Author's note: I realize the last chapter was pretty short. It was a transitional chapter, there to allow me time to gather my thoughts and…yeah, okay, I don't actually have a legitimate excuse. Anyway, this one's longer.

Disclaimer: Unless someone was to die and leave them to me, Olivia and Elliot don't belong to me. No, seriously…I want in that will.

"He looks pissed," Curry said out of the side of his mouth. Smith had just stormed past them on the way to the obstacle course.

"Yeah, more so than usual. I wonder why," Reynolds added.

Elliot and Olivia looked knowingly at each other. Reynolds caught the exchange.

"I take it you two have an idea," he said.

"Spill," Curry prompted.

"Funny you should use that particular word," Elliot began.

"Yeah, and he means funny in the sense that it's…not," Olivia said.

Elliot proceeded to relay the events that unfolded very early that morning. He finished just as they reached the day's activity area.

Curry and Reynolds were howling with laughter. Their mirth died immediately at one look from Smith.

"Listen up," he barked. "We're gonna be doing the obstacle course today. Only this time, you're going individually, and your partner's gonna guide you."

"Guide us?" Olivia murmured.

Smith's hearing seemed to be slightly more sensitive than a bat's. His gaze snapped to Olivia and said, "Yes, Detective Benson, guide you. You will be blindfolded." He held up a thick black cloth. "And you two can go first."

She looked at her partner, biting her lip nervously. He gave her arm a squeeze and winked reassuringly.

"Alright, Olivia, there's a peg about a foot and a half to your left leg's ten o'clock," Elliot instructed. She found the foothold easily and pushed herself up further on the wall. He talked her through the last few pegs, and she made it to the top of the platform.

The agents watching applauded.

"Okay, three steps forward, then reach out to about chest level and you'll feel the rope you have to cross," Elliot instructed over the din.

She followed his instructions to the letter, and found the rope. She swung herself carefully from it, legs hooked over it and hands pulling.

The others continued their encouragement.

Smith interrupted. "We're gonna make this a little more difficult," he said while Olivia continued to pull herself fist over fist to the next platform. "I want each of you shouting out false instructions. Let's see if she can distinguish her partner's directions from everyone else's. We're trying to simulate the confusion of a real-life standoff. You're not always gonna know who to listen to."

There was hesitation amongst the group.

"Go!" Smith yelled. They started shouting.

"Platform's right below you!"

"Just three more feet!"

"Olivia, just keep going till I tell you to drop," Elliot's voice stood out amongst the clamor.

She made it to safety with Elliot's assured instructions. There were training agents on the platforms for safety purposes, but they were hands-off until she needed them.

"Seven paces ahead of you are the monkey bars, Olivia!" someone yelled out.

She started to move forward, but then Elliot's voice distinguished itself. "Liv, five paces forward, then stairs!"

She stopped, then walked slowly forward, counting. She reached the top of the steps and, continuing to follow Elliot's count, made it down the stairs and to the edge of the platform.

"Okay, Liv, the monkey bars are about a foot and a half apart from each other."

"Two feet!"

"A foot apart!"

She pictured a foot and a half, then reached up for the first and second bars, both within reach. She took a deep breath and swung out from the platform. She let go of the first bar and brought her hand forward to grasp the second. Both her hands were on the second bar, and she moved forward slowly in that fashion, not taking any chances by swinging wildly for the next bar.

Her arms ached by the time she reached the next platform. Four paces forward, and she wrapped her hands around the handlebars of the zip line, riding it to the ground and stumbling a little.

She started moving forward, ready to take on the ground crawl.

"Twenty paces to the rope crawl!"

"Liv, head towards eleven o'clock. The course is different from here on out."

"Olivia, turn right, the tire run is next!"

She turned a little to her left, not sure what to anticipate, but knowing Elliot wouldn't lead her astray.

Suddenly, Elliot spotted an agent with a paintball gun aimed at his partner. "Olivia, get down!"

She dropped to the ground just as the telltale pop of the gun clued her in on the sniper.

"Get up and run eight paces forward!"

"Six feet to two o'clock is a rock you can hide behind!"

She moved in the direction of the rock, keeping low and calculating the distance while pellets exploded around her. She was pegged in the side just before she found shelter behind the boulder. She sat a moment, catching her breath and rubbing the spot along her rib cage.

"Olivia, you're doing great!" she heard her partner call out above the continued instructions from the others.

When she was ready, she made her way cautiously to the next area Elliot called out. The paintball sniper had since moved on to the next agent on the course.

"Okay, one more pace forward, then stop."

She did so. All of a sudden, she felt a rush of air as something large swung in front of her. She recoiled a bit.

"Liv, just stay there!" Elliot said. "I'll guide you through it. When I say go, you take two steps forward!"

Soon a chorus of "Go"s erupted from the watching detectives and agents. She teetered on her toes, unsure of whether she could distinguish her partner's voice in merely one syllable.

"Go!"

She could. She quickly stepped forward, and felt the swoosh of the object behind her. But she wasn't in the clear yet. Another object swung in front of her.

Elliot yelled encouragement to her at having gotten past the first object. He studied the two punching bags swinging in front of her, calculating.

She strained to hear further instructions. "Elliot?" she called out uncertainly.

"Okay, Olivia, next you're gonna walk one pace, wait half a second, then three more paces."

She took a deep breath and nodded her understanding, then waited for his signal.

"Go!"

She took one pace, waited, then took three paces. Her thigh bumped what seemed to be a board right in front of her.

"Crouch down, Olivia."

She steadied herself with the 2x4 as she lowered herself to the ground. She could feel another object swinging like a pendulum just beyond the plank.

"When I tell you to, you're gonna roll under the board."

She waited. He signaled. She rolled under, thenstood up on the other side of the barrier and felt no more suspicious breezes ahead.

She could hear cheering, however, coming from the crowd of agents and detectives. She felt someone step in front of her, and knew immediately that it was her partner. He undid the blindfold, and she blinked at the sudden fierceness of daylight that assaulted her eyes.

She squinted into his beaming features and grinned.

In the corner of her vision, through the unfocused glare of her eyes readjusting, she caught movement. It took her brain all of a moment to realize another paintball sniper was set up, aiming not for her, but for Elliot. She pushed him away, causing him to fall backwards, and then she felt a concussive thump as the discharged capsule exploded on her collarbone, where it would have hit Elliot's shoulder blades had she not pushed him.

She walked gingerly towards a tree and slid down the trunk, trying to regain her breath.

"Hey, you okay?" Elliot asked uncertainly, crouching in front of her and placing a hand on her knee in concern.

She waited until her breathing returned to normal, then gave him a genuine smile and nodded, reaching her hands out for him to pull her up, which he did.

Elliot opened his arms and she stepped into them, wrapping her arms around his neck. Then she pulled back a bit and rubbed her paint-spattered cheek against his, leaving a bright blue streak across his face.

"Ugh, Olivia!" he protested good-naturedly.

She pulled away laughing mischievously.

"I'm just saying, what kind of former Marine slips off the crossing rope?" Olivia teased.

"Hey, the blindfold disoriented me," he defended.

"Right, that must be it," she answered patronizingly.

They walked arm in arm from the car to the hotel's entrance.

They passed the front desk and the clerk greeted them stiffly. They glanced towards him and returned the greeting, continuing on their way.

When they had turned the corner, Elliot murmured, "Something's wrong."

"Mm-hmm," Olivia agreed. They continued walking.

"We'll grab our weapons then go check it out," he said.

"You read my mind," she answered. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on the lobby. You go get our stuff."

"You got it," Elliot replied, dropping his hand from where it had rested across her shoulders.

He quickly retrieved their weapons from the lock box in their room, strapping on his holster and tucking hers into the waistband of his pants.

He walked purposefully down the hallway back towards the place he'd left his partner. She was still there, with one small difference.

There was a gun pointed at her head.

To be continued…

That cliffhanger was on purpose. Oh, go ahead and rant…you know you waaaaant tooooo….