Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.

After a few minutes of sprinting, he began to breathe hard. His lungs burned, but it only increased his drive. He kept going, down the road toward nowhere, his sneakers slapping the asphalt.

The beach came into view again, but not the same area he had been to before. There were a few houses scattered along it as well as a rundown-looking dock jutting into the water. He ran toward it desperately, as if it would somehow save him.

No one was around, for which he was thankful. He ran awkwardly, his feet heavy in the sand, and clattered onto the dock.

He ran to the end and finally stopped. His chest heaved with a searing burn, and he was forced to lean over, gasping for breath. After a few minutes, his heart began to finally slow. Panting, he plopped down on the wood like a sack of cement.

Curling his legs underneath him, Elliot clutched his knees tightly with his fingertips and began to sob hard.

Ally bit her lip as she drove slowly through the streets, trying to avoid pedestrians and bikers while at the same time scanning for a sign of Elliot.

The chill of the blasting air-conditioner seeped through the t-shirt she had grabbed from his dresser, making her realize that she had failed to put on a bra in her haste. Shivering, she turned it down a notch and rolled down the window. Warm air filtered in as she continued sweeping the road with her eyes.

It had taken her about ten minutes to calm down after he had left. Not knowing what to do and desperate to talk to him, she had grabbed some clothes from his drawer and took off after him.

The shirt she had grabbed was light brown and said "American Eagle" across the chest, and the gym shorts were about five sizes too big, but she hadn't noticed or cared. All she did was tie a hasty knot in the waist of the shorts to keep them up as she shut the door and quickly locked it.

"Going to cut your losses and run?"

She started at the male voice behind her and whipped around in surprise. A man was walking toward her from an open door two rooms away, his eyes narrowed.

She looked at him suspiciously, about to tell him to go away, but something made her stop and look closer. He looked familiar somehow. She had seen him somewhere before; she just couldn't quite place when.

After a minute, it suddenly hit her- he was the guy that had been with Elliot the day they had bumped into each other.

Jesse waited for it to dawn on her who he was. When he saw her face flood with recognition, he knew she had figured it out. He folded his arms and leaned against Elliot's door.

Ally suddenly remembered that he had spoken to her. "What did you say?"

He looked at her stonily, one eyebrow arched. His brown eyes were cold as he glared at her. "I warned him," he said softly. "I told Elliot not to get into it with you." He shook his head slightly, looking at her clothes in disgust. "He was asking for trouble from the moment he met you."

"Excuse me?" she said hotly, anger creeping into her voice. Her eyes narrowed as she took a step toward him. "This is none of your damn business, buddy. Who do you think you are?"

There was a tense pause as they both stared at each other in challenge. He had to give her points for standing her ground; she was standing toe-to-toe with him, not giving an inch.

"Jesse," he said finally, backing down just a hair. "My name is Jesse." He watched her eyes soften a fraction, though it could have just been his imagination. "And you're right- what you do isn't my business."

He stepped away from the door then and stood in front of her while making sure his body language showed her he wasn't a threat. It worked, because she didn't move away.

"But Elliot is my business," he continued sharply. "What you're doing is seriously fucked-up, lady." His voice had turned hard and venomous. "You might have been able to fool him, but I could see it the minute I saw you….you're nothing but a manipulator."

She looked at him coldly when he finished speaking, and for a brief moment he thought she might slap him. He had seen a look like that on too many women's faces before in his lifetime. He saw her hands twitch at her sides, but she didn't move.

Swallowing hard, Jesse continued to glare at her. He poked a finger at her. "I'm warning you," he said angrily. "Stay away from him, Ally. I don't care who the hell you are…..no one messes with my best friend."

She startled when he said her name, having not told it to him. He saw it and knew her thoughts.

"He's crazy about you." His voice had softened, and she saw sincerity in his eyes. "Do you realize that? Do you…do you even have a clue just how much he likes you? He talks about you like you're a fucking goddess."

Tears were now trailing down her cheeks. She looked at him with silent despair in her eyes. Her chin trembled, but she didn't back down.

Jesse shook his head and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry," he said, backing up. "I'm sorry to act like an asshole." He looked straight into her eyes and she saw the deep concern there. It surprised her. "Elliot is the best person I know. I can't just sit idly by and watch while you rip his heart out."

Her eyes slid closed slowly. He fell silent.

Taking a shaky breath, she finally spoke. "I'm sorry," she choked out. "I don't want to hurt him, Jesse." She began to sob, looking at him in desperation. Her voice was hardly audible. "God, I'd rather have my own heart ripped out than hurt his. I care about him so much….please, you have to know that." She sobbed again. "He's the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me."

Jesse watched this woman fall apart in front of him and suddenly was hit with the realization that she was telling the truth. He could see it in her eyes….it shocked him, what he saw in her eyes. She loved Elliot.

She shook her head, her shoulders quivering as she struggled to keep herself from slumping against the wall. "I don't know what to do," she sobbed. "I was scared… I didn't tell him and I don't…" He struggled to make sense of her ramblings. "I don't even know where he is."

His eyes narrowed in sympathy this time. Jesse took a step closer to the woman who meant so much to his best friend and gently cupped her chin. She jumped in surprise, her eyes shooting open wide, as he directed her face up towards him.

Once he was sure he had her complete focus, he let go. "Try the pier," he said softly, his gaze unwavering.

Ally sniffled, looking at him in surprise. The concern and sincerity on his face spoke volumes, and she managed a shaky smile.

He didn't speak again, simply turning back toward his room.

She quickly stepped after him. "Hey," she said desperately.

Pausing, he turned back toward her.

"You're a pretty good man yourself, Jesse," she said softly, looking at him intently. She saw surprise cross his face.

He blinked, an inkling of a grin twitching the corner of his mouth. "Just go after him," he said gruffly.

She smiled warmly, and he knew she saw right through him. His eyes twinkled as he turned away again and went back to his room.

Inhaling deeply, Ally turned and began to run for the elevator.

She finally cleared the crowded boardwalk and was able to drive faster. The road turned and curved toward the less populated areas. When the beach came into view, she slowed and pulled off the road.

Hopping out, she crossed the street and stepped into the sand. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she scanned the empty beach up and down. No one was outside. Looking toward the pier, her heart jumped when she saw the lone figure sitting at the end.

Tears filled her eyes again, and she began walking slowly towards it.

Olivia had to admit a small pang of hurt when she heard nothing from Elliot the night before. True, she had told him not to worry about calling her while he was on vacation, but part of her hoped that he cared enough to do it anyway.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she scoffed in disgust. How pathetic am I? Her partner had taken a week away from work, and she was upset that he hadn't called her? Would she want to take the time to call New York if she was in paradise?

She shook her head and pulled open the door to the precinct. She really needed to get a grip. Elliot was human…it wasn't fair of her to expect him to think of her all of the time when he deserved to be enjoying himself.

But on the heels of that came another thought, and she grinned as she entered the bullpen. I can forgive not hearing from him…but if he doesn't bring me a souvenir I will kick his ass.

"Is this a private party, or can I join you?"

Elliot didn't respond to the soft voice just behind him. He didn't look her way at all.

Ally bit her lip and abandoned the teasing, stepping a little closer to his back. "Elliot," she said painfully. She took a deep breath and didn't move again, knowing she deserved to be ignored.

He continued staring out at the water, and she continued staring at his back. With a soft sigh, she stepped to the side and ventured closer. She kept her eyes glued to the side of his face as she lowered herself down to sit next to him, hoping for some kind of interaction.

She didn't miss it when his jaw hardened. It was a slight move, barely noticeable, but since she was staring intently at his face there was no way she wouldn't see it. She held her breath, waiting for him to speak.

He remained still and silent. After a minute that took an eternity for Ally, he scooted away from her.

The move sent knives into her heart. She fought back her sob, forcing herself to take the pain. He had devoted himself to her all this time. Now he was thinking of himself, and had the right to be cold.

He turned his head away from her and sighed shakily, willing himself not to fall apart again. He had made the mistake of letting her see his vulnerability before. No way was she getting the chance again. He'd die first.

"Elliot," she whispered desperately. She made no move to touch him or get close. She simply sat meekly. "I'm so sorry." The words sounded lame even to her ears, and she bit her lip. She fell silent.

He didn't look at her at all. She sat there for what seemed like forever. She tried to keep the tears back, but once they began she couldn't stop them.

He wanted to walk away from her. Just leave her sitting there. She had screwed him over on so many levels that it hurt just thinking about it. If he had any pride at all, he should get up right now. But his ego wouldn't allow it. He wanted her to know. He wanted her to know just how much he was hurting because of her, and he wanted her to feel the same pain he did.

Clenching his jaw, he slowly turned his body slightly. While not openly inviting her, he at least wanted her to look at him. He owed it to himself.

He saw her start at his move, obviously not expecting him to do it. To her credit, she didn't try to move close to him. She recognized that he wasn't doing this for her.

She had to force herself not to flinch. Those eyes, the ones that had looked at her with caring and love all this time, were so angry that they seemed to burn holes through her.

He blinked, not giving her an inch. When he spoke, his voice was raw with anger and emotion and made her tear up again. There was so much he wanted to say, to yell, and to throw at her. But all he could manage was one word.

"Why?"

Ally closed her eyes.

"No!" he barked suddenly, making her jump. "God damn it…you look at me, Allison."

She looked at him wide-eyed. His chest started to heave again.

"You don't get to hide anymore," he seethed. He gasped between words, like he was having trouble filling his lungs with air. His anger spilled out everywhere, unable to be held in anymore. "How could you? How could you do this to me?"

His fists were clenched. "Do you realize what you've done?" His anger dissipated almost as soon as it flared. Now his voice sounded tired as he dropped his fists helplessly.

"Do you have any idea how much you've hurt me, Ally?

Tears trailed her face. "Yes," she whispered. "Elliot, I do. I don't blame you for hating me for what I did." She shook her head. "How could I tell you? Can you honestly tell me that you would have stuck around if I had told you when we met?"

"How could you have sex with me and not tell me?" he shot back, his anger flaring again. He blinked his tears back again, beginning to yell. "Jesus Christ, Ally! I could lose everything because of you! Did you ever stop to think about that?"

She had started sobbing again and clamped a fist to her mouth in a vain attempt to keep them quiet. Glaring at her, he turned away from her and didn't speak again.

After about ten minutes, she heard him say softly, "You know what kills me?"

She saw that he was now crying as well. Tears were running silently down his cheeks. Unable to speak, she looked at him desperately.

He scoffed, a sound full of pain and despair. "I really thought we had something." He shook his head, his eyes glassy. "I really thought that, after all this time, I had finally found a little bit of happiness again."

Ally sobbed out loud at his words. "We do have something," she pleaded. Unable to sit still any longer, she got up on her knees and moved over to him. He flinched at her hands on his shoulders, but she gripped him tightly in desperation. "Elliot, I know you can't forgive me for not telling you. But please….please don't forget about what we had."

He could feel her shaking as she leaned against his back. "You make me so happy," she sobbed. "Never in my life have I felt as strongly about a person as I do about you. I wasn't faking that. I could never fake that." She kissed the back of his neck, soaking it with her tears.

She felt him begin to shake as well. Elliot bowed his head to swipe at the tears. "I thought it was too good to be true," he said softly. "I couldn't understand what would make someone as wonderful as you be interested in me."

Swallowing hard, he slowly turned around to face her. "Ally, I have to tell you." He looked at her intently. "I let you break my heart. If you lie to me right now, I don't think I'll be able to take it." She looked at him in alarm. He tilted his head, looking at her intensely. "Why did you keep this from me?"

She swallowed hard, blinking away tears. "I realized," she said shakily. "I realized that I was falling in love with you. At first, I did it to protect myself." She sobbed softly, reaching for his hand. Her voice dropped to an agonized whisper. "Then suddenly I realized….I wanted to protect you."

He looked at her with a twisted face and looked down at his hand gripped in hers. His eyes were shining with tears when he looked back up at her. He didn't speak.

Instead, he pulled her forward and kissed her.

Ally threw her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with a deepness that she never had before. She didn't see the tears falling down his face.

Elliot had to struggle not to sob into her mouth. He immersed himself into her kiss for another minute before forcing himself to push away. She gasped in surprise and unhappiness at his action, gripping his hand to pull him close again.

She was startled when he forcefully jerked his hand away. His eyes were wet and pained as he looked at her.

He swallowed hard. "We can't," he whispered brokenly. He watched her face crumble and he sobbed involuntarily. Unable to help himself, he leaned forward and cupped her cheek in his hand. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. "Ally, you're amazing. You're easily the most amazing woman I've ever known. But…" He shook his head. "I just can't."

Her chin trembled as she opened her eyes, but she didn't move away.

"I can't hate you, Ally," he continued to whisper in broken voice. "And I don't want you to hate me. We both deserve better. That's why we have to do this now." His eyes slid closed painfully. "Our lives are too important to risk."

She started sobbing quietly, unable to help it. This was goodbye. She could feel it. Nothing she could do would make things go back to what they had been. At that instant, she wished that she could freeze time forever.

Somehow, she was able to find enough strength to speak. "I…." she faltered, trying to control her tears. She squeezed his hand hard and felt him squeeze back. "I could never hate you, Elliot Stabler." Her other hand came up to gently trail over his hairline as she gazed wistfully into his face. "Never in my life could I have asked for a better man than you." She leaned up and kissed his temple, tears running down her face. "I'm so sorry for all that I took from you."

He reached out to grasp her chin, startling her, and stared directly into her eyes. "You didn't take anything from me, Allison Denny," he said. He smiled tearfully. "You gave. You gave me back my happiness. You showed me what it was to smile again."

On impulse, she pressed her lips hard against his, somehow sensing that this was her last moment. He didn't resist. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and allowed himself one last bittersweet taste of their innocence.

She broke away finally, her cheeks wet with tears. He smiled sadly, and it took a great effort for her to do the same. He stood up slowly and offered his hand.

She allowed him to help her to her feet. Once they stood face-to-face, he kissed her lightly. "You'll always be in my heart, Ally," he whispered, stroking her hair. "Don't ever forget that."

Unable to speak from the emotions in her chest, she nodded silently. Tears fell unchecked down her face. He wiped at one with his thumb, trailing down to stroke her collarbone. Leaning forward, he pulled her close and buried his face in her hair, desperate to hold her for one more brief moment.

She could feel him losing the battle as well. He was shaking with sobs, but she knew he wouldn't let her see them. After another minute, he forced himself to pull away. His eyes were bright, but he forced a smile. "Give Prince a kiss for me."

She managed a shaky smile as he turned away slowly. Only when he was walking away did she let herself fall apart.

Elliot started sobbing as soon as he turned his back to her. He could barely see where he was going.

He had loved Kathy. Hell, he had been devoted to Kathy. She had done nothing short of hanging the moon in his eyes, and he had tried everything he could to show her how he felt. But to her, he had come up short. The day she left was the first time he had looked into her eyes and not seen the girl he loved more than life itself looking back.

Ally was something wonderful that had crossed his path at a time when he was straining to get some control of his life back. For two years he had built walls to protect his heart, and she had single-handedly knocked them down. He had risked blind faith and allowed her to hold his heart in the palm of her hand. His naivety had laid the ground work for another woman to rip him apart.

A sudden, painful realization made his heart ache and his cheeks flush in shame. Maybe love didn't exist at all. Perhaps he had spent his entire life fighting to hold onto something that he had never actually had in the first place.

He entered the elevator quickly and stabbed the button for his floor. Once it began to move, he leaned against the wall of the car and scrubbed his face with both hands. All of the sudden, he was extremely tired.

Sighing heavily, he walked out when the doors opened and dug in his pocket for the key to his room.

"Elliot."

He froze at the sound of Jesse's voice behind him. All too fresh in his mind was the memory of their last encounter. He considered ignoring him. He didn't have the strength for a confrontation, and the last thing he wanted to do was let his friend see him fall apart.

Jesse watched his friend freeze with his hand on the doorknob. After a minute, during which he seemed to be weighing his options for escape, Elliot slowly turned around.

It was obvious he had been crying, and the look on his face was just daring Jesse to comment.

They stood facing each other silently, the tension so thick between them that it seemed to blanket the air.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Jesse finally said softly.

Elliot started in surprise at the comment, but his face quickly became defensive. "You going to say 'I told you so'?" he snarled. "Do it. I don't give a fuck."

The other man blinked, looking at him intently. "No," he said. "Just….that I'm sorry."

Elliot swallowed hard and took a deep breath, hanging his head with a sigh. "I should be the one apologizing," he said quietly. Raising his head, he looked his friend straight in the face. "You were right, Jesse. I should have listened to you." He sighed glumly, shaking his head. "I'm an idiot."

Jesse smiled softly. "Hey," he chided gently. "Don't say that about my best friend." He watched for a small semblance of a smile, pleased when he saw one, and quickly turned serious again. "Believe me; I don't get any satisfaction out of it. I really do wish it could have turned out differently."

Elliot scoffed softly. "Yeah….me, too."

Biting his lip awkwardly, Jesse shifted uneasily. "Listen…" he said uncomfortably. "If you want….to talk or something….you know…"

Elliot looked equally uncomfortable. "Thanks," he said abruptly. "But that's ok." He took another breath. "I actually just think I'll head home a little early." He opened his door and turned back. "I'll give you the money for the extra day….I just really want to go home now."

Jesse waved him off immediately. "No, don't worry about it," he said. "Do whatever you need, Elliot." He smiled hesitantly. "It's a shame we couldn't hang out more."

Guilt flooded him again. "I'm so sorry, Jesse," he said. "Listen, how about if I get you a plane ticket to New York and we can make up for this?"

Jesse smiled. "I wasn't ragging you," he said. "But that does sound good. Whenever you're free again, give me a call."

"Definitely," Elliot said immediately. He held his hand out to his friend. Jesse grasped it tightly. The contact meant more than words to both men.

Letting go, he said, "I'll see you around, Jess."

"Sure," Jesse agreed. "Have a safe trip, Elliot." He turned to go back to his room.

Going inside, Elliot leaned against the door and sighed wearily, scrubbing his face again. He trudged back toward the bedroom.

Pulling his bag out from under the bed, he went over to the drawer and began taking out his clothes. Glancing to his left, he saw the lavender dress on the floor next to the closet.

Anger and hurt filled him again, making him almost growl. Clenching his teeth furiously, he quickly emptied the dressers and headed to collect his things from the bathroom.

As he was coming out with his shaving kit, he suddenly heard a light beeping noise. Pausing, he listened again and realized it was coming from his cell phone, lying on the bedside table.

Dumping the items into the bag, he crossed over and picked up the small phone. The voice mail message was flashing. Punching in the code, he put the phone to his ear.

"Hey Elliot." It was Olivia. "Right now I'll bet you're lying on your ass in the sand, getting sunburned again…..did I mention that I hate you?"

He chuckled, darting under the bed to pick up his socks from yesterday.

"Anyway…I was just calling to make sure you knew I was kidding the other day. We all miss you and can't wait for you to come home. Enjoy the last of your vacation…you've got so much paperwork waiting for you that you're going to be writing in your sleep!"

He could hear the merriment in her voice. "Have a safe trip, partner, and I'll see you when you get home."

The soft click barely registered. Elliot was suddenly overcome with emotion again, but this time there was no pain behind it. An idea flashed in his mind as he zipped up the last of his things and picked up the dress from the floor.

He looked around to be sure he had everything and left the room. Opening his phone, he called information as he walked toward the elevator.

"Yes, I need to know when the next flight to New York is leaving?" he inquired, hefting his bag more securely in one arm.

He listened a minute. "Great," he said. "I'll be there."

He put the phone in his pocket and checked his watch. He had enough time for a stop before he left.

Ally walked slowly down the hall and stopped at his door. Raising a hand, she knocked slowly and nervously waited.

After a minute, she knocked again.

Puzzled, she leaned closer to the door to try and see through the peephole. It was then that she noticed something next to the door. Stooping, she touched it.

It was her lavender dress. The heels she had worn were sitting next to it.

Balancing the container of coffees she held in one hand, Olivia opened the door to the bullpen. She smiled at the sight that greeted her. Files were opened on Elliot's desk, the chair was pushed away, and a flowered lei hung from her desk lamp.

Grinning, she looked around for her partner.

"Hey, where's the coffee?" Munch asked, stepping up behind her.

"Right-" She turned to him with his cup and stopped when she saw him, bursting into laughter.

John's eyes twinkled with amusement as he took the cup from her hand. He was wearing a white lei around his neck. "I thought I'd try out the island look."

She shook her head, laughing. Fin came up behind him and reached around Olivia for his coffee.

"You should have seen Cragen earlier," he said. "Elliot convinced him to wear his like a headband….makes me wish I had a camera." He grinned. "That would make some great blackmail ammunition."

"You don't have the balls, Fin." The familiar voice made Olivia's smile widen and turn back around.

Elliot stood grinning beside his desk. The vacation had obviously agreed with him; he had a tan that made her envious. His blue eyes seemed brighter, but it could have just been because she hadn't seen them in over a week.

"Hey!" she said, grinning. "Welcome back!"

"Thanks," he said, grinning teasingly. "I can see you missed me." He looked disgustedly at the pile of files on his desk, making her laugh. His eyes sparkled with amusement. "Get me coffee?"

"Of course," she answered, handing him a cup. She raised her eyebrows, grinning. "Sorry, no breakfast. I'm not that happy to see you!"

He smirked wryly at her as he sipped his beverage. A small grin tugged the corners of his mouth, but he forced himself to keep his composure as he sat down.

"So how was the trip?" she asked, as she began working on a file of her own. "Captain says you owe him pictures, by the way."

When there was no answer, she looked up and saw that he was watching her intently. "What?" she asked.

He shrugged innocently, a grin on his face. She looked at him suspiciously. Having seen that smile before, she knew what it meant. He had something up his sleeve. She raised her eyebrows cautiously and dropped her pen.

"Okay, what did you do?" she asked. She began looking around her desk in alarm. "Did you put glue on my chair again?"

It was then that Olivia noticed something she hadn't before. A small white box was sitting beside her pencil sharpener. Lifting her eyes to his again, she saw that his grin had widened.

"What is this?" she asked, picking it up. She eyed it cautiously, and then looked at him. "It's not going to explode on me, is it?"

He watched as she opened it up. She gasped, all amusement gone from her face, and looked at him with an expression of astonishment.

"Oh, my…." She could hardly speak. Out of all the things in the world, she certainly wasn't expecting this. "Elliot…."

Gasping again, she carefully lifted up the delicate silver chain. The small turquoise teardrop pendent reflected off of the light, making it sparkle.

He smiled warmly as he watched her struggle to speak. She looked absolutely stunned.

"It's an aquamarine," he said, when she looked at him after once again failing to be able to speak. "The natives of Hawaii hold it as the highest symbol of friendship, because the stone is rare and will last forever."

Olivia shook her head, her eyes watering slightly. "I…" she said, her voice wavering. She shook her head again and carefully lowered the necklace back into the box.

She looked up at him, her face glowing. "It's gorgeous, Elliot," she said. "Thank you."

He was surprised when she jumped up suddenly and came around the desk. She stepped around his chair and hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she repeated, looking into his smiling face.

"Hey, hey," Munch said from his desk. He had been watching the whole thing. "No fraternization between partners." He was smiling playfully.

Elliot laughed. Olivia wiped her eyes quickly and chuckled, coming back around to her side of the desk.

"Shut up, John," she said.

She tried to concentrate on her file. After a minute, she dropped her pen loudly. Elliot looked up from his file in amusement and raised his eyebrow.

"I was just teasing you, Elliot!" she said, her face flushed. She shook her head in embarrassment. "God, why in the world did you ….it must have cost a fortune!"

"Will you stop?" he asked, shaking his head in amusement. He chuckled. She looked so happy that she was almost shaking. He lowered his head down again.

After a minute, though, he raised it to look at her. "It's my way to say thank you," he said, startling her. Her head shot up and she looked at him in confusion. He looked at her intently. "For being someone I can count on."

Olivia looked surprised. She smiled warmly. "Well," she said after a minute. "Ditto to you."

"Hey, you never did answer," Fin suddenly called from across the room. Elliot looked over at him, smiling. "How was the trip?" He grinned and raised his eyebrows. "Meet any honeys?"

Elliot scoffed. Olivia could swear she saw a blush rise on his face, and gasped. "Elliot!" she said in surprise. He looked at her in annoyance, the guilt plain on his face. She looked delighted.

He rolled his eyes. Ally flashed into his mind, and he couldn't stop the smile on his face as he remembered the things they had done together. "There were girls all over the place, Fin," he mumbled, picking up his pen. He ducked his head to hide his blush, which they all saw anyway. "The trip….the trip was interesting. Very interesting."

The three of them looked at each other knowingly, but didn't comment further. Cragen came out of the office.

"Fin, Munch," he said. "We've got a rape homicide on Lexington Avenue. CSU is already there…get their reports for the M.E." They nodded. "Olivia, Elliot….head down to Vincent Memorial. Rape victim just got admitted."

The four of them stood up. Elliot smiled, listening to Munch rambling to Fin about a man in black he had seen on Lexington once, as he followed after his partner.

When they returned a few hours later, there was a package sitting on his desk. He and Olivia shared mystified looks as he picked it up.

"Careful, it could have Anthrax," John couldn't resist throwing out. He grinned at the disgusted look his friend shot him.

Turning it over, Elliot saw that the postmark was from Hawaii. When he ripped open the package, a pair of gym shorts and a brown American Eagle t-shirt fell onto his desk.

The End

Author's Note: This was extremely difficult for me to write. I love Ally and hated that it had to turn out the way it did. Hopefully you all won't hate her….or me for that matter! Sorry if anyone was disappointed….but what happens in Hawaii stays in Hawaii!

Thanks for reading. Summer school is over in a week….YES! This story was a great way for me to unwind and bask in some good old-fashioned fun for a change. I am fully energized now and have started my next story. Elliot has been rejuvenated by the sun and is now ready to be tortured again….poor baby just can't win with me, can he? Hope you'll tune in.