Hey guys!

I'm back with a new update finally! Sorry guys, been having wifi troubles, but I'm back and ready to post more for you guys. I present to you chapter 10, and I hope you all like it!

Enjoy xoxo

Just Friends?

Part 10

A night of sleep was all Olivia Benson wanted, and she hadn't gotten any of it – and that sucked.

She was grateful that even though today was Monday, she was off from work. The previous night – following a nice Chinese take out dinner with Casey followed by a random chick flick – she had tried to go to sleep as she didn't want to spend the whole of Monday sleeping. Well, sleep hadn't come easily. She had gotten a couple hours here and there, but she had woken up several times in a cold sweat, nightmares of being assaulted yet again plaguing her mind and leaving her gasping for air. She had thought about calling Elliot a couple times but decided against it – even though he was the one who told her to call him if she needed him. She wasn't gonna drag him into this mess. He had his own family to worry about; he didn't need to be bothered with her troubles.

She glanced over at the clock; it was just after nine in the morning. The clouds that had plagued New York City the day before was now replaced with clear blue skies and sunshine, which was streaming through the small gap in the curtains and casting light onto Olivia's bed. She decided that there was no point in trying to sleep again as she was going down to the precinct soon, so she simply pulled herself out of bed and made her way into the en suite for a shower, hoping that the warm water would help her to wake up a little more as she felt quite tired.

After her shower, she towel-dried her hair and tied it back into a bun then wrapped up in a towel before heading back into her bedroom. She got dressed in some joggers and a t-shirt, before then making her way out of the bedroom. She poked her head into the guest room, only to find Casey still snuggled under the blankets, fast asleep. Sighing to herself, she maneuvered through the apartment, slowly making her way into the kitchen. She wasn't hungry at the moment, so she simply grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator before moving into the lounge, where she sat on the sofa and curled her legs under her.

About half an hour later, she found herself being engrossed in a classic episode of I Love Lucy, only to have her attention captured by her phone buzzing on the arm of the sofa. She picked it up and pressed the Home button on the device, before putting her code in to unlock so she could read the message from 'Elliot'.

'Elliot: 9:42am – Let me up?'

A confused frown came across her face straight away. Elliot was outside her apartment building? What was he doing outside – besides pissing off Kathy even more no doubt? She hurried over to the window and peeled back the curtains, seeing his Jeep parked along the street and him leaning against it with the phone in his hand. She focused her attention back to her phone, her fingers dancing across the screen as she replied;

'9:43am – Buzzing you in right now'

She hurried over to the buzzer, pressing the button for the doors to unlock. She then leaned against the wall, waiting some minutes before she heard the familiar knocks at the door. She tugged it open, smiling slightly, only for the small smile to fade when she saw the look on his face.

He was pissed.

"Morning." She greeted slowly as he made his way inside. She closed the door and locked it back, before nodding her head at the sofa; "Make yourself at home. Want some coffee or water or juice?"

"Nah, I'm good." He grumbled, running his hand over his jaw. Olivia nodded before sitting beside him. She watched the way he rested his elbow on his knee and his leg bobbed up and down. She hesitantly placed her hand on his shoulder;

"El, what's the matter?"

He said one word, the bitterness being heard in his tone; "Kathy."

Olivia raised an eyebrow; "What happened, Elliot? Did you guys have a fight?"

"Olivia last night was the first time I have ever come close to hitting her," Elliot breathed out, putting his head in his hands, "I never have wanted to be like my Dad, but I swear to you, Liv; I had to go out and drive around just to calm down because I was about to hit her."

"Elliot, you will never be like your father and you know that," Olivia rubbed his shoulder, "Talk to me, El; I'm right here."

There were a few moments of silence; Elliot was taking some deep breaths; the tension was radiating off him and Olivia could feel it. She continued rubbing his shoulder, swallowing nervously. She had seen Elliot angry before, but this was different – on a new level. He was furious still to the point where there were tears brimming in his eyes, and she just wanted him to calm down. His leg was still bobbing up and down and one of his hands was clenched into a fist as if he was about to hit something. She rested her head on his shoulder, keeping one arm around him still as she rubbed his shoulder whilst the other hand began rubbing his arm. She could feel him relaxing a bit; she continued to whisper to him that it was just the two of them and that everything was okay, and that she needed him to calm down.

After a few moments, he breathed out. She felt him relax a bit more and she lifted her head, simply looking at him for a bit.

"What happened?" she quietly asked.

"She…fuck…" he breathed out again;

"When I got back to Queens after leaving here, she was home again. Kathleen told her that I was getting you checked out, but apparently that wasn't a good enough explanation. I knew something was up, I could just feel the tension, but I'm glad she waited until Kathleen and Eli were out of the room before she started. She asked where we had gone; I told her I couldn't tell her. She asked why I had to come into the city to check on you; I told her I just came for support. That turned into a huge fight about how everything's about you, how I don't support her in anything, how I drop everything for you and never her. That's not true obviously; how much shit have I dropped in a heartbeat for Kathy? Even you know that. I called her on that; told her that of course I'm here for you because you've been my best friend for years now. It was just constant nitpicking about you, snide comments about you, I already lost it when she called you every name she could think of, but God Liv, the comment about being like my father…fuck…I really fucking lost it, Olivia."

"Like your father?" Olivia gave a raised eyebrow.

"My Dad used to cheat on Mom with nurses; constantly," Elliot took a deep breath, "Kathy said I was just like him in that respect, cheating on her with only one nurse, and that nothing she did was good enough for me and that I was nothing but a selfish pig, just like my father."

He shook his head, running his hand down his face.

"I fucking lost it, Olivia; as soon as she said it, I whirled around and all I could see was red, but for some reason I could hear your voice, telling me to calm down. I stood there and stared at her for a second, then I just grabbed my keys and left. By the time I got back home, she was asleep, so I slept on the couch. This morning, she accused me of coming out here to see you, or in her words; I went out to fuck Olivia to calm down, and I just left the house. I'm fucking sick of having to defend myself – just constant accusations now and I'm sick of it. Kathleen even jumped in this morning and told her to shut up, to stop accusing me of things because we all know I would never, and that you would never. I'm just tired, Liv; I'm so tired and I almost don't want to go back home but I can't leave Kathleen and Eli and the twins, but I can't do this anymore."

Olivia listened intently, her heart breaking at the pain that could be heard in her best friend's voice. She was worried about him. She knew how Elliot could get if things got too much for him to handle, and it was clear that he was reaching that point. Elliot was bound to fly into a rage, and that would do even more damage. She was glad he managed to stop himself before assaulting his wife, especially as that wasn't in his nature, but that didn't stop her from being any less worried about him or his state of mind.

"El, you know, and I know what's real, we know the boundaries of our friendship," she spoke quietly to him, rubbing his shoulder again; "If she's constantly accusing you, then…does she have something to hide? Do you want me to have a word with her?"

"No, no don't," he shook his head, holding his head in his hands; "I would hope she doesn't have shit to hide, but I don't even know; I'm just done, Liv; I can't do it anymore."

"Elliot-"

"Please don't try to tell me to hold on, Olivia; our marriage has been dead a long time, I've just been playing happy families for the sake of Eli really, that's the only reason I went home, you and I both know it," He stood up abruptly, running his hand over his head as he made his way to the kitchen area, "If I hadn't slipped up, I could've been divorced and with someone a million times better."

"Elliot," Olivia walked up to him, where he was leaning against the counter and sipping a bottle of water, "Calm down. Look, just take some breaths and hang out here today, let things cool off; then go home and talk to her – and actually talk, not let your temper get the best of you."

"I would talk to her if she would talk to me," Elliot took another swig of water, "I just…Liv you know I don't normally give up, but this shit is ridiculous."

"You were miserable when you guys separated before, El." Olivia pointed out as she hopped up onto the counter to sit.

"Because I was confused and struggling, considering she left me without warning," he shrugged; "Now though, I know I'll be fine because I know that I can't do this. I love my kids, Liv; God – I love them so much, but me and Kathy were never meant to last forever, I know we weren't."

"El-"

"We got married because of Maureen being on the way for God's sake," he sighed, shaking his head, "I loved Kathy, don't get me wrong, but we literally had no time to get to know each other or be friends, none of that, because I got her pregnant and I had to marry her – it was always an obligation, Liv."

Olivia pursed her lips, looking up at the painful look in her friends' eyes. She had always wondered what it was like for Elliot, having to get married so young and take care of a family, to take on more responsibility than a seventeen-year-old should have to do. She knew that it had been a struggle sometimes, but hearing him say all of this now, it broke her heart because it was clear that he had been battling these feelings for years, and now it was all coming to the light.

"You stayed though, El; and had four more beautiful children with her; you love her."

"I loved her," Elliot shrugged as he leaned back against the counter, "I did love her, I loved her still when I had our first four, but it's different now – I haven't been in love with her for a while, it's just taken me until now to realize it. The night that resulted in Eli; I went back to her out of desperation after a tough case at work. I don't regret Eli; I love him with all my heart, but I swear this marriage is over – it's been a game of trying for the kids, but it's over."

"You don't mean that, Elliot; you're just angry," Olivia tilted her head as she looked at him, "Do you want me to talk to her? She hates me, that's obvious, but I don't want you guys to throw away your marriage and stuff after a fight."

"You've always fought to save my marriage even when I wanted to throw in the towel," he sighed, lifting his gaze from the floor to look up at her, "Just…don't this time. I'm gonna take you to the precinct and bring you back, then afterwards, I'll go home and figure out how to do this – but I just can't deal with this anymore; I'm over it, Liv; over it."

Olivia paused for a second, swallowing before looking up at him. She knew Elliot too well, and when Elliot was serious about something, there was no talking him out of it. She really knew that there was no point in talking him into holding onto his marriage, as she had known for a little while now that he wasn't happy, even though he hadn't said it out loud. However, she knew him too well and could tell when he wasn't happy, so of course, she wouldn't even try to talk him out of it. She cared about him too much, and what kind of friend would she be if she continuously tried to talk him into staying within a situation that was making him unhappy?

"You know I'll support you in whatever you want to do, you know that," she hopped down from the counter and stepped closer, placing her hands on his biceps, "I got your back."

"I know you do, and I got yours too," he pulled her into a hug, kissing the crown of her head before mumbling against her forehead, "I got your back, so when I catch the son of a bitch that hurt you, I'll kill him myself."

She smiled slightly, squeezing him as they shared their warm embrace. She closed her eyes and breathed in the calming scent of his aftershave. She felt truly safe in his arms, and honestly, she wished that could stay wrapped up in this embrace forever.

Elliot Stabler was truly her safety net.

A couple of hours later, Elliot was leading Olivia into the vast squad room of the Special Victims Unit of Manhattan. Her nerves had returned during the ride over; she hated that she would have to think about her attacker yet again – as if she wasn't already thinking about him enough. She was just glad Elliot had come to the precinct with her, as there was no way she would be able to cope with this without him. He was her best friend in the world, and she was truly grateful for him.

She watched as a few unis and other officers greeted Elliot with handshakes and praise as he really was a hero around the unit. He greeted his fellow detectives – Amanda Rollins and Fin, as well as their Sergeant, Munch. He gave a wave to his captain, before he and Olivia then followed Fin into the conference room, where a sketch artist that they often worked with was waiting patiently. Fin introduced them to the man named Vince, whom was going to be drawing the sketch based on Olivia's description. He then made his way back to his desk, while Elliot told Olivia that he had to get a few files from his own desk to do some paperwork at home, and that he was going to speak to his captain for a bit. Olivia nodded and told him she'd be alright, leading him to smile slightly as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Okay Olivia, so…just tell me whatever you can remember about him, anything, and I'll try my best to get a sketch that closely resembles him? That cool?" Vince smiled at her. Olivia nodded, breathing out. Vince picked up his pencil and paper, before giving her a head nod so she could start.

She did as best she could with the sketch artist; she gave him the exact details she gave to Fin the previous day – the fact that it was a Caucasian male with brown hair and grey eyes, and a scar on his neck and a tattoo on his chest. She wracked her brain and managed to find a few other minor details that would help with the sketch such as his eye shape, what his lips looked like, and the size of his nose, and she was able to estimate his height as he seemed to be just a few inches taller than her as she was wearing heels. She spoke with the sketch artist for about half an hour, just to work out a few minor details before the session was complete. When the artist flipped the picture around to show her, she nearly jumped out of her seat as she felt the bile rise her throat.

The sketch artist had done a pretty damn good job of her attacker; it was definitely him.

After confirming that it was indeed the attacker, Vince then knocked on the two-way glass to signal for Captain Cragen, whom was on the other side. The side door opened, and the Captain poked his head in, thanking Vince with a handshake before greeting Olivia with a handshake as well. Olivia was pretty well known around the precinct due to her and Elliot being so close, and over the years, everyone that had worked with Elliot for a long time had grown to know and love the young woman.

"We'll find this son of a bitch, Olivia, I promise – we will get this sketch out today." He assured her.

"Thank you, sir; I really appreciate it." She nodded. Cragen gave her a smile and a pat on the shoulder, before turning to Elliot, whom had come through the door as well. He gave him a handshake and pat on the back – and told him to utilize the time off – before bidding both him and Olivia a farewell. Elliot placed his hand on the small of Olivia's back and guided her out of the room. Fin decided to walk them out as he had recently discovered something and wanted to keep both Elliot and Olivia in the loop, even if he wasn't supposed to. They decided to take the stairs down, and once they reached the ground floor, they stepped outside.

"I know you didn't walk me and Liv out just for to make sure we were safe," Elliot joked as he folded his arms across his chest; "Got something to tell me?"

"I think I do, and I need to go back and brief the others so don't say shit, especially since I'm not supposed to tell you since you aren't working," Fin warned before continuing, "The results from the rape kit came and with the information Liv gave us, I did some cross referencing; we've got two cold cases with the same MO, same mention of a tattoo on the chest, but they weren't able to remember his face."

"We've got two open cases with the same thing?" Elliot asked with a raised eyebrow.

"From last year, but we ran out of leads and the cases ran cold," Fin shoved his hands into his pockets, "I'm just saying, man; we get that sketch out, somebody might know something."

"So, you're saying I might have a hand in getting a slime bag off the streets?" Olivia quietly asked, capturing their attention.

"You might, baby girl," Fin looped an arm around her shoulders; "Listen, you just get home; we got this. He fucked with you, which means I'm bustin' his ass."

Olivia was forced to giggle a bit as she gave Fin a warm hug, whispering a thank you before letting go. Fin and Elliot then shared a one arm hug, then Fin headed back inside while Elliot and Olivia made their way across the street to his Jeep. He opened the passenger door for her to slip inside, then went around to slip into the driver's side of the vehicle.

"Wanna go back to yours or do you want something to eat?" he asked. She shook her head, looking over at him.

"Take me home, then you go home and talk to Kathy." She told him. He opened his mouth to protest, but she gave him a stern look with her eyes. He sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Liv, nothing's gonna change my decision," he flicked the key, starting the engine, "I'm done."

"Elliot, just go talk to her." She groaned, a light chuckle escaping her lips. Elliot simply sighed before pulling onto the road. Both he and Olivia were deep in thought; Olivia was thinking about the conversation she'd had with Elliot and how he was adamant about leaving his marriage. She wondered what would happen if he really did leave his marriage to Kathy; if he would cope as well as he said he would.

Or would he give into what had been brewing between the two of them for years? Would they finally cross the boundary – or would they remain friends? She shuddered slightly at the thought, because as much as it excited her, it frightened her.

Well well here we are. So what do you guys think? Will Elliot actually leave his marriage for good this time? And Olivia's attacker - linked to other attacks? What is going on? Leave some reviews my friends. Until next time...xoxo