A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to hoping 2017 brings only good things to all of us!
Chapter 14:
When she's back in her apartment three exhausting hours later, after she met Cragen and they drove Sarah to a safe house, Olivia starts seeing the end of the tunnel. But it's bleak, there's hardly any light at the end of it. They're closer to closing this case and she has to start thinking about what's next or where's next. After a few mostly sleepless nights, she succumbs to sleep with this thought.
The next morning she meets with her Captain again and they drive Sarah to the One-Six. She made him text Elliot when he met her after she'd landed last night. She didn't want to do it herself. She realized that Elliot had managed to talk to Cragen while she was still flying, because Cragen was already up to date with Elliot's remaining in Boston and even seemed ok with it. "I want to cover every option that will help us understand what happened to these other women," her Captain told her, "and I don't want the FBI to kick us out of this so fast."
"Should we wait for Elliot and Lori, or start taking Sarah's statement?" she asks him now.
"Start. I don't know when they're going to get back here exactly and I don't want to lose time," is her CO's reply.
A few hours go by in which Sarah reveals everything she knows about the way Maria died and why she had to escape.
Olivia is with her in the room, stepping outside every now and then to consult with Cragen, bring a cup of tea for Sarah or escort her to the bathroom.
Basically, both Sarah and Maria knew why they were coming to the United States. With their background, it was actually an upgrade in comparison to what was awaiting for them at home. They worked as escorts for two years in which they'd learnt enough about their employers and their own illegal status, to realize that they were getting less than 50% of their hard earned money as well as being unable to decide which clients to accept, to want to break away and start on their own, preferably away from prostitution altogether.
After Maria had died, Sarah kept silent and continued as usual for several months, knowing that their efforts to leave had brought on Maria's death. When she thought she had a chance, she tried to disappear from the tiny apartment they shared, but was soon caught, beaten and raped as a warning. In the hospital she realized that having the Police over was going to make her situation worse, while it gave her a tiny window of opportunity to escape, so she fled. She hid in several places, and in one dreadful night, she trusted the wrong person, who led her right back into the hands of her former employers. It was only then that she met someone from the higher ranks of the organization in person. Up till then she only knew the thugs that were in charge of keeping her and her friends in order. The bosses were furious, one of theirs, Nikita, was held by the FBI. It was only then that she learnt that they had tried to sell Maria and that they were planning to do the same with her. She didn't know if they did this to frighten her or not, but they brought in 'potential buyers' to take her for a 'test ride'. It was then that she escaped once again. She convinced one of these men to take her to his place, where she stabbed him in the groin with a pair of scissors. Having heard of Penny before, she found her out and she helped her to get to Boston. She stayed under the radar from fear of the men that she knew were chasing her and from the Police for stabbing that man.
She didn't know whose apartment she was kept in, she didn't know Nikita, she didn't even know his colleagues and couldn't share details about how they operated the organization, because she was just one tiny peon in it. "Just the mattress," she said, tears streaming down her face.
Olivia showed her the pictures of the women they found on I'llfixya's website, but Sarah recognized only Vera, she didn't know who the others were or what happened to Vera. Writing down the names of the women and thugs Sarah came across in her two years of work for that Ukrainian mafia, Olivia then leaves her alone in the interview room.
It's after 2pm when she steps outside to find Elliot there, standing by the mirror overlooking the Interview room with Cragen. Her head imperceptibly tilts back in surprise. Most of the time she was in the room with Sarah, she forgot about him, about Lori, about herself. There were a few times, when she needed to consult, that a ghost of a thought crossed her mind, if Elliot were here, or when she raised her eyes and there was no one there to meet her gaze, to share the burden, to wordlessly understand.
"Got back an hour ago," he says, answering her unasked question. "You did…you got a lot from her."
"We thought it'd be better to let you continue alone with her," Cragen then adds.
"I don't think she has any more info for us," Olivia replies. "Did you manage to find anything else from Vicky or Roman?" she turns her eyes to Elliot.
"Some. Lori's still there, trying to get more," he replies, his eyes fixed on her.
"Great." She then sighs while saying "we have a few more names, locations and MO to find more of…Sarah's colleagues and question them, they might be able to shed more light on their bosses, the other women, how it all worked."
"Don't lose time," Cragen orders, "take Munch and Tutuola and split into two teams so that each of you can update one of them on the way," and by that he relieves Olivia's concern over being crammed in a car alone with Elliot again. It also makes her wonder if their Captain has just separated them because he too could sense the murky tension between her and Elliot, that to her felt so thick she could lose herself in it.
A few hours later, they bring in and question three women; Olivia with Fin and Elliot with John. By evening they manage to find some more information, though not as much as they were hoping for, because using the Dark Net was not the only precaution the Ukrainians had used, they also divided and conquered pretty much everybody, and the women hardly knew even each other. They also made sure to frighten them from speaking to government officials and the Police especially, so a lot of time was invested in just convincing them to trust them.
She hardly sees Elliot in all these hours. Once or twice they both step outside the Interview rooms at the same time and they exchange quick words and even quicker glances. Once they meet at the coffee corner in a short bio break both teams take in the middle of a long day and each time it's strained and strange and loaded.
Back here, in New York, in their old Squad room, the last three days could have seemed like a figment of her own imagination. The way they touched each other, stripped each other, drank and singed one another. But it was real. It was real and she isn't, and won't be, lacking reminders. Elliot's mere presence is a reminder. His eyes, the way he looks at her, the way he doesn't, his voice, his mouth, his smell, the way his buttoned up shirt clings to his body. She wishes she could just ignore that. She wishes it was all just a dream or a nightmare, because the reality of it, especially here, is frightening.
When they're finally done and the women are driven back to their respective homes by plain-clothed cops who will watch over them in an attempt to protect them and get to the local men that operated them, they sit together to summarize everything. They still haven't found the three other women that appeared on the Dark Net, but with what they got they might be somewhat closer.
After John and Fin return to their own desks, Elliot and Olivia get ready to leave Cragen's office as well. "Close the door, Elliot," Cragen then commands, stopping them in their tracks.
Quick glances are exchanged between them and Elliot shuts the door and remains to stand next to Olivia, both facing their Captain, who is standing in front of his chair at his side of the desk.
Olivia tries to breathe evenly, to disguise the slight heave that her chest has started to exhibit.
"I got a call from Riordan earlier," Cragen starts. "He thought I'd be interested to hear about what happened yesterday in a suspect chase in Boston."
Olivia feels the blood pounding in her ears. She tries her damnest not to tear her eyes off her CO's face and turn them to Elliot, but even without looking at him, she can practically feel his body tensing next to her, she can imagine the muscle that dances in his jaw. She bites the inside of her bottom lip.
"He thought I should know that when a certain behavior from my officers put one of his agents at risk, he was not going to let it go down quietly. Indeed I found it very interesting," he continues dryly, bitingly. "Anything you want to share about the occurrences in Boston?" he asks and a stifling silence follows this question.
The occurrences in Boston…which ones exactly? His officers frantically fucking each other on a hotel room vanity, or his officer literally and figuratively jumping the gun to protect his partner? These thoughts cross both their minds in a visual train that lasts a second, a second too long, and causes an invisible but very palpable heat wave to run through them both.
"Elliot?" Cragen then fixes his eyes on Elliot and Olivia's throat clogs.
"Sir," is all Elliot says, turning to military language, and Olivia realizes just how bad things are. He can stand up to their Captain when he wants to, but not this time. Because this time the boundaries they have outstepped are far worse than ever before.
It's then that she rips her gaze from Cragen and moves it to Elliot's profile. The jaw twitch, the upright stance that is almost a Marine 'At Attention'. He's ready to take the punch, to pay the price, and for the first time in a while, her innate trust in him and her inherent instinct to protect him flood her.
"Agent Garcia wasn't at risk any more than we were, Captain," she says, using the same cautious language. Despite everything, and maybe because of everything, she can't let him go down alone. Not on this score.
"Olivia," Cragen utters her name reproachfully and halts before he continues speaking. "The two of you are way too experienced with this to try and cover up each other's asses right now. You're only making this worse."
"Shots were fired, it was an instinct. I'm sorry if I put anyone at risk. It was my fault, not Olivia's," Elliot then says in a flat tone, his eyes fixed on some point on the wall behind Cragen.
"You damn should be sorry," the Captain replies. A short silent pause ensues before he adds "it's late now, go home, the both of you."
Elliot and Olivia turn to quit the room, their shoulders brushing as they reach the door and Olivia turns back to face her Captain. She can feel the slight pain in that shoulder from when it hit the ground. "What was Riordan told exactly?" she musters the courage to ask.
"Doesn't matter. A regular action report, but he can read between the lines. You two should be thinking about your jobs rather than focusing on your personal issues. We'll close this case first and I'll deal with you later. And pray that Riordan lets me handle this internally," Cragen replies harshly, and it hits her then – even though they dodged those bullets, Elliot is still at risk. He didn't just shield her with his body, he also chose her over the job, again. Because beyond risking himself, and possibly Lori, he was risking the case that so many people spent weeks trying to solve. Roman could have escaped and they would have been left with nothing to lead them to Sarah, just when they were so close. It was like waving a red flag that made people, their CO included, suspect that something else was going on as well.
She just gently nods her head, absentmindedly looking at her Captain, swallowing the lump in her throat, her lips pressed together. Elliot has pivoted on his stand too and they're now turning together again to the exit, following each other out of their Captain's room, leaving him with the memory of an evaluation summary he received years ago from Dr. Hendricks about them. 'Detectives Benson and Stabler have a degree of mutual reliance and emotional dependence that compromises their effectiveness as police officers. They're too close.'
Mechanically, they take their seats at their joint desks. Olivia leans her head on the heel of her palm, running her fingers through her hair, her elbow resting on the desk. She then looks up and her eyes meet those of Elliot. He averts his gaze and rubs his forehead with his hand, his posture mirroring hers. She looks away too, escaping to her computer screen.
After a futile scanning of her emails, Olivia switches her screen off and moves to stand up, wearing her jacket.
Elliot brings his eyes to her. There's something different about the way they look at one another – it's cautious, volatile, unsure, as if both know that it's all going to explode and they wonder when, and what will trigger it. They don't know how to be around each other, it's a new reality. And the thing is, that like it or not, they're still partners, again, at least till their Captain decides otherwise or till one of them be the first to break and leave. She doesn't want to bet the odds of who it will be.
"Need a ride home?" he asks, and she wonders how he can offer that they share a small space together again, alone. She can't even fathom.
"No, thanks," she simply says, grabbing her phone and purse. "Good night, El," she adds, realizing she hasn't called him that in a while…though she might have…no, she's not going to step into that mental minefield.
He doesn't reply. Sometime soon they will have to confront all of this, one way or another. For now she knows that he'll keep his distance, because for her sake she ensured he would, by kicking him out. But she feels his eyes on her retreating back, sending warm shivers down her spine, reminding her of his hands gliding along her naked skin.
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The next morning they disperse again into two teams and Olivia continues with Fin. They spend the entire morning trying to bring in two more women for questioning, but eventually manage to bring in one and Elliot and Olivia are the ones to enter the Interview room and start the difficult process of explaining to her that no harm will be done to her, that they're not there to deport her and that she can actually benefit from helping them. At an early afternoon hour, when they start getting some cooperation from her, they're disturbed by a knock on the door.
Elliot steps outside to find Lori with Cragen at the other side of the mirror. "I have a few more names and pictures to show her," she starts immediately, without hello, signaling with her head towards the room that's behind the mirror.
"Munch and Fin went to show these pics to the three we interviewed yesterday," Cragen adds, "see if they know anything about the names Lori has."
Elliot stares blankly at Lori and, opening the door wider and moving aside, he lets her into the Interview room.
Olivia sits next to Anna, the woman they've been talking to. She raises her head and sees Lori entering. "Anna, this is Agent Garcia from the FBI. She's trying to get the men that sold some of the girls we asked you about. She needs your help too," she says, quickly suppressing the instinctive antagonism that the sight of Lori, who looks as Eva Mendes as ever, has caused her.
Her eyes cross paths with those of Elliot, who pulls the door close after Lori. She then looks at Lori again and the agent mutters "Detective" as a greeting and remains to stand on the other side of the table from Anna and Olivia.
She scatters a few pictures on the desk in front of Anna. "Do you recognizes any of these men, Anna?" she asks, making the young woman look at Olivia, as if waiting for her to ok this question.
Olivia nods her head and Anna looks at Lori again before she slides the pictures towards herself to take a closer look at them. She focuses on the men in the pictures for a long moment, leaving her three interviewers to face the heightened tension that has filled the room.
"No," she then says, raising her eyes to Lori.
"No, what?" Lori asks in a demanding, sharp tone.
"No, I don't recognize them," Anna adds, looking at Olivia and Elliot briefly before returning her gaze to Lori again.
"Are you sure? Take another look, Anna," Lori requests, her tone the slightest bit softer.
"I don't have to, I don't know any of them. We never really see anyone except for two or three constant ones who are in charge of getting the money and giving us our share and who…sometimes…," she then chocks on her own words, unable to continue.
"Sometimes what?" Lori insists and despite the softer tone, Anna looks lost.
"I already told them," Anna replies, looking at Elliot and Olivia.
Olivia has to hold herself back from jumping in and she notices Elliot's hands clenching into fists and she realizes he's restraining himself as well.
"Anna, do you know that some of your friends were sold, permanently, to some of the worst clients you've ever seen?" Anna looks frightened now, her head slightly bobbing at this, while Lori continues. "We want to stop this, so I need your help. I need you to be honest with me and tell me if you've ever seen or heard of any of these men," and she then cites the men's names for Anna.
Anna swallows hard. "I heard about the selling. They kept telling me too that if I ever give them hard time, they will just sell me. I heard of some girls who disappeared, but I don't know what happened to them, and I don't know these men, I really don't."
"Ok, thank you," Lori then says, and picking the pictures off the desk, she sidesteps Elliot who leans against the wall next to the door, his arms crossed across his chest, and she leaves the room without another word to either of the Detectives.
It takes them a bit more time to get the questioning back on track after Lori leaves, and continue with their line in order to get Anna to disclose more details on the regular MO of this organization.
After a while, they hand Anna over to a female uniform cop who will drive her home, and they step outside into the small hall that connects the Interview rooms. Lori and Cragen are standing there, deep in conversation. They pause and look at Elliot and Olivia when they emerge out of the room.
"That was a bit harsh there," Olivia then says, unable to stop herself anymore.
"I had to cut to the chase," Lori replies.
"Well, there are other ways to do that," Olivia says and with that she intends to end this conversation.
"If I don't get to the heads of this human trafficking ring, then everything you see here will continue, all these women…," Lori says, not letting this go.
"We know that, Lori, we see this all the time. But you have to be careful when you speak to their victims," Elliot says, looking at the FBI agent. "I'll call Munch, see if they got anything," he then adds, looking at his Captain, as if hinting Lori that this discussion is over. Olivia watches Lori and follows her gaze. The Agent's eyes fix on Elliot's left hand, that just like his right, is at his side, but unlike it, it's still visibly bruised and chafed, and his black short-sleeved untucked button-up shirt reveals that the chafe marks end above his wrist. Elliot then leaves the three of them and walks towards the bullpen, and at least two of them are peering at his withdrawing back.
Cragen's cellphone starts ringing and he answers the call, signaling Olivia and Lori that he has to take this alone. He leaves them to stand by the window that overlooks the empty Interview room together.
"I'll soon be out of your hair, don't worry," Lori suddenly says, her green eyes intent on Olivia's surprised face.
"Excuse me?" Olivia scoffs.
"You heard me. You found your victim, you're making progress, now all I need is more info on their bosses, so you can close this case and wait for us to find the perpetrators, and we will."
"Wait for you?" Olivia asks icily. "If I were waiting for you to do that, I'd be still barking up all the wrong trees, Agent."
"Mistakes are made, Detective, almost on every case. It doesn't mean that everything is wrong."
"Yes, mistakes have been made in this case all along, I'll give you that," Olivia replies and she's not sure if it's work they're talking about anymore.
A short pause follows this, in which they just glare at each other. "You were shit stirring the whole time," Lori then says quietly, and a cynical, almost satisfied smirk spreads over Olivia's face. She realizes that she derives an almost masochistic pleasure from finally confronting Agent Garcia on what is now clear to them both isn't purely about work anymore.
"Oh, is that right?" she asks.
"Don't pretend like I don't know what's going on here, Detective," Lori says, and Olivia is happy to see the familiar red glow rising from the FBI agent's neck towards her face. It's probably that woman's only physical blemish.
"Maybe you'd like to tell me so I know what's going on here too?" Olivia challenges, fearful of what Lori knows exactly, though in some twisted way it'd be satisfying to see the truth's effect on her.
"You and your partner…," Lori starts and then stops.
"My partner?" she asks. Isn't he your boyfriend? She thinks. "I thought he was your partner," she adds out loud, admitting to herself that she doesn't really want Lori to know what happened between her and Elliot. She doesn't want anyone to know this. Ever.
"With this case almost closed, he should be back with his unit," Lori replies and a patronizing tinge cannot escape Olivia's ears. It makes her wonder what exactly is going on between Elliot and Lori.
"So what about me and my partner?" Olivia insists and it feels strange, not necessarily in a bad way, to say this again - 'my partner'.
"He doesn't think you can handle this job, so he jumps in to remove the obstacles for you. A former failed affair, a bullet, and who knows what else."
Olivia's hand twitches with yearn to slap that bitch's face. Her stomach plummeted at the words 'former failed affair' before she realized Lori was referring to Porter. But that didn't help assuaging her rage, if anything, it only turned it up a notch.
"You know what?" She smiles coldly. "If I thought for one minute that you really believe what you're saying, I'd get really angry, but since I know you don't even believe your own words, and that you're only pissed off because I kept challenging you and exposing your bullshit, I just feel sorry for you, Agent Garcia," Olivia says calmly, her eyes fixed on Lori's. Even she, with all her self-doubt and the memories that these words have evoked, is able to refuse the unnerving effect of this blatant lie that has just made Lori seem pathetic. Years and consequences, far and recent, have proven to both her and Elliot that they share the same fault on that score – both fail, both succeed, both need rescuing by the hand of the other.
"Likewise, Detective," Lori expels.
They glare at each other for a rather long moment, none of them willing to be the first to turn and walk away. Then, from the corner of her eye, Olivia sees someone approaching. She moves her eyes towards the tall, solid figure of Elliot.
Lori follows Olivia's gaze and turns her head to find him closing the distance between them.
"Munch got an ID on one of the pictures," he says while taking the last few steps before stopping next to them.
"Which one?" Lori asks.
"Arkadi. Munch is bringing Natalie, the woman who ID'd him, back here. We talked to her yesterday. Told us she was sent a few times to a wealthy Ukrainian man, but the name she gave us didn't yield anything, the name was made up and we didn't have him in our database. She couldn't give us an address or exact timeline. Now she saw the picture you got and identified him as that man," Elliot replies, looking at Lori and then at Olivia.
He has no idea what has just passed between his partner and former partner, and Olivia isn't even sure which one of them is which. But he can probably sense the unmistakable lava between them, because she can see his fingernails boring into his clenched fist and the pulsation of the vein in his neck.
"I want to talk to her first," Lori then declares.
"One of us should be there too," Olivia says coldly.
"You go, Liv," Elliot says, "you talked to her with Fin yesterday." His eyes rest on her and she nods in agreement, and she could swear that the warmth in his eyes is what glues hers to his.
"Great, we'll both talk to her," Lori breaks in.
They walk back towards the bullpen then and disperse. Lori steps to the side to make a call through her cellphone, Elliot goes to update Cragen, while Olivia pours herself another cup of coffee, sipping it quietly in the kitchenette, away from everyone, thinking about what really stood at the basis of her altercation with Lori, till John arrives with Natalie soon after.
Olivia and Lori enter the interview room with her, and Olivia introduces Lori and gently explains why she's there and the importance of the information Natalie has for what Lori is investigating. She's rebuilding that initial trust that was established yesterday between her and Natalie, and all the while she prays that them talking to these women isn't going to backfire if and when their bosses find out.
Lori then starts questioning Natalie about the man she was sent to, asking her if she's ever heard the name Arkadi before, what she knows of him, she's asking for dates and locations and Natalie cooperates.
Thirty minutes into the questioning, Natalie suddenly remembers that at one time she was sent to Arkadi with another girl and that this girl might be able to tell them more. "Did we know about this other girl?" Lori asks Olivia snappishly.
"No," Olivia replies, and then to Natalie she says "Natalie, which one of the girls was that?"
"How exactly did you handle the questioning yesterday?" Lori asks and Olivia knows exactly what she's doing – she's trying to make them look just as bad as she did when Nikita died in her custody. Well, screw her, she won't let her.
Olivia ignores her and looks at Natalie, who now seems confused and a bit scared from ruffling the FBI agent. "Natalie, do you remember which of the girls was sent with you?"
"I don't remember her name, I saw her only that one time," Natalie replies timidly. "I'm trying to think…," she mumbles.
Olivia then spreads the pictures of the three women from the site in front of Natalie. "Take a good look," she asks her. "Was it any of these women?"
Natalie bites her upper lip and then points at one of the pictures. "I think it was her. Her hair was different."
"Vera, it was Vera," Olivia says, straightening up and looking at Lori. They now have a second identification on Vera, one the girls from I'llfixya's original site, before it was taken over by the FBI. The first ID having been made by Sarah, and this might be something, they might actually be able to trace Vera too.
"How was this missed yesterday?" Lori then asks Olivia.
Instead of answering her, Olivia turns to Natalie. "Can you remember when exactly that was?"
When Natalie hesitates, and realizing that Olivia isn't going to answer her, Lori interjects with "why did you conceal this information yesterday?"
"I didn't conceal it, I forgot about it, it was a long time ago," Natalie replies, her accent becoming more and more protrusive as she grows more tired and scared.
"You were shown her picture yesterday. And based on the timelines you gave us, your 'date' with her and Arkadi couldn't have been over a year ago," Lori continues in a demanding tone.
"I was confused, she looked a bit familiar. Do you know how many…," Natalie starts and her throat chocks and tears start filling her eyes. "You have no idea. I can't remember each and every…," she stops and inhales deeply.
Lori is about to open her mouth again, but Olivia stops her. "That's enough, Agent."
"It's enough when I say it is," Lori replies, "we could have had this info yesterday. I hope I don't have to remind you that time is of the essence here."
Olivia almost shakes with anger, with a need to send her fist right into that face, but Natalie's presence is the only thing that stops her. "You have issues with me, don't take it out on her," she says coldly, quietly.
The door opens then and Elliot stands in the doorway. "Agent Garcia, we need a word. Detective, you too."
Olivia and Lori tear their eyes off each other's faces and walk towards the door. They exit it, passing by Elliot who leans on it, holding it open for them. He then closes it behind them. Cragen stands outside and he doesn't look happy at all.
"Saved by the bell again, Detective," Lori mutters and maybe Elliot and Cragen have missed that, but Olivia surely hasn't and she knows exactly what Lori alludes to – same blatant lie from before – that she needs Elliot to rescue her.
"I've always admired your professionalism, Agent," she says. "Especially when you interrogate victims and get suspects killed." With that Olivia turns around and walks away, leaving Elliot, Lori and Cragen behind, her feet carrying her towards the bullpen and from there into the filing room that is on the far end of the floor.
She stooped low, but she couldn't hold herself back anymore. She could have been way more brutal than that, she could have mentioned that Lori's professionalism included sleeping with her partner, but she didn't want to give Lori the satisfaction, certainly not when she's guilty of the exact same thing. Olivia leans against the closed door with her eyes shut, taking deep breathes to cool herself off.
She manages to control her rugged breathing and a moment later she hears footsteps and then a knock on the wooden surface, which she feels in her back. Her eyes drift open.
"Liv," she hears his voice. "Liv, can I come in?"
She closes her eyes again, takes another deep breath, releases it and then moves away from the door, knowing that he'll feel it and realize that the road is clear. In the middle of the filing room there's a metal desk. She half sits on it, facing the door, wondering if he's going to try and explain Lori to her. She remembers the times she argued with Lori and he didn't take a stand, or just made sure to stop them without really taking her side as she'd expected of him. But things have changed since then, too many things, but more to the point - he's been different, he's been Elliot again when it had to do with work. Which Elliot is she going to meet now – the one who got them into this mess in the first place and then praised her breakthroughs in the case, or the one who caressed her body and shielded it with his own and then stayed in Boston with Lori?
"I'm coming in," he announces, turning the doorknob slowly. When she doesn't answer, he pushes the door open and they look at each other. "Is it ok?" he asks.
Her face signals a 'whatever' and he enters and closes the door behind him, leaning against it.
"Are you ok?" he asks softly, after a beat.
"Yeah," she mutters, her eyes briefly on his face and then escape to the side.
"Liv, what happened out there? What did she tell you?" he asks, his eyes searching for hers.
"Doesn't matter. She knows dick about interviewing victims or witnesses. She sees suspects everywhere."
Elliot pushes himself off the door, his head bobbing once or twice in acknowledgment of her words. "What did she say to you, Liv?" he repeats, taking two steps into the room.
"You should have a serious conversation with your girlfriend," she expels, ignoring his question and avoiding his eyes that search for hers, "she has some serious issues."
"She's not my girlfriend," he replies, his eyes intent on her face.
"Right, fuck buddy, I keep forgetting," she says.
"I haven't touched her, not since…," he says urgently and then stops himself. She brings her eyes to him. From the look of him she knows it slipped from his mouth inadvertently.
"Why are you telling me this?" she picks it up, combative, challenging, though deep down she wants to know the answer to this.
Elliot sucks his bottom lip slightly in, biting it before he replies, as if he's measuring his words, his chances, his odds.
"I haven't touched her," he then repeats, "not since that night upstate. And she was never my girlfriend."
"Good for you," she only says, but his words hit her in a way she's not willing to admit yet, and she removes her eyes from his, unable to endure the blue magnet of his gaze.
"Cragen is making sure she's not going to set a foot in our Interview room with a witness or a victim again," he says after a beat.
"Good," she manages to say, her brain and heart racing towards the meaning of what he's told her, leaving her capable of nothing more.
They're silent for another moment, their gazes evading each other. "You asked me a while ago if I trusted her and I told you that I did. I don't, Olivia, not anymore, not for a while," he suddenly says and she can feel his eyes on her again.
"Why did you stay in Boston then?" she finally dares asking, her voice a bit hoarse, and her eyes laboriously fix on his face again.
"I had to make sure everything was clear, that she knew that past mistakes remain in the past," he replies and Olivia feels her heart beating in her throat.
She swallows it but she can still feel it thumping. "Cap is waiting for us," she says after a short beat, pushing herself off the desk.
"You're doing this again, Liv. You ask a question and then you don't listen to the answer," Elliot says and he's taking two more steps in her direction.
"I am. I don't have anything to say."
Elliot wets his lips before he rasps "I don't want to be your mistake, Olivia."
She inhales and she hopes he hasn't noticed her need for air. She then grits her teeth before she throws the dagger. "It's too late for that, isn't it?"
The blue of his eyes becomes darker as Elliot bites his lower lip, taking in her words, her sword, calculating his own.
"I guess," he replies quietly.
Another beat passes and then she walks towards him, towards the exit, passing by him, feeling the heat radiating from his body, inhaling a whiff of his aftershave and the cotton of his shirt. Elliot turns his head to watch her leave.
"You coming?" she throws behind her shoulder.
He doesn't reply. He doesn't follow her either.