Chapter 99

The car ride to the station was completely silent. Each Spencer-Rivera lost in his or her own thoughts. Olivia refused to let herself be nervous, instead, she let her anger bubble inside her until she felt she might explode. As they pulled in, Doris came over to their car and assisted Olivia in getting out with only a few groans of displeasure. Olivia leaned heavily against the car, her cane, that was meant for later in her recovery, was held tight in her right hand.

Doris stood in front of her helping to keep her steady. "You sure this is a good idea Spencer? You just got out of the hospital."

Olivia nodded. "Yes. I r-refuse to let t-that ass hat th-think he beat me, in either s-sense of the w-w-word."

"Okay then. Hey, where in the hell is your wheelchair? I know you aren't supposed to be walking long distances yet."

Olivia all but glared at her. "I am n-not going to let F-Frank see me in a wh-wheelchair. I'm w-walking in there."

Doris nodded. "Alright, let's go then."

The other three doors of the SUV opened, and the family all filed out. Natalia came quickly to Olivia's side, while Sam held tight to Emma's hand, who had run over from her father's car. Rafe and Ava shared a look, before joining their mothers.

Rafe came over to wrap an arm around Olivia. "You ready mom?"

"For Frank C-Cooper, al-always." She said as a matter of fact, with the best smile she could muster.

The clan slowly followed their security guards to the doors, Rafe helping Olivia who winced a few times, but walked none the less. As soon as they walked through the doors, Olivia's face went neutral and she made Rafe release her. Frank wasn't going to see an ounce of weakness out of her. She reached back for Natalia's hand who quickly came up beside her wife and laced their fingers together, squeezing tightly. Emma let go of Sam's hand and joined her mother's, grabbing Natalia's free hand with all her might. Ava and Rafe walked side by side behind them, Sam bringing up the rear and Doris leading the way. The seven walked through the station without a glance to anyone, ignoring the many stares that were directed their way. Everyone knew better then to try and stop the mayor when she was obviously on a mission.

To those watching, it was hard to envision that Olivia just got out of the hospital and was recovering from a concussion and several broken ribs as she walked with her head held high, barely using the cane, and keeping any sign of pain off her face. She truly was an incredibly strong woman, in every sense of the word.

As they got close, Doris stopped and turned back to Olivia. "You're really sure about this?"

Olivia leaned her cane against the wall and released Natalia's hand, she leaned over and kissed her wife's cheek, then, without a word, she marched around Doris and straight to Frank's cell.

When the family tried to follow, Doris held out her hands. "Let's um, let's give her a minute." She said, giving Natalia a look. They both knew Olivia, and she would need to release at least a little of her rage before Emma went back there. Doris gestured to Mallet when he started to approach, letting him know that he wasn't needed and to let the family have this. Mallet nodded and went back to his office.

As Olivia reached the cell, she saw Frank, laying on the cot with one leg outstretched and the other bent at the knee. He had one arm under his head and the other thrown over his eyes. Before alerting him of her presence, she took a moment to steady herself. She squared her shoulders and schooled her features.

"Hiya Frankie." Olivia said, eerily cheery as if they were at Company and not the police station with one of them behind bars.

"Olivia. Out of the hospital I see." He said dryly.

"Oh, I know," she pause and took a silent breath, pure rage and adrenaline fueling her and keeping heron her feet and her stutter at bay. "You were hoping for w-worse." She paused again, pretending to inspect her nails to keep Frank from seeing the effort this conversation was taking. "Keep me away from Nat-Natalia…save her from me. Pr-protect her."

"Somebody has to, before you ruin her like everything else you touch." He spat angrily

"I agree, only I'm n-not the one…she needs pro-protection from." She countered speaking slowly and calmly to keep the stutter from her voice as much as possible.

Frank stood and walked to the bars, his blood boiling at her insinuation. "I would never hurt her you fucking bitch! She has no reason to be afraid of me!" He screamed.

Olivia got her face as close to his as possible. "You really think that? You sick f-fuucking b-bastard. She's fucking ter-terrified of you. Do y-yo-you have any idea what you d-did to her?"

"I didn't do anything to her, this is all your fault."

Olivia's head reared back and then snapped forward again. "Are you fucking s-serious Frank? Really? This, all of th-this, is my fault? How the hel-hell do you figure that?"

"If you had just left her alone none of this would have happen. She was happy with me, but as usual, Olivia Spencer had to fuck it all up."

"Frank, listen to me you de-del-delusional prick. She was nev-never with you, you never had h-her. She didn't want to da-date you Frank, with or without me, you would h-have never been with her."

"Fuck you Olivia, that's a lie and you know it."

"You know wh-what, if that's what you need to t-tell yourself, then you g-go right ahead and do that. But let me m-make one thing per-perfectly clear." She reached through the bars and yanked him by his shirt collar until he was flush against them, continuing as if her stutter didn't exist and wasn't getting worse the angrier she got. "When th-they cart your s-so-sorry ass to pr-prison, if you try to con-contact her in anyway, if you e-ev-ven so much as wr-write her n-name on a piece of pa-paper, I'll know, and I will make cer-certain you pay for it. You will n-never hurt my wife or my chil-children again. Do I make my-myself perfectly clear?"

"And just what the hell are you gonna do…do ab...about Olivia? Huh?" He said with pauses, mocking her stutter and praising himself for causing it.

"Oh Frankie, Fr-Frankie, Frankie, you ha-have no idea how far my r-reach goes." Olivia released him and shoved him back as she heard footsteps approaching.

Emma came bolting around the corner with Rafe hurrying behind her. "Emma, Emma, wait."

Before Rafe could catch her, Emma had made it to the bars and was reaching her small arms through trying to swat at Frank. "You, you meanie. You hurt my mommy. I hear everyone say how you're such a good guy but you're not. You're a bad guy. You're a policeman, you're supposed to help people but you didn't, you hurt my mommy really bad. I hate you and I hope they never let you out of here." Tears were running down her cheeks as she finished.

Natalia reached for her daughter and pulled her back, wrapping her in her arms as she knelt down in front of her, Olivia struggling to join them until Rafe and Ava came to assist her in kneeling.

Frank at least had the decency to look ashamed of how effected Emma was. "Emma, sweetheart…"

Natalia leapt to her feet and jumped to directly in front of him as Rafe helped Olivia to stand. "No, don't you dare open your mouth to my daughter you sick fuck!" She screamed at him. Doris, hearing the escalated voices, came and took Emma into her arms, carrying her out of ear short, sensing things were about to get heated.

"You are damn lucky there are bars separating us right now because if there weren't I swear to God, and I don't say that lightly, I would strangle you for what you did to my wife, to my children, to me!" Natalia paused and took a nice big breath. Frank tried to speak but she held up her hand. "No, you don't get to speak yet. I want to know; how could you do that Frank? To my wife, to my son. Not only did you beat the woman I love, but you also held a gun to her head, you almost killed her. And Rafe, you held my son hostage at gun point, you made him think you were going to kill his mom right in front of him. And you want to stand there and say that you love me, that you were protecting me. Tell me Frank, how in the hell does hurting my family, scarring my children protect me? Huh? Go on, tell me." Her back was perfectly straight, her eyes dark with anger, and her nostrils flaring as she stood there nose to nose with him, waiting for some sort of answer.

Frank took a small step away from the angry Latina. He had never seen her like this. Never seen such rage in the woman before. "Can't you see Natalia; I was just trying to protect you. I tried, I tried to talk you outta this thing, but you just wouldn't listen. Olivia kept reeling you in further and further. I had to protect you, to save you before she killed the kind and nurturing woman you are. I had to get rid of her. You don't know who she really is. It was the only way for you to see." He explained with pleading eyes.

"For me to see what exactly, hum? How psycho you really are?" She shot back at him, venom seeping from her words.

Frank's voice rose at her accusation. "Don't say that I am not fucking crazy, I leave that to Olivia's other ex's. Lord knows she's got enough of 'em."

Frank was close enough that Natalia could easily reach him. Almost on reflex, her hand shot up and landed hard against the side of his face, leaving a red mark in the shape of her handprint in its wake. "That's for Olivia." As he held his face where she had hit him, she smacked him again, just as hard, on the other side. "That's for Rafe." She laid two more good slaps with the words "For Ava," with the first, and "For me," with the second. She drew her hand back for one final slap, but at the last second folded in her thumb and wrapped her finger around it striking with a hard punch that made his nose bleed. "And that's for hurting my little girl." She withdrew her arms from the bars, grabbed Olivia's face and kissed her hard to stop her tears from falling. She then turned on her heel and strode back to where Doris was sitting with Emma nuzzled into her neck trying to comfort her.

Rafe stepped forward, he looked at Frank, who was holding his bleeding nose, straight in the eye and scoffed. "You're not even worth it man." He wrapped an arm around Olivia. "Come on, mom, let's go."

Olivia patted his arm and stepped away from him and closer to Frank. "I'll be just one m-more minute, you ta-take your sister, and go s-sit with Ma."

"Mom…"

Olivia fixed him with her patented, 'do as I say' glare. "Rafael."

Rafe nodded and turned to Ava who had just stood there the entire time shooting daggers at Frank. She walked around her brother and right up to Frank's cell. "You twisted, asinine, fucktard. I swear to all that is holy, if you get out this, I'll put your ass six feet under without batting an eye." She grabbed Rafe's hand and the two went to join their Ma and little sister.

Sam was leaning against the wall just watching as his sister's family laid into Frank. He had no intention of leaving his sister alone, so he merely crossed his arms tighter across his chest and waited for Olivia to say her peace.

Olivia nodded to her brother, and then went nose to nose with the man once more. "I want you to k-know one more th-thing Frankie. After the trial, o-once I watch them l-lead you off to prison, I will ne-never think of you a-again, but you, you I have a fe-feeling will think of me ev-every day. I'll be the voice in your h-head, and the nightmares k-ke-keeeping you awake at night. You will never be r-rid of Olivia Spencer-Rivera. And wh-while you're lying in your b-bed at night, after the same pe-people you put there beat t-the sh-shit out of you, you'll try to th-think about my wife, about wh-what she might be doing. T-try to use the be-beautiful vision that is Natalia Spencer-Rivera to h-hel-help drown out the pain, help bl-block out my voice, but I'll tell y-you now what she'll be do at ni-night while you're lying u-up in prison, me. And now, wh-whenever you try to think a-about her, you'll think of this con-conversation, you'll think of me f-fucking her senseless, making l-love to her. Every. Single. Night. Sweet dr-dreams Frankie."

Sam came to her side to help her walk out, but she held up her hand and used every ounce of strength and will power she had left to walk away on her own. Refusing to let Frank think he had broken her in any way. Once she was around the corner, Sam stepped to Frank, he didn't say anything, just bore his eye into the man who almost killed his sister, the woman who had given up so much for him.

Frank kept his face schooled as he stared back at the man. "Just say whatever the hell you have to say and get the fuck outta here, go chase after that whore you call a sister."

Sam growled as he grabbed the man up by his shirt through the cell bars. "You'd do well to remember, not all of my acquaintances are on the up and up, there may be a few littered throughout the prison system. As a dirty cop you're gonna have enough on your plate. I'd heed my sister's warning, stay away from her and her family, any contact of any kind, you can mark my words, you will pay, severely." Without giving him a chance to respond, Sam shoved him as hard as possible given the bars. He watched Frank stumble and fall on his ass before he too left him and joined the family.

When Olivia made it to her family, she desperately needed to sit, it had taken everything in her to do what she'd just done without even her cane for assistance. Natalia saw her struggling wife and jumped up, handing Emma off to Doris, who oddly, seemed to be the only person Emma wanted besides her mother's at the moment. Natalia helped Olivia to sit and dropped to her knees in front of her. Carefully wrapping her arms around her waist and laying her head against her stomach.

Rafe knelt down next to his Ma and Ava took the chair next to Olivia. The four huddled together, giving silent support. After a moment, Emma leaned on her mother's should from her spot-on Doris's lap. Doris placed her free hand on the back of Olivia's neck and Sam stood in front of them with their security guards, helping to block the stations view of them.

After a few moments, and more than a few tears, the family began to pull themselves together. Olivia tapped Natalia's shoulder, causing her to look up into deep green eyes. Olivia hooked her index finger and made a come-hither motion. Natalia took the hint and raised up on her knees, kissing her wife with fever as all three children pulled back to give their mothers their moment. When the kiss ended, Natalia rose to her feet, wiping her face with her palms.

Olivia dabbed at her eyes and then raised an arm, asking for help to stand. Once Rafe got her to her feet, Olivia wrapped her arms around her wife and breathed her in. The two stood together for a few moments, giving each other support before Olivia pulled back and laced her fingers with her wife's and held tight to her cane with her free hand. They both held their heads high as they looked at their children and then led them towards the doors.

Doris was carrying a still frazzled Emma in her arms. The little girls head was tucked securely into her neck and shoulder. Once they were outside, Emma raised her head. "Auntie Doris?"

"Yes sweet girl." Doris answered, fighting unshed tears at how small Emma's voice was. It reminded her of when Ashley was scared as a child.

"Will you come stay with me?"

"What? I mean, why do you want me to come stay with you?"

"Cause. You're the mayor and you make me feel safe. No one will try to hurt us if you're there. And you're really strong, like my mommy when she's not hurt."

Olivia heard her daughter and turned her head to meet her friends crystal blue eyes, nodding and giving a sad smile to let her friend know it was okay if she wanted to. "Of course, Emma. I'll come stay as long as you like."

"Can we sleep in mommy and ma's bed? They have a new room downstairs and their bed is really big and smells like them."

Doris gave Olivia and Natalia a skeptical look. Natalia shook her head and smiled a small smile. "I'll put new sheets on it for you." She hoped the cleaning crew Phillip had sent when they left had made the room presentable enough for Emma not to notice anything was different. Luckily the girl was unaware that's where the tragedy that hurt her mother had taken place.

Doris nodded her thanks and squeezed Emma tight against her. "Of course, darling, we'll sleep in your mommy and ma's bed." Emma kissed Doris's cheek as they reached their vehicle and Doris placed her in the back seat. After shutting the door, she faced her friend. "I'll just drop by my house and pack a bag."

Olivia placed a hand on her arm. "You s-sure it's not too m-much trouble?"

"Olivia, you are my best friend, and I would do anything for you, or your family, plus, that sweet little girl just called me 'auntie,' how can I refuse that."

"Thank you D-Doris. I really a-appreciate everything you're d-do-doing for us."

Doris hugged Olivia and kissed her cheek. "Why don't you call Tower's and place an order, I'll swing by and grab it on my way out."

"Sounds g-good. We'll s-see ya s-soon."

Once Doris left, Natalia helped Olivia into the car as the rest of their brood climbed into the back. She shared a few words with Phillip about the change in plans for Emma and then got the SUV moving, she reached over and took Olivia's hand, holding tight as they made their way home with their security following behind them.

After Doris arrived and they all ate dinner, Olivia was completely drained. She wanted a shower but knew standing for it would be impossible so she just had Sam help her into bed. Once she was settled, Sam went to help clean up after dinner, while Rafe and Ava went down to his apartment to decompress and Natalia went to give Emma her bath and help her and Doris get settled.

After Emma's bath, and Natalia changing the sheets, Doris and Emma snuggled up on Olivia's side of the bed with one of Emma's books. Natalia kissed Emma goodnight and stood at the door for a moment, watching the woman everyone thought was stone cold, read to her daughter and do all the voices like Olivia. After a few minutes, Natalia quietly closed the door and headed for the guest bath to take a shower.

Doris held Emma tight against her as they read one of Emma's 'Fancy Nancy' books. When they finished, she set the book on the bed side table and laid all the way down in the bed. Emma lay her head on Doris's shoulder and held tightly to her. Doris rubbed her back and whispered soothing words to her until she felt her breathing even out as she fell to sleep. Doris kissed her head and let silent tears finally fall down her cheeks for all the pain the Spencer-Rivera's had endured.

As she held Emma against her, she thought back to the years when Ashley would crawl in her bed after a bad dream, and then all the wasted years she spent pushing her away as she hid who she was from her daughter and the world. As her tears finally stopped, she kissed Emma's head again and closed her eyes, vowing to be there for Emma and the rest of the Spencer-Rivera's in whatever way she could.

When Natalia finished her shower, she checked on Sam, who had retired for the night, and then went to check on her eldest two children. As she reached the bottom of the basement stairs, the picture before her melted her heart. Rafe was seated on the couch with his head thrown back, Ava laying with her head in his lap and both were sound asleep with 'The Hangover' playing on the tv. She covered her babies with a blanket, kissed both their heads, and switched off the tv before heading back to join her wife in their temporary bedroom.

Natalia quietly opened the door and stood in awe of the beauty before her. Olivia was laying on her back, a hand thrown over her head and one leg hanging out of the blanket. She smiled at the sight of her lover before closing the door and crawling in bed next to her.

She shuffled as close as she could without putting too much pressure on her healing love. She kissed the side of her head and then her cheek. Olivia stirred and peaked one eye open. She turned her head so she could meet her wife's lips in a sweet kiss.

"I l-love you N-Natalia."

"I love you Olivia. So much. And I am so glad that you are home and I can sleep in bed with you again."

"Mmm." Olivia hummed as her eyes closed again.

"Sleep my love." Natalia said, leaning in to place one more kiss to her lips. Olivia woke enough to respond. This kiss was tender and chaste but held more emotion then either woman knew what do with. It was a kiss for their love and the hope that their troubles would soon be behind them.