Story number 550. Awesome. :) Inspired by Danity Kane's Stay With Me (I also used the chorus of it at the end). Here's hoping Chris gets his head out of his ass and comes back to give SVU a proper goodbye. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Not mine!

SVUSVUSVUSVU

One hundred and thirty-two days.

That was how long it had been since the last time she saw him. It was the longest amount of time that they had spent apart, and at first she tried to numb the pain of it with alcohol. But that didn't work, and she soon found herself without armor.

God, she missed him.

It was almost like having a limb amputated. It was gone, but the pain was still there. He was gone, but the pain his absence had cause had not eased, and she couldn't figure out how to stop it.

Grabbing the remote, she finally turned off the TV, and silence enveloped her. This was probably the worst time for her. At least at work, she could distract herself with a case or paperwork. At work, the only thing she had to deal with was a new detective at his desk and the pitying looks she occasionally received from Cragen, Munch and Fin when they thought she wasn't paying attention.

At home, she had no defenses to hide behind, nothing to distract her from the pain that had taken up residence in her heart where he used to be.

She stood up and stretched, then started toward her bedroom for another sleepless night. It was storming outside, and lightning briefly lit up the room before submerging it into darkness again. Olivia sighed.

A knock on her front door startled her, and she looked at the clock. It was after midnight. With a frown, she grabbed her gun and held it to her side. It wasn't any of her coworkers; they would call or text to let her know they were on the way.

Who the hell was it?

Finally she reached the door, and she unlocked it slowly, tightening her grip on her gun. Then she pulled the door open, steeled for a fight.

The last person she expected to see was Elliot Stabler, and it was like the wind had been knocked out of her as she took in his soaked and shivering form. "Elliot…?"

He looked at her with piercing blue eyes. "Liv…"

The time that they had been apart was suddenly swept away as they both moved forward, into each other's arms. She wanted to be furious, to yell and scream and demand answers. But he was so warm in her arms, despite the rain that had drenched his clothes.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against hers. How could he have been so stupid? He had thought that time away would allow him to put his life and his family back together. But it had only shown him how much he needed her in his life, even if they were no longer partners. He needed her in a way that he had never needed anyone before, and it terrified him. Slowly he sank to his knees, wrapping his arms firmly around her slender waist as he rested his head against her abdomen.

Olivia closed her eyes and laid her hands against his head. She should have told him to get out, but she needed him like she needed air to breathe. "I can't do this again…" she whispered. "I can't let you go again."

"You don't have to," he promised, holding her even tighter. "I'm never going to leave you again, Liv. I swear to God, I won't."

That was all she needed to know. She pulled him to his feet, then led him into the apartment and closed the door gently behind them.

Stay with me, don't let me go

Cause I can't be without you

Stay with me, hold me close

Because I've built my world around you

And I don't want to know what it's like without you

So stay with me, just stay with me

The End.

A/N: Shippers, unite! LOL. Thanks for reading, and please review! 600, here I come!