AN: Hey there! I know that I've started quite a few stories lately, but I just can't help it. I've been feeling inspired! I usually don't like to explain too much with the first chapter, but I feel like this one needs it. This story is indeed AU, where Elliot is still a detective but Olivia is not. Olivia is an aspiring actress that currently works at bar named TJ's. She is a hard working woman that is doing everything she can to reach her goal. I have a couple of chapters of this done and Kathy hasn't come up at all, so just pretend she didn't happen, okay? Finally, I am aware that the title doesn't really make sense, but I couldn't think of anything else and it will make sense eventually, just not now. I don't actually feel 100% confident that there will be any interest in this story, so please let me know if you think I should continue? Love y'all!

Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order SVU or the characters.

"Hey, El. I haven't seen you in a couple of days. Let me guess, tough case?"

Elliot sighed, plopping down on his usual stool.

"Tough is putting it nicely". The bartender handed him a Sam Adams Boston Lager, knowing exactly what he needed. She leaned in, resting her elbows on the counter.

"Want to talk about it?" She offered. Currently, only two other people were in the bar, and with all the touching Olivia had seen from the young couple, she doubted they would be there much longer. Surprisingly, 1:00 am on a Wednesday was not their busiest time.

Elliot shook his head, "I spent the last 29 hours talking about it, I'm ready for a break".

"29 hours? How'd you even have enough energy to get here?"

Elliot shrugged. "I had to come see my favorite bartender". He took a long swig of his beer, trying to rid himself of the stress of the case. "Oh, what did you have to show me? I got your text yesterday but I was a little busy".

He saw the excitement in her eyes at the mentions of her news. She reached under the bar, grabbing the folder that she kept her headshots and resumes in. When she first told him about it, he had teased her for keeping it on her at work, but secretly he thought it was a brilliant idea. You never knew who would walk through the door when you lived in Manhattan. Olivia eagerly handed him a couple of pictures.

"These are my new headshots. Don't they look great?"

Elliot examined the pictures, smiling at how happy she looked in the first, and her serious expression in the second. His eyes went wide at the third one.

She giggled, enjoying the fact that Elliot seemed to like them. "A college friend used to be a cop so she let me borrow her uniform for that one. It really won't be useful for much, but I thought it'd be fun to have a costume picture, even if I am the only one who sees it. What do you think?"

They were interrupted by the young couple, who quickly paid and left.

"I bet they're really worried about getting up nice and early for work" Olivia joked.

Elliot put some cash down on the bar, making Olivia roll her eyes. He would never just hand it to her, just to be a pain in the ass.

"Why don't you close for the night and come over for a bit? I'm not going to be able to sleep".

One thing that Olivia loved about her job was that she could close anytime after midnight Monday-Thursday. Teddy, the owner, understood that most people didn't want to stay out all night and drink when they had to go to work the next morning. Elliot was her last customer and led her out almost every night. She wasn't sure if that was because he was a good friend, or because he was overprotective. Either way, she appreciated it.

"I just need to wipe down the bar and then we can go".

Olivia was laying on Elliot's couch, her feet resting in his lap. She was amazed at the fact that he was wide awake while she was falling asleep. Actually, a lot of things about Elliot amazed her. He was the best friend a person could ask for and an even better cop. She thought back to the first time she met him.

It was her first night working at TJ's alone and a group of four men came in very late. They were a calm group at first, but after a couple of rounds they became quite rowdy. It was manageable until one of the men tugged on her skirt, demanding that she give him her number. She politely turned him down, removing his hand from her with a forced smile. As the night went on, the men continued to drink and make vulgar comments about her. Unfortunately, they weren't drunk enough for her to cut them off. That, and she didn't want her boss to think that she couldn't handle it. The bills wouldn't pay themselves, so she needed the job. Around 3 am, the group left, leaving her to close alone. By 3:30, she was out the door and walking home. It was dark and there were few lights on the backstreets. She would have just taken a cab, but she really couldn't afford the fare. A strange noise came from behind her, but she brushed it off assuming that it was just another city sound. The next thing she knew, she was on the ground, forced down by the weight of a man on top of her.

Her head was killing her, probably because it had hit the sidewalk. Her arms were stuck underneath her, and her kicking legs did nothing to stop him. It was dark and no one was around. As hard as she tried, she couldn't scream. Hell, she could barely breathe. The monster's hands were everywhere, squeezing different parts of her.

"So sexy" She heard him say. His speech was slurred, but she knew that voice. Even if she couldn't stop him, she was going to do her best to get a glimpse of his face. Then he ripped her skirt.

"Bet you wish you gave me your number now, bitch" He hissed.

All of the fight drained out of her as sobs overtook her body. He was going to rape her and there was nothing she could do about it.

"NYPD" A booming voice yelled. The next thing she knew, the weight was gone and she was being lifted off of the sidewalk.

"I'm Detective Elliot Stabler from the Manhattan Special Victims Unit. Are you okay?"

Olivia clung on to the detective, scared to let go.

"He-he tried to rape me" She managed to force out between sobs. The other cop had the drunken, pathetic excuse for a man in cuffs, comforting her a little bit.

"Let's go get you checked out, okay?"

As if on cue, an ambulance pulled up. Olivia wanted to refuse, but the cut on her head was bleeding quite badly, and she was starting to feel faint.

"Will you come with me?" She asked feeling vulnerable.

"Of course Miss…"

"Benson. Olivia Benson".

Elliot stayed with her until it was time for her to change into the hospital gown. Even then he was right outside the door. He held her hand while the doctor stitched her wound and comforted her when it hurt. He gave her his home phone number, insisting that she call if she needed absolutely anything.

It took three days for her to crack and call him. It was her first night back at work since the attack and she was alone with two male customers. They hadn't necessarily done anything to make her feel threatened, but she was so anxious that she could barely breathe. Despite being off of the clock, Elliot came and sat at the bar, simply talking to her until her shift ended, and then some. That was the first of many nights together. Now, four years later, they spent practically every night together.

Elliot's hand on her foot brought her out of her thoughts. He was staring at the tv while gently massaging her tired feet. She stretched out, giggling when he hit a super sensitive spot.

"Feel good?" He teased.

"You're the one that worked 29 hours straight but I'm getting the foot rub".

"I didn't have to wear heels" Elliot retorted. He had a good point there. "So Liv, why'd you get your headshots redone? I thought your old ones were taken like six months ago".

"As you know I just got an agent, and she politely told me that the quality was so bad that it distracted from my beautiful face. I have a photographer friend that owed me a favor so it just worked out".

"You know, you have a lot of 'friends' when it comes to random things" Elliot pointed out.

"Networking is half the business, El. The more people you know, the more strings you can pull. My agent Miranda told me that these headshots are awesome, so keep your fingers crossed and pray that I get an audition soon. It's been a while. Did your captain give you tomorrow off?" She questioned, changing the subject.

Elliot nodded. "Yeah. He actually expects us to sleep".

Olivia suddenly sat up, making Elliot jump.

"Here lay down" She insisted, tugging on his sleeve. Once he was on his stomach, Olivia settled on her knees on the floor beside him.

"Now close your eyes and relax" She ordered as her hands rested on his lower back. It had been a while since she had given one, but her ex-boyfriend Brian always told her that her massages were legendary. By the smile on his face, she could tell that Elliot was enjoying himself. It only took a few minutes for him to relax, but it was almost as if he was fighting off sleep. She knew that he was trying to avoid nightmares, but his body needed sleep.

"It's okay to sleep, El. I'll just crash here tonight".

She slept at his place plenty of times, making the guest room pretty much hers. He was too tired to drive and she still wasn't comfortable getting home by herself late at night. She had been doing well for a while, but now there was Brian to consider. Not that she had told Elliot about that…

One hand ran through his hair while the other worked the tense spot between his shoulder blades.

"Gotta get you clothes" He sleepily mumbled.

"I know where they are. Just get some rest, okay?"

He didn't answer, so she assumed that he had finally fallen asleep. Realizing how late it was, Olivia decided to get herself to bed too.

A few hours later, Elliot awoke, gasping. The bad cases always led to nightmares, but instead of the actual victim, Olivia was in their place. As ridiculous as it sounded, he couldn't rest until he checked on her. It took all of his strength to push himself off of the couch and over to the guest room. Olivia had left the door open, which meant that she had expected him to come. He saw that she was awake, so he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Come here" Olivia said patting the spot next to her on the bed.

"Neither of us slept enough so maybe we'll both be able to".

If he weren't so tired, he probably would have argued about it being a bad idea. This was new for them and the last thing he wanted to do was complicate their friendship. Lately, they had been doing a lot of things that made him question exactly what they were. Olivia and Brian had only broken up a month ago, so Elliot figured that she'd need more time before talking about anything serious anyway. He settled next to her, leaving plenty of space between the two of them. Olivia on the other hand had a different idea. She turned over, grabbing his arm and using it as a pillow. Maybe she was having a hard time adjusting to being alone in bed, but he wasn't sure if that was such a bad thing anymore.