A/N - Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews! I'm so happy people are reading and enjoying the story :) Things are starting to pick up pace a bit from here on out so hang on to your hats kids, we're in for a bumpy ride!
Chapter 10
"I hate that you're a cop" - Amanda
"Do you see him?"
The warehouse was dark, pitch grey in fact, which is like a shade lighter than out and out blackness. Olivia felt along the wall as she moved steadily in the direction of white noise coming from disconnected electronics.
"Nick? You see anything?"
"No ..." Nick's voice returned in an almost whisper. They were sitting ducks and they both knew it.
"The others'll be here soon." Liv reassured, not feeling half as confident as she tried to make herself sound.
Just minutes earlier Patrick Sanzeri, their perp, outran them from his car and entered the building. Olivia's mind raced with a multitude of thoughts and she tried to clear them and focus on the white noise, the silence and her hopes of hearing a little girl's cries telling her which way to go.
"Maybe we should wait for back-up?" Amaro suggested, warily. He knew neither of them would agree to it but he felt the need to make the suggestion anyway.
Liv's silence was all the reply he needed; the little girl was just a few days over her sixth birthday, Zara's birthday was also in a few days. Both detectives knew what the other was thinking.
Sirens wailed in the distance, growing closer then stopping. Olivia knew that Fin and Amanda were right on their tail, the thought made her apprehensive and reassured in equal measure. These sort of blind situations always held the most amount of risk.
Metal clanked against concrete, making the two detectives jump. Both held their breath, listening to the sound of whatever fell, rolling to a standstill. He was close.
Liv tapped Nick's arm, a tiny scrap of light filtered through a gap in the iron sheet roofing, allowing them just enough light to proceed. Cautiously they split, Liv made her way gingerly down the metal staircase whilst Nick went along the upper level, using the barely-there light to cover her. Liv kept her gun trained at eye level the entire time, almost willing the sick bastard to come into view and try something.
In those seconds, before it all went down, Liv found herself thinking about the dream again, the one where she watched a woman and her daughter playing in the park. Over the weeks since it first occurred within her flu-addled brain, the image of the mother had gradually morphed into Amanda, and the little blonde child their own.
She heard scuffling, then shots fired, then the sound of a low, sure, unfamiliar voice.
"What are you going to do now ... Detective?"
Liv took a swift glance around the concrete wall blocking her view of the commotion and voices. Inside the room, partitioned off by more walls and metal framing, Fin was hurt. It looked like a straightforward GSW to the arm, nothing life threatening, but Olivia couldn't see his piece. Amanda had her own gun trained on the man who held a six-year-old aloft in the air, one arm wrapped around her body as he used her as a shield from the blonde detective's weapon. His own gun perched against the side of her innocent head.
"You shoot me and she'll be dead before I hit the ground."
Amanda said nothing in reply, merely readying her stance.
"Well, Detective?"
"Don't be stupid Sanzeri, there's only one way you're walking out of here alive." Amanda said, steady and sure.
He chuckled a little, grasping the squirming child closer. "Correction, there's only one way we're both walking out of here alive." He replied, pressing the gun harder against the child's head in emphasis.
The sound of metal creaking above their heads made Sanzeri glance up, not the detectives though, Liv and Amanda both kept their eyes firmly on him and the little girl. Liv just wished that Amanda had some way of seeing her.
"Those your buddies?" He asked, his voice rattled.
Amanda knew well enough not to attempt a half-assed shot, mood he was in - unless it was a kill shot - he'd probably take them all down in panic. "Put down the girl." She tried appealing to his desire for control. "Just put her down and we can talk about it, you and me ...?"
He shook his head, tempted though, the child wasn't making things any easier, squirming and kicking his legs and groin. "Stop!" He yelled at her, re-asserting the gun against her temple. She cried soft whimpers.
Once again the sound of metal creaked above. "I know you're in here!" Sanzeri called. "Come out, come out, wherever you are?"
Fin groaned a little, the stun of whacking his head against the concrete finally wearing off. He took a second to take in the situation, seeing his gun nowhere in sight he brought his good hand up to stem the flow of blood from his arm.
Sanzeri began to back away, heading to where he didn't know Olivia was standing. Amanda matched his every backward step with a forward one, gun trained on the small portion of his chest not blocked by the little girl.
He felt the cold steel up against the back of his head, the click of the safety catch taken off, the eerie feeling of being surrounded.
"I think you'd better give me that, don't you?" Olivia said, reaching over to take his gun with her free hand. She kept her eyes on Amanda the whole time, knowing that the blonde wouldn't even think of lowering hers until both Liv and the little girl were safe.
Just like that they were carrying the little girl out of the building, surrounded by swarms of people, uniforms, their Captain, the Chief, and news reporters. It seemed like the warehouse docks were alive where only moments before they felt lonely and unwelcoming. Amanda handed the little girl back to her distraught parents, understanding that it could have gone either way.
Fin was bundled off in the back of a bus to Bellevue to get his wound cleaned and his arm stitched up. Luckily the bullet appeared to have missed anything vital.
"I best follow him to the hospital." Amanda said, her thoughts faraway. When she left for work with Olivia that morning, the only thing on Amanda's mind was having dinner with Kathleen at Alex's apartment. She recalled thinking it would be nice to catch up but even nicer to simply enjoy a quiet night in for once, collapsed on the sofa with her girlfriend.
"No." Olivia's voice was quiet, so unlike her. She reached out and placed her hand around Amanda's forearm. "No."
Amanda wasn't sure what her girlfriend was saying. "Okay."
Liv nodded. "Thank you."
They made their way back to the station in the same car, leaving Amaro to drive back the one he and Liv arrived in. Once inside the precinct, Olivia took hold of Amanda's hand, quietly leading her through the hallways towards the back of the building.
"Liv?" Amanda followed willingly, but seemed puzzled. "You wanna tell me where we're going?"
Liv glanced around, pulling Amanda into the downstairs female cloakroom that was rarely ever used. Sometime, years ago, someone put in a complaint about the mixed locker room upstairs. Brass insisted on the female officers having their own out of fear one of them might sue for sexual harassment. It occurred to Liv the irony being that over the years, through its lack of use, it was the one room guaranteed to have seen more action than the junior clerks photocopy room at the Courthouse.
Olivia snickered at the thought.
Amanda looked at her, confused. "What?"
Somehow they'd made it into one of the bathroom stalls as if on autopilot. Liv's hands grasped tight hold of Amanda's hips, but the brunette's mind was someplace else.
"I was thinking about something Alex once told me." Liv admitted.
It was the first thing she'd said since they left the warehouse. An uneasy, queasy feeling churned in the pit of Liv's stomach. They'd both been hurt on the job before getting together and logically Olivia knew they'd get hurt again, but she couldn't seem to shake the notion from deep within that her family had been threatened today.
"Liv." Amanda pulled the older woman towards her and wrapped strong arms around her body, squeezing life back into her in place of fear. "I'm right here."
"I know."
"We're both fine."
"I know."
"The little girl is fine."
Olivia closed her eyes.
Images of memories danced behind her eyelids, like Zara's pink princess birthday cake sat in their refrigerator at home, finished by Amanda the night before and all ready to be driven out to Queens in the morning. Or Kathleen's look of joy at her last scan earlier in the week, when the doctors gave her the all clear and told her that they didn't need to see her back until the contractions started.
The images were all Amanda and it frightened Liv to think that in the wrong second it could all disappear.
"Please ...?"
It came out like a strangled sob, a whisper. Amanda deciphered from it everything Olivia couldn't bring herself to say.
Without wasting any time the blonde brought their bodies close together, no space to breathe as she ran her fingers up and down Liv's spine, feeling trembling beneath the tips.
Liv turned her lips towards the blonde's throat, hungrily latching on and alternately sucking and biting, needing to use every sense available to remind herself they were very much okay.
Amanda groaned; Liv's raking teeth making her feel shaky with need. Like the snap of a rubber band her arousal peaked instantly, driven forth by the danger combined with the adrenaline. She worked Olivia's shirt free from her pants, wasting no time in unbuckling the brunette detective's belt and sliding down her zipper.
Liv's head fell back as firm, questing fingers coursed across the taut skin of her lower belly. She flushed with embarrassment at how needy and ready her girlfriend would find her.
"Fuck." Amanda paused as her fingers met moisture, she had to take a deep breath and centre herself for fear that her need to ground Olivia in the present would take over and within seconds they would both be flat out and panting on the floor. "Baby ..." The blonde purred. "Oh ... Liv."
Liv flushed crimson scarlet, surprised there was any blood left in her peripheries to allow her to do so. She wiggled her hips imperceptibly, widening her stance just enough to allow Amanda the room she would need to go through with what she was starting.
Amanda cupped her firmly, fingertips teasing and taunting soft, wet, swollen flesh. Their bodies so in tune with each other that speech was no longer a necessity. Amanda felt the rippling waves of tension roll through Olivia's abdomen, derailing her as she remembered how it felt in that moment to watch her everything, her love, step out from behind the perps head, gun raised, doing her job as she always did ... every day ...
"I hate that you're a cop ..." Amanda whispered, her lips suddenly breaking into a shy smile.
Liv looked at her, the ridiculousness of the comment catching her off guard, a deep chuckle rising up out of her throat. She laughed and Amanda's hand stilled.
Amanda brought her hand out of her girlfriends pants, laying her palm flat against the brunette's belly. "Not here, not like this ..."
Liv nodded. "Then let's go home?"
The blonde helped return them both to a state of acceptable dress, never stepping out of the brunette's touch. "First can we stop in and see Fin?" She asked, and Olivia nodded in agreement. "Then I hate to break it to you." Amanda reminded her, "but we promised Kathleen we'd go have dinner with her and the bump."
Liv sighed, burying her face in her girlfriend's neck, blocking out the rest of the world for a minute more.
"Kathleen ..."
Amanda nodded. They stood in silence, arms around each other, processing the thin line between success and failure. Liv stirred as the iPhone in her pocket vibrated to life. She pulled it out, smiling as she registered the identity of the caller.
"Hi Kath ..."
Amanda stepped back, watching Liv's face as it changed from casual greeting to growing concern.
"Okay, Kathleen slow down ... take a breath ... did you call your OBGYN?" Liv pulled the phone away from her ear and covered up the mouthpiece. "Kath's gone into labour." She stated to Amanda, relaying urgency and panic in her voice. "Her contractions are coming so fast she can't keep count and her waters have broken."
Amanda immediately went for the radio at her hip. "This is SVU portable to central I need a bus to 235 West 78th Street, apartment 20, pregnant woman in labour ..."
"Ambulance is on it's way Kathleen ..." Liv reassured her, they began making their way back to Rollins' squad car. "We'll meet you at the hospital."
Kathleen cried into the phone as another wave of contractions hit her. "Hurry!"
They were never more grateful to be driving an unmarked cop car than when it was necessary to abandon it outside the EMS entrance to Bellevue. Liv flashed her badge to a disapproving looking orderly as the two flushed and out of breath detectives ran in, pausing in the entryway to debate whether they should try information first or head straight to maternity.
"Who died?" Asked the familiar voice of John Munch, helping Fin and his injured wing out to the car with every intention of then continuing on to their favourite cop bar.
"Ladies ..." Fin joked. "I'm touched, but i think I'll live to get shot by another punk-ass in the arm."
"Not you." Amanda said hurriedly, jogging over to give him the hug she'd wanted since leaving the docks. "Kathleen ..." She explained quickly. "She's gone into labour."
Munch frowned as he watched Olivia scan the information board for maternity. "Just like a Stabler to jump the gun, bit early isn't it ...? She's not due for another ..."
"Three and a half weeks." Liv finished for him. She spotted what she was looking for and grabbed hold of Amanda's sleeve. "There, fourth floor."
Liv took out any well meaning nurse who tried to slow them down. They rushed their way onto the labour ward and before either of them had chance to question what in the hell they were doing, both were being handed blue plastic coverings for their shoes before being ushered in on a sight that Amanda Rollins knew she wouldn't forget in a hurry.
"Holy shit ...!"
Kathleen glared up at them both following Amanda's uncensored exclamation. "Holy shit what? ... Holy shit what? ... Liv?"
Liv sprang into action, since it wasn't her first time being in a delivery room with a screaming pregnant Stabler woman. "Nothing honey, nothing." She quickly reassured her. "How are you doing?"
Amanda hung back by the door, adding the overall aesthetic of Kathleen, legs splayed, sweating and red-faced to the reasons why she never wanted to get pregnant.
"It hurts." Kathleen whimpered as another wave of contractions squeezed her belly.
Olivia scooted up behind her on the bed. "I know honey, but just focus on the next bit, the good bit, pretty soon you're gonna get to meet your baby."
Kathleen smiled in the brief moment between intense waves of pain. "But she's too early, what if she's not okay?"
"Well that's why all the doctors and nurses are here, to make sure she has everything she needs."
Liv's words seemed to register in the part of Amanda's brain that had gone into shock at all the panting and screaming. She took a mental sweep of the room, taking in the team in pink scrubs quietly setting up an incubator and resuscitation equipment over in one corner.
Amanda made her way to Kathleen's other side, gripping her hand tightly. "It's gonna be okay." She said softly, and somehow, when she looked into the deep brown eyes of her girlfriend, she knew it would.
Can I get an awwwwwwwww ...?
R&R