Weeks had gone by since she left. Elliot found himself hiding pictures of her from his veiw. The sight of her made his stomach hurt. She left him. How could she leave him? They were friends, partners, and so much more that remained undefined. And now he sat alone in his apartment hoping her voice would find its way into his head, as it did most nights. He wondered what she would have done different than Dani, and in his head, he played things out. Andrew wouldn't have had a chance to murder the man they were trying to collar for rape. He had a mental chat with her about what he figures she'd have done differently.

"Where were you today, Olivia?" he asked the darkness that surrounded him.

"Why? What happened?" she would have asked, had she been there.

"That girl needed you, and we're going to lose her case because you wanted to play house with the Feds."

"Elliot," she would have groaned. "I'm doing this for myself. Can't you just accept that I am gone?"

"No! I can't!"

"I know. Its the only reason we're talking right now. Because you are fucking crazy."

"I'm not crazy, Olivia."

"Oh yeah? Then who you talking to? I'm God-knows-where and you are alone in that dark hell-hole of an apartment. Yeah, you're Mr. Sanity." Elliot shook her voice from his head. He was doing this to himself. She didn't even sound like Olivia any more, her voice had left his head almost completely. Elliot stood to go find a beer some where in his little hole-in-the-wall apartment. As he neared the kitchen, keys were turning in his lock. He figured Maureen, or perhaps Kathleen, would be checking up on him. Dani didn't have a key, and the only other person who did was-

"Olivia?" he gasped. She was standing in his apartment, in the flesh, and she was beautiful.

"Hey, my apartment was rented out while I was gone. I figured you'd still be at-" Elliot pulled her into a crushing hug that pushed the air from her. "Can't...breath..."

"Sorry," he said, loosening his grip. "Where the hell were you?"

"In court all day, saving our case." Elliot stepped back finally.

"Really?"

"Guilty on all charges," she grinned. Olivia pulled at her pony tail and let her long hair loose about her shoulders

"And the feds?"

"I, uh, I was the worst undercover agent, El," she said, chuckling. "Ended up with a job offer from the people who arrested me at a protest. Got called in for an SVU consult when they thought our group was responsible for a murder."

"I take it you solved it-"

"And saved a few lives."

"You're a great cop."

"And a horrible fed." Elliot laughed. He realized they were standing in the dark still, her keys in the door, which was still opened.

"Go get comfortable. I'll get us something to drink." She flipped the switch, and cockroaches scurried around, hiding under pizza boxes. She screamed a quick yelp. "I haven't been home much. I sleep in the cribs mostly," he sighed. "Let's...go...out for dinner. We'll get a hotel, and I'll de-ick my place tomorrow."

"Yeah...let's go before the hostil take-over begins," she said, laughing at the filth-hole as they left. "Men are so gross," Olivia laughed as they walked down to the elevator. "Why you ataring at me, Stabler?"

"I missed that."

"Me?"

"Your voice. I missed the sound of your voice." Olivia chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Whaaat?"

"You are full of it, Elliot."

"But you love me for it!" She rolled her eyes again and stepped onto the elevator.