A/N: In this story, we're just going to pretend that Kathy and Elliot actually went through with that divorce eons ago.

Olivia sat on her living room couch, staring at the cell phone in her hand. Her thumb danced in circles over the touch-screen number pad as she contemplated calling Elliot. It had been three weeks since he shot Jenna Fox, and she hadn't heard from him since the psych eval. Cragen had ordered a mandatory break for the duo for a minimum of five days. Olivia came back after eight days, but not one word had been heard at the precinct from or about her partner. Could she really blame him, though? The man shot a teenage girl in their own precinct, and she died because of him. Granted, he was doing his job, but that didn't mean anything. She imagined how he probably thought about if Jenna were one of his own daughters. Olivia knew that Elliot fathering five children made his job a little harder than it would be for an SVU detective without children. The crimes and horrors the team witnesses just hit too close to home for the nurturing father. All the cases involving children-especially young girls-always left the man a little unstable. His rage never failed to get the best of him when they finally caught the perp. The images of Elliot's pulsing temples, raised neck veins, raging bull eyes and stern voice will forever remain in Olivia's memory. Not to mention the occasional smack down between the perp's face and the nearest wall, do to Elliot's almighty strength. And if it wasn't a perp's face being smashed against a wall, it was either a chair thrown at the one-way mirror in the interrogation room, or Elliot's own fist punching the metal lockers in the locker room.

Olivia sighed as the screen on her phone faded to black. Maybe she shouldn't call him yet. No, she needed to give him more time. She needed to give herself more time. What do you say to your partner after he's shot a teenage girl? Do you offer condolences? Talk about what happened like you would in a therapy session? Act like nothing happened and simply go on about life like everything is peachy-keen? She couldn't call him yet. The two had been through a lot together, but this was something bigger than either of them had ever imagined. She wouldn't call him yet; she would wait.

Elliot sat on the stool, in front of the breakfast bar, staring at the black screen of his cell phone that sat on the granite countertop. He rubbed his dry eyes as his temples pulsed furiously. He was exhausted from the restless nights of little to no sleep. At the beginning of his mandatory leave, he had no problem sleeping at all. In fact, all he did was sleep. He barely had the energy to bathe or feed himself. He had only just recently shaved his five o'clock shadowed, turned rogue beard. When he had looked at himself in the mirror for the first time, he barely recognized himself. The rough face and bloodshot eyes nearly caused him to jump out of his skin. When he finally shaved the animal off of his face, he had felt like his old self again. He had even considered going back to work in a few days. The exhilarated feeling had only lasted for two days, however, as he soon drew himself back into his miserable thoughts. Long days alone were dangerous for Elliot Stabler. When he was with others, he fed off the stress of those around him and channeled it into rage. But when he was alone, his lone stress caused him to crawl into a hard, cold shell. With no wife or kids around, there was no distraction. It was just him and him alone.

Elliot was brought from his deep trance when his cellphone rang. His face slightly lit up but slowly faded when he saw the name "Maureen Stabler" displayed on his phone. It wasn't that he didn't love his daughter; he was just hoping to see a different name… He slid his hand over his tired face before answering.

"Hey, Maur."

"Hi, Dad. How are you?"

"Okay. I'm okay."

"You sure? I came by earlier today and you didn't answer."

Elliot remembered hearing the faint knock on his door. He tried so hard to ignore it and gave thanks to God when he heard his daughter's footsteps walking away.

"You did? I didn't hear. Must've been asleep."

He tried his hardest make his lie sound like the truth, but he knew he had failed when he heard Maureen sigh on the other end.

"Dad, you definitely weren't asleep. It was one in the afternoon."

Elliot threw his head back in annoyance and tried to change the tone of his voice to make the next lie sound more believable.

"Well, then I was probably in the shower."

There was a long pause before Maureen spoke again.

"Okay, Dad. Just glad you're feeling better."

He knew she didn't believe him. He was just glad she was letting it go. He wasn't in the mood to talk about whatever was bothering him. Especially not with his daughter.

He heard a shuffle on the other line and some muffled voices.

"Hey, listen, Dad. I gotta go, okay? I'll call you later?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's fine. Have fun. Bye, Baby."

"Bye, Dad. I love you."

Elliot had already begun to draw the phone away from his ear before he spoke his last words.

"Yeah. Love you, too, Maur."

He ended the call immediately and gave his second thanks to God that day. Using his energy to talk to his daughter was not on his agenda. He felt guilty for feeling that way, but there was only one person he actually wanted to talk to right now.

He stared down at the cellphone in his hands. He began to dial her number but then thought better of it. He couldn't call Olivia now. He didn't need to bother her with his problems. She was probably better off without him. She didn't need to carry his burdens. He wouldn't call her… At least not today.

Olivia now stood in front of the kitchen counter, nursing a glass of red wine. She stared at the oven clock that flashed "7:02." She hadn't stopped thinking about calling Elliot for the past hour, so she decided to leave her phone on the coffee table and pour herself a glass of the alcohol. Even with the device out of her sight, she couldn't stop thinking about hearing Elliot's voice on the other end of the line. She just needed to know that he was okay. The two had never gone so much as a week without speaking to each other. Excluding the time she went undercover in Oregon. But those were different circumstances. At least she wasn't worried about his mental wellbeing then.

She set down her glass of wine and let out a harsh sigh. She couldn't stand not knowing any longer; she was going to call Elliot. If he questioned her actions, she would simply blame it on the wine. She knew good and well that she hadn't consumed enough to even give her light buzz, but she needed an excuse.

Olivia stalked over to the coffee table to pick up her cell phone. She quickly dialed Elliot's number but hesitated to press the call button. What on earth was she going to say if he picked up? What if he doesn't pick up at all? The thought made her already anxious nerves jump through the roof. She shook it off and took in a long and heavy breath. The call had to be made sooner or later, and she preferred sooner much over later. She quickly pressed the call button and raised the phone to her ear to wait for his answer.

One ring… Two rings… Three rings… Four rings…

Halfway into the fifth ring, Olivia heard the other line pick up. She took in another deep breath and waited to hear his voice. She heard him clear his throat before he spoke.

"Hello?"

Olivia let go of the breath she was holding in as soon as she heard his voice. He answered and she almost couldn't believe it.

"El?"

"Hey, Liv."

Olivia felt her body relax as she heard her name roll off Elliot's tongue. She struggled to find the simplest of words.

"I- I just wanted to call, and ya know, check on you. I haven't heard from you since…"

"Yeah, I know. I'm okay."

Olivia could tell by the tone in his voice that he wasn't exactly okay. She had to see him. She had to see his face again. The words spilled out of her mouth before she even knew what was happening.

"Can I see you? Can I come over?"

A short beat passed by before Elliot answered.

"You can see me, but you can't come over. I gotta get out of the house, Liv. I'll come by your place, okay?"

Olivia was taken aback by his answer. She wasn't expecting him to say yes, but she wasn't expecting him to say that either.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. That's fine, too."

"I'll see you in 20-30."

With that, the line went dead. Olivia sat on the couch, staring into blank space, with the phone still held up to her ear. The only thing left to do now was wait.

Please let me know what you guys think. Constructive criticism is always welcome; hate is not. Thank you :)