Elliot could not see Kathy from his vantage point at the precinct's dinner table. He couldn't believe that she'd simply left while Olivia was singing, and was even more stunned by the fact that he hadn't noticed. He knew that his relationship with Kathy wasn't going so well these days; they bickered about inconsequential things on a daily basis. He was often purposely late coming home, preferring to stay behind at work and tidy up paperwork rather than rushing back to Kathy and the inevitable squabble that would ensue. He'd thought that tonight's formal dinner date would go a long way in smoothing out tensions between them, especially after he gave her carte blanche to purchase her dress. But it was obvious to him now that one fancy date could not undo years of damage. The issues underlying the conflict between them were never resolved; he worked long hours and wasn't always there for his family. Moreover, he couldn't share details of the horrific cases he worked, and bottled it all up instead.

When images of abused and murdered victims flooded his brain, he had to keep it to himself, and not bring it home. In many ways, his job had traumatized him, including sexually. Dealing with so many rape victims had turned him off sex when he'd first started working in SVU, and he hadn't been able to make love to his wife. On the rare occasions that he fucked her, there was no intimacy, merely the gratification of physical needs. After talking to a therapist, he'd finally reached out to his wife again, but the thrill of it was gone. And Kathy hadn't particularly missed it, nor had she been overly receptive when it'd started up again. By then, the emotional bond between them was mostly severed, hanging by a tenuous thread. When 9/11 occurred, the weak remnants of his marriage hadn't been able to withstand his grief and stress, and Elliot had turned to other cops for support. Olivia. He'd turned to Olivia because they'd shared the trauma and horror on that bright, cloudless September morning. He glanced at Olivia now; she appeared concerned.

"I can check the restroom," she offered. "Maybe Kathy's in there." He watched her head in that direction. Elliot took off for the main lobby to search for his wife. Fortunately, his detective skills came in handy and he easily found her waiting by the hotel's large revolving doors. She was wearing her winter coat and peering outside.

"Kathy!" he exclaimed upon seeing her. She whipped around at the sound of his voice and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm going home, Elliot. The valet's bringing the car 'round for me."

"What the hell, Kath?" Other words eluded him. He walked up to her and grabbed her upper arm. "You just walked out without saying a word?"

"No. I tried to get your attention but you were so focused on watching Olivia sing that you didn't even notice." She couldn't keep the hurt out of her words.

Elliot gaped at her, not knowing how to respond.

"The valet's here," she told him. "I'm leaving."

"The hell you are! You can't just walk out on me like that, Kathy. We need to talk." Elliot popped outside and told the valet to hold on. He grabbed a twenty out of his wallet and crushed it into the young man's hand. "Just wait here for now. My wife's not ready to leave."

"Yes, I am!" Kathy pushed past the solid wall of her husband and tried to get into their car, but Elliot pulled her back and forcibly ushered her back into the lobby despite her vocal protests. When they were back in the marbled foyer, he let go of her arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed.

"I'm trying to find out what the hell's going on!"

"Don't you go into cop mode with me, Elliot Stabler. I'm your wife, not a suspect."

Elliot blew out hot air from his nostrils and gritted his teeth. "Right now, I'm not sure what you are, but you owe me an explanation."

"Fine! Fine! You want an explanation? I'll give you one!" she shouted at him. Her cheeks blazed with fury and her eyes glinted dangerously. "Olivia! You have a thing for your partner," she accused.

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Oh here we go again. Don't you think we've beat this topic to death already? It's a dead horse, Kathy." The fights about Olivia had started from the moment she'd become his partner. Kathy had met her and immediately become insecure and suspicious. At first, she'd tried to keep her fears to herself, but was soon unable to let slip the occasional sarcastic or jealous comment. Those were quickly followed by baseless accusations. Elliot's late nights at the precinct hadn't helped his cause one bit.

"Dead horse, my ass," she retorted angrily. "You couldn't keep your eyes off of her tonight. Not that any man could, given that scrap of a dress she's wearing. But you … you were the worst of them. You looked like you wanted to devour her," she cried.

"Kathy …"

"I'm not finished." Kathy swiped at the tears in her eyes and sniffed loudly.

"I think you are," he replied sternly. "Olivia has never done a single inappropriate thing. Don't you dare accuse her."

"I can't believe this," she huffed out. "You're defending her, even now. I can't win." She shook her head sadly, and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"What can't you win? There's nothing to win. You're being paranoid."

"Am I? Really?" Kathy turned on her heel and headed back to the revolving doors.

"Kathy, stop!"

"Why? Why should I stop? I'm going home, Elliot." She picked up her pace and tried to ignore her husband.

"You're just gonna leave me here?" he asked, unable to believe how this evening had turned out.

"No, Elliot. I don't think you understand. I'm not just leaving you here. I'm leaving you." She stopped and faced him with resolve. "Nuh-uh, before you open your mouth and say something stupid again, let me tell you what I see."

He crossed his arms in front of his chest and jutted his chin out. "Okay, fine. Go ahead."

"This isn't easy for me. I know we've been drifting apart for years, and that we got married too young, but none of those things were impossible to overcome. At least not until now."

"Why now?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? You're in love with her." She held out her hand to stop his protests. "And you've been in love with her for years. Deny it if you want, but it's clear as a bell to me. When she sang tonight, it was like the two of you were in your own little world. She's in love with you too. Are you going to deny it?" She threw the challenge out, but he could see that the fight was gone from her now. The steely glint in her eye had faded to a dull gloom.

The weight of Kathy's words slammed into him with the force of a tidal wave. He staggered back, seeking equilibrium. As a matter of habit, his first instinct was to deny her allegations. "It's not …" he sputtered stupidly. "What I mean to say is that she and I are …" he trailed off, seeking new words to explain to her that it wasn't what she was thinking. But the more he wished to convey to his wife that she was wrong, the harder his task became. He rubbed a hand over his face in frustration.

Kathy cocked an eyebrow at him and shook her head sadly. Elliot knew that she wasn't stupid. She'd declared truth, and confirmed the reality they now inhabited. He was in love with Olivia. Desperately. Completely. And Kathy was right-it had been going on for years, ever since those damned airplanes had destroyed the twin towers, taking his marriage down as collateral damage.

"That's what I thought," Kathy said with a sad sigh. "You can't deny it." She headed outside to the waiting car and valet.

A/N: Ok, I lied. This was supposed to be the final chapter, but the story has a life of its own. I wanted to end this chapter after the scene with Kathy, before bringing Liv back into it. That's for the next chapter, okay folks? Hope you are enjoying the story. Please Review. I love reviews. They're like little chocolates made of words. Thank you!