After All This Time

She's Really Glad You're Back

Elliot cleared his throat and bit his lip. "Remember his friend Shane who died?" He asked, watching Olivia nod. "Well, apparently he owed some people money and since they couldn't get it from Shane, they decided to go after Dickie." He took a deep breath and continued. "They held him in a basement for a week and beat him whenever he said he didn't have any money to give them. One of the beatings was so bad that one of his ribs broke and pierced his lung, collapsing it. They dropped him off at the hospital and left. He was there for a while after that but when he got out, he said that he was gonna turn his life around and he did. The next day, he joined the Marines." When he finished, he wiped away a tear and smiled lightly.

"I'm so sorry, Elliot." Olivia whispered, tears in her eyes, her heart breaking.

Elliot smiled his signature Stabler smile that always warmed her heart. "It's okay. Everything turned out all right in the end and now that I'm back, I need to know that we're gonna be okay. I know it's gonna take time but...I don't wanna lose you again, Liv." He whispered.

"Damn it, Stabler." Olivia replied, sniffling and clearing her throat. "Look what you did now." She teased, wiping her eyes lightly.

"I'm sorry, Liv. I didn't mean to upset you." He apologized, resting his hand on her shoulder gently. She looked at him and it was as if he had never left. All of the feelings were still there and, not wanting to wait any longer, Elliot pulled her into his arms. She didn't return the embrace at first, however. After a minute, just as Elliot was about to pull away, Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes.

After a few minutes, they pulled back from the hug and smiled. "I'm really glad we got to do that again." Elliot said softly.

"Me, too." Olivia whispered, so soft that Elliot almost didn't hear her. She took a deep breath for the first time in a long time and let it out slowly, feeling refreshed.

"So..." Elliot was about to speak when Olivia's phone started vibrating in her pocket. She gave him an apologetic look as she took it out. "It's okay, take it." He said, smiling softly.

She smiled flatly and answered her phone. "Benson." She said, listening to the person on the other end. "What? Yeah, I'm on my way. Okay, thanks." She hung up as her hands started shaking slightly.

"Everything okay?" He asked, concerned, noticing that her face was turning white as a ghost.

"Yeah, I, uh, I gotta go. I'm sorry." She said, grabbing her keys and phone and standing up, still shaking slightly.

"Can I see you later? Maybe bring over some dinner, like old times?" He asked, smiling softly. He wanted to know what was wrong but he didn't want to pry.

"Yeah, sure. I'll text you my new address. Bye, Elliot." She responded, smiling lightly as she ran her hand down his arm then turned and jogged back to her car.

Elliot was worried as he threw out both coffee cups and walked back to his car. He wondered what her phone call was about and what had her so scared. He knew she wouldn't tell him what it was, though. When they were partners and something was wrong, half the time he couldn't get it out of her and now that he was back after being gone for ten years, he knew she wouldn't be as open as she was before.

He drove home and paced around the tiny space of his one-bedroom apartment. He wondered if she was still upset with him and if he said something that upset her. He wanted to know what was wrong so he could help. He would do anything for her. He shook his head and sighed, sitting on the couch and turning the TV on. He needed to distract himself but it didn't work. His thoughts just kept going back to Olivia. He spent the next few hours trying to keep himself busy before he would grab dinner and head to her apartment.