"So. Amanda, tell me about yourself. I barely know anything other than you're from Atlanta and you try to teach vegetables to sing. Which I don't think is very successful." Olivia laughed as she drove out of the parking lot, taking Amanda on a tour of New York. She glanced over at her young colleague, completely unaware that Amanda's heart was practicing gymnastics.

"Well." Amanda sucked in a deep breath, sighing as she twirled a strand of blond hair on her finger. "What do you want to know? I'm the oldest of two girls, and my Mama works as a secretary . Daddy…well…he ran off."

"I'm sorry to hear that." There was no pity in Olivia's voice, none of the usual reaction she got from people when she mentioned her father. She was grateful for that.

"Do you have any pets? Kids? You single? Married?" Olivia was just asking a simple question, Amanda knew that, but well, she had to fight the blush that threatened to rise when Olivia asked if she was single. So she'd focus on another question. That might help.

"I had a dog. A beautiful hound named Banjo. He died two weeks before I moved here. My chief had just given me my transfer assignment and –" She paused, contemplating. "I know it sounds weird, but I wanted to tell him. It has always been my dream to work in New York, and I…well, I wanted to tell the only one in my life that mattered at the time. I walked in and he was just…dead. Gone." Amanda brushed away a lone tear from her eye, trying to pass it off as a stray eyelash. She sighed, turning to stare out the window, completely transfixed on the passing skyscrapers. She didn't want to talk about Banjo. But she also didn't mind telling Olivia the hard things, the things that hurt. But she didn't want to cry in front of her either. So it was a lose lose situation .

"I get it. I had a cat, growing up, his name was Hermes. He was my best friend from kindergarten until two days before I started high school. I went to take a shower, and came back into my bedroom, and there he was, curled up on my pillow, unresponsive and cold. He was gone." Olivia sighed, reaching out to squeeze Amanda's hand, sighing softly. "Hey, Rollins"

"Yea?" Amanda asked quietly, smiling slightly at the contact. She wasn't blushing, that much she was thankful for, but her heart was doing somersaults.

"I want you to know, that should you ever feel alone, or frightened, or upset, you can come to me. I will always be here for you no matter what. No questions asked. Alright?" Amanda was shocked by the intensity of Olivia's voice. A lump formed in her throat, and she seemed to be unable to speak for a moment.

"Yea..ok…thanks. Same if you ever need anything." Amanda smiled slightly, tearing her eyes away from Olivia's intoxicating brown ones and turning her gaze to the road. " Do we have any open cases right now? Anything I need to be informed about? "

Olivia took her time in answering. She pulled the car over to the side of the road, back behind a donut shop that was closed for repairs. She turned off the ignition, sighing as she turned to Amanda with a serious look on her face. "There is a serial rapist that we suspect to be the same as an open case in Atlanta. We thought you weren't coming for a week or so, so we called down to the precinct there and Patton was kind enough to volunteer himself and his nephew to come down here to check out the case and help us with the suspect profile."

Amanda felt like a horse stepped on her chest. Patton, here? In New York? No. No way. She…couldn't.

"Amanda? Hey…are you alright?" Olivia sounded concerned, as she placed a hand over Amanda's. "I asked you a question."

"Oh. Yea. Im fine. What did you ask? Sorry, I was trying to think of which case it could be." Amanda lied. She was not fine. Not fine in the slightest. She was terrified of the prospect of ever seeing that awful man again.

"I asked you if youd be willing to work with Patton when he comes, since he is your old chief and all. Fin will be at a conference in Idaho these next two weeks and I think hed be most comfortable with you. Seeing as you two know each other already. "

Amanda's heart sank in her chest. WORK with him? Alone? In a squad car? But she couldn't say no. Olivia would ask why,put two and two together and discover that yes, Amanda had been the cop on the phone that night, and that was it. She had lost her chance. Not that she knew if she even had a chance. She didn't know about Olivia's preferneces and she doubt shed ever have the guts to ask, even of she did want to. Shed find out in time. She was sure of that.

"Yes…..I can show Patton around. Work with him on the case and All. I don't think id mind so much." She was shaking, trembling at the very idea of seeing the man who had ruined her life, and stolen her virginity. It would be alright. It had to be. Olivia had said that if she ever needed anything to let her know. Not that shed actually tell her, especially about Patton. It wouldn't do any good anyway. Patton was a leader on the force, nothing would come out of a rookie cop ratting out a superior. It just wasn't worth the risk to her career. She didn't want that to happen. All over a he said , she said situation. She'd done no rape kit, done no hospital visit. All shed done to protect herself was taking a morning after pill. Now she had to face him again! She was surely not looking forward to that. But if she had to, then she would.

"Amanda, come on. This is Haggerty's. Where all the cops in the city come for coffee on late night cases." As she got out of the car, Amanda knew that somehow, hopefully everything would be alright.