This little story was inspired when I found out that my favorite duo of all time, Brooks And Dunn, is breaking up! I cried for a while, then sat down and picked out a song. This is a tribute to them, and I'm using their beautiful song, If You See Her (If You See Him), with the lovely Reba McEntire. I will miss their songs very much, like I'm sure every other country music fan will. Enjoy, and please remember to review!
Disclaimer: Not mine!
SVUSVUSVUSVUSVSVUSVU
Alex Cabot smiled as she headed into the department store. She was in a fantastic mood, and having someone new in her life only made it better. She adjusted her purse and looked around.
A few feet away, a brunette with her hair concealing her face was admiring a blouse. Alex's brow furrowed. She looked oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it.
Suddenly the brunette pushed her hair away from her face, and she gasped. It was Olivia! She hadn't seen her in two months, and now she couldn't stop staring. She had disappeared two months ago after a fight with Elliot, and none of them had heard so much as a word from her. She wiped at her eyes, making sure that it really was Olivia Benson standing a few feet away from her.
"Olivia Benson?"
Olivia looked up, and seeing Alex, she chewed on her lower lip.
Alex approached her quickly, as though she might disappear before she reached her. "Olivia, where have you been?"
Olivia ran her hand through her hair uncomfortably. "Hi, Alex."
Alex was still utterly shocked. Elliot had been a complete wreck after Olivia's disappearance. "How... How have you been?"
"I've been okay..." The brunette woman looked down at the floor. "What about you?"
"I've been good."
Olivia cleared her throat. "How is...?"
"Elliot?" Alex offered quickly. "He's been okay..."
She nodded. "That's good. I'm glad he is."
Alex watched her carefully. "Olivia, are you coming back soon?" she finally asked.
That surprised Olivia. "I... don't know, Alex. Why?"
The blond woman shrugged. "Because Manhattan is your home, and SVU is your life. Why wouldn't you go back?"
"Alex, you know why I can't go back." She folded the blouse over her arm.
"I know I'm not supposed to ask, but don't you miss Elliot?"
Olivia sighed heavily, and after a few minutes, finally said, "You know I still miss him, Alex. Which is why I can't go back."
"You can, and you can talk to him. You two have been through everything together. You can get through this."
Olivia looked miserable. "No, we can't. I miss him like hell, but this..." She shook her head and sniffled, finally meeting Alex's eyes. "Look, don't tell him any of this, Alex. Please."
Alex sighed. "Liv..."
"Please, Alex."
If you see him
Tell him I wish him well
How am I doing?
Well, sometimes it's hard to tell
I still miss him more than ever
But please don't say a word
If you see him
If you see him
Alex held John a little tighter as they walked into the bar. She was still reeling from her surprise talk with Olivia, and now she would be coming face to face with Elliot. She wasn't sure that she could see him without blurting out everything that Olivia had told her, but had made her promise not to say to him.
John spotted Elliot first, and Alex inhaled deeply as they approached his booth and sat down across from him. Already there was a shot glass in front of him, and they both knew that that wasn't a good sign.
Elliot gave them a small smile, then stared down into the remainder of the amber liquid. These past two months had been hell on him, even more so than his divorce from Kathy. And he hadn't so much as gotten a call or email from her. God, he just wanted to hear her voice. He missed her so much that it formed a hole in his heart, and every minute that passed that he didn't hear her, the hole became bigger and bigger.
Alex ordered a drink, then looked at Elliot. He looked like hell, and she couldn't keep from blurting out, "I saw Olivia yesterday."
Immediately his head jerked up. "You did?" His heart started to race. "What did she say?"
"She said that she's doing okay."
Okay? What the hell did that mean? Had she already found someone new, or was she suffering the same way he had been for the last sixty-three days? He downed the rest of his drink, then studied Alex intently.
"She was shopping, and I happened to run into her."
"Are you going to see her again?" he asked calmly.
"I might. Is there something you want me to tell her?"
"Just tell her... I'm doing okay." He didn't want to know that her departure was slowly killing him.
Alex nodded.
"And I guess... if you want to, tell her I think about her once in a while." A fresh drink was placed in front of him, and he quickly downed it.
"Anything else?"
"Ask her... if she wonders... where we both went wrong in all of this." He suddenly stood up, dropping a twenty onto the table before he walked away from them.
If you see her
Tell her I'm doing fine
And if you want to
Say that I think of her from time to time
Ask her if she ever wonders
Where we both went wrong
If you see her
If you see her
As he stumbled out of the bar, he looked up at the night sky and wondered if she was looking at it, too. She had always loved the night time.
God, he missed her. Just waking up in the morning, alone in their bed, tore out another little piece of his heart every morning.
He still wanted her, but his male ego refused to let him simply track her number down and call her.
He stumbled down the sidewalk, his hands shoved into his pockets and his vision blurry. But whether it was from the whiskey or tears, he just didn't know.
I still want her
Olivia stared up at the night sky as she sat on the front steps of her apartment building. Her heart had been aching since Alex's surprise visit, and she didn't know how to make it stop.
She sipped slowly at her cup of tea and rested her dark head in her hand. Sometimes she still couldn't believe that she still needed him like she did. When she left, she had been convinced that it was for all the right reasons. They would both be better off.
But every night since then, she had been second guessing that assumption.
And I still need him so
They both stared up at the stars and sighed. She wondered again why she had left, and he wondered again why he had let her go.
Oh, I don't know why
We let each other go
Suddenly Olivia got up and threw her cup away. She couldn't live like this anymore. Not caring that it was two in the morning, she hurried back into her apartment building and jogged up the stairs as fast as she could.
She was tired of this, and she was tired of missing him. She wanted, no, she needed to be with him. Screw pride, and screw everything else. She was going back to Manhattan, back to him, and back to her life.
She grabbed a duffel bag out of her closet and tossed it on the bed, then started throwing her clothes and other things into it.
Once she was packed, she tossed the bag over her shoulder and left the apartment, jogging down to her car. Throwing the door open, she tossed the duffel bag inside, then jumped into the driver's seat.
She couldn't do this anymore, and she wasn't going to.
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Elliot sighed as he laid in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. The pillow beside him still smelled like Olivia, and he absently touched it.
He missed her so much, but his stubborn pride and ego wouldn't let him tell her that.
He rolled over, onto what was once her side of the bed, and closed his eyes again. His heart was aching beyond explaining, and he didn't know what to do about it.
Closing his eyes, he buried his face in her pillow and sighed, a shudder going through his body.
A dim light shone through the window, reminding him of his promise to her. As long as that light was on, he would be there for her.
If you see her
Tell her the light's still on for her
Olivia's heart started to race as she pulled down that familiar street and up to his apartment building. She could see a light in the window, his window. A tear dripped down her cheek.
He was still there, and he still wanted her. She wiped the tear away and smiled, pulling the keys out of the ignition. Then she got out of the car and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, she headed up the walkway leading to his apartment building.
He was dozing off when he heard the slamming of a car door, and while he was used to the sound and usually ignored it, this time there was something different about it.
Groaning softly, he rolled out of the bed and went to the window, his eyes widening when he saw a dark SUV parked in front of the building. Could it be...?
She headed up the concrete path slowly, her heart racing faster with each uncertain step she took.
Suddenly the door flew open, and she found herself face to face with the eyes that had haunted her dreams every night for the past two months.
"Elliot..."
Nothing's changed
Deep down the fire still burns for him
He stared at her in disbelief. She was really there, standing in front of him.
She studied him intently, her breaths coming out in small puffs in front of her face. Suddenly she wanted to disappear.
He took a small step toward her, his hands extended in a non threatening manner.
This was what he had to do. If he didn't do it now, she would most likely walk away from him for good. "Liv, I'm sorry," he murmured.
Her chocolate eyes widened slightly. "You are...?"
He nodded immediately. "I am."
"I'm sorry, too."
He took another step closer, another step toward healing the terrible rift between them. "I still love you."
She felt the tears sting her eyes. "I love you, too."
He almost looked relieved as he moved closer to her, until he could reach out and touch her with his hand. Which was exactly what he wanted to do.
Suddenly she dropped her duffel bag to the concrete and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
Automatically he wrapped his arms around her and held her close, kissing her soft hair. "God, Liv, I love you so much."
She nodded tearfully and buried her face in his neck. "I know," she whispered.
He closed his eyes, sighing in relief. "Are you... ready to come home?" he wondered in a hushed voice. He prayed that she was. Now that she was in front of him, he couldn't imagine ever being apart from her again.
There wasn't a moment's hesitation. "Yes. Do you still want me?"
"Of course." He pulled back a little and studied her tear stained face. Freeing one hand, he cupped the back of her skull and gently urged her closer, until their lips met in a tentative kiss.
When they finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against his. "I missed you so much, El," she murmured, running her hand over his hair.
He smiled and kissed her nose. Then he reached down and grabbed her bag. "Come on. It's late, and I'm tired." Though sleep was the last thing on his mind right then. Even if it had taken forever, he would have waited for her.
She smiled and followed him to the door. It was almost as though they hadn't spent a moment apart, and she willingly followed him inside.
They had a lot of catching up to do, and she couldn't wait.
And even if it takes forever
Say I'll still be here
If you see him
If you see her
If you see him
If you see her
The End
A/N: I had tears in my eyes through this, and for a while, I considered giving it a different ending. But I just couldn't, so I gave them this ending. I hope everyone enjoyed this, and if anyone is wondering, the John Alex is with is MUNCH! Yay MA!! Hehe. Please remember to review!