Hey everyone! I know I've been MIA for quite some time on here but, I was really affected by the finale that I wanted to do a quick Tuckson one-shot. I was a little hesitant of Olivia and Tucker at first, regarding their history, but I've grown to really enjoy their new-found relationship. He has really shown that he is here to stay and I couldn't be happier for Olivia and Noah. I hope that with the new showrunner coming on board, he will enjoy Tuckson as much as I do and not break them up. I know I still have other stories to update but, I'm in a bit of a deep writer's block that I can't seem to get out of. I hope you enjoy this quick and short one-shot and let me know what you think.
Olivia was numb. She was replaying the events of the week in her head, over and over again. Her mind was on overdrive and she couldn't stop the constant thoughts going through her head. Running on a few hours of sleep for the whole entire week sure didn't help. How could she sleep? How could she sleep peacefully when a member of her squad will never wake up again? She kept thinking about how this situation could have been avoided. She kept thinking about how Mike would still be here if she had checked Munson for weapons; about how it could have been her laying in that casket.
Noah. Noah could have lost his mother; the only person who has been there for him. She can't even begin to imagine what would have happened to Noah if she had been in that house instead of Dodds.
She broke out of her trance as Ed walked out into the living room. "That was quick," she told him, referring to Ed getting Noah to bed.
He let out a sigh and sat down next to her. "Yeah. I guess he was as exhausted as the both of us," he replied. "Maybe we should get some sleep."
Olivia stayed quiet and rubbed her hands over her face.
Ed leaned in and gently rubbed her back. "You want to talk?" he tried. He didn't know if she was ready to talk about the events of the day. The funeral.
She looked down and just shook her head.
He gently grabbed her face. "Hey, look at me." As she looked up at him, he saw a broken woman. He saw the always strong, Olivia Margaret Benson, completely broken. "Liv, honey, I know you're not ready to talk right now, but please just know that I'm always going to be here whenever you feel ready. I can't imagine how it feels to lose a friend. Mike was a great man and I know how much he looked up to you," he paused as he heard a small sob escape her lips.
She shook her head. "He looked up to me and I couldn't even protect him. I'm supposed to protect my team and I let him down. I let his father down, his family," she cried. She couldn't help but blame herself for what happened. Why didn't she check Munson for weapons? How could she be so careless and put one of her officers in danger?
He pulled her in closer to him and continued, "Liv, you can't blame yourself for this. How were you supposed to know that was going to happen? You can't ever predict what's going to happen in this job." He grabbed her hand and continued, "You're the most protective leader I've ever come across. I know you would do anything for your squad and they would do anything for you. Mike had all the respect in the world for you. He was lucky to have you Olivia. You helped him see that he was so much more than what his father wanted for him. You made him realize that he was his own person and that he had to make the choices that were the best for him. You did that, Olivia"
She wasn't ready to have this conversation. She wasn't ready to hear that she wasn't to blame for this. "Ed, please I don't want to talk about this right now."
Ed's heart sank when he heard the weakness in her voice. "Ok," he replied. "Tell me what you need from me."
She looked over at him with her tear stained face. "Just hold me. Please."
Ed was not one to cry but, seeing one of the strongest people he's ever met, break down right in front of him was enough to make him shed a few tears. She needed him. She needed him to be strong for her so he wiped away his tears and did as she asked of him. He put his arms around her wanting to protect her from all this hurt. Wanting to protect her from all the darkness surrounding her.
Ed continued to hold her in his arms as she drifted into exhaustion. He never heard such gut wrenching sobs before. He couldn't stand seeing her this way. He's always known Olivia to be a strong, independent, woman that always took care of herself. Even after the whole Lewis ordeal, she put on this front that she was okay. However, she didn't even bother putting up a front this week. She allowed him to be the strong one. She trusted him to allow herself to be vulnerable with him.
He felt her stirring awake and he shifted as she sat up a little.
She looked up at him with sad eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep. How long was I out for?"
"No, no, it's okay. Only half an hour but, we should probably get you to bed. I know it's been a long week for you," Ed suggested.
As they both stood up and made their way to her bedroom, she turned to look at him. "Ed, thank you," she said simply.
He furrowed his eyebrows. "For what?"
She held his hands. "For being there. For letting me fall apart."
He gently held her face in his hands and kissed her forehead. "Always," he whispered.
They got into bed and he wrapped his arms around her. Within a few minutes, she heard his soft breathing, indicating that he was asleep. As she lay in bed with him, she knew that even with all the craziness going on in her life, she would be okay as long as Ed and Noah were by her side. Her family.
Well I really hoped you enjoyed that really short quick one-shot and I would love to know what you think so please feel free to drop a comment.