"Bye, Miss Jowanna!" The little dark-haired, blue-eyed boy waved.

"Bye, Kade! See you on Wednesday!" Johanna called after her client, watching as he walked away from her office with his mother after his therapy session.

When they were out of sight, Johanna began to clean up her table, putting the laminated pictures and cards away in their appropriate boxes. She turned around to put the box on the shelf above her and saw Grace walk into her office and shut the door behind her.

"I've got ten minutes until my client gets here," Grace said. "Tell me everything."

Johanna laughed as she set the box down on the shelf. "It was great."

Grace squealed, giddy and excited for her friend. "I knew it! Ah, details, woman, details!"

"We went to dinner, shared a bottle of wine, then went back to my place," Johanna told her.

"Umm." Grace widened her eyes. "How was he?"

"Just as good as you said he would be." Johanna winked.

"Oh my, God," Grace sighed. "Is he big? Did he last long? Did you? How many times did you achieve the big O?"

"Yes, yes, yes, and once each time," Johanna answered.

"Each time? How many times did you do it?" Grace wondered.

"We had standard, cliché sex in the bedroom that night then the next morning we got each other off in the kitchen then boned again on my kitchen table."

"Shut up," Grace teased. "That is so hot."

Johanna nodded then added, "It was pretty hot."

"So you let him take you on a real date and stay the night?" Grace questioned. "And you even cooked him breakfast?"

"And?" Johanna retorted.

"I mean, I don't know about you, but I certainly never cooked breakfast for any of my friends with benefits," Grace informed her. "That's a pretty big step for you; I'm proud."

Johanna had to admit that she had a point. She knew that their rendezvous certainly wasn't going to be a one-night stand, but they did spend quite a little bit of time together after the fact. She enjoyed it, of course, but she had to admit that it was much more than she was expecting at that time.

"Ugh, okay, I have to go," Grace groaned as she opened the door. "I'm so jealous of your hot cop sex – keep me updated."

"Okay," Johanna laughed as she watched the girl walk away.

As she sat at her desk to update the data in her binder, she couldn't help but think about what Grace had said. And the more she thought about it, the more it plagued her. So as soon as she was done with her last client of the day, she threw on her coat and headed across the city.

A mixture of dirt, ice, and snow created a gross, wet sludge on the New York sidewalks, which Johanna shuffled around under her rain boots as she waited against the brick wall. When she saw Elliot and Olivia exit through the familiar revolving glass doors of the precinct, a wave of guilt washed over her, knowing the conversation they were about to have might end badly.

"Johanna, hi!" Olivia was the first one to spot her and greet her.

"Hey, Olivia," Johanna acknowledged with a smile.

"Hey," Elliot greeted, also smiling. It made Johanna's heart flop.

"I had to park around the corner, so I'll see you tomorrow, El. Good to see you again, Johanna!" Olivia concluded as she began to walk away, giving the couple some privacy.

"You too!" Johanna called after her as Elliot waved goodbye to his partner then began walking side by side toward his car with the redhead.

"What are you doing here?" Elliot wondered. "Missed me that much already?"

"We need to talk," Johanna told him, unfazed by his teasing question.

"I don't like the sound of that," he replied honestly.

"It's not like that," she reassured him. "I was just thinking...maybe this weekend was too much."

"In what way?" Elliot's heart sank, unsure and afraid of where she was taking the conversation, despite her initial reassurance.

"It was very...formal," she answered.

They stopped walking when they approached his car.

"Get in," he told her, not wanting her to have to walk or take the subway all the way back to her apartment. "I'll drive you home, and we can keep talking."

She nodded in compliance and got in the passenger side of his car as he got in the driver's seat. When he securely pulled out of his parallel parking spot and onto the road, he continued their conversation for her. "So how was our date night too formal for you?"

"It just was. It was too much. But it was just as much my fault as it was yours," she told him, not trying to place blame. "I mean, I cooked breakfast and everything."

He was confused. "So what? You're saying I shouldn't have stayed the night? I just didn't want to make it seem like I got what I wanted and was done with you for the night."

"I know," she sighed. "It's just that we went on such an official date, then we had sex, and I'm glad you stayed the night, but then we spent so much time together the next day, and-"

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself," he retorted.

"I was," she relented. "I'm not blaming you. But looking back, it was a little too much all at once."

Elliot took a deep breath, growing increasingly frustrated with the girl beside him. Typically, when dealing with Kathy, he would bite his tongue and choose not to argue with anything she said, letting his anger build up, but he remembered that this young woman was not his ex-wife, and that he was not willing to play any games with her like he did with Kathy. He was going to be open and honest with her, just like she was trying to be with him.

"You know what?" Elliot rhetorically asked. "I don't do this kind of crap. I don't play this game where we sleep together and hang out and have fun, but act like it's nothing serious."

"I knew this was going to happen." Johanna shook her head. "You were married for fifteen years. Commitment is all you know."

"And detachment is all you know," he spat back.

They sat in silence for a moment, trying to take in the fact that they both had a point. Elliot felt bad for getting so irritated with Johanna when she was only being open and honest with him like they had agreed to do from the beginning.

"You're right," Johanna surrendered. "Detachment is all I know."

"I know you have your reasons as to why you push people away," he said. "And I get it. It's terrifying to think about becoming dependent on someone when you've only been disappointed in the past. But I'm not going to let you push me away."

She didn't reply, feeling very conflicted about what she wanted to say next.

"I'm not going to hold back with you," Elliot continued. "And I don't want you to hold back with me."

"I don't know how to date," she reminded him.

"That's bullshit," he called her out. "You cooked breakfast for me and snuggled with me on the couch after we had sex. You brought me Chinese food when you knew I hadn't eaten all day. You didn't hesitate to save me when I needed your help with that little autistic boy. You know damn well how to date. You just use that as an excuse to run away when you get scared."

She was stunned. Because everything he was saying was true. She wouldn't quite admit it to herself, but she knew deep down that it was true. And no one had bothered to figure it out or call her out on it before. Every guy she had tried to date previously would let her flee with that excuse.

"I'm not asking you to move in with me or marry me," he teased. "But let me date you. You deserve to be dated, not used."

She weighed the thought back and forth, knowing with certainty that it would be worth it, even if it ended up in shambles, but the idea of the possible shambles made her hesitant.

"Do I have to call you my boyfriend?" Johanna wondered.

"You can call me whatever you want," Elliot told her.

"Can I call you 'shithead'?" She smirked.

He smiled over at her, feeling as if he had a sudden breakthrough with her since she was already trying to lighten the mood.

"Just don't expect a lot from me, okay?" She pleaded. "It's going to take time."

"Of course," he agreed, fully understanding.

It wouldn't be the last time she tried to push him away, but she had changed his life already, and now he was ready to help change hers.