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Life appears to me to be too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrong.

– Charlotte Bronte

The squad room is a place of celebration. "Guilty on all counts," Casey is saying over and over, accepting high fives from every member of SVU. Olivia's getting a share of congratulations too, constantly having to fend off bear hugs from John and Fin. The captain watches the scene with a tolerant smile. Even Elliot can't wipe the idiotic grin off his face.

"So it's life at least," Lake says.

"I want to see a needle in his arm," Elliot mutters.

"Do you," says Olivia evenly, but everybody else is too excited to let the antagonism stand, and at that moment Fin finally manages to tackle her and lift her off the floor.

John watches him spin her laughing halfway around. "I vote we call it a day."

"What about Howard?" Elliot asks, out of the loop.

"Missin' in action," Fin supplies, "but he's supposed to meet his boss for coffee tomorrow so we'll pick 'im up then. I'm with Munch. Let's go for drinks."

Everybody's in except Cragen, who waves them all on fondly. He watches his detectives and Casey slam out of the room in a flurry of coats and papers, Benson and Stabler casually on opposite sides of the group, and he can't help but think, Take your victories while you can get them.

"I thought you said you were coming here a lot lately," Casey murmurs, eyeing the bartender, who keeps casting surprised looks Olivia's way.

"I am." Olivia follows her gaze. "He's just used to seeing me alone these days. We have an understanding. He has to cut me off."

Casey rubs the edge of the bar, saddened by the image of Olivia in here night after night, drinking alone. She wonders if this should feel awkward, the six of them in a row at the bar, but John and Fin and Lake insinuated themselves between the warring partners as though it were daily routine, so she followed suit. For a party with battling attendees, the mood is surprisingly light. And now Olivia is looking at her in concern; she's bringing it down. She clears her throat. "Your testimony was the lock, you know. People believe you like it's survival instinct."

Olivia waves a hand, letting the heavy moment pass. "It's the homicides that'll put him away for life. How about Marina? Did she help a lot?"

"Yeah, she was good. I was wondering why you didn't come." Olivia looks down and Casey presses, "Elliot did."

"Yeah, I'd've had to sit next to him." Olivia sighs, then starts to smile. "You were pretty funny to watch when I was testifying."

"Was I?"

"Mm-hmm. You couldn't decide whether to put yourself between me and Elliot or me and Micelli." Olivia's laughing at the memory. Casey feels herself turning red.

"Well, I didn't want to ask which you'd prefer. You'd get offended and say neither and then get on my case if I tried either one."

"I'm glad you didn't ask, because watching you was amusing." Olivia considers. "And that probably is what I would have done."

"Which would you prefer?"

"Case, you of all people know how often I testify. I like seeing the perps as I help put them away." Olivia runs a finger around the rim of her glass, more serious by the moment. "That said, watching Elliot's face when I talked about it . . . ."

"But you must have talked about what happened."

"Not really. I mean, none of it was news to him, but his face. That was interesting. It almost made me forget . . ." She shakes her head sharply and forces a smile. "So there you have it. I'm not getting offended, but the answer's still neither."

Casey slants a look down the bar toward Elliot, who's talking to Munch. "You know, Liv." Olivia's patient as she finds words. "Elliot was just a disaster, and I'm sure he said things he didn't – "

"Don't. Not now." Olivia sips her drink and changes the subject. "Look, it's a new guy. Bartender's apprentice. Sounds like a really bad novel."

It's not the time, Casey decides. "They have to learn somehow, right?" she says, looking at the guy. "Kinda cute. If he wasn't bleached."

Next to her Lake snorts, and Olivia bends forward to cock an eyebrow at him. "Jealous?" she quips.

"Absolutely green with envy. I may have to punch him."

"Chester dear can get a teensy bit possessive," Casey adds with a straight face.

"The hell?" Fin leans toward them. "Lake possessive? How can that be when Casey's all mine?"

"All yours?" Olivia repeats, feigning indignation. "What was last night to you? Didn't it mean – "

Casey cracks and starts snickering. By the time Elliot and Munch look over, all four of them are helpless with laughter.

When the party breaks up, Casey catches Olivia heading for the subway station. "Let me drive you home."

"You've been drinking."

"Oh. Right."

Olivia looks her friend up and down and, because she herself has had only one beer – half, actually, since she knocked it over laughing – holds out a hand. "Keys. Where'd you park?"

She soon regrets this because Casey is sober enough to have a one-track mind but too drunk to take hints, and all she wants to talk about is Elliot. "He was really worried about you."

"So I hear. Where do I turn?"

"Not for a while. He didn't sleep."

"I'm well aware of that." Olivia considers just ignoring her, but then she wouldn't get a break from the chatter.

"Liv, don't you think it's time to give up the game? The two of you are driving everybody crazy."

"It's not everybody's business."

"Olivia." Casey turns toward her, wide-eyed, as though whatever she is about to say should be obvious. "We're talking about the man who refused to leave your side until he was sure you'd be all right. We're talking about the man who drove over to check on you every time he was ordered to nap."

"We're talking about the man who no longer trusts me," Olivia feels compelled to point out.

"But you still work together."

When you can't trust your partner, it's time to get a new one. "Well," says Olivia, with the unsettling feeling of not being able to explain how she knows she's right.

"So we're talking about the man," Casey says lucidly, "who was so terrified of losing you that he took things a little too far trying to protect you."

El, she said when she woke up, and he'd been holding her hand. Liv, I'm right here. Her eyes sting. "Casey?"

"Yeah?"

"Where do I turn?"

The bathroom is spinning. This, Elliot thinks vaguely, constitutes a problem, since he doesn't remember having that much to drink. Then again it was a celebration – of what he can't recall. Maybe it's actually spinning.

"Honey?" Kathy says from the doorway. He looks up at her. Up. He doesn't remember how he wound up on the floor either. She crouches next to him and kisses his forehead. "You're hot."

"Thank you."

"C'mon, let's go to bed." She manages to tug him to his feet. "If you don't feel better in the morning I'll call you in sick."

"But –" he starts, but can't finish the sentence.

TBC...

... and here we go again. Thanks so much for all the reviews; please keep it up!