I was very unsure how I wanted this chapter to go. A kiss or not yet? More than one? I hope you'll be satisfied with what I made of it. (I'm not sure I'm completely happy with the end result.) Do let me know if they are (or rather, Olivia is) still in character.

...

22. Munch

"I so want to kiss you right now."

She should have known. Filter-less Elliot was going to say out loud every single thing they'd always kept to themselves. Their boundaries didn't exist for him and if he kept this up, she was in for an intense ride. Not that it hadn't been intense before. But while Elliot was unknowingly ripping the band-aid off of all her old wounds, she was the one with the built-up frustration, pain and fear of years. Her utter shock must have registered clearly on her face, because she could see doubt rise up in his eyes. He was wondering if he'd made a mistake by just blurting out what he was thinking. Had he? Or was he on to something?

She'd hesitated too long and Elliot was pulling back. It was a reflex to lift her hand to his face and place her palm against his cheek.

"El."

Elliot stilled, not moving back further and not moving forward again. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. Olivia held her breath. Everything she had ever wanted was right here, in the palm of her hand. All she had to to was take it. But what if ... what if. Damn those what-ifs that wouldn't leave her alone. His eyes opened and she was mesmerized by all the shades of blue and grey in them. And the question that seemed to be oozing from them.

"I know you're the one Liv. You have to be or I wouldn't feel this way. But do you know it too?"

There was hope and pain and love and sadness in his eyes and he seemed to be reverting to the Elliot she'd known for so long. She'd seen exactly the same in his eyes then. The pain and powerlessness had often translated into anger but the look in his eyes was basically the same. Part of her didn't want him to become that man again, and that meant she couldn't be that woman anymore that she used to be. If she really wanted things to be different this time, she would have to be different. Drop the pretense. Drop the filter. Just admit the unadmittable. Say the unsayable. And do the unthinkable.

Her hand moved from his cheek down to his neck, and she wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck. Her fingers were tingling at the contact. She'd dreamed of touching his skin so often. Elliot's eyes were staring into hers and hope was overriding the doubt and sadness in them now.

"Please understand," Olivia said softly, almost whispering. "I can't just forget everything like you have."

She pulled him closer to her until their foreheads were touching.

"Was I that bad?" Elliot asked equally softly, placing his hands on her thighs and rubbing them gently.

"We both were," Olivia said with a sad smile.

"Tell me about that later?"

"Okay."

"Can I kiss you now?"

Her breath hitched but she was determined not to pull up that wall again.

"Yes."

Her eyes drifted shut when they both tilted their heads and she could feel Elliot trembling almost as much as she was when their lips brushed against each other. Her heart was almost beating out of her chest. They both breathed out simultaneously and Elliot finally pressed his lips to hers. He was soft and strong, exactly like she'd expected, but not intrusive. And when he pulled back after a few seconds, she was reminded again of how much he'd lost along with his memory. In her fantasies, he would be passionate, almost trying to overpower her and they'd struggle to get close to each other, both equally determined to keep the upper hand. But this Elliot was tentative. Careful. Gentle. Almost afraid. Maybe he was beginning to realize just how complicated they had always been.

He was smiling hesitantly, probing her eyes for a reaction. For confirmation, she realized. She wanted to give him confirmation that she did want this with him, despite all the things that were still to be discussed, and smiled a real smile, albeit a little hesitantly. Elliot let out a shaky breath, clearly relieved that he hadn't spooked her too much.

"I dreamed about you again last night Liv. And I was really angry with you for some reason. I just needed to know that that was not an actual memory."

Olivia was going to tell him that it most likely was, but they were interrupted by a firm knock on the door. It opened immediately after that and Olivia moved back a little and dropped her hand into her lap, where Elliot's hands were still resting on her thighs. When she saw who it was, appearing from behind the door, she sighed his name.

"John!"

"Olivia," John Munch said, approaching them.

She could tell he'd made a quick assessment of the situation, the detective in him always at work, and he winked at her when she stood up to greet him.

"I'm so glad you could come," she told her old friend sincerely while giving him a hug. "Come and meet Elliot."

She grabbed Munch's hand and pulled him along with her towards Elliot, who was looking at them both with great interest.

"John?" he asked. "Fin's partner?"

Olivia's mouth fell open in surprise. Where had that come from?

"This guy Fin was here last night," Elliot clarified, "and he told me a little bit about the unit where I used to work. He mentioned a John as his partner."

"Guilty as charged," Munch answered, extending his hand to the man in the hospital bed. "It's good to see you, Elliot, although I wish it had been under better circumstances."

Elliot shook his hand and said,

"Yeah, so do I. But Liv is taking good care of me, John."

"I'm sure she is."

Much looked at her over the rim of his glasses and she smiled shyly. He'd seen enough when he came into the room to know they were already becoming close again.

"This is a woman you can trust with your life, Elliot. Never doubt that for even a second," Munch stated solemnly.

"I know," Elliot said, giving Olivia a wide smile.

The tender look in his eyes could melt her heart. She knew they had a lot to discuss and he'd come to realize eventually that they had, in fact, gotten very angry with each other over the years. If that dream meant another memory had come back to him, she wasn't sure if she should be happy or worried about that. She shook her head when the what-ifs started assaulting her brain again. No what-ifs. This was a new situation with new parameters.

Olivia tried to focus on Munch and Elliot, who were chatting a little now. She busied herself picking up what was left of their lunch and straightening Elliot's covers while listening to both men. Munch gave her a knowing smile and she felt a blush creep up her cheeks. The older man had always been on to her, even when Fin had still been in denial fiercely. Fin would never become Elliot's biggest fan. The two hotheads were simply incompatible. And that was part of the reason why Fin had refused to believe or understand that Olivia actually cared deeply about her partner. Even when he saw her falling apart after Elliot's abrupt departure, he'd been convinced she was better off without him. She had been pleasantly surprised by the change in his attitude and she wondered if it had to do with Fin's visit to the hospital the night before.

Munch on the other hand, knew that matters of the heart were not easily manipulated. He'd always been an staunch supporter of investigating everything, including feelings that should or shouldn't be there. And while his own relationships hadn't lasted, he still believed in true love. And aliens. And government cover-ups. Elliot's laughter filled the room and Olivia knew Munch was up to his old tricks again.

"Is he always like this?" Elliot asked her, still grinning but clutching his sore ribs that would no doubt hurt from laughing like that.

Olivia looked at her old friend and smiled.

"Yeah. He's unique. Is he trying to convince you that your amnesia is a result of secret testing by the government, or a ploy to make sure you didn't return to the NYPD?"

"Do not underestimate the power of Big Brother, Olivia," Munch warned her quite seriously.

"Sure," Olivia chuckled, pulling up a chair for Munch and gesturing at him to sit. "Next you're going to tell me that IAB has been behind it all along."

"I wouldn't put it past them," Munch replied seriously and Olivia's smile faded.

"Don't act like you don't know that Tucker pushed Elliot to retire Olivia. No one at IAB can be trusted. Well, aside from Cassidy of course."

Olivia rolled her eyes. Munch would always stand up for his old partner, no matter how different he and Brian were.

"Guys," Elliot said, looking between the two people next to his bed. "Enlighten me. Who are Tucker and Cassidy?"

...

...

I know our couple is getting interrupted a lot, by sleep as well as other people, and that they have a lot to discuss and work out. It's all coming, I promise. I just don't know when yet. It's kinda like real life, huh? Oh, almost forgot. Dun dun!