Chapter 2: Don't Want to Give My Heart Away

Summary: The adventure begins.

"You cannot be serious, Fin!" Olivia brought a hand to her forehead not believing what she was hearing.

"As serious as a heart attack." Fin's voice was steady as he stared at his Captain. They were sitting in her living room when he broke the news about an intervention and the trip to California. "You're miserable, baby girl. It's clear to anyone who truly knows ya, Liv. I don't like seeing ya like that."

She wanted to argue, to continue with the brave face and stiff spine, but what was the point? Fin was her oldest friend and he saw right through her. Leaning forward, she placed her elbows on her knees, chin resting on her fists. "Who is paying for all of this?"

"A luxury yurt retreat? Who do you think?"

"Rita. Of course." Olivia sighed. Rita was the only one with the balls to put something like this into action. "Suppose I agree to this… interference… into my life, what am I to do with Noah? I can't take him, obviously, and I can't just leave him on his own. What about work?"

Fin shifted, matching her pose in his seat. "We have it all figured out. 'Manda already spoke to Lucy and between all of us, Noah will be in good hands for a week. I've cleared your time off with the Chief. Ya have no excuses left."

Silence reigned in the apartment for several long minutes as Fin watched Olivia consider her options. When she looked up, resolute in her decision to decline the intervention, Fin stood.

"I know what ya thinkin', Liv. You don't have a choice here. This is happenin'." He pulled a pair of cuffs from his back pocket and Olivia stared at the metal in hands with wide eyes.

"You wouldn't dare." She rose to her feet, glaring at her Sergeant.

"Don't test me, Liv. I don't wanna do this the hard way, but you are going on this retreat." Fin refused to back down and Olivia gave in. Her friends were assholes. Caring assholes, but assholes, nonetheless.

Olivia marched off to her bedroom with an aggravated huff. She packed diligently for the week away. She hadn't taken a vacation in far too long and, despite the reasons for this particular trip being thrust upon her, it would be time away from work that she desperately needed.

She hated to admit it, but Fin had a point when he said she was miserable. Everything was falling apart around her, and nothing was going the way she wanted or thought it would. She wasn't sure how to fix it, any of it.

A half hour later, Olivia emerged from her bedroom with a suitcase and a small carry-on bag. She didn't bother checking the weather and just packed a variety of things, meaning she over-packed and her luggage weighed a ton but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Ready?" Fin asked standing from his seat. At her nod, he took the suitcase from her and led the way down to his car. He shot a quick group text to the others letting them know they were on their way to the airport. He hoped they were doing the right thing and this all worked out. Otherwise, he and Rollins would likely be fired by next week.

Once the intervention was in motion, Rita went to great pains to make sure that those two boneheads did not cross paths until they were at the retreat. She didn't want to risk any blowups before they were in a remote location with no other options than to deal with their shit.

So it was that Olivia and Rafael were at the airport at the same time, headed to the same destination, but were nowhere near each other. Rita booked them on separate airlines and their flights took off from separate terminals. She also booked them in two different car services upon their arrival at San Jose Mineta airport and insisted that the pick-up locations were at opposite ends of the airport. She kept her fingers crossed that everything went according to plan.

On the drive from the airport to the retreat, Rafael found the landscape and fresh air calming his nerves. He was anxious about seeing Olivia and how this was all going to turn out, but he also looked forward to just getting it over with.

As the car pulled up to the Treebones Resort, Rafael glanced at his phone and groaned internally. There was absolutely no service. He really would be forced to face his problems and appreciate nature.

The driver pulled up in front of the lodge and he checked-in while the driver unloaded his bags.

"Welcome to Treebones Resort!" a young woman greeted him when he approached the front desk. Rafael gave his name, and the young woman immediately found his reservation and pulled out a map to show him where his yurt and all the amenities were.

"You'll be staying in Yurt 16, up on the hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. You'll be a little out of the way on that side of the resort, as was requested in the reservation." Rafael quirked an eyebrow but remained silent. "Showers and restrooms are here in the lodge, along with the restaurant, pool, and spa. There is a massage studio here and restrooms closer to your yurt here."

The young woman handed Rafael the map when she finished pointing everything out.

"Feel free to walk around and get the lay of the land. I'll have a staff member bring your bags to your yurt." She smiled brightly. "The wine tasting event begins tomorrow evening here at the lodge."

"Thank you," Rafael murmured. He turned, leaving the lodge to stroll along the walking paths around the resort. The yurts were interesting looking structures, much better than tents in his opinion. He took in the view of the Pacific Ocean beyond the cliffside to the west and the mountains to the east. He had never been to this part of California before, and it really was breathtaking in its natural beauty.

Rafael explored for fifteen minutes before heading up to the yurt on the northern side of the resort. A redwood deck occupied the front half of the yurt with two Adirondack chairs placed perfectly for taking in the view of the ocean. His eyes widened when he stepped through the door onto teak flooring. Natural light filtered through a skylight in the center of the ceiling and the canvas walls were supported by wooden lattices. Two king-sized beds were separated by a mock wall on one side of the yurt and a small seating table and couch occupied the other side. He was pleased to see a bookshelf near the couch full of various things to read. He would need something to occupy his time since there was no cell service or TV as the resort clearly discouraged unnecessary electricity usage.

Choosing the bed on the left, Rafael stashed his luggage on a rack by the bed and slipped off his shoes. He was debating whether he needed a sweater when someone entered the yurt.

"You have got to be kidding me."

Rafael spun around, knowing that voice. They stared at each other for longer than either would care to admit before he found his voice. She looked beautiful despite her clear exhaustion. "Liv? What are you doing in here?"

"They told me this was my yurt. They never mentioned a roommate." She knew their friends wanted them to work out their differences during this trip, but this was not quite the way she imagined it. Rita certainly had a wicked sense of humor. She was probably laughing her ass off at the thought of the two of them being forced to share a room. At least there were two beds!

"I, uh, could run down to the lodge to see if there was a mix up." He was already slipping on his shoes.

"Don't bother. The young woman who checked me in already said they were fully booked up." She set her belongings on the bed to the right with a sigh. "I imagine Rita set it up this way intentionally."

"Yeah, you're probably right." He wasn't sure what to do with himself. The mock wall blocked his view of Olivia as she tinkered near the other bed, and he longed to drink in the sight of her. He settled on unpacking a few things and hanging them up on the hooks in the latticework so the items wouldn't wrinkle further.

After a little while, Rafael couldn't take the silence anymore. "Liv? I'd like to –" Olivia cut him off before he even knew how he was going to finish the sentence.

"Listen, Rafa. I know what everyone is trying to make us do and I get it, but I'm just not in the mood to start talking right this minute."

"Understood." Stalking toward the bookcase, he blindly pulled a book from a shelf and stalked out of the yurt, not noticing Olivia's eyes trailing him regretfully as he went. He walked down to the lodge, picking up a snack and something to drink, before making his way to a bench near the cliff overlooking the ocean.

It wasn't like he expected things to magically improve the moment they saw each other; he was smarter than that. But he had hoped to at least… shit, he didn't even know what he hoped. He just wanted things to return to the way they used to be before everything went to hell.

Sitting there until his stomach growled, Rafael wandered back to the lodge for some dinner. He sat alone at a corner table, facing the wall while he ate. The lodge served alcohol and he enjoyed two glasses of scotch with dinner before he made his way back to the yurt.

There was a dim nightlight on his side of the mock wall, and he used it to find and change into his sleep pants before stripping off his shirt and brushing his teeth at the small sink. It was dark and quiet on Olivia's side and he neither knew nor cared if she was there. It had been a long day, and he was ready to crash.

TBC