Olivia lay awake in their bed, a still sleeping Brian's arms wrapped around her. Her right hand intertwined with his while her left played with the small rectangular charm on her necklace. Her fingers ran over the letters etched into the gold jewelry. "Fearlessness."
Even though she had willingly taken her necklace off to leave it as a clue for her squad, she felt it was only appropriate. Lewis had taken her sense of fearlessness—her ability to feel the fear of the situation she was faced with and confront it head on anyway. Olivia had always been the type of cop who put others' needs before her own. It was something her coworkers noticed, and knew was the reason why she had such a knack for earning the trust of victims, her empathy and selflessness overflowing—the victims immediately felt that they now had a personal protector who would forge head on to their rescue, a lioness to protect the innocent.
But in light of recent circumstances, Olivia was forced to first take care of herself before she was able to care for others. She reluctantly began therapy, but after realizing she needed help, invested whole-heartedly in her recovery. She refused to let Lewis take her life from her. She delved deeper into the wounds—a necessary evil to sanitize them in order for them to heal properly. It was painful, but well worth it. Olivia was at a place in her life she had never been, even before her altercation with Lewis.
She was back at work and more focused than ever, she was nearly as healthy as she was when she started working at SVU—she had pushed her body to a toned and solid physique, and she was in a steady relationship—a lifetime first for her. She and Brian had taken the next step in their relationship and gotten an apartment together. Thirteen years ago, if someone had told her she and Brian would one day be in a steady relationship she probably would have laughed in their face. But now, Olivia wasn't sure how she would have faired if not for Brian. The thirteen-year gap between their rookie-detective-fling and their relationship now had done them both good. Cassidy had matured from a naive, green detective to a seasoned, experienced man. Whereas Liv let nothing get in the way of her job in the beginning, she realized how she had treated Brian all those years ago. She had used him and never meant for things to get personal, and when Brian wanted something to come of their one-night stand, she had pushed him away, explaining that it didn't mean as much to her as it obviously had to Cassidy. And thirteen years later, she had changed, realizing she had been faithful to the job, but what did she have to show for it?
As Olivia lay there, a smile crept over her face. She was happy. She had been put through the ringer, and managed to come out on top. She put the work in, and there was light at the end of the tunnel, a warm, welcoming light that brought joy and peace to her life. Brian was a part of that light. The past few months, he had really shown her just how much he had grown as a man. Through all of it—the silence shattering screams that woke her from her nightmares, the angry lash outs that came with seemingly harmless comments, the nights of body-racking sobs on the bathroom floor, and the months of being startled by his touch rather than comforted—he never ran. He had been a rock for Olivia, and she loved him for it. Not only that, but unlike so many previous short-lived relationships, Brian had neither run from the knowledge of her job, nor insisted on her resignation from it. He had been there before; he knew why she did what she did. He understood the stress, the ungodly hours at which she received calls, and the commitment it took—and he never held it against her.
She couldn't explain how comforting and de-stressing it was to have someone to come home to, especially someone who she could talk about work to without scaring him away. They fit together perfectly and she felt safe there. Her heart swelled at the thought of it, and her newfound happiness spread warmth throughout her body. Olivia silently thanked God it was her day off, she wanted to lie in Brian's arms, with no where to be, no responsibilities. She melted into him, feeling his muscular body engulf hers and she prayed that the evildoers of Manhattan kept themselves at bay for the day. She felt Brian stir, his arms gave her a slight squeeze, and he breathed her in, and kissed the top of her head.
"Good morning," he whispered from behind her, and rolled onto his back for her to turn and face him.
"Morning," she said as she turned to face him, draping her arm across him, and resting her head on his chest. He lifted her chin, slid his hand up to hold her face, his thumb near her ear, his other fingers holding the back of her head. His thumb caressed her face as he looked into her eyes, their lips met in the most tender of kisses, filled with all the emotions he wasn't the best at putting into words. Brian wasn't necessarily a man of words, he was more a man of action and he did his best to show Olivia how much he loved her as often as possible.
"Breakfast?" he asked when their lips parted.
They made their way into the kitchen of their new apartment and Brian couldn't help but be taken aback by her beauty, wearing one of his button down shirts, sporting bed hair and no makeup, he thought she was the most beautiful he had ever seen her. He watched her as she started a pot of coffee and moved about the kitchen. Her long, toned, tanned legs never ceased to make his gaze linger as he took the sight in. Barefoot, standing with the refrigerator door open, he walked up behind her, placing his hands on her hips and then running them around to pull her into him, placing small kisses in the crook of her neck.
"Have I told you how beautiful you are lately?" he said sweetly, still holding her. She turned around to face him, chuckling.
"You're full of it, Brian Cassidy," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into him and kissing him. His hands found the small of her back, then moved slowly over her ass to pick her up set her onto the counter, their lips never parting. He stood between her legs, her hands in his hair, his exploring her thighs and hips, and they kissed lovingly. Brian's hands moved further under his shirt she was wearing, and he deepened their kisses.
"So what's for breakfast?" she asked when they had to break the kiss to breathe, both still within each other's embrace.
"Let's see what we've got," he said with a grin on his face. Olivia stayed seated on the counter, and Brian turned around to investigate their fridge. As he leaned over to look into it, he playfully wiggled his butt at her seated behind him. She lifted herself off the counter with her hands to lean forward and kick him a few times. He quickly grabbed her foot, eliciting a yelp from her. As he turned around, he held onto her foot, making her hold herself up on the counter to keep from falling.
"Bri! Let go!" she laughed as he held her off the counter. He grabbed her other foot, walking closer to her and wrapping her legs around him. He wrapped his arms underneath her, supporting her full weight on him. She leaned down and kissed him passionately. A deep moan left his throat as they kissed.
"Looks like breakfast will have to wait," she grinned into his lips.
They continued to kiss and Brian carried her back into the bedroom. He gently laid her down on the bed and took a moment to admire her. He didn't think it was possible, but she was even more beautiful now than when he had first seen her in '99. He moved back closer to her, kissing her with all the emotions he could put into his touch. Olivia felt everything he was trying to convey and she returned the sentiments. Brian's kisses moved from her lips to her neck, down to her chest and trailing his fingers as he worked to undo the buttons of his dress shirt she was wearing. Goosebumps formed where his lips and fingers explored, his touch eliciting a reaction from her body. When he had undone them all, Olivia sat up to reach for him, covering his mouth with hers and Brian removed the shirt from her shoulders as she did. She heard the fabric land somewhere on the floor behind him. Her hands explored his chest, feeling the two scars that reminded her of how she almost lost him. She gently kissed them both. Brian laid her back on the bed, kissing his way down her body and curling his fingers underneath the trim of her lace underwear. Olivia knew it drove him crazy, and she un-admittedly wore them on purpose. As he tugged at the fabric, her hips lifted off the bed slightly. His kisses trailed all the way down her legs.
Brian took off his boxers and kissed his way back up to her mouth, stopping to give her breasts some well deserved attention. His mouth covered hers, their tongues moving in a skilled dance, her hands in his hair, his hands running the length of her torso. Her leg slid up and around his waist, pulling herself as close to him as she could possibly be, their hips both involuntarily moving towards each other. Her core pulsated in anticipation for him, his full length throbbing to feel her around him. His hand moved down to find her swollen clit and she shuddered at his touch. He inserted two fingers into her while his thumb continued to play with her clit. Olivia squirmed underneath him and his fingers thrust into her and curled around her sex. He grinned into their kisses and worked in and out until he felt her clench around his fingers and her body shudder in the wake of her first orgasm, a moan escaping her lips.
When she came down, she kissed him hard, then pulled away to look soulfully into his eyes. As Brian looked into her eyes, he could not wait any longer, he needed to show her just how much he loved her. He positioned himself and entered her, allowing her body to adjust to his length and fill her. He began to move inside her slowly, rolling his hips into her with each thrust. Her hands gripped his back, her nails digging into his skin. He kissed her passionately as he made love to her. They both looked into each other's eyes as they climaxed together. His body collapsed on top of hers, placing sweet kisses on her lips and neck.
Before Brian could pull out, Olivia rolled them over and she straddled his hips with him still inside her. She leaned down to him, a grin plastered on her face and found his lips. Her tongue traced the inside of his lips and she bit his bottom lip. She felt him harden inside of her. His hands snaked up her back, his fingers paving the way for the dancing flames of desire to make their way across her body. She began to roll her hips slowly and seductively, taking her time to hit all the right places within her. The look of pure ecstasy on her face only fueled Brian's hunger for her. He held onto her hips and bucked up into her, heightening the pleasure. Olivia threw her head back and closed her eyes, basking in the waves of pleasure that came with each roll of their hips. Climax wracked their bodies for the second time that morning, and along with it came a slur of profanities and each other's names uttered as deities to which each one worshipped the other. They both lie there in one another's embrace, Brian's fingers tracing small circles on her back, Olivia's head on his chest. It was perfect, pure bliss.