Olivia reached out in the darkness and finds Elliot much closer than he'd slept any of the previous nights. She touched his arm lightly, but the rhythm of his light snoring doesn't falter, and he doesn't stir. She wants to laugh because he was the one that had told her he'd set a mental alarm, so they woke in time to leave for their drive up Cadillac Mountain, and yet, she was the one that was awake now.

She brushed her hand up his arm, keeping her touch light, and when she reached his shoulder, it struck her that he wasn't wearing a t-shirt as he had on nights before. She paused, letting her fingers rest against his warm skin, and waited for a moment, but his breathing was still slow and steady. She was tempted to let her hand wander downwards, over his chest, while she had uninterrupted access to his body, but she knew that was bordering on inappropriate. She shouldn't be groping the man in his sleep.

She flattened her palm against him, sliding her hand over the curve of his shoulder. "El." She whispered. When he didn't respond, she pressed her fingers into his skin and repeated his name. He mumbled something and shifted his legs, and the next thing she knew, he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her against him as he muttered more unintelligible words.

Olivia's arm was trapped between their bodies and she could feel his warm breath against on her forehead, but the only thing she could focus on was the erection prodding her upper thigh. It sent a rush of heat through her body and unleashed a stream of wanton thoughts, and she found herself wishing his hand on her lower back would slip lower. She let her eyes slip close, permitting herself just a few moments to imagine what it would be like to wake like this, for him to make love to her in the early morning hours before her guilt overtook her and she would be forced to push herself away from this intimate embrace. She was still lost in her feelings when Elliot pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair. She felt a slight change in his breathing as he lifted his leg over hers and snugged their lower halves more tightly together. The hand on her back started to move in small circles, massaging the skin, and then he slipped his fingers beneath the waistband of her pajama shorts. His face was still buried against the side of her head, and she heard a slight humming sound, or maybe they were moans. It sent vibrations through her body and her desire flared. She wanted to moan, she wanted to reach down and touch him, to know. But this was all kinds of wrong. Elliot was asleep, either in the middle of a dream, or confused about who was in the bed next to him. The thought that he might be thinking about Kathy, or even worse, some other woman, was a cold slap of reality and she pushed against his chest. "Elliot." She pulled back as much as she could. "Elliot!"

He awoke with a start, confused in the dark. He felt a warm body pressed against his, feminine curves beneath his hands, a familiar scent in his nostrils but it took a moment to remember just exactly where he was. It was less than a minute before consciousness to take hold and he realized it was Olivia in his arms. He was acutely aware of every point of contact between them and he lifted his arm from her waist and his leg from where it held her simultaneously. "Liv…" He said it almost breathlessly as she scrambled backwards towards the far side of the bed. "I'm sorry. I…" His erection was throbbing, distracting him, and for a moment, he wanted to reach out and drag her back across the bed, kiss her until she couldn't breathe. But he fought to push the impulse away. "I was sleeping. I didn't mean to…"

Olivia heard the confusion and the apology in his voice, and it made her feel guilty. She was the one that had reached for him, let her hands linger. His reaction had been natural. "It's ok." She said in a rush, interrupting him. "I was trying to wake you and…" She couldn't tell him that she'd allowed the rest to happen, lost in her own lustful thoughts. "It's ok." She repeated. She hated that he was waking up to this situation and the tension this would invariably cause. She gave him a crooked smile, unsure if he could even see it in the dark. "So much for your internal alarm." She teased, hoping to move past the awkward moment.

Elliot scrubbed a hand over his face, pushing himself up so he was sitting against the headboard. "Yeah, well, I was in the middle of a dream and that threw me off."

Olivia climbed out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. "Must have been a hell of a dream."

"You have no idea."

EOEOEOEO

Elliot had whispered the words under his breath, so he knew Olivia hadn't heard him. He could hear her in the bathroom, and it seemed like she had been in there a long time. He wondered if she was angry or embarrassed, or if he had made things unbearably awkward between them.

He couldn't stop thinking about how his dream and reality had fused together that morning. He wondered if he'd said anything while he'd held her, because in his dream, he'd been moaning her name. He knew he should feel guilty, but all he felt was want. All the little moments that had brought them here were adding up, and then that almost kiss on the beach…it was getting harder and harder to resist the temptation to just tell her how he felt. To reach for her and ask for that kiss.

He breathed in deeply and let it out slowly, reminding himself of all the reasons he had to take things slowly. Olivia's quick escape from the bedroom was another reminder of how easily she could pull away. He needed her to get there on her own timetable, on her terms. He hoped to God his unconscious misstep hadn't set them back at all. Things had been going so well. There was an easiness between them, and he didn't want to lose that.

Olivia walked back into the bedroom and stopped in the doorway, and the light from the hallway lit her from behind, creating an almost halo effect. He couldn't see her face or more importantly, her expression, and he tensed, expecting some kind of backlash now that she'd had some time to think about his morning transgression.

"You're still in bed." She said, adopting a faux angry tone. "We're never going to make sunrise."

"I'm getting up." He said, relieved that the matter seemed to be behind them.

"El…" Olivia started. "I know you didn't mean anything…you know…what happened this morning." She felt braver in the dark. "I woke up and then, you were still sleeping, and I reached out so I could wake you, and I was touching your shoulder and I think that you just…" She shrugged her shoulder a little. "Reacted." Olivia knew she was rambling a bit, but she didn't want him to feel guilty when she felt like she shared a small bit of the blame. She hadn't exactly pulled away when he had first reached out for her. "You didn't know what you were doing."

Elliot thought if she really knew exactly what he'd been doing with her in his dream, she wouldn't let him off the hook so easily. "Let's just forget about it and get going before we miss the whole thing."

They both got dressed in the dark, keeping their backs to one another. Olivia made a thermos of coffee and grabbed some bagels and fruit, while Elliot found a blanket and a flashlight. They loaded up the Jeep and headed off, thankful that they had mapped the way the day before and knew roughly where they were going.

It took less time than they thought to crest the mountain and they were both a little surprised to see other cards in the small parking lot. They grabbed their things as the sky started to lighten slightly. It made finding their way to the overlook area so much easier, but they hustled so that they wouldn't miss the sun coming up over the horizon. Whatever awkwardness had lingered was gone as they reached the perfect spot, and Elliot spread the blanket out away from the others that had gathered. As they settled and poured the first mug of coffee, they heard a few 'oohs' and they turned their attention towards the horizon.

Olivia set her coffee down next to her and drew her knees to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs and stared off towards the morning sun. There had certainly been long nights on the job, or early morning return home from a date, when she'd seen the morning sunlight streaking between the buildings. But she had never seen something like this. The light was so pure as it cast it's first rays and the ocean seemed to sparkle, almost as if fireworks were scattered across its surface. She watched with a sense of awe as it rose above the horizon, the sunrise happening much faster than she would have imagined. "So beautiful." She whispered, more to herself than anyone else. The day brightened, with the sun starting to fill in the dark spots in the trees around them and Olivia could almost feel a change in herself as the sun touched her face. She glanced over at Elliot and saw he was looking at her. "Thank you." She said, still speaking in a hushed tone.

"My pleasure." He wasn't exactly sure what she was thanking him for, but whatever had put the beatific smile on her face was definitely his pleasure. Her skin looked golden and the sun picked up the highlights in her hair and he was reminded of the halo of light around her that morning as she'd stood in the doorway. He knew this was probably another first for her, and once again, he felt so grateful to be sharing it with her.

"We should come up here every morning." Olivia said, dropping her knees as the sign climbed higher over the horizon.

"Weren't you the one complaining that we had to get up so early today?"

"It was worth it. Definitely worth it." Olivia picked up her coffee and took a sip, feeling the chill of the morning air.

Elliot noticed that the other that had come up to watch the sunrise were all starting to leave. "Do you want to go?"

Olivia shook her head and started unpacking the bag she had packed. "We haven't had our breakfast yet." She would gladly put up with a little bit of a chill if it meant staying up here longer. Now that the sky was brightening a little more, she realized how far they could really see from here. "When we get done eating, let's explore a little. I think we can see the entire town from up here. And maybe the mainland."

Elliot wasn't going to argue. They had their hiking shoes on, and he wouldn't mind exploring a little either. "You're in charge."

EOEOEOEOEO

They had meandered around the overlook area, taking in the view from all sides. The day was proving to be brilliantly clear, and they both pointed out various things they could see on the horizon, from the lighthouse on a nearby point to ships out at sea. It was warming up nicely, and both Olivia and Elliot had shrugged off their warm sweatshirts in favor of their t-shirts.

Olivia had seen several pairs and trios take off down one of the hiking paths and disappear into the trees, backpacks in tow. After lazing around the day before, she was up for some exercise. She turned to Elliot. "Do you want to explore one of the trails?" They had returned the bag and blanket to the car, but they both had bottles of water and they were wearing their hiking shoes. "We don't have to go very far, but we're here, so…"

Elliot had also seen the hikers get swallowed by the trees. "I have no idea about the path. We don't have a map."

"It's an island. How can we get lost?" Olivia asked. "Besides, everyone seems to be following the same trail. We'll just follow the next group that goes."

"I'm game if you are." Elliot said. He motioned towards the tree line. "It looks like there's a map of the trails on that sign over there." They both wandered over and studied the map, figuring out where they were now and which trail that most people seemed to be taking. He was just trying to decipher what all the symbols meant when Olivia tugged at his arm.

"A group is going. Let's go."

"Wait a minute."

"C'mon Elliot."

Elliot looked up but Olivia was already headed in the direction of a foursome that was taking off in that direction. He looked at the sign one last time and then turned to follow her.

EOEOEOEO

The air was noticeably cooler in the trees, and Olivia wished she would have grabbed her sweatshirt. She had been so anxious for an adventure that she hadn't really thought about it, even though it was completely logical since the sun never reached the trail due to the density of the trees. She thought about asking Elliot if they could turn around to retrieve it but didn't want to turn back.

Elliot could hear the murmur of voices up ahead, but they had hung back a little so they wouldn't be on top of anyone else. This place was about peace and solitude and nature and he didn't want to intrude on anyone else. The path was worn, but not without natural hazards. He saw Olivia step over a large branch that had fallen across the path, trying not to stare at how great her ass looked in the leggings she was wearing. He was supposed to be communing with nature, looking at the flora and fauna, watching for snakes and other wildlife, not staring at his partner. But he gave himself some grace. This was all about natural beauty, and Olivia had an abundance of it.

He saw Olivia stop and point to something in the woods, but he couldn't see anything. He came up on her and followed the line of her arm, but he still couldn't see anything. "I heard rustling over there." Olivia whispered. "Do you think it's something dangerous?"

Elliot let out a small chuckle. The ground was covered in leaves from previous autumns, branches and twigs, and fallen trees. A chipmunk would raise a ruckus just scampering around. "No, I don't. There are too many people on this trail right now, and any animal larger than a squirrel is going to stay away from us."

Olivia felt a little disappointment but also knew that if she actually saw a bear or something out here, she would probably be scared out of her mind. There were no bars separating them from the wild things. "You're right."

They had been hiking for a little more than a half an hour when Olivia could see that the trees were thinning, and the daylight was brighter just a little farther ahead. She couldn't see any of the other hikers, but she assumed the path must veer off in a different direction at that point. She looked back at Elliot, but he was about twenty yards behind her, so she turned and kept going. She was really enjoying this hike. The hike hadn't been particularly strenuous so far, but she could feel the rush of endorphins that exercise always brought. With that, plus the breathtaking beauty of the sunrise and the peacefulness of the hike amidst the trees, she was feeling really good.

She was closing in on the break of the trees and she could see the blue of the sky now and a sliver of the ocean in the distance. "El…" She glanced back at him as she walked and saw his eyes trained on the clearing ahead as well, so she held her comment about the clearing. Of course, he saw it.

Elliot saw right behind Olivia, and she stopped so abruptly that he bumped into her, forcing her to take another step. He heard her gasp and he grabbed on to her, as they stood on the precipice of a drop-off. A cliff that fell away sharply to a small beach below and the expanse of the ocean. "Jeez." Elliot said, still hold on to Olivia. She pushed back at him.

"Back up." She said, her voice a thin whisper.

"It's fine Liv." Elliot said. "We've got plenty of room." Now that he was standing here, he saw that the path went right or left, a narrow walk along the edge of the cliff.

"Move back." Olivia pushed at him and he took a few steps back. She used the space he had created to move around him, back to the line of trees a few feet back from where he was standing. She reached out and snagged his arm, dragging him back a little.

"I'm not going to fall." Elliot chuckled, appreciating the gesture but not understanding it. He took a few steps towards the edge, where Olivia has been standing. "This is amazing!" The word didn't seem to do the sight before him justice at all. They had obviously dropped only slight in elevation, and yet, at the edge of this cliff, the view was quite different. There weren't any trees blocking the view and he could see a small series of islands, some dotted with buildings and others seemingly uninhabited. The waves were crashing against the rocky shorelines and birds ducked and weaved, diving into the water periodically in search of breakfast.

Elliot glanced back at Olivia, but she was still standing where he'd left her, looking somewhat apprehensive. "Come look at this." He held out his hand.

Olivia didn't want to join him on the path, but the thought of it sent sheer panic throughout her body. She'd never been great with heights but had gotten over it to some degree over the years. The stood on enough rooftops, trying to catch a suspect or talk someone off a ledge, and then, she was so focused on the task at hand, she really hadn't had time to think about it. Just an hour earlier, at the top of the mountain, there had been wide expanse with a perimeter of trees. She knew it was high, just by the magnitude of the view, but there was no immediate danger.

But this…there was no guard rail. No wall to hold you back. You could literally step off and plunge to your death in seconds, and it made her wonder what the hell the people in charge of the park and trails were thinking.

She glanced up from the path to see Elliot standing there, watching her with curiosity. He had no idea of her fear of heights, and she wasn't about to let him see that fear in her. She took a small step forward and stopped. She clutched her hands to her chest and could feel her heart beating wildly. "Let's just go back." She said. "I'm getting kind of tired."

"What?" Elliot asked, but he was already shaking his head. "This looks like the best part of the trail." He pointed along the path. "It looks like the path follows the edge of this cliff for quite a while."

Olivia poked her head around the tree nearest her to see the path, but even that was terrifying. The path that Elliot was referring to couldn't be more than three feet wide at its widest point and the trees crowding it looked menacing, as if the branches could come alive and use their branches to give you a little push, Wizard of Oz style. "We don't know where that path goes."

"We didn't know that when we started out." He didn't want to point out the obvious, but her excuses were pitiful. He walked back to where she was standing. "What's going on?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows together. "There's nothing to be afraid of." He hated using that word because the Olivia he knew wasn't afraid of anything.

Well, except mice.

"I didn't say I was afraid." Olivia spat out, trying to show bravado she didn't feel.

"OK." Elliot said, regretting again his choice of words. "Then let's go. You pick the direction and I'll follow you."

Olivia nodded, cursing herself for pushing them to go on this hike. The path along the beach, now far below, had been beautiful, and she wished she had suggested they continue to explore those paths. But she hadn't, and now they were here. She took in a deep breath, not wanting to admit another fear, another weakness, and moved forward, keeping her eyes on the path and not on the harrowing edge of the cliff.