A/N: The words in italics are the person's thoughts. Hope you like this new story. So let me know what you think. :)

Title: Love Blossoms

Chapter 1: Afraid

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

I'm almost there.

Please don't let me be too late.

She repeated to herself in her head over and over. Tears started to blur her vision as she raced up the steps to the building. She couldn't be late again. This was her last chance. She couldn't afford to be late.

Finally she saw her destination, but she didn't see him.

I'm too late. I'm too late

As she came to a stop, tears pooled out of her eyes. She saw blood on the floor, but before she could even really think about it someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around slowly and saw the person she was looking for. "Am I too late?" She questioned.

He gave her a smile. "No, you're right on time."

"Where did the blood come from?"

"Nose bleed." He said as he pointed to his nose. "Do you have your work?"

"Uh yea its right here." She pulled the papers out her backpack and handed it to him. "Look Mr. Hand, I'm sorry that I haven't been getting my work to you on time it's just-"

"Maureen, you're one of my best students. I know you wouldn't be falling behind unless you had a good excuse. This is your last year of high school. You shouldn't be stressing so much; you should be having fun and enjoying it."

"I know, but I really need to pass this class to graduate and what I get on that paper depends on it all."

"I know that, but you'll do fine."

"Thanks Mr. Hand." She smiled.

"You're welcome. And how many times have I told you to call me Jake?"

Maureen gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry I keep forgetting."

"Maureen, we've known each other since we were little."

"Well if you weren't so old I wouldn't keep forgetting." She laughed and he chuckled.

"I'm only 5 years older than you."

"Exactly." She gave him her Stabler smile and turned to walk away.

"Maureen." She stopped and turned to face him. "Have a good weekend."

"You too Mr. Hand." She replied putting emphases on Mr. Hand. He grinned at her and she walked away with a smile on her face.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

She looked up but the sound stopped so she looked back down at her paperwork.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

She was starting to getting annoyed but when she looked back up to say something that noise had stop.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Elliot will you stop that already!" Olivia said a little bit too harshly.

Elliot looked up at his partner. "Sorry Liv." He put his pen down and stretched. Then he leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. He looked at his partner and studied her. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked like she hasn't slept in days. "Liv, are you okay?" Elliot asked with concern in his voice. "You look exhausted; maybe you should go catch an hour or two in the cribs."

"I'm fine!" She snapped. She softened when Elliot looked more concern. "Sorry, I just haven't got much sleep." She said referring to the dreams that she was recently having."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Um...no." She lied. There were a lot of things he could do to help her with her dreams. Heck! He was the one invading them with his perfect body and lean muscles. His eyes were the bluest she ever saw and she remembered them changing colors as she stared at him while making love. And that smile. His smile made her weak in the knees.

"You sure? You look a little red." He said snapping her out of her trance and she blushed even harder thinking about the thoughts that she shouldn't. Especially about her partner.

"Yea, I'm good." She gave him a smile to reassure him and he smiled back and got back to work.

"Stabler. My office now." Cragen said from his doorway.

Elliot rose and looked at Olivia trying to figure out what he did wrong, when he thought of nothing he shrugged his shoulders and headed to Cragen's office.

Elliot appeared out of Cragen's office a minute later. He grabbed Olivia's wrist and pulled her up and headed towards the exit.

If it wasn't for the tears she saw in Elliot's eyes, Olivia would have noticed the pain that he was causing her wrist, but she was too worried about Elliot to think about the pain. "El, what's wrong?"

He took a quick glance at Olivia as more tears pooled from his eyes. "Maureen's been shot."