"Is he here?" Hope was shocked as soon as she entered the floor, bright and early in the morning, setting her things in the reception area.

"I don't think he ever left." Barnes murmured back, almost afraid to disturb the eery silence that had blanketed the office overnight.

"Good morning! How is everyone? How is everything?" Oliver burst through the elevator, dancing around with a wide smile on his face.

That same face received a smack with a magazine.

"Hey!" Oliver cried, holding his face in shock, confusion, and mild fear. "All I said was good morning!" His voice cracked with indignation.

Hope raised another thick magazine she used to browse dresses, threatening Oliver with it.

Oliver flinched, his mouth gaping as he blinked back the thin sheet of moisture in his eyes. "I hope you have an awful day." He rushed to his office, slamming his door.

Barnes sighed, sitting down in her seat and holding her face with her hands, her elbows placed on top of the desk that held the computers. "Today is going to be a long day."

"You're telling me." Hope agreed, sighing as she went to go pick up the magazine she had thrown earlier.

Barnes only threw her a stink-eye, silently telling the younger paralegal that the reason it was going to be a long day was because of her. Damien could be tolerated, but Oliver when he and Hope bickered.... that made Barnes' day a lot harder and longer. She would have to deal with not only her workload but also deal with parenting the two morons that acted like fighting siblings.

Just then, too, Damien stepped out.

"Good morning," Damien had his briefcase in hand. He had checked the time upon hearing the ruckus that was happening out in the lobby and realized that he had spent all night working. He hadn't intended for it to be that way, but after falling behind on a couple of meetings due to Kim placing more cases on him, Damien just didn't have enough time on his hands these days.

Hope made a sound of surprise as she saw Damien heading towards the elevator with his things in hand, causing Damien to turn around just as he pressed the button to go down.

"I'll be back in a hour or so," Damien estimated. He was only heading to his place to refresh with a shower and a new change of clothes before he was going to return.

"Yes, sir." Barnes nodded, taking a sticky note to jot it down so that she could remember when Kim walked in.

Then, as soon as Damien left, both Barnes and Hope released a breath.

"He's more serene now that he's been dating Ella, but he's still intimidating." Barnes shivered, sitting back down.

"I've only ever seen him smile around her, too." Hope glanced back at Damien's office. "I wonder what Ellie saw in him."

"He's handsome and smart, but other than that, he's a complete block of ice." Ms. Neele, Damien's not so temporary assistant popped up carrying a very large box.

"Go help," Barnes quietly whispered to Hope, nudging her with her foot.

"Me? Why me?" Hope frowned. Her dislike of Ms. Neele had lessened, but she still just didn't want to have to anything to do with Ms. Neele. "I don't want to!" Hope whined when Barnes shoved her hard enough to send Hope forward, almost crashing into the desk.

"Just go," Barnes waved her off with her hands.

Hope, with the most plane and neutral voice she could muster, settled beside Ms. Neele, "let me help." Hope nearly yanked the box into the ceiling once she picked it up from the floor, expecting it to be heavy since Neele was struggling so much. "What the heck." Hope stared at the box skeptically, then looked back at Neele.

The secretary only laughed sheepishly. Yeah, she was weak, but she didn't necessarily find the need to say that out loud.

Hope forced herself to bite her tongue and just force a smile. Ella would be proud of her kindness in this moment, Hope thought.

Meanwhile, Ella was actually struggling with her own dilemmas.

Rufus was sick. Ella had no clue what was going on with him, but he hadn't really eaten or even gotten up from where he laid, which was just by Ella's bed. Ella had tried giving him his favorite treats mixed with his meals, but he wouldn't even consume that. Strangely, he would also turn his head whenever Ella tried to get him to move for a walk, flashing his leash at him, and contrasting his normal reaction, he wasn't even remotely excited.

To top of off, Ella had slipped off the stairs about three days ago, causing some mild inflammation and bruising that Fransisco had taken care of that same evening when he went to visit Ella. Now, Ella was trying her best to hold in her emotions when a case of child of an abused and abusing father had arrived about two weeks ago.

"Hi, Olivia," Ella kept her distance and reframed from calling the little girl any nicknames since that triggered her memories severely. "What would you like to do today?" Ella watched as the little eleven year old stood by the door, her eyes trained on Ella's hands and feet, measuring her movements.

The little girl didn't say anything. She simply moved to take a seat on the soft chair that sat right by the opened door. The doors needed be opened at all times, too.

"Okay. We can sit in the quiet." Ella moved back to her spot cautiously, alert to not scare the little girl. Ella knew that it wouldn't be an easy task to get Olivia to open up and receive help, but Ella wasn't planning on quitting. Olivia didn't deserve what happened to her, and Ella was going to make sure that she helped the girl as much as she possibly could to help heal her wounds.

Ella sat down, doing some work on her computer, getting up every now and then to do somethings around the office but always mindful of how close and fast she moved around Olivia.

Close to the end of their session did Olivia actually speak up, very quietly, but Ella heard her.

"Is he chaining your feet down, too?"

Ella froze, the books in her hands nearly falling.

"I beg your pardon?" Ella turned to look at Olivia to see that the little girl's grey eyes were trained on Ella's hurt foot.

"He said begging is supposed to be done on your knees." Olivia lifted her eyes. "That's not true, though, is it?"

Ella fought back at the disgust that was swirling in her stomach, moving everything around and causing her breakfast to want to make an appearance again.

"No, Olivia. It's not true." Ella tried to say it as gently and softly as possible, but the girl still flinched.

"I want to change my name." The girl declared, quite strongly. She seemed to have a fighter in her.

"I can call you something else if you want. What would you like?" Ella moved to her desk, her ankle and stomach making her dizzy.

The little girl pondered and pondered, never saying anything until her social worker stepped in, announcing that it was time to go.

"See you soon, okay?" Ella waved goodbye to Olivia.

Olivia stared at Ella, wondering why Ella seemed so carefree and smiley, especially when it was clear that she was in pain.

"Pretty Ella." Olivia murmured under her breath, following the unbothered social worker. That was easier for Olivia, though. She could deal with someone cold and silent. She preferred it, actually. She wasn't forced to do anything, then. She could disappear and no one would notice, and to Olivia, that sounded like freedom.

Ella, however, was trying to keep herself together enough to wait to rush to the restroom until the heard her door close. After that, Ella ran to the bathroom, barely managing to lean over the toilet.

What Olivia had to go through was absolutely disgusting. Ella had read some of the files that were given to her, but soon after, she hadn't had enough energy to push through and read the rest. Reading the rest of Olivia's case was crucial to understand the patient, though, and Ella desperately needed to get ahold of herself in order to aid Olivia.

Wanting a break, though, Ella took advantage of the fact that she didn't have any patients in the afternoon, so she decided to lock up early and go visit Damien. It had been roughly about two weeks since the couple had spent more than an hour together since Damien had been outrageously busy in the office and Ella had also been busy with Rufus and taking care of Melissa on some days. It had gotten to the point that sometimes, all they had time for was dinner together or a phone call at night.

She missed Damien's scent and warmth, especially at night, but there was nothing they could do. Ella simply encouraged herself to push through the busy season; besides, once Ella fell asleep, she didn't really notice the lack of her fiancé's presence.

Damien's case was a little different. Unlike Ella, who mainly missed him during the day, Damien would be so busy and his schedule so packed that he rarely remembered that he was engaged. His head was filled to the brim with important names and dates that he could barely remember his own information. Whenever night arrived, though, that was when Damien struggled. Thinking it would be selfish and rude to bother Ella at night since Damien finished work very late, he didn't want to just go and crash at Ella's place. That would disturb her sleep. To Damien, it was better for him to toss and turn at night.

"Ella!" Hope was the first to rush forward when she saw the familiar, slim figure appear through the elevator doors. "Oh, I missed you!"

"Hi!" Ella smiled, accepting Hope's help with a couple of pizza box's that Ella was bringing. "Thank you."

"How hard would it have been to do that willingly earlier..." Barnes grumbled, standing up to also greet Ella happily. "How are you, dear? You look pale." Barnes frowned, seeing Ella's lips look a bit pale.

"I didn't apply blush this morning." Ella explained, opening up a few boxes on the table in the break room. "Come, have a slice or two. I'm sure you are all hungry."

On cue, Katherine and Oliver peaked out of their offices, both attracted to the smell of food that was beginning to waft into the air.

"Oh, Ellie!" Oliver as the first to spot once he entered the break room where everyone was already stationed at. "Oh, I'm so glad you brought food. I don't think I can bear to one more healthy lunch this week."

"Oh, quit complaining. Because of us, you're losing all of that fat, so be grateful!" Hope quickly snarked, helping herself to another slice.

"Sure," Oliver sarcastically and passively commented.

"Oh-ho," Hope laughed, readying herself for another battle with her favorite nemesis.

"You might want to go ahead and leave for Damien. These two can go at it for hours." Barnes grabbed a plate for Ella and Damien, placing them on top of a box of pizza before handing it to Ella to take. Barnes knew that Damien wouldn't come out unless Ella forced him, but Ella's energy seemed too low today to deal with the chaotic staff that filled the law department.

"Thank you. Enjoy your meal." Ella smiles in appreciation. Even though she had no appetite, she was sure that Damien would be hungry and could devour half of the pizza, at least.

Those thoughts were dispersed into the air, carried away once Ella saw how insanely busy Damien seemed.

"... two copies of this. Schedule Martinez for tomorrow. Cancel Smith for today. Email the assistant to let her reschedule, I don't care what date. Fax this to this number..."

Ms. Neele seemed like she was ready to cry.

"Are you getting all of this?" Damien looked up from his laptop, disgruntled at how he wasn't hearing his assistant take notes. He knew she didn't have good memory, and he didn't have time to continuously remind her. "It's been two years, Ms. Neele-"

"I'll handle it." Ella quickly offered, placing the pizza on top of the coffee table where Damien and her used to have meals together back when she volunteered there. "Go eat. There's pizza in the break room." Ella parred Ms. Neele's back to encourage her to leave, not that the assistant needed much encouragement anyway. The young girl practically sprinted out of the office.

"Ella," Damien stood up, surprised to see her there. It had been a while since he had even seen her.

"Two copies of this, fax this, cancel this, and reschedule this," Ella picked up all of the individual files and papers she had seen Damien hand Neele. "Go, eat. I'll take care of this." Ella promised, ushering him to the sofa while she took his spot.

"You really don't have to. I can do it all-"

"You can, but then you'd never eat." Ella reprimanded, beginning her mini tasks. "Have patience with her. The more you intimidate her, the clumsier she'll get."

"Love, I'm trying here." Damien picked up a warm slice, actually getting hungry now that food was overpowering his senses.

"I'll bet you are." Ella teased, feeling better now that she could help lessen Damien's burden.

Later, by the time she finished those small tasks, he had finished eating. Damien had wanted to hurry so that he could get back to work. There were many things he needed to take care of.

"Are you leaving work late?" Ella asked just to be sure as she was cleaning up, preparing to leave. Her head was beginning to ache as well as her feet. Her ankle hadn't recovered to its full potential, and soon, she would need to limp just to make it through the day.

"Not today, actually. I have to go to Selena's. Apparently, she's been radio silent for the past couple of months. Her parents say she's okay, but she hasn't been answering my calls or message. Same goes for my mother." Damien sighed, checking the time.

"Oh, okay." Ella nodded, picking up her purse. "Let me know how she is."

"Take care," Damien pulled her closer to press a tender kiss to her forehead before walking her to the elevator where Ella waved a final goodbye.

Going back to his desk, Damien only worked for a few more hours before leaving around the same time with the rest of the department.

Ella, upon getting home, had showered and called the vet to check how Rufus was doing. She was relieved to hear that he was doing better, but that he wouldn't be ready for pick-up until next week.

"Another night alone," Ella sighed, crawling into bed, missing her beautiful Golden Retriever.

Deciding to do some work, Ella pulled out Olivia's files, placing some glasses on to read comfortably. The comfort was only temporary since reading the animalistic and severe abuse of the little girl had her stomach churning uncomfortably.

Soon after, Ella rushed to her bathroom, not even managing to close the door behind her as she collapsed onto the floor, dry heaving over the toilet since she had already vomited her breakfast and hadn't ate since then.

The files were too much for her. She couldn't imagine how someone so small had gone through so much darkness and pain. How Olivia could still be standing and living.

"Ella? Ella! Goodness!" Damien, upon hearing a quiet commotion upstairs had rushed up, shocked to see Ella's small form on her bathroom floor, moaning in pain.

"Step out for a minute. I'll be right out." Ella pushed Damien's hands away, using one of her free ones to cling onto the toilet bowl. Her stomach was aching deeply. "Go, Damien." Ella heaved, dizzy.

"I'm calling Fransisco. You don't look okay," Damien rushed back downstairs where he had left his phone.

Fransisco answered right away, assuring Damien that he was on his way over after hearing how frantic Damien was getting when he couldn't answer any basic questions over Ella's overall health. He was her fiancé, for goodness sake! He couldn't even tell Fransisco if she had eaten that day or if she had even taken her pain medication.

"Are you better?" Damien was instantly by Ella's side when Ella reappeared from the bathroom. "You're so pale," Damien searched Ella's eyes, noting how tired and glassy they seemed.

"I... it's... can we sit down for a moment?" Ella was almost limping towards her bed, shivering from how cold she was.

"What happened, Ella?" Damien tucked her in, sitting beside her, rubbing her head with one hand, caressing her soft hair.

"I just... I got disgusted." She murmured, her eyes closed. She just wanted to sleep for a long time. She had a pounding headache, a throbbing stomach ache, and a burning ankle.

Damien frowned, confused. Disgusted at what, exactly? Before he could ask, though, Fransisco was already in the room. Stepping to the side, Damien allowed his future brother-in-law to check up on Ella.

"Ella, you're supposed to drink your medication with a meal." Fransisco scolded, pulling her covers off, causing Ella to shiver. "Sorry. Let me just check your wrap." Fransisco took ahold of her ankle, checking the inflammation and bruising. "It's better. Does it hurt a lot?"

"No." Ella yawned, pulling the covers back onto her.

"Liar. Why'd you drink the pain medicine?" Fransisco grunted, pulling out a bag of vitamins and supplements.

"I have a headache, Fran." Ella's Spanish accent slipped out, revealing just how tired she was feeling.

"Did you have breakfast? Lunch? Dinner?" Fransisco placed his hand against Ella's forehead.

"Breakfast."

"No use. You regurgitated it." Fransisco signed, checking the time. "I'll be back with some soup. Don't fall asleep just yet." He pointed a finger at Ella, them to Damien, "don't let her fall asleep."

Damien waited until Fransisco left, then waited for Ella to explain herself, to let him know of what on Earth was happening to her.

"How is Selena?"

"Ella," Damien sat by her hips, pulling one of her hands into both of his. He didn't want to talk about Selena right now, not when Ella looked like she was on the brink of passing out. "What's going on?" He watched as she tiredly opened her eyes. "Hmm?"

Ella let her eyes close again. "I slipped down the stairs last week."

"Okay," Damien drawled, "what about today? Why haven't you eaten?"

Ella swallowed, her eyes still sealed shut, but a tear managed to escape.

"Amore," Damien scooted closer, pulling her to sit up against him. "I'm so sorry, Ella."

Damien felt like a first class jerk. It had been about two weeks since he had even given her attention, not that she required it, but it was part of a relationship to continue to love and cherish your partner. Instead, he hadn't even checked up on her. She had spent the afternoon with him, and not once did he make sure she ate. He didn't even notice that her ankle was hurting her, or that she had been in pain from an unknown reason.

"What's going on, Ella?" Damien felt an odd ache in his chest at seeing her tiny form cuddle into him, obviously seeking his warmth and comfort. Damien felt even more terrible. He had let his work consume again, completely forgetting that he wasn't supposed to be going solo anymore. No. There was someone waiting at home for him. There was someone that he could depend on and someone who also depended on him.

Ella shook her head, not wanting to talk about it. Not that she could anyway: it was private, client confidentiality.

"Okay," Damien sighed, rubbing her back gently, trying to soothe her. "Are you safe?" Ella nodded. "Are you scared?" Ella shook her head. "Then I can cope with you not telling me for now."