A/N: Thank you to each and every one of you that took the time to leave a review. I am grateful. So enjoy the next chapter and have fun FANFIC-ing :)
A week passed.
Slowly Elliot and Olivia's partnership seemed to find solid ground, it was by no means the same as it used to be, and neither of them had the expectations of it heading into that direction, ever again, but at least they were able to remain professional and light. Secrets were well hidden from each other now.
Olivia wanted to ask why he didn't return to Australia to be with his family, but she was afraid that once she did he might very well return, and she liked having him around again, even if she wasn't quite ready to let him in. Her emotions were intact, but she felt them rising whenever he was in the same room.
Elliot insisted driving her home one night, and while she fought him as best she could, in the end, he took her by the arm and dragged her out of the precinct and into his car, as if he was arresting a perp. She struggled, but he won in the end. She buckled her seatbelt and pouted as he drove her to her apartment.
Elliot pulled the car to a stop and turned to Olivia. She didn't move. She knew she should have gone inside, anything from here on in, would have only meant trouble, but she couldn't manage to make her feet cooperate. Something held her back. Her eyes met his and she held his gaze.
"Why did you leave?" she whispered. She hadn't known she'd spoken until the words were out of her mouth, and even then she wasn't sure she wanted to take them back.
He didn't answer right away. "I couldn't stay," he responded. He watched her for a moment, his eyes drinking her in, she could feel it, and it made her tense. He seemed to hesitate before he leaned across the driver's seat to brush a loose strand of her hair from her face. She flinched, and he instantly retracted. "I wanted to stay," he told her.
"Why didn't you?" she demanded, her voice still low but now forceful.
"You left me no choice, how could I stay when you-"
"Don't you dare blame me," she said shaking her head. "You had a choice, El, you didn't have to go. You CHOSE to go. You moved your family to another state, just so you could get away from me." She was deeply hurt.
His eyes glassed over. "I didn't leave you… it wasn't you I was leaving, it was- it was me."
She frowned. "What does that mean?"
"I was trying to escape myself, Liv. I…" he threw his hands in the air. "I messed it up. I know I did, and I'm sorry, but I… I didn't see another way for this to work. I was desperate." He lowered his head as if he held ashamed.
"I didn't… if you and I… if things had been different, would you have packed up and moved to Australia?" she had to know. If in another reality, the choice had been different, would she have lost him?
"I hope not," he answer was simple with a lot of heart.
"Why are you here now?" she held her gaze again, determined to get an honest answer.
He flinched, as if the answer hurt.
I might take some time gathering new ideas, so don't stress, I'm not abandoning the story. In the meantime, if you have ANY ideas you'd like me to add in, post a review. Until then, enjoy Fanfic-ing and let me know what you thought of this chapter!