Past, Present, Future
Chapter 9
"It's freezing out here. Remind me why we decided to walk again?" Munch complained lightly, rubbing his freezing arms. Olivia rolled her eyes and smiled at him,
"Maybe because it's only a fifty foot walk back to the precinct, ever think of that?"
"We could've gotten a cab." He moaned.
" Munch, are you serious? Pay money to get somewhere a five minute walk away?" Questioned Fin, chuckling slightly at his partners antics. Munch grumbled and wrapped his arms around his arms tighter. Olivia rolled her eyes and handed over her scarf, " Here, take this, you big baby." She teased.
" It's so c-cold mom. Let me come inside!" yelled Olivia, apparently to no one. Her mother had caught her up on the roof when she was supposed to be home cleaning her room and had locked the door that led to the staircase. Unfortunately for her, her mother was drunk again, and didn't quite understand that locking a young girl up on a rooftop in below-freezing weather could have serious consequences.
"mom!" Thirteen year old Olivia called out to her mother repeatedly for twenty minutes straight, before realizing it was a hopeless cause. She wrapped her thin coat around herself tighter in a desperate attempt to stay warm and huddled against a nearby wall.
'All of this because I didn't clean my room? I'm always cleaning the whole house anyway! I'm sick of this. Sick of taking care of my own mother. I'm sick of her.' Olivia thought angrily, closing her eyes in an attempt to make things all go away. It didn't work. She opened them up a moment later and realized with sorrow that nothing had changed, except maybe for the fact that she was a little bit colder. She sighed in defeat and curled up into a ball, wishing the cold would just go away.
A half hour or so later, Olivia was awoken by someone shaking her shoulder.
' To...tired...maybe I'll just go back to sleep...'she thought drowsily.
"No Olivia! Stay with me! Stay awake!"
'But I'm so warm now...'
Olivia didn't know what was happening to her, all she knew was that her eyes felt like they were being weighed down with lead, and suddenly she wasn't cold anymore...
"OLIVIA!'" The desperate cry of voice she now recognized as her best friend's was the last thing she heard before she blacked out.
"What happened? Where am I" Olivia jolted up with alarm, only calming down when she heard a familiar voice.
"Liv, just breath, calm down." Soothed John, putting a hand on her shoulder, " You were up on the roof all night and you passed out from hypothermia. Your in my apartment now."
" I passed out?! What- Olivia paused and then backtracked, curiosity overcoming her.
" Wait...your apartment?"
"Yes Olivia, my apartment." He mocked jokingly, before smiling at her warmly, "I earned enough money to finally afford it a few days ago. It's only a few floors below yours. I was going to tell you tonight but then I found you...well, you know- he paused and looked at her over his glasses, " what happened anyway? Why were you up there? With a light jacket even?"
Olivia sighed, " I was going to go down to get another jacket, I didn't realize how cold it was, but then my mom caught me up there instead of at home cleaning, and she got so mad at me. She locked me up there." Her eyes filled with tears at just the memory of her mothers furious yelling and accusing.
"Olivia..." Began John, not sure what to say to make her feel better.
" I wish I could've been there, I could have helped..." Olivia interrupted him by putting her hand on top of his.
" But you did help Johnny...you saved my life."
"Liv." Said Munch, startling her out of her reverie.
"What? - oh, sorry." Olivia said, realizing that she was standing on the sidewalk only a few feet from the station house, and that Munch was currently beside her, trying to bring circulation back to his arms and hands as he studied her worriedly.
" You could have gone back in without me, you know." She said, smirking slightly as he continued to rub his hands together frantically. She pulled off her gloves and handed them to him, and he put them on gratefully.
"What, and leave you out here to reminisce on far off memories?" He shook his head, and added, "thanks for the gloves."
" Yeah, and your not getting my jacket next. You've already stolen my scarf too." Olivia responded with mock- seriousness..
"I did not steal them," Munch announced with indignation, " you offered them to me."
"Yeah, well you manipulated me." Olivia countered.
" No I didn't Olivia. I coerced you."
"Same difference." She said defensively
"Well actually...". Munch began, before being cut off by Elliot, who had just come back out and was listening to their whole "argument",
"Hey, guys! Stop bickering like children and come inside before you get frostbite, will ya?"
" Yes sir." Munch said sarcastically as he went up the precinct steps, Olivia beside him. He waited Until Elliot was back inside before asking, "So, what was on your mind back there?"
"Nothing, just...the cold." Olivia said lamely.
"Uh huh." He replied, not convinced. He stopped on the top stair and gently grabbed her arm, turning her toward him. She sighed, and Munch was surprised to see tears in her eyes.
"Liv, just tell me." Munch said, concern filling every inch of his voice.
"It's nothing really, she sighed, "I was just thinking about that night when I was locked on the roof...you probably don't even remember." She dismissed it half-heartedly with a wave of her hand. Munch nearly gaped.
"Olivia. Are you serious?" He questioned with disbelief, "Do you think I would forget the day my best friend almost died?!"
Olivia smiled and wiped away the tears from her eyes before asking almost shyly,
"You really thought of me as your best friend, huh?" Munch looked at her over his glasses for a moment before replying, "Yeah. And you know what Liv?"
"What?" She asked with her eyebrows raised slightly. He smiled and responded in such a rare, tender way that her heart nearly melted.
"I still do."
TBC
A/N: Yay! I finally updated! Please review!
