A/N: Sorry for the delay. It is my goal to finish this story before the end of the year. I don't know exactly when, but i will mark it as complete before December 31 2012. Thank you all qho are still with me. Comments are always welcome and engourage faster updates...hint hint. As always, they don't belong to me.
The first campus visit went by in a haze for Olivia. She couldn't get the incident from Wednesday night out of her head. She had so many emotions warring within her. She didn't know if anger at the boy, and partially Alex for putting herself in the situation, or worry for Alex's well being was going to win.
She remembered trying to talk to Alex that night, wanting to make sure she was ok, but Alex acted as if nothing had happened. The only difference Olivia could see is she was just a little bit nicer to her. They left so early the next morning Olivia was unable to check on her.
They drove to Nathan's alma mater, Cornell, first. The plan was to spend the day on the campus. A guided tour first, and then Nathan would show Olivia some things students new about, but the administration wouldn't show you on a school guided tour. They would take a break for lunch and afterwards, Olivia would be given the chance to explore the campus on her own.
Olivia couldn't remember much from her time alone on campus. She talked to a few students, and even ran into a professor and talked with her for a while. Other than being a reputable school, there was nothing there that made Olivia feel like she belonged there. She hoped Nathan wouldn't be hurt when she told him it wasn't for her.
She arrived at McGraw Tower, home of the very unique Cornell Chimes, at three o'clock. She was thirty minutes early to meet the Cabots so she decided to sit on the steps and just listen to the chimes. Nathan had told her a little about this tower, as it was one of his favorite spots to study while he was a student. She couldn't imagine being able to play so many different styles of songs using just the twenty-one chimes housed in the tower, but she had a lot of respect for the chimesmasters who worked hard to play them well.
She was so caught up in the mid afternoon concert, she almost didn't notice Nathan and Sophie approaching. She could tell by the excited hand motions from Nathan that he was telling Sophie about the tower, and the smirk on Sophie's face told Olivia it was a story she'd heard countless times. She smiled softly at the older couple and hoped that one day she would have something like that.
"What are you smiling about?" Sophie asked Olivia, interrupting her thoughts.
Olivia returned the smile. "You two are cute together," she responded by way of an answer. The faint blush rising on Sophie's fair skin was not lost on the young brunette.
"Are you ready to head to the hotel?" Nathan asked, changing the subject and sparing his wife.
Nathan didn't wait for an answer but instead took hold of his wife's hand and led the way. Shaking her head and laughing softly to herself, Olivia followed after them.
Once they were checked into their hotel, they made their way down to the hotel restaurant for an early dinner. While they didn't have to leave nearly as early in the morning it was still a little over three hours to get to Siena.
As they ate, Nathan started talking about the visit. He was interested in hearing Olivia's thoughts as a prospective student.
"The campus is nice and the professors seem welcoming, but I'm not sure it's for me," she told him honestly.
"That's understandable Olivia," Nathan replied. "Just because it worked for me doesn't mean it's going to be what you're looking for. At least I got an excuse to see the place again." His last statement caused the ladies to laugh.
"What exactly are you looking for in a school, Olivia?" Sophie asked when the laughing had subsided.
"Does it make sense if I say I'll know it when I feel it?" the young girl asked.
"It does," Nathan answered. "When I was looking at schools I had a lot to choose from just like you do, Olivia," he told her. "My father though thought the choice would be easy. He was a Harvard man, and he expected me to be one as well. When he took me to see the campus, it didn't feel right. To me it felt pompous and arrogant. I didn't want that. I talked my mother into taking me to Cornell and as soon as I stepped out of the car, I felt at home. My father was furious with me when I informed him of my decision. He told me if I wanted to go to Cornell, I'd have to pay for Cornell. And I did," Nathan reminisced. Taking a sip of water he continued.
"I think I had two jobs at all times while I was in school, plus the odd homework assignment the jocks paid for," Nathan grinned mischievously. "But I made it through and I never once asked my father for help. When I graduated, he was so proud of me. He handed me a check to cover everything I had paid in tuition. I used that to pay my way through Harvard Law."
At this last statement, Olivia grew confused. "If you didn't want Harvard for your first degree, why did you choose Harvard for your law degree?" she asked.
"Well," Nathan started, "College is about how you feel. Any kind of professional school is about the best, and that is Harvard."
They ended dinner on a positive note, and made their way to their rooms. It was going to be an early day if they wanted to make it to Siena at a decent hour.
While the early start, or the annoyingly long drive were not something she enjoyed, Siena was everything Olivia hoped it would be. As they drove towards the administration building, she saw several spots she could easily see herself and friends studying or having discussions. The tour the school gave them, enhanced her liking of the school. She felt like she'd come home. The religious aspect of the school only unsettled her a little. She wasn't ready to be out to everyone yet anyway. She could hide for a few more years. After discussing it with Sophie and Nathan, it was understood that Olivia would be spending her next four years as a Saint.
When Olivia returned home Sunday night she felt like a huge weight had been lifted. She knew where she was going to school in the fall. Nathan said he was mailing the deposit in first thing in the morning. That thought alone made the smile on her face feel like a permanent feature on her face.
As she was climbing the stairs with her small duffle bag, Olivia thought about the coming weekend. She couldn't wait to tell Amy the good news. The Cabot's were letting Alex and her have a party to celebrate the New Year, but that was two weeks away. Olivia was being allowed to spend the first weekend of Christmas break at Amy's to celebrate her release from grounding. As far as Olivia knew, Alex was being allowed the same privilege.
Alex…
The thought of the other girl caused Olivia to stop halfway up the stairs. In all her excitement over finally picking a school, she'd totally forgotten about what had happened Friday night. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
Coming back to her senses, Olivia ran quickly but quietly up the remaining stairs, down the hall to her room. She dropped her bag at her room and continued further down the hall. She wanted to check on Alex, but in a way that would not remind her what happened. As soon as she approached Alex's bedroom, Olivia decided she would just ask how her weekend had been. At the very least she'd be able to try and read Alex's body language.
She stopped when she got to the door. Olivia took a moment to calm her nerves and take a deep breath. Usually this door was considered forbidden territory. Hopefully tonight would be the exception.
Olivia knocked softly and waited as patiently as she could for a response. When she heard no sound come from the other side, Olivia began to get a little worried. She knocked a second time, but still nothing. Finally, when there was yet to be a response after the third knock, Olivia slowly opened the door. She was really hoping something was wrong just so she would have a reason to justify her actions. She did not want to be on the receiving ends of a lecture from Alex for entering her room uninvited.
Olivia cautiously looked around and felt stupid for feeling worried when she was what was before her. Alex was curled on her bed, hair fanned out above her head. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply. If Olivia needed any further indication that the girl was asleep, she need only look at the stuffed pink unicorn laying in the blonde girls arms. If Olivia hadn't felt so stupid herself for being worried, she definitely could have seen this as teasing ammo for years. But she was too relieved to worry about that.
As the relief of seeing the young blonde was ok, Olivia decided she wasn't to wake the other girl. She turned to leave the room when a sound from the bed stopped her in her tracks.
"Olivia."
Busted Olivia thought. She turned slowly; ready to defend her actions, only to realize that Alex had spoken her name in her sleep. Part of Olivia hoped that the other girl was having a good dream and that she was part of it. But the more observant part of her had a feeling something was wrong. Alex no longer looked relaxed. Her face seemed to be contorted.
"Help me, Olivia," Alex shouted. "Rick…get off me. NO, what are you doing?"
Upon hearing the former boyfriend's name, Olivia rushed to the bed and started trying to wake the sleeping girl as gently as she could. It took a moment, but as soon as Alex had woken hope, she began gently sobbing. Without thinking about it, Olivia wrapped her arms around the girl, trying to comfort her.
Alex calmed down fairly quickly, but it took a moment for her to realize she was not alone, and yet another for her to think of who could be in her room. After the dream she'd just had, she should have been freaking out. She looked up, and was not surprised to find the concerned brown eyes of her foster sister looking down at her.
"You came in my room without permission," Alex said quietly.
The statement made Olivia smile. At least Alex was not affected too much if she could remember something like that right out of sleep. "I just wanted to come and check on you, and let you know that we were home," Olivia told her. "I saw that you were sleeping, and I was just about to leave when I heard you having a bad dream."
Alex shifted uncomfortably at hearing that. She put sat up and put some space between her and the other girl. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as a way of shielding herself. "What exactly did I say?"
Olivia could have used this moment to gloat, to make Alex remember that if it hadn't been for her…but she couldn't do it. She wouldn't do it. This was hard enough on Alex that she didn't need anything added to it right now. "Just enough to give me a clue as to what you were dreaming about," Olivia responded. She watched as Alex sighed in defeat. "I'm here if you want to talk, Alex."
"Thank you, Olivia," Alex said as she looked up to meet her eyes.
Olivia didn't know if she was being thanked for comforting her, for offering a shoulder if she needed it, or for the event which they had failed to talk about yet. Whatever the reason maybe, she would gladly accept the gratitude.