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After the interview with Sarah Walsh,Barba, Amanda, Fin, and Carisi watched Olivia walk into her office without moa word to any of them and shut the door. The three detectives and the ADA all looked at each other,unsure of what to do next. Finally Barba broke the silence. "I'm going to head back to my office and work on the case presentation." 

"See ya later, Councilor," Fin replied as the others waved.

The detectives got back to work but cast concerned glances at Olivia's office window every so often.

Ten minutes had passed and the lieutenant still hadn't appeared in the bullpen. 

"Do ya think she's ok in there?" Carisi asked in concern.

There was a moment of silence before Amanda stood and declared,"I'll go check on her."

"I'm not sure that's a good plan,'Manda. You know she likes to keep her personal stuff private," Fin protested.

Amanda sighed. "I understand what she's going through,Fin. I've got to try to reach out to her. I promise,I won't push too hard."

Fin nodded. "Ok. Take care of our fearless leader. Just remind her she's not alone."

"Will do," the younger detective shot back.

She knocked on Olivia's office door, entering when she heard a curt, "Come in."

"Rollins. Do you need something?" aked Olivia,trying to keep her voice steady. She wasn't fooling Amanda, though. The younger woman had seen her lieutenant swipe her fingers under her eyes before giving permission for Amanda to enter. Between that and the redness around the older woman's eyes, it was pretty obvious she'd been crying.

"I just wanted to check on you. That interview was pretty intense. Liv, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Olivia tried to convince her friend, avoiding eye contact. Closing the door, Amanda slowly approached the desk and took Olivia's hand in hers. "Liv, I'm the queen of bottling things up. I know all the tricks. You know it's ok to not be ok. And I understand a case bringing back stuff you'd rather forget. I've been there,Liv."

"Amanda,"Olivia sighed, but Amanda held up a hand.

"I won't pressure you to talk if you don't want to. I just want you to remember you're not alone. Me, Fin, Carisi, even Barba; we're all here for you. We love you,Liv. This squad is your family. That's what families do. We look out for each other and support each other. You're always looking out for all of us, but now it's time for you to let someone look out for you."

By the time Amanda was finished, the lieutenant had tears in her eyes.

"Thank you,Amanda. I know that. I feel the same about you guys. This is not the time or place to have this discussion,though. It's too long and hard a conversation to have in  just a few minutes. Noah's going to be at a birthday sleepover,so could you stick  around for a bit after the guys leave for the night? We could order  take-out."

Amanda smiled. "I have a better Idea. Jesse goes to bed around eight. I don't want you to have to be alone tonight. How about you stay at my place tonight. We can talk as long as you need to and then you won't have to go back to an empty apartment."

Olivia hesitated. "I don't want to put you out or disrupt your routine."

"You wouldn't be. And Jesse would love to see you before she goes to sleep," Amanda insisted. 

"Well, ok," Olivia finally accepted with a small smile.

"Great. Do you want to swing by your place on the way?" Amanda inquired.

"No. I actually have a change of clothes in my locker. For now,though,we'd better get back to work. Tell the guys I'm fine," was Olivia's response.

"I will,but they probably won't believe me," Amanda retorted.

"You're probably right. Just tell them not to worry," Olivia agreed.

Amanda gave a nod of acknowledgment before turning towards the door.

She stopped short as her lieutenant's voice called out, "Manda?"

"Yeah?" the younger woman replied, facing her friend. Olivia surprised her subordinate by walking over and pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you. For being there and for letting me set the pace."

Amanda looked directly into the older woman's eyes and softly but firmly replied,"Of course. Always."

With that,Amanda returned to the squad room.

"How's she doing?" questioned Fin.

"She's good. She told me to order you guys not to worry," Amanda informed her partner.

Carisi gave a sarcastic snort. "Like that's gonna happen."

Amanda smirked but insisted, "Seriously, guys. Liv will be just fine. She's strong. She knows we're here if she needs us."

Fin and Carisi looked uncertain, but after a few moments, they accepted their fellow detective's words and returned to their work. Amanda looked at her boss through the window and caught her eye, giving her an encouraging smile before returning to her own work.