A/N: sorry this is a day late - reason in bottom note!

The following morning dawned cold and bright. Winter was well and truly here, Olivia mused as she noted the snow falling softly outside her window. It was also the rarest of things; a day off. More to the point, a Sunday off. With nowhere to go and nothing pressing on her to-do list, Olivia rolled over and reached for the book on her nightstand. She loved to read but often found herself falling asleep just a few pages in after a long shift. Today, however, she was feeling bright and awake. The perfect combination for a morning of reading.

But only a few pages in, her pace was disturbed by her cell phone buzzing. "Oh god, please don't call me in," she muttered under her breath as she reached for the angry device. It was with relief, and then sudden curiosity when she noted who the caller was. "Good morning." A smile spread across her face even as she answered the call.

"Hey, are you up?" came the chipper voice.

"Evidently," Olivia laughed, sitting herself upright in bed and propping some pillows behind her before quickly snuggling back down beneath her warm duvet as the cold air brushed against her bare skin.

"I didn't wake you?"

"No, I was awake. It is early though," she added, glancing to the clock by her bed and noting that it was barely seven thirty. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine," Amanda reassured. "Well, I'd be better if I'd woken up next to you this morning but I guess spooning with Frannie wasn't the worst way to wake up."

"You actually spoon your dog? I thought you were just joking."

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it," Amanda replied as she, unbeknownst to Olivia, stroked Frannie's velvety ears. "But I'll accept it's not as good as spooning with a certain naked detective."

Olivia found herself in that increasingly familiar predicament: forgetting how to speak. It was a state she'd found herself in around the blonde several times over the past few weeks and it unnerved her. She wasn't usually so quick to get tongue tied but something about those dulcet Georgian tones rendered her temporarily speechless.

"Um, well, I guess I should take that as a compliment," Olivia stuttered eventually.

"Most definitely a compliment. And a complaint, all in one, really. Which is why I'm calling you to be honest."

"To complain?"

Amanda laughed. "No, not really. Well, I guess so. It's this five date rule, see."

"Oh yes? What about it?" Olivia asked, suddenly feeling like she had the upper hand. It was crystal clear to her now that while she may have felt disarmed when Amanda spoke about curling up together naked in bed, the blonde herself had woken up equally eager to move their relationship to the next level.

Because this five date rule wasn't about Olivia not wanting to go to bed with Amanda. Of course she wanted that. She had eyes! And over the months that she'd worked with Olivia, she'd grown to truly admire and care for the woman as a colleague and as a friend. But that didn't mean that she wasn't wary. Olivia had been hurt before. She'd become involved in relationships at work which had ended poorly and had affected her job, or at least her sense of comfort in the precinct. She didn't want that. And, perhaps more to the point, she didn't think she wanted whatever she and Amanda had to end at all, let alone badly. If they were going to have a future, she knew they needed to take it slow. Amanda, however, seemed to have a different idea.

"So, I was thinking, do you like brunch?"

"Brunch?"

"Yeah, smashed avo, poached eggs. You know, what the Millennials are doing."

"I know what brunch is, Amanda. And yes I do like it, why?"

"Well, I was thinking, maybe you and I could have brunch together today. A girl's gotta eat, right? And then I've gotta run some errands and stuff but maybe we could get together again this evening. Say, for dinner? And hey, whaddya know? That'll be our third date!"

Olivia couldn't help but giggle at the way Amanda framed her plan. It was sweet, really, the way the woman had thought to get as many dates into one day as possible.

"I'll give you credit for persistence, I'll tell you that for nothing," Olivia chuckled.

There was a pause at the other end of the phone. "So … does that mean you'll come? Or is this persistence maybe bordering on pestering?"

"No, sweetheart, not at all," Olivia soothed, sensing that the blonde had suddenly become paranoid that perhaps what she had intended to be cute had come across as a little over the top. "You're not pestering me at all. I think it's endearing that you're so keen."

"Keen. Persistent," Amanda repeated. "They don't sound like positive words. You'd tell me if I was veering into stalker territory, right?"

"Don't be silly. You're not stalking me. And it is positive, just not something I've been used to. None of the people I've been in relationships with in the past seemed to be quite so enthusiastic when it came to spending time with me."

"Who are these fools? I'll go find them and whoop their asses!"

Olivia found herself laughing again. "Thanks for defending my honour but that won't be necessary."

"Fine, but if you ever need your honour defending, I'll do it for you, just so you know."

"I know you would but I like to think I can defend my own honour most of the time."

"No doubt. So, was that a no to the brunch and the dinner plan?"

Olivia paused. To be honest, the idea of spending the day with the young blonde detective was highly appealing. But she was also aware that she'd barely spent any time in her own apartment recently and she did have some mounting washing she ought to tackle, as well as some overdue cleaning.

"How about we compromise and do one. Brunch? I could go for some of those smashed avos you spoke of."

"Really? Date two, already?" The tone suggested that although Amanda had called with her plan, she hadn't really believed Olivia would accept.

"Well," Olivia hesitated, knowing she could really wind the woman up with that opening, "could we really call brunch a date?"

"We can and we will," Amanda laughed as Olivia's teasing. "Seriously though Liv," she added, suddenly becoming serious. "If you do want to wait or give us more time, tell me. I don't want to push you into anything you're not ready for."

"You're not pushing me, Amanda," Olivia reassured. "If I didn't want to do something, or if I felt it was actually moving too fast, I would tell you. If there's one good thing which comes with age and a few broken hearts, it's that you learn to say what you want and what you need."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "I'm sorry you've been hurt in the past, Liv. Know that I'll do everything possible never to hurt you and to comfort you when others do. Thank you for putting some trust me."

"I do trust you," Olivia replied. "And thank you." Their conversation had taken a rather serious turn but Olivia appreciated the openness with which they communicated. It was something she truly valued in relationships and the fact that she and Amanda were able to speak in such a way so early on was a good sign for her. "So, that brunch you mentioned, do you have a place in mind?"

"Yeah, there's an awesome little cafe just down at the end of my street. But come here first. Frannie misses you and wants to give you a big hug and kiss in private."

"Frannie misses me, huh?" Olivia questioned, sliding further under the duvet and feeling the warmth of the conversation fill her up just as much as the soft fabric enveloping her.

"Yep, Frannie misses you loads. She told me."

"You're mad," Olivia laughed. "Ok, shall we say ten?"

"I can't wait."

And so, when the two women returned to the office a mere 36 hours after they'd left it, their budding relationship had two dates under its belt. Their brunch had been an extension of the atmosphere which had developed the night before; exciting, curious, tender, with a sprinkling of desire. Well, more than a sprinkling but Amanda had managed to get most of that out of her system as soon as Olivia entered her apartment.

Unfortunately, their passionate kiss had stoked a fire deep in Olivia's belly, leaving her wondering what sort of fool would put a five date restriction in place. But by the time the eggs and avocado had arrived, she'd calmed down enough to be able to enjoy the conversation without thinking what Amanda would look like naked in her bed. Well, she mostly managed to concentrate on the conversation.

The same was true at work. They spent their days side by side, partnering on a case when Finn was off sick one day and worked with complete professionalism. Well, almost entirely. There was that one incident in the break room when Amanda had brushed her hand against Olivia's forearm and whispered for her to follow her to the viewing area adjoined with an empty interrogation room.

"Amanda, we're at work," Olivia had hissed even as the blonde's lips trailed down her neck.

"Yeah, but it's your birthday and I can't take you out like I planned," Amanda justified. Due to a high case load, the evening the blonde had hoped to share with the woman on her forty-fifth birthday had had to be cancelled. Olivia brushed it off as not important while Amanda had moaned about not being able to treat her to the birthday she deserved. They'd compromised by making out in the privacy of the narrow room within the precinct, apparently.

But, aside from that incident, the two of them had been entirely professional, acting no differently with each other to ensure that their colleagues didn't pick up on anything. It wasn't like they were ashamed of what they were doing, although the ethics of their dating could be debated by their superiors. It was more that both women had agreed that it was right to keep quiet until they knew where their future was heading. And the next point in their future was their third date which was still only pencilled into the diary.

"Our next date seems damn far away at the moment," Amanda grumbled on Friday night when she got off the phone with a witness and picked up her gun from her drawer. "Come on. We gotta lead."

Olivia sighed but stood up to follow her colleague, glancing around the bull pen and making sure no one had overheard the blonde. They hadn't. Because it was a Friday night and everyone else had left except for the two women stuck with the crappy case. Dead victim. One witness who barely saw anything. No suspects. And no evidence. Which was why instead of spending their evening together at a restaurant, as had been the plan earlier in the week, their Friday night was instead going to be spent trying and failing to track down the brother of the ex boyfriend of the victim.

By the time they returned to the precinct, bleary eyed, at six in the morning on Saturday, both women were instructed to go home and sleep. With no new leads, there were no protests. Coats were grabbed, handbags were slung over shoulders and they headed outside into the bitter winter darkness.

Neither woman said anything but they set off together and then, when they reached the junction at which Olivia usually turned towards her apartment, they just kept walking. Amanda barely noticed until she got to her apartment. Olivia, who had been aware of where her feet were taking her as soon as she veered from her familiar path home, decided to let her body guide her.

And that was how these two women found themselves standing on either side of Amanda's bed, Frannie lying on top of the covers between them, looking at each other without knowing what to say.

"Um, you wanna borrow some pjs?" Amanda offered.

Olivia nodded and took the clothes which the blonde handed to her. Within five minutes, she was back in the bedroom dressed in the same pyjamas which she had worn the previous week. Amanda too had changed into her sleepwear while Olivia was absent.

"Just gonna brush my teeth. I've got a new toothbrush you can use if you want."

And that was how these two women found themselves standing side by side in front of Amanda's vanity brushing their teeth. Neither woman dared mention how domestic the scene looked.

"I've gotta pee real quick then I'll be out," Amanda said when they'd both finished brushing.

Olivia took her cue to leave and returned to the bedroom. Frannie hadn't moved but when the older woman commanded the dog to her own sleeping area, she obediently jumped off the bed and curled up in her designated spot. Olivia, without thinking too much into it, padded across the room and slid beneath the sheets. The bed was cold, reminding her of the bitter winter world which had enveloped the city all week. She suddenly looked forward to the presence of another warm body in the bed with her.

It only dawned on her that that body would be Amanda's when the blonde reappeared and set about pulling down the black out blinds, blocking out the weak winter dawn and plunging the room into an artificial night. Black out blinds were necessary for anyone in their line of work. Getting to sleep a night was a luxury they could not count on.

"I'm exhausted," Amanda declared as she climbed into the bed.

"Me too."

The room fell quiet again. Olivia's presence hadn't been questioned. Or even acknowledged, in a way. At least, not its unorthodox nature. Neither woman wanted to say anything which might break the spell which had fallen over them.

"Well, goodnight, I guess," Amanda said eventually.

"Goodnight," Olivia repeated.

More silence. Then; "can I kiss you good night?"

"Yes," Olivia replied at once.

That permission was instantly taken and Amanda rolled herself into Olivia's side. Their noses bumped together. Olivia pulled back slightly but her progress was slowed when Amanda's hand came up to cup the back of her neck. The blonde paused her movement however, waiting to see if Olivia continued to back away, wanting to make sure the older woman was comfortable. When she moved slightly closer to Amanda, the younger woman met her half way.

"Goodnight, Olivia," the blonde whispered before pressing her lips gently to the senior detective's mouth.

"Goodnight, Amanda," Olivia replied when the kiss broke, following that up with a firm kiss of her own, rolling onto her side and slinging her arm over the shorter woman's lithe waist.

They lay like that for a long time until a quiet request broke the silence. "Can I be the little spoon?"

"Of course," Olivia nodded, lifting her arm up as Amanda wriggled onto her other side. Once in place, she then shuffled herself backwards, pressing her body firmly against Olivia's. The older woman let out a little groan as she felt the curve of the woman's tight ass fitting perfectly against her pubic bone. Despite knowing the rumbling of arousal wouldn't lead to anything, she still reached around and pulled Amanda tighter to her, pressing a kiss to the back of the woman's neck before nuzzling softly the downy hair which lay there.

"Goodnight, Detective Rollins," Olivia said for the third time.

"Goodnight, Detective Benson."

A/N: Just as a heads up (readers of my Quarantine Quarrels SwanQueen fic will already know this) - I'm moving house this week and probably won't have time to write a chapter for you all next week, sorry! This chapter was delayed because packing is a bitch! If you're bored and like my work, you can check out my completed stories on my profile. Otherwise, I'll see you all back here in a couple of weeks!