Alex wasn't sure exactly what it was that caused her to wake up. Rubbing her hand over her face, she grumbled and turned herself over, reaching out for Olivia. She was surprised to find the bed empty and that she was alone. She remembered the phone call—Liv telling her not to wait up. She had tried to stay up, desperately wanting to be there for Olivia, but her eyes were closing and she had finally crawled into bed, telling herself that she would read, but knowing that as soon as her head hit the pillow, her eyes would close and she would be asleep.
Wondering if Olivia returning had been what had caused her to wake, she pushed herself up in the bed and whispered, "Liv?" but got no response.
She had a bad feeling, something wasn't right. She slid out of bed quietly and opened the bedroom door and then she could hear it, a muffled sound coming from the living room. Still quiet, she walked down the hall, turning around the corner she saw Olivia crumpled into a ball in the corner of the floor, her head on her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs. Alex could see but not hear the sobs that were wracking her body.
For a moment she was shocked, but quickly her body moved her into action. Falling to her knees in front of Olivia, tentatively she reached out her hand, touching Olivia's shoulder. Olivia jumped, scared, the wild look in her eyes scaring Alex more than the tears.
"What's wrong?" Alex whispered.
"No—nothing." Olivia stammered.
"Olivia," Alex whispered, reaching for her.
"Don't," Olivia warned pulling away. The look in her eyes was animal like—scared.
"Liv, what's going on?" She asked, quietly.
"It's okay, Alex. Don't worry about it." Olivia mumbled, pulling her legs tightly into her chest, tears flowing down her face. She thought for a moment about hiding the bottle in her hand, but she didn't care anymore.
"Baby," Alex said, reaching her hand out, trying to rub a tear from Olivia's cheek. She frowned as Olivia's whole body tensed at the contact which caused her to focus on the sound of the glass on the floor. The bottle clinked and Alex saw it in her hand.
"How much have you drank? " Alex asked quietly.
"Please don't touch me," Olivia said quietly, pulling further away from Alex, shoving the bottle behind her back.
"Why Olivia?" She asked. "What are you drinking?"
"I," she said, looking down at the bottle. "I don't know." She said, raising the bottle to her lips quickly.
"Olivia, stop." Alex said, easing the bottle down. "Baby, talk to me." She plead, desperate to make a connection with Olivia but afraid to touch her at the same time.
"I, I can't," Olivia stuttered.
"Yes, you can. I love you, Liv. No matter what. What happened to you at Sealview?"
"Nothing." She said, as she winced at the sound of the name of the prison.
"Then why are you drinking? Why are you on the floor crying?"
"I'm fine Alex." Olivia said, looking at the blonde for a moment and again taking the bottle from behind her back and taking a deep swig from it. She swallowed hard, wincing as the alcohol burned in her throat.
"You've got to talk to someone." Alex whispered.
"I'm fine."
"Olivia," Alex said, her voice both confused and worried. She tried to grab the bottle out of Olivia's hand, but Olivia managed to hold on to it.
"He...Alex. Alex, he, he tried to, he tried to," She said, tears managing to break up the words into pieces she couldn't choke out.
Alex sat flat on the floor next to Olivia. She held out her hand, not touching Olivia, but letting her make the choice. She watched for several minutes as Olivia sobbed into her knees. Choking on her own deep breaths, she coughed hard, a deep choking cough. Resisting the urge to touch her, Alex waited. Slowly, ever so slowly, Olivia's posture changed, opening gently. For every moment Alex stayed perfectly still, like a frightened dog, Olivia moved towards her, until after what seemed like an hour, Alex held a whimpering Olivia in her lap.
"Something happened in the basement, Allie," Olivia whispered, the first time she had spoken the words since she had left Sealview. "Something bad."