Disclaimer: Sadly the characters aren't mine.
A/N: For the sake of this story Noah and Jesse do not exist.
Amanda and Carisi bustled into the squad room engrossed in conversation. Having spent most of the day out of the precinct corroborating witness statements, by average standards it had been a relatively simple day. Despite being on call, it had been a thankfully slow week and they were almost guaranteed an uninterrupted weekend off. They were in the midst of discussing their weekend plans when their conversation was interrupted.
"Amanda, Carisi, come here," Fin gestured from the door of Olivia's office. Exchanging a curious glance, they made their way over to Fin.
"What did you do?" Amanda hissed under her breath.
"Nothing!" Carisi muttered, "It must have been you."
Before either of them could get a word out in their defense, Fin cut them off.
"You're not in trouble," A wry grin crossing his face at his cryptic emphasis.
"Then why-" Amanda started to ask, her brow furrowed, but before she could finish she was sent stumbling backwards from the force of another body colliding with hers.
Olivia wrapped her arms firmly around the blonde detective drawing her close. Amanda's eyes widened with shock at the sudden breach of personal space.
"Um, Liv?" She tentatively asked, feeling growing discomfort at their unusual proximity. "Why are you hugging me?"
Olivia pulled back, but didn't let go. Her pupils were wide and an animated grin spread across her face.
"Because you're my best friend, and I missed you Mandy!" She said in a somewhat shocked tone, as though it were obvious.
Carisi snickered and Amanda shot him a glare as she hastily detangled herself from Olivia's grasp, still bristling at the nickname.
Seeing Olivia about to protest, Fin intervened. "Liv, I think I saw some candy in the breakroom."
Olivia's eyes lit up, and she quickly wandered out of the office. Amanda watched her retreating form turn the corner before rounding on Fin.
"What the hell is going on?" She demanded, crossing her arms.
"Let this be a lesson to the both of you," Fin deadpanned. "If you ever enter a suspected drug dealer's hideout and you see a pot on the stove, don't lift the lid."
The silence was palpable as Fin watched the information sink in, their eyes growing comically wide with each passing second. Carisi was the first to recover.
"Are you saying the Lieu is high?" he sputtered.
"More like stoned out of her mind," Fin muttered, tossing a glance over Amanda's shoulder to the hallway where Olivia had emerged gleefully holding a handful of pixie sticks.
"On what?" Amanda questioned, ignoring the scene behind her.
"Dunno, best we can figure it's some combination of ecstasy and meth, and maybe something else. Our amateur cook was experimenting."
Uh," Carisi interrupted, shooting worried glances at them, "Shouldn't we take her to the hospital?"
Fin shook his head, "Medics already checked her out; she didn't inhale enough to cause any damage. Only thing to do now is let it work its way out of her system."
"Okay," Amanda said hesitantly, "But she can't stay here. It's getting late," She said, gesturing to the window displaying the darkening sky.
"Oh I know," Fin smirked, and Amanda looked at him expectantly.
"That's why she's going home with you."
"What!" Amanda's jaw dropped and she glared at Fin. "Why me? Why can't you or-" she spun around to face Carisi, who was trying to slip out of the office, "or Carisi take her?" Amanda stammered.
"Because Mandy," Fin answered, a grin widening on his face, "You're her best friend."
XXX
The ride home was tedious to say the least. The combination of drugs and pure sugar seemed to give Olivia the exuberance and attention span of a hyperactive child. She immediately occupied herself by fiddling with the radio, never settling on one station for more than a minute. The constant change of music was beginning to give Amanda a headache further exacerbated by her boss's insistence at loudly singing along, entirely off key. Gritting her teeth, Amanda made a mental note to let Fin have it the next time she saw him; what the hell was he thinking giving her candy-as if she needed any more energy.
Several long minutes later Amanda gratefully slowed to a stop outside her building wasting no time switching off the engine and with it the radio. She had one foot out the door when she realized Olivia hadn't moved and instead was staring at the building with a puzzled expression.
"I live here?" she murmured in confusion.
"No, I do," Amanda sighed, sliding out of the vehicle.
She had mulled it over on the way out of the precinct before coming to the conclusion that there was only one real option. Although she wasn't keen on the idea of bringing her boss into her home, there was no way she could leave Frannie home alone overnight; she shuddered to think of what her apartment would have looked like in the morning. Amanda was desperate enough to hope Olivia would sober up on the way over and they could part ways, but she gradually resigned herself to the fact that she and Olivia would be sharing quarters.
"You're staying with me tonight," Amanda grudgingly announced; however, Olivia didn't seem to notice the note of reluctance in her tone. Instead she whirled around locking eyes with Amanda as her face broke out in a genuine grin.
"We're having a sleepover!" she sounded elated, and Amanda had to admit her glee was almost endearing. "I never had many of those," Olivia added seemingly to herself as she fumbled with her seat belt. Amanda's brow furrowed at her last remark, but Olivia emerged from the passenger's side apparently unperturbed so Amanda let it drop.
Opening the front door, Amanda trekked up the stairs towards her apartment with Olivia trailing behind closer than necessary. She could feel her irritation rising with each step, and as Olivia bumped into her for the third time Amanda found herself already making plans to later indulge in an abundance of alcohol. With any luck, neither of them would remember tonight.
They had barely taken two steps inside the dimly lit apartment when they were greeted by the rapid scrabbling of nails racing across the floor. Frannie gave a customary bark to Amanda then pranced around eagerly inspecting the new guest.
"Mandy, your dog is so sweet!" Olivia gushed, bending over to lavish attention on Frannie who happily soaked it up. Amanda snorted at her dog's overzealous behavior.
"Don't be fooled, she seems to think company means more treats." At the word treats, Frannie's ears perked up and she trotted over to Amanda expectantly.
Amanda raised an eyebrow at Olivia illustrating her point, but retrieved a treat from the cupboard and handed it to Frannie who happily partook. Amanda's gaze flickered between Olivia who was appreciatively inspecting the apartment to Frannie who was now standing by the door wagging her tail.
"I need to take her out," Amanda stated, looking hesitantly at Olivia who was currently transfixed by a snow globe, turning it over in her hands. The blonde was unsure if she should leave her boss alone in the apartment, but she also didn't want to force Olivia to accompany her back out into the cold.
"I'll just be a few minutes if you want to make yourself comfortable." Amanda suggested, deciding she probably couldn't do too much damage in the time it took to take Frannie for a quick walk.
However, to Amanda's surprise Olivia looked crestfallen.
"You don't want me to come," she said dejectedly, setting the snow globe down.
"Of course I do," Ananda stammered, surprised by her boss's sudden mood swing. "I just didn't think you wanted to."
Olivia looked perplexed as she stepped closer to Amanda tipping her head. "Why wouldn't I want to be with you?"
At this Amanda had no response.
XXX
Moments later it became clear that their brief walk had turned into an expedition with Frannie leading the way. Olivia was holding the leash, and she was more than content to follow the dog's wandering nose. Amanda nearly interjected when she realized they were nearing the park, but quickly shut her mouth with the realization that letting Olivia burn off excess energy might not be the worst idea. Besides, Amanda reasoned, the longer they walked the less time they had to spend together in close proximity.
Amanda turned up her collar as a gust of wind hit her, but Olivia didn't seem to mind. Without warning Olivia came to a sudden stop, and Amanda couldn't stop herself from crashing into her. The impact knocked her off balance and Amanda instinctively threw out her arms expecting to hit the ground.
Instead she felt strong arms wrapping around her keeping her upright. Olivia steadied Amanda back on her feet, but she kept her arm loosely draped around her waist.
"Um thanks," Amanda mumbled, feeling a blush rising from her clumsiness. Olivia seemed unfazed by Amanda's embarrassment, only frowning when Amanda stepped out of her hold. However, she recovered quickly.
"Look!" Olivia pointed insistently at the sky. Amanda followed her gaze and froze. The clouds had drifted away leaving the night sky unusually clear and offered a glimpse of stars normally hidden by the city lights.
"It's so beautiful," Olivia murmured breathily, and Amanda nodded in agreement. Olivia shifted closer to Amanda, her arm brushing against Amanda's sleeve. In one fluid motion Olivia reached down and casually interlaced their fingers. Amanda tensed but refrained from pulling away, letting herself relax in her grip. They stood there together transfixed by the stars until Frannie, bored with the scene, began tugging insistently at the leash.
XXX
Half an hour later Amanda shut her apartment door. As she leaned against it, she was forced to acknowledge that her plan had backfired. She insisted they take the long way home with the intention of wearing out Olivia; instead she wound up exhausted while Olivia was more riled up than before. The entire way back Olivia had leaned against her while talking nonstop. It had taken all of Amanda's self-control not to snap at her, but her patience was wearing thin. Especially now.
Olivia was rummaging around the kitchen, opening and shutting cabinets, banging pots and pans, and rifling through the scarcely stocked refrigerator. She had quite literally made herself at home, and the sight irked Amanda to no end. There was something deeply aggravating about having her boss, who more often than not disliked her, invade her personal space.
Thinking of personal space, Amanda unwittingly traced back to their encounter at the park. The rarity of seeing stars had been mesmerizing, but the feel of Olivia's hand slipping into hers was another feeling altogether. Musing on the sensation Amanda was surprised find that it wasn't exactly uncomfortable just unexpected. But she couldn't figure out why she had let her do it in the first place. It wasn't like they were ever that close.
Their disagreements had become commonplace at work, and they were at odds more often than not. Yet Amanda couldn't deny she treasured the rare moments when they were on good terms. She supposed she hadn't completely divested herself of the desire to be liked by her hero although her feelings of adoration had waned. Still, it was nice to pretend even for a moment that their relationship was better than it was. It was a gentle gesture, and she had given in. Satisfied by her rationale Amanda turned her attention back to the disaster occurring in her kitchen.
Olivia was in the midst of juggling a handful of miscellaneous ingredients and succeeded in dropping several of them. Frannie let out a sharp bark at the noise and retreated to the bedroom away from the commotion, nudging her half-finished bowl of food with her. Amanda watched her go, envious of her dog's ability to walk away. Olivia hadn't noticed the dog's retreat, she was too preoccupied with single-handedly cracking eggs while measuring a cup of milk with her free hand. Amanda winced as she saw fragments of the shells fall into the bowl.
"Um Liv, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Amanda interrupted.
Olivia scrunched up her face. "Well no…but I saw it once on a cooking show," she admitted.
"Ah, okay." Deciding to let the issue drop, Amanda walked away and Olivia reabsorbed herself in her self-created task. Olivia was content and focused on something other than her so Amanda chose not to press her luck. As Amanda watched Olivia spill an inordinate amount of salt into the bowl and peer worriedly at the contents, she had a feeling that dinner would be inedible.
Stepping over to the pantry, Amanda searched for a pack of ramen. Part of her felt embarrassed that she still had the eating habits of a teenager, but she reasoned it was quick and convenient, not to mention cheap. Pulling out a package of the noodles, Amanda called over to Olivia.
"Do you want some?" she asked, waving the package.
"No thanks," Olivia replied glancing up, "I'm not hungry."
Confusion crossed Amanda's face. "Then why are you cooking?" she asked, using the term very loosely.
"For you." Olivia said simply, and for the second time that night Amanda was left speechless.
XXX
Their domestic charade continued with Olivia serving Amanda a generous portion of what Amanda could only guess was meant to be a soufflé, and Amanda claiming to be full from the soup. Nonplussed by the refusal of her cooking, Olivia settled against Amanda on the couch without hesitation, wrapping her arms around Amanda's shoulders and resting her legs across her thighs, all but sitting in her lap.
Amanda started to object, but she managed to hold her tongue reminding herself that Olivia wasn't herself. If it weren't for the drugs, she wouldn't be acting so clingy; for that matter she wouldn't even be here. Knowing her boss would be embarrassed when the drugs wore off, Amanda tried to be more sympathetic.
Olivia's hair tickled Amanda's neck, and Amanda reached up to smooth the offending strands away. She started to lower her hand, but then paused for a moment. Keeping her hand where it was Amanda started gently combing through the brunette's hair. Olivia let out a sigh of contentment, and Amanda couldn't contain her smile. She was seeing a completely new side of her boss and if she was honest with herself, she wasn't opposed to the sight. Entwined together on the couch they resembled the portrait of intimacy Amanda had secretly wished for when she left Atlanta.
"This is nice," Olivia said, breaking the silence, and Amanda murmured her agreement.
"Why haven't we done this before?" Olivia asked, lazily tracing the patterns on Amanda's shirt.
"I dunno," Amanda shrugged. "I always thought you never really wanted me around." She blurted out.
"Oh." Olivia froze. "I'm sorry," she whispered, pulling away from Amanda. She settled against the far end of the sofa, and Amanda found herself already missing her warmth.
"I didn't mean to make you feel that way." Olivia apologized, drawing her knees up to her chest.
Amanda cursed under her breath wishing she could take back her words; she wasn't thinking. Olivia was already vulnerable, this wasn't the time to bring up her hurt feelings.
"It's fine." Amanda said quickly, trying to lighten the mood.
"No it isn't!" Olivia insisted, "I know I've mistreated you, and I'm sorry." Her voice wavered on the last word, and the blonde was shocked to see her eyes fill with tears.
Amanda was at a loss for words. She never expected Olivia to acknowledge her behavior much less sincerely apologize for it. She would be lying if she said she hadn't wanted Olivia to admit she was unfair to her, but to her disappointment she discovered it wasn't as satisfying as she dreamt it would be. Their conversation had taken a serious turn, and the tension weighed heavily in the air. Amanda longed for the levity of earlier and she struggled to change the subject, but Olivia did it for her.
Standing up abruptly Olivia started tugging at her blazer, finally discarding it over the arm of the sofa.
"Olivia, are you okay?" Amanda asked, concern lacing her voice at Olivia's sudden motion.
"I'm hot," she whined.
Sliding off the couch Amanda edged closer and placed the back of her hand against the brunette's forehead; her skin was slightly flushed and warm to the touch. Amanda considered her options, she really didn't want to open a window as that would chill the whole apartment and turning on the A/C was out of the question.
"Why don't you go take a cool shower," Amanda suggested. "And then maybe we can get ready for bed," she added hopefully, although she doubted that sleep would come easily.
Olivia nodded and headed towards the bathroom, fumbling with her belt as she went.
"Use whatever you need. I'll find you something to wear." Amanda called to her retreating form.
Opening her drawers Amanda shuffled through her clothes searching for suitable sleepwear. She realized belatedly that it would have been a good idea to grab Olivia's gym bag from her office, but with all the effort it had taken getting her to leave the building it had been forgotten. Amanda thought back on the scene. Left unattended Olivia had discovered the joy of spinning in the desk chairs and stubbornly refused to get out of Fin's chair. No amount of persuasion would budge her until Fin gave up and physically pushed the chair with her in it to the parking lot.
The memory made her grin. Serves him right, Amanda thought as a flash of jealousy coursed through her when she considered that her coworkers were probably already sound asleep in their own beds while she had a couch that had seen better days awaiting her.
Amanda pulled out a soft grey t-shirt and matching boxer shorts, hoping Olivia would be cool enough in it, while setting aside a set of flannel pajamas for herself. Changing quickly, Amanda discarded her work clothes into the small bin in the corner that was almost overflowing and she frowned; one of these days she really needed to get a bigger hamper. Dismissing the thought she strode to the bathroom.
Pressing her ear to the door Amanda couldn't suppress a smile at the sound of Olivia warbling to herself in the shower. The brunette had become so unguarded around her in such a short span of time that Amanda caught herself actually wanting the night to last longer. She knew what would happen when the drugs wore off; they would drift back into their usual tense relationship, and the intimacy of this day would be forgotten. Reluctantly Amanda slipped inside and set Olivia's pajamas on the counter.
Amanda spared a glance at the bed and ended up rummaging around in the hall closet, deciding to strip the heavy sheets in favor of lighter ones. She was almost finished remaking the bed, having urged Frannie off of the comforter and back into the living room, when she heard the water shut off.
Perfect timing, Amanda thought. Moments later the door creaked open followed by the soft sound of footsteps shuffling into the room.
"Did the shower help?" Amanda inquired, concentrating on trying to jam an overstuffed pillow into a pillowcase.
"Mhmm." Olivia murmured, sounding relaxed. "Mandy where do you want me to put the towel?" Olivia asked.
"You can just leave it on the-" the words faded from Amanda's lips when she looked up.
Olivia stood in the doorway with the damp towel draped over her shoulder; however, that was the only thing she had on her. Amanda tried not to stare, but the shock was making manners difficult. Of all the things she thought the night would bring not once had she imagined her boss would wind up nude in her bedroom.
Olivia lost interest in the silence and gravitated to the only interesting object in the sparse bedroom, the bookshelf, her towel slipping from her as she went. Amanda tried to keep her gaze from wandering, but her eyes betrayed her and she caught herself stealing glances as Olivia walked away. Curiosity won out and Amanda let herself appreciatively admire the brunette's curves while trying to push away the slight twinge of envy.
"Is this book good?" Olivia asked, flipping through the pages of a fantasy novel Amanda had bought on a whim. Her words snapped Amanda from her trance and she wrenched her eyes up guiltily, ashamed to have been caught staring. Olivia was unbothered, too engrossed in skimming the book to notice the rosy hue coloring Amanda's cheeks.
"I haven't read it yet," Amanda replied hurriedly, attempting to quell her embarrassment.
"Um it's getting kinda late, why don't you put your pajamas on?" Amanda tentatively suggested, wary of Olivia's reaction.
Olivia peered at Amanda, then glanced down at herself as if she had become cognizant of her state of undress for the first time. She however made no move to cover herself, instead she faced Amanda.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?"
Yes, Amanda almost hissed, but the question was posed so innocently that she faltered.
"No," she confirmed, surprised to find she meant it. If the current situation had proved anything, it was that Olivia was truly unaware of how she was behaving. Amanda couldn't shame her for doing something that she clearly couldn't control.
"Here, let me help you," Amanda offered, leading Olivia to sit on the edge of the bed. She retrieved her clothes from the bathroom and with a bit of coaxing convinced her to put them on. Olivia cooperated, slowly pulling her limbs through the material while Amanda reached over helping her pull her shirt down. Amanda leaned back, frowning at the fit of the clothes, but realized it would have to do. They were the most lightweight pajamas she owned, anything looser would likely be too warm and Olivia would probably refuse to wear it.
Amanda ghosted her fingertips over Olivia's skin; she was still a little warm, but not nearly as hot as before. Relieved, Amanda stood up and immediately felt awkwardly out of place. She had just helped her boss dress herself, any remaining illusion of professionalism had disappeared. She wished there was a protocol for situations like this because she wasn't sure where to go from here.
"Why don't you try going to sleep," Amanda suggested, trying to extract herself from the room, suddenly desperate to put space between them before her thoughts overtook her.
Olivia gave a half-hearted shrug, but crawled farther up on the bed anyway. Amanda let out a sigh of relief, grateful for her compliance, and started to leave.
"Where are you going?!" Olivia called out alarmed. Startled, Amanda halted in her movement towards the doorway and turned back to face Olivia.
"I'm going to keep Frannie company on the couch," she joked. "I'll be right outside if you need anything," Amanda assured her. Her reassurance fell flat when Olivia's expression of concern twisted into sadness. She stared at Amanda with glistening eyes, as she clutched the pillow to her chest.
"Stay with me," she pleaded.
Amanda approached the other side of the bed, all plans of isolation abandoned; she couldn't leave her now. She climbed onto the bed and scooted over to Olivia. Gingerly placing an arm around her shoulders, she pulled her close.
"It's okay, I'm not going anywhere," Amanda murmured into her ear feeling her tension ebb away as Olivia relinquished her grip on the pillow and slipped her arms around the blonde's waist holding her close. They sat pressed against each other for a few minutes until Amanda eased them into laying down atop the sheets. Olivia gently laid her head on Amanda's chest, and she responded in kind, rubbing small soothing circles on the brunette's back.
"Talk to me," Olivia mumbled into Amanda's shirt.
"How about I tell you story?" Amanda proposed, sensing an idea beginning to form.
"Okay!" Olivia eagerly responded, tilting her head to give Amanda her undivided attention.
Amanda chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Okay, let's see…Once upon a time there was a police officer who…" there was a long pause, and Olivia stared at Amanda in anticipation of the next line. "Um, the cop was…she had…" Amanda fumbled over her words as she racked her brain for details but came up empty. There's a reason you weren't a storyteller, she thought to herself.
Amanda spied the discarded book Olivia had been skimming resting on the end of the bed, and a better idea came to her.
"Never mind. Forget the story," Amanda announced, hastily leaning forward to snag the book. "I'll read to you. This story is much better," Amanda promised, hoping Olivia wouldn't remember she admitted to never having read the book. If Olivia noticed, she didn't point it out. She merely repositioned herself back around Amanda and patiently waited for her to begin.
Thirteen minutes later Amanda was immersed in the story. The novel was better than she thought it would be; she was a little upset she hadn't started reading it sooner. She was about to begin the next chapter when she heard the unmistakable soft sound of snoring.
Placing the book aside, Amanda peered down at Olivia feeling her chest slowly rise and fall against her with each even breath. She was amazed that Olivia had fallen asleep whether it was due to exhaustion finally taking over or a slight to her narrating abilities, she didn't care; all that mattered was that Olivia was at last getting the rest she needed.
Amanda carefully brushed a loose strand of hair away from Olivia's face and tucked it behind her ear. She stirred but didn't wake. Amanda watched her for a moment, her features peaceful in sleep, an expression forever absent at work. A strange feeling of sadness began to well up in Amanda, and she struggled to make sense of it. She had been wanting peace and quiet from the moment Olivia got in the car with her, but now that she had it she couldn't help but feel like she had just lost something special.
They were closer tonight than they had ever been, and Amanda then identified the source of her gloom. It was only temporary. She had been shocked to see the relaxed side of her normally uptight boss, but she had gradually warmed to the experience. In a way it felt like she had been let in on a secret only the two of them shared. Soon she would be the sole possessor.
Amanda realized she was reluctant to face the days ahead. Olivia probably wouldn't even remember most of the evening, and their relationship wouldn't improve; if anything it would get worse. Amanda expected her boss would be mortified that she had to rely on her least favorite detective, and would probably shut her out even more.
She knew their newly formed bond would dissipate, and there was nothing she could do to stop its dissolve. Slowly Amanda leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Olivia's forehead before nestling herself further into Olivia's warm embrace, cherishing the feeling of soft skin pressed against her. Things would be different in the morning, but right now Amanda wanted to savor how close they were tonight.