Flux and Flow

Dan walked into Olivia's apartment a few days later after a distressed phone call earlier in the morning. He used the key she had given him and walked in.

"Vee?" He called walking through the apartment. "It's Dan. Where are you?"

Dan walked through the apartment in search of her. She wasn't in the kitchen, she wasn't in her living area and she wasn't in her bedroom. Finally he stopped in the bathroom and found her sitting in the bathtub with her knees against her chest, sobbing.

"Olivia, what happened?" He gasped, kneeling down at the side of the tub. He pushed some of her hair off of her face. The pain on her face was killing him.

"My divorce papers went through today," Olivia replied softly.

Despite the awful way that Olivia's marriage had ended, she still loved Tyler. He had been there with her through the hardest thing to ever happen to her. Saying 'goodbye' to him was like saying goodbye to a piece of your heart. All bad things aside he was still a part of her and having to leave was hard. She couldn't hate him.

"Olivia," Dan stated softly, rubbing her back. Dan understood what he was getting into when he and Olivia started going together. He knew that she was in the process of finalizing her divorce and they would have a lot of work to do together. Dan knew that Olivia had a lot of work to do with her mental state and he was willing to help.

"I'm officially no longer married," She whispered, playing with his fingers as they rested on the ledge of the bathtub.

"How do you feel about it?" Dan asked watching her as she kept her head down.

"Empty and relieved all at the same time," She replied, finally looking up at him.

"Do you want to get out of there and get some tea, love?" Dan asked.

"Can we get out of here for a bit? I don't want to be here," Olivia stated. Something about her post-'war' apartment felt ominous today. She didn't want to be around it. All she wanted was for Dan to get her out.

"We'll go to my house," Dan nodded. He helped her out of the bathtub leading her back to the front door. Olivia got her shoes on and a coat before Dan led her to his car. Dan drove them in silence to his house.

"Dan, I can't meet your mother like this!" Olivia whispered when they walked in the front door of Dan's house he shared with his mother.

"Trust me, she won't care what you look like. She'll want to care of you," Dan assured her. He led her into the house, calling for his mother.

"Honey," His mother immediately gasped upon seeing Olivia. She took Olivia in her arms and hugged her tightly. The feeling of the motherly affection sent Olivia back into hysterics. If she had ever needed a mother figure, it would be now.

"Tell me everything," Jean Flint ordered, pulling Olivia to the kitchen table. "Dan, make tea."

Jean listened intently as Olivia told her entire story. Dan leaned against the kitchen counter and listened to the story again. He hoped maybe something new would come up, maybe she'd let him see a part of her that he felt he could help salvage. He wanted to help her, maybe not save her completely. He wanted to help her save herself.

Jean wrapped Olivia in a tight hug after she finished telling her story, ending at the divorce papers that went through today. Dan was happy that his mother and Olivia were getting along. His mother was never one to turn someone away.

"You can stay here as long as you like," Jean stated. "You can stay in Dan's room. You stay with us as long as you like, honey. You can't be alone during a time like this."

"Thank you," Olivia nodded, wiping her face when Jean let her go.

"Any man that forgets he's married, especially to a beautiful girl like you, doesn't deserve to be married," Jean stated. "You stay here with Dan and I, we'll take care of you."

Olivia nodded, sending Jean Flint the best appreciative look she could muster through her tears.

"Dan is quite smitten with you. He'll be good to you," Jean whispered to Olivia. Olivia smiled through a sob and nodded.

"I know," She nodded, wiping her eyes.

"What do you want in your tea, love?" Dan asked Olivia.

"Milk and way too much sugar," Olivia smiled softly. Dan laughed and kissed her forehead.

Later that night Dan and Olivia laid in his bed. Olivia laid with her head on his chest and her legs across his waist.

"Thank you," Olivia mumbled, her eyes closed.

"For what?" Dan asked, rubbing her legs.

"Today," Olivia replied. "If you hadn't come and saved me tonight I would have lost my mind. Thank you for helping me today."

"Of course," Dan smiled. "You're my girl."

"I am," Olivia nodded, kissing his chin.

Both Olivia and Dan knew that they had a long way to go before they would be "good". They both had a lot of demons to fight. Together and alone.