This chapter picks up right where the previous one left off.

Another reminder that Noah, Jesse and Frannie don't exist in this story, and it's rated "M" for sexual content.

I'm working on chapter 7 of "Dead or Alive" and I know how chapter 8 will go as well, so I hope to have them posted soon. Lots of hurt/comfort and angst and emotional stuff coming up in that story!

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Olivia's body is suspended partway between kneeling and standing, having come to a complete halt while getting to her feet and hovering on trembling legs in the uncomfortable position as Amanda's grip tightens around her arm. The younger woman is gazing at her with an expression that looks to be somewhat challenging, big blue eyes hooded with the effects of alcohol and something else that makes Olivia's stomach execute a slow somersault in response.

She is determined not to spare so much as a glance downward at those tiny pink panties, aware that Amanda's legs have widened even further with her sultry plea for assistance and trying to ignore the way her heart is pounding so furiously inside her chest. The bath towel that is covering Amanda's breasts is slipping bit by bit toward the blonde's lap as her arm slackens, seemingly more concerned with keeping Olivia in the room than hiding the bare skin beneath.

"Can you help me, Liv?" Amanda says quietly, that smirk still playing at the corners of her mouth and Olivia feeling a sudden disconcerting need to lean forward and press her own lips against that plump softness to stop the other woman from asking her to do something that she can obviously handle on her own.

"I think you can fix that one up yourself." Olivia repeats what she had said a moment ago, a hint of steel in her tone now as she pulls her arm free from her colleague's grasp and springs to her feet, whirling on her heel and marching out of the bathroom without another word.

She desperately tries to push down the lewd images that are now plaguing her mind of Amanda sitting there with her legs splayed wide open while Olivia's fingers creep higher and higher up her inner thighs, inching ever closer to those minuscule panties. Her thoughts are in turmoil as she returns to the bedroom and glances at the spring poking up through the mattress, sighing and scrubbing her hands over her face with the unsettling knowledge that neither one of them will be able to sleep there now.

Olivia is pacing back and forth across the floor when Amanda rejoins her a few minutes later, the younger woman still wearing only her underwear as she holds the towel over her chest, a disgruntled look on her face and a band-aid pasted across the inside of one thigh. Olivia averts her gaze when Amanda drops the towel onto the floor and digs through her suitcase to yank out another T-shirt and pull it over her head, but not quickly enough to avoid getting a glimpse of a perfect pair of breasts; small globes that are pert and creamy with dusky pink nipples.

That profuse blush is spreading across her cheeks once again when Amanda saunters over to her wearing a striped shirt that just barely covers her underwear, long blonde hair mussed like they have just been engaging in some nocturnal activities, and gestures toward the mattress with an impatient hand.

"Liv, it's too dangerous to sleep in this bed. I'm afraid I'm going to wake up with that spring up my ass."

Something between a laugh and a groan sputters from Olivia's throat before she can stop it, and despite the somewhat dramatic statement from her co-worker that induces images she does not wish to have in her mind, she has to admit that she agrees. "Well, we certainly wouldn't want that. You complained enough about a couple of little cuts on your back and leg, so I can imagine I'd never hear the end of it if the next incident involves your nether rejoins."

Amanda crosses her arms over her chest and levels a glare in her direction, Olivia making sure to concentrate on the smaller woman's face as her shirt rides up with the action. "We're going to have to sleep on the couch," she states firmly, not giving any other options. "There's nowhere else to go."

"Well, if there was a second bedroom in this place like you had led me to believe, it wouldn't be such an issue," Olivia grumbles in exhaustion. "And that thing in the living room doesn't even count as a full-size couch. It's a love-seat, Amanda; a mini-couch. There's no way both of us will fit."

"Okay, first of all, I did not lead you to believe any such thing," Amanda corrects with an unconcerned wave of her hand, motioning for Olivia to follow her into the next room. "You didn't ask and I didn't tell you. There's a difference."

"Ah, the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," Olivia replies with a roll of her eyes, reluctantly trailing after the other woman. "I didn't realize it also applied to bedrooms."

"And second of all, we can definitely fit onto this couch," Amanda continues when they reach the living room, pointedly ignoring what has just been said.

"Oh, really?" Olivia answers doubtfully as she eyes the tiny piece of furniture, watching as Amanda lays down across the length of the cushions and scoots to the very back. "And how do you propose we do that?"

"Spooning," Amanda says simply, holding out her arm and beckoning Olivia over.

"Spooning?" she repeats with a wrinkle of her nose, taking a cautious step forward as her heart rate begins to pick up the pace once again.

"Yeah, you know, one of us is the big spoon and the other is the little spoon," Amanda explains carefully, like she is speaking to someone much younger than herself who can't quite grasp the concept.

"Can't we just sleep at opposite ends?" Olivia is immensely regretting having complained about the sleeping situation when they had arrived at the cottage, and wondering if the universe is punishing her by making things so much worse than they already were.

"Then we'll have each other's feet in our faces," Amanda says with a roll of her eyes, patting the empty space in front of her in an inviting manner.

"This is inappropriate, Amanda," Olivia sighs as she takes another step forward, although she privately acknowledges that she is very quickly becoming too tired to put up much of an argument.

"Liv, we were already sharing a bed and you just saw me practically naked in the bathroom," Amanda chuckles as she quirks a perfectly shaped blonde eyebrow at her. "I think we've stepped well over the line of what's appropriate."

Her colleague's voice drops down an octave and induces a sudden shiver that races down Olivia's spine. "Besides, I won't tell if you won't. It can be our little secret. No one else has to know that lieutenant and detective had to snuggle up together on a tiny love-seat during their trip to the cottage."

"I have half a mind to kick you onto the damn floor for the night," Olivia grouses in reply but finds herself walking over to the couch anyway, turning around to get settled in front of the smaller body on the cushions and trying to ignore the way Amanda's shirt is riding up and exposing those little pink panties once again.

She feels Amanda cuddle up closely behind her, the other woman's knees coming to rest in the crook of her bent legs, Amanda's body flush with her own and a small hand gliding over Olivia's ribs before her arm wraps around her stomach and she holds Olivia against her chest. The feeling of another body pressed so intimately into her own is foreign but unexpectedly pleasant, and Olivia's stomach is fluttering nervously with butterflies, as it has been so long since she was this close to someone. Amanda is warm and smells of alcohol and something fruity, like perfume or body wash, and she feels the younger woman's breath puffing gently onto the back of her neck.

They lay there in silence for several minutes, Olivia suddenly wide awake as she stares into the darkness of the room and tries to relax in her co-worker's embrace. Amanda has pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over their entwined bodies, and the fuzzy cocoon they are swaddled in together only makes the situation seem that much more intimate.

"Are you okay, Liv?" Amanda whispers into her ear, Olivia's muscles jumping as slender fingers stroke her stomach briefly. "You feel really tense. Sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable. You can kick me onto the floor if you want to."

Olivia's hand is shooting out to grab Amanda's arm and hold her in place before she even knows what she's doing, trying to prevent the blonde detective from pulling away and sitting up. "No, it's alright," she replies softly, oddly relieved when she feels the younger woman relaxing against her again. "You can stay."

The room descends into quiet once more but Olivia knows that Amanda isn't asleep, realizing the detective has not moved her arm out from beneath her hand. Olivia's fingers are still wrapped around the smooth skin of her colleague's forearm and when she tries to pull away, this time it is Amanda who is holding her in place, reaching down to boldly lace their fingers together and resting their joined hands on Olivia's stomach.

"I'm really sorry for the way this trip has turned out so far, Liv," the younger woman murmurs sincerely, her thumb tracing circles across the back of Olivia's hand and the tender motion lulling her quickly toward sleep. "I should have been honest with you about things."

"It's okay," Olivia replies drowsily, finding a strange sort of comfort in being snuggled up so closely with the woman who usually drives her crazy. "Hopefully tomorrow will be better."

She is fairly certain that Amanda presses a featherlight kiss into her hair in response but is swiftly sucked beneath the dark veil of slumber, finally succumbing to some much-needed rest.

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Olivia is confused when she begins rising to consciousness in the morning, briefly unsure of why there are no obnoxious sounds of honking horns and shouting pedestrians, instead listening to the peaceful crashing of waves and the call of seagulls. The unfamiliar noises are not the strangest things about the situation, though, as Olivia has to stop herself from violently yanking away from the figure behind her when she feels someone else's leg thrown over her hip and a face buried against the back of her neck.

She relaxes somewhat as soon as she remembers that it is just Amanda, the two of them having no choice but to curl up on the love-seat together after the incident with the bed spring, unless one of them had wanted to spend the night on the floor. The relaxation is instantly obliterated when Olivia realizes that Amanda's hand is tucked beneath her pajama shirt and gently cupping one of her bare breasts, resisting the urge to arch into the younger woman's frame and let out a low moan as intense shivers begin running the entire length of her body.

She reaches up toward her colleague's hand with a trembling arm, intent on gently dislodging those intrusive fingers when Amanda's thumb begins trailing ever so slowly around her nipple, Olivia feeling it stiffen immediately at the soft touch. A quiet moan escapes her mouth before she can stop it, her eyelids fluttering closed as Amanda lets loose with a heavy snore right into her ear, and Olivia grits her teeth in pure frustration as she knows that she needs to move the detective's hand as soon as possible.

Amanda's body is completely slack against her own, the other woman clearly sound asleep and having no idea what she is doing, and Olivia can't help but wonder what the younger woman is dreaming about as she tries again to remove the fingers that are now pinching her nipple very gently.

"Oh, fuck, Amanda," she groans out as the light circling touch around her breast sends shock waves straight down to her core, feeling a dampness pooling inside her pajama bottoms now.

It seems to take all of the strength Olivia possesses to grab onto those probing fingers and yank them away from skin that feels ready to burst into flames, unable to stop herself from bucking hard into Amanda's warm figure with the action. She moves her co-worker's hand down to her hip so that it lays there limply for a moment, trying to hold her body still but flinching when slender fingers give her a squeeze, and she knows that Amanda is now awake.

"What's wrong?" The smaller woman's voice is slurred to the point that Olivia can barely understand her, and she wonders if Amanda has realized what she was just doing.

"Nothing," Olivia chokes out, not wanting to admit how good Amanda's touch had felt and a disconcerting ache growing between her legs. "Nothing's wrong."

"You just said my name like you were in pain," Amanda murmurs sleepily, still sounding quite out of it. "And you're moving around a lot. Were you having a bad dream?"

Olivia's throat feels like it has begun closing up and when she can't seem to get the words out, she feels Amanda cuddle more closely into her body like she is intent on providing comfort. "I'm not in pain," she finally mumbles under her breath. "And I didn't have a nightmare."

There is a short pause and a slight shifting of the slender figure behind her before Amanda whispers, "Hmm, okay, I see," in a teasing, knowing tone.

"You see what?" Olivia replies with a mixture of irritation and panic, not wanting Amanda to realize just how turned on she is at the moment, her breast still tingling pleasantly and her nipple fully erect from the younger woman's sensual touch.

"We all have dreams like that sometimes, Liv," Amanda says lightly, obviously misinterpreting the situation as her soft breath tickles the back of Olivia's neck and sends another quiver down her spine.

"This is nice, isn't it?" she continues breezily, apparently trying to change the subject and ease her superior's discomfort. "I could stay here all day. I'm quite comfy."

"Well, if you want to spend one of your vacation days lying around on the couch, knock yourself out, but I'm getting up to take a shower," Olivia announces abruptly as she hastily brushes Amanda's hand from her hip and struggles off the tiny love-seat, her body screaming in agony when she unfolds herself from the cramped position and rises to her feet.

She is pretty sure a sigh of disappointment is expelled into the air as she strides into the bedroom but is determined to ignore it, her stomach rumbling with hunger and deciding that she will have to make something for breakfast as soon as she is dressed. Her suitcase is lying on the floor next to Amanda's open luggage and Olivia kneels down to rifle through her belongings in search of her toiletry bag, along with something suitable to wear for the day.

As she digs through a pile of clothes, a bright pink object catches her attention out of the corner of her eye, Olivia's gaze swinging from her own suitcase over to Amanda's. Her brow furrows momentarily in confusion as she stares at the item, unsure if her eyes are deceiving her at this early hour of the morning before she is completely awake, especially after such a late and restless night.

What looks to be a vibrator is sitting right there in plain sight among Amanda's clothing, Olivia's heart stuttering to a stop inside her chest as sudden images spring to mind of her subordinate lowering those tiny pink panties down her thighs in order to make use of the toy. Her mouth has gone completely dry as she reaches out a trembling hand with the intention of burying the vibrator under a mound of clothing and pretending she had never seen it, when Amanda's footsteps suddenly sound behind her.

Olivia whirls around like she has just been caught doing something wrong, a fiery blush creeping across her cheeks, and she can tell by the look in Amanda's eyes that she knows her boss has seen it. The younger woman is disheveled with sleep, blonde hair fluffed out in messy waves around her shoulders and that damn striped T-shirt riding much too high up her bare legs again, Olivia's heart beginning to race at their current circumstances and Amanda's adorable yet provocative appearance definitely not helping the matter.

"Uhhh, looks like you found my little friend there, Liv," the detective says sheepishly, pretty pink spots of color staining her normally pale cheeks. "I thought I had hid it better than that."

"Would you care to explain why you brought a sex toy on a trip with your lieutenant, especially when you knew there was only one bedroom and you would most likely be sharing it?" Olivia asks sharply after clearing her throat, heart knocking in an uneven rhythm against her ribs.

"Well..." Amanda's voice trails off, the other woman biting down on her lower lip in a way that Olivia finds disturbingly tempting.

"Well, what?" she prods impatiently.

"I needed something to relieve my tension," Amanda answers somewhat timidly, although there is the hint of a smirk playing around the corners of her mouth. "And I would have used it in private."

"What tension?" Olivia snaps out in response, a deep frown pulling her eyebrows together as she listens to Amanda's sputtering chuckle.

"You're right, Liv, there's no tension whatsoever between us." Amanda rolls her eyes and gestures toward the vibrator. "If it bothers you that much, I can bury it in the bottom of my suitcase and we can just pretend you never saw it," she adds in a placating tone. "Out of sight, out of mind."

"I can't pretend I never saw it," Olivia protests vehemently, internally acknowledging that even though she has already had the same idea, there is no way she can possibly follow through with it now; not when Amanda has caught her looking. "I know it's there."

"Well, how about I promise not to use it?" Amanda suggests calmly, like she is trying to diffuse the situation before it explodes into a nasty fight.

"That's a promise you better damn well keep," Olivia warns sternly, trying desperately to eliminate those unwanted images that are stubbornly cycling through her brain, but finding it hard to accomplish with Amanda standing there staring at her with those big blue eyes and the vibrator still within her field of vision.

"Not a problem, Liv," Amanda says in a voice that is far too innocent, holding her hands up in the air as if to pacify her. "Look, why don't you get in the shower while I make us some breakfast? And then we can go to the beach afterwards. It would be nice to spend the day by the water."

"Sure, that sounds fine," Olivia mutters distractedly as she locates her toiletry bag and swipes it out of the confines of her suitcase, anxious to get into the bathroom and away from the distressingly enticing figure of her colleague.

"Sorry, Liv, I didn't mean to be inappropriate," Amanda calls after her as she begins hurrying from the bedroom.

"This entire vacation has been inappropriate," Olivia mumbles under her breath, sighing with relief when she is locked away in the bathroom and finally alone for a little while.

There are a multitude of emotions running through her now, each one more confusing than the last, and she blows out a frustrated puff of air as she turns the shower on and waits for the water to heat up. Olivia wonders if she should just leave it on a cold temperature to help control the hot flush that has spread throughout her entire body and seems to have reached a boiling point at the juncture of her thighs, a pulsing ache making itself known and demanding for some relief.

Olivia deeply regrets agreeing to join Amanda on this vacation as she climbs into the tub and stands under the soothing spray, certain feelings that have been carefully buried beneath all of the usual anger and mistrust and annoyance trying their best to creep up to the surface. She leans her head against the wall, willing the throbbing between her legs to dissipate and trying to think of absolutely anything else besides pink underwear and a matching vibrator; but the more Olivia tries to stop, the worse it gets.

An interesting thought occurs to Olivia as her hand begins slowly traveling the length of her body, slipping along the wet skin of her breasts and hovering over her stomach before dipping lower; wondering if all of those negative emotions that she has always felt toward Amanda are actually just a cover for something else. Olivia finds this revelation to be quite bothersome and is now determined to stop thinking about anything at all and let her mind go blank as she enjoys her shower and some peace and quiet, removing her hand from between her legs and letting it hang down by her side.

Her resolution only lasts for a moment, though, before her fingers are creeping back toward the heat emanating from her core and her mind is once again filled with seductive images of Amanda. Olivia's mouth drops open and a low moan emits from between parted lips as the very tips of her fingers make the barest amount of contact with soaking wet folds, lightly circling her twitching bundle of nerves before a sudden pounding on the door makes her rip her hand away in shock and jerk upright in the tub, almost losing her balance and falling.

"What is it?" she yells in irritation, trying to catch her breath and hoping she can disguise the pure, raw need that is evident in her voice.

"Do you like eggs, Liv?"

"What?" Olivia calls back in confusion.

"For breakfast!" Amanda shouts through the closed door. "Are eggs okay?"

"Yes, they're fine!" Olivia groans through a clenched jaw, her legs shuddering so hard that she is having trouble staying on her feet. "Was it really necessary to interrupt my shower to ask me that?"

"I just want to make sure the rest of this trip goes well, Liv!" Amanda replies cheerfully, Olivia rolling her eyes and sighing in response. "So I figured I could start by cooking something that you enjoy."

"I appreciate that, Amanda," she says dryly, picking up the bottle of shampoo and pouring a generous amount into her hand as she chastises herself for what she had just been about to do. "Is okay if I finish my shower now, though?"

"No problem!" Amanda's energetic voice sounds one last time before Olivia can hear small feet padding away from the door, and she sags back against the wall with another sigh, trying to ignore that persistent ache between her legs.

She has to admit that breakfast smells incredible when she walks into the kitchen a short while later, wet hair combed in a dark curtain around her shoulders and wearing shorts and a T-shirt with her bathing suit underneath. Amanda has prepared quite a feast that consists of bacon, eggs, toast, coffee and orange juice, and Olivia thinks they will be waiting for quite some time to go swimming after they're done eating such a big meal.

"Did you have a nice shower?" Amanda inquires as they sit down at the table together with heaping plates of food, Olivia's stomach rumbling loudly and noticing the younger woman has taken the chair right next to her own instead of the one across the table.

The question itself is innocent enough but has been asked in a slightly knowing tone, as if Amanda is somehow privy to exactly what had taken place inside the bathtub, and Olivia tries to keep her face blank when she answers with a casual, "Yeah, it was fine."

Amanda smiles at her before lifting a forkful of eggs to her mouth, a mischievous twinkle in those large cerulean orbs, and Olivia can't help frowning as she glances down toward the pale bare legs that are tucked beneath the table.

"So I see you haven't put any pants on," she comments wryly, picking up her steaming cup of coffee and arching an eyebrow at the other woman.

Olivia watches as Amanda glances down at herself with a bewildered expression on her face, like the detective is just now realizing that she is still wearing only underwear and a T-shirt. "Well, I just got up, Liv. I haven't had time to get dressed yet."

"You've had time to prepare an entire breakfast but not enough time to put on a pair of pants?" Olivia shakes her head as Amanda's grin becomes wider. "Okay, sure, that makes a lot of sense."

The rest of the meal is very quiet, Olivia offering to wash the dishes when they are done so Amanda can get ready, and quite relieved when the other woman leaves the room to presumably put on some more clothing. She is standing at the sink, her back to the door and her hands immersed in warm bubbles, when she hears Amanda come back into the kitchen, bare feet squeaking along the floor.

"Okay, I'm ready for a day at the water."

Olivia finishes washing the plate in her hands before carefully setting it down and turning away from the sink, her jaw nearly dropping open at the breathtaking sight she is greeted with.

Amanda is standing there in the world's tiniest peach-colored bikini, instantly reminding Olivia of the nickname 'Georgia Peach'; the minuscule scraps of silky material barely enough to cover certain parts of her body and not leaving much at all to the imagination. The smaller woman's figure is very lean and well toned, long blonde hair scooped up into a sloppy ponytail to show off the delicate bone structure of her beautiful face, and huge blue eyes fixed right on her lieutenant as if awaiting a reaction.

"I needed a new bathing suit for our trip, so I just bought this one a couple of days ago," Amanda announces brightly, holding her arms out and twirling around in a circle before bending a leg and cocking a hip in a somewhat dramatic fashion, one hand resting on her waist like she is posing. "Do you like it, Liv?"

Olivia is struck utterly mute and is beginning to think that instead of joining Amanda at the beach, 'a day at the water' might have to consist of locking herself inside the bathroom and immersing her entire body in a tub full of ice.