And then the color escaped her face, her body went completely numb, and the only thing keeping her from collapsing to the ground was the car she was still leaning against.

Because the man, standing in front of her, was Elliot.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The last time Olivia had seen Elliot, they had argued. She remembered being really frustrated because it had been a long and exhausting week, and she had just wanted to go home.

"I'm going home now; you stay here if you want to be stupid."

"Oh yes I will, because the only stupid person I see here is you."

And Olivia had left, snatched her coat with her and disappeared to the stairs without looking back. Anger had sparked inside her even after she had gotten home, and she hadn't been looking forward to the next workday.

But little did she know.

In the long, lonely hours of the night, lying in bed, waiting for sleep, it had bothered her so much that it had felt like it was tearing her soul into pieces. The old adage, that one should never separate in a quarrel, had come true in a horrible way.

You called him stupid.

You called him stupid, and that was the last time you saw him.

She would have given everything, even sold her own soul, if only she could have seen him one more time. She had imagined the situation in her mind countless times.

I'm so sorry, El, you're not stupid. You're my best friend, the most amazing person I know.

Please don't leave me.

And now, after two years of loneliness, grief, and regret, Elliot was standing in front of her with a questioning look on his face, alive, well, and…

How can it be?

I must be dreaming, this isn't real.

Olivia had lost control of her body because of shock, but her legs began to move on their own. They took a few fumbling steps towards her former partner, and as if in slow motion, her hand rose to touch Elliot's arm.

"Um…" He sounded uncertain, but Olivia didn't hear anything. The arm felt warm under her fingers, and the steady beats of his heart pumped blood into his living body. And then it finally dawned on her.

Elliot is alive.

A sob, foreshadowing the uncontrollable crying, escaped her lips, and then she gripped him with such force that Elliot staggered backwards. He fell to his knees, Olivia with him, but she started to squeeze him even tighter, like her life depended on it.

Like it actually did.

A hysterical cry took strength from somewhere deep within her, as if a dam had broken, and released the power contained in the water uncontrollably. Elliot's shirt was getting wet from her tears, and she felt him place a hand on her back. Not a single rational thought crossed Olivia's mind, and all her senses were focused on the oh-so-familiar scent and the warmth radiating from his body, that told her he wasn't dead.

When the hysterical crying began to subside, and the ability to act began to return to her body, she looked up, and met the same blue eyes which had comforted her countless times in her mind.

"H-how… H-how…"

Elliot didn't answer anything, but suddenly a strange feeling took over Olivia. Her former partner looked confused. Looking more closely, she noticed that the look in his eyes was also different. Distant.

"Elliot, I…"

Then Elliot frowned, and said something that suddenly caused a cold feeling to spread through Olivia's heart:

"Who's Elliot?"

"But… You…"

"I'm sorry, my name is James. You must be confusing me with someone else, Emily."

Emily. "Okay, Olivia scrambled to her feet, even though her legs weren't working properly, and her heart screamed against letting go of him. "This isn't funny, El."

"Listen to me, I don't know any Elliot!" He exclaimed, irritation flashing in his eyes.

Under other circumstances, Olivia would have thought that Elliot wanted to keep the cover story up. It made sense, but he had been "dead" for two years, for Heaven's sake! But the thing that made fear creep into her was his gaze. It wasn't the same gaze she knew so well, there was something new about it. Something foreign. As if…

He doesn't recognize me.

He doesn't know who I am.

And he doesn't know his name.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The engine hummed steadily as the car traveled its way through dry North Texas. The car radio was playing country music that suited the scenery, and Olivia would have noticed it better if the situation had been different. Now her every cell was focused only on Elliot, who was keeping his eyes on the road, tapping the steering wheel with his fingers from time to time to the music. When he suddenly began to speak, Olivia flinched, as she still wasn't entirely sure if she was asleep or awake.

"So… The famous Detective Benson," he grinned, and made the tears well up in Olivia's eyes. That smirk was so familiar it felt like a knife stab in her heart. She turned her gaze out the window so Elliot wouldn't see it and lose faith in her instantly. "The sheriff said that if anyone can solve this, it's you."

"That's… No pressure, then," she used all her will power to keep the tears out of her voice. Elliot didn't notice though, instead smiled.

"Not at all. No, if we talk seriously, we are very grateful you'll help us. This situation is absolutely horrible, and the farm owners don't give a shit. They say it will harm their company if it comes out. I understand that tourism is a very important income source, but those are innocent children, for Heaven's sake!"

For a moment, Olivia felt like she had traveled back in time, into the car with Elliot. Her head felt like it was about to explode with questions, but she couldn't ask them all at once. First she'd have to find out what was going on. In addition, her head was spinning, and she felt dizzy, so she had to use all her energy to stay sane.

"How about you? Do you have a family?" She asked, biting her lip nervously. On the one hand, she wanted to know what had happened to Elliot, but on the other hand, the truth horrified her.

"No, I don't."

He doesn't remember his family… So why would he remember me?

What the hell happened to you Elliot?

"So how long you have worked at the farm?"

"About couple of years, I'm not actually entirely sure."

"You don't notice the passage of time when you're having fun, right?" Olivia forced a quick smile onto her face, and Elliot shrugged.

"That's one way to say that. I…" He suddenly looked embarrassed and rubbed his neck with his other hand. "A small incident happened to me a couple of years ago, and I don't remember things that happened before that very well."

"Oh," Olivia glanced at her former partner, and the giddy feeling intensified. It was as if her brain refused to believe that Elliot was actually sitting next to her. "But you remember your name and…"

"Yeah," Elliot's voice was suddenly sharp. The tone was familiar, and Olivia recognized it immediately. He's hiding something. "I remember all the important stuff, but other things… Not so much. How about you? Was your family happy about this "vacation"?"

"Nah, it's easy to travel when you're alone."

"You don't have a family?"

"No."

"Not even a boyfriend?"

"Are you asking?"

"What? No, I…" Blushing spread across Elliot's face, and for the first time in two years, she felt that a tiny ray of light hit her dark soul. It only lasted a few seconds, but she felt it, she really felt it. And it almost took her breath away.

Since Elliot had apparently preferred to fall silent rather than explain further, silence fell between them, and the music from the radio accompanied their journey.

"Who's Elliot?"

The question surprised Olivia completely, and she turned her head in Elliot's direction. There was a sudden vague glow in his eyes, like uncertainty, almost fear. The look resembled a child who couldn't find his parents.

"He… He was… Um… A friend of mine. You resemble him, I'm sorry about what happened at the bus station."

"Where's he?"

"He's… I lost him."

"I'm sorry," Elliot answered, and while glancing at him, Olivia noticed that he was squeezing the steering wheel harder than necessary.

"Don't be."

Supposing the conversation was over, she turned her gaze out the window again. Even though it was only a morning, she was already dead tired. She had to use all her energy to even sort of hold herself together, because if she had decided, she would have either clung to Elliot forever and never let him out of her sight, or she would have buried herself into bed and cried herself to sleep. The hurricane of emotions raging inside her made his whole body feel like jelly, and the shaking of her hands still hadn't eased.

But then Elliot's question made her heart skip a beat.

"Did you love him?"

Did you, Olivia? Did you love him? Of course you did, he was your best friend. But was he more than that? If you say no, are you absolutely sure?

"It… It was complicated."