Show: Beck/Law&Order

Title: Going A-Viking

Author: The Raven

Pairing: Det. Alice Levander/ADA Serena Southerlyn

Summary: Detective Levander is sent to New York City to participate in the investigation into the murder of a Swedish businessman...

Rating: PG-13 to NC-15, though I do not believe in rating things...

Spoilers: General show stuff, but nothing in particular.

Feedback: nerocorvo@f-m.fm

Disclaimer: They are not mine, I'm just rubbing them together to see what happens. The story however, is mine...
Beta Reading: Watch this space... :)

Notes: What or who is Beck? ( http://tinyurl.com/5ahnx ) It is a Swedish Detective Series, that is actually a set of several TV movies that deal with the daily lives and cases of homicide detectives in Stockholm. The movies revolve around a lead detective called Martin Beck, but Alice is so much more interesting for me. The movies are interesting, engrossing and well made, I recommend them; the movies are in Swedish and subtitled into Finnish, so have patience with me and my interpretations...

ADA Serena Southerlyn was not amused...

For reasons that she could not quite comprehend, her boss had decided that she was the ideal candidate to go and fetch someone from the airport.

'Well, not just someone...' Serena's mind supplied as she glanced around the arrivals area at JFK. The person in question was a Detective Levander, who had been summoned from Sweden to aid in the investigation of a murdered Swedish businessman. No doubt, the Swedish police force had ulterior motives for sending an officer across the Atlantic, but what they were was something that Serena had no clue about at the moment.

Right now, she was just impatiently waiting and silently fuming...

Her logical mind supplied the obvious facts, she was involved with the case, though not directly investigating it and therefore was qualified yet available. Also, international cooperation usually required a delicate hand and no doubt, the DA's office expected her to be a liaison or some kind of diplomat in this matter. It made sense, of course, but Serena Southerlyn was not amused, regardless...

Finally, the throng of people seemed to thin out a little and the final stragglers coming last off the plane appeared. Detective Levander would no doubt arrive, hopefully...

As if on cue, a last lone figure was expelled from the automatic doors and seemed to be looking around with an air of expectation and caution. Serena instinctively knew that this must be the good Detective and sure enough, in a moment the figure turned and noticed her, paused for a moment and before making a beeline towards her. Serena mentally uprooted herself and started walking towards the figure when she became aware of a few things: Detective Levander was female, no more than five and a half feet tall is she was an inch and walked with a easy confidence Serena had not seen in a while.

'Maybe this won't be such a bad thing after all, hmmm?' Her inner voice purred at her before Serena backhanded it into silence and put on her professional mask.

"Detective Levander?" Serena inquired as soon as the woman was in earshot, even though she already knew the answer.

As the woman looked up at her, Serena felt herself pinned by eyes that were as blue as a tropical sea. A few heartbeats passed and Serena felt as if she was being assessed in just a fraction of time before the woman smiled and answered her.

"Yes, I am she."

The clearly enunciated words were wrapped in a heavy accent and revealed a slightly husky alto voice. The exotic sound wrapped its way around Serena's mind and to top everything else off, the woman had rich dark hair; Serena found herself itching to touch it, curious at its texture and weight.

'Down girl!' Serena heard the more sensible side of her inner voice say.

A few heartbeats passed before Serena snapped out of the trance that this blue eyed woman had somehow put her under Serena extended her hand and introduced herself.

"I am Assistant District Attorney, Serena Southerlyn. Welcome to New York City."

Immediately, her hand was enveloped in a warm and confident grip as Detective Levander shook her hand.

"Detective Alice Levander, Stockholm police." The woman supplied, only somewhat unnecessarily. Serena found herself absurdly pleased to know the woman's first name even though she could have looked it up. Know she also knew its pronunciation...

"Do you have any luggage?" Serena inquired as the two finished with their greetings.

"Yes, one bag as I was not sure how long I will need to stay." Alice Levander said as she paused to slip on her leather coat and glanced around.

"This way then." Serena said and soon they were standing at the baggage carousel waiting.

Detective Levander was completely silent and it only took Serena a few moments to realise that the brunette woman was probably completely exhausted. No doubt, she had not been given much notice and even if she had managed to sleep on the plane, Jet Lag and just simply the exhaustion of traveling would be catching up with her by now. As the alarm announced that the bags were coming, Serena stepped back to allow the woman space to retrieve her bag and in a few minutes the two were walking out of the airport and Serena quickly hailed a cab.

"Where are you staying?" Serena asked as she slid into the seat beside the Detective and noticed that the woman now looked like she was going to simply fall asleep at any moment.

"This was so unexpected, that no reservations have been made. I have a company credit card and some Euros, which I will need to exchange. Do you have any suggestions?" The fatigued Detective said.

"Ouch, New York and without a reservation. This could get tricky and expensive." Serena said in a contemplative voice.

In truth, it was an almost impossible scenario that would not be fixed today without spending absurd sums of money and lots of irritating time. Serena suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the dark haired Detective and before she could stop herself, her mind was made up and she was already speaking.

"It will not be possible to find a hotel tonight, not realistically anyway. I know you're tired and they expect you to work tomorrow, so how about this; you come and stay in my guest room tonight." Serena almost wanted to snatch the words back, but also knew that the offer was sincere on her part, now it was just a matter of seeing what the other woman would do with it.

* * * *

Detective Alice Levander looked at the woman sitting beside her in the New York City cab. This blonde lawyer who had been sent to pick her up and act as an impromptu hostess for the time being, was proving to be very interesting.

From the moment Alice had seen the woman in the arrivals lounge, she had been quite curious about this Serena Southerlyn and now the woman had offered her own home as a place to stay. The temptation was almost irresistible, Alice was beyond exhausted and would need a good nights sleep, a shower and lots of coffee to be in functioning order tomorrow. The sooner that she got these things, the quicker she'd be back on her feet.

Finally, Alice made a decision and leaned over to dig through her carry on at her feet.

"I've got to call my boss and update him, see what he says. Excuse me for a moment..." With those words, Alice pulled out her cell phone, said a brief thanks to the fact that global cell phone networks were now common place and switched the small phone on. In another moment, she had selected Martin's phone number from the list provided and then the phone begun to ring.

Not very many rings later, the gruff but not unfriendly voice of her immediate superior answered the phone and Alice launched right into the conversation.

"I've arrived safely and so has my luggage. The New York City police sent one of their prosecutors to pick me up and the woman tells me that it will be impossible to find a hotel here in a reasonable time and for reasonable money. I see no problem accepting, but I wanted to check protocol on this matter..."

Alice looked at the blonde woman sitting beside her, smiling slightly to hopefully reassure Serena. Obviously the American lawyer did not speak Swedish, even though she easily looked the part of a Valkyrie. Alice's fatigued mind immediately supplied her with the necessary horned helmet and other garb and before she could stop herself she burst into a fit of tired giggles.

'Okay, enough of that...' Alice told herself as she listened to Martin tell her that it seemed perfectly fine to him and to keep him informed.

"I will, say hello to Gunvald. I'll call you tomorrow..."

With those words, Alice hung up the phone and turned her attention back to speaking English and to the woman sitting beside her.

"Thank you very much, that is so kind. I will stay with you tonight and we'll figure out the hotels tomorrow." Alice quickly smothered the yawn that arrived at the end of her sentence and leaned back to rest her eyes for a moment, trusting herself to the tall blonde completely.

* * * *

By the time the cab arrived at Serena's address, Alice had all but fallen asleep. Serena was smart enough to realise that it was probably a compliment from the Swedish woman. Obviously she trusted that Serena would take care of her and had allowed her guard to come down as a consequence and had subsequently fallen asleep.

"Detective Levander, wake up, we're here." Serena said softly, not wanting to startle the sleeping woman. Shockingly blue eyes opened instantly, seemed to pierce Serena with their gaze and then the dark haired woman sat up and collected her bags from her feet.

"Call me Alice, we're not at work right now." The heavily accented words were thick with sleep and the combination caused Serena to shiver ever so slightly.

Quickly the two women exited the cab and then Serena lead the way up the steps and into her building and in another few minutes they were standing in front of her apartment door. Once inside, Serena suddenly remembered that it had been a long while since she had last entertained anyone and the thought made her feel self conscious.

'Well, this was more business than pleasure...' She tried to tell her inner self, but it did little to help. Since the moment she had seen the Swedish Detective, she had been charmed.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, Serena lead the way into the apartment and then turned to her guest.

"It's not really a guest room I am afraid, this is Manhattan after all... The couch is actually a sofa bed, I just need to remove the cushions and bring linens out. Would you like to shower, have anything to eat or drink?" Serena felt a blush start to creep up her neck as she spoke and it was slightly disconcerting, as it usually heralded the fact that she was becoming smitten.

Blue, blue eyes turned to her, their vibrant intelligence obvious despite of the obvious fatigue that now weighed heavily on the dark haired woman.

"Thank you, you are very generous. I will shower I think and then maybe I should eat a piece of fruit and go to bed. I am dead on my feet and not such good company tonight I am afraid." Alice Levander's voice was low but clear and Serena could not help herself as she reacted to the exotic quality that the Swedish woman's accent gave her already beautiful voice.

Moving swiftly, Serena dropped her coat and bag and went to her bathroom, doing a cursory check and then pulling out some towels which she set on the edge of her tub.

Coming back to the living room, she found that Alice Levander had removed her coat and shoes and was rummaging in her larger bag, no doubt for sleep wear and toiletries.

Standing, the smaller woman gave Serena a small smile and then moved into the bathroom. Only moments later, Serena heard the sound of her shower and it snapped the blonde attorney out her befuddled daze.

'Sheers, blankets, pillow!' Her inner Miss Manner's prodded her and in short order, Serena was making up her couch into a bed, knowing that Alice Levander would soon be unable to resist her body's demand for sleep.

After she was done, Serena moved to her kitchen, quickly finding a glass and filing it with water and looking for a snack for the Swedish Detective. It was unlikely that the brunette woman would actually be hungry, but Serena wanted something available for her in case Alice woke during the night due to her Jet Lag.

When Serena moved back to the living room she found Alice sitting on the made up couch with her head thrown back and her eyes closed. Blue eyes opened at Serena's entrance and then the Detective spoke.

"I've got to sleep. Thank you again for everything Miss Southerlyn." Alice's voice was almost a whisper as the woman slid herself into the makeshift bed and laid her head down.

Inexplicably moved by the woman's obvious fatigue, Serena came to stand by the edge of the couch before kneeling.

"Call me Serena, we're not at work right now. I've left water and a snack in the kitchen for you and please wake me up if you need anything..." Serena softened her voice as she watched sleepy eyes blink at her and saw a slight non of a dark head.

Resisting the urge to brush the damp hair from Alice's forehead Serena stood and moved herself towards her bedroom, her thoughts preoccupied by the small brunette asleep in her couch...

* * * *

Alice Levander woke up at about 3 o'clock the morning, having managed to sleep for about 5 hours. In Sweden, it was 10 am making any more ideas of sleep impossible for the moment. Still, she did feel somewhat refreshed and now she also felt hungry; maybe after she had some food she would be able to convince her body to go back to sleep. She would need her rest as in the morning she would be expected to report to work, such as it was.

The decision to send her to New York had been somewhat abrupt, Alice was sure that Gunvald had expected to go in her place. However, the level of diplomacy and tact needed in international cooperation was not something anyone expected Gunvald to maintain, so Alice had been the next logical choice.

'Lucky that I managed to pack a clean set of underwear...' Alice mused as she quietly moved towards the kitchen, finding the pitcher of water her hostess had so thoughtfully laid out and helping herself to some of the fruit on the counter top.

Alice finished her snack and then wandered back over to the couch, feeling the fatigue of her trip weigh heavily on her. At the very least, if she was unable to sleep, her body would be reclining and get a measure of rest regardless.

As she lay down, Alice found her thoughts wandering back to her hostess, Serena Southerlyn. Feeling her cop brain try to analyze the possible heritage of the blonde attorney from name alone, Alice eventually gave up and sank into a light doze. Alice became aware just before consciousness slipped away from her that she was looking forward to the morning and seeing the blonde woman again, this time in a more awake state.

* * * *

Serena Southerlyn opened her eyes a few minutes before her alarm clock was scheduled to go off and quickly reached over to switch it off. No sense in disrupting her morning with the harsh noise if it was not needed...

With a small sigh, the tall blonde woman stretched her body out luxuriously under the down comforter that covered her. Her mind pleasantly blank for the moment, she gradually allowed it to fill with thoughts of the day and what she would need to arrange and achieve during its measure. It was as she was mentally organizing herself that Serena quite suddenly remembered her guest, Alice Levander, hopefully still asleep in the living area.

Moving quickly, Serena stood up and automatically reached for her dressing gown, pulling the belt tight over the powder blue satin pajamas that she wore as she padded barefoot into the adjoining room. Her footsteps were silent and to her great relief, Alice Levander appeared to still be asleep, which was a small miracle if one considered Jet Lag. Veering off to move towards her kitchen, Serena smiled slightly when she spied the evidence of Alice having woken during the night, though for how long Serena had no idea. It was a sweet thought and it accompanied Serena as she started to prepare coffee and breakfast, knowing that Alice would probably wake up very soon as any sleep she was in could not possibly be very deep.

* * * *

Alice Levander woke as the heavenly scent of coffee penetrated into her mind and her body finally signaled that it was time to wake up. Running a hand through terribly disorganized short brown hair, the Detective sat up and blinked sleepily, her senses and her perceptions coming into focus.

Serena was awake and making coffee, good manners and the desire to see the tall blonde woman quickly caused Alice to stand up and make her way towards the kitchen. As she arrived, she was suddenly frozen to the spot at the sight of the blonde woman in such an unguarded state; dressing gown, pajamas and disheveled hair.

Serena looked so wonderful to Alice's tired eyes, that it was all she could do not to walk forward and envelop the attorney into an embrace. Mentally shaking herself, Alice intentionally made more noise that she normally would so as not to startle her hostess and then moved towards her. Warm blue eyes graced Alice as Serena turned towards her and for along moment neither woman moved, the unguarded moment continuing and extending to both of them.

It was Alice who moved first, after having come to the conclusion that her senses were not betraying her; the American woman was signaling interest and strong interest at that. With that, Alice decided to take a gamble and show her appreciation openly and almost immediately, her sharp cop eyes picked up on the dramatic change in Serena's body language.

'That's an invitation if I ever saw one...' Alice all but heard her inner monologue declare imperiously.

Batting it aside, Alice moved closer to the tall blonde and smiled.

'Good morning Serena." Alice said, her voice rough from sleep and disuse.

There was an almost perceivable shiver from Serena as the woman composed herself.

"Good morning to you too Alice." The lawyer responded and Alice felt a shiver of pleasure at hearing her name from the woman's lips, carefully pronounced as well.

Now close enough to the blonde woman to pick up on the sleepy warm scent that enveloped her, Alice found it difficult to focus on anything else. Her mind was screaming about how inappropriate this could be, her body was pushing her forward and her senses were overwhelmed by the irresistible temptation offered to her...

* * * *

Serena felt the urge to cough up her tongue as the petite brunette Detective gazed at her. It was clear to the blonde attorney that the Swedish woman was feeling the pull of their mutual and instantaneous attraction.

'Now what?' Asked Serena's inner voice quietly, seeming to hold its breath in anticipation.

Swallowing audibly, Serena put down the butter knife she had been using and took a small step towards Alice, making the movement as careful and non contrived as possible.

The brunette did not back down, in fact she seemed to move towards Serena and in another heartbeat, Serena felt strong arms around her, holding her carefully, seeming ready to let go if Serena hesitated at all.

One did not become an ADA by being timid and Serena was more than secure in her own sexuality... Without hesitation, Serena embraced the other woman and sighed contentedly as she inhaled her clean scent. A moment later, Serena felt gentle fingers on her chin as Alice tilted her face to look at her and then for a long, eternal moment. As blue eyes looked into blue eyes, they seemed to search, question and come to an answer in the space of a few heartbeats that lasted a lifetime.

A moment later, Serena lowered her face and brushed her lips lightly over Alice Levander's waiting mouth, carefully, not wanting to push the other woman towards anything.

The response was immediate and Serena felt hands move to the back of her head as the two women kissed fully, hungrily, forever. The connection both had instantly felt now freed fully and the result was intoxicating, overwhelming Serena's senses and defenses as she felt herself kissed like no one had and probably no one would ever be able to.

Finally, the need for air forced the women apart and they stood for long moments, thoughts of work, coffee and breakfast forgotten as they experienced only each other and the moment that they were in.

"I guess this means I won't need to find a hotel?" Alice asked, her voice thick with passion.

Serena was unable and unwilling to control her reaction to the eroticism that was triggered by Alice's extraordinary voice, so she did not. Bringing their lips together again, Serena pushed the brunette detective against the kitchen sink and kissed her, openly, freely, with a passion so intense that it felt completely new to the blonde woman.

Finally, after another set of long moments that added up to a brief eternity, Serena pulled away from Alice and rested her forehead against her shoulder.

"No, you won't need a hotel..." Her voice made deep by her raging hormones and emotions, Serena could only feel as arms tightened around her and soft lips kissed her head.

She'd have to remember to thank her boss for his foresight in sending her to the airport to pick Alice up, though she'd neglect to mention just exactly why. A light laugh traveled through her as she lifted her head to look into the passion clouded and brilliantly intelligent blue eyes of Alice Levander...

The End