Ch. 2
The next morning, Elliot came into the Crib to find John sitting up in the bed, holding Olivia as she slept. He raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat. John's head shot up and he smiled innocently.
"It's not what it looks like. I swear," he said quietly. "She had a nightmare last night and didn't want me to leave."
When Elliot heard this, he frowned and John carefully let go of Olivia. She whimpered in her sleep and he reached down to stroke her hair. Her eyes immediately flew open and she shot up, gasping. John quickly stood up so Elliot could take his place next to her and the younger man sat in front of her, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. She jerked out of his arms, however, and scrambled to the head of the bed, curling up in a fetal position and rocking back and forth while muttering to herself quietly. Elliot looked up to John for help, but the man just shrugged his shoulders.
"Go get Fin," he decided and John nodded, doing so. He came back in five minutes with a worried look on his face. Elliot stood up and walked over to him.
"I don't know what to do. I touched her shoulder and she freaked out. I mean, I knew this would probably happen, but...you know?"
"Yeah. Maybe I can do something about it." Fin walked over to Olivia and knelt down next to the bed.
"Olivia, do you think you can talk to me for a while?" he asked and Olivia looked up from her arms. She sighed in relief and nodded. "Can I sit next to you?"
"Sure." Fin moved up to the bed and smiled at her.
"Is this okay?" She nodded. "Okay, so why are you so afraid of Elliot?"
"...I..." The man reached out and grabbed her hand when she looked up at Elliot in fear. The look of hurt in his eyes nearly killed her, but she couldn't help it. John escorted him out and then came back in by himself.
"What, Liv? You what?" Tears filled the woman's eyes and her chin started trembling. When she opened her mouth to respond, all that came out was a sob and she leaned towards Fin, burying her face in his chest. "What is it, Baby Girl? What did that bastard do to you?"
"H-He put El-liot's picture in front of m-me when he was..." Olivia started, but more sobs escaped her. Fin sighed and rubbed her back soothingly.
"Okay, Baby Girl. It's okay. We're all here now. But you know Elliot would never hurt you. He loves you too much." She started to calm down as she nodded and relaxed while Fin ran his fingers through her hair.
"You want me to call him back in here? You think you're ready?" he asked gently.
"Yes. I need to do this." They pulled away and he took her face in his hands. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
"You're doing great, Baby Girl." She smiled at the pet-name he had for her and tried to stay calm when John returned with Elliot.
He walked slowly to her and sat where Fin was. He held a hand out and smiled. She returned it and took his hand, gasping at the rush of feelings in her body. When she looked into his eyes and saw all the love there, she threw herself into his arms and squeezed him tightly.
"I'm so sorry, Elliot! I was just so scared! I-I-I..."
"Shh, calm down. Take a deep breath. You have nothing to be sorry for. I was moving too quickly for you. I'm sorry." Olivia sat crying in his arms for a while longer until she pulled back and Elliot wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Now, let's get you back to sleep, okay? We can talk more when you wake up."
"Okay. I love you, El."
"Love you, too, Sweetheart." He gently pushed her down onto the mattress and pulled the covers up to her chin. Elliot then leaned over and kissed her lips. "Get some rest, Baby."
They smiled at one another and Olivia's eyes slipped shut.
Elliot stood up and the three men walked out the door. Elliot gave a big sigh and Munch patted him on the back.
"You did great in there, El. I don't know what she'd do without you," John told him and pulled him into an embrace. "Hurt her and die."
"I'll remember that." Munch stepped back as Fin went to hug Elliot.
"Old dude's right, man. You're really holding up great for her. And this is a promise, not a threat: if I hear you did ANYTHING to her, I'll rip your balls off and make ya eat 'em. Got it, Buddy?"
"Ooh, painful. And I'm not old!" Munch protested and they all laughed. "Anybody staying here with her tonight?"
"As much as I want to, I can't. I got the kids," Elliot said sadly.
"Sorry, man. No can do. I gotta visit my god-daughter tonight," Fin told him.
"All right. I'll stay. You all go on ahead," Munch informed and went back into the Crib while the other two left. He kicked off his shoes, got into the bunk next to Olivia's, and whispered a soft, "'Night, Liv," before shutting his eyes and falling into a deep sleep.
2?