She lied.

The wait took longer than she'd originally intended or really wanted. Between Zachary Scott recanting his statement, Chief Dodds beckoning her to COMSTAT and Noah developing another ear infection, she'd trudged through a pair of pretty trying weeks. She and Elliot had texted and shared a few late-night phone calls but hadn't occupied the same space since dinner at her place. She'd reluctantly agreed to lunch with him today although she knew it wasn't wise to slip away from the squad under these conditions.

He rounded the corner and entered the squad just in time to see her office door open and her step into the bullpen with Trevor Langan.

"Okay Olivia, I'll be in touch," he heard Langan say.

"I appreciate it," she responded.

Elliot watched her smile affectionately at and then run her hand down the arm of the towering attorney with the square jaw and piercing eyes. As his blood pressure rose, he soon found himself face to face with the man himself. Langan did a double-take, having not seen Stabler in years.

"Hey … uh … Stabler."

Elliot didn't smile or act as if he was happy to see the man. Instead his eyes cut like daggers as he offered a single word in response. "Langan."

Olivia saw him coming so she waited at her office door until he approached. He followed her into the office as she went straight for her desk drawer to grab her purse. She'd been happy to see him until she spun on a dime as soon she heard how violently he'd slammed the door behind them, leaving the slatted blind to clatter against the doorframe.

She knew this look on his face. It was predatory and possessive. She hadn't seen it in quite some time, and she hadn't missed it one damned bit.

"Is there a problem?" she asked him.

He scoffed a little, positioning his hands on his hips and delivering his words in confrontation. "So what's that all about?"

"What's what all about?"

"You and Langan seem pretty touchy feely there," he pressed. "How long's that been going on?"

She went from annoyed to flat out pissed in 2.4 seconds.

"You know what … lunch is off," she said, dropping her purse back into her desk drawer and kicking it shut. "The other night was nice. Really nice. But you don't get to do this. You can't come busting in here and start banging on your chest. I've got a squad to run so … just … go!"

Fin had heard the yelling so he knocked on her office door but didn't wait for her answer before he swung the door open to see her and Stabler squaring off across her desk.

"Everything okay in here?"

She lifted her palms off her desk and leaned back upright, her eyes traveling from Fin and back to Elliot. She challenged him with her glare and then her words.

"I don't know. Elliot, is everything okay in here?"

Fin side-eyed Stabler and immediately recognized his bullshit body language. He'd seen it so many times before, more than a few times over Olivia.

"Same old Stabler, huh?"

Elliot turned to him and barked, "Oh fuck you, Fin. Something you need?"

Fin squared his shoulders and took a step forward. Olivia suddenly found herself stepping between them as she'd done so many times before. She moved toward her office door to usher them both out. "You," she said motioning to Fin, "back to work. And you," she said scouring Elliot as if she couldn't stand the sight of him. "Just out."

Fin reluctantly backed away toward the open door. He questioned Olivia with his eyes.

"It's fine," she told him.

Fin left them alone, so she softened her tone and tried to deescalate this thing with Elliot.

"Look, Langan's part of a really good thing that happened to me. He's one of the good guys now," she explained. "That doesn't mean I'm sleeping with him. But even if I was, it's none of your damned business."

Elliot never knew when to quit, especially when it came to her. "But you've thought about it?"

"Christ Elliot," she huffed, turning away from him to gather herself. She spun back to him and barked, "Do you see him?" He followed her finger to see her pointing to a framed photo of Noah on the credenza behind her desk. "Do you?"

"Yeah," he said so quietly she had to strain her neck to hear him.

"It's not about you," she said poking a finger into Elliot's chest. "It's about him. From here on out it's about him. You can figure out where you fit or … you can just disappear again."

"Liv …" he began.

She was annoyed that he was actually going to speak. Now her hands were perched firmly on her hips while she waited to hear what he might dare to say.

"I've missed you so much, and now I've got you back, and I just …"

"Yeah well … I haven't missed this," she said motioning between them.

For a moment they just stared at each other. She hadn't missed his jealous bullshit. She'd seen so much of it when he was married and had absolutely no right to be jealous, so she had zero tolerance for it now. He'd worn out that welcome years ago. But she was tired, so tired, and she didn't have it in her to fight.

"You told me when you first showed up here that you care about what happens to me," she said. "So do you?"

He was surprised at her question. "Of course I do."

"If you really, really care, you won't do this. You won't push this," she explained. "You'll just go and let it be for another day."

He looked around the room over her shoulder. At the big desk that was now hers, littered with case files. At the photo of her saluting at her promotion ceremony. At Noah. And then back to her beautiful chocolate eyes that seemed to be pleading with him. He didn't say another word. He silently opened the door, slipped through it and closed it behind him.