Chapter 1: Undefined Attraction

Olivia hears her alarm blaring, but can't bear to wake up yet. Monday mornings are the worst. She hits the snooze for the second time that morning. The next sound she hears is her phone ringing. She just manages to scrounge up enough energy to answer, "Hello, Detective Benson."

"Olivia, where the hell are you?" Olivia cringes at the anger in Cragen's voice, and turns to look at her alarm clock to see that the time was 10:00.

"Shit, sorry captain. I must've accidently turned my alarm clock off instead of hitting the snooze button. I'll be at the precinct in 20 minutes tops." She replies, hurrying to get dressed and get out the door.

"Don't bother, we are a block away from your apartment on Riversdale Ave. Meet us there instead." The captain's voice was now more irritated than angry.

"I'll be there in a second, and again I'm sorry." Click. There was no response to her apology, probably because this was the second time this month she has showed up hours late for work. Her life had just recently fallen apart, and she was starting to pick up the pieces, making many mistakes along the way.

Everyone seemed to start to notice the change in her behavior, because after awhile, you can't fake happiness any longer. Her therapist had told her that the only way to get back to the way she used to be is to be honest with everyone. This task was hard to do because she had been hiding something for a very long time, her attraction to her partner.

She started to notice his physical features the first day they had met, but had since then began to think his emotional strength was way sexier. He could get through anything, without a scratch. He loved his kids and went through hell with his wife just to make them happy. He was dedicated cop, who gave everything he had to his job.

She could say this was love, but she wouldn't know because she had never given or received any. This relationship she wanted with her partner was not one of lust, but one of lifelong commitment. The only problem was his family, of who she respected very much. His kid's adored her, and she wasn't going to ruin that by confessing her feelings to him, when she is practically sure he doesn't feel that way back.

How long has she felt the desire to be with Elliot? Almost 6 years now. At first it wasn't as strong. She didn't have the dreams of them having kids, or the midnight fantasies of them having an affair. Then it became an obsession, she didn't live a moment without thinking about her partner.

It was not one of those obsessions where you go crazy over them and start stalking them in the night. It wasn't like that. It was something she couldn't help but feel, but even if she could stop adoring him, she wouldn't. He was the first person she had ever cared about so deeply, and the only person she wasn't sure how to describe. He was everything she had ever dreamed of, put right there in front of her. And that is all she wanted.

Olivia arrives at what she thought to be a crime scene, but was the place the missing person had been last seen. "Hey , since when do we do missing persons?" Olivia jokes around with don, noticing a really serious look on his face.

"Since one of our own went missing. Elliot Stabler, male about 6' 175 pounds. Muscular build, a couple tattoos." Don read aloud from the posters he was about to hang up

"Oh my gosh," Olivia was noticing only now that Elliot took walks in the park at night to sooth his mind. She hadn't known which park it was, but if she had, she would walk the night away with him. She was determined to find the person she cared so deeply for, the one she might love. But again, what is love?