Sorry I had a bit of writers block. Thanks for sticking with me.

Cassidys face flamed red with anger.

Olivia shook her head slightly at Elliot, signaling him to let it drop. She was not in the mood to fight with Brain tonight. She wanted to hang out with her squad and drink her wine.

"No, I want," he hesitated, "I need to know."

Olivia turned towards Brian who was staring a hole into Elliot. All the times they had been together, Brian had only mentioned Elliot once but she knew that he knew that she thought about him. There were times when her mind would wander and when she would come back, Brain would be there staring at her with a sad look on his face. Deep down she knew that he realized she wanted Elliot in a way she never wanted him. She figured it out when they were standing outside that bar a couple years ago.

You never were going to bare your soul to me, am I right?

She had honestly answered him then, in that moment, she wasn't. She was always going to hold back from him in a way she never really held back mentally with Elliot.

"Brian, this is not a topic I plan to discuss openly with my squad around." She was trying to be nice but then he shot it all to hell.

"Fuck Olivia. Are you going to tell me you fucked Fin next?" His anger was palpable.

Suddenly Fin was in between the two of them, pushing Olivia back slightly. "Watch your damn mouth man. Don't make me beat your stupid ass outta here."

Olivia placed her hand on Fins back gently. Fin had been her champion for so long she almost forgot what it felt like to not have him in her corner, but she knew he meant what he said.

Brian shrank back slightly, Fin had always intimidated him and he didn't really want to fight with him.

Fin continued to frown at him before turning and grabbing Olivias arm gently pulling her towards the group and away from Cassidy.

Elliot didn't move from his spot as he drank his beer and stared at Cassidy. He had always been such a dumbass, if he had been with Liv, how did he let her go? The thought of him touching her always made his blood boil but they lived together apparently, that was more serious than the one night stand he knew about. Cassidy had been a lost puppy then, wanting more of her than she was going to give. I wonder what changed. He wanted to talk to Liv, really talk to her about the ten years he was gone.

Cassidy stood up and walked away from the group to the far side of the bar.

Elliot pushed himself off the bar and headed towards the group. They were starting to squeeze in around a table and Elliot quickly moved to sit in between Fin and Olivia.

Olivia smiled weakly at Elliot before turning towards Amanda, listening to the end of the story she was telling about her child.

Elliot watched her face as she laughed at something that Amanda said. She looked beautiful. Her face was flushed and her laugh was loud and real. This is the Olivia he would think about. Unbothered and free. He felt his chest tighten and resisted the urge to place his hand on her thigh that kept bumping into his.

"So, Stabler, it's nice to finally meet you. Got any stories you would like to share with the group?" Amanda stared at him as she drank her wine.

Elliot chuckled, "stories? About what?"

Amanda rolled her eyes. "About your time together, back when you guys were partners." She pointed back and forth between him and Olivia.

"Nah, I bet Fins are better."

Fin laughed beside him. "Actually, I do have a funny story.."

Elliot turned to Olivia as Fin animatedly started telling his story.

A slow, wide smile spread across Olivias face. She ran her finger around the rim of her glass before she turned to Elliot. "Did you ever find a place?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." He winked at her as he took a drink of his beer.

Olivia felt her mouth drop open slightly as she watched him. She could feel that her cheeks were bright red with heat, she just wasn't sure if it was the drink or his stare.

She smiled at him and took her time looking him up and down. He looked very handsome tonight and honestly a couple more glasses and he's going to have to fight her off of him.

He cocked an eyebrow at her before leaning closer to her, and turning his chair to face her more. "Like what you see Captain?" He decided that he needed to touch her. His moved his right hand and started making swirls on the outside of her thigh out of view of the others.

Olivias face flushed a deep scarlet. Openly flirting in front of a crowd is new territory for them. In the past she had to be very precise with her words so they weren't misinterpreted but now, "you know what detective, I think I do." She took her left hand and used her finger tips to slowly go up and down his thigh before leaning back against the back of her chair and draining her glass.

"Want another?" He liked that she was brave enough to touch him back. Drunk Olivia was new territory for him. He wanted to see how bold she could be if she let her guard down.

"Sure."

He stood up, "Anyone else want another one?"

After getting everyone another round Elliot returned and started passing out the drinks to everyone.

Kat nodded and thanked Elliot for her drink before asking, "so Elliot, how long have you and Cap known each other?"

Elliot sat down back by Olivia and cleared his throat, "um, 23 years?" He looked at Olivia for confirmation and she nodded and he took a sip of his drink.

"So why haven't we ever seen you around?" Kat asked the question innocently.

Elliot shifted uncomfortably and looked at Olivia. She smiled, leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her wine. Clearly she isn't going to help. "I have been out of the country for the last 10 years and we… lost touch." He cringed as he said the last part and Fin didn't help by started to laugh loudly. Elliot turned to Olivia and he watched as she rolled her eyes.

"What's so funny?" Kat looked very confused as she directed the question to Fin.

Fin look a sip of his beer before saying, "if you knew these two 10 years ago you would understand. They were inseparable, two people with one brain. Elliot is trying to be diplomatic, they didn't loose touch in the normal way, I believe the kids are calling it ghosting?"

Kats eyes widened and Carisi looked irritated. Amanda turned to look at Olivia who seemed to not be affected by Fins statements.

Olivia had no intention on saving Elliot. Her squad was extremely protective of her and honestly she wanted to see it all play out. She drank her wine as she felt Elliots hand clamp down on her knee. She lifted her eyebrows at him, questioningly.

"I guess that is the term they are using now." Elliot was extremely uncomfortable and took a sip of his beer.

"Why did you do that?" Amanda was the one to ask the question.

Elliot turned and glared at Fin before answering. "I was in a very bad place and I needed to figure out my life. It's not that I didn't want to talk to her," he turned back to Olivia, "I desperately did," when he said that her eyes widened. He cleared his throat and turned away, "but partnerships can get… complicated."

Fin snorted into his drink and everyone turned back towards him. "Man bullshit, you guys were always fighting a losing battle. Took over twenty years to get here, let's just stop beating around the damn bush." Fin used his hand to motion between Olivia and Elliot. "The sooner you admit it to yourselves the less 'complicated' your lives will be." He picked up his beer again and took another drag.

Kat scrunched her face before turning back towards Elliot and Olivia. "So was that guy right? You guys are a couple?"

"No." Olivia answered. Everyone looked at her, seemingly forgetting she was even there.

Elliot looked from Olivia and back at Kat. "We are figuring things out."

Olivia kicked Elliots leg under the table. Elliot turned to look at her and held back a smile. Olivia obviously thought she was subtle with her leg kick but she shook the whole table. Everyone had to grab their drinks to keep them from spilling. Her face was completely flushed and she looked ready for a fight. It had been a long time since Elliot saw Olivia Benson tipsy and it looked like she was good and on on her way to drunk now. "Did you just kick me?"

Olivia made an exasperated sound. "If I kicked you under the table, I obviously was trying to not to let everyone know I kicked you, idiot." She seemed to add the 'idiot' part as an after thought. She picked up her wine and finished it. How many was that? She shrugged to herself and placed the glass down.

"So were you a couple throughout your whole partnership?" Carisi seemed curious as he asked.

"No, I was married our whole partnership." Elliot took a drink of his beer and almost spit it out as Olivia blurted out, "not our whole partnership" matter of factly.

Amanda's eyes lit up, "oh do tell!"

Elliot looked at Olivia like she had lost her mind. "What are you talking about Liv?"

Olivia groaned and sat up straight in her chair and looked at Amanda. "Elliot and his wife separated during the ninth year of our partnership but he decided to try and sleep with everyone else in the city."

Amanda bit her lip to prevent from laughing at an obvious jealous Olivia. Poor Elliot looked as confused as could be. "And what did you do Liv?"

Olivia shrugged.

"She did nothing but argue with me and throw my dying marriage in my face every chance she got." Elliot frowned at her.

Olivia gasped dramatically. "I did not!" She hesitated and then added, "well maybe when you were being an ass, which was a lot, but I was gone and when I came back you were sleeping with your new partner so.."

Fin groaned. He remembered that time vividly. "If you think this is bad, imagine working with it everyday for 12 years. I think I have PTSD from all this nonsense."

"Shut up Fin." Elliot and Olivia retorted in unison.

"I did not sleep with Dani. Man, you can not let that go." Elliot started peeling the label off his beer bottle.

"Yea well, I don't believe you." Olivia plopped back in her chair.

"First off, you slept with Cassidy, multiple times apparently, and you were gone when I was with Dani, it would never have happened had you stayed." Elliot still didn't lift his head and continued to peel the label.

"Oh yea? And why's that?" Olivia scoffed in response.

"Because had you stayed, our complicated relationship would have been made less complicated because I would have finally stopped dancing around our partnership and made the move I really wanted to make, with you." Elliot lifted his eyes and looked at her with a shake of his head.

The entire table held their breath as they stared from Elliot to Olivia waiting on her response. Olivias mouth dropped open slightly as she stared at him, she was speechless.

Fin broke the silence. "I remember when she came back, man you could feel the ice in the air. They were savage. Everybody took bets on how long it would last. I'm pretty sure Cragen won."

Everyone turned to Fin unsure if they should laugh or remain silent. Elliot and Olivia continued to stare at each other.

Olivia cleared her throat and whispered, "why didn't you say something before I left?"

Elliot rolled his eyes. "I tried but you put in for transfer and when we talked in the locker room you made your point clear. It was too complicated." He gave her a weak smile.

Olivia felt her eyes start to fill with tears and she quickly looked away from him. What the fuck? How had this gotten turned around so much? What the hell am I supposed to do now?

"But I got Eli so there is no need to dwell on what if's." Elliot smiled at everyone sitting around the table. He looked back from Carisi to Amanda. "And from what I heard, you two are the new generation of complicated. Take my advice, if you want to try, just try, don't spend the next twenty years wondering."

Olivia nodded. "From what I heard they already have."

Amanda's mouth dropped open and Carisi smiled.

"How do you even know that?" Amanda looked embarrassed as she watched Olivia.

"I have my sources." She smile at them.

Amanda turned to Fin. "You really are the worst."

Fin laughed and shrugged. "Like I said, Liv and I have been friends for over twenty years and I'm terrible with secrets."

Everyone laughed and moved on to lighter topics.

Elliot felt Olivia slide her hand on his thigh and squeeze lightly. He turned and looked at her as she smiled along with the story they were telling. He placed his hand on top of hers and turned back to the group. Maybe everything would be fine, at least for tonight.