Here's a short little Bensler story. Thanks so much to Writersrefinery for proofing this story and providing comment and input, as well as the title! I hope you enjoy! I own nothing. Please leave a review.

EOEOEOEO

Elliot heard his phone buzz with an incoming text message. Years of being interrupted with calls in the middle of the night made him a light sleeper, and there was no surprise when he heard it, even though he wasn't on call this weekend. He'd taken the weekend off because it was the twin's birthday, and Kathy had been adamant that he be home.

He rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 3:45AM. Only a few more hours until he had to be up and face another Monday morning. He reached over to grab the phone and felt Kathy stirring next to him. He saw the text was from Liv.

"Who's calling you?" Kathy grumbled. "You're not on call."

"It's Liv." As soon as he said it, he regretted it.

Kathy sighed heavily. "Of course it is." Her tone full of resentment. "Can't she leave you alone for one night?"

Elliot sighed, but didn't say anything. Olivia's name came up frequently in various discussions and arguments over the years, increasingly so as the years of their partnership went on. After ten years, they had a level of mutual interdependence that Kathy couldn't even begin to understand. He wasn't in the mood for an argument right now, particularly because it was the same argument over and over again.

Kathy was jealous of the relationship they had, and was suspicious as well. Sometimes she accused him of sleeping with her, other times she accused him of being in love with her. Many times, she demanded he get a new partner. And it pissed her off because she knew that Elliot would refuse. That he wouldn't give her up.

What she didn't know is that over the years…her accusations were alarmingly close to the truth. He was in love with Olivia, and although he'd never told her, he felt pretty certain that Olivia had at least some feelings for him. He hadn't slept with Olivia, but God knows he wanted to. And it wasn't that he wouldn't give her up…he simply couldn't give her up.

He sat up and opened up the message.

"Do a small favor for me?" It read.

Elliot replied back. "Of course."

"Stop at my apt and pick up clean clothes on ur way in?"

"That's a small favor? What happened?" Elliot replied.

"Perp. Vomit. Blood. Long story."

"Where r u now?"

"Going to catch some sleep in cribs. Too tired to go home. No clean clothes here."

Elliot shook his head as her message sunk in. If her clothes were ruined, and she didn't have any clean clothes, what the hell was she wearing? Images of a naked Olivia Benson started assaulting him and he felt like an ass. It wasn't the first time he'd had those images in his mind. Olivia was a frequent guest in many of his dreams, day and night. And he was an ass because she was his friend and his partner…and because he wife was lying in bed right next to him.

As if reading his mind, like she so frequently did, a new message popped up.

"Borrowing your sweats."

And now Elliot was trying really hard to focus because he couldn't think of anything sexier than having Olivia wearing his clothes. His clothes touching her body. He swallowed hard.

"For God's sake Elliot. What's going on? Get off the phone." he heard Kathy grumble. "Doesn't she know it's almost 4 in the morning?"

"Kath. Just…" He didn't know what to tell her because anything he said would just annoy her more. "It's about a case."

Kathy rolled over to look at him. "Yeah. And it can't wait until you get into work?"

"No." Elliot said.

"Whatever you say Elliot." Kathy said, rolling back over.

Elliot knew that if he were to see Kathy's face right now, he'd probably see a few tears. But he couldn't find it within himself to care, because it wasn't going to change anything. He had always loved Kathy…he always would. She was his first love and the mother of his children. But he just wasn't in love with her anymore.

He got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" he heard her ask.

"I'm going in to work." He said. He knew he wouldn't fall back asleep, and he still had to drive into the city and stop at Olivia's apartment.

"Now?" she asked.

"Yeah, now." he said as walked into the bathroom. As he started to close the door, he heard Kathy.

"We can't keep our precious Olivia waiting." He heard her say quietly, almost as if she didn't want Elliot to hear her. But he did.

EOEOEOEOEO

Elliot was out of the house by 415, and due to the early hour, it took him less than 45 minutes to get to Olivia's apartment. He felt strange going into her apartment when she wasn't there; he'd never had to use the key she'd given him.

He let himself in and closed the door behind him. It was completely dark except for a small light in the kitchen. He flipped on the lights and looked around before heading to the bedroom. He'd been over to Olivia's any number of times, but had been in her bedroom only a few times…and always for work related reasons.

When he got into her room, he flipped on the lights. The bed was unmade, as if she'd left in a hurry, and he wondered if she'd been called in the middle of the night to deal with this case. He assumed the answer was yes. He looked towards her closet and saw the door was ajar. He saw a tank top and pajama shorts on the floor, further evidence that she'd gotten dressed in a hurry.

He took a deep breath through his nose, taking in the smell of her. He could smell the faint scent of vanilla and something else he could never place. It was a scent that was uniquely Olivia and he always loved when he was close enough to get a whiff of it.

He headed towards her closet and opened the door completely, taking in her wardrobe. He saw the hangars of black pants and brown pants, blouses and sweaters, and jackets of all kinds. The things he saw her in every day. But then he saw quite a few dresses…cocktail dresses and sundresses, and even a few long dresses. He reached out and touched the silky fabric of one of the dresses, wondering when she ever had the occasion to wear any of them. He sighed heavily, realizing that Olivia had a personal life that he wasn't always a part of. That no matter how much time they spent together, she still went out on dates and had other social engagements that he wasn't invited to. And he knew she didn't share that information with him…she knew that he didn't want to hear about her going out with other men.

He saw some duffel bags on a shelf in her closet and he reached up and grabbed one. He pulled a pair of black pants from a hangar and put them in the bag. His eye caught on his favorite blue sweater and he pulled it down from the shelf. He loved this sweater…the way it hugged her breasts drove him mad. He stuffed the sweater into the bag, smiling. He wondered if Olivia knew how much he loved this sweater, because he had seen her smiling when she caught him staring at her a little more than usual.

He set the duffle bag down on the bed and started to close it up when he realized that she probably needed a new tank top to wear underneath. He laughed a little, because he realized that it was easy for him to pick out clothes for Olivia…he wasn't sure if he could do the same for his wife.

He walked over to the bureau and pulled open the top drawer. He quickly realized it was her underwear and he slammed it shut, feeling like a little boy who'd been caught doing something wrong. Then he realized, she might actually need clean underwear. He opened the drawer again and another stab of guilt went through him. Did he actually think that? Or was he just looking for an excuse to look? He stood for a moment before he reached out, taking a pair of silky black panties in his hand. He rubbed his fingers across the material, a warmth spreading through him. This was almost too personal…too intimate. He had so many thoughts about seeing Olivia like this…stripped down to her underwear, inviting him into her bed. He felt flushed as he continued to finger the material and he looked down at the drawer, seeing a mix of lace and satin, black, red, white. A multitude of colors. He swallowed hard, wanting to dig through them…run his fingers over them and imagine seeing her in them.

He dropped the panties back in the drawer and slammed it shut, feeling like a creep at invading her privacy.

He opened the next drawer and saw it was filled with her bras. Jesus. Another thing he didn't even want to think about. As much as he liked to watch her ass, her breasts were something that actually kept him up at night. He'd stare across the desk at her…looking at the way her shirt or sweater hugged those curves. Noticing when a certain shirt she wore showed a little more cleavage than usual. Olivia was definitely well endowed in that area…and he was pretty certain he'd die a small death if he ever had the chance to see them…much less touch them.

God. He was really creeping himself out now…standing in his partners apartment, looking through her personal things…and feeling himself getting aroused at the thought of her.

What was his problem? Get a grip Stabler. She's your partner. She's your best friend.

He slammed the drawer shut and opened another drawer, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw it was full of tank tops. He reached in and grabbed one, not even caring about the color, and turned around to shove it in the bag. He started to zip it up again, and then realized that he really should get her some underwear. Because as much as the thought of him knowing what she was wearing under her clothes aroused him, thinking of her walking around without underwear would be unbearable.

He turned back to her drawers, and opened each one quickly, grabbing the first pair of underwear and the first bra he found and quickly stuffing them in the bag. No lingering…no sifting through them.

He grabbed the bag and headed out to the precinct.

EOEOEOEOEO

Elliot got to the precinct about 530AM. It was very quiet with just a skeleton crew at this hour. He got to his desk and set the bag down on top of it. He took of his jacket and hung it up and flipped on his desk lamp. He moved the bag to the floor as he sat down at his desk.

He looked towards the cribs, wondering if Olivia was really sleeping or if she was lying there awake. He assumed she was out, since she'd probably only gone to bed a little over an hour ago. He wanted to see her…he wanted to know how she was doing and what had happened. He hated it when he wasn't out on a case with her. He knew she was probably with Fin…and he knew that Fin always had her back. But still…it was unsettling to him. She belonged with him.

He scrubbed his hands over his face and looked over at Fin's desk. Was Fin in the cribs too? Or had he gone home to catch some sleep? He probably went home…Fin rarely stayed at the precinct.

Elliot tried to focus on some paperwork in front of him, but he couldn't get thoughts of Olivia out of his head. He kept trying…he was married. But God…he loved her. He wanted her more than she could ever know. And it wasn't just sex. He wanted everything with her. Although the sex part was what kept him up at night. He knew it would be amazing…they had such a connection already. But he wanted more…

He stood up. He knew he would go to the cribs. It was only a matter of time. He looked around the precinct and saw it was still like a ghost town. He picked up the bag and headed towards the cribs.

He opened the door quietly and couldn't see anything at first. There was some light filtering in; she must have left a light on somewhere. He let the door close behind him as his eyes adjusted to the low level lighting. He crept forward silently, coming around the end of the empty bunks until he saw her.

Jesus Christ. His breathing hitched as he saw her lying there. She was lying on her side, facing him. The lower half of her body was twisted so it was almost flat against the bed and the unconscious thought flitted through his mind that she couldn't possibly be comfortable. But it was an unconscious thought because the conscious part of his brain was having trouble dealing with what he saw.

She had one arm thrown over her head and another resting on her stomach. Her bare stomach. He took her in and swallowed hard. She was wearing some kind of sports bra, her cleavage spilling out over the top as breasts were compressed by the tight fabric. His eyes traced over the swell of her breasts and then down to the tanned skin of her bare stomach and then trailed farther down. She was wearing his sweatpants and they were obviously too big for her. They had ridden down low on her hips and he could see her hip bones protruding. Sweet Jesus. The fabric of his sweatpants was barely covering her and he knew that if she moved at all, they would only slip lower. There was no way she was wearing any underwear. He couldn't stop staring; his eyes roaming up and down her body and he knew he was going to hell because he couldn't stop himself.

He felt his body tremble with the need to touch her. A part of him wondered if he would be able to keep himself from doing it. Another part of him wondered what she would do. He had spent a fair amount of time wondering if she felt the same way about him as he did about her. He knew she felt something for him, but she had a much better poker face than he did. What if he touched her…or kissed her? How would she react?

He hesitated. What the hell was he even doing up here? He didn't want to wake her…she'd been sleeping for less than two hours. He should go…but he was rooted to his spot. Then she moaned slightly and started to shift and his eyes quickly darted to hers to see if she was waking up. But apparently she was only moving in her sleep; her position pretty much stayed the same.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was even holding, and his eyes roamed her body again. He took a step closer, kneeling down next to the bunk. He reached out and lightly moved a piece of hair that had fallen across her forehead, sweeping it back lightly. She stirred and he froze, his hand in midair.

"Elliot?" There was a question in her voice, and he knew that she must wonder if she was still sleeping. Because why would he be kneeling over her, watching her sleep?

He could see her eyes were open, but only halfway, and she was struggling to wake up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." He whispered. "I just wanted…" He stopped, because he couldn't tell her the real reason he was here. He didn't even know if he could put a voice to it. "I just wanted to make sure you were OK."

"Oh." She said softly. "I'm fine." She looked at him as if she knew there was more. That he wasn't being honest with her about why he was there.

Elliot noticed she didn't make any move to cover herself. She had to know that he'd been looking at her…that he'd been taking in her semi-naked body. Did that mean she was OK with it? He dropped his hand to her arm, resting it on her bicep and stroking the skin there with his thumb. He swallowed, watching for her reaction, but she stayed still…silent. She was watching him, her eyes still only half open. He trailed his fingers down her arm, spurred on by her lack of resistance. He felt her shiver beneath his touch, goosebumps breaking out on her arm. He kept his eyes on hers, continuing to gauge her reaction.

His hand dropped to the bare skin of her waist and he splayed his hand against the skin there. Her skin was as soft as he imagined and he looked down at his hand at her waist. He could see goosebumps had erupted across her skin and he slowly dragged his eyes back to hers as he massaged the skin there lightly.

"Liv." He said hoarsely as he looked at her. She didn't say anything. She just watched him and parted her lips slightly. Her breath hitched as he moved his hand back towards the small of her back and he leaned in slightly. He looked into her eyes and he saw want there…she wasn't going to stop him. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers, closing his eyes as they did. He moaned slightly at the sensation. He was kissing Olivia Benson, and she was letting him.

He slid his hand a little higher on her back, and threaded his other hand through her hair, opening her mouth wider and deepening the kiss. Now she was kissing him back and she moved her arms around his neck. She moaned as he ran his tongue across her bottom lip and the sound hit him right between his legs. He gently pushed his tongue into her mouth and when his tongue touched hers, the both moaned at the same time.

I'm kissing Olivia Benson. It kept running through his head and he almost couldn't believe it was happening. He shifted slightly, trying to get his body closer to hers. He was in an awkward position on the floor, but he didn't want to climb onto the bunk with her...at least not yet.

He broke the kiss and dropped his head to her neck, placing small, open mouthed kisses from her ear down to her collarbone. She fell back onto her back and Elliot moved to climb onto the bunk, getting as close to her body as he could. He continued to pepper her neck with small kisses, and trailed his tongue down her collarbone. One hand was still on her waist and he trailed his fingers back and forth across her stomach. He flattened his hand and hesitated. He wanted to dip lower…he wanted to see if she was wearing any underwear beneath those sweats. He wanted to know if she was wet for him.

His mouth starting moving down towards the swell of her breasts while his hand rested on her stomach and he felt her tense beneath him. Up to this point, she hadn't said anything and he'd seen her body's reaction to his touch. He lifted his head and looked up at her. He could still see the want in her eyes…in her body as it was flushed beneath him. Her breathing was heavy and he looked back and forth between her eyes.

She parted her lips. "El."

He wasn't sure what she was going to say. He wanted to scream at her. Don't say it. Don't stop this. For once, let's not do the right thing.

He didn't say anything.

"You're married." She said softly and he could see the sadness in her eyes.

He knew she didn't want to be the other woman. He didn't want her to be the other woman.

"I won't." she whispered, and he knew she had read his mind once again. He pulled his hand from her stomach and moved it back to her arm.

He wanted to tell her that he loved her. That it wasn't just about sex. That he wanted more with her. He moved his hand to cup her cheek.

"But Liv. I…"

"Don't." she said quickly, before he could finish. "Just…don't." She knew what he was going to say. He knew she didn't want to hear it. Not when he was still married to someone else. His heart broke a little when he saw the sadness in her eyes.

He pulled back from her. There was nothing else he could say. His heart and body ached for her, but he knew she was right. He couldn't be hers right now…but now he knew that she could be…and that gave him hope.

He climbed off the bed and she rolled over, her back to him now. He tugged at the blanket and covered her up, leaning over and placing a kiss in her hair. "Go back to sleep." He whispered. Maybe she would wake up in a few hours and think it was just a dream…

I hope you enjoyed the story. Please leave a review or comment!