Set AU season 22- Olivia and David Haden didn't break up. Everything else timeline wise is very close to canon except for the odd difference. No Cassidy, Tucker and NO beast's obsession. Lewis stayed in jail and had no further contact with Olivia….until now.
Thanks So much Ashley- you're an amazing cheerleader, beta and handle my impatience like a pro.
I hope you all enjoy it. I have the next 2 chapters ready so please let me know your thoughts.
She slams the door to her office behind her and makes her way over her desk.
The photograph of her and David Haden with wedding day smiles, centred in the middle. Abruptly flipping it down, she shakes her head from side to side in agitation.
Breathing out a sigh, she leans back in her office chair and stares momentarily at the face down frame.
Screw it.
She suddenly sits forward and pulls out the top drawer to her desk, picking up the frame. She carelessly drops it in, stands up, peers down into the drawer and slams it shut.
Snatching her phone up, she taps on David's name, paces the floor of her office in contemplation for several seconds, and then presses call.
" Yeah?"
"Yeah?" she questions him, pursing her lips and attempting to hold her temper. "That's how you answer the phone to me? Yeah?"
"Olivia. I said I didn't want to discuss this with you," he seethes on the other end of the line. "This is so typical of you. I say that, and you just do what you want anyway."
"You never want to talk David. I've seen you twice in the last 4 months, and both of those times were to pick up Noah. You can't keep avoiding this."
"Avoiding this?" his voice brittle down the phone. "Olivia we discussed this for months. It's simple. The job came up in Florida, I couldn't turn it down, I wanted to move, and you didn't. I wanted to progress in my career, and you wanted to keep yours in the city."
"Yes, and of course, your career came first," she responds, with just as much harnesses as he had spat to her.
"Olivia, I missed so many opportunities for years. Our career paths just had a conflict of interest every direction I made."
She recognizes his tone has changed now to a desperate plea. He wants her to think logically and she knows he's right; he sacrificed a lot and to an extent she understood. Even without needing to attempt a long distance relationship, their marriage was really struggling.
"You didn't open the envelope yet?" he asks.
"The big white one?" The lingering silence confirms her question. "That's from you?" She had noticed it on her desk earlier and put it to the side.
"Look, just take it home. Read it there. I'll talk to you about it Friday," he insists.
"No, I'll open it now." She reaches over the envelope and looks over the official Important notices across the front.
"Olivia don't…just," he insists, but the sound of the envelope seal ripping open proves his earlier point of her 'doing whatever she wants anyway'.
"Liv," he sighs through the phone.
After a few uncomfortable moments of silence, she takes a seat back down at her desk. "Wow," she bleakly whispers. "Just wow."
She takes notice of David's voice changing to a slow, reasonable tone as she inertly brushes her hand against her forehead and pinches her eyes closed.
"O... I told you-"
"Don't you O me David. You don't get to file for a divorce, not discuss it with me, and then let me find out in writing. You didn't even have the balls to pick up the phone."
"I'm sorry Olivia, but we both knew this was happening," he apologizes.
"Yes, we knew it was David, but after all these years together, I just didn't think you would file without discussing it with me."
A gentle tap at the door interrupts her call, and she holds her hands up when Fin pops his head around the frame.
"Sorry Liv, I'll come back," he mumbles before turning to leave.
"No Fin," she shouts after him, momentarily pulling the phone away from her ear. "Come in…David, I have to go,'' she abruptly announces. "Yes, I'll see you Friday. Give Noah a big kiss from me."
"Everything ok?" Fin gently asks, pulling the seat out in front of Olivia's desk. He glances towards the paperwork in her hand, but she drops it down into the desk drawer. It's not a secret but not a conversation she would like to share right now either.
"Liv, we're going for drinks tonight. First round on me. You coming?" Fin asks after he doesn't get a verbal response from his first question.
She's really not in the mood to go out, but with Noah in Florida with David for the rest of the week, an empty apartment, and a big pack of divorce papers to read through, she wonders what the harm would be to go for one drink. The squad knows they are separated and more than likely won't be surprised when she fills them in on the latest development.
The bar was a lot busier than usual; there was some sports game on the TV that had attracted a crowd, and there was a long queue to be served. Fin, as promised, had already bought the first round, and then he offered the second.
By the time it came to the third, Olivia had grabbed her purse and insisted this round was hers. She stood at the end of the bar and waited patiently at the end of the long line of thirsty customers.
"Hey." An unfamiliar voice from behind her gets her attention.
"Hey," she replies back, eyeing over the gentlemen to see if there's any familiarity. "Sorry, do I know you?"
"No, sorry, no you don't," he responds, looking sheepish into his whiskey tumbler as he's sitting on a bar stool. "I just wanted to say hi."
Sending him a vague smile, she greets him a nod of acknowledgement. "Ok, hi," she laughs.
"I'm sorry, you just look so beautiful, and I noticed you didn't have a ring on, and I just thought I'd...go for it." He shakes his head in disappointment with himself and looks away. "I feel a bit silly now."
"No need to feel silly. That's really sweet of you," she assures him, feeling flattered.
"So you've been watching this game?" the man continues, pointing to the big screen above the bar.
Looking behind the bar, she quickly checks to make sure it's not yet her turn to be served before replying back to him. "You know, I haven't. I'm out with my team, and we didn't even realize there was a game on." She points behind her to where Fin, Amanda, and Kat are all sat fully engaged in some conversation.
"Oh that's good," he laughs, "because neither have I. I've no idea why I'm in a sports bar."
Olivia lets out a chuckle at his response and takes another look over him. He's a handsome man, very smartly dressed, dark hair and features, and has a very charming demeanour. She simultaneously catches him looking her up and down, and when their eyes meet, she rapidly looks away.
"What do you say? Fancy giving this non-sports fan sitting in a sports bar the opportunity to get you a drink?"
Feeling the slight blush to her cheeks, she quickly diverts her attention to the bartender who is just about to ask for her order. "Sorry, it's my round." She points over to her team as if to remind him she's with others. He needs nods in failure but still offers a charming smile in remembrance.
"How about Friday night? Just one drink?" He holds his forefinger in the air. "It'll be no big deal. If you don't like my company, you can go straight away. No need to find a bathroom window to sneak out of," he jokes.
She laughs and looks at the drinks the bartender is loading onto a tray, momentarily contemplating the question before shaking her head in a method of 'coming to her senses'. "I have my son back on Friday evening. I'm sorry."
"Ok," he smiles, tapping his fingers on the surface, obviously intending not to be pushy he makes one last ditch attempt. "Can I get your number? I promise if you don't reply, I'll never text you again, and you can pretend this never happened."
She gives him a tight lipped smile and picks up the tray of drinks to take to her table. "Ok," she confirms to him, "you ready to take it down?"
He quickly scrambles through his pockets in search of his phone and enters the digits she reads out. After exchanging names, Darryl, the guy, offers a suggestion that he will be in touch, and she walks back over to a waiting squad who have not been oblivious to the interaction.
"Who's your friend?" Amanda outright asks, eyeing over the man at the bar.
"Oh, just someone who asked me out for drinks," Olivia blushes, bowing her head away from the team.
Her answer is met with some oohs and ahhs, plus further questioning, and after Olivia had shared the story, the group each vocalized their reasons as to why it would be good for Olivia to 'get out there', how 'one drink wouldn't harm,' and how 'it would be good for her'.
When the next morning came around, she had received a message from David, updating her on Noah and nothing else. Olivia was exasperated at how he was behaving, but if she was honest with herself, he had been like this for the last few years.
The message from Darryl came as promised, and heeding the advice of her colleagues and friends, she accepted the offer of one quick drink on Friday. She heavily emphasized it was for 'one drink and one drink only'.
When Friday afternoon eventually came around, Olivia was feeling slightly uneasy and almost regretting her decision to go to the bar. This wasn't her usual behavior, but with the way men seem to just be able to ghost out of her over the last twenty odd years, she wasn't particularly feeling the need to not put herself first for once.
Entering the bar, she notices Darryl. She offers a small wave accompanied by a friendly smile and already without even speaking, she doesn't feel the same vibe or sweet charm he had given her at the sports bar. "Olivia," his voice rigid, "it's so nice to see you. You look very lovely."
"Thank you," she smiles diligently. "Is everything ok?"
"Yes of course. I noticed you were drinking wine the other night, and I ordered us a bottle." He pours her a glass and positions it on the table in front of her.
"Thank you," she hesitates. "But one glass would have been enough." She hopes that this reinforces the reminder that she is only available for one drink.
"Ah yes, you have to run home to your son," he sears, taking a drink from his wine glass.
Continuing to give him the benefit of the doubt, she takes her seat across from him and watches him lean back into his chair.
"How is your son?" his question intimidating rather than curious, causing her to briefly, silently stare towards him before pushing her chair out behind her and standing up from the table. "This was a bad idea."
As she turns to leave, she hears his smug, menacing tone slowly draw out every syllable of her title and name.
"Cap-tain Ben-son."
She immediately stops in her tracks, the surprise sending an unwelcome chill to her spine.
"Yes" she asks, turning to look him directly in the eyes. She doesn't have time to consider what this is or how he knows her title.
"Oh nothing, don't rush off." He gestures back to her chair. "Stay with me, chat." He doesn't move his gaze from hers. "Do you remember your old partner?"
"Excuse me?" She raises her voice and it attracts the attention of the other patrons in the bar. Looking around, she gently smiles to appease the other customers before leaning down and setting her palms onto the table, adding her own pinch of darkness laced into her whisper she looks him up and down. "I don't know what your game is here, but whatever it is, you're playing it wrong."
His laugh is bitter in response, the sound more sinister than the flirtatious laughter she had experienced in the bar previously.
"O-liv-i-a." He draws out the syllables again. "You really need to calm down. It was purely an innocent question." He turns the sides of his mouth up into a false smile. Darryl, if that's his actual name, checks his watch.
"We still have time. Don't worry, the bottles on me."
The chills are still making their way over her skin. Having learnt from past experiences, she makes the decision to turn and leave the idle threat from his manner, prompting her to fill the team in on the incident.
Taking her phone out, she attempts to call Fin, but he doesn't answer. Damnit.
Stopping at the reception of the restaurant, Olivia places her phone on the desk and awaits a member of staff.
Looking back over her shoulder, she stands waiting, tapping her fingers against the wood in anticipation. Darryl catches her attention again, his smug, false smile watching her while he casually sips his wine. His gaze doesn't relent, not even when he raises his wine glass in the air as a sardonic toast towards her.
Alerting the bar staff of who she is, she lets them know she will be requiring the video evidence from this evening and blatantly points out to the staff whereby she was sitting before she leaves. Daryll still has his eyes transfixed on her.
"Fin," she calls into the phone, juggling it loosely into place between her right shoulder and ear. Keys in one hand, her handbag and coat in the other, she leaves the elevator towards her apartment. "You got my message?" she asks. "You'll find someone to pick up the footage? Good...No, I'm fine Fin. There's no need. I'll call you soon."
She ends the call as she approaches her front door. A youngish teen in a cap stands knocking, a huge box of beautiful flowers in his hand. Turning to face her, he clacks his chewing gum as he speaks, "You Olivia," he reads the label, "Benson?"
"Yes?"
"Here...delivery." He pushes the box into her already overflowing hands and immediately struts off towards the stairwell.
"Thanks," she shouts after the teenager, struggling with all of her items to get through the front door. Before it swings shut, begging her, she hears her favourite little voice ring out behind her.
"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!"
She promptly sets the flowers down on the side table and spins around just as her son energetically jumps into her arms.
"Mommy, I missed you sooo much."
"I missed you too sweet boy. I missed you so much." She kisses him on the head. "Did you have a good time with Daddy?" Setting him down on the floor, she strokes the curls from the side of his face.
"It was so good Mommy. We did loads. Daddy took me on loads of rides, and we met Mickey Mouse and Goofy, and next time Daddy says we can go and see Spiderman," he blurts out, his voice fast paced with excitement. "I wish you could have been there."
"I do too, sweet boy." She looks over to David and mouths, " Disney World? Really?"
David offers her a half shouldered shrug and places his son's case on the floor. "Noah, why don't you wheel this through to your room and unpack?" he suggests.
"But Dad, I just got home and I want to see-" Noah stops, noticing the familiar glare from his father. "Ok then," he huffs, grabbing his case and wheeling off to his room.
Olivia, still waiting for an answer from the silent question, shakes her head at David.
"Don't start O. You know I've wanted to take him there since I moved down."
"Is that how it's going to be? All these big things we planned to do together you're just going to do on your own with him now?" she unintentionally provokes him.
"Really?" he spat back, eyeing up the box of flowers on the table and moving towards them. "Because it really doesn't look like it's taking you long to move on."
She sighs and looks over the box, registering the initial realization that the flowers are not from David as she originally concluded.
"From Elliot...I assume?" he speculates, flicking one of the leaves of the flowers.
"Elliot? ….David, why on earth would they be from Elliot?" she snaps, becoming infuriated with the familiarity of this argument creeping back in again. "To be honest, I stupidly believed they were from you. As an apology for the way you handled those papers."
"Me?" David hesitates, his tone embarrassed. It wasn't completely implausible for her to presume that the flowers were from him. They had not ended on bad enough terms, and although their marriage had not worked out and he didn't go about things flawlessly, he would always love Olivia and would never want to intentionally hurt her. Before he can begin to apologize, he very quickly realizes he has already set her up for a rant.
"You just can't help yourself, can you David? Ever since you found those things of Elliot's nine years ago, you have been entirely irrational, and every.single.time you use his name to win over every argument," she shouts moving herself into the kitchen and reaching for the wine glasses.
Losing all sentiment to his voice, he matches her rage. "You think I didn't know for all of those years how you felt about him? How I was your second choice after he left?" He points to the bedroom. "You kept his stupid tag or whatever it was and pictures of him in a hidden drawer, Liv. What were you doing? Taking them out and crying over them whenever we didn't agree on something?"
"You're ridiculous, you know that David?" she spits out at him, slamming the cupboard door shut.
"That's it. Get yourself another glass of wine."
"You really are a piece of work, you know that? There's no another glass. Besides its Friday evening, and I'm about to have a meal with Noah- why can't I have a one?" she seethes back to his slight controlling attitude.
"I don't have a problem with you drinking Olivia, but every time I mention him you take a glass out."
"Because every time you've mentioned him, David, it's when you're annoyed with me and it's exhausting.'' She pours the wine into the glass and fills it higher than she usually would, a little petty, but nevertheless, she's proving her defiance.
"You know I married you?" She drops her voice to a whisper. "We adopted," she raises it again, "Noah together, so what is wrong with you? Why have you hung onto this for all of these years?"
Pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers, he lowers his gravelly voice, conscious of his son in the next room.
"Here we go Olivia, the same old story." He moves his body so that his back is turned before quickly doubling back. "You loved me? Or was I just someone who could take your mind off the fact he walked away and left you? You know you always said nothing ever happened between you two, but I just don't know if I believe you."
"I'm not doing this again David. I'm not re-discussing something that happened before I met you."
Ignoring her reluctance to carry on with the argument David continues, his tone filled with disbelief. "I just struggle to believe you... especially when the second his plane lands back in New York, I come home to find flowers," he gestures towards the boxed bouquet on the side.
"What?" She places her wine glass down on the table and shoots him a confused look. "The plane lands? Flowers? David, what are you talking about?"
Raising his voice he moves closer. "Olivia, come on. You really think I didn't realize that one day he was going to come back into our lives, and on that day it would throw our whole marriage up in the air?" He starts walking back towards the box of flowers picking them up.
"Are you joking with me? Do you hear yourself? All these years, is that what you've been harbouring?" She takes a momentary breath and crosses her arms, her voice loud and fiery. "All these years, everything we've been through, and you still to this day are bitter about-"
"Liv," he attempts to interrupt her flow of rage, but she's dismissing him and continuing.
"Liv!" he shouts over her again, this time holding the white card from the flowers in his hand.
"No David, don't interrupt me, I'm not finished -"
"Liv you need to hear this!" he shouts, louder this time, but again she continues to completely ignore him and carry on with her fury.
" Olivia... will you shut up and listen to me?" he bellows, massaging the back of his neck as he speaks.
She jerks her head in his direction, aggravated by his interruption. "What?"
The anger quickly dissipates when she observes the look strewn across his face
"David, you look pale, what is it?" she nervously asks. There haven't been many times throughout their relationship that he loses color, and this time his demeanour is worse than she's previously witnessed. His eyes have taken on an instant darkness and his face looks pained and tense.
"What- what is it?" she nervously asks, unsure if she really wants to know.
He outstretches his hand that's holding the card that came with the flowers. "O, you really need to read this."
Written in the most elegant, handwritten script is;
'Thanks for the drink sweetheart. Shame you rushed off. I didn't get the chance to tell you William Lewis sends his regards.'
She throws the card on the table and takes two big steps back from the counter, the crippling terror instantly washing over her. The sound of her own pulse is beating dramatically through her ears, blocking out almost all other sounds around her except for the muffled noises of her name being recited by David. She can't focus on it because her mind is now already back there, watching in third person, all the raw images flashing before her eyes.
The chair
The tape
The cigarettes
The Vodka
"Liv... come back to me," David whispers.
The pills
The burns
Her screams
She winces but she's still watching.
"Liv, come on baby."
The terror
The rod
His smell
She gags, the few sips of red wine from earlier regurgitating into a bitter metallic taste in the back of her throat. Her stomach is twisting, becoming an impossible knot, and the sudden intense heat is rippling throughout her body.
"Liv...It's ok. Remember. Me. You. Noah. Noah climbed the ladders to the slide all by himself. Remember?"
Noah
The slide
Giggling
She reopens her eyes and rushes straight to the sink releasing the twist from her stomach. David gently and calmly places his hand between her shoulder blades and moves it in circles on her back. Olivia flinches at first but keeps her thoughts clear.
Noah
The slide
Giggling
"Here, have some water." He hands her the freshly poured glass, and she takes it. Accepting the smallest of sips, she sits it down on the bench next to her. The dampness from her forehead is spread throughout her hair when she combs her fingers through it.
"I just don't understand David. I don't understand how this can be happening again." Her voice is trembling but gaining some consistency.
"We don't know what this is yet O. You need to call it in. It could be anything. I know it's easier said than done, but let's try not to jump to any conclusions," he comforts her, taking her hand and squeezing it gently, a habit from the early days after her encounter with Lewis.
"It just doesn't make sense David. The man in the bar, the offer for drinks, the flowers..." She's losing herself into a trail of thought. Her usually sharp mind can't detect the pattern, and it's causing her to irrationally panic and think with her emotions, something she hasn't felt or done since him.
"It's either him or some sort of sick joke?" The panic starts to set in again, and her mind makes up an image of Lewis sitting in his cell, sneering, laughing, and rubbing his hands together.
The heat in her body dramatically changes to overpowering chills, the dull ache in her head sharply changing into a discomforting squeeze. She looks over towards David, and he recognizes her pattern of behaviour and is quick again to help her. Holding his hands against her shoulders, he again repeats the details of the happy memory.
Olivia's phone chime is quick to 'snap' her back into the current when it begins to ring unexpectedly. Hesitant, at first to check the caller ID, she breathes out an exhale of relief when it Fin's name flashing across her screen.
"Fin? Yes, I'm still ok," she confirms to him. "Yes, thank you."
She continues listening to Fin.
"Elliot?" she breathlessly whispers into the phone. "He's here? What now?" she asks before quietly listening for several seconds. "Tomorrow Fin, I don't think I can tonight." She ends the call and hangs her head across the table.
"Do you want me to stay O?" David gently asks. "I can stay in the guest room and go to my hotel room tomorrow?"
"If you don't mind?"
"Of course not. I'll go unpack. You meeting Elliot in the morning?" he tried to conceal the disappointment in his voice, but an instant exasperated closure of her eyes showed his failure.
"Yeah" she mumbled.