Hey guys!

Once again, I have to say thank you all for being so kind and supportive with this fic. I was never expecting such positive feedback, but it's definitely helping to keep me motivated with this story. Thank you guys, seriously.

Here is chapter eight. Please, enjoy! xo

Someone New - Eight

Olivia powered through the rest of the day while keeping her game face on. Though the voicemail played on a loop in her mind, she wasn't about to let her son or Jalen see how disturbed she was.

By six, she had tidied up the apartment - with Noah's help of course - and Noah had dragged his PS5 out to the living room so he and Jalen could play. While he was hooking things up, there was a knock at the door. Olivia immediately went through the foyer to the door, and checked the peephole. When she saw that tall figure in sweatpants and an NYPD zipped hoodie, she immediately tugged open the door.

Jalen immediately gave her a smile as he held the two huge boxes of pizza in his hands; "Hey you."

"Hey yourself." Olivia grinned. She stepped aside so that he could come in, then immediately locked up. She gave him a quick side hug before leading him through to the living room while speaking; "How much do I owe you? Because no way I'm letting it slide that you got these two big ass pizzas on your own."

Jalen chuckled a little; "Okay but did I ask you to pay me back?" He gave her a teasing look, to which she rolled her eyes while taking the pizzas out of his hand. She made her way to the kitchen, and Jalen softly bit his lip as he unashamedly watched the way her ass moved in those yoga pants.

He quickly shook off the thoughts as he continued into the living room, where he found Noah crouched in the floor as he hooked up the last of the wires for the PS5 to be connected to the TV. The two of them shared a friendly greeting and their handshake they'd made up, and the two of them began catching up on things since Jalen hadn't been able to hang out with them in over a week now due to work and all that. By the time Olivia returned to the living room with a beer for Jalen, she found the two of them engaged in a very serious discussion about Fallout 4 which they both happened to be playing at the moment. Olivia rolled her eyes and smirked; she truly loved the bond that they had developed.

The three of them settled in as Noah started playing Fallout 4 again while he and Jalen discussed strategies for the game. It wasn't exactly lost on Jalen, however, that Olivia was a little quieter than normal. She typically would talk with him and Noah while they were on the game together, but she really wasn't talking much at all tonight. In fact, Jalen had noticed her staring off into space a lot which he could've attributed to being tired, but for some reason, he didn't think it was just exhaustion. It wasn't as if she didn't really want him here as she was the one who invited him over

Something was bothering her, and he was determined to find out what.

It was about half an hour or so later when Noah announced that he was starting to get hungry, and Jalen noticed then that that seemed to snap Olivia out of whatever thoughts she was having. She put on a smile and told him to go about picking out a movie, to which Jalen jokingly smirked as he chimed in; "Make sure it's a superhero movie." He and Noah shared a fist bump while Olivia gave a look that feigned shock, before laughing to herself as she made her way to the kitchen. Jalen told Noah that he was going to help Olivia, before he too disappeared to the kitchen with her.

Olivia had felt a presence behind her, leading her to glance over her shoulder, only to see the tall figure of Jalen entering her kitchen. She gave him a smile as her eyes locked onto his; "Jae, you're a guest; go sit down."

"Nah, I think I'll come help you anyway," he teased as he then leaned against the island, resting his elbows on the surface; "But first, I need you to tell me what's wrong."

That seemed to make Olivia pause for a second. She took a breath; she should have known that Jalen was going to pick up on her weird mood. She had tried to hide it and keep her game face on, but even she couldn't stop herself from zoning out as once again, that damn voicemail and just Elliot's overall concerning behavior was playing on her mind on a loop.

She tried to play it off as she got some glasses down; "What?"

Not one to just brush things off, Jalen came around the counter and stepped up to her, and Olivia swallowed as she felt a warm hand on her back as he stood to the side of her. She looked up at him, and all she saw was pure kindness and concern in his eyes. His voice was soft and laced with concern as he spoke again; "Liv, tell me what's wrong."

Olivia knew that there was no going back now, leading her to turn so that she could face him properly. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, and then she responded;

"Elliot called me again last night, and this time he left a voicemail…and it bothered me."

Confusion immediately was etched across Jalen's features, leading Olivia to launch into an explanation. She knew that he knew about Elliot calling her - they had talked briefly about that - so she explained how on last night just after the two of them had ended their little post work text chat, her phone rang just as she was about to sleep. She told him how when she realized it was Elliot, she sent the call to voicemail and just rolled over and went to sleep. She could see Jalen starting to tense up with each passing word, it being clear that he was going into protective mode. Still, he listened intently as she explained, his eyes not once leaving hers.

"He left a voicemail and honestly, it was…something." she whipped her phone from the pocket of her pants, and she let Jalen have a listen. She flinced slightly as the words played again, but Jalen's fists had clenched and the anger had crossed his features. He ended up cutting the voicemail off before it finished, and he put her phone down onto the counter;

"How fucking dare he thinks it's cool to talk to a woman like that, but especially you? Has he lost his fucking mind?"

Olivia let out a deep sigh; "He's never been like this towards me though, that's the thing. He's been unbearable I'll admit but to be like this? This is…alarming."

"It's alarming and a new level of fucking disrespectful," Jalen paused, squeezing the bridge of his nose before looking at Olivia again; "I swear to God I'll find him, and when I get my hands on him-"

"Don't do that; I don't want you to get into trouble."

"I don't give a damn-"

"But I do, and I know how the blue wall is especially with someone like him who knows way too many people, including some at One-P-P," Olivia shook her head; "I'm going to talk to his sergeant about it and keep it for evidence, but please don't stick your neck out for me. I really don't want you to get into trouble."

She absentmindedly found herself placing her hand on his chest as he spoke, something that kept her grounded but something that also calmed him down some more. He took another much needed deep breath, and he absentmindedly moved his hand to lightly grasp her bicep as he finally felt calm enough to speak again.

"Because you have asked me to, I will chill out…" he was rubbing his thumb against her arm, still gazing down at her with the protectiveness evident in his eyes; "But Olivia I swear, that fucking jackass better not think it's cool to pull this shit again or he will have me to deal with."

"He's a prick, that's for sure." she replied, her voice quiet as she briefly flicked her gaze to the ground. Jalen simply gazed at her for a moment before whispering; "Come here."

Olivia looked up, and it seemed that her body worked on autopilot as she immediately melted in his arms as he hugged her as tight as possible. Her arms slipped around his torso, and he wound his own strong arms around her. His hand brushed up and down her back a couple times as he whispered into her hair; "You know I got you, right?"

Olivia nodded her head, but then she decided to give a smart ass response. She pulled back some, though her arms remained loosely around him as she gave a cheeky smirk; "But I really can take care of myself, you know."

Jalen laughed a little as he unraveled his arms from around her. His response was playful, a cheeky glint in his eye as he responded; "And like I told you the other night - when I'm around, I got you."

The smile on Olivia's face couldn't have shone any brighter, in addition to the sparkle in her eye that seemed to become even more present when Jalen Shaw was around.

The two completely pulled apart just in time really as Noah came into the kitchen. "I finally found a movie; we're watching Spider Man: No Way Home!"

"Aw sweet, I love that movie!" Jalen punched the air before giving Noah a fist bump. The two of them then looked at Olivia, who was looking between them both while tilting her head as she tried not to laugh.

"I swear I can't figure out if it's a good thing that you two get along and love the same things." she giggled as she moved to get a slice of pizza for Noah. Noah and Jalen exchanged a glance before purposely giving Olivia matching cheesy smiles. The gesture made her laugh as she handed Noah his plate.

God how she loved these moments with the two guys that made her happiest, and God how she loved that they got along so damn well.

The three of them grabbed their pizza and something to drink, and immediately made their way into the living room. Of course as the evening continued, Olivia found more enjoyment in Jalen and Noah's enthusiasm towards the movie more than the actual movie, but she enjoyed spending time with them anyway. She had even taken a sneaky picture of the two of them sitting side by side with the same excited expressions on their faces as they watched, something that would no doubt be the home screen on her phone as she found it to be so sweet. Her lack of interest in the movie allowed space for her mind to wander, though this time it seemed to be no longer focused on the trauma of Elliot's nasty voicemail, but instead more so on Jalen, on the way he treated her and Noah as well. She knew that she and Jalen weren't a couple, but something was brewing and it was a good thing.

She just hoped she wasn't reading too much into things, but she would be the one to admit that she wanted something to happen between her and Jalen.

Time would tell.

Of course the evening was a huge success. They devoured pizza, the movie was great, and the three of them even watched some Anime show that Noah was into. He had wanted to show Jalen, and Jalen actually found himself intrigued by it. Olivia at some point during the episode found herself absentmindedly leaning closer to Jalen and putting her head on his shoulder, something that made Jalen smile as he glanced at her and absentmindedly placed his hand on her knee as they sat there together.

Of course, the days of working with little to no sleep were starting to catch up with the pair, which meant that by ten, they were both yawning every five seconds. Noah too seemed to be tired from the day and so had headed off to brush his teeth and all that, and both Jalen and Olivia sat up properly on the couch while yawning yet again.

"Man, we can't hang."

Olivia burst out laughing as she looked over at him; he leaned back again on the couch, though his head was turned to her as he gave her a cute sleepy smile.

"We really can't, but to be fair we did work for two days with no sleep," she shook her head, then continued quietly; "Thank you by the way, for coming to hang out with us tonight."

"I really just came to catch up with my buddy Noah, but you're alright I guess…" he joked, only to start laughing when she poked her tongue out at him. "Nah, it was great. Always good to hang out with pizza and a good movie or show, and not have to hang out with stale coffee and a perp."

"Tell me about it." Olivia mumbled before looking up as Noah came back; "Brushed and flossed?"

"Yes Mom." Noah gave her a high five before looking over at Jalen; "Jalen, do you want to play Dead Island 2 tomorrow? We can have a game party on PS-five."

"Aw dude I'll be visiting my mom tomorrow, but you got it as soon as I come back. I'll be back on Sunday, and I'll send your Mom a text to let her know so we can play." Jalen replied as he stood up. Noah nodded his head, only to suddenly give Jalen a quick hug, which surprised both Jalen and Olivia. Jalen reciprocated the hug as he quietly spoke; "I had fun bud, thanks for being my game buddy."

Noah grinned as he pulled away; "Thanks for being my game buddy too." The pair then did their handshake before Noah went over to begin the process of disconnecting his PS5 to take back into his room. Meanwhile, Jalen and Olivia exchanged a glance as they made their way to the door as Jalen was heading out.

"It takes a lot for Noah to warm up to people, so seeing the bond that you two have built so far is really melting my heart." Olivia quietly spoke as she looked up at him.

"He's a great kid, Liv; I love coming over to hang out with you guys, I really do…" He paused for a second as he gently took her hand, his eyes never leaving hers as he quietly asked; "You okay now, like seriously?"

Olivia nodded her head, though her heart skipped at the beat at the kind and caring look that was present in Jalen's eyes; "I'm okay now; promise I'd tell you if I wasn't."

Jalen gave her a raised eyebrow as if to say 'Would you really?', and Olivia softly bit her lip before the two of them started laughing. She was still giggling as she responded; "Okay maybe not, but I swear to you, I'm okay now. I feel better, so I appreciate you."

"Alright then, whatever you say Captain," he then gave her that cute smirk, and the cheeky glint was present in his eye again as he spoke softly; "Can I get a goodnight hug?"

Olivia blushed adorably as she gazed at him for a few moments before she softly replied; "You never have to ask."

Jalen chuckled as he pulled her in for a tight hug, and she immediately wrapped her arms around him. She took a breath as she allowed the scent of his cologne to make her feel a little more grounded, and once again she found herself feeling as though she could easily melt in his arms. She was safe here. Nothing could hurt her.

Those feelings were growing stronger, and she couldn't stop them if she tried.

They pulled apart after a few moments, simply staring at each other with those adorable smiles. Jalen then reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair back before speaking softly; "Goodnight Olivia."

The way he dragged out her name made her want to collapse in a puddle. She found herself briefly - and unexpectedly - glancing between his lips and eyes, but she immediately composed herself as she replied in a soft voice; "Goodnight Jae."

Jalen squeezed her arm, and after hollering a quick goodnight to Noah - who hollered a 'Goodnight Jae!' in response - he was headed off. Olivia watched to make sure he got to the elevator, and after another quick wave, she had closed the door and locked up for the night.

She made her way back to the living room, where she found Noah curled up on the couch with his phone in his hand, no doubt watching Minecraft build videos as he always seemed to be doing that. It was getting late and close to the time they would wind down, so she immediately spoke; "Come on mister, off the phone and to bed you go."

Noah gave a nod as he started yawning, a clear indication that he too was pretty tired. They made their way to Noah's room; he immediately put his phone on the charging base on his nightstand and began climbing into bed while Olivia put on his galaxy projector light and rain sounds that he loved so much. She had her back to Noah, so she didn't see the cheeky smirk on his face; she only heard his voice as he spoke;

"Mom, Jalen's really nice."

She didn't know what he was getting at, but she nodded her head as she made her way over to him to pull the covers over him (because there were those moments where he still let her tuck him in). "Yeah, he's a really nice guy."

Noah tilted his head, that cheeky look still on his face as he continued with his remarks; "He seems to make you smile."

Olivia looked up properly this time, only to see the smirk and the cheeky glint in her son's eye. She knew what he was playing at now, he was trying to bait her into admitting something that she herself was still wrapping her head around, an acknowledgment of her own feelings that she had to allow herself to accept before she admitted it. Still, she felt her cheeks starting to heat up, so she had to fight back the urge to start blushing as she simply responded with; "Go to sleep, Noah."

Noah started laughing as he snuggled under the blankets. "You didn't deny it."

Olivia let out a little laugh before placing a kiss onto his forehead. "Goodnight Noah, I love you."

"Still not denying it."

"Goodnight Noah!"

Noah was still laughing his head off as he responded with a simple "Goodnight Mom!" Olivia shook her head, still smiling to herself as she flicked off the main light and closed the door behind her. Noah was very observant and was obviously picking up on things, and that kind of scared her too. However, she was trying not to be so fearful and instead wanted to allow herself to fall freely into whatever this thing was, no matter what it was.

She pulled herself from her thoughts and instead busied herself with the nightly tasks; quickly loading the dishwasher, putting away the leftover pizza, making sure everything was locked, before she lastly flicked off all the lights. She then made her way to her room and went about her normal nighttime routine of skincare and vitamins, and before long she was falling into bed as despite the nap earlier today, she was still so tired.

She was just about to put her phone on the charging base when it buzzed to life, and she smiled straight away at the text from Jalen;

'Jalen S: 10:58pm - I'm home, took my vitamins, and now I'm falling back into bed. I'm tired.'

Olivia smirked, her fingers dancing across the screen as she replied; '10:59pm - What? No late night phone call?'

Of course it seemed that within a second or less, her phone began buzzing her hand, signaling a call from Jalen himself. She immediately slid her finger across the screen and put the device up to her ear; "I was kidding!"

"You think I'm going to miss out on a chance to hear your voice before I go to sleep?" Jalen chuckled away on the other end; "I like a late night phone call with you."

The smile on Olivia's face was present straight away, and remained present as yet another late night conversation with Jalen Shaw began.

Well, another chapter completed. Please feel free to leave your reviews/remarks. The next chapter will be more Jalen-centered and give him a little bit of backstory/background, so I hope everyone will enjoy it. Thank you guys for being patient with this slow burn. It'll be worth the wait, trust me :)

Until next time xo