The characters are the property of DIck Wolf and the song belongs to Blake Shelton.

Olivia walked into the empty apartment completely exhausted. She had been on the job for more than thirty-six straight hours. She and the other SVU detectives had been trying to catch a serial rapist who posed as a modeling Agent, his target being young girls between the ages of ten and fourteen. They finally caught the bastard as he was soliciting his next victim, a young girl who not only was the daughter of a police officer, but also had more law enforcement watching her than the president.

Shrugging out of her leather jacket, she walked over to her stereo and turned on the radio. Flipping through the stations to avoid commercials, Olivia stopped when she heard the ending of a song. Upon hearing the station letters, she realized it was a country station. Olivia shrugged, knowing this was better than the silence of the empty apartment she once shared with her lover.

Stepping into the bedroom, she began peeling off her clothes in preparation for a shower. It was a constant need, especially after cases like this. She needed to wash away the crawling feeling it left on her skin.

She stepped under the hot spray and let it pour over her body. She could feel the aches and tension leave her muscles. It was a short shower, as it was very late and she wanted to try and get some sleep. She now felt more energized than she had upon first entering the apartment. She turned off the water and exited the bathroom, donning a pair of NYPD sweats and a grey muscle shirt.

She made her way back out into the main room, knowing how Alex would have felt about her going to be on an empty stomach. Her attention was once again brought back to the radio as the DJ announced that he would be taking one more request for the night. When the caller came on the air, Olivia noticed her voice sounded oddly familiar. She stopped what she was doing so she could listen to this particular dedication.

"Ok, caller, you're on the air. What can I play for you tonight?" the DJ asked.

"A couple of years ago I was forced to leave my lover," the caller said. "I just wanted to send something out over the airwaves to let Livy know that she is still in my thoughts every day, and I pray that Elliot is keeping her safe."

Olivia felt like her heart was going to pound through her chest. Alex used to call her Livy when they were alone together, and how many people with a nickname of Livy knew an Elliot? She drew herself out of her thoughts so she could continue listening to the dedication.

"Could you play 'Home' by Blake Shelton and dedicate it to Livy B?" The caller asked.

Olivia sat on the couch, almost positive now, that the caller was Alex.

"Alright, all you listeners out in radio land. This is 'Home' by Blake Shelton, going out to Livy B. You're listening to WCBS-FM 101.1 FM. Olivia made sure to pay attention to the words.

Alex hung up the phone and crossed her fingers. There was no way of knowing if Olivia was even listening to the radio tonight. She knew this wasn't the best way of letting her know that she was still thinking of her, but it was the best way to keep her whereabouts a secret. She entered her apartment building and thought about the song she had just dedicated.

She had lost track of the number of days she had spent in the program and was tired of it. Nothing she did could be spur of the moment. It all had to be calculated to the very last detail. They wouldn't even let her take a real vacation. Olivia and Alex had always talked about taking a vacation to Europe at one point or another, but then Valez came along and ruined everything.

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

She could have been living in the most populated city in the country, yet she still felt like she had no one. She wasn't allowed to truly confide in anyone. The only secrets she could tell were those of the identity she was in. She missed her life, especially Olivia and she just wanted to return to her.

Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I wanna go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

If she counted, she would know for sure that she had a letter to Olivia for each day she had been gone. Most of them were just assurances that she was fine and asking how her lover was doing even if she didn't get a response. She didn't send them for two reasons though. First, Hammond would have had a fit if he even knew she was writing them. The second was Olivia deserved so much more than that.

And I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
"I'm fine baby, how are you?"
I would send them but I know that it's just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that 

Alex entered the elevator and pushed the button for her floor. She'd lost track of the number of airplanes she had been on in the past few airs. It seemed like every trip needed four different flights. When she was finally settled she would be sure to stay in one place for some time before doing any traveling.

One of the good things about the program was she got to see more of the country than she had planned, but it wasn't her home and that's where she needed to be.

Another airplane
Another sunny place
I'm lucky I know
But I wanna go home
I've got to go home

Let me go home
I'm just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

Alex was living someone else's life, stepping outside of her own just when it seemed like everything was falling into place for her. She knew why she had to leave Olivia behind, but that didn't mean she had to like it. What made her happier and sadder at the same time though was the fact that she knew Olivia would wait for her. That's how much Olivia believed in Alex's return home.

And I feel just like I'm living someone else's life
It's like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
This was not your dream
But you always believed in me

Alex stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hallway to her apartment. She knew she couldn't take much more and the call from Hammond telling her it was safe was something she had waited for almost daily.

Let me go home
I've had my run
Baby, I'm done
I'm coming back home
Let me go home

It will all be all right
I'll be home tonight
I'm coming back home

By the end of the song, Olivia could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't pick a song that would be able to tell what she wanted to know about how Alex felt better than that song. When the last two lines played, her head snapped to attention, wishing more than anything they were true.

She got up from the couch and made her way to the kitchen, more intent on getting something to eat now she knew that Alex still cared. She had just entered the other room when there was a knock on the door.

The words at the end of the song once again came to Olivia's mind and she took a deep breath. She knew it was a long shot that the visitor could be who she wanted it to be, but after a song like that she couldn't help but get her hopes up.

Olivia slowly made her way to the apartment door. She turned the locks, completely ignoring the peephole. She didn't want her dreams dashed just yet. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she through open her door. She was greeted by one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen.

Standing in the doorway, smiling shyly, stood her lover. She was too surprised and happy to speak so instead she wrapped her arms around Alex's waist and buried her face in her shoulder. The tears that had threatened to fall earlier came back in full force and Olivia happily let them stream down her face. They stood there for an unknown amount of time. It could have been only a few seconds of a few minutes.

Finally being able to control herself somewhat, Olivia pulled away to look into Alex's face. "When?" she asked, knowing Alex would know what she wanted to know.

They moved fully into the apartment and closed the door. As they walked into the living room, Alex explained. "I was released last week. I didn't want them to tell anyone because I wanted it to be a surprise." She smiled and looked at Olivia. She knew that she had gotten what she wanted, at least this time.

"Oh, it's a surprise alright," Olivia smiled. "But what about the song?"

"I called from outside the building," Alex chuckled. "I honestly didn't know you would be listening to the radio or even that station tonight. I only called them because they would play the song and you did have it programmed on the stereo."

Olivia laughed at the response and wrapped her arms around Alex again as they sat down on the couch. "I think we have a song now," she said as they snuggled together.

"Mmmhmm," Alex hummed. She didn't see the smile leaving her face for some time. Sitting on their couch in their apartment in New York City, wrapped in Olivia's arms, Alex was finally home.