A/N: Welcome to the sequel of "I Just Knew!" I hope you enjoyed that story and I hope you enjoy this one! I'm warning you now, this chapter is a little slow. It sets the stage for the rest of the story. Bare with it, things will all be explained later. Promise!
Brian walked into his dark apartment and took his shoes off. He grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, took a long drink, and made his way towards his bedroom. He quietly opened the door, snuck in, and closed it again behind him. He looked at the woman sleeping in his bed.
Olivia was in a deep sleep in Brian's blue button down nightshirt. He watched her body rise and fall with each breath she took. Her arms were wrapped around his pillow with her head slightly on it. Most of her body was on "his side" of the bed, actually. Brian laughed sadly to himself. He knew she was trying to sleep closer to him even though he wasn't there, but he also knew it as a telltale sign she had a nightmare and wished he was there to soothe her.
It had been a little over a month since Lewis' invasion. Olivia's nightmares weren't as frequent. They happened about twice a week now instead of every night. She was still jumpy at times, but for the most part was accepting of Brian's touch. They had not been intimate yet, for she was still physically healing, not to mention emotionally and mentally as well. Neither of them had really talked about it. As far as either of them were concerned, now wasn't the time.
Brian watched her sleep for a little bit longer before he headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed. He was exhausted. Work seemed longer than usual tonight and he just wanted to sleep. He hated working the night shift because that's when Olivia seemed to need him the most. He always told her to call him if she had a bad dream, but she never did. She always said she didn't want to bother him while he was working. He didn't care. He was walking around the Bronx Courthouse with Greg. Who else was he going to talk to?
As he was brushing his teeth he thought back to her first night out of the hospital. Ever since then, they've been practically inseparable. He's spent every night in bed next to her. She's barely been back to her own apartment since the attack. She did go back a couple times to grab some more clothes but she has essentially been living at Brian's. He hasn't minded but does worry about her ability to be independent again. A couple days ago the two went out to buy her a completely new bed set. He figured this was the start of her reclaiming her life.
He stripped down to his boxers and grabbed a t-shirt to sleep in. Having no other option, he got into bed on what was normally "Olivia's side." He cuddled up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his forehead against her upper back. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was so tired.
"Bri?" she mumbled still half asleep.
"Yeah, Baby, it's me. I just got in from work," he whispered.
"Why are we backwards?" she asked in reference to their sleeping positions.
He chuckled a little, "You were sleeping mostly on my side, so I crawled in on yours. It's okay, just go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you," he said kissing her shoulder lightly.
He heard her sigh contently and he held her closer to him. Next thing he knew he was out like a light.
"You really thought you were gonna save her, didn't you?" he sneered, "You thought you were going to be the hero, huh? I don't think so." William Lewis stood in Olivia's bedroom doorway with his gun in hand. He had no gunshot wounds and Olivia was still tied to the bed.
"Why didn't you kill him when you had the chance?!" she screamed.
"Yeah, Brian," Lewis cackled, "Why didn't you?" Brian stood there frozen. He checked his belt for his gun, it wasn't there. He checked around the room and didn't see it. His heart was beating out of his chest.
"Well then," Lewis said, "I guess you'll just watch me get off on your girlfriend… again."
"No!" Olivia screamed, "Brian! What are you doing? Help me!"
Brian just stood there motionless. He watched as Lewis stripped himself of his clothes and climbed on top of her. His brain screamed for him to stop this bastard but his feet were planted to the floor. He watched Lewis pound in and out of Olivia's center, each thrust earning another shriek of pain from her.
"Brian, help me!" she shouted, "Please make this stop! Stop, please! No! No, no, no-"
"NO!" Brian screamed sitting up straight and startling Olivia awake.
She looked at him with wide eyes. Both of them were breathing hard. "Bri-Brian," she said, she took a breath, "What's wrong?"
He looked at her and could see the panic in her eyes. He feared he frightened her, that was when she was the most jumpy and out of sorts. He took a deep breath, "Nothing," he lied, "Nothing, I'm fine."
She narrowed her eyes at him, "Then why are you all sweaty and panting? You're not fine. What happ-"
"I'm fine!" he snapped more harshly than intended. She looked at him shocked. Never in all the time they had been dating did he ever yell at her. He was usually the calmer one when they argued.
He read her expression. He sighed, "No, Olivia, I'm sorry," he said sincerely, "I didn't mean to yell at you. I don't want to talk about it right now, let's just go back to sleep."
"Well, it's eight o'clock in the morning. I'm going for a run," she said clearly still upset by his outburst. "You can go back to sleep, though. I know you've only been home since four this morning." She quickly got up, grabbed a change of clothes, and walked into the bathroom.
He lied back in bed and sighed angrily. "Why'd I have to yell at her?" he thought, "What the hell is wrong with me?" He stared at the ceiling until she came out of the bathroom. She was wearing shorts and a tank top; Brian admired how nice she looked in her summer attire. She grabbed her runners and headed for the door.
She stopped and turned around to look at him. She walked back over to him and kissed his forehead, her way of letting him know he was forgiven. She knew he wasn't angry with her, just tired. "Get some more sleep, huh?" she said giving him a chaste kiss on the lips, "I'll be back in a half hour. Love you."
He smiled at her, "Love you, too," he said as he rolled over and pretended to fall back to sleep.
Part of him wanted so badly to rest but he was terrified of having another nightmare. He wondered how Olivia was able to survive with having so many horrific dreams. He then remembered that she had him. "I can't tell her," he thought to himself, "She needs me. She needs my support." He remembered what his mother had said: this isn't about you.
At around 8:30 Olivia came back to the apartment to find Brian up and making breakfast.
"Hey you," she said surprised, "I thought you'd still be sleeping."
He handed her a glass of water and kissed her, "Eh, wasn't really that tired anymore."
She looked at him skeptically, she knew there was more to it but she didn't want to push him right now. She gladly drank the water he gave her and reached into the fridge to grab the orange juice.
"Here you go," Brian smiled handing her the bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel he'd just made.
"Awe, my favorite! Thanks Honey," she said taking the plate and sitting down at the kitchen table. She noticed he didn't have a plate himself. "You not hungry, either?" she asked concerned.
"I ate while I was cooking," he lied, "Okay if I shower while you eat?"
"Yeah," she said with a mouth full of sandwich, "This is really good, Baby. Thank you."
"You're welcome," he smiled as he walked into the bathroom.
"Something's not right," Olivia thought to herself, "He probably is tired and just doesn't want to admit it. Maybe he's trying to make up for what happened this morning." Then she thought, "What was that this morning?" She sighed and took another bite of her breakfast as she heard the shower turn on.
She swallowed the bite of her sandwich as she picked up her glass. "Bri, you got me worried about you, Baby," she whispered while taking a sip of juice.
What'd you think? Please review! Don't worry, things will start to be explained more in the next chapter. Also, if you have a Twitter, follow me Hesitant_Writer! You'll get updates on stories and can ask me questions or pitch ideas! Thanks!