Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait. I've been a bit busy - I'm now a certified First Aider. WoooHooo! lol.

Anywho, I obviously don't own anything by Dick Wolfe. I'm just borrowing the characters for now.

You'll get to really know Mack in this chapter. Not a whole lot, but just enough to quench your thirst.

So sit back and enjoy!!!

Chapter 10

Tender Hugs Centre – 9 am

"That's basically the rundown of what happens here. Did you have any questions Liv?" Brady asked as she busied herself, for the billionth time that morning, with re-organizing the already perfectly organized pile of papers on her desk. Olivia couldn't help but smile at the doctor's nervousness around her. She found it completely endearing and sexy as hell. Shaking her head slightly, she reached over the small desk and stilled Brady's hands. The instant their hands touched, there was a warmth that both women had never experienced before. They held each other's gaze other for what seemed like an eternity. Olivia gently caressed Brady's hand and gave her a small smile as she saw the effect it was having on the other woman. Both women were so lost in each other that they didn't realize that Mack had arrived. Mack finally cleared her throat when it was obviously clear that neither woman knew she was there. They took there time breaking apart but neither really caring who was in the room nor breaking eye contact with each other.

Brady gave a shy smile to Liv who in return smiled warmly at Brady. Still looking at Olivia, Brady asked Mack,

"Hey Bud, how long have you been there?"

Inhaling sharply, Mack did everything she could to keep her temper in check. She had awoken that morning with only two and half hours of sleep. She was not in the best of moods so seeing this display of…affection from Brady and Olivia did nothing to make her feel any better.

Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly and replied as calmly as she could,

"Just got here. She ready for the grand tour?" Mack said the last line a little to sarcastically that Brady's smile slowly faded to a grim line directed at her. Brady was saved from replying when Liv spoke up.

"Yeah. I'd love to see the place. I'm sure you'll be a perfect tour guide." With that, Olivia stood and glanced at Brady and smiled.

"I'll see you a bit later I guess. Thanks for the...uh…talk," Olivia whispered the last sentence which didn't go un noticed by an agitated Mack.

"I'll wait out side," Mack turned and left in such a huff that Brady and Olivia looked at each other and laughed a little. Smiling as she headed for the door, Olivia turned once more and gave a wink to the already blushing doctor before leaving. Giggling like a high school girl, Brady sat back down and stared out her office window with a dreamy smile.

Out side in the hallway, Mack was radiating annoyance and had a scowl on her face. Olivia picked up on it immediately but instead of saying anything, she just slowed down her walk and sauntered over to where Mack stood. Smiling, Olivia thought, she is so much like me. This only made Mack more irritated and she gave Liv a little growl of unhappiness.

"What do you want from her?"

"I'm sorry, who?" Olivia wasn't so sure what Mackenzie was talking about.

"The woman you've been drooling over! Her name just happens to be Bradana. That's who! What do you want from her?" Mack was getting more and more impatient but she didn't care if it showed or not. She wanted to find out what Olivia's intentions where towards Brady.

"I'm sorry. Am I stepping on you territory?"

"My what?! EW no! It's not like that at all. She's all I have of family. So if you're thinking of just jerking her along while you're here, you can forget it. Don't hurt her. Got it?"

By now, Olivia was getting tired of the attitude she was getting. It was written all over her face when she replied,

"Or you'll what?"

Leaning in closer to Olivia, Mack whispered, "Let's not go there." Stepping back, Mack jerked her head in the direction of the stairs, "let's get this over with. The sooner I show you around, the sooner you'll be gone." With out waiting for Olivia, Mack turned on her heel and headed for the stairwell.

Sighing, Olivia thought, she's defiantly my sister. Shaking her head she caught up with Mack and followed her up to the next floor.

"So this is obviously the area where we let the kids play and blow off some energy," Mack and Olivia were now in the playground area of the centre. By way of silent agreement, both women just spoke about the centre – Olivia asking the questions and Mack answering them. Stopping by the basket ball court, Mack picked up the lone ball and shot it at the basket. She missed and was about to walk away when Olivia caught the runaway ball and began to dribble it.

"You play?" Liv asked still bouncing the ball. She faced the basket and shot it in.

"Not really. Hockey's more my thing. You?" Mack picked up the ball and also began to dribble it. She side stepped Liv when the older women made a move to grab it.

"Yeah. I played a lot in high school. Was team captain my senior year," Liv had made a lunge for the ball and missed. She could hear Mack laughing then turned to see her make a jump shot.

"Nice. Who taught you that?"

"Brady of course. She's one bad ass on the court. I made the mistake once of calling her 'old' and she wiped the pavement with my face. After that I had begged her to teach me how to play. At least show me some moves." They had stopped playing and were now standing facing each other. Both were a bit surprised that the conversation was civil.

Smiling at the memory, Mack just shook her head. Seeing this, Olivia didn't want it to end. It was the first bit of information she had of her sister and she wasn't about to let it pass her by. Smiling as well, Liv asked,

"How old were you then?"

A pained look washed over Mack. Too old, thought Mack. It was a long time since she thought of those first few years at the centre. If it wasn't for Bradana, Mack was afraid how she would have turned out. Sighing, Mack looked away. She made her way to the bench which was situated by the sand box and sat down. Olivia quietly followed her lead and sat down beside her. She saw the expression on Mack's face and mentally kicked herself. Both women sat silently not expecting any more or any less from each other. Mack wasn't sure why she felt compelled to tell Olivia. All she knew was that she felt a…connection between her and Liv.

"I was 13," came the quiet reply. Olivia stole a glance in Mack's direction and frowned. She took this time to take in her sister's features. They were very much like her own, but Mack seemed far more matured then any 28 year old should be.

Just as quietly, Olivia softly asked, "how long have you been here?" She would have to accept what Mack was willing to offer her no matter what the answer was…if she answered.

"Since I was 8 years old," and with that Mack shook her head of the memories that were flooding her mind. She stood up and looked back at Olivia. She saw understanding and compassion in the older woman's eyes. She couldn't get why a complete stranger would feel compassion towards her. Mack just smiled and motioned for Liv to head back in.

"Come on. We better get back inside. I think Brady is starting to worry." Liv wasn't sure what just happened between the two of them but she wasn't about to complain. She got up and followed Mack inside.

"Worry? About you, maybe. I'm peachy."

"You mean old."

"Hey! I resent that!" Olivia playfully punched Mack on the arm. Mack just laughed and dodged another blow.

"Ok, ok. That wasn't fair…"

"Thank you…"

"I meant expired," Mack began to race towards the doors as she laughed.

"Oh! You little…" Olivia sprinted after her but Mack sidestepped her and dodged the arm that was about to grab hold of her. Both slowed down to catch their breath. They glanced at each other and smiled. This was the first time since Olivia had arrived at the centre that she saw Mack relax.

"Ok, we better get inside before we do any damage to ourselves," wheezed Olivia. Mack was also bent over, hands on her knees and was gasping for air.

"Told you…you're old." Olivia just shook her head and turned towards the door. Mack wasn't far behind her until she stopped suddenly. She felt a chill run down her spine. Mack snapped her head around to see what would give her that feeling. Looking around wildly she couldn't see anything.

"What's wrong?" came a worried reply from Olivia. She placed a hand on Mack's shoulder and looked around as well. Mack just shook her head and looked up at Liv.

"Don't know. Just a feeling. Nothing I guess," turning, she headed for the door once more. Olivia just nodded silently, still worried. She took one last glance and found nothing out of the ordinary. She sighed and went inside.

Meanwhile, across the street in an old beat up car, she sat staring at the centre. She had witnessed the little display between the two women. A depraved smile slithered across her face. Tapping the steering wheel with her fingers to an empty beat, she thought to herself, interesting…very interesting….