What happened to Benson and Stabler during their reunion in Special Victims Unit?

After 10 years of hiatus, the two of the Law & Order franchise's prominent characters, Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, finally reunited during an emotional crossover event between the Special Victims Unit and the new spinoff Organized Crime. While Mariska Hargitay plays Olivia, Chris Meloni is seen as Stabler. Here's what happened to Benson and Stabler during the long-awaited reunion. 

What happened to Olivia and Elliot on SVU

In the 12th season of the Special Victims Unit, Stabler and Benson were two main lead characters on the NBC procedural. This duo was known for fighting against injustice and saving countless survivors of sexually related offences. During the 12th season finale, Elliot is seen standing over a young rape victim. The former shoots and kills her after she attempts to open fire in the squad room. Due to this unfortunate incident, the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau decides to review his entire jacket. In the 13th season, it is revealed that Stabler retires from the force and Benson is left alone to carry on without him.

What happened during Benson and Stabler's reunion episode?

The crossover episode started with the SVU season 22 episode “Return of the Prodigal Son". In this ep, Olivia Benson responds to a call, when she notices Kathy in a stretcher, being put into an ambulance. It turns out Kathy is the victim of attempted murder during a failed bombing attempt of her rental car. 

Benson learns from Ice-T that Stabler has been working as part of a special task force in Rome, Italy. The former tries to put every piece together, while the SVU squad dives headfirst into solving the case. Finally, they reunite. Stabler gives his word to Benson that he will behave during the interrogation. However, he quickly returns to his antagonistic ways, putting him at odds with Olivia and making for a rocky reunion. 

Later on, they visit Kathy at the hospital. The tension between the former partners finally comes to attention. They recall the moment when Stabler leaves without ever reaching out to Benson. Benson asks Stabler, "Are you sorry for leaving? Or, are you sorry for walking, for not giving me the courtesy of not telling me?”. “Both...,” he replies. She further adds, “You were the single most important person in my life and you just disappeared". “I know. I was afraid if I heard your voice I wouldn’t have been able to leave,” Stabler says, with tears welling in his eyes.