Batts, Williamson and Co. Counselling Manhattan, New York
Tuesday 18th February 2016
17.30pm

"Olivia and Elliot?" The young woman from behind the desk called and both Captain's stood to their feet. This was their first couples therapy appointment and there was no denying that they were terrified. Olivia hadn't spoken to Elliot since their sexual encounter on the couch in his office, she'd even manage to avoid him when he came to collect the kids, making sure Eliza was doing the handover claiming she had a case when truth was she was hiding upstairs.

She wasn't ashamed of what had happened between them, what she didn't want was for it to happen again until they'd started the therapy. Bottom line was that they couldn't mess around like that until they'd had proper advice and guidance on how to proceed with their relationship.

Elliot rubbed his sweaty palms on his jean covered thighs. He didn't want to do this anymore, he just wanted to take Olivia home and start moving forward but he knew she'd been avoiding him and he could only hope that this therapy was going to be the start of getting them back on track.

They were guided into a bright office space with black leather chairs and green plants everywhere, the walls where a soft cream and blue, warm and welcoming. Sitting in one arm chair was an older gentleman, aged in his 60s with white clean cut hair wearing a blue shirt without a tie. He stood to greet the Captain's a warm and approachable smile on his face.

"Hello Olivia, Elliot, I'm Marshall Batts." He explained shaking their hands, they knew who he was because it was obvious he was the councillor that had been assigned their case when Olivia had called to set up the appointment and then passed on the details to Elliot. He signalled for them to take a seat in individual chairs and Olivia wondered if the chairs had any significance because she'd have normally expected a couch.

"Ok, so Olivia… you called to make the appointment, was relationship counselling your idea?" He asked jumping straight in there. Elliot could tell his wife was nervous, as her hands fumbled in her lap. He wanted to reach over to touch her but he was just too far away to do that.

"Yes. Well sorta…" Olivia started. "It was more my therapist's idea." She explained.

"You're seeing a therapist?" He asked, he wouldn't normally advise anyone go through differing sorts of treatment at the same time unless a patient was at a facility where the therapy was all co-ordinated.

"I have postnatal depression." Olivia replied. "I'm also in grief counselling for complex grief." Olivia was looking at the floor, she didn't want to start off like this but she knew she had to be honest.

"Do your therapist's know you're starting this?" Marshall asked, Elliot being ignored for the moment.

"Yes they're both in agreement that it's time." Olivia replied her eyes looking now into Marshall's green ones hoping he'd know she was being honest.

"That's good, otherwise we'd have to put this on pause until they were on the same page as you. We wouldn't want to be causing you to take any steps back in your therapy with them." Marshall explained, he owed her a proper explanation. Olivia just nodded, George had already told her that the relationship therapist would need to know that he and Rosie thought it was time to start this stage or he would be hesitant to give them the counselling.

"So what about you Elliot? Why did you agree with Olivia that Relationship Counselling was right for you?" Marshall asked giving his attention wholly to Elliot and Olivia doing the same thing, she was intrigued as to what his answer would be as he wasn't the most comfortable when it came to therapy.

"I'm hoping it will save my marriage." Elliot admitted honestly.

"And if it doesn't?" Marshall didn't skip a beat.

"I don't know." Elliot shrugged.

"You are aware that this may have the opposite effect and may make you both realise that your relationship has run it's course?" Marshall queried, he was aware Olivia probably knew this because her therapists would have likely discussed it with her but he needed to know Elliot understood that too. Elliot nodded, he knew but he wouldn't stop hoping that it wouldn't happen. "Ok then, Olivia, tell me where you feel your relationship is at right now?" Marshall said turning his attention back to Olivia.

Olivia filled him in on the trial separation, dating Mathew and even told him about the sex on the couch the week previously. She explained how she missed Elliot, how she wanted her relationship to survive but didn't know how it could because they couldn't go on as they had been, fighting non-stop and not supporting each other.

"What about you Elliot, you've already expressed you'd like to try and save your marriage but how do you feel your relationship has been recently?"

Elliot told Marshall about how strained things had been, how the death of Don and Anne had been the beginning of a down hill spiral for their relationship, how they couldn't stop fighting and arguing and how the final straw had come with the PND and how it had just taken time for them to realise that they weren't any good for each other anymore.

"Olivia, you've been dating someone else how has that been?" Marshall asked, this was something that had to be addressed and quickly, if there was going to be a relationship to save dating someone else wasn't such a good idea.

"Elliot told me to." Olivia said her eyes flicking to Elliot's and back. "But it's been weird, I've enjoyed spending time with Mathew but I have made it clear to him that I want to save my marriage, we've stopped dating as such but we're still friends and I think he hopes that if things don't work out here with us that he has a shot." Olivia explained awkwardly.

"Did you have sex with him?" Marshall asked, Olivia almost fell out of her seat.

"No." Elliot knew she wasn't lying too. "God no." she added for dramatic effect.

"It's clear to me that you both have a lot to work through before you can even contemplate whether this marriage is going to work or not. I think the best way forward for you both is a proper trial separation, clean cut, no communication except for work and kids which means no sex…" He looked at them both at this stage who were both trying to hide their blush filled cheeks. "No dating other people either, you can't work on yourselves if you're focusing on someone else. In the mean time I want you both to write two lists, one of likes and one of dislikes about the other person and bring them with you next week. We are going to have to work on the breakdown of your relationship find exactly where things went wrong before we can work on those and see if there's a way passed them… are you both up for that?"

Olivia and Elliot both nodded, it was a lot to take in but they both knew that if there was any hope for them they had to listen to this man in front of them and take his lead and guidance otherwise there really would be no coming back from this.

Cragen Household, Manhattan, New York
Tuesday 18th February 2016
21.24pm

Olivia sat in her study with George, she hated nights like this where she missed her children more than anything, Nicole and Melissa and baby George were at home with her but the other four had gone for their two week stay with Elliot and she missed them so much.

"How did it go tonight?" George asked, knowing Olivia was needing him to be her therapist tonight and not her friend.

"I guess I'm starting to confront the fact that it may really be over between us George." She explained softly. "I mean I don't want it to be, I really don't but I think if I don't accept the fact that it may be then I could be back to square one with the depression."

"I think it's wise of you to think like that and I think you're right, if you don't confront it and it happens it may put you back." George as glad to see Olivia considering this, it showed to him how far she had come. "How are you tonight Liv?" He asked moving forward to their CBT.

"I'm ok I think." Olivia said softly. "I mean it's getting hard now to separate my grief from my PND." Olivia explained unsure of herself.

"That's showing more progress Olivia." George reassured. "It won't feel like it, and you may feel a little worse while this transition happens but it may be signs that they're no longer two completely separate issues."

Olivia nodded, she trusted George he knew what he was talking about and truth was she didn't know how she would cope at all without him.

"So how about having a look at your diary?" He asked her gently.

He had already seen progress in her behaviour diary, slowly he was seeing this transition from impatience with her children to impatience with herself. More and more incidents were cropping up where she was walking away, calming down and then reacting. Of course, she wouldn't be human if all her responses were like that, there were moments in the diary that George would chuckle at her instant reactions, like snapping at the new detective Carrisi for just plain stupidity and her impatience with John Munch when he would go on some rambling conspiracy theory but for the most part he could see the improvement.

"So…" She said quietly seeing him close the book.

"You're doing well Olivia." He reassured with a gentle smile. "I think you're now needing to shift from walking away when you feel that burst of impatience to taming it in the moment, especially with Melissa and Nicole."

"I don't know if I can yet." Olivia replied, she knew this was the next stage and it had been on her mind every time she walked away from her girls but she had thought that the transition would be more natural not forced.

"You won't know if you don't try." George said quickly, he didn't want her to stall progress now, he knew they were close to a breakthrough.

"Ok, I can try that." She nodded, she didn't know how but maybe now was the time to do it while the twins were all with Elliot and she had more of herself to give.

"Good." George smiled. "So relationship therapy, what did they say?" George was just being nosy now but Olivia smiled, she knew he was there as a friend too and she could confide in him.

Olivia told him about the conditions of their trial separation that the therapist had given them. George could see Olivia wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of so little contact with Elliot but he also knew it was a good thing, they needed to see what it was like truly apart while focusing on themselves. Especially Olivia, Mathew hadn't come into her life at the best time and George knew she'd been using him as an emotional crutch without even realising it plus he honestly didn't see that relationship going anywhere because while Olivia liked how he made her feel but she didn't mention being attracted to him.

Olivia went to bed after George left feeling just a little lighter, maybe he was right, maybe she was showing a lot of progress, she still felt down, she still felt it hard to get up and get on with her day, she still felt impatient but the more she thought about it the more she realised it was there but it wasn't as hard and as bad as it had been and for the first time she really could see light at the end of the tunnel.