A/N: There will be 2 more chapters after this one, just so you know! I'd like to try and get them out for Christmas too! … but that depends on how busy work is for the last 3 days of the year!
The remainder of the women's time away from the precinct passed as one might expect. Wrapped in the warm fuzzy feeling of a new relationship, they barely spent a moment apart. Late on Sunday morning, the duo dragged themselves out of bed in a vain attempt to start their day. After a longer-than-planned shower together which ended only when both women clung to each other, slick, satiated bodies under the ever cooling water from Amanda's shower, they finally got dressed to take Frannie for a walk.
The dog was unperturbed that her owner was itching to get back to the apartment and spent over half an hour scampering around the park, smelling all the new scents which had appeared overnight. Amanda and Olivia watched as she dashed backwards and forwards, making friends with various other four-legged creatures whose owners were huddled against the cold New York wind.
"Come on Frannie," Amanda called when she didn't think she could feel her fingers any more.
"Impatient to get home?" Olivia asked, wrapping her arms around the shorter woman from behind and resting her chin on Amanda's shoulder.
"You know it. You've been dressed far too long for my liking."
Olivia chuckled and pressed a kiss to the chilled exposed skin of Amanda's neck, making a mental note to buy the woman a scarf for Christmas. The blonde rolled her head to the side, welcoming the public display of affection as they waited for Frannie to finally obey her owner and get her ass back to them. When the dog finally decided that she was satisfied that every lamppost had been sniffed, every scrap of grass had been peed on and every other dog had been park had been greeted, she came bounding back.
"Mad creature," Amanda muttered as Frannie ran in circles around the two women for a moment before sitting abruptly in front of her master and waited patiently for her lead to be attached.
Back in the apartment, the bed was substituted with the sofa. Take out was ordered and Netflix was turned on. The bed beckoned them earlier than usual but it was well after midnight when the two of them finally switched off the night and settled into one another's arms to sleep.
Monday passed in much the same way. After one of Frannie's walks, the two women passed by Olivia's apartment so that the woman could pick up some fresh clothes. As Amanda stood in the front room, not trusting Frannie to be left alone in Olivia's neat, pale apartment, she mused that their relationship had, as a result of her dog, meant they spent most of their time together at her place.
"Do you mind?" Amanda asked after broaching this subject with Olivia on their way back to the blonde's apartment.
"Not at all. I know you need to be there for Frannie. My house plants can last days without seeing my face. Frannie, however, needs her owner. I get it."
"Yeah, but it feels kinda unfair on you. Plus, your place is way nicer than mine. Bigger too. And your bed is comfier."
"Well, that's true. Your mattress isn't as good but I'm not staying at yours for the bed or for the real estate full stop. It's where I need to be to spend time with you and that makes it the best place for our relationship, in my opinion."
Amanda looped her arm through Olivia's and squeezed. "You got sappy," she teased.
"Shut up," Olivia replied, not meaning it at all. She was sappy with Amanda. It was a new way of being for her and, if she was honest with herself, she liked it.
On Tuesday morning, the two women hurried down the street hand in hand, a little late thanks to Amanda's decision to walk out of the bathroom completely naked which, naturally, delayed their routine by fifteen minutes. And now they were slipping and sliding through New York's icy streets, hoping that no one would notice that they were both uncharacteristically late. And arriving together.
As they turned onto the block which housed the 16th precinct, their fingers separated and they slowed to a walk, not wanting to attract more attention to themselves.
"So, you're going to talk to Cragen this morning, right?" Amanda asked, hoisting her handbag onto her shoulder.
"Assuming he's in a good mood, yes. Is that still ok?" Olivia asked.
The night before they had discussed whether they wanted to tell their boss immediately about their romantic relationship or wait a couple of weeks. While both women acknowledged that their courtship was relatively new, they were both open and honest enough to recognise that what they had was good, what they felt towards each other was strong, and that being honest with their superiors early would stand them in good stead.
"Yes, tell him everything," Amanda confirmed. "I mean, not everything. He doesn't need to know about that thing you do with your tongue. Which, by the way, I want to try tonight. Do you curl it or -"
"FIN, HI!" Olivia bellowed as she spotted their colleague walking out of the precinct and heading for the bodega on the corner.
The man turned and raised his eyebrows slightly at the way he had been practically yelled at. "Good morning. You're both late."
"Where are you going? Got a case?" Amanda asked, ignoring the unasked question and trying to steer the subject matter to safer ground. She knew Olivia wanted to talk to their captain before anyone else on their team found out about their relationship.
"Nah, we're out of coffee in the breakroom."
"Oh, I'll come with you. I ate the last of the donuts last week so should probably replace them. See you later," she added to Olivia, resisting the urge to give her girlfriend a goodbye kiss.
She joined Fin and the two of them crossed the street and ducked into the bodega in silence. As they perused the range of instant coffee tins the store offered, Fin finally decided to ask the question he'd been wanting to pose to his new partner for weeks.
"So, you and Liv, something going on there?"
"What?" Amanda asked, a little too loudly.
Fin didn't want to push but he also didn't want his partner to feel like she had to hide things from him. They might not have worked together for long and he liked the Georgian blonde. She offered fresh insight, a different perspective. And she shared his passion for the job, which was what mattered to him the most. If she wanted her private life to remain private, that was fine with him. The problem was, from the way the young woman's cheeks were blooming red and the way she wasn't meeting his eyes, he knew that his hunch had been correct.
"I'm not trying to pry. I just noticed that you two have been getting pretty close recently. Spending a lot of time together. And you both seem happy. It's nice. I've not seen Liv smiling the way she does with you for a long time. So, if you don't wanna talk about it, that's cool. I won't stick my nose where it's not wanted. But just know that I'm made up for you both."
There was no avoiding the subject now so Amanda turned to look at the man whom she was already seeing like an older brother. There was a gentle, knowing smile on his lips and she couldn't help but grin back.
"Don't tell anyone yet, ok? Liv's talking to Captain Cragen today. Apparently he needs to know since we work in the same squad."
"You're telling the captain?" Fin asked. "So, it's serious?" He had guessed that there was something going on but he hadn't given too much thought into what sort of relationship might have been developing. Casual sexual relationships at work weren't unheard of and he couldn't remember the last time Olivia had dated someone seriously. For some reason, he hadn't considered the possibility that whatever was happening between his partner and Olivia was much more than just a physical tryst.
"Yeah, it's serious. I mean, it's a relationship and it's going really well. We …," Amanda trailed off, unsure how much to confide in the man next to her. And then the dam broke. "She's amazing, Fin. She's incredible. And I don't just mean the sex," At that, Fin looked away quickly, "but the time we spend together. Liv's interesting and funny and kind and so intelligent. She interests me and makes me laugh and challenges me and drives me to be a better person. I … I'm crazy about her," she finished, a little embarrassed about the rush of emotions she'd unloaded.
While Fin wasn't one for a long, mushy talk about feelings, even he could recognise how happy and besotted his partner was. "I'm happy for you, Amanda. For you both. Liv deserves someone great too, and you're pretty great! Just, don't hurt her, ok? She's had a tough life and she deserves some happiness. So do you, by the way. I think you two are perfect for each other."
"Really?" Amanda whispered, hardly daring to believe that final statement.
"Really. And you know what? Seeing you two gives an old man like me a little hope. Sometimes I give up after a bad date or one of those cases that makes you question humanity but you two prove that happiness is possible, and will come for people who deserve it."
"Aw, look at you getting all sentimental. You wanna do the toast at our wedding?" Amanda laughed.
Fin raised an eyebrow. "Thinking of marrying her already, are you?"
Those words sobered Amanda and she realised what she had said. It was way too soon to think about marriage. For heaven's sake, they'd only officially been together for three days and most of that time had been spent in bed. The rose-tinted glasses of the start of any relationship didn't last, she knew that. But the mental image of Olivia in a wedding dress, she also knew, would stay in her mind for a long time.
"Let's get back, ok?" Amanda suggested. "That coffee's the best of these lot," she added, pointing to a blue tin. "I'm gonna go grab the donuts. Meet you at the cashier."
Understanding that the conversation was over, Fin slid the indicated tin off the shelf and made his way to pay. A few minutes later, the duo hurried back across the street towards the 16th precinct.
"Hey, don't spread it around about me and Liv," Amanda said just as they reached the far sidewalk. "I know we're telling Cragen but that's because we have to. And you know but you're my partner, so that's cool. To be honest, if it were up to me, I'd send out emails to every cop in Manhattan cos I think it's fucking amazing that I get to date Olivia Benson. But I'm pretty sure Liv would murdur me if I did that. She doesn't want us to become the source of gossip for everyone we work with. I know that's inevitable but can we not hasten that event?"
"I get it," Fin nodded, leading the way into the building. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."
"Thanks Fin, I appreciate it. And sorry for unloading on you back there. I've not had the chance to speak to anyone about this and, well, I guess it's kinda exciting!"
"Hey, if you wanna talk, I'm here. We can grab a beer after work any time you want. I know it's hard being the new kid on the block. We're a friendly bunch but our work doesn't leave much time for making friends away from the precinct. So, yeah, any time you want a beer, lemme know." By this time they were waiting for the elevator which, when it arrived, was empty so they were able to continue their conversation as they rode the old, slow contraption up to their floor.
Amanda smiled. "Thanks Fin. I appreciate that. Might have to take you up on that some time. I think Liv has plans with Alex later in the week. Maybe we can have a beer then."
"You don't want to join then?" Fin looked a little surprised. From everything he had witnessed, the two blondes got on very well.
But Amanda shook her head. "Nah, this is Liv's time with her friend. We've been kinda living in each other's pockets the last few weeks. Which has been awesome, of course. But having our own space and time apart is good too. Alex already knows about us and I'm sure Liv wants time to bitch about all the things I do that annoy her. I don't want to act like a koala, even though they're super cute. She can have her time with Alex and I can have an evening with you, if that's ok?"
"Sure but on one condition: you're not allowed to tell me anything about Olivia and you in bed, ok? That's not something I wanna think about. Keep it PG, please."
Amanda laughed. "Deal. I'll check what night Liv and Alex have plans and let you know. Looking forward to it."
"Me too," Fin said as the elevator pinged and opened its doors to reveal the bullpen.
Amanda's eyes immediately went to the large window of her boss' office. Through the half closed blinds she could see Captain Cragen sitting behind his desk. Stood in front of him was Olivia. As Amanda watched, the man caught her looking through the glass at him and, just for a moment, smiled, before turning his attention back to his longest serving detective.
A/N: Stay safe over the holidays peeps!