References: pretzels in New York (Bad Dreams), "It's amazing, isn't it?" (The No-Brainer), "It's OK. I'm here now." (Marionette)

Songs: Are you gonna be my girl by Jet, First date by Blink 182

Almost two weeks later, the date of ZFT's would-be terrorist attack finally came around. Through the evidence and suspects the FBI had collected, they'd been able to learn that Conrad's weapon was going to be used at a Times Square concert in New York on the 4th of July. The FBI and the New York government were hosting an award ceremony that weekend to celebrate the averted crisis and pay tribute to the police who worked so passionately on the case. All the agents were being flown up to New York for the weekend, all expenses paid, which had given Peter and Olivia the chance to explore a city they loved with their friends.

On the morning of the ceremony, Olivia, Peter, Lincoln, Charlie and Sonya all sat in the front row of a massive audience of FBI agents, their families, some of the victims they saved and the press as Broyles gave a speech. "On this day," he began. "We were supposed to be experiencing an immense tragedy here in New York City. However, due to the choices that were made by our government, and the tireless efforts of our law enforcement all across the country, we are instead celebrating a great victory against terrorism, our nation's greatest threat. Not only were we able to cripple the American branch of one of the world's most notorious terrorist organisations, we were also able to free hundreds of American and international citizens enslaved by this ring to finance their work. But our work is not yet over. There are still 27 million slaves in the world today – more than at any other time in history – and the threat of terrorism remains a great one. The FBI, the CIA and local and state law enforcement all across the United States of America will always be working at our very best to protect the American people from these threats."

Broyles continued to commend the work of the agents and consultants who contributed to the case, and the Mayor of New York gave a speech thanking them for protecting his city from another terrorist attack in the couple of years since 9/11. Olivia and some of the other agents received the FBI Shield of Bravery for their undercover work in the ring. Also, Olivia and Charlie received their internship certificates and their new badges, being officially upgraded from Junior Agents to FBI Special Agents. When the ceremony was over they all hugged each other and celebrated. "I'm so proud of you, Livia," Peter said, kissing her. She beamed, unable to take her eyes off the beautiful bravery medal she'd received.

"Not bad, kiddo," Lincoln teased. "My favourite junior agent's all grown up! Nawwww…."

She punched him on the shoulder playfully, and gave Charlie a hug to congratulate him on passing his internship too. "We're agents, Livvy!" he exclaimed, an enormous Cheshire grin adorning his face. Peter gave her another congratulatory kiss and Charlie received one from Sonya.

Olivia also got the chance to meet up with some of the girls she hadn't seen since being in the brothels, like Sasha and Shannon. It was amazing seeing them again. Olivia barely recognised them – their bruises were gone and there was some light in their eyes that she'd never seen before. They were free. But they were still struggling. Many of them were still in therapy for their drug addictions and some of them had learned that they were HIV positive or had an STD. But more than anything, they were all happy to see Olivia. They were all kind of shocked that the 19 year old Holly they'd come to know was actually an FBI agent, but more than that they were immensely grateful for everything she did to help save them.

When Olivia went back to her friends, Broyles came over to greet them. "Congratulations on your efforts," he said to the whole group before turning to Olivia and Charlie. "Especially you two. It's good to see you as Special Agents at last."

"Thank you, sir," they both replied respectfully.

"Are any of you going to Times Square for the concert tonight?" he asked the group.

They all looked to each other. Honestly, they hadn't thought about it. That was where Conrad was going to release his weapon, killing hundreds of thousands, but they knew that wouldn't happen now. ZFT was broken – half their members were arrested in the raids and the FBI seized all their research and the weapons.

"It might be good for you," Broyles said, handing them some tickets. "These are free tickets to the front section of the Square. The artists performing have decided to donate all the money from the other tickets to anti human trafficking charities in honour of what you all did. Go and see the people you all helped to save. Enjoy yourselves."

Olivia took the tickets and looked to the others. "Do you want to?"

Peter shrugged. "Why not? Looks like fun."

"It is Fourth of July after all," said Sonya.

"OK," she said, smiling. "We'll go."

Later that night, Olivia and Peter walked hand in hand down the streets of New York with their friends, picking up some dinner on the way. Olivia laughed as she watched the boys happily chewing on massive pretzels like they were the greatest things in the world.

"You know, you shouldn't eat those," she teased.

Peter chuckled. "About twenty five years too late on that."

"Olivia's right," Sonya said. "They're full of fat and preservatives and -"

"Jeez, woman! Stop spanking my inner child," Charlie joked in mock frustration, teasing his fiancé by taking a giant bite out of the pretzel. "Mmmm…nom nom nom…"

Sonya cringed. "Eugh. Why am I marrying you again?"

"Because I'm awesome and I love you to pieces," he smirked, kissing her cheek. The rest of them "awwwwww"ed and Sonya blushed, playfully slapping Charlie.

By the time they got to Times Square, the place was packed with hundreds of thousands of people. The roads were blocked so everyone was standing on the street, all separated in groups by barricades as they watched the concert. They all looked around, amazed. "How many people do they estimate are here?" Lincoln asked one of the cops supervising the event.

"Almost a million," he replied. "Only a couple hundred thousand tickets went on sale, everyone else got places further away for free. We get more people on New Year's Eve, though."

Olivia looked to Peter, relief filling her eyes. "Don't worry about it," he said to her. "They're all safe now thanks to you."

"Thanks to us," she corrected, smiling wistfully at the others. "We all did this. We all saved their lives."

Peter squeezed her hand. "Liv…" he said in a voice only she could hear. "Everything you went through…was it worth it?"

She squeezed back. "It would have been worth it if we just got to save one person. Instead we freed hundreds from the rape trade, crippled an international terrorist organisation and stopped almost a million people from dying some gruesome, macabre death tonight. So, yeah. It was worth it."

He looked around at the enormous crowds, blown away by what could have happened to them. "It's amazing, isn't it? All these people, and they don't have a clue how crazy it all really is. The world...everything."

"If we do our job, they'll never have to," Olivia replied. She looked to the others. "Come on, guys, let's just have fun tonight."

A cop led them to through the barricade to the front section of the crowd, right in front of the stage as Good Charlotte finished playing The Anthem. All the biggest bands of 2003 were going to be there that night. Peter laughed, elated by how cool this all was and took Olivia's hand, pulling her into the massive mosh-pit at the front of the crowd as someone announced the next band. The crowd went crazy as Jet came on stage, all the way from Australia, and rocked out the opening riffs of Are You Gonna Be My Girl.

I said a 1,2,3,

take my hand and come with me
'Cause you look so fine
And I really wanna make you mine.

I said you look so fine
And I really wanna make you mine.

4,5,6

Come on and get your kicks
Now you don't need money
When you look like that, do ya, honey?

The group of friends were having a great time, riding the vibe of the thousands of people around them who were drinking, partying, dancing and moshing in the street. It was awesome. Peter grinned as he watched Olivia dance, completely losing herself. It was a long time since he'd seen her so happy and free. She was so caught up in the music and the atmosphere that she was completely oblivious to his staring. He was mesmerised as he watched how she smiled, the way her body moved and her hair tossed around, her skin illuminated by the neon lights of Times Square. Eventually she caught him standing still, just looking at her, while the rest of the crowd surged around them. She grinned playfully and took his hands in hers. "Dance with me!" she laughed over the music.

He'd never been able to say no to that face. He kissed her deeply and they moshed and danced into the night as different bands came out to play for the enormous crowd. Blink 182 came on and Peter grinned as he heard the riff. "I love this song!" he shouted to her over the music.

In the car I just can't wait
to pick you up on our very first date
Is it cool if I hold your hand?
Is it wrong if I think it's lame to dance?

She laughed as they moshed and danced together, the crowd going nuts around them. This was insane. She'd never been around so many people in her life, and seeing almost a million people dancing in the street was crazy.

When you smile, I melt inside
I'm not worthy of a minute of your time
I really wish it was only me and you
I'm jealous of everybody in the room

Peter stilled her, grinning and leaning in to kiss her. She smiled against his lips. She hadn't been this happy in a long time. Neither had he.

Let's go, don't wait, this night's almost over
Honest, let's make this night last forever
Forever and ever, let's make this last forever
Forever and ever, let's make this last forever

Charlie pulled out a digital camera and got the group together, asking a random navy guy on leave to take their photo. The friends all hung they're arms around each other and smiled, elated by the atmosphere and their victory. They felt unstoppable.

When the concert came to an end they all walked back through the darkened streets of New York to their hotel. When Olivia and Peter eventually made their way to their room, she turned back and kissed him amorously, cupping his face in both hands. "I love you."

"I loved you first," he smirked. "You took a while to catch up."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Not that anyone's keeping score or anything."

He shrugged sheepishly, kissing her back. Struck by some boldness she hadn't felt in a long time, Olivia flicked her eyes to his briefly to test the desire there before deepening the kiss and fisting his shirt tightly in her hands. As they kept kissing, she was just about to take it off when he gently took hold of her wrists. "Livia," he breathed. "We don't have to."

"Don't you want to?" she asked, slightly apprehensive about his answer. She still carried insecurities about whether Peter still wanted her after everything that was done to her.

He smiled reassuringly and cupped her face, kissing her forehead. "My love," he murmured to her. "There's never a moment where I don't want you. But if we're doing this then I have to be sure that you're ready. To be honest, I'm a little nervous. I don't want to scare you."

"You won't. I just want us to get back to the way we used to be. All I'm asking is for us to try."

He thought about it before nodding slowly. "We'll try," he said. "But will you at least promise to say if you want me to stop? I know how you try and ignore your flashbacks and stuff, so you need to tell me."

"Peter, I hardly ever get flashbacks anymore. It's more just reminders, and those I can handle."

"But you'll still feel uncomfortable or anxious and that's not what I want for you. So please, sweetheart, tell me if I do something that gives you any reminders, OK?"

She sighed and nodded.

"I love you," he said softly.

"I love you, too."

M rated:

The first kiss was tentative, but everything after that was an avalanche. They couldn't stop it – the way they felt for each other was just too much and they'd been apart for too long. For two whole months they'd gone through unimaginable pain of being apart in unbearable circumstances, and even the simplest comfort of holding each other's hand had been taken from them. But now they were taking it back. They were taking back everything.

Their hands couldn't be satisfied, roaming each other's bodies, tugging at outer layers of clothing and exploring forgotten details of skin - wanting more, always more. While they were driven by love and an intense need, their movements were slow, affectionate, savouring every touch they'd missed. The back of her knees hit the edge of the bed and she gasped, surprised by the contact. He smirked and kissed her deeply, stealing her breath away as they settled on the bed. She shivered a little as the weight and scope of his body dominated her. She felt so small. He noticed and kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips, as his hand moved down her side to rest on her hip.

While Olivia wasn't scared, she still couldn't control the light quiver in her breath. There were so many thoughts rushing through her head as Peter lay over her. Part of her was fuelled intensely by an insatiable need to be close to the young man she loved, while another was holding her back with a nervousness that made her hands shake as she touched his chest. The whole whirlwind of conflicting emotions made her feel like it was their first time again, which made her feel like an idiot. She and Peter had done this a thousand times before – why was she so apprehensive? She shook her head to clear it and kissed Peter hard and ardently, wanting to push past the nerves and feel what it was like to be with him again.

Peter started moving his lips in tiny kissed down her neck, making her moan. She wound her fingers into his hair as his lips moved down her chest and along the edges of her bra, kissing every inch of skin he could find. He felt her shiver beneath him and he wasn't sure if it was out of fear or need, but the tender pressure of her hand against his scalp told him not to stop. Despite her stubborn attitude, he felt he had to tread carefully here. He had to pay attention to her reactions, because in her usual stoic way, she would probably not tell him to stop. There were still moments when they made out where a simple touch in the wrong spot reminded her of something one of the men from the brothels did – usually those four guys who'd tried to assault her in the basement, or Conrad, who abused her while she was drugged up. Sometimes he'd catch her opening her eyes during a kiss, just to be sure that it was Peter touching her. Other times he'd find her scrunching her eyes shut, as if she was trying to imagine him away. Either way, it worried him – the last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable.

His movements were slow and always tender, proving the innocence of his heart to her. He explored her body more with his lips than with his hands – those men had hit her and grabbed for her with their hands, but they had never really kissed her once. They had never loved her. He didn't want there to be any association between him and those men. He adored her, and he would never force her into something she didn't want.

Despite the slow affection of their grazes and touches, they felt like their bodies were on fire, the attention to detail leaving them both quivering in anticipation. Olivia's hands raked down his stomach, feeling the muscles there shudder, and toyed shyly with the edge of his boxers. She gently pushed his chest so that he rolled to her side, laying over him and kissing over his body. Hesitantly, she slid her hand into his boxers and started touching him as she kissed down his stomach, her long blonde hair tickling his skin. He throbbed with desire as he realised where her mouth was headed. But he was hesitant, worrying that her giving him head might bring back memories of those four guys in the basement. She was always pushing herself into doing more than she was ready for. Not wanting to grab her hair for fear of causing a flashback, he propped himself up on his elbows and tipped her chin up, pulling her gently back to him for a kiss. He gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her from him. "No more, Liv," he panted.

She looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, did I do somethi-"

"No, sweetheart. Of course not."

"Then why won't you let me -"

"I'll let you do whatever you want next time. But this time's about you, OK?"

He gave her a deep, lazy kiss and felt her sigh into his mouth as he pushed her back so he was laying over her again. They removed their last pieces of clothing and he gently rubbed his palm in a circle over her flat, warm belly, slowly moving lower with each rotation. He gave her a chance to tell him to stop, but she didn't. Cautiously, his hand moved down between her thighs to gently touch her. She shuddered, flinched, her breath catching as her body froze up. He stopped.

"Livi, I'm sorry." He seemed to say it over and over and she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She took a moment to relax, reminding herself that it was only Peter.

"I'm OK," she assured him with a kiss.

"Livia…"

"It's alright. Don't stop."

He was hesitant, but he knew he had to trust her if she was going to trust him. He gently started touching her, his fingers timidly exploring. She seemed to be OK with it, her eyes half-lidded and breaths shaky as she moaned softly.

But Peter found he had reminders of his own to grapple with. He restricted himself to touching the outside of her, knowing that if he dared to ease a finger inside, he'd only be reminded of how Conrad had abused her while she was defenceless, molesting her so roughly he'd made her bleed. The very idea filled Peter with genuine rage. He couldn't stand the fact that someone had hurt the girl who he knew would one day kiss his kids goodnight. He just couldn't.

The images filling his head became unbearable and removed his hand, making her groan softly in disappointment. He kissed her deeply. "I love you," he swore to her, choking slightly. "So, so much."

"I love you, too," she whispered against his lips, cupping his face in both hands. "Don't worry, Peter. It's just us."

"But -"

"Peter, it's OK," she promised him. "I'm not scared. I know it's only you."

To prove her point she kissed him fully, her hands gripping his hair, running over his shoulder blades, clinging to him desperately and leaning into all that male strength that was holding her. But her hands were still trembling and he knew she was nervous. He gently cupped her face, trying to reassure her. "Livia, you have no idea how much I love you," he murmured, kissing her. Feeling her arms hook around his neck, he sighed into her mouth, struck by her willingness and trust in him. He broke away to kiss down her body again. "You're so beautiful, Olivia," he murmured against her skin. "So beautiful."

She gasped as his lips moved over stomach, her whole body trembling with urgency. He edged lower, slowly, surprised that she hadn't told him to stop by the time he got to her inner thighs. When his tongue finally snaked out to taste her, she shivered. He glanced at her face to see if she was upset but he only saw her eyes half-lidded, her brow furrowed and wet lips parted in some heady pleasure that overwhelmed her. Smirking, he continued to tease and pleasure her with his tongue while her fingers twisted roughly into his hair, spurring him on. He could tell she was close. She was trembling all over, as though it was beyond her control. Gasping, whimpering sounds rose up from her belly into her chest and out of her mouth. He couldn't believe the power of his touch, but her breathing and moaning made it true.

Before she could come, she tugged on his hair and brought him back up to her face for a deep, sexual kiss, tasting herself eagerly on his tongue. "Please, Peter. I need you now," she panted softly against his lips.

He smoothed some hair out of her eyes and looked down on her sincerely. "Are you sure?"

"You don't have to ask," she said, her eyes slightly narrowed at him.

"Liv, I can wait -"

"That's not what I want. Please, Peter. I love you and I trust you."

He nodded and kissed her affectionately, his thumb lightly grazing her cheek. She reached over to the bedside table for a condom, handing it to him so he could prepare himself. He asked her one more time if she was sure before slowly easing into her. Dropping his head by her shoulder for a moment, he stayed still, absorbing the amazing feel of the intimate contact. He pulled back and cupped her face as her fingers traced delicate patterns on his back. "Are you OK?" he whispered.

She licked her lips and nodded mutely, barely able to speak. Softening, she tried to relax herself. "Yeah," she finally breathed, smiling up at him shyly, embarrassed for being nervous. "Just…go slow, OK?"

Finding only love and reassurance written across her face, he nodded, kissing her, and started moving slowly, gently, pouring all his affection into every touch. Her lips moved over his neck and collarbone as her hands roamed, taking in the details of his body, so different from hers. Neither of them could get over the fact that after months of separation they were finally together again in this way – it felt like a miracle.

After a while he got a little bolder, taking one of her legs and wrapping it higher around him, changing his angle and pushing deeper and harder inside of her. It was perfect, and Olivia felt that familiar warmth pool in the pit of her stomach, preparing to explode. She clung to his body, holding him close, her breaths shaky and tinged with moans. He grinned at the effect he was having on her, sliding a hand between them, delicately pressing his thumb just where it should be. He had her whimpering now. "Peter, please," she breathed against his lips, her nails biting into his back.

He'd never been able to deny this young woman anything. He picked up his pace, kissing her deeply to swallow her moans. The fact that he could prove his love to her in this way, that he could make her feel this kind of pleasure, made his heart swell with a joy as intense as pain. She deserved everything he could give her. He brought her closer still, watching as her release washed over her, while he followed close behind. He slowed his pace as they came down from the mutual high, catching their breaths as their bodies trembled with aftershocks.

Resting over her, Peter brushed a couple of strands of hair out of her face. His thumb traced her freckles as he looked down on her amorously, taking her in. He was holding her with so much reverence - she felt like a treasure in his arms. "I can't believe this is happening," he murmured, choking up a little. "You were gone for so long I almost thought I'd never get you back. I wasn't sure I'd ever get to hold you like this again. I can't believe you're real."

She felt the threat of tears sting her eyes but she held them back. She gently cupped the back of his neck and drew him down to her, nuzzling his nose with hers. "It's OK," she whispered against his lips. "I'm here now."

He smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she breathed, kissing him softly in the dark.

Please review after all that P/O! Only 3 more chaps to go…