A/N: Hey, everyone. The coming stretch for this story has been a real bitch for me to get down, so that hopefully explains the lack of update. I'm trying my best, though, and I think I've pretty much gotten the rest down. Hopefully you all enjoy it.

After formation Wednesday morning, Elliot makes a point to visit the barracks. He bangs on the same door that gave him a shock that morning several weeks ago during Field Day and Shane opens it, dressed in civilian clothing rather than a uniform. "Gunny."

Elliot steps into the room. "How're you doing?"

"Not good. They put me on indefinite leave," Shane says. "I didn't even do anything! How can they do this to me?"

Elliot takes a deep breath, thumbing the brim of his cap for a moment. His eyes flit from the desk on the wall opposite of him, the window with the blinds halfway closed, then the floor that's completely immaculate. Finally, he says, "If there's something you're not telling me, you need to tell me now. I believe you, I do, but that woman was raped."

Shane bites his lip, turning away from Elliot's gaze. "There's nothing, Gunny. All's I know is that we had sex, there's nothing else."

"Why don't you stop lying and tell me the truth?" Elliot says. His blood pressure is rising by the second; this whole thing is really growing tiring. "Do you realize what's at stake here? She didn't say you had sex. She said that she didn't even invite you to her place, she said you broke into her apartment, knocked her out and forced yourself on her."

"That didn't happen!"

"Then tell me what did!"

Shane's jaw clenches. He wipes his hands off on his jeans and collapses onto onto the chair next to the desk. Elliot crosses the room, leans against the desk, and folds his arms over his chest, examining the younger man. He can see the conflict on Shane's face.

"Whoever you're protecting assaulted and raped a woman. You think a scumbag that could do that deserves your loyalty?"

"B-but…"

"But nothing. It's not worth throwing your career away. Just spit it out, Shane."

Shane finally looks up at Elliot, scrubs his hands over his face and says, "Thompson was with me that night."

"Okay. And?"

"Me and her were talking all night, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of her, either. He kept telling me how sexy she was and he was gonna go home with her. We, uh- when the bar shut down, she asked me to come with her. I told Thompson what was going on, and he looked fuckin' furious. When I got back to base afterwards, he still wasn't back."

"Why didn't you tell anyone this earlier?"

"I didn't want to get him into trouble." Shane pales. He scrubs his face with his hands. "Shit, I… I just wanted to protect my brother."

Elliot shakes his head as he massages his temples. This is exactly why I would never want to be a cop. "Alright. You've got to make this right, Shane."

"How?"

He nods towards the door. "C'mon."

—-

Olivia has court that morning. When she returns, there are two men men waiting for her at her desk. One's Elliot, dressed in his uniform with his cap in his hand. The other is Dempsey, standing there uncomfortably with no uniform.

"Elliot," she says as she meets them. "What are you doing here?"

"Shane has something he wants to tell you."

Olivia turns to the man. "Alright, what is it?"

"I didn't rape Paulina," Shane says, "but I think I know who might have. I was with my buddy, Luke Thompson when I went to that bar, and… he was the one that was all over her. He told he he was going to get her into bed one way or another."

"So you're telling me that you had sex with her, and then your buddy came along afterwards and raped her? Why should I believe that?"

"Because it's the truth. I'm sorry. I should have told you earlier, but… I didn't think he could have done this."

Elliot must see the doubt in her eyes, because he takes her by the arm and guides her away. "You're not buying this."

"It's kind of hard to, El," she murmurs. "It sounds like he's using any excuse he can to explain away what he's done."

"Really? Because, to me, it sounds like a guilty man trying to make things right. Remember what you told me? If this happens again, you'd take a closer look." Elliot sighs, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Listen, Liv, you know me. If I thought Shane could rape that girl, I'd be the last person coming here to defend him. Please, just give him a chance." Olivia watches his Adam's apple bob as he swallows hard, and mumbles, "Give me a chance."

"Elliot…"

She stops short as his hands pull her closer. "Olivia."

As much as Olivia would like to write this confession off as a desperate attempt from a guilty man, she doesn't have a choice in the matter. His eyes plead with her, and she can't help the pang that shoots through her heart. She can't help it when her hand rises to palm his cheekbone. The words are on the tip of her tongue, the same ones that have been on her mind since he said them after their fight, but they won't come out. It's not the right place or time, and even if it was, she's not sure she could say them, anyway.

"I'll see what I can do." These words sound like a far cry from the three that she's thinking about, but they're the closest she can come.

Elliot's arm wraps around her waist, and he pulls her into a kiss. Embarrassment floods her face as she pushes him away. "Elliot! I'm at work."

"Thank you," he says. "You're not going to regret this, I promise."

—-

Bravo is just as empty as the first time. The same bartender stands behind the bar, washing glasses, humming a tune to himself.

"Hola, mama," he greets. "Back again?"

"I just have a couple more questions for you," she says. "Have you seen this man?"

It's a picture of Thompson.

"Sí, he's the one that was with that girl. What did you say her name was?"

"Paulina."

"That's right. He was with Paulina."

"And what about this man?" It's Dempsey this time.

"Hm. Come to think of it, he was there, too."

"I know you said you don't remember if Paulina left with someone. But do you know if either of these men with her?"

"It couldn't have bee him," he says, pointing to Thompson. "He left a little bit later, looking pissed."

—-

Paulina opens the door, and her arms cross over her chest. "Detective Benson. What can I do for you?"

"I really have to ask you a couple of questions, Paulina," Olivia says. "Can I come in?"

She steps aside, and closes the door behind the detective. "Okay."

"When you left Bravo, you said you were alone."

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

Olivia takes a deep breath, and steps closer. "You know, if there's anything you're not telling me, you don't have to hide it. You can tell me the truth, no matter what happened."

"I told you exactly what happened. The man from the club broke into my apartment and raped me. He never told me his name."

"How did you know it was the man from the club?" Olivia asks, but Paulina doesn't answer. Her arms cross over her chest and she sucks her bottom lip into her mouth.

"I know you were attacked, Paulina. I know you're scared and that's okay. But the only way you'll ever be able to feel better is if you tell me the whole truth. You tell that to me and I will do absolutely everything in my power to send that man away for a very long time. I promise."

Tears form in Paulina's eyes. She wipes them away with her fingers. "You don't understand," she whispers. "He told me that…"

"What did he tell you?" Olivia takes Paulina's hands in her own and sits on the couch with her. "Did he say he was going to hurt you again?"

Paulina sniffles as the tears run down her cheeks. She nods. "H-he told me that h-he would kill me if I e-ever told anyone. H-he would rape me again and again u-until I a-asked him to die."

"Who was it, Paulina?" Olivia asks gently, squeezing her hands.

Paulina chews on her lip, breaking eye contact with the detective across from her. "I took Shane home after I left Bravo. We had sex, he left right after, and… I was asleep when the man came in. He shoved a pillow over my head, he pinned me down, a-and… tore at my clothes… he put a knife to my throat and told me that if I moved an inch or made a sound… he would slice my throat. A-and then, right before he left, he told me that he would know if I called the police, and he would come back."

"Did you see the knife?"

Paulina nods. "I-it was black, with a golden logo on it. It looked like a globe with an anchor… almost like the logo for the Navy."

"And you're sure it wasn't Dempsey?"

Paulina nods. "I'm positive. That man… he was nothing like Shane."

—-

It takes Elliot about thirty seconds to answer the door later that night. There's a dish towel slung over his shoulder and he smells like soap. "Hey."

"Hey," she says as he leans forward to give her a kiss before inviting her inside. She takes a moment to look around. In the kitchen, half of the dishes are drying on a dish towel, and the others are still in the sink, waiting to be washed. Elliot drops the towel onto the counter.

"Want something to drink?"

"No, I'm okay," They sit down on the couch. "Just wanted to let you know that you were right."

"Right?"

"You were right about Shane."

Elliot's silent. He mulls over Olivia's statement for a long moment, and then nods, meeting her eyes. "So it was Thompson."

"Yeah. He confessed and all."

He nods, then reaches for her hand. "Good. I'm glad you got the guy. The right guy."

Olivia leans over, wraps her arms around him, and squeezes. Her head falls against his shoulder as they embrace. "Thank you. If it weren't for you…"

Elliot pats her back as he holds her. "I'm sure you would have figured it out."

"Maybe." She sets her head against his shoulder, sighing in almost relief as her body sinks into his. No matter how many times she's been in his arms, it always seems like the first. As corny as it sounds, his body feels like home, a place where she always protected, always loved. That word is back in her throat, dying to be released as that familiar pang in her heart hits her. It's the right place, and most certainly the right time. "I gotta tell you something."

"What is it?" he asks.

She raises her head, and looks into his eyes, those eyes that hold nothing but love and adoration for her. Her hand trails down his cheekbone, then back up as a smile crosses her face. "I love you."

His eyes light up like a kid's on Christmas, and Olivia's heart melts a little. She'd do almost anything to keep that look in his eyes… his happiness makes her happy; she figures that's what love is all about. "Love you, too."

—-

The sun beats down on him as he stretches out on the beach blanket. His gaze hits her toes, painted deep red. A smile twitches across his lips… he never thought he could see toes being sexy, but that's exactly what he thinks right now. Everything about her is beautiful, sexy, alluring. Her smooth, bronze legs, the black swimsuit that flows over her stomach, revealing just a sliver of skin, teasing him, her thin shoulders with just enough tone, and yes: her red toes. What he loves the most about her, though, is her eyes. They're deep, big and brown… his heart jumps and he can't help as his hand runs gently over her thigh.

She glances up at him from the pages of her book, and smiles. "Can I help you?"

"No," he says, studying her face. "You're really beautiful."

Her face turns red. "Remember what I told you about compliments?"

"Yup. You also told me if I keep giving 'em to you, you'll believe me." His fingertips slide up her body, then her thumb glides over her cheekbone. He turns on his side, then slips a little closer to her. He wants to lean forward and kiss her, but they're in the middle of the beach, people surrounding them on all four sides. Instead, he settles for a quick one on the forehead.

"God, you two are disgustingly sweet."

Elliot and Olivia both laugh. Elliot turns towards the redheaded ADA, grin on his face. "Sorry, Case." He checks his watch. "Murph should be here soon." He gets up, stretches, and says, "Gonna take a trip to the restroom. You ladies need anything?"

They both decline, and he nods, giving Olivia one last smile before he heads towards the snack bar a few hundred yards up the shoreline.

"So, tell me about this friend of Elliot's."

"His real name's Shamus, but I don't think he likes it. We all call him Murph instead," Olivia says. "He's a great guy. When I was having that fight with Elliot, he came over and made sure I was okay. I told you he's in the Army, right?"

"Yeah, you told me he's in special forces, like Elliot."

"Yeah. He's pretty hot, too."

Casey laughs. "I'll be the judge of that when he gets here."

"I think you'll like him."

When Elliot returns, another man stands beside him, in green trunks and a white sleeveless t-shirt. Casey's heart jumps; Olivia was right, he is handsome.

"Hi, Olivia." Murph's gaze focuses on the lawyer as a smile forms on his face. "You must be Casey."

"You must be Murph." She shakes his hand lightly. "Nice to meet you."

"Believe me, the pleasure is mine."

Elliot sits back down beside Olivia with a breath, and stretches out next to her, returning to his admiration. Casey rolls her eyes playfully, but her heart pangs in her chest. It's so clear how devoted the man is; she's so incredibly happy for Olivia, she's one of the most deserving people that Casey's ever known. She hopes she'll find a man that treats her the way Elliot treats Olivia.

"God, they're sickening, aren't they?" Murph says, dropping onto Casey's blanket.

"You're the one that told me to give the man another chance," Olivia says. "You're partly to blame for this."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go back to ogling," Murph says, a shit eating grin covering his face. He turns to Casey. "So, Elliot told me you're a lawyer."

"I'm a prosecutor in Anaheim," Casey says. "How's military life?"

Murph shrugs. "Chaotic at times. Can't imagine myself doing anything else, though."

"How long have you been in?"

"About thirteen years."

"Not as long as Elliot, huh?"

"Nah, I joined a couple years after he did. He doesn't let me forget it."

Casey laughs.

—-

Elliot hears Casey's laugh, and takes Olivia's hand. "C'mon, let's hit the water. I'm drying up like a prune out here."

Olivia sighs playfully. "And you've spent how many months out in deserts?"

"That's why I have to take all the opportunities I can get now," Elliot answers, pulling her to her feet.

They walk down to the shoreline, dip their toes into the water and Olivia steps backwards. "Too cold."

"Oh, c'mon," he says, pulling her along with him. She doesn't give much of a fight, wading up to her waist with him. With a deep breath, he dives under the water and stays under for a moment, letting the water roll over him, cool, crisp and refreshing.

When he comes back up, his gaze is drawn to the shoreline. At the blankets they set up earlier that day, Casey and Murph lay, looking quite engaged in conversation. "You were right, they do look good together."

She paddles slowly over to him. "I told you."

He examines the two for a long moment before finally turning back to her. "Better than us?"

"Nah."

He chuckles, lowering himself back down into the water. He leans forward, kisses her, and smiles when he tastes the salt on her lips. "I didn't think so, either."

A/N: As always, thanks for reading :) Leave me your thoughts, looking forward to reading what you have to say.