She had delivered this information so quickly, and had jumped so unexpectedly from the sofa that Elliot merely realized she was gone when the door clicked behind her. Fighting back the tears of anger and deception, he stayed on the same spot a long time, probably hours. He watched the sun playing in the living room, shedding new colors and lights onto the table, the sofa, the pictures on the bookshelf… When his cell phone went off, Elliot realized that it was almost 9 o'clock in the morning.

"Elliot, where are you?"

Rubbing his eyes which he had not closed a bit, Elliot cleared his throat.

"Sorry, captain. I overslept. I'll be there in ten."

"Make it twenty and it's alright."

Elliot vaguely wondered where his partner could be. She had not come back the whole night, probably guessing that he hadn't left. Now, Elliot had no other choice than leaving the apartment and hoping to confront her later on.

"How is Sleeping Beauty today?" Munch joked when Elliot came jogging into the bull-pen. His angry and heavy look brought his colleague back to silence. That is, until Fin arrived as well, accompanied by a young girl all shaken up and crying. He sat her down on a chair near his desk, and went to see Elliot at the coffee corner.

"Where's Olivia?"

"Hello, Fin. I… have no idea. Try her cell."

Fin whistled. They really had issues to solve, and they had better do it before the whole squad became crazy. Just at this moment, Olivia's heels were heard from the corridor. She greeted everyone with a vague "Hello" and went directly to her desk. She had never been as nervous and happy at the same time to get to work. Facing him would be tough, but she had no other choice. Finding her flat empty this morning, when she finally came home, had brought her on the idea that she would begin the day meeting her new partner. But here he was, the same Elliot as ever, whom she felt astonishingly relieved to see.

Olivia had spent the night on the same bench where, a few nights before, they had talked about Elliot's family and the difficult decisions he had to take. She had sat there tonight for at least four hours, before crossing the road to warm herself up with a large and very strong coffee.

All lost in her thoughts, Olivia went through her vocal messages, before starting to sort the files piling on her desk. Work made her forget for a moment her personal issues, until Elliot sat down at his desk, right opposite to her. He raised questioning eyes towards her, to which she replied with a smile but not a single word. A few minutes of this game was enough for her. She had always been very good at keeping her feelings inside and playing the strong and untouchable cop. But this aptitude melted away when it came to Elliot. To Elliot and her. To her Elliot. Shaking these thoughts away, the brunette concentrated back on the job and made a mental note to call Alex back concerning a case that was due in court soon. God, she needed a coffee… and an escape. Too happy to move her legs and forget the strange look her partner was giving her, Olivia Benson went very calmly to the coffee corner.

"You know I won't make a move if you don't tell me what you think…" Elliot's voice so close to her startled Olivia, who almost poured the dark liquid beside her mug. "I'm talking about… changing partners, of course."

"This is neither the time nor the place to talk about that." Olivia wished she would have spoken a little softer, as she spotted Munch looking curiously towards the couple.

"When will it be, then? I think I deserve at least a comment from you, after what I've told you."

Sighing, the dark haired detective went back to her desk, took a single sip at her coffee before setting the mug onto her desk and continuing her way towards the restroom. Of course, Elliot had to follow her. He could not reasonably just let her walk away each time they became serious, could he?

"El, I need to breathe." She just said when he opened the restroom's door to find Olivia searching through her locker.

"I won't let you walk away. Olivia, you don't know what I've been going through these past days…"

Olivia slammed the locker door shut without turning her head. She was boiling inside, and felt almost unable to hold back the words.

"The past days? Do you know what I've been going through the past years, El? Do you think this is new for me?"

She immediately regretted her outbreak when she saw the shocked look in Elliot's eyes. The same he had worn on his face when he had found Olivia in that prison cell. The same he had had when Olivia had cried in front of him, unable to shoot Victor Gitano. She hated that look of helplessness.

"Why did you not tell me?" Go away, go away, prayed the brunette, feeling that her partner was coming closer. However, she did not move when both his hands came to gently touch her shoulders. The shiver that went through her body was so irrepressible that even Elliot felt it.

"Elliot, I can't do this if you're not sure… I really can't."

Olivia could now feel him breathing on her neck, and she wondered how close he was. And what if Fin, Munch or someone else now walked in? The next words were merely whispers.

"What if I'm sure?"