NOTE: Set after S02E11. Warning for discussion of canonical character death (Serena Benson). Romantic only if you want it to be.
"Come on, I'll drive you home."
Elliot's hand brushes her shoulder as he says it, the gentle touch drawing her attention from the stack of paperwork splayed out across her desk. When she looks up, he's staring at her, his eyes shimmering under the low light. Olivia can read that look, knows Elliot well enough by now to know what he means. I'll drive you home means I'm worried about you means they're going to talk about it, whether she wants to or not.
She sighs quietly, flips the folder in front of her shut. There's no point in arguing, no point in staying late to finish work. She's got days of desk duty ahead of her—the paperwork will still be there tomorrow.
People watch them as they leave, Olivia can tell. She feels their gaze, feels their eyes follow her out. The failed case, the restraining order. It's no surprise she's the talk of the unit.
Elliot opens the door for her when they get to the car, his lips upturned in a smirk, and Olivia rolls her eyes as she slips inside the passenger's seat, the act fond. Placing her bag at her feet, she leans against the car seat, eyes fixed on the distant blur of lights as Elliot slips in beside her.
They drive in silence at first. Elliot doesn't turn on the radio, doesn't talk. There is only the muffled bustle of the world outside, the quiet rustling of every minuscule movement. The silence is comfortable, though. Comfortable in the way it usually is, the way it rarely is with anyone else. Olivia appreciates it, the quiet understanding.
"I know you want me to drop it," Elliot says after some time, when they're already nearing her apartment, "but Liv… You gotta talk about it to someone."
Olivia turns to him, almost surprised to hear his voice cut through the silence. Elliot's not looking at her, his gaze fixed on the road in front of them, the upcoming intersection. His words hang in the space between them, the air suddenly tense as Olivia thinks of something to say.
"I was doing my job," she replies eventually. "Ashley needed help and I—"
"I'm not talking about the case," Elliot says, cutting her off. He glances her way as they slow at a stop sign, his eyes meeting hers for a moment. "I'm talking about your mother."
"El—"
"Don't tell me you're fine," Elliot interjects. He sighs, his voice quiet when he speaks next. Soft, almost. "Just—you took half a day off work. That's it. That's not enough time to mourn."
"I don't need time to mourn," Olivia says, and then sighs when Elliot only looks at her. She has to turn away from him, can't handle the intensity of his gaze. "Work keeps me busy," she adds after a pause. "Makes it easier."
"Does it?" Elliot's voice is more concerned than it is accusatory, and Olivia swallows, stares at the passing cars. "Does it really? 'Cause it's been a month and you've almost lost your job."
"I was just trying to help."
"I know," Elliot tells her. "I know, Liv, and I'm on your side, but… You seriously want me to pretend everything's fine?"
Olivia opens her mouth to say something, the sentence cutting off before it can start. She swallows, palm running across the length of her thigh, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles. Elliot is looking at her, is waiting for something. She turns back to him, moves her shoulder in a half shrug, her hand lifting as if to say I don't know.
"There isn't—" she starts, stops, her hand reaching to rub at tired eyes. "It's not something you need to worry about."
"Liv—"
"It's not," she says again, harsher now. "The issues I have with my mother are my own. I have to deal with it myself."
"Bu—"
"Elliot," Olivia says, watching as Elliot lets the protest die on his tongue. "I know you want to, but there isn't anything you can do to help."
They're nearing her building, now, the apartment complex coming into view. Beside her, Elliot exhales softly, slows the car to a stop outside her door. The street lighting is low, the distant, yellowish glow casting the both of them in shadows. When he turns to her, Elliot's eyes are clear, almost reflective as light bounces across his face.
"You'll let me know if there is, yeah?" he asks, voice full of sincerity, and Olivia's lips pull to a soft smile despite herself.
"Of course," she says, a hint of playfulness returning to her voice. Elliot nods at her, and even if it is a lie, Olivia likes knowing there's the option. That there's someone to turn to if she needs it.
Leaning forward, she gathers her things, unbuckles her seatbelt. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
Elliot nods again, fingertips tapping against the steering wheel as he looks out, up to the window of her apartment. "Blink your lights."
"El."
"Blink your lights," Elliot repeats, smiling this time, and even though Olivia rolls her eyes at him, her window flickers twice before staying lit.