This chapter will be a little bit short but, i think you'll like it, cuz some bitter-sweet scene in on the way.

And, in the rescue chapter, i left something unwritten for this moment. So, you're gonna to know just what happened before the police getting into the basement and seeing Olivia holding gun to the Walker brothers dead bodies.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 26

Beneath the lazy orange sky, Olivia closed her eyes towards the warm sun.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Lying in a wooden boat, drifting on a silky ocean, the brunette focused on nothing but the slight tiny heartbeats in her belly, which literally became the most incredibly beautiful melody she ever had in her life. And she felt she'd been enjoying this long-lost happiness forever, but no, not long enough yet for her.

She wished she could just stop time and live in this moment as long as the universe would be.

Olive. Olive Benson.

That was how she named her daughter. Yeah, it must be a girl. She knew it. She could feel it.

You're such a quiet girl, you know that? Or you love your mommy too much to kick her? Sweetheart, don't worry, your mom is a super mom. Nothing in the world could stop her from protecting you. You're safe in mommy's belly, Olive, cuz I love you so much…

Just like this, she talked with the baby like no one else existed in the world. And she loved this. Ignoring storms, thunders, noises… outside this orange sky, she could just hide here.

However, this time, this moment, things were different.

The Sun, which never moved at all here, started to set. One minute ago, it was still beautiful afternoon, but now changed into scary misty night.

What happened?!

She sat straightly up, only finding the ocean became marsh as well. And within a second, she was in completely darkness and freaking quiet.

God, no… Run, I gotta go.

But she just didn't have any idea how to get out, or where to go. The boat was sinking, as well as her entire body. She could feel the water, even mud getting into her mouth, throat, suffocating her, though she just couldn't do anything.

I can't die. No, no, I can't!

Olivia struggled as hard as she could, which only speeded up her sinking.

Limps got weaker and weaker.

Mind faded…

Sorry, baby, mommy's sooooo sorry… I know how much you wanna see the world, but I just can't bring you there…

But just as her heartbreaking farewell came out, she felt her body hit the bottom of the water. And in a twinkling of an eye, her surrounding changed completely.

She felt like just waking up from a dream, seeing herself was actually lying in a room. And the first thing she heard, was a scream.

"Olivia, help me!"

Alex…?!

"Hold on, detective."

T Walker's low voice sent a shiver down her spine.

"Surprise, huh?" Suddenly, his bloody face jumped out of the dark, getting in front of her eyes.

Olivia stopped breath. "No…y-you're…"

"You thought you killed me?" As he laughed, the bullet hole between his eyebrows opened up and bled more badly. "You stupid little bitch. No one can kill me. No one. And I'm gonna hunt you, I'm gonna live with your soul, with your every single heartbeat, until the day you die."

"No-, don't do this! Somebody, help me-!"

Alex's crying somehow dragged her out of the fear. "What the hell you're doing to her? Where's she?"

"You wanna know? C'mon, follow me. Save her or enjoy the show, up to you."

He walked away, disappeared in the darkness soon. And as he leaving, Alex's scream only sounded more clearly and closer, but the brunette just couldn't tell which direction.

"Alex! Alex, where are you?!"

And every time she tried to get on her feet, she fell. That was when she widened eyes seeing that inside her right trouser-leg was actually empty.

Where… What happened to my … leg?

"Ahh-! Help me, Olivia! Please…"

Jerking her head around, she still couldn't find the blond. "Alex! Hang on, I'm coming to get you!" But no matter how hard she tried to crawl, to move, her weak body just too shaky to get any far.

That was killing her, because she could hear clearly how painfully the blond screamed, and picture how bad they must be hurting her… only she couldn't do anything about that.

"No-! Let her go, you motherfuckers… I'll kill you, I swear I will…"

"You want her? Give me your baby. Give it to me!"

T Walker's shout startled her. And with that, she found there was a knife holding in her hand.

"Take it out! Take the fucking baby out!"

"No, no," her hand was shaking like hell.

"Then watch how I gonna fuck her! WATCH ME!"

"NOOO! Olivia, stop him! Liv!"

"Alex! No~… No… I don't, I can't..."

"Cut! CUT!"

"Olivia! He's… he's… touching me, please, stop him!"

"Alex!... T! You leave her alone-!"

And as soon as the cold blade stabbing into her stomach, she shot her eyes open.

"Olivia! Liv, look at me, look at me. You just had a nightmare, and it's over now. You're safe. I got you… I got you…"

It took Alex a long while to finally get the brunette stoppd struggling and screaming. And the minute their eyes really locked each other, her own tears dropped with hers.

"Oh, God, Alex… I saw… I saw them, they… I-I watched you died… you died on me…"

"Shhh," Alex wrapped her stiff arms around Olivia's shaky body carefully. Yes, truth be told, she kind of expected things like this to happen, after a couple hours ago seeing the brunette cried herself to sleep. But now, her heart still couldn't help but ache in mixed feelings. "No, no, honey, it's not true, just a dream. I'm here. We… we're here…"

But Olivia didn't hug her back, instead, she pushed apart, staring back at her with those eyes filling with doubt and fear.

"We made it, girl. They died. You killed those bastards, …remember?" Alex swallowed her waving emotions down, suddenly not sure what she was actually expecting.

"I… did?"

"Yes, Liv, yes. I saw their dead-bodies in the morgue." She held Olivia's face in both hands, thumbing her tears off gently. "Everything's over, honey. Everything." And she paused until seeing her words sank in those dark brown eyes. "It's time, to move on, sweetheart."

"Time?... Wha- Where am I?" Her whisper trembled in confusing and lost.

"We're in an old country house of my parents, and you've been released from hospital, remember?... Liv, it's been an entire month you haven't said a word. I'm worried to death. Where have you been?"

That drew the brunette's attentions back. "Wha-… Me….? I, I was… I don't know. I uh, I guess... had a dream. A good one, then…"

"It's okay..." Alex interrupted. Screw the nightmares. She was aching for feeling her alive and comprehending. "I'm so… incredibly happy that I got you back. You just... Have you noticed that you can speak perfect normally now? That's… Welcome, honey, welcome back." Alex cracked a teary grin, pulling the brunette into a hug.

This time, Olivia did the same. "Me… too, Alex. God… I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"Sorry? For what? Listen,"

"I put you in danger. What if-"

"Oh, Olivia." Alex leaned back, looking straightly into those sad eyes. "You saved my life. If it wasn't for you, I'd have been killed, and even..."

"No, no, you saved me, Alex, if it wasn't for you..." she looked aside, "I wish I had known that the baby was not gonna make it, then I would never..."

"You are only human, Olivia. Besides, there was nothing left for you to decide. They came for a bloody revenge. No way they'd let us get out of there alive. "

"How- Did you get hurt? What they did to you? I-I don't..." She tried hard to recall everything, but only fragments.

Thank God, she didn't remember. "Don't worry. Just some bruises, no big deal."

Scrutinizing those blue eyes, the detective shook her head. "No, there's more. What did... Did they... they-"

"No, Olivia, they didn't rape me. It's just... you got the gun in time. Remember?"

Searching in her memory, Olivia suddenly looked up, burst in tears. "But I didn't get it fast enough, did I? Goddammit! I wish I could kill them again, and again, and..."

"Shhhh" Pulling Olivia in embrace, the blond caressed on the brown hair and hid her own tears in quiet sigh.

{-"Olivia, don't look. Close your eyes. Turn away!"

-"Shut up, blondie. Kneel. Mouth open. Good… If I feel any little teeth, I put a bullet into her skull."-}

Stop.

"We'll go through this, together, Olivia. Everything will be fine. I promise."

"I'm so sorry, Alex. Sorry for making you go through..."

"Never say that, again, Liv. You didn't make me go through anything. It's not your fault. Nothing is on you, ok? You're the victim,... we, we're the victims, and so was the baby. It broke my heart, too..."

That got the brunette cover her mouth in both hands, sobbing breathlessly.

"Olive… She got the worst mom of the world, couldn't even protect her…"

"'Olive'…?"

"Yeah, that's how I named her… I knew it'd be a girl. I could feel that, and... seems it was the only thing I gave to her… "

"I'm so sorry…" She couldn't take it anymore. Every word coming out of Olivia's lips, rubbed salts into the bleeding wound on her heart. "Maybe if I have done what they wanted faster, Olive would never…"

Olivia shook her.

"You know, for buying us a little more time, just... To survive is what matters in that situation."

"But you never should have done that! It killed my to see you... "

"You think it wouldn't kill me if it was you?!" The blond gripped hard on Olivia's both hands, clenching her teeth. "You know how I feel? To see the sick satisfaction floating on those bastards' faces, as T Walker describing everything he did to you..."

"But what's done is done, Alex! He wanted to revenge, wanted to accomplish the unfinished business with me, which if I did it wisely, wouldn't hurt the baby-"

"Shut up. You were pregnant for God's sake! How could I take the risk?" Alex yelled in anger, blinking to clear her vision.

"You just don't get it, do you?" It was barely a whisper. "It better be me than you, cuz I already… already…"

"Oh, Olivia... What the hell are you talking about? Are you comparing the potential harm?! Unbelievable... Listen." Alex held the brunette's both shoulders in hands, looked directly at those bloodshot eyes. "If it has to be you or me to sacrifice, the trauma would not be any less on either of us! You hear me?!"

It startled her. Her voice trembled. "You used to have such an unharmed life, Alex. What did you do to deserve all these? You were just taking care of an injured friend..."

"Stop talking, Benson." The blond placed fingers on Olivia's lips before the rest words ripping her heart into pieces. "And what did you do to deserve all these? Crime happens to anyone. Let's never talk about this anymore, ok? You're here, I'm here. That's the meaning of everything."

The meaning of everything.

Olivia pressed her lips, tears burst out.

Just before the first tear-drop slipping down, Alex found herself leaned forward and kissed it away.

Salty.

Hot.

And bitter.

"Just for the record, Olivia, you're not just a friend to me." Though, she only held those words inside.

Don't open your eyes, Liv. Don't…

In the dim light of the lamp, the brunette's face was so pale, so clear, that even the blue veins under her skin showed the color…

Don't open your eyes, Liv. Don't…

Alex prayed, cuz she knew as she did, her entire soul would literally fall in these eyes and never got the chance out.

(TBC)

Please review!

(I know, some AOers will be happy while EOers will curse me. Sorry... I'm not teasing you guys, but, you know, love and life are always complicated. So, EO or AO is not up to me, even not up to the characters in someway. Because back to the real life, is there anyone's life just goes on exactly in the way you want it to? Or maybe sometimes we even don't really know what the hell we truly want.)

Yeah, so, the real Elliot is not gonna just learn to be a normal friend of the woman he's known for so many years. After all, to really let go of some long time complicated relationship, is never a easy thing for anybody to do.

And for Alex, she also has a long way to go. To find her real feeling, and to deal with the pains followed by.

Trust me, as a lesbian, I've learned too many times that some thorns will just always be in your heart, never go away.

For our dearest olivia... If you were her, please share with me what do you think or feel.

Love you guys~~(I didn't write back every review but truly, I read more than 5 times of every one of your comments.) So, please, write to me:)