AN - thanks for all the love on this story! I've written 10 chapters so far, and thinking there will be 15. Hoping you continue to love it! Here is the next update. Lots of ups and downs as always for our favorite couple.

Don't forget to drop a review!

Two weeks passed quickly and things were good. They were very good. They were finding a way to balance work, everyday life and time together as a couple. No one else knew about them yet, not because they didn't want them to know but because it hadn't come up. Things were still precarious with Kathy and every time he saw or talked to her there was a fight. He didn't feel like adding even more fuel to the fire. On this particular morning, they were both up early getting ready for the day.

It amazed him how comfortable it felt doing such mundane things alongside her. He of course had lived with Kathy for many years. He was used to this in a sense. But he had been worried that it would be difficult for Olivia to share her space or share his. He was pleasantly surprised though because she seemed just as comfortable and happy as he did. He was currently standing behind her in the bathroom as they both brushed their teeth. The bathroom in his apartment was a bit small but he liked spending as much time with her as he could. Especially now that they worked apart.

She started laughing as she leaned forward, knowing very well that she was going to be in a precarious position, "You're the worst." She mumbled with a mouthful of toothpaste.

He smirked and squeezed her ass mumbling back, "Nah. I'm just smart."

She rolled her eyes, rinsed her mouth quickly and side stepped him before looking down at the clear bulge already growing in his boxers, "Uh huh. Well enjoy driving to work with a hard on babe."

She turned quickly and moved towards his bedroom making him groan before he finished up himself. Sighing, he walked into the bedroom and saw her rummaging through a bag for her clothes. "You know you can keep stuff in my closet or dresser if you want…"

She turned to him with flushed cheeks but she smiled, "Yeah. I know. But I'm staying at my place tonight anyway so I'm fine."

He narrowed his eyes at her and sat down on the edge of his bed as he watched her get dressed. He did indeed have a raging hard on now and he glanced at the clock hopefully but he knew they were both already cutting it close. "Why are you staying at your apartment?" He pouted, "Without me? Can I come? Are you mad at me?"

Glancing over at him, she couldn't help but laugh. He looked like a sad little puppy dog being left by their owner. Rolling her eyes, she pulled her shirt over her head and then moved to find her boots, "Elliot, I told you I have a work event after my shift. It's Ty's 40th birthday so a bunch of us are going out to celebrate."

"Ty…" He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "Who's that one again?"

Laughing, she tugged on one boot, "Tyler Remmington. You've met him before. He used to work at Homicide but transferred to Computer Crimes last year." Elliot just stared blankly at her, "Okay, well it doesn't really matter. Either way I have to go because if I don't they'll give me hell about not wanting to be a team player as usual."

"They're still giving you grief about how close you were with your SVU team?" He asked angrily.

"They're just putting me through the ringer just like you all did when I started." Pulling on her second boot she moved towards the mirror, flipping her hair over her shoulder she smiled and looked back at him, "It's nothing I can't handle. You put me through worse."

Huffing he reached for her and she stumbled backwards, "I did not!"

"Yes. You did." She turned in his embrace, resting her hands on his shoulders, "I got the whole can a girl hack it routine from you. It was adorable that you thought I couldn't keep up with you actually. You learned quickly though."

Taking a deep breath, he pulled her closer, his head tipping back to look at her more clearly, "I wish you still worked at SVU…"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she ran her hands along the back of his neck, "I know El. I do too. But…this is the way it has to be." Shrugging she leaned down and whispered, "Besides, it's not all bad, is it?""

Sliding his hands up the back of her blouse he smiled, "Nah. It's definitely got its perks…"

Pulling away slowly, she pushed him down on the bed, "Hands off Stabler. I gotta go. And so do you."

Staring up at the ceiling he growled, "I really can't see you tonight?"

Watching him, she wanted to tease him. But she knew what this was really about. He truly hated being alone. And unless he got stuck late at work he would be here in the apartment by himself. Glancing at the clock, she knew she had only a minute or two left to spare. But some things, some people were more important. Climbing up over him, his hands quickly settled on her hips as he looked up at her, "Call Kathy. See if you can visit the kids. Dickie has practice tonight…maybe you can go watch."

The look on his face made her heart ache, "She's going to say no…"

"Elliot, you're their Father." She whispered softly, "You have just as much right to see them as Kathy does." Leaning down, she pressed a quick kiss to his lips, "Call her…"

When she leaned back, he touched her cheek, his voice dropping to a low whisper, "Will you call me when you get home?"

"Yes. I promise." She kissed him once more, "Try and have a good day, okay?"

When she climbed off of him, he sat up and looked down at his now more present erection, "Yeah…not likely. Damn you Benson."

She laughed and gave him a wink, "I'll make it up to you soon. I promise."

"How so?" He asked with a quick smirk, "How will you make it up to me?"

Tapping her finger against her lips she smiled, "Why don't you decide what you want to try…and I'm more than sure we could make it happen."

"Oh really?" His eyebrows raised tightly, "I get to decide?"

She nodded slowly, "You know my absolute no's but anything else…we can discuss. Sound like a plan?"

He growled and nodded, "Sounds like a plan…except it's not helping my little friend down there…"

"Aw El…you're anything but little." She smiled when he looked proud, "But you're right. It's not going to help. So…good luck with that."

She blew him a quick kiss and turned to walk out of the room making him call out to her, "I hate you!"

He could hear her laughing as she walked out, "No you don't!"

Chuckling to himself, he ran a hand over his face and whispered, "No. I don't. I love you…" Glancing at his lap again he sighed, "But you're gonna be the death of me woman…"

That evening, Elliot had been unsuccessful in reaching Kathy to ask about Dickie's practice. He'd been irritated all day about it. The perp they were interrogating was pushing all his buttons and he had spilled half a pot of coffee in his lap. He was exhausted and he wished he could look across the desk and see Olivia. Only…the space was empty. Cragen kept reminding him that as soon as someone volunteered for the Unit, they would be filling the spot though. A thought he couldn't seem to wrap his mind around. He knew now that they were together they could never work as Partners again, but it was still hard to imagine continuing here without her.

Getting Kathy's voicemail again, he growled and tossed the phone on the table. Munch walked up behind him and frowned, "I see your mood hasn't improved."

Elliot looked back up at him, "Don't start with me John…I'm not in the mood."

Fin chuckled and sat down on the edge of his desk "Careful Munch…he's crankier than usual these days without Benson."

Elliot stiffened at the sound of her name, "Shut up."

John sat down in his seat and sighed, "Seen her at all? We ran into her two weeks ago."

Elliot knew that, Olivia had told him. They weren't trying to hide anything but with the way they teased, it was kind of nice to have Olivia all to himself. But he knew it was coming…very soon the world would find out and while he was ready, he knew there were going to be some people that weren't so happy about it. "Yeah. I've seen her around." He sent another quick text to Kathy and then looked at John, "You're lucky you don't have kids with any of your ex's John. This shit is ridiculous. I just want to see my damn kids."

"You guys figure out the custody agreement?" Fin asked, "Gets messy."

Elliot nodded, "We did. Every other damn weekend isn't enough for me but for now my lawyer said we should let it go. Otherwise it would have been drawn out and I would have had even less time. I want to go see my son practice."

John shrugged, "Well it's not like she has a restraining order against you. No one says you can't go, right?"

"Elliot, you're their Father. You have just as much right to see them as Kathy does."

Olivia had said that, and she was right. Well screw Kathy. She could tell him that he wasn't ready. He slowly stood up and shoved the phone in his pocket, "You're right…"

Cragen walked into the main room and sighed, "Alright Stabler, you're free to go. These two have another hour. See you in the morning unless we get a call."

Elliot grabbed the coat off the back of his chair and nodded, "Thanks Cap."

"Gonna run by Dickie's practice?" Fin asked him with a smile, Elliot just nodded, "Good. Well if you get out early and want to join us, we're gonna go to Maloney's to grab a drink unless we get stuck here. Shoot us a text if you want in." Fin shrugged, "We all need to blow off some steam I think…"

Elliot nodded again and spun his keys on his fingers, "Thanks. I'll text you."

And then he was off. The whole ride towards Queens he thought about how many times he had made this journey. Now it was a short one to his apartment. And while he was happy in his relationship with Olivia, and knew the divorce was the right thing, he missed his fucking kids. It was hard being a Detective. Lord knows he didn't spend as much time with them as he'd like but everything he did was for those four kids. Each victim he saw reflected them in some way and each morning when he woke up he was determined to take another monster off the streets to keep them safe.

Kathy had never understood that. She'd tried. And in the beginning she tolerated it. But as the years went on she got angrier and angrier. Part of him understood, truly he did. She was a single parent at times but he did what he needed to do to provide for his family, to keep them out of harm's way. And the angrier she got, the more they fought and the more the wedge grew between them until it was too much to take for him, for her, for the kids. Yes, the divorce was the right choice. For so many reasons.

When he pulled up in the parking lot of the field, he saw Dickie darting across the grass at warp speed. He was so grown up. So talented. So good. All the things he wanted his son to be. He didn't want to miss any more of it. He was damn glad he had come. Damn glad that Olivia cared enough about him, about his children to remind him that he as their father had the right to see them. Glad that Fin and John had pushed him too. Climbing out of the car, he took a deep breath and felt his shoulders relax as he got closer and closer to his son. He climbed up on the bleachers and couldn't keep his eyes off of him. He remembered kicking the ball around in the backyard of the house in Queens with him. And now look at him, the star of his team. He watched as Dickie pivoted, evaded his teammates trying to steal the ball from him and got closer and closer to the goal

"Come on buddy…" He gripped the edge of the seat below him and held his breath. And then, when Dickie held his foot back, he kicked as hard as he could and the ball soared through the air, blowing right past the goalie's hands. Elliot jumped up, hollered as loud as he could without realizing, "Yes! Nice shot Dickie!"

Dickie was breathing hard as he turned, his eyes scanning the empty bleachers in confusion. When his eyes rested on his Father, the smile on his face grew. His coach came by, slapped him on the back and Elliot watched him whisper something to him. Dickie nodded, and ran towards the sidelines, scooping up his water bottle and then running towards his Father. Elliot moved quickly, eager to talk to him and they met at the base of the bleachers, "Dad? What are you doing here?"

He smiled and put a hand on his shoulders, "Wanted to watch my boy practice. That okay?"

Dickie nodded and took a swig of his water, "Yeah. Sure. Of course." He wiped at his brow, "Just didn't expect to see you is all."

Elliot nodded and put his hands in his pockets, "I had a slow night at work…tried calling your Mom to run it by her but she didn't answer."

Dickie put the bottle down and looked back up at him, "Oh, yeah she had plans. Mo dropped me off."

Elliot frowned and leaned against the metal behind him, "Where was she going?"

Dickie nodded, "I don't know. She just told me this morning she had plans and that Maureen was gonna drive me and hang with Kathleen and Lizzie for dinner. Mom's supposed to pick me up though I think."

"Oh." Elliot nodded, not minding that Kathy had plans but he would have spent the extra time with the kids if he had known. It was just her way of controlling things as usual he supposed, "Okay." He saw the nervous look on his son's face, clearly worried he'd said something wrong to cause a fight and Elliot didn't want him to worry. They'd all worried enough watching their parents fight. It was time to make them all comfortable and move on to a new future, "You looked great out there kid. You've clearly been practicing."

Dickie's face flushed, "Coach says he thinks I have a real good future. There are supposed to be some Scouts at a game in a few weeks. I mean I know it's still early for me…but he said if they like what they'll see they'll keep coming back each year. Ya know?"

"That's awesome buddy." He squeezed his shoulder tight, "I'm so proud of you."

Dickie laughed nervously, "Thanks Dad…" They both heard the coach whistle and he pointed to the field, "I should…"

Elliot nodded and stepped back, "Of course. Go ahead. I'll be here. We can chat after, yeah?"

Dickie started to turn to walk away, "Yeah." He took about four steps, then slowly turned, walked back to his Dad and threw his arms around him, "I'm really glad you came."

Dickie was at that age where being seen with his Father was hit or miss. So for him to hug him in front of all of his teammates said a lot. A lump formed in his throat as he held his son tight. His son missed him. Just as he missed him and his sisters. Wrapping his arms tightly around him he squeezed, "I'm glad I came too." He ruffled his hair and didn't dare kiss his head, "Now get back out there super star…"

Dickie smiled, stepped back and started to jog back to the field to meet his team. He settled down again on the bleachers and felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Reaching for it, he saw a text from Olivia. Headed out. I hope you got to go see Dickie. Call you later. Xo Liv

He smiled to himself, typed a quick response back, Be safe. Have fun. I'm at his practice now. Exactly what I needed. Thanks for pushing me. Love you. El

Yeah. Things were good…things were very good.

The only problem with that…is that when things are good…that's usually when things go to shit isn't it?

Forty minutes later, practice was finished and Elliot was standing on the sidelines talking to Dickie's coach as most of the boys were being picked up. "He's got a lot of promise." Coach Birkhead said, "He's determined. Fast. Strong. Great team player. Great leader. I think he's got a great future ahead of him."

Elliot smiled, "I'm glad to hear that. Thank you for helping him grow so much, he looks great out there."

Both men turned to watch Dickie helping one of his team mates with a particular play as they were the last two waiting for their rides, "I think it's been good for him…to have something to focus on. Something to ground him. A good distraction…"

Elliot didn't need him to elaborate, he knew that everyone knew about the divorce, "Yeah…"

"I wasn't trying too…" Coach Birkhead flushed, "But you made his night coming here tonight."

Elliot took a deep breath and looked back at him, "I'm going to be around a lot more. I can promise that."

The other boy's ride came leaving Elliot, Dickie and Coach alone on the field. "Not sure why Mom is running so late…" Dickie said nervously.

Elliot smiled, "Well I can hang with you. We can call her too and maybe I can just bring you home and say hi to the girls." He turned to Dickie's coach, "You can head out. I've got him."

"You sure?" He asked, "You good with that Dickie?"

Dickie's face lit up like a Christmas tree and he nodded, "Yeah. We're good. Night Coach."

"Alright." He smiled and started to gather his stuff, "It was good to see you Mr. Stabler. Hope to see you at our game this weekend. Have a good night."

Dickie looked at his Father quickly, "Can we kick the ball around a bit while we wait?"

Elliot nodded, "Sure."

They snagged one of the balls from the bag and moved towards the middle of the field. As they played, Elliot's heart ached for the young boy that was long gone but he felt pride as he watched the young man in front of him. Change was tough. But it wasn't all bad. They'd only been there for a few minutes when they both heard a car pull up and he already felt the sadness pulling at him. He didn't want to say goodnight to his son. And he was hoping to take him home to see the girls. As soon as Kathy exited the car though, the look on her face told him he would not be seeing his daughter's tonight.

Dickie must have sensed it too, "Dad…"

Elliot smiled and shook his head, "Everything's fine buddy. Go grab your stuff."

Dickie glanced at his Mom again and then moved towards the bench where Coach Birkhead was still cleaning up. Kathy stomped towards Elliot, arms crossed over her chest, a look of fury on her face, "What are you doing here?"

Elliot's heart started pounding in his chest, "I came to see my son practice."

She laughed angrily, "It's not your day to have him. I thought you were working."

Elliot nodded, "I got cut early. You know that happens sometimes. I tried calling you to tell you but you didn't answer. So I decided to swing by and surprise him."

"It's not your night." She spat at him again, "We have an agreement."

Elliot felt the rage building in him, but he didn't want to do this in front of his son. Not after they'd had such a good night, "We do have an agreement. But it doesn't say that I'm not allowed to see my children on other days if I can. Kathy-"

She angrily shook her head and looked past him, "Let's go Dickie."

Dickie hiked up the bag on his shoulder, "Mom, can Dad come by and-"

"No. He can't." She moved past Elliot, "Get in the car."

Elliot saw the sadness on his son's face and he smiled, "It's alright buddy. Everything's fine."

Dickie shook his head, "No. I don't understand why it's such a big deal that he came here tonight. You had plans. Why couldn't you have let us all hang with him? Who cares about what a piece of paper says? He's my Dad. I should be allowed to see my freaking Dad."

"Language." She shot at him, "Get in the car I said."

When she reached for his arm he pulled it out of his grasp, "No. I don't want to go with you. I want to go to Dad's."

Elliot could see the wheels turning in her head and knew the war was raging, "Dickie…"

"Of course you want to go to your Father's." She growled, "Because he's always the saint and I'm the witch. Your Father chose his work over his family and that is why we got divorced. He chose another life over us."

"Hang on." Elliot said suddenly, "Kathy-"

"He didn't want to spend time with you then, he's just doing it now to hurt me." She mumbled.

"Kathy, I swear to God." His hands clenched at his sides, "Dickie, that's-that's not true. I always want to spend time with you and your sisters. But work sometimes-"

"Dad. I know." He whispered, "I know…"

Coach Birkhead stepped between them all, "Okay…let's uh…let's get Dickie home. Okay? Everyone needs to take a breath."

Kathy glanced at him and then at her son, "Get in the car Dickie."

Dickie swallowed hard, not wanting to move and Elliot was almost sure he could see tears burning in his son's eyes. He wanted to tell him he could come with him. Wanted to say that he could choose but that wasn't the case. And if he did say that, it would only make this worse. Taking a deep breath he smiled at his son, "It's alright buddy. Go home with your Mom. I'll see you soon. Okay?"

Dickie looked at his coach, and gave him a slow nod, "Yeah…" He pulled at the strap on his bag again and walked towards the car, "Thanks for coming Dad. Night."

"Love you buddy." He called out, his voice cracking as his son moved past him, "Tell your sisters I said I love them too. I'll call tomorrow."

Dickie gave him a sad wave and climbed into the car without saying another word. The three adults stood on the field, no one moving or speaking until Kathy brushed past him, "Don't show up again."

"If you aren't able to be with them, I deserve to be able to see them." Elliot said quickly, "Next time-"

"There won't be a next time." She said turning back to him, "You can see them on scheduled nights Elliot. That's it. Goodnight."

Elliot went to walk towards her but a hand grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back, "Let her go."

His heart was pounding in his chest as he saw the car pull away, watched as his son slumped down in his seat and put his headphones on. Kathy was yelling something at him and Dickie just looked out the window back at him, and he wished he could run after the car and pull him from the seat and take him home, "That's my son too…"

Coach Birkhead nodded, "I know. And you didn't do anything wrong. But fighting in front of him isn't going to help. It just gives her more fuel to add to the fire."

When the car was out of sight, he sighed and looked down at the ball at his feet, giving it a swift kick, "Fuck."

The older man just watched him, let him pace a little and then spoke up, "I have three kids of my own. Went through the divorce. Had my ex try and keep them from me. I know how this game works. But you're trying. Coming here tonight showed Dickie that…and that's all that matters right now."

Elliot laughed sadly, "I just want to see my damn kids…not every other weekend. Whenever I can. Whenever they want me there. I want to see my kids."

He nodded and walked towards his bag, reaching for his wallet, "Here."

Elliot frowned and watched him pull a card out of one of the pockets, "What's this?"

"The name of my Lawyer. He helped me fight for more time with my kids. He'll handle it for you so you don't have to hash it out in front of the kids. It's better for them." Elliot stared at him skeptically, "I know it's hard…I do. But I promise you that fighting in front of them isn't the way to go. It only hurts them more and she'll use that against you. Prove to her, to the kids that you aren't giving up on them despite the marriage being over. But do it the right way."

Elliot looked down at the name, "It worked for you?"

"Took some time but yeah it worked for me." He whispered, "And it will work for you. I know it will." Elliot looked at him skeptically. "You're a good Father Elliot. No matter what she makes you think…you're a good Father."

Elliot smiled sadly and stepped back, "Thanks. And uh…thanks for looking out for my boy."

"No problem." He watched Elliot retreat back to his car, "You got somewhere you can go? Someone who can be there for you?" Elliot stared back at him, "I know from experience being alone is the worst possible thing…"

Elliot thought of Olivia, knew she was busy but maybe he could grab a drink with the guys. Then meet up with her later? If he told her he needed her he knew she'd be there. She always was. She was the one that could fix everything. She was the one that would put him on the right path again. He took a deep breath, "Yeah. I've got someone."

Smiling, Coach Birkhead nodded, "Good. Hold onto that person…you'll need them. Goodnight."

"Night." Elliot said, giving him a little wave and then climbed into the car.

Before he started the engine he took out his phone and typed a message to her. I know you're busy. But…I really don't want to be alone tonight. Call me when you're done?

He waited a few moments but got no response. Sighing, he called Fin and heard him answer on the second ring, "You guys still going? I think I need that drink after all…"

An hour later he parked the car out front of the bar and climbed out. Fin and John should meet them in a few minutes. He still hadn't heard from Olivia and he was still on edge. He needed her to respond, to distract him, remind him he still had good things in his life despite how crappy he was feeling right now. He heard Fin laughing and turned to see him and John walking towards him. "Hey."

John put a hand on his arm, "Ex wife blues?"

Elliot laughed but shook his head, "I don't want to talk about it. Okay?"

John nodded in understanding, "Okay. Then let's drink. That'll help."

Elliot laughed harder and let him lead the way, "Sounds good."

As they walked he heard Fin say, "We tried to call Olivia and see if she wanted to meet us out. But she didn't answer. Must be working or something?"

Elliot just nodded and stepped into the crowded bar ready to drink whatever anyone put in front of him. He had spent half the ride trying to keep himself from turning around and driving to the house and giving Kathy a piece of his mind. But Dickie's coach had been right. Fighting with her wasn't going to help and he didn't want to do that in front of his children. They'd already been through enough. He went through the motions along with his friends and felt Fin handing him a beer. As soon as he lifted it to his lips, he felt just a little bit better. But he knew for sure the only thing to really calm him was-

And then he heard it. Her laugh. He knew that laugh anywhere. He turned slowly, let his head scan across the crowded room until he found who he was looking for. He saw her side profile, but he knew it was her. His anchor in the storm. His heart was hammering away in his chest as he watched her, her head fell back and she laughed again, the sound igniting the fire in his soul. He felt his feet moving to walk towards her, and then suddenly her hand was moving and he watched in what felt like slow motion as it rested on the arm of someone. Another man. Someone he didn't recognize and his blood ran cold. The man leaned into her, said something else and she laughed harder and the room spun.

"Stabler you want-" Fin was about to ask him if he wanted to sit down in one of the booths, but he caught the look on his face and then followed his gaze, "Oh boy…"

Fin and John had been under the impression that something was going on behind the scenes with the two ex partners for a while now but hadn't pushed the matter. They figured that when they're friends were ready, they would tell them. But seeing the look of pure jealousy on Elliot's face right now told him everything he needed to know. It also told him that Elliot's bad mood was about to get worse…

Before he could stop himself Elliot was moving across the bar, towards her, towards them. And Fin grabbed John's arm tugging him along knowing they were going to have to intervene. Olivia was standing now by the dart board, the man behind her reaching for darts, "Okay so have you done this before?"

She shrugged, "A few times." She grabbed a dart, pulled her hand back and threw it with ease as it landed perfectly in the bullseye.

The man howled, and walked closer to her, "Only a few huh?"

She ignored him and reached for another dart, she moved slowly and then saw Elliot moving towards her, "Elliot…"

"Hi." He said quickly, his eyes never leaving her, "Funny running into you here."

Olivia swallowed hard, she knew that look on his face. He was angry. Her phone had died a while ago and she was wondering if he had texted her or called her. How did he even know she was here? She wasn't doing anything wrong. He knew she was with her coworkers but she also knew the way his mind worked sometimes. And jealousy was an ugly thing…especially between the two of them. "Hey stranger." A voice behind them both said.

Olivia turned and looked, relaxing slightly when she saw Fin and John, "Hey guys."

John walked over to her, pulling her against his body, "Hi friend."

The man behind Olivia walked up towards them, "Hey. Tyler Remmington. You guys work at SVU right?"

Fin nodded, knowing that he had to step in before Elliot took the lead, "We do. Used to work with Olivia here."

Tyler wrapped his arm around Olivia and pulled her against his side, "I don't know how you guys ever let her go. She's one in a million this girl."

Elliot's jaw clenched and it didn't go unnoticed by Olivia, "She is, isn't she?"

Tyler pointed at Elliot, "You Stabler? Her old partner?"

His eyes stayed trained right on Olivia, trying to read her mind, "That would be me."

"Well she's not my partner but I'm trying to see if I can mix things up a bit." He pulled Olivia even closer, "Can't think of a better woman to have by my side."

Olivia quickly extracted herself from his grasp, "I'm happy with the partner I have Ty. But thanks." She turned to look at Elliot, "Hey, wanna come grab a drink with me?"

Elliot was now staring directly at Tyler, "Oh no, I don't want to interrupt your game with dear old Ty here."

She flinched and moved closer to him, "Elliot…"

"Oh we were just fooling around until the guys came back. They all went to check in with their girls. Olivia and I are the only single people on the team these days." He said with a dreamy sigh, "Heard you're a free man now too."

Elliot rolled his neck back and forth, "Hm…"

She wrapped her hand around Elliot's bicep, "El…that drink?"

Elliot brushed her hand aside and reached for the darts, "Why don't we play? You and me? Your birthday right? I've never lost a game of darts."

Tyler smirked at him, sensing the shift in the room, "You don't like losing, do you Stabler?"

"No. I don't." He said pulling back a dart and tossing it towards the board, "I absolutely don't."

Olivia blew out a breath, her bangs flying up out of her eyes and she knew that whatever happened next wasn't going to be good. She watched as the two men stood side by side, each trying to outdo the other. Fin and John fell in on either side of her and she cringed everytime Elliot threw a dart, each time a little more aggressively.

"So…how long have you two been…" Fin mumbled in her ear.

She shot him a look and John laughed, "Guys…"

"We've sort of been assuming…but it seems a bit obvious tonight." John said, "Although…if you two are together what's with this schmuck?"

Olivia sighed, "I'm just here with my friends from work…it's his birthday. Trying to get to know them all a bit better."

"Trying to replace us?" John said with a pout, "I feel slighted."

She laughed and shook her head adamantly, "You know that you guys could never be replaced. But if I have to work with them…I need to at least try and get along with them."

"Well it looks like Elliot thinks you are trying to replace him." Fin said with a cringe, "And he doesn't look happy about it."

Elliot was tense, very tense and she saw it radiating off of him. "He's not being replaced…"

Tyler got another bullseye and howled loudly, "Ohhhh looks like I won this round Stabler." Olivia held her breath, and her eyes bulged in her head when she saw him shove Elliot's shoulder, "Not as great as you think are ya?"

She moved quickly and reached for Elliot's arm, "El? Can we-"

He brushed her aside again and moved closer to Tyler, "Lucky round. Let's go again."

Tyler pulled the darts from the board and nodded, before walking over to Elliot and Olivia, "Sounds good. Want to grab us a round Livvie?" He pulled her to his side, clearly sloppily drunk and squeezed her hip, "You know what I like."

This was a new side to Tyler she did not like and would not put up with. Grabbing his hand, she yanked it away from her as it slid down towards her ass, "Tyler get your hands off of me."

Elliot's chest puffed out and Tyler ignored him, "Oh come on Olivia. Now that you're old friends are here you're going to shut down on me? We were having fun."

Elliot stepped closer to him, "I'd take a step back there birthday boy before you say or do something you regret."

Olivia tried to reach for Elliot's arm, "El…come on. Let's-"

"Ohhhhh…" Tyler said with a little arrogant laugh, "So I see all the rumors were true. You were bagning your partner. To be honest…that's why I was hoping we could be partners. Thought it might be a trend for you…something you're into."

Elliot moved before she could even stop him and he lunged, grabbing Tyler by the shirt and shoving him back against the wall, "You son of a bitch!"

Olivia looked at Fin and John frantically, knowing she didn't stand a chance pulling Elliot off of him alone. They both moved towards the men who were now locked together, wrestling for control. "Elliot! Let him go!"

Elliot's grip on him tightened as Tyler swung his arm and punched him in the gut, "She a better lay than your ex wife?"

Elliot reached his arm back and slammed his fist into Tyler's face, "You don't talk about her like that! I'll fucking-"

John and Fin pulled with all their might, "Elliot stop!"

They yanked harder and Elliot stumbled back, Tyler fell to the side and reached for his bleeding nose, "Jesus Christ…I'm calling your Captain."

"Fucking call him you prick." Elliot grumbled, trying to get out of their grasp, "Please call him!"

"And you." Tyler said pointing his finger at Olivia, "I can guarantee your time at Computer Crimes is coming to an end once Cap hears what I have to say."

Olivia narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you kidding me right now?"

"You could have helped yourself out here. We've all tried to bring you into the mix." The other members of their team started to rejoin them, "If you had just been a good girl and listened to me tonight I could have helped you."

Elliot moved to hit him again, knowing what he was suggesting. If she had slept with him, Tyler would have put in a good word for her. But Olivia moved quicker, and she was standing in front of Tyler, her knee lifting with all her might and landing between his legs, "Fuck you." Tyler fell forward with a groan, "I was never going to sleep with you. I'm so tired of men like you thinking that for a woman to prove herself she has to sleep her way to the top. I'm damn good at my job. And you are not going to ruin my career."

Grabbing her bag behind him she turned and started to storm out of the bar. Tyler leaned against the wall, "You two deserve each other."

Elliot shoved back Fin and John and moved towards him, "You try and fuck with her career and you will wish you were dead. You hear me?"

Tyler smirked up at him, "A man with your reputation isn't going to hurt my career. I can assure you."

Elliot lunged and Fin and John grabbed him again, "You-"

"She will never be content being with you. Never want to play house the way you expect. That's not who she is. She's a slut just like the rest of them and the whole NYPD knows it. Cassidy, you. Who else has she slept with? You ask her yet?" He sneered.

Elliot pinned him to the wall again and got right in his face, "Stay the fuck away from her. I mean it."

He moved quickly and Fin and John were right behind him, "Elliot."

But he ignored them and ran towards the door knowing he had to catch her. As soon as the doors opened, he felt a rush of cold air hit him in the face. His eyes stung and his adrenaline was racing. Tonight had been a shitty day but he hadn't expected it to get this much worse. Turning to the left, he saw her walking down the sidewalk, tugging on her sweater as she moved. He ran after her knowing she wasn't going to want to talk to him but she had to talk to him. If she didn't, what was the point of all of this after all? He tried to remind himself to stay calm but he could still feel his anger towards Kathy building, and his frustration at the Tyler guy, and despite what he knew about Olivia, there was still part of him that worried that this wasn't as serious to her as it was for him.

"Olivia." He grabbed her arm and spun her but she was stiff, "Liv. Stop."

She yanked her arm from his gasp, "What the hell was that?"

His eyes went wide and he stepped back, "What do you mean what the hell was that? I should be asking you the same thing."

She growled and moved past him towards the curb, "Elliot, you knew that I was going out with my work friends. Were you following me?"

"Was I following you?" He laughed and turned towards her, "No! Fin and John asked me to come get a drink and you happened to be here. And I gotta tell you I had a shit day and it felt so good to see you at first seeing as you weren't answering my texts or calls. But imagine my surprise when I see you with your hands all over another man."

"My hands all over another man?" Her head was spinning, she'd only had two drinks but it had been a busy day and she didn't have much to eat, "Excuse me?"

Elliot narrowed his eyes at her, "Olivia, your hand was on his arm, on his chest. You were laughing. Flirting. You were-"

"He told me a joke and I laughed! Sue me Elliot. I didn't realize I was no longer allowed to laugh at a fucking joke." She turned again, "You are unbelievable."

"There's a difference between laughing at a joke and throwing yourself at a man. Letting him think you are single." He sneered, he heard the words coming out of his mouth and couldn't stop them, "He thought he was going to get lucky tonight."

"A lot of men think things like that, Elliot. Not just with me. But the majority of them are wrong. And I guess I was wrong about you." She wiped her eyes and crossed the street searching for a cab.

He ran after her and stopped her as she stepped onto the curb, "I've been on the receiving end of that laugh, that look, those touches, I know-"

"No you don't know." She shoved him hard and he stumbled backwards, "Elliot, for you to stand there and think that I would have…that I…" Her lip trembled and she sighed, "How could you…"

His heart started pounding even harder and he knew what he had said, what he had done, "Liv, I just-"

"No." She shook her head, "No…I can't. I can't even look at you right now." She put her hand out and stopped the cab pulling up towards her, "Don't follow me."

He sighed, and watched her climb into the cab knowing that she had meant it. But he was just as stubborn as she was. So he turned, walked towards his car parked a few blocks away and drove off towards her apartment.

He'd been outside her apartment for nearly twenty minutes and she still hadn't opened the door. He sighed and rested his forehead against the door, "Liv…we both know I'm gonna stand out here all fucking night until you open the door."

"Good luck with that." He heard her mumble on the other side of the door, "I'll try not to trip over you in the morning when I go to work. Assuming I still have a job after tonight."

He huffed and pounded his fist on the door, "Liv he has nothing to complain about to your boss. You did nothing wrong." She didn't open the door and he sighed, "Liv open the fucking door. If we're going to do this I need you to face this kind of shit head on with me. Not run away."

He knew that would hit a nerve, and the door yanked open, "Stop accusing me of running away. I'm not running and I've been right fucking here Elliot."

He smiled sheepishly, "I can see and hear that you're still angry. Got you to open the door though."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed the doorknob, "And now I'm closing it. Goodnight Elliot."

His foot shot out and slipped between the doorframe and the door before she could slam it shut, "Not leaving Liv."

He heard her mumble something that sounded very much like stubborn bastard under her breath but she moved away from the door and walked into the kitchen. He stepped in behind her and closed the door behind her, "See, was that, that hard?"

She leaned against the counter, "Elliot…"

"Look…" He sighed and moved closer to her, "I know that I said somethings that were…shitty." She gave him a look and he sighed, "I'm sorry. Alright? I'm sorry. But today was a really crappy day and I was already in a mood when I saw you and him…"

"I'm sorry you had a crappy day Elliot…but I need you to trust me." She whispered, "I know what everyone thinks of me. I've always known that. But I need to know that my boyfriend doesn't think of me that way…"

"What do you mean you know what everyone thinks of you?" He asked.

She laughed and lifted herself up to sit on the counter, "El, being a woman in this world is hard enough. Being a woman in a man's game as a cop…it's even harder. Since the day I've started I've had to prove myself. I've had to work harder, be smarter, quicker, braver. But it never matters. Being a female cop…they expect things from you. Even for cops who are supposed to protect women…many of them are still sexist. I know they all thought I slept with you. I know everyone thinks I'm the reason you and Kathy broke up." Her face flushed, "That I left SVU because we got caught…I know how people see me. But for you to think that I was flirting…or that I would have…" She looked down, "Then it makes me feel like all the crap they believe is true and I'm not good enough to-"

"Hey." He moved quickly and stood in front of her, "Hey…I'm sorry. Liv…I was being insecure. I'm sorry. I don't think of you that way. Not for a second." She tried to slip past him but he held her in place, "And fuck all those people who think that. We know the truth. And even before we became more…I always knew you were one of the best cops I'd ever worked with, man or woman. You have nothing to prove. They see how badass you are and they're jealous."

She shook her head, "You don't understand…you'll never understand."

"No. I probably won't." He whispered, reaching out to touch her face, "But I'd challenge anyone who tried to say something bad about you in front of me. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you and yes I was jealous. Yes I acted out. Yes I shouldn't have done that…but the things he was saying…"

She sighed and shook her head, "It doesn't matter."

"It does matter." He whispered, pulling her legs until they wrapped around his waist, "You matter."

Beside her, her phone came to life as she had plugged it in when she got home. It started to ping and she saw messages from him, and a message from her boss. Sighing she reached for it, "Shit…"

Elliot swallowed the lump in his throat, "Liv…"

She shook her head and tossed the phone down, "I left my charger here yesterday and yours isn't the same as mine so it died. That's why I didn't answer you."

Her fingers scrolled through the messages until she saw the last one from him. I know you're busy. But…I really don't want to be alone tonight. Call me when you're done?

Her frustration from earlier slowly turned into worry and she looked at him. Saw the worry on his face, the sadness. "El…what happened?"

He shook his head and stepped away from her, "Nothing. It doesn't matter."

He moved to step away and she quickly reached for him, pressing her fingers into the side of his face, she turned to him and repeated the words he had said to her, "It does matter. You matter." He swallowed the lump in his throat and she whispered, "Tell me…"

His hands fell on either side of her and he sighed, "I went to Dickie's practice…Kathy never answered. But I went anyway. And it was great…he was happy to see me. He is doing so good and he looked great. Scouts are already interested in him."

She nodded slowly and squeezed his arm, "Okay…so what's the problem?"

Stepping away from her he walked towards the couch and sat down, "Kathy is the problem…"

She was tired. Very tired. Tonight had been a whirlwind. But right now he needed her. She knew deep down he hadn't meant to upset her. And whatever Kathy had done had clearly set him off. Walking towards him, she climbed up beside him, "Elliot…"

He rested his head on the back of the couch, "She freaked when she saw me. Told me that it wasn't my night and I wasn't supposed to be there. Dickie got upset…she told him I chose work over my kids. She's trying to turn them against me. Said I can't show up whenever I want. But those are my kids Liv. Every other weekend? They'll be fucking strangers to me. I can't do this. And I was standing there thinking…I don't want to be alone but you were out and you didn't answer."

"I'm sorry." She whispered, "I'm sorry…" He turned to her and she frowned, "I hate that she's doing this to you. Elliot, you deserve to see your kids. They know you love them. You said yourself Dickie was so happy to see you. I'm glad you went."

Looking down at her hand on his knee he sighed, "I think when I walked in there I was feeling incredibly alone and unsure. And I wanted you. But then you were there with someone else and…it scared me Liv. It fucking terrified me."

She shifted closer to him, "Elliot…"

"I just feel like I'm in this, ya know? I feel like I'm here. Like I'm committed to you. That I know what I want. But I'm afraid deep down you don't want those things too. I'm afraid that this isn't as important to you as it is to me."

The rawness in his voice shook her to her core, "Hey…Elliot…wait a second." He turned to look at her slowly, "I'm in this…I'm right here with you."

He swallowed hard and turned his head to look at her, "I know everything you said…what people think and I hear that. But Liv, I don't care what they think. I don't give a damn what anyone thinks. Was I supposed to fall in love with my partner? No. I wasn't. But I did. And I'm not going to apologize for it."

Pulling her legs up to her chest she frowned, "What do you want me to do? Shout it from the rooftops that we're together?" She pointed to the door, "Want me to go upstairs and-"

He smiled and reached for her hand, tugging hard, "No. I just…I don't want to hide this anymore. Okay? I want to tell Kathy. I want to tell my kids. Tell our friends."

Her heart pounded away in her chest, that thought alone scared her. Not because she wasn't sure of him, of her feelings. But because she was afraid of what the outside world would do to them. Especially his ex wife. Taking a deep breath she whispered, "Okay."

His eyes were wide, "Okay?"

She nodded slowly and reached for his hand, "Okay."

He let out a shaky breath and then moved towards her, reaching out to touch her face, "Liv I just-"

She lifted her hand, pressing her fingers to his lips, "I need you to know that it's not that I don't…" Her face flushed and she sighed, "I've never said…I've never told a man that…"

He nodded slowly, understanding what she was holding back, "Liv…"

"I need you to know that I feel it." Her voice broke as she spoke, "And it terrifies the hell out of me. It has for years. I just…I'm not…"

Leaning in, he kissed her forehead and smiled, "It's alright…I know." He leaned over her and she fell back on the couch, "I don't need the words yet. As long as I know you're here and you feel it…" His hand settled against her chest, feeling her heartbeat, "Do you?"

She smiled softly, nodding her head, "I do."

"Okay." He pulled her into his embrace, settling in beside her on the couch, "Okay."

They lay there for a few minutes, both quiet as the events of the night washed over them, "So…" She whispered, "What are we gonna do?"

Looking down at her he frowned, "About that prick Tyler?"

She shrugged and smiled, "I meant your bitch of an ex-wife but sure him too…"

Elliot laughed and put a hand over his face, "I don't know…" He looked down at her, "Dickie's coach gave me a number for a good lawyer that could help. I'm gonna call in the morning. I need more time with my kids. I deserve more time with the kids."

She smiled and turned in his embrace, "I know…you're a damn good Father."

His heart jumped in his chest, he loved hearing her say that. He needed her to think he was a good Father. He wanted to see her as a Mother. A mother to their child. It was all he could think about lately. And he had to prove that he could fix this mess with the kids and Kathy so he could be the man she deserved. "As for Tyler…let him go to your Captain. What's he gonna say?"

She sighed and looked at him, "What if I get transferred out?"

And suddenly the thought of her having to go somewhere farther away invaded his mind, "Oh."

She tilted her head to look at him, "Yeah…oh."

He touched her cheek and made sure she was staring right at him, "We're gonna figure it out."

Wrapping her arms around his waist, she leaned in and whispered, "I hate that I was mad an hour ago at you and now I don't want you to leave."

He laughed and held her tighter, "Sorry about that."

She sighed and closed her eyes, "Can we just stay here and pretend all that other bullshit isn't going on right now? At least until morning?"

Dropping a kiss to the top of her head, he relaxed for the first time all night. "Yeah. We can do that."

Both of them lay there, trying to sort through all the emotions in their own heads. A lot of things didn't make sense. But right now, right here, the two of them made sense. They needed each other. And for tonight that would be enough.

The following day, Olivia sat across from her superior hearing a list of reasons why Tyler thought she wasn't a good fit for the team. She nodded her head, not wanting to argue. Finally she heard him ask a question, "Do you want to stay here at Computer Crimes Detective Benson?"

She sighed and looked down, "I want to be a Detective…"

He smiled, "But not here?"

Swallowing hard she looked back up at him, "I'm not sure…"

He put his hand up, "You should know that last week the Chief came to ask me if I thought you would want to go back to SVU." Olivia's eyes went wide, "They've had trouble filling your position. Now…considering your relationship with Detective Stabler I can't make any promises. But…if it's something you want. I think it's worth a try." Olivia didn't respond and he shrugged, "So I guess the question is what do you want Ms. Benson?"

She knew what she wanted. Not just at work. She knew what she wanted in life. And so she smiled and answered.

A few floors down, Elliot was pacing in the squad room waiting to hear from Olivia. He knew she was nervous about going to talk to her boss. And he was nervous that Tyler ahd spun the story in his favor. If she lost her job because of his behavior he wasn't going to forgive himself.

He was glancing over at the clock when he saw Cragen walking up behind him, "Stabler." Elliot turned to look at him expectantly, he had a box in his hands, "Pack your stuff."

Fin and John looked up and Elliot's eyes went wide, "What?"

Cragen pushed the box towards him, "I said pack your stuff."

Fin and John quickly moved towards them, "Cap…I don't understand. Is this about…last night at the bar? Did-"

"It's about the fact that I finally filled our empty position. Only you can't work together. So move your shit to Fin's desk. You two can switch." He said with a dramatic sigh.

All three men were watching their boss carefully, trying to understand what was going on. They were so focussed they hadn't noticed the person walking in the room. But they all jumped when they heard something land on Olivia's old desk. All eyes turned and Elliot's eyes went wide with what he saw. "What are you doing here?"

The smile spread across her lips and she answered, "I work here."

"New partners from here on out. Munch and Stabler. Tutuola and Benson. If you give IAB any reason to make this into a problem…then the next box I bring will be for the person leaving the team. Understood?" He tried to sound stern but he couldn't help but smile.

Olivia and Elliot both nodded, "Understood."

"Welcome back Benson." He said with a smile as he walked towards his office.

Fin and John moved towards his desk to start to pack it up. Olivia started to unload her own box and Elliot stared right at her, "What happened?"

She shrugged, "I was asked where I wanted to work…and I said SVU. And for some reason…they agreed to it."

"Even with…" He gestured between them, "I mean they all know?"

She nodded slowly, "If you're asking me if I told IAB and the Chief that we were dating. The answer is yes. And let me tell you…the look on Ed Tucker's face was priceless. Wish I could have taken a picture for you."

He laughed, "Liv…"

"So they all know…and for some reason they still let me come back." She said with a shrug, "So let's not give them a reason to kick me out again, okay?"

"They let you come back because we need you." Fin said from his desk, "We're a better team with you."

Olivia looked at them, "You two are okay with this?"

John nodded, "Cap told us it was a possibility this morning and asked our opinion. But we didn't know what the outcome was. To be honest…when he brought the box out for Stabler I thought he was getting kicked to the curb."

"Me too." Elliot said with a laugh, then looked at her, "What about Tyler?"

She rolled her eyes but then smiled, "He got transferred to Staten Island…"

Elliot's face lit up like a Christmas tree, "Huh."

She laughed and continued taking items out of her box, "Stop gloating Stabler…"

"I'm not gloating." He said quickly and everyone laughed and he smirked, "Okay maybe I'm gloating…"

Olivia rolled her eyes and stood up, pushing the empty box towards him, "Start packing Stabler…"

He smiled and gave her a wink before he started packing up his box. Fin and John started talking about something else and the world around them moved on. But for a moment, just one small moment, they both looked at each other and eight years of their partnership flashed before their eyes. The good, the bad and the ugly. It hurt. They were mourning the loss of it. But looking at each other now, they knew the next adventure was going to be even better…