Hi, guys. So this is my first SVU story. I'm still kinda new to fan fiction and the SVU board can be intimidating—everyone is so knowledgeable about the show and there are some absolutely amazing writers here. I'm not a big fan of outside characters but this idea came to me and I couldn't get past it. I hope you'll indulge me. I'm an EO shipper all the way, which probably makes me a huge glutton for punishment as I'm positive that we will never see them together! Whatever the case, you will only find good things for the two of them in the end of my stories. That doesn't mean they don't have to go through some angst to get there though. Sit back and enjoy the story. Please let me know what you think here or on Twitter: BellaSarah241.

Spoilers for Pursuit. This takes place post-Pursuit.

Disclaimer: I am (not) the real owner of these characters. ;-p

The Return

Elliot.

It was the only thing Detective Olivia Benson could think when she entered the precinct. After a two weeks sabbatical it had that odd familiarity of absence—the same but ever changing. The smells and sounds were the same even if the faces were different—the musk of too many bodies in a closed space, the distinctive scent of sweat and the cotton/poly blend of uniforms, stale coffee, floors that had been mopped but would never be truly clean, the hum of fluorescent lights, the squawk of hand held radios, the dull roar of voices, and the occasional disgruntled yelp. Controlled chaos ebbing and flowing in one space. To Olivia it was the personification of the city she adored—a microcosm of Manhattan.

She was gratified to feel the familiar weight of her pistol on her hip again. She hadn't wanted to take two weeks off but had been forced by Captain Cragen after the tragic death of ADA Sonya Paxton. It had shaken her more than she'd like to admit and she was still having vivid nightmares of holding the dying woman in her arms feeling the warm blood on her hands as the life of a colleague slipped away in front of her.

Knowing she'd find no peace in the city and that she'd never be able to stay away from her partner for that long, Olivia had flown to Italy. It was something she'd wanted to do for as long as she could remember but had never made the time to do. To everyone else she could make excuses about duty and case loads but if she was honest with herself, the truth was that it was pointless. She would be miserable if she was away from Elliot for so long without any contact. And besides, what was the point of going to a beautifully romantic country by yourself when your one true love was someone you would never have.

It wasn't like Olivia struggled with this knowledge every day. After twelve years it was just one of those basic truths—she was truly, deeply in love with Elliot Stabler. Not lust, although he definitely made her hot, but honest to goodness soul-wrenching love. She knew him better than she knew herself, accepted him for who he was and not what she wanted him to be. It was the reason she'd never make a play for him, the reason why she knew she had to leave after the hug they'd shared in the hallway.

She'd been afraid that things had been irrevocably changed between them after the Gitano case. She'd run far and long to get away from her feelings for him then. She wasn't sure if it was the subtle hint that he might reciprocate her feelings or the bone-deep certainty that even without Kathy in the picture he would never make a play on her that had scared the shit out of her. But like the moon pulls the ocean to the shores she'd eventually been drawn back to SVU and Elliot. Years had passed since then and they'd become close again although, at least for Olivia, awareness of the line that they would never even acknowledge much less cross kept them from ever opening up to each other fully.

It was hard to know someone so completely and still deny such an integral part of the relationship they'd forged. They managed every day to live their lives like there wasn't some huge elephant in the corner. Olivia pretended not to notice when Elliot checked her out, ignored comments when someone would talk about their chemistry. None of it mattered because none of it would change.

She and Elliot did their best not to touch each other, some tacit agreement forged in the certainty that neither could handle the fallout. There were times it happened and each time it did, Olivia found herself secretly obsessing about it, having to fight those feelings she kept so tightly locked down. Not the subtle brushes of shoulders and hands but the touches that spoke of an intimacy that went far beyond romantic love.

The hug in the hallway had been too much for her. Far too revealing on both their parts. She couldn't forget the look of fear and relief in Elliot's eyes, the way he'd jogged down the hallway as if he couldn't get to her fast enough, how tightly he'd held her when he'd finally gotten his arms around her, the way he wouldn't completely let her go when she pulled back. Just for a second she'd rested her cheek against his, drawn in his scent, taken comfort in the closest they'd ever come to a kiss.

For a brief moment when he'd denied her statement that she was fine, she knew her heart was in her eyes—grief and need intermingled. He'd stared at her mouth for a second silently debating if he should give her the comfort they both desperately needed. She'd spoken again and was fully aware that it took him a moment to gather his thoughts before they turned back to the tragedy at hand. Always the consummate professionals had been her bitter thought somewhere in the back of her mind. She'd needed to get away from him quickly, knowing she was going to break down and knowing that neither of them could handle it if she did so in his presence.

That hug hadn't been a token of gratitude for saving his wife and baby. It hadn't been a reaction to her being shot at. It was a man's need to touch the woman he loved, to assure himself that she was okay, to provide her comfort, and to share a moment of grief in the only private moment they'd allow themselves. It was a moment of truth in a sea of denial. It was the reason she'd chosen to go Italy. She needed to get far, far away. Not that it had mattered a whole lot. She'd been lonely. She'd taken in the lovely country, sunbathed on the Amalfi Coast. But it had been hollow. Another illusion in the lie that was her life.

Now she was home and sufficiently girded to continue on as if nothing roiled beneath the surface. She stepped off the elevator, butterflies dancing crazily in her gut. In the two days that she'd been back on American soil, Elliot had called her a handful of times and sent her a couple text messages. She hadn't answered, not quite ready to face the music. Now she didn't have a choice. She could hear laughter floating through the SVU office and she stopped just outside the door in the shadows. She wanted to see Elliot for a second and brace herself so that no one would see her emotions.

As she expected, he looked devastatingly handsome. He wore the blue dress shirt she loved that made his eyes so fiercely cerulean that she wanted to drown in them. His jacket was off, his shirt sleeves rolled up even at this early hour. The sight of his forearms and his tattoo did the same crazy thing to her heart that it always did. It was absolutely sad that even the man's forearms could send her blood pounding. She was so fucking pathetic. Her heart nearly stopped, however, when she saw who Elliot was grinning at.

Sitting at Fin's desk was a gorgeous woman she'd never seen before. Her cop's eye was a quick study—early thirties, 5'3", thin, light brown hair, light colored eyes, perfect smile, expensive clothes. This was no cop and she clearly wasn't a victim. Munch and Fin were just as smiley as Elliot and they all seemed to be at ease. This was someone they knew, someone they'd spent time with. Someone she wanted to hate on sight for the mere fact that she had Elliot's undivided attention and she was an attractive female.

Olivia took a deep breath and was determined that her very reaction was a sign that she needed to befriend the woman and get over herself. She hated that everything about her was so strong except when it came to her feelings to Elliot. She was a beautiful, self-confident woman in her own right and it was well-past time for her to face reality. With a deep breath, chin up, she stepped into the squad room.

The other woman's eyes settled on her immediately and she almost faltered. This was no idiot. Her eyes were sharp and intelligent and for a moment Olivia wondered if perhaps she was a cop. In a flash, however, that awareness that had zinged through her was gone and the woman's mask was back on. Her smile was friendly as the rest of the group seemed to realize someone else had just entered the room. A round of hellos went up as she received hugs from Fin and Munch who seemed genuinely happy to have her back.

"Well, look at you all tanned and refreshed," Elliot said, a smile on his mouth despite the guarded look in the corner of eyes. "Glad you decided to come back."

"It was a tough decision," she said with a smirk, dropping her stuff in her chair. "Did I miss anything while I was definitely not missing anything?"

"Uh, yeah," Elliot replied, motioning to the other woman. "This is Genevieve Dawson. She'll be shadowing us for the next couple weeks for a project she's working on."

That was a story Olivia certainly couldn't wait to hear. How the hell had she gotten permission to ride-along with their unit? Friends in high places, if she had to hazard a guess.

"Detective Olivia Benson," she said, holding her hand out to the other woman with an easy smile.

"The return of the prodigal's son," the other woman said. "I've been looking forward to meeting the woman who has so much influence over these guys. Please, call me Gen. I hear you've been in Italy."

"Indeed," Olivia said a bit noncommittally.

"Looks like you spent some time on the coast. I love Italy—the wine, the food, the people."

"It is a lovely country," Olivia agreed. "So what's been going on here?"

"The usual," Fin said with a shrug.

"You know, deviance, murder. All that fun stuff," Munch deadpanned. Olivia rolled her eyes. It was good to see that not much had changed despite the new resident chippy.

"I have some fives to finish. I'd be happy to share if you need help getting in the groove of things," Elliot offered, spinning in his desk chair to face his computer. He popped an eyebrow at Olivia.

"Not," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, man, just trying to help my partner."

"Psh," was all she said as she settled into her desk. She hadn't seen it this clean or bare in a long time. She glanced up to see Gen vacate Fin's chair so he could work and walk across the room to the break area. She leaned forward quickly. "Pst, what's with fashion Barbie?"

Elliot shot her an amused look and glanced to make sure Gen was out of earshot before leaning forward.

"She's really not as bad as she looks. Pretty sharp, actually. She's working on a novel. We're her research." Olivia gave a not so ladylike snort. "I think she's the Chief of D's granddaughter or something."

"Niece," Gen dropped in on the conversation as she passed by on her way to an extra desk. Olivia sucked in her cheeks to keep from breaking a smile at getting caught by teacher. Elliot scowled at her.

"Troublemaker," he whispered before turning back to his computer.

Across the room Gen sat at a computer pretending to be busy doing something. After two weeks of embedding herself with SVU and solidifying her cover story, she was glad to see her other target was returned and her real work could begin.

Olivia Benson was every bit of what the guys had told her—gorgeous, tough, smart. It would be interesting to see her in action. Just for a moment a look of recognition had passed between them. Gen knew she wasn't imagining it but she banked on Olivia thinking she had. There was too much riding on this op for her to be made five seconds after meeting Benson. She'd put on a good front when it was just men. Although, let's face it, their heads weren't hard to turn with a pretty face and a friendly smile.

Benson would be a harder nut to crack. Gen definitely had her work cut out for her.

So who is Genevieve Dawson and for whom does she work? Can Olivia find her balance with Elliot? How does Elliot feel about having his partner back? I hope you guys are at least a little interested. Let me know either here or on Twitter (BellaSarah241) if you think it's worth continuing.