Chapter 22 - Dream
Liv and Alex were in town getting groceries. Liv was pushing the stroller with Xander in it. Alex was pushing the cart back to her car. They were like any other family heading back to their car after shopping. Olivia couldn't have been happier. She was realizing that she was getting better and that Alex made her happy.
Alex turned and watched Olivia as they neared the car. She was smiling, a goofy but well liked smile. Alex couldn't help but smile back at her. She grabbed Liv's hand as on the stroller's handle and gave it a squeeze. Liv smiled bigger.
"You ready to get back? Or, is there another store that you want to go see while we're out? This is your day. We are doing and going wherever you want hear at the Cape," Alex told her.
"I don't know. I think I am ready to go home. Xander is getting tired. I want to put him down in his own crib. I don't like him sleeping in the carrier that much, except when we're on a trip."
"I understand, Liv. We can go back to the house. Come on, let's go."
Liv put Xander in the car as Alex put the groceries in the trunk. To Alex, it was an idealistic day. Liv was happy. They were acting like a family. Alex couldn't wait to ask her to come home with her and they could be a family. It was going to be their shared dream finally coming true. They would be a family, together, with Xander and they would share their love together.
Olivia finished getting Xander situated in the car and came around to the back to store the stroller in the trunk. She was still smiling at Alex until she heard it. It was a very distinct sound. It was building and getting louder. The rumble and the roar were catching up to her.
Alex saw the worry on her face. She knitted her brows in confusion as she watched Liv slide down the side of the car and hold her ears. Alex immediately started staring around the grocery store parking lot, trying to find the thing that was making Olivia shrink back in fear. It was then that she heard it.
The rumble and the roar of several bikers as they entered the lot filled Alex's ears. Alex's eyes widen and she knew why Liv was becoming afraid. Alex went to her side. She pulled Liv's hands from her ears and wiped away the tears from Liv's face. She took Liv's hands and made her stand up.
"They aren't here for you, Liv. Look. They aren't even part of a gang. They are just pleasure riders. You have nothing to worry about. Come on, let's just go home," Alex told her.
"You're sure?" Liv asked, obviously scared.
"Yeah, Baby," Alex answered as she helped Liv into the car.
The drive back to the cottage was a quiet one. Liv was retreating and Alex knew it. She knew that Liv was going to be absent for a few hours while Julie tried to deal with the fear and other emotions surround the incident. Alex knew that the next few hours were going to be crucial in Liv's reintegration and her emotional and mental stability. Alex was worried that Liv wouldn't be able to go back to work. She was afraid…she would deal with whatever came when they got to that point, but until then, she was going to support Olivia in every way that she could.
It was a dark and dank place. Olivia was trying to figure out where she was. She tried to look around the room, but couldn't really make anything. She was puzzled and slightly in pain. She tried to move. She tried to stand up. It was then that she realized that she was tied up and her arm was twisted at an odd angle behind her. It was causing her some pain, but she thought that in the position that should could touch the knot that was securing the rope around her. She fingered the knot until it was loose and managed to get up.
She stood up, quickly, only to sit down again. She waited a few minutes until the stars in her eyes were gone and tried to stand again. This time she made it up. She put out a hand and found a support column. She leaned against it as she tried to gather her bearings.
There was something about the place, something that was familiar, something that Olivia knew. There was a smell that was assaulting her nose. It was a so familiar and so foreign to the detective. She had to figure out where she was. She had to know what was going on around her.
She walked around, more like shuffled around in the dark trying to ascertain where she was. She found mechanics tool set. She pulled open some drawers. She was looking for something to arm herself with. She was scared. She didn't know where she was or why she was there. She wanted to be prepared, for anything. She found a hammer. She decided that it would do, but took a long bladed flat head screwdriver as well.
She moved around some more and found more things that were making her recognize where she was. She heard the cries. She knew the voices in the small office tucked in the back of the open room she was in. She heard them talking. She crept closer so she could figure out exactly where she was and why she was there. If she could just hear something they said, it might let her learn everything that she wanted to know. Before she knew it, she was below the window that opened into the large room. She knelt down below it.
"I don't care, D. J. Everyone knows that Frankie is mine. This Julie person is going to learn it, too. Frankie is mine. No one is going to stop me from having her."
"Robin, Frankie has made her choice. She doesn't want to be with you. She doesn't want you anymore. She has Julie. Julie is taking care of her and helping deal Frankie get ready for the baby. You had your chance and you blew it. Get over it and move on, sister, or I'll end the gang. I can't have you going off half-cocked."
"You will do no such thing. I own you. You turn on me, dear brother and I'll turn on you. We are in this together. Remember that. We are both moving the drugs for the cartels. We will both go to jail and you know it. So stop trying to threatening me with that. You'll have to do better."
"Robin, you can't pursue her forever. She has moved on and so should you. I'm going to send you to Savannah. There is a new contact there that I want to make. I want you to go and represent us. It is going to be a good business opportunity. We need to find more legitimate businesses anyway," D. J. told her.
"Why?"
"So we can deal with the money and the intake of products. We can use them as fronts to launder the money and to hide the product from the Feds. We need to be smarter than the pigs if we want to continue on as we are. We are in deep. If we get caught, it is going to be horrible for us both. We need this, Robin. I need you to do this."
"I understand all that, but why are sending me?"
"Because you are the best in reading people that we hire."
"I still don't like Julie."
"Nevertheless, you're going. I'll expect you to be ready to ride by tomorrow night. This is very important to us and the gang. I need you to be on board with this, Robin. I need you to be with me. Can you do that?"
"You know I will be. Frankie, just better be ready when I get back. She'll be mine then or I'll deal with Julie myself. You can let them know that, too."
"I will not. Frankie isn't yours. She is off limits. And, now, so is Julie. I don't want you to ruin this, Robin, but you are going to try. Julie is a good mover. She follows orders well. She is a good person for us. I need you to promise me that you will them alone."
"I don't know what you see in her. She doesn't want you, D. J. She is a lesbian, just like the rest of us. But, I promise that I won't test her further, for now. But, one day, I will."
"Robin…" D. J. warned.
"I told you that I'll go. I'm going. But mark my words, D. J. I will make Julie understand that Frankie is mine, one way or another. That choice will be hers," Robin answered as she left the office.
Liv made herself as small as she could. She watched Robin leave. Her skin crawled. There was just something about Robin that scared her. She knew psychopaths, but Robin was sadistic as well. She found pleasure in other's pain.
After some time, Liv stood and walked away from the office. She remembered where she was then. She was in the garage where the gangs worked on their bikes. She had been there many times. She had worked on her "issued" Softail there. D. J. had even helped her sup it up some.
She made her way back to the mechanics boxes and replaced the tools. She needed to leave. She didn't want to be found in there by Robin, but one thing was still bothering her. She knew where she was, but she didn't know why. She didn't know why she was there. More to the point, she wanted to know she had been tied up in an awkward position.
She was almost to the door, when Robin found her. She was ready to fight if she had to and knew that she would. She mentally prepared for Robin to strike her outright, but when it didn't happen she reached out for the door. Liv figured she would just walk away and wait for Robin to come after her.
She grabbed the handle of the door and opened it. Suddenly, she was hanging from her right arm in a pair of handcuffs. She was back in the garage, but she was hanging from an engine lift hook. Robin was standing under her, the feral smile disheartening Liv's mindset.
"You just didn't know when to leave well enough alone did you, Julie?" Robin accused her.
"What are you talking about?"
"Frankie is my girl!"
"Maybe you should tell her that. She told me that she didn't want you. She's told you that, as well. Why are you so hell-bent on Frankie?" Liv asked her.
"I already told you. She is mine. The sooner you both learn that the better for all of us."
Robin watched her. Liv didn't know what she was waiting on, but she knew that Robin was going to do something bad. She knew that Robin wasn't stable. She could only hope that no one would get hurt badly.
"Are you going to be smart and leave her?" Robin asked her after a few moments.
"That is entirely up to Frankie."
"WRONG!"
"I am not going to leave her just because you told me to, Robin."
"You think you love her, don't you?" Robin questioned.
"Enough to stay with her and protect her unborn child, yes. How much do you love her, Robin? Are you willing to kill me for her? Are you will to hurt her to make her understand your love for her? I don't think that even you are that stupid," Liv told her.
Robin laughed. It was demonic and it made Liv begin to panic. She knew that Robin was planning something. She just didn't know what it was.
"Are you willing to die for her?" Robin questioned, absent-mindedly.
Olivia started trying to find a way out. She started pulling harder on her restraints. Robin laughed even harder as she heard Liv struggling against the chains. Olivia kept looking around, but would periodically check on Robin. Robin didn't seem like she was in any hurry. She wasn't acting like she was going to leave, either. She was having too much fun watching Liv squirm.
"Are you, Olivia? Are you ready to die for your supposed lover? Will you die for her?" Robin asked, pointing in the corner.
Liv looked up to find that it wasn't Frankie in the corner bound up and scared. It was Alex. A shiver ran through her body. Olivia's eyes darkened. The pain in the arm was suddenly gone but it did nothing to stop the pain in her heart. Liv knew that the adrenaline was flowing and she would have to act soon before it wore off.
She tested the cuffs and chains again. She moved her shoulder around to see if the she dislocated it, if it would help her get out. She knew that the pain would be unbearable, but she had to find a way to get to Alex. She had to protect Alex. She had failed twice before; she wasn't going to fail again.
She reached up and grabbed the hook. She could pull herself up and even out the pull on both of her shoulders, but she couldn't get up far enough to unhook herself from the hook. She pulled herself up and waited for Robin to come closer. She watched Robin plotting as she plotted how to get out of the situation.
Robin then made her flawed move. She came closer to Olivia, brandishing a knife. As she neared Liv, she kicked the knife out of Robin's hand and then wrapped her legs around Robin's shoulders and neck. She used Robin to push herself up enough in order to unhook herself. After she was unhooked, Liv fell to the floor but was still shackled by the handcuffs.
Robin wasn't pleased and she was about to make Liv know about it. She got up and kicked Liv in the ribs several times. Liv could hear Alex's screams, but she wasn't going to let Robin win this time. This time Liv was going to take her down. This time everyone was going to walk away, but Robin. This time…Robin was going to pay for all the sadistic shit that she'd pulled.
Liv rolled just as Robin kicked at her again. Robin was off balance and Liv took advantage. She grabbed her leg with the shackled hands and pulled Robin down. They wrestled around on the ground for a while, neither of them giving any ground. Robin suddenly was on top.
She had Liv on her back. She was straddling Liv and she dug into her knees into Liv's side. She squeezed her thighs as tight as she could. Liv could feel her ribs starting to give. She could feel her breathing getting harder. She wasn't going to give up though.
Liv turned towards Alex. She could see the terrified look in Alex's beautiful baby blues. Liv made the conscious decision in that moment to kill Robin. It was the only way that she knew that she and Alex would have peace. It was the only way that she could protect them all now.
A fury long buried deep inside Liv broke free and not even Julie was prepared for the rage that was flowing through Liv. Julie backed up and Liv go. This was her show now and Julie was retreating back into the dark recesses of Liv's mind. All Liv could see now was red. The darkness that she had fought so many years against, the pain of her life and the knowledge of the beast that she might possess because of her lineage all merged into one angry roar.
Liv threw Robin off of her. She rolled Robin onto the floor. Liv found herself on top of Robin and she was staring down at Robin. The auburn haired detective stared into the green eyes of the gang leader and her mind began to falter. She wanted Robin dead and she was willing to do it, but she knew that Alex was watching. Liv had to question herself if she wanted Alex to see the full extent of her hatred, her bloodthirstiness, and her darkness. Was killing Robin worth the loss of Alex?
It was enough time for Robin to regain her bearings. She went after Olivia again. They were wrestling for control again. Somehow in the mix, the knife found its way back into the fray. They continued to roll across the floor. Neither of them was willing to give up control.
Alex screamed out for Olivia. It spurned Liv on to win the fight, no matter the outcome. As they fought for control, Liv felt the cool steel of the blade slice through her skin. She didn't cry out. She didn't even acknowledge the pain. She continued to fight. She used the adrenaline to fuel her. She was tired, injured and emotional broken, but she wasn't going to lose.
Robin wasn't given up either. She was fighting just as hard as Liv. She smiled as they continued their struggle. She used to momentary gain of the cut on Liv's arm. Robin thought for a second that she had the upper hand. It was this moment, when Liv saw it in her eyes, that Liv used to gain the momentum she needed to flatten Robin on her back.
"Olivia!"
She tossed and turned in the bed. The sweat was pouring off of her, pooling around her in their bed. Alex had tried waking her several times in the night, but Liv wouldn't wake from her nightmare.
Some point in the night, when Alex realized that Olivia was thrashing and she could feel the pooling sweat. Alex had gotten a towel and tried to keep Liv as dry and cool as she could. She kept calling out to her, trying to wake her, but knowing that in Olivia's mind the fight would continue until she came to some resolution.
"Olivia," Alex continued to say throughout the night, "I'm here. We're safe."
It became a mantra that she spoke over and over again. Olivia seemed oblivious to Alex's close proximity. It didn't deter Alex. She knew that the nightmares were going to be part of Olivia's recovery. She knew that she would have to be there for her, when she woke screaming.
"YOU WILL NOT HAVE HER!" Olivia shouted as she pinned Alex to the bed.
Olivia's eyes were black. She burned a wild and emotional gaze into Alex's eyes. Alex didn't move. She waited for Olivia to come back to her. She knew that Olivia would come back to her.
Olivia stared at Alex for long moments. She watched Alex's sapphire eyes dancing back and forth. They were okay. They were together. Robin hadn't won. She immediately sat back on her haunches and released her hold on Alex.
"I'm sorry," Liv whispered.
"You're fine."
"I should leave."
"No, you should take a shower and come back to bed. I'll hold you. It's okay."
"I could have hurt you," Liv told her.
"But, you didn't."
"That isn't the point."
"Yes, it is. You know who I am. You know I won't hurt you. It was a nightmare, Liv. They aren't going to hurt you anymore. I am not going to let them."
Liv laughed in a sarcastic manner. It was an interesting thought. In the end though, Olivia knew that Alex would protect her the only way that she knew how: with the law. Olivia, however, knew that Robin didn't care about the law. She only cared about pain. And, Alex being hurt would definitely bring the most pain to Liv, now. No, Liv would have to protect them all. She would have to become a warrior for good, for justice, for her family.
"I don't doubt that you would, Alex. But, Robin…Robin doesn't fight like we do. She fights…dirty, messy and to the death. She's sadistic and psychotic. She has no emotional bearing but wantonness and yes, in a sexual manner as well. She is ruthless and conniving. She has a flare for the dramatic and that is her only flaw when she sets her mind to a goal."
"Then tell me what she's done, so I know what to look for," Alex told her.
"There aren't enough hours of daylight to explain her depravity to man. I certainly don't want to be the one who tries. I have better things to do," Liv replied.
"Like what?"
"Like this," Olivia stated as she kissed Alex.
"Well, that is a start. Go take a shower. You are wicked sweaty and not in a good way. Then come back to bed. You can do those better things to me then," Alex teased her.
"Don't tempt me, Woman, I might just do that. God, my whole body hurts. But, you are right. I do need a shower. I stink. I'm sorry. Do me a favor though, will you?" Liv asked.
"What?"
"Change the sheets. I fill like those sheets are soiled. I don't want to get back in them."
"We'll sleep in the guest room then. I'll change the sheets in the morning…later today. It'll be easier just to sleep in there. Now, go and hurry up. I'm tired and cold."
"Shower with me?" Liv suggested.
"Then, we won't shower and you know it."
"So, what's wrong with that?" Liv teased.
"Shower. Go. Now. Then bed. With clothes on."