Author: Ashlee

Pairing: Elliot/Olivia

Disclaimer: Not mine as of now, keep checking back though. :)

Rating: T for language

Olivia's Apartment

11:47 P.M

Silence. It was the only companion to be found within the small apartment with which Detective Olivia Benson resided. The unnerving quiet permeated the space...but did nothing to the warring thoughts running a marathon inside her mind.

Sleep had not come. And so, there Olivia Benson lay...eyes wide and staring up at the ceiling.

It had been an interesting last couple of days...if 'interesting' could even be the word for it.

Olivia had a hard time dealing with all the conflicting emotions fighting their way to the surface.

What a mess it all was--First, she had illegaly ran her DNA...and found she had a brother. Then, to find out he could be a predator...a rapist...the very people she worked to put away...the reason she was even here. She immediately threw herself into clearing him...and had inadvertently dragged Elliot into the whole tangled heap.

Not to mention her distraction during the stakeout.She thought angrily as she scrubbed a hand over her face, leaving it to rest over her eyes. She did not need the disapproval from others...she had enough of it for herself. She wasn't supposed to let things like that happen. She was supposed to be stronger...a good detective. Being good at her job was the one thing that kept her going. The only thing that kept her sane. The only thing she felt she had to offer this world...it was what she lived and thrived on and yet, she had put her job on the line...not to mention Elliot's.

And for what? So Simon could use her ties to him to get off on a rape charge? How the hell could she have trusted him? She let him in...and she got hurt. Note to self: Keep people at arms length...they screw you over.

'Goddamnit...Elliot... ' Why had he done it? She questioned, but yet she already knew the answer. He was her best friend, her partner, and more. so much more. Wasn't he? She used to think so...used to think that "what they were" could not be defined or categorized..that the very magnitude and nature of their relationship had escaped the confines of words. And now? she didn't know why she doubted that they would ever be anything more than what the job instructed them to be. Partners.

She closed her eyes against the pain, as if it would make her world of disappointment, insecurities,and loss vanish beneath the darkness. But, those things would never give her reprieve. They were her family in a way...they knew each other all too well.

The funny thing about silence is….it forces you to face things you can usually avoid throughout the bustle of the day. Things you try so hard to forget. This particular night she was left to face the fact that her brother probably was the rapist she had tried to protect, get to know for the last few days. Left to face the consequences of her recent actions. Left to face herself.

Olivia shivered. Alone. It was the most familiar feeling in the world to her. Being lonely was a lifestyle...

Olivia jumped as the silence was pierced by a sharp knock on her door. Immediately she reached for her weapon in the nightstand drawer and stood up on shaky legs. 'Who the hell?' she thought, agitated for the disruption of her thoughts. She cautiously crossed the apartment to look through the peephole. 'Elliot.'

She breathed a sigh of relief and willed her heart to stop beating so rapidly, as she lowered the gun, unlocked the door and opened it.

Elliot felt the air leave the hall as the door opened and he came face to face with the tormented gaze of his partner. One look at her and he knew she hadn't been sleeping..atleast not well. Her hair was wild and unruly, she was dressed in black tank top and shorts, but her face showed no sign of sleep. And her eyes..her eyes said it all.

His gaze shifted to the weapon still in her hand. He was about to ask her if she was expecting someone else in the usual Elliot way..half smile and all to lighten the mood...but the look in her eye kept him quiet.

She was the first to speak.

"Elliot..what are you doing here?" she asked wearily, averting her gaze..although somehow she knew he had already seen too much.

He thought better than to answer. For, he wasn't really sure what the answer was.

"Are you going to invite me in?" he tried to smile as he said it.

Olivia sighed and moved to allow him access.

He brushed past her and Olivia suddenly became aware of her state of dress...or undress as it were. A low-cut tank top and short shorts weren't exactly cop issue and she couldn't remember a time that Elliot had ever seen her like this.

'Would it be awkward if I went to my room to change now?' she pondered the question for a few moments only to snap out of it in time to catch Elliot staring. At her.

He actually turned a little red and looked away as he took a seat on her couch. 'how cute.' she thought sarcastically.

She tossed the gun on the counter, her eyes never leaving Elliot as he sat there, staring at some spot in the carpet. Trying to somehow unveil the reasons for his visit so she could know how to act...

Olivia went to the fridge and got two beers. She needed a drink.

She moved into the living room and handed Elliot one. He smiled at her appreciatively. She attempted to smile back as she sat down in the chair across from him.

She stared at him. He stared at her. Gauging...evaluating.

She was terrified. She could not remember a time when it was this hard to look him in the eye...

Yet, she found solace in the strength of his gaze.

Silence once again filled her apartment. But, this time...it felt comfortable. It felt right.

---------------------------------------------------------------

To Be Continued...

Please review and let me know what you think. :) Thanks!