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She caves and calls him, she doesn't even know what time it is, the lingering fear and panic still clinging to her after a particularly vicious nightmare had startled her awake. Noah is still away, somewhere safe she's not entirely sure where, she misses her son but she's grateful he's not here to be awoken by her screams.
Her mind doesn't register that she's calling him, her hands working on their own to find his number on her phone, she hasn't memorised his new number yet. A paralysing fear she won't admit outside of her drunken conversation with Amanda, preventing her from committing his number to memory. They'd exchanged a few texts over the last week, mainly her telling him she's alive, battered and bruised, but alive. Her mind tells her to hang up but he answers before she gets the chance. Everything stops when she hears his voice. The effects of the nightmare disappearing almost instantly. He's still saying her name, waiting for her to respond but she's frozen.
"El? I- I'm sorry, I don't even know why I rang. Did I wake you?"
"Liv, are you OK? It's 3am."
"I- i-" a sob finishes her sentence. Followed by another sob so loud she almost misses him telling her he's on his way over. She stays on the phone, silent tears leaving tracks down her face, she doesn't need to say anything, she just needs to hear him, know he's there. He makes it to her place in record time, she's standing in the hallway waiting for him to open the door. Once he's inside, they lock eyes for a moment before he beckons her over and envelops her in a hug. He strokes her hair as she cries into his shirt, he whispers into her hair that she'll be OK and places a light kiss to the top of her head before they part.
"It looks worse than it is." He wants to smirk, typical Liv, brushing off major injuries as something minor.
"Always does, but let me guess, you're fine?"
She doesn't answer, avoids telling the truth how she's far from fine, her ptsd leaving her spiralling daily since the attack, instead she settles for a truth she can admit outloud, "I'm glad you're here."
She grabs them both a bottle of water and they settle on the sofa, close enough for their knees to touch while maintaining some distance between them should Liv feel the need to flee, to run if things get too much. They spend some time talking about nothing in particular, discussing the weather and sports, talking about their kids fully aware they are avoiding talking about what brought Elliot over at 3am.
Elliot is the first to break the seal open and motions towards her bruised face, eyes still red from tears. "Please be honest with me, are you OK? A text telling me you're alive doesn't give me much and what I did hear from Fin was vague and evasive."
She shrugs in response, avoiding answering his question, "Black eye, some fractured ribs and a bruised ego, nothing that won't heal."
She changes the subject quickly, asking about his Christmas and Bernie. Anything to distract him from finding out how she really is.
"I had a nightmare." The confession comes out a whisper, cutting off Elliot's story of Bernie's latest antics. Liv looks down, almost embarrassed to be telling him it, he knows she feels guilty for waking him up but he can't shake the relief that she called him in the first place.
Elliot reaches over, grasps her right hand in his left and gives it a gentle squeeze, encouraging her to carry on. She doesn't let go as she tells him everything. The truth comes pouring out of her and she can't stop herself. Olivia can't look at him while she talks, if she sees his face it'll break her further, if she sees his silent tears it would destroy her completely.
She stops talking and looks up for the first time, their hands still locked together, neither wanting to let go. "El?" He doesn't respond, just looks at her while he continues to cry. She doesn't even realise she had started crying again until a tear drops onto her pyjama bottoms. Leaning forward she grabs them both some tissues, refusing to lose contact with Elliot. He shuffles closer to her until there's nothing separating them except 10 years of history.
Their walls are crumbling around them, hands still grasping each other, Olivia pulls Elliot up and this time she initiates the hug. Elliot pulls back for a second, a finger ghosting over the bruises decorating Liv's face and with a tenderness normally reserved for his kids, he places a delicate kiss onto the bruise. His hands holding her face while his lips move down until for the first time, their lips meet and an explosion of emotion and love pours out of them.
They don't let the kiss deepen into something that could lead further, only long enough to get a taste of what they've held themselves back from having for too long. Emotions too raw for anything more. Olivia settles her head on his shoulder, a sigh escaping her lips followed by a yawn she tries to mask.
Elliot places a finger under Olivia's chin, eyes silently asking for consent before kissing her once more, a quick kiss to seal everything said and the steps taken between them that night from former partners to something more.
Another yawn escapes Olivia's lips and for the first time Elliot notices the dark circles under Olivia's eyes and how she's more sluggish in her movements, evidence of a week of little to no sleep and he suspects nightmares plaguing her whenever she closes her eyes.
Tonight, what is left of the night, he will try to keep her safe from the monsters in her head. He follows her to her bedroom, kicking off his shoes and removing his jeans while she pops into the bathroom. When she comes back out he's sat on her bed, the covers pulled back ready for her. She slips in and settles down nestling herself as close as possible to him. He relishes in the contact, slips down so he too is laying down and wraps his arms around her. "Sleep, I'll be here when you wake up."
"Promise?"
"I promise Liv."
One more kiss is shared before he watches Olivia give up fighting sleep. He stays awake for a little while longer, just watching her, poised to help her at the first sign of a nightmare but she seems settled, sleeping peacefully.
He wakes up to them in the same position they'd fallen asleep in, somehow Olivia had unconsciously moved even closer to the point she was virtually laying on top of him. He hears her let out a content sigh and nestle herself further into him, before looking up to face him. She appears more rested and has an aura of calm surrounding her.
"How you feeling this morning?" She seems to ponder his question for a minute before resting her head on his chest, "Like I'm finally home."