Disclaimer: If I owned them the show would never be on because Christopher Meloni would be waiting on me hand and foot, guess it's better that Dick Wolfe keeps them…… for now!

A/N: sorry for the long wait, I've had things on my mind and stuff to do! I got to go, the Trial by Jury season finale is on! Please Review!

In The Front of My Mind

Chapter 2

"Who else are you still in touch with?" she asks me, taking a sip of her hot coffee.

"You mean from that summer?" she nods and I think for a minute. "Well, there's Captain Cragen, Munch, Cassidy, Monique, I saw Huang the other day." Olivia bites back a chuckle. "What?" I ask her,

She doesn't answer, just takes another long gulp of coffee before giving a small yelp. She almost drops the cup and sticks her tongue out to look at the tip of it.

"Burn your tongue?" I ask her, holding back my laugh.

Olivia glowers at me, "Yes I did, and it's not very funny, old man!"

I feign shock and pretend to die when she slaps my arm. I'll have her know that I'm only two years older than she is, besides, that coffee had been mine until she took it from my desk.

"Old?" I repeat, shootin her a dangerous look. This rookie better know some good defense moves.

Olivia nods, backing away slowly; a devilish glint to rival mine is dancing in her eyes. I run a hand over the stubble on my chin and furrow my brow,

"Old," I say again, trying to make my partner feel horribly guilty about making wise-cracks about my age.

"If the discount is applicable, use it!" she growls playfully and I send her a glare of mock hurt. If we are talking senior citizen discounts, I'm still at least thirty years below the mark.

"Hey girly, I'm only two years older than you are." I reach out a hand to grab her arm and pull her back towards me.

For a few moments, I can't catch my breath. The last time I was this close to her we were teenagers and making out. She's definitely grown since high school, no longer the small, tan sprite I used to know, she's still shorter than me though, even with heels on. Olivia's pulse speeds up and her breathing shallows.

"Careful with the wounded," she tries to joke but her voice comes out husky, sending shivers down my spine.

"Burn yourself that bad?" I ask, knowing that we seriously need to lighten the mood before I get myself into trouble with Kathy.

She nods, her eyes wide and innocent, just like I remember them from that summer so long ago.

I send her a cheeky grin and pull her even closer, my control slipping through my fingers like sand or smoke, and no matter how hard I clench my fist I can't make it stay with me. We jumped straight from partners to close friends and now I can barely remember my wife's name. Damn this girl for making me want her so badly, and damn myself for not having better control.

"Want me to kiss it better?" I ask. Half of me is being sarcastic, the other half is serious, I want to kiss her with every fiber of my being, and she regains control for me.

"Sure," she jokes, "And while you're at it, I have a paper cut on my knuckles from this morning, wanna kiss that too?" I raise and my brow at her and she rolls her eyes at me.

I let my lips caress her hand for a moment and watch her eyes flutter closed.

"Benson,"

We jump apart as Munch sticks his head into the crib.

"Your phone is ringing!" he says, tossing her cellular at us. She catches it in the hand I didn't touch and flips it open.

I ignore her side of the conversation in favor of the look Munch is giving me. The one that asks if my wife knows about my new female partner, the female that I haven't been able to stop thinking about since I first met her.

I hear a gasp and out of the corner of my eyes see Liv start to go down. Her legs are going out from under her and I rush to her side and grab her before she hits the floor. Munch has disappeared to find Cragen and I focus on my partner's shallow breathing.

I press my hand to her heart and feel it beating madly.

"Liv, look at me!" I tuck my finger under her chin and turn her face towards me. "What's wrong?" I demand,

She doesn't answer, just lets me help her to her feet, Cragen rushes to her side.

"Hun, what happened," the whole squad is witness to the fatherly display, which would be shocking and sweet if we weren't all concerned about Olivia.

She turns to the captain and says one word, "Hospital,"

OOO

We can't maneuver through traffic fast enough, Cragen has the sirens on and Munch is clinging to the safety handle. Brian and I are squeezed around Liv and Monique is meeting us there. Cragen knows what's on Liv's mind, but none of the rest of us do.

We race down the halls of the ICU until Liv pauses outside of one room; I note that the tears are barely contained in her eyes. There are two shadows inside the room and one looks like a child. Realization courses through me as I remember that Fin was shot the other day.

She turns when the door opens and a young black woman emerges, shepherding a young boy. He's about my daughter Maureen's age, maybe a bit older and he rushes to Olivia when he sees her. I can see the child's resolve shatter and he sobs into her jacket while clutching tightly around her neck. The woman hugs Olivia as well and they share a few whispered words. Olivia is definitely more visibly upset than the boy's mother is.

She whispers some reassuring words to the kid and gives his mother a sad smile before they walk away wearily. Putting a hand on the door she pushes it open. Cragen stops me from following her inside so I move to the large window.

A large, black man is on the hospital bed, several machines are hooked up to him and Olivia is holding his hand tightly. Fin looks basically the same, bandages are wrapped around his shoulder and his abdomen, a little bit of blood seeped through the shoulder wound and I watch Olivia brush his hair out of his eyes. His eyes open and they share a few words before she brushes a friendly kiss across his cheek. Fin's eyes flit closed and Olivia makes her way out of the room before flinging herself into my arms.

Her tears seep into the collar of my shirt and I shush her as best I can. I gently rock us back and forth, crooning softly in her ear. Cragen joins us, rubbing a sympathetic hand down my partner's back.

"Doctor wants to talk to you in person!" he mumbles sweetly.

I expect her to leave me standing there with Cragen but she doesn't let my hand go. A man in blue scrubs walks down the hall towards us and gives Olivia a sad smile.

"Miss Olivia, I wish I had better news!" he hands me a tissue and I wipe her tears away carefully,

"Will he be okay?" she chokes out past her tears. I know what she's feeling, I lost my best friend while we were in the marines, and Olivia might loose hers.

The doctor shrugs, "We're not sure," he says very quietly, "he's developed a staff infection in the wound in his abdomen. There was minor blood pooling in his left lung when he was shot and the infection isn't going to do any good."

Olivia takes a deep breath and closes her eyes tightly, "Promise me, that you will do everything you can to help him!"

The doctor nodded and followed both of us back into Fin's room,

"Love you Baby," Fin whispered to Olivia, "I'll be okay, don't you fret your pretty head!"

She nodded and pulled me forward to stand right behind her.

"Elliot Stabler," I say, smiling softly,

Fin nods, "Take care of her," he pants quietly, "If I ever find out that Liv ends up in here you will have a snowball's chance in hell of surviving!"

Sleep claims him and we silently pile back into my car. Monique drove everyone else back to the precinct about an hour earlier.

"I'll drive you home!" I tell her softly. She shakes her head.

"I'll sleep in the crib. I don't want to be home alone right now." She's still shaking.

I ignore her and park the car along the curb in front of her building. Olivia slumps out of the passenger seat and I help her into the elevator and into her apartment. I shut the door behind me and pour her a glass of water.

"Got a pillow?" I ask her, she nods.

"Why?"

"Because no one needs to be alone after news like this."

She tosses me a pillow and I sit on the hunter green love seat. Olivia smiles at me and sits too.

"You got my back?" she asks me and I nod before turning of the light and letting her settle against my chest.

"I always have and i always will!"

tbc…