I'm so sorry for the delay in updating. Thank you all for your lovely comments and reviews, please keep them up! I have actually written 18 chapters of this story so far and am currently writing chapter 19 so would love to update quickly and get you all up to date with where I am.

I love Elliot and Olivia's complicated relationship and this story certainly explores all of those aspects.

Olivia scanned their surroundings as they walked from the car to what looked like an abandoned warehouse. She was checking just how easy it would be to sneak out, just in case. There was literally nothing around the derelict building, something that didn't exactly fill her with ease. There were no cars, no signs of any life. To anyone else the building was simply waiting to be demolished. She couldn't help the shiver that crept up her spine. Something just didn't feel right, pretending to be interested in child slavery wasn't exactly normal for her but there was something else, something that made her uneasy. She turned to Elliot to see if he was feeling the same way,s he used to be able to read him like a book. Nothing. He didn't return her stare, simply continued walking towards their new home.

He had been brooding all morning, she wasn't quite sure how to approach him. They had a job to do and she knew how they worked when one of them was like this, it would be a disaster.

"El," she started, walking towards him. Phil gave them a quick glance, he couldn't put his finger on what was going on between them. Stabler had explained that he was married but there was something going on with Benson and Stabler that he just couldn't put his finger on.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning to face her. They both stopped as Phil slowly walked ahead. She simply stared at him, opening her mouth a few times before closing it again. "Well?" he asked, the sound coming out a little harsher than he had intended it to. She visibly shrank in front of him and his heart sank. They had had so many of these moments when they were partners, too many where his harsh words had caused her to visibly wince. She was no angel, but he could damage her with just a few words and had done so many times.

"I just...think we need to clear the air. We need to go in there and know exactly what the other one is thinking, we can't be...like this with each other in there. It's not safe."

"I've always got your back," he said, again, sounding more agitated that he had wanted to. She should have known that no matter what he would have her back.

"I know you do...I just think we should put up a united front?" She wouldn't risk going in there knowing that they weren't in sink, she just couldn't do it. "I'm...I'm sorry if I upset you, you know I would never do it on purpose Elliot I just...I had to get used to life without you." It was as honest as she could be.

"Lets just get this over with," he walked a few steps ahead of her. She didn't want anything to do with him, she was probably desperate to get it over with. He sighed and turned around as he heard.

"Elliot-"

"When you two are quite finished?" Phil called, stood waiting for them near the entrance of the building. Olivia looked from Phil to Elliot.

"I've got your back, you've got mine...I just need some time-" he brought a hand to his forehead. He wanted to just snap out of it, to tell her everything was fine but he couldn't, not knowing that as soon as this was finished she would be gone again.

"We don't have time. We're about to walk into a dangerous situation I can't go in there wondering if you'll be speaking to me or not? If you don't think you can do this-"

"I can do this." He told her, unable to unclench his fists. "I can do it and you know I can, I would never put you in danger."

"I know," she barely whispered. She did know, of course she knew but she couldn't risk anything happening to him, not because of her, she wouldn't be able to take it.

"Then lets get this over with?" he gave her a quick nod and she walked towards him, they fell into step together and walked towards Phil.

"There are five people who sleep here every night, plus me and there are a few stragglers who stay here sometimes." Phil told them as they walked past a few desks. "There's a lot to prepare for, so sleeping here seems like the most obvious choice, also means less people coming and going. Just in case there does happen to be someone poking around."

"Phil!" they all turned to see a brown haired man in his mid thirties walking towards them.

"That's Kieran, Irish, bad temper." Phil mumbled as the man got closer, Olivia nodded. Phil held his hand out to the younger man. "Hey, told you I'd bring them huh?" he gestured to Elliot and Olivia.

"Nice," he smiled, dragging his eyes from Elliot to Olivia, scanning every inch of her body with a twisted smile on his face. "Very nice."

"This is Elliot Ronson and Olivia Reed. I met Elliot through work, and Olivia is his friend. They know the process-"

"They know to keep their mouths shut?" Kieran asked, his eyes never leaving Olivia.

"We're here to make a quick buck, that's all we want," Elliot answered, resisting the urge to punch the asshole in the face there and then. Being involved with the ring was enough to make Elliot want to sucker punch him, and the way he was looking at Olivia was almost tipping him over the edge.

"Glad to hear it," Kieran finally turned his attention to Elliot. "You don't mind little kids, crying kids, begging you not to hurt them? Asking you to take them back to momma?" he asked, watching closely for any sign of disgust.

"Like he said," Olivia started. "We're here for the money. Is that alright with you?" she asked, challenging him right away. They needed to start off on the right foot, to really make him believe that they were who they said they were.

"Feisty, I like it." He grinned, turning to Phil. "Nice work, about time we had something to look at round here." he walked past Olivia and Elliot, leaning in towards Olivia and whispering. "I'll be seeing you tonight sweetheart."

It took every ounce of strength Elliot had not to take just a step towards her. When they had been partners it had been different, he couldn't explain why but it had been. Now, now that they didn't have their badges and their guns he couldn't help to want take just a tiny step closer. He stayed where he was.

"Seems like a nice guy," Olivia sighed when Kieran was out of earshot. She watched as Elliot's jaw slowly unclenched.

"He can be..vicious, just be careful. He's just got out of prison for rape, I'm sure you can handle yourself but-"

"I can, but I'll be careful." She turned to Elliot, she could tell he was tense right away. "Are they all ex cons?" Olivia asked turning away from Elliot giving him a moment to calm down. He hadn't changed a bit.

"Most of the men here are ex cons, some of them are like you - they don't want ot get involved as much as the rest. the ones that just want the money do what they have to do, the cons take pleasure in it," Phil told them. "Wanna see the rest of the place?"

"Mainly the exits," Elliot mumbled as Phil lead them towards the rest of the building.

Nearly eight hours later they had seen nearly everything. This ring was different, they had details of every child and it's parents, the children had had medical checks in the countries they were from and many were babies. They groomed the children so that they were worth more money. They sold the children to wealthy families without children or in the worst case, pedophile rings. They worked to try and ensure none of the children were harmed but it wasn't a big deal if one of them was. Olivia didn't doubt that the children were being abused by the people handling them. The amount of rapists a pedophiles transporting them made to odds too worrying.

Phil explained that there were files and files of the people who were interested in buying the children but that they were unable to get to them with so many people around. By posing as a genuine adoption agency and later suggesting fee's to potential parents who would do anything for children, they had made millions already over nearly a decade. They had successfully lied to three other members of the ring, appearing not to care about anything but money and they had seemed to accept it. They were slowly slipping more and more into their undercover personas.

"And here we are," Phil pushed open the last door and lead them into a bedroom, there was one single bed and a tiny sink. "It's not much but you know, it'll have to do. Elliot, you're next door."

"Next door?" he asked, the surprise and dislike evident in his voice.

"Or you can share a room?" Phil asked, looking from Elliot to Olivia.

"No, no we're fine." Olivia didn't even bother to look at him. It was bad enough that Phil had seen the arguing earlier, the last thing she needed when this was over would be to have him telling everyone just how unprofessional she and Elliot were being.

"Liv, you really think-"

"Yes, I do Elliot," she snapped. She wouldn't argue in front of Phil again.

"Great!" Elliot walked towards the door. "My room?" he asked, trying to hide the hint of irritation in his voice and failing miserably.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked, she nodded, knowing that she wouldn't be sleeping much anyway, despite the lock on the door.

She had been lying on the uncomfortable bed for nearly three hours, the door firmly locked and only her own thoughts for company. She hadn't anticipated just how difficult being so close to Elliot would be. She had often thought about talking to him, telling him that although she wasn't sure exactly what she felt, she did feel something. She could never quite summon up the courage. Throughout the years Elliot had become more and more difficult to handle and his short, sharp and at time cutting outbursts had put her off, each one denting her courage more and more. There was no doubt in her mind that he cared about her, just not in that way.

Learning to work without him had been hell. he was always there, always right beside her. Her new partner was younger, bright eyed and bushy tailed but he wasn't Elliot. She was sure Geoff had had a slight crush on her at the start, she'd caught him staring more than a few times. He wasn't Elliot. He was handsome enough, he had blond hair and boyish charm, he wasn't too much younger than her but she was his partner and would never go there. She had told herself that nearly every day for years and years and look at where it had gotten her. She sighed and turned on her side, how the hell was she going to be able to sleep knowing he was on the other side of the wall? It wasn't bad enough that after no sleep last night she was super aware of her surroundings, and despite the lock finding it incredibly hard to relax, Elliot had to be right next door to her.

She wanted to tell him that she was sorry, that it simply hurt too much to spend time with him knowing that she couldn't have him. She couldn't have him in the only way she'd ever had him, the only way she's ever known how to have him. He wasn't her partner and when this was over he would go home to his wife and she would have to get over him all over again.

"Liv?"

She looked up as she heard a gentle knock on the door. She thought about ignoring it but couldn't so after a moment or two she walked towards the locked door and opened it. "What's wrong?" she whispered, noting the worried look on his face.

"Can I come in?"

"I just couldn't sleep and I knew you wouldn't be able to, thought we might do a better job sleeping together-" he stopped as he realized what he was saying and she couldn't help but smile. She had missed him so much. He returned the smiled and sat on her bed. "I saw that Kieran guy hanging around outside your room and it just...it made me feel uneasy."

"He's harmless," she told him, sitting next to him on the bed. She had never imagined them being in this situation, they had had only each other for so long and now it was literally all that they had, surrounded by perps and men that would want to harm them if they ever found out about who they really were.

"Liv, he's just got out of prison? For rape?"

"And you forget i'm a cop," she whispered. She knew after sealview that he wouldn't take that as an answer. She hated what that place had turned her into. "He won't try anything while he thinks we're here to make him more money, okay?" she asked, watching as his frown only deepened. "What's going on?"

"Did you ever think it would end like this?" he asked. She looked around the bedroom before turning to him. He sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"You and me?" he asked, noting that as he spoke she looked up at him with a look of surprise. "I thought we'd be partners forever."

"Me too," she sighed, sadly. She couldn't do this with him. Not now. "El-"

"I'm sorry that I left," he admitted. "I'm sorry that I didn't give you more warning. I didn't want to leave I just felt like I had the...the biggest choice to make and I had to do the right thing by my kids."

"And you did," she looked away. She hated knowing that she had to comfort him, to tell him that he'd done the right thing instead of begging him to come back. She wanted to ask him, to tell him that without him she didn't feel like waking up in the morning, that there was nothing to look forward to in the sea of depression and hurt. She wanted to tell him that now that he was gone, she wasn't sure if she could carry on.

"What about you?" he asked, watching as she folded her arms across her chest.

"What about me El?" she asked, unsure of what he meant, of what he wanted her to say. There had been a time, after Gitano, at the hospital when she had uttered those same words, "what about me?" She had left him soon after, something she wasn't sure if even now, he had forgiven her for.

"I just...I imagined us at eighty, still interviewing, still bouncing off of each other-"

"Eighty? You'd have died of a heart attack by then, one of the girls would have brought a punk home, or a perp would have pissed you off and just as you were about to punch him, bang, that'd be it."

"Wow, talk about a blaze of glory." He nudged her knee with his own. "I miss this."

She took a deep breath and turned to him. "I miss it too El, but...it's just the way-"

"I don't wanna hear it, not yet. Can we just...sleep?" he asked, knowing that after last night and now tonight they would need to be on their top form.

"You wanna sleep...here?" she asked, looking at her bed.

"Neither of us will sleep otherwise. What do you say? I promise I'll keep my hands to myself," he grinned.

Two hours later she had yet to close her eyes. Elliot had fallen asleep almost instantly but she just couldn't. Thirty minutes ago he'd mumbled something in his sleep, wrapped and arm around her and pulled her so closely against him that she thought she could feel his heart beat against her back. He must have thought she was Kathy. God, when he woke up there would be hell to pay. He would be embarrassed and therefore an asshole to her. She had dreamt about this. She hated herself for enjoying it, for realising that it actually felt better than she had imagined. To be held by him, to feel so safe... It was torture to know that he would never really understand the true extent of her feelings, she could never tell him. In the morning she would pretend to be asleep, let him shimmy away from her and hopefully they could carry on like normal.

For now she would just allow herself to be held, knowing that it would never happen again. He would be gone soon. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she thought about him not being there when she got back to work. How could he have thought that she would be okay without him?

Because, she wasn't his first priority. His kids weren't okay without him and he had to make things right. She closed her eyes, willing the tears to go away but suddenly the realization of the situation hit her and she wanted to do nothing but cry. Cry because he was holding her, cry because he thought he was holding his wife and if he'd known it was her it would never have happened, cry because tomorrow or the next day wold just be a countdown to the time that he was no longer a part of her life. She was about let go and let the first tear fall when she heard,

"Liv, sleep..."

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