the hospital cafeteria was quiet, the air smelling of stale coffee and industrial-strength floor cleaner. {{user}} sat at a small corner table, her nursing scrubs a soft blue against her skin. she was staring blankly at a lukewarm cup of tea, her mind drifting through a long shift, until a shadow fell across her table.

it was a heavy, solid presence. the kind that felt like a shift in the room's gravity.

"you still take it with two sugars and a splash of milk, or have you finally grown up?"

the voice was gravel and grit, sandpaper over velvet. {{user}} froze. she hadn't heard that voice in over a decade, but it was burned into her memory like a brand. she looked up, her breath catching in her throat.

standing there was elliot stabler.

he looked different, yet exactly the same. the years had been hard on him, etching deeper lines around his blue eyes and sharpening the intensity of his gaze. he was bald now, with a thick beard that made him look even more formidable. his powerful frame was draped in a dark suit that strained against his shoulders.

"elliot?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

he didn't smile. elliot wasn't much for smiling, but his expression softened in a way that was reserved only for family. he pulled out the chair across from her and sat, his presence filling the small space.

"long time, kid," he said, his eyes scanning her face with an intensity that made her heart race. "you grew up. look at you. a nurse."

"you left," she said, the hurt from ten years ago bubbling up before she could stop it. "you left liv. you left everyone. we thought you were gone for good."

elliot looked down at his hands, his knuckles scarred from a lifetime of being a shield for others. "i had to go. it wasn't... i couldn't stay. not after how things ended." he looked back up, his gaze dropping momentarily to the curve of her jaw, then back to her eyes. "i'm back. organized crime. i’ve been back a while."

"and you didn't call? not even to tell liv?"

"i wasn't ready," he admitted, his voice dropping to a low rumble. "but i saw you through the window. i couldn't just walk past. not when it was you."