Again thank you so much to all who are reading this! I never thought I'd get such a positive response! I appreciate every comment so much and I love hearing others perspectives! I love this fandom! Please enjoy!

Dick Wolf owns everything

Recognition and Responsibilities

Every step Elliot took away from Olivia his anger was fading and replaced with hurt and guilt. By the time he got to the bottom of the stairs it was gone and his chest ached. He needed to sit down on the steps and take a breath.

He put his head in his hands and focused on his breathing. Dr. Carpenter-Grey had given him some breathing techniques to help with his anxiety and thankfully, they were working now. After a few minutes he stood up and for a second, he turned and looked back up at the door to the roof. He wanted to go back up to her. He wanted to apologize for going too far, but she hadn't come back down yet. He knew she needed some time as well.

This was hardly their first fight. It wasn't even their first fight since he'd come back. His mind went back to that night they, or he rather, interrogated Peters. She didn't hesitate a bit at stopping him from going after him. She had never been afraid of him, and still after ten years had his back. Liv sent him up to the roof then too, to yell at him. A small corner of his mouth turned up in a barely there smile thinking about how she didn't back down. She was hard and unyielding, angry at him for putting her in a position she didn't want to be in, and yet she had let him.

It hit him then, he had only been back in her life for a few hours and already he had taken advantage of their history. He knew she wouldn't say no to him and that's why he pushed. And here he was pushing her again. Pushing for answers without giving her an opportunity to explain.

He huffed out a breath and turned back around heading back to the bull pen to grab the stack of cases for Bell. He composed himself before he entered not wanting to wear his feelings on his face or his heart on his sleeve when he walked through to her office.

He made his way quickly, making no eye contact with Fin or Amanda, and walked in and over to the stack of cases. He grabbed them and took a second to look at her desk. She had a picture of Noah in a frame and his heart swelled a little for that sweet boy of hers. He took another deep breath in, slowly letting it out before he exited her office and left the one six.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Fin sat at his desk eye balling Amanda after Elliot left. She was on the phone again, but this time it was work related. The stony way El walked through the pen made him hard to read. The years he worked with Stabler and Liv gave him more of an edge in reading them both. He'd seen them fight and he'd seen them read each other's minds without so much as a word.

They were both different now. They had both grown in so many ways. Elliot seemed to still have his issues so to speak but the fact that he didn't make a huge scene or thunder his way out of here spoke volumes to his growth. Fin knew the revelation of Liv and Tucker dating could not have been easy to take. He even thought that relationship was… out of place, but he wasn't going to get into Liv's business voluntarily.

Liv on the other hand had to learn to stand on her own two feet, out of the shadow of her partner. She learned to become the leader. The leader they all needed. The leader SVU deserved. After Cragen there was no one more qualified or better equipped to run SVU Manhattan.

Internally, if Fin had to choose sides of course he would choose Liv. But he did think she owed El an explanation over this whole Tucker thing, but who was he to judge. In this case he was Switzerland and would remain so. It was none of his business. His only concern was that Liv was ok.

Just as he was getting lost in his own thoughts, Olivia came striding by and without missing a beat in her step she said,

"Fin… my office." in her Captain voice.

Amanda's eyes widened looking to Fin before putting the receiver of her phone down. He gave her a "Here we go" look and got up to follow Liv.

"Fin!" Amanda said in a loud whisper. He stopped and turned back towards her.

"I should really be the one… let me fix it…" she trailed off.

Fin sighed and looked at her, his old partner who he always covered for, and said, "It's cool."

And he walked into his Captain's office and shut the door.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Olivia was still reeling a little from her fight with Elliot. But she needed to try to push all that down for now and focus on work. She was fine… she was going to be fine.

"So where are we with the flasher in the park." She said getting right back to business.

"Amanda and Kat have a suspect. Kat is getting set up in the park, Amanda is going to meet her there soon."

"Good. Make sure it's all by the book." She said, taking in a small breath, still not sure of her complete focus just yet.

There were a few seconds of silence between them before Fin spoke again.

"Liv… are you ok?" Fin said eyeing her knowingly.

She looked up meeting his gaze. Knowing this look all too well. She had seen it many times since Elliot had left. She would brush it off then steeling her nerves, but this was much harder to do now. Now that El was back and they were together in ways she never thought were in the cards for her.

She decided to let her guard down in front of Fin, partly because she has known him longer than anyone, except El, and partly because she couldn't help it. She wasn't fine.

She sat down at her desk and put her fingers on her temple. Fin took the seat across from her. He didn't say anything. He was going to keep his promise to stay out of it unless she asked, but he would be here to listen if that was what she needed.

She looked back up at Fin, tears welling, not sure how to have this conversation. She felt guilty for the things she said to him. She decided when Elliot first kissed her that she wasn't going to live in the past anymore or hold him responsible for her short comings when it came to her personal life. She was just as responsible for her broken heart when he left. Sure, there were things he was responsible for… the way he left, not telling her, then just disappearing.

But she knew deep down in her soul what he felt for her. She knew he was married, and she knew they were too close, and chose to cling to this complicated dance they did, not wanting to risk losing everything. She was accountable for her own feelings and not ever pushing that boundary. He had more to lose than she did at the time, so she just stayed in her place, his partner, his confidant, his best friend, and whatever else he needed. It didn't mean it didn't take a toll on her… and on him as well.

"I just… how did he even find out?" she breathed out. "I was going to tell him… we just never got around to it…" she said feeling the sting of her own omission of procrastination. Sure, she was going to tell him. She didn't know how, or when this exchange would have come up, but she didn't want him to be blindsided by it like this.

"Well, he overheard a conversation…" Fin said, not wanting to out Amanda, but not wanting to lie to Olivia.

"Who's conversation?" Liv asked her eyebrows knitting. "Who would be talking about one of my relationships… and an old one for that matter…" she said getting a little irritated.

"Look, its none of my business…" Fin said, giving himself away without knowing.

Olivia set her jaw and gave Fin a stern look before glancing out into the pen at Amanda who quickly turned away from Liv's knowing glare.

Olivia stood up, walked to her door opening it and yelled "Rollins…" before walking back to her desk but not sitting down.

Amanda hesitantly walked in, peeking at Fin.

"Yes Captain…" she said tentatively.

"Fin can you give us a minute?" Olivia said, her mind on the edge of anger.

"Liv look…" he started to say but she cut him off.

"You're dismissed Sargent." She said cut and dry keeping her eyes on Amanda.

"Yes Captain." He said signaling he understood. He walked past Amanda giving her a look of an "I'm sorry" and exited closing the door.

"Look Captain, I'm sorry… I didn't know he was going to be here, or that he was going to react that way."

Olivia huffed out an annoyed laugh. "What in your right mind makes you think talking about your boss's personal life at work is ever a good idea?" she said starting to pace behind her desk.

"I… I'm sorry… it's just…" she paused looking desperately at Liv. She could see this went beyond the damage she thought it caused.

"You're right…" she started again. "You're absolutely right. I have no right to talk about your personal life to anyone." Amanda said looking incredibly apologetic.

"I need to know what you said, and who you were talking to." Liv said, her anger simmering down. She sat at her desk, and Amanda took Fin's seat across from her.

"Well, I was on the phone with Sonny…" she said and noted the look Olivia gave her at her slip of using Carisi's first name instead of his last.

"And we were talking about… your personal life, which I know we shouldn't have been and again I'm really sorry, and I mentioned Detective Stabler and how you said things were complicated…" she paused waiting a second before she continued.

"Carisi asked what my opinion of Stabler was… and I said…" she stopped, afraid to continue, but knew she needed to come clean.

"I said after the talk I had with him at Fin's wedding it seemed like you two were heading into something… serious."

Olivia sat there, already knowing this, but didn't want to give Amanda a chance to feel like she was out of the woods just yet.

"I'm still waiting for how Tucker got brought up in this…" Liv said flatly.

"I got off the elevator and Carisi said you haven't been in a relationship in a long time, and as I was rounding the corner, I said that you haven't seriously dated anyone since Tucker… and when I looked up, he was standing right there… Liv… I'm so sorry. I didn't know there was a sordid past between Detective Stabler and Tucker."

Liv gave Amanda a questioning look.

"Fin alluded to them not being pals…" Amanda said hesitantly.

Olivia took a deep breath at that and ran her fingers through her hair. A sordid past was scratching the surface. Fin was the only one who knew just how sordid it was between El and Tucker… and her and Tucker for that matter. She was running this new information through her mind, and she stopped and looked up at Amanda.

"Sonny?" she said, lifting her eyebrow at Amanda.

Her anger with Amanda was gone. As much as she wished this subject had been brought up between her and Elliot at a time and place of her choosing, she was a little grateful the cat was out of the bag.

She saw Amanda let out a sigh of relief followed quickly by her fidgeting in her chair.

"Yea… I kissed him at Fin's wedding." Amanda said boldly wanting to start fresh with Olivia on a personal level.

Liv smiled, thinking back to when Elliot barreled into her on the sidewalk claiming her lips and her heart.

"Well, I'm happy for you Amanda. And Carisi. He has held a torch for you for a long time. And trust me, it's not easy to watch someone you… love, love someone else." she said, tears brimming in her eyes again, "I would know…"

Amanda felt the pain in Liv's voice when she said those last words. And then Captain Benson made her appearance again.

"But there is a time and a place… SVU isn't the place. Please from now on, keep my personal life out of your conversations. I'm here for you Amanda. If you need anything… work or personal but let's be professional here ok." She said pointing out to the bull pen.

"Yes Captain. Copy that." Amanda said finally feeling full relief and standing up.

"Fin told me you have a suspect for the park incidents?" Liv said.

"Yes Captain, Kat is there getting the sting set up. He looks good for it. Matches the descriptions from the vics, right height, build. We're gonna get him. I know this guy just can't resist showing us his… face." Amanda said slyly.

"Good. By the book ok. And take Fin with you. I can hold down the fort." Olivia said.

"Copy that Captain." Amanda said turning to walk out. She stopped at the door before she opened it, and said,

"Liv… were ok right?" she asked, a little note of fear in her voice.

"Yea Amanda… we're good."

Amanda nodded and smiled softy, then left closing her door.

Olivia took a deep breath in and blew it out looking at her desk. She had forgotten about the coffee El had brought her. Her heart swelled a little at this common gesture they had done for each other over their partnership. She reached out and took the cup, turning it to read the writing she saw on the other side.

I love you beautiful

She drew her thumb over his chicken scratch. Her heart ached for him. She so desperately hoped she could hear those words from him again.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Once Elliot had gotten to work, Bell noticed instantly his stone-like demeanor. She thought about questioning it, but she decided otherwise. A lot has happened in the last few months, and she learned to trust Elliot. Learned that if he needed something, or something was going on she could trust him to tell her. So, she put him on desk duty so to speak. Someone needed to go through these cases from SVU looking for anything they could use before turning them over to the ADA so Elliot it was.

He sat at his desk diligently going through them case by case. He was happy for the distraction, but also hated desk duty. He really didn't feel like talking to anyone. Anyone except Olivia. She had been on his mind every second since he left her precinct.

He got out his phone and flipped through the pictures he had taken of them and Noah at the park. He sighed feeling the small relief of seeing her face. Seeing the happiness in her eyes. Happiness he knew he was responsible for.

He put his phone down and ran his hand over his face before leaning back in his chair and putting them behind his head. He took a deep breath in, letting it out slow. He closed his eyes and retraced what had transpired earlier between them.

…or did you forget about that while you were fucking him!

He grinded his teeth at that comment. Why did he have to say that. He knew he felt insecure about his own ability to be everything he wanted to be for her. Everything she deserved. But she had done nothing to make him think otherwise. She told him she loved him. She invited him into her home with Noah. She had been open and welcoming with her heart and body.

Her dating Tucker was one thing. One thing he still needed answers to, and felt like he deserved, but his reaction to it… it was uncalled for. It was over the line, and he knew that's why she said those hurtful things to him. He decided he was going to give her a chance at explaining, if she would give him the chance to apologize for what he shouted at her in anger. He didn't mean how it came out and now all he wanted was to be surrounded by her.

Her scent, her laugh, her skin, her heat. Her penetrating eyes that could read every thought in his mind. He knew that was the only antidote to the sick feeling he had in his stomach. He needed to make this right.

He grabbed his phone and his jacket and started to head out the door.

"Hey, Stabler…" Bell said sticking her head out of her office. "Where are you going?"

He turned still in stride saying, "I just… need some fresh air." And with that he left.

He got out his phone and sent Olivia a text message as he got in his car.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Olivia was drowning in paperwork herself when she heard her phone ding.

She glanced at the notification. It was a text from El. She quickly stopped what she was doing and took a breath before she opened it.

Can we talk?

She felt a brick in her stomach, followed by small butterflies. Usually when they fought, they would spend days not talking, and she was usually the one to reach out first. But this time it was him. She felt a small glimmer of hope. She responded.

Yes. Where?

She waited the few seconds it took him to respond, watching the little round bubbles on her phone dance indicating he was typing. It felt like hours.

Our spot.

Her heart squeezed in her chest. Their spot. She hadn't been there since he left. It didn't seem right to go there without him. She had walked past it a few times, but couldn't find the strength to ever go in. But now this was the only place perfect enough for them to meet after this horrible fight.

Be there in 20

She responded and, in a flash, she was grabbing her coat and on her way to Elliot.