I'm so surprised to see so many of you liking this story. Just a message about Bayard's daughter, I'm sure in the first episode he appeared in he invited Olivia to help him coach his daughters softball team, hence where this idea came from.
Thanks for you reviews! Keep em coming!
The drive over to the softball pitch had been quiet, Olivia was brooding after David and Bayard didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. They exited the car and walked towards the pitch where a team of girls in red and white softball uniforms were all messing around and being silly, some of them doing some a-typical warm ups.
"Molly!" Bayard called.
A young girl stopped throwing a ball and looked towards the hill Bayard and Olivia had stopped at the bottom of. Molly chucked the ball at her friends and rushed over, diving into Bayard's arms in the process and he lifted her up and spun her around once.
"Dad you're late!" Molly laughed as he rubbed her braided afro.
"Sorry Mol' I was working." He replied as she went on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek. "Molly, this is Olivia, Olivia my terrible thirteen year old daughter Molly."
"Oh so you're Olivia…" The girl said in a knowing manner as she shook Olivia's hand.
"Uh yeah." Olivia glanced nervously at Bayard who looked almost as if he was blushing. "It's good to meet you Molly." She smiled.
"Good to finally meet you to, Dad talks about you all the time." Molly said and it was Olivia's turn to blush.
"Molly come on!" One girl called from the pitch.
"Uh that's Lynette she's my throwing partner, catch you later." Molly ran off and Bayard chuckled nervously.
"She's beautiful." Olivia smiled as she looked over at the girl with skin lighter than her father's but the same piercing brown eyes.
"Yeah she is." Bayard replied. "She's my world." Bayard added and Olivia could hear in his voice that the young girl meant everything to him.
"So uh, what did she meant about you talking about me all the time?" Olivia teased as she tucked a lose piece of hair behind her ear.
"I don't." He chuckled. "Not all the time but I have told her about you otherwise she wouldn't have been excited to meet you."
Olivia blushed and looked from Bayard back to the pitch.
"So you want meet the rest of the team?" He asked taking off his tie.
"Uh sure." Olivia replied with a smile, it was awkward enough meeting his daughter.
"Ok girls gather round!" Bayard called as he and Olivia walked to the pitch. "Right tonight we play to win ok?"
"Yeah!" The girls cheered.
"So I want you to do four laps and then quickly split into your two's so we can get a good practise in before the big game." Bayard called and as soon as Bayard finished talking the team broke up and started running.
"So how often do you do this?" Olivia asked as Bayard pulled off his jacket and walked over to the edge of the pitch to where the team's bags were.
"Twice a week, it's my way of being able to spend some time with Molly. I mean being a single father you'd think I'd be able to spend all the time in the world with her but between all her clubs and my work… we don't get as much time as we used to and so years ago I set this up and it just got more and more popular and before we knew it we were playing in the New York's young ladies league." Bayard explained as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.
"That's so sweet." Olivia smiled, it warmed her heart to hear of a father doing something so meaningful with his daughter.
After practise was over the team were picked up by parents and carpools and headed out with a warning to be at the pitch in good time before the game.
"So Molly what do you say we go for Pizza?" Bayard asked as he pulled on his jacket, Olivia thought it was brilliant seeing him hurry around the pitch refereeing the game that took place even Olivia had joined in to make the teams even and impressed Molly when she saw how good Olivia was at the game.
"Can Olivia come?" Molly asked as she tapped her bat against her foot.
"Well you'll have to ask her if she wants too." Bayard said smiling at Olivia who was sipping away at a bottle of water.
"Olivia?" Molly said dragging out her name and making it obvious she was about to ask something. "Would you join us for pre match pizza?"
"Uh sure if it's ok with your Dad." Olivia replied with a smile quite surprised at the barely teenager's invite.
"Dad she said she will!" Molly yelled excitedly.
"Well lets go then because we've got a big game tonight!" Bayard smiled as Molly slipped her hand into her father's making it ever more obvious that Bayard and his daughter had a very special relationship for her to be thirteen and not caring about holding his hand.
They arrived at the pizza store and Bayard ordered two very large pizza's for them all to share and Olivia found herself relaxing and enjoying herself with them.
"So Olivia what's your job?" Molly asked.
"I'm a cop." Olivia replied knowing better than to give any more details than that to someone so young.
"She's a Detective Mol' a very good one at that." Bayard added and Molly grinned.
"Dad always complains about cops." Molly said and Bayard and Olivia laughed. "He says they get in the way of him doing his job."
"It works the other way actually, it's people like your dad who gets in the way of us doing ours." Olivia chuckled flashing a wink over at Bayard.
"No I just make sure they do their job properly so that real bad guys go to jail when the ones who aren't bad don't get sent to jail because of their mistakes." Bayard said and Olivia and Molly laughed.
"I think you two are never going to agree on that." Molly said and Olivia and Bayard both agreed whole heartedly. "So how did you two meet?" Molly asked as she ate and Olivia looked at Bayard unsure how much to tell the young girl about how they met, she wasn't sure how wise the girl was or how Bayard had explained his job to her.
"Well Olivia was working as Detective on a case where I became the Lawyer." Bayard said. "And she was really mad at me when I won and I found her sitting on a wall looking very miserable and I stopped to talk to her and we became friends from there I guess."
"Uh huh." Molly replied. "What was the case?"
"Oh Mol' you know I don't like talking to you about my cases." Bayard replied.
"Oh come on Dad I read your files." Molly replied and Bayard chuckled.
"You're too bright for your own good Moll. It was a rape case where a black man was accused of raping a white woman." Bayard replied.
"Did he do it?" Molly asked seemingly unfazed and Olivia was too distracted by the communication that she didn't even realise the question.
"Olivia seems to think so." Bayard replied.
"But you don't?" Molly asked.
"No I don't." Bayard said softly looking awkwardly at Olivia. "Like I said to Olivia when she was sulking on the wall…"
"None of us really know what happened." Olivia finished for him and both Bayard and Molly looked at her with matching grins. "What?"
"You remember the exact words he told you?" Molly asked.
"Yeah, shows I was listening doesn't it?" Olivia laughed.
"No it means you like my Dad… Olivia likes my Dad… Olivia likes…"
"Enough Molly." Bayard replied quite firmly and Molly just laughed. "Sorry." He said to Olivia but she just made a hand signal to show that it didn't matter. "So you do remember what I said to you." Bayard said in surprise.
"I have carried it with me on every case since Bayard because you're right, neither of us know really what happened, I believe her you believe him and we fought for our sides and in the end you won, the jury agreed that the people hadn't met their burden and proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he was guilty. It happens." She shrugged.
"Ok seriously guys this conversation has gotten way to serious." Molly said in a funny voice making the two adults laugh. "Now I'm done with Pizza can I please have some ice cream?"
"It's tradition Mol'." Bayard smiled handing over the desert menu. "You'll have some Liv?" He asked and Olivia nodded and smiled.
Once the ice cream was served and Molly dragged Olivia to the decorate it yourself area the three sat back around the table talking some more.
"So do you two come for Pizza and Ice Cream before every game?" Olivia asked.
"Hell yeah ever since that very first game." Molly replied cheekily.
"I wanted her to relax before her first game and Pizza and Ice Cream worked." Bayard explained and Olivia smiled and nodded.
"Are you gonna watch the game?" Molly inquired hopefully.
"Yeah I wouldn't miss it." Olivia smiled feeling very honoured to have been asked not only to dinner but now to watch the game too.
"Good because if we win tonight we're in the play offs." Molly smiled. "And if we win tonight you're not allowed to miss a game because you're going to be our new good luck charm."
"Molly." Bayard warned.
"What?" Molly frowned at her father.
"Olivia is a cop, her job is very demanding sometimes she won't be able to make it to your games." Bayard explained and Olivia's heart cracked seeing the disappointment on the young girls face.
"If you win and give me the dates I'll come to as many as I can ok? I'll try and be at them all but as much as I wish I could I can't promise." Olivia told her and she smiled and nodded at the Detective saying that she was happy with that arrangement.
"Thank you." Bayard mouthed to Olivia, seeing her make his daughter happy really made him happy too.
"I can't believe we won!" Molly cheered as Bayard lifted her onto his shoulder showing to Olivia that he was much stronger than he looked.
"You deserved it Molly you were great out there." Olivia smiled, she was really having fun.
"Now it's time for post-match hot dogs Dad." Molly said as he lowered her to the ground.
"I know!" He laughed.
"Will you come Olivia?" Molly asked and Olivia looked at Bayard who nodded his permission.
"Sure Molly, I'd love to celebrate with you guys." Olivia smiled as Molly slipped her hand into the Detective's and the other hand into her Father's.
"And you promise you're going to try and come to all the play offs?" Molly asked.
"Absolutely." Olivia grinned, she couldn't believe how warm and loving the thirteen year old was.
"Good because the girls agree that you're our good luck charm!" Molly laughed as did both Bayard and Olivia.
After having hotdogs and soda Bayard and Molly drove Olivia back to her apartment and she invited them both up for coffee as she didn't want the evening to end yet.
"Molly I have some hot chocolate if you want?" Olivia suggested as she made herself and Bayard their coffee's.
"Yes please." Molly replied shyly, being in her own territory was different to being in someone else's.
"Thank you for today Olivia, I haven't seen Molly that happy since… well since a long time." Bayard said.
"She's a great kid Bayard." Olivia smiled. "And thank you for giving me time away from everything, I haven't had this much fun since… well since a while." Olivia replied and Bayard realised they both wanted to say something personal but couldn't quite get the words out.
Once in the living room Olivia put the TV on for Molly and as she sat on the couch Molly snuggled into her side surprising both Bayard and Olivia.
"So are you working tomorrow?" Bayard asked knowing tomorrow was a Saturday and he was off.
"Yeah I'm catching with Nick tomorrow." Olivia sighed.
"How is it working with someone new, I mean you and your ex-partner were together for thirteen years." Bayard said.
"Yeah at first it was difficult working with someone else but I soon found Nick to be a great guy, a little green but he's good." Olivia replied. "I trust him to have my back which you have to have in a partnership like ours."
"Of course, he seems a good cop." Bayard replied.
"Oh he is, I knew that from day one, he came from Narcotics with a great track record." Olivia smiled as she absentmindedly ran her fingers through Molly's hair who unbeknownst to the two adults had fallen asleep.
"Well I have the day off tomorrow and I'm thinking of taking Molly up to Coney, it's a shame you're working." Bayard said hinting to the fact he wanted to invite her.
"God I haven't been to Coney Island for a day out in years only for… well cases." Olivia shuddered thinking about a place that could bring so much joy to people had a horrifying dark side too.
"Lovely." Bayard chuckled knowing the types of cases Olivia was thinking about. "Well I should get this madam home." He laughed nodding his head towards the sleeping teen.
"Oh cute, I can't believe she fell asleep." Olivia smiled.
"I can't believe I have to wake her, she's cranky when you wake her." Bayard laughed.
"Molly." Olivia said softly nudging the girl. "Hey Molly it's time to wake up sleepy head."
"Ugh… no sleeping…" Molly mumbled and Olivia and Bayard both laughed.
"Come on Molly time to go home." Bayard called making the little girls eyes open wide.
"Where am I…Oh yeah sorry I feel asleep on you." Molly said as she stretched.
"It's ok." Olivia smiled as she pushed herself to standing. "Maybe if it's ok with your Dad and I don't have to work one night you and me can have a girls only sleep over?" Olivia suggested childishly.
"Yeah Dad? Please?" Molly asked.
"We'll see." Bayard laughed meaning yes but they would have to wait and see how things went first.
"Ok, thanks for coming tonight Olivia and I'll make sure Dad tells you when the next game is." Molly smiled embracing the Detective.
"You're welcome and thank you for having me I had a great time." Olivia smiled embracing her back. "Come on I'll walk you both down."
Once out in the cold Bayard and Olivia put Molly in the car and shut the door. He then turned to Olivia with a smile.
"See I told you it would take your mind off of everything." Bayard smiled and Olivia grinned back.
"It did, Thank you I really did enjoy myself and Molly's a great girl." Olivia replied.
A moment of awkwardness past between them while Olivia wrapped her arms around herself to keep the cold out. Bayard leant in and dropped a soft kiss onto her cheek and then pulled away quickly blushing.
"Good night Liv." He smiled.
"Night." She smiled back trying to hide how giddy he had made her feel.
"Go in before you freeze, it may be summer but these nights are still cold." Bayard laughed and Olivia nodded waved to Molly and rushed off indoors feeling happier now than she had in days.