Hey I'm new on here. Let me know what you really think of this. I have more written…should I post it?

Elliot Stabler looked across at the empty seat where his old partner, Olivia Benson used to sit. His new partner Sandra Rodriguez now sits there in her place. He couldn't believe she had left after everything that had happened.

It had been a year since he came home to find Kathy's car packed and loaded to go. As he entered the house they shared together, he found her sitting with Eli. He stood there stunned as Kathy told him

"Elliot, I really don't want to hurt you but I can't go living like this. I have to tell you something," -she raised her hand, "please don't say anything just let me talk. Elliot I'm three months pregnant with another man's baby and Eli isn't your son."

He was so angry and speechless that all he could do was watch her walk out the door, into her car and drive away.

As he sat at his desk he couldn't believe that it had been a year ago that Kathy had walked out and a week later they had been officially divorced. Only months after that, his partner Olivia Benson had left. Elliot couldn't believe that Liv had been gone for seven months now and he hadn't received so much as a phone call from her. He, of course, had tried to call her several times but the line had been disconnected and she had moved out of her apartment.

As he sat staring at her empty chair he thought about their last conversation.

"Hey Liv, what do you say. Do you want to grab a drink?"

"I really can't El, I'm sorry. I'm swamped and really need to catch up on all this paperwork" -motioning to the stacks of papers that covered the top of her desk.

"Come on Liv, we haven't gone out for a drink in months. Not since –"

"—El…El…ELLIOT?"

Elliot looked up to see his new partner Sandra, staring at him.

"You okay El? You were so spaced out; it took me a while to get your attention. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing, I'm fine. I left the Ross case on your desk to look over, something just doesn't seem right."

"Okay, I'll have a look at it."

Olivia woke to the cry of a baby. She took about three steps across her room, picked up the screaming infant and rubbed her back.

"Ella shh shh it's okay Mommy's here."

It was only a matter of moments before she settled down. Olivia walked down the hall and into the kitchen to fix Gabriella a bottle. She had never really called the baby girl Gabriella though, it was always Ella. Probably because she saw so much of her baby's father in her little girl. Her eyes, her nose, the way her forehead got all scrunched up when it looked like she was getting frustrated. It had been seven months since she had last seen Ella's dad and the time apart was really hard on her. She hadn't even been able to pick up the phone to call and say that she was okay. She couldn't even reach for the phone to call him on the nights she really needed him. She left him and her job because she did love him and she didn't think he was ready for another child. So now she sat in a new apartment with a new phone number, rocking her baby girl in the living room while she fed her the bottle thinking back to the day Ella was conceived.

It had been pouring for hours so she had decided just to stay in for the night. It was just going to be another lazy night on the couch the t-shirt she had stolen from El and a comfy pair of shorts…until she heard a knock on the door. As she walked to answer the door, the knocks grew closer together. She opened the door to find her partner soaked head to toe standing in a small puddle of water. Olivia was shocked but she didn't ask any questions she just ushered him in. She went to go find him some dry clothes, he was lucky that she liked her clothes baggy. She took off the top she had on that belonged to him and handed it to him; then walked to her bedroom to find him pants and a new top fro herself.

Elliot had followed her into the bedroom came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He slowly moved some hair away from her neck and kissed it slowly. Olivia turned to meet him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Their eyes met it was as if they connected. Elliot moved his head in closer, Olivia smiled as if giving him the "nod of approval". He leaned in closer and their lips met. They kissed slow and softly then deepened the kiss. Olivia pulled away and looked up at Elliot.

"El, what about K—"

"Don't worry about it Liv." He told her as he pulled her closer.

They began to kiss again and tumbled toward the bed. Before she knew it, they were making love. She had never known how passionate Elliot was but she knew that she would never forget. She laid there in his arms feeling so safe and secure, she knew her life would never be the same. She turned to face El and he was already awake, she smiled at him but he looked tore.

"I know this was just a mistake. Liv—"

She shook herself out of the past and looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms. She said softly to Ella,

"Don't worry I never thought of that night as a mistake."

Elliot wondered if it had been something he said to her that made her leave. He replayed the four months before Olivia had left over and over in his head, the same line kept repeating.

"…Liv, do you mind if we just forget about this…it was only one time. Let's just put it behind us and move on."

How could he have been so stupid to believe she would be fine with just moving on after that intimate night they had shared together. He hadn't been fine with it but he didn't want to complicate things and he didn't think she shared the same feelings as him. He couldn't believe what an asinine thing he had done and it had cost him his partner and his best friend. He thought about that one night they had spent together that had changed his life completely.

It was right after Kathy had left him, he found himself walking out that same door she had and pulling it closed tight. He was soon in the car and driving around. He had ended up driving all the way to Olivia's apartment. It was pouring and he had found the only parking spot that he could, which happened to be far from the apartment entrance. By the time, he got to the door he was soaked. He walked the four flights of stairs to her apartment door. When she answered the door, he had seen the surprised look on her face. He couldn't decided if she was upset or happy—

"El…ELLIOT?"

"Hmm..sorry Sandra. What's going on?"

"Elliot, what's been going on with you lately? You're distracted and not focusing like you did when I first started here. Anyway, Cragen just gave us our assignment. There are new leads on the Ross case, another girl has come forward we have to go talk to her."

"Okay. Want me to drive?"

"Sure."

They walked out of the precinct and got into the car. They drove to the house of the new little girl that had come forward to see if she could help to make their case. Once they got there, they began to talk to the little girl's mother and then started to ask the little girl questions.

Olivia had managed to get all of her and Ella's laundry done, as well as washing all the dirty baby bottles and dishes. She even had time to prepare some baby bottles with formula. This is what her life had become washing dirty laundry, baby bottles and dishes but she didn't care. She loved her life now; she loved Ella with everything she had. Olivia jumped in the shower real quick because she knew it wouldn't be long before her little girl was up again. Not long after she had gotten out of the shower and was drying off she heard the baby starting to whimper. So she threw on some clothes and went over to pick up Ella.

Her gentle touch had instantly soothed the baby, who was lying happily in her arms. Olivia feed the baby again, changed her diaper and got her dressed for the day. Today they were going to meet Olivia's very good friend Casey Novak at a local park. So she got the baby dressed, packed a diaper bag and got the baby settled in her car seat. She turned around to grab the baby's stroller but she remembered that she packed it in the car the previous day, so she wouldn't have to today; so she walked out the door with her diaper bag and purse in one hand and the baby in her car seat in the other. Olivia got to her car fastened the baby car seat to the base, and then got into the passenger's seat.

Ella was really good on car rides; she fell asleep within seconds of pulling out the parking lot and slept till the time they reached their destination. Pulling into the park parking lot, Olivia had immediately spotted Casey. Olivia pulled into the closest spot and Casey ran to the car. Casey immediately went for the back door of the car and took out the car seat that held her favorite little girl, while Olivia took the diaper bag and stroller out of the car. Once they got settled, they started to walk to the path around the park.

"Liv, look at her! She has gotten so big since the last night I saw her and she just keeps getting cuter."

"Thanks, Case. You haven't told anyone at the precinct where I am or what's going on…right?

"Of course, I haven't Liv. I knew if I told anyone, including this precious little girl's father, that you would bite my head off. I still don't understand why you won't tell him."

"Case, you don't understand. The morning after he said it was a mistake and that we should just forget it ever happened. A week later, his divorce was settled. I had found out that I was pregnant two weeks after that and he finally seemed to be happy again, I couldn't do that to him."

"Liv,"—gesturing to Ella "look at her. He'd be an idiot not to want to be apart of her life. I think you're thinking too little of El, he probably just didn't want to complicate things between you guys and that's why he said the things he did. Come on, you know that deep down he truly loves you, this time apart has been eating him alive."

"Ella and I we've been doing fine on our own. Being a single mother isn't as hard as I thought it would and it's very rewarding. Plus I have you and my neighbors to watch her when I have to go to work. I have a solid support system."

"You can't keep living like this, without El. I can see it's hurting you being away from him and it's no good for you. You just won't admit it, you guys were partners for eleven years, he saw you more then he saw his own wife."

Looking down, at the adorable little girl and her big blue eyes, Casey went to pick up Ella while they sat on a bench in the park and continued to talk.

"Oh come here, little girl Aunt Casey wants to hold you."

"Ya know, Case. You are going to spoil her rotten."

"Hey that's what aunts are for…so you better get used to this" looking down at the baby in her arms, "because this is going to be one very spoiled little girl."

"Oh, Aunt Casey what would we do without you. We really should be leaving now though, because I'm on call at work. I don't understand why they need the Technical Support Staff working all hours of the day. I really regret this transfer to the new precinct but the new position gives me more time to spend with this little bundle of joy."

Casey walked Olivia back to her car and hooked the baby's car seat into the base as Olivia put away the diaper bag and stroller. They hugged good-bye and Olivia honked the horn as she drove away.

Elliot sat across from Sandra at their desks; he was so busy filling out paperwork from their busy day that he didn't notice her staring at him. Once he finished filling out all his paperwork, he looked up.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Why would you think that Elliot?"

"Because you're staring at me."

"Oh, I was just noticing how focused you get when you are thinking really hard about what you are doing. Cragen said we can leave for the night. There's nothing left that can be done tonight. Want to go grab a drink?"

"No, I think I'll pass I'm pretty tired. I think I'm going to catch up on sleep. See you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

Elliot thought back to the previous day in Cragen's office.

"I swear Stabler you better be nice to this one. This is the third replacement since Liv left. You can't keep driving them away. This one better not leave."

"On second thought, why not just let me grab my jacket."

"Really? But you seemed so dead set against going."

"No it will be good for me I haven't been out in a while, not since…well never mind. Let's go."

"Okay."

So they walked out of the precinct together, just talking about little things like what made Sandra decide to move to New York.

"So El, you obviously know the area better then me, where is there a good bar?"

"There's a good one that I like about fifteen blocks away, it's a little pricy but it's worth it."

"Well my apartment is only twelve blocks away, the bar in my kitchen is stocked; so it will be a lot closer, cheaper and comfier. Only if you want to though."

"Yeah, that's fine with me."

They got in their separate cars and he followed her the twelve blocks to her apartment building. He found a parking spot close to hers, then followed her up the two flights of steps to her apartment.

"So what do you want to drink, I basically have it all."

"Actually water is fine."

"Okay. Make yourself comfortable I'll be right back."