All Alex saw was blood... her blood. She looked up and saw a flash. A gunshot ripped through the air and she heard screams.
Now her own screams echoed in her ears, drawing her out of her nightmare.
Olivia was jarred awake by the sound. Her training kicked in and she reached down for the imaginary gun at her side. She was confused. Was she in her bed? Was she dreaming? Another scream. She jumped off the couch, pushing the blanket from her and nearly crashing into the coffee table. They were definitely Alex's screams.
She ran down the hallway to the bedroom, her sense of her surroundings coming back to her as she went.
"Alex?" she cried out, her voice shaky as she pushed open the bedroom door with the palm of her hand. From the open window, the light from the street cast a glow over the room. And she saw her.
Alex sat listlessly on the edge of the bed, her feet resting on the hardwood floor. Her hands were folded limply in her lap and her eyes fixated on the ground below.
Olivia stared, unsure what had happened but confident that Alex was unharmed, at least physically.
After a moment, Alex slowly looked up at her. The fear in her eyes betrayed the eerily calm, catatonic state of her body.
"It was a dream" she said softly, her eyes quickly losing their focus.
Olivia's heart slowed down only to be filled with a deep, resounding ache. She knew trauma well and it was crystal clear to her what had transpired, leading to Alex's cries.
She quickly closed the distance between herself and the blonde. She bent her leg up to perch on the edge of the bed and enveloped the Alex's trembling body within her own shaken frame.
Alex's immediate reaction was to pull away. She'd never liked to be comforted, even as a child. But right now she didn't feel like herself and she didn't have the energy to resist. She let herself be held. The warmth of Olivia's body felt alarmingly good. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to forget the images.
"I'm so sorry" Olivia whispered over and over as she stroked Alex's hair. The blonde was quiet beneath her, her breathing shallow. She hadn't reciprocated the embrace but had let herself be soothed by the detective which Olivia knew was an achievement in its own right.
After a few minutes, Olivia felt the trembles fade away. She had to admit that she liked holding Alex, having her so close to her own body. But this wasn't about her, she knew that.
"You okay?" she asked softly, pulling slightly out of the embrace to look down at the blonde head under hers.
"Yes" came the weak reply. It was clear to Olivia that she wasn't okay but she knew Alex well enough to know that admitting that would be anathema to her. So she tried to keep her talking instead.
"Do you dream about it often?"
Alex sighed, her breath still shaky.
"Yes."
Olivia gently kissed the top of her head. "Me too" Olivia said in a voice that was barely audible. It was as if the statement wasn't even meant for Alex.
Olivia's confession disconcerted her and made her heart ache in a strange, unfamiliar way. Her mind had begun to settle, clearing from the altered reality of her dream. It had never occurred to the blonde that she was anything other than alone. But she remembered the look on Olivia's face from earlier in the night outside the bar. She felt sad and a touch selfish but even more than that, she felt connected. And it was nice.
Olivia immediately sensed the change. Alex seemed to breathe warmer against her chest. The hands that had rested in her own lap moved to rest atop Olivia's folded leg and thigh. The touch made the brunette tense up.
Responding merely on instinct, Alex slid her hands up Olivia's legs until she rested them atop her thighs just below her hips. She felt the brunette's breath hitch at the movement.
Olivia cursed her body for its reaction to Alex's touch. It was inappropriate given the circumstances. But she couldn't help it. She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of her for one last moment. She knew she had to end this, it wasn't right.
As the nightmare fell away completely, the closeness of Olivia's body to her own began to take effect on Alex. The exciting, somewhat confusing memories of the night coming back to her slowly - the flirting, Olivia's hand grabbing hers, the kiss that she was sure almost happened.
She wasn't drunk anymore, having been sobered by her short sleep and the intensity of her nightmare. The throbbing emerging between her legs was real. This was real.
"You good?" the detective asked softly without pulling away.
"Yes" Alex said, the life creeping back into her voice.
"Good" Olivia whispered and pulled away slightly, her hands still caressing the silken blonde strands, looking down at Alex who had allowed her head to rest against the strong shoulder of the detective.
Alex lifted her head slowly and Olivia let her hands fall from her head to gently cup her face. She looked in Alex's eyes, searching for a sign that the blonde was indeed okay. She leaned in and kissed her cheek, softly, her lips lingering against cool skin. Alex closed her eyes.
Alex shifted her hands slightly on Olivia's thighs, sending shivers through the detective's body.
Olivia kissed her cheek again, this time on her cheekbone, slightly closer inward.
Alex felt like she was losing control of her body. She was in a fog, the only grounding the twitching between her legs. She turned her head slowly toward Olivia's mouth. Their lips brushed over each other, sending small sparks rushing through their bodies.
And suddenly their lips moved more purposely against each other - softly, tentatively. Each woman's body was frozen, afraid to move and upset what was happening.
"Fuck" was the only coherent thought Olivia had as she realized they were kissing. Part of her panicked, she hadn't meant for this to happen. But she couldn't stop it. It felt too incredible.
Alex deepened the kiss, not being able to help herself. She felt Olivia gently pull her bottom lip, ever so slightly dragging her tongue across it. Alex moaned and the sound sent a wave of desire through Olivia's body before settling resoundingly between her legs.
She slipped her hands backwards to thread through blonde hair as their tongues slid against one another. Olivia couldn't believe it was happening but she hoped it never stopped. She realized she would never get tired of kissing Alex like this.
Alex wanted her. Badly. She deepened the kiss again and slid her hands up from Olivia's thighs, past her sides to wrap around her neck, pulling her into her.
Olivia moaned in response, feeling the soft hands travel her body and nestle into the hair at the back of her head.
Their kisses became more desperate, each eager for more of the other. They rose to their knees in unison on the bed and Olivia let her hands drop down Alex's body to pull her in close, grabbing at her back, needing more contact. It was clear that both had given in to temptation and there was no stopping whatever this was.
Olivia slid her hands underneath Alex's tank top, loving the feel of her soft skin against her. She heard Alex's breath hitch against her mouth. She took it as a sign and slowly pushed the fabric up until Alex raised her arms to let her remove it completely. For a moment their kiss broke and Olivia saw the desire reflected back in those pretty blue eyes. She didn't have time to admire the blonde's bare breasts before their lips crashed together again, their tempo and need increasing.
Alex tugged on the bottom of the shirt she had loaned Olivia and quickly pulled it up and over the brunette's head. They let their bodies press together, both audibly expressing their enjoyment of the skin-on-skin sensation.
Alex wasted no time and let her hands fall from the detective's neck to the top of her breasts before cupping them in her hands. She felt Olivia groan into her mouth, the feel and the sound making Alex even more desperate.
For a moment, Olivia hesitated, reality hitting her like a brick. She didn't want to take advantage of Alex. She pulled away.
"Wait, Alex, are you sure?" she asked, searching the endless pools of blue.
They were both breathing hard.
"I want this. Do you?" Alex responded.
"God, yes" Olivia blurted out, completely unfiltered.
"Then stop talking" the blonde commanded before fusing their mouths together again. They opened to each other, exploring, licking, tasting.