Chapter 2

Olivia was barely able to register her detective's words, busy fighting the urge to draw her legs up to her chest and bury her face in her knees. Amanda eyed the brunette worriedly. A few minutes had passed until she brought up the courage to ask the question that had been on her mind ever since Olivia had whispered he had sex with me:

"Liv… Do you need me to take your statement?"
Olivia looked genuinely confused now.
"If he raped you..."
"What? No! He didn't! He'd never..." Olivia trailed off and Amanda gulped.
"It sounded like you didn't want to sleep with him, hon" She explained softly, carefully toeing the line between being honest and being gentle with Olivia. "It sounded like he made you-"
Liv shook her head. "He didn't! It wasn't rape! It w-"

The words seemed to be stuck in Olivia's throat all of a sudden. She was clearly upset – even more so than she'd been a few minutes ago – but it was different now. Amanda couldn't shake the feeling that her sergeant was frozen with fear and she seemed to be struggling to breathe. "It's okay" The detective said soothingly. "You're okay. Can you take a deep breath for me? Nice and easy. That's it. I'm sorry I upset you. I really didn't mean to"

Olivia was gripping the edge of the table so tightly her knuckles were turning white. She seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack and Amanda was getting increasingly worried by the minute. Slowly and predictably, the detective tried to scoot forward with her chair and sighed in frustration when she realized that it barely moved. On second thought, though, she was glad for the thick carpet that had stopped the chair from moving smoothly - no longer sure whether reducing the physical distance between them was a good idea. "You're safe, Liv" She reassured her instead. "If my questions upset you, I'll stop asking, okay?"

After a while – seconds? minutes? – Olivia shook her head. Her panic seemed to have subsided, replaced by another emotion that was clearly evident on her face: Shame. "It's okay" Olivia whispered casually. "I'm sorry for…" She gestured around, indicating their current situation. Now it was Amanda's turn to shake her head: "Nuh-uh. There's nothing you'd have to apologize for, Liv. Do you hear me? Nothing!" Olivia just shrugged as in 'if you say so' and despite the brunette's reluctance and (potentially fake) disinterest, Amanda continued: "Olivia... I'm gonna ask you a very personal question, and I want you to tell me the truth, okay? Are you hurt? Physically, I mean? Are you... bleeding? Is there any chance there might be tearing?"

Olivia inhaled sharply, then considered Amanda's question. She wasn't in pain, after all – maybe a little sore but not hurt. Right? She suddenly felt the overwhelming need to avoid the other woman's gaze even though she didn't even understand why. "Liv? You're safe here. Nothing you say will leave this room without your permission. I promise!" She paused for a moment before she added: "Do you need to see a doctor? I could take you, you know…"

When Olivia hadn't said anything after a full minute, Amanda repeated her question and this time, Liv shook her head defiantly.
"What's your plan then?" Amanda asked outright and Olivia shrugged. "You said you didn't want to go home" The blonde summarized, eying her lieutenant suspiciously. "You weren't planning on sleeping in the cribs tonight, were you?"

Olivia shook her head truthfully and grinned triumphantly but Amanda didn't seem to buy it: "…but?" The brunette sighed, then nodded towards the couch in her office. "I've slept here before. It's not as uncomfortable as it looks" She explained apologetically and Amanda sighed.

"Why don't you stay at my place tonight?" She finally asked. Even though she had hoped for a clear yes (or maybe even a thank you?), Amanda had at least expected some kind of response. Instead, Olivia just sat there, frozen into place, and the detective wasn't so sure anymore whether she had actually said the words out aloud. "Olivia?" She whispered gently, and this time, the brunette did turn towards her.

Amanda was genuinely shocked by the emptiness in Olivia's eyes. Not even bothering to toe around any boundaries that might only exist in her head, Amanda stood up and helped Olivia to her feet.
"Come on. Let's get you out of here, hon"

Olivia's whispered "Okay" might as well have only been in her imagination.


A/N: I really didn't expect so many of you "demanding" another chapter! I'm happy to oblige... and don't worry: there will at least be yet another one...