But then Fin's voice broke the spell, causing Elliot to turn his head and bring Olivia back to reality:

"Do you want to die in a nice or bad way? Because the longer this takes, the slower and more painfully Cragen will kill you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rushing to the station, Cragen's yelling and the update meeting had only taken a couple of hours, but sitting at her desk, Olivia felt like she'd been at work for hours. The alcohol from the night before was beginning to show signs and making her head pound, and her train of thought felt as sticky as a floor which had a spilled sugary drink on it. Lost in her own world, she was startled when the coffee cup was put in front of her.

"Rough day, huh?"

She lifted her gaze to meet Elliot's grinning face. She followed with her eyes as he moved to his own desk, sat down on his chair and took a sip of his own coffee.

"I've seen better ones," she grimaced and raised the cup to her lips. The warm drink felt easing her headache a bit. "Thank you."

"So, are you going to drink your hangover away like a pro tonight?" He asked with a chuckle, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, and Olivia knew she wasn't alone with her nervousness as the stakes kept getting higher. She shook her head.

"Believe me, if you had to put up with that man near you, you would start to like wine too," she grunted. "But no, I need all my brain capacity to get something out of him other than just harassment. Because believe it or not, that's not my goal."

Elliot clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "If that man brings his slimy hands even near you one more time, I..." Anger flashed in his eyes, and it surprised Olivia.

She had seen her partner angry so many times that she had already lost count. He had used it against criminals, against his colleagues, against his superiors, against the evil of the world. He had used it to defend those he cared about. His impetuosity might not be his best quality, but it was a part of him, and Olivia had learned to live with it, deal with it.

But this time, there was something new about it. Something she hadn't felt before.

However, she couldn't say what.

She licked her lips and looked evaluating at her partner who seemed he had lost in thought.

"I know, but you have to stick with the plan, do you understand?"

Elliot lifted his dark gaze at her but nodded before starting to go through the papers on his desk. His expression caused uncertainty to grow inside Olivia, and she bit her lip thoughtfully, because she began to feel that the plan had suddenly gotten a new factor of uncertainty as a result of last night.

It was Elliot's endogenous need to defend others. To defend her.

And even though she was unsure of the plan's success, knowing that Elliot was there for her, brought the kind of peace inside her that was deeper and more all-encompassing than any other feeling that came with this case.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sometimes it may happen that you feel like you just blinked, but you have actually slept for many hours. That's exactly how Olivia felt, except she hadn't slept, but after she'd gulped down the last drops of the coffee Elliot had brought, it felt like a blink of an eye when she found herself back at the infamous club. It was a Saturday night, and the club was clearly more crowded than the night before, and Olivia and Elliot imperceptibly moved closer to each other.

If they had started investigating the backgrounds of the people present more closely, they would surely have gotten permission to arrest at least half of them. The place seemed to be a true criminal's paradise; the illegally expensive jewelry sparkled beside the women's dresses, and small minigrip bags were changing hands without them even trying to hide it.

The thought that she and Elliot were here alone, two cops in the midst of more or less dangerous criminals, made Olivia's guts twist in a knot, and she bit her lip. She glanced at her partner who was looking around with a nonchalant look to an outsider's eye, but she could tell from his body language that he was anything but relaxed. But just as she was about to open her mouth to say something to him, they heard a voice behind them that made them quickly turn around.

"It's a nice surprise to see you here again!"

Mr. Reed.

Olivia's instincts told her to run. They told her to take Elliot with her and run far away to where they would be safe. But as was a part of their job, she suppressed her instincts and instead stayed in front of Mr. Reed's eyes.

"Good evening, Mr. Re-… Ralph," she forced a smile on her face, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Elliot nodding next to her. Mr. Reed's eyes began to linger on Olivia's body again, but just as she was starting to feel nausea rising in her throat, she felt Elliot's hand on her back. It had a magical effect, because suddenly she felt more confident again, and as she turned her head in the direction of her partner, who had fixed his gaze on the man in front of him, a new thought struck her so fast and hard that it made her flinch. Quickly she looked away, her mouth feeling dry as she forced herself to look at Mr. Reed again.

Why the hell did I want to kiss him?!

"Or what does Miss Johnson think?" She heard Mr. Reed's question from somewhere in the distance, and it snapped her out of her thoughts. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Elliot give her a questioning look, and she cleared her throat.

"Uh... Sorry, what?" She asked, and Mr. Reed narrowed his eyes.

"Thoughts somewhere else, huh?"

"I'm sorry, I…"

"I said I could introduce you to these people."

"Yeah, sure, that sounds good," she nodded, but then Mr. Reed looked over her shoulder and said:

"Sorry, just a moment," he pushed past them and headed towards the man who was standing in front of the bar. They didn't take their eyes off him, but Olivia felt Elliot move closer to her, and then she heard him say quietly:

"The hell was that?"

But Olivia couldn't tell the truth. She felt stupid anyway. They were in the middle of a dangerous mission, she couldn't tell that "my mind wandered because I suddenly wanted to kiss you so much that it scared me". And so she answered:

"Sorry, I'm just… Tired."

She glanced at her partner for a second, but it was enough to tell her that he didn't seem to believe her. It was no wonder; sometimes it felt like he could read her better than she could read herself. They could converse without words, and that was one of the things that made them a good team; sometimes the other only had to think about something, and the other knew what the other was going to do. But they didn't have time for that now, Mr. Reed had already turned and was walking towards them, and they instinctively straightened.

And truth be told, she didn't want to think about it anymore.

With the guidance of the leader of the human trafficking ring, they got to introduce themselves to so many people that they lost count. As Sharon and Harry, they got to tell their made-up backstories so many times that gradually Olivia began to feel that Sharon's life and her own life were beginning to blend into each other. The more she and Elliot talked about how Sharon and Harry had met, how their life together was so good, and how Harry had proposed a couple of weeks ago, the more the story started to feel right.

The more it started to feel good.

Finally, they had finished their round, and Mr. Reed was about to direct them to their seats, but then they noticed that the eyes of the people in the club were suddenly directed on the door, and they turned to look.

And noticing the person who had come to the club, it was no mystery why she had captured everyone's attention. The woman was so beautiful that they had to blink. Her blonde hair fell beautifully on her voluptuous chest, her glittering dress flattered her tall body, and her bright eyes were sparkling in the dim lighting. Although Olivia felt confident in her own outfit, she suddenly felt as if her own attractiveness had halved from before.

Standing next to her, Mr. Reed's eyes lit up, and with a big smile on his face, he started heading towards her. Olivia and Elliot watched as he walked up to the woman who clearly recognized him, he kissed her hand, and after exchanging a few words with her, they started walking towards Olivia and Elliot together.

"Sharon, Harry," Mr. Reed's voice had taken on a new, softer tone. "May I introduce you to my girlfriend, Julia Yellowstone."