Never Meant for This

Chapter 3 - Reminiscently

-DISCLAIMER-

I own none of the characters mentioned unless stated otherwise. All rights go to Dick Wolf and NBC. This story is fictional and solely for entertainment purposes. Some scenes/vocabulary may not be suitable for children.

AN: Sentences that are in italics are Olivia's thoughts. Some words that are italicized aren't her thoughts but are just used to emphasize words.

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-May 4th, 6:20 pm, Mister's Bar-

Well, as they saw in show business,

Here goes nothing.

Olivia pushed open the charcoal rimmed doors that led into the bar and was hit with a nearly-atomic strike of determination. Although it was prominent all over her face, only long-time members of her squad would be able to recognize just how determined she was. She knew that if she wasn't on top of her game tonight things could go very wrong, very quickly.

She placed one foot in front of the other as she slowly made her way to the back of the room, and made sure to add swagger to her step when she passed by the muscular attendants in the back. She saw the brisk turn of their heads and the up and down movement of their eyes as she walked passed them, and this made her feel a small sense of victory. Once she had reached her table, she pulled out the chair and smoothed down the back of her dress as she sat down. She looked back at the attendants and saw that they were still looking at her, and appeared to be talking amongst themselves about her as well. Getting their attention- check, she thought to herself, checking it off of her mental to-do list.

As the waiter started to approach her, she saw Fin and a few other familiar faces file in. Her partner, Nick, sat in the booth on the other side of the room. Rollins was situated at a window seat towards the front of the bar, and Fin was at the table parallel to hers. Once she assumed that everyone had taken their places, she saw the door open one more time and she watched someone that she wouldn't have ever expected to come in the doors, walk in. Completely and utterly in shock, Olivia sat in disbelief as one of her former co-workers, John Munch, walked in through the door. Not that this wasn't a pleasant surprise, it was just a really shocking one. Munch looked around the room, only stopping his eyes once he found the person he was looking for- Olivia. He quickly, and almost unnoticeably, gave her a wink and proceeded to what she could only assume was his seat in this undercover op. Olivia immediately pulled out her phone to send a text to Fin.

Olivia: "Fin, please tell me that I'm not going crazy. Did I just see John Munch walk into the bar? What the hell is he doing here?"

Fin: "Well, I can't tell you that you aren't crazy because well- we've all seen you angry. But yes, you did just see the old man walk in. Cragen gave him a last-minute call while we were in the car. Apparently, he's always been Cragen's best when going undercover, so he called him in as a favor."

Olivia: "A little heads up would have been nice then, I looked completely dumbfounded when he walked inside. Let's just hope that no one noticed anything strange. Also, thanks for the compliment. I like to think being slightly crazy is one of my best qualities."

Olivia hit the send button and looked up, only to see that the waiter was standing over her, prepared to take her order. "What can I start you off with to drink, Miss..." he said with a slight smile, waiting for a reply from Olivia. Catching on to his prolonged use of the word "Miss," Olivia replied, "Maya. Maya James. And your name is?" His smile turned mischievous as he started, "Nice to meet you, Maya. My name is Alex." Returning his smile, Olivia said, "Same to you. Can I get a Cosmopolitan?" Olivia noticed the slightly giddy change in his stance when she said that, and he replied with a wink, "Sure thing baby doll, coming right up." Generally, at her age, she appreciates when she gets hit on by younger men, but for some reason, she felt bad vibes coming from this guy. I might just be paranoid, but he's staying on my radar, she thinks to herself as she makes her second mental note of the night.