A steady beeping noise brought Olivia to consciousness. Slowly opening her eyes, she stared up at an unfamiliar tiled ceiling. Looking to her right, she saw that the beeping was coming from a monitor connected to her through various sensors. She was in the hospital.

It registered to her that someone was holding her hand, and turned to find Peter fast asleep on the edge of her bed. Smiling, she ran her fingers through his hair and he stirred. He lifted his head and his sleepy gaze met hers. A huge grin crossed his face.

"Olivia," He breathed, placing his free hand on her cheek. Most of her color had returned, making her look a little more like the woman he'd spent the last 2 years of his life with. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better. What happened?" She inquired.

Peter looked at her compassionately and squeezed her hand. "You passed out. What's the last thing you remember?"

"Sitting with you in the ER waiting room."

"…Do you remember why you had to go to the ER?" Peter hated reminding her why she was there, but he had to make sure she hadn't forgotten the… incident.

Olivia's mind flashed through numerous disturbing images of Daniel's face, his cruel hands on her body, the feeling of her pants sliding off of her legs...

"Yes," She grimaced, looking down in shame. She felt Peter's fingers under her chin, bringing her head up to meet his gaze.

"Hey. Everything is going to be okay," He promised, giving her a reassuring smile. His heart leaped with joy when she smiled back and nodded.

"The doctor took a blood test to see if there were drugs in your system, but I'm not sure what the verdict is." Peter looked at the clock on the wall, and realized it was already 6:00 AM. He had slept for almost 4 hours. "Let me see if I can flag him down."

"Okay," She murmured.

"Oh and by the way, if anyone asks, I'm your fiancée," Peter grinned.

Olivia cocked her head and gave him a crooked smile. "Okay?"

"I had to lie to them. It was the only way they'd let me stay in here with you."

Olivia gave a weak laugh and pulled him into a tight embrace. He held her body tightly against his, so thankful she was alright.

"I'm glad you lied to them," She whispered against his neck.

Peter pulled back and kissed her forehead tenderly. "I'll be right back."

Olivia did her best to sit up in the bed as Peter walked out of the room. She had a mild headache, which she guessed was the result of a hangover. She'd take a headache over being drunk and drugged any day.

With her mind finally clear, she made herself try to remember the events that had led up to her kidnapping. The first thing to pop into her consciousness was Peter's hurtful words to Agent Hutton. Although the words still stung, she felt no anger. He had saved her life, and hadn't left her side since he'd rescued her.

Now that the fury she'd felt had dissipated, she began to replay the scene in her mind. He had looked at her with such pain and desperation in his eyes when he'd said it wasn't what she thought. God, why hadn't she given him a chance to explain? Why had she overacted so badly? In the 2 years she'd known him, Peter had not once lied to her. She should've heard him out.

What if this was all just a misunderstanding? Maybe if she would've let him talk instead of being so closed-minded she wouldn't be sitting in the ER right now. She'd probably be asleep in her warm bed instead of waiting to see if she'd been drugged. She might've even had a nice night with Peter. It briefly crossed her mind that he'd invited her to dinner, which he'd never done before. Olivia covered her face with her hands, so mad at herself that she wanted to punch something.

Hearing footsteps, she removed her hands and saw Peter and the doctor enter the room. Peter looked at her worriedly, and took his seat next to her bed. He took her hand and squeezed it twice. She could tell he was asking her if she was okay without actually saying it. Her and Peter had always had a strange ability to have conversations without actually speaking. She squeezed his hand once, confirming that she was fine.

The doctor pulled up a stool next to her bed and glanced over a chart.

"Hi Olivia, I'm Dr. Madison. How are you feeling?"

Dr. Madison was tall, handsome, and surprisingly in immaculate shape for his advanced age. He hand brilliantly kind hazel eyes that smiled when he spoke. She liked him instantly.

"Better, thank you."

"Good, good. Well, I've got your drug test results here. You had quite a bit of Flunitrazepam in your system, mixed with a small amount of Ambien. I'm not at all surprised you passed out with these two drugs, mixed with such a high quantity of alcohol, coursing through your system. Actually, I'm a little shocked that you recall what happened to you. Peter here told me you remember the events that occurred last night?"

Olivia let this new information sink in. She didn't even know what those drugs were, let alone what they did. She felt powerless and vulnerable.

"Yes, I remember most of it," She whispered.

Although her eidetic memory was handy at times, all she wanted to do now was forget, which was something she was rarely able to do. She suspected the Cortexiphan in her system had probably helped her memory as well, though she still had no idea how to control her newfound abilities.

"That's very unusual, but very fortunate. It will definitely help the police with your case," The doctor stated. Olivia forgot all about having to deal with the legal issues. Suddenly, it occurred to her that Peter had shot Daniel. He was going to go through hell with the authorities. She looked up at him apologetically, and he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a smile, as if to say 'don't worry about it.' He was fully prepared to tackle whatever interrogation the police had in store for him. He regretted nothing about what he'd done.

Dr. Madison cleared his throat, and Olivia turned her head to look at him.

"Olivia, I'm going to need to ask you if you'd like me to perform a sexual assault examination," He affirmed softly.

Olivia closed her eyes in ignominy. "I—I don't think he—he…" She couldn't bring herself to say the words. She didn't want to believe that him sexually assaulting her was a possibility.

"I know this is hard Olivia, but it would only benefit you to have it done," the doctor assured. "But the decision is completely up to you."

Taking a deep breath, she agreed to go through with the procedure. "Okay. I'll do it."

Even though she was almost positive he hadn't raped her, she knew it would be smart to make sure. Who knew what he'd done to her while she was passed out?

"Alright. I'll need you to undress from your waist down and cover yourself with this sheet," He instructed, handing her a thin, blue piece of fabric. "I'll be back in 5 minutes."

Peter stood up to follow Dr. Madison, but Olivia grabbed his arm. "Peter, I'd like you to stay."

He looked at her hesitantly, not entirely sure what to do. "Olivia, I—."

"Please, Peter? I—I don't want to do this alone," She pleaded. Olivia wasn't used to asking people favors, let alone asking someone to stay with her during an extremely private examination. But she really wasn't ready for Peter to leave her side. Without him she'd fall victim to her own mind and would be forced to be alone with her perturbing thoughts of Daniel. Right now, he was the only thing keeping her from breaking down.

He could hear the anxiety in her voice, and sat back down in the chair next to her bed. There was no way he could leave her in such a dismayed state.

"I'll turn around so you can undress. Just tell me when you're done," He instructed.

Olivia gave a sigh of relief and nodded. When she finished undressing, she sat on the bed and pulled the sheet over her. She took Peter's hand in hers to let him know it was safe to turn around. When his gaze met hers, she noticed the guilt in his melancholy sapphire eyes. She knew he was thinking about what he'd said to her in the lab.

"I'm not mad at you," She confessed softly.

"You should be," He stated solemnly.

"I'm not. I shouldn't have overreacted so badly. I should've let you explain."

"No matter the explanation, those words still came out of my mouth," Peter spoke, taking Olivia's other hand in his. He looked down at their entangled fingers, not able to meet her gaze. "I hurt you."

Olivia leaned her head down until her eyes were level with his, willing him to look at her. "Yes, Peter, your words hurt me, but we all make mistakes. We're human; it's what we do. But I know how truly sorry you are and that's all that matters to me."

Finally, Peter locked his eyes with hers. They were like twinkling peridot gems, mesmerizing him like they always had. He didn't understand how her eyes could still hold such an enchanting sparkle after everything she'd been through.

"I'd do anything to take back what I said, Liv. Anything. Those words were a complete lie— that's not how I feel about you at all. I'm so sorry."

"I know," Olivia whispered, placing her hand on his cheek. "So what's the real reason you said that about me if you didn't mean it?"

Before Peter go a chance to explain, the doctor knocked on the door and walked in.

"Are you ready?" Dr. Madison asked kindly.

"Yes," Olivia nodded. She was as ready as she'd ever be.

"Olivia, if I could just get you to put your feet in these stirrups…" The doctor inquired, snapping her harshly back into reality.

She took a deep breath and put her feet in the metal loops. When she felt him between her legs, she shuddered. It brought back painful memories of Daniel, and she turned to bury her face in Peter's shoulder. He began to rub her back affectionately, her agonizing recollections dissipating with every brush of his hand.

"I'm going to have to ask you some sensitive questions to help with the examination and also for your medical file. Are you comfortable with that?"

"Yes," She spoke.

"Have you had sexual intercourse within the last week?"

"No," She admitted quietly.

"Okay. I know that's an extremely personal question, but it helps me make sure that if I find any trace of semen that it's from your assaulter, not your partner."

She nodded and looked up at Peter, who smiled at her reassuringly.

"I'm going to ask you about the incident now, Olivia," He stated. "Did your assaulter touch you inappropriately in any way that you're aware of?"

She drew in a shaky breath as she recalled his hands on her body. "He—he touched my breasts. That's all."

Her answer made Peter grimace. He couldn't stand the thought of that bastard putting his hands on Olivia, especially in a place where only someone who loved her should touch. Someone like Peter.

"Did he hurt you in any way?"

Olivia remembered the stinging slaps with a wince. "Yes."

"How?"

"He slapped me a couple times. And—and he was pretty rough when he—when he touched me."

"There are quite a few small bruises on the inside of your thighs. Could those be from your assaulter?"

"Yes," She replied weakly.

Peter clenched his hand in a tight fist, his fingernails digging into his flesh. If it weren't for Olivia needing him to stay with her, he'd go find and murder the bastard right now. He felt his breathing become deep and heavy as an unfathomable rage heated its way through his body.

"Well Olivia, the good news is that there doesn't look like there was any forced entry. But I will need to run some more tests to make sure you have no STIs or semen in your body."

"How long will the tests take?" Olivia asked. She felt dirty and used. She was more than ready to go home and get out of this cold, colorless room.

"Only about half an hour," Dr. Madison assured, standing up from his stool. "I'm going to go get started so you can head home as soon as possible. I'm sure you're tired of being here. You can go ahead and get dressed after I leave."

"Thank you, doctor," Olivia stated, pulling her legs down off of the stirrups.

Dr. Madison smiled and gave her and Peter a nod, then headed out the door.

Olivia felt Peter's gaze burning a hold in the side of her face and turned to look at him. His eyes were brimming with unshed tears.

"Olivia," was all he could murmur. His heart ached so badly for her; he wished he could take all of her pain away and put it on himself.

She smiled half-heartedly and smoothed her hand along his upper arm. "Hey, it's okay. I'm okay."

Peter shook his head and pulled her into a tight embrace, his hand tangling in her hair. "It's not okay."

No. It really wasn't okay. But Olivia had never been one to dwell on things. She needed to buck up and move past this, like she did with everything else. She couldn't let this get to her; couldn't allow herself to be weak.

Olivia pulled away and sighed. "I should probably get dressed."

Peter nodded, handing Olivia her clothes and turning around to give her some privacy.

"Peter?" Olivia spoke, sitting on the bed after she'd clothed herself.

He turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Thank you so much for saving me. And for staying with me. And just for—for everything. You'll never know how much it means to me." Olivia wished there was something better to say than 'thank you.' Those words just weren't enough for how much she appreciated everything he did for her.

Peter moved from his chair to sit on the edge of the bed next to her. He rested his hand on her knee, brushing his thumb along her denim-covered skin.

"Olivia, you don't have to thank me. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

She placed her hand on top of his and squeezed it. When he winced, Olivia turned his hand over and looked at his palm. It had four bloody crescent-shaped cuts along the bottom.

"Peter, what did you do?" Olivia inquired incredulously.

He pulled has hand from her grasp and smiled. "It's nothing. Just got a little bit angry, is all."

"Angry at what?"

His eyes suddenly turned dark cobalt, reminding her of the ocean during a raging storm. "As soon as I get the chance, I'm going to finish what I started. I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."

The unwavering sincerity in his voice made her shiver. He meant every word he'd just said. "Peter, you can't. They'll lock you up, you know that."

"I don't care in the least. He needs to be taken out of this world, and I'd be thrilled to do the honors."

"I care, Peter. I'd never see you again." The thought made an icy chill creep up her spine.

Peter could practically taste the fear seeping from her body. It made his heart warm knowing she cared for him so deeply. And she was right—if he acted out of pure hatred and did something as impulsive as murdering Daniel, he'd be locked away for good. How would he be able to live without seeing Olivia everyday? He took her face in his hands and smiled at her tenderly, letting her know that he'd never leave her side.

This time when her eyes met his, it was like looking up at a clear blue sky after an endless gray winter. She felt cherished and safe, her stomach filling with millions of fluttering butterflies that made her want to dance. She took a sharp breath and looked away, not at all prepared to experience something so intense.

"What's wrong?" Peter whispered.

"Nothing," she claimed, shaking her head. "I'm… just worried about the test results."

"Hey, it'll be okay. Whatever happens, we'll get through it together."

Olivia smiled lackadaisically and nodded, the heartfelt moment her and Peter had just shared still fresh in her mind. She'd never felt anything so electrifying before.

Suddenly, Dr. Madison entered the room.

"Hello, again," He greeted, sitting on his stool at the end of the bed. He turned to face Olivia and smiled. "I have some more good news: the results came back negative. You can head home whenever you'd like."

Olivia sighed in relief, her head falling against Peter's shoulder. Peter let out a breathy, joyful laugh.

"Oh, thank God," He breathed as he rested his cheek on top of Olivia's head. They stayed nestled against each other for a few more seconds until Peter stood up from his spot on the mattress. "I'm going to go pull the car up front, okay? Just stay here, I'll be right back."

"Okay," Olivia smiled. Peter took her hand in his and kissed it lightly, so happy that the doctor was able to give her good news. She already had a heavy enough load to carry—she didn't need any extra weight added on.

After he'd left the room, Olivia closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall, so thankful the tests had come back negative.

"He's not really your fiancée, is he?" Dr. Madison queried, snapping Olivia out of her daydream. For a second, Olivia was dumbfounded. Then she remembered that Peter had to lie so he could stay in the room with her.

"No, he's not," She admitted shamefully. "How'd you know?"

He smiled as he took notes on a clipboard. "No rings."

Olivia felt her cheeks redden like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "I'm sorry we lied."

"It's no problem," He assured, never taking his eyes away from his paperwork. "I would've let him stay with you regardless. I can tell that he really loves you."

Unexpectedly, Olivia felt her heart leap. "What makes you think that?"

"I have worked with tens of thousands of people in my career, and not once have I ever seen someone so frenzied over another person. This is the first time he's left your side for more than a minute since you've been here."

Olivia bit her lip to mask the huge, uncontrollable grin taking over her face. Did Peter really love her?

Almost on cue, Peter entered the room. "Ready to go?"

"More than ready," She sighed, stripping herself of various wires.

Peter helped Olivia to her feet, making sure she had her balance before letting go. She was glad her ability to stand had found its way back. Before they left the room, she turned to face the doctor.

"Dr. Madison, thank you for everything."

"Of course, Olivia. Take care of yourself."

"I will," She promised.

As her and Peter walked down the hall of the ER, Olivia silently took his hand in hers. He turned his head to look at her and beamed, rubbing his thumb along her soft skin. Things could only get better from here.