Olivia basked in the light-hearted conversations her colleagues and friends had around her that night. She didn't say much, her mind refusing to connect thoughts to her mouth, and so she listened intently, happily.
They could tell she wasn't in possession of enough energy to speak, so they carried on like they did best. Munch made coy comments that made everyone laugh, including Olivia. It was ten minutes after she had texted Brian that the three men walked into the coffee shop and stood above the group.
"Well hey, troops." Amanda greeted them each with a smile.
Olivia caught her partner's eyes first, giving him a knowing look, a small smile as she thanked him. Then they moved to her former partner, a look of relief on his face that reflected off hers. Last, they met the man she so loved.
"You started without us?" Brian spoke as he still held the gaze of Olivia.
"We figured they'd just keep ya for the night." Fin replied with a shrug and a chuckle.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a long moment, just reading the relief off each other's faces. Nick, leaning against a dividing wall near the table spoke softly with a sigh.
"We got him." He nodded. Those words would never get old.
Their shoulders relaxed, their moods heightened.
"I don't care if they put me away. He got what he deserved." Brian replied in compliance with Elliot and Nick.
Olivia felt her chest swell with pride and terror at the same time. She was surrounded by good people, people who would risk everything for her and had that very night. But they had risked everything, and they might actually go away for a long time.
"Thank you. All of you." Olivia didn't even know she spoke aloud as she thought.
"Hey, if we're not saving your ass, what are we gettin' paid for?" Fin lightened the mood, earning an appreciative chuckle from everyone seated around him.
"Yeah. We've got your back, Liv." Cragen nodded.
"Always will." Elliot finished softly, knowing Olivia would understand what he was saying.
"Alright. I don't know about you guys, but it's way past my bedtime." Munch checked his watch.
"And we have nothing. Again." Olivia sighed in realization.
She had lost her place of solace.
"We've got you covered. Amanda, let's go get them some stuff." Fin stood up with his partner.
"Cap. Where they staying?" Fin asked the captain as he stood.
"Liv? It's up to you." Cragen gave her a grin as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
Olivia sighed, her shoulder beginning to ache. She moved uncomfortably.
"Anywhere with Advil." She replied.
"We'll get that too. Call us, Cap." Fin and Amanda left after giving everyone a farewell nod.
"You guys can come with us. We're going to the Waldorf."
The detectives took the evidence back to headquarters and worked hard all through the night. Vanessa was brought in for questioning the first chance they had. She kept her composure, seemingly unknowing that she had stepped into the building right next to the apartment where Olivia and Cassidy were staying only moments before the attack.
They questioned her for an hour before another technician came back with more video footage.
"You let William Lewis into that building, didn't you?"
The lawyer was on the brink of a nervous breakdown. The trails had taken a toll on her. She shook uncontrollably and felt yet another bead of sweat slide down her cheek.
"He said he wanted to stay with me there. He wanted to spend the night." She almost yelled it.
One of the detectives leaned forward.
"And you believed that? Where did your brains go?" He challenged.
"I didn't know they were staying next door."
"Yes you did. You knew what he was planning." The other fired back.
He was furious that an officer of the law had been taken advantage of by an attorney. It was thoughtless and infuriating to him to know that a woman had betrayed the department.
"You let him into that building. We're checking every door in that place and we will find your prints if it takes us a week. You've pulled your last stunt, Ms. Mayer."
The next two days saw Vanessa arrested for eight counts of fourth degree murder, and Olivia moving back into her own apartment, every supper spent together with her team and her boyfriend.
They grew closer than they already were, Nick finally believing Cassidy was going to fit into their family seamlessly.
The investigation into Nick, Brian, and Elliot after the shooting was suspended when solid evidence in their favor came into the hands of IAB and 1PP as they headed up the search. They faced no charges, Olivia's attacker was dead, never to harm another woman on earth, never to return to the detective and 'finish the job' on her.
Life was beginning to look good again.
It was when captain Cragen walked into the squad room one dark evening to find his group smiling and laughing together that he realized everything was going to turn out.
Everyone was going to be fine.
Olivia wore that beautiful genuine smile, her eyes glimmering as her face lit up. She sat with the others, each joking with one another, their happiness lighting up the room.
Although she hadn't been cleared to come back to work, Olivia had been at the precinct with those she knew well. Nobody would say it, but they knew the familiarity of the place had her at peace.
He took a seat, careful not to disrupt the conversation.
"Captain, Captain, you can settle this. If Amaro took Stabler on, who would win?" Fin and the others turned to look at him as Elliot and Nick sat with matching grins.
Cragen shrugged. "It's a toss up." He shrugged.
"Oh come on." Munch challenged jokingly.
"I just got these two people to like each other. I don't want to stir it up again!" Cragen laughed with them all.
"Alright, alright." Fin put his hands up, surrendering he question and moving on.
The captain checked his watch as they put their last two cents in on the conversation.
"It's past 10:00. Don't you people ever sleep?" He smiled.
"We wonder that about you every morning we find you in hit his place at 7:00, already halfway through a pile of paperwork." Olivia replied with a chuckle.
"Well the answer is yes, I do sleep. And you guys need to too. So go home." He gave them each a nod and a smile as they stood, always answering his orders.
"We'll see you guys tomorrow." Cassidy said.
They all said individual farewells, an experience they'd never forget prompting them to always share a goodbye, even if they were to be apart for only a short time.
Life is too short to assume everything will be the same day after day, and each of them knew that now.
You have to remember to love the people you have while they're here: that's one thing the situation taught them all.
They didn't know for sure everyone would be coming back to work that next day. They didn't know when things could change. So they grabbed onto the small moments they had together and held on for dear life.
Olivia smiled at Elliot. He smiled back.
The most unexpected things can come from horrible situations. All she had to do was push through what she thought would suffocate her, and she had her life back.
Time slowed as they walked out, each following the next out the door. Their strength was unfailing as they dealt with the worst the world had to offer. Yet they stood, tall and ready to dive into that world with every breath they took.
The squad room became so small as they left, the lights of manhattan reflecting off the roof of the building. The night progressed, clawing its way over the city, swallowing it in darkness.
Back on the streets that they owned, the group of separated, only to hope they had a chance to see each other again.
They learned to live with a new thought in their minds: the one that says everything can change in the blink of an eye, so forgive often and love with all your heart. You never know when you may not have that chance again.
But they had that chance, a second one that they thought they might not have to laugh with Olivia, just to see her. And they planned to use it the way they hadn't thought to before.
The island glowed magnificently in its own world, the water reflecting the lights of the Brooklyn Bridge as the city continued to shrink. The lights blurred together as the buildings got small, coming together as one.
It would always be united - both the city and its people: the joyful and the fearless, and the few individuals who are both.
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Thanks for reading :)