Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Dick Wolf does. Some of the dialogue is taken from the episode 15x01, Surrender Benson. Not mine either.

A/N 1: I apologize for not posting regularly, but I have been very immersed in the presentation of my master's thesis. It took a lot out of me and I was just burned out.

A/N 2: When I watched this episode I thought, "Why not?". My second try at a Rolivia piece. Not Cabenson, but great chemistry nonetheless. But let's be honest here… Olivia Benson would have chemistry with a slice of toast. ;)

Thoughts are in italics. As always, I took a few liberties regarding the plot. Also, if I were you, I would refrain from reading this if you like Brian Cassidy. ;) Happy reading!

xxxx

This Feeling

"What started out as friendship has grown stronger. I only wish I had the strength to let it show."

Detective Amanda Rollins was casually perched at her desk at 7:30 in the morning, languidly sipping a Starbucks coffee so she did not have to drink the dishwater they got at the precinct. After having gotten a confession out of a delivery boy, Fin had gone out to get them the good stuff, as he called it, as a treat. Waiting for her shift to be over, she smiled when she saw her fellow detective, Nick Amaro, make a face at the taste of his own coffee. They were all going about their business, every now and then teasing each other about who hadn't paid the coffee money yet, when Brian Cassidy walked in holding flowers, making Amanda want to take them and pummel him, making all the pretty red petals fly across the room.

She had no doubt that they were for Olivia. The woman who had captivated her from the day she first started working at the 1-6. At first she had brushed it off as admiration, but soon she could not deny her real feelings any longer. The way her heart fluttered when the dark-haired beauty walked into a room, the way the little hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention and goose bumps spread across her skin when she looked at her with these deep brown chocolate orbs. In hindsight, she had to admit that she had been smitten with Detective Olivia Benson since the day she had first laid eyes on her.

However, that same day she had also met Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot and had immediately noticed that there was history between these two. The way they had looked at each other, interacted with each other, had been so familiar and at the same time so… off! Unresolved. The way Alex had scrutinized Amanda when they were introduced had left her uncomfortable and wary.

Her musings were interrupted by Cassidy, "Yo, Munchie Munch."

Amanda had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes and John turned around, "Brian! Flowers? You didn't have to!"

"Yeah, dream on, pal," Cassidy mumbled, straightening his stance, "Hey, have you seen Liv?"

Amaro casually strolled past Brian, his coffee in hand, "Cragen gave her two days off."

Munch raised his eyebrows behind his glasses, "She didn't tell you?"

Brian looked like he had gathered completely new information so Amanda already knew the answer. However, she kept following the conversation going on between the three others. It was obvious that Amaro was not Cassidy's biggest fan and Amanda also knew that he knew about the blonde's not so subtle feelings for Olivia.

Brian looked at Munch, confused, "No. We were supposed to hook up yesterday, but I got roped into a double shift so–"

"So you stood her up?" Nick interjected. "Nice move!" His voice was dripping with sarcasm and Amanda could not help but snort into her coffee, earning them both a death glare from Cassidy.

"Look, I left her a couple of messages. I haven't heard back from her." Again, Amanda refrained from rolling her eyes.

Really? She's your fucking girlfriend, pal…

That was when the Captain stepped out of his office, smiling at seeing Cassidy, "Hey Brian!"

"Hey Cap!"

"How's Liv doing?"

Munch looked at their boss over his glasses and sing-songed, "He hasn't seen her."

Cragen frowned, deep creases of worry visible on his forehead, "When's the last time you spoke to her?"

Cassidy swallowed, his Adam's apple bouncing nervously in his throat, "Uh, Monday. I left a few messages."

Nick gave Amanda an eye-roll and she watched as he picked up the phone to call Olivia, while Cragen kept his gaze on Brian, "Well, she was pretty down when Lewis got released."

Cassidy interjected, always so protective over Olivia that it made Amanda want to vomit, "Yeah, well… Can you blame her? They just let the guy walk? Come on!"

Always the oh-so-worried boyfriend in front of others, when he was everything but in reality. He did not even know how to treat his woman. However, that was just Amanda's opinion.

"It went straight to voicemail. Hey Liv, it's Nick. Give me a call." Amaro hung up and that was when the strange feeling started in the pit of the blonde detective's stomach.

Munch shook his head, "You know Liv. She can't turn it off. She is probably deep into his case file by now."

Cragen shrugged, "Still, John. Alright, Rollins and Fin. Good work you two. Listen, I need a favor. Before you two punch out, just swing by Liv's apartment? I just want to make sure she hasn't gone down one of her rabbit holes."

The blonde felt Fin's eyes on her as she grabbed her coat and nodded. Her partner turned to Brian, "Hey, Cassidy. You comin' with?

Willing him to say no, Amanda anxiously awaited his answer, "Uh, no. I'm back on tour in thirty. Hey Rollins, if you talk to her, will you have her give me a call?"

Trying to prevent the blonde from jumping the poor man, Munch said, "Easy, Romeo. Just check in on her."

The blonde detective smiled her thanks, making her way out of the squad room, her partner letting her step onto the elevator first, "Manda, easy there with the daggers you shoot his way. He's a prick, but there ain't no going back once the whole precinct knows that you're crushing on Liv."

Amanda's eyes widened and her head whipped around, making Fin laugh, "No worries. You know… Liv is crushing on you, too."

Punching her partner's shoulder, the blonde grumbled, "No, she isn't. So shut it, Tutuola. Or the whole world will know that you are drooling after Melinda Warner."

Chuckling heartily, Fin waited for Amanda to step off the elevator first, before they made their way over to Olivia's apartment.

xxxx

While the blonde was driving over to Olivia's, Fin tried to call her landline several times but the brunette did not pick up, making Amanda's stomach roll unpleasantly once more. She had a bad feeling, but tried to push it to the back of her mind while they did not have confirmation.

Parking the car in front of Olivia's building, Amanda got out and looked up to the brunette's apartment, waiting for her partner to get out of the car so she could lock it. They took the stairs to the fourth floor, Fin huffing and puffing when they had made it up.

Amanda grinned, "Getting old, Finneus?"

Ignoring the friendly jab, Fin looked over at his partner of two years, "So, she didn't pick up her landline."

Feeling a lump in her throat, the blonde tried to find a reasonable answer, "Yeah, well… the girl had a tough week. I mean, she could just be catching up on her sleep."

Raising an eyebrow at her, Fin shot back, "For thirty-five hours?" He knocked at the door, calling Olivia's name, while Amanda's gaze found the door mat and the pile of mail lying on top of it.

"Okay, so either she didn't come home, or she hasn't left her apartment in two days," Amanda mused, praying that it was the latter.

"Hey, Liv! It's Fin! Liv!"

They did not get an answer and Amanda's hand automatically went to her gun. Looking back at her, Fin nodded and reached for his own firearm, before calling for back-up and kicking the door in. Seeing the inside of the apartment, the blonde's stomach dropped and anxiety settled in her midsection. However, they had to clear all rooms first before she could worry about that, so she tried to concentrate.

Walking into the bedroom, she heard Fin yell, "Clear!"

"Clear," she shouted back and rejoined her partner in the living room. They could only stare at each other disbelievingly at the picture before them. Lewis had ripped the whole place apart. The blonde's stomach turned at the sight of blood splattered over the floor and strands of Olivia's hair lying around. She tried to shake her head clear of the images flooding her head to prevent the bile from rising in her throat.

Moments later, Captain Cragen stormed into the apartment and took the scene in, "It's him. It's Lewis."

Nodding, the blonde tried to keep it together, "Yeah, he tied her up. He duct-taped her mouth. Her hair, her blood…" Amanda's felt her voice crack, "Captain… It's everywhere."

Her boss put his hand onto her shoulder, squeezing gently in an attempt to comfort the blonde detective, when Nick stormed out of the bedroom, "He might have taken her down the fire escape. The window's open. Her bedding is gone.

Cragen interjected, "Any sign of her cell?"

Having crouched down to take a closer look at the blood on the floor, even though she did not want to, Amanda replied, "No, it's not in the apartment, but TARU is tracking it.

The Captain nodded, "Canvass the building, the neighborhood. Check all surveillance cams."

The blonde saw her partner turn around out of the corner of her eye, "There's a pan on the stove with keys. It smells like burnt hair and flesh."

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to keep her gag reflex in check, Amanda rose up to inspect what Fin had just pointed out, even if she did not want to. Her professionalism would not allow her anything else. There was indeed a pan on the stove, cigarette butts scattered all over the counter, keys and coat hooks left in the pan, making the blonde want to cry. The thought of Lewis having abducted her love was horrifying, imagining the torture and pain Olivia was probably going through was sickening. Amanda was brought back to the present by Cragen mumbling, "Son of a bitch." He turned to a uniformed officer, "A detective has been kidnapped. You bag everything. I gotta call one P. P." He whipped around to Amaro, pointing his finger at him, "You find him!"

Feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, Amanda retrieved it, sliding the screen to open the text message, "We got a ping off her cell. It's Bushwick. Lewis's halfway house."

With that, Amaro and Fin stormed out of the room and made their way over there.

xxxx

Having stayed behind to question Olivia's neighbors, Amanda received a phone call half an hour later, Fin telling her that Lewis had his roommate's Lincoln. He also said something about Vanessa Mayer, his attorney, but the blonde was already on her way out of the building, having hung up to report to the Captain.

Amanda found her boss on the sidewalk of Olivia's building, talking on the phone. She motioned for him to follow her to the car and they drove off in a direction that was not quite clear yet.

"Mind telling me where we are going, Rollins?" Cragen asked, "Is there any news?"

Looking at him every now and then, she answered, "Actually there is, Cap'n. Fin called me and said that Lewis stole his roommate's Lincoln and drove off to his lawyer girlfriend. We have to get a hold of Mayer."

"I'll call her office," Cragen spoke, already having punched something into his phone. "Captain Donald Cragen, Special Victims Unit. Miss Adler, I need to know about the whereabouts of Miss Vanessa Mayer today. We need to speak with her regarding an urgent matter." The blonde heard rustling on the other end before a woman's voice responded. The Captain nodded, "Thanks, Miss Adler." He hung up and switched on the sirens, "Courthouse. Step on it, Rollins."

Amanda did just that, hoping that they would find Olivia before it was too late.

xxxx

Running up the steps, the blonde detective flashed her badge and asked where Mayer was. The security man took one look in the books before answering, "The People vs. Jennifer Bolton. Courtroom One."

"Thanks, Officer," Amanda called over her shoulder, sprinting in the signposted direction, not waiting for her boss to follow. Storming into the courtroom, the blonde made a beeline to the defense's table, "Your Honor, if we could…"

"Order!" Judge Copeland yelled, banging her gavel on wood, the sound echoing through the courtroom.

Amanda was relentless, "This is an urgent police matter. We need to question Counselor Mayer."

The judge raised an eyebrow at Amanda, "We are in the middle of an arraignment."

"Look, I understand that–"

"Captain Donald Cragen, SVU. Your Honor, Counselor Mayer may have information about a suspect who's holding a NYPD detective hostage. Please, your Honor. We won't be long."

After having granted a recess, the judge dismissed Mayer for ten minutes, and the redheaded lawyer immediately went on a rant about how the NYPD had a vendetta against Lewis.

"Look, Counselor… Your client broke into Detective Benson's apartment two nights ago. Now, he either killed her or he's holding her captive."

Mayer shook her head, "You are out of your mind. I just saw him."

Amanda's and Cragen's eyes met before he turned back.

"When?"

"Where?" they asked at the same time, but Mayer just rolled her eyes.

"This is harassment. I don't have to answer your questions."

The redhead turned on her heel and stalked down the hallway. When Amanda followed her, she had to restrain herself so she would not smack this bitch over the head and slam her against the nearest wall. Instead, she pulled out her phone and tapped on the gallery icon to get her point across, "Hey, Counselor! Look, these… these are pictures from that detective's apartment."

Mayer curled her lip, "You have the wrong suspect. I was with him all day yesterday."

While Amanda was asking herself if the redhead was naive or really dense, Cragen insisted, "Where?"

Swallowing, Mayer finally answered, "We drove to Long Island."

"In a Lincoln?"

"Yes?"

Here we go. "He stole it. Where'd you go?"

Now looking like a scared puppy, the redhead answered, "He said that he wanted to go to the beach to clear his head."

She still supported Lewis. They only saw the first flicker of doubt in the attorney's eyes when they went into the topic of her parents deeper. Lewis and Mayer had had dinner at their house the night before and when Cragen asked if they had been home, Amanda knew they had gotten through to her. She said that they had been there and the blonde did not even want to imagine what they would find upon arriving at the parents' house in Bellport.

xxxx

Amanda sat in the ambulance with Mrs. Mayer while the EMT were tending to the woman's needs, rushing her to the nearest hospital. They had found Mr. Mayer dead in the kitchen and his wife had been hanging in the bedroom closet, hands above her head, raped, burn marks marring her skin, but still alive.

They had also found Olivia's necklace in the Lincoln Lewis had left behind. The Mayers' car was missing, but Fin was able to find out that they drove a black Chevy SUV. At least they knew that Olivia had still been alive when Lewis brought her there.

"What happened, Mrs. Mayer? I need you to know everything that you remember."

The older woman looked at Amanda, her voice weak in her agitated state, "My daughter brought him. We all had supper together. He drove her to the train station. And then he came back."

The blonde saw tears gather in Mrs. Mayer's eyes, but she had to press for more information, "Can you tell me what happened after Lewis came back?"

The other woman swallowed hard, "He drew a gun on me and he made me take off my clothes. He made… oh, God! He made her watch while he raped me."

For the umpteenth time that day, Amanda's stomach churned and she dreaded what Mrs. Mayer would answer to her next question, "And this woman… Did she say anything?"

"No. She had duct-tape on her mouth. He told her to keep her eyes open. Every time she tried to close them he put a lit cigarette on me."

Leaning forward, the blonde queried a little more forcefully, "Was this woman… was she with him when he left?"

"Detective!" the EMT warned, but she had to know. Amanda just had to know if there was still hope for her love, forgetting all about being an SVU detective, who was interviewing a victim.

"She… she passed out…" Mrs. Mayer's voice was quivering and she was just shy of losing consciousness.

"But she was alive?" The blonde leaned over the other woman now, wanting to take her by the shoulders and just shake the answer she wanted to hear out of her, "Could you tell that she was alive?"

Feeling an arm push her back forcefully, her back hit the ambulance's side wall and she sunk back into her seat, "You're done, Detective!"

xxxx

Sitting at her desk later that day, Amanda struggled to keep her eyes open as she tried to go over Lewis' M.O. with Munch. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped lightly, whipping her head around to see that it was only Fin, holding a cup of coffee out for her to take. She did, her lips twitching with a grateful smile, "Thanks, Fin."

"Manda, why don't you try to get some sleep in the cribs? Amaro and I are on our way out because they found a dead officer. I'm sure Munch can do this on his own. You look like hell."

Shaking her head violently, Amanda took a generous sip of her coffee, praying that the caffeine as well as the adrenaline pumping through her body would give her the strength to push through. Her love was somewhere out there, being tortured and God knew what by William Lewis and she needed to put a stop to it. She needed to find her even if it was the last thing she did. Reading through his file, trying to establish his patterns, she started to feel sick to her stomach. There were so many women he had tortured, raped, and even left to die in so many different states… and they had not gotten justice.

Running her hands over her face and heaving a deep sigh, the blonde stood up from her desk to start pinning all the information she had retrieved to the board before returning to her desk to help Munch dig through the rest of Lewis' file.

xxxx

Amanda just finished up reciting every sick detail of what William Lewis did to his other victims, mentioning that Vanessa Mayer told Cragen and her that they went to the beach so Lewis could clear his head, when Cassidy came at her, snapping, "The beach? In Long Island? Which beach, hm? North shore? South shore? The bay? Do you know how many beach houses there are in Long Island?"

Just like earlier that morning, Munch jumped in before the blonde could throw a heavy object in Cassidy's general direction, the stapler on her desk looking exceptionally attractive, "Easy there, Tiger. We don't want to lose our heads here. It's more than we had this morning and you don't get to lash out like that here. So knock it off!"

"Yeah, well… you still don't know where she is. What the hell are you doing?"

"Everything we possibly can, Brian. Knock. It. OFF! Or you will have to go. I'm serious," Munch interjected, his hands in the air, trying to calm Cassidy down.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm going out there!"

Holding Cassidy back, Munch answered, "You can't go out there. You're involved with the victim!"

"Victim?" Brian spat, pushing Munch in the process, but the Sergeant stood his ground.

"Enough, Cassidy! They've got the zone flooded. State Troopers, Suffolk PD, NYPD. You won't see something they don't."

"Two days, Munch. What's he doing to her, man?"

Closing her eyes, the blonde tried to fight back the tears. It was not her place to cry. Olivia was not hers, but of course Amanda had the same thoughts constantly.

Her vision blurred and she heard Munch say, "You can't think like that."

"If she's even still alive."

Amanda's jaw went slack, tears running down her cheeks now, and the blonde wiped them away furiously. It was not her place and she did not want anybody to see her cry. She struggled to keep her feelings on a professional level. Brian Cassidy was Olivia's boyfriend. Olivia was not hers to protect. She was a fellow detective. Nothing more. So the blonde made her way over to her desk, hearing John soothe Brian on her way, "Liv's alive. She's a survivor."

xxxx

Lying in one of the cribs, Amanda tossed and turned, trying to get a little sleep. She had not slept in three days now, constantly trying to catch a break as to where Lewis took Olivia. The dead officer was Jimmy Hamilton. Lewis had shot him in the head and stole his squad car that he later used to pull over a mother, pistol-whipping her, before locking her and her baby in the squad car trunk and taking off in her white minivan.

Turning onto her back, Amanda stared at the ceiling, the thoughts running wild in her head. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Olivia's face. The brunette was crying, begging for her to come and rescue her.

She took a sharp intake of breath before rolling out of bed, making her way into the bathroom to splash water in her face and returning to the squad room. Fin was there, getting ready to leave when he spotted her, "Manda, your thirty minutes ain't over yet. Go back upstairs."

"I can't sleep, Fin. Where are you going?"

Tossing Amanda her jacket, he gruffly said, "Found the white minivan. We are on our way there now. Come on!"

Stumbling while putting on her jacket, the blonde followed Fin and Amaro to the elevator and to the car.

xxxx

When they stormed into the house where the van was found, Lewis was not there. They just encountered the daughter, who was making out with her boyfriend in her room. To say that the blonde found that fact discouraging was an understatement.

She holstered her weapon and made her way back downstairs and outside, motioning for the father that it was okay to step inside the now cleared house. Leaning against their car, she buried her head in her hands, heaving a deep, frustrated sigh. She was so, so tired. However, sleep was not an option. She would not be able to relax unless she knew Olivia was home save and sound.

They had already checked all the area's hardware stores and had found the one Lewis had bought supplies at. Amanda cringed internally at the thought that he had bought tarp, rope, wire and a hand-held blow torch. Images of Olivia tied to a bed somewhere flooded her mind and she had to fight another wave of nausea. Feeling cold sweat cover her body suddenly, she started to see little black dots as the world started spinning. She tried to hold on to the car more tightly, but to no avail. Her legs gave out under her. Fin was there to catch her around the waist, Amanda not having seen him approach her.

"Easy there, Baby Girl. Come on, let's get you in the car," he soothed, opening the door to the back seat, guiding Amanda so she could lie down. "Have you eaten?"

The world was still spinning and the blonde had a hard time focusing, "I don't remember."

"Okay, let's get you something to eat and a Coke. You didn't take care of yourself in the past few days."

xxxx

Having lain down on the couch in the Captain's office, legs propped up by pillows from the cribs, Amanda munched on a Burger with fries and drank the Coke that came with the meal. She didn't have an appetite, but she knew that she had to eat something. Otherwise she would just break down. Feeling the food's desired effect kick in, she let out a deep sigh. The dizziness was gone and she felt a lot stronger now that she was eating and drinking something other than coffee. Fin was right. She had just forgotten to eat while worrying about Olivia.

The blonde felt her senses sharpen and heard Fin approach, his heavy footsteps very familiar to her after two years of being partners. He opened the door and closed it softly behind him, Amanda watching his every step as he made his way over to her. The sofa dipped as he sat down in line with her waist, rubbing her belly, baby-talking to her, "Manda happy? Manda eaten? Good girl!"

"Fuck you, Tutuola." He grinned mischievously and the blonde continued, "In all seriousness… thanks, Fin. Any news?"

Shaking his head, he answered, "You're welcome, Baby Girl. And no, there ain't any news. Everyone is out there, combing through the beach houses close to where we found the van. We think that he got rid of the car and walked back and that he has to hold her hostage close by."

Amanda nodded, "Let me finish eating and clean up. Then I'm all yours. We have to be out there too, Fin."

"I know, but it wouldn't do anyone any good if you collapsed again. So take your time."

Chewing away on her fries, Amanda jumped when the door flew open, Amaro poking his head in, "We have her. She called. She is okay."

Amanda jumped up from the couch as did Fin, the blonde swaying dangerously as she felt another wave of dizziness hit her. Holding her up, her partner guided her out of the Captain's office, helping her into her jacket and grabbing a bottle of water for her to drink before they rushed outside to make their way to Long Island to get Olivia.

xxxx

When they arrived there with their sirens blaring, Suffolk PD and two ambulances were already there, the paramedics getting ready to go inside to get Olivia and Lewis. Nick got out of the car and stormed into the beach house, Amanda suppressing the urge to do the same. So she stayed outside with Fin, watching the EMTs going in. She was on edge, waiting for something to happen, waiting for some movement.

When the paramedics finally came out, Lewis was with them on a gurney. The blonde tensed up, her jaw going slack and she had to resist the temptation to just grab her gun and shoot him in the head. However, it looked like Olivia had already done the job, Lewis looking as if he had been beaten into a pulp. One of them shouted, "He's alive!"

Feeling her skin prickle, she looked up and made eye-contact with Olivia who was wrapped in a blanket and being guided out of the house by Nick. Amanda and Fin made their way over, just in time to hear Nick soothe the brunette, "It's over, Liv. It's over now."

Olivia was shaking, her arms covered in cuts and bruises, a laceration and big bruise right above her temple. There were no burns visible, but the blonde did not want to know where exactly they were. Amanda kept her distance, but Olivia's and her eyes never left each other while Nick guided the brunette to the ambulance.

xxxx

They were back at the precinct and Olivia was giving her statement regarding the events with Lewis. Amanda stared at the Captain's office, the curly-haired redhead, who was interviewing the brunette getting up and leaving the office.

Cragen held Olivia back for another word in private when Amanda saw Cassidy enter the squad room, sending a stake through her heart. He made a beeline to the Captain's office, taking his place at Olivia's side. Amanda's eyes burned with unshed tears and she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder, turning her head to see her partner giving her a sad smile.

"You okay, Manda?"

Wiping at her eyes furiously, the blonde nodded, "Yeah, I'm just glad that she is alright."

Fin squeezed her shoulder once more before making his way over to his desk, leaving Amanda with her thoughts, her hands buried deeply in her jeans pockets, the weight of her gun gently resting against her right wrist, her eyes glued to Olivia in the next room, making her feel like a creep. However, she wanted and desperately needed to make sure that she was really there, safe and sound. Even though her nightmare was over and Lewis was locked away, the blonde knew that she would probably need time to process and get over her ordeal.

Brian wrapped his arm around the brunette's shoulders, guiding her out of the Captain's office and through the squad room. Olivia looked straight at Amanda, their eyes staying on each other, the blonde giving her love a small smile as she watched them disappear around the corner on their way to the elevator.

xxxx

It was three in the morning and Amanda was still sitting on her sofa, watching a rerun of a basketball game from the night before, sipping her beer. Frannie had her head in the blonde's lap, demanding cuddles, and the blonde was happy to comply.

She thought she would be able to sleep when she knew that Olivia was safe, but apparently she had been wrong. The brunette was constantly on her mind and Amanda was still worried about her. She wished that she could just hold her in her arms and make sure that she was okay herself. Instead, her mind taunted her with images of Olivia and Cassidy lying in bed together, making her let out a frustrated sigh.

Carmelo Anthony had just scored another three-pointer for the New York Knicks when the blonde heard a knock at her door. Peeking at her watch, she asked herself who might be on the other side at three o'clock in the morning.

Gently lifting Frannie's head and getting up, she walked over to the door and looked through the peep hole, only to stay rooted to the spot, shell-shocked. She slid back the door chain, tentatively opening the door for a very disheveled and tired looking Olivia Benson.

Holding the door open wordlessly, Amanda just stared at the brunette entering her apartment, who lingered in the entry area until the blonde had closed the door.

Amanda did just that, sliding the chain into place once more before turning to her fellow detective. When their eyes locked, Olivia's flood gates opened, her face contorting in anguish, and she sunk against Amanda who happily wrapped the brunette tightly in her arms, rocking her while Olivia sobbed uncontrollably.

"Sssssh! It's okay, Liv. Let it out."

The brunette's legs gave out under her, her uninjured hand grabbing a fistful of the blonde's shirt, and Amanda pulled her tighter against her body, mindful of her broken wrist. "Let's get you to the couch. Come on, Hon."

Without saying a word, Olivia set one foot in front of the other, the blonde's arm still firmly wrapped around her waist, as they made their way over to the sofa.

Nudging Frannie to get her to move, Amanda coaxed, "Come on, Frannie May… I need you to lie down in your own bed for the rest of the night."

She smiled at the look of reproach she got from her dog before Frannie got up from the couch and walked over to her bed, plopping down onto the large cushion with a dramatic sigh.

She felt Olivia chuckle next to her and looked over, the moment having gone as quickly as it had come, as a fresh wave of tears made its way down the brunette's cheeks. Squeezing Olivia's waist gently, Amanda sat down on the couch, waiting for her fellow detective to join her. However, Olivia did not move. Instead, she stared at the length of the couch before letting her gaze return to Amanda, gently biting her lower lip.

The blonde thought that she understood and carefully lay back on the couch, her head resting against the armrest, holding her arms out for the brunette to climb in. Maneuvering her body around to avoid putting an even bigger strain on her bandaged arm, Olivia lay down, placing her head onto Amanda's right shoulder and sighing deeply.

The blonde shuddered lightly when Olivia's breath hit her neck, but tried her best not to show it. This was not the time for expressing her feelings. This was the time to be there for a friend who had just been through hell. Of course this felt like so much more than friendship. Why else would Olivia come to her? Maybe Fin was right and the brunette felt their connection, too? Shaking her head to push these thoughts out of her mind, the blonde wrapped her arm around the other woman's waist and pulled her close, the sounds of the basketball game only serving as background noise now.

There was a giant metaphorical balloon swelling in Amanda's chest because Olivia had come to her. She had chosen her over Brian fucking Cassidy and that fact filled the blonde with joy, making butterflies erupt in her belly.

"Whenever you're ready, Liv."

"Thank you," came the whispered reply.

So the blonde just kept stroking Olivia's back and kissed the top of her head, patiently waiting in case the brunette indeed did want to talk about what happened. Even if she did not, Amanda would happily just hold her in silence–for however long.

xxxx

A/N 3: Thanks for reading. The quote is taken from the song Can't Fight This Feeling by Reo Speedwagon. I have a second chapter in the works, telling Olivia's side of the story. Let me know if that would be something you want.

Reviews are love. Until next time. :)