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She shouldn't worry.
It's not the first time he hasn't answered.
She herself, during Maddie's case, left many of his texts without a response.
He's okay.
Obviously, he's okay.
He's Elliot Stabler. A survivor of bombs, hitmen, and countless bullets, stray or otherwise.
She sighs, her hand reaching for the gifted compass, a simple and real reminder that he's waiting for her.
For when she decides what she wants.
To decide where her happiness lies.
Once more, she looks at the screen of her phone. Nothing. Just the photo of Noah smiling back at her without any new notifications.
Maybe she should call Jet? She doesn't know if Ayanna is back on duty, but she has no desire to reveal her concern to Nazanin Shah.
Her thumb barely brushed the detective's name when someone knocks on the doorframe of her office.
"Captain..."
She smiles at the pride evident in the voice of her former commander.
"Don..."
She goes to greet him, shares a meaningful embrace before guiding the former Captain to the sofa in her office.
"A lot of new faces," he says, nodding towards the squad room.
Olivia smiles slyly, shrugging nonchalantly.
"It’s SVU for you, I’m sure you remember..."
Cragen chuckles softly.
"Hey, I kept the same team for over ten years..."
Now it’s Olivia's turn to chuckle softly.
"And I haven’t yet had to replace any lockers in the locker room or mirrors in the restrooms."
Don smiles.
"Well, you don’t have an Elliot on your team either..."
"No, I don’t have one..."
A silence settles for a moment, the nostalgia of a bygone era lingering in their shared gaze.
"He came to see me with the compass," Cragen suddenly says, indicating his former detective's pendant.
"What?"
She's surprised. Unconsciously, her hand rests on the gold of her necklace. In response, her heart begins to race.
"It was before the debacle of your case in Dublin."
"Before..."
She closes her eyes, shakes her head.
How long exactly has Elliot Stabler been wanting to guide Olivia Benson to her happiness?
Don continues:
"He didn’t tell me why he bought it, he just wanted to know if you’d like it."
"I do like it."
"I can see that."
Another silence.
"Are you two?..." Cragen finally asks.
"I... I don’t know... Maybe..."
"Maybe?"
"We haven't had the chance to see each other for a while."
"Hmm."
"We’ve called each other, but it seems we just keep missing each other."
She stops, stands up, runs a weary hand over her face. She needs to share her concern with someone. Someone who understands what Elliot is to her, what they are to each other, even though they themselves don't know the exact definition.
"It’s been over ten hours since he has replied to any of my messages."
Cragen frowns.
"He was... is, on Long Island. Westbrook. An old OCCB case. A witness he thought was safe in London with her son was killed, apparently by a serial killer. He was investigating."
"What about his team?"
Olivia sighs.
"Elliot got suspended last week…Long story and even I don’t have all the information. His Sergeant is on medical leave. It was kind of a rogue mission."
"Kind of?"
"He wants to find the truth."
Cragen shakes his head.
"The more things change, the more they stay the same..."
The still active Captain smiles a bit:
"We were exchanging theories and then he went radio silent."
"You’re worried."
She shrugged.
"Gut feeling."
Suddenly someone knocks again at the door of her office, before Velasco sticks his head in the doorway.
"Sorry Captain... uh, Captains, but we just received a new call, another body near the Hudson."
"I... I’m..."
"You go, Olivia, I'll get in touch with OCCB and let you know."
The former detective opens her mouth as if to argue, but Cragen interrupts.
"I may even kick his ass for worrying you."
Olivia smirks.
"Thanks."
And then she's gone, and Don sighs deeply.
She can't bring herself to let go of his right hand. The one that Eric Bonner didn't have time to drive a nail through. The one marred by the rope that held him captive for almost forty-eight hours yet remains strong and warm in hers.
She lets her thumb gently caress the bandage on his wrist before her eyes drift to the dressing that covers his abdomen. A knife wound, not a lance, a non-fatal but painful injury. Scary too. For her.
"You know, the last time I got stabbed, it was with a pen,"
Elliot's hoarse and tired voice interrupts the inventory of his injuries.
"A pen?"
"Mmm, by a nine-year-old kid."
"What?... When?"
"And my partner at the time was far less beautiful than now," he says with a cheeky grin.
She frowns, not comprehending what he's saying.
"Are you high on pain medication right now?"
"Nope… well, maybe a little bit, but the comment about beauty is still true. Dani was… too Kathy-ish."
She smiles at that, understanding.
"Kathy-ish?"
"That's right," he affirms as his eyes begin to close.
Pain medication and an adrenaline crash making him sleepy.
"Lovely, pretty, nice even..." his words trail off, slower and slower.
"Wow, now that's competition…" She can't help feeling a little bit jealous.
He hears her, opens an eye, and smiles slyly.
"No competition, you’re more beautiful… still… always… And badass. You saved me."
"Almost didn’t." There are tears now, in her voice, rolling down her cheeks.
"But you did." His voice is certain, proud, and his eyes are a clear blue.
She kisses his "less damaged" hand, his eyes closing as she asks:
"This Kathy-ish partner of yours, did you kiss her?"
He can't lie, she knows his tell.
"Once," he admits.
But Olivia is still smiling.
"Well, that's one time more than your present-day partner."
Elliot smiles too, knowing where this conversation is heading.
"It is. Do you want to even the score?"
She's already leaning toward him, whispering.
"I do."
"Jet is in the room…" he says, licking his lips.
"Asleep," she assures.
And suddenly, it's everything they've imagined for 26 years but better. Real, gentle, and passionate.
When they part, their smiles are immense, their cheeks flushed. The silence welcoming.
"Much better than Heaven," Elliot asserts.
Olivia laughs softly.
In twenty years, they never sinned, never fell into a physical affair.
The future is now.
They deserve happiness.
And she wants it.
With him.
The end.