Things to know: This is a year after the season 14 premiere.

"Please don't do this. Please. I'll do anything you want. Just... please."

"You take another step and your precious Cassidy gets it!" The tall man had his arms wrapped tightly around Cassidy's neck and he was choking him. He let out gagged breaths as he tried to fight back and break loose but nothing was working.

"Let him go," Olivia said tightening her grip on the gun, "This is between me and you."

"Liv," Cassidy managed to say, "I love you.."

Olivia squeezed her eyes shut to try and force the blurred vision to go away. "Just let him go."

"I can't do that."

Two Months Earlier

"Hey Rollins."

"Good morning."

Olivia strolled into the office wearing a smile on her face and Rollins immediately knew something was up. Usually on Monday mornings she was grouchy because she didn't want to come back to work after a good weekend spent with Brian Cassidy.

"How was your weekend?"

Olivia looked up from her paperwork and smiled, "It was great. Brian proposed!"

"What? Liv, that's great!" Rollins was truly happy for her. She had spent the past year listening to Olivia talk about how much she loved Brian and how happy she was and how she finally wanted to settle down. She saw the way her face lit up every time Brian's name was mentioned.

Olivia nodded, "I didn't plan on telling anyone just yet but, I guess I got excited."

Rollins laughed, "You deserve to be excited."
Olivia had her coffee mug in her hand as she sat down at her desk and cleared the stack of paper on top of it away. She didn't feel like doing her paperwork so early in the morning. She would do it later. The warmth from the cup was seeping through to her hand so she took a small sip and sat it down in the corner of the desk, out of the way of the computer.

"Benson," Cragen called from the doorway of his office, "Can you come here for a second?"

Olivia wondered what Captain Cragen could possibly want to talk to her about. She got up and headed over to his office.

"Yes, Captain?"

"I heard that you and Cassidy are tying the knot."

"Word travels fast." Olivia let out a small laugh but then realized it must be serious because Cragen's lips were still in a straight line.

"If anyone finds out you guys are married then they are going to do everything they can to break you up. Suspects are going to use your marriage against you."

Olivia sighed, "So partner us with other people."

"I can't," Cragen said matter-of-factly, "Amaro is moving to D.C to be with his wife and daughter. He got a job there working security at the White House."

"So partner me with Rollins," Olivia shrugged. Ever since the whole ordeal with Carissa and Delia, Benson and Amaro's relationship had been a little rocky. They did their best to work with each other but, the trust they once had was never the same.

It was Cragen's turn to sigh now. He didn't want to have to do this to Olivia but, he had no choice. He cared about her home life, not just her work life. "I can't do that either."

"Why not?" She was starting to worry. If she couldn't be partnered with anyone else besides Cassidy, then they had a problem. She knew how her marriage could be used against her and she knew that marriage records were public material.

"IAB says that the squad works best when we have assigned partners. They don't like the change up that we have been doing. Fin and Rollins have been partnered together and that leaves you and Cassidy."

"Why can't you just switch them?" She was getting agitated now. Her and Fin had worked together before and they had done just fine. Her and Rollins had worked together before too and they were just as good.

"Rollins and Cassidy don't work well together."

"So put me with Rollins!"

"Olivia," Cragen said keeping his tone down, "You know I can't do that."

It was true. She did know that because men were still seen as higher power than women, that you couldn't have two female detectives out on the field. It was considered dangerous and blah blah blah. She had heard it a thousand times and each time she got more pissed off about it.

"We can try it as it is now," Cragen said folding his hands on top of his desk, "If anyone threatens you and Cassidy, you tell me."

"Then what?"

"You know what."

Olivia turned her head to the side because she couldn't bare to look at Cragen any longer. She was pissed about the partner situation because getting married was suppose to be the best time of your life. Not the worst.

"What was that all about?" Amanda asked when she saw Olivia come back out of the office.

Olivia sighed and ran her hand through her hair, "The partnering situation."

Amanda just nodded, "Sorry."

"Cassidy and I will be fine. I hear people are calling us 'Bensidy' now."

"Bensidy?" Amanda asked with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk on her face, "I came up with that."

Olivia opened her mouth to say something but before she could Brian himself came walking in with his tough guy cop walk. He had a small white bag in his hand and a rose in the other.

"Stopped by the store," he said walking over to Olivia's desk and turning to her, "Got you a little something."

Olivia's face lit up and she forgot all about her mood. "Thank you," she said, "This is wonderful."

"Like I've said before, I'm not a romantic."

Olivia just shrugged his comment off and went to place the rose into her white coffee mug that held her pens and pencils. It wasn't a real rose, just one of those cheapy ones you can practically get at any store for a dollar. She didn't mind though, if he had bought her real ones they would have died off from her lack of watering them. Olivia also didn't care that Brian wasn't a romanticist. She didn't consider herself one either. Sure she liked some things be romantic but, not all the time. It just wasn't who she was.

It was hitting lunch time now and Olivia couldn't help but notice that Brian seemed a little out of it. Usually he was competing with Fin to see who was more hip. Today he had remained seemingly quiet. He hadn't had much input on the cases they were discussing and he hadn't even responded when Olivia kissed him on the cheek.

It was just the two of them alone outside on the stoop now and Olivia couldn't take it any longer. She needed to know. "What's bothering you?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I'm fine."

"You're lying," Olivia said, "You've been distant all day. What's going on?"

Brian sighed and brought his head up so he was looking Olivia in the eyes, "Something came up."

"Something like what?"

"My mother," he answered, "She's sick."

"What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know," he said sadly, "I got an e-mail from her earlier today. She just said that she was sick and that she had lost my number so she had to send an e-mail."

"No offense but, your mother doesn't even know how to use e-mail." Olivia was trying to lighten the mood but bu the look on Brian's face said she had failed.

"I have to go to Seattle to be with her," he said turning away from her, "Tomorrow."

Olivia sighed. Now she understood why he had been so out of it all day. They had planned that their wedding would be small with only people that were close to them invited. They also planned to get married in exactly three weeks. If his mother was still stick then, they would have to postpone. "Tomorrow..."

"Yeah," he said, "I don't know how long I'll be gone."

Olivia nodded. Tears slightly brimming in her eyes. She didn't want Brian to leave. She liked going home from work and him being there to cuddle with her. She felt safe. She knew she was being selfish which is why she would never have told him how she really felt.

"I guess we better get you packing then."

"You know I wouldn't go if I didn't have to..."

"I know," she smiled sadly, "It's okay. Your mom needs you. I understand."

"That's besides the point," he said, "I know you don't like being home alone."
"I've been alone most of my life," Olivia softly laughed, "I'll be fine."

Brian sighed and turned to look at her yet again. He reached over and pulled her hand out from her lap and entangled it in his. She rested her head against his shoulder and they just sat there enjoying each other's presence.

"I hate to ruin the moment," Amanda said stepping onto the first step, "We just got a case."