A/N: Hi everyone! Long-time no see! I know it's been a really massive length of time since I last posted but it's due to some personal matters. I've also been doing some work on my collaboration account Project Breakthrough (Other Rolivia stories) so please feel free to check those out too. Those stories are updated every couple of weeks if not every week! I've now got more time to write so expect a more regular update for this story but it might not be so long. Anyway I'll stop rambling and let you get to it! Happy reading!

"Each patient carries his own doctor inside him."
―Norman Cousins

Chapter 10: Tender

Amanda's eyes opened ever so slightly, either the room was spinning or she was definitely not feeling well. She rolled over in her bed to find Olivia missing but a rumble from the kitchen indicated the woman was not far away in the slightest. Footsteps patted around the blonde's apartment until they did a full circle and Benson re-entered her bedroom. She carried a large plate full of an array of treats and snacks.

"Wow you're up!" Olivia placed the dish down onto Amanda's lap as the younger woman sat upright.

"And what's that supposed to mean." Amanda smiled as she squinted her eyes and wiped her hand across her forehead.

"Just that my baby…" Olivia leant forward and placed a small kiss on Amanda's plump lips,"…usually likes to sleep a lot."

The junior detective smiled again and grabbed at the food on the plate but Olivia's hand stopped her. Benson pouted and pointed to her lips; Amanda complied and reciprocated their first kiss that morning.

"So hopefully Cragen doesn't call us in today." The brunette said while moulding herself back into the duvet.

"Now you've said that he definitely will." Amanda answered through a mouthful of food. Olivia laughed; it was so lovely to see Amanda so genuinely happy. And it was also nice to be in Rollins' apartment, they always seemed to be in the Benson household weirdly enough.

Maybe I should give Amanda a key to my place permanently? Get her to move in properly? Olivia's thoughts began to run wild and she shook her head.

"So what's with all of the food?" The younger woman questioned.

"It's our anniversary!" Benson was shocked the other woman hadn't remembered but then again was Rollins' really the type to remember such trivial things?

Amanda rolled her eyes, "Trust me to forget! I'm so sorry Liv." She kissed the brunette more passionately this time. "To be romantic I'll go and make us some coffee." Rollins moved the sheets on the bed and started to walk to the door but as soon as she reached the door her feet gave way. She hit the floor and everything went black.

"Amanda! Honey are you okay? Please Manda; please come on just open your eyes I'm here." Liv's urgent pleas were the first thing Amanda awoke to. She batted her eyelids before being fully conscious.

"What the hell happened? My head's killin'" The blonde went to sit up then realised Olivia had placed Amanda's head on her knees and was stroking her hair.

"You fainted. What's wrong? Are you okay?" Olivia questioned as she helped the younger woman get to her feet. She went to walk but her feet felt like spaghetti and she used Olivia to steady herself.

"I..I don't know, it used to happen when I was younger. But it hasn't happened to me in years."

"Maybe we should get you a doctor?" Olivia placed her hand in the crook of the blonde's back and helped walk her to their bed. "You need to see someone about this Manda."

"I'll be fine Liv, how about I just sit here for a second and see how I feel?" Amanda tried to calm her attentive girlfriend as she began to feel a constant pounding increasing within her head.

BEEP. Olivia 's phone began to ring on her bedside table.

"Benson." She answered, "Yes sir, no. I haven't heard…no not yet. Well yes but she can't Captain. Long story…okay bye."

"What did he want?" Olivia looked down at Amanda, there was no stopping that woman's curiosity, "Cragen. It was him right?"

"There's a case, he says he's sorry that he knows we're not supposed to be on call but everyone needs to be there." Benson said while she grabbed for her trousers.

Amanda went to move out of bed again, "No! You're staying here. I'm not having you hurt yourself. Get some rest and I'll be back when I can." The brunette kissed the blonde on the forehead and made her way out of the apartment once fully clothed.

"So that's all he told you?" Olivia looked across at Fin, a confused expression on her face.

The older man shrugged, "I suppose so, but I feel like he's hiding something you know?"

"Yeah you can say that again!" Amaro added as he walked over to the pair that now stood at the entrance to an alleyway. A body was sprawled by a dumpster and Cragen and Warner were huddled over the body.

"I don't get why we all have to be here." Olivia said as she checked her phone for any calls from Amanda.

"Want to get home to the wife?" Fin laughed, "Where is she anyway? I thought we all had to be here."

Olivia laughed at his first comment then shook her head, "She's at home, and she wasn't feeling too well."

"Don't hold your breath." Amaro nudged Olivia with his elbow and used his eyes to indicate a figure moving towards them.

And there was Amanda, walking slightly lopsided as if she was unable to maintain her balance. The blonde knew Olivia was going to be angry but she'd suffered from blackouts all her life, especially when she was a kid and she wasn't going to let it ruin her life now. Not when she had so much to do and so much love to give. The woman looked up and smiled as she reached her squad, trying her best to avoid eye contact with Liv.

"Hey ya'll what we got?" She asked.

"Cragen's being cryptic but apparently a member of law enforcement was raped and murdered. He won't let us see the body and says we can't release any statements to the media." Amaro replied as he looked down at his phone, "I've got to take this." He said and walked down the road.

The three detectives stood awkwardly together, it seemed strange that everyone knew about Amanda and Olivia's relationship now. It seemed even stranger to the pair that no one had taken a blind bit of notice. If anything they welcomed the idea of a couple.

"I'll be right back." Fin said to the two as Cragen motioned for him to join and talk to him.

Then there was silence. Amanda knew Olivia was angry after all she'd ignored a direct order.

"What are you doing here Amanda?" Benson questioned, she went straight into the detective role and crossed her arms as she eyed her girlfriend.

"I couldn't just stay in bed without you Liv!" Amanda laughed but stopped shortly once she had noticed the disapproving look on Benson's face. "Fine. I felt better so I thought I'd join you. I rang the precinct and a uniform officer told me where to find you."

Olivia shook her head for the fiftieth time that month, "Manda you need to get that sorted. Those blackouts, they're not normal. I worry is all."

"I know. I know, but I'm fine honestly Liv. Come on the sooner we catch the bad guy the sooner I get you in bed!" Rollins winked at her lover as they began to walk down the alleyway and towards Cragen who had moved away from the body.

Cragen moved the pair and Fin further away from the body and explained the evidence that had been found. The body, which was now covered in plastic was the body of a law enforcement officer and from what their captain had told them, it was a fairly important one at that.

"So what you're saying is that we don't get any extra information until Melinda's done her thing?" Fin said as he smiled at Warner.

"Correct. All I can say is, this is going to be a tough case. Especially when we release whose body it is. I'm warning you in advance that IAB will be all over this. Now get yourselves home, Munch and Amaro can finish up here." The captain ordered.

Fin walked over to Warner as Olivia continued speaking to Cragen. Amanda began to walk back to the car thinking that if she got in the car now, then she and Liv could drive straight home. But as she began to walk away the nauseating feeling she had felt earlier returned and she collapsed forward and onto her knees. There was no blackout but her mind went blank, she put her hands out to stop herself from hurting herself any further.

Olivia looked up and saw as her girlfriend stumbled, she dropped the conversation with Cragen and ran over to the younger woman. "Amanda, Amanda? Are you okay? Is it like that black out earlier?"

But Olivia Benson's words had drifted from Amanda's mind, all she could do was stare at that moment. A glimpse, it was all she needed as she looked across at the body that lay under the plastic. Right in the corner, out of sight Rollins could make out three fingers. From where Olivia was, the brunette would have been oblivious to the hand but Amanda continued to stare.

Of course she'd seen a corpse before but it was what was on the body that made her feel ill. Focusing more closely she could make out was deep purple nail polish on the body's finger nails, which meant that this victim was most certainly female. And Amanda knew only one woman who wore that exact colour.

Rollins couldn't breathe, all she wanted to do was be sick but she held it back and put her arm out in order to use Liv for support to get her back up. Benson grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet, the older woman could tell there was something wrong.

The senior detective's eyes were pleading as if she wanted or demanded that Amanda answered the undying question 'What's wrong?'.

All Amanda could mutter was "Let's go. Please Liv, can we go home?"

A/N: So then, whose body is under the plastic? Will Liv give Amanda a key to her apartment? And why is Amanda having these sudden blackouts? Let me know with a review. Thanks for reading.