A/N: Thank you all SO much for all the comments after reading chapter one. You have no idea how much that meant to me and how excited it makes me to continue this story. It's always scary starting something new, so y'all just made my entire day/week/month/year. Thank you!

Also, sorry for all the non-Rolivia smut in these first chapters. Bear with me :)

…

CHAPTER 2

"Come on!" Amanda exclaims, stopping mid pace to look at the captain, her thrown out arms emphasizing her frustration. "There's clearly a case here."

Holding up his hands in response, almost apologetically, Cragen sighs, his expression somehow conveying both annoyance and understanding. "Maybe." He says, voice lowered. "But we don't know that yet. And had I known that this was all we had, I wouldn't even have called you in."

"Cap-" Olivia starts, finally opening her mouth to speak after mostly keeping silent, following the exchange as it has unfolded in the past few minutes.

But just like he did with Amanda, he shuts her down too.

"Listen, I've asked the fire department to get back to me with an ID and whether this was an accident or not, but even if it wasn't, this belongs to homicide and not us. The last thing I need right now is a turf war."

The sound of a defeated groan fills the office then, making it the fifth time Olivia turns to look at the blonde.

And she really tries not to notice the way Amanda sets her jaw, and how that small twitch seems to highlight her features. Or the way it almost looks like she has tears in her eyes.

But not from being sad or because she can't handle their captain putting his foot down.

No, it's the passion, the fire. That wild, stubborn side that makes her likely to jump through plenty of questionable hoops to get justice for those who deserve it. To find answers where the average cop would've given up.

It's infuriating, and sometimes downright dangerous, but-

God, it's hot.

The intrusive and unexpected thought makes her blink, forcing herself out of the trance as she folds her arms and shifts her attention back to their boss.

No, it's not. You're just confused.

David fucking Haden.

If their paths ever cross again, she might just kill him.

…

The distant sound of some light morning traffic mixes in comfortably with the silence between them as she stretches next to him, nestling her face in the crook of his neck. The smell of sex and his cologne still lingers in her bedroom and it makes her smile as he hugs her body closer to his.

"Not the worst way to start our day." He mumbles before planting a kiss on the top of her head.

She hums in agreement, goosebumps covering her skin as he slowly moves his fingers up and down her naked arm. "I guess I can think of worse things to wake up to." She mumbles back.

While she hasn't yet decided if this is sex with feelings or just some kind of friends with benefits arrangement, she has to admit that this feels pretty damn good. Not just because it's such a sharp contrast to how she's been coping lately, but because he makes it so easy to just… be happy. Something that felt so foreign and out of reach when he entered her life all those weeks ago.

In the back of her mind, if she allows herself to go there, she knows that he might just be a rebound. Someone to make her forget and move on from a loss that she still doesn't know how she's supposed to process.

But he wasn't even hers. So what exactly is she rebounding from?

Closing her eyes, she decides that right now it doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter why he's here, or what it means. Deciding that she can allow herself this, even if it won't last forever.

"Can I ask you something?" David says, pulling her from her thoughts.

She looks up at him then, smiling tiredly before leaning in for a kiss. "As long as it's not something that requires me to move from this bed."

"Nah, nothing like that-" He says, mirroring her smile while running his fingers through her hair. "I was just wondering…"

He pauses, both his words and the movement of his hand coming to a halt, making her squirm impatiently before poking his side with a finger.

"What?"

"No, I was just-" He chuckles when she pokes him again, before trapping her with the strong hold of his arm. "Have you ever… been with a woman?"

In an instant, she's propped up with the help of an elbow, eyebrows raised in surprise as she stares at him.

"Have you ever been with a man?" She shoots back.

"Once-" He shrugs casually. "In college."

Now, had this been a man she just met, she might've thought that he was joking. But they've spent enough nights (and mornings) together for her to know that he's actually telling the truth. He is, after all, a man of honesty.

"And?" Olivia asks, not sure if she's just dragging out the conversation or if she really wants to know.

She settles for both.

"Eh, I mean, it was ok but I really missed the boobs." He adds another shrug before he nods towards her cleavage, his response making her roll her eyes but laugh just the same. "So, have you?"

She shakes her head while settling back against him, hiding a mischievous look on her face. "I don't kiss and tell."

In the blink of an eye, he moves, hovering over her before he leans down to kiss her neck. "Come on." He mumbles against her skin, and she feels her initial and halfhearted resistance crumble under his touch.

"Fine-" She half laughs, half groans. "Yes, I've been with women."

Lifting his head, he fakes a gasp that makes her laugh again. "Plural!"

"Shut up." She giggles, playfully slapping his chest but making no actual effort to move him away. Neither does she complain when he shifts, first to press his lips against her collarbone before shuffling down.

His gasp might've been fake, but hers is very much real when he wraps his mouth around a nipple that quickly hardens between his teeth.

"Ok, so let me ask you one more thing-" He says, moving to give the other breast the same attention before glancing up at her. "Were one of those women detective Rollins?"

Her eyes widen in response to his question, because as much as she really doesn't mind the teasing inquisition, has no shame regarding her sexual history, this definitely feels more like crossing a line. Even if she's not entirely sure where that line is or what it's about.

"David-" She says, her voice stern as she places her hands against his shoulders. "I don't sleep with people I work with."

At first, he mirrors her serious expression, but it doesn't take long until a smirk takes form instead, looking at her for a moment before glancing down to take in the sight of their naked bodies pressed together. "Then what do you call this?"

"No-" She shakes her head. "People I work with in the squad room. Did that once, years ago, and it got messy." Deciding not to elaborate on that part of her history any further, she stops herself, adding a mumbled "besides, she's… Rollins."

"Your point?" He asks, making her exhale a frustrated sigh.

While her hands flops down against the sheets, she stares up at the ceiling, searching her brain for a way to end this conversation. A way to convince him to just let it go.

"She's-" Olivia starts, sighing again when she can't find the word she's looking for.

Except, there are plenty of words.

Beautiful. Funny. Messy. Reckless. Fearless. Hot-

Nope.

"Why did you even ask?" She says instead.

"Because-" He mumbles, sliding down a few inches, leaving multiple kisses along the way. "I caught her checking you out yesterday and it just… got me thinking."

She closes her eyes then, biting down on her lip as she fights the urge to ask him about when and where and how-

"Well, you should get your head out of the gutter." She hears herself say, more or less pleased with her attempt at deflection. It might not be her best performance, but at least he seems fairly oblivious to her inner turmoil. Maybe because he's busy mapping her body with his mouth.

"Somewhere else you'd prefer my head to be right now, detective?"

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, it's still very much in the gutter."

"Then the gutter is where we'll be." He murmurs, lips pressed against the softest spot of her belly before he slides further down, making her spread her legs for him.

She might moan his name when she comes, and she might mean it too, but the images in her head? The ones she wants to fight but can't? Those images are very much blonde, southern, and all the things she definitely shouldn't be thinking about as her back arches off the bed, fingers twisted in brown hair.

Before this… conversation, or whatever it is she's supposed to call it, Amanda Rollins had been nothing but her eager, new colleague. Skilled, ambitious, and sure, objectively pretty.

Yes, all of that. But she was also the new face, the one that came after him. The replacement for someone who just can't be replaced.

Amanda Rollins, to no fault of her own, coincidentally entered Olivia's life when she was at her lowest, unknowingly messing with her daily routine and the whole dynamic of the unit that she used to love.

But no, it wasn't Amanda's fault, and neither was it David's questions that made Olivia notice things. Not really. It just feels good to have someone to blame, because that means she doesn't have to dwell on the fact that she's been looking, long before David opened his big, honest mouth.

Damn it.

…

"I'll keep you updated-" Cragen says, addressing Amanda first. "But unless I say there's a case, you do nothing. Understood?"

While it's undeniably hesitant, she eventually nods, adding a mumbled "yes, captain", eyes trained on the floor.

When he turns to Olivia next, it takes a not so subtle cough from him to make her realize that she is once again watching the woman next to her.

"Understood?" He repeats.

She finally snaps out of it then, head turning to meet his eyes. "Understood."

"Now-" He starts, rounding the corner of his desk. "It's still early on a Sunday. Get out of here and do whatever it is you do on your days off. I don't want to see your faces until tomorrow morning."

And with that and a finger pointed towards the captain's door, they're dismissed.

…

They walk in silence towards the elevator, their shared frustration almost tangible, but kept unspoken. If it wasn't for the merciless shutdown in Cragen's office, and the fact that she knows they're both feeling a little deflated right now, she might've asked some trivial question just for the sake of making conversation, but she simply doesn't feel like saying anything.

Amanda, however, clearly has other plans, turning towards her as soon as the doors slide together and close in front of them. "So, what do we do now?"

"What do you mean what do we do now?" Olivia asks, one brow lifted.

"We can't do nothing."

"No, Rollins-" She says, shifting to make herself look more authoritarian than she feels. "That's exactly what we're going to do. Until Cragen tells us otherwise, this isn't our case."

She tries, really tries, to not give in. To stand her ground and act like Cragen can hear them. But it's the way Amanda stuffs her hands in her leather jacket and exhales a disappointed breath that makes it impossible for Olivia not to soften her expression, to take a step towards her and grab her elbow, gently.

"Listen-" She starts, trying a smile. "I know, ok? I know how hard it is when your gut is telling you something's off. I get it. But we have nothing to go on, except her final words. If there's a case, we'll find out."

The thing is, Olivia doesn't really believe her own words, and based on the look Amanda gives her as they exit the elevator, neither does she.

…

The street lays quiet before her where she sits in her car, not really sure how long it's been since she parked and turned the engine off. There are a multitude of reasons for why she shouldn't do this, and why she shouldn't be here. Can already see the frustration on her captain's face, if he finds out.

But, she's here now.

Restlessly, she taps her hands against the steering wheel, looking up at the apartment building on her left side. Her eyes narrow as she tries, one last time, to talk herself out of this, but she quickly loses the battle and reaches for her phone instead.

"Liv?" Comes the almost immediate response on the other end, making Olivia breathe a sigh of relief, without exactly knowing why.

"You home?" She asks, adding "I'm outside" before Amanda gets the chance to answer.

"What? Why?"

She pinches the bridge of her nose then, realizing that this really is the point of no return. And it's not like she hasn't done this before, broken rules and protocol that is. But she's never done it with her.

It was easy with him, too easy probably. Because she knew that he had her back, regardless. Knew that if she messed up, he would be there, defense ready. It's still too early to know if Amanda will do the same.

But again, she's here now.

"I called in a favor, got her address and ten minutes to go through her apartment."

There's a beat, a brief silence, before Amanda finally speaks again.

"The burn victim?"

"You coming? Unless you're busy… working out or something."

"No-" The other woman responds, rushing the word out. "No, I'm coming."

Two minutes later, she has to bite back a grin when Amanda enters her car.

It's not that she expected the blonde to come out all dolled up, but neither did she expect this; A bright blue fleece sweater, combined with gray sweatpants, and a messy bun to complete the outfit, making her look more like a hungover college student than a trained detective.

"What?" Amanda asks before reaching for the seatbelt, clearly noticing the way Olivia is currently staring.

"Nothing." She shrugs, giving up on the battle to hold back a smile.

And she can tell herself that she's smiling like this because of Amanda's disheveled appearance, because she has never seen her in anything that isn't work clothes or court attire. But, if she digs a little deeper and allows herself a moment of weakness, she is forced to admit that she's also smiling because-

Well, because Amanda Rollins is really fucking cute.

"Are we doing this or not?" Amanda says then, gesturing towards the dark street in front of them, reminding Olivia that she's not here to think about cute blondes.

"We're doing this." She nods, adding a formal tone to her voice. And mentally cursing David Haden as she turns the key.