Disclaimer: I don't own Elliot or Olivia. They belong to Dick Wolf.

This is another post-Undercover oneshot. I hope you like it. Please review!

"What happened in the basement, Olivia?" I ask her quietly for the millionth time.

She shakes her head in frustration. "Nothing happened, El! Leave me alone."

"Liv, something happened and I'm your partner. You need to tell me."

She glares at me, pure venom in her voice as she bites out, "You can't always be looking over your shoulder, making sure I'm okay. I need to be able to do my job and not wait for you to come to my rescue."

I wince at her words. She's parroting back something I said to her years ago, something that I wish I could take back now. "I was wrong to say that, Liv. I was angry."

"Leave me alone!" she shouts, and I see in her eyes the fear. This is what she's most afraid of, appearing vulnerable, and I've brought her to this.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," I whisper. "I should have been."

"I can't always be waiting for you to rescue me. I need to be able to protect myself," she recites in a monotone.

"Liv, I didn't mean that. You're the best cop I know and whatever happened at Sealview wasn't your fault."

"Leave me alone!" repeats Olivia, her anger elevating exponentially.

I step away from her out of instinct. Olivia can be downright intimidating when she's angry, even to me, and I've known her for years.

She hangs her head, the fight seeming to drain from her eyes. Taking a moment to compose herself, she looks up again and stares right into my eyes, not breaking contact. "He tried to rape me. If Fin hadn't gotten there so quickly, he would have."

I suddenly feel like I can't breathe. "I'll kill the bastard," I mutter, clenching my fists.

She gives me a wan smile. "Don't. I'd rather see him rot in prison."

"Anything," I whisper, unaware of what I'm truly saying or what she'll think of it. I've been such a jerk!

She quirks an eyebrow, a gleam of mischief in her eye. "Anything?"

Hope you liked it. Please review!