The diner door barely slammed to a shut before Elliot was up and following her.
He knew he should stop.
He knew he should just let her go but he couldn't let it rest.
Not like that.
Not if this truly was the end of them.
He saw her round the corner into the back alley and adrenaline fuelled him forward.
"You gotta death wish screaming in there like that?" He growled.
She spun around, gravel crunching beneath her feet.
"You know what Elliot, screw you," she seethed. "At least before all of this I thought you were with your family, your kids - safe and happy. NowI get to spend the rest of my life wondering if you're even alive, while you live out your poor excuse for an existence in some dead-end town just waiting to be killed."
"Keep-your-goddamn-voice-down." He stabbed back in a flurry.
"Do you know what that does to a person Elliot?" She disregarded his fury, meeting him dead in the eyes. "Not knowing?"
The words bounced of the walls of the alley and he just stared at her, a few inches from her face.
"Right," she leveraged his silence with a smirk. "You don't, because you're a selfish son of a bitch who only thinks about himself. How about I break it down for you. Oregon," she whispered, waiting for the concept to register on his face. "But imagine it's not the FBI's choice, it's not Cragen's choice, it wholeheartedly my decision to walk away from you, from our partnership – from 13 goddamn years without a word and instead of coming back after a few months," she lets out a humorless laugh. "I just don't come back at all, I'm a ghost to you. How exactly do you think you would feel?" He watched years of pent up anger spill out of her in the back alley behind a diner. "Did you think about anyof that for a second?
Her eyes were wild with emotion and he turned away from her stare, unsure just how she expected him to respond to that in one formulated response. He turned back to her, studying her pained expression and he knew what he was about to say was a cop-out but it was the only way he could defuse this without it escalating any further.
"I get it Olivia… I do. Those months you were gone ...just about killed me. But we all make choices even if it doesn't feel like it - Oregon was your choice. And Jenna was mine." His eyes moved between hers. "Nothing can change that now."
The air stilled around them as he watched the information register on her face, he was effectively telling her that he has given up.
That there was no hope.
The light warm breeze from the alley picked up, wisping her hair across her face in a tumultuous flurry representative of the cluster-fuck they had found themselves in. He thinks he may have disarmed her fight at that point, that he may have gotten through to her - that this could quite possibly end on a civil note.
"You know what El." He heard the anger drop suddenly from her voice but it was replaced with something much more hollowed out. "I'm actually glad we ended up here.. as awful as this entire experience has been for me, at least now I can finally move on from this."
He braced for the hit.
"From you.." She whispered.
She started to walk away and it was instinctual.
He stepped forward, grabbing her arm, not realizing it was her wounded shoulder and she yanked out of his hold. The howl retched through her larynx bouncing off the brick walls of the alley.
Fuck!He let go instantly and she grabbed her arm, holding it tightly as she fell back against the wall pinching her eyes closed.
"Jesus fucking Christ-"
"Fuck, I'm sorry Liv." He tried to move in close but a man coming out of the diner was dividing them before he had a chance.
"Step back." The man barked at Elliot.
Olivia slid down the brick wall clutching her arm against her chest trying to catch her breath. He watched her face scrunch up in a mask of pain that consumed her.
"It was an accident," Elliot tried, scrubbing a hand over his face and moving back a few paces. "She had a dislocated shoulder-"
"Ma'am was he hurting you?" The man cut Elliot off, holding a hand up to silence him and crouching down to her level. "Do you want me to call the police?" He gave her his full attention.
Olivia's damp eyes moved from the diner employee to Elliot, the sun blinding her vision as she blew out a heavy bout of pain.
"Ma'am?" He pressed.
"No.." she was still struggling to find her breath. "No, I'm okay." She breathed out, doing her best to pull herself up the wall with one hand. The man stepped in and helped her up the wall. "Are you sure ma'am?" He tried again. "Are you sure you don't need medical attention?"
"I'll be fine," Olivia assured him. "I just clipped my shoulder when I turned the corner. That's all."
She made direct eye contact with Elliot at that point and the guilt singed through his body. The man waited a few beats, seemingly debating whether or not to bow out but finally making the decision that he was somewhat satisfied.
"I'll just be inside if you need anything," he informed Olivia before turning towards Elliot and giving him a look.
When they found themselves alone Elliot's focus moved back to Olivia, her breath still coming out in uneven pants as she pinned him down with her stare.
"Liv, I'm so sorry," he stepped forward. "Let me take a look-"
"Don't Fucking touch me." She rasped firmly, still clutching her arm, every part of her looking shattered.
"Liv, it could be-"
"I don't want to see you again." She cut him off with her words. "You got that?" She let the statement hang between them like a verbal barrier and he wasn't sure he had ever seen her look so hurt. "Ever." She paused to swallow, making sure her words were sinking in. "You try to follow me, you so much as touchme again and I willcall the police Elliot." She let out a breath.
"I'm done."
There was no time for apologies, no time for lamenting or for formal goodbyes, just gravel crunching beneath her feet, telling him she was leaving.
And he let her go.
It broke his heart.
But it was all he could do.
He let her go.
TBC
