AN. i'm back! Ok soooo I think i struggled with this the first time around basing it on the shows tl but now i'm off in my own fanfic world it's a little easier.

I have two ideas in mind of where to go with this story but I'm letting my hands direct me by what I write and not planning because every time I write a chapter this fic my endgame changes.

It had been weeks since Amanda's engagement party and Velasco wasn't making things easy for her.

After she'd run out after Elliot things had been sour. She hadn't told him she'd ended things with Elliot and he hadn't asked.

She assumed that he'd done the same with his girlfriend though by the way he was flirting with their new detective. She'd told him to look after her before she'd noticed their chemistry and now she was regretting her choice.

Muncy seemed nice enough, didn't seem like the type to flirt outrageously with everyone and Olivia didn't think she was even trying to flirt with Velasco but she saw those lingering stares and she knew them all too well.

They reminded her of her and Elliot.

She watched them now from the entryway close to Fin's desk when she heard him chuckle.

"Young love 'ey."

"'Makes me sick."

Fin spins in his chair to face Olivia with an eyebrow raised.

"I had to watch it for eleven years."

"I was stupid."

"Things not good with you and Stabler?"

"Things aren't good or bad Fin. I Haven't spoken to him in weeks."

Fin sighs. These two were going to be the death of him.

"Well don't leave it too late to decide what you want."

Olivia's eyes flick back up to Velasco and Muncy and her tone is deflated.

"I think it might already be."

Pushing off the wall she walks over to the pair of them with her hands in her pocket and Muncy jumps down off Velasco's desk as she sees Liv approach, a smile on her face for her boss. Velasco waits until Liv is standing next to him before turning in his chair, not even bothering to sit up straight.

"How are things going with you two?"

"Good Cap, he's training me well."

Liv smiles at Muncy before looking down to Velasco who has a smug grin on his face.

"Mmm. We do a lot of skill assessments."

"Give us a moment please Muncy." Liv tells the other woman without breaking eye contact with Velasco.

Muncy walks off sheepishly wondering if she'd said something wrong leaving Olivia towering over Velasco.

She takes her hands out of her pocket and moves a few feet over so she can lean on the side of his desk.

"If you're fucking her…"

"You can't be serious Cap. Isn't that how it goes around here?"

Her eyes narrow in anger but he doesn't back down. He stares right back as she takes a few deep breaths.

"Or maybe you're just some sex crazed idiot."

He leans forward before replying, making sure his voice was low enough so only she could hear.

"I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with fucking your partner."

"Let me know then because I have never fucked mine!" She throws back and he leans back in his chair.

"Never?"

"Never."

"Sure."

She doesn't know why she wants him to so desperately know that she hasn't slept with Elliot. She doesn't even know what she wants herself but she needs him to know anyway.

"Whatever you think you know, it's wrong. I never slept with him, not back then, not that night and not since."

"Why?"

"That doesn't matter."

Velasco's face softened as he picked up the pen on his desk and started to roll it between his fingers.

"I've never fucked her either."

Olivia tries to keep her face neutral even though she could feel the weight lift off her.

"Keep it that way. It's better for morale." She says as she pushes back off the desk and turns to walk back to her office.

"Yet. Captain Benson." He calls after her and she stops walking. "Yet."

Olivia wants to turn around and call him all the names under the sun but she knew she had to stay professional and carries on walking back to her office.

Velasco watches her go smiling to himself. He had no intention of sleeping with Muncy but Olivia didn't need to know that. He hadn't forgiven her for leaving him high and dry to chase after Elliot a few weeks ago and if his new partner could be used to make another woman jealous then so be it.

—

Olivia soon regrets their little chat. It seems Velasco's efforts to make Olivia jealous skyrocketed after their conversation. Whenever she was around them he seemed to want to touch the new detective and when Muncy had finally given in and bought some blazers he had pushed her final buttons.

"Looking good, Muncy." Fin calls out as she walks into the squad room and Olivia who was pouring herself a coffee turns to see her new detective finally taking her fashion advice.

"Nice." She agreed.

When Velasco sees her though he doesn't just compliment her, he walks over to her and faces Olivia as he wraps an arm around his partner.

"Looks good doesn't she? Like a younger version of you."

Three sets of eyes land on Olivia and she forces a smile onto her face.

"This one wasn't wearing blazers back in the day, don't let her fool you." Fin chimes in trying to break the tension and Liv smiles at him.

"Don't ruin the illusion." She says giving him a nudge in the side. "There was no Olivia before Captain Benson."

"You should have seen her. Quite the rule breaker."

"I can imagine." Velasco replies, dropping his arm from Muncy's shoulder and folding them across his chest. "You've got that look about you, Captain."

Olivia's eyes search his face and she can see the spark still there. Her eyes flick to Muncy who he's still standing way too close to and back to him and she can the corners of her mouth twitch as her ego is stroked. Does he flirt with her just because he knows Olivia is watching? Before she can assess the situation too much her thoughts are interrupted by a voice behind her.

"Knock knock."

She spins on her feet to see Elliot leaning against the glass of the wall with a smile on his face and she feels her cheeks blush. It was the first time she'd seen him in weeks and here she was again standing between him and Velasco again, at least this time she looked presentable.

"Detective Stabler." She says emotionlessly, her mind whirling with too many emotions. She could feel the tension from behind her but Elliot seemed calm, still smiling as he pushed off the wall and took a step into the group. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"All work related sadly. Have you got a few moments?"

She nods and turns back to check on Velasco as Elliot speaks to Fin. She couldn't read his reaction properly. Like her, he had been expecting the first meeting to go down worse than this and Elliot's calm demeanour seemed to be throwing them all off.

Velasco moves first, turning on his heels and heading back to his desk as Olivia leads the way for Elliot to follow her into her office. She moves to stand behind her desk and Elliot closes the door behind them, standing with his hands behind his back in front of her.

"Look, Liv.."

"El, about.."

They both start at the same time and laugh nervously.

"Liv, please let me." he waits for her to nod before continuing. "I'm sorry that I read into what we had for more than it was. I should have known a woman like you, well I mean..". He sighs and looks up towards the ceiling for a moment before looking back at her. "There was a time where I should have been stronger but we're not who we were back then."

"We're not." She agrees sadly.

"And I was hanging onto the past."

"I think we both were El."

"Well what we were back then that I hope we can still be now is good friends."

Olivia smiles and nods, thankful that this was going so smoothly.

"I'd like that."

"And every woman needs a friend that can beat up any man that hurts her." He turns his head to find Velasco through the office window and Olivia's eyes follow. "I could take him easy."

Liv laughs and rounds her desk to stand next to him as they watch Velasco talking to Muncy who was strutting around the desks, trying to walk without the street swagger.

"There's no need. There's nothing going on."

"Why not?" Elliot asks curiously, turning to face her.

She shrugs but doesn't turn to look at him, instead she carries on watching her detectives mess around in the squad room.

"Come on, don't tell me you're jealous."

Olivia shoots around then turning to face him so that she can glare at him.

"I am not jealous."

Elliot snorts and shakes his head at her.

"Olivia Benson is jealous. My, my."

"Shut up."

Her cheeks flush as she looks back out into the squadroom quickly.

"if it helps i'm sure he'll be just as jealous of you being in here with me."

"We're not a bunch of kids."

"As a friend I can tell you," he starts, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Nothing makes a man want you more than thinking another man has you."

Her eyes flick to his face for a second where he is watching Velasco intently and she wonders if he is talking about himself.

"And what about when they get you?"

Elliot looks down to her and smiles.

"If a man ever got a woman like you and I mean really got you, he'd never let you go."

She swallows and turns her head to look back out of the window where Velasco was now looking over. The blinds were at an angle where she knew he couldn't really see in but she wonders what he would say seeing Elliot here with an arm wrapped around her. An arm that felt like it was burning into her at his touch.

Her eyes close and she takes a deep breath before stepping out of Elliots grip.

"So tell me about this case."