Next to you

"you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you mad"

-unknown

" you should have told me" said the brunette as she watched he partner from the doorway of the locker room. He turned at hearing her voice and she, though she had seen it before couldn't help start a little at his perfectly sculpted chest. She looked down as his intense eyes searched for her own, she couldn't risk looking into his beautiful ice blue eyes, she needed to say this, to get it out of the way and she knew seeing his eyes would make it impossible to say what she needed to. " you should have told me that you asked cragen for a partner transfer, instead I get to be the last one to know, Elliot."

"Liv… I know that I should have told you" he watched her head slowly rise as she started to look at him. If only she knew how much she meant to him, if only she knew how much he wanted to hold her, kiss her, love her. If she knew she wouldn't be doubting him right now, if he could just tell her then she would understand why he couldn't lose her to this job.

Why he couldn't do his job knowing that he would throw it away to save her, although if he reasoned, he wasn't any happier about not being there to protect her, it unsettled him really. It seemed with that he'd never win. Still he couldn't tell her, because even if she did feel the same way she deserved someone better, someone who could love her openly without fear of breaking professional boundaries. " I know that you don't understand why I have to do this, and I wish I could explain it, but I…. I can't liv, I just can't"

" why not, Elliot as long as I've been your partner… As long as I've been your friend, you've been able to tell me just about everything, and what you felt you couldn't, I still beat outta you anyways" she let the corners of her mouth twitch into a half smile as she slowly but steadily took measured steps to where he stood, the dim light of the hallway her only guide to finding him. " I' d hate to think that these last eight years of that mean nothing"

" they did mean something… its just not that simple, liv. What your asking me… the answer could break this, us, it could hurt you, I don't want that." he said, tensing as she got closer and closer, a dim shadow in the lightless room, she reached slowly to touch his face but he, with high notes of regret singing in his head, stopped her, grabbing her wrists.

" hurt this, hurt me? damn it Elliot you already hurt me! and you're hurting me now too… if you really don't love me, if you really honestly don't" she whispered sadly, struggling keep her voice from wavering as she felt him slide her fingers over his face. " then leave, leave this partnership, this- this... I don't know what, but if you love me then stop running away damn it!"

" its not that easy, liv… if I could've taken that chance, then I would've but its… it's too late now" he finished sadly, still rubbing her fingers against his flushed skin.

"too late now, my ass. Your acting like I'm gone and not standing right in front of you, admitting that I love you" her eyes were on his, depthless brown pleading to iceberg blue. Boldly, she moved closer to him. She was toe to toe with him now, self preservation and furious intentions making a thin layer between them. " Elliot, I'm not about to disappear, you can hold me or let me go, but I'm not moving from you on my own accord, please believe that." she pleaded sliding a hand onto his warm chest, she ran her fingers over him, settling on his heart. Taking her other hand, the one still pressed to his face she threaded them together, bringing them up to her lips to kiss.

"liv, don't.. please don't" he pleaded softly, his resolve weakening under her perfect lips.

" I'm not gonna hurt either of us by leaving, Elliot, I'm here, standing where I have for eight years, right next to you." she broke both her hands free to press one on each side of his head, pulling herself on tip toes to stand level with him.

Their lips hovered a breath away from each other, both delighting in the almost taste of each other. The way he was looking at her, like a million lives hung in the balance of his choice, but really their were only two , his and hers….

They both knew that this was on the ledge, it was either a beginning or an end, they only had to decide….

And that was it, the layer was broken, the choice made. His lips were on hers and she pulled him to her, slowly stumbling to the wall for support. She moaned as his large, warm hands found their way to her hips, burning fingers slowly bending under the fabric of her shirt. Her own hands pressed hard to his chest, fingers roaming under his open shirt, along his back, and over his arms.

She whimpered as he began lightly sucking her jaw, moving to taste the tender flesh of her neck. They both knew it was probably wrong and that they couldn't go back after this. And so they stood like that for what seemed to be to milliseconds and must have been minutes but too soon they heard the familiar sound of their phones ringing.

"we'll be right there" she said hanging up her phone and slipping it quietly into her back pocket, turning to face him again, she smiled to see his shirt buttoned.

"you ready?" he grabbed her hand, delicetly intertwining them.

"yep, lets go" And like that, linked together they set off the face the world of terrors and love, together.

Fin