A/N : Sorry for taking so long to post this chapter up. Sleep caught up with me, along with random acts of summer activities. :) Enjoy!


"I don't know about you, Liv, but I'm about to go crazy with all the reports here. Where'd all these come from anyway?" Elliot grumbled as he scanned the stack of files on their desks.

"Well we were already backlogged even before my side trip to the hospital. Add that to those while I was gone and the ones we caught since then and viola!" Olivia said. "I can't believe that it's only been a month since I got back. God I've missed it."

"Yeah well you're a workaholic. Is it just me or is this a year end crime spree thing that we didn't get the memo on? I'm telling you, all this paperwork's a crime. It's been what, two days? Will this ever end?"

"In that case I suggest you hurry up and finish whatever you can. I'll take care of those older files over the holidays," Olivia offered.

"Shoot Liv, I forgot. Kathy wanted me to invite you over for Thanksgiving."

"I'll be fine, Elliot. Besides, your house will probably be overcrowded with your in-laws," Olivia said while waiting for her latest report to print.

"Don't even remind me about my in-laws. You'd think that after all these years it'd be easier to see them but no."

"Is that resentment I am hearing from you Elliot Stabler?"

"Come on Liv, it'll do you some good. Nobody needs to be alone on Thanksgiving." Elliot instantly hated himself for the last remark when he saw the slight change of expression on her face. "What I was trying to say..."

"Hey it's ok. I'm suppose to be on call, remember?" Olivia held up her hand to stop Elliot from speaking. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Besides, Munch and I will be going over to the captain's place tomorrow night for dinner."

"You sure about that?" Elliot was reluctant to give in, but he knew better than to push the subject any further, especially when his partner had already made up her mind.

"Yeah, so will you just quit bothering me and go home to your family already?" Olivia said, signaling the end of the discussion.

"All right you don't want me here, I get the drift," Elliot said, standing up to put on his coat at the same time. "If you change your mind, give me a call."

"I won't, but thanks El. Happy Thanksgiving."

A little while after Elliot had left the station, Olivia decided to go home as well. Taking a few files with her so that she could work on them at home, she headed toward the sedan parked in front of the station and drove home. Traffic was heavy that evening as most people were either trying to get out of the city or trying to get home all at the same time. The drive that normally took fifteen minutes ended up taking more than forty.

Stopping by the grocer around the block from her apartment, Olivia bought a few food items to ensure that she would not have to order take-out for the majority of the weekend. Since she had volunteered to work on Thanksgiving, the captain had given her the weekend off.

For the next few hours, she made pasta with enough leftovers to bring to work tomorrow, took a long shower, and eventually slipped into something more comfortable. With a glass of wine in hand, she popped her favorite CD into the player while waiting for her computer to boot up. The upbeat tune of The Who filled the air as Olivia continued with her work. Just as she was getting into the swing of things, her phone rang.

"Benson."

"It's Cragen. Are we still on for tomorrow night?"

"Yeah Cap. Wouldn't miss it for the world. You need any help?"

"No, just come on over after work. Are you still at the station?"

"No I got home quite some time ago."

"All right. See you tomorrow then."

"Bye, Cap."

As the night went on Olivia could barely keep her eyes open. Finally giving in to exhaustion, she finished off the final part of the report and retreated to bed. Just as soon as her head came into contact with the pillow, Olivia was fast asleep.

It's ok, Alex. You're gonna be just fine. Just stay with me. You hear me, Alex?

Startled at the vividness of the dream, Olivia almost jumped out of her bed. Cold sweat drenched her back, leaving a damp spot on the sheets. It was the same dream that had haunted her ever since Alex was shot. There were nights when she would wake up shocked and shaken. Somehow as time went by the dream became less frequent. However, the past few week's events had caused them to haunt her again. Methodically stripping off her clothes, she headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. After changing into a clean tank top and shorts, Olivia stripped the sweat soaked sheets off her bed and put on another set.

"Not exactly military corners but that'll do," she said to herself.

-----

"God I've missed this so much," Alex said to her mom, waving her hand to indicate their surroundings. "I remember Dad sitting on this armchair, with a glass in his hand and a book on his lap."

"Yes, he was really fond of this chair. Wouldn't just let anyone sit on it," the older Cabot stated silently. "You were the only one that he deemed worthy enough. For the chair."

Reaching for the other woman's hand, Alex squeezed it gently, reassuring her with the touch. Both women sat in silence, their hands holding on to each other as if breaking the touch would mean losing the other. After a long, comfortable silence, one content voice spoke up.

"Last year's Thanksgiving was hard. It was the first time that I spent it alone. I invited that detective friend of yours, Olivia, but she had to work, so I had no choice but to spend it alone."

"You invited Liv?" Alex was surprised. Just how much do you know, Mom?

"Yes I did, dear. She seemed like a nice person, and she offered to help me pack up your stuff. When I couldn't take it anymore and broke down in the middle of the living room, she took over everything instead." Celine Cabot patted her offspring's hand lightly. "She's a wonderful person, Alex. I'm glad that you found her."

Alex's eyes went wide. "W-What are you talking about, Mom?"

"I'm saying it's about time that you find yourself someone and settle down." At Alex's shocked expression, she continued. "When we were at your place packing up your things, I could tell. She looked at lot like me when your father died."

Denial was hot on the tip of her tongue, waiting to burst forth. But it died just as soon as she opened her mouth. "I-I don't know what to say. I didn't mean to keep it as a secret from you but it's just that...our jobs..." Alex felt herself losing control. She didn't know how to react.

"Shhh it's ok, honey," the older Cabot whispered while she soothed Alex. "I must admit, it was hard for me to accept at first. But as I got to know her more, I understood why you had fallen for her."

"Got to know her more?" Something told her that there was much more than her mother had been initially letting on.

"Took us two weekends to finally clean out your apartment. Since she knew I couldn't lift anything heavy because of my back, she did most of the work. I'd imagine you told her about my back then?"

Smiling sheepishly, Alex replied, "Yeah I did. But if I'm not mistaken that was a long time ago."

"She's a keeper, Alex. Don't let her out of your sight." Celine added, "Does she know you're back?"

Unsure of what to say, Alex chose to keep quiet instead. She didn't want to burden her mom with the nightmares that had been haunting her, or the real reason behind her refusal to let Olivia or the rest of the squad know of her return.

"Alex? Is something wrong, my dear?"

Holding back the tears that had accompanied her many sleepless nights, Alex steadied herself as she finally let it all out. No use keeping it inside.

"No Mom she doesn't know I'm back. Well, not technically anyway."

When she saw her mom's confused expression, Alex began to tell her about what had happened when she went out for a jog months earlier. The uneasy feeling that had settled in her stomach had slowly began to eat away her grip on her emotions.

"I know it's stupid but I just can't help wondering if I've endangered her life, you know."

"Alex, honey, don't say that. None of it was your fault. Yes you were shot but you're alive and that's all that matters." Celine tried to reason with her daughter. "That Colombian guy's dead and Olivia came out worse for the wear but it doesn't matter anymore. It's all over now."

"What? What had happened to Liv while I was gone, Mom?" Alex's heart tripled-timed, her breath quicker than usual.

"I-I thought you knew. She was in a gunfire battle with the Colombian guy's assassins and got hurt." The older Cabot silently berated herself for telling her daughter this when she was clearly not in the right state of mind.

"No!" Alex cried out loud. Her body shook as tears fell down her cheeks.

Instantly Celine Cabot hugged her daughter in her arms as she whispered words of comfort into her ears. As sobs slowly turn into sniffles, she pulled back a little and came face to face with a very distraught Alex.

"My dear it wasn't your fault. She got scraped on her left arm but that was it." Something in her daughter's expression told her she hadn't believe any of it. "She came up to visit me when she was still recuperating, Alex. She even told me that the Colombian guy's dead. That's how I found out and I knew it wouldn't be long before you would return to us again."

"No Mom, it was my fault. If it weren't for my stubbornness all of this would not have happened." Alex continued before her mom could speak up. "I made a choice and it hurt everyone. Now that I have a chance to make it right again, I'm not going to put anyone else, especially you and Olivia, in danger anymore."

Hearing the blatantly stubborn tone in her voice, Celine Cabot silently wished that her daughter would change her mind. Because she could already tell that Alex was miserable without her detective.