Author's note: I am still very frustrated, having lost the next four chapters of this story. That was a lot of time and thought lost because my computer decided to hate me. I have also not felt very well this week. I had major chest problems the other night, and I've been suffering from a migraine since yesterday. But I did not want anyone to think I had abandoned this story, so I knew I needed to update. Also, I am conducting a quick little poll. Let me know in your response to this chapter whether you would like to see the actual wedding preparations (ie, the parties and planning), or just the wedding itself. Thank you for the continued support. I appreciate all of you.

Casey had spent most of her evening in bed. Olivia wasn't home yet, and hadn't bothered to explain why she wasn't available for dinner. It was just as well, Casey figured. She had been suffering from extreme nausea since that afternoon, and her head felt as if someone had squeezed it until it popped. Even though she had tried to sleep it off, nothing had helped. In fact, the only thing she had gained for her efforts was the addition of a sore neck.

Now, Casey was relaxing, sipping her usual green tea and scrolling through various wedding decoration ideas. She knew they would never be one of those couples who spent thousands of dollars on their wedding, and thousands more on a great honeymoon. It wasn't that they couldn't afford it, especially with Casey's family money. But it was the simple fact that Olivia wasn't that type of lover. Casey knew that, and she understood. She would never dream of trying to force Olivia to do something she didn't want to do. Olivia wasn't exactly the type of woman who loved frills and lace, and Casey more than accepted that. A successful partnership was built on compromise, and though it meant she would never get her dream white wedding, Casey knew, at the end of the day, all that mattered was that she married the woman she loved.

Clicking out of her current browser window, Casey listened for a moment, hearing the front door unlock. Within moments, Olivia had entered the bedroom, still wearing her coat. She removed her gun and badge and placed them on the nightstand on her side of the bed. "Sorry I'm late," she murmured.

"I'm used to it," Casey answered. She hadn't meant for the words to come out as bitterly as they did. "Were you busy? Was work stressful?"

"Not work," Olivia replied, sitting on the edge of the bed and removing her shoes. Casey didn't bother asking her to place them on the shoe rack. As Olivia rolled onto her back with a deep sigh, Casey sat up, wondering what had happened. Before she could ask, Olivia groaned softly. "I cannot believe his pomposity," she murmured.

"Whose pomposity?" Casey asked, confused.

"Your father."

"My father?" Casey paused. "Olivia, I thought we talked about this. I know he was a royal bastard at dinner, but aren't you the one who said we shouldn't let it get to us? Aren't you the one who said you would love me regardless of what he said, and that we should just ignore him, because he's too bitter to ever understand?"

Olivia growled softly. "Sometimes I hate the fact that you remember everything," she murmured. She sat up, turning to look at Casey. "I was on my lunch break today. I had barely sat down and ordered when, who should show up but your father?"

"Oh my god," Casey answered. "He showed up at your favorite cafe? How did he know you would even be there?"

Olivia barked out a sarcastic laugh. "I'm sure it wasn't that difficult for him to figure it out," she replied. "He has been following me, Casey. I'm not talking about a simple conversation. The bastard hired people to follow me and dig into my past. I'm starting to understand why so many people left you."

Casey fell silent. Olivia's words stung. She knew the older woman hadn't meant for it to come out the way it did, but the words were out, and they hurt more than she wanted to admit. "People leave for their own reasons," the attorney answered quietly. "Whether my father bullies them or not is not the issue. It comes down to whether or not they have the spine to stand up to him, or the heart to choose me over whatever lump sum of cash they are offered." She shook her head, disgusted. "I should have seen this coming. So, what? He offered you some money and you realized just how much you want it, so you're starting to see all of the flaws in our relationship? Now that he offered you some money, you're ready to leave?"

As Casey moved to get off of the bed, Olivia gently grabbed her. "No, Casey," she answered quietly. "Listen to me. Let me explain. Then if you want to avoid looking at me, feel free." Casey said nothing, but didn't move. Olivia sighed behind her. "He did try to buy me off," she said. "But that was only at the end. First, he threatened me with my position."

"Your position?" Casey asked. "What, is he threatening to make sure your promotion to Lieutenant doesn't go through? Is he trying to capitalize on the fact that you haven't heard anything yet?"

Olivia was silent for a long time. Casey turned to face her, not understanding. Finally, Olivia took a deep breath and continued her explanation. "I don't know if that's it, exactly," she fumbled. "But after I calmly explained that we had already disclosed, thus removing his ability to threaten us, he then attempted to exploit my past. I've made some mistakes in past relationships, Casey. I'm not going to go into them now, but I have done some things I am not proud of, and it was one of those mistakes that he attempted to use against me."

"Olivia, you can tell me anything," Casey promised. "Nothing you say will make me love you any less. You can tell me."

"No!" Olivia barked. Casey wilted. It was the tone of voice she usually reserved for particularly scummy perps. Olivia sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Casey, I'm sorry," she said quickly. As Casey turned away, discouraged, she heard Olivia shift on the bed behind her. "Just know that it was a mistake, and I would never dream of doing anything like that to you."

"Whatever you say," Casey mumbled. She was surprised to find that her eyes had flooded with tears. She scolded herself for being such a wimp.

Olivia shifted again on the bed. "But that didn't work either," she promised. "I was angry, and I was ready to reach across the table and wring his neck, but I managed to regain my composure and assure him that nothing could make me leave you. No amount of secrets or threats was going to make me choose the job or my past over you. I even assured him that I would be willing to retire, if needed. I told him that you and the baby are my life now, and that he could never change that."

"So what did he say?" Casey asked quietly.

"He asked me what you were worth," Olivia replied. "He took out his checkbook and prepared to write me a big fat check in exchange for me making up some stupid thing you did and breaking your heart into a thousand pieces."

"Oh? And what am I worth to you?"

Olivia sighed. "I told him to give me a million dollars."

Casey turned around, shocked. "You actually gave him a number?" she cried. "What the hell, Olivia?" She stood up, ignoring the wave of nausea that crashed over her. "Oh my God. You couldn't wait to get money. Once you heard that my family was wealthy, you absolutely couldn't wait to exploit our relationship. How could I be so stupid? You're just like anyone else out there. You don't know what love is. You only understand the language spoken by a big fat check!"

"Would you shut up for a second?" Olivia demanded. As Casey fell silent, still refusing to sit down on the bed again, Olivia exhaled sharply and explained. "Yes, he gave me a check. He didn't quite understand how sarcastic I was being. He gave me the check, and I took it. But only to tell him off. As I took the check, I kindly informed him that I loved you, and nothing would change that. I destroyed the check, threw the pieces at him, and promised him that I would be marrying you no matter what. Then I left."

Casey turned, realizing how rash she had been. She shook her head. "I can't believe it," she murmured, sitting carefully on the edge of the bed. "He tried to break us apart, and you stayed despite all of his threats."

"And you're sitting here accusing me of being ready to leave you over paper?"

"I'm sorry," Casey answered. "I'm at the point where I've been hurt so many times , especially by his actions, that I feel as if my heart is always waiting for the next attack. To compensate, it's as if my mind thinks of the most illogical and cruel responses." She looked at Olivia and smiled. "I'm sorry that I didn't believe you," she murmured. "I should know by now to trust you. Are you sure you still want me, given all of that baggage?"

"Absolutely," Olivia answered, brushing a stray lock of hair out of Casey's eyes and kissing her gently. As Casey shifted to relax in the older woman's arms, everything was perfect. But if she had bothered to look a little more closely, she would have seen something besides love in the older woman's eyes. She would have seen just how clear it was that Olivia was being anything but honest with her.