I have a hard time believing Liv didn't have more to say about Elliot going under cover. Sure the necklace was amazing and cute, but if it were me I would have lost my mind before the necklace entered the conversation. So here's that scene with the more realistic angst and indignant anger.

"I wanted to give it to you before I left. "

Oh my hell. Here it comes. She instinctively knew where this was going. The look on his face. His demeanor. She knew.

"Before you left? You going somewhere?" Of course he was leaving. His life had become too much and he was going to bail. He was going to run. The man always ran.

"New case. I'll be gone for a while."

She knew she should be understanding. A member of his team just died. Maybe he didn't have a choice on the assignment. Still, her knee jerk reaction was anger and frustration. They had finally started making actual progress, and he was leaving. He always left.

She was pissed. She was annoyed. She wasn't doing this right now. She shut her laptop, and made her way towards her office door. She felt Elliot's eyes on her back, but she didn't care. He was leaving, and she didn't have to listen to any of this.

Fin stood as she walked by, and his eyes darted between her and Stabler. She probably should clue him in. "You're in charge. I'm not dealing with this right now." She knew he would know what she was talking about, and she glanced over her shoulder in enough time to watch Fin block Elliot's pursuit of her. Her hip hindered her movement so she hoped Fin could keep between them long enough for her to get the hell out of there.

-000-

Elliot knew she would be upset, but he hoped the gift and this visit would soften the blow. He had hoped she would understand why he needed to do this, but she didn't give him a chance to explain before she stormed off.

And now Fin was basically body blocking him so he couldn't follow her. "God Fin! Just let me talk to her!"

"I know that look on her face. You ain't gettin' anywhere near her right now." Fin's arms crossed as he stubbornly blocked his way.

Elliot glared, but Fin didn't budge. "Look man, you're my friend, but when it comes down to it, I'm always gonna be team Olivia. And she," he glanced over his shoulder, "doesn't want to be anywhere near you right now."

Elliot wanted to punch something…or someone, but he knew that wouldn't solve his problem. Instead he found an office chair and slumped down into it. He dropped his head into his hands. This had been the week from hell, and it was only getting worse.

Fin softened at Elliot's obvious distress. He found a chair near Elliot and sat next him in silence. After a couple minutes Fin finally asked, "Wanna tell me what you did to piss her off this time?"

Elliot groaned into hands. "I accepted another UC assignment." He lifted his head to gauge Fin's reaction.

Fin slapped his hands on his knees and stood up abruptly. "You're a damn fool," he muttered.

When he started to walk away, Elliot stood to follow him. "I'm not abandoning her again if that's what you're thinking."

"It doesn't matter what I'm thinkin'. You should be worried about what she's thinkin' because I'm thinking she's relivin' some pretty painful memories right now."

"She didn't give me a chance to explain!" Elliot defended with exasperation.

"Why are you takin' the assignment anyway?"

"I'm just," Elliot threw up his hands in frustration. "I don't know. I'm suffocating with everything right now, and with Jamie dying on us I just need out. And we are down a team member. I have to do what's best for my team."

"You're an idiot."

"Easy on the complements." Elliot grumbled.

"No seriously. She definitely doesn't like you for your brains." Fin shook his head in disbelief.

"Okay, I'm leaving." Elliot rolled his eyes and started for the door.

"Elliot?"

"What?" He sighed.

"Give her a little space and then just be straight with her. You two dance around the issues non stop, I feel like I'm watching a goddamn ballroom competition. Just tell her what's goin on and how you feel about everything." Fin headed back to his desk. "Just sayin,"he muttered as he settled back into his chair.

Elliot stood for a moment, processing what Fin said. He headed for the elevators. Before exiting the squad room he called, "Thanks Fin!" Over his shoulder.

He heard a "Yep," in return as he entered the hallway.

-000-

Olivia planned on going home or something after the incident with Elliot, but she really did have work to do. She hid out in her car for a while, laying the seat back so she could rest a while. Once a sufficient amount of time passed, she texted Fin.

O: Did Elliot leave? I need to finish a report and I REALLY don't want to talk to him right now.

F: Figured. He's gone.

O: Thanks.

Once she reentered the squad room she felt Fin's eyes on her. He would want to talk, but she wanted to get this damn report out of the way so she could nap on her couch and take pressure off her injured hip.

She gave Fin a curt nod as she passed and she hoped he realized he needed to leave this alone for now. Thankfully, he didn't follow her into her office and she could enjoy some silence behind the closed door.

She sighed and wandered to her standing desk. She wished she could crash on her couch, but her workload never let up and she needed to get this done. As she circled behind the desk, she noticed the brown paper sack sitting conspicuously in front of her. She wanted to ignore it, but her eyes wandered in it's direction every so often while working on the report. It finally distracted her enough to shut her laptop and open the damn thing.

She reached in the bag and her heart leapt when she removed a small box from the bag. Only one thing came in these types of boxes. Jewelry. She was intrigued and a little nervous. Elliot had never given her anything like this, and there had to be something meaningful in the gesture.

She carefully removed the bow and took off the lid. When she pulled the tissue paper back, she felt tears begin to well in the corners of her eyes. A compass. It was beautiful. She lifted it from the box to inspect it closer. After removing it from the box she noticed a short note on the bottom. She immediately recognized the handwriting.

Hope this leads you to happiness Liv. You deserve it. You deserve everything.

Well damn it. He came to her office after his colleague's funeral to tell her about a new assignment and bring her this thoughtful gift. And she shot him down. She groaned and dropped her head into her hand.

She wanted to blame her reaction on the emotional toll the last few days took, but she knew that wasn't why she reacted the way she did.

She was tired of waiting. She was tired of feeling frustrated. She finally felt ready, and he took a UC gig, delaying everything.

Her eyes dropped to the beautiful necklace sitting delicately in her hand. This was his attempt at trying. She knew he was triggered right now. She knew he was an emotional mess, but he was trying.

She groaned. She wanted to call him and tell him to come back, but he was probably just as pissed as she had been. They could have had a moment, and she blew it. Suddenly, she felt exhausted.

She dropped the necklace back into the box and closed the lid. She slid the ribbon back on and gently slid it into a pocket on her purse. She slowly limped her way into the squad room. Fin's eyes immediately followed her as she approached. "Take me home?" She asked wearily.

"Of course," he grabbed his phone and keys and stood. "Bruno? You good for a bit?"

"Yeah!" He called without looking away from his computer screen.

Fin read the room well and let her ride home in silence. She knew he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue. However, the silence became stifling and she finally broke. "Okay fine. What do you want to say?"

"None my business," he kept his eyes on the road.

"Seriously?" She had no patience for bullshit right now. "I'm not going to beg you to tell me. I'm tired. Tell me or don't."

"Damn. He left you extra messed up today."

"Gee thanks again." She rolled her eyes and turned away from him, focusing on the buildings passing in the window.

He let out a long breath, and she knew he was trying to decide if what he had to say was worth her potential ire. "Quit the bullshit Liv. You know what you want and you know what he wants, so just talk to each other for once. I know he's leaving, but maybe you should hear him out."

"When did you become such a staunch defender of Elliot Stabler?" The history between Elliot and Fin was rocky at best.

"Hey. I made it very clear to him that I'm team Benson all the way. But the thing I admire about Stabler is his dogged devotion to you. He's an idiot. He can be a selfish son of a bitch, but that stupid idiot loves you. He just does all the stupid things."

She sat in silence, trying to absorb his words. He was right, of course, but the hurt and frustration didn't magically disappear because she understood him. She still felt mad. She still felt annoyed. She still worried, and she doubted anyone could change that.

Don't worry. It's getting a part 2.