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"Alright, I know this isn't the best arrangement, but I don't have a guest room in this apartment." Olivia explained putting down sheets on her couch. She watched as Gemma came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of pajamas she had packed for herself from her own apartment. "We'll go down to the squad room early tomorrow morning. If you're parents are coming, they'll probably go there."

Gemma nodded her head. "How do they know where the precinct is?"

Olivia rubbed her forehead with her knuckle briefly before coming up with an answer. "It's a public police station. Any cab will take them there?"

"I guess." Gemma sighed before crossing her arms over her chest, looking around the room at the various toys and pictures spread around. "Your son is cute. How old is he?"

Olivia smiled glancing at the pictures of her and Noah on the TV stand. "He's almost four. I don't get to spend a lot of time with him, but he is my boy."

Gemma started looking at the other pictures. "Do you have any other kids?" She didn't notice Olivia's look of surprise before she found another picture. "Who is this? Is he Noah's dad?"

Olivia knew what picture she was looking at without stopping her movements to clean up the room. "No, he's my old partner. I haven't seen him in years."

"Really?" Gemma asked looking back at the older brunette. "You two look like you were married."

"That's what a lot of people said." Olivia breathed before running a hand through her hair. "Uh, here's the TV remote. If you can't sleep, just keep the volume down. If you're hungry, there's food in the fridge and cabinets. You know where the bathroom is. I'll be at the end of the hallway if you need anything else."

Gemma chuckled. "You sound like my mom."

Olivia's eyes widened as she shook her head once to correct herself in her head. Those words were not really directed for her. "Why do you say that?"

"My mom is always making sure I'm okay, even if I don't see her. Every year, she sends me my favorite things for Christmas and my birthday. My dad sends me good morning selfies every morning. In most of them, he's playing a prank on my mom." Gemma giggled before hugging herself. "They really are too good to me. I'm a terrible daughter."

"Believe me. I've seen daughters who are way worse in my line of work. You are a great daughter." Olivia said rubbing Gemma's back gently. That's when she noticed the small dark mark on her shoulder. "Is this a birth mark?"

Gemma didn't have to look at the crescent moon shaped discoloration on her shoulder to know what she was talking about. "Yeah, my dad thinks I have it because I always stare up at the moon." She glanced out the window. "I really do miss them."

"I bet you do." Olivia whispered before picking up the pillow she got from the closet and holding it out to Gemma. "Well, I'll let you get to bed. You've had a big day, and there's another one coming your way tomorrow."

"Thank you." Gemma said taking the pillow. "And, thanks for letting me stay here. I can only imagine how weird it is to have someone dating a sex trafficker sleeping on your living room couch."

Olivia shrugged. "I've slept with people much worse." She grabbed her phone off the table and turned out the lamp once Gemma laid down on the couch. "Goodnight."

Gemma pulled the covers up to her shoulders. "Goodnight."

Olivia padded down the hallway and sheltered herself inside of her room before crawling into her own bed. Plugging her phone in, the screen showed three more missed calls from the man she needed to talk to most but didn't ever want to hear again from just as much. Silently willing herself not break down, she called the number that could only end with a shit ton of problems.

The phone didn't even ring once before Elliot's voice came over the speaker. "Olivia Benson, tell me what the fuck is going on."

Olivia didn't even flinch at the anger seeping through his voice. "You better tell me why the fuck I haven't seen you in five fucking years before you ask me what the fuck is going on." She kept her voice hushed so neither one of the kids in her apartment would hear her.

"I don't want to explain that shit over the phone. You deserve better than that." Elliot gritted out through the phone.

"So, now you're concerned about what I deserve?" Olivia asked dropping her head back against the wall, not believing the bullshit she was hearing from the man she absolutely hated and loved at the same time. "When exactly where you planning on telling me why you left? Were you ever planning on contacting me? Or were you just waiting for me to contact you and show you that I'm the one with the balls in this partnership... not that I can even call it that anymore."

She could hear Elliot's breathing slow down slightly at the fact that she was showing so much emotion to him even though they had been apart for so long. "I'll always be your partner." His voice sounded defeated.

"You bailed on me, Elliot." Olivia said sounding equally low. "I've been through more shit since you've been gone than anything my mother or you threw at me. Even with all the evil shit that's happened, you leaving hurt more. I was being held captive by a sick, twisted bastard for days and it didn't hurt me nearly as much as when Cragen informed me you put your papers in." She took a shakey breath. "Then, you go and send me that fucking note with Semper Fi written inside. Do you enjoy what you're putting me through?"

"That is the last thing I intended to do, and you know it!" Elliot nearly yelled at her. "You don't have a clue as to why I left."

Olivia shook her head. "No, I don't. But, I do know that whatever it is... your explanation is long overdue. And frankly, I don't see how anything could make up for what you've put me through. I shouldn't have even called you."

"Yet, you did." Elliot breathed. "I know you would only call Kathy to get to me if you really needed my help."

"Well, I've done a lot of things on my own without your help. I'll just add this to the list. Forget I called you. I don't need anything from you." Olivia sighed turning out her light.

Elliot began yelling at her again. "Don't you dare fucking hang up the phone. I will come to your apartment if that's what it takes. You need me, Olivia."

Olivia chuckled sadly. "You don't even know where I live anymore. And, no. I may have needed you five years ago,... but that was a different girl. I'm a big girl, Stabler. I can take care of myself." Without a word of notice, she hung up the phone and silenced it. Putting the device face down, she could only see a slice of light seep out from under it as her phone silently rang while fatigue finally took over.

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