The word that Olivia Benson was turning in her badge spread like wildfire. With the exception of those closest to her, it remained on the down low until the final couple of days until retirement. She had spent the last several weeks getting her affairs in order.

Now that it was out, her phone hadn't stopped ringing and she let each call go to voicemail after having already had the the conversations she needed to have.

After her weekend with Rafael, they had sat down with Noah and asked him what he wanted. Noah adamantly said he wanted to move to DC. Noah had admitted that he wanted to go to a smaller school, and that the dancing school in DC he found had a specialised program that he wanted to audition for.

Rafael had begun looking for a more suitable house for their family, one that could house Mami or Lucy when they visited. He came home as often as he could to help pack up their home. Liv made the trip to look at properties with him. Noah flew in on the weekends Liv couldn't come. They had settled on a school and arrangements were made with his current dance school for him to audition for the school program in the new dance school. All in all, it was going quite smoothly.

Lucia was happy that their family would be complete once and for all. Whilst she didn't know the ins and out, she knew that things had been strained between Rafael and Olivia especially since he had moved to DC temporarily for his job. Lucia was a great support for Olivia and their closeness had only grown in Rafael's physical absence. Olivia appreciated that Lucia remained neutral and she never felt judgment or condemnation for her questionable life choices. Whilst she was aware that Rafael never discussed his concerns with his mother, as a mother she knew that Lucia felt all of the emotions Rafael buried deep within.

"So you're really doing this?" Elliot said quietly entering her office as she signed a pile of paperwork on her desk unaware of his entrance. It had been months since she had told him that she didn't want to have anything to do with him.

"Yes. It's about time I choose my family." She answered as she continued to sign the documents in front of her.

"Why does it have to be a choice?" He challenged. Olivia took a breath and met his gaze,

"I believe you made that choice once, without a word or a backward glance. At least I had the decency to give you a heads up, and tell you what I wanted, which is Rafael. He deserves to know I choose him. That despite my reckless behaviour and incredibly poor life choices, he is the love of my life and who I want to spend the rest of my life with. That not being with him, to not be physically near him makes it hard to breathe. The thought that I lost him, because I gambled what we had for what, a not quite accurate depiction of what we were or what we had." She paused,

"How life comes full circle. In the end, I ended up doing to Rafael what you did to Kathy all those years before you left. Sure, we never crossed that line, but looking at it from where I am right now, I realise just how blurry those lines were from the get go. Kathy had every right to resent me and us. I get it now and I will forever regret that I was a part of that, because I see what it's done to my husband, to our marriage and our kid. Every day I look into Rafael's eyes there's doubt that's never been there before. There's a sparkle that's dimmed and faded. There's an insecurity about the weight and importance of his humanity. I did that. Not by your reappearance but the choices I made as a result of it. That's on me. So yeah it's a choice. I realise it's always been a choice and I had, out of habit been making the wrong one since you decided to descend upon New York like you hadn't disappeared for 10 years. We're done."

"So we can't even be friends?"

"Were we ever? And to answer your question, no. No, we can't be friends. Friendship is a two way street and you have had the last couple of years to act like one. You haven't. Friends would make an effort and not demand time as though it was something owed. Friends would honour the people in each other's lives and acknowledge that they don't get to come first. You were selfish then and now. So was I, so am I. I held on to you so tightly for the nostalgia of what I thought we were and had. You came into my life when I had no one, for 12 years you were my person, despite how inappropriate that may have been. Then you just left, so whatever that was, whatever we were, that got cancelled the moment you turned your back. That should have been it, especially after 10 years of absolutely nothing, but you walked back into my life and demanded the space you once had like my life had been on pause waiting for you. But all that was lost when you lost Kathy, because then it became all about your grief. The entirety of our friendship, then and now has always about you and what you need."

"That's not true," Elliot tried to protest. Olivia looked at him right in the eye,

"Isn't it? Look Elliot, this isn't about counting and keeping score. Of what you owe me that you can give me to keep me around. It doesn't matter. None of it. I don't want it. Because I'm done. We're done."

Before he could say anything else Fin had appeared at her door and knocked. He had kept a close eye on Elliot and stayed near as he entered Olivia's office. He had heard their whole exchange and it was definitely long time coming. Olivia turned her gaze to Fin and smiled at him gratefully.

"Liv, we need you."

"Let's go," she said standing to her feet and walked out of her office with him and into the interrogation room where Amanda and Carisi were waiting with coffee's and cupcakes.

"What is this? I thought we agreed no fan fare and that we're going to end this with quiet drinks at Forlini's?"

"It's cupcakes Liv, not fan fare. We figured it'd be nice to get one last morning coffee and cupcakes together with you as Captain." Amanda answered.

"Thanks guys," she said appreciatively, grateful for their love and support. Amanda, Fin and Dominic had stood by her unconditionally, and they were her family. Her eyes began to well when she felt arms wrap themselves around her waist and she turned into his embrace knowing instinctively who it was.

"You're here," she murmured into his shoulder.

"Of course I am. It's your last day as Captain. Why wouldn't I be?" Whilst she never asked, he knew she wanted him there. Needed him to be there and where they were, he knew she felt she didn't feel she could ask him. He was never not going to show up. Olivia tightened her arms around him as she breathed him in.

"When did you get here?" She asked,

"A little while ago," he answered as she stiffened in his arms,

"It's okay." He reassured her knowing she knew that he was there when Elliot walked into her office. She looked to meet his eyes, she knew he had heard her whole exchange with Elliot. He kissed her forehead and hugged her.

"We can talk later. For now, enjoy this." He suggested and she agreed turning back to their friends not letting go of Rafael.

They had spent the morning in the interrogation room reminiscing of cases they had all shared. Don had appeared to offer his love and support.

"I'm proud of you kid."

"I know Cap, and I appreciate that." She answered affectionately.

"Yes for all that you have accomplished, but most of all I am proud of you for choosing your family. For choosing love first. This job, takes so much and I am glad you chose to enjoy what you have. He's a good man Barba,"

"He's the best Don, and I can still lose him because I was stupid."

"He's here Liv. If that man was done, or didn't love you. He wouldn't be here. I would guess you didn't want to ask him to come because you didn't want him to feel obligated, so he's here on his own accord."

"That's who he is and his loving me, that's never in question. I've pushed and pushed Don,"

"But if he had one foot out the door, there's no way he would have flown here for your last day."

Olivia nodded wanting to hold on to that hope. She knew that moving to DC held no guarantees and whilst Rafael had eventually agreed and was part of the moving and decision making process they weren't as they once were. They weren't quite there. He met her where she was at as he always did, but there was a part of him that she couldn't quite reach and she understood.