I haven't written an SVU fic in a long time, so this may not be that great. I apologize if the characters seem OOC. This fic can be interpreted as a John/Olivia friendship, or a John/Olivia romance. Whichever you decide. Congrats to Mariska for her Golden Globe win.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from SVU, they belong to Dick Wolf.

"Munch."

John Munch immediately recognized that voice. It belonged to Olivia Benson, a fellow co-worker at the SVU. She walked over to his desk where he was working on some paperwork.

When she noticed that she had his attention, she continued, "It's getting late, you should be heading home."

"Just let me finish this one sheet." Before he could write another word, she snatched the pen out of his hand.

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. You're going to run yourself down if you don't take a break."

"Well, you know what they say, no rest for the weary."

Olivia threw up her hands in exasperation, "That's it, I'm taking you home. Even if I have to drag you out of here."

A sick, twisted grin showed on John's face, "Sounds kinky." He picked up another pen from his pencil holder. "But I—"

"No, buts!" Olivia was beginning to lose her patience. "Now I know you drove to work today. You can't be trusted because you'll just come back here after I leave, so I'm taking you home."

Surprised by her authoritative attitude, he simply replied with an okay.

"I'll pick you up in the morning after you've gotten some sleep."

"Whatever you say, your highness."

"What's with you?" John asked during the drive home. "Since when did you care if I burn myself out?"

"You've seen what it's done to Elliot and Fin. You're bound to be next."

"Ah, but I don't have kids or a life outside work for that matter."

"You do, just not a very social one."

"Touché."

Olivia smiled, "I just don't want you to lose it, that's all."

"I lost it a long time ago when I first became a detective."

"You know what I mean."

John sighed, "Yeah, sorry." His tone became soft and gentle. "I'm not really used to anyone looking out for me." A side of John Munch not many people got to see was now showing itself for Olivia.

She pulled up in front of his apartment building. "I care about you, John. Of course I'd look out for you." Reaching across the center console, she gave his hand a little squeeze.

John was caught off guard by this small gesture of affection. An idea came to his mind.

"Do you want to come up for a bit? It's way too early to go to bed."

"Alright, but only if you promise to get some sleep tonight."

"Deal."

"Do you want something to drink: coffee, water, beer?"

"Coffee sounds great."

Olivia sat down on the couch and looked around the sparsely decorated apartment. She remembered him saying one time that he lost a lot of stuff in the divorce settlements. Poor guy, she couldn't help but to feel sorry for him. He was so sweet, very intelligent, and not bad looking. It was sad that he was alone.

John appeared with two steaming hot cups of coffee. Setting one down in front of Olivia, he took a seat next to her.

"Thanks." She said before taking a sip.

"Careful, it's hot."

Olivia quickly set the cup down after the hot liquid touched her tongue, choosing a few explicit words to express her pain.

John tried hard not to laugh, but couldn't help it. "Dare I say, I told you so." She just retorted with a mock angry stare before laughing herself. He had a cute laugh that was contagious; she would have to get him to laugh more often.

The laughter faded until the room was silent. He asked her if she wanted to watch a movie.

"Sure, but something good."

"Define good."

"How about a horror flick?"

"We see horror everyday. Why would you want to see more of it when you go home?"

"This is fictional horror, it's not real."

John shrugged in response – Olivia did have a point. He browsed through the pay per view list before deciding on one that was bound to scare her.

Without really thinking, Olivia curled up next to John. He didn't protest, instead he put an arm around her, pulling her closer. Another thing she noted was how gentle he could be, mentally adding that to his list of strong suits.

The movie went off without a hitch. There were a few times where John could tell she was scared, like when she tensed up or gave a small jump. Although, he had to admit, she kept a brave face. That's what he liked about Olivia, her strength and tenacity, especially considering what she did for a living.

John was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. Thankfully, the movie was almost over. He couldn't fall asleep with Olivia right next to him, in case she needed him or something. He couldn't fall asleep. He couldn't . . .

When the movie ended, Olivia went to ask him if he wanted to watch something else, but noticed he had nodded off. Since he looked so peaceful sitting there, she decided not to wake him. Grabbing a blanket from the back of the couch, Olivia covered him with it. As she went to leave, something nagged at her mind, like she had forgotten something. Removing his glasses, she kissed his forehead before finally slipping out. Her work there was done.

Comments and advice are welcome. Please let me know what you think.

- Silvarius