AN: Thank you to everyone that has been waiting so patiently (and impatiently) for an update. Leave me some love in the form of a review. I love to hear what you're thinking!

EOEOEOEO

Olivia hugged the tree line as best as she could, but the branches reached out and snagged on her clothing and scratched her skin, so she had to give them a little more berth that's she wanted to. Even though the path widened slightly, the edge of the cliff was a good four feet away from where she was forced to walk, and it still didn't seem like enough space. She tried to focus on the path in front of her so that she didn't trip on a wayward rock or branch, but she could still see the edge in her peripheral vision and feel the space beyond with every fiber of her being. It was getting harder to take a breath. She could feel the tightening in her chest, and she clutched at the tree to her left and stopped.

Elliot had been trying to give her some space so that he didn't accidentally bump into her but stay close enough so he could lend a hand if she tripped or fell. When he saw her slow down and reach to steady herself, he placed a hand on her right hip. "I'm right here." He said quietly, holding perfectly still so as not to make her feel unsteady on her feet. "You okay?" He knew that she wasn't because he could feel her trembling, and he was about to suggest that maybe they should turn around and head back when she brushed his hand from her hip.

"I'm fine." Olivia said, with a bravado she didn't feel. She took in a deep breath and stepped tentatively forward, picking a spot about twenty yards and making it a goal. When they reached that spot, she picked another and kept going with each small victory. She could hear Elliot's footfalls right behind her, but he wasn't saying a word. She wasn't sure if she'd rather have that or some idle chitchat as a distraction, but she let it be because she didn't want to have to tell him to shut up if his talking got on her nerves.

She hated that she was feeling this anxious and that she seemingly had no control over her body right now. She prided herself on being tough and this irrational fear was making her angry because she couldn't seem to talk herself out of it. When Casey had mentioned hiking, she'd honestly thought she could do this. That the years of rock-climbing and dangerous situations on her job would have made her immune, but there was something about the feeling of nothingness beyond that ledge that still made her heart hammer in her chest and her legs uncooperative.

As if her body was purposefully trying to betray her, she mis-stepped and stumbled, catching herself on her hands and knees. She felt Elliot's hands at her waist.

"Are you okay?"

Olivia wanted to brush his hands and his concerns away, hating the pitying sound in his voice, but her body betrayed her, needing the strength of him anchoring her. She stood up slowly, with Elliot's hands still holding and guiding her.

Olivia was breathing heavily, taking short gasps of air as she straightened up, and he felt horrible for pushing her to take this hike. He had known she'd been hesitant, but he had grossly underestimated just how afraid she was. "Maybe we should go back."

Olivia didn't know what was worse, the thought of going forward or the thought of going back. On one hand, she knew how far they'd come, but she'd been clinging to the hope that the path turned back into the woods just ahead.

She also didn't want to let Elliot know just how fearful she was, but with the way he was hovering, she thought she hadn't done a good job of keeping that particular secret.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were afraid of heights?" Elliot asked, as if reading her mind.

"I'm not afraid of heights." The response was automatic and now that she'd said it, she could hear how ridiculous it sounded. She turned around, feeling Elliot's hands loosen around her waist so she could move, but not completely leaving her body. There was a small gap between them, and she resisted the urge to reach out and grab on to him in some manner, even though her mind was screaming at her to do it. There was a look of concern on his face, and she hated it and loved it at the same time.

"Liv." Elliot thought they'd made so much progress since they'd been on this trip, that he wasn't sure why she needed to keep with the façade of bravery. "C'mon. I can feel you shaking."

Olivia closed her eyes briefly before re-opening them again to look up at Elliot. "I honestly thought I was going to be okay." She said in a shaky voice. "I've done a lot of rock-climbing at the gym."

"Where you're harnessed in and the fall is on a thick mat." Elliot said.

"We go up on the rooftop at the precinct." Olivia offered another proof point.

"Where there is a large guard rail and where I've never seen you too close to the edge." Now that he thought about it, he was the one wandering towards the railing and looking out over the city. Olivia always hung back.

"I've chased perps across the top of buildings."

"I think the danger in that probably outweighed your fear of heights in those circumstances."

Olivia fell silent, recognizing that he was probably right with every rebuttal he'd offered up.

"You could have told me." Elliot said, lifting his hand from her waist and placing them on her upper arms as he peered back and forth between her eyes. He hated the fear and uncertainty he saw there.

"I thought I'd be okay."

"Did you think I wouldn't understand?" Elliot asked. "You told me about your fear of mice. And that turned out okay." He tried to remember just how much he had teased her, and if his reaction would have made her afraid of divulging any other fears. He didn't think so.

"Being afraid of mice and being afraid of heights are two very different things."

Knowing Olivia like he did, he could read between the lines. "Don't you know by now that nothing you tell me can ever shake my confidence in you? Ever." He said definitively. "You've been by my side through thick and thin…through some pretty horrible situations. You're always running towards danger, so much so that sometimes it makes me crazy." He broke into a grin. "You're a badass and nothing will ever make me see you differently."

Olivia could feel tears brimming behind her eyes. Elliot's words meant more to her than he could even know. His undying belief in her is what had kept her going more times than not, and she'd never felt more for him than she did right now. "Thank you." It was all she could manage to say. The adrenaline and the fear mixing with the emotions drudged up by Elliot's comments were all threatening to make her burst into tears. Which is not something she wanted to do here on this trail, or in front of Elliot.

Elliot squeezed her shoulders and watched Olivia fight back tears. He hated that she felt like crying and he hated that she'd always felt she couldn't cry in front of him. But he would tackle that another day. She was dealing with too much right now. He reached out and tipped her chin up so that she was looking at him again. "Take a deep breath." He watched as she took in a couple of deep, cleansing breathes, and he could see and feel her calm down marginally. "OK." He said, taking charge. "So, what do you want to do?" He wanted it to be her decision. "If we go back, we know exactly how far we have to go and that you can do it, so that's a good option." He saw her start to shake her head. "Or we could tackle this head on. Push ahead." He had no idea if that was a good idea or not, but knowing Olivia's fighting spirit, he wanted to suggest it. "Sometimes it's good to push our limits, to see what happens. See what we're capable of." He said it more as a question, but he saw Olivia nodding her head a little. "I can take the lead and you can follow me. You can hang on to me. If I had a rope, I'd tie you to me." He joked, trying to lighten things up a little.

"And then I go over the edge with you?" Olivia quipped back, forcing the joke. "No thanks."

"Very funny." Elliot continued. "Or you can lead like you've been doing, and know I've got your six, as always."

Olivia let out another deep breath, fighting the urge to turn around and head back. But being with Elliot gave her a sense of security, as it always did. "With you here, I think I can do it." Olivia said, hearing more confidence in her voice than she felt.

"That's my girl." Elliot said without thinking. He leaned over and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

Olivia was surprised by the comment and the kiss but warmed by his unwavering faith in her. "What if I can't do it?"

Elliot slid his hands down her arms and grasped her hands in his. "If you want to turn around at any point, just say so and I won't say a word. I'll just assume that you've conquered enough for the day."

"You should really be one of those guys that gives inspirational speeches." She teased, giving him a squeeze back.

"Yeah, that's what I'm known for." He chuckled and was happy to see Olivia laugh along with him. "Maybe it's my hero complex…or maybe you just bring out the best in me."

Olivia felt a slight flush in her cheeks. She couldn't help thinking about the change in him, in them, since they'd first left the city. This newfound honesty and intimacy…this playfulness…it was something she hadn't known she was craving. Or at least, hadn't admitted it to herself. There was no other man that she'd allowed to get this close to the real Olivia, and it was scary and exhilarating at the same time. "Maybe." Another smile played across her lips before she remembered the task at hand. She dropped Elliot's hands and looked to her left, trying to focus on the beautiful sight of the ocean rather than the abyss. "OK, let's make this mountain my bitch."

Elliot tilted his head back slightly and let out a loud laugh from deep in his gut. He hadn't seen the New York side of Olivia much since they'd been there, but there it was. And he knew she was channeling that energy to get herself through this. "Lead the way."

EOEOEOEO

Olivia was pleased that the trail actually seemed to get slightly wider as they worked their way forward. A couple of groups of people had actually passed them, and Olivia had held her breath as she pushed herself against the trees, hating that they didn't seem to care how close they were to the edge. Of course, in reality, there were feet between them and the drop-off, but it was far too close for her. "I guess I'm going more slowly than I thought." Olivia said apologetically as another group passed them.

"Nah, they're probably just familiar with the trail."

She appreciated the way Elliot was constantly trying put her at ease. "Do you want to lead for a while? Set the pace?"

"I'm fine with the pace." Elliot said, "But if you want me to take charge, I can."

Olivia thought about it and shook her head. If Elliot were in front of her, she wouldn't be able to see what lay ahead, and focusing on a point and working to get there had been working. "I think I'd like to stay in front."

Elliot simply nodded, and Olivia turned back to the trail. There was a slight bend up ahead, and Olivia couldn't see what was around the corner, but as she looked at the ocean, she could see the shoreline on the other side. She knew that there was a point of land that jutted out, so she wasn't completely sure how far they'd come, but if she had to guess, they'd probably only made it about a quarter of the way around.

Olivia set her sight on the bend, where a series of rocks emerged, and the trees faded away. The rocks made another wall, and from what she could tell, the path curved around, meaning she'd have a rock wall to her left as they navigated the path. As they got closer, she felt her nerves ratchet up with something unknown beyond the bend, and then, she felt Elliot's hand on her shoulder. That man really did have a sixth sense sometimes, and she reached up and grasped his fingers with hers, thankful for the gesture.

"You're doing great." Elliot had really been impressed. Olivia hadn't faltered, and even seemed to be taking in the scenery a little more than she had during the first part of the hike. He hoped she was feeling more confident, and that he was also providing some level of comfort.

They reached the bend, but before looking around the corner, Olivia reached out and braced herself against the stones. The solidity of it felt good beneath her hands and she felt a sense of accomplishment at having made it this far.

Elliot smiled when he saw Olivia press her hands against the rocks. He closed the gap between them and placed his hand on her lower back. "Want to climb up?"

Olivia let out a rough laugh, even though it was at her expense. "I think I'll stick to the trail." She loved the feel of Elliot's hand against her back and loved the way that he seemed comfortable touching her today. His strength has always been a source of comfort for her, but to feel that strength through such gentle touches wasn't what she had expected.

Olivia felt a stab of disappointment when he dropped his hand, but she straightened up and let her hands fall away from the rock wall. "Just give me a minute." She turned her shoulder bumping into his chest and looked out at the expanse of ocean. "It really is beautiful up here."

"It is." Elliot said, tearing his eyes away from Olivia and following her gaze. "I'm glad we kept going." He took a few steps forward and peered over the edge, seeing how far up they really were. It was awe-inspiring to see the way the wall fell away and then curved gently to meet the shore, a smattering of rocks and sand beneath.

"Don't do that!" Olivia said breathlessly. She wanted to reach out and grab him but didn't want him to accidentally lose his footing.

Elliot chuckled, more to himself than out loud, and stepped back. "Yes ma'am." He simply stood and waited her out, feeling all the patience in the world. The sky was an unimaginable blue and the view in front of them stole his breath away. He was sharing it with the woman he loved, and in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and tell her exactly that. Of course, that wasn't in the cards. But hopefully, someday soon.

"Let's go." Olivia said, feeling ready to tackle whatever was around the bend. It couldn't be any worse than what she'd already done and despite the fear still knotted in her stomach, she peeked around the bend. The first thing she saw was a flash of color, as the last duo that had passed them disappeared around the corner. The next thing she noticed was that this stretch wasn't all that long, maybe 200 yards, and the rock wall curved inward in the last 50 years, making a wider space to rest and take in the view.

She felt a small measure of relief for the respite, anxious to hug the back of that concave part of the wall and take in the view. As her eyes moved back to the part of the trail closer to her, she noticed that before she could get there, the path narrowed considerably, so there was probably only two feet between the rock wall and the edge of the cliff. She furrowed her brow, trying to figure out why that part of the path looked different, but she couldn't get a good look from this angle. She bravely rounded the corner, but she hadn't gone more than a couple of feet when she stopped so quickly that Elliot actually did bump into her. He grabbed onto her to steady her and then looked to see what had caused her to put on the brakes. "What?"

Olivia couldn't speak…couldn't even form words…as she stared at the break in the trail. To her, it looked like an insurmountable chasm, but in reality, it was probably about four feet from one side to the other. Whomever was in charge of the park had decided it was a good idea to fit what looked like iron rods in the space in an attempt to make it navigable, but they were at least six inches apart, if not more. The only thing Olivia could see was the abyss below. "No. No…no…no." She said, involuntarily backing into Elliot. He clutched on to her and she turned, grabbing a hold of his shirt, and shrinking against him.

Elliot peered over her shoulder, trying to get a good look at what she was seeing. He saw it then, the trail narrowing to about three feet across, the path across the iron rods the only way forward. It was too wide to jump across, and too risky. The rods seemed close enough that you wouldn't be able to stick your foot in between, but it would be easy to stumble and fall. He cursed under his breath. Olivia had tackled her fear so bravely to this point, but even someone that wasn't afraid of heights would have to traverse that carefully. There was nothing to hold on to and no safety barrier and Elliot wondered if they had missed some kind of warning sign at the trailhead. If there wasn't one, there should be. And it should be in bold letters.

He wrapped his arms more tightly around her, pulling her into what amounted to a bear hug. Her hands were still clutching at his shirt, but he hoped she felt some measure of safety with him holding her so tightly. "We can turn around." He said calmly. "We've been hiking for hours, and I'm getting hungry."

Olivia knew he was giving her an out, a reasonable excuse for heading back. And she wanted to take it. Her entire being was screaming at her to take it. But despite the knot of fear that had started to untangle itself and creep through her veins, there was a flame. A knowledge that she could do this. She could do anything.

She pulled back slightly, and Elliot loosened his hold on her, but didn't let go. "Will you go first?" She asked. She saw Elliot's brows arch up in surprise. "And then…maybe you can be there to catch me or…" She turned around slightly, looking over her shoulder at the tricky crossing. "Or you can hold on to me…" She tried to figure out if they could reach each other if they reached across from either side but being outstretched across that open space seemed like another untenable option as well.

Elliot could sense that she was going to go for it, despite her fears. "Lots of people have cross over this Liv. I know you can too." He knew it was too narrow for both of them to walk over it together, but he wished he could wrap his arm around her, crowd her against the rock wall and take them both across. "I think I should go first and show you how easy it is and how safe it is." Olivia's fingers seemed to dig more deeply into his chest as the reality of it seemed to hit her. He wondered if he should suggest they turn back again, but a part of him really wanted to push her. She was one of the bravest people he knew. He hadn't been lying about that. She needed to push her fears away. She could do this.

Elliot reached up and wrapped his hands over hers, and Olivia turned her attention back to him. "You can do this." He said confidently, squeezing her hands. "I'm going to go first and then you're going to take one step on the rods and then one more step onto land and I'll be right there to grab hold of you. You're not going to look down. You're going to look right at me the whole time, and when you're across, we're going to sit in that wide space right there and take in the view." Olivia still looked doubtful. "Do you trust me?"

Olivia nodded. She trusted him with her life.

"Do you believe you can do this?"

Olivia nodded, a little less vigorously. But it was something.

"I would never, ever let anything happen to you." He confirmed. It was as close to telling her that he loved her as he could get right now. "Ever."

Olivia knew at some level that she was being ridiculous, but that's why they called them irrational fears.

"Tell me you can do this." Elliot said. He knew he should probably give her an option to turn back, but at this point, he wanted her to do it. She needed to do this.

"I can do this." She whispered, staring at the blue of his t-shirt.

Elliot didn't move, unconvinced by her statement. He leaned in, pressing his lips against her hairline. "Liv." He whispered against her skin. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to prove anything to anyone."

There was a long minute of silence, and he felt a shiver pass through her entire body. He knew she was trying to find some bravado, some inner strength to pull her through. It was remarkable to watch. If anyone would have pressed him to name a fear of hers, he would have said she was absolutely fearless. He wouldn't have hesitated for one second. Olivia always forged ahead, in life and in her job, without a second thought to her own safety. While he hated seeing wracked with fear, getting a glimpse of this side of her felt like a gift.

"I can do this." Olivia said it with a little more conviction this time. She had survived her childhood, she had been through more scrapes than she could even count, she'd been shot at and early stabbed and faced off with the worst society had to offer. This…this was nothing.

The inner monologue was helping to some degree, but the support and strength of Elliot also helped tremendously. She pulled her head back and his mouth lifted from her skin. Lifting her head, she looked him directly in the eyes. "I can do this." She said as forcefully as she could and was awarded with a grin.

"I know you can." Elliot lifted his hands from hers and Olivia took a step away from him. "But I'm going to go first." They had to go back around the corner to have enough room to allow Elliot to get in front of her. He went back around the corner but held out his arm behind him and felt Olivia take his hand. Seconds later, she had rounded the corner as well, and they inched closer to the chasm and the iron bars that passed as part of the trail.

At this point, they both had their backs to the rock wall, and Olivia wished she would have turned around so that she could clutch the rocks and not have to look out into the nothingness. If she were braver, she would do that right here, where she still had a little more space. But she wasn't feeling that right now, so she clutched at the rocks behind her. There really was no purchase, no big outcroppings to grab hold, and the panic swelled again.

Elliot dropped her hand and started inching towards the narrower part of the trail.

"Maybe you should turn around." Olivia suggested, wanting to see him hug the rock wall too.

Elliot shook his head. "I need to be able to see how close I am to the edge." That thought made even him a little uncomfortable, and he wasn't normally afraid of heights at all. But this pass was a huge challenge, and he wasn't going to underestimate it. He glanced at Olivia and saw the fear on her face, and he realized it was fear for him as much as for herself. "I'll be fine. You can't get rid of me that easily." He teased. He looked back at the path and tried to figure out the best way to navigate. With his long stride, he thought he could go to the edge, make one step on the iron bars, and then step to safety on the other side, but he didn't want to stretch too far as to be unbalanced. So, maybe two smaller steps would be better. The rods were parallel to the rock wall behind him, so he could even just slide his feet along them, but the thought that they may not hold his weight couldn't help but come to the forefront.

No, better to move quickly and assuredly across.

He looked back at Olivia. "OK. I'm going across so just hold tight." He took in a deep breath, took a small step to the edge, and then went for it. His left foot landed on the iron rods, one by his toes and the other just pass his arch and then his right foot and then he was stepping onto solid ground again. The path widened almost immediately, maybe three feet past the opening, and he stood there for a moment, letting out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He glanced back at Olivia again and smiled. "Easy." He assured her. "The bars are solid." He nodded at her. "Just do exactly what I did. As soon as you take a step onto the bars, I'll be able to grab your arm."

Olivia looked at him dubiously, but she was nodding her head. The fact that he had made it across unscathed and nowhere near falling had to give her a modicum of comfort, but he knew that once fear had a hold of you, it was hard to shake.

Olivia sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth and bit down, trying to quell her anxiety. It didn't work, but she took tiny steps towards the opening. She had her arms spread out behind her, feeling the scrape of rocks against her skin between her t-shirt and her leggings, and on the backs of her arms. She didn't care. The more space between her and the ledge the better. When she reached the edge, right before she'd have to take that first step on faith, she made the mistake of looking down between the rods. She closed her eyes and let out a small cry at the sight of the rocks, so very far below. She felt paralyzed in place, all while her mind was screaming at her to just stop it and get her ass over to the other side.

"Liv." Elliot said as soothingly as possible. "Open your eyes and look at me." He could see the sheer panic written all over her face and he swore if he got her through this, he wasn't ever going to push her like this again.

"I can't." Olivia's voice was strangled.

"You can." He waited her out, letting the silence stretch out until a good minute had passed. "You can." He saw her eyelids flutter and then her eyes locked with his. "Just listen to the sound of my voice and keep looking right at me." He pointed to his own eyes. "Right here." If she just took that first step, or maybe the second, he was pretty certain he could reach her safely. "I'm going to count to 3…"

"No!" Olivia said in a panic.

"Okay." Elliot said. "When you're ready, you count. And then on three, just take that first step."

Olivia appreciated his consideration, but she knew she'd never start the countdown herself. "Okay." She said, her voice still shaky. "You count…but not quite yet." She started to turn her gaze back out to the ocean, but she heard Elliot bark her name.

"Right here." Elliot demanded. "Look at me." When he saw he had her again, he didn't hesitate. "OK. 1…2….3!"

Olivia took that step without even thinking, feeling the iron bars press beneath her feet, but not give way. She focused on the blue of Elliot's eyes and then she took a second step and then Elliot wrapped his hand around her arm, guiding her gently until both feet were on solid ground. They shuffled sideways for a few feet until the path widened and then a few steps farther they were in the space carved out by the concave part of the wall.

"You did it!"

Olivia threw herself into Elliot's arms as they both collapsed against the rock wall and he held her close, whispering to her repeatedly. "You did it! I'm so proud of you!" Olivia felt near tears with relief, all the adrenaline causing overload in her body. She disentangled herself from Elliot's arms, feeling somewhat embarrassed by just how scared she'd been. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't…"

"Shhh." Elliot said, leaning over slightly to capture her downcast eyes. "None of that." When Olivia looked up at him, he saw blood on her lip. "Hey…" He lifted her chin with his fingers. "Did you bite your lip?"

Olivia swiped it away with her tongue, tasting the blood. "I guess so."

Elliot reached up, swiping his thumb lightly against her lower lip. "I'm sorry." The urge to lean in…to kiss her and make it all better…took a hold of him, but he swallowed hard, biting back the urge. Olivia had just gone through something traumatic and he wasn't going to take advantage of the situation.

"I'm fine." Olivia said, casting her eyes downward. The way that Elliot was looking at her, looking at her mouth, made her longing for a kiss intensify. But right now wasn't the time. She was a wreck, and they still had a lengthy hike in front of them. The spike of adrenaline was leaving her body, and she could feel a crash coming. She turned her back to the rock wall and sat down hard, splaying her legs out in front of her. Elliot sat down next to her, mimicking her position, his shoulder touching hers.

"Tired?"

"Yeah." Olivia said. "But I'll be okay."

"I know you will." Elliot gave her a cocky grin. "Feels good to push yourself a little, huh?"

"No." Olivia said, but then laughed. She knew she would probably feel that way tomorrow, but right now, she was still questioning her sanity.

"And yet, you were the one that signed up for a hiking vacation." Elliot said, knocking his shoulder into hers again. "Maybe next time, you should sign up for the beach."