Chapter 2

Disclaimer thingie: I don't own these characters or even imitate ownership at all well, so don't sue me. I have a kick-ass action figure collection I'd hate to lose. (I really don't. I'm totally lying about that. Don't rob me.)

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"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Olivia. Come on in."

She walked in hesitantly, not exactly sure what she was doing there or what she wanted to say. "I'm sorry to bother you. I just need…an outside opinion, I guess."

"About Elliot," Huang said, motioning Olivia to a chair.

She looked surprised, but supposed she shouldn't be. Word traveled fast; the walls had ears; any cliché you could imagine applied at the station. "Yes. And I've been told to sit about four thousand times today, so I'll stand."

"Easier to pace, too." He smiled at Olivia, knowing she wouldn't have come to him if she weren't extremely conflicted. He wanted to put her at ease, though he doubted that was possible. "You two had a rough day," he began.

"That's an understatement," Olivia replied, but she took up his thinly-veiled invitation to talk. "He has some doubts about…our success as a team. I've asked Cragen to give me a new partner, but he wants me to think about it. He wants me to talk to Elliot. Which is a great idea on paper, but if we could talk, we wouldn't be having this problem."

"What do you think the problem is?"

"Well, that's the thing. I didn't think we had a problem. Yeah, we had a shitty day, but if we can't count on each other when that happens, who can we count on? He thinks I made the wrong choice when Gitano had a gun on him. You know he actually expected me to risk his life by taking the shot? How could he?"

"You think it's unreasonable for him to expect that of you."

"Of course I do!"

"Because you care about him."

"He's my partner. That's part of my job."

Huang chuckled, and Olivia glared at him. "Don't be angry. I was just thinking it'd be nice if Elliot had read that job description. He might've been less upset…" Realizing his slip, he let the sentence end, hoping she wouldn't read anything into it.

"He came to you, too," she said. It wasn't a question, and she didn't seem to be asking for an explanation. She surprised him be continuing: "I'm glad."

"I have to say, I'm surprised."

"He needs to talk to someone. Obviously, he doesn't want it to be me." She tried to backtrack. "I didn't mean to sound so jilted. I just want him to be okay, you know?"

"I know. You have his best interests at heart; it's what makes you a good partner."

"So, is he?" she asked, her voice low and soft.

"You'd know that better than I would, Olivia, but he's got some things to work through."

"The divorce," she said, nodding.

Huang inclined his head toward her in agreement. "Yes, though I think he's managing to compartmentalize that to his satisfaction."

"Meaning?"

"Olivia, you know Elliot is…passionate."

Olivia laughed suddenly. At Huang's surprised expression, she said, "That's how Cragen phrased it, too."

"It's gentler than 'loose cannon' or 'hot head,' I suppose," Huang said, smiling.

"Other terms that came up in Cragen's office," Olivia said, her smile fading a bit. "Does he have a handle on it?" she asked.

"What do you think?"

"Do you always answer a question with a question?" she said, smiling uncomfortably.

"You're stalling," Huang said gently. "I'm asking you because I think you know better than I do."

Olivia let out a breath. "Okay, well, I guess I'd have to agree about compartmentalizing. In the past when he's flown off the handle, it's been about something he feels justified being angry about. He advocates for children because he's a father, and, well, because it's a given: children are innocent and don't deserve the kind of treatment we see on the job."

Huang nodded, encouraging her to go on.

"And he gets angry on behalf of the vics because they've been violated—because it's his job to be on their side. And, yeah, he has a hot temper, but we all feel like we want to punch a perp from time to time." She laughed bitterly. "Daily, if I'm honest. So he gets a little overheated sometimes, but that's to be understood."

"Why do you think he's been so volatile lately? The divorce?"

"Yes. He misses his kids. And he's mad at Kathy, but he can't hate her. I'd be conflicted, too."

"Would you let your emotions get in the way of your job?"

She shook her head slowly, then stopped, nodded once. "That's what Elliot thinks. He thinks I chose him over the job, but he's my partner. How can I separate him from the job?"

"You're sure you don't?" Huang asked.

"I—no. I'm not sure. But he's my friend, too, you know? We've worked together for seven years. It's impossible not to form a relationship with someone under these circumstances." She paused, mentally chiding herself. "But I have to, don't I?"

"No, Olivia. You don't. There's no rule that says you can't care about your partner. In fact, I'd say it's preferable that you do. Do you see now why Elliot is having difficulty with his feelings?"

"Because I don't fit in a box," she answered, her voice low with understanding. "Because our relationship isn't black and white. But it hasn't been for a long time. Why now?"

"Do you think it has to do with the divorce, Olivia?" Huang asked, willing her to come to the answer on her own.

"Maybe it was easier to categorize me when he was married," she admitted. "Now that he doesn't have Kathy, he wants to turn to me for support, but he's afraid that without the boundaries of his marriage, things will be blurry. But we don't have that kind of relationship. It's not like that."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she answered, nodding resolutely.

"But you're afraid he's confused."

"I'm not afraid. I just want him to be okay."

Huang put his hand on her arm, and looked into her face. "He will be, Olivia. And he'll talk to you. Just keep trying."

"Thanks for letting me talk," Olivia said, sighing. "I guess I have my work cut out for me."

"You've never struck me as someone who was afraid of a little hard work," Huang said reassuringly. "And Olivia?"

She turned back. "Yeah?"

"If you really want to stop working with Elliot, I think you might be ready for my job." He smiled as she walked out of the room chuckling. "She's got it figured out," he said to himself. "Now let's just hope she can get through to Elliot."

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To be continued.