Amanda's POV

Amanda walked over to the toilet, put the lid down and sat down on it, head spinning. The reality of the last few hours was slowly starting to hit—walking home from the shops after craving cigarettes but distracting herself with doughnuts instead, feeling slightly paranoid her entire walk home, running into her flat only to have an intruder run after her and hold a gun against her head, what happened next that she didn't want to think about, blindly running to Olivia's apartment which was luckily only a few blocks from hers…shit. Olivia. The shower. Amanda looked down at herself, towel covering her otherwise bare torso.

What was she thinking? Going to her boss's flat, not locking the bathroom door, letting Olivia wash her hair and massage her back whilst she was topless…even though Olivia had seemed comfortable and initiated the shared shower situation, she scolded herself for putting Olivia in that position in the first place.

Amanda realised she was still on the toilet seat, and that Olivia was probably waiting for her in the kitchen so that they could eat dinner. Torn between spending more time with her boss in a situation that she was increasingly more uncomfortable with, but also not wanting to cause more trouble when Olivia was likely very hungry, Amanda forced herself up and back into Olivia's bedroom. She was grateful that Olivia had shut the door, but kept the towel clutched tightly around her slender frame as she rummaged through drawers.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she realised there was a problem. An underwear problem, to be precise. The one pair Amanda had on were still soaked through from the shower, and she didn't have time to dry them. There was also no way in hell that she was asking Olivia if she could borrow a pair either. If they hadn't already crossed the line of what was appropriate interaction between work colleagues, this would certainly be a step too far.

She returned to the drawer, unsure of what she was searching for but half hoping a pair of her underwear would miraculously appear. Then her fingers grasped some light, leaf patterned material and she pulled out a pair of cotton pyjama shorts, just long enough to cover everything and act as a kind of pants/pyjama hybrid. Moments later she found an oversized plain white t-shirt, so she stripped bear and dressed herself in the soft scented clothes of her boss. She checked her reflection in the mirror next to the bed, turning around to check she was fully covered.

Ah. Those shorts were a bit…breezy. The t-shirt wasn't entirely opaque either, and even in the dim light of the room Amanda could make out a faint nipple outline. Oh well. Olivia had seen worse that evening and even Amanda now was too hungry to care anymore. She slowly walked over to the bedroom door, open it, and peeked round.

The scent of tomatoes and herbs hit her before anything else, and then her eyes adjusted to the brighter lighting of the room and she saw Olivia plating up the source of the delicious smell, humming quietly to herself and moving gracefully around the kitchen island. Amanda smiled a little, feeling a little calmer in this homely environment, and made her way over to the table where Olivia had placed the bowls of pasta. She looked up when Amanda padded over, smiling at her and stepping back to let Amanda sit down.

"Can I get you something to drink? Water? Juice? Or…wine?"

Amanda debated for a second, weighing up the likelihood of her spilling her heart out if she had something alcoholic, finally conceding to her desire for something strong and sweet and deciding one glass couldn't hurt. "Wine would be lovely, thanks."

Olivia and Amanda's POV

Olivia went back to the kitchen, found an unopened bottle of red and poured two medium glasses of wine before returning to the table. She pushed one towards Amanda and motioned for her to start eating. They tucked in, silently satisfying their hunger, and Amanda felt herself relax a bit as she nourished herself. A few minutes in, Olivia cleared her throat.

"Did you…did you want to talk about what happened?"

She didn't want to push Amanda for details, but she wanted to support the detective as best she could and knowing what had happened would help Olivia handle the situation. Amanda stared at her plate, aimlessly stabbing a piece of pasta repeatedly but making no attempt to eat it.

"There was this guy following me…I think he has been for a while…. he tried to make a move on me in the elevator…" She waved her hand around, hoping Olivia would fall for her bluff. It wasn't exactly a lie, but the thought of telling her what had actually happened made her stomach turn. Even though Olivia would know what to do and say better than anyone else, she just couldn't bring herself to tell her the full truth. "I just don't feel safe in my flat at the moment. I'll deal with it on Monday at the precinct." Her eyes met Olivia's briefly, before looking back down at the plate she was still pushing food around.

Olivia leaned forward and placed her hand over Amanda's free hand that was resting on the table and squeezed it gently. "You can stay here as long as you want Amanda, and if there's anything you need please don't hesitate to ask me. I can go to your flat tomorrow morning to pick up some stuff for the next few days, and we can do whatever you want tomorrow, okay? I just want to keep you safe." What Amanda didn't know was that you mean too much to me to lose was suddenly on the tip of Olivia's tongue, but the brunette swallowed the words and gave Amanda a soft smile. Amanda tried to return it.

"Thank you so much Liv. You have no idea how much that means to me," Amanda whispered. She had the sudden urge to hug Olivia, but there was a table in the way and Amanda knew she should probably keep some physical distance after the intimate situation earlier. Instead, she busied herself with finishing her pasta, whilst Olivia swirled her wine glass and appeared lost in thought. When she finished, Amanda stood up to take the plates and wash them, but Olivia lightly guided her back into her seat with a hand on her shoulder. "I've got this. How about you get comfy on the sofa and I'll bring over a bit more wine, and we can watch something on the TV until you feel sleepy?"

Amanda smiled properly for the first time that evening. "Sounds lovely." She got up and padded over to the sofa, curling up on it and trying to get comfortable, aware of the breeze around her crotch and trying not to expose herself any more. Olivia clattered around the kitchen, scraping the plates and then loading up the dishwasher. There wasn't much to wash, and she could have easily done it by hand, but all she wanted right now was to join Amanda on the sofa and hold her tight.

Eurgh. Those feelings were back again, and Olivia still didn't have a clue what they meant. Something about seeing the younger detective finally letting someone see a vulnerable side of her that she never let anyone else see made Olivia feel so protective over her. That Amanda had picked her to go to when she needed someone, that she trusted Olivia that much, that she felt safe with Olivia… a warm sensation rose up inside her, something she hadn't felt in years. She quickly washed her hands, grabbed the bottle of wine and walked over to join Amanda on the sofa.

Amanda gave her a sleepy smile when she sat down, remote in hand, flicking through channels on the tv until she settled on a generic rom-com film. Noticing her wine glass was empty, Olivia pushed the bottle towards her, which Amanda gratefully took and poured herself another small glass. They stayed that way for a few minutes, until Olivia was aware of a subtle vibrating sensation. She felt for her phone in her pockets, then under the cushions of the sofa, before realising it was Amanda shivering.

"Amanda honey, you should have said you were cold! Here, take this blanket," Olivia said, leaning over the arm of the sofa nearest her and retrieving a giant fluffy throw. Amanda accepted it and wrapped it around her tiny frame, then offered an end to Olivia. It didn't quite reach as far as her legs though, so Olivia took this as a sign that it was okay for her to move a little closer, so she shuffled over until their legs were almost touching.

Amanda wriggled under the blanket cocoon, trying and failing to get comfortable without ending up with pyjama shorts up her ass, or accidentally elbowing Olivia in the chest. Olivia grinned at the writhing figure next to her.

"Comfortable Rollins?"

The use of her surname earnt Olivia an eye roll. "Sorry. Just trying to make sure I don't end up with a crick in my neck."

"You can lean into me if you want."

Amanda turned so that she was facing Olivia, trying to read her face to see if Olivia was just being nice, or if she genuinely was happy for Amanda to invade her personal space. As if she could read Amanda's mind, she said softly, "I mean it."

Amanda didn't waste a second this time in taking Olivia up on her offer, shifting herself so that her head was resting on the edge of Olivia's shoulder, arms just about brushing each other.

Olivia sighed. "Well that's clearly still not very comfortable for you, is it?"

Amanda didn't say anything, and Olivia chuckled to herself at how respectable of her personal space Amanda seemed to be. "Hey, come here, I want you close."

The second these words were out of Olivia's mouth, Amanda's heart rate soared, and she hoped to god that Olivia couldn't feel it. Before she had a chance to react, an arm was snaking around her back and firmly grasping her waist, causing Amanda to let out a little squeak, before it deftly hoisted Amanda practically into Olivia's lap. Her head was tucked perfectly into the space under Olivia's chin, dark strands of hair still slightly damp from shower tickling her forehead. The arm stayed around her midriff, fingers resting on bare skin as her t-shirt rode up slightly, and Amanda felt her skin burning where Olivia's hands lay.

Olivia tilted her head down so that her cheek rested on her forehead, and Amanda could feel that the brunette's pulse wasn't dissimilar to her own. Those soft fingers tenderly stroking her hip somehow managed to calm Amanda but cause an intense surge of emotions at the same time, and Amanda felt her body almost melting into Olivia's.

"Better?"

Amanda nodded into the soft skin of Olivia's neck, already feeling herself beginning to drift off to sleep, despite the extremely close proximity of her boss creating a swarm of butterflies in her stomach. She sighed serenely, trying to fight her drooping eyelids but eventually succumbing to tiredness and falling asleep.

Olivia didn't move for a while, reluctant to disturb Amanda but also slowly becoming weary with the weight of the detective that was almost entirely resting on her left side. Once she was certain Amanda was in a deep slumber, she set about moving the pair of them into somewhere more suited for a whole night's sleep. Twisting awkwardly, she sat up, still gripping Amanda's waist, and then moved her left arm so that it was tucked under the back of her knees. Olivia then pulled Amanda into her lap further so that she could reach around with her right arm and hold Amanda just under her hipbone, careful not to tug at the flimsy material of the borrowed pyjama shorts.

Summoning all her strength, Olivia stood up with Amanda in her arms, and the blonde figure stirred a little. Olivia breathed a sigh of relief once it seemed that Amanda was only snuggling into her chest a little and was still pretty much asleep, though she wondered how she was going to peel herself away from the embrace, feeling very calm with the presence of a heartbeat of someone she cared so much for close to her own.

Olivia could barely repress those uninvited feelings about Amanda now, suddenly very keen to go to sleep herself, in the hope they would rid themselves overnight and she could be confident any feelings she had towards the blonde were purely platonic. She carefully laid Amanda down on the left-hand side, barely bearing to tear herself away but desperate for sleep and some peace of mind. She tiptoed around to the other side of the bed where her drawers were and tried to open the bottom one as quietly as she could, finding something cooler to sleep in now that there was another body sharing her bed. Once she found what she was looking for, she slipped on the loose shorts, and gently climbed into the other side of the bed, pulling the duvet cover over them as she did and turning to face away from the figure she so badly wanted to hold again.

She had barely closed her eyes when there was a sudden yank at the duvet, and when Olivia flipped over she saw Amanda was clutching the edge of the duvet with a death grip, face crumpled up in pain. Amanda tossed a few times and whimpered, before Olivia could make out that she was staying "stop" over and over again. Olivia instantly moved herself, so she was right next to Amanda, and her arm reached around Amanda to stroke the back of her neck, fingers tangling in the soft blonde hair.

"Amanda sweetie, it's okay, I'm here. It's me, Liv, you're safe here."

Amanda stopped moving, and Olivia wandered for a second if she'd fallen back asleep, but then a tear rolled down Amanda's cheek and Olivia instantly knew she was awake. She moved her other arm over to Amanda's face, and gently wiped away a tear with the pad of her thumb.

"I've got you now. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. Promise."

The tears started falling more rapidly now. Olivia pulled Amanda close, so that the tip of her nose rested on Amanda's forehead, and she cradled the back of Amanda's head into her. Eventually the crying subsided, and the breaths became more rhythmic until Olivia was sure Amanda was asleep again. She moved her left arm back down to Amanda's waist and held it there until she herself fell asleep too, their bodies almost together as one.