Gracie's POV

Leaning against the wall outside the precinct, I puffed hard on my e-cigarette. These days, I only ever craved a real one when I was highly stressed, but I was highly stressed. I had no idea why I'd agreed to this, I was perfectly happy where I was. Homicide suited me. It was tough, and there were cases that I'd struggled with, but I felt fulfilled there. As awful as it sounded, a dead victim was so much easier to deal with. The ordeal some of them had probably endured was horrific, but they weren't alive to tell the story. And that's what had lead to a change in direction with my career. I'd been absolutely fine. From the moment I'd started with SVU in Brooklyn, it had felt like I'd found my home. I loved it. Difficult at times, yes. Harrowing even. But it had felt like I finally belonged somewhere. That was until... Damn, now was NOT the time to start thinking about that. With a deep breathe, I shoved my e-cigarette into my bag and walked into the precinct. After being directed to the right floor, I stepped off the lift and reluctantly walked towards the squad room. Giving myself a moment to observe from the sidelines, I took in the surroundings. It was a much nicer space than what I was used to and, better still, things seemed relatively quiet. A pretty blonde was staring intently at something on her computer screen and I let myself admire her for a second, before reminding myself I was here to work, not check out the women. A lanky guy with a terrible slicked back hairstyle wondered past, and stopped when he saw me.

"Hey, can I help you?" he asked. There was something about him that I instantly liked. An air of innocence surrounded him, and he had kind eyes. Perfect for talking to traumatised victims.

"Yeah, please. I'm looking for Lieutenant Benson, I think she's expecting me. I'm Sergeant Eversley, I've been assigned here temporarily." "Aah, our new Sarge." He stretched out his hand for me to shake.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Detective Dominick Carisi, but I prefer Sonny." I took his hand. "It's nice to meet you too. But it's only temporary Sonny, so don't get too attached" I said with a grin. At that moment, a woman appeared almost out of nowhere, and I'm sure my heart literally skipped a beat. Her subtly highlighted dark hair swept in curls and sat on her shoulders. She had beautifully tanned skin and brown eyes that I was positive I could drown in. Her curvy, toned legs seemed to go on forever, accentuated by her skinny jeans and chunky heeled ankle boots. I'd never been one for big boobs but damn, they looked good on her. Her lips weren't plump, but were in perfect proportion to her face, incredibly kissable. In short, she was absolutely stunning.

"Hey, Lieutenant, this is our new Sarge. TEMPORARY Sarge" he grinned, looking at me.

LIEUTENANT? Well this was inconvenient.

Olivia's POV

An hour into the morning and it was slow, just what we needed after the Hopkins case. Thank God he was pleading out. It had taken a toll on everyone, made worse by being a man down. I walked out of my office to get a coffee, and spotted Carisi talking to a tall blonde woman so made my way towards them instead. I saw them shake hands and wondered if she was the new Sergeant. I didn't know much about who we were expecting, only that she'd done two years with Brooklyn SVU before transferring to homicide. Apparently her CO at the time was more than surprised when she asked for the transfer. I'd been told she'd been really great whilst she was there, but that didn't mean much. I approached them and she turned to face me. She was striking, and I couldn't help but notice her eyes roam down my body before coming back up to meet mine. I felt myself blush, and hoped she didn't notice.

"Hey Lieutenant, this is our new Sarge. TEMPORARY Sarge." Carisi grinned at her, like they already knew each other. I smiled, putting my arm out.

"Hi, Lieutenant Olivia Benson. It's good to finally meet you."

"Sergeant Gracie Eversley" she said with a smile that danced in her eyes. Time seemed to stand still for a moment as we looked at each other, before I realised our arms were still outstretched and I pulled my hand away. I suddenly felt very unsure of myself.

"Carisi, why don't you give the Sergeant a tour of the squad room and introduce her to everyone? I'd do it myself but I'm snowed under with paperwork." I gave her an apologetic smile and turned around towards my office. SNOWED UNDER WITH PAPERWORK? I had no idea what had just happened, but I did feel the need to sit in the safety of my office to compose myself. I shut the door and took refuge in the chair behind my desk, watching as Sonny introduced Eversley to the team, and I couldn't help but smile at his puppy dog eyes. He was clearly smitten, and it was easy to see why. I watched her chatting to everyone, like she'd known them for years. There was something about her. She looked young, early 30's, but gave off a strong air of maturity. She had big, green eyes that invited you in, and her long blonde hair fell in natural loose curls over her shoulders. She was tall and extremely slender, but toned and curved in all the right places. ALL THE RIGHT PLACES? I had never noticed a woman this way before. Admired them, yes. I could appreciate a sexy woman when I saw one. But this was different, and I felt extremely confused. I opened my laptop and put my glasses on, diving into paperwork to distract myself.