A/N: This chapter immediately follows the former
After a couple minutes for them to get situated, Amanda pulled onto the street heading for Olivia's apartment. They had traveled for a few moments in tense silence before Amanda spoke. "So, do you have any plans for your day off?" Amanda inquired, trying to start a light conversation.
"Mmhmm," Olivia murmured distractedly.
Amanda waited for Olivia to elaborate but as the silence dragged on it became apparent that the brunette had no intention of saying more.
Although she knew her boss was a private person, Amanda couldn't help but feel slightly put out by the brunette's disinterested response. Amanda frowned, she didn't think her question was invasive enough to justify Olivia shutting her out. She'd be lying if she said she was unaware that she wasn't Olivia's favorite person, but Amanda thought that they had at least progressed past open hostility to a grudging acquaintanceship.
Still, not being one to give up easily Amanda tried a less personal question.
"Do you think Matheson will get a plea deal?" she asked, referring to the serial rapist they had finally gotten to confess earlier that day.
Olivia muttered the same half-hearted response, not even glancing in Amanda's direction, and Amanda let out a quiet sigh, struggling not to let her boss's apathy get to her. She supposed she should be used to Olivia dismissing her by now, but no matter how hard she tried Amanda had never quite been able to shake her desire for Olivia's attention.
Amanda resigned herself to enduring the rest of the short drive in silence. She was about to pull up in front of the door to Olivia's building when Olivia shocked her out of her thoughts.
"Amanda!"
Amanda jolted in her seat clutching the wheel in surprise, both from Olivia shouting at her and the use of her first name.
"What!" she hollered back, quickly scanning the road for anything obstacle she may have missed and preparing to slam on the brakes.
"Pull over now!" Olivia urgently ordered.
Hastily heeding her command, Amanda swung over and screeched to a stop at the curb. Olivia already had her seatbelt unbuckled and before Amanda could ask what was wrong Olivia threw open the door and leaned out. Less than a second later the reason became clear as the sound of vomit hitting the asphalt filled the air.
Gripping the door handle, Olivia dry heaved a couple of times before slowly pulling herself back inside the truck and leaning heavily against the seat. Wordlessly Amanda handed her a tissue and a bottle of water that she kept in the center armrest which Olivia gratefully accepted. As Olivia uncapped the water and took small sips, closing her eyes as she did, Amanda took a moment to study her under the glare of the streetlight. Her skin had taken on an ashen hue and she looked exhausted. All pretenses of not being ill had vanished.
Amanda warred with herself as she debated what to do next. She couldn't shake the nagging sense that the plans were about to change. Olivia would definitely not want to be around her a second longer than she had to now. No doubt Olivia would insist on walking up herself, but Amanda didn't feel right letting her go alone. A dozen troublesome scenarios raced through her head, each more unlikely than the last but all of them heightening Amanda's concern. She knew she was overreacting, in all likelihood Olivia would make it to her apartment just fine; however, Amanda couldn't quell the protective instinct that always flared inside her wherever Olivia was concerned.
Amanda considered her options. She could let Olivia go home alone and call her later that night to make sure she was okay. It only took a second for Amanda to dismiss that idea. She didn't want to risk waking Olivia by calling her, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep if she didn't hear from her. With only one choice left Amanda settled on her second thought, she would walk Olivia up and stay just long enough to make sure she got settled in.
It would be enough to set her mind at ease, now all she had to do was convince Olivia to allow it. Amanda knew the independent woman would surely protest being "babysat." Amanda started brainstorming ways to plead her case when she heard the passenger door open and realized she was out of time.
"Liv, wait!" Amanda called, startling Olivia who had just stepped onto the pavement. Olivia raised an eyebrow at Amanda, who was currently fiddling with her seatbelt buckle.
"Thank you for the ride Rollins, but I'm home now, you don't have to get out." Olivia said cordially.
Finally managing to get her seatbelt unbuckled, Amanda came around the truck to meet Olivia. "I know, but I wanted to walk you in." Amanda said without pretense, having run out of time to come up with a persuasive reason. As she had expected, Olivia refused.
"Rollins, I'm fine now. All I want to do is take a warm bath, drink a cup of tea, and go to bed, and I am perfectly capable of getting from the sidewalk to my apartment to do those things without a babysitter," Olivia said sternly.
Realizing she was fighting a losing battle, Amanda conceded. Besides, if Olivia was still able to argue with her, she couldn't be too sick, Amanda reasoned, feeling mildly better about leaving her boss alone. However, unwilling to completely back down, Amanda proposed a compromise.
"Fine, but at least let me walk you to the front door," she said resolutely.
Olivia stared at the tenacious detective wondering why she was being so persistent. Considering that she had just been sick the brunette thought Amanda would have been ready to drop her off as soon as possible, not try to take her all the way home.
Feeling additionally drained from having just been sick, Olivia decided it was time to choose her battles wisely. Sighing at the blonde detective Olivia tilted her head toward the door and began walking, Amanda following closely at her side.
By the time she reached the other end of the block, Olivia could've sworn the sidewalk had gotten longer. She felt that she had been moving at a snail's pace, but it was as fast as she could go. To her credit, Amanda didn't say a word. When Olivia finally reached the front door she turned to face Amanda.
"Thank you again Rollins," Olivia stressed, "but I can manage getting in an elevator by myself so you can-" Olivia abruptly cut herself off, distracted by a white paper hanging on the building door. She saw it when she was still a little way from the door and had initially dismissed it as another irrelevant advertisement; but upon closer inspection she realized it applied to her, and it was exactly the last thing she wanted to hear right now.
"Hot water heater broken, repairs soon to be underway," Amanda read over Olivia's shoulder. She dared to peek at Olivia who looked crestfallen as she read the sign again. Her plans for the evening were shattered.
She had been dreaming about coming home and having a nice long soak in a tub ever since that morning when she forced herself to get ready for work.
The two stood on the sidewalk in silence for a couple of minutes while Olivia tried to come to terms with her disappointment. Meanwhile, Amanda was deep in thought. While they had been standing there a third option slowly came to Amanda. One that, if she was honest with herself, had been floating in the back of her mind for quite some time. Preparing herself to say it out loud and steeling herself for rejection, Amanda proposed her idea.
"Liv. Olivia," Amanda called softly, trying to get the older woman's attention.
"Hmm," Olivia hummed, slowly turning to face Amanda.
"Doyouwanttocomehomewithme?" Amanda rushed out, barely pausing between words. Olivia stared blearily at the blonde. For a moment Amanda thought Olivia hadn't understood her and she started to repeat herself but Olivia interrupted.
"I can take care of myself, Rollins," Olivia asserted with a scowl, sounding more like her usual self.
"I know. But I know how much you were looking forward to being comfortable. I mean, I know it's not exactly what you had in mind, but I have hot water, and tea," Amanda promised. "Let me help you, just for tonight," she said, sincerity clear in her voice.
Olivia regarded Amanda with a look of confusion mixed with skepticism, and Amanda prepared herself for rejection. It was a crazy idea anyway, of course she was going to say no, she chided herself. You should've just dropped her off at the corner.
Amanda was so lost in her self-criticism she almost didn't hear the brunette's soft response. It took a moment before it registered and when it sunk in Amanda whirled around to face Olivia.
"What did you say?" she asked, eyes wide, certain she had heard her wrong.
A flicker of amusement danced across Olivia's face before it was replaced by a grimace as what was left in her stomach threatened to make another appearance. Fortunately, the feeling passed.
"I said okay, Rollins. You can take me home with you." Olivia repeated, her eyes mirroring Amanda's.
"Oh, that's what I thought you said," Amanda stammered, not quite over the shock. Looking at Olivia, Amanda wasn't sure who was more surprised.
"Okay then, lets go." she finally said, trying to sound more calm than she felt.
Amanda looked at the distance between her truck at the end of the block and Olivia.
"Um, do you want me to bring the truck closer?" Amanda hesitantly questioned.
Olivia frowned. "I can walk, Rollins."
XXX
Eventually the two made it back to Amanda's truck, Amanda thinking how much faster it would have been if Olivia wasn't so stubborn and Olivia thinking that perhaps she should have let Amanda pick her up at the door. She was surprised by how exhausted she felt, but she was determined not to let it show.
"Buckle up," Amanda announced, gesturing to Olivia's seatbelt.
Olivia pulled at the belt, frowning when it refused to move. She gave it another tug, but it didn't budge.
"Here, let me," Amanda offered, sensing the brunette's frustration. She leaned across Olivia to unhook the belt from where it had gotten caught and pulled it across Olivia's lap and to Amanda's surprise Olivia let her, which only worried Amanda more.
Olivia wasn't arguing with Amanda for doing such a mundane task for her, and the fact that she had even agreed to go home with Amanda at all was a testament to how sick she must be feeling. Amanda did her best to mask her concern, but she couldn't help sneaking glances at Olivia as she took the quickest route home.
Olivia sat back in the passenger seat and let her eyes close, partly out of exhaustion and also because she was tired of watching Amanda pretend she wasn't looking at her. Despite how terrible she felt, she couldn't help but be amused by Amanda's reaction to her acceptance. Obviously the detective had expected her to say no and insist on staying home alone, and if Olivia had been thinking clearly she would've done just that.
As it was, she wasn't thinking clearly. Olivia mused on her acceptance, wondering why exactly she had agreed to the younger woman's offer. The only conclusion she would accept was that she really was sick, in fact she couldn't remember ever feeling this bad with the possible exception of the last time she had the flu. But that, she argued with herself, was worse for more reasons than just being sick as she remembered she had also been accused of murder and arrested.
Even if her hot water had been working just the thought of going home, drawing a bath, and making tea like she planned to do earlier now filled her with exhaustion. They were such simple things, but on the way to her apartment they had seemed impossibly hard. During the walk to her door all she could think about was how nice it would be to have someone do those things for her, and then Amanda had offered.
A little voice in the back of her mind whispered that the only reason she said yes was because it was Amanda, but Olivia quieted it choosing to believe she would have accepted the offer from any of her colleagues. The desire to be taken care of outweighed her distaste of letting her detective see her in such a vulnerable state.
Amanda slowed to a stop outside her apartment building and looked over at her passenger suddenly unsure of what to do. Olivia looked so peaceful Amanda felt bad about waking her. However, before Amanda could call her name, Olivia opened her eyes and sat up, seemingly more alert than she would be had she been sleeping Amanda noted.
"Are we here?" Olivia asked, stretching slightly and looking up at the building.
"Yep, Casa Rollins," Amanda announced, her voice slightly higher than usual. She winced, hating how nervous she had become. This was your idea, she reminded herself as she stepped out of the truck. But it wasn't enough to calm her sudden case of nerves.
There was something thrilling and terrifying about having Olivia stay the night in her apartment and Amanda couldn't shake the feeling that she was about to take a self-imposed test that Olivia would score. This was more than doing something nice for a sick colleague, it was a chance to prove herself.
Amanda realized that as unfortunate as the circumstances were, this was the opportunity she had been wishing for; a chance to show Olivia that she cared about more than their professional relationship, which was strained at best. Amanda hoped if things went well, maybe Olivia would start to see her as more than just a colleague. Amanda strode to Olivia's side of the truck invigorated with newfound confidence. She was determined not to screw things up.
XXX
They had hardly walked two feet into the building before Amanda stopped short having realized her first mistake. She spun around, immediately putting her arms out to steady Olivia who had narrowly avoided bumping into her, but was off balance from the sudden stop. Olivia looked down at Amanda in confusion.
"Shit. I'm sorry Liv, I forgot," Amanda apologized, with a guilty look on her face.
"Forgot what?" Olivia asked, now thoroughly confused.
"The elevator's out of order, we'll have to take the stairs," Amanda sighed.
"Oh,' Olivia replied, looking at the long, narrow staircase and wondering if going home with Amanda had been a mistake. "What floor do you live on?" Olivia inquired, hoping the trek wouldn't be too far.
"The fifth," Amanda sheepishly admitted.