Hey guys, just wanted to let you all know I really appreciate the positive reviews! Like I said, this is my first SVU fanfic, so I'm glad people like it so far! Obviously, I've chosen to keep this as a multi-chapter story...instead of the one-shot I originally had planned. That being said, the rest of this story will basically focus on Elliot and Olivia with everyone else at the squad thrown in periodically.

For this chapter specifically, there are a couple of flashbacks showing how their "relationship" got to this point. All flashbacks are shown in italics to make it easier to understand.

More reviews are greatly appreciated!

-Em

----------

Chapter Two

Elliot barely awoke as his alarm went off a short three hours after he had gotten back to his apartment from Olivia's. It took him longer than usual to pull himself out of bed. He wasn't exactly sure what was wrong; this was nowhere near the first time he saw Olivia in the middle of the night, only to see her again that very morning later at work. They were both getting very accustomed to their little secret.

How and why their secret started, though, is what Elliot was still trying to piece together.

"Liv!" He followed her down the hallway, heading toward the elevators at the station. The moment she was in reach, he stretched for her shoulder for his hand to grasp onto, spinning her around to face him.

"El, please, I just want to go home." Her eyes were threatening tears, but Olivia refused to let them fall. Not here. Out of all places, not here.

"Tell me what happened down there tonight, please." She turned her face away, bringing one of her hands up to place against her forehead. "Liv, just tell me, so I can help you!" His voice was hardening. She was his parter, his, and they were supposed to be able to talk to each other. Olivia had been Elliot's partner for years, yet this was the first time she ever heard his voice sound so harsh. It killed him to see her in such pain. As soon as he reached to grab her hand from her face, she flinched and shoved him off, knocking him off guard.

"All I need, is for you and everyone else here to leave me alone."

He didn't follow her as she ran off.

"Olivia, there's coffee and doughnuts in my office if you haven't eaten," Cragen said as he passed her getting off of the elevator.

"Thanks Captain, I'm okay." She gave him a small smile before the elevator door closed. Everyone had been especially kind to her, and she knew she didn't deserve it because of the way she treated them after what had happened last month. She had considered the idea that somehow, everyone knew; that was the reason they were all being so kind, so gentle.

She soon figured that wasn't possible, though. If Elliot had known, Harris would have been dead. The only people who knew what had happened in that basement were Cragen and Fin, and she intended to keep it that way. If she had it her way, the only person who would have known what had happened would be Fin, but she couldn't exactly keep a secret from her boss.

Elliot was already at his desk, coffee in hand, as he was looking over the files sprawled across it. He looked up when she came into view, locking eyes with her until she glanced off to the side, clearly avoiding him. He knew she had gotten no sleep after he left her earlier, she looked horrible.

"You look like hell." His eyes glanced back at the paper in front of him as the words came out of his mouth. He sure knew how to greet someone in the morning. Olivia sent a glare his way and said nothing back.

It wasn't like Elliot was just hooking up with his partner to take advantage of her. The minute Fin came back with Olivia from Sealview, Elliot was already bombarding him with questions about what had happened there. Fin wouldn't budge, and when Elliot went to Cragen, he got nothing from him either. He would have been okay with that, if Olivia planned to tell him about that day later on when she was ready. She still has not said a word to him about it, hiding behind what they did each night.

As close as they were when he was at her apartment each night, Elliot had never felt more disconnected from Olivia. He knew he could have pressed the issue, not letting her get away with not telling him, but it wasn't exactly easy with her new attitude. Not to mention, it wasn't long after that day that Kathy had kicked him out. She didn't want to talk about her problem, and he definitely didn't want to talk about his.

At least Olivia knew that Elliot and Kathy were separated, when Elliot had no idea what happened with her. In face, Olivia knew they were separated the day Kathy had handed him the divorce papers. He followed her lead, though, when it came to keeping their nights separate from their jobs during the day, doing exactly what she wanted.

"Anything going on this morning?" She was at least speaking to him, although her eyes still avoided his as she took a seat at her desk, immediately picking up a misplaced file.

"Nope. Looks like we get a small break.." He was still sorting through the pile of papers on his desk. "Well, if you call this a break."

"Should've done it earlier..." Her voice was so soft, he barely heard her response.

"Sorry, not everyone likes to stay here until midnight doing paperwork." He knew she was joking, sort of, so he tried keeping it going. Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say because she looked back at her computer without saying anything else to him.

"Hey, Liv, Elliot, you guys going for drinks later for Casey's birthday?" Munch asked as he came into the room.

"No, I'm going to head home early. Didn't get much sleep last night." Elliot turned his head toward Olivia, hoping she would look over and see the smirk across his face.

"What about you, Liv?"

"I might stop by, maybe for a drink or two." Elliot instantly glared in Olivia's direction, remembering exactly what had happened the last time a group from work went out to celebrate.

Elliot walked out of the bar, heading up the small number of steps until he met the curb of the outside street. He looked both ways, scanning for which way she may have went. He was in the bathroom for barely five minutes, but she was gone before he got back to the table they were all sitting at. All she had told Casey was that she was tired and needed to sleep, but Elliot knew better. The old Olivia would never have left her friends just because she was tired.

Finally, he saw her, barefoot, carrying her shoes in her hand. "Liv!" He sprinted in her direction, surprised that she even knew where she was going. He was surprised she didn't begin to run herself, trying to get away from him. But he was the most surprised when she even turned around after he called her name. "Hey...you shouldn't be walking home by yourself." His hand reached for her face once he finally approached her, but she winced and quickly moved it away.

"I can take care of myself, El." The tone in her voice was colder, unappreciative of the fact that he was just trying to help. He didn't know whether to blame her attitude on the large amount of alcohol she had just consumed, or on her overall attitude in general with everyone.

"I never said you couldn't." He was getting sick of the way she had been speaking to him lately.

"Then stop babying me and just go home! Or back to the bar, I don't care! I don't need my own personal bodyguard!"

"No, you want to shut me out of whatever happened while you were undercover, fine!" He was almost screaming at her, getting in her face. He didn't care anymore, he had tried that and she always rejected. "But I'm not going to let you go off by yourself and get raped by some cre-" Her hand smacked across his cheek before he even had a chance to finish his sentence.

Her chest was heaving up and down with anger, but she didn't run away like he expected her to. She stayed completely still, both of them confused by what had happened. The skin on his cheek was already reddening where her palm had made contact. His eyes searched hers immediately, contemplating whether or not to scream at her. If he hadn't known any better, he could have sworn her eyes were beginning to swell with tears. That, though, was behind the feelings of lust that were overpowering in her eyes as well as her own. He knew now that he wouldn't scream at her, wouldn't walk off in a rage.

It didn't take long for his lips to capture her own. And it didn't take long for her to kiss back.

Olivia caught Elliot's gaze of disapproval and for once took his hint. "Actually, I should probably head home after work. I've got a doctor's appointment pretty early tomorrow morning." Lie.

"Doctor? For what?" Elliot's disapproving gaze immediately switched to a questioning one. He knew she wasn't sick, hell, he saw her at all hours of the day. He would be the first to know if something was wrong with her, or at least he hoped he would be. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time she kept secrets from him.

"You don't have to be sick to go to the doctor, El." Her eyes avoided his purposely as she glanced at her computer screen. "I've got a check up. No big deal." To her, nothing was a big deal. That was part of the problem. "Speaking of, I'm going to go remind Cap."

"Well okay, let me know if you change your mind." Munch shrugged his shoulders and headed off toward the elevators.

Olivia headed toward Don's office, her cheeks reddening as she felt his eyes burning into her back. She refused to look at him. Her knuckles tapped on the office door before he motioned her inside with a few fingers. "Olivia, what's up?"

"Hey, uh, I just wanted to remind you that I'd be late tomorrow mor-" She began struggling for her words before he cut her off with his hand.

"I know." She nodded, thankfully, toward him. "Just make sure you get your final report to me before you leave today."

"Of course." She was about to leave when she felt his hand graze her shoulder.

"Olivia. If you need tomorrow off after you're done, I understand." His voice was soft, but she could tell it pained him to speak about what had happened while she was undercover. Before he knew that she had been raped, he considered firing her for the attitude she had afterwards. Everything changed, though, when he got that first report from her. Now, he was set on ensuring that no one would hear about what had happened except for the few that already did.

"Trust me, I'd go crazier if I was stuck in my apartment all day." She tried to chuckle at the situation, even though she hated more than anything to talk about it. "I'm fine, Cap, I've been on that stand hundreds of times testifying against perps."

"This is different." His words were simple, but so true. "Just let me know if you change your mind."

"Ok." She whispered, as his hand left her shoulder, she turned towards the door. "Hey Cap?" He turned around immediately. "Thanks, for everything." He nodded in approval before she left and shut the door behind her.

He was right, this trial, of course, would be different.