Olivia stepped out of her Uber the next morning, feeling her heart flutter as she took in the sight of La Guardia before her. It was overcast and humid already for so early in the morning but summer in the city was always relentless, she knew this. She could feel the sweat beads collecting on her forehead as she stood there, studying the architecture. This building – hell, this vacation – could effectively change her life. As soon as she walked through its doors, things would change. A gentle breeze blew through, letting her register just how sticky her skin was already for just nine in the morning. She got hotter more easily now, more susceptible to the heat in her older age; menopause was a real bitch. Her heart pounded inside of her chest; she was nervous as all to be here. To be going away with Elliot for a week. What this meant for them, where they stood with each other, the road they were about to travel down, the implications this brought….

She was lost in her thoughts when her driver popped the trunk of the car open and reached in to unload her suitcases. She pressed a hand into her belly, subconsciously trying to calm her nerves. Crowds had never really been her forte to begin with and even more so in the last few years. She had to remind herself that she would be meeting up with Elliot soon and he would be whisking her away. Everything was going to be okay, she had to trust that. It was a mantra she repeated to herself as she gazed at the airport, taking in a shaky breath.

"Hey," she heard a voice call out from behind her and suddenly, all the butterflies in her stomach took flight.

As if on cue, he stepped out of the car that had pulled up behind hers in the drop off line. She turned around and the sea of people faded away; she only saw Elliot walking towards her, tight white shirt stretching across his ripped abs and bulging muscles, light-washed jeans clinging low to his hips and aviator sunglasses atop his head.

It was enough to make her go weak in the knees.

He looked good, especially for their age – having committed himself to the gym more days than not over the last few years. She couldn't hide the attraction she felt towards him, feeling the rush of arousal between her thighs and the heat fading into her cheeks.

Although times had changed and so had he…she wasn't sure he'd look at her the same once he saw what she hid underneath her clothes. She bore the scars of another man, a monster; she felt damaged and almost unlovable. Time hadn't been as kind to her in their time apart and she wanted to hide herself away, even though Elliot had always been the one to see straight through her bullshit.

"Hi," she said quietly, her voice small. Normally she was a force of nature, a force to be reckoned with, but the Olivia Benson that stood in front of him was unrecognizable that morning. Elliot studied her; she seemed small, hunched into herself and he knew that her anxiety was getting the best of her. He saw it and felt it; the lump forming in his throat gave it away. He was always able to feel what she was feeling; it was part of the intricate connection.

He cleared his throat and opened his arms wide as he walked towards her and pulled her into them, wrapping them around her. He gave her a slight squeeze before they separated, his way of comforting her and letting her know that everything was going to be alright.

"One boarding pass," he said, his voice low as he pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and handed her a small slip of paper.

"Here you are, miss."

Olivia turned back to her Uber driver at the sound of his voice as he slammed the trunk lid back down, startling her, before she glanced back at Elliot. The illusion was shattered by the trunk; the crowd came back into focus, along with all the sights and sounds of the city.

"Thank you," she said to her driver as Elliot reached around her for her bags, beating her to it.

He nodded before he climbed back into the car and took off.

"I'm not helpless, you know," she said as she put her hand on her hip as Elliot started rolling them back towards his car.

"Trust me, I'm well aware of that," he laughed, "Just let me do this for you, okay?" He collected his own suitcase and threw his backpack over his shoulders, slipping a twenty to his driver before they were left alone standing outside the airport.

"Do you trust me?" he asked as he walked back towards her. He took a moment to really study her; how she'd changed over the years when she'd stood beside him in the line of duty. Her curves were more defined, filling out more of the simple sundress she wore that morning. Her tanned skin was still as soft looking as it had been in yester-year, with a few more fine lines added to it. She was radiant, simply stunning and he vowed to make sure she knew just how beautiful he thought she was before the end of the trip.

"Do you really think I would be here if I didn't?" she retorted, a small smile coming over her face.

She had a point, he had to give her that. She was taking a huge leap of faith by going on this vacation with him, by giving him this chance to right all the wrongs of their past. To wipe the slate clean, start things off on a new foot. By meeting him here, it showed that she saw something between them; an ember of a flame, one he hoped to ignite to life on this trip.

"Fair enough," he said as he smirked and motioned towards the door. "Just asking you to keep trusting me here, Benson."

Trust. He kept mentioning that word. He had to think she didn't trust him and honestly he'd given her every reason under the sun not to. But this was Olivia and he was Elliot and there would always be a level of ease there, a familiar comfort. An unconditional kind of love. No matter how much she didn't want to trust him or how loud the voice in her head screamed at her…she always would, to an extent. Hell, she'd trusted him with her life day in and day out for over a decade. The real question now, was…did she trust him with her heart? Did she trust him with her very essence; the thing that could rock her to her core? She'd always put her happiness in the hands of other people and they'd dropped it every single time. Would this be the exception or would he shatter her again too?

She remembered the words Dr. Lindstrom had said to her in the last therapy session she'd attended, the one where he'd called her on her bullshit.

You deserve happiness, Olivia Benson.

She did deserve happiness, that was true, but part of her had always doubted that she'd ever truly find that last little sliver of it. She was content being a mother and having a fulfilling career, or at least she told herself that. But as she stood beside him outside of La Guardia, on the cusp of what they could be, she had to wonder…was this the last missing puzzle piece about to fall into place? The key that would unlock all of her hidden doors? Love had always been a fleeting mistress for her; an oasis she could never reach…would she finally get to bask in its refreshing glory?

Her thoughts were shattered when Elliot turned back to her; she hadn't noticed he'd taken off already without her. He held a hand out to her as he asked, "You coming, Liv?"

Olivia glanced at his outstretched hand and then her eyes met his again as her feet remembered how to move. "Yeah," she said as she began to follow after him, "Yeah, I'm coming."

Wordlessly, they walked into the airport and dropped off their luggage at the ticketing counter. Elliot guided her through the crowd and over to the line for security, his hand finding the small of her back and never leaving.

She'd been here many a time in the past but that didn't stop the rising fear in her chest as they stood in line, the anxiety that was beginning to claw at her throat from being in such a tight, confined space for so long. There were so many people around and she just needed a moment to breathe.

"You okay?" he asked, sensing her distress again. A fundamental part of their partnership had been their ability to read each other's emotions, always be on the same page and one step ahead of the other. They were so highly attuned to what the other was feeling, no matter where they were.

"Yeah," she said as she nodded slightly, "just a little overwhelmed."

The line for security moved slowly but eventually they made their way to the front of it. Elliot intertwined their fingers and caressed the back of her hand to keep her calm as they waited.

Approaching the front of the line, he grabbed one of the bins off the stack in front of them and tossed his cell phone and boarding pass into it, before reaching down to take off his sneakers and remove his belt. He tossed them into another bin as Olivia took of her sandals and was guided through the full body scanner.

They were cleared, gathered their things from the conveyor belt, and replaced their bins in a new stack at the end of the line. Elliot sat down in one of the first chairs he found and slipped his sneakers back on before standing up to weed his belt through his belt loops.

"You know," Olivia said as she slid her sandals back onto her feet, "you never did tell me where we're going."

"And you…never looked at your boarding pass." He smirked as he buckled his belt. "I'm taking you to the Cape."

"The Cape?" she echoed as she glanced around them at the terminal. "Surely we could have just drive there and not flown."

"We could have, that's true. But what part of 'I'm wanting to pamper you' are you not getting?" He smirked at the shocked expression on her face. "Like I said before, Benson," he continued, "just let me do this, okay? Trust me?"

"I don't need all the pampering," she said quietly.

"Now that…" he said as he shook his head. "That is where I respectfully disagree. I have a lot to make up for."

She narrowed her eyes. "Elliot…" she trailed off, sincerity clouding her eyes. "Just being here is enough. I just hate that you spent all this money on flights when we could have just driven and-"

"Hey," he said, taking her hand in his. "I did this because I wanted to and you deserve it. Okay? Don't you worry about anything else. Like I said, I have a lot to make up for." He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before he pulled away and the moment shifted.

Olivia glanced around the terminal and shuffled awkwardly on her feet, not knowing what to do. Even though they both wanted to be more than friends, it was uncharted territory and it was awkward, undiscovered, unwritten. She felt like a love-struck teenager on a first date. She didn't want to mess it up; couldn't mess it up, couldn't stand to lose him twice.

"I need a drink," she muttered as she sat her sights on one of the bars furthest down in the terminal.

He laughed and glanced at his watch. "It is…ten in the morning, Olivia."

"Airport time isn't real," she scoffed, waving her hand in the air. She turned around and took off in the direction of the bar, knowing Elliot would fall in line and follow behind her.

She approached the counter and sat her purse down on it as she sat down on one of the barstools as he joined her.

"Good morning," their bartender as he turned around to face them. "My name is Scott and I'll be taking care of you this morning. What'll it be?"

"Pineapple Malibu," Olivia ordered. It wasn't her usual drink but she knew it would do the trick and calm her raging nerves.

Scott nodded. He was a tall man; hovering just an inch or so above Elliot with jet black hair and a mustache to match. "Tropical, I like it," he mused, smiling at her. He turned to Elliot and asked, "And for you, sir?"

"Single malt scotch if you have it." He sat down beside Olivia and let out a small sigh.

"Coming right up, but first, I'll need to see some IDs."

Olivia let out a laugh before she could stop herself at the idea of being carded at her age. "That hasn't happened in a long time," she said as she reached for her wallet. She dug it out of her purse as Elliot pulled his wallet back out of his pocket and flipped it open.

Scott smiled as he glanced at their driver's licenses. "Thank you," he murmured as he grabbed a glass. He looked back at Olivia and added, "You don't look a day over twenty."

"Ah," she laughed again, "now that is where you lie."

Elliot smiled as he watched her before the silence settled between them again. Scott turned around to mix her drink. He knew that she would loosen up a bit more once the liquor hit and calmed her nerves.

"Where are you folks headed?" he asked as he poured.

"The Cape, apparently," Olivia said.

"Ah, the Cape." Scott turned around and sat her drink in front of her and began to pour Elliot's. "I love taking my wife out there every once in a while. It's close enough to still be within reach for an emergency but enough of a getaway to really feel like a vacation. It's perfect." He slid Elliot's drink across the counter and wiped his hands on a towel.

"Especially when you have kids," Elliot finished.

Scott nodded. "Yes. How many do you two have?" he asked enthusiastically.

Olivia started coughing as she took a sip of her drink at his words. "Oh, we're no-" she began just as Elliot said, "Six."

"Six kids?" Scott laughed nervously and smiled. "You've been busy. But congratulations! Whisking the missus away to celebrate an anniversary, I assume? How many years have you two been together?"

She coughed even harder. "Sorry," she laughed, trying to brush it off. "Stronger than I thought it would be."

"Twenty-three." Elliot brought his drink to his lips as he glanced at Olivia, a mischievous glint sparkling in his eyes.

"Wow," Scott said. "Congratulations, that's incredible," he repeated.

Another man sat down on the opposite end of the bar and signaled for Scott's attention. He nodded in the man's direction and glanced back at Elliot, saying, "Next round is on the house!" before turning his attention to his next customer.

"What in the hell was that?" Olivia muttered under her breath as she watched him walk away.

"Live a little, Benson," he laughed, smiling that smirk that went straight to her core and made her throb. "Did I lie? Between the two of us, we do have six children and have known each other for twenty-three years."

"Yeah, but an anniversary?"

"Hey," he said as he pointed at Scott with his drink, "I didn't say that part, he did."

"You went with it," Olivia said.

"So I….embellished. Where's your exhibitionist side?"

She didn't answer, instead, picked up her glass and slammed it back. She guzzled the remainder of her drink down her throat before setting it back down on the counter. Olivia took a deep breath, feeling the warmth already starting to spread throughout her body.

"Speaking of kids," Elliot began, "how is Noah? Is he okay with me taking you away for a week?"

She turned to him and played with the napkin on the counter. "Yeah," she shrugged, remembering their conversation in her bedroom. "He seemed…nervous. Excited for camp but he hasn't been away from home for this long before. I'm just nervous leaving him."

He nodded and took another drink. "That never changes, no matter how old they get or where they go. You'll always worry about him."

"I know. We've just…never been apart for this long before."

"Well, hey." Elliot's hand found a resting place on her knee and she jerked at the coldness of it from his drink before she looked at him. "If something happens or if you want to cut the trip short to come back to him sooner, just say the word and we'll be on the first flight back to New York. He comes first, always."

Olivia smiled. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"You're a good mom, Olivia."

She beamed as she stared at him, the airport fading away. For so long, she'd wanted a child, dreamt of having a family of her own and then she'd done it all on her own. Elliot had been the only consistency in her life until he'd left and then Noah came along. She never imagined Elliot would get to experience her as a mother or even be involved in their lives, yet here they were.

"Sometimes I wish I could give him more," she said, still playing with the napkin. "He's a great kid, but with the job…" She sighed and admitted, "It just gets hard. I wish I could have given him siblings so he's not by himself so much but it's just wasn't in the deck of cards I guess."

"He's a great kid," Elliot repeated. "He knows you love him and would do anything for him."

"I know. It's just that he's around adults most of the time. I just…wish I could have given him more. With what we see every day…I just want to keep him little as long as I can."

"Hey," he murmured. "I get it. I was the same way with mine. But Noah….Noah's a good kid. And yeah, he might not have siblings, but he's got a hell of a tribe surrounding him."

Olivia smiled, thinking of their tribe and how maybe it was time to start expanding it. She took a deep breath before she said, "Maybe…once we get back…" She shifted in her seat and he knew she was struggling with getting the words out. "Maybe we could all go to dinner or something? I mean, if you wanted to, of course."

If he wanted to. Of course he wanted to. He wanted nothing more than to spend time with her and her son, to get to know the extension of her soul.

"Yes." Elliot nodded his head feverishly. "Dinner, ice cream, a movie, whatever you guys want to do. I'd love it. And maybe we could introduce Eli to Noah. I know he's a bit older but…" He shrugged.

"I'd like that." Olivia smiled before glancing at the counter again, her cheeks turning an adorable shade of pink and God, he wanted to kiss her right then and there. But this was new and still delicate – he didn't want to mess it up. Couldn't mess it up, couldn't stand to lose her twice.

Scott walked back to them, noticing their glasses were empty. He grabbed a discarded towel off the counter and wiped at his hands again as he cleared his throat. "So," he said. "You lovebirds ready for round two?"

EO EO EO

They finished their drinks and made their way across the terminal to their gate, number nineteen, still an hour to go until they could board their flight. They sat down and Elliot took out his phone and reading glasses, sliding them up onto the bridge of his nose. Olivia studied him intently; the glasses were new but she wasn't complaining. He browsed local news headlines as she turned her attention to the windows and watched plane after plane take off as she slipped into a drowsy, relaxed bliss. Her nerves faded away as she watched each one ascend into the sky. Elliot held her hand, softly brushing the pad of his thumb across her skin every so often. His touch helped to ground her, remind her that she was here with him and not get trapped inside her own head.

Their gate attendant announced that boarding would begin shortly. He stood up and slipped his glasses and phone back into his pocket before grabbing his backpack off the floor and tossing it over his shoulder. He led Olivia over to the line starting to form for boarding and they stood there silently as a few more minutes passed until it was their time to board. They presented their boarding passes and made their way down the hallway to the board the plane, Olivia leading the way.

She stepped across the threshold of the cabin and quickly scanned the rows, looking for an empty one for them to sit in.

They shuffled down the aisle, Elliot careful not to accidentally hit anyone with his backpack. The plane was fuller than she'd expected, but not packed to capacity.

"This one okay?" she asked as she looked back at Elliot and pointed at an empty row of seats.

He nodded and took his backpack off, stowing it away into the overhead bin compartment. Olivia tucked her purse under the seat in front of her as he sat down beside her and buckled his seatbelt.

It wasn't long before the rest of the passengers boarded and took their seats and the preflight announcements began. Flight attendants went through the safety precautions and Olivia's nerves started to creep back in as they were instructed what to do in the case of an emergency. She started bouncing her legs as they began making their way down the runway, preparing for take-off.

"Here," Elliot said as he held out his palm to her. She placed her hand into his and he squeezed it, grounding her once more.

"Everything is going to be okay," he whispered as the plane started to move faster. Take-offs and landings were her least favorite part of flying; so jostling and rough in their movements. "Just close your eyes and hold my hand."

She squeezed her eyes tight as the plane vibrated as it increased its speed, lifting off the runway and jetting off into the sky. Her ears started to pop as they climbed higher and higher in altitude and her eyes flashed open as soon as she registered that they were in the air.

She let out a shaky breath and shifted nervously in her seat. "I hate that part," she muttered.

"Close your eyes," he murmured. "Deep breaths, through your nose. Everything is going to be okay. Just go to sleep and when you wake up, we'll be in paradise, I promise."

"You'll be here the whole time?" she asked.

"The whole time," he repeated, shaking their joined hands gently. "Wherever you want me, Liv, forever and always from here on out."

She bit her lip before tentatively laying her head on his shoulder. She shifted again in her seat to get comfortable and suddenly it felt like she was home – here, with Elliot, with her head on his shoulder.

The cabin lights were dimmed and the roar of the engine and air conditioning slowly lured her to sleep. Between the alcohol and the white noise, she slipped into a peaceful sleep – the kind she hadn't had in years.

"Go to sleep and when you wake up, we'll be in paradise," echoed throughout her mind as she faded off into the space between awake and dreaming and she felt a smile come over her face.

Paradise, he'd said, with the image of wherever he was taking her in mind.

Little did he know that paradise….was anywhere she was with him.