A/N: I decided to write this because I've been there. I have been through a situation when you're such good friends with someone that everybody thinks you are dating, and when you tell them you're not, they don't believe it and/or say you should be. Since I've been there, I can tell you for sure that there's love involved. Maybe El and Liv aren't really in love with each other, but no one can deny they feel something else. So if you're gonna be here and give me an anonymous review telling me how ridiculous this is, screw you.
Some chapters (such as the first one) may contain parts of the show – I don't own these parts, or the characters.
This chapter is related to Stalked (season 1, episode 8); there's a small prologue before the actual story, I hope you enjoy it.

PROLOGUE

- Sex Crimes?

- Olivia Benson.

- Elliot Stabler.

They were partners, this was clear in the sync they moved, in the way their thoughts seemed to complete each other during the analysis of the crime scene and the body… At the same time they were so different and fulfilled each other, like yin and yang.

But there was something else. Yes, indeed. Something you didn't see often even in those who were partners for many years. A mix of caring, endearment, friendship, confidence… Love. Not necessarily the romantic kind, but love.

The squad room felt tense. The detectives were giving their best so there was enough evidence to arrest Richard White, and as if it wasn't enough that the bastard was meticulous enough to avoid this, now Olivia had become his favorite target. First, he had dug into her past and, during an interrogation, he put everything on the table: her father, what he had done to Serena, and other less crucial information which did their job to scare not only Olivia, but the whole 1-6.

- You know she'll never agree with this.

- She doesn't have to know.

- Elliot, she is a detective and as her partner you should know how good she is at her job. Add this to the paranoia both you and I know White let her in, and do you truly believe she won't notice a number of familiar faces everywhere she goes to?

- Don't make it a number of faces, then.

- What do you mean? – Donald Cragen was visibly shocked.

- Cancel the tactic force. I can take care of her alone.

- Elliot…

- Captain, I'm just as concerned as anyone else in here – "Maybe even more", Elliot thought, knowing he should avoid these feelings –, plus she is not afraid of me.

The next day, Olivia was having breakfast when someone knocked on the door. She panicked at first, but one second was enough for her to calm down.

- Who is it?

- Elliot – she opens the door. – Hi, one of your neighbors let me in. I was in the neighborhood and figured I could give you a ride.

- Elliot, what's going on? Last night Munch offered to give me a lift home…

- Much did that? – He made a huge effort to look surprised.

- Yeah, that's not like him, is it? And then this morning you're offering to drive me to work? "In the neighborhood"?

- I was.

- Yeah. Do you have the sedan with you?

- Yes.

"In the neighborhood, my ass!"

- Which means you drove all the way uptown from the Queensborough, dropped off your car, picked the sedan turned aroundall the way downtown to get here. That's a lot of neighborhood, my friend.

- Stop acting like a cop – he said, coming inside.

- Uhuh, that's what Richard White wants me to do. Look, I appreciate your concern, but we don't know whether he's coming after. He may have left town as far as we know.

- All right.

- I sure as hell wouldn't drive all the way from Queens to save your ass.

- Yeah, you would – he insisted, and took a sip from her juice.

- Maybe because you've got wife and kids – she agreed, putting the coat on while Elliot's phone rang.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Stabler. We'll be right there.

Louise Billings's house was a mess. After talking to the responsible from Homicides and questioning the witness, they both left. Olivia couldn't believe it.

- Should have seen it coming. White had a picture of her on the freezer, he wasn't waiting to throw it out on dinner . He was fixed on her.

- We're not seers.

- We could have offered her protection, isn't that our job? Protecting? Serving?

- Yeah, if there were eight millions of us, we could protect everyone in the city and everyone would be able to sleep at night.

- Are you gonna sleep tonight, Elliot? Or you're gonna think about her?

"No", Elliot thought, his thoughts betraying him once again, and sighed. "I shouldn't, but I'm more worried about you".

It didn't get any better. Two dozens of red roses delivered at the squad the following morning, with a card saying "No hard feelings" just like happened to Louise Billings and the realter Phillips, everything right after Olivia nearly had an argument with the captain, who wanted her to be on desk duty. The flower shop said the flowers were pai on Lila White's credit card, and the woman seemed convinced that her son was caught under the spell of a Manhattan policewoman. She couldn't have been more right and more wrong at the same time – the interest was everything but romantic. That night, Elliot created the "blink the lights if everything is fine" pattern, which Olivia followed, even a month after White was in jail, whenever Elliot would let her home.

The phone ringing in the middle of the night got her scared. Olivia and Richard would meet at 7am in the same bench from where Karen Fitzgerald was dragged to death and, despite receiving opposite orders from the perp, Olivia immediately called her superior, who had the whole squad hidden around the bench at the time chosen.

Without a confession about using or not the .44 to kill the DA Fizgerald, White would escape from the death penalty and he knew that. Confident, he threatened Kathy and Elliot's four kids, and Olivia was relieved in seeing that her partner hasn't lost control. At least not yet.