"Fin, it's been a long time." Detective Wylie Reynolds extended a hand.

"Good to see you, Rey." Fin greeted, shaking his hand. "You got my calls?"

"All seven of them." Reynolds chuckled. "Yeah, I got 'em. Hey, congrats on the promotion, by the way, always knew you'd go far."

"Thanks." Fin said.

They sat sat at Reynolds' desk. "So, you want info on Madd Dogg."

"He's a person-of-interest in a case we're working over at SVU." Fin explained.

"I've got a little, he's a careful guy." Reynolds said. He turned his monitor around. "Madd Dogg, aka, Franklin Speller. Before he was in the drug industry he was a Stuyvesant High School honors graduate and went to Juilliard for violin. He got mixed in with the wrong crowd and worked his way up. He's got a couple pops for early drug charges, some light B . Once he hit the big time he stopped getting popped."

"Someone protecting him?" Fin asked.

"Probably not, at least not in this unit." Reynolds said. "He probably farms out his dirty work."

"What do you know about his crew?" Fin asked.

"He's got a fairly large crew, operates in The Bronx and Harlem," Reynolds said, "the usual stuff: cocaine, ecstasy, pills, powder, smoke. His crew is the usual hierarchy: little fish on the corner answering to bigger fish up and up the food chain."

"Has there been any rumblings about turf wars or beef with any other crew lately?" Fin asked.

"It's been surprisingly quiet." Reynolds said. "But, it was a cold winter."

"I need to speak with him." Fin said. "You got anyway for me to do that?"

"It'll take me a couple days." Reynolds mused. "I've got a couple UC's working out there right now, maybe they can get you in."

"Thanks, it would be a huge help." Fin said. "I gotta get back to my squad. Thanks. Give me a call."

"See you later, man." Reynolds said.

Fin returned to the precinct.

"Anything?" Olivia asked.

"Madd Dogg's a typical dealer with a typical crew," Fin said, "he doesn't have a lot of priors. My guy in Narcotics is going to get in touch with a couple of his UC's and try and get us a meeting with Madd Dogg."

"Why don't we just bring him in for questioning." Elliot suggested. "Who gives a shit about kid gloves?"

Fin gave him a nasty look. "Obviously you don't know anything about Narcotics."

Elliot returned the look. "I don't care about Narcotics, I want to catch whoever killed this girl and clear my son."

"And, we're working on that." Olivia interrupted sternly. "Fin, thanks, and keep me posted."

Fin stormed out.

Olivia sat down and glanced at Elliot. "We know what we're doing here."

"I know that." Elliot stated. "I never said you didn't."

"My squad and I have a shorthand, so just let us do our thing." Olivia requested.

Elliot shrugged defensively. "I wasn't planning on interfering, I'm here to help."

"Good." Olivia said simply.

"Is this how it's gonna be between us?" Elliot asked frankly.

Olivia met his eyes and Elliot was taken back by the way she didn't soften, didn't flinch. Years before there had been a deference when she looked at him. It was gone. He was surprised by how hard her eyes had become, how direct.

"I'm not sure what you mean by 'this'." Olivia said.

"This coldness? Unfriendliness." Elliot pointed out.

Olivia shrugged. "I'm not being unfriendly, it's called productivity."

"We used to be able to talk and get stuff done." Elliot said.

"That was before." Olivia said. She put her glasses on and looked back at her computer screen. "This is now."

"Look, there's a lot you don't know that I think might change the way you think of me now." Elliot said.

Olivia turned to him with weary eyes. "I don't really care, to be honest with you." She looked away.

"What?" Elliot questioned in surprise.

Olivia sighed and took her glasses off. "I don't care what happened, what's changed, whatever. It's been a decade, Elliot. I don't care if you're still holding on to feelings from back then. I'm not. I'm sorry you can't get past it but I have. It was a long time ago."

"I was hoping we might be friends one day." Elliot said.

Olivia looked away briefly before meeting his eyes. "Why? Because we've been such good friends up until now?"

Elliot sighed raggedly. "Liv, the things you don't know, things you don't understand-,"

"Don't," Olivia said forcefully, "talk to me about things I don't understand. The things you don't know, the things you don't understand about me, they are all I care about. Deal with you own house, Elliot, and leave me to mine. We are working this case together, that is it. When it's over I fully expect you and your squad to leave and that we won't have many opportunities to meet." She started replying to an email and ended the conversation.

Elliot shook his head and got back to reading the file on Madd Dogg.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It sucks, it really sucks." Olivia remarked. She took a sip of her drink. "Honestly, I spent a long time wishing he'd come back and then I got over it. Now, I just want things back to the way they were. Not ten years ago, just this case."

"It's understandable." William Dodds said. "It's easier to teach yourself to be without than live with less-than."

"Exactly." Olivia agreed. She leaned on her hand and smiled at him tiredly. "How are things on the Island?"

"That it were a Caribbean Island and not Staten." Dodds remarked with good humor. "Oh well, it's not a bad ferry ride to and from the city."

Olivia laughed quietly. "At least you still live in the city. I can't imagine moving out there."

"I needed the separation." Dodds said. "If I have to work in exile I might as well get to live where I want."

"You'll make it back here." Olivia said assuredly. "One day. You worked so hard for the department."

"Do you have any leads on the case?" Dodds asked.

Olivia sipped her drink and shook her head. "No. I don't think Dickie Stabler did it but I don't know who else could have done it. I mean, smart money is on the drug dealer or the pimp, but why and who? Doesn't it make more sense to keep Dickie alive so he can pay off the debt? And, why the girl? What did she do?"

"I'll help any way I can." Dodds offered. "Not sure what I can do, but I'm here."

"Thanks." Olivia said gratefully.

"So, tell me how Noah's been lately." Dodds requested. "Been a while since I've seen the little guy."

"He's getting so big." Olivia said proudly. "He's into dance now, but you knew that. He loves it. He's so good at it. He's interested in football but it's too early in the year to get him on a team. Oh, he's gotten into art. He drew this for me the other day," she took out her phone and showed him a photo of a drawing Noah had done in art class, "look at how detailed it is. He has such a great grasp of color."

"That's just great." Dodds said sincerely. "I remember...Mike...was big on art for a while. In high school." He looked away and took a sip of his drink.

"I'm so sorry." Olivia said softly.

Dodds smiled. "I don't want to bring the evening down. One of these days I'll be able to talk about my son without getting upset."

"It's only normal." Olivia assured him. "I still get a little teary-eyed when I talk about my mom, and she died twenty years ago." She glanced at the door of the bar as it opened with a little ring of the bell above it. "Oh, man."

Dodds glanced over and grinned teasingly. "That him? Oh, boy."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I'm not gonna let him stop me from having a good time." She smiled broadly. "Hey, you haven't even asked me to dance yet. Here I was thinking I looked halfway decent tonight."

Dodds laughed and finished his drink. He put the glass down and held out his hand. "I was working up the nerve. It isn't easy asking such a lovely woman to stand close enough to realize how ugly I am."

"Trust me, you are not ugly." Olivia laughed. "You've got that bravissimo, that power-charm." She grabbed his hands. "And, those eyebrows."

Dodds cackled. "My ex was always telling me to pluck them."

"They give you character." Olivia said decisively. She pulled him out onto the floor and wrapped her arms around his neck. "So, what do you miss most about working in the city?"

"You?" Dodds questioned jokingly. "Of course, you and the squad. You, yourself. But, I miss feeling like I was making a difference. I don't feel like that on the Island. I feel like a relic, shoved away to some remote corner of the world. Like a flight attendant, you know the one, she's in her sixties and she's been in the air too long and she isn't young anymore so they shoved her on a puddle jumper in some sad little Midwest town?"

Olivia laughed quietly and rest her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, I feel like that sometimes."

"I've been toying with retirement lately." Dodds admitted. "But, I don't want them to think they've won."

"Who cares what they think?" Olivia questioned. "Do what makes you happy."

"Seeing more of you would help with that." Dodds said. He leaned against her head and smelled her hair. "One of the perks of working with the squad was seeing you."

"I'm always a phone call away." Olivia said. "Granted, it might take me a few days to return it, but it's always an option." She looked over his shoulder and saw Elliot sitting with a few of his detectives. She looked away. "Hey, so, um, Noah is with Amanda Rollins tonight, having a sleepover with Jessie and Billie. The apartment is empty." She shrugged noncommittally. "Make of that what you want."

"Let's get out of here." Dodds suggested.

"Gladly." Olivia said. She grabbed her purse off the bar and threw down some money.

"You didn't have to pay." Dodds said.

"It's fine." Olivia assured him. "You've got to save your money for ferry fare."

Dodds leaned in and kissed her candidly on the mouth. Olivia grabbed the front of his shirt and returned the kiss. It had been too long since someone kissed her. Too long since anyone did anything to her. They pulled away and looked at each other directly.

"I have been waiting far too long to do that." Dodds said.

"I'm glad you did it." Olivia said with a smirk. "Let's go." She took him by the hand and led him out.

Elliot watched them go and finished his drink, the plastic cup crumbling in his hand.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Morning, Captain." Kat greeted.

"Hey, Kat." Olivia said with a warm smile. "Whatcha got for me?"

"You're in a good mood." Fin remarked.

Olivia inhaled happily. "It's a good day."

"My Narcotics guy got back to me this morning before I got in," Fin said, "he pulled one of the UC's who knows a guy on Dogg's crew. I just need approval to go UC, myself."

"You okay doing it?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah." Fin smiled.

"Well, you've got my okay, but let me talk to Garland and get back to you." Olivia said. She smiled and went to her office.

"Morning." Elliot greeted awkwardly.

"Morning." Olivia replied. She sat down with a sigh and opened her laptop. "Fin is going to be going undercover to get a meeting with Madd Dogg, so, finally, some action."

Elliot snorted quietly.

Olivia gave him a hard look. "What?"

"Nothing." Elliot said quickly. He stifled the smile that threatened to break out across his face. "Nothing at all. Nothing like getting some action."

Olivia rolled her eyes and resumed checking her emails. She fired off the request for UC for Fin and hoped to God it came to something.

TBC