A/N: I think I owe you readers another part for throwing you for a loop in one of my other stories. Truce?

"…another stack of messages for Oli…" John quit talking the moment they came into the room. The night before had been a rough one, he'd been told. Under no circumstance was Olivia to be bothered. He'd rounded up her phone messages and sifted through them. Already, she'd gotten call after call. Casey was doing all she could, but the press wasn't backing down. They wanted details. The authorities wanted details. The parents wanted answers. Olivia just wanted peace. Poor girl couldn't even get a good night's rest.

"Hey, Liv." Fin casually greeted his friend. The glare Elliot shot them both was enough to send him running for the hills. He looked behind him. John was slowly following, his tail between his legs.

"What are those? What was he talking about?" She nodded toward the pile of pink slips that presumably all had her name on them. Elliot hesitated before handing them over.

"Don't worry about it. I'll make a call to Nova…" He watched her count to ten in her mind. Lately he'd done that enough for the both of them.

"I'm going to see George. You can come out now, Captain." She set the papers down haphazardly and left the bullpen.

"How's she doing? I want your honest opinion. George thinks she needs a day off and he hasn't even seen her yet. Did something happen?" He poked his head out the moment it was clear. He didn't want to talk about Olivia in front of her. He was concerned, but in her fragile state, she couldn't have handled the attention. He felt like a parent who'd been caught spying on his teenager from behind the blinds.

"I don't know how to answer that. She's tired as hell but she can't sleep. She had a nightmare last night. I just keep seeing that image in my head. The one from the front page. I've read it over and over and I just don't know how much longer "no comment" is going to settle with anyone." He sat down on the corner of Olivia's desk and passed the slips of paper Olivia had been going through.

"Damn it. This puts me in one hell of a position. I have to play Devil's Advocate in all this. I don't like it but I don't have a choice. Elliot, I can't stop anyone from coming in here when they're tired of the run-around." He threw up his hands in frustration.

"I know. That's what I'm afraid of. Did the report come back yet of the van?" He changed topics. He felt uncomfortable talking about it. He needed something to focus on. Something he could work out in his brain.

"Yeah. Faulty brakes. The owner of the van said the brakes were to be checked this week. Today, actually. The front end was a mess, what with the speed of the van on impact. They were still able to tell from the wear on the pads. It's a wonder they lasted that long." He remembered the report. Bits and pieces stuck out in his mind. Six dead. Three on impact. Two from the explosion thereafter. One from the fire as a result. It was the last three that bothered him the most. The three that haunted him and sent a chill through his spine. Numbly, he walked back into his office. Elliot had taken his place at his desk and let him be. The conversation was over, and the room had never been more quiet.

ooo

George Huang sat across from Olivia. He'd noticed a change in her demeanor the minute she walked into the room. He scooted the chair closer to her and folded his hands in his lap. The brief hesitation before answering his question was a telltale sign that she was being truthful. No brave front this time. Just brutal honesty. It was a start.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sleeping much. I get a few hours here and there but not a whole lot." She looked him straight in the eye, never once averting his gaze. She'd been up with Elliot the night before talking. After some convincing, she gave Elliot the go ahead to call George to schedule an appointment first thing in the morning. The time came just hours after she'd gone to sleep.

"Understandable. I'm glad you came in. How are you feeling physically?" He studied her hands. They were wrapped, but he could still see pink around the edges.

"I'm doing a little better every day. I have an appointment this afternoon. My face no longer feels like I stuck my head inside an oven." She let out a nervous laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, that's certainly a good thing. How are the flashbacks?" He knew by the paleness of her skin and the bloodshot eyes she was sporting, that she needed a lot more than a few hours each night. She most likely wasn't getting anything to eat, as well.

"Ugh…um…they're okay. Nothing to say, really. I had a dream last night. I guess Elliot probably told you that." She'd gone into the bathroom when Elliot made the call. She wasn't sure what was said, but she had a feeling he'd told George as little as possible.

"Do you remember anything? Elliot was adamant about letting you tell me, yourself." George knew them well enough to know that they respected each other's privacy and the delicate position they had been thrust into.

"A little. I guess. Uh…" She stared down at her still bandaged hands. She closed her eyes, her breathing coming in steady bursts as she fought to remain calm. The realization that eventually she would have to talk hit her, and she didn't know if she could do it.

"Olivia?" George patiently waited while his friend fought for control over her emotions. He hadn't seen her break down, but the phone call from Elliot had been distraught. The man had never sounded so desperate. He wanted to help and George promised him he'd let him know when and how.

"Sorry. What was the question?" George's voice sounded far away, distant as if coming from another room.

"Are you okay, Olivia?" He eyed the phone on the table, the first few digits of the extension already dialed in his mind.

"I need a minute, please." Her hands were shaking. She clamped them onto the armrests to keep them still.

"Why don't I call Elliot in here. I don't think you're going to feel better and you're not going to get any sleep. You've carried this around with you for days." He saw Olivia start shaking her head. It was time to be firm, though. He scooted even closer and leaned in before gently placing a hand on her knee, reassuringly.

"N…no, it's okay. I'm fine now." She tried to look as if she was anything but losing it.

"If you don't want to do this, that's fine, but I need to know that you're going to be okay when you leave here. I'm worried about you. I can write you a week's worth of sleeping aide's but at some point some of this is going to have to come out. Elliot has been by your side. Would you feel better if he came in here? You can say as little or as much as you want, but I think you remember a little. Deep down, I think you know you need to let some of it out. Am I right?" He could see the fear behind her eyes, the terror that she ultimately had no choice in the matter. She had no control over the events that happened, and she was fighting for a strong hold on anything that would help her return to normal. A faint whisper, a mere nod was all it took. Tears leaked beneath her eyes. She wore no mascara. Behind the false bravado, she somehow knew it was time. Time to start talking. She really need Elliot.

"I'll just give him a call, okay?" He waited while she mutely answered again.

Within a few moments, Elliot knocked on the door. It was the knock of someone so completely lost that they didn't know what to do. The knock of someone who was watching his best friend go through unimaginable pain.

"Thanks for coming. We thought it would be easier to do this with you in the room." George got up, giving Olivia a little more space so that Elliot could provide his support.

"Is this about last night?" Elliot looked at George first, then Olivia. She nodded once again.

"What happened last night, Olivia? Walk me through it." George sat down on a chair by the door and watched from a distance. Close enough to help, but far enough away from them to not intrude on what could be a profound moment. The moment a lot of people were waiting for.

"I fell asleep. I haven't gotten much sleep this week. I had a dream. The details are a bit sketchy. I was staring down into….into the car…the van. It was on fire. I…I couldn't open the door. I tried, but I couldn't. I…it was too hot." She shook her head in obvious guilt.

"You did your best. You tried to open the door. Then what?" George watched Elliot gently place one of Olivia's injured hands in his.

"Um…I couldn't find anything to break the window with, so I thought I could maybe find something to put on the handle to pull it open. I went back and it…it blew. It was so hot. I thought if I…if I could get inside then I…I knew…someone started pulling me back. I didn't want to go back. I didn't want to leave them there." She focused on the ground as she spoke. The swirling pattern of the carpet mocked her like smoke wafting through the sky, reminding her that she was too late.

"Who, Olivia?" George watched Olivia raise her head, her brows creased.

"I don't know. It must have been one of the first responders. I didn't get his name." She misunderstood the question.

"Olivia, I think he's asking who you didn't want to leave. You said you didn't want to leave them there." Elliot spoke for the first time since she started her recollection of the events. He knew how hard it was for her to talk about. She was strong willed, though. If she didn't think it was for her own good, she wouldn't have bothered. The nightmare, along with the lack of sleep must have pushed her over the edge.

"Oh, um…the chi…the…the people inside. Inside the van." She could see the image in her head. It was fuzzy at first but over the past few days had cleared up, as if someone flipped a switch. She could see the burning vehicle. The voices were no longer muted and screamed out to her for help.

"The children." It was a statement, not a question. The news indicated the occupants of the vehicles.

"Yeah." Her voice failed her and she struggled to clear her throat.

"Are you sure of what you just told me? It sounds to me like you're working some things out." He went to stand and thought better of it. He didn't want her to feel cornered.

"I think so. Yes. I can see it in my head. I can see it. I just…sometimes it's like it fades." Surprisingly, she had remained calm enough to relay what had happened. She knew a lot was missing, but she was only just beginning to unravel everything. She looked over at Elliot and saw the glimmer in his eyes. The pain he was feeling for her. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder as she silently wept. She'd done her part. Now her body was exhausted.

"You did great, Liv." Elliot scooted closer so she wouldn't fall. He squeezed her arm gently, reassuringly.

"Elliot's right, Olivia. I know that it may have been the last thing you wanted to do, but you did fine. You look like you're about to pass out. Do you think you can get some sleep?" It was mid-morning, he knew, but trauma and the need for rest knew no time of day.

"I think if I don't, I won't be able to make my appointment later on. Are we uh…are we done here?" Her body felt as if it were of lead, too heavy for her to move.

"Yes, we are. Get some rest. You may not notice it now, but you just did yourself a world of good." With that, he opened the door and watched Elliot pull Olivia up. His gentle hands guided her out the door. He didn't have to see it to know the next stop was the crib. He closed the door behind them. He didn't know how long he stared out. At what, he wasn't sure.