And suddenly, she realized that she was tired of pushing away everyone that tried to get close to her. She was tired of being alone and living in fear of all relationships. The door was halfway open when she walked into the entryway, but he was still standing there.
"Don't go." As surprised as she was to hear her own voice, he seemed to be even more so, and he turned to face her.
"What?" he asked. The look on his face told her that he was even more startled than her by what she said…unwilling, even, to believe that he was hearing what he wanted to hear. She bit her lip, fighting back tears for what seemed like the millionth time that night. And this time, it was because she knew that her earlier comments hurt him, and that she'd be lucky if he didn't leave.
"I said, don't go," she answered. "I want…I want you to stay."
The door closed. He remained where he was for a few seconds longer before moving towards her, reaching out to touch her face before drawing her against him as her tears started to fall. When he finally realized that she was shaking, he drew her closer, gently stroking her hair.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he told her softly. "Not now…not later…not ever." She sniffled, her face hidden in his shirt, her eyes more bloodshot than they had been before. He waited, not saying anything, but no answer came. So he led her back into her living room and sat, still holding her against him.
For once, she didn't feel the desire to pull away…she didn't feel scared. His embrace was warm, oddly comforting, and for the first time in a long while, she felt safe.
And at the moment, that feeling was all that really mattered.
A/N: Yeah, so...I got bored again. And I decided to answer another one of my prompts...so here it is. And SVU isn't mine.
