3 Weeks Later

Alex Cabot nervously looked around the room and finding an empty seat, she quietly sat down, keeping her head lowered. She'd started seeing a shrink right after she'd returned to work and found Olivia gone. She had, after a few sessions, been brutally honest about her relationship with Olivia which had resulted in her agreement to take anger management classes.

Fearful she might run into some of the perps she'd prosecuted in Manhattan, she'd opted for a subway ride to Brooklyn and the anonymity she hoped to find. She was in a class for women, who seemed to be from all walks of life and socio-economic backgrounds.

"Ladies. Welcome to Anger Management 101. I'd like to commend each of you for recognizing that you have a problem controlling your anger and taking steps to learn how to non-violently deal with it. Look around you and realize that you are all abusers to whatever degree and are here because you have hurt someone you love. Know that you are not alone and that this is a fixable issue. Now, let's get started."

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LaGuardia Airport

Olivia shivered as she caught a cab from the airport. During the last five weeks she'd grown accustomed to the warm weather of southern California and coming back to the nippy weather of late Autumn in New York was a shock.

She'd caught the red-eye in from LA and was on her way to the station. After that disastrous night in Long Beach, she'd steered clear of any intimate relationships, opting to work on herself instead. She'd taking up jogging on the beach each morning and even the cliché yoga class each day. And spiritually she'd taken up meditation.

She'd also confronted her growing need for alcohol and had started attending adult children of alcoholics meetings. She'd also stopped drinking anything that wasn't natural. That included coffee, which her mind tried to tell her counted as natural because it was grown on the vine, but she'd refused to give in.

Sitting in the back of the cab she sighed and watched the city zip by, thinking about what awaited her and her life in New York.

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1 Week Later

Olivia was pulling a double shift, opting for the solitude of the station to the intrusiveness of the city. Elliot had been respectful but persistent in asking about her time away, which resulted in her finally telling him she'd gone to LA, gotten in touch with her inner fruit cake and to just leave her alone.

She was engrossed in a case report when the distinct click-clack of heels caught her attention. She looked up just as Alex had noticed the familiar form and both women stared at the other.

"You're back."

Olivia nodded. "So are you."

"Yes. I uh, I just needed to drop this off for Cragen." She gave Olivia a tight smile and moved in the direction of the captain's office.

She took her time placing the file on his desk, wanting to say more to Olivia, but unsure of what. She'd just figured out what she wanted to say as she neared the brunette's desk. She was just about to ask her question when the sound of footfalls caught her attention.

Both women looked up and Alex cringed when she saw Trevor. She also noticed that Olivia's eyes narrowed slightly, but otherwise she looked calm.

"Alex? I thought you just had to drop something off? We're going to be late." He looked at his watch.

Alex felt her anger boil up, but practicing what she'd learned so far in class, she tamped it down and went to her neutral zone.

"Trevor, I asked you to wait while I dropped the file off. We have plenty of time to get to Judge Swann's retirement reception. If you'll please excuse me, I'd like a moment with Olivia."

Trevor looked curious but relented and left the squad room. Alex walked over to Olivia's desk and tapped her on the shoulder.

"I'm glad your back Olivia."

Olivia nodded. "I'm glad you're back too Alex." She looked in the direction of Trevor and nodded. "You better not keep your date waiting."

Alex wanted to tell Olivia that it wasn't a date, that she didn't want anybody but her, that she was working on herself, but in the end she decided to just leave well enough alone. Olivia had come back, something Alex had feared she would not do.

Olivia watched the blonde walk away and noted that she was not wearing anything that screamed "fuck me" like the infamous red dress had, but that she was going to some function with the creepy Trevor Langan.
Her hands itched for the familiarity of a beer bottle and her mind's first reaction was to go out and find something or someone to lay. Instead of following through with that, she grabbed her jacket and went in search of an ACOA meeting, wishing Alex was with her.