To celestialdruid: thank you so much; to you i dedicate the rest of this fic. You have no idea how much your review meant.

Release

"...if I go crazy, then will you still call me superman?"

When she woke up, it was 8:55. She swore at herself similarly to how she had sworn at Stabler when he showed up at her door after the mother of all nightmares. She was late for work already because she hadn't set her alarm, and even though she was supposedly taking the day off, she had to tell Cragen in person, because he hadn't answered his phone the night before. Her stiff muscles complained all the way through a rushed morning routine and almost made her fall down the stairs in her haste. Thanks to her running when she had time in the mornings, she caught the bus about to leave a few blocks from her apartment and was in the squad room little more than half an hour later. Huang walked in right after her, making her eyebrow jump. She smiled at him, then headed to Cragen's office.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Munch called to her as she passed on her walk of shame. Cragen, though angry, granted her the day off. When she walked over to her desk to collect a few things and head back home, Elliot cornered her.

"Liv, we need to talk," he said, obviously restraining himself—from what, she didn't know. Olivia looked at him somewhat blankly, but nodded and followed him to an interrogation room. 'Strange place to talk,' she thought, but realized it was probably the most solid and reassuring place for him to talk. "Look, Liv, are you sleeping with Huang?" Olivia started, pinching herself. This was reality. He would have never asked that if Kathy were still alive.

"No, Elliot!" she replied scornfully. He must be really low today, making such mean jokes.

"Oh yeah?" They both had been standing; now he forced her to sit down. He leered above her, with the smirk on his face he had when he was about to surprise a perp with the evidence that would give him the needle. "Then why are you late? Why do you look like hell?" She winced. "Why did you and Huang both walk in at the same time? Huh? Huh?"

"What are you talking about, Elliot?"

Munch chuckled, having followed them through the building and leading his partner to outside the room, "I haven't seen anyone so crazy since...well, since I told that girl you were hitting on you were a sex comp."

"I'd punch you again if I could," Fin informed him, watching as Munch nervously caressed his delicately bruised jaw.

"Well, what did you think I was going to do, let you con her into thinking that you managed a huge company in Philly?"

"Look, I was just trying to get some action...you know how hard it is to get some chick interested in you when she knows you're a cop? There's a huge difference, working in special vics instead of narcotics."

"Well,,," Munch started when a worried Huang walked into the observation area.

"Cragen told me to see what's going on. So who's being questioned..." he trailed off when he saw who were in the room.

"I saw the look you gave him. You used to give me that same teasing look when I still had Kathy, just to tempt me. I thought it meant you liked me, but obviously not, flirting with any guy who walks in the doors. Why don't you go ask Cragen, see if Huang can be your partner. And see if I care. You've re reason Kathy was always so suspicious around me. I'd stay out late, working for you, working with you, just being there fore you. I even was there when you had that so-called nightmare, and it turns you've been having him to turn to if you can't sleep at night. God, I hate you!"

"Is that true?" Munch asked Huang, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Huang gave him such a grave and admonishing look that both Munch and Fin immediately felt completely stupid. "Just truing to throw some soap opera crap into our lives," John offered to try and redeem himself, but they ignored him. Finally Cragen came.

"I told you to get me information," he rebuked the psychiatrist. "Why didn't you come...what the hell?" He leaned closer to the glass, nearly running into it. He had never seen Olivia completely melted like that, or Elliot go ballistic like that.

"Well, Stabler is...still emotionally edgy from Kathy's death. Since Olivia and I came in at approximately the same time, and Olivia had obviously had a rough night and overslept, he jumped to conclusions and thinks that she and I are having an affair. I think he just needs to blow off some steam. Olivia should be all right, though. I'll talk to her later."

"Well, are you?" Cragen asked, obviously concerned, but also a little jealous.

"Captain, I would never jeopardize the unit or the FBI's credibility and integrity by showing any such feelings, and neither would Olivia. I recommend you give Stabler the day off as well, so that he can become...well, stable."

"How did you know Olivia took the day off?" The three men raised their eyebrows at Huang. He sighed.

"She called me last night. She wanted to talk to me about something, and she seemed very upset. I advised her to take a day to calm down, and we agreed on a time she could meet with me if she so chose, which" he looked at his watch, "is not too long from now."

"Well, her mother died a while ago. She didn't do much at the time except brush it off. Maybe the floodgates are finally bursting," Huang accepted this explanation as a way to excuse himself from the conversation.

"I'll get them to calm down." He looked at the other men with pleading in his deep black eyes. "Don't tell them or give any indication that you know about this." They nodded and went back to their paperwork, Munch happy to get back to lecturing Fin on the suspiciousness of the Bermuda Triangle. Huang grinned at him, then opened the door. "Elliot," he told the suddenly sheepish detective. "How about you take the day off." Elliot nodded quickly.

"Yeah. Did...did the others see it?" he asked nervously.

"No," Hand said comfortingly as he produced an ironed white handkerchief for a red-faced Olivia. "In fact, I just found you." The detectives nodded their thanks.

"Sorry, doc," Elliot mumbled.

Huang held up his hand in response. "It's fine." Walking directly over to Olivia, Elliot helped her up from the chair and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Liv," he told her gruffly, gently, and apologetically. She smiled through her tears.

"It's ok," she told him. "I understand. I do love you, Elliot. More than any guy I've dated. I would never hurt you like that."

"I...I just lost it. I'm sure you wouldn't I just..." He clenched his fists behind her back. "I still feel bad about Kathy. I'm not sure what she thought we were going...I guess I blame us for her..."

Olivia rubbed her hand against his back, loving the feel of his muscular body. "Look, Elliot, how about you have dinner at my place tonight. We can talk about this...in a place that isn't designed to be eavesdropped on."

"Ok," he told her, glad she had reached for her gun at no point. She went out first, leaving Huang and Elliot to get in an embarrassing situation to decide who would go out the door first. "I...I'm really sorry, doc," Elliot said. "I bet the whole squad was watching me embarrass you like that. I don't know how I can undo it."

"You can't," Huang told him, finally exiting. "However, since you've got the whole day, just do something you'll be distracted by, like going swimming or jogging. Then go to Olivia's. The person who will come out of this looking stupid is you; the person who will come out wounded is Olivia. I'll talk to her, but be very careful around her—and be sure to complement her cooking." They smiled, Huang broadly and Elliot guiltily.

"Thanks, doc," Elliot told him. He felt the urge to hug the psychiatrist, but decided against it.

As Olivia walked back to her desk and grabbed the items she'd left, Fin, Munch, and Cragen came up to her.

"If you want to talk about it, call me," Fin instructed her.

"If you want to take another day off, it's yours,: the captain told her.

"If you want to talk about UFOs, I'm here," Munch finished, giving her a donut. She giggled a bit, then beamed the smile Munch had been looking for.

"Thanks, you guys," she told them, and headed for Huang's office, papers and donut in hand.