Brown eyes stared at a fair skinned arm draped over her midriff and a small smile played on her lips. A lot of pain was hidden behind that smile. When she decided to go for a drink that night she wasn't expecting to end up in someone's bed; let alone a woman's. For once, Olivia Benson didn't do hook ups. Secondly, it had been a while since she had been with a woman; or a man, to be honest. And thirdly she was still mourning the loss of her ex partner and friend. In fact Stabler was the reason she found herself in the bar drowning her sorrows in wine.

Her Captain had previously that day informed her that Elliot was not coming back. He had decided to retire and focus on his family. Olivia was happy for him. She really was. The decision to end their little affair had come from both of them way before that. Of course that didn't mean that their feelings had evaporated into thin air but at least Olivia had managed to keep her own in check.

So no. Her romantic feelings were not what led Olivia to the bar and to the blonde's arms that night. It was the way Elliot disappeared from her life, which was by throwing 13 years of friendship and partnership in the trash. He didn't even have the courtesy to tell her himself or at least answer his goddamn phone. Betrayed and abandoned, Olivia gave herself to the first person that listened to her problems and seemed to care, even though she was a complete stranger. It had only taken a carefully worded question and two glasses of wine before the words slipped from Olivia's mouth. Sometimes it was easier to lay your problems on a stranger than a friend. Of course, she hadn't given any personal information to the blonde besides her name. With her job, Olivia knew not to be very trusting with anyone. She gave her whole trust to one particular person and look how well that turned out. She treaded carefully when sharing, even though her gut was telling her to trust the blonde.

In the end, Olivia insisted on walking Amanda home, claiming that she owed the blonde for wasting her time with her problems. Even though Amanda assured her that she hadn't wasted her time and that she could take care of herself, Olivia insisted. The two women ended up sharing another glass of alcohol in Amanda's apartment after the blonde invited her in. Amanda shared some information about herself but neither of them mentioned anything about their jobs. If they had, things would have been so different.

Neither Olivia nor Amanda knew how they ended up making out on the couch and later in bed. In Amanda's case, she could only remember a "please, don't stop" from Olivia. Olivia, on the other side, could only hear her mind telling her how she needed to feel wanted again. The want in a pair of blue eyes and the soft tip of a tongue, sneakily slipping past two dry pink lips was all the invitation she needed.

The brunette blinked realizing how lost in her thoughts she was, while Amanda was pressed to her side snoring softly. A thought of slipping away and disappearing nudged Liv's mind, but she shut it down. At the moment she was content and comfortable, not to mention that she felt helplessly drawn to the way Amanda was holding her in her sleep while resting her head on her shoulder. For now, she was going to enjoy it and deal with it when the time came. What neither woman knew was that the time would come sooner than either of them expected.

When the warm rays of the sun slipped past the blinds and touched Olivia's naked back, her eyes fluttered open. Soft blonde hair tickled her nose but surprisingly it didn't bother her; quite the contrary actually. She smiled at the soft vanilla scent and tightened her hold on the slightly smaller woman, whom she ended up spooning some time during the night. Her eyes fluttered close ready to let sleep overtake her when the realization of going to work knocked on her door. Her eyes were forced open again. She was going to be late and Olivia Benson was never late. She carefully extricated herself from the blonde and slipped out of her bed. It took her five minutes to find all her clothes and dress herself. When she was about to slip out the door she paused and glanced back at the direction of the bedroom.

Technically, it was a one night stand but after what they had shared, it just didn't feel proper to disappear like that; not to mention that Olivia wanted to see Amanda again. With a deep sigh, she reached into her purse and fished out a card and a pen. She scribbled on the card and walked out quietly into the bedroom, placing it on the bedside next to Amanda before heading back home.

When Amanda woke up in a cold and empty bed, she felt a bit disappointed. She had a feeling that their shared night would be nothing more than a one night stand. The woman was in love with someone else for crying out loud. But she couldn't help the tiny hope that this could turn into something more, igniting in her chest. With a discouraged sigh she reached out for her phone to check the time. Her hand came in contact with a hard piece of paper. Curiously, she lifted it over her face.

Thank you for last night. Call me? It read.

A jubilant smile spread on her lips. Maybe she was right to hope after all. She flipped the card in an attempt to find the brunette's number. She had scribbled it over her work phone. Greedily, Amanda started reading the entire card curious as to what the brunette did for a living. Her heart fell and her blood froze at the first words.

Olivia Benson
NYPD Detective

"Let it be a coincidence, please!" she muttered and proceeded.

Special Victims Unit
16th Precinct, Division One
New York, NY 10001

"Fuck. Fuck!" she groaned audibly, sitting up immediately. Not only did she hook up with a fellow detective but she hooked up with a member of her new squad and the woman she looked up to. She had read so much about her, she had studied so many of her cases but she had also seen a few old pictures of her, mainly in newspaper articles. How had she not noticed?

"Shit!" she jumped off the bed and grabbed her phone with the intention of telling her as soon as possible. She typed a message and hit sent hoping that Olivia would see it in time. She held on the phone while getting ready for work. She couldn't be late on her first day.

Olivia rolled her eyes at the sound of an incoming message. She had just stepped out of the shower and was hurriedly getting dressed. She glanced at the screen and furrowed her brows at the unknown number. Curiously, she opened the text.

Good morning, Olivia. It's Amanda. Please call me asap. It's important.

She couldn't help the pleasant smile at Amanda's name or the worried frown at the rest of the message. Curiosity was getting the best of her again but Amanda would have to wait for now. She had to get to work.

When the brunette flew in the Squad Room as if someone was chasing her, Fin and Munch looked up amused. "Where's the fire, soldier?" Fin teased her.

"Someone had fun last night." Munch joined in, never missing the opportunity to tease his coworkers.

"Ugh, don't start you two. I just overslept." Olivia rolled her eyes and sat behind her desk flicking through her paperwork in an attempt to hide blushing cheeks from John. Damn him. How did he know everything?

When the door from the Captain's office opened, Olivia was scrolling through her phone ready to call Amanda but as she was about to tap, she was halted by the Captain's words. She glanced at him, failing to notice the blonde woman standing a few feet away. "I would like you all to meet our newest Detective. She just transferred here from Atlanta. Fin, make sure to show your new partner around. We are happy to have you, Amanda." He turned to the woman on his right. It took Olivia a split second to match the name to the woman.

"I am happy to be here, Captain. Thank you." That sweet voice. Oh no!

Olivia froze and stared at Amanda with wide eyes while the rest of the team approached to introduce themselves; unable to move, to talk, to think. Oh they fucked up. Was that what Amanda wanted to tell her? If only she had managed to make that phone call earlier, she wouldn't be in this situation now.

"Detective Benson?" Amanda remarked, snapping Olivia from her trance. "I am Amanda Rollins. It's an honor to meet you." The blonde stated professionally when she caught Olivia's attention.

Olivia was thankful for Amanda's professionalism. "Welcome, Detective. It's nice to meet you." Olivia shook Amanda's hand with a tense smile.

Ten minutes later and after Amanda settled on her desk, she received a text message from Olivia.

"Now we definitely need to talk!" it read.