-00-Epilogue-00-

Olivia made it into the office a little early to prepare rial for her briefing. The gang unit asked for corroboration on a case, and she planned to bring both teams up to speed later in the morning.

She sat at her desk and began flipping through the miscellaneous files that they hoped showed a connection to one another. Her fingers began to toy with the compass, as they often did when she focused. It had become a sort of soothing habit. Inevitably her mind would wander and her heart would pick up speed as she remembered the man who gave her the gift.

The memory of his face always brought with it the memory of his hands, so rough, but so soft on her skin. She rubbed at the flush she felt in her cheeks. It had been over a month since his unexpected visit, and the few days break from the reality of their lives, but it had to end eventually. He returned to his assignment and she had to return to her life like she had not been irreversibly changed.

"Thinkin of someone special?" His eyes brightened with a sort of teasing lightness.

She didn't even look up to justify Fin's teasing. "Nope. Just this case…"

Fin dropped himself into the chair in front of her desk. "Liar."

She glared.

"What? I've known you twenty years, I know your thinkin face." He grinned at her smugly.

She shook her head and tried hiding her smile. There wasn't really a point hiding anything from Fin, and she suspected he somehow knew everything anyway. She couldn't come up with a quick witted remark fast enough. He added, "How's Elliot?" He didn't even bother with subtlety.

She shrugged. "I don't know a lot. He calls once a week, but he can't talk about the case much."

Fin understood the game. "Yeah that's the gig. Know if he's getting close."

She sighed in frustration, and shook her head. "No idea. I've tried to keep myself out of it ya know."

"I get it." Fin slapped his knees and pushed himself out of the chair. "Our friends are startin to gather out there."

"I'll be out in a couple minutes." She needed a minute to banish the thought of Elliot from her mind. Her focus needed to be on work. Victims. There would be time for Elliot later.

-000-

Elliot rubbed his hand over the beard that now lined his face, and he wondered if he should have shaved before coming. She had made a suggestive comment about his beard awhile back, and he thought he would keep it a little longer. Plus, he didn't want to waste any time. He wanted to see her.

He completed his debriefing, and he almost immediately made his way to her precinct. He hadn't told her how close they were to closing the case. He hadn't wanted to get her hopes up. Or his. But it was done, and he relished the idea of surprising her.

The precinct bustled with an increased flow of traffic and he wondered why there were so many moving around the precinct that day. He worried she might have a big case, and his interruption wouldn't be welcomed.

The thought made him nervous, but he persevered. If she was busy he could say a quick hello and duck out before he got in the way. Truth was that he couldn't wait one more minute to see her.

Elliot followed a few unfamiliar people who filtered into the squad room ahead of him. He immediately noticed her standing in front of the large pinboard.

Elliot stayed back, crossed his arms, and leaned against the wall, taking a moment to just watch her. She hadn't noticed his presence and continued the briefing she was leading.

She was beautiful, but she always had been. Ten years made her harder in some ways and softer in others. They were different people then they were back then. The years had changed them. They both struggled. They were both broken down, and had to rebuild their lives one piece at a time. They had changed, but he was more in love with the woman she was today than the young detective of twenty years ago.

He watched as she divided out assignments among her team, and he smiled when he caught a glimpse of his compass necklace. He hoped it would always help her find happiness. He hoped it would always guide her back to him.

Her eyes flicked up suddenly, and she found him standing in the back of the room. She smiled to herself, but quickly returned to business, closing out assignments. As the detectives scattered her warm eyes caught his and she leaned her head in the direction of her office. He nodded his understanding and hurried to meet her at her office door.

Olivia stepped in ahead of him, and he followed, shutting the door behind them. She leaned back against her desk and smiled sweetly. "So youre home?" She asked warmly.

He took two steps towards her with a crooked smile. "Yeah."

Her smile remained, but her eyes appeared wary. "For good?"

He closed the distance between them until his face was a whisper away from hers. His hand brushed her hair back from her face before he kissed her gently. "I'm never leaving you again." His lips fell on hers again, and her hand slid to the back of the neck to stabilize herself. "Ever," he breathed.

He tried not to feel offended by the unsure look in her eyes. He knew her trust was not easily won, and she was willing to give him a chance. Now all he had to do was not mess it up. She lifted a hand to his face, and her perfect brown eyes filled with tears. "I'm really glad you're home."

He dropped a soft kiss high on her cheek bone and pulled her closer. "Me too." He breathed out. He let his lips wander the length of her jaw. "Have time for lunch later."

"Mmm," she thought out loud. He continued brushing his lips lightly over her face, waiting for her response. Her eyes were closed, and he swore he could hear hear heart pound from where he stood.

Without a second thought he kissed her. There was something about kissing her, in the precinct. It seemed almost predestined. Fated. For a decade they had lost each other, and in a very real sense, they had lost themselves, but here, in her office, in the place they met more than twenty years ago, they had come full circle. They found what always should have been. They were whole.

-000-

Hey everyone! Remember to leave kudos and drop me some comments letting me know how you felt about this one! I hoped you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

As always, stay subscribed for bonus scenes/chapters/content. You can expect:

Elliot talks to his children about their silence over William Lewis

And

An alternate scenario: chapter 6 Elliot talks about driving to Livs apartment- she said she would have let him in- lots of you thought it would be cool to do a scenario where he did come up…I'll write it as a bonus for this story