Well, it seems that this story is finally coming to an end. LOL. There is only one more chapter to be written, and then those sweet word, The End. LOL. What did you guys think of that season premiere? I thought it was a little predictable, but we did have some good EO eye sex. LMAO. And then there was that bit with the van and the jerk that threw gasoline on them. "Fall back!" Elliot is so protective of her. Every time that guy stepped closer, Elliot stepped further in front of his Liv. Yay! And of course, by the end, you couldn't hate Miller's character cause his kid died. *sigh* And that new ADA? What was with that stick up her butt? We want Alex back, right, everyone?! LOL. Well, enough of my rambling. Enjoy this chapter, and please review!

This chapter is dedicated to El Chacal, who always wants me to bring in at least one of El's kids. I don't tend to do that, but I did this time. So enjoy, El Chacal!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

SVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVU

It was nearly two hours before Olivia was finally allowed back into Elliot's room, and she didn't hesitate to hurry to his side. She had been crawling out of her skin waiting in that bland, lonely room without knowing if he was even alive. He was still incredibly pale, with skin that was cool to the touch. Olivia slid her hand into his and squeezed it tightly, hoping to pass her strength into him. "I'm here, Elliot," she whispered, leaning down to gently kiss his forehead.

She thought that she felt a small pressure on her hand in response, but when she looked at his face, she realized that it had just been hope. So she sat down in the chair beside his bed and resigned herself to watching him sleep. She found her eyes drawn to his broad, strong chest. As long as it continued to move, he was still with her.

There was a soft knock at the door, and Olivia looked up, surprised, as Munch quietly walked into the room. "Hey, John..."

"Hi, Liv." He pulled off his sunglasses and smiled at her, then looked at Elliot. "How is he doing?"

"He's hanging on," she murmured, rubbing Elliot's arm.

He nodded, stepping closer to her. "He'll pull through this, Liv."

"He has to."

"He won't leave you." Munch folded his arms over his chest. "You know he wouldn't be right without you."

And she would die without him. She nodded again.

Setting aside that they worked together, he leaned down and gathered her into his arms, hugging her tight. Right now, she wasn't one of the detectives that he worked with. She was a friend in desperate need of some comfort, and he was in a position to give it to her. He rubbed her back soothingly.

Sniffling, Olivia buried her face in Munch's shoulder, returning the hug with a savage desperation. She craved the physical contact and reassurance that came with it.

"Hey, get your paws off my girl," Fin growled with a smile.

Munch glared at his partner. "Get your own girl." He half hoped that it would bring a smile to her sweet face. But somehow he doubted it. There was only one person who could make her smile right now, and he was lying unconscious in the bed beside them, unable to comfort her.

"I want this one. So give her up."

Olivia squeezed Munch, then turned to Fin and snuggled into his embrace. She had never had a true family growing up. Her mother had always been drunk and abusive, and so many times she envied the other girls at school who talked about their mothers making cookies for them, then in later years, shopping for prom dresses with them. They never had to buy booze for their moms, or clean up dried vomit and broken bottles. They were the lucky ones.

Fin kissed the top of her head. "How are you holding up, baby girl?" He had never allowed himself to grow attached to women he worked with, but this particular one had found her way into his heart and never left. She was like a sister to him, and he was just as protective and adoring as if she truly was his sister.

"I'm okay," she whispered, letting him hold her tight against his chest.

Finally Fin released her and stood up, standing beside his partner. "We heard what happened earlier, and we came to see if there was anything you needed."

She choked down a bitter laugh and looked at her partner. "All I need is for him to wake up."

Both men nodded in understanding. They knew that she wouldn't be able to relax, sleep, or eat well until she knew that the man in the bed beside them was okay. And it came as no surprise to either of them.

After a minute, she seemed almost catatonic, unaware of their presence, but they were reluctant to leave her. So Fin took the extra chair across from Olivia and sat down heavily, while Munch occupied himself by leaning against the wall and watching Olivia intently.

As Olivia took her partner's hand and held it, Munch closed his eyes and thought back to the day he met Olivia, over a decade ago. He was fresh out of a marriage that had lasted less than a week it seemed, and Stabler was the senior detective of the squad with a hot temper and a reputation that spoke for itself. He had gone through at least three partners after Dave Rosetti put a bullet through his jaw, and he had managed to run every single one of them off. Then Cragen had announced another member would be joining the squad, and he glared at Elliot, silently telling him that this would be his newest partner. And that he better not run them off. He could still remember the malicious look Elliot had on his face once Cragen turned his back on them and went back to his office. He had just shaken his head and thought, God have mercy on his soul.

The next day, a dark eyed, radiant woman walked into the squadroom, and he had jumped to his feet. "Can I help you, Ma'am?" he had asked, hoping for some reason that she hadn't been raped, or that she had simply gotten lost on the way to some movie set. He was acting completely foolish, he knew it, and yet he couldn't seem to stop it.

Then she gave him a smile that nearly blinded him. "Actually, you can. I'm Olivia Benson." She offered had offered him her hand, which he eagerly shook. "I'm looking for Captain Donald Cragen."

That surprised him. In all honesty, she was nothing what he had expected, and without thinking, he had glanced in the direction of Elliot's desk. "Sure... His office is right over there."

She had smiled again and thanked him, then left him wondering if she wouldn't be the downfall of this entire squad.

But she hadn't been, and for the first time in six months, Elliot hadn't scared off his new partner. And from that day on, he rarely saw them apart. Where one was, the other wasn't far behind.

Fin leaned back in his chair, rubbing his legs as he silently berated the man in the bed beside him for making his Olivia cry. He had only been with the squad for eight or nine years, but almost immediately he had bonded with Olivia. She was like the little sister he had never had, and within a week of meeting her, he had become ferociously protective of her. He closed his eyes. Like she even needed it. If anyone came too close or seemed like they might be a threat to her well being, Elliot was all over their sorry ass. From the first time he had walked into the squadroom, after being brushed off by Cragen, he had seen something between Elliot and Olivia. For a minute, when he noticed Elliot's golden wedding band, he had been convinced that they were married, and he was sorely disappointed.

But then he had seen her left hand, and noticing the lack of a matching band, he realized that they weren't together. And he was surprised. It was in the little things he saw, like whenever Elliot pulled Olivia's chair out for her, or when she absently reached over and picked a piece of lint off of his shirt. The shock came when they ordered lunch one day, and he witnessed Elliot swipe a bite of Olivia's food, and she did the same. He had almost fallen out of his chair at that. He wouldn't even share eye drops with his partner, let alone share food.

And as the years passed, their partnership and friendship only strengthened. They went above and beyond acting as partners, to the point of Elliot sacrificing the life of a small child to save the life of his partner. After that, there had been a brief period when everyone in the squad had wondered if they would stay partners. Except him. He was a little surprised when she transferred temporarily, but that had lasted less than a few weeks. And when he came back and found them throwing paper airplanes at each other one morning, he just smiled and sat at his desk, giving his own partner a look that clearly said, I told you so. Because he knew that they wouldn't stay apart for long. Their partnership wasn't like the one he had with Munch, where at the end of the day, they said goodbye and that was it.

They didn't call it quits at the end of the day, and he even knew of a few times when they had spent the night together. Much to Elliot's wife's chagrin, he was certain. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Elliot's wedding ring would be removed for good. He had only hoped that it would happen before Olivia met someone else and Elliot lost his chance for good.

He glanced at the unconscious man in the bed in front of him. Then his eyes drifted to the exhausted woman holding his hand as though her life depended on it. He had to pull through this, for her. Because if Elliot didn't, he didn't want to have to be the one who would be left to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart and soul.

There was a time you let me know

What's really going on below

But now you never show it to me, do you?

Remember when I moved in you

The holy dark was moving too

And every breath we drew was hallelujah

After an hour or two, after several hugs and whispered reassurances, Munch and Fin reluctantly left Olivia alone with her wounded and unconscious partner.

When the door closed, Olivia leaned forward and laid her head on Elliot's shoulder, sighing deeply. Vaguely she could hear his heart beating, and she moved her head until her ear was resting just over his heart. It beat firmly under her ear, making her sigh in tearful relief. As long as she could hear that sound, as long as his gentle heart continued to move, she would be okay. If it ever stopped... Her arm wrapped itself around him, holding him gently. If she lost him, there would be no recovery for her. She knew that much.

She lost all track of time, until the door opened behind her. Then there was a soft gasp.

"Liv?"

Olivia immediately recognized the voice of Elliot's oldest child, Maureen, and she quickly sat up and wiped at her reddened and swollen eyes. Then she turned and smiled at the young woman. "Hi, Maureen."

Maureen set her purse down. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner," she apologized tearfully. "How is he?"

Olivia reached out and urged her closer, then gently rubbed the younger woman's arm. "Maureen..."

Impatience flared in her cerulean eyes, and Olivia saw her partner in his daughter. "Just tell me, Olivia. Despite what my dad thinks, I'm not a little kid. I can handle it."

Olivia nodded apologetically. "I know you're not a kid, and you can handle it." She pointed to the empty chair. "Sit down."

Maureen shook her head. "I'm... I don't want to sit down." She reached down and gently touched her dad's leg, almost as though she was afraid her touch would further worsen his already grievous injuries.

The older woman nodded. "Well, it was rough for a while. He was hurt very badly. But now, his doctors think that he's going to be okay."

Maureen moved around the foot of the bed and went to her dad's head. Then she reached down and gently smoothed his hair back. This was the man she thought was invincible, who had held her in the middle of the night when she was sick, and who stayed up late when she need help with a project that was due the next morning. He did all of it without complaint, and even though he wasn't around nearly as much as she had wanted, he was there. He loved her. Sniffling, she leaned down and kissed his forehead, just as he had done for her so many times in her young life. "Hi, Daddy," she whispered, a little disappointed when he didn't open his eyes and look at her. He always woke up for her.

Olivia saw the expression on the young Stabler's face, and she reached out and rubbed Maureen's arm. "Don't take it too hard, sweetheart. He hasn't been awake yet."

"Why not?" she wondered miserably, collapsing into the chair by her dad's bed. Suddenly she felt like she was five again, and her mom had just told her that her daddy wouldn't be home in time to tuck her into bed and read her a story.

"He'll wake up when he's ready," Olivia assured her patiently, forcing a small smile.

Maureen took her dad's hand and held it tight. "What if he does, and I'm not here?"

"Then I'll call you before anybody," the older woman promised.

Maureen looked up, surprised. This was the woman that, at one time, her mother had said destroyed their family. She was the reason her dad was never home anymore. But here she was, hurting just as badly as her but still trying to take care of her. "Do you promise?" she whispered.

Olivia reached out for Maureen's hand. "I promise, sweetheart," she swore, squeezing the younger woman's hand tightly.

Maureen nodded shakily, releasing Olivia's hand. Then she leaned forward and kissed her father's cheek before she buried her face in his shoulder and cried.

The cries of Elliot's daughter were too much for Olivia to stand, and she took Elliot's hand and brought it to her face. Then she rested her cheek against it and sighed shakily.

He had to be okay.

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah

TBC...

A/N: I chose Maureen there at the end, because we are so much alike. We're both the oldest, and we're both daddy's girls. So it's easier for me to get into her head. Next chapter, there will possibly be a funeral... Hope everyone enjoyed this, and please review!