A/N: Ok now don't hate me. I ended this where i did, A to keep you in suspense for just a little while longer. and B to draw it out a little longer. I'm not ready to start working on another story yet so i'm buying myseld a little more time. Enjoy the update. And remember, reviews make me happy :)

Saturday finally arrived and al the dinner guests were either excited or worried for different reasons.

Olivia was excited to see her nieces and nephew. This had been the longest she'd ever gone without seeing them.

Alex was looking forward to a relaxing evening with friends. She'd known Kathy since college and Elliot as soon as he and Kathy became serious. Now that she worked with Elliot she could vent to him about the troubles of their jobs.

Kathy was as giddy as a schoolgirl. She was the only one that knew exactly what was going on tonight. Yes, Elliot knew who was going to be there, but as far as she could tell he still didn't know the whole story.

Elliot was dreading it. He knew how his cousin felt about being set up, and with how she'd been acting since she'd gotten back, he doubted she'd be in the mood. Nothing had changed in her work. She was still an excellent detective, but she seemed distant, like she was lost in thought.

Olivia called as she was leaving her apartment to ask if there was anything she needed to bring. Kathy just told her to grab a bottle of wine if she wanted to. Walking down the street Olivia noticed a small store that seemed to deal in goods from around the world. Not really having the time to browse, she went straight to the wines.

She couldn't believe the selection they had. There were wines from all over. She must have spent at least ten minutes just looking for something that caught her eye. Her gaze landed on an amber colored bottle. For some reason she picked it up, thinking it looked familiar to her. After reading the name, she realized why. It was the same wine she'd shared with Alex at dinner her first night at the hotel. Not putting too much thought into it, she purchased two bottles of it. Maybe it would be the inspiration she needed to tell Elliot about her.

Trying to think of the best way to bring up the blonde haired blue eyed beauty she'd met, Olivia walked back to her car and set off for Queens.

As soon as she'd gotten off the phone with Olivia, Kathy called Alex and asked her if she would mind picking up something for dessert. Of course Alex didn't mind in the least. There was a very nice bakery just down from her apartment. It was new to the neighborhood, having just gone in while she was on vacation.

Walking in, she immediately recognized the smell of cheesecake. It brought her back to the night on the beach with Olivia. It had been the best cheesecake she'd ever had. Of course what happened afterward was pretty unforgettable too, even if they had been interrupted. Alex smiled at the memory.

"It does a baker wonders to see someone smile like that when they walk into the store," came a voice from behind the counter. She looked up to see a red headed woman, slightly shorter than herself. Alex hadn't even realized she was no longer alone.

"I'm sorry," Alex said as she gave an embarrassed smile. "I was lost in a memory."

"Scent has the ability to do that," the shop owner explained. "And from the look on your face it was a very nice memory."

Alex just smiled in response. "When did you open?" she asked. "When I left there was a Korean deli here, and when I got back, you were here."

"Just last week actually," she explained. "I'm Tracey Harris, owner."

"Alex Cabot, neighborhood resident," she replied.

"Nice to meet you Alex," Tracey said. "Where did you go on vacation if you don't mind me asking?"

"I spent a few weeks in Aruba with my Aunt and Uncle. It was a present for the new job I got."

"Well that was nice of them," Tracey laughed. "My friends from Chicago got me an 'I heart NY' t-shirt when I told them I was opening a second location here."

Alex couldn't believe the coincidence. Olivia was from Chicago, and now she was talking to a baker who specialized in cheesecakes that was originally from the windy city. What were the odds? She wasn't going to try and convince herself it was the same person Olivia knew. That would just be too weird.

She was about to ask what kind of cheesecakes she had ready to go when the store phone rang. When Tracey answered it, Alex couldn't help but over hear her side of the conversation.

"Hey, Ben," Tracey said excitedly. "Oh, I see how it is; you're driving to dinner so you decide to call me because driving makes you bored." She laughed at the response that followed. "So you got back ok? … Yeah I settled in nicely. We're open for business already. You're gonna have to stop in and see me sometime. Now you won't have to come to Chicago to get the best cheesecake you've ever had, or pay for me to send it to you." There was another laugh. "Well I've got a customer waiting, so I'm going to let you go. Come see me next week though. We should do lunch." And with that she hung up.

"Sorry about that," she said to Alex. "Longtime friend of mine. She's lived in New York her whole life and we meet randomly on a trip of hers to Chicago."

"She?" Alex asked. She was sure she'd heard Tracey call the other person Ben.

"Yep. Short for Benson," Tracey said. "I've called her that since the day we met I think."

Alex was at a loss for words. A Chicago cheesecake maker…with a friend with the last name of Benson…who lived in New York? There was just too much coincidence there to be ignored. She needed to talk to Kathy, see what she thought about all this. She picked out a dessert, paid and left. Tracey, for her part, had no idea what she'd said or done to have her customer change attitudes so fast.

Arriving at the Stabler residence, Olivia made sure she had her wine and just walked in. Not only was this her family, but she'd been here so many times, Elliot would have thought something was wrong if she knocked.

She could tell Kathy had been busy cooking. Dinner smelled great. Knowing by now there wouldn't be anything she could do to help, she walked into the kitchen to say hello.

"Hi, Liv," Kathy greeted. "Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. Why don't you open one of those and let it breathe?"

Olivia nodded and grabbed the corkscrew. Elliot walked in as she popped the cork out. "Hey, Liv." He smiled and gave her a hug. "I've never heard of this before," he said when he noticed the wine.

"It's something I had while I was on vacation," she explained. She hoped they wouldn't ask too much about that. She still wasn't quite ready to explain that yet. "Are you sure there is nothing I can do to help, Kathy?"

"Dinner is pretty much all done," Kathy smiled. Olivia noticed there was a little mischief in that smile. "We're just waiting on our other guest."

It was then that Olivia noticed the house seemed awfully quiet. Usually by now she would have been all but tackled by the Stabler kids. It seemed as though the kids would not be present for tonight's dinner. "Elliot," Olivia said in a deadly tone. "Where are the kids?"

Now Elliot was really nervous. He knew it wasn't going to take Olivia long to figure out what was going on. She was, after all, the best detective on the squad. "Um," he started but then hesitated. "My mom decided she was going to take them to a movie and then let them stay at her place tonight." He didn't add that Kathy had asked her to take them tonight.

"And since you've invited people over for dinner, I don't imagine it's because you and Kathy wanted some alone time?"

"Well, not exactly," Elliot responded. He was glad he wasn't a perp. If this is how Olivia interrogated her cousin, he couldn't imagine how it felt to be someone she completely loathed.

"Who's coming to dinner, Elliot?" Olivia asked. The tone in her voice indicated she was not in the mood for any more stammering.

Elliot wasn't sure how he should answer. Thankfully his wife came to his rescue. "You'll find out momentarily," Kathy explained. "She's here."