"I'm not scared" Alex whispered as she cupped Olivia's face with her hands and wiped her tears away with her thumb. Unable to help herself she closed the gap between them and kissed her gently on the lips.

"You guys..Whoa sorry." Elliot said turning quickly and heading back toward the door.

"Come back Stabler" Alex said as they broke apart laughing. "Olivia needs to talk to you."

"I do?"

"Yes about what you just told me."

"Alex you swore." Olivia said feeling her temper rise again.

"Not that Liv but the last line." Alex answered as she stood and smiled down at Olivia "That is something he can answer for you not me. When you two are done talking I will be in the waiting room I promise."

"Something tells me she knows my life story which means somebody talked while I was out." Olivia growled as the door shut behind Alex. There was nothing more she wanted to do at that moment than to lay Elliot out.

"We had already lost you three times." Elliot said walking to Olivia's bedside and taking a seat "We were told not to expect you to make it through the night and if you did you were probably going to be a vegetable. I took her to breakfast and she wanted to know more about you."

"Elliot…"

"I'm sorry Liv but honestly with the amount of damage you sustained there was a huge possibility that we would have to plan your funeral. She didn't want to have to bury you and not know anything about you. The look in her eyes and the sound in her voice was too much for me. She wasn't supposed to say anything and let it come from you in time."

"She didn't tell me you just did." Olivia said with a smirk on her face. Even with a brain injury she was still on top of her game.

"I'm really sorry."

"Oh it will be a long time before I forgive you believe that but what amazes me is knowing that I'm a half breed future alcoholic rapist she's still here."

"She's still here because you are not those and will never become those."

"Won't I El." Olivia said finally facing him "Don't you want to know about a few minutes ago. Why the nurses were trying to restrain me and the doctor now has a black eye."

"I'm going with he pissed you off."

"El I've turned into my father." Olivia finally said after a few minutes of silence. "I couldn't begin to tell you what set me off. All I know is, I have this raging amount of anger in me and I snapped. They didn't say anything or do anything but I knocked him so hard he flew across the room."

"Olivia after all you've been through your allowed to snap."

"Alex says it's because of my brain injury. Apparently the part of my brain that was affected controls behavior. I already have violent tendencies this just put me over the edge."

"Liv it doesn't send you over the edge."

"Did you not hear me? I knocked the doctor across the room. After all Alex has endured the last thing she should have to worry about is when I will lose it and beat her too. I saw the fear in her eyes when she approached me."

"I also noticed she was the only one who could calm you. All she did was lay a hand on your shoulder and talk to you."

"Yeah and you were the dumbass to let her near me when I was like that. Damn it Elliot I want you to protect her at all cost, even from me."

"Liv…"

"Don't Liv me just listen. When you leave this room I want you to escort her home and no matter what don't allow her near me. I can't and won't live with myself if I hurt her. Promise me that."

"Yeah sure." He exhaled as he stood "She's going to be pissed."

"I rather have her pissed and safe than here and hurt. Maybe once I learn to control my temper better she can visit but until then forget it. I can't chance it."

"I'll take her home right now." He mumbled as he headed for the door. He wasn't sure who was going to yell at him more. Alex when he told her not to return or Olivia when Alex defies him. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"How is she?" Alex asked when she saw Elliot enter the room with a look on his face.

"She's good we talked."

"And?"

"And you need to get your stuff so I can take you home." He finally said looking her eye to eye. He cringed to himself when he saw the anger and hurt building in her eyes "She doesn't want you anywhere near you till she feels as if she could control herself better."

"Unless you plan to put me in handcuffs and drag me away detective" Alex growled through clenched teeth "I don't see myself leaving her side."

"Alex please' he begged grabbing her as she stormed by him 'You don't understand her biggest fear in life is that at some point she becomes her father. Right now her biggest fear is coming true."

"Maybe in her eyes but not in mine." She said as she forcefully removed his hand "You are more than welcomed to follow me in there or you can keep your ass right here. But either which way I will be in that fold out bed like I was last night in her room. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal counselor" he answered as he began to follow an extremely pissed off Alex Cabot.

"Detective I don't know where the hell you get off ordering me away but that is not happening." Alex said as she stormed into Olivia's room. Elliot stopped just inside the door and leaned against the wall where he could keep an eye on Olivia using the mirror on the wall.

"Alex leave now.'

"No" Alex said getting in Olivia's face "If you want to lose your temper and hit me then do it now because otherwise I will be pulling that bed out again and staying here."

Elliot groaned as he watched Alex did the woman have a death wish.

"Alex please."

"Please what?"

"Please leave you don't know how dangerous I can be. My father was a violent rapist and my mother was an alcoholic. Not a good combination with a TBI, as you called it."

"Olivia" Alex said in a calmer voice turning her head so that she could look into her eyes "I can't explain it but I should have been terrified and still terrified to be near you with what I just witnessed. I'm not going to lie I was fighting a flashback when I saw you hit Fin. But somehow somewhere that I can't explain I knew you wouldn't hurt me and I could calm you. I can't explain it and quite frankly I'm not looking to right now. What I do know is that I feel the safest when I am with you. I know without ever hearing you say it that you would rather kill yourself than to ever cause me pain."

"Alex the look in your eyes…"

"There's not a moment I'm not afraid I will turn a corner and see Jess. I wake up in cold sweats screaming because I'm reliving what she has done to me. It takes all I have not to cower down on the floor when a suspect starts screaming on the stand. Don't tell me to leave because you saw fear in my eyes because I live with fear every day."

"You've never woken up screaming here." Olivia whispered as she reached forward and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

Elliot shook his head as he made his way out of the room. Olivia was a top notch detective but slow as hell in her personal life.

"Exactly' Alex said as she took Olivia's hand in hers "And I can tell your temper is boiling right now. At this moment there is probably nothing you want to do more than to swing right."

"Yes" Olivia said breathing hard

"But you're not because you would rather kill yourself then hurt me."

"Alex" Olivia pleaded

"I'm not leaving" Alex said as she leaned down "I'm going to be right here by your side every step of the way. You're not pushing me away Olivia Benson. We will face this and every other obstacle you encounter together. Do you understand?"

"You're crazy" Olivia mumbled as she pulled Alex to her and kissed her hard.