A few days later Olivia was walking full speed to the elevator to catch a briefing from Rollins on the Williams homicide. It turns out there was a connection to the Queens murder and there was another detective from their bureau coming in to help them investigate. She was running late because Noah was being especially fussy that morning and she didn't want to leave until she got him settled.
Checking her phone on the way up to the squad room, she sees that she has a missed call and a text message from Ed. She puts her phone away deciding to call him back later once she has this case squared away.

"Good Morning Lieutenant," Amanda greets her as soon as she steps off the elevator. Their hurried steps accompany each other over to the meeting area where Fin, Carisi and Dodds are already waiting. Placing her bag down on a nearby chair, Olivia looks over at the evidence on the board. "Ok walk me through it."

Thirty minutes later, they've identified a suspect and Fin and Amanda are going to go and pick him up. The evidence is circumstantial but she's hoping to at least get a confession or some other details that can lead to more substance so they can obtain a warrant to search his home.

It's a typical day at the 1-6 and now that she has a little time she decides to pick up the phone and give Ed a call back while walking to her office. Her attention is so focused on making the phone call that she doesn't notice the person sitting on her couch.

"Oh," she jumps and hangs up the phone.

"Oh?" Ed cocks his head to the side and stands up adjusting his navy blue jacket that brings out his eyes. "That's the kind of greeting I get?" His stance is firm with his hands in his pockets assessing the surprised look on her face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ouch, it keeps getting better. I can't just stop by?" Shutting the door, he moves closer to her desk.

"You've asked me that before and I will give you the answer I always do. No."

His eyes cast down and he looks almost hurt for a split second and she questions her choice of words.

"It's just that usually when you come around here it's not good news, so spill it."

He shakes his head from side to side thinking about her words. She's not completely wrong. No one likes to see IAB anywhere near their precinct, even if they are secretly dating them. Her laptop is powered up, her belongings in their rightful place and she comes around to sit on the edge of her desk.

"Ok fair enough," he concedes. "How's your case going?"

"It's going well," she answers folding her arms. "But I'm sure that's not why you are here. What's up?"

It wasn't meant to be harsh although he squints a little. The truth is his presence there is a bit unnerving for her especially considering it doesn't seem to be relating to anything professional.

"I had two questions," he moves closer and her outstretched legs are touching his ankle. The proximity makes her nervous. "One was if you were available for lunch today?"

Her eyes widen in surprise and a small smile plays on her lips. "You came all the way down here to ask me that. You could've just text me."

"I did you didn't answer." Her mind immediately goes back to the texts she ignored and curses the floor plan of the new squad room that allows people to walk by the evidence board more unnoticed. "So are you available?"

"You know how things are around here," she circles her desk towards her seat. "I will try but if things get off the ground with this suspect…"

"Understood. You will call me later and let me know?"

"Of course," Olivia nods and gives him another shy smile. Their dynamic although it's changed significantly over the past few months still unarms her. She hasn't been courted in a very long time. Most of her relationships end up in bed pretty early on. This situation with him feels more like a slow burn. Her answer seems to satisfy him and he nods his head in assent.

"And your other question?"

The tension in him rises a notch and it puts her on guard. Whatever the question is it's something that he's not sure about and it makes her tense up instantly.

"So you know Dodds is retiring and apparently there's a little party for it coming up in a couple of weeks," he goes for the air of nonchalance. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

Her eyebrows almost reach the ceiling and her throat is suddenly very dry. Why doesn't she keep water in her office? Or in this case she could use something stronger. Her colleagues will be there, some she knows, a lot she won't and although she's climbed in the ranks and expected to attend these sorts of events, she didn't know if her attendance should be with Ed Tucker.

"I uhh—don't know what to say," she struggles to answer. "We haven't disclosed. Don't you think that would be a bit of a conflict? I mean Dodds will be there, it being his party and all."

The panic is evident in her features despite her best efforts to hide it.

"Yeah you went to an event with him a few months back didn't you?" She's immediately taken aback by his tone. They've never really discussed that night and although she caught a glimpse of him there she didn't know that it was an issue for him. Clearly it was.

"Yes I did and it wasn't a date," she explains carefully. "I just accompanied him there because we had some business to discuss regarding the unit."

He exhales and there is a hint of frustration there but she doesn't want to argue. Things between them have been easy which is the main reason she was interested in pursuing something with him. The last thing she needed in her life was anything that wasn't easy.

"So then just accompany me. The same way you did with him. It doesn't have to be a big deal."

Everything is telling her this is a bad idea but she wants things to progress with him and this is a step in the right direction. They've never attended anything together, even though technically no one would know they are dating.

"Ok," she agrees simply.

He lets out the breath he has been holding and puts his hands in his pocket. "Ok then. Now was that so hard?"

There is a moment of awkwardness because he wants to do some kind of goodbye gesture but she gives him a look reminding him of their surroundings. Even though the door is shut she is not interested in any form of affection at work.

"I guess I will get going then," he points toward the door at the same time someone begins knocking.

They both stand up straight as if there was something they were hiding and she yells for the person to come in.

Their temporary ADA is on the other side of the door. "Pippa hey, I was expecting you."

"I got your email," she explains walking in to greet Ed. "Captain Tucker what are you doing here?" she asks speculatively. Apparently the attorneys were weary of IAB as well.

"Don't worry everything is fine." He walks past her and stops at the threshold to tell Olivia goodbye once again holding up his fingers in the shape of a phone to his ear reminding her to call him about lunch.

"I'm glad you are here. Let me tell you what we have so far."

The two ladies settle in and go over everything with the case.

Olivia missed her lunch plans with Ed because they caught a break with the suspect when Fin and Amanda questioned him. Pippa was able to get a judge to sign off on a search warrant and Dodds went along to oversee that everything was handled correctly. They were wrapping up their meeting when Pippa's phone went off.

"That may be my colleague with some more information on your guy," she says reaching for her phone in her bag. "Oh."

A blush spreads across her face and Olivia fleetingly takes notice. It wasn't her colleague but instead it was a text from Elliot.

Still on for tonight?

They had gone out for coffee the day after their date and had plans to see a movie tonight if nothing else came up at work. She liked him. He was a smart and sexy family man and they seemed to have good chemistry so far.

"I'm guessing based on that look on your face that's not your colleague with my info," Olivia interrupted her.

She hurried and responded back. Yes of course. Looking forward to it.

"Uh no it's not. Sorry about that."

Olivia snickered at the dopey expression on the attorney's face and was happy for her. Her and Pippa had a lot in common between their long work hours and inability to maintain a long lasting relationship because of their careers. "I'm happy for you."

"Hunh?"

"Really," she cocked her eyebrow. "Are you really going to act like that wasn't a guy that was texting you?"

"Ok ok fine," Pippa held her hand up in appeasement. "It was. We've been out a few times and he's really cool."

Olivia nodded her head and didn't ask more not wanting to get into it. They weren't super close and she didn't want to get into her business more so because she didn't want Pippa in hers.

"Good for you," she muttered noncommittally.

Pippa glanced at her watch. It was a little after 4 and there would be a few hours before they heard back about what was discovered with the search warrant. "Hey do you want to go get a drink? On me."

"Normally I'm always up for that," Olivia began thinking about her broken off plans with Ed from earlier. "But I had to cancel some lunch plans and I need to see if I can reschedule for a quick bite."

"Oh," Pippa mutters sounding somewhat disappointed. She wanted to talk to Olivia about some reservations she had about Elliot. She didn't have many girlfriends any more that she kept up with on a regular basis and even though she just met him there was something about him that she really liked.

"Well," Olivia said breaking up Pippa's roaming thoughts. "It looks like I won't be able to reschedule that lunch after all. How about we go and grab that quick drink?"

She threw her phone back into purse after Ed texted saying he was caught up at 1PP.

Pippa was thrilled and they headed out to the bar that most of their colleagues frequented just a few blocks from the station.

An hour and a half later, the warrant ended up being a dead end and there were no leads so Pippa and Olivia were still in the bar talking over drinks. The time went by fast and Olivia was surprised at how much she enjoyed her company.

"He really is the cutest little boy Olivia. I'm glad it all worked out," the redhead comments handing Olivia back her phone with the pictures of Noah displayed. "So he's developing on track and everything? I know he had it pretty rough."

"There were some delays in the beginning," she explains sipping more of her Merlot. "But he's right where he needs to be now. Going to daycare a few days a week has been good for him too. My sitter is on the way home with him now from daycare so I need to get going soon." She looks at her watch again timing exactly how much longer she can stay before she gets home to greet her son.

"I wonder if I will ever have kids," Pippa thinks out loud. It's a fear she's had for sometime that she would get too old to have kids and wouldn't find the right guy to be a father to her children.

Olivia scoffs. "You are what? 40? There's time."

"I'll be 39 in a couple of months and it just gets harder the older you get. Plus I have to meet him, get to know each other, get married and before you know it. I'm 50 years old," she says dramatically and Olivia laughs lightly into her glass.

"Well it doesn't look like you will have to wait too long. Seems like you already met him."

Pippa smiles right away at the mention of Elliot. "I don't know. It's early. I like him but.."

"Buuuuuuuut….." Olivia urges her on.

"Do you feel like this job makes us a little paranoid when it comes to men?" She's earnest with her question but Olivia can't help but chuckle again. Paranoid is the understatement of the year. Amanda asked her once how she manages to trust any man in their job and the truth was she still didn't know how she did. There was one man she trusted...and now he was long gone. Her smile quickly turns into a frown at the fleeting thought of him and she clears her throat to recover. "I think I'm a little past paranoid at this point. I don't think there's a word for it."

Pippa notices the change in her mood but doesn't address it. "I'm doomed."

Her dramatics bring the smile back to Olivia's face. "You're fine. What is it they say? If it's meant to be it will happen."

"Oh good lord," Pippa's rolls her eyes and checks her phone. "Don't hit me with the fairy tale BS Benson. I expected better from you."

"That was the best I can offer you," she mutters apologetically. "Ok ok. What's your concern with him?"

Under normal circumstances she would advise anyone that has concerns about someone a week in to let it go because in the beginning it's supposed to be easy and comfortable. But the truth was for women like them nothing was ever simple or easy when it came to relationships.

Pippa considers her question for a moment not wanting to come off overly juvenile. There was a big concern that cemented itself in the back of her mind.

"Something about his old partner bothers me," she admits. "It came up during our first date. I've tried to bring it back up when I see him and he brushes it off."

They are interrupted momentarily by another round of drinks being brought over and Olivia checks her watch.

"You have to be more specific. What about his old partner? Did he and the guy have issues or something?"

"Well," Pippa smacks her lips and clasps her hands together in front of her. "That's the thing. Said partner was a woman."

"Oh." She sets her glass down knowingly. "You think they had something going on or still do?"

"I don't know. I get the feeling there's some unrequited feelings or something there. I don't know if they went there but I think he wanted to."

Unrequited. This word catches her attention more than anything else. She knows. She's been there. But she's also hoping to steer this conversation somewhere else because the last thing she can actually do is ease Pippa's mind about a complicated partnership between a man and woman with unrequited feelings. In fact she's the poster child for it, but she won't go down that road now. Those are the thoughts that are reserved in those quiet moments that creep into everyday when she's longing and searching for answers that she doesn't believe she will ever quite get the answer to. And that's ok. Because for her sanity it has to be.

"Olivia you still there?" Pippa nudges her with her elbow. She hadn't noticed she zoned out.

"Oh sorry. Well I think you know from our experiences typically when you have a thought about something you are typically right. Go with your gut."

It's a half assed answer but it's all she can offer at this point.

"How was it with you and Amaro? Did it ever get complicated?"

She smiles at the mention of his name and it's bittersweet. She misses him dearly. Her friend for life. They talk here and there but it's not nearly enough.

"It was complicated at times but for different reasons. We butted heads and had trust issues sometimes but that's to be expected with the amount of time we spent together and with the job and everything."

Pippa listens intently until her phone goes off and she sees the text come through. "Oh he just parked. He's on his way in," she announces.

Olivia reaches into her wallet, pulls out a few dollars and slaps it on the table. "Well on that note I need to get going."

"No. Stay. I want you to meet him."

The request is a little bizarre but since she's already there she figures why not. She settles back in her seat even if for a moment and texts Lucy that she's about to head home.

"So that was the deal with Amaro. What about your partner before him? Was that complicated?

Shit. She freezes as if the glock that's on her hip is being aimed at her. This is the last thing she wants to talk about.

"That's a story for another day."

'Like never' she thinks to herself. She has no intentions of talking about Elliot with her or anyone. Ever. That chapters closed and she doesn't plan on going there. Ever.

"Did you guys.." Pippa baits relentlessly and she laughs uncomfortably.

"Another day," she insists and nervously fidgets with her keys. "What's taking that man of yours so long?"

Pippa looks around, her eyes fixed on the door but the patrons are blocking her from having a clear view. Olivia turns around in the booth to look in that direction briefly but doesn't see anyone that would fit Pippa's description. When she turns back around she finishes the last drop of alcohol in her glass and tries to ignore the fact that despite how much she's consumed, her buzz has worn off. She's really built up a tolerance over the past couple of years.

"Oh there he is," Pippa announces waving her hand frantically to get his attention. Olivia steadies herself trying to clear her head before she has to plaster on a fake smile and meet the love interest of a woman she wouldn't even call a close friend.

"Elliot, right here," Pippa says quickly and Olivia's head jerks up immediately. "Elliot?"

Pippa is so wrapped up in the sight walking towards her that she doesn't catch the stunned look on her face.

"Hey you," she stands up and kisses Elliot on the cheek. Olivia is frozen still as the realization hits her like a ton of bricks.

Kids.

Hot.

Used to be a cop.

Complicated relationship with female partner.

Pippa is saying something in the background but it all happens so fast that she thinks she's having an out of body experience. And suddenly the moment is upon her.

"And this is my coworker.."

"Olivia?" Elliot asks and she senses the hesitation in his voice. Her head feels like it's moving in slow motion as she pivots slightly and lifts her eyes to meet his. Immediately she knows there are so many things about him that's changed, his presence here picking up a date is a prime example of that but there's one thing about him that hasn't changed. His eyes. That soft shade of blue that's haunted her dreams more times than she ever wants to admit.

"Elliot," she rasps and the sound of her voice sounds foreign even to her.

Pippa looks back and forth between the two of them confused.

"You two know each other?"

"You could say that," Olivia pipes up after Elliot just stands frozen staring at her with his mouth open. "Elliot was my old partner."