Title: Genesis Chapter 10….the end

Author: CSIphile

Archive: Just ask.

AN: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it to no end. It gives me the warm fuzzies. Many, many warm fuzzies. Anyway, I think I've left you in suspense long enough about the fate of our favorite female detective and the status of Livs and Elliots ship. And thus….the last chapter in Genesis, again, thank you!

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Chapter 9: Endings

Stabler Household

Queens

Elliot couldn't have been less shocked if the Blue Man Group waltzed into his kitchen and started two-stepping on his linoleum. He opens his mouth, but can't seem to form a sentence. She has really thrown him here.

"I don't understand." He really, really doesn't.

"I'm angry, Elliot -- don't get me wrong. Furious, actually. You abandoned me, cheated on our vows, betrayed this marriage. But then I realized something. I abandoned you long ago."

"Kathy…" He covers her hands with his.

"No, let me finish. I never really made an effort to understand what you do. I mean…I KNOW what you do, but I didn't understand it. Not on the level I should have. I realize you didn't want me in that part of your life, and that's understandable, but I still should have supported you instead of griping at you about how many hours you worked, or why you wouldn't talk to me. I….didn't give you much choice, did I?"

"Kathy, this isn't your fault. Don't think it is, I…god. I betrayed you, not the other way around."

She tilts her head at him. "Yeah, you did, but I'm not blameless here. I never should have forced you to choose between your work and your marriage. They are two halves of a whole person, and I asked you sever part of yourself. It was unfair at best."

"Kathy, I swear to you…." He is cut off by the ringing of his cell. Annoyed, Elliot looks at the display before frowning.

Cragen.

Why the hell….oh god. A sudden feeling of dread settles itself nicely in Elliot's chest, making it hard to breathe. Without a word of explanation to Kathy, he picks up the phone and opens it.

Out of habit, he answers the phone…"Captain."

"Elliot…" He can hear the tremor in his former boss' voice. "You probably should come to Bellevue. Things didn't go as planned with the operation tonight."

"What happened?" Now he looks at Kathy, whose face has a surprising touch of concern on it.

"I really think you should just get here quickly."

Anger quickly displaces fear. "What. Happened?" he asks, even as he stands and collects his coat.

"Elliot…..she was attacked by the perp."

"Ohhhh God. How bad?"

"Not sure yet -- she's in surgery." He can hear Don hesitate before continuing. "All we know is it's a stab wound. I'm…sorry, El."

"I'll be there in twenty, Don. Thank you." He hangs up before hearing the response and faces his wife. "I….I have to go. Olivia was…injured."

He watches the resigned expression cross her face. "I know. Go. I understand, El. But understand, when you get back….we have to work things out."

"Yeah. I know." He voice holds a tinge of regret; he didn't actively seek out the end of his marriage. It just seemed that one thing started the avalanche, and what finally stopped it was his adultery. It forced them to accept the reality of the situation: they loved each other -- they just weren't in love anymore.

"Thank you," he says, and steps out the back door.

Bellevue Hospital

Finally, Elliot finds Cragen in the surgery waiting area. He had used his badge down in Emergency to push to the front of the line and get the information he needed. After that it was one anxious elevator ride and 50 feet to his present location. Walking in, he sees Don pacing slowly across the worn flooring. Munch and Fin are sitting several chairs away from each other, both looking…grave.

For one instant, Elliot is terrified that he is too late -- that she's dead. Lying on a cold slab in the morgue, her essence gone -- too much like the victims they investigate….used to investigate together. The mental image of a pale, lifeless Olivia makes him physically ill.

"Don? How….is she?" He almost can't get the words out.

"I don't know. They said two to three hours in surgery; it's only been an hour. They were notably…vague."

He nods silently. They all know the routine; they had seen it before with families and victims.

"What the hell happened?" Elliot looks around and suddenly realizes they are one person short. Anger courses through him. "Where is McMahon?"

"He's getting coffee." Cragen glances at Fin before continuing. "We aren't sure what happened. Mike was watching Olivia… we thought we had a suspect… next thing we know, she's gone."

Elliot narrows his eyes at his former Captain. He can read between the lines pretty clearly. "He didn't keep an eye on her, did he?"

At that minute, the target of Elliot's rage walks in the door. And freezes upon seeing Olivia's former partner.

Before the other man can even make a move, Elliot is advancing on him, allowing his emotions to take over. The rational part of his brain shuts off, letting the animal out.

"You. Bastard." His voice is stone.

Quickly, Mike sets down the tray of hot coffee he is holding and holds his hands up in a weak defense against the bigger man.

"I…I didn't do anything."

Elliot slows his approach, but continues to eye the man like he's prey to be fed upon. "What the hell happened?"

"I…I was watching her, and some guy passed her, looking a little TOO hard. I tracked him about half a block to a grocery store before determining he wasn't a suspect. By the time I turned back to her, she was gone."

Elliot takes in the man's defeated posture and tone. Elliot has no doubt the other man is upset about what happened, but shifting of the blame off himself only manages to anger him more.

"You know, they do teach you in the academy how to track two targets at once. Basic LO 101." Again Elliot advances, noting with pleasure that the other man backs away slightly. Easily, he sizes up his prey and decides to go with another tactic. Besides, physical violence will only get him thrown out of the hospital. 

Elliot changes his tone slightly from anger to a quietly menacing tone, narrowing his eyes to slits. "You NEVER take your eyes off your partner. If she dies -- if she even has a SCAR, I am coming after you. Don't doubt that for a second."

He turns back to the other men, who have passive expressions on their faces as though they were watching a golf game on TV instead of a detective threaten another with bodily harm. Elliot guesses because they would happily assist him in carrying out the threat.

Heavily, he sits in a chair and sighs. It's going to be a long night, and it's only just begun.

Bellevue Hospital

Three Hours Later

"Elliot Stabler?" The doctor calls out into the silent room.

"Yeah, that's me." Elliot quickly stands, and is followed in short order by the other men. Various cops have been coming in and out as they waited -- most waiting in the hall for word on their fallen comrade, and leaving the men of her unit, and Elliot, in the room.

"You are listed as next of kin. Are you family?"

"Yes, I am. How is she?" Elliot isn't in the mood to try and explain the current state of their relationship. Not to a stranger, and not in a room filled with Olivia's squad members.

"She'll be fine. There was significant damage -- the knife took an upward path under her ribs, nicking her left lung. She also lost part of her spleen and nearly two pints of blood.  She was very lucky, considering. Detective Benson could easily have bled out if someone wasn't there so fast."

"Can I see her?" he asks, allowing some of the desperation he is feeling into his words.

"Once she is moved to ICU, in about an hour. Then, only 10 or 15 minutes at a time; she needs time to rest, ok?"

Elliot nods and lets out a sigh of relief -- surprised when the doctor touches his arm. "She's going to be fine."

Again, he nods and looks at the floor, relieved. Relieved to the point of tears, which is why his current view is that of white vinyl flooring. Taking several minutes to compose himself, Elliot slowly moves into one of the chairs to wait for the longest hour of his life.

Bellevue Hospital

ICU Room 3

Two Days Later

Slowly, he opens the glass door and enters the darkened room. This is one place he had hoped to never visit for this reason. In the back of every cop's head is the fear of having to visit their partner in the intensive care unit. Now he has, twice a day for the past two days, waiting for her wake up.

Yesterday, they took her off the last of the sedative and pulled the breathing tube. The doctor said it could be any time; 'she'll wake up when she wants to' he had told Elliot on Day One.

For Elliot, it's not just a partner he is visiting. She's more than that to him, and has been for a long time. Elliot doesn't have an adequate word to describe their relationship…more than friends, lovers isn't deep enough, partners is too clinical. He does love her, so 'the woman he loves', while accurate, is a few too many words and a little too personal for general use. 'Girlfriend' might be taking it a bit too far. Elliot almost laughs at that thought. He's slept with her, he loves her, but she's not his girlfriend.

He easily sinks onto a stool next to her bed, and covers her hand with his own. If it wasn't for the wires coming out from under the blue checked gown, Elliot almost wouldn't know anything was wrong with her. While she hasn't regained consciousness in the past two days, she has regained some color -- her skin recapturing some of its bronze tone instead of the sickly grey it had been.

Reaching up, he strokes her hair slowly. She has been growing it out; it's almost to the length that it was when they first met.

"I'm so sorry, Liv. Sorry I wasn't there for you, sorry this happened. Just….God." He looks at her closed eyes. "Why don't you open those eyes for me, baby? Just a little bit?"

When nothing happens, he slowly grins. "You always were stubborn. For once, just let it go, would you?……All right, fine. You're just going to have to lay there and listen to me ramble for however long they let me sit here. Could be a while, you might be sick of my voice by then."

"Not likely." A small voice rings out.

Elliot immediately snaps his head up and looks at her face, thrilled to find her eyes open. "Liv." It comes out as a breath of relief.

"El," she replies slowly, swallowing thickly. "Water?"

"Oh! Yeah, hang on. Lemme get the doctor too, ok?"

Twenty minutes later, Olivia is hydrated and talking to the doctor slowly, but steadily. After discussing her injuries, the doctor leaves them alone. As the door closes behind him, Olivia is surprised by Elliot's face looming over hers before coming down for a feather-light kiss.

She gives him a broad smile as he returns to the stool. Olivia can see the extra lines surrounding his eyes, the tiredness that just exudes from every part of his body. Silence reigns until he speaks.

"You had us all scared, Liv."

"I know." She doesn't say any more; she can't. Olivia can barely remember what happened after she was pulled into the alley -- it's a blur. "I can't remember. I mean…I remember getting pushed into the alley….and then that's it. I don't even remember getting stabbed."

"Maybe that's for the best, Liv. You don't have to replay it in your head over and over."

"How can I get past something I can't remember though, El?"

He takes her hand and rubs his thumb along her knuckles, slowly. "I don't know… I don't know."

"How can I testify, for that matter? Maybe he said something, did something." She closes her eyes in frustration.

"There isn't going to be a trial. He's dead."

Her eyes snap open again and bore into him. "What?"

"Fin and Munch saw him coming out of an alley, holding a bloody knife. They told him to freeze, he lunged at Munch, and Cragen took him down. No muss, no fuss"

"Damn him. Damn him all to hell."

He smiles slightly at that. Elliot has to admit he experienced a bit of remorse at not being able to see the prep fry at the hands of the state. He looks at her and sees her eyes darken slightly.

"Mike….I….I remember him saying in my ear that he lost me. Did he?" Her eyes are hopeful that Elliot would tell her no, not wanting to believe that her partner would string her out to dry.

"Yeah, he did. Forgot basic training, and in those 15 seconds, you disappeared."

"Oh." Unbidden tears spring into her eyes and she pushes them away as quickly as she can. "What happened to him?"

"He's been…reassigned. Cragen didn't think that you would be able to trust him anymore."

"He's right. God, Elliot, I didn't want it to end up this way. I really didn't."

He brings her hand up and kisses the palm. "I know you didn't. It wasn't your fault."

She nods at him and then sighs, heavily. "I guess I have to get another partner. Unless Munch is willing to give up Fin." She waggles her eyebrows at him.

He laughs lightly. "No, you're getting a new partner, but I don't think you'll have too many problems. Turns out you've known him for a long time; this guy's trustworthy and pretty handsome."

For a minute, he thinks he has her confused, until a small smile tugs at her lips. "Really? By any chance would I be very…close to this man?"

"Depends on your definition of close."

She leans into him as much as her sore middle will allow. "Have I seen my new partner naked?"

He wasn't expecting that, and blushes slightly. "Why? Do you make it a habit of seeing them naked?"

"Just the one." Finally, she gets serious. "You're coming back?"

"Yeah, Cragen is trying to work it out now. Should be back by the time you are."

"Good. But what about…."

"Don't ask, don't tell policy. Ok? As long as our numbers don't go down, and we keep it out of the office, it stays between us."

"I missed you," she says.

"I missed you, too. Get better and you can come home."

Six Weeks Later

SVU Squadroom

Olivia is quietly filling out her last report when a paperclip suddenly comes flying across her desk at her, stopping just short of falling off the edge. She doesn't look up, and a rubber band joins the paperclip, and then a pen cap shortly thereafter completes the trio of office supplies congregating on the desk.

Sighing, she looks up at her partner, who is reclining in his seat, giving her one of his shit-eating grins, his feet up next to his computer monitor.

"Are we back to this again?"

"You betcha."

"If you're so bored, El, pick up a report and make yourself useful."

"Liv, it's Friday at 6. We aren't on call tomorrow -- let's get out of here." He sits up, flinging his feet to the ground and leaning across conspiratorially at her. "Come on, I'll buy you a beer."

"You know I can't have beer with my meds, you jackass." Her tone is serious, but her face betrays the smile.

"Ok, then I'll buy you an iced tea. Come on, Liv, I can really think of better things to do."

"Then do, El -- you don't have to wait for me." She turns back to the brown file.

"Yeah, I do." He waggles his eyebrows at her and she just sighs loudly, turning back to the page.

He gets up and collects his coat and gun, walking around the desk and closing the file on her.

"Hey!"

Without a word, he carefully lifts her out of the chair and grabs her coat, helping her into it. She has given into him. That accomplished, he puts one hand on the small of her back and leads her out of the office.

"Let's go home," he says, and she smiles at him.

Fin