Author's Comments: The writers handed me this storyline on a silver platter, so I had to run with it, especially during the break. Now, just to forewarn everyone, I am not a big fan of Tuckson, so if you like Tucker, this is probably not the story for you. I'm still 100% EO all the way, and that's what this story is about. But hang in there, because you won't see any EO dynamics until Chapter Two.

The Scientist

Nobody said it was easy

It's such a shame for us to part

Nobody said it was easy

No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh take me back to the start

-Coldplay, "The Scientist"

Chapter One

At first, Olivia hesitated to open the door. But then again, what did it matter if anyone saw him here now? Biting her lip and her reservations, she swung the door inward and allowed him a space to enter, without meeting his eyes.

"I suppose you heard?"

He answered her, brushing past her in a whirlwind of pent-up anger. "I'm so pissed right now, Liv. They're throwing both of us under the bus. I can't believe they fired you." His fists were balls as he paced her apartment floor, accidentally kicking a squeaky toy left on the floor by Noah's babysitter. Olivia silently thanked the woman, who agreed to keep Noah for a few hours while Olivia sorted things out the station. "Who in the world tipped them off about . . ." His hesitation to say the words did not offend her. Their relationship had been clandestine through mutual consent, out of concern for both of their careers, and not because either of them was ashamed of it. " . . . about us?"

"Ed, sit down," she said, combing her fingers through her hair to get up the courage to tell him. He sat on her couch, hardened eyes looking up at her, filled with questions. She stammered, "I—I was talking to Barba—"

"You told him."

She couldn't meet that stabbing gaze—not now, not ever, until she was certain she was safe from his anger. "I'm sorry, Ed. He flat-out asked me. You know I have a hard time lying."

"But you can when you want to," he said, and she didn't need to see those eyes to hear the tint of sarcasm in his voice. She turned completely away from him now, as if that would save her from his wrath. "You have when it was in your best interest. Like with Lewis—"

She spun to face him. "That was different!"

"Really?" he said, standing. She wished she hadn't turned toward him, now that she could see the outline of veins bulging from his forehead. "Because the only difference I see is that with Lewis, it was only your own career that was at stake."

"And my freedom! Don't forget that part."

He raised a hand curtly, and she flinched for a moment before realizing that he had just brought it to the corner of his mouth to wipe away some festering spittle. She had never been afraid of him before—not since they had shared a bed anyway. But he had an intimidating presence when he wanted to—his body stiff as a board, his face hard as an anvil, like some authoritarian secret police soldier.

But he hesitated, and then responded in a softer tone. "I guess . . . how can I blame you for being honest. It is what I appreciate about you, after all."

She nodded with relief, consciously relaxing her jaw. "Anyway," she said, "maybe we shouldn't meet here anymore. I don't know if your place would be better or not."

"What, you think they're not tailing me too? I'm under investigation, remember?"

"I know, it's just . . ." But she let the sentence trail off, and then wondered why she had suggested his place. Maybe it was because she had never seen it, not even once, and she thought it odd that he would never share that part of his life, or his bed, with her. Instead, they had always come here, and she was fine with having him over, but she found that the mystery of his apartment had worn off quickly and turned to irritation on her part. "Maybe a public place would be better. Just for now, until this all blows over."

"Yeah. Maybe you're right." His eyes turned from iron into crystal. "But while I'm here . . ."

His hand found her arm and stroked it lightly. His voice turned buttery. "Hey, I'm sorry I got mad."

She dismissed his apology, although she appreciated it. "Eh, I should have probably just kept my mouth shut. But thank you for understanding."

Their eyes met, and he brought his head closer to hers until their lips met as well, and for a while she melted into him, allowing all the bitterness of the past few days to dissolve in the sweetness of his touch. Somewhere in the head-swimming contact, they found the couch below them, and as soon as their clothes hit the floor, she took out her frustrations on his body, pounding them out in a spiraling, swirling grind until climax. Only then, after sweat from her hairline singed his cooling skin, did she notice his hands loosely gripping her throat.

"What are you doing?" Her voice husky, she slowed her rocking motion to a halt, staring down at him through hazy eyes.

As if she woke him from a trance, his eyes widened in surprise, and his hands fell from her neck to caress her sides. "Nothing. I just . . . nothing."

She hopped up and began to head to the bathroom for a shower, letting the startling moment drop from her consciousness. She knew he liked to play a little rough in the bedroom—he'd tried to lure her into some borderline behaviors before, like spankings and heavy biting—even toying with the idea of candle wax. But she'd always declined. That was not her thing, having witnessed too many crime scenes that started out as "harmless fun gone a little too far."

He joined her in the shower, but she wasn't in the mood to talk. Losing her job had the effect of streamlining all her thoughts into obsession with the subject, and the whole topic didn't sit well inside her ever-tightening chest. Her game plan—keep in touch with the lower echelons of her unit, avoiding Dodds at all cost. She didn't know where his loyalties were rooted, but she did know she could count on her former underlings to keep her in the loop. In the meantime, she might have to go looking for another job, otherwise she wouldn't be able to keep this apartment and shelter her little family.