Olivia stood up and reached for Alex’s hand.  “Try not to wake my neighbors this time.  Poor old Mrs. Cavalini down the hall thought I was being attacked.”

 

Alex laughed.  “Oh please!  I was not that loud.”

 

“I had to throw on a robe and rush to the door or she would’ve called the police, Alex.  So yes, you really were that loud.”

 

Alex shook her head.  “Stop flattering yourself, Benson.”

 

“Oh, come on, sweetie.  You’re a screamer.  Just admit it.”

 

Alex smiled slyly.  “Well, I wasn’t always one.  You changed that.”

 

Olivia grinned proudly.  “I guess I’m just that good.”

 

Alex rolled her eyes.  “And you call me cocky.”

 

“Oh, come on,” Olivia said, running a finger down the side of Alex’s breast.  She smiled at Alex’s slight jump.  “You know you love every second of it.”

 

“Do that again,” Alex murmured.

 

“This?” Olivia teased, running a finger down the other breast and leaning in lick the spot right behind her left ear.  She knew that always drove Alex crazy.

 

Alex bit her lip and shivered.  “Shit, Liv…”

 

Olivia pushed more of Alex’s hair back so she had better access.  Sucking the spot gently, she squeezed a breast and began backing Alex up toward the bedroom.

 

“Liv, I don’t know if I can walk backwards and do this at the same time.”

 

“Do what?” Olivia asked huskily, running a hand down her back and over a hip.

 

“Mmm…foreplay.”

 

Olivia chuckled softly.  “You thought this was foreplay?  Oh no, Alex.  You haven’t seen foreplay yet.”

 

Alex could feel her wetness spreading.  Her body became hot and she suddenly felt as though her clothes were suffocating her.  “You better keep good on your promise.”

 

“I always do,” Olivia said.  She pressed her against the doorframe and ravaged her mouth.  Unzipping her pants, she slid a hand inside her underwear to let her fingers traverse her dampened thatch of blonde hair.  She was intoxicated by the musky scent of Alex’s arousal.  “I can’t wait to taste you.”

 

Alex moaned loudly in response and threw one leg around Olivia’s waist.  She slid her hands under Olivia’s shirt and freely let them roam over her soft breasts as she invaded her mouth again.  Breaking away temporarily, she quickly unzipped Olivia’s jeans and slid them off her hips.  Olivia pushed them down the rest of the way, stepped out of them, and kicked them away.  Alex knelt down in front of Olivia, whose panties were soaked with her own arousal.  Letting her fingers trace the length of her slit, she replaced them with her tongue.  The soft cotton barrier between her tongue and Olivia’s center was as tantalizing as the wrapping paper on a gift Christmas morning.  She loved the taste of Olivia and could never get enough.

 

“Ah, fuck!” Olivia exclaimed, shuddering against the wall.  Swallowing hard, she pulled Alex up and quickly pushed her into the bedroom.

 

Feeling the edge of the bed hit the back of her legs, Alex sat down and lay back as Olivia settled on top of her.  She had always been amazed at how perfectly their bodies fit together.  Every hollow, every soft curve connected like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.  When she felt Olivia’s sex against her own, she gasped loudly and dug her nails into her back.

 

Olivia moved back a little to unzip Alex’s pants and slide them down her legs.  Alex groaned at the loss of contact.  “Liv, please…”

 

“Soon, sweetie.  Soon,” Olivia promised, removing her own underwear and shirt so that she was completely naked.  She removed Alex’s panties as well.  Alex started to unbutton her shirt, but Olivia whispered, “No.  Let me,” and removed it from her shoulders.  Kissing the deliciously exposed cleavage, she reached around Alex’s back and unclasped her bra with a quick flick of her wrist before adding it to their pile of discarded clothes on the floor.

 

Alex threw her head back and let out a long, guttural moan as Olivia lavished her tongue’s attention on her breasts.  She circled a nipple several times, flicking her tongue against the hardened flesh.  When she took the nipple into her mouth and sucked hard, the sensation shot right down to Alex’s sex.  She moved to the other nipple and bit down gently, eliciting another moan of pleasure from Alex.

 

“You like that?” Olivia asked, dragging her tongue up the valley of her breasts.

 

Alex closed her eyes and licked her lips.  She loved when Olivia teased her breasts.  “Y-yes.”

 

“How ’bout this?” Olivia continued, kneading the creamy flesh with her strong hands.

 

“Oh godddddddddd,” Alex replied.

 

Olivia moved down her torso, leaving several kisses in her wake.  Olivia’s kisses on her body always made the hairs on her arms stand up.  Alex licked her lips again as she saw her stare at her center with a feral lust in her eyes.  Deciding to tease her even more, Olivia passed right over her center and pushed her lithe thighs apart.  She then proceeded to place several kisses on her inner thighs before pulling herself back up her body to capture her mouth.

 

Alex turned her head slightly and murmured, “Liv, I need you to touch me.”

 

Olivia gave a wicked grin as she moved down to bite her neck.  “Oh, but I am touching you,” she replied, squeezing a breast.

 

Alex grabbed a handful of the sheets and twisted them tightly.  “You know where I mean,” she breathed as Olivia bit her collarbone.

 

Deciding to have mercy on her, Olivia moved back down her body and settled between her legs.  “Are you ready?”

 

Alex nodded excitedly.  “Yes.”

 

Olivia dragged her fingertips sensually up and down the length of Alex’s swollen sex before dipping her fingers inside her slippery folds and finding her engorged clit.  Alex hissed loudly at the contact and her nipples hardened even more.  After sucking her arousal off her fingers, Olivia lowered her mouth and bathed her sex with her tongue.

 

“God!  God, yes!” Alex exclaimed as Olivia raked her teeth over the hood of her clit.  She teased her with the very tip of her tongue, letting it brush ever so slightly against her clit before circling it several times.  Alex dragged her nails up Olivia’s finely toned back, almost drawing blood. 

 

“Fuck, Alex!” Olivia gasped as the sting traveled up her body.

 

“Sorry,” Alex apologized quickly.

 

Olivia ignored the pain and continued her motions.  She took the hardened nub into her mouth—licking, sucking, pulling, biting—varying pressure and direction at random. 

 

“Fuck!  Fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkk!” Alex yelled, thrashing wildly against the sheets.  She felt as if her entire sex was on fire. 

 

“Stop squirming,” Olivia demanded, putting her hands on Alex’s hips to still her. 

 

“Feels too good,” Alex mumbled.  Little droplets of sweat fell from the back of her neck onto the pillow. 

 

Olivia grinned up at her.  Her face and several strands of her hair were covered with Alex’s juices.  “It’s supposed to.”  She lowered her mouth to Alex’s clit again.  She could feel her orgasm building; her clit began pulsating against her tongue and her thighs began trembling fervently.  However, she refused to give her release just yet.  She moved up and began tracing lazy patterns on her stomach with her tongue.

 

Alex groaned in frustration.  “Olivia, please.  I need to…”

 

“You need to what?” Olivia asked, letting her fingers probe Alex’s sex.

 

Alex’s hips rose off the bed at the sensation.  “Come…I need you inside me.”

 

“What do you say?” Olivia teased, rolling one of Alex’s nipples back and forth between her fingers.

 

“N-now,” Alex demanded, closing her eyes.

 

Olivia chuckled.  “I know your parents taught you better manners than that.”

 

Alex pushed Olivia’s face back down to her center.  “Liv, please,” she begged.  “I’ll do anything you want, just please let me come.”

 

Olivia smiled.  “Is that so now?”  She lifted Alex’s long legs and threw them over her shoulders.  Holding onto her hips, she plunged her tongue deep inside her to explore her inner walls. 

 

Alex moaned loudly while Olivia thrust deeper and deeper.  She threw her head back against the pillows and her eyes rolled back.  Nothing had ever felt as good inside her as Olivia’s smooth, talented tongue.  The trembling returned in her thighs again and she knew her orgasm was near the breaking point. 

 

Olivia could feel the vibrations against her face.  After a few more hard thrusts, Alex’s muscles clenched around her tongue and she screamed Olivia’s name.  Her entire body shuddered violently as wave after wave of her orgasm overtook her.  Olivia pinched her clit hard and Alex screamed again as another wave of shudders hit her hard.  When her muscles finally relaxed, Olivia removed her tongue and tenderly stroked her clit with her fingers to bring out the last of her tremors.  She began licking the rest of her juices from her center but even that sensation was too much for Alex.

 

“Liv…oh god, Liv.  No more.  I can’t take it,” Alex gasped, desperately trying to catch her breath.  Her cheeks and chest were flushed bright red.

 

Olivia crawled up the bed and stretched out beside Alex, whose chest was still heaving.  “So when do you think the police will show up at our door?”

 

Alex laughed and shoved her shoulder.  “The walls are not that thin.”  She looked over at her and smiled.  “That was truly amazing.”

 

Olivia grinned proudly.  “Well, from your screams, I imagined it was.”

 

Alex pulled Olivia to her chest and kissed the top of her head.  “I love you.”

 

“I love you, too,” Olivia replied.

 

Alex began stroking her back when Olivia flinched.  “What’s wrong?” she asked, suddenly alarmed.

 

Olivia turned over on her stomach so Alex could see the welts on her back.  “Look at my battle scars,” she teased.

 

“Oh, sweetie,” Alex said remorsefully.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to hurt you.”  She placed sweet kisses on the welts.  “Feel a little better?”

 

Olivia sighed deeply.  “Yes.  I love it when you kiss my boo-boos—especially when you inflict them.”

 

Alex laughed and carefully turned her on her back again.  “I guess I just got carried away.”

 

“I guess you did,” Olivia said.  Alex pulled her into her arms and rubbed her side comfortingly.

 

A few minutes later, her hand crept up to Olivia’s breast.  Rolling a nipple between her fingers, she pulled gently.  Olivia looked up at her and grinned.  “You’re not worn out for the night?”

 

“You didn’t think I was going to let you off that easy, did you?” Alex asked with a sly smile.  “I’ve wanted to taste you for hours,” she confessed in the husky voice that drove Olivia absolutely wild.

 

“You already had a taste,” Olivia teased.

 

“That was just an appetizer,” Alex replied.  She reached down and caressed Olivia’s center.  “Does that feel good?”

 

“Oh, yes,” Olivia moaned.

 

Alex began using firm, circular strokes to massage her folds.  Olivia tilted her face to capture Alex’s mouth as she continued her massage.  Alex could still taste the remnants of herself on Olivia’s tongue.

 

“I want to feel your clit against mine,” Olivia mumbled.

 

Alex grinned.  “Wow, aren’t we blunt?”  Nonetheless, she flipped her over.  Moving down a little, she leaned over her body and drank in every inch of it with an unbridled lust.  “My, are you beautiful.” 

 

Olivia blushed.  “Flattery will get you everywhere, Cabot.”

 

Alex gingerly ran her fingers over Olivia’s erect nipples, which hardened more at the touch.  She smiled satisfactorily when Olivia shivered in response.  She walked her fingers down her stomach and then pushed her strong thighs apart.  Olivia bent one knee so Alex could position herself comfortably between her legs.  Alex bent her knee on the opposite side of Olivia and rested her center against hers.  She slowly began to slide her center back and forth over Olivia’s until they had picked up a nice rhythm. 

 

“Ah, fuck!” Olivia screamed, grabbing Alex’s hips and grinding her center harder into her own.

 

Alex leaned down to kiss her, her nipples brushing Olivia’s.  She continued to grind her clitoris into hers while their tongues briefly battled.  A current of electricity rippled through their bodies as their most intimate regions fused together.  Sitting up again, Alex pushed her sex harder and faster into Olivia’s to intensify the stimulation even more and bring each other to orgasm.

 

They clung to the other as shudders of pleasure consumed them.  Tiny beads of sweat covered both their bodies.  Exhausted, Alex collapsed against Olivia’s chest.  Their hearts beat together rapidly.  “I love it when we do that,” she murmured.

 

“Me, too,” Olivia agreed, gasping for air.  She brushed away a few wisps of Alex’s hair that had become matted to her forehead. 

 

“If this is how I’ll get thanked for cooking for you, I’ll have to do it more often,” Alex teased.

 

Olivia laughed.  “So this is what you had in mind the entire time, huh?  A wonderful meal in exchange for mind-blowing sex?”

 

Alex kissed her cheek.  “You’ve got me all figured out.”

 

“I guess so,” Olivia replied.  “If someone had told me last week that I’d have you here in my arms, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

 

“Believe it,” Alex said.  “God, I haven’t been this happy since I last saw you.  There was a time when I thought I’d never see your place again.  I feel like I’m going to wake up from this wonderful dream and you won’t be beside me.”

 

Olivia smiled.  “Oh, baby.  That’s not going to happen.  This is real.”

 

“How do you know?” Alex asked, looking up at her with childlike concern in her eyes.

 

“Have our kisses ever felt this real in your dreams?” Olivia asked, capturing her lips.

 

Alex eagerly returned the kiss.  When it ended, she responded, “No.  Neither has our lovemaking.”

 

Olivia laughed.  “We had sex even in your dreams, Alex?”

 

Alex blushed.  “Sometimes.”

 

Olivia kissed her again.  “My, my, are you naughty.”

 

Alex grinned and stroked her breast.  “Naughty is more like this.  You have the most beautiful breasts,” she whispered, tracing an areola.  She placed a soft kiss on the nipple.  “And your nipples are perfect.”

 

Olivia grinned and cupped a breast in her hand.  “I guess they make me proud.”

 

Alex laughed.  “They certainly make me proud.”  Shifting her position, she took a nipple into her mouth and sucked gently, pleased as it grew against her tongue.  Olivia’s nipples were extremely sensitive, and Alex teased them mercilessly for several minutes—nibbling, pulling, and sucking to her heart’s desire.

 

Olivia moaned.  She could feel her wetness pooling against the sheets.  “God, I love it when you suck my breasts.”

 

“Not as much as I love sucking them,” Alex mumbled.  She let a hand absently caress her firm abs before placing several kisses on them.  Continuing her path down her body, she licked some of the wetness from her dark curls before giving her entire sex a passionate tongue bath.  Feeling the heat emanating from her opening, she let her tongue escape inside her moist cavern.  She liked to take her time exploring Olivia’s every nook and cranny, savoring the taste.  Each movement, each twist of her tongue was carefully masterminded to give Olivia maximum pleasure.  Like the stroke of a quill pen, she delicately and gracefully etched her love and devotion into her tender flesh.

 

Olivia reached a hand down to massage her scalp.  She used her other hand to squeeze her own nipple.  The sensations were almost unbearable.  “Alex, you feel so good.”

 

“How good?” Alex mumbled, teasingly circling her clit with her tongue.

 

“Good enough to make me come if you keep that up,” Olivia muttered.

 

“You taste so fucking good,” Alex mumbled, massaging her inner sex with her fingers while licking around her opening.  “I could do this all night.”

 

Olivia whimpered.  She loved when Alex expressed herself so provocatively.  “Be my guest.”

 

Alex pressed her tongue hard against her clit and inserted two fingers inside her.  As she thrust deeply, she covered her clit with her mouth and sucked hard.  Her eyes met Olivia’s.  With that silent signal, Olivia felt her body get warm all over and knew she could no longer contain her impulses.

 

“Oh fuck, Alex!  I’m gonna come!” Olivia screamed.  Alex quickly removed her fingers before Olivia’s muscles trapped them inside.  Her heart raced as she waited excitedly at her opening.  She didn’t have to wait for long.

 

Olivia’s orgasm ripped through her pelvis and she wrapped her legs tightly around Alex.  Alex let out a satisfied moan as the warm, delectable nectar coated her tongue and flowed down her throat.  She swallowed every drop and licked the remnants from her folds.  When her tongue swiped her quivering clit, Olivia involuntarily thrust her pelvis forward hard. 

 

“Fuck, baby!” Olivia exclaimed, jerking violently as another wave of pleasure coursed through her sex.  “Oh shit, fuckkkkkkkkkkk!”

 

Alex kissed her sex tenderly but cautiously until the tremors had abated.  “It’s ok, baby.  It’s gonna be ok,” she assured her. 

 

“Sweetie…please…can’t take…anymore,” Olivia begged, caressing Alex’s face, which glistened with her juices.  She pulled Alex to her and kissed her with bruising force.  “That was fucking phenomenal.”

 

“That’s just what I like to hear,” Alex said. 

 

Olivia chuckled lightly.  “I guess I won’t miss going to the gym after all.”

 

“I certainly gave you a workout, huh?” Alex joked.

 

“You sure did,” Olivia responded.  “I don’t know what burns more calories—chasing perps or having sex with you.”

 

Alex laughed.  “You know…you almost broke my nose down there,” she teased.

 

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Olivia said, kissing her forehead.  “But you know how excited I get.”  She held Alex in her arms and tweaked one of her nipples.  “Why are your nipples so hard, baby?”

 

Alex grinned.  “Because I love seeing you in ecstasy and knowing that I am solely responsible for it.  Most arousing thing in the world.”

 

“Fair enough,” Olivia responded.  “I mean…not that I was complaining or anything.”

 

“Good.  You know, Liv…” Alex began. 

 

Olivia looked down at her.  “Yes, sweetie?”

 

Alex sat up against the pillows and let out a short laugh.  “I can remember being absolutely terrified the first time we made love.”

 

Olivia smiled curiously.  “Why is that?”

 

“Well…it had been so long since I’d made love to a woman and I was just wondering—”

 

“If you still had it?” Olivia finished for her.

 

“Yes.  Exactly,” Alex confessed.

 

“Well, it was the best sex I’d ever had, if that’s any indication,” Olivia replied.  “It was the first time making love ever felt natural.”

 

Alex smiled widely.  “Good to know.  I never wanna disappoint you.”  She cuddled back up in Olivia’s arms.

 

“I love snuggling with you,” Olivia said.

 

“I do, too,” Alex said.  Olivia’s bedroom window was open and a cool breeze passed over them.  Alex shivered and pulled the comforter up.

 

“Do you want me to close the window?” Olivia asked.

 

Alex shook her head.  “Not right now.  I just got a little chilled, that’s all.”

 

“I’ll keep you warm,” Olivia promised, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly.

 

A few minutes passed.  Olivia sighed deeply and pulled Alex closer to her.  Alex tucked her arm securely around Olivia’s waist.  “Liv, if I tell you something, do you promise you won’t be freaked out by it?” she asked somewhat apprehensively.

 

“I promise,” Olivia answered.  “What is it?”

 

“Well…I used to save all the newspaper articles you were featured in,” Alex confessed quietly.  “I wasn’t allowed to take pictures when I left, so that’s the only way I had pictures of you.  I’d scour the Ledger website and then print out clippings pertaining to you since I couldn’t have a subscription sent to my house.”

 

Olivia grinned.  “Well, well.  Nice to have a stalker I actually wanted.”

 

Alex chuckled.  “Good to know I’m appreciated.”

 

“You’re always appreciated,” Olivia said, kissing her on the top of the head.

 

“I just realized that I didn’t even bring an overnight bag.  I have nothing to wear tomorrow,” Alex said.

 

“We can stop by your place tomorrow morning so you can get some things,” Olivia suggested.

 

Alex smiled up at her and then laid her head on her chest again.  “Sounds good.”  She took comfort in the gentle rise and fall of Olivia’s chest.  “I always feel so safe in your arms.”

 

Olivia played with a few strands of Alex’s hair.  “I’ll always protect you,” she vowed, though with slight hesitation.  Can I really protect you?  I couldn’t even protect you from getting shot and I was standing right there.

 

Alex noticed the hesitation in Olivia’s voice and the troubled look on her face.  She knew what Olivia was thinking.  “Sweetie…don’t beat yourself up about this again.  It is not your fault that I was shot.  The shots came out of nowhere.  But you are the reason I’m still alive today because you saved my life.  You kept pressure on the wound and kept talking to me the whole time so I didn’t lose consciousness at such a critical point.  Even though I couldn’t speak, I could still hear you.  I could feel you pushing my blood—pushing my life—back into me.  And I could hear you crying; I tried even harder to hold on just for you.”

 

Olivia smiled but a tear fell down her cheek nevertheless.  “I was so scared,” she said, her voice breaking.  She remembered Alex’s blood pouring out, seeping into the concrete and staining her hands.  Several more tears followed.

 

Alex sat up and brushed her tears away.  “No, sweetie,” she said, kissing her cheek softly.  “No more tears.  It’s all over now.  I survived, baby.”

 

“At the hospital, when I…when they said…you were…gone,” Olivia gasped.  “I wanted to—”

 

“No.  Don’t you dare think about that anymore,” Alex said, holding her tightly in her arms.  “That’s why I had to see you before they shipped me away.  I couldn’t go on letting you think I was dead.  The guilt alone would have killed me.”  By this time, Alex was crying, too despite herself. 

 

Olivia wiped away Alex’s tears and pressed her lips against hers.  She turned on her side to face Alex.  “I’m so lucky to have you in my life.”

 

“Not as lucky as I am to have you in mine,” Alex said.

 

“Has it been hard adjusting back?” Olivia asked.

 

“Somewhat,” Alex confessed.  “I…I’ve been seeing a therapist.”

 

“That’s good,” Olivia said, patting her hand.  “You’ve been through more in two years than most people will face in a lifetime.  It’s a lot to handle.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Alex muttered.  She threw back the sheets and got out of bed.  “I’m going to get some peroxide for those…wounds,” she said with a grin.  “I’ll be back in a sec.”

 

Alex returned shortly with cotton balls and a bottle of peroxide.  Pouring a little on the cotton, she turned Olivia over onto her stomach and gently dabbed at the scratches and welts.  “There.  You’re good to go.”

 

Olivia turned her head toward her and said, “Thank you, Nurse Alex.”  She cautiously ran her fingers over the puckered, raised flesh of the small scar under Alex’s right collarbone.  Turning Alex on her side a little, she ran her fingers over a similar scar where the bullet had exited her shoulder in back. 

 

Alex shifted uncomfortably and removed Olivia’s hand.  She felt so self-conscious when Olivia wanted to give special attention to her scars.  “Liv…please.  Don’t do that.”

 

Olivia gave her a hurt look.  “Sweetie, why don’t you like it when I touch—”

 

Alex brushed away a tear.  “I just don’t.”

 

Olivia kissed the tears that had started to fall again on her cheeks.  “Baby, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to upset you.  But you have nothing to feel ashamed of.  These scars are your badges of honor.”

 

“They’re a reminder of everything I lost,” Alex said solemnly.

 

“They’re also a reminder of everything you got back,” Olivia said reassuringly, brushing some hair back behind Alex’s ear.

 

Alex looked at Olivia and blushed furiously.  “It’s just…they’re so…”  She stopped to find the right words but couldn’t.  “…there.  So out of place.  So hideous.”

 

Olivia stroked her face.  “No, baby.  No!  They’re so beautiful.”  She kissed Alex’s lips and looked into her eyes again. 

 

“You really think so?” Alex asked quietly.

 

“I know so,” Olivia swore.  She lowered her lips to Alex’s shoulder and placed several kisses on the scars.  “Beautiful…” she uttered between kisses, her voice full of love and admiration.

 

Tears continued to stream down Alex’s face.  She was overwhelmed with emotion at the sincerity of Olivia’s overt appreciation of her scars.  She captured Olivia’s lips and asked, “Why do you care about them so much?”

 

“Alex, I love these scars because they are proof of your survival, your bravery, and your tenacity.  You’ve always fought for what you believed in, no matter what the consequences.  There’s no one on Earth whom I respect more.”

 

Alex pulled Olivia to her and sobbed against her shoulder.  This time they were tears of sheer happiness.  It was an incredible feeling to have a woman whom she loved and had always looked up to believe in her so much.  “You’re my hero,” she told Olivia.

 

Olivia smiled with pride and wiped her own tears away.  “Oh, sweetie.  I love you.”

 

“I love you, too, Olivia,” Alex responded.

 

They held hands and gazed into the other’s eyes until their eyelids grew heavy.  A few hours later, Alex awakened to find Olivia sleeping peacefully.  She had always loved watching Olivia sleep.  Olivia often slept facedown with one hand tucked behind her at the small of her back.  After pulling the sheets back so she could get a better view, Alex let her fingers trail down her spine, marveling at the smooth feel of her skin.  Unbeknownst to her, Olivia had awakened.

 

“I see you still steal the covers, Cabot,” Olivia teased, slowly opening her eyes.  The light from the street poured through the window and danced across her face, giving her an almost ethereal glow.

 

Alex smiled.  “Old habits die hard, I guess.  I just wanted to watch you sleep.  You look so beautiful, so serene.”

 

“Come here, you,” Olivia said, tucking her arm around Alex and pulling her in close. 

 

Alex sighed deeply and closed her eyes.  She didn’t know what the future had in store for her, but she knew that as long as Olivia was in her life, everything would be okay.