Disclaimer: See Chapter One

A/N: Thanks once again for all the wonderful reviews I'm getting, guys, I appreciate it. Sorry this took so long to post- I had a hectic weekend. Also, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but with the return of school, my chapters might start taking longer to post, such as this one. But I promise I'll still get them up as soon as I can.

Oh, and if you get the chance, check out E. Madden's fan fic, "Trust". He's a good friend of mine and after I read some of his story, I thought that you guys would like it. Since it's his first fic ever, he could use some reviews and a little encouragement. ;-)

Chapter Four:

Olivia's eyes shot open and she once again found herself starring into her partner's blue eyes. She went to scream but he covered her mouth and put a finger to his lip. She took the time to realize that his eyes were light and calm, but his expression read that of a little boy's who just hit a baseball through his grouchy neighbor's window. He was scared.

"Liv, listen," he began. His eyes started to fill up with tears. "I know you know I didn't mean it but I-I- feel so…" He touched the stitches that formed a small line between her right eyebrow and ear. Olivia winced from his touch and remembered what he said to her. "You don't even know your father. All you had was your drunken mother, and she couldn't stand to look at you." She felt tears return to her eyes. "You've never had anyone care about you…!"

Seeing her start to cry, Elliot grabbed her hand. "Liv, listen to me. I didn't mean to hurt you. I meant none of what I said. I just… Besides you know I care about you, more than anything."

Now, she had really had it. "If you're worried about your damn job, I'm not ratting on you." She couldn't tell if she was too afraid to face him or just angry she couldn't hold herself together any longer.

Elliot looked a little taken back. "Maybe I overdid it just a bit," Olivia thought and bit her lip, then sighed. "Look Elliot, this isn't the greatest time. You know I'm not just going to forget what you did and I'm not just going to get over it. What you said- what you said was really hurtful." She started to let her tears fall at this point. "I know you're upset over the whole divorce but that gave you no right to take it all out on me. Now please, go home, rest, God knows you need to, and we'll fix this another time."

Elliot looked at her with more understanding than hurt, and wiped a tear off her cheek. Then he sighed and got up to leave nonetheless. "Thanks for not being angry at me," he said softly at the doorway.

"I never said I wasn't angry, I'm just willing to work this out," she said and wiped her eyes. "I don't like to hold grudges, and I will certainly not hold one against my partner." She decided not to add 'best friend' at the time.

With that, he gave her a small smile and left. "God, I hate him right now!" she thought. What he did was not forgivable- whatever the situation may be. However, this was Elliot Stabler, her partner for too many years to count, her best friend, the only family she had; and she was Olivia Benson, the only person who would try to forgive their best friend for beating them up and the only person that would still want that person just a close to her, if not closer.

Things were about to start getting complicated.

X X X

Don Cragen walked into the hospital room slowly. It was late and he wasn't happy to give up his sleep. However; one of his best detectives had been admitted into the hospital a couple hours earlier, and he was pretty sure he knew why.

According to her doctors, Olivia had a minor fracture in her jaw, she received about an inch of stitches between her right eyebrow and right ear, her nose was slightly swollen but no damage was done, but there were multiple bruises that lay scattered on the right side of her face. He looked at her sleeping form; she was a mess.

If he didn't know any better, he would say someone whacked her with a brick. His best bet right now was that Elliot was his brick-whacker.

"But, why?" he thought. Olivia started to stir and blink. Seconds later, she awoke. Her eyes looked red and puffy; either from lack of sleep or crying. They were full of mixed emotions and confusion. It was like she was trying to ask for help, or guidance, or anything to make her situation less confusing. She was definitely a mess.

"Hey, Cap," she said sleepily, "How ya doing?"

Smiling, Don replied, "shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" That was his Olivia alright; always putting everyone before her. "You look pretty banged up."

"I'm fine, Captain, really," she stated obviously projecting more positive emotions than she felt. "I just, uh, really need to watch where I'm going, I guess."

Boy was she lying through her teeth. Don sighed. "Look Olivia, I don't know what went on. I don't want to know what went on. I'm pretty sure I have a clear idea, though. I trust you to make the right decision. I'm not gonna do anything about it unless you tell me to. So until further notice, I'm giving you tomorrow off to heal but I want you back by Thursday. If the doctor doesn't want you on the field then you're on desk duty until I say so, anyway."

Olivia groaned at this. "It's just a couple of bruises, Captain; I'll be fine, really!"

"I'm not putting you on desk duty because of your physical injuries. I'm doing this because of your emotional injuries. Now, I'd really like to get back to sleep. We're going to have a long day tomorrow."

"But Capt-"

"Goodnight Olivia," he said and left. Putting her on desk duty wasn't his best option but he wasn't sure he could trust her and Elliot out on the field together. "Maybe I will just switch them up with Munch and Fin," he thought. It couldn't hurt, but Elliot and Olivia were always great together. "Boy, Elliot is a lucky man." I mean how often is it that you can beat the life out of your partner and best friend and get away with it?

X X X

Elliot sat on an old couch in a dusty living room. It was cold and he was lonely. Since Kathy took the kids and left, he couldn't stand to be in the old house. That house full of so many memories.

So now he sat in his new apartment, boxes still around the room, dirty laundry on the floor, and trash that had yet to be taken out. He picked up his drink off the small coffee table and brought it to his lips. He savored the taste of the liquid as it went down his throat and thought to himself. "She's in the hospital. She's in the hospital because of me. Because I'm a monster, because I can't let go, because I couldn't just talk to her, or to anyone." There were too many reasons to name- to even think of. "Damn," he said, finishing his drink. He put the bottle down, and glared at it. "I need another beer."

He started to get up and walk towards the kitchen, but stopped. "I destroyed the only person that still cared for me, that believed in me, that trusted me," he realized. She was all he had left to breathe for, to sleep for, and to live for.

And in the back of his mind there was that one thought that haunted him for hours, days, weeks and months.

"This is all my fault".