Her hair was messed up from the constant tossing and turning of her nightmares that haunted her soul and her dreams, her mouth was slightly open, but in such a way that it was cute. Her watch was still attached to her wrist, which meant that she had fallen asleep while working on paperwork (she always took her watch off before she went to bed)—yup, it was under her right hand, papers scattered across the surface toward the end of the bed. Elliot had always enjoyed watching Olivia sleep, and although she had occasional night terrors, her face always remained completely calm and content.

Maybe just another five minutes, Elliot thought to himself. Although Olivia was supposed to only get an hour, Elliot had noticed that she was struggling with keeping her eyelids open while looking over case files at her desk—and she was losing. She fought Elliot when he told her to get some rest, but she only agreed to as long as she brought the manila folder with her. Grudgingly, she had agreed.

Elliot gazed at her for another moment, and reached his hand out to lightly shake her shoulder. But before he could touch her, Olivia's eyes fluttered open, and her lips curved into a small smile. "Hello," she whispered, her voice weak from the deep slumber she had just emerged out of.

Elliot smiled back. "Hey," he said, trying to use the same tone she had. "How'd you sleep?"

Sitting up and collecting the papers at the edge of her bed, Olivia shrugged and said, "My dreams weren't that comforting but the rest was nice. A cup of coffee and I'll be set." She smiled fully this time, and propped the papers on her knee, so they were even.

Elliot bit his lip before admitting, "I was watching you sleep." He said this softly, as if debating on whether or not it was a good idea to say while it was coming out of him.

Olivia raised her eyebrows; Elliot couldn't tell if it was in surprise or sarcasm. "Did you? That's border lining stalker, El." She winked at him, and lightly pushed the papers into the folder.

Elliot smiled, glad to know that she wasn't too freaked out about his action. "I wasn't stalking you. I didn't want to wake you though; you're always so peaceful when you sleep." He meant this sincerely; he had never even seen Kathy look as calm as Olivia when she slept.

"Psh. My hair all over the place must have been really sexy." Olivia said sarcastically, and laid the folder next to her right leg which was crossed with her left.

Elliot laughed. "I was looking at your face." Watching her face slightly drop, Elliot quickly added, "You don't drool, by the way."

Olivia's face rose slightly again. "Good." Under her breath, she grumbled, "That would have been embarrassing."

After a quick pause, Elliot said, "How have your nightmares been?"

Olivia smirked, and shrugged. "Bearable. I mean, nightmares are nightmares, but… you get what I'm saying." She looked down and to her left; she was feeling shameful.

Cupping a hand on her cheek out of impulse, Elliot spoke softly, "Don't kick yourself about it, Liv. If what you went through happened to me, I would be in the same state."

Although her head was down, her warm, melancholy-filled, chocolate eyes shot up to his; a technique of hers that Elliot always loved. "But you're stronger than me, El." She said, her voice almost inaudible and her eyes shooting back down to the ground. "You wouldn't be moping like this. I really need to move on."

Elliot couldn't believe what he was hearing. Olivia was telling him that he was stronger? To be honest, if this type of thing happened to Elliot, he would hands-down commit suicide. The fact that she hadn't had those thoughts yet were just the icing on the cake on proving how strong she was. "Liv, you're stronger than I'll ever be. Don't say that."

With her eyes still on the ground, she said sadly, "How do you know?"

Elliot sighed, and pulled her chin level to his. "Because I could never cope by the way you are. Liv, you're stronger than I'll ever be."

Their eyes searched each other's for a moment, Olivia studying every single aspect of Elliot's soft, blue eyes, and every which-way he meant the statement. Elliot, on the other hand, was hoping that he could watch the sadness fade from her eyes, and if not all of it, then at least a little. Instead, he saw them close, and watched her face transition to roughness in the process of breaking, to the complete break down. Elliot was expecting this, but what he wasn't expecting, was the way Olivia's face still had a hint of bliss wrapped in it. She leaned her face into the palm of his hand, and wrapped her tiny fingers of her right hand around his wrist. "Damn you, Stabler, you always make me break." She spoke softly, her voice cracking and her eyes beginning to flood with tears.

Elliot smiled, and pulled her into a hug. At first, Olivia didn't wrap her arms around him, she just simply sobbed quietly and gracefully into his broadened shoulder that had been there for her a thousand times more. After a minute or so, she finally wrapped her arms around his torso, not being able to wrap him fully because of the wideness of his back. After about five minutes of their hug, Olivia pulled back from him, and stared at him for a moment, her eyebrows pushed down slightly. Before Elliot could speak a word, Olivia pressed her lips against his, letting herself fall more and more into the baggage and consequences that came with this man. But Olivia didn't care, she had wanted Elliot too much, and when Elliot pulled her closer to him as they embraced, she knew Elliot wanted this as well. They both knew at that exact moment that they were willing to take a risk on each other, and that they didn't mind at all.

When air became a slight issue, they slowly pulled back, looking at the person wrapped in each other's arms. After a moment, Olivia said, "I'm glad,"

Elliot gave her a confused look. "About what?"

"Because not only do you make me break," she paused.

"But you're the only one I let see it happen."