Hey guys!

So, you guys have been AWESOME about this new fic so far and I am truly grateful. I know it probably seems a little slow at the moment, but I've got some plot twists and all that coming along soon.

But, enjoy this for now please xoxo

Just Friends?

Part Four

Compared to the previous day, the emergency room of Mercy General was pretty relaxed today – apart from a slight rush that had come in following a multi-car pile up which had resulted in some injuries for a few motorists, a couple of which were severe. For the most part, however, things were moving along nicely and there wasn't much chaos ensuing the room as compared to the previous day. The more relaxed nature allowed for Olivia and Casey to get their paperwork done in a timely fashion, whilst the two of them chatted away about random things such as their plans for the upcoming weekend. Both girls were off this weekend as well as Monday and Tuesday, as today was their last day of a ridiculously long nine day work stretch, so they figured they best do something fun and enjoy the five days they had away from this place.

"So, it's settled; I'll come to yours tomorrow after we shop and I'll be your roomie all weekend." Casey smirked, leaning back in her chair. Olivia simply rolled her eyes before giving her friend a smirk in return.

"Suppose I don't want a roomie for the weekend?" she teased, raising an eyebrow. Casey simply rolled her eyes as she stood up, stretching her arms over her head.

"You do Benson, and you'll accept," she rummaged through her bag for a bottle of water, "Tomorrow we can go shopping, and then on Saturday we'll watch movies and do our nails and stuff our faces, go out on Saturday night, nurse hangovers on Sundays, and then figure out something for Monday and Tuesday." She smiled when she found the bottle, before untwisting the cap and taking a long swig.

Olivia simply giggled, looking up at her best friend. She had to admit she'd love the company, so of course, she couldn't say no to Casey.

She looked at the watch on her arm, a sigh escaping her when she realized she'd only been at work for four hours and still had another four to go. However, with being halfway through her shift, she did realize it was time for a break and so she stood up as well, grabbing her leather tote bag from the floor and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Come on, let's take an hour – we can go see Elliot quickly then go get something to eat from the diner across the street." She suggested. Casey nodded in agreement, her blonde ponytail swishing to and fro as she did so. She grabbed her own leather tote bag as well as her own iPhone before joining her brunette friend. They relayed to their supervisor that they were taking an hour for lunch, before strolling over to the to the stainless steel doors. The pinged open and a couple doctors stepped out to enter the emergency room, leaving Casey and Olivia the opportunity to step into the small room. Casey pressed the 3 button, leading the elevator doors to slide shut before the contraption began its ascent to the third floor.

"Think the bitch is there?" Casey asked, leaning against the wall of the elevator.

"Casey," Olivia shot her a warning look, "That's her husband, of course she's there."

"He's probably wishing that it's you constantly by his side." Casey muttered. Olivia shot her a glare.

"Case, let it go." She groaned.

"Don't act like you didn't realize how tightly he was hugging you earlier, Liv; the man wants you." Casey argued, folding her arms across her chest.

"You're delusional."

"And you're in denial."

Olivia rolled her eyes, playfully shoving her friend before stepping off onto the third floor once the doors pinged open. The pair made their way down the hall, their shoes making a faint scuffle sound as they strolled down the carpeted floor of the hallway. They waved at a few of the friendly, older nurses as they passed the quiet nurses station. They reached Elliot's room after a few moments; the door was slightly ajar and Elliot was sitting up in bed with his two year old son, Eli, on his lap whilst they were reading a book together. Kathy was sitting in the chair beside his bed, scrolling through her phone.

"Hey, we just came for a visit." Casey spoke up, capturing everyone's attention. Kathy gave a raised eyebrow and rolled her eyes, something that didn't go unnoticed by Olivia, whilst Elliot gave them his friendly smile. As soon as little Eli saw Olivia, he quickly scrambled out of his father's lap and came running full speed over to her, launching himself into her arms.

"Livie!" he squealed happily, giving her an adorable smile as his curly blonde hair bounced all over the place. Olivia scooped him up into her arms, kissing his cheek. She had been a huge part of the little boy's life since his arrival a couple years earlier. She had, had the day off and was taking Kathy to a doctor's appointment for Elliot as he had been working during the time and had forgotten about it. On the way to the appointment, however, she and Kathy had been involved in a car accident and Olivia had helped to keep Kathy stabilized, as well as help with delivering the baby once they were inside the ambulance. She had basically saved both Kathy and little Eli's lives that day. Since then, she had played a good role as his godmother and super auntie in his life; something that annoyed Kathy but Elliot was more than happy about.

'You saved her life and her son's life, so I don't get what her problem is with you.' Casey would often say this as well; Olivia would just roll her eyes as it was all a mystery to her as well.

"Hey buddy," she cuddled him tightly before holding him as he was now looking at Casey in wonder; "Eli, this is my friend Casey; Casey, meet Eli."

"Hi Eli, it's nice to meet you." Casey sweetly spoke, shaking his little hand.

"Hi Casey," the little boy greeted her with a smile before turning back to Olivia, "Livie, Daddy got owie."

"He did, but he'll get better soon, and he'll be able to play with you and stuff right?" she spoke in a soft voice to the little boy. He nodded his head, before hugging her yet again.

"Me miss Livie." He mumbled. She gave a soft smile, sweetly kissing the little boy's cheek.

"I missed you too, buddy." she whispered before putting him down onto the ground. Eli gave her a smile before turning his attention to Casey, leaving Olivia to wander over to Elliot. She could feel Kathy's burning gaze on her, but she tried to ignore it as she squeezed Elliot's shoulder. Elliot moved his arm around to pull her into a hug, something that caught her off guard as it wasn't what she was expecting to happen while his wife was sitting right there.

"How's work so far?" he asked.

"Slow today," she shrugged, looking between him and Kathy; "How are you guys?"

"We're fine." Kathy replied. Her response was short, and her attention was turned back to her phone in an instant. Olivia glanced over at Casey, who was looking at Kathy as if she wanted to punch her in the face. Luckily, Elliot hadn't noticed the look on Casey's face as he was looking at his wife as well, and Olivia wondered if he too had caught on to the tone of her voice.

"I'm good," he finally breathed out after a few moments, looking back up at Olivia again, "I personally feel like I could return to work tomorrow but nobody else sees it that way."

"A bullet hit your artery and you had a concussion; I think you staying home for a couple weeks is the best idea." Casey butted into the conversation from her spot on the floor with Eli, where they were playing with some of his blocks.

"Alright thank you for the input, Case," Elliot rolled his eyes, before his attention was captured by Kathy standing up; "Where you going, Kath?"

"To get something from the vending machine," she responded, glancing at him, "I'm taking Eli with me, unless he's fine here?"

"He's fine here; he's no trouble." Casey told her, glancing up briefly before turning her attention back to Eli as he was tapping her arm. Kathy nodded before leaving out, an awkward silence following her departure as the three adults wondered what was up with her sudden attitude change.

"Is she okay?" Olivia curiously asked.

"Probably just the stress of all this," Elliot sighed before looking between his two friends, "Anyway, shouldn't you two be getting back to work now?"

"We're on an hour break, first of all; second, are you trying to get rid of us, Stabler?" Olivia teased, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I was just wondering." Elliot chuckled lightly. There was a hint of amusement in his crystal blues; Olivia smirked as she playfully poked his good arm.

"He's definitely trying to get rid of us," Casey joked; "Nah, we'll go when Kathy gets back, so you won't have to handle this little guy on your own."

"I won't even object because I can't get up to get to him quickly when he starts getting into trouble." Elliot laughed, relaxing back against the pillows.

The next few minutes were spent engaging in light conversation; Olivia and Casey were telling Elliot about their plans for the weekend which were making him a little jealous considering he would probably be stuck inside all weekend. Still, he was glad that Olivia and Casey were getting some days off, as like him, they did work quite a lot and had very little time for themselves. He joked with them to think of him while they were partaking in manicures and pedicures, leading Casey to joke that they'd come over to his and paint his nails for him which set them all off laughing.

Once Kathy returned, Olivia and Casey decided it was best to leave them to it, plus they wanted to get some lunch before their break was over. Elliot once again took Olivia by surprise by pulling her into a hug, and once again she could feel Kathy glaring at them both though she said nothing. She and Casey then bid them all farewell – of course, after Eli cuddled the life out of both women as he had now taken a shine to Casey too. After saying goodbye, Olivia and Casey made their way back down to the first floor and straight out the doors to head across the street to the diner.

The diner was small and quaint; the standard round shaped box establishment with its shiny roofing and concrete, outside walls. Inside, the floor was black and white checker tiled, the counter space was red with shiny stools that had red cushions for seating. The booths lined the windows of the tiny establishment, sticking to that classic feel with black leather seating and basic red tables in the middle. The walls were decorated with the classic chalkboard menu that displayed food choices and prices in different colors and paintings of various fifties icons such as Elvis and Marilyn Monroe and so on. There was even a classic jukebox in the corner. The waitresses were dressed in pink dresses and white shoes with white aprons, and their hair were in fifties style updos, keeping with the theme of the place. The establishment was popular in this part of town, and those that worked at the hospital especially loved it due to the quick service that was often provided.

The restaurant was empty for the most part, so Olivia and Casey were given a booth straight away. Since they already knew what they wanted to eat from the popular place, they gave the waitress their orders straight away; Olivia having opted for a chicken salad hoagie with fries and some water, while Casey went for a turkey burger with fries and a sweet tea. Once the friendly waitress had wandered off to get their food and drinks, the two women were left alone to chat.

And of course, Casey was not going to let the visit to Elliot's room go by without commenting on it.

"I just wanna know what the hell Kathy's problem was." She burst out, tying her blonde hair up into a bun.

"Case, she's probably just stressed out with everything going on with Elliot." Olivia pointed out. She rummaged through her bag before pulling the iPhone from the confines before typing in her passcode to unlock the device.

"No excuse for her to be the way she is, Liv; and the way she was looking at you guys when Elliot gave you a hug, I nearly punched her." Casey continued ranting away, glancing up from her own iPhone to look at her friend.

"I felt so weird when he hugged me in front of her but I don't understand why? Nothing's ever happened between me and Elliot, nor is anything going to happen." Olivia shrugged, a perplexed expression on her face. Part of her was tingling from Elliot's strong arm around her, yet she still hadn't expected him to hug her the way he had done in front of his wife. She also couldn't miss the feel of Kathy's burning gaze, something that had made her uncomfortable and led to her trying to avoid eye contact with the woman as best she could.

"I'm telling you, that woman is picking up on something that even you and Elliot don't realize." Casey huffed, leaning back in her seat.

"Casey." Olivia shot her a warning look. Casey scoffed before folding her arms on the table and leaning closer to her friend.

"Olivia, look me in the eye and tell me you feel nothing for Elliot Stabler."

"Well of course I care about him; he's been my best friend for twenty years." Olivia replied. The two paused briefly when the waitress returned with their drinks and to tell them that their food would be out in a few minutes. The two thanked her and waited for her to walk away, before turning back to each other.

"That didn't answer my damn question." Casey retorted. Olivia rolled her eyes, leaning back in the seat with her arms folded over her chest.

"Drop it."

"Tell me you feel nothing for him and I will."

"Casey."

"Olivia."

"Oh my God," Olivia groaned, running her hand down her face before looking at her friend again; "What the hell do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me you have feelings for-"

"Liv!"

"Hi Olivia!"

Olivia looked up, a perplexed expression on her face as she tried to place the familiar figures that were waving at her. Her lips then curled into a smile when she realized who the taller, African-American gentleman was with the shaved short hair and friendly smile, wearing a pair of black slacks and a dress shirt, along with black shoes and a leather jacket. Standing with him was a taller, white gentleman with gray hair and glasses, and an equally friendly smile. He was wearing a grey suit with a blue tie and black shoes.

It was Detective Odafin Tutola, Elliot's partner in the Special Victims Unit, and the other gentleman was Sergeant John Munch, also of the Special Victims Unit. She had met Fin before when he had come to the hospital to interview a rape victim along with Elliot and she had met Munch before when she had gone to the precinct one day to see Elliot after not having heard from him due to their busy schedules.

"Hi guys," Olivia stood up as the two police officers made their way over; "You guys on your way to see Elliot?"

"Yeah, so we're grabbing him something to eat so he can stop eating that hospital trash that y'all be trying to feed him." Fin smiled, giving her a hug. Munch gave Olivia a hug as well, before both men then waved at Casey.

"This is my friend, Casey; we work together," Olivia introduced them, "Casey, this is Elliot's partner, Fin, and their Sergeant, John Munch."

"Nice to meet you guys." Casey smiled, shaking their hands.

"Nice to meet you too." Munch smiled back at her.

"Real nice," Fin echoed his sergeant's sentiments, his brown eyes having suddenly lit up as they stared at her before he turn looked at Olivia, "Ay baby girl, you didn't tell me you had such a beautiful friend."

Olivia rolled her eyes and smirked while Casey blushed slightly, biting her lip.

"Olivia, why didn't you tell him about me?" she shot a playful glare at her best friend. Olivia laughed, sitting back down in the booth.

"Must have slipped my mind, Case." She smirked back. Casey playfully poked her tongue out at her. The four of them engaged in a bit of conversation; Fin and Munch were talking about how things were progressing in the aftermath of the shooting as Olivia and Casey had asked about such. They did express how Elliot was being hailed a hero, however, as he had managed to save quite a lot of lives that day even if he had gotten hurt himself. Olivia had to smile at that; she loved knowing how much of a hero her best friend was and how grateful the officers were for him.

A few moments later, Munch and Fin bid the pair farewell as they were grabbing their food and heading to visit Elliot. Casey and Olivia's food had arrived at the table, and now the two friends were tucking into their meals while the conversation had shifted from Elliot to other things, such as the very obvious way Casey's eyes had lit up and the way she blushed and giggled when Fin said she was beautiful.

"Is he single, do you know?" she wondered, sipping her drink.

"I'm not sure if he is or not, but I'll be sure to ask Elliot for you." Olivia replied, rolling her eyes while Casey gave her a cheesy smile as they continued their lunch…

11:49pm

This was the time indicated by the glowing blue, digital numbers on the electric stove in the kitchen as Olivia Benson stumbled into her apartment. Her shift was originally meant to end at seven, but when her seven o'clock relief person called to say that she had an emergency, Olivia simply stayed to work until eleven. It wasn't all bad really; the emergency room had quieted down some which allowed for the nurses and doctors to relax a bit. Plus, Casey's shift hadn't ended until eleven anyway, so having her best friend around helped Olivia to cope with the extra four hours. They'd even managed to spare about half an hour to go visit Elliot around ten, whom was grateful for some company considering Kathy and the kids were gone for the evening.

A yawn escaped Olivia's lips as she maneuvered through the apartment, flicking the switch to the floor lamp in the lounge before going towards the kitchen area. She flicked on a switch in that area as well, allowing for ceiling lights to illuminate the area so she could maneuver around easily. She was tired and simply wanted to just curl up in her bed and go to sleep as it had really been a long day. Her plump lips curled into a smile as it dawned on her that she didn't have to set an alarm for the following morning, so she could sleep as late as she wanted before getting up and going shopping with Casey. She definitely planned to enjoy these next few days off; she certainly deserved it.

Her iPhone buzzed in the bottom of her bag as she sat it down on her kitchen counter, capturing her attention. She reached in and whipped the device out, a smile on her lips when she saw two texts – one from Casey and one from Elliot.

Casey: 11:50pm – I'm alive lol just stumbled into my apartment. I'm so tired, can we meet up around 2 tomorrow or did you wanna go earlier?

Her fingers danced across the screen as she quickly replied to Casey's message;

'11:51pm – I'm alive too lol I'm exhausted. 2 is fine with me; I'm sleeping in tomorrow.'

She then scrolled down a bit, smiling as she opened Elliot's message;

'Elliot: 11:49pm – Are you home safe? Do I need to call Fin or Munch?'

Olivia couldn't stop her lips from curling into a smile as she read the message. Elliot, even while bandaged up from a gunshot wound and laying in a hospital bed, was still being his normal, protective self and worrying about her wellbeing. He had always been like this; so protective over her and looking out for her. They'd made a pact some years earlier and had agreed that no matter what the time was, they would text each other when they arrived home. Elliot was more pressed that Olivia do this, considering he never did like the fact that her shifts sometimes ended quite late which would result in her trying to hail cabs and such when it was nearing midnight.

'11:51pm – Lol no need to call Munch or Fin; I'm safe. Are you okay? Shouldn't you be resting?'

She had just put her phone down and reached into the fridge for a bottle of water when her phone began buzzing on the counter. She looked over at it, giggling a bit to herself when she realized what had come across the screen; 'Elliot calling.'

"Yes El?" she playfully answered, reaching into the fridge for some lunch meats to make herself a sandwich.

"I just wanted to hear your voice and make sure you were really alright." Elliot replied; Olivia could almost see the shrug of his shoulders as he spoke.

"You just needed to find an excuse to call me," she activated the speaker and put her phone onto the counter, "Why aren't you asleep?"

"Can't sleep, I'm sick of being cooped up in here." He replied.

"Well El, you'll be able to go home on Saturday won't you? The doctor said a couple days just to be monitored, and then you'll be fine, so chill out." She replied.

"Tone down the sympathy, Liv."

"I do have sympathy for you, sweetheart, but get a grip and relax; you'll be home soon," she giggled whilst she continued fixing her sandwich, "Me and Case are gonna drop by and see you either before or after we shop, then maybe once you're home and settled we can come see you on Monday or something."

"What about Saturday and Sunday?" he teased; Olivia could hear the smile in his voice and it warmed her heart.

"Since when do you wanna see us every single day?"

"Maybe I just wanna see my best friend every single day, Casey is just the plus one since you two are a packaged deal."

Olivia laughed; it was true, her and Casey were always together it seemed.

"If you want me, you gotta deal with her too," she finished preparing her sandwich before sitting down on one of her bar stools at the counter, "Elliot, seriously, we'll come see you on Monday – I promise."

"You really promise?" he asked.

"I promise." She replied, biting her lip as he let out a chuckle.

As she ate her extremely late dinner (or midnight snack), Olivia continued to engage in conversation with Elliot about general things. She had laughed when he told her that Fin kept asking about Casey during the visit earlier in the day, to which Olivia responded with the fact that Casey too kept asking about Fin and her eyes would light up as she did so. They also talked about the latest episode of one of those ridiculous cop shows they both watched, Elliot whined some more about how much he hated being there in the hospital and how he wished his night nurse was Olivia or Casey; something that gave Olivia butterflies for some reason though she quickly shrugged them off.

Before either of them realized, it had been nearly an hour since Elliot had called and they were still talking – well, playing one of those question games. Olivia was now laying across her sofa and having a glass of wine, and a random film was playing on the television though she wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention. She was listening to Elliot's voice, allowing that deep, urban laced accent to filter through her ears and make her feel all warm inside.

"Okay Liv, next question – would you rather have a home on the beach or in the mountains?"

"Can my home on the beach be secluded?"

"As secluded as a beach house can possibly be," Elliot chuckled softly, "Answer the question."

"Hmm," Olivia considered her response, "Maybe, on the beach – because there is a chance for a bit of seclusion, and I can watch the sun rise and fall over the water and that's beautiful." She pulled the throw from the back of the sofa over herself as she continued, "What about you?"

"Hmm…I'd like to have a home in the mountains I guess; I can be a hermit and not be bothered because who would come up a mountain to visit?" Olivia could hear the seriousness in his tone and if she closed her eyes, she could see the sincerity in his blue eyes as he spoke those words.

"That's a good idea, but I would come to the mountain to visit you, El."

"You and Casey?"

"Just me, because Casey doesn't like heights." She grinned when she heard him laugh a bit.

"I forgot that she hates heights," she heard him shuffle around a bit, "Your turn to ask."

Olivia thought for a second about what to ask him next; "What qualities would make up your ideal partner – if you were single obviously?"

"Wow, I've never thought about that considering I was thrown into marriage at seventeen," he paused for a second before continuing, "If I was single, my ideal partner would be someone who was compassionate and caring, with an empathetic nature, with kindness in their eyes and heart, yet tough and ready to take down anyone who messes with the ones they love. Someone I could be silly with and laugh about the stupidest things or have so many inside jokes with. Someone I could rely on at all times to be anywhere at any time, someone who likes simple things like dates in the park or watching the waves or taking spontaneous trips to Coney Island, or other cheesy stuff like photo booths and stuff – stuff like that."

Olivia was frozen as she listened, it seeming that all air had been sucked from her lungs as she gripped the phone in her hands. Her heart rate had increased slightly, her lip was drawn in between her teeth, and she was gripping the blanket so hard that she swore her nails would leave indents in the soft fabric.

'You just described me.' She thought to herself before her subconscious kicked in; 'No Liv, he could've been describing anyone in general.'

"Livia, you fell asleep on me?"

Her heart swooned; he hadn't called her Livia in a while.

"No, I'm okay, just had some wine so you know how that makes me sway a bit sometimes," she tried to cover up the fact that his voice was still ringing in her head, "That was a pretty amazing description of your ideal partner; if you were single, obviously."

"Yeah, if only," she didn't miss the sad sigh that escaped his lips before he spoke again; "You wanna tell me about your ideal partner, or are you about to head off to bed? You worked a solid twelve hours today so I know you could do with some rest."

Olivia hesitated for a second. She debated on whether or not to tell Elliot about her ideal partner, but she had some wine, and when Olivia and wine mixed, a case of word vomit seemed to become a major thing. She knew Elliot would probably catch on to who she was describing and that would in turn make things awkward between them, and she refused to lose her best friend due to her delusional feelings.

"I think I'm gonna head to bed, it's nearly one in the morning and in about thirteen hours, I'm meeting Casey so I guess I better sleep," she sighed slightly, "We'll come see you tomorrow or I'll call you; sleep tight, El."

"Yeah go on and get your beauty sleep," he chuckled a bit, "Sleep tight, Livia; and sweet dreams – speak to you at a more acceptable hour."

She laughed, turning off the television before making her way through her apartment with the phone still up to her ear. She breathed out, her soft voice filtering through the darkness of the bedroom as she spoke down the phone;

"Sweet dreams, El; goodnight."

Click.

Sooo….do you guys think Elliot has feelings for Olivia? ;) Silly question I know. What's up with Kathy's attitude though? And why won't Olivia admit the truth to Casey? Lots of questions; leave some reviews! Until next time xoxo