AN: No, the last chapter was not the end, and neither is this one. We're close, but I will let you know when it's over! As always, thanks for reading.

EOEOEOEOEOEO

Elliot could feel the change in Olivia's breathing, and he knew she was starting to wake up. His arm was snaked up between her breasts and he gave her a light squeeze.

"Good morning." He whispered when he felt her start to shift slightly. Elliot buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply.

"Mmmm." Olivia mumbled. One thing she had learned about Elliot over the past month or so was that he was a morning person…quick to wake up. She, on the other hand, was not. Sometimes she found his cheerfulness in the morning a little annoying.

Elliot loosened his grip on her, and slipped his right hand down to her right hip, resting it there. "Our last day in paradise." He said in a teasing tone, but his smile disappeared when he felt her body tense.

Olivia started to slip from his grasp, pushing his hand off her hip as she sat up. Elliot watched as she sat with her back to him, a lighter strip of skin across her back from the strap of her swimsuit. "Hey." He said, running his fingers lightly down her bare skin. Olivia tensed and pushed her right shoulder backwards, and he dropped his hand, getting the hint. "Hey." He said, pushing himself up on his left arm and pulling himself a little closer to her. "What's wrong?" He lay his right hand on the bed next to her, but was careful not to touch her.

Olivia shook her head quickly. "Nothing."

Her quick reply and the shake of her head told Elliot she was lying. "Liv."

Olivia stood up quickly. "I just have to pee."

Elliot watched as her naked form disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind her. He heard the lock, a sure sign that she wanted to be alone. Elliot flopped back down on the bed, trying to think through everything that had happened last night. He honestly couldn't think of anything. They'd had a wonderful day…much like all the others. She had been fine when they had finally drifted off to sleep. And it was too early in the morning for him to have fucked anything up yet. Elliot threw one arm over his eyes and let out a sigh. Since he had no idea why she was upset, there was no way for him to fix it. He was stuck with waiting her out.

He lifted his arm when he heard the lock pop, and saw Olivia walking out of the bathroom, tying the sash of a white, silky robe. She didn't look at him as she passed the bed. "I really don't feel like going down to breakfast this morning." She said. She kept walking towards the open doors of the balcony. "Maybe we can just order room service." She disappeared behind the flowing curtains that were flapping softly with the light morning breeze.

"Um. Sure." Elliot said sitting up. He wasn't even sure if she heard him, but he assumed she was leaving it up to him to order. His cargo shorts were lying on a chair and he grabbed them and pulled them on. The phone was near the bed, so he sat down and grabbed the receiver, ordering coffee and breakfast for two. After he hung up, he sat on the edge of the bed, trying to give her some space. But after a few minutes, he couldn't take it anymore and he stood up and walked to the doors. When he pulled the curtains back, he saw Olivia leaning against the balcony with her arms outstretched. Elliot walked out and stood next to her, mimicking her stance.

The sun was still working its way up in the morning sky, promising another beautiful day. There were a few people running along the beach, and hotel workers were rearranging chairs and cleaning up the beach, preparing for another busy day.

Elliot took it all in for a minute, stealing a glance over at Olivia. After a few minutes, he broke the silence. "Breakfast should be here in a little while."

"Good." She said, never looking at him.

Elliot sighed, and pushed himself off the railing. "Liv…" He turned around and leaned back, crossing his arms across his chest. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Nothing."

"Then look at me." He leaned over slightly, trying to catch her eye. Olivia finally looked over at him…a sideways glance under a wave of hair…and then she looked away.

"Olivia." He reached out and touched her lightly on the shoulder. "Talk to me."

Olivia let out a breath, like she'd been holding it in, and turned sideways to face him. She leaned her hip against the railing and fiddled with the sash of her robe. "I just…I don't…" She let out another heavy sigh. "I don't want to go back."

"I know. I could get used to this." Elliot flashed a smile.

Olivia shook her head slightly and looked down at the ground. "No. I mean…" She looked back up at Elliot. "I don't want to go back to New York."

Elliot hesitated for a minute, trying to figure out exactly what she was saying. He remembered how she tensed up when he said it was their last day. It must have brought back the reality of the situation they were facing when they got back. "We have a lot of tough decisions to make."

Olivia raked her hand through hair. "Yeah." She swallowed hard. "It just feels like the end. Working with you…it's what I've known for so long. I'm proud of everything we've accomplished. We were good as partners El. Maybe even great."

Elliot nodded as she spoke.

"I don't know if I can do this job without you." Olivia said. She had been trying not to think about what would happen when they got back to the city, but Elliot's words this morning had forced her to face reality.

"Of course you can." Elliot said. He paused for a second before he spoke again, watching as Olivia shook her head again and looked back out towards the beach. "But did you ever think that maybe this should be the end? That maybe it's time to do something else?"

Olivia looked back at him and turned to face him again. "What? No."

"Olivia. Just listen to me." Elliot saw her watching him, a pensive look on her face. "I've been thinking about it this week. I haven't seen you smile this much in a long time. You're happy."

"Of course I'm happy. We're on vacation."

"Yeah, I know. But you don't want to go back. Maybe that's telling you something."

"I'm not questioning my job El." Olivia said, a little anger in her voice. "I'm just saying that I don't want our partnership to end."

Elliot pushed himself off the railing and turned more fully towards her. "I know." He said, placing his hands lightly on her shoulders. "I don't want to see it end either. But you know that's not an option." He furrowed his brow. "Unless…"

Olivia shook her head. She knew what Elliot was thinking. "El, I'm not saying that." She cupped his face with her left hand briefly before she let it drop again. "I'm not giving you up." She gave him a small smile, but then let it drop. "But one of us is going to have to leave."

"That's what I'm saying Liv. Maybe it's time for both of us to leave." He leaned down and looked into her eyes. "I feel like maybe it's time. Every victim…I feel like they take a little piece of you."

"They don't. Getting justice for them is what keeps me going." She pressed her lips together. "I'm not done…I have to…there's more to do." Olivia said.

"You can't stop them all Olivia." Elliot said quietly. He knew that a lot of what she did was driven by what happened to her mother. "Your mother would be proud of what you've accomplished Liv. And she would want you to be happy."

"You're the one saying I'm not happy." There was an edge in her voice.

Elliot put his hands up, as if in surrender. "OK. I'm just asking you to think about it. There are other ways you can make an impact." He saw Olivia had her jaw set, and he knew it wasn't the time to push it. He wanted to enjoy their last day here…they would have to deal with the reality of their situation soon enough. "Just tell me you'll think about it."

Olivia understood what he was asking her, but she had never seriously considered leaving SVU. She didn't answer his question. "The fact that you're bringing this up makes me think you've thought about it."

Elliot scrubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah."

"Before…this?" Olivia waved her hand between the two of them.

Elliot nodded his head. "Yeah." He admitted. "A few times." He saw the look on her face and he felt bad about his admission. "But not seriously. Just some of the cases…" He let out a huff. "They hit hard. Ya' know?"

Olivia turned back to the railing and looked down at the beautiful beach. She knew what Elliot was saying. All the cases were hard, and each one left their mark on them. She had moments where she questioned the futility of it all, but never wavered in her faith in what they were doing. It didn't bother her that Elliot had thought about leaving. What bothered her was that maybe the only reason he hadn't left was because of her. She didn't want to be the cause of his misery.

Elliot knew what she was thinking. He moved closer to her, and put his hand on her lower back, rubbing gently back and forth. "We don't have the decide anything right now." He placed a kiss on shoulder and then moved behind her, placing his right hand on her shoulder and sliding it down her arm. "Let's just enjoy our last day here." He slid his arm around her waist. "OK?"

Olivia sighed. Now that all of this had come up, it was hard not to think about it. They had a lot to talk about.

"Let reality go…just for one more day." He used his left hand to brush her hair back from her face and he placed a kiss on her temple. He felt Olivia relax against him and he smiled.

"OK." She said softly. "We'll deal with reality tomorrow." She turned her head and Elliot captured her lips, kissing her gently. He turned her around so she was facing him and she felt his hands slide up shoulders and neck until he was cupping her cheeks. Her eyes never left his.

"Whatever happens Liv…it's going to be OK. Because we'll be together."

EOEOEOEOEOEO

Elliot was leaning against the headboard with a tray of food on his lap, picking at his eggs. He glanced over at Olivia, just as she took a bite of bacon. He chuckled. "Did you ever think we'd be these people?"

"What kind of people?" Olivia said, the words mumbled since her mouth was full.

"The kind of people that lounge around all day and eat breakfast in bed."

Olivia swallowed and then laughed lightly. "Well, we are on vacation. It's not like we're going to be doing this every day."

"I wish."

"You'd be bored." Olivia said, taking another bite.

"If I could stay in bed with you all day, every day, believe me…I wouldn't get bored."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "That wasn't what we were talking about." She glanced over at him. "Besides, I couldn't handle that. I haven't had this much sex…" She thought about it for a second. "Ever."

"And the days not over yet." Elliot said, grinning as he took a big bite of eggs.

"It is." Olivia said, shaking her head. "At least when it comes to sex."

Elliot leaned over and kissed her on the temple, slipping his right hand inside her robe and over her breast. "You say that, but you can never resist me." He teased, kissing her again. He started to massage her breast and moved his mouth farther down, when the dishes on his tray starting sliding. He moved quickly to grab the contents of the tray before it spilled.

Olivia laughed. "Smooth."

"Fine. Just wait until we're done with breakfast. We have at least four hours until we have to leave to catch our flight."

"I'm going to catch a coupla more hours on the beach." Olivia said, finishing up her orange juice. She looked over at Elliot and saw the disappointed look on his face. She placed her right hand on his cheek. "El…don't pout. I'm sorry, but I'm just…" She was embarrassed to tell him that she was sore. Elliot had been particularly enthusiastic the night before. She never wanted him to think he had caused her discomfort, and she had been more than a willing participant. But it wasn't just last night. The amount of sex they'd had in the past four days that had finally caught up with her. "I need a break."

Elliot furrowed his brow. "Did I hurt you?" He set his tray on the table next to him and turned back towards her.

"Stop. I'm fine." Olivia said as Elliot twisted in place to face her. "I'm just saying…today I'm going to catch a few more hours of sun, pack up and then we have to go."

"You should have said something." Elliot said.

Olivia plucked a slice of bacon from her plate and shoved it in Elliot's mouth as he started to say something else. "I just did."

EOEOEOEOEOEO

Olivia had finished packing and she stood out on the balcony, taking the view for the last time. The beach was busier now that it was mid-afternoon, and she stared wistfully at the people lounging near the water. The past four days had gone quickly, and she wished they had been able to take a week. But she knew they had been lucky that Cragen let them take the days he had.

Elliot strolled out onto the balcony and wrapped his arms around her. The light wind was blowing her hair, and he placed a kiss on her bare, sun-kissed shoulder. "You're glowing." He said.

Olivia laughed. "Is that a thing?"

"It is." Elliot said. "All the sun…your skin looks amazing. You're smiling." He slid next to her, his hand resting in the small of her back. He grinned as Olivia looked up at him. "And I love your freckles."

Olivia put a hand up to her face, blushing slightly. "I hate my freckles."

"They're adorable."

"Don't ever call me adorable Stabler." Olivia said, teasing with a stern tone. "If the guys ever hear you say that, I'll lose my reputation as a badass detective."

"I promise." He said, placing a quick kiss on her nose. "Don't want to ruin your rep."

Olivia turned to face him, and slipped her arms around his waist. She tipped her head up slightly to look up at him, and Elliot kissed her. It was sweet and slow, and she realized how much things had changed for them in the past few days. She would give up everything to be with him…whatever the future held, she was ready for it. "I love you Elliot Stabler." She said, when he had released her mouth.

"That's good, because I'm crazy about you." He captured her lips again and kissed her in the warm afternoon sunshine, feeling like the luckiest man alive.

EOEOEOEOEO

They were waiting to board the airplane, and Olivia fished her cellphone out of her bag.

Elliot grabbed it from her hand. "Remember…we're still on vacation until we land in New York."

"Seems to be you used your phone two days ago." Olivia snapped back. She didn't really want to check her messages…she was happy to wait a few more hours to rush back into reality.

"Just to call the kids. I didn't even look at my messages." Elliot said, handing her phone back to her. He watched as she slipped it back into her bag, surprised at her compliance. He was about to say something, when he heard them call for boarding.

It was a relatively peaceful ride home. Everyone on board was returning from vacation, and they were either somber about the return, exhausted from their vacation, or so relaxed they were napping. There were no crying babies or business people pecking away on a computer, and Olivia slept on Elliot's shoulder most of the way back. He woke her gently when they started their descent into the city, and he heard Olivia let out a sigh. He knew how she was feeling…he felt his stress level start to escalate slightly just at the thought of the chaos at JFK and the fight through traffic back into the city.

They found their bags and worked their way out to the taxi line. They had to wait almost 20 minutes, and they were both quiet as the took in the sounds of the city. When they had finally settled into the back of the cab, Olivia pulled her phone out of her bag.

"You're going to be sorry." Elliot teased. "Officially, we're still on vacation. You should wait until tomorrow morning."

"I can't." Olivia said. "Now that we're back, I need to know what's in store for us." She fully expected a call or two from IAB, or from Cragen, even though he knew they were gone until tonight. She powered up her phone, and waited a few seconds as the messages loaded. She checked her phone app first, and saw she had five missed calls and three voicemails. All from yesterday. That was more than she had expected. She opened up the app and saw that to her surprise, three of the calls were from Chloe, and two were from Cragen. She clicked on the message from Cragen first.

"Olivia, I know you're not in town right now, but I need you to call me as soon as you get this message."

The second message was pretty much the same.

"Olivia. I know I already left a message, but I need you to call me before you talk to anyone else."

Olivia looked at Elliot. "Somethings wrong." She was tempted to call Cragen right away, but she wanted to hear the other messages. She clicked on the first message from Chloe, which had come in between Cragen's.

"Olivia. It's Chloe. I need you to call me back right away."

The next message was pretty much the same, so Olivia deleted it. The next message was more frantic. Chloe sounded like she was in a full-blown panic.

"Olivia! Where the hell are you? Why haven't you called me back? We need you!" There was a momentary pause. "Amy's been arrested. They're charging her with Jason's murder!"

"What the hell?" Olivia asked in disbelief.

"What's going on?" Elliot asked, seeing the panic in Olivia's face.

Olivia hit the speaker button on her phone, and replayed the message for Elliot. She shook her head the entire time.

"That can't be right. They looked into it, and decided she wasn't involved. She was in Boston." Olivia said.

"They must have found something." Elliot said. "They wouldn't arrest her for no reason."

"God…no. Amy wouldn't…she couldn't. It's not possible." Olivia said, staring at the phone. She looked back at Elliot. "This can't be right."

"It's OK Liv." Elliot said. "We'll figure it out." He tapped the taxi driver's shoulder. "Change in location." He said, and rattled off the number of the 16th precinct.

"No!" Olivia said. "We need to go to the 12th."

"Let's go to the house and talk to Cragen. Then we can decide what to do." Elliot said.

Olivia considered what he said for a moment and then nodded. "OK." She said, her voice a whisper. The vacation…the sun…the sand…was all forgotten. The only thing she could think about was Amy and the trauma she was going through right now. She looked out the window for the rest of the ride. "Welcome back to New York." She whispered.