A/N: As a side note, the wine Olivia ordered in Season 16's finale, Nero D'Avola, I called that last year in Chapter 8 of one of my other fics, "Lotuses and Catalysts" (only because it's one of my favorite wines). I'll try not to dislocate my shoulder from patting myself on the back, lol.

"As you damned well know, we never change much in our hearts."― J.D. Salinger

She swirled her wine and admired how its legs clung to the side of her glass. She tilted her head and glanced at Brian, but she wasn't even on his radar. He only had eyes for the T-Bone resting on his plate.

"This is nice," she said.

"What is?"

"This," she motioned between the two of them. "Us. Sitting in a restaurant together, eating food like normal people."

"Oh, you mean compared to our usual routine of getting hammered and fucking?" he said, still fixated on his food. "Yeah, I guess this is a nice detour from that."

"Charming, Cass. Really." she said, and rolled her eyes.

"What?! You were already thinking it. I just had the balls to say it."

Apparently balls and Brian went hand in hand these days. His testicles were responsible for all types of out-of-character behavior over the past couple of weeks. Ogling her ass, warning her to keep her nose out of his undercover business the week before; she didn't know how to handle Cassidy 2.0. It was much easier when he made googly eyes at her before and after getting into her pants.

"You know, that steak isn't going to run away. It would be nice if you looked up at me every once and a while."

He looked up to acknowledge her before lifting his beer glass to his lips, enjoying the cold alcohol rushing down his throat. He knew that she knew that he was stalling, but he needed to re-group. He was happy to be there with her, but he was also confused. So many things had happened within the past few weeks, Carissa was murdered by Ganzel, who he discovered also put a hit on him and then paid for Brian's hospital suite, as if that made up for pumping him full of lead just a couple of hours before. And Olivia, of all people, came back into his life and told him that she's not the same person he once knew, right before she planted a kiss on him in the hospital.

It was almost too much to process; he needed a little time to wrap his mind around everything. A lot longer than it would take for him to chug the rest of his beer.

He smiled. A real one, not the half grin, half grimace he normally sported. A smile that revealed the crow's feet framing his eyes. Despite the wrinkles etched in his face, he had a perennial Peter Pan charm about him that she suspected would last until the end of his days.

"I'm giving this steak my attention because if I didn't, all I could do was stare at you."

She snorted and rolled her eyes, "Smooth Cassidy," she said. "I see your game has improved."

He cocked his head to the right and gave her a long sideways stare, "My mack's not the only thing that's matured. If you're lucky, one day soon you'll see what I mean," he said and winked.

His cheekiness soon disappeared as he considered how the rest of the evening would unfold. He began studying Olivia and taking mental notes of her mannerisms from the way she raised her eyebrows down to how the corners of her mouth twisted when she smirked. Nothing in her face gave him the answers he sought. He never could shut off his Spidey sense when it came to sussing out ulterior motives, even when he was off the clock. Old habits die hard.

"Look, I'm going to get right to the point 'cause I'm too old to tap dance around shit. Why try for a second time after all these years? It wasn't exactly an affair to remember the first time around," he said and took another healthy swig of his beer.

She raised an eyebrow in response, but remained quiet and challenged his stare with one of her own, which didn't surprise him in the least.

Typical Olivia. Hardass to the core.

They remained deadlocked for over five minutes, and his question lingered like stale cigarette smoke. She finally acquiesced and dropped her eyes.

"Out with it, Liv. What's the real reason?"

She continued to stare at the floor, then she squared her shoulders and sat up so her back was as straight as a board.

"It's not about sex, if that's what you're implying. Getting laid isn't hard in this city. Hell, if I was really desperate, I would just pay for an escort…"

She stopped when she saw his eyes fall away and his chest heave as he sighed. She silently cursed herself.

"That's not what I meant."

He nodded, and an earnest expression spread across his face.

"But you were thinking it."

"Bri-"

"Don't Liv. OK? Just don't."

Her throat tightened as she heard the emotion in his voice, and jealousy pricked at her heart. She refused to accept the possibility that he was in love with Carissa. It was easier to believe that he was hopelessly soft hearted because when it came to women (especially victimized women), he usually was. As an SVU detective, she knew judging sex workers went against everything she stood for, but there was something about escorts that made her stomach churn. The way that they referred to themselves as "high class," as if spreading your legs for dozens of rich men was more dignified than a garden-variety pro banging dozens of average Joe's.

"I wasn't in love with her," he said answering her unspoken question. "I had feelings for her, but I mostly felt sorry for her, you know? I know that wasn't the life that she dreamt for herself as a little girl."

She nodded. "Regardless of how she lived, she didn't deserve to be murdered. Ganzel will pay for that." She paused. "And for shooting you," she said, and her voice cracked.

He scanned her face and saw how the pain flitted across her eyes. He was instantly brought back to the night they rode together in that ambulance. He wasn't sure what hurt more, the searing bullets lodged in his chest or the helplessness he felt as he watched her sob and cradle his hand in hers. It didn't matter how stubborn she was tonight, he knew she cared and that was enough for him.

"Let's leave the past behind us, huh? Tonight should be a celebration."

A toothy grin brightened her features, and for a moment Brian caught a glimpse of the young rookie he was infatuated with over a decade ago.

"And what exactly are we celebrating?"

"New possibilities and second chances."

A/N: Feel free to leave a review, you know, if you feel like you have something worth saying. If you don't, no worries. But if you DO feel up to sharing this story, go for it! Thank you.