Fic: Lean on Me (Fringe, Olivia/Rachel)

[fembuck]

Title: Lean on Me
Author: Janine
Fandom: Fringe
Pairing: Olivia/Rachel
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don’t own them.

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Olivia’s eyes closed as she felt Rachel’s hands land on her shoulders. She had tried to hide her grimaces as she moved around the kitchen helping Rachel prepare dinner, but she knew that her sister had noticed. She didn’t want Rachel waiting on her hand and foot, she was injured but she wasn’t an invalid. However, as her sister’s fingers began to dig into the tight muscles of her shoulders, Olivia decided that some tender, loving care was acceptable.

“You shouldn’t have gone back to work so soon,” Rachel murmured as her thumbs dug into a knot between Olivia’s shoulder blades. “You’re moving around to much, it’s not giving your body a chance to heal.”

Olivia sighed softly but was otherwise silent for a moment. They’d had this conversation before, quite a few times actually, and she wished that Rachel would stop bringing it up. She would have liked to spend all day lounging around in bed, but something had happened to her and she needed to find out what it was. She wouldn’t be able to rest, really rest until she knew what had happened to her. As it was she was barely sleeping.

“I know,” Olivia breathed out, allowing her eyes to close as Rachel continued to work on her back. “But you know what I’m like.”

It was Rachel’s turn to sigh then, and Olivia found her lips curving up in a small smile as her sister’s irritated exhalation reached her ears.

“You’re an annoying person,” Rachel muttered, digging her thumbs into Olivia’s back with a little more zeal than was necessary.

“And you’re a spaz,” the older blonde shot back though her voice warm and sweet with affection. “I know you’re worried, but I need to know what happened to me Ray. It might make my body take a little longer to heal, but not knowing is making me a basket-case.”

“I know,” Rachel whispered, bending her head down to press her lips to the top of her sister’s head.

Olivia had barely managed to get one or two consecutive hours of sleep since being released from the hospital. She’d woken up on numerous occasions to find her sister sitting in the wicker chair by her door reading by the light in the hall so as not to wake her, and had wandered into the living room more than a few mornings to find Olivia lying wrapped up in a blanket with some awful morning program on with a dead look in her eyes that let Rachel know she had up and zoning out in front of the television for hours.

“I just … I feel so impotent. I want to help but …”

“You do,” Olivia interrupted. “I know I don’t make it easy but you do,” she continued, wincing slightly as she reached behind her to take her sister’s hand into her own. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all if you weren’t there,” she admitted quietly.

She was terrified to close her eyes. The only reason she was able to drift to sleep at all, even if it was only for a few hours, was because the warmth of Rachel’s body and the familiarity of her scent made her feel safe and protected.

“Sweet talker,” Rachel breathed out, pressing her lips to top of Olivia’s head again as the older blonde restlessly played with her fingers.

“If I was any more of a smooth criminal I’d have to arrest myself,” Olivia murmured, a smile working its way across her face as she tilted her head back so that she was looking up at Rachel. It wasn’t often that she got to look up at her little sister and she always got a little thrill seeing Rachel gazing down at her.

“I should call Charlie and have him arrest you for making bad jokes,” Rachel muttered staring down into Olivia’s dancing blue eyes.

Olivia made a scoffing sound, and then smirked up at the younger Dunham. “You just want to get me in cuffs,” the agent teased, biting down on her bottom lip coyly when Rachel’s eyes narrowed at her.

“You,” Rachel declared with mock indignance, poking Olivia in the center of her forehead, “are in for it when you get rid of that cane.”

Rachel’s eyes drifted away from Olivia’s and slide towards the door then to make sure they were still alone. She found that the coast was still clear and returned her attention her sister. They held each others eyes for a few seconds and then Rachel smiled and bent her head down, pressing her lips against Olivia’s.

“I know that was a threat, but,” Olivia managed to breath out when Rachel briefly pulled back from her lips, “that sounds like a lot of fun,” she continued, just managing to get the words out of her mouth before Rachel took possession of her lips once more.

“I’m lulling you into a false sense of security,” Rachel murmured a few seconds later, her tongue playing across Olivia’s upper lip before she finally pulled back from the older woman’s mouth.

“I hope you never meet Nina Sharp,” Olivia sighed lazily, blinking slowly up into Rachel’s face, “She’d love to acquire such a cunning and calculating mind,” she went on smiling playfully.

Rachel swatted her sister lightly on the arm.

“Actually,” Rachel said, adopting a very scholarly tone, “We’re already met. But I’m the one that should be worried. You’re the Dunham Ms. Sharp is interested in acquiring. She came by to see you before you woke up,” Rachel went on brushing a few strands of wispy blonde hair out of Olivia’s face. “I think she’s sweet on you.”

Olivia rolled her eyes in response to that and Rachel laughed.

Olivia smiled as well, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Rachel was right, Nina Sharp was definitely interested in her but Olivia had no idea what the redhead’s intentions towards her really were. It would have been a relief to her actually, to find out that Nina’s interest in her was purely romantic. But Olivia knew that even though the redhead was attracted to her that lust wasn’t the main reason the Massive Dynamics Director of Operations was so focused on her.

“Hey, where are you?” Rachel asked gently, the sound of her voice drawing Olivia back into the moment. The older Dunham blinked a few times, and then breathed in and out deeply before focusing on her sister once more.

“Um …”

“Mom!” Ella shrieked from the other room, her voice sounding just before the patter of little feet running towards them could be detected.

“Lucky,” Rachel muttered, giving Olivia one last look before she stepped back putting a more respectable amount of space between them.

Before Ella had called her name Olivia’s brows had creased and her eyes had taken on a befuddled look that Rachel knew meant Olivia was going to try to weasel her way out of answering her question.

“Mom!” Ella called out far louder than necessary as she skidded to a stop only a meter away from the sisters. “Has Aunt Liv recovered from her stressful day at the office yet?” the girl asked immediately, practically jittering where she stood.

Olivia’s lips twisted up into an amused grin as Ella parroted back what Rachel had no doubt whispered to her when she had intercepted the child as she darted for Olivia’s legs earlier when the agent arrived home from work.

“I don’t know,” Rachel said holding out her arm to encourage her daughter to come closer. “Why don’t you ask her?”

“Aunt Liv, have you recovered from your stressful day at the office yet?” Ella asked spinning to stare up into Olivia’s eyes.

“Definitely,” Olivia told her smiling. She reached out for Ella wanting to draw the child up into her lap, but before she could come close to making contact Rachel reached out and slapped her hand away.

“You shouldn’t be lifting her,” Rachel murmured softly as she cut Olivia a warning look. “Your bruises still have bruises.”

Olivia sighed, but didn’t contradict her sister. Instead, she turned her attention back to Ella.

“It’s going to take me a little longer than it normally does to walk to your room,” Olivia said returning her attention to Ella, who was looking between the two of them impatiently, “My third leg is slowing me down,” Olivia continued patting the handle of her cane. “You go get ready for bed, and then we can learn all about the adventures of The Paper Bag Princess.”

“Okay,” Ella agreed quickly, bouncing excitedly on her feet for a second before taking off.

“We don’t have a copy of that,” Rachel commented once Ella was out of the room. “I know you read it to me a lot, but I don’t think it was enough to have memorized it.”

Olivia chuckled and then shook her head before murmuring, “I picked a copy up after work,” as she struggled to get back on her feet. “I’ve got it,” Olivia protested a moment later as she felt Rachel’s hands on her trying to help her up.

“I doubt that,” Rachel said as Olivia’s hand gripped the handle of the cane tightly. “But it’s alright. I’ve got you,” she continued, wrapping her arm around the taller woman’s waist, taking some of Olivia’s weight onto herself to make it easier for her sister to stand. “You don’t have to put on a brave face for me,” Rachel continued as Olivia leaned heavily against her. “I’ve seen you cry during Bambi. I know you are but a mere mortal.”

“I wasn’t crying,” Olivia muttered as Rachel helped her towards the door. “I had popcorn butter in my eye.”

“Mom hadn’t even made the popcorn when you started bawling,” Rachel said laughing.

“Well, excuse me for having a heart, Ray,” Olivia murmured angling her head away from her sister. “It was really sad, okay?” she continued. She almost managed to make it through the whole little speech with a straight face, but on ‘okay’ her mournful expression dissolved into a grin, and Rachel shook her head at her.

Ella was in her pajamas and sitting on top of the covers with an anxious expression on her face when they made it to her room.

“You,” Rachel said smiling as she pointed at Ella, “Go brush your teeth. I didn’t hear any water going when Aunt Liv and I were walking. Go on,” she continued, not being swayed by the way her daughter’s shoulders slumped and hard-knocked expression on her face as she climbed off of the bed and slumped her way towards the door.

“Why don’t kids like to brush their teeth?” Olivia asked somewhat rhetorically as she watched her niece disappear from sight.

“Probably for the same reason they think it’s a good idea to touch everything they see after eating a peanut butter and jam sandwich,” Rachel sighed which drew an amused look from her sister.

“They do the darnedest things,” Olivia replied still smiling.

“Ha ha,” Rachel muttered before extracting herself from Olivia’s side so that she could stick her head into the hallway to listen for running water. “You’re lucky she got out of that phase before she got near your very pretty but not very practical white canvas couch,” Rachel continued, walking back into the room a few seconds later, apparently satisfied that Ella was indeed brushing her teeth.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Olivia said as Rachel tucked herself against her side once more. “I think we found a very practical use for the couch when Ella was at Jenny’s sleepover party.”

Rachel smiled and blushed slightly and hummed pleasantly before murmuring, “I love that couch.”

A few seconds later Ella came bounding back into the room and made a beeline for her bed. Rachel carefully disentangled herself from Olivia and made her way towards Ella’s side of the bed while Olivia slowly made her way towards the other.

“Open,” Rachel requested, leaning down to stick her nose just in front of Ella’s mouth. “Alright,” Rachel declared a moment later. “She’s passed the inspection. Story time may commence,” she said leaning forward to kiss Ella on the forehead before taking a step back from the bed. “But remember …”

“Only one story,” Olivia and Ella intoned together.

“Alright, alright I get the picture. I’m going,” Rachel replied holding up her hands innocently as walked backwards to the door. “Have fun, you two.”

At that Olivia’s head and Ella’s dipped down towards the book, and a moment later Olivia’s smooth, rich voice began to fill the room.

Rachel stood in the doorway for a few moments watching her girls. She knew that Olivia was going to read Ella two stories despite her reminder – just as she always did – and that when her older sister came into the bedroom later that she would flash a sheepish grin at her and helplessly shrug her shoulders as if to say, “She pouted. What could I do?” Just like she always did. And Rachel knew that she would be charmed by Olivia’s antics – just as she always was – because she could never be upset about Olivia loving Ella and wanting to make her happy.

Sighing softly Rachel turned to leave the room, however before she turned her back completely her eyes caught Olivia’s over the hardcover of the book she was holding, and Rachel smiled and mouthed, “I’ll see you later.” Olivia’s lips curved up in a soft smile and her eyes held Rachel’s warmly until Ella called her name and she was forced to return her attention to the book.

When Olivia’s eyes slipped away from hers, Rachel turned and disappeared through the doorway. She made her way through the hallway, lazily trailing her fingers along the wall as she walked to the master bedroom to await Olivia’s return.

The End