Thank you all so much for the sweet words and reviews. I've never felt like my stories really resonated until this one. It's by far my favorite that I've written, and I listened when you asked for a second chapter. Please read the end AN.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! If you want another just let me know!

"Is this supposed to lead me somewhere... or to something?"

"To happiness, Liv."

He's been gone for a few weeks now, and she's playing with the compass necklace that's finally found its home around her neck. She misses him, much more so than she ever thought was possible. Sure, the ten year thing broke her heart, but she knows he's coming back. He had told her he was. He's given her this sentiment, almost a promise, in the form of a compass. She didn't think much of it that way until after he'd left. Maybe it was his way of telling her that she was his home. Maybe the compass would lead him back to her. She knows he'd never tell her that, not right after losing a friend, his detective. He'd almost lost her, and she knows that it hurt him. She knows that Ohio brought a new wave of pain into Elliot Stabler's heart.

She can finally sit now, the pain of the shot a very dull one. She's cleared for physical duty, has been for almost eight weeks now, but she's so used to standing to do her paperwork. Her hip only hurts after sitting for so long, so maybe she should start standing again. She drops the pendant from her hand and allows it to settle between her clavicle bones. God, she misses him. She looks at her desk, spotting the picture of them that she had placed there months ago. She hasn't had a picture of them in her sight for 13 years almost, but it's nice. It gives her a sense of comfort, but it overwhelms her with the reality that he isn't where she can seek out his comfort. She touches her hand to the picture and placed the other across her heart, exactly where the compass lies.

She glances at the clock on the wall; it's nearing 9 at night, but it's Thursday, and she's going home to an empty house. Noah is with Connor, something about wanting one last week of freedom before school starts. She laughs to herself, her sweet baby boy, but she misses her son all the same. She's going to see him on Sunday afternoon when she makes that long drive to Woodstock to pick him up for last minute school supplies.

She packs up what's left of her paperwork and shuffles it into respective folders before filing it all away in her cabinet. She hears a knock at her door and spins her chair around to find Fin waiting to speak.

"Cap, don't stay too late. You should get home. Unwind. Go have some "Liv time" and relax before Noah gets back into school," he says to her. He knows she'll go home and grab a small bite to eat, maybe down a glass of wine before her nightly routine. He knows she'll crawl in the bed and start missing her son, maybe someone else, but he isn't stupid. He isn't going to tell her to text the man. He's on some assignment, has been for almost three months.

He's not heard the first word from OC since Stabler jetted off to who-knows-where. He wants the man to come home because his captain, his best friend, misses him, and he can tell just by the way she's touched the necklace since he gave it to her in May. With the middle of August upon them, he knows it's high time for her to relax.

"Fin, go home to Phoebe, and stop worrying. I relax," she's patronizing. He gives her a snort before speaking.

"Yeah, a glass of Cabernet and crawling in your bed to chase a sleep that ain't coming isn't an ideal way to relax."

She's laughing, but she knows he's right. She hasn't slept well since Noah left on Tuesday. It's only night three of her son being away from her, but tonight is Thursday, and it's their usual pizza night.

"Cap, go home." He watches her thoughtfully as she gathers her things and arranges her desk so that when she comes in at the most ungodly hour probably, she won't have a mess of a deal. She gives him a quick goodbye, and he watches her as she walks out the door.

If Stabler doesn't hurry up and get his ass home, I'm gonna find him myself and make him come home.

Fin knows it isn't possible to track down Elliot; the man is off grid, but Olivia is borderline miserable without her son and Elliot.

She makes it to her apartment complex, greets the security guard with a smile, and she checks her mail. Bills, bills, junk, junk, another bill... and sitting at the back of all the envelopes, there's her name and address scrawled on a simple white envelope. There's no return address, just a stamp and proof that it was sent via post and not just dropped off, but she knows the handwriting. She had to practically learn a new language to decipher it for thirteen years.

Elliot. She rushes to the elevator, hoping the upgraded complex that she's been in since December serves her well, and she's thanking God because the elevator opens seconds later. She's inside pressing the button to her floor and her hands are shaking. She's trying to keep it together because the last time he scrawled something across an envelope, he'd left her for ten years to fend for herself. Not that she hasn't thrived, because she has. She's risen through the ranks, she's Captain, she has her son... But she's also a survivor of the worst. Something he's never brought up, and neither has she because she knows it will obliterate any healing he's done since Ohio. If he's done any healing.

The elevator jolts and stops at her floor, its doors opening and allowing her to rush out. Luckily, the elevator had been empty, and she sees none of her nosy neighbors peeking out to see who's coming through. She gets along well with them, but now, she's holding a letter that she doesn't know what it says, but she knows who's written it. Before she knows it, she's jamming her key inside the lock and her hands are still shaking. She finally finally gets the damn thing to unlock, and she can surely throw relaxing out the window because she's holding what may be goodbye, for good in her hands.

She throws her things down, along with all the other mail she has accumulated over the week and grabs the letter. She takes a shuddering breath and opens it. She's scared, and she can see it in the way she's clutching this paper and the tremors wracking her body. She's nauseous, and she's sure going to throw up if another damn letter of his tells her goodbye.

Liv,

I'm not sure when this will reach you, but when it does, know that it's over. I've done what I've needed to do, and I'm coming home. It may be another couple of weeks, but I'm ready. I miss you, and I've missed you this whole time. I want to explain everything, but I'm writing to you for you to know that I'm coming home.

Home is you, Olivia Benson. My happiness is found most when I'm with you. And I sure as hell hope that your happiness is found with me. I can't wait to see you.

Semper Fi for the rest of our lives.

-El

She isn't sure why she's crying, because this is good news. It's such good news, and if she has never cried this hard in her life, she has now. And they're tears of joy. The weight of missing him lifts, and in its place houses the anticipation of his homecoming. She searches to find when the letter was written, but nothing tells her when he wrote it, and she sighs in disappointment. Maybe it'll be a couple of weeks before she sees him and it's okay, because she's going to see him and she's his home and he's hers and now this compass hanging from her neck doesn't seem so heavy with loneliness.

She loves him, deeply. And she's not afraid to admit it. She's ready for it all. And she can't wait to see him. She can't wait to tell him all of her revelations that she's acquired in his absence, but they're all good, and they're in a wonderful place between almost there and being there. Friends, for now has turned into partners, for now, but maybe, just maybe, partners for life was on the horizon.

It's been a week since she's received the letter, and the waiting is finally getting to her. She's anxious, she's desperate. She's holed her office because their newest case is almost over, but the jury has been delegating for hours, and if Carisi doesn't stop pacing her floor, he's going to put a hole in it.

"... I mean, it was open and shut, Liv. I don't know why they're taking so long," she catches the end of his rambling. Her mind has been on that letter this whole time.

"Carisi, maybe they didn't see it that way. Just be patient."

She should really take her on advice because his letter has made her the most impatient person to deal with this past week, but she's really trying not to let it show. Carisi, on the other hand, his impatience is causing gray hairs as they speak.

"If this ends in a hung jury, I might actually quit my job and be a stay at home dad to my three kids," he's joking, but she can see how much he wants to be at home with the new addition. Unfortunately, maternal leave doesn't excuse the father in some jobs.

"Hey, Amanda is probably wishing you were home, too. I know I-"

She's cut off when his phone rings. He picks it up and holds his breath. The jury is probably back and her instincts are right.

They rush to the courtroom just in time. She finds a seat while Carisi makes him way to the front.

Guilty on all counts. Celebrations erupt throughout the courtroom, just not from the defendant. She feels like she can breathe again because had the case ended on a hung jury, she would've been just as upset.

Everyone has vacated the precinct to celebrate this amazing win, and it's just her and Fin. Well, just her because she catches Fin out of the corner of her eye walking towards her office.

"Liv, I'm heading out. Night planned with Phoebe. You good?" She nods. She's getting ready to leave herself, but she isn't quite done with her work.

"I'm just finishing up here, and then, I'm going to go home and rest. Noah doesn't have school tomorrow, so he's staying with a friend of his." She's glad her son has a social life because his mother sure doesn't.

"Don't stay too late. And stop moping." He points his finger at her before waltzing out of the precinct. She hears the elevator down the hall, signaling his departure, and now she's by herself. About an hour later, she's standing behind her desk doing her paper work when she hears the elevator chime again, and she knows it's time for Phil to clean her squad room. She's usually gone, but she's really trying hard not to come in early in the morning. She's getting somewhere in the pile of paperwork that has garnered on her desk, and she really doesn't want to stop.

"Sorry, Phil! It's another late night for me. There's some fresh coffee in the pot if you'd like some before you leave," she calls out. He's a sweet old man, really, and Olivia will stop and talk to him on late nights when she's leaving. She hears his footsteps in the squad room, and she doesn't look up. Maybe she should but she's too engrossed in her work to distract herself.

A rapping at her door pulls her from the pile of paperwork, and she takes off her glasses to see why Phil would knock instead of just coming in. But it isn't Phil. It's...

"Elliot."

His name leaves her lips in a strained whisper. She moves from her standing position behind her desk to walk towards him, and he's meeting her halfway. Before she knows it, he's wrapping his arms around her frame and breathing in her scent, and she's acutely aware of his. Maybe because he's freshly shaven and showered.

"I missed you," his voice is soft in her hair as he cradles her to him. He's missed her warmth, her embrace, but he's here now and he's not leaving ever again. He doesn't care who it pisses off because the months without her were worse than he's ever known. A ten year radio silence had nothing on knowing she was waiting for him at home. His home was here, with her in New York.

"I missed you more," the delicate tone in her voice washes over the shoulder she's placed her head on and cascades down his neck, goosebumps forming in their aftermath. "I got your letter."

She's pulling back from her place on his shoulder and holds her hands there instead. She smiles a watery smile, and takes a deep breath.

"You did?" He's nervous, she observes. She smooths her hands to his chest and holds them over his heart, and feels the way it accelerates from her touch.

"I did." They're holding gazes now, silently telling each other that this is it. This is their final step towards home. Towards happiness.

"I meant every word."

She knows he did. She means everything that she's about to say to him. Or at least, everything she wants to say because right now all she says is

"You're my home, too, Elliot Stabler."

They're both leaning in and locking lips before anything else can be said.

Phil walks in, humming quietly to himself as he makes his way into the SVU squad room. Upon entering, he sees a bald man and his sweet friend Olivia embracing, and he thinks to himself that she deserves all the happiness she can possibly have. He loves their late night chats, but he can come back in the morning before everyone arrives and clean. But he's going to leave and not disrupt the very busy Captain.

I wrote this on a whim. This is literally a straight written chapter. I wrote it from start to finish without stopping, and I'm surely not going back to edit. I hope you enjoy it! I may keep this as an update story, so anytime I think an Alternate Ending should occur, I'll post it here!