DISCLAIMER: I do not, in any way shape or form, own the characters from Law & Order: SVU. They are created by Dick Wolf and I will forever love him for it. I am using these characters and the basis of this television show purely for entertainment and am not making any form of profit off of the writing of this piece. (AKA: It's not mine. Don't sue. Thanks.)

Not a Day Goes By

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews!!! They always make me smile and then I want to write because I don't want anyone to hate me for not writing. Hehe. I think this is over. Honestly. I think this is the last chapter because I don't know where else to go. Maybe I'll write a sequel later…I don't know.

Without further ado…

Chapter 10: Love Heals

"You little prick," Elliot shouted as he stepped into the interrogation room. He angrily threw the folder that he'd been thumbing through as he was entering onto the table in front of him and slammed the door shut. He glanced at Macedo vehemently, wanting nothing more than to bash his head against a wall. Stabler, however, maintained his composure as the dark haired man before him rolled his eyes. Furious, Elliot yelled again, "You think this is funny? You're in a lot of trouble right now."

"Couldn't be," the man responded calmly. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"Raping two women isn't wrong? Explain that to me Kevin."

Coolly, the man satisfied Elliot's request, "It was consensual. The two women came back to my home, we watched a movie, and we had consensual sex. Both of them like it rough, detective, and that would not be my fault."

"They like it rough," Stabler repeated as he walked around the table to get in Macedo's face. "That's funny, because rough doesn't generally result in sprained limbs and bruised ribs in my book."

"Maybe," Kevin taunted, "you just aren't as good at the game as I am."

Elliot grabbed the offender by his collar and shoved him against the wall, "You are a worthless piece of shit, and if I had a choice, I'd kill you right here and now. But that's not justice, is it? Because I can make sure it's announced that you're a rapist the moment you get locked up and the hell you'll go through then will be much worse than anything I am capable of inflicting on you."

"I won't get locked up," Macedo challenged.

Elliot laughed as he let go of his partner's rapist and watched him fall to the ground, "There's a whole hell of a lot of evidence against you right now."

"Yes, but Olivia knows better than to testify against me. You see, she knows what I'm capable of. She wouldn't put herself at risk," he whispered. "Neither would Lisa, that other pretty girl that I had fun with last night. I didn't do anything wrong."

Getting slightly annoyed by the man's denial of his crimes, Elliot took a seat across from him, "Look, maybe the DA will make a deal if you confess now. It's up to you."

"I won't confess to anything that I didn't do."

"Why," Elliot prompted, "did you rape those two ladies?" The detective pulled out two photos of the faces of Macedo's victims. He placed them in front of him, letting the rapist examine his handy work, allowing him to realize the pain he'd caused. Slowly Stabler spoke again, voice dripping with agitation, "Why'd you hurt them like that?"

Macedo pushed away the picture of his second victim, "That one, yeah, I raped her. She cried for me to stop, but didn't push away or anything. She was just for fun." He then looked at Olivia's face, running his fingers over the glossy surface. Elliot stared at the man as a look of longing and desire crossed his face. He spoke slowly and distinctly, "And this one, Olivia-" Kevin's voice was soaked in subtle sultriness, "was too beautiful to pass up. It was entertaining when she fought back, as she cried and screamed for me to discontinue the pleasurable experience. She did, however, follow my rules agreeably. Shutting up when I told her to, always trying to please. I think she enjoyed it almost as much as I did. I must say, Benson was one good lover, I'd do her again any day."

Hearing Macedo speak about his partner in such a way sent Elliot into a rampage. He moved around the table quickly, picked the man up by his collar once more, shoved him into the wall, and began hitting until he felt someone drag him away. While being removed from the room, Elliot stopped them long enough to get a look at the face of Olivia's rapist once more. He spoke with a resentment that could never be rivaled, "You messed with the wrong woman, Macedo. She is beautiful; she's strong, independent, and perfect. Olivia's my partner, and if I have anything to say about it, you'll rot in a cell for so long that you can't hurt another woman like you did her. You broke someone's soul, how you can still live with yourself is a mystery to me."

Breathing heavily, Elliot turned and removed himself from the room. As he stepped outside, the men watching thanked him for getting the confession and assured him that no one saw a single thing that could amount to police brutality. Silently, Stabler offered his thanks. Weiner announced that he would take Macedo to central booking to be arraigned in the morning. ADA Proctor introduced himself to the detective and announced that he would be prosecuting on behalf of both cases as Novak was simply too close to the case. Elliot nodded, but the entire time his eyes were searching for Benson. As soon as he found her, he excused himself from his peers presence and walked over to her.

Hunched over in a chair, the female detective didn't immediately notice her partner's presence. Elliot kneeled next to her for a moment and placed his hands on top of hers. She jumped slightly, but relaxed the instant she saw him there. He looked into her eyes, noting the increased puffiness and he immediately assumed she had been crying more after he had left her. Elliot pulled her into a standing position and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders as they walked to the other detectives. She watched as Macedo was drug from the interrogation room and out of the doors, he smiled at her and winked.

"Bastard," she whispered as he left. Elliot squeezed her shoulder gently, reassuring her of his presence. Benson pushed her fragile body against him as they continued walking, nearly tripping over each other's feet, but neither one caring enough to rectify the situation. As they approached the other detectives and their captain as well as ADA Proctor, Olivia smiled weakly to offer her gratitude.

Proctor stepped over to her, his blonde hair and blue eyes assuring her that he was nothing like the man who attacked her. His stature was small and he couldn't have been more than five-foot-six-inches tall. Olivia gently shook his hand as he began speaking, "I'm ADA Joshua Proctor, I will be prosecuting on behalf of both rape charges. I'll keep you updated as the trial date approaches, but the New York court system is backed up at the moment, it could be a few months."

"Yeah," she responded mildly, "I know how that works."

"Your testimony will be greatly appreciated, Ms. Benson," Proctor urged.

"I'll be there," she answered him, her eyes staring at the floor.

Elliot quickly thanked each member of the team who had brought Macedo in and excused themselves, quickly sensing Olivia's discomfort. He led her from the Brooklyn precinct, out to the car, and helped her to get settled before getting in on the driver's side. He started the car and drove out of Brooklyn and back to Manhattan. The entire ride was taken in silence, excluding a few sniffles from Olivia from time to time. Elliot thought it would be better to let her breathe and comprehend the situation that had just occurred rather than jump in to rescue her.

As they parked outside of the 1-6th precinct, he glanced over at her. Olivia's head was down and she was playing silently with the hem of her shirt. Elliot opened his door and excavated his own body from the vehicle. After walking a few steps away from the car, he noticed that his partner wasn't following. Turning around, Stabler made his way back to the car, pulled open the passenger's side door and waited for Benson to move. When she refused to acknowledge his presence, Elliot squatted next to her. Finally, she glanced at him and immediately turned away, eyes still red, head still down, trying her hardest not to draw attention to herself.

"Liv," he whispered. Elliot was trying to make her look at him so he could persuade her to go into the precinct with him to let their captain know the situation. She didn't look up. His voice a little stronger, he tried again, "Liv, can you look at me?"

She shook her head and Elliot sighed gently. He watched her body shrink away as she thought she had upset him. Slowly, he spoke once more, voice at full volume, "Olivia, you need to talk to me so I can help."

"You can't," she muttered.

"Can't what?"

Olivia looked into his eyes, longing to get lost in the blue sea that held such concern for her. Taking in a deep breath, she answered, "You can't make the fact that I broke down in front of a bunch of cops disappear. You can't change what happened. You can't help this. You can't help me."

Elliot's heart broke as he realized what his partner was going through. Olivia was embarrassed, frightened, and insecure. He needed to help her, to make it all go away, but that was impossible. Rape doesn't disappear. Pulling her out of the car, he helped her to stand on her own feet and looked into her eyes, making certain she heard every word he had to offer, "I know it feels like it won't get better. I get that, I see it every day in so many people's eyes. Yet, you and I both know that despite the fact that somebody changes and their life is in no way as it once was, it always gets better. This will get better. You have an entire squad of people who love you more than you'll ever know. You have to let us in, you have to let us help you help yourself. But this will improve and you will be okay."

A slight nod of the head was the only evidence that she had taken in any of his words. She looked up at him and for the first time he saw a glimmer of hope in her brown eyes. He saw the Olivia Benson he had worked with for so many years, the woman who was independent and confident. Even if she was different, he knew in that moment that she would be okay. He was falling in love all over again, and nothing would ever tear her from her. Before he could register what was happening, her lips trapped his in a tender kiss. It was short and sweet, just a hint of what the future could hold.

He smiled at her, she let out a slight grin in return. She put her hand into his larger one and looked at his blue eyes before whispering, "I love you, too."

After placing her hand in his, he squeezed it softly, following her lead as she took the first step toward the doors of the precinct. Elliot walked with her and the two passed security with no problem. They reached the bull pen and strolled directly into Cragen's office. He looked from Elliot's face to Olivia's and his eyes lingered on her puffy eyes. He too saw the distinct change, though. He knew that she was starting to combat her fears and insecurities to make it better. The bald man chose to ignore the linked fingers of his detectives' hands, knowing that they each needed one another more than ever before. He looked back to Elliot, hoping for someone to fill him in.

"Liv did really well," he spoke in confident tones.

"Captain Ryerson called," Cragen responded, while smiling at Benson to show that he had heard.

"I may have gotten physical," Stabler countered.

Cragen laughed, "Bashing his face in is getting physical?" The superior officer thought for a moment before speaking again, "Good work. It sounds like we have a solid case. This is going to be behind us in no time."

Benson rolled her brown eyes, "With all due respect, Capt, this isn't ever going to be completely behind us."

"You may be right," he answered, "but I know you're getting better already. Captain Ryerson also said that he was impressed at how well you handled yourself, Detective. That is a huge compliment."

"I cried like a baby," she whispered.

"You looked your rapist in the face and identified him. You're expected to be scared. You're allowed a few tears, Olivia."

"Thank you, sir," was all she could croak out as Elliot squeezed her hand to offer comfort. The three stood in silence for a few minutes before someone slammed through the door. Olivia jumped about a mile in the air as she turned to see Casey. Breaking the contact with Elliot for the first time since their unmentioned kiss, Benson quickly ran to the ADA who wrapped the female detective in the warmest embrace possible.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there," Novak whispered into her friend's ear.

"I had Elliot," she answered, hoping to comfort her friend. "And you're here now."

"Proctor called. He said it went well," the ADA said as she pulled away from the brown haired woman. Olivia shrugged, not knowing how to answer. Casey smiled, "He's got a solid case. There shouldn't be a problem. He also said you're planning on testifying."

Olivia nodded weakly, "I'm scared, though."

Elliot took in a deep breath as she admitted her fear. Casey placed a hand on the female detective's shoulder and looked her in the eyes, noting the change in demeanor from those of a scared puppy to those of her strong best friend. She smiled, "That's all right. You'll be fine, and I'll be there the whole time. I know you, and you can do this."

The tall, dark haired detective nodded beyond Olivia's shoulder, signaling to Novak that she had said the right thing. Benson thought for a moment before hugging her friend once more. The embrace lasted far longer than the one prior, and neither woman appeared to have any desire to break away from the other. Cragen, sensing a moment between the three of them, silently excused himself from the office.

Not a day would go by where Benson wouldn't be changed from the past that would continue to haunt her, but no matter what, they would all succeed and pull through whatever nightmare was to come. Elliot took a step closer as Casey's eyes opened while she rested her chin on Olivia's shoulder. Looking into Elliot's eyes, Novak managed to silently beckon him into the picture and offered him a spot with the woman he loved. Affectionately, Stabler wrapped his arms around Olivia and Casey's bodies, successfully supporting his partner between them. He kissed the top of Olivia's head as she let out a comforting sigh and took pleasure in the comfort of her two best friends.

It was in that moment that Olivia realized how the love of two people could heal anything. Their affection mended wounds, provided a foundation, and ensured her safety. With them next to her, she could conquer anything – they could conquer the world. Knowing that she was protected, Olivia permitted herself to feel happy again. She had a friend who would never leave her side and a man who would love her until the end of time. It was evident that love heals anything.

No one, not even a rapist, could break that truth.

-fine-

A/N: It's OVER! AHAHAHA! She kissed him, yes. Casey supported her, yes. And I got to tile this chapter Love Heals which is the one song title I've wanted to use since day one. It's over. I did it. I really didn't know that I'd end it this chapter, but I was trying to continue from the embrace…to send her away with Elliot…but it was the three of them in the beginning, it was the three of them throughout, and the ending had to be the three of them. It had to be a full circle…because that's just how I work. Seriously. If you want an epilogue or sequel…let me know in a review. I'll do what you guys want because I have ideas for a sequel, but I don't know if I should just leave it be and let you all come to your own conclusions about how well she heals. Sooooooooo….review, and thanks for reading. It meant so much to me. (by the way, 62 pages in word if you put a break between each chapter before the disclaimer. Haha. That's insane.)