"My dad told me about the super cool project that you work on!" Kathleen said, sitting beside Olivia on Elliot's couch as they ate ice cream. Elliot was downstairs getting candy from the vending machine because Kathleen swore that M&Ms would taste good on mint chip ice cream. Elliot, inclined to believe her probably from some sort of genetic predisposition, was out the door like a man with his ass on fire.

"Oh yeah?" Olivia smiled, licking a bit of ice cream off of her spoon. "What'd he tell you?"

Kathleen sat up, adjusting her posture as if she were proud to recite her dad's words. "He said that you created an app for people's phones that helps keep them safe! Like a buddy-system, we have that at school. But your app is for adults to make sure nothing bad happens to them."

Olivia smiled bigger. "Yeah, that's what we try to do." Some part of her was glad that she didn't seem to know the entirety of details. It made her heart clench, but in a good way. At Kathleen's age, Olivia knew far too much. More than she ever should've. To see a little girl with such a protected mind, it made her faith in this world just a little stronger.

This was her Thursday night. Something she never had expected it would be. Dinner with Elliot and his daughter, talking about their days as if they've done that all along. Sitting together on the couch in comfy clothes and a movie playing in the background while they ate ice cream and too many other snacks.

She... liked it. Really liked it.

It didn't replace anything. Not at all. It was just an addition to what she already had. She was spending more and more nights at Elliot's, all of the same occurrences as before. Except now, she also had an evening spent with the both of them. She wasn't very much used to the idea of gaining without taking some sort of loss. However, there was no loss in sight. Part of her was waiting for it to come up out of nowhere.

"Has it helped a lot of people?" Kathleen chirped.

Olivia looked down at the floor, trying not to smile too hard. "I hope so. I think it has. A lot of people have told us that it's been very helpful. And you know what? Even if it helps just one person, that's enough for me."

Kathleen smiled back at her, her father's piercing blue eyes as vivid as ever on her face. She raised the spoon from her bowl of ice cream, clinking it against Olivia's like they were cheering.

"Someday when I'm old enough, I'm gonna sign up for the app and be a volunteer. I wanna help people too."

She wasn't sure why, but Olivia realized that she was fighting off tears. She smiled and nodded at Kathleen, trying to suppress a sniffle. "That's really sweet of you."

"M&Ms have been secured!" Elliot called out as he re-entered. He held up the canvas shopping bag he had left with. "As well as Twix, Twizzlers, Crunch bars, and gummy bears."

Olivia couldn't help but laugh. He could be such a child sometimes, but in the best way. "Did you leave any in the vending machine? All of the interns are gonna be pretty mad that you stole their lunch."

"Ah, they'll get over it." Elliot sighed, plopping down on the couch and dumping the contents of the bag. Kathleen giggled as he tore open a bag of M&Ms. "Anything for my girl!" he said in a fake growl, making her laugh even more. "We're not gonna eat all of it tonight though, sweet pea. Your mother will kill me if I send you home with a sugar rush that will last into next week."

Olivia's mind briefly wandered to Kathy. She had seen a picture of her, maybe once or twice. She had never actually met her, but she was always known as the notorious wife #2. Just as blonde as the rest of them. She wondered if all of the parts of Kathleen that didn't look like Elliot actually resembled Kathy. Did Kathy know that she had met her daughter? She wasn't sure if that was the type of information Elliot would divulge in.

God, would Kathy hate her?

She'd understand if Kathy did. After all, she was the young assistant to her billionaire ex-husband. She also happened to be screwing the guy.

And hanging out on the couch with their daughter.

Well, it was more than screwing - which they had established. But how likely would it be that anyone else would see it that way? It would be years and years down the road before anyone at all saw their relationship as anything beyond sex.

God... why was she worried about some other woman's opinion of her?

"Liv? Are you still with us?" Elliot's voice cut through her reverie. She blinked, turning to face him. "You spaced out on us a little bit there," he added, completely disregarding the fact that he had ice cream all over his nose. No doubt placed there by his daughter.

"Nice sunblock you got on, Baywatch." Olivia chuckled, pointing to his nose.

He replied by sticking his tongue out as far as it would go, trying to reach the tip of his nose. Kathleen burst out into hysterical laughter, which in turn made Olivia laugh too.

"Hey, El?" Olivia asked, climbing into bed beside him. She slid down between the gray satin sheets. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot," he replied, sliding into the other side.

She hesitated for a moment, her lower lip puffed out. "Do you think I should stop chasing after the CFO job? Maybe uh... maybe pursue something in the tech design department like I've been doing?"

Elliot looked at her, entirely bewildered. "What brings all this on? When I first met you, I was certain you'd slice someone's jugular to get that job."

She shrugged, settling deeper into the bed. "It's a lot of things, I guess. I don't even know where to start. Several people have told me I should stick to the job in the design department and go from there. I feel like I'm kinda good at what I do there. And besides, any way of me having a shot in hell of getting that CFO position rides on Tucker. I'd need hours put in, assisting in that department. God knows he won't let that ever happen and by the time he's out, there will be a brand new CFO in that seat who will be there for another 40 years."

Elliot stayed silent, thinking over her words. She had a point. That position wasn't one that you posted a 'wanted' ad for on a bulletin board. It was complex and difficult to come by. If it came down to it, getting her in that position would mean pulling strings. At the very beginning of their entire ordeal, he thought that was what she wanted. Now, he knew that if he even so much as breathed in the direction of getting that job for her, she'd refuse it.

"It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this," he commented, almost perfunctory in the way he said it.

"It wouldn't be the job I wanted, it definitely wouldn't be the job my degrees are for," she rolled her eyes and exhaled. "But it feels... attainable."

Elliot sighs, his face dropping into something sad. "I don't want you to give up on your dreams, Liv."

"Tucker is never gonna give up on keeping me out."

His hand reached out, cupping her cheek. "Since when does Ed Tucker dictate Olivia Benson's life?" he asked, the sense of urgency and seriousness being somewhat washed out with the hint of a grin.

She smiled at that, shrugging softly. "I wish it were that simple."

Elliot's heart skipped a beat when her face nuzzled gently against the hand he had placed on her cheek. "Whatever you decide, I'll be here to support you. No matter which you choose, I have full faith that you will rise to the very top."

She smiled at him, batting her eyelashes. "Be honest. Do you think I have the ability to get that job?"

He sighed, his chest dropped dramatically with the breath leaving his nose. His lips twitched as if he were running it all through his mind, a deep consideration of the truth vs what she wanted to hear. She could see the moment he settled on an answer because his shoulders released the tension they were carrying. "Not without a fight."

A small smirk grew on her lips. "Good thing I'm a fighter."

"We served an injunction to Huffington Post for their article about the ICAO investigation," Liz Donnelly says, speaking from one of the filled chairs around the conference table. "Due to the impending investigation, and not wanting to be next on the list, they complied. The article is down."

"Yeah, I know," Elliot rolled his eyes and sneered. "I got a fruit basket from Arianna Huffington herself today as an apology."

"That doesn't change the fact that it still got leaked, which could still jeopardize the outcome of the lawsuit against Charles De Gaulle Airport." one of the other attorneys interjected.

"If there's a trial, we're gonna have to testify, right?" Elliot asked the most familiar face in the room. "Even if it's a civil trial and not a criminal case?"

"It's possible," Liz responded, flashing him a brief glance of sympathy. "If Charles De Gaulle Airport won't settle, it could go that far."

Elliot ran his hands over his face with a sigh. "Can I have the room with Counselor Donnelly please?" he asked the surrounding attorneys: all who were clueless of how deep this actually went.

The suits cleared out in a single file line, as if rehearsed. Elliot sighed once more, dramatically dropping his head down onto the table. "Fuck," he grumbled.

Liz leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. "Think this through, Elliot." she raised her brows at him. "Try to settle this without going to court. If you do go to court, you won't be the only one going."

"I can't do that to Olivia. Yet, I'm doing all of this for her," he said as he lifted his head, blowing out a stressed breath through his lips. "She deserves justice for this! She could have died!"

"You all could have died." Liz stated simply.

He stopped for a moment, furrowing his brows at her. "What are you saying?"

He wasn't stupid. He could see that she was clearly trying to hint to him to read between the lines.

"What's this really about?"

He gave her an incredulous glare that held no real threat of anger to it. "It's about the fact that someone nearly downed my jet because the damn airport doesn't have tight enough security!"

"Is it?" she questioned, leaning forward to stare into his eyes. "Or is it because you weren't able to get justice for Olivia before?" her brows raised again. "Because this time you're actually involved enough in what happened to have a say in how the legal recourse goes, so you're fighting to get some form of justice for her to make up for what you couldn't get her when Tucker assaulted her."

He stared at her in disbelief. "Do you secretly have a psych PhD that I don't know about?"

"Just think about what you're doing, Elliot." Liz cocked her head, almost motherly. "If you're going to pursue this, then you better hope and pray that they settle because if you take this to court, you and everyone on that plane are gonna have to get up and tell the story. Including Olivia. If you're doing this for her, take a moment to think what it's gonna do to her."

Another of a million deep sighs came from him, his eyes closing slowly as he gave into the defeat. She had a damn point. "What do you suggest I do?"

"Try to settle outside of court. Something private and sealed. If it's about the principle, then take their offer even if you get low-balled. If they refuse to settle out of court..." she shrugs and trails off. "But as your friend, Elliot I'm gonna warn you. Taking this to court is going to open up a direct line to destroy everything for the both of you. Just like I told you with the Tucker situation, it'll get messy. They're gonna wanna know who it was that tampered with your jet and they're gonna wanna find out why. I can't stop them once they get a court order to do just that."

"They should have to face consequences for this." he whispered weakly.

"Them? Or the person doing this to you?" she asked, knowing it hadn't started with the jet. It started with the pictures in Santorini which had led him to a dead end.

Honestly? He wanted them all to pay. The jerk in Santorini, the person who put him up to taking the pictures, the airport, the person who tampered with his jet, the person who put them up to it... if it wasn't the same person. He wanted revenge.

But not as much as he wanted to protect Olivia.

Olivia huddled into the corner of the breakroom, finding it to be one of the only somewhat quiet places in the entire building. The design studio was packed, Stabler's floor was just as busy, and the bathrooms were always full. However, almost nobody ever used the breakroom, typically opting for the cafe down in the lobby.

She pulled out her phone and dialed Monique's number, listening to the trilling of the line. "Hello? Liv, what's up?"

"I have an emergency," Olivia blurted out, forcing herself not to pace back and forth in the small breakroom.

"A real emergency or an Olivia emergency?" Monique deadpanned from the other end of the line.

"An Olivia emergency is just as valid as a real emergency!"

"Okay, so what's the Olivia emergency?"

"I just got a text," she said, almost breathlessly.

"Oh my god, call the cops!" Monique laughed. "Wait, no, call the governor!"

"Stop!" Olivia hissed. "This isn't funny, Mo! You know how I have all of Elliot's contacts in my phone so I know who to call?"

Monique giggles. "Yes, I remember how amazed you were that you had Elon Musk's personal phone number after starting your job."

"It was a text from his ex-wife," Olivia hissed, trying to keep her voice down. "But it was meant for me! She addressed it to me! Me as in Olivia Benson! Not me as in Elliot's assistant who is to give him a message if one comes through!"

"Which wife? The blonde one?" Monique asked, unmoved by the urgency in Olivia's tone.

She tried to keep the jealousy at bay. "They're all blonde!" But she'd work that out some other time. "Ex-wife #2. Kathleen's mom. She sent me a text asking me if we could meet up in Central Park. What should I do?"

"Uh, you could go to Central Park." she suggested. "Y'know... like she requested."

"Great, you're so helpful," Olivia said with a monotone voice. "What if she wants to murder me or something! What if she's gonna publicly humiliate me or bring in a firing squad or something!"

"Liv," Monique sighed. "First of all, get a grip. Second of all, I don't think firing squads are legal. Especially not for hire. Third, do you really think she's gonna murder you? Has she ever seemed to be the murdering type?"

Olivia let go of a sigh that she would've rather kept inside. She hated when Monique was right. It made her want to pull her hair out. Monique was her best friend, she was supposed to be just as freaked out and worried as she was! Isn't that what best friends are for? Why wasn't Monique suggesting that Kathy was going to shoot her with a poison dart or try to feed her to a lion?

"No," Olivia grumbled. "But hitmen are the murdering type and they are very easily hired. Trust me, I'd know after coming home from Paris."

"Liv, if you're genuinely worried, then bring some pepper spray or something. Turn your location on too. But it sounds like she just wants to talk. What did the message say exactly?"

Olivia had already memorized it after reading it 55 times to see if there were any hidden messages in it hinting at her impending death. "It said 'Hi Olivia. It's Kathy, Elliot's ex-wife. I was wondering if you would be able to meet up with me for a few minutes in Central Park today by the pond.' See, Mo! She's gonna let the piranhas eat me!"

"There are no piranhas in the pond in Central Park, dumbass." Monique laughed. "Just go! Maybe she just wants to meet you to tell you everything that's wrong with Elliot."

"There's nothing wro—" Olivia cut herself off, finding it pointless. "Fine. I'll go. But only to prove to you that she is going to murder me. So when the cops come knocking on the door tonight to tell you that they found my dismembered body floating in the pond at Central Park, you'll know that I'm pointing a big middle finger at you from hell!"

"Okay, Liv." Monique laughed again. "I love you too, I guess. Have fun meeting the scorned wife who is probably going to stab you on a park bench for being the newer, younger model."

"I hate you!" Olivia hissed again through barred teeth, hanging up the phone.

When she arrives in Central Park, she spots the contrast of blonde hair against a dark coat. A woman sitting on the bench, admiring the ripples in the water with a careful eye.

Everything in Olivia screamed at her to turn around and go back to the office. The place where Kathy didn't exist and she wasn't the ex-wife of Elliot Stabler - the man Olivia was currently in a relationship with. She could turn around now, right?

"Kathy?" Olivia asked, not quite recognizing her own timid voice when she said it. She slowed her pace down, approaching carefully as the blonde woman stood.

"Hi, Olivia" Kathy smiled softly, extending a hand to shake, which Olivia carefully reciprocated. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

She looked at Kathy and remembered all of the times she had looked at Kathleen. She always thought Kathleen resembled her father, and she did. But she also spent a lot of time wondering which parts of her were actually honoring her mother. Turns out, Kathleen was somehow identical to both of them.

"You as well," Olivia replied, feeling only an iota of relief. She followed Kathy's movement of sitting back down on the bench, allowing a few inches of space between them.

Kathy looked back over the pond. "I used to bring Kathleen here a lot when we were still in Manhattan. She loved to feed the ducks when she was little. It was her favorite thing to do."

Olivia didn't say anything, waiting for the next half to come if there even was a next half.

"I know it was you." Kathy started again, her voice much more stable than what Olivia would expect her own voice to be in this situation. "You were the one who convinced Elliot to reconnect with Kathleen."

Olivia felt an ice cold shot through her nerves, panic rising in her stomach like bile. "Kathy, I —"

"You make him a better father," Kathy said, cutting Olivia off. She turned her head, she was staring at Olivia through the line between her peripheral and central vision. Neither of them were fooling themselves into believing something that they weren't. They weren't going to be friends and they weren't going to become close. They were the ex-wife and the girlfriend. Kathy offered a small smile, small enough that Olivia almost had to squint to see it. "You make him a better man."

Hell, Olivia expected a lot of things but not that. She was still waiting for the dagger that would be jammed into her hip. But it never came.

Kathy's eyes turned back to the pond, her throat bobbing as she swallowed what was most likely her pride. "I should hate you, but I don't." The words slipped out so smoothly, eliminating any doubt that felt overdue. She should.

"Why not?" Olivia asked.

"Because I can't hate someone who has made my daughter's life better." Kathy said, turning back to look at Olivia the same way she had before. Like she was looking past her because it made it a little less painful. "Elliot lets his insecurities get the best of him. It holds him back, especially when whatever he's insecure about comes at a great cost. Like his relationship with his daughter."

Olivia could only find the will to nod, feeling more inclined to listen than to speak.

"He was so afraid of ruining her because he knew he was ruining himself. His marriage was over, his business was on the brink of going under, and he was a mess." Kathy took a sharp inhale. "He thought he was doing the noble thing by stepping away so that his poison wouldn't reach her. I'm not exactly sure if it was the right thing to do or not, but I know that because of his insecurities, he would never have the strength to step back in. He would always be afraid that he wasn't worth it yet."

"And the clock would've run out." Olivia whispered.

"Yes," Kathy nodded softly. "But despite all of that, Elliot is a good father. Everything he's ever done, even stepping away, was with the intention of being a better father. He just couldn't see that it was damaging."

Olivia nodded. "I know," she whispered again.

An excruciatingly long beat of silence passed between the two of them. Both of them stared out at the pond, leaves falling off of the trees in the breeze and floating onto the water.

Olivia felt the urge to say something; something she knew Elliot would argue about if he'd heard it. But he wasn't here, Kathy was. "If you don't want me to be around Kathleen, I will respect that. She's your daughter, it's your call to make."

"I appreciate that," Kathy nodded, her words however sounded apprehensive. "But that's not what I want."

"It isn't?"

"That necklace," Kathy bit down on her lips. "The one with the seashell. You made it, didn't you? You made it for him to give to her."

"Please don't tell her it's from me," Olivia breathed the words out so softly that they almost floated away with the wind.

"That's why I'm not going to make any argument about you being around Kathleen." Kathy stated, squaring her shoulders just a little bit. "Because I think it would be foolish to remove someone from my daughter's life when they care about her. Because you do, don't you?"

Olivia thought back to the last few times she had been around Kathleen. The funny and sweet conversations they shared and the games they all played together. The movies and the bowls of ice cream with insane toppings.

She nodded before there was any thought to stop herself.

Yes, she had grown to care about Kathleen.

"My daughter should have as many people in her life who care about her well being as possible. Any reason for me to take that away would be selfish and childish." Kathy offered a small smile. "And I know you have a long way to go, getting to know her and growing your relationship with Elliot, but I get the feeling that someday you'll be fiercely protective of her. Just as I am, just as Elliot is."

"I grew up without parents," Olivia replied, her voice low and quiet. "I know how scary this world is and I know how dangerous it can be. How lonely it can get. I don't want that for anyone, but especially not for Kathleen." She fought back the tear that was beginning to well in her eye. "That's part of why I urged Elliot to reconnect with her. Because nobody should live without a parent if they don't have to."

"I know," Kathy nodded, almost sympathetically. "Elliot uh... he told me a little bit about your story. I hope that's alright."

Olivia mulled it over for a moment. She didn't seem to mind. Kathy had every right to know who was around her daughter, and clearly she was able to see past some of the darker stuff that most people couldn't. "Of course," she said quietly.

"He also told me a little bit about how that absolute asshole Ed Tucker is making your life miserable at the office because you're gunning for his job."

Olivia chuckled almost instantly. "You know him?"

Kathy groaned. "Unfortunately, yes. Right around the time that Stabler Enterprises was merging with the other business and Tucker was part of that merge, we were towards the end of our marriage. All I ever heard about was the creative insulting ways Elliot would refer to him."

Olivia sniffled as silently as possible, laughing a little bit more. "Like what?"

"Like 'the reincarnation of Satan's worst pet project' and 'the human version of the dust bunnies that roam on the floors of every abandoned Blockbuster building." Kathy giggled.

Olivia's eyes squeezed shut as she let go of a choke of laughter. "Wow. That's... that is creative."

Kathy chuckled again. "Elliot's right though. I've never met a man as foul as Tucker."

Olivia's laughter faded into a sigh. "Sometimes I wonder if I should take Tucker's advice and move my goals elsewhere."

"Is that what you would tell Kathleen to do?" Kathy asked, raising her eyebrows.

Olivia frowned to herself, as if the realization was finally dawning on her. "No, actually. Not at all."

"You are in her life now, and I don't think you'll be leaving it any time soon," Kathy smiled but it was pained. A curt nod followed as she glanced down at the ground and back up at Olivia. "I've never been the type to be a fighter, but you seem to be one. Kathleen needs that example in her life. So, don't give up, especially not because of a man like Ed Tucker. And if it's any motivation to you, be a role-model for her. For kids like her. Girls who have to work twice as hard to get half as far just because they're girls. If you can be that for her, I will be incredibly grateful."

Olivia's gaze went from her knees and followed up to Kathy as she stood. "Thank you," she whispered, remaining seated on the now partly vacant bench.

Kathy nodded with a small grin before departing. Olivia stared back down at her knees again, running the conversation back through her mind. She had never felt like a role-model, but maybe it was because nobody had ever been searching for a teacher with a skillset like her own.

"By the way," Kathy stopped and turned. "I like your app. I even signed up to be a volunteer." She smiled once more, and left Olivia to herself.

She remembered Elliot telling her that she would have to fight for her dream. And even though she was probably just a friend to Kathleen as of right now, potentially being an example of fighting for what you want in life was a motivating thought. She could show a girl who is the same age she was when she needed a role model, exactly what she needed to see herself. She could show Kathleen exactly what she had wished someone would've shown her.

Yeah... she wasn't giving up any time soon.

"I need to talk to you," both Elliot and Olivia said in unison as she opened the door to his home. He was standing by the window, holding a glass in his hand as he turned to face her. "You go first."

"Okay," she exhaled nervously, dropping her purse on his couch before sliding out of her coat. "I made a decision... about what to do with my career path."

His brows raised with curiosity.

"I'm gonna fight for that CFO job." she stated, straightening out her posture as she said it. "I'm not giving up just because Tucker told me I don't belong there. Or because the design team wants me with them. That's not the example I wanna set."

That caught his attention. "Example? For whom?"

She wished she could go back and erase her words from the thin air. "Uh," she sputtered. She was going to have to tell him about Kathy, and sooner was probably better than later. A lot better. "For... for the person who asked me to set a good example for Kathleen."

He stared at her, dumbfounded and entirely lost.

"I met Kathy today," she said as simply as she could. "She texted me, asked me if I could meet up with her and I did."

Elliot's jaw was on the floor in shock. He had expected a lot of things, but not that. Certainly not that. The entire conversation he wanted to have with her was now gone, leaving him only interested in what happened between her and Kathy. "How'd that go?"

Olivia tried to shake some of the stress out of her shoulders with a deep breath. "It went alright," she started as she sat down on the couch. "She didn't murder me like I expected her to. No chasing me with an ax, no chloroform towel on my face." Olivia chuckled uncomfortably.

"And... she mentioned Kathleen?" Elliot asked, trying to put the pieces together.

"Yeah," Olivia nodded. "We had an eye-opening conversation. She helped me realize that if I'm going to be in Kathleen's life, I need to be someone she can look up to. I can't back out of my dreams because I'm afraid or because someone with more authority told me that I'm not worthy. I am worthy. I would be doing a disservice to myself and to Kathleen if I quit now. A girl can always use another role-model in her life and I'd like to be that for her."

Elliot's smile crept slowly onto his face. He set his drink down on top of the piano, moving to sit beside her on the couch. "You're incredible, you know that?" He pressed a kiss to her lips and she could taste the scotch he had been drinking.

Her arm reached over his shoulder, gently guiding him to rest his forehead against hers. "What did you wanna talk to me about when I came in?"

Elliot sighed, leaning back into the plush cushion of the couch. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "I spoke to my attorneys today... about the lawsuit against CDG Airport."

Olivia felt an instant pit in her stomach.

"Eventually I kicked all of them out and talked to Donnelly solo."

She knew about Liz, she knew that Liz knew about her.

"What did she say?" she asked quietly.

He sighed again, his stress filling the air. "She gave me some perspective. I think that without it, I would've gone into this suit with a much bigger and bolder attitude."

"Perspective on what exactly?"

His pause came almost shamefully. "Perspective on the fact that if I did go into this suit with that attitude, I would be doing more damage than good. To you, to myself, to everyone." Olivia nodded, agreeing with the sentiment that sometimes he lost his way and went off half cocked. "I forgot that it wasn't just you or me on that plane. There were seven of us, seven people who went through something traumatizing and terrifying."

Olivia's eyes turned sad, her lower lip protruding as she listened to him speak.

He turned to face her, refusing to speak his words into the atmosphere instead of speaking them to her. "I wanted to go on the warpath because I was mad that you almost got hurt. Then, I remembered that you weren't all that interested in this suit anyway. That, and that I was being selfish when I only wanted to fight for you."

"So, what's gonna happen?" she asked.

He glanced down at his lap, nodding to himself. "We're going to try to settle. The last thing I want is all of us on the stand at the Hague just to prove a point. That would be a mess that even I couldn't clean up. If they settle, the money will be split six ways, you and the five people on the flight. If CDG Airport won't settle, I'll drop it. I'll pay everyone out of pocket and we'll leave it at that."

She nodded slowly as the scenarios played out in her head. "I'm really happy that you remembered that it wasn't just me you were fighting for," she annunciated each word carefully. "But Elliot, I need you to understand that I don't want the money."

"I know," he interjected. "When all of this ends and you still feel that way, at least let me make a donation on your behalf with it or something, please. I want you to know that the money wouldn't be coming to you because of our relationship. It would be because you are an employee whose life was risked on company property and whether or not you and I are together, that means something to me."

She squirmed uncomfortably. She understood his logic as a businessman who wanted to do right by his people, but the money felt... dirty. Not just because it was coming as a result of a scheme to kill the both of them. Rather it was because of her pride. She never wanted to be looked at as if Elliot had paved the way for her in terms of finances.

Sure, there was a lot she could do with the money. She could help Monique invest in a gallery or buy their apartment instead of renting it. A continuation of the things she did when she found out about her trust fund. She still had some savings, but it wasn't going to last forever.

"I'll think about the situation with the money, okay?" she questioned, cocking her head to the side. "But only on the terms that it comes from a settlement with the CDG Airport. If that settlement falls through, I'm not accepting a dime from you when you pay the other five. Okay?"

He took her hand into his and smiled softly at her, some of the stress lifting off of him. "Okay. Sounds like a deal." He couldn't force her to take the money. Their relationship had already worked hard to keep things balanced. Shoving money in her pocket would only bring out a patiently waiting earthquake among them.

Finally, she cracked her own gentle smile as she leaned to rest her head on his shoulder. "Thank you," she said after a few moments of silence.

"For what?" He tried to crane his neck to see her face better but all he could see were the brunette locks that framed her face.

Her heart thrummed in her chest as she snuggled in closer against him. It wasn't such a bad feeling after all to not be a foreigner in someone's heart. So much time wasted being afraid to accept that her fate was right here, in his arms. "For wanting to fight for me."

For just a second, a fractional split in time, peace had broken out and silenced the warfare that had become their lives. No landmines, no bloodshed, no hiding in the foxholes.

He wouldn't just fight for her. He would die for her.