Olivia

I stuffed Olivia's colouring book in the pink rucksack as a last minute thought. She might get bored while she's at studio, though somehow I doubted that would happen.

I held my hand out to her and she grasped it. I heard a car horn honk outside. That must be Alex. He'd offered to drive to studio today.

"C'mon Jack. Alex is here!" Olivia said, impatiently pulling on my hand.

"Ok, I'm coming." I replied, letting her pulled me put the door and, after locking it, to Alex's car.

"Hey Alex." I said once we were in the car, me in the front with him and Olivia in the back with her rucksack.

"Hey Jack, Olivia." He said before pulling away.

On our way there, we got stuck in traffic.

"Typical." Alex muttered below his breath.

"Yeah, I know, it's annoying. I got stuck in this yesterday on the way back from studio." I said.

"Oh! I just remembered!" Alex exclaimed, turning round in his seat, "Olivia, can you see a white plastic bag near your feet?"

"Yeah."

Alex turned to look out of the front window, over the dashboard, "Open it."

"Ok."

I turned round so I could see what Olivia was doing. She was opening the bag to reveal a Hello Kitty rucksack. Her face lit up with happiness.

"Alex, you didn't have to." I said, facing him.

"It wasn't intentional, I just saw it on sale and I though 'Yeah, let's buy it for Olivia'." He said, carefully inching the car forward in the slow-moving traffic.

"Olivia, what do you say to Alex?"

"Thank you Alex!" She said.

"It's alright. Why don't you put your stuff in it?" Alex suggested.

"Yeah!"
*-*-*-*-*-*
l held one of Olivia's hands and Alex held the other. She swung between us as we walked into the studio.

I opened the door and let Olivia and Alex through. Zack and Rian stared at us.

"Who's the kid?" Rian asked, twirling his drumsticks in his hands.

"Olivia," I answered, crouching down next to her, "This is Rian and Zack."

"Hi." Zack said, waving.

"I like him." Olivia whispered in my ear, pointing at Zack.

Alex chuckled, having overhead what Olivia said, "Most people do, I can't say I'm one of them though."

"Can't say you're one of what?" Zack said.

"I can't say I'm one of the people that like you." Alex replied, grinning.

In seconds Alex was in a headlock. He was yelling at me to get Zack off him, but I just shook my head and showed Olivia where she was going to sit while we recorded.

"You're mean." Alex said once he'd for free of Zack, pouting.

"I know I am." I replied, pressing a finger against his pout.

Alex looked shocked for a moment, before schooling his features into a normal face again.

"Shall we get recording?" Rian said.
*-*-*-*-*-*
Olivia laughed as Alex pushed her on the swing.

"Faster Alex!" She yelled.

Alex laughed and gave her one final push before walking over to me and sitting next to me on the bench.

"She's very bossy." He commented.

"Yeah." I replied, looking at Olivia who was now yelling for Zack to push her, which he did.

It was lunchtime and, at Olivia's insistence, we had gone to the nearest playground. We had got a sandwich each on the way here and eaten them walking.

"You can push her now." Zack panted, dropping onto the bench next to me and Alex.

I laughed at him and got up, looking across to the swings, and felt a moment of pure panic, she wasn't there.

"Zack, where is she?" I asked urgently, sweeping my eyes over the playground, searching for Olivia's blonde hair.

He stood up and, pointing with his finger, said, "Right over - crap."

I was panicking now, my eyes scanning the entire playground.

"Jack." said Alex.

I ignored him.

"Jack."

"JACK!"

I turned towards Alex and said, "Not now Alex."

"Look over there." He ordered, pointing towards the gate.

As I looked, Rian and Olivia, each holding two ice-creams, walked through the gate.

"Jack, we got you ice-cream!" She said as she ran towards me, holding the ice-cream in front of her.

I watched as if in slow motion, Olivia tripped on her loose shoelace and fell over, her hands flying our to protect herself instinctively. The ice-creams splattered on the tarmac and began to melt. I was up and running over to her as her shrieks emitted across the playground. I heard Zack and Alex running behind me.

I flung myself onto my knees next to her. I pressed her face into my shoulder, muffling her crying.

"Sh... Sh... There, there. Jack's here now. Sh..." I murmured in Olivia's ear, rocking her back and forth.

Slowly, I let go of her so I could have a good look at her injuries. She had two big grazes on each knew, plus two smaller ones on the heels of each hand.

"Hush, hush." I soothed as I picked her up as gently as I could.

"Let's go." I said once I had picked Olivia, riding piggy-back style on me.

"Ok." Alex said before racing over to the bench we had been sitting on and picked up Olivia's Hello Kitty rucksack.
*-*-*-*-*-*
Olivia's sobbing has decreased dramatically by the time we got to the studio. However, she was now refusing to let me go, which gave me a problem. I needed to record my guitar part.

"Olivia, this will only work if you are absolutely silent, understand?" I said.

She nodded silently, looking around the room from the chair she was sat on. It was the only way I could get her to cooperate.

When we got back to the studio, Alex and I had carefully cleaned her wounds up in the toilets. She had cried a bit but she'd perked up when Alex produced a red lolly out of nowhere.

"Jack..." She whispered.

"Yeah?" I sighed, signalling to stop.

"Can I go and colour please?" She asked, her blue eyes pleading with me.

"Yeah. Go and show Rian and Zack your amazing pictures."

"And Alex." She said just before leaving the room.