After All This Time

I Got You

Trigger Warning: this chapter contains situations involving drugs. Reader discretion is advised.

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"All it takes is a beautiful fake smile to hide an injured soul and they will never notice how broken you really are."

Unknown

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Olivia woke up with an overwhelming feeling of sadness inside of her. As she got out of bed and waited for the shower to turn almost scalding hot, she couldn't help but let a few tears fall. She would be attending Kathy's funeral today.

Although they weren't exactly the best of friends, she always liked Kathy and wished the best for her and Elliot. She always admired the way Kathy managed to handle five kids on her own when Elliot wouldn't be home for days on end when there was a big case. Even though it took a while for them to actually become friends, she had always hoped Kathy liked her. As she stepped into the shower and let the hot spray wash over her body, more tears ran down her cheeks. Kathy didn't deserve to die. She never hurt a soul in her life and to be killed so violently, it just wasn't fair.

After she finished her shower, Olivia put on a plain blue shirt and jeans, then she applied her makeup. Once she was done, she walked into Noah's room to wake him up and her eyes widened as her stomach dropped. His bed was empty. "Noah?" She called out as her heart rate increased.

"In here, Mama!" She heard his voice reply.

As she walked out of the bedroom and into the living room, she released a breath of relief and smiled. "Hey, sweet boy. What're you doing out here?" She asked as she saw him sitting on the couch.

"Nothing." Noah replied quickly as he fidgeted slightly, clearly nervous.

Olivia raised an eyebrow as she sat next to him. "What's wrong, Noah?" She asked worriedly as she brushed his hair back.

"Can I hang out with Andrew today, pleaseee?" He asked, dragging the word out for dramatic effect.

Olivia chuckled softly. "Of course you can, honey. I have a work thing later so you're gonna hang out with Aunt Amanda and Uncle Sonny so you can play with Jesse and Billie. How does that sound?" She asked.

"Jesse only likes to play with Barbie dolls and Billie's too small to play with." Noah whined as he pouted slightly.

Olivia couldn't help but smile as he pouted. She thought it was adorable. "Well, Uncle Sonny can play with you. You can take one of your toys with you if you want." She suggested.

"Okay." Noah beamed as he smiled. He loved his Uncle Sonny.

"Good. Now, how about some French toast?" Olivia asked, smiling as she got up from the couch.

"Yes, please!" Noah said excitedly as he watched his mother walk into the kitchen, then he turned the TV on.

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"Hey, buddy. You doing okay?" Elliot asked Eli as he walked into the teenager's room.

"Yeah." Eli replied quietly as he stared at his phone.