Loose Ends and New Beginnings

Summary: This is the third in the Panic series. This story picks up where Panic left off, right after Elliot and Olivia's wedding. You will be very confused if you don't read those stories first!! Olivia must deal with the final chapter of her old life before she can begin a new one with Elliot.

Disclaimer: I don't own them, but if I did Elliot would never have asked Kathy if he could go home!

A/N:
Wow, so sorry that this took so incredibly long to post, I have been swamped with school work. I can't promise that updates will be timely, and I hate that, because i know that I lose readers that way, but I have very little time. This chapter is short, but they get longer. I really think that you'll like this, so just please stick around for it. It's a little AU, but I tried to stay as in character as possible, so just please have patience with me. If an update takes a while, I didn't die (at least I hope lol) and I didn't decide to stop writing, I'm still working on it, and posts will come as soon as possible!

Thanks to the readers I have had since the beginning, and please just have patience with me, u know that I'm usually punctual with updates! Thanks!!!

Honeymoon's over

Olivia lay in bed, and smiled when she heard the steady running of the shower. It was her first morning waking up in her apartment as Olivia Stabler. Her honeymoon had been wonderful, but being at home suddenly made everything seem real. The fact that she wasn't waking up to the silence of an empty apartment was enough to keep her smiling for the rest of her life.

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't heard the shower shut off or Elliot come back into the bedroom.

"Thinkin about me?" He asked cockily when he noticed the spacey look on her face.

She snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head to see him. He was standing in front of the bed, still a little wet from his shower, in nothing but a towel.

"Now this is a way to wake up." She simply said why a coy smile as she raised herself up with her elbows.

"You like what you see Mrs. Stabler?" He asked, flexing for her before crawling across the bed to get to her.

"I'd like it better if that towel was on the floor Mr. Stabler." She said, raising her eyebrow.

Elliot was about to oblige her when the cell phone next to the bed went off.

"You have got to be kidding me." Olivia moaned, throwing herself back onto her pillow.

Elliot just laughed, tightened his towel, and picked up the phone. "Stabler." He said into it methodically. "Yeah, we'll be there in an hour." He said. "Thanks Cap." He said before hanging up.

"What does he want?" She moaned, not getting up from her laying position.

"He was just making sure we were coming in. Apparently it's busy at the house." He told her, making his way back to the bathroom to get dressed.

"Just what I need after a nice relaxing week in paradise, pedophiles and rapists." She complained.

"Hey, at least you get to come home to this handsome face." He said, sticking his head out of the bathroom as he put his undershirt on. "You may want to get up unless you plan on going to work in my tee-shirt." He added, making reference to the NYPD tee-shirt she had stolen to sleep in.

Olivia just shook her head. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going." She said, forcing herself out of bed. Before dressing she strutted across the room and into the bathroom. She wrapped her arms around Elliot's waist from behind him, and placed a few short kisses on his neck. "I like waking up to you." She whispered.

Elliot turned so that he could face her and wrap his arms around her. "Well what a coincidence, because I like waking up to you." He smiled, kissing her deeply on the lips.

Olivia pulled away before their kiss could get too deep. "I have to shower, and you have to finish getting dressed or we're gonna be late." She said.

"Oh, sure, now you're worried about being on time." He whined.

"Out Mr. Stabler." She ordered playfully.

"You are an evil woman." He joked as he pulled away from her.

She swatted his butt as he made his way out of the bathroom right before shutting the door quickly so that she could get ready to get back to work.

"Evil!" She heard him shout on final time from outside the door. His ability to make her smile amazed her. She turned on the shower, and prepared for the day.

Somehow Elliot and Olivia were able to make it to work on time.

They were greeted with, "Well, if it isn't the happy couple now." From Fin.

"Good to see you too Fin." Olivia smiled as she put her things in her locker. "Miss me much?"

"I was partnered back with John. I missed your ass every day." He laughed.

Munch just shot him a look.

"I don't know how much I like the idea of you missing my wife's ass." Elliot jested.

"The real question is, how does Olivia feel about me missing her husband's ass?" Munch asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Uh, you just crossed the line man." Elliot said, laughing loudly as he went over to his desk.

"Far be it from me to get in the way of true love." Olivia laughed, sitting down across from Fin.

"What did you convert my desk into a trash can while I was gone?" Elliot asked as he picked through files, and half eaten food that Munch had let overflow onto his desk in his absence. He desperately wanted to change the topic of conversation.

Cragen interrupted the good hearted jesting when he came out of his office and cleared his throat to get his detective's attention.

"Benson, Stabler, welcome back." He said in a friendly tone, but everyone could tell that something was wrong. "I hope you enjoyed your time off, but, unfortunately, the scum of the city don't take vacations. Munch and Fin are already working a case, so you two are gonna be partnered for this one."

"Where are we going?" Olivia asked, ready to be productive again.

"Judge Anderson's apartment." He said somberly.

"Why?" Olivia asked, concerned.

"Someone killed him this morning." He said. "I just got the call."

Olivia was shocked. She hadn't even thought about him since her recovery. "Damnit." She cursed. "I should have shot the bastard who tried to kill him on the courthouse steps."

"It's not your fault Liv. You did everything you could. Now I need to you to find out who killed him." Cragen said.

"We're on it." Elliot answered for her, raising to get his coat.

After hesitating for a moment, Olivia got up behind him, and followed him out.

As the two climbed into the sedan, Elliot simply said, "Honey, we're home."

TBC... Like I said, I'm going to try to update as frequently as I can, but have patience with me, and please keep looking for updates! Thanks again to everyone who's been following my stories, and I hope you all enjoy this one!

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