Chapter Five – Uncovering the Truth

Olivia tried not to groan, but it slipped out anyway. She really didn't want to be discussing her personal life, especially this piece of it. Not even her captain or coworkers knew about David. Olivia seriously doubted there was a way out of this though. Maybe if it had been just Amanda she would have a chance. With Emily and JJ too, she was screwed.

"What's his name again?" Amanda asked, visibly trying to remember. "Haden?"

"David Hayden," Olivia corrected.

"Well, she remembers his full name. That's a good sign," Emily teased as she nudged JJ.

JJ grinned and nodded. There was no way she was letting Olivia off the hook without more information. Both she and Emily had shared, which made it Olivia's turn. If they had to dig deep to get the answers, they would. Olivia noticed the eager looks and held up her hands in an attempt to stop them, preferably before they pounced.

"Stop. Just stop. There is really nothing going on between me and David, and nothing really could. It's a conflict of interests."

"And you said my excuses were bad!" Emily groaned as she shook her head at Olivia.

"Em does have a point," JJ admitted.

"I'm a cop. He's a DA," Olivia insisted. There was no possible way they could get things to work out no matter how much they liked each other, and they did like each other. It would be a disaster waiting to happen in court.

"So? You're both working for the prosecution, right? I might be able to understand if you were on different sides, but you're not," JJ pointed out, a smile still on her face. It seemed like Olivia could be just as obstinate as Emily when it came to relationships. Not that she was really one to talk considering she still wasn't willing to tie the knot with Will.

"Doesn't matter. It would be like giving candy to a baby if a defense attorney got a hold of this."

"So you don't work the same cases," Amanda told her easily, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Olivia opened her mouth to protest again, but none of the others would have it. JJ decided to take charge. She was a master at manipulation when she had to be. Getting information out of Olivia that she didn't want to give wouldn't be too hard.

"Do you like him?"

It was an innocent enough question on the surface, and Olivia fell for it easily.

"I… yeah, I guess so."

"Why?"

Olivia frowned. She hadn't really thought about it before. Nobody had ever asked anything like that either. Liv had a feeling this question was leading somewhere else, but she wasn't sure where. Unable to come up with a valid reason to be wary, she was stuck answering with the truth.

"I don't know. He makes me happy. Plus, he accepts my challenges, which even I will admit are nearly impossible to deal with."

A wide grin spread across JJ's face. She'd got her, and from the look on Olivia's face Olivia had no idea. Emily caught on to what Olivia had unknowingly revealed thanks to JJ's subtle questioning.

"You know, there is no way you could know that if you hadn't actually been dating him," Emily smirked.

Olivia's jaw dropped in shock. She'd been completely blindsided, and at first she had absolutely no idea how to respond to it. The fact that she and David had been dating was supposed to be a secret. She'd been planning on having it remain that way for awhile too.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Emily demanded.

"You both played me!" Olivia growled as she threw a fry at Emily.

Emily easily ducked aside, and the fry flew over her shoulder. That was a waste of a good fry.

Despite Olivia's apparent irritation, she was laughing. She'd never told anyone about her growing relationship with David, and it felt kind of nice to have other people know. Emily was beaming at her with a Cheshire grin, not regretting what she had done at all. Considering JJ was nonchalantly drinking more of her beer, she wasn't feeling the least bit guilty either.

"You're both awful!" Olivia exclaimed again.

"So you're really seeing him? Dating him?" Amanda asked eagerly.

"Yes, okay! Yes. We've gone on a few dates," Olivia admitted in exasperation.

She really hadn't had any other choice. The news was out, and she wasn't going to be able to deny it anymore. That meant she was going to need to tell her captain about them soon. He deserved to hear it from her and not through the back channels that could start if other people got to talking. David would need to know their relationship had come out also, so he could inform his boss too. She really hoped her boyfriend's explanation of what they needed to do within their own departments was as easy as he'd made it sound.

"Good! You deserve it," Amanda returned with a quick nod of her head.

Olivia just wasn't going to go there. Deserving a good guy didn't matter. No good guy deserved to be stuck dealing with her. She never made it easy, and she knew that perfectly well. It wasn't a topic she wanted up for discussion though. Instead she just turned the tables.

"And what about you? Find anybody that makes you believe there are still good guys out there?"

Amanda snorted and rolled her eyes. She'd asked Olivia that question a few months back, and now Olivia was tossing it back in her face. Olivia probably knew the answer too.

"You're kidding right? When would I have time? The only guys I ever deal with are the pervs we stick in cuffs and put behind bars."

"Trust me, sometimes that's the only moment with the male species you need," JJ assured.

"Because they're still guys and are totally clueless far too often," Amanda finished, completely understanding. She saw enough of that at the precinct. Apparently when it came to men she wasn't missing all that much in the world outside of work either. Go figure.

Author's Note: It's possible that you'll have to wait until Sunday for another update for me after this. While I should be able to get online tomorrow, it's not 100%. Sorry about that.