Final chapter! And since this is probably my last post until the next year, early Merry Christmas! Also, to Mizuno-kun: read this chapter! See the straight pairing and proposal! Tell me again that Casey is a lesbian and I will shoot you! (Everybody else: yeah, I know Mizuno-kun in real life, she thought Casey was a lesbian for these two stories, don't ask me how)

Chapter 10

The days until Casey's release from the hospital passed slowly. The routine that was now her life was excruciatingly dull- nurses, Elliot, doctors, Elliot, tests, Elliot, sleep, then let's repeat it all over again. She didn't even get to eat anything- her doctor said he didn't want her to eat more than her body could handle, so they were feeding her intravenously.

So far, the only remotely good piece of news she had heard was that of Alex and Olivia's engagement. They were a good couple; Casey had been wondering if they were ever going to tie the knot. When they had came to tell her, they had both been so radiant it even made Casey happy for the rest of the day. But when she had once again been denied anything of substance, that feeling had vanished.

But today was the day she was finally being released, which meant coffee, real food, clothes and a bed of her own, people not monitoring her 24/7... Elliot had said she was going to stay with him, no questions asked, and she was actually grateful. Casey wasn't sure she would ever be able to be alone in her apartment again, and besides, the prospect of staying with Elliot was comforting. Despite his overprotective nature...

SVUSVUSVU

"For the last time, no, Casey. You don't need help me clean, you don't need to pay for pizza, you don't need to cook since god knows you can't, and you don't need to try and make my life easier in any other way. I am taking care of you here, remember?"

"First of all," she said with a smirk, "I resent your comments about my cooking. Last time you cooked something, I believe it was me who ended up in the ER with food poisoning. And I don't need anyone taking care of me! I'm just doing this to placate you!"

Elliot laughed and gave her a gentle kiss before saying, "Well, as long as you're placating me, why don't you just lay down like a good girl while I take care of everything? Please, Casey? I'm begging you here."

"Fine," she said after a moment. "I'll play nice. But you're in for it the moment I get out of this stupid cast! I know my softball bat's around here somewhere..."

Chuckling, Elliot kissed her again before going to call for takeout. It was true, the first and only time he had tried to cook for them, Casey had wound up with food poisoning. But when she had tried to cook on their one month anniversary, Casey's neighbors had all been woken up at midnight by the fire department. Casey blamed her lack of culinary skills on years of law school, claming that the endless months spent studying boring shit late into the night had ruined her taste for anything but takeout. Elliot, who had been married for ten years, had no excuse.

"All right, all right, down girl," he gasped when Casey started kissing him again. "I promised the squad I'd take care of you, so don't make me play the cop card, Casey, because I will."

Her grin faltered for a moment before she smiled back up at him, her voice just a little too happy and carefree. "Cop card? What exactly does that entail?" she asked, her eyes widening with fake innocence as she gently ran her hand along his cheek.

"Not what you're thinking. Lay down and stop turning me on, I think the pizza guy is having an orgasm."

Casey groaned crossly as she got back down on the couch, muttering, "Stupid teenage pizza guy with no life." Elliot smiled at her as he finished their order, then let his phone drop to the floor as he went to go find Casey's painkillers.

After several unsuccessful attempts to hide them under her tongue, Casey had taken to hiding the pill bottles throughout his apartment. Unfortunately, she was rather good at this, and Elliot had spent nearly an hour this morning searching for them. She maintained that she was fine and that a little discomfort was nothing, but Elliot had refused to leave her alone until she took them. Casey had managed to hold out for almost 15 minutes, but after only thirty seconds of tickling her knee, she had given in almost immediately and took the pills through tears of laughter. It had been good to see her laugh. He had missed that sound very much over the past two weeks.

"You'll never find them!" she called, and he could hear how much this pleased her in her voice.

"Oh, yes I will!" he shouted back. "There were three bottles! You can't hide them that easily! If you want, I'll tickle you until you tell me where you hid them!" Casey didn't respond, but he knew he could get the answer out of her, even if he had to drag it kicking and screaming. "I'll take that as a yes- but I won't be bested by a lawyer!"

Ten minutes later, after the pizza had arrived and he had still had no luck finding the painkillers, Elliot actually did give up and had to tickle the answer out of her. However, Casey would never forget it and would always use it as a reason why lawyers were better than cops.

He knew the next few months- hell, probably the next few years- were going to be extremely hard. He also knew that it didn't matter. Because right here, right now- this was the Casey he loved. And no matter how hard her recovery was, Elliot would know that Casey was still in there somewhere, and he would stay for her. He would stay and never let her go.

All that 'love at first sight stuff' wasn't really true. He remembered when he first saw Casey- intruding into their crime scene, a pain in the ass, replacing Alex- how dare she? Assuming she knew more about their jobs then the detective's themselves, taking their best friend's place, just trying to butt her way in there like a little bitch… yeah, he had pretty much hated her. Somehow, he had gone from a mild dislike of the redhead attorney to loving the blond ADA like a little sister, and now she was back to redhead, and he loved her like his wife. He wanted to make her his wife and tell her that it was all going to be all right, to soothe her when nightmares sent her screaming back to reality, to hold her when she was crying or upset. Unlike with Kathy, he had no doubts about their relationship. He knew that he and Casey would never get a divorce. He loved her and knew she loved him.

Smiling slightly, Elliot fingered the ring in his pocket as he looked back at Casey. He had wanted to wait until the moment was right, but... why wait when you know?

"Casey, I... I wanted to make this more romantic, but I can't wait any longer." The ADA looked up at him, confused, and was about what he was talking about when he got down on one knee before her and pulled the diamond out of his pocket, holding it up to her. A beautiful, amazed smile began to spread across her lips as he asked, more nervous then even when he had proposed to Kathy, "Casey Elizabeth Novak, will you marry me?"

She stared at him for one, long moment, then threw herself into his arms, smothering her lips against his.

SVUSVUSVU

"Detective? ADA Novak? What are you two doing here? You have three months of medical leave, Casey, I suggest that you take it." Cragen said sharply, then gave her a fond smile as the rest of SVU waited for her answer.

Elliot and Casey shared a smile, then Casey held up her hand with the ring and squealed, "I'm getting married!"

El finis!