Author's Note: We have come to the end of this story. Thanks to all who have read and/or reviewed this story, it is much appreciated. This will be my last fanfic for awhile. I'm going to take a hiatus to work on some original projects. It's been a blast writing for you all and interacting with you on here, Twitter and IG.

The walls of her apartment felt less stifling, the atmosphere becoming more light with each of their confessions. As he talked, Olivia turned into him, relaxing into the hard ridges of his body. They sat perfectly nestled in the cushions of her sofa. It was chilly, but being in his arms, bathed in the promise of what was ahead, provided all the warmth she needed.

Elliot's past had been a shadow looming over their partnership for years. Despite confronting him years ago about his mother, she never took into account his tumultuous past with his father. There were elements of his behavior that made more sense now that she had a glimpse into their interactions, but there was more to learn. And just as she had promised him about Harris, those stories wouldn't come tonight. She felt more confident that he would open up, but it wasn't going to be easy. People don't change overnight. Especially not those as stubborn as her and Elliot.

For years she hid behind the veil of her mom's struggles while marching directly into the darkness, attempting to right the wrongs that left her mom's life spiraling into alcoholism. And Elliot had done the same, but for different reasons.

Olivia was done kidding herself. As much as it pained her to admit it, she needed this. She needed him. But she feared with their frazzled histories, they had the potential to make a great relationship or become an epic failure that would leave them out of each other's lives forever.

Swallowing back the lump in her throat, she voiced her concern. "If this doesn't work El, could we still be friends?" That's what mattered more than anything. They barely survived the end of their partnership as Benson and Stabler. If they couldn't survive as Olivia and Elliot in this romantic conundrum they created, could they still be in each other's lives regardless?

He took a breath preparing to speak but only a sigh came out. Olivia looked up at him and saw his eyes closed, his jaw clenching before letting out a shaky breath. "My first instinct is to say yes."

"But?"

Staring down at her, he kissed her forehead. "I know you wouldn't believe me. Wouldn't believe that it could be that simple."

Leaning into his chest, she inhaled his scent, surprised at how much Simon's shirt already smelled like him. "You're right I wouldn't because we haven't been friends this past year."

"But haven't we?"

She rolled her eyes. "We haven't talked in a year."

Elliot placed his index finger under her chin so she could look at him. "Just because we didn't talk doesn't mean we weren't friends Liv."

"You don't think so?"

"No. I'm sure you have friends you don't talk to everyday, because of the job or just... life."

She didn't answer, choosing not to state the obvious that the silence wasn't by choice. At least not hers. They had already been down that road.

"You're the closest person in my life. Always have been since the first day we met. I know it was hard for you to see that." He rubbed his forehead, staring at the ceiling. "I've always thought you understood me better than anyone else."

"I thought that too...I mean I still think that," she corrected herself.

"Good."

"Ok." She sat up with her back straightened, fidgeting with her hands in her lap. "So no matter how bad we screw this up, we remain friends?"

Elliot chuckled, closing the small amount of distance she had just put between them. "Why do you assume we will screw it up?"

Because I find a way to screw up every relationship I'm in and so do you.

"Have you ever been in a relationship that wasn't screwed up?"

Elliot thought a minute. "Yes I have."

Olivia watched closely, muscles tensed waiting on another confession. They hadn't talked about his romantic life over the last year and there had been more than enough talk of past lovers. She mentally braced herself for whatever he was going to say.

"My marriage. I'm talking about Kathy," he said rubbing his thumb across her knuckles before taking her hand in his. "Our marriage didn't last and we certainly had our battles, but when it's all said and done, her and I are friends. We still sit and talk and not just about the kids. We made it more than 20 years, raised five children and manage to still actually like each other. That's not a failure."

She smiled, squeezing his hand. They had sex twice and the simple act of intertwining his fingers in hers still seemed unbelievable. She was learning every inch of him, something she hadn't taken the time to do the first or second time they had sex. "No El, you're right. It's not a failure but—"

Elliot placed his finger on her lips. "No buts. No matter what, we stay friends. We've been through more together than—shit." He scratched the side of his head, chuckling softly. "We've been through hell and back. Gunshots, suspensions, the stuff with my mom, your brother. I'm surprised we even got to keep our shields."

She had to laugh at that one herself remembering all the times they covered for each other without a second thought.

"So," she took his both of his hands in hers, massaging each knuckle, crease, callous. "What do we now?"

Elliot cooked his eyebrow, a sly grin on his face. "Well…"

"No," she tried unsuccessfully to hide her laughter. "We've done enough of that."

"I don't think there can ever be enough of that."

Her skin flushed at the memory of the way he possessed every part of her body. Leaning into his shoulder, she hid the blush that crept into her cheeks. There she was with Elliot Stabler feeling like a giddy school girl. The looming conversation about Harris and other painful memories evaporated among the thoughts of what lay ahead.

"We've always turned to other people when things got rough. Can we say that will change now?"

Elliot sighed. "We can say that we are going to try like hell. That's all we can do."

Olivia nodded, a smile creeping on her lips. Before it could fully manifest, she leaned over, crashing her lips against his, tentatively sealing their agreement with a kiss. His lips parted, about to deepen the kiss when her phone buzzed.

Elliot groaned. "You've got to be kidding me." He looked at his watch, rubbing his forehead. "It's almost 4 in the morning."

Olivia broke away, groaning at the interruption. "You did this for years, you know the deal." She picked up the phone realizing it was a text message and not a call.

"Everything ok?" Elliot sat up, mirroring her posture preparing himself to have to leave.

She typed a response and sat the phone back down, placing a quick kiss on his lips. "That was just Nick saying we have to be in for 7am. DA wants to go over something with the case."

Elliot nodded, biting his lip. "So Nick, that's your new partner hunh?"

Olivia sighed, clasping her hands in her lap. "Yeah. We've had our bumps in the road, in fact he isn't too happy with me right now."

He got ready to open his mouth and ask questions but she held up her hand to stop him. "It's a long story and not one I want to talk about right now."

He let it go. "So what's it like? Having a new partner."

Olivia tilted her head side to side, biting the inside of her cheek. The beginning of her partnership with Nick was rough to say the least. She was struggling with Elliot's departure and having to start over with not one but two new detectives that she was expected to train. Cragen had forced her to let go of Elliot and accept that he wasn't coming back. It had all been too much.

"It's….different. It was hard at first. I never pictured myself partnered with anyone but you," she said standing up and walking to the kitchen to dispose of their coffee mugs.

"I get it," he spoke up, his forehead wrinkling. "I don't think I could do it anymore with anyone else. Trading off between Fin and Munch every once in a while was one thing but…I couldn't trust anyone else other than you to watch my six."

She breathed in deeply, absorbing his words. It was exactly what she felt when she had to empty his desk. "When Cragen made me clean out your desk," she began, a chill running through her body reliving the painful memory. "I thought I was going to fall apart. Your pictures, your files, everything it was like living through our partnership one item at a time."

"Liv—"

"I couldn't believe it was over," she continued. "Fin stood near me, I guess worried that I would break down right there in the middle of the squad room. But it was fine, I had already taken care of the crying in the interrogation room."

He was at her side in a moment. No apologies, no words, just holding her close. He said he was sorry a thousand times. It wouldn't change anything, it wouldn't take away the sting of his decision to say goodbye without warning.

The entire time they were partners, she had never been shot. It was a running joke between their old team. Somehow she had always dodged a bullet but she was sure that losing her partner was far more painful than any bullet she could've ever taken.

Munch had gone through partners through the years and tried to comfort her during that time with playful anecdotes of his carousel of coworkers. She appreciated his effort to make her feel better but nothing helped. There was nothing that could ease the pain of losing what her and Elliot shared.

"So he's a good partner?" Elliot asked.

Her arms squeezed around his waist, her fingers playing a pattern on his lower back. "Yeah he is. He reminds me of you a little bit. Catholic family man with a short temper but I trust him. It took awhile to get there but I do trust him."

"That's good. His wife being overseas can't be easy though."

Olivia jerked back, looking into his eyes, her eyebrows furrowed. Elliot shrugged his shoulders, a smirk on his face.

"You checked him out? Of course you did," she said walking out of his hold.

"I just had to know," he explained. "You understand that right?"

She sighed, "Yeah I understand." She would've done the same if she heard that he had a new partner.

Olivia stretched and yawned, stepping back into his arms. Elliot rubbed her back gently. "Come on let's get you to bed."

She chuckled. "Nice try Stabler."

He laughed heartily and slapped her on the ass. "Ow."

"I actually meant to sleep," he said suddenly growing serious. "This isn't about just sex for me Olivia. I hope you know that."

Touching her forehead to his, she took a deep breath reveling in the moment. If she believed anything he said tonight, it was definitely that statement. "I know that," she whispered. "You never have to tell me that."

"Good." He kissed her forehead quickly, taking her hand and leading her to the bedroom.

The floor creaked beneath them, the room still somewhat disheveled from their activities earlier. Her sheets were pulled back, the covers ruffled. Although her floor wasn't as wet as before, she was careful not to slip, using it as an excuse to hold Elliot's hand tighter.

Elliot smoothed out the comforter before pulling it back signaling for her to hop in. She stood for a moment, contemplating. She would have to be at work in a few hours anyway and didn't want to waste one minute. The past year seemed to pass in slow motion. Each day got a little easier in some ways and harder in others.

"I have an idea," she said walking to her closet instead. Satisfied with a navy blue sweatshirt for herself and rummaged through the back of the closet to find some sweatpants for him.

Elliot watched her silently as she threw the pants at him. "Here put those on."

"It's not that cold in here."

"I know," she said pulling out her running shoes and sitting on the bed to lace them up. "Let's go out, to that diner we went to all the time. It's open all night."

Elliot nodded, a cautious smile on his face. "Have you been there since…?"

Olivia pulled her hair back in a ponytail. "Once with Fin. Grabbed something and left. Didn't feel right to sit in there without you y'know?"

"Yeah."

They were walking towards the door when she stopped suddenly, turning around to stare at him.

He was there.

He was really there.

Elliot was pulling on his damp jacket, shaking off the residual rain drops around the collar, when he saw her watching him. His eyes instantly softened.

"Hey." His hand cupped her cheek, the edge of his mouth curling up. He kissed her again. It was chaste at first until her tongue parted his lips, still getting used to having him like this.

She moaned as he pulled away. "You hungry?"

Elliot shrugged. "A little."

"We don't have to go," she offered.

Elliot groaned, shaking his head as if he was at war with himself. "Yes we do," he said zipping up his jacket. "We can't stay here any longer, trust me."

She grabbed her keys and struggled to hold back her laughter as he shuffled them out the door. There was no need to question why they couldn't stay. This was their new reality, balancing the emotional and physical part of their relationship.

They walked in comfortable silence to the elevator. As the door shut, the tension crackled between them. Needing to touch him, she reached for his hand, lacing her fingers between his. She didn't need to look up to see the smile on his face. It felt familiar, normal, just like home. Like the final piece she had been missing had fallen into place.

They managed to maneuver through the door of her building, never letting go of each other.

"Do you want to grab a cab?" she offered hoping to give him some relief from the chilly weather.

Elliot shook his head, surprising her by kissing their joined hands. "Nah, let's walk."

Olivia grinned as they began to walk the ten blocks to the diner.

"So," Elliot began. "Tell me more about your new squad."

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "As if you don't already know."

"I just know names and a few things, tell me the rest."

"Ok fine, there's Nick which you know about, and then Amanda Rollins. Comes from Georgia. Smart, feisty, a little overzealous…"

She continued to tell him all about the new dynamic in the squad room and Munch and Fin's shenanigans as they took a seat in the diner.

Their favorite waiter Al was still there, giving them a simple nod as they walked in and found their usual table in the back corner. There were a few stragglers near the front sipping coffee and looking at the newspaper. An older man and woman she assumed was a couple, sat a few booths away engaged in what seemed like too serious of a conversation for that early in the morning.

When they were partners, she would try and figure out the story behind the people at each table who were there eating and lingering in the middle of the night. It was a welcome distraction as her and Elliot would sit across from each other in silence trying to chase away the ghosts of a crime scene they had just left. For once, she felt like they blended in with the rest of the patrons there as the conversation between them continued to flow.

Olivia was entranced watching him talk, his hands moving as he went on about his kids and their antics that kept him on his toes. She hadn't seen him this animated since a few years ago when he told her about his days in the Marines. The early dawn transformed into full sunlight illuminating their faces as they continued to talk, rediscovering each other.

Olivia looked down at her watch as more people started to pour in. "Damn. I gotta go home and change before I meet Nick." She stared down at the grey metal table wishing she had more time but this was life. There was always going to be these interruptions.

Sensing her unease, Elliot took another sip of his coffee, threw a few bills on the table and held his hand out to take hers. Smiling, she took it, walking slowly to try and postpone the inevitable.

"My clothes are still at your house," Elliot said while buttoning his jacket.

Olivia smirked. "Guess you have to come over later and get it."

His blue eyes lit up and suddenly she felt like a woman who had just had an excellent first date and wasn't sure how she wanted it to end. He squeezed her hand tighter, his face turning more serious. "Guess so."

Neither wanted to let go.

Impatient people dodged them as they stood near the entrance, the ring of the bell on the door pulling her back to the present. "I better get going," she said finally letting go of him. The cold hit her palm instantly leaving her with an empty feeling.

"Ok." Elliot hesitated as his face moved closer to hers. She closed the rest of the distance, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Aren't you gonna go?" He asked as she stood in place.

She shook her head. "No. I want you to walk away first."

Elliot tilted his head in confusion.

"Trust me."

Words were on the edge of his lip but he held his tongue and slowly walked away. Every few steps he turned around to see if she was still watching and she was. She didn't want to explain to him that she needed to see him walk away knowing this time without a doubt that she would see him again.

It wasn't forgetting.

It was forgiving.

It wasn't goodbye.

It was see you later.

It wasn't the end.

It was just the beginning.

{end}