Well this one is actually longer than I thought it was going to be, but I had fun writing it and that's what matters. Olivia's father isn't mentioned in this chapter. It ended up being all about Olivia and Elliot. Oh well. Hope you like.

"Whoa, whoa Olivia, what's wrong?" He asked. I took a deep ragged breath.

"No, I don't want to go to the hospital." I said looking up at him.

"What's wrong?" He stared at me. His eyes searching mine. I looked away. He could read me so wonderfully well through my eyes, I didn't want him to know that I doubted him.

"Liv, come on. You can tell me anything. I mean hell, we've told each other everything for years." I shook my head from side to side.

"No, not everything." I said looking into his eyes. He grasped my hand.

"What didn't you tell me?" He asked.

""Lots of things, well I guess it could all be pushed into one giant thing." I said.

"What is it?" His eyes narrowed. He was confused. If the moment wasn't so serious and I wasn't so upset I would have laughed. When his face got like that it always made him seem so young and inquisitive.

"I can't do this." I whispered.

"What, you can't do what? Us?" He asked. I nodded my head. I heard him swallow harshly.

"Why?" He asked.

"Do you know what you did to me when you stopped writing?" I looked into his blue eyes. "Stopped calling? Cut off all contact. Elliot I thought you were dead! But I called and they said you were fine."

"I didn't eat for a week. My roommate finally had to call the nurse. I didn't talk to anyone unless I absolutely had to for a month. Elliot. You hurt me bad, real bad. I forgave you. But I can't go through that again. I just can't." I started with my voice loud but when I finished I was whispering trying not to cry. I didn't need to cry. Even though I wanted Elliot. God, I wanted him more than anything. I wanted to love him, and marry him and have his children but I couldn't stand it if he left.

"Liv, come on…look at me." He said pulling my face gently toward him and brushing my hair back out of my face.

"You know I had to leave you when Maureen was born. I didn't want to. But I had to. I had to take responsibility." He said trying to beg with his eyes. I put my hand on his face.

"El, I didn't want to hurt you. I did forgive you for that. I understand why you had to. I just don't understand why you slept with her in the first place." I said. He looked back at the hallway.

"Wait here." He got up and walked out of the living room. I looked at where he was sitting confused and little upset that he just got up and left. He came back holding a small wooden box.

"You're going to hate me. Because I ruined our lives out of jealousy." He sat down next to me. I cocked my head to the side.

"What?" I asked.

"These, are all of the letters you wrote to me. Every single one." He opened the box and pulled out a pile of envelopes. I took one from him and opened it.

I sat at my desk comfortably. I had just got done writing an essay for the harshest professor yet and didn't feel like going to sleep. Mostly because the shit load of coffee I drank. I pulled out a blank sheet of paper.

Dear Elliot,

God, I miss you. It's been almost four months since I've seen you, touched you, tasted you. And I feel terrible. I'm burying myself in work so I don't think about you as much. You know this is your fault. All because you stuck around with me since I was four. You've been my constant companion, best friend, and lover. Elliot I wish there was a way that I could explain it through a letter. You are my life. I realize that now. They say distance makes love stronger. What do you think? I am happy that I will someday soon be able to help people. Even though it is a long hard journey, I want to help. It might be some kind of selfish satisfying goal, but I need to do this. I wish we could talk longer on the phone than we do. It's just…we're swamped with work. I hope you're having a great time out there. And I hope you're making new friends. I am! Despite the constant missing you I have made a few friends. I love you, Elliot.

Love,

Olivia.

I sat back in my chair and sighed. I ran my fingers over the creased and crumpled letter that Elliot had sent me last week. I kept it with me constantly. Unfolding it every now and then just to read what he had to say. Feeling my heart flutter when I read that he loved me. It was on paper. No longer just spoken word. This was proof. I folded the letter and placed it in the envelope. I wrote his address on it and put it in my bag. I would send it out the very next day. I stood up turned out the desk light and went to bed. I would be dreaming of him.

"All of them?" I smiled at him.

"Yeah." He said.

"All these years?"

"Yeah."

"Elliot, you are too…perfect." I whispered.

"No I'm not. Olivia. The reason I ever slept with Kathy was because you said that someone asked you out. I was stupid. You didn't say you turned them down…I assumed. I acted out of rage, and jealousy. I got drunk. She…she was there. She kissed me and I didn't stop her." He rambled on.

"One drunken stupid night ruined our lives. It gave me a wonderful daughter…beautiful children, but a wife I resented. Hated even. I ruined so many lives because I was selfish." He put his head in his hands.

"Liv, I always wanted it to be you. You that I stood in front of the altar with, you the woman to carry my children, you to be the one I went home to every night." He mumbled through his hands. I took a deep breath.

"But you weren't."

"No. I wasn't." I said. I was confused. Someone had asked me out? I forgot even writing that. Something I had totally forgotten had stayed in his head for this long. And by the looks of it he was still beating himself up over it.

"Hey, I don't hate you." I said slightly more upbeat. For his sake. "It doesn't matter why. It happened. Can't turn back the clock. Gotta live with what we did." I paused and grabbed his hand.

"Because we did it." I finished. He looked at me.

"Liv, you're amazing. Do you know that?" He smiled.

"I had a hunch." I laughed.

"Yeah, well let's go get some breakfast." He said.

"Okay, but let's swing by my place first. I want to get different clothes." I stood up and pulled on my black paints and just left Elliot's shirt on.

"Yeah sure." He walked back the hallway. He came back wearing a black shirt and gray tie. I pulled my heels on.

"We're going to work today?" I asked genuinely surprised.

"I'm going to see what I can do." He answered. I twisted my hair up and grabbed my phone.

"Let's go." I smiled and led the way out of his apartment. I was still worried. But now, I felt safe again. With Elliot it was too easy to talk to him. Everything was too easy around him. We were best friends. And if we were going to try 'us' we were going to make damn sure it worked. I knew that. For a fact.

"I'm driving." I said grabbing the keys out of his hands.

"Fine." He sighed settling his arm around my waist.

I felt like I had him again. Right there in my grasp. Like I said, in the end he always does it for me. No matter what it is. He is there. And all mine. And that made me smile.

I hope you liked it very much! I had fun writing it...hopefully uploading another short chapter tomorrow. I must get to sleep now. It's 2:00 am...see what you people do to me. LOL no I love writing.

Do you think Olivia and Elliot can make their relationship work?

~BensonBaby