A/N: I originally intended this to be a one-shot, but I couldn't get this out of my head. I'm still on the fence about how it came out, but here goes nothing...

I get back in my car still reeling from what has just transpired. She's moved on? There's a new man in the picture? Somehow, it just doesn't feel right, but I guess it's not really my place to comment on it anymore. That much was just made perfectly clear to me. When I think about it, I really shouldn't be surprised that Kathy has found someone else. After all, she is an attractive woman with a great personality. It was bound to happen eventually, but I'd figured it wouldn't have been so soon.

Defeated, I direct my car back toward my lonely apartment after momentarily considering going back to the station. At least then, I wouldn't be totally alone. There's always paperwork waiting for me there to keep me company. At this time of night, the drive is relatively short and I manage to make it "home" in better time than normal; a fact that I'm not comforted by. All that means tonight is a few more minutes for me to consider what just occurred. I pull up the emergency brake and shift the car into park. My hands find their way into my hair and I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding. I find myself wondering what I'm supposed to do now that my plans have gone so totally awry. Suddenly, the answer pops into my head: coffee. Not that crap Munch makes either. Good coffee. Pleased with myself, a small smile finds its way to my lips, then fades almost as quickly as it appears. This is not the time to be smiling, regardless of the reason behind it.

I get out of the car and shove my hands deep in my pockets, trying to find a way to keep warm. It feels like snow is in the air tonight and of course, I left my gloves at the station. Perfect. The walk to the coffee shop is already a short one, but goes by even faster because of the rapidly dropping temperature. As I reach for the handle of the door, it flies open, knocking me off balance. I manage to catch myself before falling and start lashing into the patron on the other side. "Do you think you could manage to watch where you are going next time?!"

"I'm sorry, sir! I was in a rush to get back to work." As soon as the words leave her mouth, I know who is standing in front of me.

"Olivia?"

She blinks for a moment, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting outside the shop.

"El? What are you doing here? I thought you went home hours ago," she says as she smoothes her hair.

"Needed a fix," I explain with a shrug. "Why don't we go inside? It's freezing out here."

I pull the door open and gesture for her to enter the coffee shop. Once inside, I rub my hands together, desperately trying to generate some heat between them. "Why don't you get a table while I get myself some caffeine, Liv?"

She nods and does as asked, finding a small booth by the window. A perky clerk whose nametag reads, "Hailey" takes my order and assures me it will be ready in no time. A few minutes pass before Hailey signals me that my drink is ready. I retrieve it from the high bar and make my way toward Olivia. I slide into the booth opposite her and unzip my jacket.

"Sir?" I ask with a smirk. "That's one I've never heard you call me before, Liv. Kinda sexy though."

She almost chokes on her coffee, then retorts, "Well, I wouldn't get used to it. Had I known it was you on the other side of that door, I would have offered to kick your ass instead."

"No surprise there. Seriously though, what are you still doing at work? Don't you know the meaning of 'quitting time'?"

"Very funny, Elliot. Paperwork is what I was doing, Dad," she explains as she traces the top of her coffee cup with her pointer finger.

"I knew you could never stick with the Chai tea bullshit you were drinking. Nice to see some things are getting back to normal."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I still have a job and a coffee-drinking partner that's got my back. That's a start," I explain.

A comfortable silence falls between us and we enjoy the remnants of our drinks. Olivia finally breaks the quiet. "Are you all right, Elliot? You've just been on quite a roller coaster ride."

"I was doing fine until I went to the house tonight to talk to Kathy," I begin to explain. "I've been doing a lot of thinking with everything that's been going on. You know, questioning my priorities and decided I wanted to give it another try with her. I felt like I owed it to her--to us--since I really didn't give it that much of an effort before, you know?"

She nods slowly in understanding. "What happened? Did you two have a fight?"

I take a moment to collect my thoughts, then continue. "I was so happy on the way over there tonight. It felt like, for the first time in a long time, I knew exactly what I wanted. When I got there, we talked for a few minutes; I told her how I was feeling and asked if I could come home. I was so sure of her answer, Liv, so goddamn sure--but she throws a real curveball at me. She says she and the kids have moved on and that it's my turn to do the same. Here I was asking her for another chance and she's telling me that there's no hope. It just seems so fucking backwards."

I put my head in my hands and hide my face, suddenly ashamed of the emotion that I am showing to my partner. I'm not supposed to fall apart like this, not in public and certainly not in front of her. I'm not sure this night can get much worse.

Olivia reaches out and pulls my hands from my face, enclosing one between her hers. "I'm sorry, El. I wish it would have worked out like you'd hoped. But hey, maybe in time, you'll see the situation with new eyes. You want Kathy to be happy right?"

"Yeah," I respond with a nod. "But I was hoping I would be the one to make her happy, not some new guy."

"You never know, she might find out that it is you that makes her happy; she might not. Right now, what you need to concentrate on is you. Find out what makes you happy for a change. You've spent the majority of your life doing things for everyone else first and yourself last. Now you have the chance to see what it's like on the other side. Does being alone suck sometimes? Absolutely. Are you ever really alone though? Never. There are a ton of people who are always there for you, whether or not they're physically by your side. You know you can call me any time, day or night. And as scary as the thought might be, the same goes for Munch and Fin, too."

"I know that, but tonight, I was hoping to put my family back together. I never wanted this for them."

"Elliot," Olivia says as the tugs my hand, indicating I should look at her. "Listen to me: no one gets married with the hope of getting a divorce some day. Your kids know that. They understand that the situation is hard on everybody. Don't you think that it's best for them not to have to go through it twice? With all the crazy stuff going on recently, maybe that's what Kathy was thinking too. Give it some time and if you still feel the same way, talk to her again. What could it hurt? Don't make a rash decision based on what's been going on recently."

I take a moment to collect my thoughts before answering her. "You know, Kathy said something along those same lines: 'not wanting to go through it twice'. What makes her think that history would repeat itself? Don't I deserve better than that?!"

"Yes, El, you do. And for that matter, so does she. Think about that and everything that's been said tonight. After you've done that, you've got a tough decision to make. If she's what you really want, you have to fight for her. If not, I'm sure you'll find someone else to love. Don't get me wrong; it will take time, but it will happen."

She squeezes my hand and rises from the table. "I meant what I said before; I have to get back to work. That paperwork isn't going to finish itself."

I rise from the table, her hand still in mine from before and pull her toward me. I wrap my arms around her and feel her stiffen for second before reciprocating the gesture. We stay that way for a few seconds, then break apart. "Thanks, Liv."

"You're welcome," she says as she zippers her coat and wraps her scarf around her neck. "If you're up to it, I sure could use some help with that paperwork...after all, it is from our cases."

"Yeah," I say with a laugh. "You've got it."

We leave the coffee shop and I can't help but feel that despite everything that went wrong today and in the last few days, better days are on the horizon. I can't help but smile as I see the tiny snowflakes starting to fall from the dark sky on our way back to the precinct. It makes me certain that change is in the air; and reminds me that not all change is bad.