a/n: Dedicated to all the wonderful readers :)

Chapter 3

Olivia woke up in the middle of the night in a fright. She had a nightmare, and when she opened her eyes she had no idea where she was. She quickly shot up, breaking free from the arms that were holding her tightly, and looked around.

Elliot's.

She looked over at him and smiled. She had the best friend of anyone she had ever known. She took a deep breath and lay back down. She wondered if Elliot would rewrap his arms around her, she couldn't explain it but she needed his arms around her, protecting her…

As soon as her body was in a comfortable position she felt his arms wrap around her and give her soft squeeze. Instant relief swept over her.

Safe.

"You okay?" He mumbled into the back of her neck.

"I am now." She said with out even realizing that the words had left her mouth. Thank God Elliot couldn't see her face because it was as red as the sheets on his bed.

"Good." He replied snuggling his body closer to hers. He dug his nose into her hair and took in her scent. He wondered how long her scent would stay on his pillow, and he couldn't help but wish it would last forever.

She covered his arms with hers, and he laced their hands together. He couldn't describe the feelings that he was having, but he knew that he needed the contact with her, Olivia, and not Kathy.

"Elliot?" She whispered.

"Yeah?" He asked. His mouth was so close to the back of her neck that he was fighting the temptation to bring his lips to her olive skin.

"I ah…I…Thank you, for being there for me, for this," She said petting his fingers through their laced hands, "I ah…I um…I feel…uh…"

Elliot smiled; she was so cute when she was nervous, and although he couldn't see her face he was sure that she was biting the crap out of her bottom lip, "You feel what, Liv?"

"I uh…When you're holding me like this, I feel…safe." She said and hopes she didn't make Elliot feel uncomfortable.

He smiled and put his head on her shoulder, "I like making you feel safe." He whispered into her ear and lifted his head off of her shoulder and onto his pillow.

She rolled over on her side so she could face him, "Do you think he is looking for me?" She asked softly.

Elliot sighed, "God I hope not." He said as his hand rubbed around the small of her back.

"He did the whole 25 years he was sentenced. Do you think he is full of revenge?"

"I don't know, but I have your back, Liv. I always have, and I always will." He said squeezing her gently.

"I can't believe I did that last yesterday." She said the embarrassment evident on her cheeks.

"Did what?" He asked.

"I threw up at my desk! And then fainted. I mean…GOD!" She cried out in frustration.

He pulled her into a full body hug, "Liv, its ok. Really. No one cares about that. All we care about is that you are safe." He said placing a gentle kiss in her hair.

"I'm scared, Elliot." She whispered into his chest.

"I know. But I'm here, and I'm not going to let anyone hurt you." He continued to rub circles on her back, "Can I ask you a question, Liv?"

"Yeah." She said softly unsure of what he wanted to ask.

"What exactly happened? How did your mother handle it?"

She took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, "Well, that night after my mom passed out, he came into my room. I thought it was my mother at first…He quickly ran over to my bed, and put his hand to my mouth so I wouldn't scream. He told me that if I screamed he would kill me, and he put a knife to my throat---" She looked at him and he immediately thought back to the Gitano case, "And then he raped me…hard. I was bleeding profusely, and to be honest, if it hadn't been for the amount of blood loss, I don't think I would have told anyone…"

She took a moment before she continued, Elliot didn't press her, "Uh, after he left I tried to walk but fell flat on my face knocking over a bookcase. My mother heard the thud and woke up and came running into my room. She took one look at me, and she just knew…you know?"

"Yeah." Elliot said trying to get rid of the lump that was in his throat.

"The first thing she did was hold me. She wrapped me in her arms and rocked me like a child. She was crying, and I was crying." She took a deep breath and looked Elliot square in the eyes, "I just remember her holding me for hours, and I felt safe in her arms. I must have fallen asleep after that because the next thing I knew I was at the hospital."

Elliot was beginning to understand his role in all of this. Why Olivia needed him to hold her, lay with her, just touch her. And man, what he would give to touch her in all the right places…

Inappropriate Elliot, inappropriate!

"I know my mother wasn't the best mother. And a lot of people don't understand how I could love her…but they don't know. All they saw was the drunk that used to beat me, chase me around with broken shards of glass, call me whore, and the spawn of Satan, but they didn't know her during that time. After that night she was sober for 12 months. 12 of the most horrible months of my life, however they were the best times with my mother. She was the mother I dreamed about, the mother I always wanted. It was the longest she had ever stayed sober for. But right about the 12 month mark of my rape, she lost it. Blamed herself for allowing me to go through what she went though…and then she turned into her old self, only this time, it was worse…much, much worse because now she was so far gone that I actually think she believed I was evil, and I had gotten what I deserved."

"Wow." Was all Elliot could muster out. There was a long silence before he was able to speak again.

"I think you are the strongest person I know, Olivia."

"Oh Stop!" She said swatting him in the stomach.

"I'm serious, Liv." He looked her in the eyes, and she could tell that he really meant it.

"Thanks, El. That means a lot." She said with a small smile.

"So…you hungry? I make some mean pancakes." He said with a wink.

"Starving, but um…would you mind if I took a shower first?"

"Not at all. I'll make them while you shower."

EOEOEOEOEOEOEO

The pancakes were done, and were getting cold. Elliot could still here the shower running, and he wondered what was taking so long. It had been over an hour, and he knew that there was no way the shower still had hot water.

He walked towards the bathroom, and put his ear to the door. He could here her sobbing, and it broke his heart. He knocked softly on the door, "Liv?"

Nothing.

"Liv? It's me. Do you need anything?" He started to panic.

Nothing.

Crazy thoughts and ideas ran through his head of what she might have done to herself in there. He shouldn't have left her alone.

"I'm coming in, Liv." He said and opened the door slowly. She was definitely crying. "Liv?" He called again as he approached the shower. "Liv, it's just me, Elliot."

He could feel the freezing cold water trickle on his skin, "Oh my God, Liv." He said and reached in and turned the water off. He kept his head turned away. When the water turned off, she was still sobbing. "Liv, I'm going to help you ok? Just say no, if you want me to leave, ok?"

Nothing, just sobs.

Elliot took a deep breath. He got out a towel and put his hand on the shower curtain, "Liv. I'm going to open up the shower curtain, ok?"

More sobbing.

He pulled back the shower curtain, and was devastated; his heart went out to her. She was sitting on the cold shower floor, her knees tucked up into her chest, her head down; she was uncontrollably shaking and sobbing so hard she kept choking.

He knelt down and placed the towel around her. He rubbed the towel around her back soaking up the cold water. She was almost blue she was so cold. "Come on, Liv. We got to get you out of here, you're freezing."

"I'm so cold." She stuttered out her teeth clattering together.

"I know sweetie, that's why we got to get you out of here, and into some warm clothes, ok?"

She nodded her head, "Ok." She said weakly.

He got out another towel and set in on the counter, "I'm going to go get you some warm clothes ok?"

He immediately felt her arms reach for him, "No, please. Not yet. Don't leave yet, ok?" Her voice was pleading, begging, and it killed him to see her like this.

"Ok, but we have to get you out of the tub and into something warm."

She nodded, her body still shaking from the cold.

Elliot helped her stand up, keeping the towel around her and his eyes away. Even though he was dying, dying to sneak a peek.

His clothes were now soaked, but he didn't even notice. Olivia was wrapped up into his arms and he pressed his body warmly around hers, trying to warm her up. He walked slowly to his bedroom with her clinging onto him.

He sat her down on the bed and knelt down, "Is this alright?"

She nodded her lips still blue, and her teeth still chattering.

He went through his drawers for something warm she could wear. He got out a pair of sweat pants, and a long sleeve shirt. He walked over to her and bent down. He placed the sweat pants on the floor, and helped her step into them. He then lifted her up so he could pull them all the way up, making sure he was very careful not to touch her like he wanted too.

He then pulled on her shirt, and removed the towel, "Feel better?" He asked.

"I'm so sorry." She said as she tried to stop crying, and catch her breathe.

He looked her deep into the eyes, "You have nothing to be sorry for, Olivia. Nothing."

She shook her head, relating that she understood.

He pulled her into a hug, and tried his hardest not to cry.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEO

"Stabler." He answered his phone in just above a whisper, not wanting to wake Olivia from her nap.

"Elliot?"

Kathy.

"Ok, I get it, you're busy, but Jesus, Elliot! Would a phone call really be too much to ask for?"

"Look Kath, I'm sorry. It's just---"

"Let me guess, rough case?" She said in a nasty tone.

"Personal."

"Oh."

"Yeah, I'm working around the clock."

"So you are not moving home tonight?"

...Or any other night, He wanted to say.

"No…look Kath…we ahh…we need to talk about that."

"What is there to talk about?"

"I'm just not sure if---"

"Oh! No you don't Elliot! You are not going to leave me alone to take care of a newborn baby!!"She screamed into the phone.

"Jesus! Would you calm down! I'm going to take care of the baby, Kath. I never said that."

"So what is the problem?"She snarled.

"The problem is that I don't think this is the right time for me to move home." He said in a low, almost scared voice, afraid of how she was going to react to it.

"You what? What the hell does that mean? When is the right time, Elliot?" Anger defiant in her voice.

"I'm not ready, Kath."

"Well you better get ready!" She snapped.

"Are you kidding me? You are the one who left me! You. Left. Me!" He paused and gathered himself, "I have to go. I'm hanging up now." He said and slammed his phone shut.

He walked into his room and all his anger subsided. Olivia was like sleeping beauty, only prettier. He felt her forehead, still cold. He was sweating just looking at her, she was under three blankets! He walked up to the bed and crawled in. He debated whether or not he should wrap his arms around her for a minute or two before he actually did it.

She was still so cold. He moved closer to her hoping that his body heat would help warm her up. He felt her snuggle up to him, and he smiled. It was amazing how relaxed, and at peace he felt when he held her.

He moved his head so that it was lying in between her shoulder and neck. He couldn't help it, he kissed her, his lips lingering a little bit longer then they should have. He wondered if she felt it…would she be pissed? Was there anyway that maybe she could feel the same way that he did? And with in seconds he knew his answer.

He heard her moan in pleasure.

a/n: PS...The next chapter in Strength is almost done!