After breakfast, Peter insisted that they watch Say Anything, since he'd seen it in her movie collection the night before and had a sudden urge to watch it. He popped it in her DVD player and took a seat next to her on the couch. Olivia draped a blanket over them and rested her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer. He rested his hand on her bare knee and began to stroke it affectionately.

As they watched the movie in a comfortable silence, Olivia realized she had truly been missing on out something special by closing her heart off from Peter. Never before had she felt so close to someone, so cherished, so secure. She wanted him to be with her always, even after all of this chaos ended.

"Livia?" Peter spoke, waking her from her daydream.

"Yeah?"

"I know this is the last thing you want to be thinking about, but there's been one question that's been eating away at me…"

"You can ask me whatever you want, Peter."

"Why did you go to that bar in the first place? I mean, it just isn't like you to go to an unfamiliar bar by yourself."

Olivia froze. Fuck. How was she supposed to explain this to Peter without telling him that the reason she went to the bar was to prove that she wasn't uptight? He would blame himself for everything that happened to her, and she couldn't afflict that kind of pain on him. She just couldn't.

Peter felt her tense up and pulled back so he could see her face, which had drained of all color.

"Liv?" He questioned worriedly.

"I—I went because—because I wanted a change in scenery," She stuttered, her mind too frantic to come up with a better lie.

Peter eyed her dubiously. He'd always been able to see right through her; lying to him just wasn't going to work.

"Olivia, why did you go to that bar?" He questioned nervously, his heart beating so hard he was sure the neighbors could hear it.

Deep down he knew the answer to his own question, and it literally made him want to die. He had asked because he prayed that she'd have another reason—that it wasn't his careless words that had sent her to that damn bar.

Olivia had hoped he would never ask her that question, because she knew he'd get the truth out of her. She felt her face contort with distress as she looked at him, tears beginning to blur her vision.

"Peter…"

But she knew he wasn't listening to her. His face was completely blank of all emotion, his eyes staring into space. She'd never seen anyone look so distraught.

"Peter? Please look at me. You're scaring me," She spoke shakily, bringing her hands up to cup his face.

Suddenly his impassive eyes locked on her hers, and all at once, the waterworks began. He pulled her into his arms, sobbing even more vehemently than she had the night before, which she didn't think was possible.

"I'm so sorry, Liv. I'm so sorry," He wept. "I never meant for this to happen. I'm so sorry."

"Peter it's not your fault. None of this is your fault," She assured defiantly.

"Of course it's my fault. You went to that bar to prove that you weren't uptight and boring, didn't you?"

Olivia didn't answer him, which basically screamed "YES."

"I will never forgive myself for this, Olivia. Never."

She had known that this would happen. She drew his body away from hers and wiped the tears from his eyes. He wouldn't meet her gaze, so she took his face between her hands once again and forced him to look at her.

"Peter, this is not your fault. You tried to explain yourself to me, and I pushed you away. So tell me now. Tell me why you said those words if you didn't mean them."

"They were a cover-up for the real reason I didn't want Hutton to ask you out."

"And why didn't you want him to ask me out?"

Peter brought his forehead to rest against hers. "Because I want you to be mine. I want to be the only guy that takes you places. But I was too chicken to admit it, so I just sputtered out a lie: a lie that caused you to get drugged and assaulted, all because of my stupidity. I am so sorry, Olivia. I never in a million years imagined that such a little fib would result in this. You are the last person in the universe that I'd want to hurt."

Despite everything that was happening, Olivia felt a smile tease the corner of her lips. Peter wanted to be the only guy in her life. He wanted her to be his. If only she would've let him explain at the lab.

Pulling her head back, she watched him gaze at her expectantly. Then she put her hands on the back of his neck and brought her lips to his. Their kiss was hesitant at first, but didn't take long to become heated and passionate. For a second she believed everything was going to be okay, but all too soon, Peter pulled away.

"Olivia, I can't. Not after what I've done to you. You deserve so much better than me."

Olivia looked at him incredulously. There was no way she was going to lose him now. No way.

"Peter, what do I have to say, what do I have to do, to prove to you that this isn't your fault? Yeah, you should've just old Agent Hutton the truth about why you didn't want him to ask me out, but you didn't. And I should've let you explain yourself before storming out of the lab, but I didn't. We both made mistakes, but we're human. That's what we do. What happened to me was horrible and unfortunate and it'll haunt me for a long time, but eventually I will overcome it. But I need you to help me, Peter." Olivia touched her cheek to his so her lips were right by his ear. "I want you to be the only man in my life, too."

When Peter didn't draw away from her, she took it as a positive sign, and began to run her fingers through his thick, wiry hair. But then he pulled back, stood up, and started to walk towards the door without another word.

Olivia felt like a balloon with a tiny hole, all of the air escaping until there was nothing but a useless piece of plastic on the ground.

"You promised," She whispered, her voice nearly inaudible, on the verge of tears. "You promised you wouldn't leave me. I need you. Please, Peter."

Peter stopped in his tracks, closing his eyes as his mind battled what to do next. He knew how hard it was for Olivia to say those words, and could hear the desperation in her voice as she spoke them. She had finally opened herself up to him, and he was going to leave her sitting in her apartment, alone, afraid, and heartbroken.

He began to think about what she'd said earlier—that he was a human, and humans made mistakes. But he'd learned from his mistakes, and realized before it was too late that he was making a huge one right now by leaving.

Even though he was still angry with himself for his thoughtless words in the lab, he knew that there was no way he could take them back. He could, however, make up for them in his own way by showing Olivia how much he loved her.

When Peter turned around and gave her an apologetic smile, Olivia's heart did a backflip in her chest.

"I'm not going anywhere, Liv. Not now, not ever."

And then she was swathed in his arms, tears packed with nearly every emotion possible streaming down her cheeks. She knew he wouldn't have left her. Peter would never break a promise to her, no matter what.

When he took her face into his hands to meet his gaze, she was overjoyed to find that their earlier emptiness was now filled with a deep, swirling emotion that made her knees weak.

"So you think we could try that kiss again?" He questioned.

Olivia answered his question by melting her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck so he couldn't get away, not that he'd ever dream of doing so. His lips fit perfectly against hers, tasting of blueberries and coffee and…love.

When she pulled away from him, Peter gaped at her bewilderedly.

"He was right," Olivia breathed, elation taking over her body.

"Who was right?"

"Dr. Madison. I hoped it was true, but was never fully convinced until just now when we kissed."

Now Peter was even more confused, if that was possible. "Right about what, Liv?"

Olivia moved her hands to the nape of his neck, her thumbs smoothing over his cheeks.

"That you love me."

Peter blinked and smiled. "Honey, I don't think it takes a medical degree to figure that one out."

Olivia giggled blissfully and brought her lips to his, kissing him so passionately that it made her head spin. She wasn't even 100% sure which way was up.

Peter took fistfuls of her hair and pulled her face as close to his as physically possible. She tasted so heavenly that he felt like he was going to die if he didn't get more. Teasing her lips with his tongue, she didn't hesitate to open her mouth to allow him deeper access. Their tongues danced together lasciviously until Peter began to nibble at her lower lip. Olivia gave a mewl of pleasure and enfolded her arms around his back, pulling him down until he was lying on top of her.

When he felt her hands tugging at the hem of his shirt, it was his turn to pull away and make her stare at him confoundedly.

"Olivia, are you sure about this?"

She knew that not only was he asking if she was ready do this with him, but also if she was ready to be with someone after what had happened to her. As she looked into his eyes and saw what she now knew was pure love, she brought her lips up to meet his.

"Positive," she purred against his mouth, making his manhood twitch with need.

Unexpectedly, Peter scooped her up into his arms and carried her to her bedroom, where she saw that he had not only made her bed, but put fresh sheets and pillowcases on as well. She knew that he'd been tired the night before, but still he had held and comforted her until she'd fallen asleep, finally carrying her to her guest bedroom so he could clean up her room. How had she not seen how incredible Peter was until now?

"Peter," Olivia whispered in his ear after he'd positioned her onto the bed, starting an amorous trail of kisses down her neck.

"Hmm?" He hummed against her flesh, the heightened sensitivity of her skin making her gasp with desire.

When she didn't answer him, he turned his gaze to hers, finding her staring at him like he was the most sacred being on the planet.

"I love you, too."

Peter wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or if she'd actually just said she loved him. He knew that she had feelings for him, but had no idea that they were so strong. Opening up to him must've released all of the pent-up affection she felt for him, finally allowing herself to acknowledge just how deeply she cared for him.

After 2 years of relentless wishing, she was finally his, and he was finally hers. Peter felt like the luckiest man in the world.

Bringing his face next to hers, he brushed his nose along her soft cheek.

"I'm going to show you how you deserve to be touched, Olivia. How you deserve to be loved. Right now and forever after."

Olivia felt her heart swell, and brought her lips to his again. This time when she tugged at his shirt, he let her pull it right off over his head and toss it to the ground. She'd seen him many times without a shirt, but this was the very first time she had the pleasure of running her hands up and down his smooth, sculpted back.

When she felt Peter's hands at the hem of her long t-shirt, she lifted her arms up so he could slide it off of her. Tossing her top to the ground beside his, he enveloped her mouth in another mind-blowing kiss.

The feeling of his bare chest rubbing against hers was unworldly, making her nipples harden with every brush of his skin. Suddenly his lips were at her earlobe, nibbling it and making her toes curl. Who knew such a strange place would nearly send her over the edge.

Peter trailed kisses from her ear to her shoulder, then moved to the hollow at the base of her neck, sucking and licking her skin like she was a popsicle on a blazing summer day. She couldn't mask the small moans and sighs that he induced with every movement of his lips and tongue.

Continuing downward with his amorous grazes, Olivia closed her eyes, awaiting the feel of his heated mouth on her breasts. But nothing happened. When she looked up, she found him staring down at her, a heartbreaking sadness warping his beautiful face.

She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but stopped herself when she realized he was staring at the finger-like bruises along the skin of her breasts. She watched him for a little while longer, then moved up onto her elbows until she was mere inches from his face. Placing her fingers under his chin, she turned him to look at her.

Without saying a word, she kissed his eyes, his nose, his cheeks, then finally his mouth, reassuring him that it was okay. He sighed and pressed his lips to her forehead, then lightly pushed her back onto the bed.

Peter tentatively traced his fingers along the bruises, wishing that he had the power to erase them with his fingertips. Slowly, he brought his lips down to kiss her wounded flesh.

Olivia could almost feel her injuries melting away with every caress of his lips, the love emitted in each of his sweet kisses enough to heal her. She was no longer afraid to look at her discolored skin, knowing Peter was there to comfort her and take her pain away.

When his mouth found her nipple, she arched her back and gasped, tangling her hands in his hair in encouragement. His tongue moved around her hardened point, making her unconsciously buck her hips up against his. He groaned against her breast as she bumped against his already hard member and rolled her other nipple between his fingers.

With his body flush against hers, his mouth and fingers at her breasts, and the intoxicating presence of love all around her, she could feel herself go taut as she wrapped her legs around his hips, preparing for release. When Peter's teeth began to nibble her oversensitive bud, she lost it with a loud cry of ecstasy.

Peter elongated Olivia's orgasm by moving his mouth to her other breast and lightly running his teeth along her swollen, pebbled flesh. Her hips were now rubbing forcibly against his with a need that nearly sent him over the edge with her.

Languidly, he traced his tongue from her breast to her navel, leaving a shiny wet trail along her gorgeous, summer-speckled skin. He continued south until he reached the top of her panties, and then abruptly moved to the inside of her ankle, gradually, agonizingly, moving upwards.

Olivia opened her legs wider to give him better access, sighing in serenity when he began to kiss away all of the tiny bruises on her thighs.

After several long minutes she began to grow restless as her need for him took control. Peter seemed to sense her craving, and dipped his fingers into the edge of her panties, sliding them down her legs without hesitation. She felt his lips back at the inside of her thighs, dragging kisses over every inch of her skin, except in the one place she ached for him. She creased her brow and whimpered in frustration, then finally felt his humid breath against her folds.

He continued to breathe against her; sliding his fingernails along the sides of her torso and watching her sensitive skin sprout goosebumps everywhere he touched. Without warning he took hold of her hips and lightly pressed his lips just to the outside of her center, enjoying watching her squirm with impatience.

Peter didn't give in to her eagerness. He didn't want to rush into this—he wanted her to see how sacred she was to him. He kissed, licked, and nibbled all around her core as his fingers traced patterns into her stomach and thighs. When her body stopped its fervent writing and she began to give soft moans of pleasure, he smiled.

As much as Olivia wanted to feel his mouth fully against her, she had to admit that she was enjoying the way he was apprizing her like a rare gem. Never in her life had she felt so special or so loved, and hadn't realized how much she was craving those feelings until now.

Gently, Peter finally pressed his lips to her center, making her inhale sharply and intertwine her fingers with his on her stomach. He tenderly kissed the velvety skin of her folds before releasing his tongue, delighting in the way her body convulsed and bucked against him. When his mouth found her bundle of nerves, her legs wrapped around his neck in urgency.

Just when she thought she could take it no more, his mouth was on hers again, the hungry kiss so impassioned it nearly made her black out. Vaguely she felt a nudge at her entrance, and realized that somewhere in-between pleasuring her, he'd removed his pants.

Breaking their kiss, Peter locked his gaze with hers, wanting to see each and every emotion she felt dance across her face as he made love to her. Bit by bit he inched into her, taking his time and relishing in the heavenly feeling of her warmth against him.

Olivia threw her head back in euphoria as his full length slid inside of her, bringing her hands up to rub his muscular back. As he created a slow, savoring rhythm, he began leaving sweet, open-mouthed kisses on her chin and neck, dually stimulating her raw nerves and making her whimper with overwhelming amounts of pleasure.

They rocked together, bodies as one, luxuriating in the sensation of skin against skin. Peter's hands were like two travelers searching and claiming Olivia's body as their own, exploring each and every inch of her immaculate flesh.

Peter's pace gradually quickened as Olivia's walls began to pulse around him, building her orgasm like a rollercoaster slowly clicking its way to the highest point of the track.

It didn't take long for her breathing to quicken, turning into audible sighs, until finally, she plummeted down from her peak, her fingernails digging into his back as molten fire spread from her core all the way to the tips of her fingers and toes. She'd never felt anything so magical or exhilarating in her life.

Peter moved inside of her a few more times before he reached the point of no return and released, collapsing on the mattress so he wouldn't crush her. He lay face down on the pillow breathless, his hand resting on her heart, which was beating so fast it was more like a flutter.

When their breathing finally returned to normal, Peter turned his head to look at her flushed face, her golden hair damp with sweat and splaying all around her like a halo. He was fully convinced that she was an angel.

Her lips transformed into a lazy smile, and Peter pulled her into his chest. As he trailed his fingers up and down her back, Olivia was expecting him to say something hopelessly romantic.

"I can't believe that I've fallen head over heels in love with a screamer," Peter murmured.

Not exactly what she had in mind.

Olivia pushed him playfully and gave a light laugh. "You're mean!"

She tried scooting away from him, but Peter was having none of that. He caught her in his arms and dragged her right back until she was lying fully on top of him.

"I didn't say I didn't like it," He assured, kissing the tip of her nose.

She grinned and lay her head down on his chest, kissing a small freckle just below his collarbone. She'd be happy to stay in this moment with Peter for the rest of her life.

"I want to do something special tonight. Just the two of us," Olivia murmured.

"Anything you want, sweetheart," Peter replied, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss along every inch of it.

Olivia thought for a moment. "Is that dinner invitation still valid?"

"Yep. No expiration date on that offer. Do you have someplace special in mind?"

Olivia pressed her lips to his. "Here. Just you and me. We can make dinner together and then…" She traced her finger from his chest to his happy trail, gazing at him humidly and making her intention as clear as a bell.

"Hmm I think that might just be the best idea you've ever had," He whispered huskily in her ear, tightening his hold around her.

For the rest of the day and into the evening, Peter and Olivia lied tangled in each other's arms, talking and laughing about everything under the sun.

That night while Olivia was spooned against Peter's sleeping form, she thought about Daniel for the first time in hours. But, instead of feeling frightened, she felt fearless, like she could overcome anything and everything now that she had Peter.

The second she'd stripped away her façade and let him hold her heart, she was no longer afraid. She'd had no idea just how powerful the effect of his love would be, and for the first time in over 2 decades, knew without a doubt she'd never be alone again.

Here with him, she was safe.

Feedback is always greatly appreciated! Hope you enjoyed :)