A/N: Uh... So, hello everyone. I can't even say how sorry I am for this long delay. Work and college took over. My apologies if this chapter isn't the best, I just need to get my mind back in track with this story.
SVU and its characters ain't mine.

Elliot was tired. He had had enough; he wanted his real partner and best friend back.

Dani Beck was pretty and they had kissed, but that was all. On their first case together, which had also been her first case at SVU, she turned her back to a victim, went straight to the point while questioning the suspect instead of trying to read him first, didn't listen to O'Halloran when he said he wasn't sure about the first print he had found and also she was rude with a cop from Queens SVU. Elliot needed no further evidence that this was not going to work.

- Did she, uh, tell you anything about our conversation last night? – O'Halloran asked.

- Just that you got a match on Barry Cole. Why? – Elliot said.

- Because I told her I wasn't done processing all the prints when she called.

- You saying it's not Barry?

- The Jaguar where we found the prints on was a rental so I called the rent agency: Barry works there processing cars.

- Okay, so he borrowed one to do the rape.

- I don't think so. The only place I found his prints was the passenger's side window.

- Our guy was hiding next to the driver's side – Elliot said shocked.

- Also, your guy was probably crouched like this – O'Halloran knelt down. – Touching the car, he keeps balance – he planted the tip of his ten fingers on the wall – like this.

- Did you find that pattern on the Jag?

- Ten perfect fingertips – he said and handed a picture to Elliot.

- In the system?

- He's not on AFIS, he doesn't have criminal record, but he's in the State's system. Name's Martin Trenway, printed back in 77 when he became Assistant District Attorney here in Manhattan.

- Did you tell her that?

- Sure, I called her back, but... Barry Cole's got a record, so she thought he'd be good for it – Elliot turned around to walk back inside – Hey, hey, whoa, I don't wanna cause any problems.

- You just saved our asses – Elliot tranquilized him and walked in.

He had gotten so pissed. No wonder Cragen had told him she was overzealous and also no wonder why her captain on Warrants dumped her.

During the same investigation, Elliot had interviewed the girl Dani turned her back to and found out she had been a victim of the same perp five years earlier. He was walking the girl outside the room and she saw Dani putting her pictures on the board. Elliot quickly got John to walk her outside and went to talk to Dani.

- What are you doing? – Dani asked while she watched Elliot pull the pictures out of the board.

- That woman just relived the worst experience of her life. She doesn't need to see the way she looked that night – he walked away.

His partner, his real partner would never do such things. Not even when she was just a rookie.

In the beginning, he seriously thought that the sight of Olivia's empty desk across from his would drive him crazy, so meeting his new partner made him really glad. Now, though, he couldn't wait for Liv to come back, even if waiting for her meant he'd look at an empty desk until the day he died or retired. He missed Olivia's sensibility towards the victims, the way she handled perps, her sweetness when talking to kids, her smile, her laughter, her touch, her smell... No, he'd have to be especially careful with some of these wistful thoughts.

One thing he knew, though. He and Olivia were messed up and they were messed up hard. After what happened with Gitano, she ran away and he still didn't know why – of course, he didn't believe that "we needed a break from each other" bullshit at all, not a single word of it. But when she came back, they didn't talk about it either. Hell, he talked to Huang about what happened but they couldn't solve the issue themselves. Olivia behaved as if nothing had happened and Elliot just followed suit. Talking had never been one of his best abilities, anyway.

On the other hand, he couldn't help but feel his pride was a little hurt. I mean, yes, he did miss Olivia, but she had left. She was the one to hang off the phone the moment he had said "hello". She had been the one to run away after Gitano had had him at gunpoint.

Maybe if you hadn't been an ass to her at the hospital she wouldn't have run.

"Oh, shut the fuck up".

- Elliot... Elliot... Hm...

This had to be a dream. They couldn't be this close, in such situation. His voice in her ear, whispering he loved her, loving her so passionately yet so slowly...

- Hey, who's Elliot?

"Really?"

- What?

- You've been mumbling the name Elliot all night.

"Ugh. Maybe it's a good thing I'm on the other side of the country", Olivia thought.

She didn't know what had gotten into her.

Oh, Olivia, please. You do know what's happening to you, you just won't admit it.

"I have nothing to admit."

Really? You're gonna do that to me? You're gonna do that to yourself?

"There's nothing wrong with me."

I never said it was wrong.

"Okay, so I miss home. What's the big deal? I miss the precinct, I miss my friends, I miss Munch's crappy coffee..."

That much?

"Anything related to New York. I hate this place."

Elliot?

"Well, of course I miss him, he's my best friend!"

Let me tell ya something, honey. That dream you just had? I really doubt best friends do that.

- I didn't say anything else, did I?

- No – Hope answered.

- You sure?

- All I could make out was "Elliot". So spill it, who is he?

The love of her life.

"Shut up."

She still needs to find out, but he is.

- Nobody.

- It didn't sound like nobody. Elliot... Elliot – Hope tried to copy Olivia's tone.

"Oh, God."

A/N: Always wondered what Liv was dreaming of when she was at the hospital. Haven't we all? LOL please review!