Elliot was just going to go out and have one drink before calling it a night. The trial against Wheatley began tomorrow and the next couple days were going to be rough to say the least.

He'd just finished up prepping with Carisi and needed to let off some steam before heading home. He found himself at Pete's Tavern, a local watering hole for NYPD where he frequented often back in the day. He needed some sense of familiarity tonight to ground himself. It was also the kind of place where people left you alone for the most part. There was almost a code of understanding. That most people were there to briefly decompress from the awful things they witnessed on the job before heading home and shoving it deep down inside.

He grabbed a seat at the bar and quickly flagged down the bartender for a whiskey. He had just taken his first sip when a familiar voice called out his name.

"Elliot freakin' Stabler. Well I'll be damned. Like a blast from the past seeing you here again."

"Cassidy. Yeah, I'm back on the job. Organized Crime."

"So I've heard. Look man, I'm sorry to hear about your wife. I can't imagine how tough that it."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. The trial is actually starting tomorrow. You know how that shit goes. The new ADA, Carisi, he's prosecuting it. Seems like a good kid. Liv really trusts him so I guess that's something."

"Oh, I didn't know you and Olivia were back in touch."

"Yeah, I mean, she's been amazing. Helping me, my kids getting settled again. She's a lifesaver."

"Figures. You couldn't let her be."

"Hmm?"

"Look Stabler, do me a favor. Don't go barging into her life again and wrecking her. You did enough damage ten years ago. Don't start dragging her down with you again."

"Our relat—I don't think this really concerns you, Cassidy."

"Like hell it does!"

"Hey, if you've got a problem with me then spit it out."

"I do have a problem with you messing with Liv's head again."

"I'm not here to play games with her. Yeah I messed up back then and I missed out on a lot but I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I'm here now and I plan on being there for her."

"Yeah you fucking missed out, Stabler. You took the easy way out and didn't look back.

"You have no clue how it was for me, leaving SVU, leaving her."

"Ha! You're the one without a clue, Stabler. You weren't the one who had to hear her wake up screaming from nightmares every night. You were gone, you disappeared on her. And even then you were the one she wanted. It was your name she called out for in the hospital while she was drugged up. Hell, she admitted under oath that you were the one she wanted to save her when he—"

"Woah what are you talking about? When who what?" Elliot asked in confusion.

"Oh c'mon, don't act like you didn't know. It was everywhere."

"What was everywhere?"

"It was in on news, made headlines when she was—"

"Hey! Brian! That's enough!" Olivia shouted as she walked towards them from the bar entrance.

The two men had been too busy yelling in each other's faces, they'd failed to notice they'd become a spectacle.

"He's a coward and he deserves—"

"Brian, I appreciate you, but I can handle myself." Olivia said as she positioned herself between the two men.

"I know you can. Doesn't mean you should have to." Cassidy muttered as he headed for the exit.

Elliot was dumbfounded. He had no clue what Cassidy was eluding to. He also was taken aback by Cassidy's protectiveness of her. Fin had mentioned she'd had a pretty serious relationship while he was gone. But Cassidy, seriously? Was he Noah's father? Was he still in the picture?

"You should be at home. With your kids. You all have an early morning tomorrow." Olivia said interrupting Elliot's train of thought.

"You going to explain what that was all about?"

"No. Last time I checked, I don't owe you an explanation on my life."

"That's not how I meant it, Liv. I know I have a lot of ground to cover to make up for the last ten years. I just want to earn the chance to know you again like I used to."

"The person I was when you left, she's gone, Elliot. She got destroyed and broken down and shattered. You knew everything about me, even the parts I didn't want you to see. I had to completely start over and rebuild everything. I don't know if I trust you enough to let you in. Not yet."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"You said 'not yet'. I can work with that. I'm not going anywhere, we have time."

"Okay then."