Author's comments: Don't worry, I'm not going to add a ménage scene later with Benson, Stabler, and Rollins, although this chapter was getting some ideas going on in my head, lol… Just the typical wo-mance between friends.

Oh, and I just love Munch, can you tell?

If you just want some exciting E/O moments, skip to the end.

Twenty-four

Chapter Ten

Day One

Part 1.

Elliot stayed next to Olivia all night, but his mind was on the search for Lewis. He left her while she was asleep, and went straight to the precinct without stopping at home to freshen up. Cragen partnered him with Olivia's "new" partner, Nick Amaro.

On the way to canvas the neighborhood where Lewis had made his ATM withdrawal, Nick said, "So how's she doing?"

Elliot didn't know how close of a relationship Nick had with Olivia, so he tried to keep from revealing too much of her private life. "Well, you know," he said. "As well as can be expected, I guess."

Nick paused for a minute, and then said, "She's going to make it, right?"

Elliot turned onto the street where the ATM was located, and said, "I think so." He hesitated, wondering how much to share, and then said, "Mentally, emotionally, I'm not so sure."

Nick rubbed his jaw, and Elliot could tell that the progress report upset him, even though he seemed good at hiding it.

Together they showed a picture of Lewis to as many people in the neighborhood as they could, but nobody remembered seeing him.

Part 2.

When Olivia woke up in the morning, Elliot was gone, and she was alone. She tended to be an independent person. It was easier to avoid being hurt that way.

But being alone now put knots in her stomach. She found this reliance on others to be puzzling. Her mind flashed back to the last time she was left alone. Handcuffed to her own bed, waiting through one agonizing minute after another for Lewis to come back, wondering whether he was going to burn her with a cigarette this time, or whip her with a belt, or worse. Her current discomfort made sense, given the context.

She fought the urge to call someone. And then she heard Amanda's voice in the hallway, talking to the officer outside the door. They had not seen each other since Amanda discovered her, and Olivia began to perk up at the thought of seeing her again.

Amanda peeked around the corner to see if she was asleep, and then smiled widely as Olivia beamed at her. "Hey," Amanda said, "Is this a good time for a visit?"

"Yeah," Olivia whispered while nodding.

Amanda pulled up a chair, and tried to hide her darting eyes. Olivia knew she was checking out the "damage" while trying to be discreet about it. "You look . . . better," Amanda said softly.

Olivia took Amanda's hand in hers, and noticed how the soft, thin fingers contrasted with the tense power in Elliot's, although she was sure Amanda's could be just as lethal in a fight. "Thanks. Amanda . . ."

Rollins shot her a look of compassion that Olivia recognized as the "victim look"—one that the female officer reserved for those who had endured horrific deeds. But this one had more impact, because she and Amanda were more than just strangers. "Yeah, Liv?" she murmured.

"Thank you." Rollins blinked back tears. "I mean it," said Olivia. "Of all the ways this could have turned out . . ." She couldn't finish the words, so she sucked her lips between her teeth and promised herself she would hold it together for now.

Amanda was having trouble exercising the same restraint, ultimately losing the battle to her emotions and brushing tears away from her face. She nodded and gulped, saying, "No problem."

Amanda and Olivia sat with each other for a while, wordlessly bonding the same way as survivors of a cataclysmic event. Ultimately Amanda stood, and although Olivia didn't want her to go, she understood that there were more important tasks to be done.

After Amanda left, Olivia felt a little less lonely, a little more protected. She thought she could handle the day ahead until Elliot returned. Just when she started getting used to the idea of spending the rest of the day napping, Munch and Fin stopped by together. Both had downtrodden eyes, but Olivia said, smirking, "Hey, where's the funeral?"

Munch said, "Hey, haven't you heard, you're not allowed to joke right now?"

"Wow," she said, trying to sound less tired than she felt. "I didn't realize I was going to get a visit from everybody today."

"Well, we just missed you so much," said Fin, trying to keep a strong grin on his face.

"Yeah, and besides that," said Munch, "you got two partners out there ordering everybody to come see you. I tried to tell them you didn't need a bunch of babysitters, but more irrational minds prevailed."

"Thanks, John, I appreciate the concern."

They visited for a while, carefully walking a tightrope between neutral and unpleasant topics. As they were leaving, Munch said, "Just stay away from the hospital food. I hear it's all genetically modified garbage fed to you for the sole purpose of maintaining repeat business."

Olivia chuckled, even though it hurt to do so. "Thanks, you guys, for stopping by."

Warner came by next, but for more practical than sentimental reasons. "It's time for treatment, Olivia," she said.

But Olivia was beyond exhaustion, and she said, "Sounds fun, but I'll pass."

Melinda did not crack a smile. "Olivia, we have to do this, every single day, if you want to recover."

"Fine," she said, tight-lipped. "Let's get it over with."

Part 3.

After hours of canvassing the neighborhood, Cragen called Elliot and told him Lewis had made another withdrawal, this time from an ATM in New Jersey. Elliot sighed. "Don't we have any other leads, Captain? This is ridiculous."

"He's good, Stabler. Otherwise he'd be locked up by now."

Elliot shoved the phone in his pocket and turned to Nick. "We can keep this up, but it's probably pointless. Guy's in Jersey."

Nick said, "Why don't we just call it a day, Stabler. It's already seven. I haven't seen Olivia yet, how 'bout we pay her a visit?"

Elliot nodded. After driving in silence for a few minutes, Nick said, "She was your partner for what—like twelve years?"

"Yeah."

"So . . . did she ever open up to you?"

"About what?"

Nick squirmed in his seat. "Well, like . . . you know . . . how she's feeling?"

Elliot stayed serious, but he was smiling on the inside. "Mmmm . . . sometimes. She can be pretty private though."

Nick nodded. "Yeah," he said, "I get that."

Part 4.

At the hospital, a uniformed officer stood guard, but it was Warner who stopped them from going in. "She's had a rough couple of hours," she said. "She had to have bandages changed, and it's a painful process, so I sedated her pretty heavily. She's conscious, but pretty out of it. She told me she wanted to see you two though, if you came by. I tried to talk her out of it, but she's about as stubborn as you, Stabler."

Elliot opened his eyes wide. "So we can go in?"

Warner shook her head. "Against my advice, but yeah."

Elliot tentatively peeked into her room to see her lying on her back, her eyes half-closed and staring at the TV. He stepped into the room, and Nick followed close behind. She perked up when she saw them, saying with heavily slurred words, "Hey, guys, come on in. Come join the party."

Nick half-smiled and glanced at Elliot. "Hey, Liv," said Elliot, in a somber tone mismatched to hers.

"Hi," said Nick, sheepishly.

"Nick, it's good to see you," she said, her voice cheery. It was obvious to Elliot that she was heavily intoxicated on a cocktail of potent drugs. "I see you've met my ex-partner—Elliot. So, you guys been getting to know each other?" A hint of sarcasm tinged her voice.

Nick nodded, looking bewildered.

"Yeah," Olivia said, a little too loudly. "Elliot's a loyal partner, until he gets tired of you, and then he just takes off."

Nick shuffled his feet and looked away. "Liv," said Elliot.

She smirked and continued on, her words running together. "And then he just walks out of your life after twelve years, without so much as a goodbye."

Elliot clenched his jaw and said, as gently as he could, "Maybe this is not the best time to talk about this."

"Sure." She nodded, her lips tight. "Go ahead and go. Avoid the hard stuff and pull away. Just like you, El."

Elliot sucked air in through his teeth. Torn between defending himself and getting angry, he reminded himself that she was not in her right mind. "Look, Liv—"

"No, you look, Elliot" she said, her eyes intense. "I was left with nothing after you left. I turned to Brian, and even though he wasn't the best, he was there for me—unlike you. And now he's . . ." She clamped her lips together.

Elliot nodded curtly and sucked his lips in between his teeth. Even though she was saying things she normally wouldn't, he knew this was how she really felt. "Is that what this is about?" he said softly, carefully weeding any signs of anger out of his voice.

Her forehead wrinkled, and she said, "Just go."

"Liv," he said.

Nick took a step toward him, hand extended, and said, "Maybe you should—"

Elliot smacked Nick's hand away, but said, "I know, I'm going."