Love, Olivia

Goodnight, Olivia

I tried updating Stay but I fell into this world of Bensaro and wasn't able to not write it so there's that.

Now....

It's nearing midnight and she's wide awake- in his bed, laying on her back with her arm thrown across her forehead. They had finally closed a hard case this evening, and they had celebrated by cooking good food and getting to bed at a decent hour. She hadn't planned on spending the night but after a few glasses of wine she had been easily persuaded.

Plus it had been nice not having to sleep alone. The night terrors came a little less often. Getting kidnapped twice in a year did that to you.

Months had passed since then and with hours dedicated to therapy she found herself finally at a place in her life where she felt sane again. Except on nights like these when the terrors would come back to haunt her and keep her awake in fear of them happening again. She didn't want to wake him. He wouldn't sleep until he knew for sure that she was, and he already did so much for her.

She huffed and couldn't take the silence any longer, and decided to get up to at least busy herself by making a cup of tea. The moment she sat up her body tensed when she heard him begin to stir. She felt like such a burden. He worried too much about her she doubted he remembered what exactly a good night's sleep was.

"Another nightmare?" She sat on the edge of the bed and felt his hand run over her lower back. If she lied she knew he would be even more alarmed.

"It's nothing really. Not as bad as the others," she looked barely over her shoulder at him and gave a half smile.

"Liv-"

"I'm fine. I'm just going to go make some tea," he started to kick off the covers and she reached her hand to stop him.

"Go back to sleep. I'll be just fine," she pushed herself up and shuffled across the cold floors of his bedroom. She knew telling him to stay in bed wouldn't last long, and he'd be coming up soon behind her.

"Ouch!" She yelped quietly when she felt her toe step on what she was sure was one of his daughters toys. It felt like no matter how much cleanup they did before bed time, there was always these little ones left behind. Olivia picked it up and seen it was one of the parts to a toy she had just bought her. It made her smile inside for some reason. Maybe because it held the memory of her begging for it in the store, and Olivia looking into those chocolate brown eyes of hers and not being able to say no.

She found herself in the kitchen ready to put on the kettle and made sure to boil enough water for the both of them. It was only a few minutes before he showed up in the doorway dressed in his printed pants and tee. He didn't say a word, only coming up behind her to envelope her in his arms from behind. Her body tensed for a second, and he held her just a little tighter. She relaxed into his touch remembering it was just him.

It was just Nick.

They stood embraced like that for awhile standing near the counter until she finally felt like she was back on solid ground. He kissed her temple and she almost felt the urge to cry. He was gentle with her- attentive to her needs. Nick paid attention to when she needs him to be "normal" with her, not walk on eggshells around her; or when she needed him like this on a more intimate level as she worked through an episode.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," she turns in his arms and genuinely hugs him, wrapping her arms around his torso and buried her face into his shoulder. He feels his heart warm knowing how much it took for a woman like Olivia to admit to that. He's honored and above all else moved that he's the one she chose to let in.

He felt a wet spot on his shirt and he realized that she had been crying. "Please don't cry," his hand cradled the back of her head and he kissed the side of it. "Remember what we said? One day at a time, no matter how long it takes."

"I just feel like every time I make progress this happens and I feel- I feel defeated," she pulled back her head to look up at him, directly in his eyes for affirmation. That he was still here with her and not slowly drifting away from her because this was becoming too much. It would never be too much for him. Never.

"You shouldn't. You are not the same Olivia that I pulled out of that warehouse months ago," he said simply to continuously remind her of that. It was always her being the sound mind for victims, but who was going to be there for her?

"You've been back at work now for three weeks, you're going to therapy, this is your first night terror in what? A week? Nothing about this is a set back," his lips connected to her forehead and her eyes snapped shut as more tears began to flow.

He had no idea what exactly happened in these terrors, and he never bothered to ask. Nick knew that she would come to him when she was ready to open up to him, and for now he was going to just be there for her to help pick up the pieces in the aftermath.

"I-" she almost said it. The words almost slipped out but she knows now is not the right time, it was never the right time. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, but that didn't seem like the right thing to say just yet. While their relationship teetered on the borderline of platonic and romantic, he was still waiting on his divorce to be finalized. It felt wrong to love him in anyway while he was still legally married to his soon to be ex wife, but she did. Olivia loved Nick as her best friend, her confidant, and sometimes she felt a little bit more.

"You're right," she managed to give him a small smile. "I just want to put this behind me and try to continue moving on- especially with you," she can't help the blush that creeps up on her cheeks at her admission.

"Is it time to go to school yet?" Zara appeared out of nowhere, startling them both when they saw her standing in the doorway to the kitchen with sleep still in her eyes. Nick let go of Olivia and went to scoop his little one into his arms.

"Not quite yet. Sorry if we were being too loud. Let's get you back to bed," he kissed her head in its mess of brown waves.

"Can Olivia take me?" she laid her head on his shoulder and reached for the new woman in her father's life. Zara had been around Olivia plenty of times, but it took her some getting used to when it became her seeing Olivia at her house. Especially the same house that her mom and dad had lived together in. It didn't take long though for Olivia to grow on her. Soon enough they had started going on little dates together, hanging out one on one, and Olivia sometimes went to pick her up from school for Nick. She hadn't been in a relationship with anyone who had children, but it was different of course because it was Nick.

"Let's go little one," she took her from Nick's arms and Zara wrapped her little legs around her waist and she carried her back to her room without any question. Olivia placed her gently back into bed and pulled her blankets over her before leaning down and placing butterfly kisses to her face.

"Sweet dreams. I'll see you in the morning," she grinned and gave her one last kiss to her forehead.

"Goodnight Olivia," Zara said quietly before drifting back off to sleep already. Olivia sat for just a moment on her knees next to the bed and watched her sleep for just a little bit. She heard the floor creak and saw Nick standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest looking over at them.

"You can't help but wish that they never grow up," he nearly whispered and walked over to Olivia to help her back to her feet. "I only have a few more weeks with her here in New York."

"Then I think we should make the absolute best of it," he bent to give her one more kiss goodnight. "That tea should definitely be ready by now.

I'm going to take this story slow, my workload for school is insane this semester :(

Please leave me a review! I can't wait to write something with a little more depth to it, and explore a story that follows a different route in the aftermath of William Lewis.