You might want to read the previous chapter, I had to. It's been a while…

Being back at the place where things first began to change for them, felt right for Amanda to speak her truth. Relief washed over her. After, finally saying the three little words that'd been threatening to spill for so long. So much had changed since HairGate, many months ago. They'd been through so much together. Most importantly, they'd grown together. The road definitely hadn't been easy but they'd finally found some common ground.

"Let's get out of here…" Olivia drained the rest of her beverage as she slid her stool away from the bar. Amanda was smiling at the other woman when she slightly stumbled, while getting to her feet. She was amused watching her partner, who was obviously feeling the effects of their celebratory drinks. The other detectives were at the table, still enjoying the night. When they headed over to say their goodbyes.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…what is this? Don't tell me you're leaving already?" asked Munch, checking his watch.

"Afraid so."

"You good, Liv?" inquired Nick, as he noticed her slight stumbling.

"Yeah, I'm good. No, I'm great."

Amanda laughed and mumbled, "Such a lightweight."

"Ok…be careful and get home safe."

"I'll make sure she gets home in one piece," assured Amanda. Nick eyed her suspiciously. Which didn't go unnoticed by the blonde but she chose to ignore it. What an asshole. The ladies made their way around the table. Thanking everyone for the drinks, laughs and nice words shared, earlier in the evening.

"Thanks again guys. Especially you Munch," Olivia pet his shoulder. "You're alright. Well, sometimes." That earned her a laugh from the table. "See you Monday, guys."

"Later ladies."

Nick still had his eye on Amanda. The other night, still fresh on his mind. He took another sip from his glass as his inner monologue rambled on. It was something about the blonde, on top of what he'd unintentionally overheard, that made him uneasy. He didn't get into it earlier with his partner. However, a few drinks in, he was eager to speak his peace before the moment passed.

"Yo Rollins, a quick word?" He waved her back over to the bar where they'd just left.

What the hell does he want? Ugh, he's such an asshole. She rolled her eyes subtly but complied. He was important to Olivia and that mattered to her. Plus, she didn't want any more friction between them after they'd recently found common ground. So, she begrudgingly obliged. After all, Olivia was preoccupied with Wright and his excessive out of character chatter.

"What's up, Amaro?"

"Look, there's no easy way to say this. So, I'm just going to say it. You might have the best of intentions concerning my partner but you really should focus on yourself, right now. You know? Get all of your demons and problems in check before you try to whatever it is you're trying to do concerning Liv. Give her some space. She's been through a lot and she doesn't need y—"

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Amanda stopped, whatever was going to come out of his mouth next. Adrenaline, anger and heat coursed throughout her body. Calming down wasn't even an option. "You don't know anything about me, my 'demons', or Liv's needs, you smug, self-righteous asshole!" That exclamation got the attention of some nearby patrons.

"Oh, but I do. I know more than enough. I can read you like a book. I see straight through you and your bullshit. You're not anywhere near good enough for her, not even close!" Nick's tone and his certainty, angered the blonde even more.

"You know what? Kiss my ass! And go to hell!" Amanda slid her stool away from the bar, enraged. That got her co-workers attention. Fin saw the exchange, while Wright still had Olivia pre-occupied with his ramblings. He left the table to see what was going on.

"Hey! What the hell is going on over here?"

"Stay out of it, Fin!" exclaimed Amaro.

The blonde scoffed with obvious sarcasm and disdain. "That's got to be a joke, right? I mean, coming from the man who's sticking his nose where it doesn't fucking belong!" She moved dangerously close to Nick, deliberately invading his personal space. Fin had to step in between them before things really got out of hand.

"Amanda," He took his partner by the arm, practically dragging her away from the escalating altercation. "You need to calm down." When they were away from everyone, he tried to figure out the problem. Even though he kind of had a hunch. "What the hell was that all about?"

"Nothing."

"It was definitely something. I just stopped you from knocking Nick's ass out. So, don't bs me. What's going on, Amanda?"

"He's just—ugh he's such an asshole."

"Ok…Amaro is an asshole sometimes, everyone knows that. But that back there," he pointed in Amaro's direction. "That was something else. Whathappened?"

"He said—" Rollins took an unsteady breath and ran a hand through her hair before she spoke. "He told me that I'm not good enough for her…" she refused to make eye contact with Fin. She'd just come to accept her feelings for the other woman. The last thing she wanted was an uncomfortable conversation with her other partner. Even though she assumed, he, along with others had questions/suspicions about their 'relationship'.

"Why do you give a shit about what Amaro thinks? The only person's opinion you should be concerned about, is hers. Not Amaro's, Munch's, mines or anyone else." Fin saw a bit of relief wash over his partner's demeanor, although she still hadn't looked up at him. "Do you. But for whatever it's worth…I think it's a good look." Amanda finally peeled her eyes away from the ground. Shocked and touched by what her other partner was saying. She was about to respond when Olivia interrupted them.

"Hey, I've been looking for you. Do either of you know what the hell is going on with Amaro? Munch and Wright had to physically drag him out of the bar. He was pissed. Mad as hell about something. He seemed fine earlier. He's usually not the angry drunk type. Did I miss something?"

"That's my cue," said Fin. "I'll let you two talk."

After Fin's abrupt exit, Olivia's curiosity increased. Even through her tipsy haze, she sensed the blonde's discomfort. "Amanda? What happened?"

This definitely wasn't how the blonde expected the evening to go. She was hoping for a night of other firsts, after finally revealing her true feelings. Exciting firsts. Unexplored firsts. Intimate firsts. Sexy firsts that consumed her thoughts throughout the evening. Definitely not unnecessary drama-fueled firsts, caused by someone who she could care less about but Olivia, unfortunately did.

Ugh, fucking asshole. "I really don't know. We were saying goodbye to everyone, when Amaro pulled me aside to talk. I think he's…" the blonde searched for the words. She didn't want to let her obvious disdain show. So, she decided to tread lightly. "He's uh, concerned I guess."

"Concerned? About what?"

"Us."

"What about us? He seemed ok when I talked to him earlier. He told me that he wouldn't say anything about over hearing our conversation. I believe him," assured Olivia.

"What conversation?"

"The other night, when you came over and you know said things... You don't remember?"

Amanda took a minute to think about what conversation Olivia was referring to. Fuck. Due to her drunken state on the night in question, certain pieces had been erased. After thinking on it for a moment, everything was beginning to make sense. She realized why Nick took her to the side. It seemed so out of left field but now she knew it was because he'd overheard her most vulnerable moment with Olivia.

"Yeah, I remember now and it makes sense."

"What does?" Olivia was still confused about what was going on.

Amanda was replaying what Nick had said. Getting more upset by the second, she blurted out, "Your partner doesn't think I'm good enough for you. And he made it very clear that he wants me to focus on my demons and leave you alone."

"What?! He said that? That doesn't sound like him…"

"Yes, he said that and much more. Asshole."

Olivia couldn't believe Nick would say that to Amanda. Even if he felt that way, she'd hope he would have more tact than that. She was baffled but then remembered why he'd called her that night in the first place. That on top of the booze could maybe explain why he was behaving so out of character.

"I know you think he's an asshole but he's going through a lot right now. It's a lot on his plate. With the—"

"You're not seriously defending him right now, are ya?" interrupted Amanda with an edge to her voice.

"No. I'm just—"

"About to freaking defend him."

"No! It's not that, it's just…" Olivia took a step back to regroup and put herself in Amanda's shoes. It didn't take long for her to realize how upset she'd be if Fin would've approached her in such a manner. She'd expect Amanda's support. "You're right. I'm sorry. Regardless of whatever's going on with him, there's no excuse. He was totally wrong for saying anything to you and I'm going to talk to him about it. Ok?"

Amanda was pissed but it wasn't Liv's fault. Plus, she really didn't want to fight. Not tonight. "Fine, I'll let it go and let you handle it."

"Thank you."

Olivia was relieved. She knew how Amanda could get when pissed. But somehow, she'd managed to diffuse the situation with her buzz still intact. Whew. When she focused back on the other woman she could see some of the earlier tension gone. However, not enough to her satisfaction.

The brunette closed the distance between them and lowered her voice. "You know how I feel about you... That's all that matters. To hell with anyone else."

Amanda finally looked up and saw those eyes, she'd never tire of seeing. It was something about the certainty in Olivia's voice that completely reassured her. "I thought we were getting out of here? We need to, because I almost just gave our co-workers something else to talk about."

Olivia saw the desire and passion in Amanda's eyes. She felt the same, "Take me home…"

Thanks for reading. Special thanks to those who've offered condolences after the loss of my beloved Grandmother and Aunt. Needless to say, I lost my writing mojo and more but I'm on the mend now. Re-inspired. So, thanks for those who are still sticking with the story. Might be a rating change next chapter. I'm debating.