Set season 23, about 4 months after Fin's (not so) wedding.

He hates that he's waited so long to have her over, but he wanted to be ready. He found an apartment in the city that he loved, he only lived a few minutes away from the station, and even though he's never been there he has a feeling he lives close to her.

He opened up to his therapist about her a few weeks after the wedding, or whatever it was. He told her everything, all of his feelings and everything that has happened with them since his return. She told him that it was probably best to focus on himself for a while before perusing anything with her, and he hates that he listened mostly because he missed her so damn much.

He's seen her a couple of times, all work related though. She came around every now and then, helping out with everything with the case. He could tell that she was worried, she was hesitant but he was so happy when he asked for her to come by she accepted.

He didn't know what to wear, he didn't want to be in his work clothes anymore so he traded in for some jeans, this is probably the first time he's worn jeans around her since he returned. He hears her knock, it's soft but firm. He takes one look around his apartment before heading to the door and pulling it open and there she was.

She was dressed down as well and it reminds him of that night in his old apartment months ago, when he told her he loved her. She had on a pair of leggings again almost identical to the one's she wore that night, she had on a striped sweater and her hair was curled, she on a pair of brown boots that had a fairly large heel and it brought her closer to his height.

She had a thin layer of makeup on but he can tell by the wetness that she had just reapplied her lipstick, she forms her lips into a smile and breathes a "Hey." To which he returns, she steps inside, dropping her keys onto the table that hold his own before turning back to him, he can tell that she is waiting for him to make the move, make the calls and she is ready to follow his lead.

Again that has been a quality since his return, her stepping back somewhat letting him take the reins, but she was always right there beside him. However some of the big moves, some of the big moments had been initiated by her.

She held his hand.

She flirted with him.

She's looking around at his apartment that is much larger than his old, two bedroom, two bath as well. He had to spend a bit more money on it, but he was always a good saver and it felt okay to splurge for a nice place to live. His living room was quite large, a large couch and chair sitting in it with a tv. The walls hung pictures of him with his children that his girls had put up for him, there was a small shelf that hung above his tv stand that held pictures and he watched her walk over to it, eyeing the pictures of his family and then her eyes stopped.

He knew they would.

She picked up the picture of the two of them, it was such an old photo but it wasn't the only one he had with her in the apartment, it was their first year of partnership. They were at a bar, someone came up with a camera, his arm draped around her shoulders and their faces pressed up against each other's with big grins on their faces. His children pointed it out as their favorite of the group of pictures of the two of them he had framed and he agreed.

He had another picture with her that sat in his bedroom. he didn't know this but just a picture of her face, he caught when she wasn't looking at him but she was smiling was sitting in a drawer at his desk. He snapped the picture the 12th year of their partnership and to this day he doesn't think that she's actually seen it, but it's his favorite of her, and he had a few.

Her eyes fall over the picture, she picks it up and her fingers trace over their young faces, so many things would happen that those two wouldn't know, it was so much easier those days. They both know it.

"This is my favorite one of us." She spoke as she put the picture back on the banister. "Mine too." She turned to him with a hint of a smile on her face before looking around the room, "It's big." She spoke and he nodded with a slight laugh, "Yeah, I figured I needed an upgrade."

He watches her eye the photos and then enter the kitchen, she ran her fingertips over the shiny countertop and then over the kitchen. "Wine?" He offered as he followed her in, she nodded and he opened his wine cabinet and pulled out the bottle grabbing two wine glasses, her eyes rake over the label and he tries not to smile, he bought it for her.

10 years ago it was her favorite wine.

"I haven't had that wine in a long time." She speaks and it's soft, he just smiles and pours her a glass. He hands it to her and her finger trips graze his before gripping the wine glass and he drops his hand. It takes him back to the wedding, he cupped her hand before she let go.

This was how they communicated now, with hand grazes, hand holds and looks.

Words didn't mean shit right now.

She meets his eyes and it's silent in his apartment, the clock on his oven switches from 1 to 2 and it's enough for them both to jump, the light sound was enough for them to be startled. He poured himself a glass of wine and she walked down the hall eyeing the bedroom's, one was clearly Eli's with the photos and posters.

She looked down the hall and walked past the bathroom and then into his bedroom, she stepped out slowly but looked back at him and he just shrugged, she examined the photos on the wall and then she saw the other photo with her in his apartment. It was sitting on his bedside table, he figured she forgot the photo even existed. It was all of them, the two of them, his family, Kathy included.

It was at Eli's baptism where they officially named Olivia Eli's godmother. She was holding Eli in the picture, her arms holding Eli out for the picture and her head resting against his. The entire family present in the photo each one of them with big grin's on their faces.

"Eli's alive because of you." He spoke and she felt tears brim in her lashes, for many reasons, memories of the years before. The emotions of Kathy and Eli both, that day and how happy she was then. How she wasn't upset that Elliot had gone back to his wife, how she was just so happy for him. How she had this connection with Eli she adored.

She nods slightly and put the frame down, she scans over the rest of the bedroom while she sips on the wine, he watches her as she walks out of the bedroom and down the hall. "You have a balcony." She speaks and eyes the closed doors, the darkness falling over outside the doors.

"I do," He walks past her, making a move to brush their shoulders as he unlocks the door and opens it, her eyes move up to meet his before he gestured with his arm for her to head out on the balcony. She gave him the slightest smile before walking out and standing, it wasn't extremely large but it was enough for a few chairs and a look over the city. She leaned against the railing her lips hovering over her wine glass as she took in the sight.

He didn't realize how calm and relaxed she was tonight, she didn't come in asking him how he was doing or if he was okay, she didn't ask him the last time that he slept or ate. Maybe she noticed a change in him, he didn't know.

It took him a second to notice her light shivering but the moment he did he sprung to action, he walked into his apartment, a confused look on her face before he returned with one of his jackets and held it open to her. She turned and this time slid her arms into the warm material rather than over her arms like they did at the wedding.

He remembers it clearly, they were standing by the railing, talking and he noticed her shivering. He asked where her jacket was and he walked back to her table, grabbing her jacket for her. He had expected her to just take it from him, but the moment he turned he was quick to put it over her shoulders.

He smoothed his hands over her shoulders, brushing past her brunette hair and then he picked up his wine glass from where he sat it on one of the chairs. "I wasn't sure about the balcony at first, cause the place isn't exactly cheap. They had apartments without balcony's that a lot cheaper but I ended up going with this one, it's helped." He pauses for a moment and glances at her before continuing.

"I just sit out here after night, I don't do anything. I just sit. Sometimes I call the kids, sometimes Eli sits out here with me but, it doesn't matter. Just sitting here, staring out at the city. This city filled with so many memories and so much love." he shook his head slightly before stepping forward, they were standing side by side staring out into the city.

"When I, when I came back to the city, I wanted to reach out to you first. I called Fin, I told him I would call you, it wasn't my full intention of showing up at the awards ceremony and catching you off guard. But it was so hard, I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to address anything, so I wrote the letter. It was, you know it wasn't edited, I spelled words wrong, my grammar is not great." He let out a dry laugh.

"Elliot about the letter-"

"Just let me finish."

"Liv I've meant, everything that I've said to you. Every word, every phrase. Everything in that letter. We should have talked about it that night in my building, but in some ways I'm glad we waited. I have a therapist, and she pretty much advised me to get my shit together before moving forward with you so I did."

"El-"

"Liv I'm in love with you. Rome, Kathy, my kids, leaving...none of it changed anything. I am in love with you, and I have been, for the past 15 years. I wanted to call you so bad, but part of me thought, that you were better off without me. I regret leaving, and say what you want to say but Liv I held you back. If I had stayed, you wouldn't have grown so much, I'm not excusing my leaving, cause I can't but I just know that everything happens for a reason."

"I know standing here tonight, that I am exactly where I need to be. Here. With you. New York, Rome, fucking Ohio I don't care, as long as you're there, my life is perfect. You've been in my life for 22 years, and I've never told you how beautiful you are. Maybe it was because, I don't know, I was working so damn hard to hide my feelings that I hid everything. But you are, you are so beautiful. Your hair, is probably my favorite part of you, each time I hugged you, I just breathed it in,"

His finger moves over and two of them run over a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear, "I know it wasn't easy to hear me say it in front of all of my children, and I really had planned to do it some other time and some other way, I guess it just came out so fast."

"Elliot..."

He looked down at her and finally closed his mouth, he watched her eyes meet with his eyes . She was turned to him now, and with her heeled boots she was right at his height and all she had to do was lean over, she put her hand on his cheek and pressed her lips against his. The kiss was so short he barley had time to process it was happening before she was pulling away. He knows how scared she is but he's the one that leans in this time.

He captures her lip between his and puts his hand through her hair as they kissed. They stood there for a few minutes just moving their lips together until she was the one that pulled away, she reached forward and took his hand, her eyes moved up to his before she turned.

It takes them both back to the time they were standing in the station, both of them tugged on each other's hands but she was the one to let go first, she was also the one that initiated it.

But this time neither pulled away

She walked back the hallway, there was a light slam as he kicked the doors to the balcony shut, their wine glasses still sitting out there. She walked back to his bedroom turning to him, she puts her hands on the end of his shirt and began to tug it off, once it is up and over his head he kisses her again, and she pushes the door shut.

This is just a theory I have.