Let's see if we can make more sense of these Tuckson scenes in episode 18, Unholiest Alliance. No, this story is not for Tuckson shippers. I didn't choose my screen name by accident :)
(PS. I know Olivia wasn't suspended but transferred, but since it turned out to be such a short transfer, I decided to stick with the suspension I threw in in chapter 2.)

The squad had been ordered to follow up on the allegations against Ed Tucker. Olivia was appalled at the lengths so-called men of God would go to protect their sordid business. They were ruining these girls' lives knowingly and were closing ranks fast 'for the good of the church'. Right. It was nauseating.

She had confronted Barba and while he didn't want to talk to her, he admitted he had told 1PP about her friendship with Ed. She had met up with Ed outside the offices of IAB and he was very restless. She couldn't blame him. Even sister Nina had bailed out and had left town. She was relieved to find that sergeant Dodds was on their side and was keeping her in the loop, off the record of course. At least he wasn't in on the massive cover-up so her squad was in good hands for now.

Elliot had called her back and they had agreed to meet up at a bar near where he lived now, since she had some time on her hands now. Olivia didn't know the bar, but when Ed texted her if they could meet, she gave him the same address. She could catch up with Ed before meeting Elliot. Then Dodds called her, asking to meet her as well and she grinned. Boy, was she popular today. She gave Dodds the same address and the time she was meeting Ed, so he could bring them up to speed together.

Ed was shocked to see pictures of his cousin in very compromising positions with a muscular young man, on the church altar no less. A scorned lover had informed Monsignor Mulregan about it too and the Monsignor was no doubt blackmailing cousin Eugene with the pictures. Things were gradually beginning to make sense again and both Ed and Olivia were relieved that Dodds and the team were continuing to dig until they'd get to the whole truth. They would use Eugene's 'trainer' to draw him out and see if he would be willing to turn on his blackmailers after all.

Olivia and Ed had another drink together and when Ed had to go, she told him she was meeting Elliot in fifteen minutes. Ed put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her.

"It'll be good for you to have some distraction. You don't need all my crap in your life anyway," he said kindly. She was still amazed sometimes at how much things had changed between them. She put her hand over his on her shoulder and squeezed it encouragingly.

"Things will all work out Ed. You heard Dodds. The net is closing around these priests. You'll be cleared soon."

"Thank you, Olivia," Ed said sincerely. "It means a lot to me that you never stopped believing in me."

They said goodbye and Olivia sent a quick text to Lucy to make sure she was still picking up Noah from daycare, since she wasn't sure exactly how her appointment with Elliot would go, and she didn't want to be pressed for time. It had been ages since they really talked. Their last contacts had been a few phone calls. She hadn't even expected it anymore when he had called her out of the blue the first time, about eight months after his retirement. He had apologized to her for leaving without a word and she'd been so relieved to hear from him that she hadn't been able to get angry with him then. She'd been angry afterwards but since he had basically called to let her know he was moving away with Kathy and Eli, she hadn't bothered calling him again.

His second call had been a week after her abduction by William Lewis. She had been a mess and had just cried on the phone. When he had offered to come over she had said no. She was embarrassed enough that she couldn't control her emotions and she'd shut him down, saying she was with Brian and that he was taking good care of her. It hadn't been completely true because she couldn't even tell Brian what Lewis had done to her. Even in her own time of need, she was still protecting him. And in the end, their relationship hadn't survived their completely different views and expectations of life. The mention of Brian Cassidy had made Elliot retreat though. He hadn't contacted her again in any way, until she finally called him the other day.

And now they were meeting. For the first time in almost five years. She had been so preoccupied with Ed's situation and her own suspension that she hadn't had time to get nervous. But now, waiting for him alone at the bar, she was beginning to feel jittery. Had he changed much? Did he stay in shape? And most importantly, would he want to rekindle their friendship? She had looked at the door several times when someone opened it and finally, she saw the outline of his broad shoulders outside as he walked up to the door. She blew out a breath slowly as she stood up from her barstool. His blue eyes lit up immediately when he saw her and she could feel herself blushing. How could this man still make her weak in the knees after five years?

As he walked up to her, she took his appearance in quickly. He had definitely stayed in shape and the light blue tight t-shirt he was wearing underneath his black leather jacket really brought out the muscles of his chest as well as the color of his eyes. The facial hair was new. He had a modest, greying goatee and she had to admit it looked good on him. She realized she had been staring when he stopped in front of her with a very cocky smile on his face.

"You look great too Liv," he said and her cheeks got even redder. Busted.

She pushed him in the shoulder, feigning annoyance, but couldn't help laughing. The tension was broken immediately and when Elliot reached for her, she moved forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him close. Elliot put his arms around her shoulders and they held each other for a few moments before releasing each other a little reluctantly. Elliot glanced past her at the drink on the bar.

"You started without me?" he asked.

"No ... well. Ed was here earlier."

"Ed?"

"Tucker."

She looked away, turning to grab her drink.

"You wanna sit at the bar or take a booth?" she asked quickly but her distraction tactics didn't work.

"Tucker? Drinks with Tucker? What did I miss?"

Olivia stepped aside and brushed past him to find an empty booth.

"Only about five years of my life," she muttered in passing.

They sat down and a waitress popped up right away to take their orders. After the girl dashed off to get them their drinks, Elliot leaned on the table and looked at her inquisitively.

"So tell me," he said softly. "About those five years. Last I heard, you were with Cassidy."

He still said the man's name as if it was a swear word and Olivia couldn't help smiling slightly, but she wasn't going to make it easy for him.

"Last I heard, you got a divorce," she fired back. "So I guess I'm better informed than you are. Where have you been Elliot?"

It was time to start repairing the damages and she could see Elliot knew that. They couldn't just pick up where they left off five years ago. So they settled in and Elliot told her about how he'd come to the conclusion that he couldn't do his job anymore. Even if it was deemed a good shoot, he just didn't want to do it anymore, and he couldn't face anyone who was somehow connected to the job for quite a while. Including Olivia. Then Kathy had started pressuring him into moving away from the city altogether, to make a clean break. Olivia suspected this also had to do with her close friendship with Elliot, that had always worried Kathy. She didn't interrupt him though, and let him talk.

He'd called her when they were ready to move away, in a last attempt to salvage some of what they used to have as partners and friends. While Olivia had appreciated the call, it hadn't done much for her. It had only made his departure even more final. On top of that, she had just been dumped by David Haden. Not the best time to get a call from her long lost partner, telling her he really wasn't coming back.

Then, a little over a year later, he'd seen her on the news. It had hit him hard and he had felt guilty for not being there for her. He still did. But when she told him she had someone taking care of her, he had made an effort to try and be happy for her. But by then, new cracks had started to show in his eternally strained marriage. Moving away had not had the effect Kathy had hoped for. In fact, him being home more had only increased the tension between the spouses. So after another year, they decided to pull the plug once and for all. It wasn't a healthy environment for Eli to grow up in and they were both miserable. Elliot had moved back to New York, and was currently living in Brooklyn. He hadn't planned on contacting her again, since he thought she was living a happy life of her own now, until none other than Ed Tucker contacted him.

"I gotta tell you Liv, Tucker was the last person I had expected to call me."

Olivia was still digesting the information he had just given her about his life after his retirement, and gave him a small smile.

"Well, I guess some things really do change. He's actually becoming a real friend."

Elliot looked at her and it looked like he wanted to ask her something. He reconsidered, looked back down at his drink and then looked up again.

"So. How 'bout you? You're leading the squad now? Well, before your suspension anyway. How did that happen?"

Olivia cocked an eyebrow.

"How do you think?" she asked. "You don't think I'm fit for the job?"

Elliot leaned back in his seat and put his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, that's not what I meant. I'm sure you're doing great. I'd just like to know how you developed on the job after, you know ..."

"After you left."

Elliot nodded, his blue eyes searching her browns for clues as to how she was really doing. Olivia leaned back in her seat as well and decided to give him the abbreviated version.

"Well, first Munch retired, then Cragen asked me to take the sergeant's exam because his retirement was coming up as well. I took it and was put in charge temporarily when Cragen retired. Then 1PP decided they wanted a lieutenant to head up the squad so Ed suggested I take the lieutenant's exam. I did and I got the position permanently. That's how that happened."

"So it all worked out for you in the end."

"Jobwise, yes."

If he was looking for some kind of reassurance that she was doing just great without him, she wasn't going to give it to him.

"And personally? I can't help noticing you mention Ed a lot."

Olivia gave him a half smile. That was the Elliot Stabler she'd known so well.

"So? Like I told you, he's becoming a real friend. I don't have a lot of those."

"That why he called me?"

"I guess. I don't know what he said to you," she replied honestly.

"He told me he was worried about you. That you haven't been yourself and if I would talk to you."

"What did you tell him?"

"Liv, to be honest, I wasn't sure you would want to talk to me. So I just said if you needed to talk, you could always call me. And he said he'd tell you."

She nodded. He had. He had encouraged her to call Elliot, because he knew she still missed him. Ed really cared about her and wanted her to be happy.

"You called," Elliot continued, "so I guess you needed to talk. I wanna be your friend again, Liv. If you'll still have me. But it's up to you. I know I have no right to just assume there is still a place for me in your life after I walked out the way I did."

"Okay."

"Okay? What does that mean?"

What did that mean? God, how needy could she be? She was 47, it's not like she had never asked someone to meet her again. She took a deep breath and looked at her bearded companion. She had missed him. Most of all, she had missed his eyes. The way he could look right through her and understand her without saying anything. She wanted that back. Ed was being a true friend but this was Elliot. He was still the same man and he still affected her - more than she cared to admit after just one talk. So she made a decision.

"It means that I would like to see you again. Soon. Maybe you can bring Eli and I can bring Noah."

Elliot's eyebrows shot up.

"Who's Noah?"

...

A/N: Can't fit all of this in one chapter because El & Liv really had a lot of catching up to do, so look for the second installment of my take on "Unholiest Alliance- the Tuckson moments" soon.