Because of Vesuvius

Author's Note: You've all been waiting so patiently, so I decided to go with someone's suggestion that I post a few chapters in a row at a time instead of waiting until I was completely finished with the story. I'm about 35 chapters in now, so I figured it was time to start doing that. You'll be getting one chapter a day for 3-5 days before I take a break from uploading. I won't be doing any more revising/editing until I write another 5 chapters of the story. This story wasn't supposed to be as long as the first one, but… yeah. I have no idea how it has gotten so long already. The curse continues apparently.

As a second note, this is the sequel to Finding Vesuvius. If you haven't read that story, you will likely need to before reading this one or you're going to be incredibly lost. This story picks up around a year after the first one left off. No promises that "Because" is better than "Finding" because I don't think it is, but hopefully you will enjoy it anyway.


Chapter One – A Reimagined Life

The steady, rhythmic thud of her fists against the bag was soothing. Each impact brought on a sense of strength, something she'd been continually searching for since her injury. It had returned, slowly, though having a physical reminder of that strength was always nice. Olivia struck the bag twice more before stopping and running a quick hand over her forehead to brush back sweat soaked strands of hair. Her hair had reached that annoying length where it constantly got in the way but wasn't long enough to tie back without strands falling free anyway. With her hair back where it belonged, at least temporarily, she lifted her fists and continued her kickboxing.

A sudden amount of extra resistance during one punch startled her and broke her concentration. She glanced up to find one of the regulars holding the bag for her.

"You look good, Olivia," Chris told her warmly.

"Thanks. I feel good."

And she did. A year of regular work outs at the gym had done wonders. It was more than feeling good too. She looked good. There were a few benefits of not working with the NYPD full time. With more time on her hands she was able to get in to the gym more often and was in better shape now than she had been years ago when she had been on the job. The worry, stress, and exhaustion that had dominated her face so often before were gone now too. All it had taken was a brush with death, serious depression, and a furry guardian angel.

"You still going?"

Olivia flashed him a bright smile.

"Yeah, actually."

Chris slipped back behind the bag so he wouldn't get hit as Olivia returned to her attack. A few strikes later and a flicker of creamy gold in her periphery vision caught her attention. Next thing she knew Suvi was standing on his hind legs with his front paws on the bag beside Chris' hands. Her punches faltered and she nearly laughed.

"Looks like someone is a little jealous." Chris eyed Suvi sideways and shook his head. "Has he held the bag on his own before?"

"No, but he learns quickly. If he's seen people do the same thing for me multiple times he'll eventually try it himself."

Suvi always wanted to help. Since they'd been paired he'd become very good at helping her and anticipating her needs. Many times she didn't even need to ask him to do things. This time though she didn't really want him helping out since he could easily get hurt. She pointed to where he'd been before.

"Go lie down and wait."

Suvi huffed but dropped to all fours again before plodding over to where she'd pointed. Satisfied that Suvi was out of the way and back where he should be Olivia returned to kickboxing while Chris continued to hold the bag.

When she'd first started looking for gyms she'd been worried about the response she would receive from other members. The first few months they'd been curious but generally friendly. As time had gone on the curiosity had died down. Everyone was very supportive of her and Suvi, and they checked in with her from time to time. Once in a while someone would even hold the kickboxing bag for her like Chris was. She slowed her punches and brushed her hair out of her eyes again.

"I think I'm good."

"Giving up already?"

Olivia laughed softly and shook her head.

"I've been going for a while now. I could use a break. Thanks for your help."

"Sure. Take care of yourself."

Olivia nodded and called Suvi over. He trotted up to her and sniffed at her sweat soaked legs. She didn't think her legs could possibly smell good since she desperately needed a shower, yet for some reason Suvi always sniffed around at her after a workout. Olivia shied away from his ticklish whiskers and rested a hand on his head. Despite her attempt to still him Suvi caught her off guard when he tried to sniff her legs one more time. When his nose touched her bare skin she high stepped away and barely suppressed a yelp.

"Jeez, Suvi! Stop it."

Olivia shoved his nose away and started toward the locker room. This time Suvi obeyed and walked calmly at her side without trying to enjoy the apparently wonderful smell of sweat and body odor. She grabbed a towel out of her locker and dried off as much sweat as she could before putting on more deodorant for the trip home. It was rare for her to shower at the gym since it was simply easier to shower at home. Plus if she was showering at home Suvi could enjoy himself in the apartment instead of remaining on duty at the gym. After grabbing her bag and clipping Suvi's leash on she headed for the door.

"Have a good day, Olivia," the desk attendant told her on her way out.

She lifted her hand in a wave goodbye and stepped out of the door. The gym was a good distance away from her apartment, but she'd come to know the neighborhood in the past year. Some of the small businesses and residents in the area had come to know her too. Aside from that, Olivia had met one of the women that lived nearby and went to the same gym as her, and they'd become good friends.

Olivia was just about to go down the steps to the subway when her cell phone rang. After stepping to the side to let other people through she tried to find the quietest spot to answer.

"Benson."

She listened for a few moments and then a flicker of surprise crossed her face. The call was a request for a rather high level conference. Almost five months after she'd gotten Suvi Olivia had spoken with the NYPD in hopes of following Bayard's suggestion of becoming a consultant. It hadn't taken long to get the approval thanks to Cragen. When he'd found out she was planning to become a consultant for the department he'd gone to bat for her. After she'd done a few consulting jobs word had gotten out that she had stepped back into the world of sex crimes. Despite the fact that she was no longer a detective her reputation was still solid in the world of law enforcement. Calls had begun flooding in to Cragen which he'd passed along to Olivia. A lot of people had wanted her as a speaker for various events focusing on child abuse, rape, and sexual assault. It had absolutely amazed her and humbled her in a way. She had never in a million years figured she would be sought after as a speaker on the national level. At some point she would take on some of those national sessions, but for the moment she was staying mostly in state. A few times she travelled out of state if it wasn't too far away though. Thankfully she got to decide if an engagement fit with her schedule and she wanted to go. Many of the bigger ones even paid for her transportation and lodging as well as offering a small bonus. It was nice to add to the income she received from consulting.

"If you send me all of the information I'll look into it and see if it will fit into my schedule," she said in response to the conference request.

The location was somewhere she could get to easily enough, so unless the timing wouldn't work she'd be fine to go. Most of her other commitments could be rescheduled, but there were a few she wouldn't want to miss. Aside from her speaking engagements and consulting jobs she'd started volunteering at support groups and the local hospital. Some of the bigger engagements she didn't want to miss even to speak at a conference since she knew the kids and women and how much they looked forward to seeing her and Suvi on a regular basis. Chances were there wouldn't be a problem.

"Yes. That would be great. I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

She hung up and looked down at Suvi.

"Looks like we have another speaking commitment, Su."

Suvi's ears pricked and he looked up at her. A moment later he looked down again and contented himself with looking around. Apparently the idea of going to another convention wasn't very interesting to him. Olivia smiled and shook her head in amusement. He never seemed interested in her speaking jobs. The ones related to her volunteering were much better since he got to have people sit and pet him all day.

"Come on, you."

He trotted off down the subway steps with Olivia at his side. With the number of times they'd been to the gym Suvi had learned the route home long ago. Getting to the park from the gym was just as easy, and sometimes when she was really lost in thought during the trip home she'd find herself there instead of her apartment. With how much work she'd put in today she was definitely going to pay attention. A shower was much more appealing than a trip to the park, but he should get over the disappointment pretty quickly. They would be joining Amanda and Frannie in the park tomorrow after all.