the better of him.
Alex almost panicked, but a quick glance at her watch told her that she could easily worm her way out of any story she came up with. "A hitman for the Mafia is considering turning evidence against his boss."
The man's eyes widened. "Really, who?"
"Sorry, I can't say; attorney/client confidentiality and all." Alex waved a free hand, apologetically. She hoped he didn't realize that confidentiality didn't extend to the prosecuting attorney.
"Oh, I understand." The man looked down at the truck's clock. "It's after five; do you think they've waited for you?"
Playing her part beautifully, Alex frowned and reached for her purse; pulling her cell free, she punched in a familiar number. "Judge Petrovsky, this is ADA Alexandra Cabot. My apologies to the court, Your Honor, but I've not been able to traverse through the city in a timely manner. I've managed to commandeer a snowplow, and its wonderful driver has taken time out of his busy shift to help me out. I imagine it'll take . . ." Alex looked at the driver in question.
The man increased the speed of the plow with a determined look. "Fifteen minutes."
Nodding her thanks, Alex readied to complete her call. "Fifteen minutes. Oh, I understand completely. I'll be in your chambers tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. sharp, weather permitting, of course. Thank you, Your Honor." Alex flipped her phone closed and turned toward the expectant driver.
"She said to give you her thanks for all your trouble, but she had to postpone the afternoon proceedings due to inclement weather. There's also the chance that the trial will have to be postponed until Monday."
Clearly disappointed that he hadn't been able to do more, the driver asked, "Is there anywhere else I can take you?"
Alex smiled brightly. "As a matter of fact, there is."
Across the city, Elliott held the receiver in his hand, staring down at it in confusion.
"Really, Charlie, you don't have to see me to Olivia's apartment. I can take it from here." Alex reached to retrieve her luggage from the snowplow driver.
Charlie glanced around nervously. "I insist, Alex. Those Mafia guys can be very tricky."
Alex bit down on her lip to keep from smiling at the man. He'd been worried about her safety when he'd suddenly remembered a movie he'd seen where the mob went after both the prosecuting and defense attorneys. Alex had tried to explain that she was perfectly safe, but it was now evident that she hadn't been able to convince Charlie.
"I'll just see you to your detective friend's door. He can take over from there." Charlie gripped the luggage and took Alex by the arm, assisting her through the inches and inches of snow which had accumulated on the sidewalk.
"She," Alex corrected her new friend as she concentrated on her steps. Falling and injuring herself this close to her goal wasn't what she'd had in mind.
Charlie faltered for just a moment before he gripped Alex's elbow more tightly. "A female detective? Is she any good?"
Alex grinned in memory. "Oh yeah, she's very good."
Charlie just nodded and continued up the walk. Soon, the pair was standing just outside of Olivia's door.
Inside the apartment, Olivia sat on the couch, flipping aimlessly through the channels with her first glass of whiskey in hand. She'd decided she was hungry earlier and had micro-waved some leftover pizza instead of diving straight into the bottle. Now, she was ready for dessert, and since Alex wasn't around, Jack Daniels would have to do.
The amber liquid had almost made it to her lips when a knock sounded. Cursing under her breath, Olivia placed the glass on the table and moved to the door, spying first through the peephole to see what idiot had dared to brave the snowstorm. Charlie's figure was all she saw. Tilting her head, she watched the nervous man.
Shifting from foot to foot, Charlie glanced from left to right almost as if he expected to see a trench-coat-clad hitman attack from around the corner. He slid his hand into his pocket and attempted to look as if he, too, had a gun. After all, it had worked in 'The Godfather'.
Olivia watched the big man move his hand into his jacket, and she immediately sprang into action, grabbing her gun from the bar and peering at the man once more before she turned the lock and opened the door in one smooth motion.
"You mind telling me what you're doing lurking around my apartment?"
Charlie looked down the barrel of the gun and froze. Alex had been right; the detective was very, very good.
"Olivia! Put that gun down." Alex stepped around the frightened man, chastising her lover for scaring the person responsible for bringing them together.
Olivia slowly lowered her weapon. "Alex? What...how...where?"
Alex smiled and lifted her bag from the front step. "Charlie, this is Detective Olivia Benson. Olivia, this is Charlie, the very nice man who used his snowplow to deliver me to your doorstep."
"Oh, nice to meet you, Charlie." Olivia gestured to her lowered weapon. "Sorry about pulling my gun on you."
Charlie slowly relaxed. "That's okay, Detective. I'm just glad you'll be able to keep Alex safe from the mob." He smiled at Alex. "I guess I'll be going now. It looks like you're in very good hands, Alex." With a nod of his head, he took his leave.
Alex called out her thanks, and he waved as he stepped around the corner and out of view.
"Alex?" Olivia stood in the doorway, a look of confusion etched on her face.
Taking Olivia by the hand, Alex pulled her into the apartment and placed her luggage on the floor. She pushed the door closed and slid her arms around her lover.
"Questions later, Liv; right now, you need to show me exactly how good your hands really are."
Olivia grinned widely. For the remainder of the night, she'd do just that.
The End