A/N: I'm really enjoying this story. I hope you guys are too.

After a long time of silence, and no answer to her question, Olivia spoke again.

"Do you wanna come up?" she didn't know what possessed her to ask such a question, and she knew it meant trouble, but the thought of being alone now, made her feel sick. She wanted him with her.

He looked at her for a long time before he responded. "I don't think I should," he said regretfully.

"No, probably not," she lowered her head, hiding her eyes from him so he didn't see the disappointment. She tucked her hair behind her ears and looked out the window, not moving.

"Liv?"

"Yeah," she whispered, her eyes scanning the people as they walked by. What were their lives like? Was it complicated for them like it was for her?

"I wanna come up," he said.

Her heart rate increased, as she forced her eyes to his.

"You do?"

"Yes," he nodded evidently. "But if I do…"

"You're afraid."

"Yes. I'm afraid."

Olivia nodded. "I am too."

For a moment neither of them moved, and then Elliot turned off the engine and climbed out of the car. Trembling, Olivia didn't move until her partner came around to open the passenger's door. He held out his hand, and she slowly reached for it.

Neither of them said anything, as they walked the stairs to her apartment building. Olivia unlocked the door and Elliot walked in first. His eyes scanned the room as if it had once been his.

"It feels strange being back, seeing everything the same after…"

"El," she crossed the room to stand before him. "I know what I said then, was-"

He shook his head. "You don't have to explain anything. I understand."

"Do you?" she locked eyes with him, silently begging, pleading with him to understand what had happened between them, what she had said, what she had meant, the hidden meaning behind the words.

"I know I crossed the line between friendship and-"

"No more than I wanted to," she confessed.

"Liv, you don't have to do that," he said. "You don't have to take the blame or feel guilty because I care about you in ways that you don't care about me."

"Oh, but I do…" she laughed bitterly.

He stared at her. "What are you saying?"

She took a deep breath. "I said all that… I said all that because I didn't want to be the one to hold you back. You wanted to go, your family WANTED to go. How could I just tell you that I needed you more? It wasn't my right to ask you, and I didn't want you to…"

"To what?" he demanded.

"I couldn't stand it if you hated me."

Elliot laughed. "I'd never hate you. God, Liv, are you crazy," he touched her face, his fingers tracing her jaw line. She closed her eyes, at the touch of his hand on her. "I missed you…" he whispered.

She managed a weak smile. "I missed you too."

"You really worked alone all this time?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I didn't want anyone that wasn't you."

He stared at her, bewildered, amazed, lovingly…

Like I've probably told you all a MILLION times, I have a short attention span, so my chapters are always short. But usually they have something fundamental and exciting happening.

Post a review and I'll give you another chapter. The next one will have more HEART and EMOTION… promise. :)