Disclaimer – The usual…..characters belong to Mr. Wolf, darn it!
Elliot groaned as his phone rang for the third time. He rolled over and reached for it, glancing at the clock as he did so. The amber glow of the numbers told him it was 2:43am. He got the phone and hit the button. "Stabler."
"El..." Elliot instantly recognized his partner's voice. "Liv?" "El, do you see it?" "See what?" Elliot sat straight up in bed, suddenly confused and worried. He could hear the tears in Olivia's voice. "Liv, what's wrong?" "The moonlight and rain. It's so beautiful, you have to see it." He could hear her crying softly. "Liv, I'm coming over," he said, as he got out of bed and searched for clothes. "Liv? I'll be there soon, ok?" "Ok," she replied, and then he heard the dial tone as she hung up. He was out the door less than five minutes later.
Elliot got to Olivia's apartment building in record time. He hit the buzzer, and she let him up. Shaking the raindrops off his head, he ran up the stairs, not feeling like waiting for the old elevator. He knocked at her door. "It's open," she called from inside. He opened the door and walked in, seeing her standing in front of the window. He took his coat off and hung it on the back of a chair. He slowly walked over to stand beside her.
"See El? Isn't it amazing?" Elliot looked out the window and finally saw what she was talking about. While rain was falling right outside the window, on the other side of the night sky a full moon shone brightly down. The moonlight was bright, and reflected off the raindrops, turning them silver. It really was breathtaking. "Wow," he said. He watched for a few seconds before turning to look at his partner. The moonlight reflects off her tears the same way it did off the rain. "Liv, what's wrong?" "The nightmares won't stop. I can't stop replaying what happened in my head." She leaned against the window edge as she stared out into the night.
Elliot instantly knew what she was talking about. It had only been two weeks since the corrections officer from Sealview was locked up. Elliot had asked her before what happened in the prison basement, but she wouldn't tell him. He reached out and gently put a hand on her arm. "What happened in that basement?" he asked, softly. She looked at him for the first time since he had gotten there. He met her dark brown eyes and saw the depth of her pain. "Liv…" he said softly, his voice betraying his emotion. And so she told him.
She told him every little detail. How he had thrown her on the mattresses. How she had screamed over and over. How she had briefly escaped and hid. How he had hit her with the nightstick. How he had handcuffed her to the gate as she cowered in fear and pain. How he had unzipped his pants and pulled himself out. How she had cried.
Elliot felt the anger; the rage built inside of him as his partner told him what that man had done to her. She told him how Fin had come in and they arrested him. "I couldn't sleep that night El. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him." She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Elliot stood still, his emotions in turmoil. Olivia slid down the window frame, till she was huddled on the floor. Elliot shook himself, and knelt before her. He gently pulled her hands from her face and held them in his. "Liv, did he…" he swallowed hard, "did he rape you?" She shook her head no as the tears streamed down her face. Her eyes sought out his. "But if Fin hadn't found us…" her voice trailed off and Elliot knew what she meant. "I'm sorry Liv. I'm so sorry." He pulled her into his arms then, and she buried her face against his chest, sobbing.
A few minutes later, her sobs had almost stopped. She shivered, and pressed herself closer to Elliot. While he wasn't going to protest having her so close to him, he knew sitting on the cold floor couldn't be good for her. He picked her up in his arms, ignoring her protests, and carried her to her bedroom. He sat her gently on her bed, in the middle of a patch of moonlight. Shadows from the raindrops moved across her face as she looked at him. She remained sitting, and he sat on the edge of the bed next to her.
"Liv, why didn't you tell me this before?" Elliot's eyes reflected the hurt he felt that she hadn't told him until now. She squeezed his hand. His brow furrowed as he realized she was trembling. "Liv?" he prompted, worried. "I was scared," she said finally, so softly he barely heard her. "But you had nothing to be scared of, he was in jail." "Not of him El." She took a deep breath, as if gathering courage. "What were you scared of Liv?" "You," she said. He searched her face. Before he could say anything, she continued. "I didn't want you to think less of me. I didn't want to be a victim in your eyes. I was scared that if you saw me as a victim you wouldn't see me as your partner." Tears fell down her cheeks again as she admitted this. Elliot was shocked. He reached over and gently lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. "I see you as more than my partner, Liv. You may have been a victim of a crime, but that doesn't change how I see you. You are my partner, my best friend," he hesitated as if was going to say more. "I would do anything for you."
"Anything?" she asked. He nodded. "Will you stay with me the rest of the night?" "Of course," he answered. "I'll be right outside on the couch if you need me." He started to get up, but she grabbed his arm. "No, stay with me here." Her hand was trembling again. He stared into her eyes, full of tears. "Please," she whispered, "I can't sleep alone." He reached out to softly stroke her cheek. "I won't leave you Liv." The tears fell down her cheeks and he brushed them away. "Lay down, we can snag a few hours sleep before work." He stood up, and she crawled under the covers, lying on her side, her back to him. He kicked his shoes into a corner and pulled his jeans and sweatshirt off. Dressed in a t-shirt and boxers, he crawled in next to Olivia. He stretched out on his side, watching her. Seeing her shoulders shake, he knew she was crying again. He slower moved closer to her until his chest touched her back. He wrapped an arm around her waist. Moving his mouth next to her ear, he whispered softly, "Go to sleep Liv, I'll be right here." She nodded silently, and scooted back, pressing closer to him. He shivered at the contact, but forced his thoughts empty and closed his eyes. They were both soon asleep.
Elliot woke the next morning as the sunlight filled the room. Checking the time, he discovered they still had a couple hours before had to be at work. During their sleep, Olivia had turned over and was now facing him, curled up against him. He let his eyes take in her beauty as the morning sun fell on her face. He ran his fingers over her cheek, gently as so not to wake her. He sighed softly to himself and watched her as she slept.
Barely fifteen minutes later, Olivia spoke softly. "Stop staring at me, Stabler." Elliot prepared to get out of bed so he didn't upset her with the fact they were in bed together, but she seemed to sense this and spoke again. "Don't go, we don't have to get up yet, do we?" "We have a few minutes," he replied. "Good," she whispered, curling up closer to him. Surprised, but not against it, he ran his hand lightly over her back, feeling her nuzzle into his shoulder more. He gave a soft chuckle. "What?" she asked, her voice muffled by his shirt. "Munch and Fin will never believe that Olivia Benson likes to cuddle," he replied, laughter in his voice. She slapped his chest lightly. She pulled back from him enough to meet his eyes. "You're right," she said, "they would never believe it, therefore my secret is safe." She smiled, and nuzzled her face into his shoulder again. He grinned and wrapped his arm around her, holding her tight.