It was funny how things changed over time. For Olivia it was the realisation of exactly how the gorgeous assistant district attorney made her feel deep down. For as long as she could remember the odd date she went on was more to find some human comfort rather than some sort of romantic relationship. There had been men in her past, but for one reason or another it became quickly apparent that beyond the physical desire there was no real longing for a more significant connection.

It was all about the job for this detective, at least it had been until Alexandra Cabot. One night at her most vulnerable, had forged a connection with the attorney that only grew as the two women worked side by side putting away some of New York's most unsavoury criminals.

Three years had passed and it was only now that Alex had seemingly escaped a dangerous situation, which had seen a threat made against her life that Olivia accepted what she felt. She wasn't really sure if Alex at all reciprocated her feelings, as she had been dating defence attorney Trevor Langan.

Regardless, the detective knew that the nature of her job meant that she shouldn't hold back out of fear of rejection. If anything the last few days had proven that. Life was too short and nobody really knew when they would be breathing their last breath. Olivia intended to talk to Alex after celebratory drinks; the man that had threatened the ADA had been killed in prison by inmates.

Olivia sat at a table in one of their favourite haunts, surrounded by her co-workers Detective's Elliot Stabler, Fin Tutoala, John Munch and the ADA herself. A lot of tension was released as the group chatted about inane subjects that distracted from the heaviness of the previous few days. Olivia nursed her beer, only drinking occasionally as she preferred to focus on the attorney who had definitely appeared relaxed. That smile, it was intoxicating to the detective and she was pleased to see it adorning the face of Alex once more.

Olivia realised that she was staring a bit too much so she excused herself to freshen up in the ladies room. Staring down at the wash basin she muttered, "Benson, pull yourself together."

"What's wrong Liv?" a quiet whisper from behind.

The detective looked up at the mirror above the basin and saw the tall blonde ADA's reflection. Forcing a smile she turned around to face her, "Nothing's wrong."

Alex wasn't inclined to believe her friend, "Then why do you need to pull yourself together?"

This was not where she had intended to talk to Alex about her feelings, but Olivia didn't want to taint any future discussion on the topic that evening with a lie. She did a quick round of the bathroom checking under the stalls to make sure they were empty before returning to face the attorney. "I don't know where to begin."

"Sounds serious," Alex watched a myriad of emotions flash through the brown eyes of the detective. It concerned her, "Liv, seriously, what's going on?"

"Everything I have seen," Olivia exhaled slowly, closing her eyes and running her hands through her short dark locks. "God why is it so hard…"

Alex felt the anxiety rolling off her friend; she reached out comforting hands to each shoulder. "Olivia you know you can talk to me, no matter what it is." She met the gaze of her friend as she opened her eyes, "Just tell me."

"It's nothing." Olivia turned away quickly, burying her face in hands filled with water from the faucet. "Tomorrow," she dried her hands, and gave Alex a quick smile as she slipped past her back into the bar. She wasn't sure if she had lost her nerve or had decided that confessing her love in a bathroom just wasn't the way she wanted to do things. It was no doubt a little bit of both.

Alex watched the detective go by not at all comforted by the smile. Everything that had just happened was incredibly un-Benson like; she just hoped her friend would follow through with her word and talk the next day.

The evening drew to a close as Munch declared it time to leave, dragging his partner Fin with him to provide a needed ride home. Olivia finished her drink and suggested the three remaining call it an evening. The trio headed out of the bar and onto the street.

Wrapped up in conversation nobody noticed a black SUV slow down as it rounded the corner. Shots fired from the open window sent all three scattering to the ground. Elliot jumped up and chased after the vehicle as it sped away.

Olivia on hands and knees turned to check on Alex behind her only to see that the ADA was flat on her back bleeding from her right shoulder. Olivia scrambled over to her friend, yelling out for someone to call 911.

"No, no, no Alex, stay with me." She applied pressure to the wound with her hands, looking back over her shoulder at Elliot as he ran back from his failed chase before returning her focus to Alex. Unable to control her emotions she sobbed, "No, no, no sweetheart, stay with me. It's going to be okay."

"This is Detective Elliot Stabler, badge number 6313. I need a bus now, officer down corner of 9th avenue and West 36th street." Elliot was on the phone urgently requesting assistance.

The five minutes it took for paramedics to arrive felt like the longest five minutes of Olivia's life. Alex was unconscious and non responsive and her blood covered the detectives hands as she maintained pressure on the wound. She had instinctively shrugged away Elliot when he knelt down beside her and put a comforting arm around her. Tears stained her face and she kept begging Alex to wake up.

Elliot had to forcibly drag his partner away from the attorney when the paramedics arrived to provide assistance. "Come on Liv, let them do their job. She'll be okay." He held her tight until she stopped struggling and turned around to hug him tightly. "She will be okay," he repeated.

Olivia sobbed into his shoulder, needing the comfort of his arms. It took all of her strength to not breakdown completely into an irrational stream of words. In her mind she had waited too long and now she was never going to get to tell Alex how she felt; worse still, she feared that she had lost her friend forever. Emotion was overwhelming logic with all that she felt. "El..." her words choked in her throat.

"Sssh Liv," he was concerned for his partner, she was normally cooler under pressure. He knew that she was close with the attorney, they both were, but he just hadn't been prepared for this reaction. He tightened his hold and kissed her softly on the top of her head.

Elliot watched grim faced as the paramedics put Alex into the back of the ambulance, still holding on to his partner. He pulled her away so he could look at her; the tears staining her face gave him a moment of pause before regaining his own composure. "Go with her Liv, I'll stay here and work the scene. I will join you as soon as I can. Keep me updated."

Two patrol cars had already pulled up to cordon off the crime scene and homicide detectives joined Elliot as Olivia climbed into the back of the ambulance for the ride to the hospital.

Detective Stabler watched the ambulance pull away before returning his gaze to the detectives that had joined him. Word travelled fast when a member of the law enforcement community was the victim and while Alexandra Cabot was not a police officer, she was respected by many. It was time to do everything they could to ensure the capture and arrest of the person responsible for shooting the Assistant District Attorney.