1:00 am and I'm finally finished with this chapter. I had a rough time with this one, but I hope you like it.
Christmas vacation flew by entirely too quickly for either woman's liking. Before they knew it, January was upon them and they were both back at work. Not that they disliked their jobs, but it had been nice spending so much time at home together. Hannah had spent a week away at Lisa's house during the break, returning home two days before school started. It had been nice not having to keep things down when they were being intimate, but the two felt better when she returned home. Both Olivia and Alex sighed happily that Sunday night when Hannah returned, glad to have their charge back safely in their home. Things were back to normal once again, and Olivia was pleased that their regular, boring routine was back. That is until she looked at the clock on Wednesday morning and realised that Hannah was yet again running ten minutes behind schedule.
"Hannah! Kid! Let's go! School only started three days ago and you're already going to have a tardy!"
"I have to get going, babe. I'll see you tonight?" Alex interrupted, leaning in for a kiss.
Olivia nodded and kissed her before seeing her out the door. When she heard commotion coming from the staircase, she turned around. Hannah had raced down the steps and then hopped off the last step, facing her with a grin on her face.
"Ready!"
"Yeah, yeah. It's about time," she grumbled, putting the bagel she had made her in her hand and leading her out of the house.
"Thanks!" Hannah said happily, making her way down the front steps and jumping into her car. She smiled widely at the woman beside her as she bit into the bagel. "Mmm. Strawberry cream cheese!"
"I have no idea why you like that, by the way. It's disgusting."
The girl shook her head vehemently.
"I love it. Thanks for buying it."
"It's a good thing I love you because there is no way in hell I'd ever buy that for myself."
Hannah grinned at her, cream cheese teeth and all. Olivia laughed despite herself, shaking her head as she started the vehicle. She took off in the direction of the school, content to drive in silence with Hannah. She had started taking her to school in November, when the weather started getting too chilly (in Alex's opinion) for the girl to ride her bike to school. She didn't mind though. It gave her the chance to spend some one on one time with Hannah, and the teenager would often open up on the way to school. She liked it, and Hannah asked for so little that it was nice to do something for her.
"So, what are you doing with the kids today?" Hannah asked.
"Nothing. I have a workshop all day. It's going to be wonderful."
"On what?"
"On how to better reach the students. I'm all for professional development, but half the staff attended it yesterday and they said it was the worst thing they have ever sat through."
"Why?"
"Because the guy is old and completely out of touch apparently and drones on for hours. Sometimes these workshops are actually really informative, but apparently this one is terrible."
"Ugh, poor you."
"Poor me for sure. Are you doing anything exciting at school today?"
"Seeing Lisa."
"That is exciting, you're right. What about your classes?"
She shrugged.
"Not really. No tests or anything like that. It's just going to be another regular day."
"Alright," Olivia responded. She turned into the school driveway, pulling up to the front door. "Well, have a great day, sweetie. We'll see you tonight, okay?"
Hannah nodded eagerly.
"I'm going to go to Lisa's after school and then I'll come home. Is that okay?"
"Of course. Text us to keep us posted, okay?"
"I will. Have a good day."
"You too, sweetie."
Hannah closed the door and headed up the steps, stopping halfway to turn and wave. The genuine smile on the girl's face melted Olivia's heart, and she couldn't help smiling and waving back (not that she would have). She took off once the girl was safely inside, her spirits greatly lifted.
Despite her mood having been improved significantly by Hannah's enthusiastic smile, Olivia was more than ready to throw in the towel by lunch time. She had never in her life struggled so hard to stay awake. She was incredibly grateful when they decided to break for something to eat, because she wasn't sure she could keep her eyes open for one second longer. She had already decided that if she was going to survive the second half of the day she needed to see Alex, so she immediately made her way to the parking lot and took off for the library. She would only have ten minutes to spend with her girlfriend by the time she arrived, but she would take it. She needed something good after that morning and there was nothing better than Alex.
She stopped in at Alex's new favourite sub before pulling into the library parking lot and parking the car. She got out and felt her stomach flutter with excitement as she approached the front door. This was the first time she visited Alex at work and she was really excited. She knew Alex would love the surprise, and she was looking forward to seeing her beaming smile. She pushed open the door and scanned the library, breaking into a grin when she spotted Alex's dress-clad form tucking a book back onto the shelf. She approached, and when Alex turned and looked at her, her heart skipped a beat.
"Hello, beautiful," she greeted, moving her sunglasses to the top of her head. She leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss.
"Hey, baby," Alex responded happily, a wide grin on her face. "What are you doing here?"
"I brought you lunch," she said, holding up the subs.
"Oh, my favourite!"
"I know."
"Not that I'm not super happy to see you, but really, what are you doing here? I thought you worked today."
"I do, but after that morning, I needed a reminder as to why I shouldn't drive my vehicle off of the nearest cliff. That workshop…" she trailed off, shaking her head.
Alex laughed and took Olivia's free hand, leading the way out the back door. They warned Jodie that they were going to be out back having lunch, and the woman nodded in response.
"That bad, huh?" Alex asked once they were sat at the picnic table.
"Horrible. He's incredibly monotone. I keep zoning out, but I can't help it. He's an awful speaker," she complained, taking a giant bite of her meatball sub. That earned her an eye roll, but she smiled in response. She knew Alex hated when she ate like a man, but she had a schedule to maintain! She didn't have time to eat daintily.
She chewed her bite and watched as Alex carefully opened her sub, holding it between her two hands as she gently took a bite. Olivia swallowed her mouthful before nodding in Alex's direction.
"You eat like such a lady."
"One of us has to," she responded once she had swallowed her food.
Olivia laughed before taking another monstrous bite, grinning widely as the sauce dripped down her chin.
"I cannot take you anywhere."
"Nope!" she exclaimed around her food. She chuckled at her own antics and wiped her chin. She loved teasing Alex. It was fun to see her roll her eyes and tease back, just as she was doing now. The lighthearted exchange was exactly what Olivia had been looking for to make up for such a terrible morning.
She managed to finish her sub in just a few more bites, gathering up their trash and throwing it in the bin nearby. Alex was still working on her sub, but Olivia really needed to get going. She walked back over and sat directly next to Alex, sliding an arm around her waist.
"I'm sorry to eat and run, sweetheart, but I have to go."
Alex wiped her mouth and set her sub down before wrapping her arms around Olivia's neck.
"Thanks for lunch," she murmured against her throat. "This was a really nice surprise."
Olivia squeezed her gently before pulling back and kissing her softly on the lips.
"Thanks for eating with me. I'll see you tonight?"
"Definitely."
She gave her one last kiss, letting it linger before finally breaking away.
"Bye, love."
"See you tonight."
Olivia slid her sunglasses down and nodded.
"You definitely will, sweet cheeks."
She wiggled her eyebrows at Alex, grinning at the laughter she received in response. She then turned and made her way back to the car, climbing in and heading back to the youth facility.
It was nearly six by the time Olivia showed up at the house. She was beyond irritated at the fact that they had prolonged the workshop an extra forty minutes because the presenter's slideshow had malfunctioned when they regrouped after lunch. It wasn't her fault the man's fucking program stopped working. They should have ended it for the day then! But, no. Instead, he spent a good twenty minutes fiddling with it while the staff waited. Thankfully, Olivia had sat next to Tim, a man she got along well with, and they spent the time chatting. He then finally got the slides up and running, but he had kept everyone the extra time so as not to have to skip anything.
Olivia grumpily kicked off her shoes, but then paused when she lifted her head. Was that steak? She took a deep smell and instantly grinned. It was! She quickly made her way to the kitchen, where she found Alex dumping mixed greens onto two steaks filled plates.
"Oh, baby. You don't even know how much I love you right now."
Alex glanced up and smiled at her. She finished pouring the vegetables onto their plates and put the bowl in the sink. She then turned and walked over to the woman, kissing her soundly on the lips.
"I figured you'd like a nice supper after the day you had."
"You don't even know," she sighed, snuggling into her neck and kissing her throat.
"Did it get better?" Alex asked sympathetically, wrapping her arms around her waist.
"Worse," she mumbled. "They made us stay an extra forty minutes because the stupid presenter is stupid."
Alex laughed. She reached up and buried the fingers of her right hand in Olivia's hair, scratching her nails against her scalp. She smiled when Olivia purred against her.
"So good," she moaned.
She held her for another few minutes, massaging her scalp and enjoying the intimacy of holding Olivia so closely.
"I love you."
"I love you too, baby. Do you think you want to eat now?"
Olivia nodded eagerly against her before pulling away.
"It smells amazing."
"I hope it tastes just as good. Sit. I'll bring the plates over."
"Okay," Olivia responded, moving to the table and sitting down. She thanked Alex when she brought over their plates, resting her left hand on the woman's thigh when she joined her at the table. "This was very nice. Thank you."
"Well, thank you for the nice surprise today," she said, cutting up her steak. "It was great to see you so unexpectedly."
"I wish I worked closer. We could have lunch together more often."
Alex smiled at her.
"It would be nice, but this gives us the chance to miss each other."
"That's true," she responded, squeezing her thigh. "I do miss you when I'm at work."
"I miss you too," she admitted. "But I like it in a way. I get excited when I see you after work because I missed you all day."
Olivia grinned at her, turning to her plate and finally trying a bite. She groaned in satisfaction. Her meatball sub from lunch was long gone and Alex had cooked the steak to perfection.
"This is amazing."
"Good. I'm glad it turned out."
"More than turned out," she responded, taking another bite. They continued to eat, and when the meal was over, Olivia cleared their dishes. Alex leaned against the counter and chatted with her as she cleaned, and when she finished, Olivia took her hand and led her out of the kitchen. She stopped in the middle of the living room, pulling out her phone from her pocket and swiping at the screen.
"What are you doing?"
Olivia didn't respond, instead continuing to play on her phone until music began softly pouring from it. She turned up the volume and set the phone down on top of the tv. She turned to Alex, smiling, and held out her hand.
"Dance with me," she requested.
Alex beamed and nodded. Olivia reached out and grabbed Alex's hand and slid her left arm around her waist, pulling her flush against her front. Alex rested her wrist on her shoulder, turning her hand so she could lose her fingers in Olivia's hair. She bit her lip as Olivia began swaying, a flood of warmth filling her as their eyes met. The love so obviously reflected in Olivia's eyes caused her heart to skip a beat. And then Olivia smiled at her, and her insides melted.
"You are so beautiful," she whispered.
Alex moved to wrap both of her arms around Olivia neck, pulling her close and kissing her deeply. God, this woman. She opened her mouth without hesitation when Olivia requested entry, moaning against her lips when their tongues met. She shivered when she felt blunt nails against her lower back, her nipples hardening in response. She pressed their hips together, tilting her head and stroking Olivia's tongue more firmly. Her stomach tightened in arousal, and Alex more than welcomed the sensation. Maybe, if she played her cards right, this dance would move upstairs soon.
The door suddenly burst open, crushing all of Alex's hopes. A wide eyed Hannah stopped dead in her tracks, horrified at having intruded on the women. Alex jumped in surprise and pulled away, panting heavily as she faced the girl.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry. I'll go-"
"No, Hannah. Wait," Alex said, holding out her hand, her heart racing in her chest. "It's okay. We were just… dancing."
Hannah smiled, embarrassed.
"It looked a bit like more than that. I don't want to interrupt. I'm sorry."
Olivia, slightly disappointed, shook her head.
"It's okay, sweetie. You didn't interrupt anything." Not yet anyways.
"I'm sorry. I can go back to Lisa's."
"No. Come on in and close the door. It's freezing."
"Okay," she said sheepishly. She felt horrible for interrupting what was clearly an intimate moment. "I'll go upstairs or I can stay down here if you guys want to-"
"Han, it's okay. Really. We were just dancing and then we were going to watch a movie," Alex lied. Olivia did not contradict her. "Come on. Take a seat on the couch. Did you eat?"
"Yes," she said, dropping her things and moving to the couch. "Are you sure? I really can go."
"No, sweetie," Olivia said, sighing internally. It was a hopeless cause now, and there was no need to make Hannah feel any worse than she already did. "She's right. We were just going to watch a movie. We just got a little distracted, that's all."
Hannah suspected they were going to do a little more than that, but she didn't argue further. If they didn't want to take her up on the offer to have some privacy, she wouldn't force them to. The truth was, she had gone to Lisa's because she figured they might want some alone time. Clearly next time she would need to stay longer.
"What movie?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I don't know. We hadn't decided. What one would you like to watch?"
Hannah shrugged.
"I really don't mind which one we watch. I guess we could watch that other movie you got. If These Walls Could Speak or something? Did you watch it?"
"If These Walls Could Talk, the second one," Alex corrected. "And no, we didn't. I'm up for that one. You?" She asked Olivia, who nodded. "Okay."
She set up the DVD before turning off all the lights and joining Olivia on the couch. She snuggled into her side, smiling widely when she felt her strong arm wrap tight against her waist. She always felt so safe in Olivia's arms.
"You always smell so good," Olivia whispered in her ear.
Alex looked up and smiled, reaching up and placing her index finger under Olivia's chin. She guided her lips down until they met her own, kissing her softly. When Olivia pulled away, she smiled again.
"I'm glad you think so."
Olivia nodded and kissed her temple before turning to the screen, her arm still wrapped securely around her middle.
The women didn't get another private moment until the following Friday, much to Olivia's dismay. So, when Hannah announced that she was spending the weekend at Lisa's, Olivia had eagerly offered to drive her right after school. Hannah had immediately accepted, much to Olivia's delight. After dropping her off, Olivia returned home, a grin plastered on her face. She closed the door and found Alex on the couch where she had left her. She kicked off her shoes and strutted over, laying flush against the smaller woman. She kept herself up on her elbows, holding most of her weight off of Alex and kissed her once before pulling away.
"We have the house to ourselves."
"So it seems," Alex confirmed, kissing her again. "What do you suggest we do?"
Olivia wiggled her eyebrows.
"Would you mind if we didn't tonight? I'm exhausted. We got a huge shipment of new books today and I spent the entire day hauling them out of boxes."
Olivia tried not to let the disappointment show on her face, but Alex saw it anyway.
"I'm sorry, baby. I promise I really do want to, I'm just way too tired tonight. Let me rest and I'll make it up to you tomorrow."
"Is that a promise?"
"Could be a threat, you never know."
Olivia laughed and kissed her cheek.
"Okay, sweetheart. I'm all for snuggling and watching a movie with you."
"Thank you."
Olivia leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. "Let's watch The Wedding Singer. I know you love that one."
Alex nodded in response.
"Okay," she agreed, watching Olivia as she got up and put the DVD in the player. She then grabbed the remote and made her way back, wedging herself between Alex and the back of the couch. Alex wiggled back until she was pressed tightly against Olivia's front, sighing contently when a strong arm wrapped tightly around her middle.
"I love Hannah," Olivia started, "but sometimes it's nice when she's not here. I get you all to myself."
"You better enjoy it while you can," she responded. "Once I'm carrying your child, there won't be any more alone time."
Olivia grinned widely and snuggled into her neck.
"You're going to carry my child?"
Alex smiled softly and nodded.
"I'd like to. I always pictured it," she admitted shyly. "You know, carrying a baby that is yours. I want to carry your child, if you'd like that too."
Olivia pulled her even closer, tightening her hold and kissing the back of her neck.
"You don't know how much I want that. But… you don't want one that's biologically yours?" she asked.
"No. I mean, I don't feel the need to have that, no. If, for some reason, I couldn't carry yours, then we could use my eggs. But honestly, I'd rather have your child. The thought of bringing into this world a baby who has your dark hair and eyes, your beautiful skin... It's a bit of a fantasy of mine," she confessed, turning onto her back and looking up at Olivia. "A little you running around, knowing I created this beautiful person who is part you. How amazing would that be to know that a part of you is growing inside of me?"
Olivia had no words. She simply looked down at Alex, stroking her cheek, her adoration clearly visible on her face. They had briefly talked about kids and they both agreed that they wanted them, but she had no idea Alex wanted to carry their child, her child. She herself had no desire to get pregnant, but the idea of Alex wanting to carry her child… it made her heart swell, and she fell just a little more in love with the beautiful woman beneath her.
"What?" Alex asked, smiling.
"You are perfect," she whispered, leaning forward to kiss her softly on the lips. She cupped Alex's cheek as they kissed, holding her gently. "I love you, and I want nothing more than to have you carry my baby. There's no one else in the world I want to be the mother of my children. No one."
Alex smiled widely and kissed her again, burying her fingers in her hair. They kissed slowly, fully, until Olivia finally pulled away.
"I'm not feeling this movie. Do you want to go upstairs and cuddle instead?"
"Definitely."
Olivia got up and held out her hand, helping Alex up from the couch. She turned off the tv, locked the door, and followed Alex up the stairs and into their bedroom. When they entered, they both began removing their clothes before sliding naked into bed. Olivia curled up behind Alex, who wiggled back until they were molded perfectly around one another.
"I love feeling your boobs pressed into my back."
Olivia laughed and wiggled her torso, causing Alex to laugh as well. She reached down and laced their fingers together, sighing contently.
"I love this. I love how simple things are here."
"You don't miss home?" Olivia asked.
"Of course I do. I miss my job, my apartment, my friends. Hell, I even miss the guys. But I like it here too. I like the life we're building together. If I have to be away from there, well… here isn't so bad."
Olivia smiled and kissed the back of her head.
"I like it here too. I just wish we had friends here."
"Maybe we should try having a get together. I get along really well with Jodie from work. Maybe you could invite a few people from your job too and we could host a dinner or something. What do you think?"
"That might be nice. I mean, I've talked to some of the guys about getting a beer after work one of these days. Maybe I'll just extend the invitation to dinner at our place instead."
"That sounds nice," Alex said, trying to stifle a yawn. "We can discuss details later."
"Tired, babe?"
"I wasn't this tired before but now that were laying here, I kind of am. You always lull me to sleep when you hold me."
"I'm sorry I'm so boring."
Alex snorted.
"No," she protested. "It's because you're safe and warm, that's why I get so sleepy. It just helps that you're boring too."
Olivia chuckled and hugged her tight.
"Alright, love. Get some sleep. I'll keep you safe so you can rest easy."
"Promise?" she asked, yawning again.
"Always."
"Okay. Night, baby."
"Goodnight, love."
Little did either woman know, Olivia would make good on that promise less than six hours later when, in the dead of the night, she jerked awake with the feeling that something was incredibly wrong. She knew better than to ignore the feeling, so she immediately began blinking rapidly, trying to force the sleepiness from her eyes. They darted around the room as she tried to work through the haze of confusion currently surrounding her. Why was her stomach in knots?
Something's wrong.
Her heart was racing for a reason she couldn't quite figure out. She had no idea what was going on. She immediately reached for Alex, who she discovered was still fast asleep in her arms. Her heart rate calmed a little when she realised her girlfriend was safe. She then listened for Hannah, until she remembered that the girl was spending the weekend at Lisa's. Her girls were okay, so what was it then? Years of work with the NYPD had honed her senses and she knew that a gut feeling this strong was not something to be ignored, so she slipped from the bed and made her way to the window. She looked outside and saw nothing but the lake. Her heart picked up again, racing faster than before. She knew she needed to figure out the problem soon because she was wasting precious time.
She ran to Hannah's room and her heart slammed into her chest when she looked outside and saw an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway. She had no idea whose it was. Alarm bells immediately began screaming loudly in her head, warning her that they were in serious danger. Her heart was roaring in her ears as she was quickly launched into a state of panic. Alex! Alex! She spun on her heels and bolted back to the bedroom. The sound of the doorknob rattling downstairs stopped her dead in her tracks, but she recovered quickly and darted once again for the bedroom.
Alex. Alex. They want Alex. Get to Alex. Get to Alex!
Olivia threw herself into the bedroom, crashing onto the bed and frantically shaking Alex awake. The blonde jerked up, immediately sensing Olivia's panic.
"Alex, Alex. Someone's here."
She gripped the her hand and ripped her out of bed, dragging her to her old bedroom across the hall.
"Who's here? Liv? What's going on? Who's here?"
Olivia yanked open the drawer of her nightstand, immediately grabbing the gun inside. She snatched her phone as well, shoving it in Alex's hand before racing to the window. She didn't have time to answer. She needed to get Alex out of here.
"You are going to get on the roof and you are going to lay flat against it. Lay still and do not draw attention to yourself. You are not going to move until I come and get you," she instructed, jerking the window open. She then turned to her. "Do you hear me?"
Alex had never seen the woman look so frantic. She looked as terrified as Alex felt. She opened her mouth to argue, to protest leaving Olivia alone, to letting her risk her life, but when Olivia pleaded with her again, the desperation in her voice almost palpable, she finally relented. She nodded instead, tears springing to her eyes as she gripped Olivia's shoulders in fear.
"Please, please don't leave me. Please be careful."
Olivia's attention was torn away by the sound of the front door.
"I love you, Alexandra Cabot."
Olivia pressed her lips to Alex's before pushing her out the window.
"Dial Agent Thomas and hang up right away," she whispered, quickly closing the window and moving out of the bedroom. She turned off the light and tiptoed up the hallway, hearing footsteps coming up the stairs. She didn't have a plan other than to shoot. She had no idea how many there were, but she had only seen one vehicle, so there couldn't be more than three or four of them. Maybe five. How had they found them?
When she heard the step creak, she held her breath. That meant they were halfway up. Now or never, Olivia.
"Freeze!" she yelled, but immediately leapt back when they began firing. They raced up the steps so she peeked over, firing a shot into the guy on the left's leg and another into the one on the right's shoulder. She quickly ducked back, but when she heard them continue up the steps, she had no choice.
She moved back to the top of the steps, crouching low, and began firing. They responded in turn, firing as they climbed. She would not allow them to cross the threshold to the top floor. She would never allow them to reach Alex.
Olivia managed to hit them both again, the fourth bullet taking out the guy on the left and sending him plummeting back down the staircase. He landed with a sickening thud.
The one on the right came at her, charging her as he discarded his empty gun. Olivia used the butt of her gun to crack him over the skull, but he barely noticed. He slammed her to the ground instead, using his weight to try and pin her. She moved to the right as his fist slammed forward, missing her by an inch. She reached up, digging her fingers into his injured shoulder.
He cried out, jerking away. She used the momentary distraction to her advantage, flipping him over onto his back and punching him square in the face. He slumped back, but she reached for her gun and struck him once, twice in the head, hard enough that she knew he would be unconscious for some time. She debated shooting him, holding her gun to his head, but ultimately chose not to. He might provide them with vital information later.
She raced to the bedroom, gun in hand, and refilled the magazine. She then made her way down the hall, checking to make sure the man was still unconscious. He was out cold, so she carefully made her way to the stairs. The second man lay lifeless at the bottom of the steps. The amount of blood pooled around him clearly indicated he was dead.
Olivia jogged down the steps and checked for a pulse just in case. When she found none, she climbed over him and did a sweep of the first floor, checking behind every door and in every closet before deciding it was clear. She was about to turn and do a sweep of the deck when she heard firing coming from outside.
Olivia had never moved so quickly in her life. She practically flew outside, gun drawn as she raced toward the sound of the gun fire. Alex. Alex. Oh, God, Alex.
Olivia started firing the minute she saw him. The gunfire then immediately turned on her. She ducked, but didn't stop firing. He went down, but she kept her gun drawn until she was standing above him. She kicked his side, and he barely budged. She squatted down, checking for a pulse. Nothing.
She looked around, keeping low. She couldn't hear anything, but she wasn't about to take any chances. She slowly made her way around the perimeter of the house before finally inching her way to the car. She kept low to the ground, and when she finally got to the door, she ripped it open and got ready to fire.
It was empty.
She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the house. The air was eerily silent.
Alex.
She got up and raced back to the house. She threw the door open and took the stairs two at a time. When she got to the landing, she saw the other man still passed out on the floor. She bolted into the bedroom, running to the window and yanking it open.
Alex let out a gasp and sobbed loudly when she realised it was Olivia. She threw herself at the woman, crying against her when the brunette dragged her back inside. She was shivering from the cold, but she was so relieved to see Olivia alive. There had been so much gunfire.
"Come on, Alex. We have to get out of here. Stand up."
The blonde nodded. She stood on shaky legs, immediately lacing their fingers together when Olivia grabbed her hand.
"Follow me and don't stop."
"Okay," she responded, her voice quivering.
She swallowed hard when she saw the man lying on the floor, but she did not stop following Olivia as the woman led her down the steps, over a second body, and out the door. She followed her to the car and hid her fear when she heard a car in the distance. Olivia, however, did not.
"Get in," Olivia commanded, her voice filled with urgency. "Get in!"
Alex scrambled in as Olivia ran to the driver's side, wrenching the door open and jumping inside. She jerked the glove compartment open, grabbed the key, jammed it into the ignition, put it in drive, and then slammed her foot on the gas. She tore up the driveway, yelling at Alex to get down when they neared the vehicle racing up the road.
Olivia sped up, cursing loudly when she heard the other car come to a screeching halt, rip around, and come tearing back up behind them. Alex jumped when she heard the phone ring. She completely forgot she had it in her pocket.
She pulled it out and answered it, pulling it away from her ear as she heard Agent Thomas yelling into the phone.
"Are you okay? Pull over! I have agents in the blue Sedan behind you!"
Olivia, overhearing the message, slammed on the brakes and pulled over. The car screeched to a stop beside them. Olivia jumped out of driver's side and went to Alex, helping her out and meeting the Agents as they got out of the vehicle. As soon as she saw the redheaded man on the left, she pointed a finger at him.
"You!" Olivia exclaimed. "I know you! You live right by the convenience store. How many times have I seen you outside, fixing your beat up old Chevy? You're an Agent? Where the hell were you?!"
He urgently ushered them into the vehicle, not taking the time to respond. He then climbed into the front seat, signalling the driver to take off. As soon as the vehicle was in motion, he turned towards them.
"I'm Agent Ruddy, this is Agent Amendola," he said, pointing to the driver. "We've been in town while you settled in, keeping an eye out. We've been monitoring this town and the ones surrounding it due to the threat perceived against you. We saw nothing out of the ordinary until tonight, when we heard that there had been an exchange of gunfire at your residence. I'm sorry we did not make it sooner. Are you alright?"
The women nodded.
"Yeah, we're fine. What happened? How did they find us?"
Agent Ruddy shook his head.
"I have no idea how they found you, but I assure you, we are already looking into it. We are starting an investigation as we speak. I was on the phone the entire way here, and once we get to the safe house, I will be continuing my inquiry. We are going to get to the bottom of this. It may have to do with what is going on in New York."
"What's going on in New York?"
"Things are a mess right now. They found Velez. Or a man who they are quite positive is him. Was him. He's dead. Have you been informed?"
"No, what-"
"It hasn't hit the major papers yet. We just got news a few hours ago. There's been a major shakedown, but we'll get to that. I mentioned it because it may be related. I need you to tell me what happened tonight."
"I don't know exactly. They found us. I have no idea how," Olivia looked over at Alex, grabbing the woman's hand when she saw her worried expression. "We were sleeping. I woke up and I just had this feeling. I knew something was wrong. I got out of bed and looked out the window and saw a car I didn't recognise. That's when I knew something was wrong, so I got Alex to my room and made her hide on the roof once I retrieved my weapon. There was a shoot-out in the staircase. I killed one and the other one rushed me. We struggled but I managed to subdue him. Then I did a sweep of the house and as I was finishing, I heard gunfire outside."
"One of the men was circling the house and I stayed as still as I could," Alex interrupted, "but he spotted me. He only fired a couple of shots before Olivia came tearing out of the house and shot at him."
Olivia squeezed her hand.
"He's dead too," she explained, turning to Agent Ruddy.
"I'm glad you're both safe, but how did this happen? Have either of you confided in anyone? Made contact with someone back home?"
The women shook their heads, insisting they did not do anything to compromise their safety.
"We will get to the bottom of this," he promised. "Things in New York are chaotic right now. Velez had been underground for months; no one knew where he was. He surfaced a few days ago and we received word several hours ago that he was killed. It hasn't been officially confirmed, but unofficially-"
A cellphone ringing interrupting any further conversation.
"Excuse me," he said, turning and answering the phone.
Olivia took the opportunity to turn towards Alex. She sucked in a deep breath, pain suddenly shooting through her right side as she did so.
"Are you okay?" Alex asked, her eyebrows frowning in concern.
"Yes," Olivia chuckled. "I was just going to ask you that. How are you doing?" she asked, brushing a lock of loose hair behind Alex's ear.
"I'm scared," she admitted. "How did they find us?"
"I don't know, baby," Olivia whispered, kissing her temple. "But I promise you that nothing will happen to you."
Alex smiled faintly.
"You saved me tonight. Thank you for being so brave."
"You're the only thing in my life that matters, Alex. I will always keep you safe."
Alex snuggled into Olivia's side, but when her arm circled her waist, Olivia twitched in pain.
"Olivia?" she asked, pulling away in concern. "What…"
She pulled her hand away, her stomach dropping as she noticed the discolouration of the woman's shirt.
"Olivia!" she cried out, her voice filled with panic.
"It's nothing, babe," she said gently, pushing Alex's hand away. She was having none of it, however, and she reached out to lift Olivia's shirt. Alex gasped loudly, attracting the attention of Agent Ruddy. The man turned around, looking at her bleeding side.
"Olivia! You didn't tell me! Why didn't you say anything?" she pulled at her knees, forcing her sideways. Olivia gritted her teeth so as not to cry out. Her side was very sore.
"I honestly didn't notice until we got into the car. It's a flesh wound, Alex. It must have just grazed me."
When Alex continued to fret, she dropped her shirt and cupped the woman's cheek. She met her gaze, her heart breaking at the sheer fear on her face.
"I'm okay, honey. I promise. I just need to clean it. It's no worse than a simple cut, okay?"
Alex looked up at her, eyes filled with tears. She shook her head. It wasn't okay. Why hadn't Olivia said anything?
"Oh, honey," Olivia murmured, pulling her into her arms. Alex wrapped her arms around her neck, biting hard on her bottom lip.
"It's okay now," she soothed. "Everything's okay."
"You're bleeding. You were shot!"
"I wasn't shot, Alex. I promise. The bullet grazed my side. It really is just a scratch. I wouldn't lie to you, not about something like this."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to worry you. I was going to show you at the safe house where you could see in better light that it really is nothing, okay?"
Alex paused and searched her eyes.
"Okay," she said finally, letting out a shaky breath.
She shifted, turning to face the front, but she stayed tucked in Olivia's side. They sat quietly for a while, digesting the events of the evening. Olivia was hurt, but if she said she was going to be okay, then Alex knew she would be. But she was worried, scared, and part of her wasn't surprised that they had found her. That's what scared her the most. She knew they would eventually, but she didn't think they would so soon. They hadn't even been in the WPP for a year. How could they have found her so soon?
"How much longer until we get there?" Olivia asked, cutting into Alex's thoughts. They had been driving for at least thirty minutes now.
"Not much," the driver answered. "Within the next fifteen minutes."
Olivia stroked the blonde's side, placing a gentle kiss on her temple.
"How are you holding up?"
"I'm okay," she whispered. "I just don't understand how they found us. We've been so careful."
"I know. I don't like it."
Olivia didn't say anything out loud, and she hated to think it, but she wondered if it could have been someone on the inside. Neither woman had had any contact with anyone from New York, neither one had opened up to anyone else about their true identities, they barely spent any time online and when they did, it was to research the town or nearby restaurants. Neither one had posted anything about themselves online, so how else could they have been found? Had someone in their town recognised them? Did Velez have people in Little Current?
Oh, God. What if it was someone on the inside?
Olivia shook her head. No. It couldn't be that; they were all federal agents. They were there to protect them. It would do no good to start accusing them.
Olivia sighed softly, wrapping her arm tighter around Alex waist. She was here, safe, and that's all that mattered. They would figure out the rest in time.
They arrived at a small, grey house some twenty minutes later. They followed the Agents inside, Olivia holding tight to Alex's hand. They stopped at the kitchen, but before the men could begin speaking with them, Alex held up her hand.
"She is injured and before we get into this mess, I'm going to tend to her wounds. Where is the safety kit?"
"Upstairs in the bathroom," one of the men answered.
She nodded her thanks and led the way to upstairs, Olivia following quietly. When they found the bathroom, Alex entered first and closed the door behind Olivia.
"Sit down on the toilet and take off your shirt. I want to see how bad it is."
Olivia had half a mind to make a joke, but she decided against it. This really wasn't the time, so she simply removed her top without arguing. She looked down and gave a quick visual inspection. It didn't look bad, a few inches long and half an inch wide. It barely needed to be tended to, but Olivia had a feeling Alex needed this, so she sat back quietly as the woman washed her hands, got a damp cloth, and began cleaning her wound.
She sucked in a breath of air and bit her lip as Alex dabbed a peroxide soaked cotton swab against her side. She then applied some antibacterial ointment and placed a small piece of gauze overtop, taping it in place. When she finished, she sat back on her heels and looked up at Olivia.
"Thank you."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you, Olivia. You protected me. You saved me. You're incredible. I'm just sorry you were hurt in the process."
Olivia pulled Alex up and into her lap. She cradled the woman close, kissing her temple as she held her.
"I will always protect you, Alex. Always. You never need to thank me for that."
A knock at the door interrupted them.
"Yes?"
"Can I open the door?"
Alex got up and opened it for Agent Amendola.
"Yes?"
"I think you two need to come downstairs," he said in a tone that indicated there would be no arguing. He then turned and left.
Olivia, who had already slipped on her shirt, took Alex's hand and lead the way downstairs. When they arrived in the kitchen, Agent Ruddy immediately looked at Alex.
"Are you aware of the fact that the Little Current library has a website?"
"Yes, and I've visited it. There's not much on it besides the hours and location. From what I understand, it's not that popular. People prefer to call us or speak to us in person if they're looking for information."
He continued on as though Alex had not said anything at all.
"Are you aware of the fact that they publish newspaper articles about the goings-on in the library as well?"
"I don't understand what this has to do with anything, Agent," Olivia interjected. But Alex's heart was racing. Oh God. It couldn't be.
He grabbed the laptop sitting on the edge of the table.
"I just received a phone call a few minutes ago telling me to visit the webpage."
Olivia's eyes widened. She immediately reached out and grabbed Alex's hand, looking over as the woman brought a shaking hand to her mouth. There was a picture of Alex and Jodie, both standing by a bookshelf, right in the middle of the newspaper article. Alex took a step forward, her eyes filling with tears as she scanned the webpage. It was the same article that had been published in the newspaper, with the same group photo from the paper (the one Alex had managed to avoid), but in this article, they had added an extra photo of Alex and Jodie. Beneath the photo she saw her the name Valerie Porter, along with her occupation at the library.
"We think this is how he found you."
Alex couldn't breathe. Tears fell as she looked, horrified, to Olivia. She had been so careful. But she had been so careful! It was her fault that they had been found. It was her fault that Olivia had been shot. Olivia had nearly been killed…
"We told you-"
"Not now!" Olivia growled at him menacingly. She tightened her hold on Alex's hand when she tried to pull it away. She led the woman upstairs and into one of the bedrooms, closing the door behind them. She had intended to lead Alex to the bed but when she let out a sob powerful enough to cause her to double over, Olivia changed plans. She pulled Alex into her arms, sliding down the door until she was sitting on the floor, Alex cradled in her lap.
"Shh, baby. It's okay. This isn't your fault. Whatever you're thinking, stop. It's not your fault."
Alex shook her head and wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck, sobbing into her shoulder. It really wasn't okay. It really, really wasn't. She had fucked up. She had nearly gotten them killed. How could she be so stupid?
"I'm so sorry, Liv," she whispered, her voice cracking.
"This is not your fault, Alex. Don't you dare try and blame yourself for this."
Alex hiccoughed, shaking her head in anger.
"I tried so fucking hard to be careful. I should have come home as soon as I realised what was going on. I can't believe I didn't. How could I have been so stupid?"
"Hey. You were not stupid. I would have done the same as you, babe. I would have stayed out of sight, just as you did, until they left because it would have been suspicious to just leave for no reason. You did the right thing, love. Unfortunately, they snapped a picture without your knowing. You can't help that."
The truth was, Olivia would not have done the same thing in Alex's shoes. She should have left when she realised what was going on, but there was no sense in dwelling on that. It was in the past, and they were alive. That's all that mattered. She was not going to make Alex feel any worse than she already did by telling her that she should have played it safe and gone home.
"I should have left."
"No, baby," Olivia said, kissing her temple. "Don't beat yourself up over this. You did nothing wrong."
"They came after us, Olivia! They threatened us. They shot you-"
Her voice broke and a fresh wave of tears fell. She could have lost Olivia. She could have cost Olivia her life and it would have been her fault. Alex bit back the sob at the back of her throat, digging her nails into her palm in order to stave it off.
"Sweetheart, that wasn't your fault, okay? None of this is your fault. If you had done this on purpose, then yes. Then it would be your fault. But you didn't, okay? So stop blaming yourself. It's a shitty thing that happened, but this wasn't your doing."
Olivia held her tight as she continued.
"You are not to blame for this, so please stop saying it is your fault. It's not. Okay? It's not going to do us any good to start blaming ourselves for what we did or didn't do. We need to focus on getting out of here. It happened, it's done, and it's nobody's fault. Now, let's focus on how to fix this okay?"
Alex stayed quiet. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of Olivia's heartbeat. It calmed her enough to finally nod.
"Okay," she said weakly.
"Good."
Olivia made no move to get up, wanting only to sit with Alex and forget about what was happening downstairs. She had to admit, she was worried, scared and confused about what this all meant. They had been found, but if Velez really was dead, did that mean they could go home? He was the main threat, the man calling all the shots. The man who shot Alex, Liam Connors, was in prison and Zapata was dead too. That left Velez and his people, but if Velez was gone, did that mean the threat was over, or that it would lead to a new blood war to figure out who would take his place? Would they still be interested in hurting Alex?
"We should go back downstairs," Alex said softly.
Olivia kissed her temple, sighing.
"I don't want to."
"Me either," she said. "Think we can hide here forever?"
Olivia nodded against her head.
"Yes, please."
"What are we going to do about Hannah? She can't go near that house," she said, a hint of panic in her voice.
"Don't worry about Hannah. They aren't going to let anyone near that house, let alone a teenage girl."
"I want to talk to her. She must have heard about what happened. She'll be beside herself with worry."
"What about your phone?"
"Agent Ruddy took it. I'm pretty sure he destroyed it."
"Okay. That's okay. Let's go talk to the Agents."
She helped Alex up off her lap before getting up. She linked their fingers and they made their way downstairs, joining the men at the kitchen table.
"Everything okay?"
The women nodded as they sat.
"We need to contact one of our friends though. It's important."
"I'm afraid that's not possible at the moment."
"But she'll be looking for us," Alex interjected. "She's been living with us. She's become like our family. She needs to know we're okay. And she needs to stay away from that house."
"She a young, teenage girl?"
"Yes," Alex answered urgently. "Is she okay? Has she been hurt?"
"No, but she's just been by the house. One of our men had to escort her home."
Alex turned to Olivia, a helpless look on her face.
"Hannah…"
Olivia, seeing Alex's distress, turned back to the Agents.
"Look. Can you at least get a message to her? Can you at least tell her we're okay and to stay away from the house? She needs to know we're okay, and she needs to know that we want her to stay away from the house."
He didn't respond.
"Do you want our cooperation or not?" Alex asked angrily. "We're not asking you to bring us to her or to confess the whole story. Just tell her we're okay. Her friends are missing and she has no idea what's going on. The least we can do is tell her we're alive."
"Fine," he relented.
"Thank you."
"Did they definitively identify the body? Is it Velez?" Olivia interjected.
"We haven't heard back, but we've gotten word that many of his associates are fleeing the country. The apartment block we were surveilling, the one Velez's people were using, has apparently been abandoned. There's been no activity in that neighbourhood for the last 48 hours."
"All this because he died?" Alex asked, shocked.
"Things were falling apart even before his death. There was a lot of heat from the DEA and it was creating a lot of problems for Velez. The DEA was picking his people up left, right, and centre. Some stayed loyal, but most turned and started making deals when they realised things were going south for him. He started getting nervous, reckless. Hits were being put out so people were coming to us with information in exchange for protection. They were getting close, so he started tying loose ends. He's had more people killed in the last three months than in the last two years combined. It's been a mess for the last few months. Nobody's been sleeping. All we've been doing is working at taking him down. We've been trying to get to him before he fled the country, but I guess someone else got to him first."
"Why didn't we hear about any of this?"
"It's been in the papers. Have you been reading them?"
Olivia and Alex exchanged glances. They really hadn't been lately.
"How long are we expected to stay here?" Olivia asked, changing the subject.
He shrugged.
"Until we decide what to do."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, either you're going to be moved and given new identities or…"
"Or?"
"We keep you somewhere temporarily, until things settle in New York. If Velez really is dead, then maybe, maybe it would be possible for you to go home."
Alex's eyebrows shot up. She looked at Olivia, hopeful. She could go home?
"It is still too early to tell, and you may very well be sent somewhere else. Don't get your hopes up until we know more. But, it could be a possibility."
"But we could. I could. I might go home," Alex said, almost in awe.
"We'll see, baby."
"How long until we know?" Alex asked, turning to the Agent.
"It's hard to say. For now, we wait. Why don't you two get some sleep while we wait to hear what our next move will be?"
Olivia looked at Alex, who shrugged.
"Do you have toothbrushes here?" Alex asked.
"No. Give us a list of things you'll need to survive here for one week, and we'll go pick up the supplies."
"We're going to be here an entire week?"
"It's possible."
Alex sighed and turned to Olivia.
"Okay. Let's go upstairs."
Olivia followed her up, closing the door to the room Alex chose and then crawling into bed with her. She spooned her from behind, tucking her body in close and wrapping an arm around her waist.
"What are we gonna do, Liv? We can't just leave Hannah. If we go back to New York, at least we can talk to her. Maybe she can visit. But if they place us again…"
Alex swallowed the lump in her throat and wiped the tears the fell. Her heart broke at the thought of never seeing Hannah again. That girl needed them. They couldn't abandon her.
"Don't think about that. There's nothing we can do right now and we don't know how it's going to turn out. If they place us again, we'll demand that we get to talk to Hannah. At least then she will get some answers, and maybe we can even work something else out. If we go back to New York-" we're taking her with us. "We'll talk to her often."
She cuddled her face into the back of Alex's head and buried her nose in her hair, close enough to talk in her ear.
"Don't worry, okay baby?" she said gently. "We will figure it out. We always figure it out."
Alex took solace in Olivia's embrace and comforting words. She sounded so sure, and Alex latched onto that confidence, that certainty in her voice.
"Okay. I wish we could talk to her tonight though. She must be worried sick."
"She probably is worried, but they'll tell her we're okay. And when word gets around that it was three men who were shot, she'll know for sure we're okay."
"Well, I wasn't hurt. You, on the other hand…"
"I'm fine. ''Tis but a scratch'," she quoted.
"You were shot," Alex responded, unimpressed.
"'It's just a flesh wound'," Olivia quoted again.
Alex gave a small smile despite herself and turned in over.
"You and your love of quoting tv and movies…"
"Monty Python is a classic. It should be quoted at every opportunity."
"Really now?" Alex asked, leaning in and kissing her gently.
"Really," Olivia declared, ignoring the pain in her side as she rolled Alex onto her back. She smiled down at her before pressing their lips together once again.
Alex reached up and buried her fingers in Olivia's hair, lightly scratching at her scalp and smiling when she felt her shiver. She opened her mouth willingly when Olivia moved to deepen the kiss and hummed contently when their tongues met. The kiss was slow, unhurried. It was meant to reassure, to soothe, and to reconnect. Alex adored when Olivia showed this kind of affection. It made her feel incredibly love, as well as safe.
"I love you," Olivia whispered after she pulled away.
"I love you too."
She moved back to her side, pulling Alex close and spooning her once again.
"I don't know how I survived in life without you," Alex finally confessed. "I can't do this without you, not now that I know what it's like to have you here with me. I have never been so lonely and depressed as I was when I lived my life as Emily. Not even when I was at my lowest point in New York, just before you became my friend. I was low then, but nothing compared to when I had to be Emily. Just knowing what I had…what I had lost and might never get again…" she trailed off.
"You'll never have to wonder about that again, Alex. I'm so sorry you were so miserable. I'm sorry that you were hurting and that you were all alone. I'm sorry I wasn't there to hold you and keep you safe. I'm sorry that when you finally got me back, I hurt you when I stupidly let my fears get the best of me. I hurt you and I'm so ashamed that I did. But I want you to know that I never stopped loving you in any of those moments. I am always trying to keep you safe, and even though I messed up badly in some of those instances," she felt a wave of guilt flood her when she thought about how Alex had gotten shot in her presence, when she should have been protecting her. She would never allow that to happen again. "I will always do everything in my power to keep you from harm. You never have to worry about being alone again because I'm not going anywhere unless it's with you."
"Thank you," she whispered, unable to say anything more because of the lump in her throat.
Olivia noticed and squeezed her tight in response.
"I love you, baby."
"I love you too."
"Get some rest now, okay? Tomorrow is another day."
Alex nodded and moved her hand, intertwining their fingers.
"Goodnight, Olivia."
"Goodnight, Alexandra Cabot."