Chapter Text
Olivia leans against the door of the bathroom, her body taut with apprehension and her head resting against the grain of wood, knocking repeatedly with one hand while the fingers of the other rattle the locked handle impatiently back and forth. Her heart is fluttering wildly in her chest and her hand is damp with perspiration as she continues rapping loudly on the door and calling her colleague's name over and over again, frowning deeply when she doesn't receive an answer.
"Amanda, please come out of there!" Olivia tries to keep the alarm from her voice as she presses an ear to the door, listening for the sound of running water to indicate the shower being turned on, or for any kind of reply or movement whatsoever from the younger woman.
"Leave me alone, Liv," a muffled voice finally responds, followed by a soft whimper of pain, and Olivia releases a ragged sigh, the guilt and regret she now feels threatening to swallow her whole.
She had seen it coming when they were talking on the couch in the living room a few minutes earlier, and should have shut the conversation down immediately; that gleam of panic in Amanda's emotional and pain-filled gaze, the blonde detective inching further and further away from her on the couch until she had sprung to her feet in a surprisingly energetic manner and taken off for the bathroom before Olivia had been able to stop her. She is beginning to despise this room that Amanda has locked herself into, as every event that has occurred inside its walls since Olivia had arrived for her short stay has been extremely distressing for both herself and the woman currently hiding on the other side of the door.
"Amanda, we don't have to talk about it, honey," Olivia says soothingly, her eyes drifting closed as she continues to rest her head against the door in an exhausted manner, scratching her fingernails lightly across the wood. "If you can't bring yourself to say the words, you don't have to. We can talk about it later on or not at all; it's totally up to you. I thought it would make you feel better to get everything out into the open but obviously I was wrong, and I don't want to pressure you at all. I'm sorry."
She pauses for a long moment, waiting for any kind of response but there is only more silence. "Will you please come out of there?" Olivia asks again, a pleading note in her tone now, as she is not at all comfortable with leaving Amanda alone for any length of time while she is so injured and emotional.
"No," a small voice replies and Olivia heaves an additional deep sigh.
The quiet stretches out for another agonizing moment and Olivia's brain is racing with several different scenarios now, wondering how she will proceed with the situation if Amanda decides to stay in there and completely ignore her; contemplating either returning to the couch and letting her colleague come out when she's had some time to herself, or taking the opposite course of action and breaking the door down. Olivia realizes that this option is extremely drastic and dramatic and bordering on completely ridiculous, but she is very worried for Amanda's physical and mental health and would feel much better if she could keep her eyes on the younger woman, even if they don't say another word to each other for the rest of the day.
"Will you at least open the door, then?" she implores softly, silently begging the small detective to exit the bathroom so that it will ease the growing anxiety she has for Amanda's safety. They have been in this position far too many times over the past couple of days, with the other woman repeatedly putting herself into potentially dangerous situations, and Olivia wishes she could find another way to deal with her issues; something that doesn't involve fleeing the immediate area when a certain discussion becomes too overwhelming for her to handle, or attempting to take a shower to feel clean when she can barely stand up by herself for longer than a few minutes at a time.
The relief that floods through Olivia's system is instantaneous and immense when she hears a slow shuffling across the bathroom tiles and feels a sharp click of the lock that her hand is still resting upon. The door doesn't open, though, and from what she can tell, Amanda seems to be backing away from it again so Olivia makes sure to ask permission before carefully opening the door once the blonde woman has granted it.
She feels a sharp ache inside her chest when the slim, forlorn figure is revealed to her, Amanda sitting on the floor with her back resting against the tub, legs splayed out in front of her and hands lying limply in her lap. Tousled golden hair lies in disarray around her shoulders and the polka-dotted pajamas she is wearing are rumpled and creased, white bandages from the wounds on her chest peeking out from the top of the flannel material. The younger woman's features are tightly pinched like she is in severe physical or emotional pain, a deep frowning marring Amanda's pretty face and furrowing her brow, and Olivia suspects that it's a combination of both.
"Hey there, honey," she says gently, kneeling down on the floor in front of Amanda but making sure to keep her distance so her colleague doesn't feel crowded or threatened. "How're you doing?"
Amanda shrugs in return, her wide blue eyes cloudy with pain and fatigue, and Olivia slides slightly closer to her on the cold tiles.
"Do you want to go back out to the living room so we can sit on the couch?" she suggests softly, tilting her head to the side as she watches Amanda's expression attentively, trying to get an exact read on how the other woman is feeling. "This bathroom floor doesn't feel too comfortable for me, so I can only imagine how it must feel for you. Or I can tuck you back into bed, if you think you might want to have a little rest."
Amanda shrugs again but shifts on the floor like she is making a move to stand up, so Olivia immediately springs to her feet to be of some assistance when she hears the familiar little grunts of pain, asking permission to touch her first before wrapping her arms around the smaller woman and practically lifting her into a standing position, Amanda trembling vigorously against her.
Olivia slowly unwinds her arms from around the shuddering body and turns to leave the room after making sure Amanda is steady on her feet, assuming they are either going straight to her bed or back out to the couch, when the other woman surprises her by climbing shakily over the side of the bathtub and sitting down on the hard porcelain surface, tucking her knees up to her chest and wincing briefly with the movements.
"Honey, what are you doing in there?" Olivia questions softly as she crouches down on the floor in front of the tub, knowing any drugs that Amanda had previously taken are more than likely out of her system by this point, so her heartbreaking and somewhat bizarre behavior cannot be blamed on the medication but presumably on the conversation they had been having in the living room before she had made her escape.
Amanda doesn't answer, seemingly either at a loss for words or just choosing not to speak, so Olivia decides to take a chance and reaches out to rest a gentle hand on her kneecap, squeezing lightly and feeling the trembling of Amanda's leg beneath her soft touch.
"Do you still feel like you need to take a shower?" she asks quietly and watches Amanda nod slowly, her face crumpling slightly at the question.
"I'm sorry, honey," Olivia says sympathetically, her words heartfelt as she gives the detective's knee another tender squeeze. "I'm sorry you can't take one right now. Do you want me to help you wash off again, like I did yesterday? I know it's not the same as being able to take a shower, but would it at least help you to feel a little bit cleaner?"
"I can't..." Amanda begins to respond before trailing off and Olivia squeezes her knee for a third time to encourage the younger woman to finish her sentence, relieved that Amanda has finally decided to start talking to her. "I can't...take my clothes off right now, Liv. I can't...be naked in front of anyone right now. Not with him in my head."
"Okay," Olivia whispers, her throat growing tight with this halting admission as Amanda's head bows forward so her chin dips down to her chest, tangled tresses forming a matted golden curtain that partially obscure her facial features. "I understand, honey."
They sit there in silence for a moment and Olivia reaches out with a tentative hand, gently parting the waterfall of long hair to try and get a look at Amanda's expression. "What do you want to do? Do you want to stay here for a few minutes?"
Amanda nods slowly, still keeping her gaze firmly averted, and Olivia rubs a hand softly over the top of her head, smoothing a tender palm along the mussed blonde strands. "Does it help to sit in there; to be close to the shower, even if you can't take one? Does it make you feel better?"
When Amanda nods again, this time looking up at her with big blue eyes full of discomfort and shame, Olivia gives her a nod in return and graces her with a slight smile of understanding. "Then that's what we'll do. We can stay in here for as long as you need to."
Amanda's lips lift somewhat at the corner in what might be a gesture of acknowledgment and Olivia watches her reach up to grasp onto the hand that is still stroking over her head, holding onto it with a tight grip and lacing their fingers together before bringing their joined hands down to rest beneath her chin and laying her cheek upon them.
Olivia's heart melts at this sweet gesture and she leans over to run her other hand over Amanda's shoulder to get her attention when she glances away again. "Is it okay if I sit in there with you, honey?" she asks with a certain amount of hesitancy. "Do you want some company?"
"Sure, Liv," Amanda murmurs in response, giving a slight tug on their entwined fingers as if to pull Olivia toward her and she smiles gently, disentangling their hands long enough to climb over the side of the bathtub and sit down on the cold, hard surface beside her colleague.
They huddle together fully dressed in the tub, shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip, hands wrapped around one another again, Amanda's head coming to rest on Olivia's shoulder and Olivia leaning her own head against Amanda's in return.
She loses track of the time and has no idea how long they sit there without speaking, just taking comfort in each other's presence, Olivia silently lending her strength and support to Amanda, and her intense worry with the situation finally winding down so that she can start to relax a little and feel more at ease. Her entire body is cramped and stiff all folded up in the tub like an accordion, her limbs intertwined with Amanda's, but Olivia refuses to voice an objection or a complaint with their current position, not caring how strange these circumstances are and only concerned that Amanda feels safe and protected from whatever is tormenting her inside her mind.
"Liv?" Amanda finally whispers after the quiet has stretched out between them for a seemingly endless amount of time.
"Yeah, honey?" Olivia replies softly, squeezing the small, cold hand that is enveloped within her own.
"I'm sorry I ran away from you earlier," Amanda murmurs in such a low tone of voice that Olivia has to strain to hear her. "I know you want me to talk about what happened with Richard."
"You don't have to apologize," Olivia assures the detective gently. "And it's your decision whether or not to talk about it."
"I do want to talk about it," Amanda says with a quiet insistence. "I just don't want..."
"You don't want me to think differently of you," Olivia finishes for her when the other woman can't seem to complete her sentence, and she feels Amanda nod in affirmation against her shoulder.
"I really like this, Liv," her colleague admits faintly, gesturing between them with a slightly shaky hand. "I like that we're friends now and I don't want things to change."
"Honey, they're not going to change," Olivia responds somewhat vehemently, her heart aching at the younger woman's vulnerable admission. "Whatever it is that you want to say, I promise we will still be friends and I will not think any differently of you."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Amanda mutters under her breath, repeating what she had said while under the influence of the pain medication.
"Hey," Olivia says gently, lifting her head up and then reaching down to place a finger beneath the detective's chin to tilt her face upwards so they are looking one another in the eye now. "Remember when I told you that I never break a promise?"
Amanda nods reluctantly and she continues speaking. "There is nothing you can say that will make me think any differently of you. I'm not going to look down on you for something that you did to save your sister."
"Even if I initiated it?" Amanda whispers in shame, her blue eyes wide and unblinking as she stares intensely back at Olivia now, her small body beginning to shudder again.
"Initiated what, honey?" Olivia asks softly as she tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, steeling herself because she knows what Amanda is going to say and even though the detective hasn't spoken the actual words yet, it still hurts beyond measure.
Her colleague's chin is trembling now and there are tears brimming in her eyes, Olivia lightly stroking the back of her knuckles across a prominent pale cheekbone. "It's okay, Amanda," she encourages her quietly. "It's okay to tell me. I'll still be here holding onto you when you're done and everything will be exactly the same as it is now. We'll still be friends and I won't think any differently of you."
"I'm so ashamed of myself," Amanda chokes out, removing her hand from Olivia's grasp to cover her face, and she pulls the other woman into her comforting embrace, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head and rocking her back and forth soothingly.
"You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, honey," she assures the small detective fiercely. "You didn't do anything wrong. Richard was the bad guy, not you."
"But I came onto him, Liv," Amanda sniffs in response, her voice catching in her throat as she pulls away slightly to look Olivia dead in the eye again. "It was my idea. I made a deal with him."
"What kind of deal?" she asks softly, taking Amanda's hands into her own again as they sit there cross-legged in the tub, their knees pressed against each other, face to face and eye to eye, and the raw anguish in the younger woman's expression is almost too much for her to bear.
"He was escalating in his behavior," Amanda explains in a hushed tone, tears pooling at the edges of her big blue eyes again but not falling. "He was getting much more aggressive, but in a different kind of way than smacking us around or screaming at us. It was moving beyond just hiding in our bedroom and bathroom closets and spying on us while we took showers or to make sure we didn't sneak out of the house at night. I could see exactly where it was going, even if Kim couldn't. She was so much more naive than I was and he knew it."
The younger woman takes a deep breath before continuing, Olivia rubbing her hands soothingly up and down her arms as she talks, trying to ground Amanda with her touch so she doesn't become too lost in the horrific memories she is describing. "Richard was much more interested in Kim for just that reason, and I knew it was only a matter of time before he hurt her in a new and sickening way, so I was determined to put a stop to it before it could happen. I had been trying my hardest to protect my sister from the worst of his abuse without telling anyone because he was always threatening to kill us if we did, and I was mostly successful with protecting her, so there was no way I was going to let him do what he wanted to do to her."
Amanda's chin suddenly droops down like she is too weary to go on, her head bowing forward to rest lightly against Olivia's chest, and she stokes a gentle hand through the unruly blonde tresses, whispering words of comfort to the younger woman and asking if she needs to stop. Amanda shakes her head to indicate that she wants to keep going but she buries her face in the crook of Olivia's neck as she continues speaking, seemingly too ashamed or too exhausted to maintain eye contact.
"Saving my sister seems to have become the running theme in my life. But this was worse than what happened with Patton," Amanda confirms softly, her voice muffled against the shirt that Olivia had dressed in the day before, not having the chance to change into some pajamas to sleep in, and yesterday's jeans pulling uncomfortably against her stomach in this tight, contorted position in the tub. "It was Patton's idea to...do what we did and I accepted before ultimately changing my mind. But this time I was the one who was offering and Richard accepted. It was the only thing I could think of to keep him away from Kim. I promised to let him do anything he wanted to me if he didn't touch her in that way. She was underage, a minor, and I was about to graduate from high school. I was the more appropriate choice."
Amanda chokes on the word 'appropriate' and Olivia pulls her as close to her own body as she possibly can, her heart aching with the detective's confessions of her youth and wishing she could somehow take away her pain, but coming to the conclusion that what she is doing now; bearing witness to what Amanda had gone through all those years ago, is the best way she can be of help.
"At first he was angry that I was trying to make a deal with him, that I wanted to make a trade for my sister's safety," Amanda whispers as ragged puffs of air warm the skin of Olivia's neck. "He liked to be in control and call the shots but I said I would make it worth his while. I let him do whatever he wanted and didn't complain because I knew it would keep him happy and he wouldn't go after Kim." Olivia feels the other woman shrug against her and she smooths a hand down the back of Amanda's wrinkled pajama shirt. "We established a sick sort of routine and it worked...for a little while, anyway."
"Why did it stop working?" Olivia asks quietly, closing her eyes tightly as if this action will protect her from Amanda's response, her stomach tied up in knots and a sharp pain residing inside her chest as she listens to the small detective spill her deepest and darkest secrets, unsure of whether or not she wants to hear the answer.
"Because I said no to him," Amanda murmurs after a brief hesitation, and again her words are barely audible when she speaks. "Just like with Patton, I changed my mind and took away my consent. It was the first time I had ever said no in that particular circumstance." There is a slight pause followed by a deeply inhaled breath. "But just like with Patton, Richard wouldn't take no for an answer."
"I'm so sorry, honey," Olivia whispers against the bent blonde head, her throat tightly constricted as she rubs her hand more vigorously up and down the younger woman's back and feels the intense shuddering of the slender body beneath her palm. "What made you decide to say no?"
There is another pause and this one stretches out for so long that Olivia thinks Amanda isn't going to respond, and she opens her mouth to apologize for asking and to assure her colleague that she doesn't have to keep talking, when Amanda suddenly begins speaking again.
"I was so angry with him," she replies quietly, leaning away from Olivia to fix her with anguished eyes that are swimming with a pain so deep it takes Olivia's breath away. "My mom had taken Kim out for the evening to shop for some new summer clothes and I was trying to study for my final exams. Richard wouldn't leave me alone, ranting and raving about what a terrible man my father was and telling me that I was going to grow up to be a good-for-nothing gambler just like him. He would go on these long tirades about my dad, spewing all this hate for him and saying how he had stepped up and taken care of our family when my father couldn't. How he was a real man and my dad had just run away like a coward. How he could satisfy my mom when my father couldn't and that's why she had cheated on him."
Amanda shakes her head in disgust, a sneer twisting her lips. "I just hit my breaking point with Richard that night, Liv. I couldn't stand listening to that monster going on and on about what an awful man my father was after everything he had done and was still doing to Kim and I, like Richard was some kind of saint who had swooped in to save us after my asshole of a father had run out on us." The younger woman snorts in contempt and Olivia is glad to see a small spark of Amanda's usual attitude and personality peeking out from all of that agony and sorrow, both astonished and understanding of her intense loyalty to a family who in no way deserved it, each member either abandoning or ignoring or using her in their own twisted way.
"He started getting very aggressive with me, pulling on my clothes and dragging me towards the bed when I was trying to study, telling me that I had made a deal with him and I couldn't back out now; that he could fuck me whenever he felt like it." Amanda presses herself so close to Olivia that the smaller woman is practically in her lap now, seeming to need as much physical comfort as possible while she confesses the worst of what happened with Richard, and Olivia clutches onto her as tightly as she can without hurting her in the process, wanting to give Amanda everything she needs.
"It was almost summer and it was really hot out, so all the window were open and everyone could hear us. What happened between us was loud and violent, so different from how it usually was because this time I fought back and he couldn't keep himself under the usual control that he was so good at maintaining. I had just had enough." Amanda is breathing more rapidly now and Olivia rocks her soothingly again, pressing another soft kiss to the top of her head.
"I couldn't get away from him, no matter how much I struggled. He was so much bigger and stronger than I was and he overpowered me. I couldn't keep quiet this time; I couldn't stop screaming while he raped me. It hurt so much and I just wanted him to leave me alone. There were so many people outside because of the hot weather and a couple of our next door neighbors heard what was going on." Amanda shifts in her embrace so she is looking up at Olivia now, her lips quirking in a humorless smile. "They did what my mother had never done. They called the police and ran into our house to pull Richard off of me. He was caught in the act. There were witnesses and my physical exam and rape kit at the hospital to prove it, so it was pretty hard for him to smooth-talk his way out of it this time."
"I'm so glad he was caught, honey," Olivia says softly, and the emotions that have been rising steadily to the surface as Amanda has shared her story come spilling out in the form of tears that leave wet pathways to trail over her cheeks and drip off her chin to land in Amanda's hair. The tears only come harder when the small detective reaches up to wipe them away for her with a gentle hand, the tender empathy in the face of her own pain forcing Olivia to stifle a sudden devastated sob on her behalf, angrily chastising herself because she is the one who is supposed to be comforting Amanda right now, not the other way around.
"So what happened afterwards?" Olivia asks quietly and realizes she has become so wrapped up in their conversation that she has forgotten they are having this serious discussion while still sitting fully dressed in the bathtub, her aching body reminding her of their current position when she shifts slightly on the rock hard porcelain.
"I left as soon as I could," Amanda replies flatly. "Once the trial was over and Richard had been put away and I knew my sister was safe, I got the hell out of there and didn't look back. Education was my escape and I wanted to make something of myself; I wanted to help people who had been through what I had." There is a slight pause. "And I couldn't stand to be around my mother anymore. She never even acknowledged that she had known what was happening and let it continue without trying to put a stop to it; she has never once admitted it and has never apologized to me. Even to this day, she still claims that she had no idea what was taking place right under her nose."
"I'm so sorry, Amanda," Olivia whispers again, her heart aching when she thinks of the small blonde teenager all alone and trying to navigate her way through the aftermath of so much trauma without the help and guidance and love of a mother who never should have let it happen in the first place. "You mentioned that Richard passed away a long time ago," she hedges somewhat nervously. "What happened to him?"
"The asshole had a heart attack in prison," Amanda mutters as she rolls her eyes derisively. "Apparently the stress of being incarcerated was too much for him to handle. He was much more of a delicate little flower than he made himself out to be and couldn't handle it when the tables were turned; when he wasn't keeping Kim and I prisoners in own home anymore and was instead a prisoner himself." The younger woman gives a snort of disgust. "I mean, obviously the heart attack was something beyond his control and wasn't planned, but I couldn't help thinking that he had taken the easy way out and wasn't punished for his sins. He was only in there for a few months before he died."
"Well, I'm glad he's dead," Olivia spits out vehemently and surprising them both with the sheer amount of venom in her tone, this time not even bothering to hide what she is truly feeling, just as she had after their suspect had succumbed to his injuries in the hospital the day before; relieved that the man who had put her colleague-turned-friend through so much torment is no longer among the land of the living. "I'm glad he can't hurt you anymore and that he didn't have a chance to get out and hurt anyone else."
"I'm glad about that part too, Liv," Amanda replies in a hushed tone and Olivia watches her glance away, seemingly unable to maintain eye contact any longer.
"What?" she says softly, stroking a hand over the other woman's cheekbone. "What is it?"
Amanda looks at her again, the detective's gaze burning with a mixture of pain and shame. "For all of his faults and all of the things he did wrong, Richard was right about one thing." Olivia watches her swallow hard and squeezes Amanda's shoulder because she knows exactly where this conversation is going. "I turned out to be a good-for-nothing gambler just like he said I would, just like my father."
"Amanda, no," Olivia whispers fiercely, grasping on tightly to both of the smaller woman's shoulders when Amanda's delicate features twist in agony. "You are nothing like your father, do you hear me? You are good and brave and kind, and you chose to step up and protect your sister when no one else would, even though you were still a kid yourself. You are one of the most courageous people I have ever known and you are nothing like the man who abandoned his kids and left them to that monster."
"I did turn into a gambler, though, Liv," Amanda says softly, that shame and regret still evident in her tone, and the detective's hands are gripping Olivia's forearms now as they stare intently at each other in the tub. "When I left town, I was on my own for the first time in my life. I had no help to deal with what had happened, I said no to therapy and just tried to bury everything and pretend it didn't exist. The pain came out eventually, though, in the form of gambling. Once I started, it took a long time before I could stop, and I don't think those urges will ever completely go away. It was a high that I'd never experienced before and have never been able to match since; a high that nothing else seems to compare to, a way to make the pain stop and fill the emptiness with something exhilarating."
"It's an addiction, Amanda," Olivia answers gently, unable to stand the look of guilt and self-loathing that is evident in the other woman's expression, and needing her to know that she has nothing to be ashamed of. "You've done everything you could to help yourself by acknowledging the problem and getting a handle on it and doing your best to keep it under control. You have chosen to face the issue head-on instead of running away from it. You're not your father, honey," she repeats quietly, pushing a mop of blonde hair away from the other woman's forehead.
Amanda doesn't verbally respond but nods slowly in response, her lips pursed thoughtfully and a slight frown fixed on her face, and they lapse into silence for a long moment, a certain air of relief seeming to surround them now, instead of the tension and panic from earlier.
"Thank you for trusting me enough to share everything with me," Olivia finally continues, gazing at Amanda with pride and wonder, as the younger woman sitting before is so much stronger than she had initially perceived, even though she has always known her detective to be loyal and capable and brave, but there is a whole other dimension to Amanda that she hadn't been previously aware of that has now been revealed to her. "And I will reiterate my promise that this stays between you and me. I won't tell a soul, you have my word."
"Well, like I said earlier, Liv, there's no one I would rather have shared it with," Amanda replies lightly, picking up Olivia's hand in both of her own and giving it a grateful squeeze. "And thank you for keeping it between us."
"I know that was a lot for you to talk about, honey," Olivia says gently, giving Amanda's hands a return squeeze and noticing how clammy and shaky they are beneath her touch. "But if you ever need to talk more about what happened with Richard or anything else, anything at all, please don't hesitate to come to me. I'll always be here for you."
"Thank you, Liv." Amanda's voice is whispered and sounds slightly choked when she answers.
"You're more than welcome." The squeeze Olivia gives to the younger woman's hands is more firm now and she shifts in the tub to begin getting to her feet, her aching body protesting every tiny movement and reminding her that she is much too old to be hanging out in such a confined space in this unnatural position. "Now, we need to get you out of here and either tucked into bed or settled back onto the couch because I can tell by the look on your face that you're in absolute agony. I don't think spending so much time in the tub is doing anything to help your injuries."
Olivia knows she is right when not only does Amanda refrain from protesting when called out on being in an extreme amount of pain, but also doesn't object to the suggestion of finally taking some more pain medication, not complaining at all when Olivia leads her into the bedroom and sits her down on the edge of the bed while handing her a couple of pills and the glass of water from the nightstand.
"Alright, come on, honey, what do you say we take a break from everything and cuddle up on the couch together to watch some of those obnoxious cartoons you had playing on the TV earlier?" Olivia takes the cup back from the other woman when she is done with it and reaches down to help Amanda back to her feet, relieved that those familiar and heartbreaking grunts of pain she is currently listening to will be taken care of soon.
"We can even snuggle with that giant stuffed bear again, if you want to," she adds mischievously, earning herself a mock glare and an eye roll from her colleague.
"Sure, sounds like a plan, Liv." A hint of a smile is tugging at the corners of Amanda's lips as they head into the living room together, Olivia's arm wrapped protectively around her waist.
Once they are tucked side by side beneath the blanket on the couch and the cartoons are blaring on the television at top volume, it doesn't take long before Amanda is looking over at Olivia with a silly grin stretching across her face, those big blue eyes hooded and glazed, giggling woozily and the nickname 'Lieutenant Livvy' rolling off her tongue in a slurred tone of voice.
Olivia shakes her head in affection, an answering grin on her own face as she gives a tender squeeze to Amanda's hand and braces herself for another wild ride.