Summary: Amanda Rollins suggested that Olivia get a hotel room with Elliot to "get it out of her system." There are a few ways that could go. Here's one take on it…

Disclaimer: Dick Wolf owns everything; I just take the characters out and play with them once in a while.

Chapter 2 - Brian

8 years ago…

She just wanted to sleep. After 4 days with Lewis, every breath was agony, her head hurt, her wrist was nearly blinding her with pain, and even her clothes were excruciating against her skin. But, she was finally done. For the first time in her life, she didn't mind that she was under orders to rest and recover.

"You sure you wanna go to my place? Why don't we just stay at a hotel for a few nights, hm? Clean sheets, overpriced room service, housekeeping?" Cassidy suggested.

"You didn't wash your sheets, did you?" she asked. She glanced over at him, and she already knew from his reaction what the answer was. "I don't care, Brian. I just don't want to go home."

"Ok…ok." He pulled into the garage of the hotel the Department had secured for them. It wasn't the Plaza, but it was clean, with plenty of amenities, a room with 2 queen beds, and a bathroom with a big bathtub.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said immediately as he shut the door, lowering herself gingerly onto one of the beds.

"I know you don't," Brian replied, setting the duffel bag he had brought on the dresser. He opened the bag, and pulled out two garments and handed them to her. "They wouldn't let me into your place, so I packed some extra boxers and undershirts of mine…and I grabbed whatever clothes you had at my place." She was touched. Whenever she stayed at his apartment, she usually ended up swiping his clothes to sleep in.

"Are you hungry? We could order in," he suggested. "When was the last time you ate?" Ate? She had to think about that.

"I ate at the hospital," she answered finally. Her voice was flat. Her eyes lost their normal fire, and he didn't know what to do. The entire 4 days she was missing, he longed for this moment, to have her back with him, but he wasn't prepared for…this. And then he kicked himself for thinking that. His time in SVU had been brief, but he knew this was to be expected. She was still in shock, and he just wished she would open up to him. If she ever did, though, he knew it would be on her own time.

"Why don't you go soak in the tub, and I'll order some food, hm? Those pathetic excuses for sandwiches at the hospital don't constitute food. Here…" he rummaged in the bag and pulled out a plastic bottle and handed it to her.

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's a bath salve. It should help with the burns," he told her. Her head snapped up. "How did you know about the burns?"

"I…it's a guess. Lewis has a history of burning his victims with hangers and cigarettes, and Rollins said-" he choked up.

"My stove," she finished.

Damn Amanda Rollins.

"Yeah. So I assumed…" he trailed off, not sure what to say. She nodded. "Anyway, I also stopped by the pharmacy and got all of your prescriptions filled, so you don't have to worry about that either." She took the bottle and headed towards the bathroom. Just before she went in, she looked at him, and she realized just how thankful she was to have him right at this moment.

"You're a good man, Brian Cassidy," she said before slipping inside and closing the door. She ran a bath, added the salve Brian had given her and gingerly slipped into the cool water so as not to aggravate her injuries anymore than they already were. As long as she didn't move, she wasn't in pain.

She was finally alone. She hadn't been left alone for a second since everything started. The events of the last 4 days played again in her mind, and she felt her facade finally break. It took a while for the tears to come, but once they did, they didn't stop. As stupid as it was, she thought about Elliot the entire time she had been abducted. Even Lewis knew she wasn't thinking about Brian. She had hoped - prayed - that Elliot would somehow know what had happened to her, and that he would come find her. But she also knew it was a fantasy. Elliot wasn't coming for her. Either she would save herself, or she would die, and for most of that time, she suspected it would be the latter.

But Brian was here. He had been at the hospital the moment the ambulance had pulled up, and he hadn't left her side, unless he had to. And then, he stood outside her hospital room and the captain's office like a sentry, ensuring that her privacy was protected. Even now, he was doing everything he could to make her feel better, however he could.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Liv? You ok in there?" he asked.

"I'm fine!" she called.

"No rush…food's here, whenever you're ready," he said through the door. Her stomach was growling. She got out of the tub, toweled off, and slipped into the clothes Brian had given her. When she went back into the room, she saw him pulling Chinese boxes out of a brown paper bag and setting them on the small table by the window.

"You got Chinese," she said with a smile.

"Yeah. That's what you usually want when you've had a bad day. Beef with broccoli, chicken fried rice, crab rangoon, and egg rolls, right?" He was spot on. That was exactly her order after a bad day. She felt safe here with him. While they ate, he directed to conversation everywhere except towards Lewis, respecting her wish to not talk about it. It was clear the time without food was catching up with her because once she started eating, she couldn't stop. Manners had all but gone out the window; she just knew she needed to get as much food in her as possible. And yet, he said nothing about it. He didn't judge her, or comment, or show any reaction. He simply let her do what she needed to do. After they had eaten, she had moved to one of the beds, hissing in pain.

"Liv, I don't wanna say the wrong thing here, but…how bad are the burns?" he asked. She glared at him.

"I said-"

"I know, I know…you don't want to talk about it. But…um, burns can leave some pretty nasty scars. The sooner you can treat them, the better they heal." She hadn't considered that. She knew where Lewis had marked her, but she wasn't sure she could bear him seeing it.

"They're pretty bad, Bri. I don't want you to see them just yet," she told him, staring at the spot on the bed instead of him. He gently tilted her head towards him.

"Olivia, I just want to help you. I'm not asking you to strip for me, or sit here naked so I can oogle you. The doctors prescribed an ointment to help them heal and prevent infection. I'm asking for you to trust me." She studied his face, pleading with her. Those blue eyes, filled with concern and lack of judgement. She was afraid he would be repulsed by the condition of her body. Lord knows she couldn't bear to look at herself naked at the moment. Perhaps it was worth taking the chance. Wordlessly, she lifted her shirt, struggling slightly due to her broken wrist, and once the garment was off, she turned her head so she couldn't see his reaction.

She was terrified. He could see it in her body language and the way she was shaking in front of him.

"Liv, look at me," he said softly. She shook her head, and he realized she was crying. He resisted the urge to pull her into his arms, knowing that would aggravate her broken and injured flesh and cause her pain. So, he turned her face towards him again. "You're still beautiful, in every way. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere." He kissed her gently, and started the task of treating each and every burn that scored her flesh. Lewis had been brutal with her. As he continued his ministrations, her head tipped back and she sighed in relief.

"…I'm sorry," Brian said, out of nowhere.

"You didn't hurt me," she said.

"No…for letting this happen."

She was confused. "You didn't have anything to do with this."

"The night you were kidnapped, we were supposed to get together, and I got stuck working a double. If I had just gone to your apartment that night…I tried to call."

"I know. Lewis had my phone by then, and he made sure I heard your voicemail. You can't blame yourself for this, though. If anything, it was my fault. I'm a cop. I had my gun on my hip, and I did nothing."

"Then it isn't any more your fault than mine," he replied. He finished with her back and moved to the front of her body. He worked in silence for a few more minutes before broaching the topic he knew had to be discussed tonight.

"Do you still want to work in SVU?"

"What kind of a question is that? Of course I do. I love my job; it's…it's everything to me. I thought you knew that," she said.

"I do. That's why I wanted to hear it from you. I need to know, Liv. Did he rape you?" He asked. His eyes were locked on hers.

"I…I said…" Why couldn't he just leave this alone?

"They ran a rape kit on you, Liv. You know as well as I do that if you were raped, you're off SVU. So, I need to know…did he rape you?" Her heart hammered. She hadn't gotten that far yet, but he was right. The Department would shuffle her to another unit, if she herself was a victim of rape. Her breathing quickened, and the anxiety threatened to overwhelm her.

"He did," Brian said quietly. She nodded, the tears coming back again.

"I'll take care of it. But listen to me, Liv. As of now, that part never happened. NYPD knows you were assaulted, but that's all they ever need to know. He never raped you. Do you understand me?" She knew he was right. In her statement, she had never told them she was raped, assuming they'd figure it out from the kit.

"I need my job, Brian," she said barely above a whisper. She gripped his wrist, pleading with him.

"I know. And I'll make sure the evidence fits your story. He's not taking any more from you. Not on my watch."

She didn't know it at the time, but Brian would keep that promise. Her rape kit results came up negative, and that was the end of that. Oh, there were suspicions, of course, but Brian wouldn't betray her, she stuck to her story, and Lewis was dead.

She moved to put her shirt back on, but he stopped her. "Are you more comfortable with it off?" he asked. She had to admit that she was. The fabric rubbing against her raw wounds was agony. She nodded. "Then leave it off. Here, let me help you get into bed."

He had tucked her in, given her pain medication, and kissed her forehead before going into the bathroom himself.

"Hey, Bri?" she called. "Can you use the hotel soap?" He stuck his head out of the bathroom.

"Why? I brought my-…Lewis smelled like Old Spice," he guessed. She nodded, and he slipped back into the bathroom. He dug through his toiletry bag and threw everything with that scent into the trash immediately. After a quick shower and change, he went back to the bedroom, only to find her fast asleep.

Good. She needed as much rest as she could get. He was worried about hurting her or that having him in the bed with her would startle her in the middle of the night, so he crawled into the second bed, flipped off the lights and fell asleep himself.

Sometime in the middle of the night, he was jarred from his slumber by her frantic screams and cries. He flew out of bed to her side immediately.

"Liv…Liv…it's not real," he said, kneeling next to her bed. Her eyes flew open, and she reeled away from him. "Liv, it's me. You're ok. You're ok." Slowly, she realized where she was, and who she was with.

"I'm sorry, Brian. I'm sorry…" she cried. Slowly, so she could push him away if she was uncomfortable, he gathered her into his arms. She clung to him like her life depended on it.

"It's ok, honey. No one can hurt you," he soothed, rocking her until she fell asleep again. He tucked her back into bed, and turned to go back to himself.

"Stay…" she mumbled. He crawled into bed next to her, and as she curled up next to him, he vowed silently that he would see her through this, no matter what. The great Olivia Benson needed him to be her strength, just for a moment, until she could find her own again.

Olivia smiled sadly at the memory. She could never bring herself to tell him everything that happened to her, and in the end, it had been one of the things that drove them apart. Truth be told, she wouldn't have gotten through that entire ordeal without Brian Cassidy. And because of him, she had been ready for Ed Tucker to enter her life…

Sorry folks, no smut in this one. Just a very sweet, tender Brian Cassidy. Next chapter, though…I promise will be well deserving of the M rating.