A/N : I'm back! I've had a crazy life in the last few months and no mindspace to write anything :'( Now that things are calming down a bit, i'm getting slowly back into EO mode and preparing for the new seasons (arrrgggg). Here is a short chapter to get myself back into this story. Hope you enjoy!

It took Elliot a week and half to reach out post-reintegration. Olivia was in the midst of an interrogation, when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Seeing the Unknown Caller ID, she excused herself, letting her Sergeant take over, and retreated to her office.

She answered the call expectantly.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me." Stabler's voice came through.

"Hey," she exhaled, relief evident in her voice. "You made it."

Going back undercover was a tricky thing and the fact that he was calling her told her that he had safely reintegrated his role and was safe enough.

"Yeah, I did," he confirmed. "They barely noticed my absence. The gang went silent for a few days after our last mission."

Olivia hummed in response, not particularly fond of the covert operations they engaged in.

"How's your head?" he asked, a veiled attempt to get her to talk.

"Better. No symptom of concussion. I'm back to normal now."

"At work." he added with a hint of accusation, tempered with an understanding of her dedication.

"Yeah well…" she sat on the couch in her office. "Fin can handle things for 5 minutes." She reassured, happy to have a quiet moment to talk to her partner.

"Noah says hi." She continued. "He said he was sad he didn't get to see you when he learned you came over the other night."

Elliot felt a warmth spread in his chest.

"Say hi back from me. I'll make sure to see him next time I'm around." He promised.

They continued catching up for a minute or two before the conversation stalled. They were both caught between the desire for deeper discussions and the ticking clock. They wanted to breach difficult subjects, but they knew 5 minutes wouldn't be enough to convey or say everything they wanted. Elliot surprised her by his next request.

"Tell me something you wouldn't tell me if we were face to face."

"What?" Olivia scoffed.

"I want us to continue opening up to each other and 5 minutes is not a long time, so…tell me something you would be afraid to tell me if I was in front of you right now."

Elliot knew phone conversations had their limitations, but they also offered a bit of safe distance for unveiling certain truths.

"I…" Olivia hesitated, unsure where to begin.

"I'll start." He interjected. "When I stayed over the other night," Olivia held her breath, anticipating his words. "I smelled your shampoo when I went to the bathroom."

It took her a second to absorb the admission before laughing.

"You smelled my shampoo?" she repeated, amused.

"I hope that's not too creepy. But I wanted the smell imprinted on my brain before I left." He confessed further.

Her laughter subsided at his sweet revelation. It made her stomach flutter.

"It's not creepy…much." She teased. "I could have lent you some, you know, if you had hair left."

Now it was Elliot's turn to laugh. They cherished the lightness of the conversation, despite its intimacy.

"Your turn." He gently pressed, aware that time was slipping away.

Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Olivia found something she'd be hesitant to share face-to-face.

"It…it felt really good sleeping next to you…" she said softly, her voice almost a whisper. "I felt safe." She added, holding back the full extent of her emotions from that night.

If she were completely honest, and had the courage to say it out loud, Olivia would have confessed how good it felt to feel taken care of, to feel loved. She held her breath, awaiting his response.

Elliot exhaled slowly, clearly wrestling with his emotions.

"I'm glad." Was all he could verbalize.

They stayed in the silence of their admissions for a few seconds more.

"Stay safe?" she asked, knowing the call was going to end soon.

"Always. You too, go home before it's dark tonight." He requested. Before she could argue about the case, he added. "Fin can handle things for more than 5 minutes, Liv."

The call ended, leaving his words hanging in the air. Elliot was right. It was time for her to prioritize her well-being, her son, and allow work to unfold as it would, whether she was in the office or not. After 25 years, it was time to loosen her grip on the job, to focus on her personal life. She deserved it.