A/N: Be patient with Elliot, guys. He's going through it right now.


It was day two of her time at the 3-7 and Olivia still wasn't sure what to make of the place. The precinct was so different from the 1-6. While their phones were often ringing off the hook she hadn't picked up a receiver in two days. It was almost as if the 3-7 was in some dead zone where nothing ever happened. And that was saying a lot for New York City.

Olivia was trying to figure out what she was going to do with her day, with all this seemingly free time, when she heard a sound behind her.

"Who's there?" Olivia asked, whipping around in her chair.

A young blonde, though not as young as Jet, stood in the doorway that led to their alcove.

"Um, hi," the blonde said with a little wave. "I'm Rollins. Amanda."

Olivia stood from her desk and put out her hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you," Olivia said. "Your accent, where's it from?"

"Georgia," Amanda said. "I transferred up here last year after a… well that's not really important. I've actually read about a lot of your cases. I thought I'd try to volunteer for SVU at some point. You're great at what you do."

"Well, thank you," Olivia said, sitting back down as Amanda made her way over to sit on the corner of Jet's desk, which earned her a glare from the younger woman. "If you get the chance, the work is difficult but the team is amazing. They were like my family."

Amanda looks like she's about to say something when a voice from outside the alcove cuts her off.

"Manda where are you?" the man from yesterday yells. "I need your help with this legal terms worksheet. I need you to quiz me."

A man around Amanda's age with shaggy hair and a mustache pops into the alcove.

"Hey, there you are," the man says, acknowledging Amanda, then turning to Olivia. "Hey, I'm Sonny Carisi. You like zeppoli?"

"Dude, nobody wants your mother's pastries," Jet said. "Stop trying to pawn them off on literally everyone who walks in the front door. We all can't eat like teenage boys and still look like beanpoles."

Jet and Carisi started to argue over Italian food, which gave Amanda the chance to slide over to Olivia's desk.

"You know, what you did for your Captain yesterday was really brave," Amanda said.

"Brave but stupid," Olivia said. "I lost my chance at advancement, my squad. It honestly feels like I've lost everything."

"It'll be alright in the end," Amanda said. "We're a little odd, but we're not so bad once you get to know us."

Olivia wanted to believe her, but it was right then that she heard the heavy, angry footfalls of Lieutenant Stabler entering the building for the day.

"Benson," he yelled, not bothering to walk into the alcove. "We caught a case. Need you ready to go out in the field with me in 10 minutes."

Stabler's voice sent Sonny scattering. Amanda sighed and followed him out of the alcove. That's when Jet spoke up.

"He's not as bad as he seems," she said. "I promise."

"Seems pretty bad to me," Olivia said. "I don't want to go out in the field with him."

"I don't know if you really have a choice," Jet said.

"He can't force me," Olivia said. "Worst they can do is fire me, and McGrath wouldn't do that. This is all a sick little power game to him anyway."

"Look," Jet said. "Just… try to cut Stabler some slack, okay? I know he's gruff on the outside but I think he actually cares about all of us. He is just the worst at showing it. That's something he and I have in common."

"You don't go around yelling at people and slamming doors," Olivia said.

"No," Jet said. "But I do hide in this office and I don't make friends easily. He and I are alike in that way."

"Well, I'm still not going out into the field with him," Olivia said. "How can I trust if he has my back or not?"

"You'll never know if you don't give it a try," Jet said.

Meanwhile, Amanda followed Stabler into his office and closed the door.

"Is she ready to go, or what?" Stabler asked. "We need to get a move on."

"Why?" Amanda asked. "What's the case?"

"Possible kidnapping," Stabler said.

"In our jurisdiction?" Amanda asked.

"I know," Stabler said. "Shocked me too, but it came over the radio. Figured she and I would take it, call you all if we need reinforcements. But where the hell is she? We can't wait on something like that."

"You could stand to be a little more patient with her," Amanda said. "Having to switch precincts, move a way from a team she gets along with, having her hopes at advancement dashed, all in about 24 hours. That's a lot."

"Yeah," a voice said from the chair in the corner that startled both Amanda and Stabler. "You ever think with her expertise she might be the one to help you crack your case, get you out of the fire with IAB?"

"How the hell did you get in here?" Stabler asked Fin.

"I was in here before either of ya'll stormed in," he said. "You just didn't notice me. I had to tell you about a maintenance request. Sink's leaking in the men's room again. But this is more interesting."

"Why would you think Benson could help me solve the IAB case?" Stabler said, leaning against his desk. "It's not an SVU crime. Well, not really."

"You ever looked into her record?" Fin asked and Stabler shook his head. "Well I did, yesterday. She's good, man. Her closure rate is off the charts. Rivals yours from before you landed here. And she doesn't even work with a partner. So imagine what ya'll could do if you put your heads together."

"It's not that easy, Fin," Amanda said. "Partnerships take time to grow. You can't just be in sync from the get go. Carisi and I are still working on it six months in. You and Munch have been together for years."

"Well it's not like there's a ton of time left on the case, Manda," Fin said. "He only has a couple more months before they terminate him completely. You know that's why they tried to get Bensons old Captain in here."

"He's right Amanda," Stabler said. "Time's almost up. And you said she's not used to working with a partner, so it's not like she's going to be real receptive jumping into that kind of relationship. I don't much want a partner myself."

"It's been five years, Lieutenant," Amanda said. "Maybe it's time you finally give somebody else a chance. Prove you wrong?"

"I don't know how," Stabler confessed.

"Well you can start by straightening up your act," Amanda said. "Act like a gentleman instead of biting everybody's heads off."

"Yeah," Fin said. "You could smile at the girl instead of just glaring at her. Or, ya know, watch her back instead of her backside."

"I didn't…" Stabler started.

"Maybe just try to not scare her off," Amanda said.

"Hit her with some of that dry humor you love so much," Fin said.

"But also, be gentle with her," Amanda said. "Seems like maybe she could use someone to look out for her."

"And you could toss a compliment her way every once in a while when she does something good for the team," Fin said.

"But be sincere about it," Amanda said. "She can smell bullshit a mile away. Should've seen the look she gave Sonny about his stupid zeppoli."

"But ahead of everything else man," Fin said.

"You have to control your temper," Amanda and Fin said in unison.

Elliot's head was spinning with all their advice, but he didn't have too much time to think about it because his office door cracked open slightly.

Except it wasn't Benson on the other side. It was Munch.

"Good morning, all," Munch said, swinging the door a bit wider.

"You see Benson out there?" Stabler said with a slight growl.

"Oh, yes, our newest recruit," Munch said. "Yes, she's out here. But here's the thing. Given the current circumstances she'd decided to decline your offer."

"Excuse me?" Stabler said.

"She's not going out in the field with you," Munch said.

"What?" Elliot bellowed, pushing out the door past Munch and into Olivia's alcove.

She was sitting at her desk, rifling through the drawers and cleaning out old items from its last tennant years ago.

"I thought I told you to be ready to go in 10 minutes?" Stabler yelled.

"Yeah, that's not happening," Olivia said.

"You're coming with me," Stabler said. "Or I'll drag you down to the squad car myself."

"Yeah, that's a great way to win her over," Fin muttered from somewhere outside the alcove."

"Lieutenant, that's… not really appropriate," Jet said, spinning the various rings on her fingers.

"She's being difficult," Stabler said, pointing at Olivia.

"Maybe if you ask nicely?" Jet suggested.

Stabler rolled his eyes.

"Will you come with me out into the field?" Stabler asked through gritted teeth.

"No," Olivia said, looking up from the desk drawer and looking him in the eye.

"Nicer," Jet coached.

"It would give me great pleasure if you would join me on this assignment," Stabler said.

"Magic word," Jet said.

"Please," Stabler mumbled.

"No, thank you," Olivia said.

The top of Stabler's bald head started going red.

"You can't stay in this squad room forever," Stabler said.

"Sure I can," Olivia said. "There's plenty of work to do around here. And if Jet doesn't have to go out in the field, then neither do I. I don't really work with a partner anyway. No use in starting now."

"Fine," Stabler yelled. "You go ahead and shut yourself up and work alone."

Stabler stomped out into the main squad room.

"If she doesn't work with me," he said. "Then she doesn't work with anyone at all. I'm off to find that missing kid since she doesn't seem to care. And she called herself an SVU detective."

Stabler made long strides to the front door, slamming it behind him.

"Well that went well, didn't it?" Amanda asked Fin, Munch, and Carisi once he was gone.

"Guess we better get started with our days," Munch said, heading over to his desk, and the rest followed.

"He's not that bad, huh?" Olivia asked Jet when she heard the others clacking away on their keyboards on the other side of the wall.

"I swear," Jet said. "He's not this bad once you get to know him."

"I don't want to get to know him," Olivia said. "I don't want to have anything to do with him."

Little did Olivia know that Stabler was out in the squad car beating himself up over the scene that just transpired. Kicking himself for letting his fear, distrust, and anger get the better of him again.

Little did they both know, the kidnapping call was a hoax. And while Stabler spent the day chasing his tail for nothing, Olivia's refusal to go with him bought them both more time from the three men lying in wait, only to have their plan foiled when Stabler showed up to the scene alone.