A/N: Okay, so I was watching BEEF and I noticed that every moment they walked in the opening credits… E&O would brush against each other, I couldn't help but smile and think about a FF, so off the top of my head, I came up with this… :)

She walked side by side with him, through the streets of New York City, closer to him than actually necessary. He doesn't seem to notice; his shoulder bumps hers inconspicuously as they reach another block. She feels his jacket connect with hers. Her hands sway aimlessly by her side, occasionally smacking against his own. Again, he doesn't notice, and if he does he never says anything to indicate that it bothers him.

Her hair blew into her face as the cold New York air brushed against her cheeks. It was bitter cold. She tucked her shoulder-length brown hair behind her ears, not that it stayed in place. Uncooperatively it swayed in time with the wind. She'd grown her hair out now, and it bothered her at times, thought she felt more feminine; she missed the short easy-kept length. The wind always left it untouched.

She groaned when she brushed it across her head in vain.

He looked over at her, bumping her shoulder as he laughed. "Still getting used to it, huh?"

She smiled. "Something like that. I think I should cut it again," she muttered, tucking it back for the umpteenth time.

His face turned serious. "Nuh, don't do that, it looks good… you look…" he seemed to trail off.

"Like a girl?" she guessed.

He nodded. "That too."

Olivia didn't ask what he'd been thinking. They walked for a moment in silence, until they reached a taco stand.

"You want some lunch?" Elliot offered pulling his wallet from his back pocket.

"Might as well," she nodded stopping beside him, again, closer than actually necessary. She checked her watch. It was past 3 o'clock, but lunch for the SVU team, didn't run on a standard 24 hour clock, for them it ran on SVU time. Sometimes they didn't eat for 12 hours, if a case had taken priority. Any chance they got to stop, they usually took it.

He paid for the tacos and purchased a cup of tea for her. She'd been drinking tea for three years now, while he sipped on his coffee in a desperate attempt to stay awake. The day had been long. Neither had slept in more than 24 hours, which certainly wasn't unusual.

"How's Eli?" Olivia asked making conversation as they headed back towards the precinct. They'd questioned the family of a victim, who had been only a few blocks from the station. It seemed wasteful to take a car, and it was much quicker to walk than to be stuck in traffic. Besides, the fresh air kept them awake.

"He's cute," Elliot answered with a proud fatherly smile. Olivia had a strong tie to the child. She had been there when he was born, watched as Kathy had given birth in the back of an ambulance after a car accident they had been involved in. She wouldn't say it was the worse situation she'd been in, but definitely intense. Elliot had never hidden his love for his children, it was one of the many things that Olivia admired him for; she found it both charming and mature. He was family orientated despite his dedication to the job. She wasn't sure if that was a blessing or curse. It had never been easy for Kathy, who had raised all of his five children on her own, while he had attended to cases involving horrific acts of violence.

"He climbs onto my lap the other night," he smiled thinking back. "And tucks his head under my chin. There's no feeling quite like it…"

He saw the pain splash evidently across her face, so quick that he had almost missed it. He instantly felt guilty. He forgot sometimes that his rambling about his family made her sad; he forgot that she never had anyone to go home to. Not a pet, or a sister, or a mother… she had a brother that reared his head from time to time, but never enough to satisfy her loneliness. No, he was the only man in her life.

Olivia smiled. "He's an angel…"

"I'm sorry," he wrinkled his nose in that cute way he did.

"About what?" she asked innocently.

"I forget how alone you are sometimes," he admitted.

"I can hold my own," she reminded him.

"I know." He never doubted that. She was a strong woman. Stronger than anyone else he had ever encountered. He admired her for that, for her strength alone, among many other qualities that she possessed. She was one in a million. It was the one thing that he never took for granted, the one person that he never stopped trying to be better for.

Olivia laughed. "You're going soft, Stabler."

"Shut up, Benson…" he smiled with the same playfulness that she had. "Don't you go slandering my name around and ruining my reputation."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she said shaking her head.

"Hey?"

They reached the entrance to the precinct. Olivia stopped and turned around.

"You wanna grab a bite for dinner?" he asked.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "You don't need to do that. I'm fine, besides, Kathy and the kids need you more than I do…" she reminded him.

Sometimes he wasn't so sure.

He nodded and they walked into the building. At their desks, they wrote out paperwork, busying themselves silently as they made note of the interview they'd had with the victim's family. The case files would be later stored for evidence if it were to come up again.

Cragen stuck his head out for an update, and went back into his office to leave them alone.

The day finally drew to a close, and they were due for some shut eye. Olivia was looking forward to Chinese take-away and a good book.

"You sure you don't want to hit a restaurant with me?" he offered again as they headed out the door. She struggled wither jacket and he slid it over her shoulder, brushing his hand across her neck. She shivered. "I make good eye candy on your arm…" he teased.

"In your head," she smiled. "Nuh, I'm fine. Really… go home, El. Say hi to Kathy for me."

Elliot sighed with disappointment. "Yeah, okay."

They both went their separate ways.

Elliot watched her for a moment as she disappeared through the crowd of people. It was hard to believe that she was still alone, even if she was 'married to the job', he swore that if he wasn't married he would- NO, he wasn't allowed to take that road. For her, it was off limits. It was one rule that he'd never break. He'd never touch her. Never hurt her. She was out of bounds to him.

Since it was my first chapter I chose NOT to leave it on a cliff-hanger. But I can't promise where the next few chapters will go… hope you like it enough to post a review. Good or bad, are welcome :)