Many, many apologies for neglecting this for so long but a little thing called life interrupted my plans of continuing this story. But now I have come back to bring the next installment so enjoy!

Elliot cursed Taylor for plating such radical ideas in his head but he had to admit that he was growing fond of them. Ever since he had admitted to his shrink that he wanted more than just a partnership with Olivia, the Elliot Stabler he had been for longer than he could remember was slowly beginning to peel away to reveal the Elliot he always knew was within him.

He had fallen victim to the magic of Dr. Taylor and he couldn't help but give a small smile. He had been so reluctant to pursue therapy but now he was fully in favor of the unconventional methods Dr. Taylor seemed to love. It wasn't something he was accustomed to; being taken by the hand and shown the path he was supposed to endure but he was rather enjoying not being so in control for once.

The changes were washing over him and it was almost overwhelming how far he had come since the day he had begun his journey into the outlandish world of psychology. He began to see his partner in a new light and he knew Olivia was the star witness.

She had left early from work that particular day without the smile he normally saw her with lately. Elliot had bid her goodnight and gave her a warm smile which she barely returned as she threw on her coat and left him alone with his mountain of paperwork. Something was amiss with his partner and damned if he wasn't going to find out.

He furrowed his brow in confusion and tossed the pen across the desk, grabbing his keys and his jacket as he made his way out of the squad room. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, hitting the first speed dial on the keys.

Calling... Liv. 212-555-0315.

Outgoing call has been rejected.

He snapped the phone shut as he slipped the keys into the ignition. Olivia always answered when he called.

He mentally kicked himself for speeding and running almost every red light with his sirens flashing brightly above him. He was a cop for Pete's sake and abusing the ethics was strictly prohibited but this was his partner.

Elliot ran upstairs two steps at a time and when he reached the front door of her apartment he pressed his ear to the hard wood and fingered the weapon at his hip. Before he could rap his knuckles against the entrance, he heard the deadbolts sliding out of place and the door swung open.

"How did you know I was here?"

Olivia rolled her eyes as she stepped inside to let him in. "I know you, Elliot. I didn't answer your phone call and I knew it would be a matter of minutes before you showed up on my doorstep."

"Why didn't you answer my phone call?" Elliot asked curiously, arms folded across his broad chest in a defensive stance.

"I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight," she said quietly, turning her face away from him. "I wanted to be left alone."

"What happened, Olivia?" he said, inching closer to where she was standing. "What did Porter do to - "

Her head whipped around and he could see the pain in her eyes at the mention of Porter's name. He had hurt her somehow and Elliot instantly angered at the thought of Porter doing anything to damage the already fragile state of his partner.

"He told that he was going to be working in Oregon again and that he needed me to help him catch the members of the ecoterrorist group that I didn't get to last time," Olivia said softly. "He asked me to go undercover again."

Elliot could feel his stomach instantly drop at her words. The memories of the time he spent alone while she was undercover flashed before his eyes and he looked at her, wide eyed and slack jawed as the shock washed over him. "You're leaving again, Olivia?"

She could hear the anguish that he tried to disguise in his voice. She had always run from him when something went wrong and he thought this time would be no different. He doesn't want me to leave him alone again. He wants me to stay for him. "I said no," she replied as she watched his features go from sheer disappointment to utter relief. "I told him I wasn't going anywhere this time."

His shoulders dropped with ease and he let out a breathy sigh. "Porter broke it off because you chose to stay here."

Olivia laughed lightly in a way that suggested she didn't find the situation particularly amusing at all. "He decided it would be best if we parted ways because of the distance and I agreed with him," Olivia managed to choke out as her eyes welled up with tears. "I made the right decision, didn't I?"

Elliot smiled gently at her and nodded. "You always do."

"I shouldn't be this upset over him but for some reason I actually thought I was happy," Olivia scoffed and ran a hand through her messy hair. "I was kidding myself if I ever thought that could happen."

He gave her a cheeky grin, the infamous Stabler grin that made her weak at the knees on more than one occasion and held out his arms to her. She laughed at how ridiculous he looked and willingly accepted his invitation, letting him wrap his strong arms that always made her feel safe around her in a tight embrace. He held her there for what seemed like an eternity, letting her tears fall onto his shirt as her hands splayed scross his back, her face buried into the crook of his neck.

She pulled back slightly from him, keeping him at arm's length as she spoke. "Thank you."

He swiped a thumb across her cheek, wiping away a lone tear and smiled down at her. "Anytime."

She eyed him curiously, pulling her lower lip between her teeth. "What caused you to be so sweet about all of this? You're usually so... brooding and intense that I didn't know you had it in you to be like this."

Elliot shrugged his shoulders and smiled back at her. "Dr. Taylor has made me realize a lot of things I was blind to before. He made me aware of how I was treating you and I'm working on it. I'm not quite there completely but I'm making progress."

He wanted to tell her Dr. Taylor had made him realize something else too but he couldn't bring himself to tell her he was in love with her when she had just ended things with a man she had truly cared for.

"He really is the best in his field if he can get you to loosen up," Olivia joked. "But seriously, I should know better than to date someone who is in the same line of work as I am. Eventually a problem arises like this and it makes it too complicated. I'm through with dating cops."

Elliot's heart sunk straight down to his stomach but he forced a smile anyways. "I think you should come with me to a therapy session with Dr. Taylor."

"Seriously?"

He waggled his bushy eyebrows at her as he grinned from ear to ear. "It could be fun."