The alarm went off and succeeded in its task as both occupants of the queen sized bed jerked awake, one with a groan and the other with a huff, both displeased. The man was the one who groaned and flapped back down unto the mattress upon taking notice of the hour. The woman quickly, yet with a tired body stood up from her bed and slammed off the annoying clock.

"Come back to bed, sun's not even up yet Bennett." The man groaned, his voice muffled by the pillow, yet clear enough for Olivia Bennett to understand what he had said.

Olivia debated what her response to the man should be; scold him for staying the night when she had instructed him not to, or give him an extensive and personal explanation as to why she needed to be up at 5:30 am that day. As she threw on her nightshirt she groaned, it was far too early for moral debates. She ignored him and left the bedroom for the kitchen.

Not feeling nearly as awake as she wanted to be, she made herself a cup of tea, briefly wondered whether she should make the current man in her bed -Brighton Fox- something and nearly gagged at the thought of such domesticity. If the Medical Examiner wanted coffee he could make it himself, he wasn't even supposed to be there.

He had arrived yesterday night with a bottle of wine and Italian take-out. Their relationship was over -had been for months, but Olivia had been unstable and needy, and she had just wanted to relax. Fox had provided her with the perfect activity to do precisely that.

It was as if thinking of the night brought Fox out of her room, graciously lagging himself, stark naked across her small living room and into her kitchen. He needed to leave, she had work to do, had to concentrate on it, couldn't afford a distraction. His perfectly toned muscles and broad shoulders counted as a distraction.

"The sun's not up yet B," he yawned, "you don't have to clock 'till 8."

Olivia stared at him from across her kitchen, her eyes not blinking and her stare penetrating right through Brighton Fox.

The man just wiggled his eyebrows childishly before yawning again.

"You need to leave, I have to get ready." Her demeanor towards him was cold. She quickly turned away from him and started raiding her kitchen for breakfast, silently praying she could actually find something to eat so she could pressure him into leaving.

"Bennett-"

"I'll see you later." She cut him short. It was too early, there was not enough caffeine in her tea and the day's activities she would have to do were slowly catching up with her still-sleepy brain. She did not have time for ex-boyfriends turned lovers; she needed time to herself, to prepare for what was sure to be one of the most tedious, exhausting, frustrating days of her life as a Homicide Detective for the NYPD.

He stood there for a couple of seconds, analyzing the gorgeous beauty in front of him. She was a strong woman; he had always known that, but had not been prepared for the depth of her strength once he had gotten into a relationship with her. As a Doctor he had been used to woman being fascinated by him, needing him.

Olivia Bennett had been the surprise exception and yet he had managed to convince her they could have been a good match. They had been: in bed; in just about everything else, they had not. She was a beauty that enjoyed his company and his occasional bad med-jokes, but kept him at a distance. Fox understood her aloofness, but did not lose hope that maybe one day she would open up to him.

"Fox, today is not a good day. I'll call you later."

It was embarrassing for Olivia to admit to such weakness; she was a first grade homicide Detective, the youngest woman to work at the 6th precinct yet she trembled and panicked at the thought of the day ahead. It was not something she was proud of. Rook would have smacked her for her thoughts, but Rook was not there and he wouldn't be.

She heard Fox return to her bedroom and she physically relaxed against the counter. It truly was the way she had imagined her first morning back at work would be like. She scoffed at her own sarcasm and shut close the cabinet she had left open; she had to remember to buy food every once in a while, in the meantime, she would have to make a quick pit stop at Linda's Diner before clocking into work.

The thought of the old diner brought Olivia back to analyzing her day and what it meant. Five years, for five years she had had Rook, had needed Rook, and had depended on him. Now it was over, all gone, ripped from her fingers. She did not doubt her capacity as a Detective, she was one of the best –the best according to Rook. She knew she could do just a fine a job with or without her partner, but it just did not seem fair. It was one thing to suspend them both for eight weeks on administrative leave; it was another to dissolve their partnership and destroy the best team the precinct had.

No more breakfast at Linda's or late night Thai take out, laughing over something his four year-old had done. No more 'kid you've gotta eat', or 'part of the club, kid'. She would miss the pet name he had given her, hearing his voice daily, saving her from prying eyes and manic captains. Stupid Lehman case, stupid Federal agency, stupid Sam Wynn.

No! She thought, she couldn't think that, it was wrong of her. No case was stupid, every victim deserved justice just as every criminal deserved what they got.

She could curse the FBI –she decided to allow herself to do so.

As the sun finally started to make its morning rise and Olivia managed to guide her thoughts back to finishing her tea, Brighton Fox appeared from the bedroom, all showered and clothed with a ridiculous handsome smile and striking green eyes that –in the right lighting- matched Olivia's almost perfectly.

Olivia liked the ME well enough, he was funny and sweet; he could be suffocating sometimes, but he was good company. She gave him a tentative smile, one that wasn't an apology for her behavior, but a symbol that she wouldn't attack him again.

"Don't worry, I'll just fix myself a cup of coffee and then I'm out. Just got a call about a body on West 11th Street, I'm meeting Cross and Piper there." Fox unconsciously kissed Olivia's crown, grabbed the spare water in her pot and made truth of his promise. Olivia didn't blink, she just waved and sighed as her front door closed.

The good news that she salvaged from that morning was the fact she would probably not be called about the body drop; she did not think she could have been able to start of a partnership with a before-sunrise-homicide. That, alongside with the clear view of the sunrise she had from her window were the only good news of the morning. Olivia did not know exactly how to feel about the situation.

She threw her now empty mug into the sink and sighed as she read the clock, she felt it mocked her.

It was time to get ready.