Sorry about the long delay. I have been traveling a lot this summer and haven't been around my personal computer. I will still be traveling some more for a few more weeks, so forgive me if there are no updates until September. Hope you are still enjoying the story...and don't forget-----I HEART REVIEWS!

"Ready, Elliot?" Olivia asked happily.

After six and a half weeks in the hospital, Elliot was finally being released. The past two weeks were full of intense physio sessions. Since then, Elliot had full use of his right arm, and his left arm was getting better every day. Elliot looked up and smiled as Dr. Vickery helped him to his wheelchair, after making sure his leg calliper was in place. Elliot was under the instructions to return to the hospital every other day to start physio on his legs. They would concentrate on his left leg first, and then tend to his badly injured right leg. As Olivia pushed Elliot out of his room, they were greeted by a hallway full of people wishing him the best. Many doctors and nurses were there, as well as all of his colleagues. Olivia continued to push Elliot through the sea of well-wishers as she headed out to her car. As soon as they stepped outside of the hospital doors, they were blinded by bright flashes and shouting of dozens of reporters.

"Detective Stabler? Is it true you are on suspension?"

"Detective? Are you being charged for the assault of Jason Branson?"

"Detective Stabler? There's rumor of a cover-up. Is it true?

Dozens of voices began to shout at Elliot all at once. He was blinded by the flashes of their cameras and was momentarily confused. Olivia looked on in horror as she saw Elliot's calm face turn to one of panic. She stood there shocked until Cragen came up behind her, and ushered her and Elliot to the waiting car. Several police officers came over to help block the press from the SVU group. Cragen helped Elliot into the car and got behind the wheel as Olivia climbed in with Elliot. As he drove away shocked, he began to think of all the repercussions this was going to have.

"Shit." he muttered.

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Cragen drove further away from the hospital, angry at the turn of events. Olivia sat in the back seat in silence as she held Elliot who had already fallen asleep in her lap. The city's scenery flew by as she looked out the window in deep thought. Everything was starting to go well for Elliot, and then this had to happen. Olivia was about to join her partner in sleep when she spoke up.

"Hey, Captain. You missed my exit." Olivia glanced over to the driver as he drove in silence. "Captain?"

"What, Benson?" Cragen snapped.

"If Elliot's staying with me, then we need to turn around." Olivia said gently.

"No." He said tersely.

"No? Uhh...Capta------"

"Damn it, Benson!" Cragen said harshly. "Elliot's not staying at your house. With the press breathing down his neck, we don't need an accusation of fraternization against him. I'm pretty sure that once the COD gets word of that little press conference we just had, that I will be getting a personal call from him. You know how much he hates getting bad press, and I don't need to give him further ammunition for chewing out my ass. Elliot's staying at my house. And I don't want to hear a word of protest from you!" Cragen seethed.

A glare from her captain through the review mirror caused her to look away and not say anything. They drove on in silence until they reached the captain's house. Cragen got out and went around to help Elliot out of the car. Elliot was only half awake as Cragen placed him in his wheelchair and helped him into the house. With Olivia's help, Cragen gently placed Elliot in the bed of his spare bedroom, leaving the door open in case Elliot needed anything. They both softly walked out and sat on the couches as silence settled over. Finally Don wiped his hands over his eyes and looked over at his distraught looking detective.

"Olivia." Cragen whispered. "I apologize. I didn't mean to sound as angry as I did. I wasn't mad at you. It's just those damn reporters..."

"Captain. There's no need to apologize. I know that you're under a lot of stress; but Elliot and I are strictly partners. Best friends, yes. Lovers, no. Don't you understand that?"

"I know that you and Elliot are just friends. But think about it this way, Detective. All the press sees is you and Elliot living together. They can't go inside your apartment, so they'll just assume that they know what's going on. Elliot's getting bad enough press coverage as it is, we don't need an accusation like that added to his problems. Elliot's still on suspension and we can't have him showing any signs of impropriety." Cragen explained. Olivia shook her head in understanding.

"I understand, Captain. But it just isn't fair. The press should be focusing on the fact that Elliot survived and was released from the hospital; not some bogus story of assault." Cragen was silent for a moment as he thought back to the day's events.

"Olivia. Go back to the precint. Update Fin and John, finish your paperwork, and then go home. The doctor said that Elliot should sleep through today anyways. Don't worry, Olivia. You really helped out Elliot a lot today."

Cragen got up and gave Olivia a tight hug, as she turned and walked out the door. Cragen sat down and began to flip through the channels on his TV, keeping the volume low as to not wake Elliot. After a while, Cragen fell into a light sleep, exhausted from all that had happened that day. Suddenly, he woke up with a start. He looked around not sure of what had woken him, until he heard a terrifying scream coming from the bedroom.

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Olivia hurried into the precint as she dodged the reporters who had camped outside after the incident at the hospital. Olivia wanted nothing more than to strangle and shoot every one of them. As she rushed into the squadroom, Munch and Fin looked up from their desks, waiting for news. Olivia sat down at her own desk, trying to catch her breath.

"Well..." Munch said. "How did it go?"

"Damn it!" Olivia yelled as she slammed her hand down on her desk.

"That well, huh?" Munch stated.

"Geez! What went on, Liv?" Fin questioned.

"Elliot's staying at the captain's house now. He said that the press might get the wrong impression if he stays with me. But he's my partner, damn it! He shouldn't have to hide because of a bogus allegation! It's bad enough the press was at the hospital. Now, they are going to stay camped outside the precint for God knows how long!"

"Well, it's better they are here. It's only a matter of time until they find out that Elliot's at Cap's house. Then we're really screwed." Fin retorted.

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Cragen shot off the couch and headed for the bedroom, pulling his gun out of its' holster on the way. When Cragen got to the door, he stood there for a moment, gun outstretched. He quickly put it away when he saw that Elliot was in the midst of a nightmare. Elliot began moving his body side to side, and Cragen realized that he must wake Elliot up before he exacerbates his injuries. He moved quickly over to Elliot's bedside and gently tried to shake him to wake him up. Elliot only seemed to get further agitated, so his captain shook him a little harder. Suddenly, Elliot's eyes flew open. Cragen was suprised to find nothing but pure fear in his eyes. Cragen reached out to calm Elliot down, but stopped short when he saw Elliot pull away from him. Both men were still for a moment, before Elliot spoke up.

"Pl...ple...please. D-d-don't hurt me." Elliot pleaded. "Pl-please." Cragen stood momentarily shocked that Elliot would think he would ever hurt him. The doctor had warned him that his behavior might change once he left the hospital, but he never thought it would be this dramatic. Cragen calmly sat on the bed, as he spoke soothingly to Elliot.

"Elliot. It's Captain Cragen. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. Ok? I'm not going to hurt you." Cragen moved slowly closer to Elliot as Elliot watched him warily. As the captain finally rested a hand on Elliot's shoulder, he felt him flinch underneath the touch, and silently cursed Branson and Daniels for making his detective scared of even him.

"It's ok, detective. It's ok. You're safe. I'm not going to hurt you." Elliot seemed to calm down slightly as he allowed his captain to take him in his arms. Cragen continued to hold Elliot until Elliot fell asleep half an hour later. Don gently pulled the blankets over Elliot's body and made sure that his right leg was comfortably surrrounded by pillows. He then made his way out of the room and took a quick shower that he blasted with cold water. Cragen then made his way over to his bed and plopped down exhaustedly- his emotions and body tired from the day's activities. His mind began racing over what was happening with Elliot before he fell into a deep sleep.

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The next morning, Cragen woke up suprisingly refreshed, but concern for Elliot was still etched on his weathered face. He got up and dressed in khaki pants and a black button down shirt. A knock at the door interrupted him from his daily morning routine. As Cragen made his way to the front door, he prayed it would not be reporters. A look out the window revealed that it was Olivia. Cragen opened the door and ushered her in.

"Olivia. What's up?"

"I don't mean to bother you, Captain, but I just wanted to drop by and see how Elliot was doing before I went into work." she replied.

"Well, I heard him stirring when I walked by his room to answer the door. I was about to see if he wanted anything for breakfast." Olivia and her captain began to walk towards the back of the house where Elliot's room was located. Sure enough, when they got there, Elliot was wiping the sleep out of his eyes with his good hand. He looked up suddenly when he heard the pair at his door.

"Hey, El." Olivia said softly. "Ready for some breakfast in bed?"

"I don't need it in bed Olivia. I'm not an invalid" Elliot replied resentfully. Olivia shot a worried look to Don who just shook his head slightly. Don and Olivia then made their way over to Elliot's bedside and helped him get into his wheelchair. They all made their way into the spacious kitchen and placed Elliot behind the mahogoney table. Cragen began to move around to make eggs and toast for breakfast.

"Do you want some water or orange juice, El?" Olivia said as she got down three glass cups from the cabinet. Elliot thought about it a moment before he spoke up hesistantly.

"Can I have some orange juice, please? Is that all right?"

"Of course!" Olivia said quickly. "Anything you want." Elliot's body seemed to visibly relax. After she handed Elliot his glass of orange juice, she turned back to help Cragen make the eggs and toast. Silence settled over Elliot as Cragen and Olivia whispered quietly about what would need to be accomplished at work that day. The sound of shattering glass interrupted their conversation, and they turned to see that Elliot had dropped his glass of orange juice, breaking into dozens of pieces. Before Cragen and Olivia could make their way over to clean up the mess, Elliot launched himself out of his wheelchair in a flash and settled on the floor. A shocked look fell over his two friends as Elliot began to mumble incoherently at first, and then began to pick up the shards of glass with his bare hands.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to...I promise! I'm s-s-s-sorry!" Elliot said with fear and a scared look on his face. Cragen rushed over and knelt beside Elliot whose hand were beginning to bleed from the glass in his hands. Cragen put his hands on Elliot's shoulders and tried to pull him away from the mess.

"NO!" Elliot said forcefully, as he pulled out of his captain's grasp. "It was an accident. I'm sorry! Please d-don't hurt me." Elliot was still picking up the glass when Cragen took Elliot's face gently in his hands.

"Elliot." Cragen said softly as tears began to run down Elliot's face. "Remember what I said last night? I'm not going to hurt you. It was an accident and that's ok." Cragen continued to speak softly as Olivia bent down and began to clean up the glass and the liquid that now was mixed with Elliot's blood. Her face was filled with worry and concern over what had just happened. She briefly wondered if Elliot had done any further damage to his injuries by launching out of his wheelchair like he did. Once she was finished, she knelt beside Elliot and Cragen. Elliot seemed much more relaxed. Olivia gently took Elliot's hands and her's and examined the damage done by the shards of glass.

"Captain." she whispered. Cragen looked over to his detective. "We need to get him to the hospital. Some of these are really deep and they are still bleeding." With that new knowledge, Cragen gently wrapped hand towels around Elliot's hands and helped him back into his wheelchair. Don pushed Elliot's wheelchair out to his car and proceeded to help him settle in the front passenger seat and buckle his seat belt. Elliot was asleep before Don started the car.

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At that same time...

Amid the sounds of a bustling office, a phone rang. An intern reached over and picked up the receiver.

"Channel 6 News. This is Robert Walker. How can I help you?" A soft voice came over the telephone.

"Yes. May I please be transferred to the reporter who is working on Detective Stabler's story?"

"May I ask what this is about?" Walker said cautiously.

"Just tell him that I have some information that he might want." the voice replied.

"Hold please." The voice smirked as he heard the phone being transferred.

"Paul Brandoff speaking. I'm told you have information regarding Elliot Stabler?"

"That's correct." the voice said. "Would you be interested in knowing the where abouts of said detective?" Brandoff sat straight in his desk, holding his breath, and hoping this was not a prank.

"Of course. What am I going to owe you in return, Mr.----uh..."

"I don't want anything. I'm just a concerned, anonymous citizen looking out for the well-being of others. Here's a hint, you will find the detective at the home of his captain, Don Cragen." With those words, the caller hung up. Brandoff wrote furiously on a notepad, and then ran out of his office, requesting a camera crew on the way.

After the caller hung up, he turned to his co-worker.

"See, Detective Lee? That's what happens when you mess with IAB. I warned that detective there would be consequences, and I wasn't lying." Lee looked up with a smirk on his face.

"That was harsh, Michaels." Lee said while laughing. "Maybe next time he'll think twice before he crosses your path."

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Guess what? I HEART REVIEWS! I'm hoping to get to 100 reviews this chapter. Whoever gets it gets a suprise! Could it be a cookie, a car, or the rights to Law and Order? Who knows! You'll only find out by...reviewing!