A/N: Another chapter so soon? Well, yes. Not only did I get a couple of truly awesome reviews for the last one (thank you, courtneylovejason and Kristy6, and Kristy6 - I'm working hard on that story you asked for as we speak) but I am also supremely jetlagged, and what can I say - sleep deprivation is one of the main things that helps me to write.

This is a very, very long chapter, just over 3000 words, but I just couldn't cut it down any more than this, so I hope you all like it enough to make it to the end (ought to make you happy though, KKoboe!)

Also, the positive response I got from introducing Kathy was a pleasant surprise for me, because she does have a lot of straight-out haters out there (even if I've always thought of her as being quite sweet, despite the fact she is mildly inconvenient to my shipping.)

Kristy6 - like I already said, your review was amazing and it helped make me decide that this story was worth updating this soon. I'm glad you're so into my stories, because I get wonderful reviews from you every time you read a chapter (your ones from Paranoia were pretty awesome too - a couple of them had me cracking up laughing!)

courtneylovejason - was this 'severely soon' enough for you =p Seriously though, I'm happy you like it so much, because I always look forward to getting your reviews.

redangel365 - thank you. I really liked it myself too, and I'm so happy that someone else likes it despite the fact that Elliot doesn't make an appearance. It must say good things about my writing =p Like I said, the whole introducing Kathy thing had me a little unsure of how people would take it, so the fact that everyone seems to have liked it is awesome.

PushTheButton - what can I say, it's your lucky day! No sooner have you said that you're looking forward to an update, but here it is!

Marathon note over (man, but I can really go on in these things) give it a read and let me know what you think. It's a little... different... than some of the others, but it's something that I thought had to happen, and like I said - I've been through this stuff myself, so please don't all start sending me hate mail for being unrealistic and trivialising the kind of things she's been through... I tried to make it as realistic and sensitive as possible, hence the amount of detail and the high word count, so I hope you like it - and please, please send me a review to let me know, because this is another one that could go either way and I have rather a lot invested in it.

EXTRA NOTE: Because the site is cracking down a bit, I have been forced to edit this chapter pretty massively. I'm going to try and rewrite the ones I'm going to be editing, but in the meantime there'll be a big gap.

Also, if you want to read the original unedited version, send me a quick review saying so and I will get on it for you! Like with the second chapter, I would highly recommend it - I can't leave nearly enough in to do it justice.

CHAPTER 10

'El...' Elliot felt Olivia shaking him awake. 'El, wake up.'

He rubbed his eyes and sat up. 'What is it, Liv? Are you OK?'

'No, I-' Olivia hesitated. Do it. She shook her head and threw her arms around him. 'No, I'm scared, El, I don't know when I'll be myself again...'

Elliot tried to hide his surprise. Has she ever admitted to me that she was scared before now? He put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. 'Give it time, Liv. You know you need to, you're just being you and impatient as ever.'

'El, I-' Oh God, I can't do this. She pulled away, bit her lip and looked down, fidgeting with the hem of the oversized T-shirt that she hadn't taken off since she had arrived almost a month before. Just ask him. He'll do it. He has to do it.

He sighed to himself. She's hiding something. 'Liv, tell me what's bothering you.' Besides having been brutally raped in your own home, of course. He mentally kicked himself.

Ask him! She looked up at him, took his hand and guided it up under her shirt, silently cringing. Oh God, this is so humiliating...

Elliot's eyes widened in shock. 'Liv, what are you doing?'

She hesitated again. It's too late to back out now, so you might as well just say it. She chewed on her lip, still not quite meeting his eyes as she pressed his hand against her chest. Say it! 'Elliot, I want to have sex.'

'You... what? Liv, I really don't think that's a good idea...'

You don't think I know that? 'That's because you don't understand.' She finally looked him in the eye. 'El, I want to be me again. I want the last person who touched me not to be him. I want it to be you, El. I trust you like I trust no one else.' I want to feel you on me instead of him, feel your hands on my skin, feel your lips against my mouth, feel you inside of me, even if it's just for a few minutes, even if it doesn't last... 'Please, El, for me.' I want you to be the first.

Oh, Liv... He smiled sadly at her and stroked the side of her face. 'Liv, you don't have to-'

'I want to.' Olivia put her other hand on his shoulder, the plaster of the cast on her arm rough against his skin. 'Kiss me, Elliot.'

He leaned in and kissed her, stroking the side of her face with his hand. He felt her hesitate, and then she was tentatively kissing him back, her hand still clasped around his beneath her shirt. He moved his hand down to her waist and she flinched. 'Liv, you really don't-'

Olivia silently cursed. Control yourself, you idiot. 'Just give me a minute.' She took some deep breaths. 'OK, I'm ready.' She took his hand and held it back against her side, pulling him down on top of her.

He smiled at her and kissed her again, first tentatively and then more deeply, cautiously slipping his tongue into her mouth-

Oh no no no no no no NO! She made a choking noise and gagged, pushing him off her and bolting upright, gasping and heaving as she hung over the side of the bed. Oh God, this isn't sexy...

Bastard. Elliot sat up and put his arm around her shoulder, fighting back a surge of guilt. For God's sake, Elliot, how could you do this to her? 'Sssssshhhh, Liv, ssssshhhhh, it's OK, it's OK.' She could feel him stroking her hair reassuringly. 'I'm sorry, Liv, I'm so sorry, I didn't think.' You useless selfish asshole, you knew this would happen...

'No.' She bit down on her lip and shook her head. 'No, it's not your fault, it's mine.' You've ruined everything, you useless over-sensitive bitch. Happy now?

He sighed. 'Liv... none of this is your fault.' I'm the one who did this. It's all my fault, and I'm sorry. 'You don't have to prove anything, OK? We don't have to do anything that you don't want to do.'

She looked up at him. 'But El, I want to do this.' Why can't he see that?

'Liv-' I don't want you to regret this tomorrow, I couldn't bear it...

She put her hand on the back of his neck, pulled him in and kissed him, her arms wrapping around his back as she pulled him back on top of her. 'Shut up, Elliot.' Now, before I lose my nerve. 'Kiss me.'

huge, huge cut.

He stroked the side of her face, starting to kiss her again, feeling her lips brushing softly against his and her thumb stroking the back of his neck as the plaster of the cast on her arm rubbed uncomfortably against his skin, the whole time pretending that he didn't feel her wincing with every movement, trying to think of something to force himself to finish faster without making her think that he was pitying her, or treating her any differently because of what had happened.

Her smiling.

Her laughing.

The impromptu football game that Cassidy had insisted on at the annual department barbecue, and where they had played together the day before their partnership officially started.

Her hair was scraped back untidily with an elastic band she had taken off his desk before they left the squadroom.

She had kept tackling him, chasing him around the field and cackling loudly, hurling herself through the air and grabbing his ankles and sending him crashing onto his face on the ground. It quickly became a running joke that he should just hit the deck himself every time play started and save her some trouble so that she could go cripple someone else once in a while.

But that would mean not seeing that wonderful, mildly pitying smile she was giving him every time he sat up after yet another rough tackle, with yet another fresh grass stain on his shirt.

He loved that smile.

Elliot didn't even really mind the humiliation of repeatedly having his ass handed to him by a girl who couldn't weigh more than about 125lbs at best.

He'd turn around and she'd be smiling, throwing her head back and clapping her hands as she laughed at him, doing her ridiculous victory dance that made her look a bit like a demented ostrich, her hair already coming loose and her high-heeled shoes kicked off at the side of the field, her white cotton socks stained by the grass.

And then, when he had somehow finally managed to dodge her long enough to actually score a point, she had run across the field, jumped up and thrown her arms around him, and he had felt her breath on his face as she laughed into his ear, her hair tickling his cheek as she told him not to forget that he was still her bitch, before she planted a quick kiss on his cheek and skipped off to high-five Cassidy on the other side of the field, the back of her shirt riding up to show a quick flash of skin.

And then, before he knew it, it was over.

'Thank you, El.' She was looking up at him, stroking the side of his face. 'Thank you for doing this for me.'

'That's OK.' He kissed her. 'I love you.' As soon as he had said it, Elliot suddenly realised that it was true. Oh shit.

A/N: Edit aside, did you still like it? Please send me a review and let me know!