Disclaimer: Still belong to Dick and Tom…lucky bastards…

That's Him

Elliot walked into work the next morning not knowing what to expect. He hoped that Olivia hadn't told anyone what she found out, but he was not going to count on it. Toby had told him that he would be there the whole way and wouldn't be scared off by a little shock and discrimination. He had also told Elliot that the closest people to him, the squad and the captain, wouldn't mind it and would stay with him. Elliot just hoped that Toby was right.

Elliot went and grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down in his desk. He looked around the bullpen and noticed that no one was around. The door to the captain's office was closed and Munch, Fin and Olivia's desks were all empty. He just shook his head and began to work on the paperwork that he didn't finish last night.

He looked up when he heard the door to the captain's office open. Olivia walked out and was followed by Munch, Fin and Cragen himself. Elliot didn't know what to expect. He had never not been included in a meeting before and was hoping that they didn't talk about him.

As Olivia was sitting down at her desk, Elliot noticed that her eyes were red and her cheeks were flush, like she had been crying.

"Liv?" he whispered. When she didn't look up he tried again, "Liv?"

"What?" she snapped.

"Are you okay? You look like you have been crying."

"I'm fine," she said shortly and went back to the file in front of her.

Elliot scratched his head and tried another tactic, "Liv? Are you my partner again?"

Olivia rolled her eyes, "Yes Elliot. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"Sorry. I just didn't know if you were here finishing something else or if you were staying."

"I'm staying El."

"Okay."

Elliot went back to his file, but was still confused as ever. About an hour later his cell phone went off.

"Stabler"

"Hey, how's it going?"

Elliot smiled, "Its going okay."

"El, don't lie to me. Tell me what's wrong. I can hear it in your voice."

"I'm sorry…I just…I don't know," Elliot got out of his seat and went to the crib for a little privacy. "They haven't said two words to me all morning Tobe. I don't know if they are confused or upset or mad or what. When I got here they were all in Cragen's office and I wasn't invited."

"Oh El, I don't know what to say. I mean, I bet that meeting had nothing to do with you."

"Maybe…" he said dejectedly.

"Elliot…would it cheer you up if I came and had lunch with you?"

Elliot smiled, "Yes, but don't come up to the squad. Call me when you get here and I'll meet you down there. I don't want you to be the target of anything."

"El…they're your friends, I'm sure they would be nice. I bet they just have all been busy and haven't had a chance to have a full conversation with anyone."

"Still-"

"El, I am going to come to the bullpen to get you. I don't care what happens. I love you and I want to be there for you if they say anything. Okay?" At Elliot's silence, Toby spoke up again, "Okay?"

"Okay…"

"Well, I need to go and finish the paperwork from the case we finished. I'll be by to get you at around 12:30. I love you."

"I love you too Tobe, with all my heart."

Toby smiled, "Bye El, see ya later."

"Bye Baby." Both men hung up the phone. Elliot stood up from the bunk he had been sitting on and made his way back to the bullpen. Before he started down the stairs he saw Munch and Fin standing next to Olivia's desk talking with her. Elliot cleared his head and walked down the stairs. He got to his desk and sat down. "Hey guys. How's it going?"

"Pretty good, just boring," Fin answered quietly. Munch and Fin made their way back to their desks and sat down.

Elliot looked up at Olivia and noticed that she was looking at him, "What?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly and went back to her work. Elliot furrowed his eyebrows and shrugged. He went back to his files.

Flashback

Cragen's Office

"Liv, what's wrong?" Jon asked her.

Olivia had come in that morning looking as if she hadn't slept and her face was streaked with tears. She shook her head and wouldn't look at any of the three men in the office.

Cragen looked at Jon and Fin, "Was she like this yesterday?"

Both men shook their heads, "No sir. We went to see her yesterday night and welcome her back to the squad, and she seemed fine," Fin provided.

Cragen nodded and looked back at Olivia, "Liv, you need to tell us what is wrong so we can help you."

Olivia looked up a little, "Elliot…" she whispered.

"Elliot? What did Elliot do?" Jon asked.

She shook her head once again, "I called him af…after you guys left. We were talking and then someone kn…knocked…on his door. I didn't hear anything after that. I called his name, but no one answered."

Don looked up when he heard someone pull a chair against the floor of the bullpen, "Elliot's here. Do you want me to get him?"

"No!" she said quickly. "I…After he didn't answer and the call was disconnected…I…went to his apartment to see if he was okay. I…I love him Don, I needed to make sure he was okay."

"I know. I know you love him. What happened that has you so upset?"

"I knocked for like five minutes before he came to the door. I even called his name a few times."

"Maybe he was asleep," Fin suggested.

Olivia shook her head, "He wasn't. He came to the door with his shirt half untucked and his hair sticking up. He looked at me like I had two heads. He was surprised to see me, even though in the short time we talked earlier he said he wanted to.

"Anyway, he came to the door and we talked for like a minute. I asked him who was at the door before and he sorta turned red and his eyes shifted toward the living room sofa. I knew there was someone there, but I…I didn't want to believe he was with another woman."

"He was with another woman?" Jon asked, surprised.

"No, he wasn't. I asked him if whoever it was was still there, and he said yes. So, he let me in to meet this person." Olivia took a deep breath before starting again, "When the door shut, a voice from the sofa said, 'El, baby, who was a the door.' I…I didn't know what to think."

"So, he wasn't alone?"

"No."

"But you said he wasn't with another woman."

"I know. He wasn't. I looked up and there was a man sitting on the couch. I asked Elliot who he was and why he called him baby. Elliot was silent for a few minutes, which allowed mystery man to get up and ask Elliot who I was. El then looked up and said," she took another deep breath. She didn't know if she could get through this.

"What did he say Liv?" Don asked caringly.

"He said, 'Liv…this is my boy…boyfriend Tobias Beecher.' He then introduced me to this Tobias guy. Then the guys was like, 'El, I thought we were past the boyfriends stage,' and Elliot said something like, 'We are…' I don't know. I was so confused."

Munch, Fin and Don all looked at Olivia in disbelief. They couldn't really process what she was saying.

"You said boyfriend?" Fin asked. Olivia nodded, "Elliot has a boyfriend?" he asked again.

"Well, apparently they are more than boyfriends and I think that that guy lives with El too."

The men just stood there, no one knowing what to say to comfort their co-worker.

"I wanted to tell him…I wanted to tell him that I loved him and that I wanted to be more than just his friend and partner. I can't believe I was so stupid that I didn't know he had someone else."

"Liv," Munch spoke up, "No one knew. None of us knew that he had someone, nevertheless a boyfriend, and we have been here the whole time. There is no reason you would have known."

"I love him…I just don't know what to do now."

The men just stood there and stared out the window at Elliot. None of them could believe that Elliot, Mr. Devout Catholic with Four Kids, had a boyfriend.

End Flashback

"El," a voice called out. Elliot looked up and turned toward the doors to the bullpen. He smiled and started to get his things together to go to lunch.

Olivia, Jon, Fin and even Cragen were just watching the scene unfold.

"You ready?" the man asked again.

"Yeah, just hang on while I tell the Cap that I'm going to lunch."

"Okay."

Elliot turned to walk to Cragen's office, but saw the man standing near Munch and Fin's joined desks.

"Cap, is it okay if I go to lunch now? I have all the reports you need almost ready."

Cragen nodded, "Go ahead."

"Thanks," Elliot turned back around and walked over to Toby. The two turned and walked out of the bullpen and out of the precinct.

"Was that him?" Munch asked.

"Yeah, that was him," Olivia said.