Resolutions (Olivia POV)

Olivia breathed deeply in an effort to centre herself. She knew the discussion she needed to have with Belle, and she wasn’t looking forward to it. Despite their age difference of ten years, they had been very close at one point. Almost inseparable. That was what came with living in the world they did. If one was to trust, one must trust deeply. The only bonds that survived the abyss in Sydney were those forged strong and true.

But Skylar had been right. They were both too stubborn and headstrong for their own good. They had been a powerful team back in the day. And now they were both leagues more powerful than they had been. Belle would be an invaluable ally to have in this fight.

So Olivia needed to extend an olive branch.

She took one more deep breath and knocked on the door to Belle’s room. “What?” The aggressive voice came from inside.

“It’s me. Can we talk?” Olivia asked.

A few seconds of silence followed. “Fuck off.” Belle replied.

“I’m coming in.” Olivia replied, opening the door and stepping inside. The redhead rose from her sitting position on the bed.

“Did you not fucking hear me when I said fuck off?” Belle scoffed angrily.

Olivia shook her head. “I know you too well for that.” She replied.

Instead of directly responding, Belle switched tacts. “I assume you’re here to chew me out again for being an ‘immoral sociopath’?” She asked mockingly.

Olivia shook her head again.

“I wanted to say: I apologise.” She laid out.

Belle recoiled slightly. “Who the fuck are you?” She asked.

“I really have been stubborn and unfair to you, haven’t I?” Olivia said.

Belle looked at her incredulously. She sat back down on her bed. Olivia walked over, and when Belle didn’t object, she sat beside her former friend.

“I still think you are a sanctimonious, self righteous sadist-” Olivia began, and Belle let out a laugh.

“Oh good, for a minute there, I thought you’d gone mad.” She said.

“-but I have been acting no better than you.” Olivia continued.

Belle raised an eyebrow. “This is new.”

“I pushed you away because I disagreed with your methods and ideas. I still do, but…” Olivia trailed off, hesitating. She sighed. “This fight is bigger than me. It is bigger than both of us. I don’t want to let my pettiness stop us from working together for the common good.” Olivia said, looking her former friend in the eye.

Belle groaned, holding her face in her hands for a few seconds. There was silence between them, before Belle looked up.

“You are such a pompous asshole, you know that?” Belle lashed out in frustration. “Years we’ve been fighting. Fucking years! And it’s only when you need me to do something for you that you come crawling back to me, all apologetic and wanting to make up!” She ranted, her voice getting louder.

“You threw away years of history, pretended like we never….like it never….” Belle faltered. She shook her head and kept going. “And now here you are, trying to make up like nothing happened! I know I’m an asshole, fuck, I’ve never pretended any different! But you! You think you’re better than everyone else, always the one with the moral high ground, always the one to lecture everyone and pretend that you know best!” Her former friend yelled.

Olivia’s shoulders slumped. She knew Belle was right. As much as she wanted to be defensive and fight back, Belle was right. It had taken Skylar calling her out for her to see it, but Olivia had been just as stubborn and self righteous as Belle had been. And she hated that. It irked her pride.

Olivia had a right to be heard and understood. But so did Belle. The redhead sighed. "It's nice to be heard for once. I just hate that it's been so long. And that you chose now to apologise." She said, her shoulders dropping. Olivia nodded. She missed her friend too.

There was silence between them. Eventually, it was Olivia who broke it. "Do you remember the first time we went out on a mission together?" She asked.

Belle chuckled softly. "How could I forget? That **** auction in Liverpool. Shit was chaotic as hell."

Olivia smiled softly. "You wanted to go for hot dogs afterward."

"Kicking ass makes me hungry, sue me." Belle joked, shrugging. The two of them shared a chuckle.

"We had a lot of good times." Olivia remarked.

"All those years spent training under Aarya." Belle shook her head.

"Mistress Aarya." Olivia reminded her.

"Ugh, you and her both, martial arts nerds. And you know how that sounds!" Belle giggled. Olivia shook her head, smiling. Then she sighed as she thought of Aarya. The woman who trained both of them, a heavy influence on their approach to combat.

Early on in their journey in the abyss, under Mistress Aarya's tutelage, they learnt Abyssal Martial Arts to elevate their combat potential. Neither of them relied on primarily, but they could both fall back on it in a pinch. They'd both learned to fight ruthlessly, an approach where ending the fight was the number one priority.

The difference between them was that Belle had stopped holding back from killing.

"She would hate what we have become. How we have fought for so long." Olivia remarked sadly.

Belle nodded solemnly. "I miss her." She said.

"Me too.” Olivia replied. Silence befell the two of them once more. And once again, it was Olivia who broke it. "Belle, do you want to work together again?" She asked.

Belle sighed, walking to the window and looking out at the landscape. She thought about the question for a long moment. "I don't know." She answered finally. "I miss what we had. How could I not? But I hate fighting with you."

"If we could come to some kind of a consensus, a compromise, maybe we could put this behind us." Olivia offered.

"4 years we've been avoiding each other over this. Do you really think we can figure this out?" Belle asked, only slightly sarcastically.

"I want to try. This is important to me. These women are important to me. I....I am willing to swallow my pride, if it is for them." Olivia admitted. Belle raised an eyebrow.

"You've fallen for one of them." She said. It wasn't a question.

Olivia felt her face redden. "Not the same as..." She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. "But yes." Her former partner knew her too well. There was no use denying it. Belle's expression twisted into a smirk.

"Who?" She asked. Olivia shook her head. She wouldn't admit it.

"It’s fine, I’ll figure it out anyway." Belle said dismissively.

Olivia said nothing and Belle switched tracks. "Before I answer, I need to know something." She said. Olivia gestured for her to continue. "Are you just doing this for them? Is that the only reason you're trying to make up with me like this?" She asked, her tone a complicated mix of sincerity, anger, and a hint of vulnerability.

Olivia sighed deeply. The answer was complicated, and she didn't like it. “I cannot deny that I would not have approached you like this, were it not for the circumstances we are in." She started. "It took Skylar bluntly calling me out, for me to realise how unfair I have been with you." Belle nodded.

"If circumstances were different, and had my actions not been pointed out to me, I would not have approached you like this. But the desire to mend things between us....that is my own." Olivia affirmed.

Belle thought for a few moments. "I can accept that." She said evenly.

The lady of monsters smiled softly. "You are a self righteous asshole." She remarked. There was no malice to her insult.

Belle snorted affectionately. "And you're a smug bitch." She replied.

"If we're going to work together again, I'm not taking orders from you. Or that upstart Gemma." Belle warned.

"Go easy on the girl. Although she is young and still learning, she is talented, competent and intelligent. She will be a great leader." Olivia replied.

"Those are the words I worry about. 'Will be'." The redhead said.

"She is already a good leader. She has a lot to learn, and she makes mistakes along the way. But I have seen her grow into the role over time." Olivia stated firmly.

"Do you trust her?" Belle asked.

Olivia nodded. "With my life."

"That's high praise from you." Her former friend said.

"And she earned it."

"I guess we better see if we can work out our issues then." Belle sighed. Olivia nodded. The two of them sat down across from each other, and began to speak. They continued to talk for another two full hours. Tempers flared as they rehashed years old arguments. But always with a level of patience that had never been there before.

By the time they wrapped up the conversation, they still had not managed to reach a compromise. But Olivia left the room with her heart feeling a little lighter. They'd gotten closer than they ever had before. And Olivia finally felt that she could work things out with her former partner.