A/N: SEE???? I TOLD you!! Everything is brighter now! Aren't you glad you went towards the light? (I'm terribly sorry that I'm forcing you to put up with these annoying and cheese-tastic commentaries… but alas… it's what I do and who I am, and I am comfortable with that, thank you very much!)

Disclaimer: THEY'RE MINE!!! wakes up damn.

"Elliot! Wake up! They're about to move Olivia and you can't be in here," Warner said, waking him.

He quickly got up and looked at Olivia. "Moving her? Where?"

Warner smiled up at him. "Put it this way, I ain't getting her body. She made it through the night, so unless there are any serious complications, I see her coming out of this fine," the doctor told him. "But GET! They can't find you here."

He ran out to the waiting room. "They're moving her out of ICU right now. Warner says she's gunna make it," he exclaimed to those who were still waiting. "Where are Fin and Cragen?" he asked John.

"They took White down to the station. They wanted to wait for you, but they couldn't risk him waking up and knowing where Liv was."

The group waited until Warner came out to bring them to Olivia. "She's still out of it, but you can see her and talk to her."

They followed the ME to Olivia's hospital room. The girls gasped and cried and Munch had to look away from the mess that White had made Olivia's face. Elliot just looked through the window with tears in his eyes. "She's still beautiful."

Over the next few days, Olivia drifted in and out of consciousness. The entire time, Elliot was at her side.

He was sleeping with his head on her bed when a hand touched his head startling him to wakefulness.

"Liv!"

"Did we get him?" she asked hoarsely.

"Yes, we got him, baby doll. Oh, God! I was so worried I was going to lose you! I wasn't ready for that."

"Good," she rasped which led to a coughing fit. She winced and put her hand on her rib cage. "Ow."

Over the next few days, all of Olivia's friends came to visit her and by the end of the week, she was allowed to go home.

Home. What was that place anymore. "Hey, El? Can I ask you something?"

"Done."

"But I-… okay, cool, thanks."

"I knew what you were going to ask me," he said gently sitting on her hospital bed and drawing her close.

"Oh, yea, Macho Man? What?"

"If you could stay with me." At the look of shock on her face he laughed. "Liv, I wouldn't have you stay anywhere else."

A few days later, Casey Novak visited Olivia at Elliot's place. "Liv, I really hate that I have to do this, but White seems to think that he's innocent. You have to testify at his trial… as one of his witnesses."

Elliot came in from the kitchen. "No, she doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to."

"The Court says we can't violate his eighth amendment right to confront his accuser."

"But he was caught red handed! And he gave us evidence if his guilt! How can any judge say that this fucker deserves that right? Look at her! He beat her almost to death and he thinks he can get away scot free?!?"

"He knows he's basically fucked, but he thinks he can go for an insanity defense," Casey explained.

"Well, we'll just use Huang to prove he knew what he was doing the whole time," Elliot argued.

"No, that's not what I'm saying, Elliot," she said. She looked at Olivia. "I'm saying he's challenging your mental capabilities."

Olivia looked up shocked. "Can he do that?"

"He can with a damn good defense lawyer. He's been remanded, so the incredible amount he would have had to pay for bail can now go to his defense."

Olivia's face had lost its color underneath the heavy bruises. Elliot stepped in again. "Casey, try to get that motion overturned, for now, I think Olivia needs rest."

The ADA stood up, "I'll see what I can do, but short of changing the Bill of Rights, I don't see what else there is." She said her good byes and left.

Elliot turned to Olivia, "Liv, c'mon, let's take a nap and try to forget all of this, okay?"

She nodded, not trusting her own voice. All too soon, her tears began to fall, "Oh, Elliot, I don't know if I can see him again. I don't know if I can do this." She cried as he held her.

"It's okay baby, everything will be alright. I'll make sure that," he said over and over again, trying to reassure her.

Why didn't I kill that bastard when I had the chance? Now, he's dragging Liv down with him and it's tearing her apart! My gun was right there! It was as if I was frozen, her screams of pain and terror led me to her, but then stopped me in my tracks. Oh, God! Why didn't I take that shot?

They fellasleep on the couch wrapped in each other's arms.

Olivia was the first to awake, which was unusual because her body knew she needed rest to repair. She disentangled herself from Elliot and made her way to the bathroom. After relieving herself, she wanted to take a shower, but realized that it would be nearly impossible without Elliot's help with keeping the bandages dry and helping her wash up. She was working with a physical therapist, but she regained only so much mobility in her arm. She gave up on ever having clean hair again and acknowledged that she would probably smell like B.O. for the rest of her life and went out to the kitchen to see if she could possibly find some food that she could eat.

The wind was howling outside and the lights were dimming. Great we're probably going to lose power tonight. No soon had she thought that when the world went dark. Fuck. She did her best to make the rest of the way over to the sink in the kitchen, where she knew Elliot kept extra flashlights and candles. She was almost there when she was reminded of the island in-between the bathroom and the sink. She walked into it, stubbing her toes and hitting her already sore ribs. She cried out in agony and cursed at her stupidity.

"Olivia?!" she heard Elliot call from the next room.

"Kitchen. We lost power as I was coming back from the bathroom and I ran into the island. I can't see a damn thing, Elliot."

"Stay where you are, I'm coming to get you." He pulled out his cell phone and used that to help him find his Olivia. He quickly made his way over to her and saw that she was using her injured arm to hold on to her side and her other arm to keep her from falling to the floor. "I got you, babe," he said carefully wrapping an arm about her waist, under her rib cage.

"El, we need light. I don't think your cell is going to illuminate the house enough for the two of us," she said, a hint of fear edging her voice. "Please, get the flashlights and candles."

He did and on the short trip back to her, there was a flash of lightning followed immediately by a loud roll of thunder.

Olivia screamed and jumped at this. Elliot was at her side almost immediately. He placed the flashlights and candles on the counter beside them and pulled her into his body.

She buried her head into his protective warmth and cried. She jumped and shivered every time a fresh bolt streaked across the sky. They stood there as the storm raged outside.

When it had subsided a bit, he helped her up to his room and got her into bed. He was about to pull away and move to the cot he had set up for himself when she grabbed his arm. "Please, don't. Stay with me," she asked softly.

"Always," he said getting into bed behind her. He wanted to hold her close, so the world couldn't get to her, but he didn't want to hurt her. She sat up to take the 6 different pills the doctor prescribed her and lay back down.

"Elliot, why won't you hold me?"

"I don't know how to without hurting you," he confessed. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

She giggled softly, "El, baby, I'm on hardcore pain killers. You can't hurt me." She moved closer to him. "Hold me, Elliot."

He did and they fell into a restful sleep.