Chapter 8

Olivia racked her brain trying to figure out a way to avoid opening the door. She knew it would be Casey, especially since she could hear her muttering behind the locked door. Olivia began biting her nails as she glanced around the room for something she could fend Casey off with. She was rummaging around in her kitchen when she heard the front door crash in. Horrified, she slowly walked into the living room. There was Casey doing a mix of yoga and some type martial art. Olivia was speechless.

"Pardon me, darling...okay Cassandra, work those buttocks!" Olivia jumped as Richard Simmons brushed past her. He were wearing an outfit that matched Casey's only he was wearing hideous '80s leg-warmers. Olivia started to feel dizzy. She turned to see Billy Blanks recling on her sofa, barking into the microphone that was attached to his head. Olivia, slighty dazed and completely confused dropped to the floor. She watched as Casey opened her front door to a horde of circus midget wearing the same outfit. Following behind them was Fin. Olivia was overjoyed to see him and jumped up to hug him. He allowed her to squeeze him for a minute before pushing her away.

"I heard you were feeling bad," he said.

"Forget about how I feel, look at all these people...and what they're wearing...you don't find this odd?" she asked, shocked he hadn't said anything.

"I sure do, sweet thang..." With that he threw off the long trench coat he was wearing. Olivia gagged as she saw his get-up. He was dressed head-to-foot in a tight, leather/spandex body suit. On his head, he had a black felt cowboy hat. He had on five-inch stilletos that were far too small for his feet. He had a backpack slung across his back. Olivia swallowed hard before speaking.

"What's in the bookbag?" she asked, although she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"The bookbag?...Oh, you mean this one..." Fin took the pack off his back and placed it on the floor. Carefully, he unzipped it and, as if it were a Mary Poppins bag in a former life, out stepped Huang, wearing the same outfit as Fin. Olivia felt her stomach turn. She quickly started for the bathroom. She clapped her hands to get the attention of everyone in the room. They all turned to look at her.

"Okay, I'm gonna go in here. I'm gonna wash my face, and my mouth, and my hands. When I get out of here, I want you out of here...GONE." She blinked her eyes and almost fell over to see that everyone was gone and replaced by Nick Ganzar, looking at her with a shocked expression. 'What the hell?' she thought to herself as she retreated to the bathroom.

"OLIVIA! ARE YOU OKAY IN THERE?" There was sudden banging on the bathroom door. The voice belonged to Casey and Olivia was reluctant to open the door. Casey didn't give her time to consider opening the door, for she had Elliot break the door down with his shoulder. They found her trying to climb out the window.

"Liv?" Elliot's voice was thick with concern.

"Oh, thank God. I thought you had fallen into the toilet and I was gonna have to fish you out," Casey teased. "Why are climbing out the window? Did I say something? Do I offend?" Casey checked her breath.

"You just brought a circus of midgets in my house!" Olivia screamed. "And Rucnard Simmons, and Billy Blanks...and Fin and Huang...and you had this ridulous outfit on...but you don't anymore...wha...what happened?" Olivia began mummuring breathlessly. She walked up to Casey and fingered her courtroom suit. "Okay, you were just wearing..."

"Shh, Liv. It was probably a dream," Elliot offered. He pulled her arm around his neck, put his arm around her waist and helped her to her bedroom. She sank into the bad, wincing as she landed on her bad side. She looked back up at Casey and Elliot. Casey looked sad as she turned to retrieve an ice-pack from the freezer. Elliot looked out of place as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Look, Olivia...I know you told me not to come back, but..." he was cut off as she pulled his down on the bed to a sitting position. She rested her head on his shoulder and laced her fingers with his. Content and deciding no conversation was in order, they sat like this for some time. It was Casey who broke the silence as she stuck her head in the doorway.

"Sorry, guys, but something came up and Preston's expecting in court in an hour." Casey offered an apologetic smile as she tossed Elliot the ice pack. "Take care of her...make me proud..." Casey laughed as she ducked the pillow Olivia hurled at her.

"So why did you come back?" Olivia asked. She had taken a nap and decided that so long as Elliot was going to shadow her, she might as well put him to work. She had him cooking her dinner as she leaned against her kitchen counter, sipping at a glass of wine.

"I was thinking about you. You remember when...damn" Elliot frantically tried to wipe up the soup he spilled on the apron. Olivia had somehow talked him into wearing her florescent pink apron that read "Don't hate me cause I'm beautiful, hate me because I'm that damn good" and the matching hat. She really didn't mind him spilling the soup for she was itching for a taste and as soon as his back was turned, she stole a sip. Shocked that it was actually good, she proceeded to scoop some out before he destroyed it with the garlic he was returning with.

"What are you doing?" Elliot teased.

"Umm...I...ah...saw a...fly in there. Yeah, and so I had to scoop him out," Olivia tried. "That sucker was a stubborn bastard," Elliot was getting closer, "and he kept slipping back into the pot..." Elliot took the bowl out of her hands, "so, ya know, I had to keep scooping..." Elliot started back toward the pot, "and...ah...I ended up with a bowlful...and...Elliot, please?" He had poured the soup back into the pot. "Come on...my stomach rumbling...and...eh...it's...upseting...my ribs! Yeah, so I need food...now." Elliot wasn't falling for it. He simply replaced the lid and said "wait."

Elliot led Olivia back into the living room. They sat in the dim of the light, sipping wine, and reclining in the comfort of each other. It was something they hadn't done in a while and both were content to sit and take in the evening. A rumble within Elliot's throat broke the silence.

"What?" Olivia asked.

"I was asking you earlier if you remembered when we arrested Andrew James?" Elliot began chuckling.

"Um-hmm..."

"...and that receptionist..."

"yeah...yeah! I do remember her..." Olivia was chuckling now.

"...and she was like 'I don't care if the dude raped those girls'?"

"I was five minutes off strangling her ass..."

"...and even after you gave her that death glare..." Elliot snorted, "she still didn't get it..."

"Oh, man, she didn't know who she was messing with..."

"What did you say to her?"

"Hmm...if I told you, I'd hafta kill ya. Why?"

"Seemed to work..."

"Oh?"

"I saw her today..."

"No..."

"Yep...didn't recognize me at first, but as soon as I realized who she was she did too and got real scared..." Elliot paused to catch his breath. "She asked where you were..."

"Uh-huh..." Olivia was grinning hard now.

"I told her you were driving and some guy took your parking spot, and, after you shot him, you made him limp down to the store so that you... could hook a... bomb...up to his...to his... car..." Elliot couldn't continue:he was doubled over in laughter.

"Wha...what she say to that?" Olivia was on the verge of tears she was laughing so hard. Her ribs were exploding in pain, but she couldn't stop laughing.

"Just told me where I needed to go... she was gone when I came back through the lobby..." At this, Olivia threw back her head and laughed. Her laughter quickly subsided to moans of pain.

"I'm sorry, Liv...you okay?" Elliot was instanly on his feet. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, El," Olivia sighed. This feeling of helplessness was one she hadn't felt in a long time and she hated it. She had become accustommed to being independent and was insecure about allowing people in to help her. She forced herself to bite her tongue as Elliot returned with an icepack.

'What the hell is wrong with me? He's tried to help before and it never bothered me as much as it does now. Why am I so crabby? Why am I having these mood swings?' Olivia could anwer any of these questions. When she found out the answers, however, it would change her life...

THE END

TBC...

A/N: I know, I know...I ended it without warning, but I got tired of writing the flashbacks (sorry, I suffer from short attention span) so I'll do a sequel that will, hopefully, finish this storyline. I'm ready to do another story, but I can't start it until this one's done...why? That's just the way I work...