I don't own the Characters. They are the property of Dick Wolf and NBC.

Secret Service Love Affair

Olivia sighed, rethinking what she was about to do for what seemed like the millionth time. It seemed as though everything at SVU was becoming a little too much. She was tired of seeing seven year olds as victims. She knew she was burning out. She wanted to do as much as she could to prevent that from happening so that one day she could hopefully return to the Special Victims Unit. Gathering all of her nerve, she knocked on the door in front of her.

"Come in," came the gruff reply. Olivia opened the door to Captain Donald Cragen's office. When he noticed her he motioned for her to take a seat. When she closed the door, he knew it was serious. "What can I do for you Liv?"

"Did you ever work in SVU before you became captain?" Olivia asked. It was technically answering his question. Before she went through with this, she wanted to make sure she wasn't weak.

"Compared to other units, Special Victims is still new, Liv. When I was a detective, we worked a little of everything," Cragen was a little worried. Olivia looked almost defeated. There was something going on here besides general curiosity. "Olivia, are you alright?"

Olivia sighed again. She leaned back in her chair and brought her hands up to cover her eyes. "I don't know," she said. She removed her hands so she could look Cragen in the eyes. "It just seems like everything is getting to me lately. I see little kids in the park and I think of how many of them are scared to go home at night. I got a new neighbor last week and the first thing I wanted to do was see if he was on the sex offenders list. I just don't know what to do anymore."

Cragen had been expecting this from one of his detectives for a long time. The usual "life expectancy" of an SVU detective was two years. Most of the detectives he worked with had been there for almost ten. He was just upset to see that it was his best detective. "You need to do whatever is best for you, Liv. It isn't always about the victim."

Olivia already knew what she wanted to do, she just needed the reassurances. "I think I am going to take a leave of absence."

Cragen nodded. "Any idea how long?"

"I don't know," Olivia sighed. "Is it ok if I just take it and let you know a couple of weeks before I come back?"

Again Cragen nodded. "Don't try and rush it, Olivia. Take a vacation and relax. You'll be back before you know it."

Olivia nodded. "Thanks, Cap'n." She stood up and left the office. As she proceeded to clear her desk and locker, the other detectives of the unit stared at her, either in surprise, confusion, and understanding. Elliot wasn't all that surprised. He had sensed something was off with his partner for a while. He just hoped she wasn't transferring out of the unit permanently.

After her desk and locker were clear, Olivia left the precinct not looking back. It was then that Cragen came out of his office to get the daily updates. "Detective Benson is taking an open ended leave of absence," he informed them. He then went on with the daily meeting, closing the discussion.

Outside, Olivia had just put her things into her car. Getting in the driver's seat, she sat back and sighed. She actually did feel a little better already, but she knew it was going to take time. Maybe she would go on a vacation like Cragen had suggested. She was startled out of her planning when her phone. Out of habit, she ignored the caller id and answered. "Benson."

"Is that anyway to greet your best friend?" The person on the line chuckled.

"Sorry, Alex. It's a habit," Olivia said. She relaxed even more at the sound of Alex's voice.

"I know you're at work right now, Liv, but I have something I wanted to talk to you about," Alex said.

"Actually Alex, I'm taking the day off," Olivia told her. She would tell Alex about the extent of her time off, just not over the phone. "What did you need?"

"Is everything alright Olivia?" Alex asked. Hearing that her friend was taking the day off concerned her. Olivia hated taking time off more than she hated going to the hospital.

"I'm fine Alex," Olivia smiled. ""What did you need?"

"Oh, well I wanted to know if we could possibly meet up for dinner. There is something really important I need to ask you, but I don't want to do it over the phone."

"Yeah, that sounds, fine Alex," Olivia replied. "There is actually something I need to tell you too."

"How about we meet up at my apartment around seven and we can talk then."

"Sounds, great, Alex. I'll talk to you tonight then," Olivia said. She waited for Alex's goodbye and then hung up the phone. Placing it back on her belt, Olivia put the car into gear and drove away for the 16th precinct for who knew how long.