A/N - I got stuck (read: unmotivated) on this chapter, so I finally had to say "enough" and just release it without filling it out. This is why I tend to write stand-alone chapters :) Enjoy!

He woke with it on the tip of his tongue, emboldened by, of all things, the way her hair was tickling his nose on the pillow they were sharing. But when he smoothed her hair away and she obviously thought he was going to tell her it was time to get up and she grumbled something that sounded like "I may not have my gun but I still know multiple ways to kill a man", he wisely decided it might be better to wait.

When he folded down the blankets and moved to get out of bed, he suddenly had a hand on his chest, applying enough pressure to make him think the better of it. "I just have to pee," he assured her. "I'll be back." The pressure lessened and he slipped away. He brushed his teeth for good measure, thinking that if she was already that cranky his morning breath wasn't likely to help.

She was gone when he returned, but joined him back in bed about a minute later, the smell of mint revealing she'd had the same idea.

"Morning, sunshine," he greeted quietly but brightly.

"No."

Well, alright then.

He'd hope they'd rouse in time for the sunrise, but as they'd already missed it he figured he might as well let her sleep. Tomorrow she'd be back home and by this hour Noah would be getting ready for school. It was only fair to allow her as much rest as she could possibly get.

He reached for his phone, intending to check his email and his Twitter feed. It was plucked from his hand before he could even unlock it. "No," Olivia said again, tucking it under her pillow as she flipped over to lay on her stomach.

Okay. So apparently all things related to their return to real life were not allowed. Getting up early and cell phones really were the worst offenders, so he couldn't help but understand.

It was too dark in the room to read thanks to the blackout curtains, and he valued his life too much to attempt turning on a lamp. In the end, he gave in and followed her back to sleep.

It wasn't until they were halfway home that he finally brought it up.

"So. I have something I need to run by you." He turned a bit in the passenger seat so he could watch her reaction.

"Shoot." Olivia was feeling more agreeable now that they were actually on the road, excited that in just a few hours she'd be seeing her son.

"Well, I've had a job offer, just a short contract."

"That's fantastic!" She removed her right hand from the steering wheel briefly and gave his forearm a congratulatory squeeze. "I didn't realize you were actively looking yet."

"I'm not; this one came to me. They want me on jury selection, counsel coaching, and probably some initial witness prep and screening. Not glamorous, but it's a pay cheque. And more than that it's something to help me transition back, or at the very least give me a little more time to get my shit together and figure out some more permanent next steps."

"So why you? I mean, besides your good looks and your recent notoriety, of course."

"I'm not sure either factored in, actually. It's very similar to a tricky case I tried back in Brooklyn. It was really high profile and it set some precedents. I guess they felt it's worth the expense to bring in someone with some experience."

"So what's the problem? It sounds perfect!"

"Well, it's not exactly local."

"Okay. How not local are we talking here?"

And here it was. "It's in Washington."

"Oh." She let it sink in, and then started doing the math. "Well, that's only, what, a four hour train ride?"

"State."

"Oh", she repeated. She didn't have any handy math for that one at the ready.

"But like I said, a short contract. Six weeks tops, and probably less for what they need me to do. And I wouldn't even be waffling except I wanted to talk to you first about whether it might be upsetting to Noah if I went."

"Oh," she said again. But after a moment she broke into a bright smile. "You're telling me you'd give up a chance like this to avoid upsetting my son?"

"I just..." He sighed, feeling a bit sheepish in having to say it out loud. "I just know from experience how important stability is for a kid at that age, and at all ages. And with him getting close to Sheila and all that happened... I know it's not the same, and I know it's temporary, but I just want to make sure that whatever decision we make it's the right one for him."

"I'd kiss you if it wasn't likely to cause an accident." They both laughed. "When do you have to tell them by?"

"I told them they'd have an answer in their email by the end of today."

"Is THAT what you were hiding in your email?"

"Guilty as charged."

"You sneak! And how long have you been sitting on this?"

"Just since Wednesday. You were so stressed last week, and I didn't want to interrupt our 'vacation proper' with decision making."

"You need to stop being so sweet and perfect while we're stuck in traffic." She took his hand then, pulling it onto her lap, gripping his fingers. "AND, you need to go to Washington. Of course you do. Noah will miss you, but we'll make sure he's prepared and understands what's going on."

"Just Noah, huh?" He meant to be sassy, but it came out on the side of sincere.

"Shut up and email them before you change your mind."

He pulled out his phone and did as he was told. And after he sit 'send' he returned his hand to her lap, resting it lightly on her thigh. "Six weeks is nothing," he reminded her, reminded himself.

Her fingers covered his again. "Barely enough time for anyone to miss anyone," she affirmed. "Now tell me all about it."

Their exchange for the remainder of the drive was animated, upbeat, enthusiastic. She was excited for him, and it allowed him to be excited for himself. But his hand stayed where it was, and a part of him missed her already.