"Elliot," said Captain Cragen the next morning as Elliot entered the sixteenth precinct, a large cup of coffee in his hand. "My office."
Elliot sighed. Great, this was just what he needed right now. He set his coffee on his desk and followed the captain into his office.
Captain Cragen motioned for Elliot to close the door. "Have a seat."
Elliot sat down across from the captain and didn't say anything.
"Elliot," said Captain Cragen gently. "How are you holding up?"
He shrugged. "Fine, I guess. I miss her, but so does everyone."
The captain nodded. "I know this is hard for you, Elliot. If you need a few days off –"
"No," said Elliot. "I think I – I just need to work." He didn't know how to explain it, but he felt closer to Olivia when he was here.
Captain Cragen sighed. "Fine. Oh, and about your new partner, Elliot –"
"What about that?" he snapped. "No one will ever replace Liv."
"I know, but you need a new partner and I can't work with you on every case."
"Who is it?"
"Well, that's the thing, and I need you to be professional about this, Elliot. Whether or not you like her, whether or not she'll ever replace Olivia, and I think she knows better than to try, is irrelevant. Dani's back."