These characters do not belong to me. They belong to Dick Wolf. E/O forever.

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Olivia let out a loud sigh as she closed the file folder on her desk. She threw her pen down on her desk, and leaned back in her chair.

"I am done. That was the last one." Olivia and Elliot had been cleaning up all their paperwork after another busy week in SVU.

"Let's go over to O'Malley's and get a drink" said Fin. "It's been a long week. I'll buy the first round." Fin looked around. "Anyone in?"

Munch nodded. "I'm in."

Elliot looked over at Olivia. "I'm in. What d'ya say Liv?"

"I don't know. I'm tired and I really just wanted to go home."

"C'mon Liv" said Elliot. "It won't be the same without you". Elliot wiggled his eyebrows at her. "One drink".

Olivia sighed. She knew it wouldn't be just "one" drink, but she didn't really have anything to go home to. "OK" she said. "One drink."

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Munch, Fin, Elliot and Olivia were sitting around a horseshoe shaped booth, each with a drink in their hand. Chester Lake walked up, along with Casey and slid into the booth.

Everyone was laughing and talking, having a good time unwinding. The bar was crowded, and there was a small dance floor, where a few people were dancing to music on a juke box. The waitress was trying to keep up with the team, but as the bar got more crowded, she fell behind.

"I need another beer." Said Olivia, lifting up her empty bottle.

"Jeez Liv" said Elliot. "You're really sucking them down fast tonight! Miss One Beer." He teased.

"If you recall, I said I was going to go home; you guys are the ones that pushed me to come. And I have only had two beers." She bumped him with her hip. "Slide out so I can go get another beer." She turned towards the rest of the crew. "Anyone else? I'm making a run."

Casey lifted her beer bottle. "I'm out. I'll take another one."

"Wow" said Munch. "The ladies are drinking us under the table tonight. I'm only starting my 2nd drink."

"We can't help it if you guys are lightweights." Casey said.

Elliot watched Olivia as she walked over to the bar. He was watching the reaction of the men in the bar as they watched her pass by. Olivia was a gorgeous woman, with dark brown eyes, olive skin, and auburn tresses falling to her shoulder. Her body looked amazing in her blue jeans and t-shirt, showcasing the curve of her hips and ass, and her generous breasts. Sometimes, Elliot thought that she really wasn't aware of her beauty; her impact on men. Or maybe beautiful woman just got used to the lingering stares and the constant come-on's; they learned how to deal with it. He thought this probably the case with Olivia; because there were times that he had seen Olivia use it to her advantage.

"Look at that" said Munch. "I think Olivia has a following." he said, as if he was reading Elliot's mind. "Too bad those guys don't know what a badass she is."

Elliot watched as Olivia made it to the bar, wedging herself into an open space and flagging down the bartender. The guy standing next to her looked her up and down. He leaned over, saying something to Olivia and placing his hand on her lower back. Olivia looked at the guy, smiling and saying something to him, as the bartender placed her order down in front of her. They guy was still talking, and let his hand slide down lower. Olivia reached back, grabbed his arm, and twisted it, all while smiling at him. The man staggered backwards, knocking into the guy behind him. Olivia grabbed the beers off the bar and started walking back towards the table, leaving the drunk man behind.

"What was that about?" asked Elliot when Olivia reached the table and slid in next to him.

"We disagreed on his desire to buy me a drink. He didn't take no for an answer, so I showed him the error of his ways." Olivia smiled sweetly.

"Brains, beauty and brawn." Said Fin. "A dangerous combination. Guy doesn't know what hit him." Fin laughed.

"Liv and Casey" said Munch. "Tell me the truth. Do you feel flattered when all these guys stare at you all the time, hit on you all the time? Or does it get old?"

Elliot stared at Munch, surprised at the question that had just been going through Elliot's mind.

Olivia looked at Casey. "I don't know John." said Olivia. "I mean, it's always nice to be appreciated; to be complimented. Every woman wants to be beautiful sometimes. Every woman wants to feel sexy sometimes. I guess what bothers me is that a woman can't be sexy and beautiful AND smart. So that's what gets to me. If a guy wants to tell me I look nice or whatever, that's fine. But it doesn't give him an automatic license to touch my ass or assume I am going to jump into bed in appreciation."

"What Liv said." Said Casey, taking a swig of her beer and sneaking a peek at Chester.

"Well" said John. "I think beautiful women have a lot of power. There are lots of men that would do anything for a beautiful woman. We see it every day."

Olivia laughed. "I guess so. Depends on the woman. Don't worry, I can handle myself.

"I think it bothers Elliot more than it bothers Liv." Fin teased.

Olivia looked over at Elliot to gauge his reaction. "Haha." Said Elliot, not denying it but not saying anything else.

Olivia bumped her shoulder against Elliot's. "He's always got my back." Said Olivia, smiling at Elliot.

Elliot took another drink, emptying half the bottle. He sighed. Olivia had been his partner for over 8 years, and they were close. They were probably closer than partners should be. They had amazing chemistry; they had from the very beginning. At first, he told himself that he was just watching out for a friend; for his best friend. But the truth was, he couldn't stand to think of her with another man. He knew he had scared off a lot of guys over the years. He never said anything out loud, but he must have let her know of his disapproval in other ways, as none of her relationships lasted very long. She always said it was the job, but maybe it was him. On the other hand, Olivia was hard to get to know. She didn't let many people in. At the end of the day, their lives were impossibly tangled together. He and Olivia had worked hard to define the boundaries of their relationship, never crossing that well defined line. Elliot had been married for 20 years; he had 4 children. He would never have crossed that line and cheated on his wife, and Olivia wouldn't have put his marriage in danger either.

But now Elliot was divorced. He had been for a couple of months, moving into his own apartment in the city and getting adjusted to a life as a bachelor. As he adjusted to his new life, he had started to think more about 'what if' and Olivia. He let himself explore all of the feelings he had suppressed; allowed himself to give in to his daydreams, wondering about kissing her, holding her…and more.

"Elliot." Said Olivia, shaking his shoulder. "Are you listening to me?"

"Sorry Liv. I was thinking about something else."

She sighed. "Never mind. I am going to the bathroom. Will you order another beer for me if she comes around?" Olivia slid out of the booth and headed across the bar to the bathrooms.

As Olivia walked to the bathroom, she thought about Elliot. She had been thinking about him more and more often lately, trying to figure out their relationship. When Elliot was married, it was easy to define. They were partners and best friends. She could look, but not touch. She could dream, but not act on her emotions. But now Elliot was a free man, and she was still confused. She thought he would make some kind of 'move'. But he hadn't. So that was making her think that maybe she was wrong. That he was just a flirt and she had misinterpreted all of the looks and the comments and the…intensity. She tried to put it out of her mind.

As she made her way back to the table, she skirted the dance floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a guy cutting across the dance floor, headed towards her. She kept looking straight ahead and sighed. She wasn't up for another guy hitting on her. She smiled a little, thinking that Elliot was probably watching her. She wondered what he was thinking. She was almost back to the table, distracted by her thoughts, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head, ready to decline whatever he asked.

"Olivia?"

She turned her body then, looking at the man that had stopped her. He was about Elliot's height, and it was obvious he worked out. He had dark wavy hair and dark eyes, and a great smile. Olivia took all of this in within seconds.

"It IS you." he said.

Olivia paused a second. "Matt? Oh my God. Is that really you?" Olivia broke into a big smile.

Matt smiled and reached out, embracing Olivia in a big hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back; the hug lingering for a moment. She pulled back, but he kept his hands on her upper arms.

"My God Olivia. You look fantastic. You're even more beautiful than I remember. I can't believe I just ran into you like this!" He ran his eyes up and down, taking her in.

Olivia blushed a little. "It's been a long time Matt."

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Elliot watched Olivia as she walked back across the room. As usual, several guys were watching her, and he watched as one guy left his table and followed her across the floor, finally intercepting her close to their table. He watched, ready to come to the rescue if the guy started hassling her. He was surprised when Olivia reached in and hugged the man. He was even more surprised when the man's hands lingered on Olivia's hips as they hugged. His eyes narrowed as he watched them.

Fin and Munch noticed that Elliot had stopped talking and looked over to see what was distracting him.

"Looks like Olivia found a new friend" Fin teased Elliot. "You know that guy? " asked Fin.

"No. Never seen him before." He continued to watch as Olivia talked with the mystery man. She had a big smile on her face, and gestured over to their table a few times as she talked. After a few minutes, they started to walk over to the table. They all stopped talking when Olivia reached the table.

"Hey. I want to introduce you to an old friend of mine." started Olivia.

"Friend? Ouch." The man made a stabbing gesture to his chest.

Olivia blushed. "A good friend. This is Matt Harris. Matt and I went to college together. Matt, these are some of the people I work with." As she introduced them, she pointed to each person at the table. "This is Munch, Fin, Chester, Casey, and my partner, Elliot."

"I can't believe you're a detective Olivia" said Matt. "With all the laws you broke in college…it didn't seem like a likely career for you!" Matt laughed.

Olivia poked him in the ribs with her elbows. "The laws I broke? Seems to me you were right there with me."

Munch chimed in. "This is fantastic. Someone that knew you in college Liv. Matt, I bet you have lots of great stories and I, for one, would love to hear them. I would love to hear that Little Miss Perfect here has a dark side."

Fin laughed. "I second that!"

"Olivia was real wild child in college" started Matt. "She was always up for anything. Liked to push the boundaries. I always told her she was the most uninhibited person I knew." He had a mischievous look in his eyes, snaking his hand up and squeezing her shoulder.

"Matt!" said Olivia. "I have to work with these people. They do NOT need to hear any stories. And you exaggerate." She bumped her hip against him, letting him know it was time to shut up.

Elliot watched the body language between Matt and Olivia. He could tell they had been close, the way they kept touching each other in small ways as the conversation went on.

"C'mon Liv" said Casey. "We don't know anything about you before you came to SVU. We want some dirt!"

Olivia turned and pointed a finger at Matt. "Don't you dare!" He grabbed her finger.

"I could never deny you" he said with a smile. A statement that made Elliot scowl. He needed to stop this…whatever this was.

"So Matt. What do you do for a living?" asked Elliot.

"I'm in a band." Said Matt. "Vocals and guitar."

"Hmm." Elliot made a non-committal sound. "You live here in the city?"

"Yes. We have been touring around the country and have spent the last year or so in Boston. But I wanted to get back home; back to New York. I knew it was a good move." He looked over at Olivia with a smile on his face.

Olivia caught his smile, but then looked back towards the group. She caught the scowl on Elliot's face and quickly dropped the smile. She distanced herself away from Matt a little and grabbed her beer off the table.

"Matt, you want a beer?" asked Fin.

"Ah, no. I had better get back to my friends." Matt gestured to a table of guys across the bar. "Olivia, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Olivia shot a look at Elliot before she turned back to Matt. "Sure." She turned back to the group. "Be right back."

Olivia followed Matt as he headed away from the table. He stopped a few yards away and turned back towards Olivia.

"Olivia. I still can't believe I ran into you." He paused. "So, um…are you and your partner…involved?"

Olivia laughed. "Involved? That's an interesting question. Elliot and I have been partners for over 8 years, so we're close. But not in the way you think."

"Oh, because I was definitely getting some dirty looks from him."

"Yeah, well that's Elliot." Said Olivia, rolling her eyes slightly.

"I was wondering if you'd give me your phone number. Maybe we could go out for coffee, or dinner? Catch up?" Matt looked at her hopefully.

Olivia got a big smile on her face. "I'd like that." Matt pulled out his phone and Olivia grabbed it out of his hand. She typed in her phone number and hit send. As soon as the call connected, she hung up.

"There you go. Now you just have to hit redial." She smiled as she handed the phone back to him.

"OK. I'll call you. I can't tell you how glad I am that I ran into you tonight Olivia." He leaned over, grabbed her hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Olivia turned around and walked back over to the table.

Elliot watched the interaction between them, and scowled when he saw Olivia type into his phone. Her phone was sitting at the table and it rang once and stopped, so he knew she had given him her number. Now he was kicking himself for pushing her into having a drink. He should have let her go home like she wanted.

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