Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.

The phone rang just as Olivia was taking a bite of her sandwich. Quickly grabbing the remote, she pressed pause and reached for the cordless receiver lying beside her on the couch.

"Mmlo?" she managed, trying to swallow the huge bite.

"That sounds yummy," a teasing voice answered.

She smiled with delight and gulped the bite quickly. "Sorry," she said sheepishly, licking her lips. She stopped the DVD she had been watching and settled back against the cushions. "What are you up to?"

Elliot's flip-flops were smacking loudly against the pavement as he walked. "Oh…" he said carelessly. "Just walking back to the hotel." Two elderly couples were walking in the opposite direction, and nodded to him with friendly smiles. He returned the gesture.

"When did you call? I just got your message."

She shrugged. "Eh….it was a few hours ago. I got bored and Munch was driving me up the wall."

He chuckled. "So what else is new?" he said. "I'm sorry I missed you."

Olivia smiled. "It's alright," she said. "So, what's going on, Elliot? What have you been doing? Relaxing on the beach, I'm sure." Her voice was envious.

"Oh, you know it," he said, smiling widely. "Total slug."

"I hope you get sunburned," she said sourly, the smile evident in her voice.

He feigned a surprised gasp. "Wow, Olivia," he said, sarcastically. "Feel the love!" He paused, adding sheepishly, "And, yeah…I already did."

She giggled. "Where at?"

"Like I'm going to tell you," he said indignantly. "You'll smack me on purpose just to make it hurt more."

She fell silent, knowing she was guilty, and he chuckled. "You guys get any new cases since I left?"

Rolling her eyes, she scoffed sarcastically, "No, Elliot. New York is standing still waiting for your majesty to return and grace us with your presence."

Elliot chuckled. "Now, what do you think?" she laughed, shaking her head. "Actually, it has been pretty light. All I did today was paperwork."

He raised his eyebrows. "Fun," he said slowly. He grinned. "You took care of mine, right?"

"Ha!" she scoffed, actually having done just that. "You wish, buddy."

"Thanks," Elliot said to the man who was holding the door to the entrance open for him. He returned his attention to the phone. "Glad to see you miss me," he teased as he headed for the elevator.

"Hey, I called you, didn't I?" she asked defensively. "That's more than I've gotten from you since you got there, mister." Sensing he was about to guiltily apologize, she rushed to take him off the hook. "I'm teasing you….you're on vacation, Elliot. You're supposed to spend time with your friends."

His stomach fluttered as the doors opened. You have no idea…he thought wryly, a huge smile spreading across his face. He realized she had said something, and started. "What did you say?"

"I said 'are you having a good time with Jesse?'" she said, grinning. "You know you're going to have to introduce me to him, right? Anyone who can put up with you for this many years must be either extremely patient or insane."

"Hey!" he squawked in surprise.

She laughed out loud at his reaction, her shoulders shaking.

He sniffed indignantly as he unlocked the door to his room. "Aren't you a comedian," he said, throwing the door open. He slipped his shoes off. "Alright, Liv….I'm back in my room. I think I'm going to take a shower and relax for a while."

"Ah," she said. "Too much sun today, Elliot?"

"Jealous," he fired back, smiling.

"You're right," she admitted. "Okay, well, I'll let you go. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Well, thanks," he replied, stepping into the bedroom. "I'll give you a call tomorrow."

"You don't have to," she said. "Enjoy yourself…It's not like I'm going to go anywhere."

He chuckled. "Good night, Olivia."

"Night," she replied, smiling. Hanging up, she resumed the movie, still chuckling.

He put the phone down on the bedside table and stretched widely, yawning. His forearms burned immediately when he lifted them, and he grimaced as he shook them gingerly.

Oh, yeah, he thought as he stripped off his shirt. I'm going to regret that surfing lesson in the morning. He slid the bathing suit off and carried it with him into the bathroom. A wide smile lit his face as he threw the shorts on the floor and stepped up to turn the shower on. But it was worth it.

He waited for the water to warm up and then stepped under the heavy spray, enjoying the feel of it against his sunburned back. Letting the water pour over him, he lifted his hands and massaged his head, tilting his head back blissfully.

Ally Denny was invading every nook and cranny of his mind. Nothing he did could get him to stop thinking about her. He hadn't kissed a woman like that in….well, a long time. Even before they had divorced, there had been a period of time when he realized that he and Kathy kissed each other almost like relatives. The passion and desire that had been so prevalent in the earlier years of their marriage had become almost non-existent.

It surprised him, quite frankly, that he had reacted the way he had to her. She was lovely, yes, but there was something else there that made her seem almost like a drug. He had been thinking about her nonstop since the first time they had met.

His mind was a whirlpool of uncertainties and doubts that was slowly eating away at him. He hated not being in control. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wrap his head around the situation to save his life.

Am I getting feelings for Ally, or am I just trying to pretend that she's Kathy?

It was so complicated.

He missed Kathy….he missed her so much that it still was a struggle just to get out of bed some mornings. He loved Kathy. A million years apart wouldn't erase that. She had been his first true love, and in truth, his only true love.

It still hurt so badly…it felt like he had a limb missing. Even after all this time, he still couldn't get over the deep hurt that had assaulted him when she had left. He felt so betrayed…how could she have done that? Twenty years…two decades beside each other, seeing the other's tears, fears, weaknesses, and secrets….and suddenly it was gone.

How could anyone do that?

"Till death do us part." They had both stood before God and promised each other forever. Forever. An equal partnership, through everything. He wasn't the easiest person to love, he knew that. God, how he knew that. But neither was she. That's what had made them perfect, so perfect…their personalities and desires dovetailed instead of clashing.

Well, for twenty years at least. Call him naïve, call him childish, call him any name in the book...but the bottom line was that she had completely broken his heart. He'd never even seen it coming.

For the past two years, he'd had no thought or desire to get close to another woman. There was no one else in the world like Kathy, and never would be, so he didn't even want to bother looking.

But now, Ally had intruded into his life, and he was suddenly flying upside down without a safety net. She had completely sucked him in and he was powerless to fight. Whatever it was…whatever "thing" she possessed inside of her that made her so special….he was addicted to it.

It scared him. It really scared him. She wasn't Kathy….she wasn't anything like Kathy at all. Yet he could feel himself falling head over heels for this woman faster than he could get control over it, and he was terrified.

The feel of piercing cold water on his back suddenly shocked him back to reality, and he wondered how long he had been standing there lost in thought. Turning, he quickly shut off the water and reached for a towel.

He walked into the bedroom and mechanically put on his pajama pants, leaving his upper torso bare. He rubbed his wet hair with the towel and then tossed it into the dirty clothes. Walking out of the bedroom, he went over to the couch and collapsed onto it.

The soft cushions rivaled the ones on the bed, and he let himself almost become swallowed as he stretched out. Lazily flexing his toes, he sighed in contentment and for a moment, just drank in the quiet.

He was no closer to figuring any of this out now than he had been while he was in the shower. He still had no idea where he fit into this triangle of affection, but for now, only one thing mattered.

He was seeing Ally the next day. It was going to be sunny, it was going to be warm, and they were going to be together.

Stretching his body out, he rested his head tiredly on the end of the couch and smiled lazily. For now, that was enough for him.

The couch was so comfortable that he ended up falling asleep. He curled up snugly against the back cushions and didn't move for the rest of the night.

When he woke up the next morning, it was after ten. He stretched, yawning hugely, and got to his feet.

His stomach rumbled as he walked into the bedroom, and he suddenly remembered that he hadn't eaten since lunch the day before with the guys. Sitting down on the bed, he picked up the phone and dialed Jesse's room. He leaned lazily back against the pillows as he listened to it connecting.

No answer. Shrugging, he hung up and stretched again. Going into the bathroom, he retrieved his swimsuit and slipped into it again. He was dying to go swimming, and two o'clock was going to take forever to get here as it was…why not do something to pass the time?

He stopped by Jesse's room on his way out and found the door locked. He knocked, but there was no answer.

He took the elevator to the lobby and grabbed a bagel from the dining room, scarfing it hungrily as he went back and pressed the elevator button again. When it arrived, he went to the second floor.

The workout room was sparsely populated at that hour of the morning, and to his surprise and delight, the outdoor pool was empty. A lifeguard was sitting on the tower, though, so he knew it was open. He headed eagerly for the door that would take him outside.

He grabbed a towel from the provided bin and tossed it on a lounge chair before slipping his shoes off. They went on top of the towel along with his room key. The sun was already blazing, reflecting off of the water and making it sparkle as he approached. He stepped up to the edge of the deep end and stood still, staring in anticipation at the pool.

He loved to swim….no one at work knew, but he had actually been a competitive swimmer in high school. He had held the record for the fastest breaststroke in the region his sophomore, junior, and senior years. He competed his freshman year of college as well, but had to drop out the next year because of Kathy being pregnant and go to night school instead.

Taking a breath, he did a perfect swan dive into the water. The shock of cold was exuberating as he spiraled down to the very bottom of the 12-foot pool. He let himself linger there, savoring the sensation and reveling in the feeling, until his lungs begged him for oxygen. Pushing off of the bottom, he shot to the surface, gasping in a huge breath.

His head came back blissfully to rest in the water and he curled into a back float position, letting the water lazily carry him. The chill of the water felt so wonderful; he loved swimming in cold water. People always told him he was nuts. There really was nothing like it.

The water lapped against his sides as he casually began a backstroke toward the more shallow parts of the pool. He closed his eyes in contentment, a blissful sigh escaping his lips.

It was now official….he never wanted to go home.

Ally stretched up on her tiptoes and strained to reach the top shelf, while at the same time struggling not to drop the stack of books cradled in her right arm. She was just able to graze the edge with the book in her hand, and pushed it up.

"Need a hand there, Shorty?"

She smirked wryly at the taller woman. "Funny," she said dryly, smiling at the other librarian. "You're hilarious, April."

April Melling grinned at her friend teasingly. "I keep telling them to implement platform shoes into the dress code," she said impishly, shifting her own stack of books into her other arm. "But they keep shooting me down."

Rolling her eyes, Ally laughed and moved past her friend to another shelf to put away some more of her stack.

April was turned facing her, her eyebrows raised. A small smile tugged the corner of her mouth as she asked slyly, "What's his name?"

Ally almost dropped the books in her arm in shock. She hadn't mentioned Elliot to anyone since they had met, mainly because she didn't think she would ever see him again. But April always seemed to have a nose for these sorts of things. Though married herself, the woman was a hopeless romantic, and was constantly bugging her about going out more. She had weaseled more blind dates out of her than Ally could count.

Still, she tried to play off her reaction. "Who?" she asked coolly, biting her lip and hoping she was convincing.

The smile grew as April's face became more intent. She moved up closer to Ally, one eyebrow raised. "There's a guy," she said matter-of-factly. "I know there's a guy."

Ally's cheeks flushed and she turned away quickly. "What are you talking about?" she asked in feigned exasperation, keeping her head down. She re-shelved a few more books.

April plopped the books she was holding down carelessly on the nearest shelf and planted a hand on her hip prissily. Her expression told Ally that she saw right through her.

"You just puta copy of The Shining next a The National Science of Medicine journal," she pointed out smugly, glancing to Ally's left. "You're thinking about a man."

When Ally glanced at her guiltily, her friend's eyes lit up.

"I knew it!" she said excitedly, her eyes shining in delight. She smiled wickedly and grabbed Ally's arm to prevent her from turning back to the shelf. "What's his name?"

She rolled her eyes, but the blush had taken over her face. Her smile could no longer be contained as she ducked her gaze to the floor

"Elliot," she said, unable to keep the happiness from her voice. When she met April's eyes again, the delight she saw there broke her restraint and she cracked a huge grin.

"He from around here?" her friend continued without breaking stride.

She sighed uncomfortably and absently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "New York," she said. "He's from New York."

As predicted, her friend became positively ecstatic. She tugged on her arm and huddled close like a school girl sharing a secret. "And?" she pressed excitedly. "How did you meet him?"

Ally sighed loudly again, embarrassed by the fuss. She rolled her eyes again, the smile calling her bluff. "On the boardwalk," she said reluctantly. "Three days ago…he was rollerblading and bumped into me on accident."

April nodded eagerly and raised her eyebrows devilishly. "He cute?" she asked, grinning naughtily.

She couldn't resist an amazed scoff. Is he cute? she thought wryly to herself. Does the day end in "y"?

She paused for a minute, considering her reply. "April," she finally said seriously, looking her friend straight in the face. "The man is the most gorgeous creature I've ever laid eyes on in my entire life." A minute later, she resolved into giggles, unable to help herself. "Tall, dark, and the most awesome pair of blue eyes I've ever seen…he looks like something out of Playgirl."

Her friend's eyes widened. "Get out!" she cried.

"Tell me about it!" Ally exclaimed, laughing. "How in the world could a guy like that be interested in me?"

April scoffed. "That's not what I meant and you know it," she scolded. Her friend had a habit of putting herself down. She shook her head. "So, come on….spill! What's he like? How long have you seen each other?"

Ally shook her head in amazement at her friend's relentlessness. "April, we aren't seeing each other!" she said with conviction. "I only met the guy three days ago!"

"Don't give me that," April retorted matter-of-factly. "You've shown up late and left early every day this week, and all you do is walk around with that goofy grin on your face." Ally flushed, causing her friend to smile triumphantly. "You like him."

Chuckling, Ally dropped her head in defeat and plopped her own pile of books down next to April's. She leaned against the side of the shelf and shook her head. The smile on her face made her eyes light up.

"How could anyone not like him?" she said softly. April laughed at the dreamy look on her face. "Elliot is the most amazing man I've ever met. He's so sweet, April…kind of reminds me of those old-fashioned southern boys with his chivalrous manners." She shook her head. "It's hard to find men like that anymore."

April suddenly looked at her suspiciously. "You aren't robbing the cradle, are you?"

Ally was so surprised that she burst out laughing. "Jesus, April!" she said in disgust. "What kind of question is that?" Glaring at her friend, she continued, "Of course not. He's around my age….at most he might be forty."

Her friend's eyebrows rose as she accepted this. She was silent for a moment. "Wow," she said finally, envious.

Just then, their boss came around the corner. The two women quickly picked up their books and hurried to appear like they were working. Ally moved on to another shelf.

"Well, whatever you have with this guy, hold on to him," April said as she shelved some of her stack. She glanced discreetly at her boss and continued softly, "It's a wonder he wasn't snatched up a long time ago."

Winking, April moved past Ally and headed for the other end of the library.

The words made her stomach hurt. She grasped the books tighter in her hands, freezing where she stood.

She'd seen the wedding ring when they had gone to breakfast the day before, and it had almost made her drop her fork. How she hadn't noticed it before then was beyond her, and she had to admit a great deal of shock.

Her gut instinct had told her to stay away from him. The last thing she needed was to get involved with a married man…half the island would have her deemed a home wrecker within the hour. But she had been alone for so long, and was so lonely. Even if there was no chance of being anything more than friends, she still enjoyed his company. He was a great guy.

But yesterday….

She had been shocked to see him on the beach, but couldn't deny being excited. The man was gorgeous, married or not…any woman would have to be blind not to see it. Still, she'd planned to firmly tell him that she was not about to be "the other woman". She couldn't afford that kind of hurt right now.

But that had all flown out the window the second their lips touched. As much as her mind was screaming at her that it was a bad idea, her heart wasn't listening. She had forgotten all about the ring when he'd looked into her eyes. No man had ever looked at her that way before.

Still, her conscience was nagging relentlessly at her. As much as it hurt, she'd have to find out the truth. She owed it to herself.

It was a little past one when Elliot headed back upstairs. When he stepped off of the elevator, he saw Jesse getting ready to open his door.

"Hey!" he called, smiling.

Jesse paused, unlocking the door, and watched Elliot walk toward him.

"Where you been, shit face?" he continued, grinning teasingly. "I called you this morning to get some breakfast. You too good to hang out with me?"

Jesse didn't smile back. Elliot's face slowly slackened into a confused expression as his friend looked at him coldly. "What's the matter?"

"Having fun playing house, Elliot?" Jesse said, raising an eyebrow.

Anger glittered in Elliot's eyes. "Excuse me?"

Sighing, Jesse dropped his head, shaking it in defeat. He hadn't meant for that to come out the way it had…he really didn't have the energy for a fight right now. "Nothing," he said. "Forget it."

"No, stop," Elliot said, roughly jerking his arm when Jesse made to step inside the room. He looked at him angrily. "What the hell did you mean by that?"

When Jesse didn't answer, he got even angrier. "Look, if you're going to talk shit," he spat out. "At least have the balls to finish the sentence."

Jesse surprised him when he met his gaze squarely and got right up in his face. He had to give him credit for not letting himself get pushed around.

"Look, Elliot…" He looked at him hesitantly, defense clear in his eyes. "You met this girl, what….two days ago? Do you even know anything about her?" Anger was coloring his voice now. He shook his head again. "All I'm saying is…I'd be careful if I were you. You're so willing to drop everything for this chick, and you don't even know what her story is."

Pushing past him, Jesse marched inside his room without giving him a chance to say anything. Elliot glared at the door, his fists clenched angrily. After a minute, he turned and stalked to his own room.

The beach was crowded as always. Elliot sauntered past the life guard tower and stepped onto the boardwalk, checking his watch. He was still a little early. Leaning up against the railing, he watched the people go by as he waited for Ally to arrive.

Her stomach was in knots as she approached the boardwalk. She saw Elliot immediately, leaning casually against the railing, and her heart suddenly was in her throat. Angry with herself for the way she was reacting, she marched toward him purposely, balancing her bag on one shoulder and the long board under her arm.

He spotted her after a minute, and her heart sank at the delighted look on his face as he straightened immediately and hurried to her. His blue eyes were so bright that they almost gave off rays.

"Hi," he said, smiling brilliantly.

She bit her lip, smiling weakly. "Hey."

He went to take the board from her, and was surprised when she held on firmly. It was then he noticed the look on her face, and his expression became concerned. Moving closer, he cupped her cheek tenderly. "Hey," he said protectively, stroking gently. "Ally, what's wrong?"

Her lip quivered, and she struggled not to fall apart. It's the right thing to do, she told herself firmly, trying desperately to make herself believe it. It's the right thing to do…

She stepped back abruptly, causing his hand to drop.

He looked at her, bewildered. "Ally?" he asked. The confusion on his face was heartbreaking, and she closed her eyes.

Think about yourself, she thought desperately. You owe it to yourself.

"Did you think I wasn't going to notice?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Perplexed and a little scared, he allowed her the space she wanted and stayed where he was. "Notice?" he asked.

There were tears in her eyes as she glared at him. Her hand shot forward suddenly and grabbed his left hand roughly, jerking it up between them. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" she persisted angrily, shaking it.

The sun glinted off of his ring, and Elliot's heart dropped to the ground. He struggled to speak. "Ally-" he choked.

The hurt look on his face told her all she needed to know. Tears sprang to her eyes as she dropped his hand roughly and began shifting the board to get a better hold on it.

"Save the excuses, Elliot," she said. "I don't want to hate you. I'm just glad we got this over with now before anyone got hurt." She turned away to hide the tears starting to drip down her cheeks. "Have a safe trip back to New York."

"Ally," he said frantically, gripping her arm as she moved to hurry away. She was shaking. The lump in his throat made it difficult to get words out. He quickly stepped around her so that they could face each other again. The tears on her lovely face broke his heart. "Please….Ally, it's not what you think."

She barked out a laugh that sounded like a sob. "Please, don't insult me," she said. Shaking her head, she tried to go past him, but he held on. "I mean it, Elliot. I'm not doing this."

"Please, Ally." The despair in his voice was painful to hear. "Please hear me out." The grip on her arm was starting to get painful as he was so desperate to keep her from walking away. "Please."

Sighing angrily, Ally stopped struggling. "Are you trying to tell me that's not a wedding ring?" she asked angrily, tears making her eyes shine.

He forced himself to be confident and look her in the eye. "No," he said. "No…it is. It is my wedding ring." He suddenly realized he was squeezing her, and his grip dropped instantly. "Ally, I'm sorry. I should have told you when we met, but…" His gaze dropped in shame, and his voice became almost a whisper. "But I was ashamed."

"Ashamed because you're cheating?" she said forcefully. "Yeah, I'll bet you are."

"God damn it, Ally!" he snapped, startling her. "You asked me not to insult you….so I'd appreciate it if you'd return the favor."

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked at him silently. "I'm not cheating," he said softly, gripping her arm gently again. "Ally, I was married…I was married for twenty years." The hurt in his eyes cut her to the quick. "My wife left me two years ago…took my kids from me."

Horror and shame filled her eyes. "Oh….oh God," she murmured. "Elliot…"

His gaze fell, and she felt like the biggest bitch in the world. Jesus, she was cold. "Elliot, I'm so sorry." Her voice was small and meek.

He felt her move close to him and slip her arms around his middle. "I'm sorry," she repeated softly. "Elliot…please forgive me. I had no idea." She began softly kissing his neck. "I'm sorry."

After a minute, he relaxed and returned the embrace. "I didn't want to say anything…I was afraid you wouldn't give me a chance." He pulled away slightly and rested his forehead against hers. "I was intimidated by you."

"You were intimidated by me?" she asked, unable to hide the shock. "Why?"

"I've never met anyone like you, Ally," he said softly. "You're strong, you're independent…you're not afraid of life. Everything I wish I could be."

His words touched her deeper than any she had ever heard before. She found herself speechless as she looked at him. Her arms tightened around his neck, and she kissed his lips.

"You really have no idea how wrong you are, do you?" she asked softly. "You really believe that." She ducked her head to meet his eyes, which had dropped. "Elliot…you are the most amazing man I've ever met."

He looked at her and saw her eyes shining. "Please, Elliot," she said, stroking his cheek. "I'm so sorry I doubted you. Please forgive me."

She was delighted to see a smile creep over his face. He raised his hand up to cover hers, kissing her fingers. "That's no hardship," he said softly, raising one eyebrow playfully.

She smiled. "So…" She looked down at the board in her hand. "You want another lesson?"