This story references a few episodes across all 11 seasons particularly 'Loss','Ghost', 'Infiltrated' and 'Fault'.

Time lines are based on show air dates. There is no mention of L&O:Trial by Jury as in my world, Alex never went there.

Disclaier: I own nothing

An update will be posted daily at 10pm (UK time) so mark it in your alerts!

Please read and review, thanks.

Deja Vu

by VivalaB

Prologue:

"And that's when Detective Stabler and I apprehended the accused"

"Can you identify the suspect Detective Benson?"

"Yes, that's him sitting there at the defense table, Riley O'Hara"

"Nothing further your honor"

1: Deja Vu All Over Again

Alex Cabot looked up as her office door was lightly knocked and a leather clad figure entered.

"Detective?" Alex asked, placing the pen that had been resting on her bottom lip back on the notepad in front of her.

Olivia closed the door and silently walked to the visitor's chair opposite the ADA's desk. She took note of the cluttered, yet, apparently organised desk and looked directly at Alex.

"We got a call at the precinct, Riley O'Hara has put a hit out on you"

Olivia watched the face of the attorney closely for her reaction.

There was none.

"He made three calls from Rikers to three numbers, offering $250k to the first to..." she paused searching for the right word to use not wanting to alarm Alex any further, "fulfil the contract" she finished.

Alex stared at her No flicker of emotion, no registration of the statement just made or the implications. This was why she was known throughout the courthouse as the 'ice princess'.

Olivia continued to watch her face..and then she saw it. Alex reached up to remove her glasses and Olivia saw her hand waiver slightly before placing the glasses carefully, deliberately on the notepad beside the pen.

Alex tucked a few loose strands of hair that had been dislodged behind her ear, she looked down briefly at her glasses and then brought her eyes up to meet Olivia's.

"I'm not going back", it was spoken quietly, almost a whisper, but spoken with conviction.

Olivia leaned forward in her chair and nodded her head.

"We've already got two of the contacts in custody, O'Hara is well connected in the 'guns for hire' field. They're being interviewed at the precinct, no initial, apparent link between them. Lucky for us though ATF already had them tapped and gave us the heads up straight away"

Olivia ran her right hand through her hair wishing it was shorter. Times like these it felt heavy on her head, made it hard to concentrate, not to mention chasing perps had a whole new dimension to it, especially if the wind speed was up.

Alex watched the movement, she knew from all their years working together, despite the gap due to her incarceration in the Witness Protection Plan, that when Olivia Benson ran her right hand through her hair she was stressed. Rarely did the Detective expose the zig-zag scar that ran along the side of her head, she always managed to carefully conceal it. For Olivia to be unguarded with this gesture Alex knew this was bad. Really bad.

"Have they been charged?" Alex asked, wondering which ADA was involved. Homicide was Connie Rubirosa's turf.

Olivia nodded and confirmed what Alex suspected, Connie would be prosecuting both cases. At least she could rely on her friend to make sure these cases were handled swiftly.

Alex bobbed her head almost mechanically in response, she tilted her head to one side, "What about the third suspect, who was the third phone call to?"

Olivia swallowed nervously, disappointed with herself for the slight loss of control. All the way over form the 1-6 she had convinced herself to remain in control, show no outward signs of concern or worry when inside she was in knots and felt physically sick. She had insisted she be the one to tell Alex. She stood up and started pacing between the chair she had just vacated and the leather couch in the corner of the corner office.

Alex watched her anxiously for a few moments and then couldn't stand it any longer, "Olivia, stop!"

Olivia stopped abruptly and looked over at Alex who had risen from her chair and was now resting against her desk.

"Liv, please sit down, after everything I've been through in the past five years a name isn't going to affect me. How bad can it be?" She said quietly.

Olivia walked back to the blonde ADA. She reached for Alex's left hand and changed her mind at the last second, lightly touching her elbow instead. Alex looked down at the hand on her elbow in confusion then back to the brunette's face.

Panic was rising quickly, she could feel her stomach flip and tighten. She reached over and took Olivia's hand from her elbow and gently held it. They stood facing each other, their body fronts almost touching.

They stood like that for a long moment, the silence in the room deafening.

Alex was aware of the warmth of the hand she was holding and the emotions she could see swirling in the deep brown eyes before her.

She squeezed the hand again.

"Liv, you're scaring me" she said, surprising herself at how steady her voice sounded.

Olivia took a deep breath and wished her increasingly sticky palm didn't betray the overwhelming worry that seemed to be oozing from every pore.

"Sean Connors"

Alex searched the recesses of her mind, the name meant nothing, no recognition. Nothing. She furrowed her brow in confusion.

Olivia watched the cobalt blue eyes and knew Alex was desperately trying to find some recognition for the name she had just spoken. She felt the thud of her heart in her chest as she gripped the hand she held just a little tighter.

She swallowed nervously, "He's Liam Connors' brother"

Alex felt her jaw slacken and fear wash over her body. She was instantly transported back to that night in October of 2003 when Liam Connors had shot her and she had died. She remembered the fourteen months she spent as 'Emily' in the WPP before facing him in court in 2005. She remembered the further two years she had to spend as 'Caroline' before Valez was killed and it was deemed safe for her to return to New York. She had lost so much, most of which she could never regain.

"Oh my God" Alex choked out.