Ed Tucker.

Ed Fucking Tucker.

Of all people to see Olivia kiss he never thought it would be Ed Tucker. The person in his long category that he despised with everything in him. The grip he had on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles turning white almost cutting off blood flow to his hand.

There has to be a misunderstanding.

This couldn't be happening.

The only time he has ever seen Olivia and Tucker in a car together is when he drove her to Central Booking after she was accused of murder.

Elliot turns his head in the opposite direction while they drive off to make sure they don't spot him. Following them wasn't a good idea but he couldn't help himself. Turning his key in the ignition, the roar of his engine comes to life and he follows the car down to the end of the block. He watches their silhouettes for any body language that gives him an indication of what the true nature of the relationship is. It wasn't the most rational. He saw the kiss she gave him although he couldn't see if there was any passion or anything behind it.

Running on autopilot, he takes every turn the car did but makes a point to stay out of sight. The adrenaline was pumping through his veins and it's almost as if he is having an out of body experience. His jeep turns when they turn and about the same time they pull up to a small parking lot attached to a small bar, Elliot no longer cares if they see him.

Olivia emerges from the car first, her hair and coat blowing softly in the wind. A stern but neutral expression hiding beneath the subtle rose colored lip gloss and natural looking makeup she still wears.

As she rounds the car, Tucker gets out. There is a little dialogue and they walk towards the door together. Elliot holds his breath looking for body language, signs. As a detective this is what he is trained to do when sweating a perp in interrogation, but it's helped with his children and in relationships. They take a few more steps towards the bar entrance when he sees Olivia slide her arm inside Ed's and they smile at each other.

He balls his fists, teeth grinding together almost audibly. "You've got to be fuckin kidding me."

With his chest heaving and eyes screwed shut, he fights every urge not to get out of the car and follow them inside. From the window he can tell there are not a lot of people inside. There is no way he can go in and be unnoticed.

"Fuck!" Elliot hits the steering wheel not feeling any sting despite the red hue covering his hand. Resting back against the seat trying to calm down, he screws his eyes shut praying for the ability to be reasonable. If he has any chance of having a conversation with her about anything going into that bar and punching the shit out of her 'boyfriend' will ruin it. Being back in her good graces and earning her forgiveness was his main goal but he didn't know he could be in her life if Ed Tucker was too.

"At this point I think I will be able to take off a few weeks in the summer but not sure," Ed remarks taking a long pull from his beer. He stares at Olivia who fidgets with her phone and is more agitated than usual. Normally she can multitask on her phone and listen to him but it doesn't take long for him to realize that tonight she is not succeeding.

"Mhmmm," she mumbles in response.

Shifting in his seat, he gestures to the waitress for another round. Wine for her. Beer for him. Their usual order. "I'm also going to take the young blonde from the 2-4 with me on the trip."

Olivia nods her head scrolling through her text messages. "Mhmm sounds good."

"Sounds good?"

"Hunh? What?" She finally looks up, meeting his annoyed stare.

Ed collects the drinks from the waitress, his fingers pulling at the label on his bottle. "I just said I was going away for the summer with a young blonde and you said it sounded good."

Olivia scoffs in frustration at herself. The text messages from Elliot keep coming in and she tries to ignore them but her phone keeps buzzing every few minutes. "Sorry about that I guess I'm just a little distracted."

He swallows his beer, his Adam's apple visibly bobbing up and down. "Something going on at work?"

"Uhh yeah," she lies. "Isn't it always?"

Sliding her side button down to silence the phone, she glances at one last message from Elliot before she sets the phone off to the side. Please talk to me. We need to talk tonight. Call me. I will come to you.

"Ok sorry. You have my full attention now." She drains half the glass of wine in one gulp while Ed eyes her suspiciously. "So who is this young blonde that I need to have a conversation with?"

He places his hand in hers across the table. "No one just trying to get your attention that's all."

"Well you have it," she places her other hand over his.

Ed seems to buy her poor attempt at being interested in what he has to say. It's actually the exact opposite. The messages from Elliot have been coming in fast and furious for the past two hours but the stubborn part of her won't let her respond. If she did it would be something immature and emotional and he wasn't worth that. Not anymore.

At the coffee shop she had let her guard down and let him touch her. Let him in. Not held him accountable when she should have. And for what? For him to continue to date her colleague? There needed to be more. She deserved more. An explanation.

Her life had been always been lying in the shadows of Elliot Stabler's inability to make a decision on what the hell he wanted. Some days she thought he felt the same way she did and others she wasn't so sure. Today was just another exercise in what if. Reading signals and body language. Half detective. Half confused teenage girl. She was neither anymore.

She was more. A mother and a Lieutenant. Her priorities had changed even if her feelings had not.

"Do you have your dress picked out for the party next week?"

Shit.

Olivia picks up her drink and finishes off the rest of the burgundy liquid trying to buy some time. "Yeah I think I have a few dresses in mind."

It sounded believable. Truth is she had actually forgotten about the event.

Ed shrugs and rubs his thumb across her knuckles affectionately. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too," she forces out with a tight smile.

"I have to admit I was a little surprised you wanted to get out tonight. Are you sure this doesn't mean that you will cancel on me tomorrow?"

Olivia managed a genuine smile. "I mean it. I won't cancel."

"Ok Lieutenant. We will see," he stares at her speculatively and she squeezes his hand in return.

Ed watches her, his mouth in a firm line when she asks for another round. Her fourth. "So where are you taking me tomorrow night?"

"It's a surprise," she smiles flipping her phone over when the display lights up again with another text message from Elliot. "But you will love it."

It had been a couple of hours when Elliot's head shot up from the headrest noticing Olivia and Tucker leaving. This time they were closer than before. His hand was around her waist while Olivia brushed her wayward brown locks out of her face. A little unsteady on her feet, she was giggling about something he said. That same laugh that he heard earlier in the day and he hoped was reserved just for people close to her. He didn't know how long they had been involved but for her to be laughing like this, Tucker was clearly someone she felt very comfortable with. Whether it was impartial or not he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

The thought created a knot in his throat. The battle between feeling betrayed, wanting the best for her and concern for her safety continued playing back and forth in his mind as they got back in the car and pulled off onto the street. At some point he would think about how it was more than out of line that he was following her but he didn't know her address. Therefore, he didn't have a choice. Not a viable one. For some reason she was choosing to ignore him and he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice by losing contact with her again.

Elliot squints in the darkness trying to once again see their body language in the car. Olivia's head is up against the window as if she was falling asleep. They were driving for about ten minutes when it dawned on him that maybe they weren't going back to her place after all. What if they were going back to his?

Swallowing back the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach, Elliot continued to follow them at a safe distance and pulled up to a curb across the street from where he saw the brown sedan come to a stop. Tucker turned off the car's lights signifying a longer stay and Elliot clenched his fists in response. He still wasn't sure if it was his place or Olivia's but he had no intention of going anywhere until he found out.

Tucker rounded the car and opened the door for her. His hands slipped around her waist again, this time lower. He was taken aback for a moment recognizing the body language similar to the news article he saw from a few months ago. A bruised Olivia walking with his hand around her waist and another young cop who he assumed was from her squad was at her other side.

Olivia side stepped his hold a little and they both walked up the stairs to her front entrance, the door shutting on them soon after. Releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding, he dropped his head in disappointment. He would just sit out here and wait. For what he wasn't sure but he knew that he wouldn't sleep tonight regardless. There were two missed calls from Maureen on his phone when he pulled it out of his pocket, killed the engine and leaned back into his seat. It had been a few years but he was prepared to do a long stakeout.

"Ed, I'm fine," Olivia insists watching the door to her building close.

"Are you sure?" he watches her closely. "You seem a little-"

"Tipsy," she finishes. "It was a long day but I'll be fine. I think Noah is still awake so I'm going to go and put him down."

Olivia walks towards the elevator and Ed is right on her heels. "You don't have to walk me up. I'm really fine."

"Oh," he says, putting his hands in his pocket. He looks around avoiding eye contact and is a little disappointed. He thought he was coming up. Groaning internally, she struggles to not roll her eyes. There have been too many emotional conversations today and she called him tonight to unwind from the other situation that she's trying not to deal with at the moment.

The elevator door opens and she lets it close trying to find the best way possible to say something that once again may hurt his feelings. "I'm pretty sure that Noah is awake and this time of the day is my time alone with him. I really want to wait before I introduce him to anyone. We haven't even disclosed at work at this point. I hope you understand."

Ed's left hand squeezes his forehead and he lets out a sigh. "I know we haven't disclosed I just thought. I guess I just..."

She moves closer to him trying to offer him what little comfort she can. "What?"

There is obvious deliberation going on within him but he shrugs it off. "Nothing."

"Tell me."

"Look I know you are trying really hard all things considering."

Her eyebrow shoots up in confusion. Any trace of being a little under the influence now gone. "Considering what?"

The shroud of uncertainty is around him and it throws her off balance. If nothing else, he's always been sure about himself but lately their encounters are marred by his self consciousness.

"Look you've been through a lot, that thing a few months ago and with…" his eyes drift down again not wanting to mention Lewis' name. "I don't want to feel like I'm pushing you but I guess I'm starting to feel like it's never going to get there."

Looking somewhat embarrassed he tries to move closer to her but she steps back. He's right. She has gone through a lot but considering the red tape with both of their jobs she thought she was doing the right thing by taking it slow. Her eyes flick back and forth while she processes everything he's just said. She's not sure whether to be disappointed in him for not understanding all the factors about why they have to tread carefully or be upset with herself that this is yet another relationship that is failing because she can't find it within herself to open up.

A neighbor walks past and presses the button for the elevator and they both freeze uncomfortably. When the doors open, she grabs her keys out of her pocket and turns around to join her neighbor in the elevator. "Goodnight Ed."

An hour later, Noah was asleep after she walked in just in time to take over bathing duties from Lucy and read him a story. Cuddling up on the couch with a thin tan blanket and a glass of wine, she starts on some paperwork when her phone vibrates next to her. A text message from Ed.

Good night.

His evening messages that used to bring a smile to her face now serve as a reminder of their earlier conversation. While taking care of Noah, she was able to put it all out of her mind but now it was back in the forefront. Maybe relationships just weren't meant for her. Even before Lewis, everything with Brian wasn't solid. There was something missing. A part of herself that she hadn't given to him and that didn't seem fulfilled in the relationship. Would it always be like this?

Maybe it would just be her and Noah forever and that was ok. She had her son. That was always her dream. To be a mother. To be a better mother than hers was. The happily ever after with the spouse, kids and a house in suburbia with the white picket fence was never her dream. That was for someone else. People like Elliot.

Her fingers play with the buttons on the phone wondering what if anything she should even bother to reply back. She didn't want to leave it uncomfortable between them. As she got ready to respond another message came through.

Elliot. Again.

We need to talk. I'm outside your apartment. Can I come up?

"What the hell?" she mumbled out loud immediately standing up in disbelief. Still grasping the phone, she wandered over to the window and sure enough there he was. Standing with one hand in his pocket, leaned against his jeep waving when he saw her peering out.

How could he just show up here? What if she had company?

"Oh shit," she cursed walking back over to the couch. What if he had seen Ed leave? How did he even know where she lived? She rolled her eyes. He probably asked Cragen or someone at the station. Pacing back and forth in the living room, she tried to think quick. Telling him no would get her nowhere because she knew how Elliot was. He wouldn't go anywhere but she tried anyway.

It's not a good night.

The send button hadn't been pressed completely before the phone rings in her hands.

Olivia blows out a frustrated breath, jerking the phone to her ear. "I told you it's not a good night," she bit off angrily.

"I know Liv about...everything. What happened with Utley." He pauses and then speaks in a pained whisper. "About everything with Lewis. Please let me up."

Her eyes slam shut at the sound of his voice. She's seen Elliot go through every emotion. Grief. Pain. Frustration. Anger. Disappointment. But never anything like this. The pure agony in his voice causes a sharp pain in her chest she hoped was long buried but has started to be resurrected over the past few days.

"Please."

She clenches her fist, pinching her forehead while she tries to think. "Noah's asleep. You can't stay long."

There isn't time to reel herself and her burgeoning emotions in before she hears the soft knocks. Nervously tugging at ends of her pale blue t-shirt, she walks over to the door and exhales audibly before she opens it.

The second he sees her, the anger that kept him warm moments before instantly vanishes. Elliot wastes no time pulling her into an embrace. He holds her so tight she can barely breathe. "I'm sorry Liv. I'm so sorry," he whispers into her hair. She falters for a moment before she hugs him back. It's different than the one they shared in the coffee shop. This time there is no space between them. The swell of her breasts are crushed against the solid wall of his chest. His fingertips sink into her waist, holding on to her like she's the air he needs to breathe. In a way, she is.

Olivia blinks back tears and buries her forehead into the crux of his neck. "I'm ok El. I'm ok."

"I should've been there. If I was this wouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry."

She backs up from him breaking their hold. His statement bothers her and the anger from earlier slowly seeps back in. It's late and emotions are all over the place. This conversation should probably be shelved but timing has never been their strong point.

Elliot could sense the shift and walks all the way into the apartment shutting the door behind him. Olivia runs one hand through her hair with the other on her hip while he takes the opportunity to quickly scan her apartment.

Toys. Children's books. The sight makes him smile inwardly. His eyes roam to the coffee table and he spies the bottle of wine, an almost empty glass and her iPad she has sitting up with the image of Noah on the screen.

"Look I'm sorry that you found out this way." Both of her hands are on her hips now and she stares at him him wearily. They need to make this conversation as brief as possible for her sake. "Then again I'm not sure how else you would've found out considering we weren't speaking before recently."

"I know. I tried to not look at what happened with Lewis because I didn't trust myself to stay away if I knew." Her gaze penetrates him hard. The wall is back up.

"Well it's a shame you didn't read it all because if you were around nothing else would've happened to me right?"

Elliot moves closer to her and is surprised that she doesn't step back. "That's not what I meant. I just meant that I wish I would've been here to protect you. That's all."

"Just so you know," she continues, completely ignoring what he said. "My squad has my back. Some things you just can't help. Things happen."

"I understand that. "

"So don't think you not being here is the reason all of that happened because it didn't matter," she says indignantly and she almost believes it. "That didn't matter."

But it did.

They both know it. The vulnerable slump in her shoulders coupled with his slacked posture confirm it to each other without a word spoken between them.

He doesn't want to argue with her but it almost seems inevitable. "Ok."

They stand in uncomfortable silence for a moment and in the back of her mind she still wonders what all he's seen and what he knows. "Do you want something to drink?" She asks motioning towards the wine bottle he caught a glimpse of earlier.

"No I'm ok."

Olivia sits back on the couch, leaving him standing in front of her searching for a way to talk about something. Anything. That thing.

She's nervous and her hands shake as she pours another glass. The last drop of red liquid is barely poured before she has the glass to her lips drinking generously. She's about to take another sip when she notices him watching her. "What?"

"Nothing."

"What else is on your mind El? I need to get some work done," she says dismissively looking down at the paperwork on her table.

"So you're seeing someone?" Olivia gets ready to be defensive but he clarifies himself. "I mean a therapist. You're dealing with everything." It comes off like a statement but it's more of a question. Earlier when he saw her she seemed more put together, now that he's seeing her like this he's not so sure. The easy explanation would be that she's thrown off by his presence. It's late at night and there is a lot probably going on at work. The part of him that knows who she was and what she was knows that it's something else. Something not so easily explained.

"Yes," she blurts out annoyed. "I'm seeing a therapist."

He folds his arms, his legs shoulder width apart. "How often?"

"When I can. I'm busy but I'm fine. Now that we got that out of the way-"

"You know when everything happened with me, the divorce, leaving the squad, you," he continues effectively cutting off her attempt to dismiss him. "I made it a point to take care of myself no matter what. You've got to make the time Liv. It's important."

She softens, listens and scoots back into the couch tucking her hair behind her ear. Elliot takes the relaxed posture as an invitation and sits down tentatively next to her. She tenses for a fraction of a second but doesn't move away.

Her mind is still trying to process that he's here. Despite the circumstances, despite the fact that a part of her wants to just punch him in the chest and scream at him for not being there while she went through the most harrowing experiences of her life. Swallowing back a sob, she swallows some of the wine instead.

A distraction. That's what she needs. From his smell. His touch. His voice. That invisible shield of intensity and protection that's always surrounded him and made her feel something she hasn't felt in a long time.

Safe.

"I'm taking care of myself," she states weakly. Too weakly. He rubs his denim covered knees trying to reign in his temper. "I hope so."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He sighs and clasps his hands together in front of him. He doesn't want to bring up the obvious. Her mother and her problem. So he opts for a different approach but he will approach it nonetheless. She's like fire right now. And he's about to walk right in.

"Liv," he starts picking up the wine bottle next to him. "This is almost empty."

"So what?" she jerks the bottle away from him and slams it back on the table harder than she intended. "Don't act like you haven't knocked back a few after work."

"Yeah a few. But you just left a bar and now you're coming home and drinking."

She freezes. Sonofabitch. "You followed me."

"I didn't know where you lived, you weren't answering your phone and I needed to talk to you," he states as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

"So that gives you the right to follow me? Unbelievable." Olivia stands with the bottle in hand and walks to the kitchen to create some distance. He is right behind her. "I told you I'm fine. I'm taking care of myself, I don't need anyone to do it for me. Especially not you."

The wine bottle hits the bottom of the trash can with a thud, echoing in the small space. "So not me then who? Tucker? Is he taking care of you? Does he even notice how much you are throwing them back? Probably not since he took you to a bar."

Olivia whips around so quick that she almost loses her balance but regains it quickly. "So that's what this is about? I should've fucking known."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he backs up looking at her as if she's lost her mind.

"You know exactly what I mean," she shrugs past him back to living room and away from Noah's bedroom door. "You've always had issues with anyone I date. And for what? You want me to be alone while you go and do whatever you want."

"I didn't have issues with everyone you date." He's on her heels and they end up near her coat rack.
"Oh really? Who did you like? I'll wait," she folds her arms.

It's true and he shakes his head at being caught. There hasn't been a man that has deserved her in his opinion, not even him. But he wanted her.

Wants her. More than he's ever wanted anyone.

"That's what I thought."

"But it's Tucker, Liv. Tucker!" he says more forcefully and she quickly hushes him. "The same motherfucker that tried to put you in jail. He's never been on our side. Ever! He's never been shit. Are you trying to tell me he suddenly changed? He tried to end your career countless times and ended mine."

"Oh God Elliot really? You're going to blame Ed because you decided to resign? Plus he was just doing his job."

"Doing his job? Are you even listening to yourself? Half the time he didn't even wait to hear the evidence before he assumed we were guilty. He accused me of being a goddamn pedophile in that Mazelin case. Didn't you tell me he lied to you about how he found out you were in therapy for what happened with Harris? He tried to blame that shit on me and ruin our partnership. He lied on Cragen. Come on Liv you can't be that hard up." He pauses for a second trying to contain himself. He's not trying to hit her below the belt.

"Take some responsibility," she yells and then quiets back down when they both look in the direction of Noah's room. "You gave up. Yeah you had your reasons so you say but you walked away from the job. From me. That was your decision Elliot. Not Ed's," she continues to push.

Elliot knows he's a bastard even on his best day but he's not going to sit back and take this one. Not when it's not the whole truth. And she deserves that.

"Not from you," he says matter of factly.

"What?"

"Not from you. For you. There's a difference."

"What are you talking about?"

Walking back to the couch, he feels her watching him waiting for him to continue. He sits back down. "IAB gave me my options. It was all bullshit and seemed like a lot of hoops but a part of me considered it. And Ed," he emphasizes sarcastically, "knew that i was on the fence. I think he was banking on me just turning in my papers so when he saw i was considering staying he made sure i didn't."

Olivia rolls her eyes and stood in front of him. "And how did he do that?"

"He said that if i came back it would be hard for you too. That 1PP wouldn't just be on my ass but yours too because you were my partner. It's just like he told me when he was about to take you down for Clyde's murder. Usually when there's one dirty cop there's another." He looks up at her and sees her defenses start to fade. He had never told her what Tucker told him back then. "He was going to make our lives hell. Questioning our closed cases, every time any incident happened with us which you know with SVU happens all the time they were going to put us through the ringer. I wasn't going to risk that. He made it clear that it was a package deal. It wasn't just me that was going to have to fight to keep my badge but you too. I wasn't going to put you through that when I wasn't sure I was 100% invested in SVU anymore anyway."

Olivia continued to stand in front of him not making a sound, her chest heaving more and more. Breathing was taking more effort. It wasn't true. It couldn't be.

Sensing the opening he kept going. "I know it doesn't excuse everything that happened after. I should've answered the phone. I should've reached out. I know that," he starts to ramble. "But just know I didn't resign to leave you. If I would've stayed at SVU your career would've been stalled. You wouldn't be lieutenant now. You would've been-"

"Damaged goods," she finishes. The words are familiar to her. The same ones Ed uttered to her when she talked to him about Nick's possibly taking the Sergeant's exam.

"It still doesn't excuse everything after," she fights back and is pissed when she feels a tear run down her cheek. Alcohol and Elliot wasn't a good combination. He was intoxicating on his own and coupled with the wine swimming through her veins she was in trouble. Her defenses were lowered and she needed to find a way to get her ground back. "You weren't there El. You can't undo that."

"I know," he whispers and suddenly he's right there. In her space. His breath practically landing on her lip and her eyes close. "I'm sorry. You will never know how sorry. I'm here now if you will let me," and his voice is low and makes her more drunk than any amount of alcohol. She's swaying on her feet, and suddenly feels his fingertips buried in her waist again.

"Pippa," she whispers meekly.

"What?" He pulls back a little bit to meet her eyes.

"You talked to me the other day because of Pippa. She said-"

"Liv do you really think that I wanted to make things right with us because of her? Did she tell you that?"

"Yeah. I mean No she-".

His forehead leans onto hers and he pulls her flush against him again. Goosebumps break out across her body. Everywhere he breathes and touches.

"I miss you and I'm sorry. That's the only reason I talked to you. Not Pippa. Not Tucker. No one else. Just me and you."

The moment sets itself up so perfectly that he almost thinks it's a dream. It can't be real. Him standing here in her living room, feeling her curves against him, the sexual tension between them for years at a fever pitch. All he has to do is move a few centimeters and his lips would be on hers. The way he had hoped for so long. Olivia. She was always everything and more than he ever deserved. If he could just move a little closer.

His lips ghosted over hers. The moment he was ready to press his lips to hers, her phone vibrates on the table. Olivia jumps back slightly looking down at the display. It's a message from Ed and it's then she remembers never responding to his text earlier. Elliot doesn't bother to see who it is and maybe deep down he already knows. Instead he decides to react.

He lifts her chin and places his mouth over hers. She sighs into his lips and is still for a few seconds before he feels her slowly starts to acquiesce. He uses his hand on her chin to coax her mouth open just a fraction, to taste her just a bit more. Elliot can taste the wine on her lips and the trepidation inside of her.

His limbs begin to tingle and he pulls away, leaning his forehead back against hers. He doesn't want to push her. He's practically panting, restraining himself from kissing her again. It has to be her choice. It has to be her move.

His hand caresses up and down her back and he can feel her leaning into his touch.

Olivia lifts her head, a small smile on the edge of her lips. Their eyes meet and she makes the choice. Her lips are back on his again. This time there is no fear or hesitation in her movements. She's just as hungry for him as he is for her. Her tongue slips into his mouth and he accepts it willingly, and then takes back control. His hands fist at the edge of her shirt telling himself not to lift it and come into her contact with her bare skin. If he does, all semblance of control will be lost.

"El," she pulls back and he can see the lust filled daze in her eyes.

"I know."

"We've got to stop," she tells him but then propels herself forward sucking his bottom lip between hers and kissing him again. This is why the line was always so clear with them as partners. Why it was never crossed. Neither would be able to stop what was so inescapable.

This time it's him who pulls back. It would be so easy for them to fall into bed and give into what's been brewing for years but this time he's going to do right by her. It won't be when she's tipsy and vulnerable because of the information he's piled on her tonight. It will be because it's truly what she wants and with a clear head.

"I should go," he whispers between kisses.

"I know," she pulls back again and sinks her teeth into her swollen bottom lip to stop herself from kissing him again.

"We need to talk more. Promise we will talk again and you won't avoid my calls."

"I won't," she responds immediately. "I won't."

They slowly walk to the door, Olivia trailing closely behind him.

He stands at the edge of the doorway and the contrast of the end of her evening with Ed and this moment with Elliot hits her instantly. She doesn't feel romantically inadequate or hesitant. "Good night Liv."

Leaning over, he places a sweet peck on her lips.

"Good night."

His footsteps are pronounced as she watches his black leather jacket disappear down the hall towards the elevator. It doesn't seem real. Any of it. There's so much to think about and consider. She needed to talk to Ed about what Elliot said and take a moment just to breathe. She was exhausted.

Emotionally and physically.

She passes up the kitchen with the half empty wine glass that sits on the counter and instead goes to check on Noah. Within moments of crawling into bed, she is asleep. If tomorrow is just as much of a rollercoaster as today, she will need her rest.

And she has a good feeling it will be.