Ok, I do not own these characters. I'm assuming Executive Producer Dick Wolf does. If not...well...I told you I didn't. No suing teh Mewkey please.

One Year Later…

It was strange how walking into the squad room after all this time felt so…natural. Without thinking about it, Olivia deposited her keys and purse on her old desk as she greeted the detectives she had once been close to.

"Might not want to put your stuff there, Benson," Det. John Munch said with a smirk as he gave her a quick hug hello. "New 'tec doesn't like her space messed with."

"She's going to have to deal," Olivia replied, laughing. "That desk was mine before it was hers."

"So what brings you back to the one-six?"

"Cragen called me in to help TARU track a couple websites for a case. Apparently they need more computing power than they have access to."

"Well, it's nice to have you back," Fin said. "Squad ain't the same without ya, baby girl."

Fin engulfed her in a massive bear hug, and she glanced over his shoulder at the silent figure of her old partner. He hadn't said a word, hadn't even looked up, since she walked in. Olivia pulled away from Fin and walked over to Elliot's desk.

"How've you been?" she asked softly.

"Busy, since I finally got off desk duty a few months back."

Olivia stiffened a little, not missing his reproachful tone, and turned on her heel, gathering her things and stalking out of the room to meet the TARU tech she was supposed to be working with.

"See you later, Munch…Fin," she called over her shoulder.

..::**|~|**::..

Three days, two deleted child pornography websites, and about a ton of paperwork later, Olivia was back in the squad room saying goodbye. Elliot was conspicuously absent.

"You sure you gotta go, Liv?" Fin asked.

"Yep. Sorry, guys, one time only return engagement as a favor to an old friend." She smiled slightly as Capt. Cragen gave her a one-arm hug around the shoulders. "I'm a damn sight happier over at Computer Crimes anyway."

Lie…there hadn't been one night in the last 12 months she hadn't cried herself to sleep.

"Oh, come on Liv," said Munch. "You know you miss all the glamour."

"Nah. I've got all the glamour I can handle. Besides, if I left them to come back to you my new computer nerd friends would feel just as betrayed as you guys do now."

Lie…seeing as she hadn't so much as said good morning to any of the "computer nerds" since transferring…

"They'd get over it. We need you."

Olivia turned around slowly to see Elliot standing behind her, his face expressionless. He looked straight into her eyes, and she saw pain there. She faltered for a moment. She felt her resolve crumbling. The carefully-hidden strain of working so close to him, even for only three days, was threatening to overwhelm her. She had to get out of there. She knew what lay down the path those eyes were tempting her to follow, and she did not want to get caught up in it all again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, shaking her head.

Elliot clenched his jaw slightly and walked out of the squad room toward the elevators. Olivia sighed, fighting to keep her composure.

"I…I've got to get going, guys. I'll see you around sometime, ok?"

There was a chorus of goodbyes behind her as she walked out of the squad room. By chance, Olivia happened to get to the elevators just as Elliot was getting on. He started to turn toward her, and she elected to take the stairs. She was walking so fast she ran into ADA Alexandra Cabot, nearly knocking her down.

"Whoa, hey, Benson, watch where you're going!"

"Sorry, Alex. I…I wasn't paying attention…"

Tears were beginning to spill down Olivia's cheeks.

"Hey, it's ok! No harm done, not even a broken heel. No need for the waterworks!"

"No, Alex, it's not this…it's…"

Olivia let out a small sob and pressed her hand to her mouth, fighting to regain control. Alex put a concerned hand on Olivia's shoulder.

"What is it, Liv? Is everything ok?"

"No, everything is not ok."

"What happened? Tell me."

"I saw Elliot and I damn near fell apart. I can't believe he can still do that to me."

"Olivia Benson loves hard and doesn't give up easily, we all know that. You don't have to beat yourself up over it."

"It's not just that. It's the fact that I know, deep down, he's the one. I thought I'd be ok working here for a couple days. I wasn't even going to be working with him directly, you know? But it's been harder than I thought it would be. Every time I saw him these last few days it's just reminded me that someone got him before I did. Not only that someone got him before I did, but that somehow in the middle of it I had him, and I gave him up!"

"You had to. It was adultery, Olivia. It was wrong, and you're both better than that. You did what you had to do."

"And what am I supposed to do now? God, a year later and it still feels like it just happened yesterday. I don't know how to get over this, and believe me I've tried."

Olivia's chest tightened a little as she fought to keep her voice down.

"Liv, hon…you can't keep doing this to yourself. I know it's tough but you'll pull through. You're pretty tough yourself…you'll make it."

"I've got to go…I can't talk about this anymore."

"Go home. Take a bath. Try to relax. Call me if you need me, ok?"

"Thanks, Alex."

As Alex turned to walk toward the squad room, she suddenly found herself face to face with Elliot. From the look in his eye, she knew he had heard everything Olivia had said.

They stood stock still for what seemed like an eternity, staring at one another. Elliot finally broke the staring contest and made a move to run down the stairs after Olivia. Alex put out a restraining hand.

"Don't go after her," Alex said. "Don't talk to her. Don't see her. Just forget everything you heard."

"How the hell am I supposed to forget all that?" Elliot replied evenly.

"Find a way. Believe me, Stabler, it's better for everyone if you just pretend you never heard that."

"Not going to happen, Counselor."

"What gives you the right to intrude on her private emotions?"

"I love her."

"Be that as it may, you're still married."

"No. As of 8:30 this morning, I'm not."

Elliot plunged a hand into his coat pocket, pulling out a tangle of official court documents. He threw them at Alex's feet before pushing past her and running down the stairs. She bent to pick them up, glancing through them.

It was Elliot's divorce decree.