Scene: Apartment of Olivia Benson. It is nighttime. Olivia enters the kitchen, places her bag on the counter, gets a glass out of a cabinet and is filling it with water when she hears a knock at the door. She jumps. She sets the glass on the counter and opens the door slowly. Standing in the doorway is Elliot Stabler. Olivia's jaw drops.
Olivia: (in total shock) Elliot? What…what are you doing here? Where have you been?
Elliot: Cragen called me to offer me Munch's job. When I turned him down, and told me about what happened to you. Can I come in?
Olivia: (still in shock) Yeah, sure.
Elliot enters. He and Olivia sit down, he on the sofa and she in a chair.
Elliot: I figured I should come check on you…you ok, Liv?
Olivia: Well…not quite.
Elliot: You want to talk about it?
Olivia: (sighing) Not really. Except, everything we tell victims is…wait. I'm sure Cragen already told you everything. I think you're the one who needs to be answering questions here. Where the hell have you been?
Elliot: Omaha.
Olivia: You're kidding.
Elliot: Nope.
Olivia: Why?
Elliot: I needed to get away. Far away.
Olivia: So you went to Omaha?
Elliot: Believe it or not they have a thriving special victims unit. They put me in charge.
Olivia: Special victims? If it wasn't special victims you were trying to get away from then what the hell was it? Why wouldn't you just take the job here?
Elliot looks at the ground. He pauses.
Elliot: This wouldn't have happened if I was in New York.
Olivia: What are you talking about?
Elliot: You would never have had to go through that attack. You're the last person on earth to deserve that and if I had stayed…
Olivia: Elliot, stop. It's not your fault. It's not anybody's fault.
She moves over to the sofa.
Olivia: Tell me why you're really here.
Elliot looks at the ground again, taking a deep breath. He responds slowly, choosing each word carefully.
Elliot: I didn't think, after what you'd been through…I never thought what I did to you was fair, just leaving like I did. But after Cragen called, I knew I owed you an explanation.
Olivia is hanging on every word.
Elliot: You know I love you, Olivia, and I was stupid enough to think that being away from you would change that. But as much as I love you, I still love Kathy too. We've been through so much, and we have kids, and I just can't give that up.
Olivia has tears in her eyes. Elliot too is getting a little choked up.
Elliot: So I moved away. Except the problem is, I don't love you any less.
Olivia: I love you too, Elliot.
Elliot: I know. But I can't leave Kathy for you. And I'm a lot less likely to leave my wife for a woman who's a few thousand miles away. That's why I turned down Cragen's offer. So, as long as you're ok-
Olivia: You can't expect me to be ok, Elliot, it's not fair!
Elliot: You know what I mean. I can't stay.
Olivia: (pulling herself together) You're right. That's what you need to do. You need to go back to Omaha, and I need to stay right here.
Elliot: I hate that is has to be this way.
Olivia: You hate it? At the end of the day you still get to go home to a wife who loves you. You have two women in love with you and the only man I've ever really loved is sitting right in front of me telling me everything I always knew but could keep on denying until…until now.
Elliot: What about Cassidy?
Olivia: What about him?
Elliot: Do you love him?
Olivia: (Sighs) Is there anything Cragen didn't tell you?
Elliot: Not really.
Olivia: (a pause) He's ok. He's not you.
Elliot looks deeply into Olivia's eyes. He leans forward and kisses her.
Olivia: That kind of defeats the whole purpose your speech.
Elliot: I needed to do it just once, for old time's sake.
He kisses her again, with more passion.
Olivia: (half-jokingly) Now you're just being selfish.
Elliot: I know. I should leave
They both stand.
Olivia: So now what? Will you ever come back?
Elliot: Maybe someday, if I get things figured out, I'll come back.
Olivia: (reluctantly) Or...maybe you shouldn't.
Elliot: Yeah. Maybe you're right. (a pause) Bye, Liv.
They embrace. The embrace is not passionate, but is filled with over 15 years of love and acceptance.
Olivia: Bye, El.
He exits, shutting the door behind him with a soft thud and a click. Olivia sits down on the couch and begins to cry. We see Elliot outside, his hand lingering on the doorknob for several seconds before he finally turns away.