AN: OK. OK. I know I'm going to get a lot of grief for that last move by Olivia, so I thought I'd better not let it hang there. Here's another (short) update.

EOEOEOEOEO

Elliot let his hands drop from the doorway as his jaw dropped in surprise. He couldn't believe that Olivia just closed the door in his face. He let out a huff and turned, storming down the hallway. If she wanted to be alone, he would leave her alone. He reached the stairs and started down, taking the stairs tow at a time until he reached the lobby. He was about to push his way out the door when he paused, breathing deeply. He backed away from the door, and stood in place, his mind replaying the day in his head. Replaying the last six weeks in his head.

He knew that she hadn't had any space…any room to breathe. And for Olivia, that was a huge change. But he had been pleasantly surprised when it hadn't seemed to faze her. She had rolled with it, and hadn't seemed to need any time alone. Until now.

He knew that today had been hard. They had woken up in paradise and ended up in hell.

She should know that now, more than ever, she could count on him. Relationships were easy during the good times. It was the hard times that would define them.

He charged back up the stairs, pausing at the top to catch his breath and calm down. He didn't want to barge in there angry. She would kick him out again. No. He had to make her listen to him.

EOEOEOEOEO

Olivia toed off her shoes and walked towards her bedroom. She felt shitty about closing the door in Elliot's face, but she knew there was no other way to get through to him. He would have pushed and pushed until she relented, and she was serious about needing some time alone.

She had been alone most of her life. When things got tough, she'd had to prop herself up and get through it. She had learned how to work through the pain…to go home and cry and rage and get it out of her system. She could question the futility of her job…the injustice in the world…a higher power that let horrible things happen in the world. And then she would wipe her tears…fasten her badge on her belt and her gun on her hip, and go on to fight another day.

Tonight…tonight was going to be one of those nights. She was going to break down and lose it. And she didn't want Elliot to see her that way.

She unzipped her sundress, barely able to believe that she had woken up this morning in Mexico. She let it fall to the floor, stripped off her underwear and her bra, and considered a shower. It was a place of refuge. She would sit on the shower floor and let the water pour over her and cry until the water ran cold. And even then, she'd stay, until she was shivering and couldn't shed another tear.

One of her oldest friends was sitting in jail. And there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

There would be no crying tonight. She was angry. She needed a drink.

Olivia dug out a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top and pulled them on. She walked out to the kitchen, and dug in the cupboard until she found a bottle of whiskey tucked behind some unused spices and canned goods. She cracked it open, wondering absentmindedly why she even had this bottle in the house. She seemed to recall it was a gift from someone, but at this point, she didn't care. She poured a couple of inches of the amber liquid into a short glass. She held the glass to her lips, hesitating for a second before she tilted her head back and drank it down in one shot. The whiskey burned as it went down. She wasn't a heavy drinker…the legacy of her mother always in the back of her mind.

But tonight, she welcomed the burn. She poured another drink and lifted the glass. Olivia was about to drink it when she heard pounding on the door. It startled her so much she almost dropped the glass and she set it down quickly as her heart rate soared.

Goddamnit.

She thought Elliot had gotten the message. But really, she shouldn't be surprised. She should have known he wouldn't accept what he perceived as her rejection. The only surprise was that it had taken this long.

Olivia stood in the kitchen and considered ignoring him.

Would he go away, or would he stand there and pound on the door until she answered?

Or would he really risk pissing her off, and use his key?

Olivia waited a second, picturing him outside the door, waging the same debate himself. She picked up the glass and tossed back the whiskey, almost choking as it worked its' way down. Warmth spread through her belly, and she could feel her skin flush.

The banging started again and she let out a low growl. He wasn't going to stop. Olivia strode over to the door and grabbed the handle, pulling the door open so quickly that he almost stumbled.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Elliot beat her to it.

"That was a bullshit move Olivia." Elliot said. He barged into the apartment, taking up the space she had left as an invitation to come in.

"What?" Olivia asked as she slammed the door and whirled to face him.

"I said that was a bullshit move." He stood staring at her with his hands on his hips, waiting for her to argue with him.

Olivia seemed poised to say something, but instead, she turned and walked into the kitchen. He watched, surprised that she didn't fire back, but then he saw the bottle of whiskey. She poured an inch or so of the liquid into the glass on the counter, and turned to face him. She leaned against the counter, and held the glass in her hand, giving him a defiant look.

"I just wanted to be alone Elliot." She snapped back. "It doesn't have to be a big deal."

"You wanted to be alone so you could get drunk?" Elliot pointed to the glass in her hand."

"It doesn't matter what I wanted to do. I just wanted to do it alone."

You slammed the door in my face."

"Because I knew you wouldn't listen to me. You weren't listening to me." Olivia said pointedly.

"I didn't listen to you because I knew that whatever was going to be happening here wasn't going to be good." Elliot said. "I wanted to be here for you. To help you."

"No. You wanted to be here to tell me all of the reasons why I shouldn't feel like shit that one of my friends is sitting in a cell at the Tombs." Olivia shot back. "You want to keep me from feeling bad."

"That's my job. I love you Olivia, and I don't want to watch you tear yourself apart over this."

"That's my point! I feel horrible…and I don't need you telling me that how I feel is wrong!" She took the glass in her hand and tossed it back, setting the glass on the counter. "I don't need you to fix me Elliot."

Elliot was listening…he was trying to hear what she was saying. But he hated to see her suffer. "I hate to see you like this."

"That's why I didn't want you here." She said quietly. The rage was gone and she could feel the effects of the whiskey. The numbness she wanted was finally starting to settle in. "This is the side of me I didn't want you to see." She said as she closed her eyes and gripped the counter to balance herself.

Elliot rushed over and grabbed her arm to catch her before she fell. She tried to pull her arm out of his grasp but he held firm.

"I love you Olivia. Even the parts of you that you hate. But you don't have to go through these things alone. That's part of the deal." He looked down at her, and saw her eyes were still closed. He wondered if she was even listening to him, and he glanced at the bottle of whiskey, wondering how much she'd had to drink. But he felt he need to continue. "I'm sorry if you think I'm always trying to fix things. Fix you. I just…"

Olivia started to cry then, silent tears streaming down her face. "Stop." She whispered, opening her eyes and looking up at him. "I should'na slammed the door." She slurred. She couldn't think clearly… a million emotions were coursing through her. She was mad at Elliot for not barging his way in but she felt comforted by his proximity. It was so confusing. Her eyes opened…she hadn't even realized they were closed again…when she felt Elliot pick her up.

"I hear you Liv." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Just let go. I'm here."

Olivia clutched at his shirt as the tears streamed down her face. She felt Elliot lay her down on the bed and she rolled over on her side. She closed her eyes and sobbed into her pillow. A few seconds later, Elliot was curled around her, and he pulled the blankets up to cover them. He stroked her hair and let her cry, curbing his impulse to tell her everything was going to be OK. He let out a sigh when the sobbing stopped, and she had finally fallen asleep.