Looking up from the papers that scattered across her desk, Olivia was instantly met with blue eyes. She felt her heart rate quicken and she jumped slightly in her seat, caught off guard by his sudden presence.
Normally she was always able to sense when Elliot was nearby. It stung a little that they had spent so much time apart that those small instincts were no longer ingrained in her.
"Morning." His words were deep and sounded rough.
"Morning Stabler." The use of his nickname had just slipped out, almost as a reflex when the two of them were at the precinct.
He flashed a quick smile, the lines on his face deeper from years of raising children and an unhealthy marriage. Lines she had not seen before. It stung realizing she had missed out on so much of his life.
Olivia swallowed, taking a deep breath as she mentally filed her grief away along with other emotions she didn't want to address at this time.
"Want to meet the SVU 2.0 crew?" Olivia smiled, reminiscing on their young detective years when they could run all day and night on shitty coffee and naps in the cribs. She looked over at the familiar faces that had become like family.
"I need all the help I can get. Even if it is from some newbies…" He chuckled, knowing he would undoubtedly earn an eye roll from Olivia for his comment.
"Amaro, Rollins, Barba, meet Elliot Stabler." Olivia scanned her crew's reactions, hoping Elliot would behave himself.
Nick came up to Elliot and firmly shook his hand.
"Heard a lot about you, good to finally meet you."
Elliot's face was slightly flushed, and he flashed Amaro a small smile.
"I'm sure you have. I know how quickly word travels around here." A small tinge of guilt panged in his stomach for being away for so long.
Amanda was on a phone call at her desk and shot Elliot a smile as she looked up at him.
Barba continued to glance back and forth between papers in a manilla folder, pointing at different places to grab Rollin's attention to take note of.
He gave Elliot a quick glance, and continued to flip through the contexts of the folder in his hands.
"Why don't I let Cragean know we're ready." Olivia's short hair swayed as she made her way to Cragean's office.
Three hours later they were in the thick of it.
Olivia had heard details about their brutal divorce, and her heart broke for Elliot knowing his separation from his kids was not an easy one.
Their now cold coffees sat in the midst of records, maps, photos, and timelines scattered across the long table in the bullpen.
They had a vague list of possible suspects, all of them connected to Kathy through ties with the unstable cop she was once married to.
The thought of having had anything to do with motives associated with his ex-wife's kidnapping made Elliot feel sick to his stomach.
It made him all the more emotional with finding whoever was responsible.
"How about you two take a break. The rest of the team can continue looking over the leads you guys found and we can start locating them by the end of the day." Cragean looked at the two of them, letting out an exhale.
Elliot scrubbed his hands over his face, knowing it was best to break before they were completely burnt out.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Liv?"
The use of her nickname in addition to being in old stomping grounds and working together after all these years had thrown her brain for a loop.
"Uh, yeah. That sounds okay." She rubbed her hands on her thighs as she skimmed over the few papers closest to her and stretching slightly.