Disclaimer: Sure I own them. Along with all rights to The X-files, Will and Grace, all three CSI's (But Miami would be turned into...I dunno, Paris or something, and I'd be in it!...) and the Matrix. A girl can dream, can't she?

AN: I have absolutely no idea why I'm going backwards with this. But I am. This Is from Olivia's POV, and it is Alex's first day back. (Court! Yay!)

Language: Spanish
Bruja: Witch
ví: I saw
Es una Bruja: She's a Witch

While You Were Gone

Olivia's Story

Casey said her name, and my heart jumped in anticipation. The first time I had seen my friend in years. I turned to face the back of the courtroom, and all of New York's finest turned to see the apparition of Alexandra Cabot, her head still high and blue gaze still cold, grace us with her presence. Elliot's gripped tightened on my arm, and I could sense Munch on the other side of me stiffen, and I heard his small gasp, as she looked at out SVU row and nodded almost imperceptibly. As she slowly made her way up the row, I could tell that she enjoyed for once the eyes and withheld breath of the entire courtroom This was the homecoming, however dramatic, that Alex had been waiting for.

It was broken by Ceaser Valez, "¡Bruja! Your are dead ¡V! I saw the damn papers! they said you were dead! Es una bruja!" Alex continued her steady pace, not even flinching as she passed the defense's table. She stopped momentarily to nod at Judge Petrovansky, and the judge nodded back trying hard not to laugh at the turn of events. Ceaser Valez continued to rant, alternating between his native Spanish and English and increasing in volume. The judge had to yell over him, "I'm calling a fifteen minute recess, Mr Jenkins, please get your client under control." She had barely pounded her gavel when Alex came flying off the stand, her face triumphant for the obvious court case win. In a sixth sense sort of way, I noticed Casey and Munch standing back, the latter not quite believing his eyes, and Casey feeling left out of our little family.

Alex reached out to grab me, but I held up Serena, scared that in the wild joy of being home she would crush my daughter. Alex looked at me, her eyes questioning even as she gently took my little girl from my arms, "Hi, Baby!"

"Serena." I told her, and to confirm her suspicions grabbed Elliot's hand. Alex's eyes got even bigger, and I couldn't help but laugh, "It's a long story."

"She's beautiful." Alex looked up and something over my shoulder caught her eye. I turned around in time to see Munch storm out of the courtroom, barely missing an excited reporter chattering eagerly into his cell phone.

"Here, give her back to me. He needs you." She nodded handed Serena back to me and started out of the room, but Casey put a restraining hand on her arm, "You don't have time. Court starts again in almost five minutes. You won't be able to find him and say what he needs to hear from you in that amount of time."

I could see Alex, torn between telling Casey to fuck off, and realizing that her testimony was imperative to putting Ceaser behind bars, and keeping her in New York. She nodded, then looked at Casey, "Fine."

"You want me to find him, Alex?" Fin stepped up, and I realized that for him, Alex's sudden appearance was almost as upsetting as her death had been. Fin had lost so many people, family and friends alike to the NYPD. Alex was a loss that even he had mourned for still.

"No," Alex's eyes clouded, and I gripped Elliot's arm a little tighter, understanding her pain, "I need to talk to him myself. I need..." She trailed off into a deep sigh.

The bailiff came out of the judge's quarters and went through the ceremonial motions, and we all watched as Alex struggled through both Casey and the defense attorney's questions.

I had only seen Alex cry once, and even then she had hated it, but sometimes it's necessary. But I knew that the only thing Alex had been living on for the past three years was her pride, and her love for John. That love kept her eyes clouded during the examinations, but it was the pride that kept them from falling.

The station: 1:32 am

I noticed Alex in the corner, still sulking, despite the fact that Valez had been found guilty and was now awaiting either the death penalty of life in prison. I also noticed that Munch still hadn't been found. Serena was in her playpen in the crib, asleep or well on her way there, despite the noisy celebration that continued down here. I made my way towards Alex's corner, barely missing rookie's good-natured fights and drunken arguments. This was the first and probably only night of celebration since, well, I never saw a party in Captain Cragen's unit. I mean, how often does a dead SVU lawyer come back to life?

"Hi." I said, sliding into Elliot's desk across from Alex, who was sitting in front of my desk.

"Wedding pictures?" she asked, putting down the only thing on my desk that had nothing to do with work.

I picked up the picture frame myself, which held two photos, one of Elliot's arms around my waist as I stood in my dress, and one of the entire unit. "It was the first time since you died that the entire place was happy. Even Munch was in a good mood. For him." I answered as an afterthought. "He was the black cloud that rained on Elliot's and my wedding parade. But he smiled."

Alex nodded. "You wanna go somewhere where we can talk?" I asked her. She nodded silently, still looking melancholy. I caught Elliot's eye on the way out, mouthed Serena and pointed upstairs. He winked and blew me a kiss, and I felt my cheeks get hot. Even two years of marriage hadn't made me used to Elliot's fierce show of love.

Alex and I walked slowly, despite the sharp January cold, towards the bar down the street where the five of us drank happily when we won, and sat dejectedly when we hadn't. I watched memory flight across Alex's face.

"I missed this place. And you guys."

I nodded and we sat down and ordered beers.

Alex looked at me, and I remembered how in the past when we had went out for these girls nights out, Alex could level me with one of those stares of hers. Now she merely looked sad, "How has John been?"

"Obsessed." I answered truthfully, "He thought you were dead. He wanted to find your killer. Munch and Fin were the one's who actually found Valez. Fin told me that Munch had almost killed the bastard before he could get him off. Munch didn't even think about using his gun, just fought him. Those bruises on Valez? Your knight in shining armor."

She smiled, then looked back up, "He's mad at me."

"We didn't tell him that you ask to see us, Alex. We didn't tell him you were alive. Cragen, Elliot and I kept it quiet. Silent. Hell, Elliot and I never even talked about it with each other. I promise you that, Alex. He's in shock. Casey said your name and his world kinda caved in. He loves you." I grabbed her hand, which had been playing with her waist length hair, "Munch didn't expect to see you alive ever again. Could you imagine? He– he doesn't know what to do know that you are back."

"He can talk to me to begin with! Hold me. I missed his arms, Liv. His voice." her eyes filled with tears, but she still refused to let them go, "I just," The tears fell, and I moved in the booth to put her head on my shoulder.

"It's ok, Alex. He'll be back."

Their relationship was so more than any relationship Munch had ever had. Alex too, probably. They truly loved each other. Alex despite Munch's sarcasm, constant conspiracy theories, distrust in the world at large; and Munch despite Alex's fear of commitment, ice-queen exterior, and sometimes plain out bitchy ways. Now I understood what love really was. What I didn't understand, even between Elliot and I. We loved each other, yes, and we loved our little girl, but we never had to do without each other. Elliot had never had to live three years of his life believing that I was dead. And more importantly, he had never had to see my walking, breathing, living corpse walk down an aisle of a courtroom. We had it easy. Alex and Munch had been put through their respective hells. And there was nothing that I could do to change it. Despite the fact that at that moment in time, with my best friend's head on my shoulder and her tears soaking my shirt, I would have done anything in the world to do just that.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the bells on the bar door jingle, nor did I notice the long black trench coat walking towards our table. By the time I noticed him, and could recognize him, he was already sitting at our table, and Alex was already wiping her face. I got up, nodded goodbye to Munch, squeezed Alex's shoulder a last time for luck and then left. My time was over. The last thing that I saw as I left the bar was Alex's head resting on John's shoulder, and his hand rubbing her back. I smiled to myself as the freezing wind hit my face, and whipped my hair about my head. They would be ok. Like Elliot and I, things would sort themselves out. I walked to my home away from home, were the party was still going strong, and dragged my husband up to the crib.

"Liv? Why are you crying? Honey, are you ok?" Elliot worried gaze followed me as I pulled my sleeping daughter from her playpen.

"We're lucky, Elliot. I just want you to be here for me. Just, hold me. Like you never will again."

And he did.

AN: Wow. That ending just came to me in literally 15 minutes...after I've been struggling for about what now...3 or 4 weeks for it? And I actually like most of it. YAY! Alex next...maybe. Oh I'm done telling you people the deal. You'll know when I post it...lol...ok, now you guys know what to do. The blueish-purple button is down there...screaming for you to press it...

Brandi