Olivia couldn't believe her eyes. She hadn't laid eyes on him in five years; he didn't call, didn't text, didn't drop by…nothing. Not even when he should have after Lewis, which was a real eye-opener for her; the debacle made the news, so if he didn't care enough to call then, then he obviously didn't care as much as she thought he did. And since that realization, she'd slowly let go of him until she cared about him as much as she cared about the person standing next to her on the subway. He was as much of a stranger to her as anyone she may encounter on one of her cases.

But now, there he stood. His hair still in that military cut he'd gotten used to since his marines' day. That same air of confidence – which more often than not bordered on arrogance, if she was being honest – about him as he stood in the doorway to the Captain's office, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans. And not only did he stick his nose in her business where it didn't belong, but he got her traumatized daughter arrested.

And he called himself her partner! Was he serious?! The audacity!

All that took about ten seconds to go through her mind, before her shocked expression turned into a furious one, her eyes glaring daggers at him, and if she were some mythical creature, she would've been breathing fire!

"You did this!" she growled through gritted teeth, making Finn and Barba share a look as they both gulped.

Savina was a bit lost. She knew her mother would not react well to her arrest, but it seemed that her reaction was magnified by the identity of the person who was the cause of it all.

"Why don't we all step into my office?" Captain McAdams intervened before things could get any worse outside in his squad room.

"Liv." Barba spoke softly from beside her, his hand on the small of her back, as he nudged her towards the office. Dodds was standing behind the Captain, and Savina was still standing between her and Finn. He knew that Olivia wanted nothing more than to just punch Elliot, but they did have to sort it all out. And then she can punch him!

He saw Stabler narrow his eyes thoughtfully at their interaction, the shock from the realization about their situation apparent on his face. Barba honestly thought he would say something, but it seemed that when he looked at Olivia, he decided that if he wanted to walk out of this precinct – not be carried out on a stretcher – then he should wisely keep his mouth shut.

Olivia marched angrily towards the office, her arm still around Savina, who was still trembling slightly. Elliot – as Barba noticed – was smart enough to move out of her way, because Olivia was not stopping for anything. He and Finn followed behind her, both silently agreeing to be the peacekeepers in the upcoming confrontation, despite how much they both wanted to punch him.

McAdams closed the door behind them, and Savina collapsed in a chair by the desk, as she pulled her sleeves up to hide her wrists.

"Did someone hurt you?" Mike wondered, and she shook her head. "No, I'm just shaken up." She assured him and heard her mother's angry breathing from behind her.

"Can you please explain to me why the hell your officers arrested my daughter? And why wasn't I informed?!" she almost barked, her entire body clenched in anger.

"Lieutenant, I understand your frustration…." McAdams started, but was interrupted by Barba. "Captain, we're well past frustration right now!" he said in a clipped tone.

"My officers followed procedure. They received a tip from someone who claimed to know you, he said your credit card was stolen. And upon checking the holder's ID, it became clear he was right. Or so we thought at the time." He explained hastily.

"I never claimed to be Olivia Benson!" Savina interjected. "When your officers asked, I said I was her daughter! And I told them to call Sargent Tutuola," she stated, her voice shakier than she would've hoped, but the bite wasn't missed. But the underlying fear was only serving to add to the fire of Olivia's anger.

"Why not call Olivia herself?!" Elliot shot back, but one glare out of Olivia, and he realized he shouldn't have talked.

"Because I had a meeting this morning, and she knew about it!" she snarled.

"Did they run her name in the squad car?" Mike asked, and the Captain nodded. "Of course."

"And did they find a report of a missing card? A red flag on her name? Anything to warrant an arrest?!" Barba fired off his questions without really waiting for an answer, because he already knew it.

"No, but that could mean the lieutenant hadn't realized her card was missing yet," McAdams argued, and saw Olivia's nostrils flare. "Listen, Lieutenant. I realize you're upset because of the state your daughter is in. And frankly, I can't blame you. But my officers were not totally in the wrong here. He said he'd been your partner for twelve years and knew you didn't have a seventeen-year-old. The credit card was not in her name, and when they ran her name at first, it did not list you as a parent. So even that part of her story we couldn't verify until Sargent Dodds showed up." McAdams listed.

"Captain, a simple phone call at the café would've solved this. How many identity thieves have you met that asked to speak to a police Sargent when they get caught?" Finn intervened.

The only answer the Captain could give was a look towards Elliot, who was standing very, very silent.

Up until then, Olivia was trying very hard not to even look at Elliot out of fear she might lunge at him. But now, McAdams basically just told her that Elliot was the one who pushed for the arrest.

Her angry eyes found him, and Elliot found himself looking at a side of Olivia he'd never met before. The overprotective mother.

They were partners for twelve years, he thought he knew every side of her. He thought he knew everything about her, that no one would ever know her like he did, let alone more. He thought that no matter what happened he could always just waltz back into her life like nothing happened. And not only would she welcome him with open arms, but he would just slide into his place without missing a beat.

But standing here, in this moment, as their eyes locked for the first time in five years; he realized that he did not recognize her at all. And not only was his place in her life no longer there, but she wasn't even happy to see him. She wasn't giving him an inch of leeway for his mistake. She was furious with him. He thought at first it was because of their history and how he disregarded it five years ago. But now, with the amount of fire in her eyes, and how she was with the teenager; he realized all her anger was simply because he dared come near her daughter without her permission.

"Why don't I take Savina to get a drink from your break room?" Dodds offered.

Olivia was about to object, but Barba answered before she got a chance. "I think that's a good idea." He agreed.

Mike offered his hand to Savina, who took it, and he pulled her to her feet as she smiled gratefully at him.

"We'll meet you guys outside," Barba spoke softly, since Olivia was too busy trying to stop herself from shooting him.

Once the door closed behind them, it seemed that whatever restraint Olivia had over her temper was gone. She took a step closer to Elliot – who instinctively flinched at the amount of anger he felt radiating from her – but a hand on her arm stopped her from fully advancing on him. Though she wasn't sure if it was Finn or Barba who did that.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" she hissed. "And who gave you the right to meddle in my business?" she continued through gritted teeth.

"I saw your name on the credit card, what the hell was I supposed to think? It's not like I knew you had a secret daughter!" he shot back, and Finn could feel Olivia shaking with anger.

"Wrong answer, Stabler." Finn said calmly. But if you knew Finn, you would know that this calmness was not a good thing.

"You're my partner, and it never occurred to you to tell me you have a child!" Elliot continued his tantrum, ignoring Finn's comment.

"She's none of your business, Elliot. Never have, and never will be. And get your facts straight; we were partners. Which entitled you to my loyalty and friendship at the time," she hissed, and he was taken aback. "But as it became abundantly clear over the past few years, you were not worthy of either. So, you sure as hell, don't deserve them right now, let alone be entitled to them," she continued, her anger making it hard for her to enjoy the look of pure shock on his face. "So, I'm going to say this once; stay away from me, and don't even think about setting foot near my family. Or so help me God, Stabler, you will regret it!" she vowed. And it was clear from the tone of her voice that it was not an empty threat.

His shocked eyes stared into her furious ones for a brief moment, before he averted them to look at Finn, who looked like he meant business more than she did, if it were at all possible.

Olivia looked over at the Captain when Elliot averted his eyes. "I believe you know now that she didn't steal my identity, nor did she steal my credit card. There are issues with her custody that prevent us from issuing her a card in her name, and this is Trevor Lanagan's number," she said, as she handed him a card. "He'll be more than happy to provide you with any paperwork you may need for your report," she added.

"You're free to take her home, Lieutenant. And I will contact Mr. Lanagan if the need shall arise." The Captain assured her, and she nodded.

"Liv, why don't you head back down with Barba? I'll get Savina and Dodds," Finn suggested.

Olivia opened her mouth to fire off a thousand objections, but Finn put his hands up. "Liv, you need to calm down a bit, so you can calm her down." He reminded her, and she nodded.

"Good afternoon, Captain." She said professionally with a small nod in his direction, completely disregarding Elliot's presence once more.

"Lieutenant," he replied with a nod of his own, as he watched Barba lead her out of the office.

"Finn." Elliot seemed to have finally found his voice, as he watched Olivia's head collapse on Barba's shoulder, her hand snaking around his waist, as his went around her shoulders and rubbed her upper arm comfortingly.

Finn wasn't particularly interested in what the man had to say, but he stopped nonetheless, since he didn't want him chasing him out into the squad room. But the look of absolute boredom didn't stop Elliot from approaching him. "A seventeen-year-old? Where was she all these years? She can't be adopted, she's the spitting image!" he ranted, and Finn interrupted him. "The resemblance didn't tip you off when you were getting her arrested?" he shot back.

Elliot rubbed his face with his hand. "I did see it, but I didn't think it was possible. I mean how come I didn't know anything about her? What's the story?" he asked, and Finn sighed in frustration.

"Stabler, didn't you hear what she said? Or are you still in the habit of only hearing what you want to hear?" Finn snapped. "It's none of your business. If she wanted you to know, she had twelve years to tell you. Or she would've explained herself to you now."

"I didn't recognize that woman, Finn. She's not the Olivia I know." He argued, and it was starting to infuriate Finn.

"What were you expecting man? That she would be the same detective you walked away from years ago? People change; they grow, they go through things, life throws curve balls at them. And God knows life's thrown enough at her in those years. So yeah, you won't recognize her. Because I don't think you ever really took the time to know the real her. Because underneath it all, her core never really changed. But what did change is she stopped responding to your every beck and call." Finn wasn't one to hold anything back, and he was never really all that fond of Elliot Stabler, so he had no problem laying it all down to him like it really was.

"Don't give me that. Liv would've never gotten involved with a lawyer!" he scoffed, and the amount of disdain in the word lawyer grated on Finn's nerve, because he knew the kind of person Rafael Barba.

"That lawyer has done more for her in two years that you've ever done in twelve. So, don't go passing your high-horse judgement on something you can't even begin to understand," Finn warned, his tone clipped, taking Elliot by surprise. He knew Finn was never fond of lawyers, and this one was in expensive suits; he had to be an arrogant prick.

"Yeah, because he was trying to get into her pants!" he snorted.

Before Finn could get a chance to form an answer, the sound of a slap rang in the Captain's office, and Elliot took a step back from the force of the slap, his eyes flying to his now-stinging cheek, as his eyes moved to the side to locate the source of the slap. He found himself staring into a pair of fiery-brown eyes, identical to the ones he was staring in mere minutes ago. But the face they were set in this time was a younger version of the owner of the previous ones. But she looked like she wont settle for anything less than blood.

He saw the surprised look on this Dodds character's face, and the proud, smug smile on Finn's.

"You've got some nerve," she snarled.

"Vina!" Finn interjected before Savina could say anything else. "Let's just go. I think he got the message," he pointed out to the nice hand print she left on his cheek.

"Good day, Captain," Mike called out, as he and Finn maneuvered a livid Savina out of the office and led her outside.

"Next time try not to influence my officers' decision. And close the door on your way out, please." Captain McAdams told Elliot, who was still in shock from the slap.

A few minutes earlier….

Olivia and Barba exited the precinct, and Olivia pressed her back against her squad car. "Liv, you need to take a breath," Barba instructed gently. "She's fine. Finn and Dodds won't let him near her, and they won't let anyone hurt her either," he assured her.

Her breathing was short and shallow, her fingers pressed to her left chest over heart. "They cuffed her, Rafa," she whispered, her voice barely coming out through the held back tears that brimmed in her eyes. "I know how bad the triggers can be at first." She continued to rasp out, and he kept rubbing her arms up and down soothingly. "It's my fault." She hiccuped.

Barba frowned. "How in the world could it be your fault?" he asked incredulously.

"I never told him about her, if I had….." she trailed off as a few tears slipped past her control.

"Liv, whatever reasons you had for not telling him, I'm sure they were valid. No one could've seen any of this coming, and there is no manual on how to handle it, let alone prepare for it. Honestly, even when you told me the good things about him, I never liked him, and it didn't have anything about how he left. His character just didn't sit well with me, so I'm glad you never told him about her. I don't think he would've handled it properly, and the thought of him hurting you, or disrespecting her in anyway…..I would not have been calm today." He assured her, his voice steady, yet comforting and gentle.

"You didn't bring this onto her, he stuck his nose where it didn't belong. And I think you handled it nicely and made sure he knew where he stood in your life." He added. "But you're right about how bad the triggers are at first, so she's gonna need you when she comes out. So, can you calm down a little? At least until she's in bed for the night, and then the floor is yours." He continued, and she nodded.

"Te amo, mi Corazon," he said softly, as he kissed her forehead.

"I love you too, Rafa!" she sniffed quietly, smiling at him when he pulled back to look at her. He pulled a napkin from his coat pocket, and she used to wipe away at the smudged liner. She had wiped away the last remnants of her mini meltdown, when Dodds and Finn appeared with a furious Savina between them.

Olivia and Barba both frowned. Finn had a smug, proud smile on his face, while Mike looked like he wanted to burst into laughter, and Savina was no longer shaky, but rather livid.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Olivia wondered.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The coke Mike got me calmed me down a bit," she replied, but her tone also seemed angry. "I just wanna go home," she added.

"I'll take you," Olivia told her, but to her surprise Savina shook her head. "It's a few blocks. I think the walk would do me good."

"Are you sure?" Barba wondered, and she nodded.

"Yeah, and I already have an appointment with Dr. Lindstrom tomorrow, so…." She shrugged at the end, and Olivia nodded. "I'll see you guys at home." She said, before she looked over at Mike and Finn. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Finn said simply.

And with that, she took off, her earphones back in her ears before she was even ten feet away.

"Liv don't worry. She's not mad at you," Finn soothed, just as Elliot exited the building, and stopped for a few seconds to look at the small group huddled around the squad car. He thought about approaching and trying to talk to them once more, but one look at Olivia and he realized it would be a bad idea. They watched him walk away, and Olivia frowned at the red hand-print on his cheek.

She looked at Finn. "Did you punch him?" she inquired, and at that Mike lost all resolve, and burst out laughing.

"It looks more like a slap." Barba pointed out, as he looked at a hysterical Mike.

"I didn't do anything," Finn replied pointedly, and Olivia's eyes widened. "Listen, that's all I'm gonna say. You two can ask her when you go home, and she can tell you herself." He told them. "And now, let's head back, because we have a case." He suggested.

Olivia and Barba got into their car, and Finn and Mike walked towards their car. "Man, that was a sight to behold." Mike chuckled.

So, clearly I'm not exactly an Elliot fan XD so sorry to any Benslers out there :)

He will appear in one more chapter before we say goodbye to the character for the remainder of the story.

Any feedback is appreciated :)

Thanks for tuning in folks. And thanks to those who reviewed.