This is the last story in the "Heat Wave" series and picks up right after the previous one left off, so please read "Thunder", "Lightning", and "Tornado" first. :) I have decided to split this story into three separate parts because it's just too long.

Please take note of the "M" rating for this story – there are scenes that contain graphic physical violence and foul language in the first chapter, and some explicit sexual content in later chapters, so please be aware of this before you continue reading, if these things trigger or offend you in any way. I realize that not everyone feels comfortable reading about some of these things.

Another massive thank you to my awesome friend unbreakable86 for creating yet another amazing pic for this story! :*

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The rain is pouring down from the sky in giant sheets and the lightning is flickering unnervingly close as Olivia stands there with her gun trained on the large man in front of her, not flinching in the slightest as the answering rumble of thunder roars loudly in her ears, echoing around the small courtyard behind the variety store that she is gathered in with a team of her fellow officers. For once in her life, she is not afraid of the storm that is raging all around them, the wind whipping her hair about her face with the force of a hurricane as the clouds churn angrily in the dark sky above them. Her thoughts are zeroed right in on the situation at hand as her heart pounds wildly inside her chest, and absolutely nothing can distract her from what is taking place at this very moment.

The woman she now knows to be the love of her life is standing there on violently shaking legs, her complexion leached of all color and saturated blonde hair plastered to the sides of her skull, big blue eyes squeezed tightly shut as the gun that is pressed against her head pushes in a little more firmly. Olivia watches as Amanda winces in pain, the younger woman biting down so hard on her lower lip that a spot of blood instantly appears, the bright red liquid streaking down her chin only to mingle in with the rainwater and be washed away.

The man threatening her detective with a gun has his back right up against the wall of the next building with Amanda standing directly in front of him, one arm wrapped very firmly around her waist and the weapon aimed right at her temple, making it extremely difficult for anyone to get an appropriate angle to take a shot at him without injuring or killing Amanda in the process. He seems to be thoroughly enjoying the audience that is now gathered around him, obviously reveling in the limelight and soaking up all of the attention as he has let Olivia, Fin, Carisi, and the other cops that are with them get shockingly close, clearly wanting to be heard over the howling of the wind and the crashing of the thunder as he continues to proclaim the innocence of his boyfriend in a dramatically loud fashion, just as he had been doing at the precinct earlier that day.

The absolute and utter terror that Olivia is stricken with at this very moment is stark and raw and unlike anything she has ever experienced before, the situation that had begun unfolding while she had been speaking with Amanda on the phone causing a fear and a pain in her heart that was so acute and all-consuming and has yet to abate even the slightest amount, only ratcheting up further now that she is actually witnessing what is happening with her own eyes. The man that is holding a gun on the woman she loves is wild and unpredictable and so clearly enjoying all of the attention focused upon him that Olivia is afraid he will not be able to be reasoned with and is unsure of exactly which approach to take with him despite all her years of training, terrified that the situation is going to end in the worst possible way and they are going to be forced to watch Amanda die.

"Drew, why don't you put the gun down so we can talk about this inside?" Olivia suggests very calmly, her voice betraying none of the overwhelming panic and horror that seem to have quite a strong chokehold around her throat, invisible fingers pressing in so hard that they are threatening to cut off her air supply. "The weather is terrible out here and everyone is getting soaked. Why don't we go back into the precinct and continue this discussion where it's a bit more comfortable?"

"Yeah, right," Drew snorts in contempt, the grip he has around Amanda's waist tightening to an obviously painful degree as Olivia watches the younger woman wince again. "You just want to take me back there so you can put me in a cell right next to my Michael. Another innocent man locked away for absolutely no reason at all!"

"Well, you have a gun to my detective's head right now, Drew," Olivia responds evenly, gritting her teeth together briefly before loosening her jaw, not wanting this man to see how much his actions are having an affect on her. "I think that's a pretty good reason for locking you away. Does that sound like something an innocent man would do?"

She instantly recognizes the mistake she has made when Drew's complexion turns a mottled shade of red, the expression on his face one of sheer fury and wounded pride and her breath catches sharply in her throat, her stomach muscles tightening with trepidation. "Shut up, you stupid bitch!" he screams in a pure frenzied rage, grinding the barrel of the gun even harder into Amanda's temple. "Stop trying to make everyone think I'm doing something wrong just because I'm defending my man! Someone has to! I'm not the guilty one here and neither is he! You are the ones who are guilty, do you understand me? Especially this bitch right here," he adds in a low, dangerous tone, trembling finger hovering over the trigger of the gun.

"Okay, Drew, I understand. We all understand," Olivia says soothingly, those invisible fingers tightening their grip around her throat to the point where spots of darkness begin dancing in her peripheral vision, and she keeps her gaze fixated on the large man's trigger finger, not even daring to spare a glance at Amanda's face for fear that she will be unable to maintain her careful control and properly perform her duties as a lieutenant.

She can hear Fin and Carisi murmuring their agreement beside her; how they both understand that Drew is not the guilty one in this situation, and Olivia can feel the terror and alarm radiating from her colleagues, knowing both men are doing their absolute best to hold themselves together and not fall apart while their friend and teammate is facing almost certain death.

Olivia can tell that she is not getting through to the emotional man standing in front of them and her suspicions are confirmed when Drew speaks again, his dramatic voice ringing out through the courtyard, obviously doing his best to sound authoritative as a low rumble of thunder rolls ominously above their heads, reverberating loudly throughout the small space.

"Okay, everyone, listen up! We're going to play a game." The simplicity of this chilling announcement combined with the look of glee on the large's man face has Olivia's heart clenching with dread as she keeps her weapon trained steadily upon him, and it is taking everything she has in her not to walk right up to this monster and fire a bullet straight through his brain, putting an end to his miserable life.

"This is how the game is going to be played," Drew continues with a malicious grin. "Every time you say no to one of my demands or any of you say something untrue about either me or my Michael, I'm going to fire the gun." He pauses for a long moment in an apparent effort to drag out the suspense. "There's only one bullet in this gun, did you know that? How many times do you think I'll have to fire before this bitch's brains are blown all over the yard?"

"Alright, well, this little game that you have in mind is not going to work out too well for you, Drew," Olivia explains with a calm patience that belies the complex storm of emotions that are currently raging within her, stark terror standing out above and beyond anything else. "The second you fire that weapon, you are going to be flat out on the ground, do you understand me? Do you really think you can use that gun on a police officer without there being an immediate consequence to your action; without some kind of retaliation? Take a good look around you, Drew. You are entirely surrounded by cops and if you fire that gun, you'll be dead before you even hit the ground."

"You know what, lady? I'm getting a little sick and tired of listening to your voice," Drew sneers in derision, glaring at Olivia with narrowed eyes. "You're not the one who's in charge here, do you get that? One more word out of you and you're going to have a bullet in your head even before I put one into this little bitch's."

Olivia finally chances a look at Amanda's face, the blonde detective whiter than she has ever seen her, Amanda's skin absolutely ashen and a violent shivering having overtaken her small body, the younger woman staring straight at her with piercing blue eyes that are boring a hole right into her own brown ones, the love and regret and horror written very clearly across her face. Olivia stares right back at her with a desperate gaze and cannot remember another time in her life when she has felt so incompetent, so powerless, and so completely helpless in a situation, and she tries to pour all of the love she can into her gaze, attempting to wordlessly convey what she cannot say aloud.

"Alright, now that we've established who's in charge here, I have something that I want," Drew declares dramatically, raising his eyebrows as if in anticipation of his captive audience's reaction.

"And what might that be?" Fin pipes up from his position beside Olivia, apparently taking Drew at his word and trusting that the other man will put a bullet into Olivia's head if she dares speak again.

"I want you to let Michael go," Drew orders sharply, jostling Amanda roughly in his embrace and causing a slight whimper to slip out from between her lips as the barrel of the gun scrapes across her forehead. "And if you don't do exactly as I say, she's dead."

"Okay, man, let's just take it easy here," Fin says calmly, although Olivia can detect a hint of a tremor in her colleague's tone, and she feels as if her own heart is about to explode right out of her chest with the force it is racing with. "We can discuss the possibility of letting Michael go, but in return-"

"No!" Drew cuts in harshly. "I'm not giving you anything in return! You're going to let my boyfriend go now. And this bitch is going to stay right here with me until both Michael and I are free to go. End of discussion and absolutely no negotiations!"

There is a foreboding pause as the gun is pressed more firmly into Amanda's temple, the blonde woman's resulting whimper more audible now and a sharp pain piercing through Olivia's heart in response. "And for every extra minute that I have to wait for Michael to be standing by my side, I'm going to fire the gun. So it's in everyone's best interest not to keep me waiting."

"Alright, Drew, let's be reasonable here," Carisi speaks up, an edge of panic evident in the Italian detective's tone as he raises one hand in the air in an apparent conciliatory gesture. "We can let Michael out right this instant but the precinct is down the road and the traffic is even worse than usual because of the weather. It will likely take a little while for him to get here, so it might be easier if we just bring you to him-"

"Are you really trying to get me to fall for that shit again?" Drew spits out vehemently, the large man's eyes darkening dangerously. "I'm not setting one foot inside of that fucking place! You're going to get Michael out of there and you're going to bring him to me right now."

The situation is clearly escalating, Drew becoming much more agitated in his words and actions, and Olivia is desperate to diffuse things before they can spiral any further out of control, her sharp gaze swinging back and forth between the furious, intense man and the woman she loves, Amanda's life held so precariously in this unpredictable man's hands, the minutes ticking away on her fate. The younger woman is still staring right back at her with an expression that appears to be both pleading and resigned, like she knows the worst is about to happen but there is still a tiny spark of hope that things might work out in her favor. The staggering amount of love that is visible within those big blue eyes is enough to take Olivia's breath away, and she has to keep herself from screaming out those three little words across the courtyard so Amanda knows without a doubt that she is loved in return.

"Okay, we just need you to have a little patience here-"

"Wrong answer," Drew states abruptly, shifting slightly on his feet as he cuts Carisi off in mid-sentence and before Olivia can so much as react, he is suddenly pulling the trigger of the gun.

A loud shot rings out across the courtyard in between rumbles of thunder, the sound deafening in Olivia's ears and echoing powerfully around the small space. Her heart stutters to a complete stop, the blood seeming to freeze inside her veins and the world going entirely still and silent, her eyes slamming shut before she can stop them, as if they have a will of their own. Olivia is too stunned to process anything in that split second of nothingness and there is just a blank void of emptiness, nothing to see or hear or feel. She actually welcomes the sensation, wishing to stay suspended there where nothing can hurt her, but everything suddenly comes rushing back at Olivia all at once, a giant wave of action and sound and an extraordinary kind of agony and grief that obliterates anything she has ever known in her entire life.

She is aware of Fin and Carisi moving from their spots beside her, both men speaking in a rapid fire of words that mingle in with the buzz of shock and concern from the gathering of her fellow officers that are spread out around the small variety store and the tiny courtyard, the rain that had been pouring down in buckets finally coming to a halt, and it takes Olivia a moment to realize that Amanda is still standing upright; that the woman she loves is alive and whole and not the one who is sprawled out on the ground with her brains splattered across the muddy grass.

Drew is laying there in a motionless heap and is quite obviously dead, his long limbs twisted and contorted into a shape resembling that of a pretzel, his mouth hanging wide open and a glazed look in his unseeing eyes, a small chunk of his head missing. There are fragments of bone and brain and blood sprayed out across the muck and over Amanda's shocked face, bright red flecks decorating the white skin of the small detective's cheeks in a striking and gruesome contrast of color.

Olivia barely has time to feel even an ounce of relief that Amanda is still alive before the other woman's shuddering legs give out beneath her and she is collapsing toward the dirt, a contingent of cops immediately surrounding her and Fin leaping into the fray just in time to catch his partner before she can hit the ground. Amanda is out cold for several seconds, cradled safely in Fin's embrace while Olivia barks at everyone to back the hell off and give them some space, Carisi crouching down beside his colleagues and brushing his fellow detective's hair back from her face while gripping onto one her hands with shaking fingers.

Olivia's heart is in her throat when she gets her first good look at Amanda, the younger woman's eyelids closed and long lashes resting against cheeks that are flecked with blood and bits of gore, her stomach churning at the contents of another person's brain matter covering the woman she loves. Amanda's eyes flutter back open as several paramedics push their way through the chaotic crowd, a couple of them bending down to examine Drew's dead body and the rest coming over to tend to the fallen woman, the blonde detective's gaze locking right onto Olivia's own.

They stare at each other while Amanda has a blood pressure cuff wrapped around her upper arm and one of the medics shines a light into her eyes, another one taking her pulse. There is some concern over how high Amanda's blood pressure is and how fast her heart is racing, along with the fact that she had briefly lost consciousness likely due to the shock of the situation, and the consensus is that she will need to take an ambulance ride to the emergency room to be examined by a doctor.

Amanda seems to snap out of her trauma-induced stupor at these words, becoming quite combative as she wrenches herself out of Fin's arms when one of the medics lowers a gurney down so the blonde detective can be helped onto it. "I don't need to go to the hospital, I'm fine," she argues heatedly, the stubborn fire in her tone not matching the state that her body is in, her limbs shuddering violently and voice so shaky she can barely get the words out.

"You're not fine," one of the medics replies gently but firmly, a tall young woman with long dark hair that is pulled back into a tight ponytail. "Your blood pressure and heart rate are sky high, not to mention the fact that you lost consciousness."

"But it was only for a few seconds," Amanda snaps stubbornly, pulling her arm roughly away when the woman tries to take her pulse again. "There's nothing wrong with me. I'm going home."

"You are not going home, Amanda," Olivia says sternly, reaching out to lay a hand on the detective's shoulder and frowning deeply when Amanda wrenches herself out of her grasp. "I'm coming with you. Let's go."

"You can't make me do something I don't want to do!" Amanda yells, her arm twitching wildly as she reaches up to wipe some of the blood from her face, and it is obvious that the blonde woman is becoming unraveled in the wake of what has just happened, unable to listen to reason. "I just want to go home!"

"A loss of consciousness necessitates a trip to the hospital, no matter how short it was," the paramedic explains in a calm tone of voice, the woman's demeanor the complete opposite of what Olivia is feeling right now, her patience and control with the situation dwindling rapidly and threatening to snap.

"But I don't want to!" Amanda squawks indignantly in return, her voice resembling that of a cranky toddler instead of a seasoned detective, and even though Olivia knows that the other woman is deeply distressed, she can't take it anymore.

"Amanda Rollins, as your lieutenant, I am ordering you to sit your ass down on that gurney before I have to push you onto it and strap you to the damn thing myself!" Olivia grits out through clenched teeth, the last ounce of her control snapping and her patience shredding to pieces after the scene she has just witnessed, the guilt piercing through her instantly when Amanda lowers her head in shame and lets herself be helped onto the stretcher without another word of opposition.

Olivia issues a few terse orders to the rest of her team, Fin giving her arm a brief squeeze of understanding and Carisi assuring her that they will take care of things at the scene while she heads to the hospital with Amanda, and she climbs into the back of the ambulance, taking a seat next to the gurney and fighting the urge to either collapse onto the floor in exhaustion or burst into tears of anguish. Everything seems to be hitting her now, the gravity of the situation crashing down upon her as Olivia privately acknowledges that she had mistakenly thought Amanda had been the one who had gotten shot, not realizing right away that another officer had fired his weapon at Drew a split second after Drew had fired his own.

The regret washes over her in a giant wave for the way she has just spoken to the woman she is in love with, aware that Amanda has been so deeply traumatized by the events of the day, but she can't bring herself to apologize aloud, the words stuck in her throat as Olivia herself is too traumatized to even speak, images of Amanda with a gun to her head and the sound of the trigger being pulled replaying on a horrifying loop over and over again in her mind.

The ride to the hospital is very quiet as one of the paramedics tends to Amanda, the younger woman sitting there silently while her blood pressure is taken again. She looks tiny and forlorn and quite chastened as she huddles beneath the blanket that has been tucked around her small body, shivering violently in her sopping wet clothing, and it is all Olivia can do to stay where she is, wanting nothing more than to lean over and gather the detective into her tight embrace.

When the medic reaches over with a cloth to wipe the blood and gore from Amanda's face, Olivia takes it from her and does it herself, cradling the smaller woman's chin in one hand and gently stroking the cloth over her pale cheeks with the other; a gesture of love and apology for snapping under the weight of her immense stress, neither of them speaking but their eyes never leaving each other.

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Much later that evening, Olivia sits in a chair beside Amanda's hospital bed, the room dim and quiet and lending a certain intimacy to the space; the first moment of peace in a day that has been unexpectedly chaotic, even worse than Olivia had feared it would be when she had reluctantly dragged herself out of bed that morning. Amanda is laying curled up in a ball beneath the covers, resting on her side with her body turned away from Olivia so the only thing she can see is a shock of wild blonde hair that has dried in a crazy manner after Amanda had been drenched by the rain, and a small gown-clad back that moves up and down rhythmically, giving the illusion of sleep even though Olivia knows better.

After Amanda had been examined in the emergency room, it was decided that she would be admitted overnight for observation due to her brief loss of consciousness and her very high blood pressure and heart rate upon arrival. The younger woman had passed the neurological and heart exams with flying colors and is being given fluids through an IV, along with a light sedative to keep her calm and let her sleep through the night. Bruises have begun darkening on the small body from where the gun had been pressed so hard into Amanda's head and the wrestling match in the mud that had taken place earlier that day.

Olivia has been trying to coordinate everything from the hospital, making arrangements for Frannie to stay overnight with Amanda's neighbor and stepping out of the private room quite frequently to deal with the aftermath of the situation that had taken place behind the variety store, knowing there will be a lot more to contend with in the coming days. But for now at least, everything has settled down for the night and they are by themselves, aside from a nurse that comes in every so often to take Amanda's vital signs. Fin and Carisi had stopped by for a brief visit a couple of hours prior and Olivia has let them take on more work with their current cases than she normally would so that she can spend the night by Amanda's side, as she is having a hard time letting the detective out of her sight for any length of time.

Olivia had been given a pair of hospital scrubs to wear after she had refused to go home and change out of her soaking wet work clothes, not wanting to leave Amanda alone for even a brief moment. The tornado watch has finally come to end, despite the weather resembling more of a hurricane during the past several hours, the winds whipping the harsh rain into a frenzy of water, the lightning flashing intensely and thunder crashing loudly. For once in her life, Olivia has not been concerned with the terrifying weather, and the storms have now died down to be replaced by a ghostly fog that shrouds the grounds of the hospital in a mystical world of white.

"You've been awfully quiet," Olivia observes softly, her voice breaking the long silence that has stretched out between them since Amanda had been wheeled into her room for the night.

She observes the small body lying in front of her, Amanda not moving from her position on the bed, and watches as one thin shoulder raises in a shrug. "I'm fine, Benson," comes the muffled voice that is laced with pain and fatigue.

"Don't do that, honey," Olivia chastises gently, the pet name slipping out before she even realizes what she is saying. "Don't shut me out. Not now, not after everything that has happened."

"So first it was 'Rollins', then it was 'Amanda', and now it's 'honey'?" Amanda mutters in a disgruntled tone, still not bothering to turn around to face Olivia while she speaks. "You're confusing me here, Benson. I thought it was wrong for a lieutenant to show any kind of affection toward her subordinate. And you're not really one to talk about shutting people out. Aren't you an expert at that?"

Olivia frowns deeply as she listens to Amanda's quietly uttered words, a stab of hurt and confusion piercing her heart. Something drastic seems to have changed over the past several hours, since Drew had held the gun to Amanda's head outside of the little store, Olivia and the younger woman apparently having switched roles due to the way both women have been reacting and responding to their own personal trauma with the situation, each of them processing the events of the day very differently.

Amanda has been so stoic and reserved since her meltdown with the paramedics when she had argued so vehemently against going to the hospital, denying any offers to talk to a counselor about what had happened and continually holding Olivia at arm's length, both physically and emotionally. The detective seems to have retreated into a protective shell and is not letting Olivia get a glimpse into what she has been thinking or feeling since almost losing her life at the hands of the madman who had held her hostage.

On the contrary, Olivia feels like the situation has lit a fire under her and made her realize what she truly wants and has been missing out on, all of her fears and reservations having been entirely stripped away after watching the woman she loves comes face to face with her own mortality. It has left her feeling incredibly raw and open and vulnerable, wanting nothing more than to take Amanda into her arms and never let her go, holding the smaller woman and keeping her safe throughout the night, repeating over and over how much she loves her. In light of Amanda's extreme standoffishness, those words have yet to leave Olivia's lips as she doesn't think they would be appreciated or reciprocated at the moment.

She knows that Amanda has been deeply affected by everything she has been through that day, not only with Drew but with Olivia herself, and her resolve to give the other woman some time and space to come to terms with everything that has happened is crumbling bit by bit, unable to stay in her chair as the powerful feelings coursing through her body propel Olivia to her feet and around to the other side of the bed, crouching down on the floor so she can finally get a look at Amanda up close. Despite the fact that they are now face to face, the distance between them seems wider than it has ever been and the silence that stretches out across the room speaks volumes, an ocean of unspoken anguish and love seeming to hang heavily in the air.

"You doing okay, sweetie?" Olivia whispers somewhat hesitantly, wincing internally as another pet names slips out of her mouth, her hand hovering in the air over the bed and wanting nothing more than to touch the woman laying in front of her, Amanda gazing at her with cloudy blue eyes that hold a depth of emotion that Olivia has never seen before.

"I'm fine, Benson," Amanda repeats in a murmured tone, shifting on the mattress as if to roll over, and Olivia grasps lightly onto her shoulder blade to halt the movement.

"Please don't do that," she says softly, relieved when Amanda goes still. "Please don't turn away from me."

The hand that has been poised uncertainly in the air comes to rest gently upon Amanda's matted hair, Olivia very thankful when the detective doesn't pull away and seems to lean ever so slightly into her touch. She strokes the unruly tresses back from Amanda's bruised forehead, her fingers trailing delicately over the purple discolorations, a sharp spike of rage blooming within when she thinks of Drew holding the gun so fiercely on the woman she loves, with every intention of killing her, and Olivia has never been so glad to see another person's life come to an end.

"Are you doing okay?" she inquires again, trying to tamp down that intense explosion of fury and hoping Amanda will be truthful with her this time.

"I'm in pain," the younger woman admits somewhat grudgingly. "From that wrestling match I had with Michael earlier, and his asshole boyfriend digging that gun so hard into my head, it felt like he trying to drill a hole right through my skull."

"Do you want me to ask the nurse for some pain medication the next time she comes in here?" Olivia asks sympathetically, watching Amanda's eyelids flutter closed as she continues the soothing motions of her fingers through the detective's hair.

"No," Amanda mutters in reply, a slight frown gracing her features. "It's not that bad. It's more like a persistent ache that won't go away. My muscles are really sore."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Olivia replies softly, tracing her thumb over Amanda's cheekbone so the other woman will open her eyes once again.

"Like what?" Amanda asks quietly, fixing her with a heavy-lidded gaze, the emotions she has been trying so hard to hide shining clearly from large blue eyes and Olivia's heart aching to see the other woman in so much agony.

"I can rub your back," Olivia answers tenderly, hoping Amanda will not reject the offer but fully prepared to pull away if she does. "Maybe give you a massage to help loosen up your muscles?"

They stare at each other in silence for a long moment and Olivia is relieved when Amanda finally gives a slow nod of assent, gesturing with a wordless tilt of her chin for Olivia to join her on the bed.

She climbs very carefully onto the mattress behind her colleague who remains curled up onto her side, mindful of the IV line that is hanging down from the pole and not wanting to cause Amanda any more pain than she is already experiencing, Olivia easing herself down so that she is lying in the same position as the younger woman, making sure to leave a small space between them on the bed. There is not much room to spare on the narrow cot and Olivia momentarily loses her balance as she gets settled, almost tumbling backwards off the edge and plummeting to the floor before righting herself again.

She draws the covers away from Amanda's huddled form and presses a hand very lightly to her back, grazing her palm over the material of the hospital gown and rubbing in large, slow circles before digging her fingers in slightly harder to knead the tense muscles beneath her hand. Olivia hears a low, drawn-out sigh drag from Amanda's lips and she continues the gentle ministrations for the next several minutes, wanting to provide as much comfort and care as she possibly can, wincing as her fingers accidentally slide underneath the slit in the back of the younger woman's hospital gown and brush against warm bare skin.

"Sorry," Olivia murmurs softly, withdrawing her hand immediately even though she is tempted to linger, Amanda's skin feeling like satin beneath her touch.

"It's okay, you can undo the ties," Amanda whispers, turning her head to the side to throw Olivia a quick glance over her shoulder, a hint of need and desire darkening her blue eyes, along with something else; something that goes much deeper than that.

"Are you sure?" Olivia replies hesitantly, knowing she has to tread very carefully here; that absolutely nothing can happen between them while Amanda is in the hospital and is so vulnerable and closed off, although the other woman seems to be opening up a little more than she had before Olivia had begun the massage, and she hopes the other woman will open up even further and talk to her about the things they need to discuss.

"I'm sure," Amanda says, her voice still coming out in a whisper, and Olivia's fingers come to rest against the strings of the gown that are knotted at the base of Amanda's neck, holding the cotton garment together.

Olivia slowly unties the strings, her heart skipping a beat and her breath catching in her throat when the sides of the gown part and she sees that Amanda is naked beneath the material. Her mind flashes back to the scene in the precinct locker room earlier that day, when the blonde woman had angrily yanked the shower curtain open to reveal a gorgeous nude body glistening with drops of water that had rolled down her skin between small pert breasts, Olivia's eyes having swept the entire length of the detective's bare form and her gaze coming to rest at the juncture of her thighs before tearing her eyes away.

She traces one finger very lightly down Amanda's spine, stopping before she gets to the curve of her bottom and listening to the slight inhale of breath in front of her, flattening her entire hand out so that her fingers are splayed across the younger woman's back, Amanda's skin feeling like the smoothest of silk beneath her palm and her colleague's heart hammering wildly underneath her soft caresses. Olivia wants Amanda to relax and realizes that they aren't exactly going about this in the right way, so she deepens her touch again, firmly massaging the knots in the other woman's muscles and careful to avoid any bruises that she sees, her heart aching at the evidence of Amanda being hurt.

The blonde detective slowly relaxes under the comforting ministrations, the tension easing from her muscles and her limbs gradually loosening until she is laying limply on the bed, eyes closed and breathing evening out, Olivia continuing the massage until her fingers begin tracing the knobs of Amanda's spine and the line of her ribs, drawing invisible little pictures on the creamy skin in front of her. Her hand drifts over to the younger woman's hip and rests there for a moment before squeezing lightly, Olivia peering over Amanda's shoulder to observe her placid expression.

"Hey, are you still awake?" she whispers into the detective's ear, pressing the softest of kisses to the side of Amanda's neck, the smaller woman tilting her head slightly in response. "Do you want me to move so you can get some rest?"

"Don't leave me," Amanda murmurs in a voice that is slurred with impending sleep, grabbing onto Olivia's hand and moving it further beneath the gown so that her palm is resting on the bare skin of her stomach.

"Okay, I won't go anywhere," Olivia promises quietly, kissing Amanda's neck again and letting her thumb brush soothingly back and forth against the detective's abdomen, overcome with an intense wave of tenderness for the woman snuggled up against her, wanting to protect her from the evils of the world and resolutely ignoring that persistent hint of arousal at being pressed so intimately against the woman she is in love with.

"I'm scared," Amanda mumbles under her breath and Olivia frowns deeply, moving her body as close as she can to the small detective, wondering if Amanda has already drifted mostly to sleep and is being tormented by frightening images in her dreams.

"Don't be scared, sweetheart," Olivia soothes gently, as she tightens her hold around the younger woman. "I'm here, I've got you. You're safe with me, okay? No one's going to hurt you ever again, I promise."

"That's not what I'm scared of," Amanda murmurs so softly that Olivia can barely hear her.

"What are you scared of, then?" she asks in concern, tears welling up in her eyes when Amanda grabs her hand and slides it up her body so that Olivia's fingers are splayed out across her chest, her palm resting directly over the blonde detective's heart.

She doesn't receive a verbal reply, only a light snore in response, and Olivia presses another comforting kiss to the side of Amanda's neck, whispering "I love you," into the smaller woman's ear, even though she knows that Amanda has already fallen asleep.