Chapter 21 - Stabler

Oh my gosh! I have now offically gotten over 100 reviews for this story! I am so happy that you guys all like this so much! Thanks to Katydidit, nem, volleylover, SouthrnBelle, Skat8erchick1435, LivElRocks a lot, Raisin, qt-angel, viol8dbyalizzard, christopher-meloni-freak, LawandorderSVUfan, SVUchik18, Bloody Mina, and Mika Tsuki for the reviews.
Like nem suggested, I finally got the TV Guide with SVU on the cover and oh my gosh! I loved it! If you like SVU, this is a must read. The highlights of it - they both admit that fans want Benson and Stabler together "bad," they admit to doing it twice (jokingly of course), and Mariska said she's not leaving the show until she gets to make-out with Christopher.
Speaking of which, I cannot wait until September 20 when the new season of SVU airs!
I know, I know, you all hate cliffhangers. But at least you know I'll update every day! Now I got so many reviews about Olivia and Elliot and them making up, or not, that I had to rewrite this chapter like a million times before I was finally satisfied with it. So I worked forever on this, and I finally have the final cut. This is without a doubt my favorite chapter so far, so I hope you guys like it too. And, by the way, I'm only posting one chapter today. Don't worry though, I felt so guilty that I made it really long. And I added another twist with Brent. You didn't think I'd make it that easy, did you? ;)
And just in case not everyone's figured it out yet, I don't own SVU. And I don't own any of the other shows or companyswhose names will be brought up in this chapter later on, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Golden Girls, Trading Spaces, TV Land, Bravo, or Lifetime.

Lyrics by Emerson Drive - I See Heaven

And I barely remember falling asleep
But the minute I open my eyes
Every dream comes true
When I look at you
I see heaven
I see an angel
Lying here next to me
Bring out the best in me
Heart's in tangles
Wrapped in forever
This close together
Me holding you
You holding me
You open my eyes
Baby I see heaven
I reach up to open the window
Let the cool air dance it's way through
The sun and the sky is so blindly bright
But it doesn't compare to you
Girl I'm lost in time
As I watch you shine
I see heaven
I see an angel
Lying here next to me…

Stabler

I slowly blinked my eyes open, my blurry vision starting to clear as I woke up. I brought my left hand to my face, shading my eyes from the blinding sunlight that was pouring through the blinds of the window. It took only a minute for me to remember where I was.

Suddenly, I felt movement next to me. I froze and looked down. I was at once calmed when I recognized who it was. Olivia's head was on my chest as she peacefully slept next to me. After Olivia had came in to see me, we must have fallen asleep. I read the clock next to the bed and saw that it was about 7:00 am.

A yawn suddenly escaped me as I stretched my arms above my head, careful not to disturb Olivia. She must have felt me move though, because she suddenly started moving, trying to get comfortable. I remained unmoving until she stopped, finally finding a new position.

As I studied her face, I realized that she didn't look so peaceful anymore. Her brows were scrunched up and there was fear in her expression. She turned her head and a stray lock of her light brunette hair suddenly fell in her face. I gingerly pushed it back, and I felt a strange pang in the pit of my stomach. I knew it was physical, so I sensed it was emotional. Watching her, I suddenly knew what it was. Seeing what this had done to her, I felt… pity for her. I instantly berated myself for even letting that thought cross my mind. Olivia was the proudest person I had ever met. She thrived on the respect she'd spent her life earning from people. The day anyone pitied her was the day she'd hang up her badge.

I quickly pushed the feeling away, refusing to allow myself to think that about her. After everything she'd been through, I didn't want her to think I'd lost faith in her. She'd worked for years, just to prove herself as an equal and earn respect, and now, of all times, is when she deserved it the most. I owed her at least that much.

"Mr. Stabler?" A nurse walked into the room, a clipboard in hand. "Hi, I'm Rachel." She was fairly young and slightly waved to greet me. "I'm here to check your vitals."

"Okay, and you can call me Elliot." I nodded and held my arm out, making it easier for her to take my blood pressure. This was about the seventh time I'd had my vitals taken since they had brought me in.

"All right. Who's this?" She smiled and nodded towards Olivia.

I moved my gaze back to her and smiled as well, glad that the nurse was too lost in her own world to sense the pain in Olivia's appearance. "My sister," I lied. I wasn't sure how I'd explain my coworker sleeping next to me without going into personal detail.

"It's so sweet that you two are so close," she remarked, finishing up. "I wish my brother and I were like that," she gave a slight frown. "Well," she shrugged it off, "I have to go. Nice meeting you." She waved again before leaving. Her timing couldn't have been better, because the second she closed the door behind her, Olivia suddenly cried out.

"No! Stop!" Her voice pleaded with a terror that I'd never heard come out of Olivia before. Her arms starting flailing, striking me in the ribs and, lucky for me, missed my face by inches.

"Olivia! Olivia!" I pushed her arms down, trying not to restrain her as I attempted to wake her up. She already thought I had attacked her once, I didn't want her to think it again.

Her eyes quickly snapped open at the sound of my voice so that she was staring right at me, our faces only inches away from each other. Fear pulsated through her eyes from the nightmare she'd been having. She looked at me for a split second before opening her mouth and letting out a shriek.

I quickly realized she thought she was back at that moment when she was attacked. "Liv, no-" I tried to explain things, but it was too late.

The bed we were in was only a twin, part of the reason she'd been practically sleeping on top of me only moments ago. We were now both hugging the edges, close to falling off. That's why panic shot through my heart like a bullet when she abruptly jumped back away from me, slipping off of the bed. My reflexes were quick, but at that moment I prayed they'd be enough.

Time seemed to stop as I shot my arms out. They wrapped around her waist, catching her petite body right next to the bed before she could go any further. The two of us just stayed in that position for a second, both of us still in shock. Olivia pulled out of it first. She slid her feet off of the bed and onto the floor, letting them feel the ground a moment before trusting to stand on them. I dropped my arms away from her and she rose, quietly turning to face me.

"Where am I?" Her eyes scanned the room, professionally looking everything over.

"You're in the hospital. Remember? You came in here last night?" I tried to jog her memory. "We must have fallen asleep."

She looked at the floor, letting the memories come back to her. I remained silent, not wanting to push her in any way. Olivia's head came back up as her eyes darted around the room again, finally landing on me, a strange look on her face.

"Are you all right?"

She completely ignored my question as her eyes teared up in what appeared to be guilt. "Elliot, I am so sorry. I never should have accused you. I can't believe I'd ever think that."

"Liv." I felt a smile cross my face as she started rambling on. I quietly started saying her name, trying to get her attention.

"I know you would never, ever… Especially…"

"Liv." I said her name a little stronger and a little louder each time, still trying to get her attention.

"And in the squad room, even after what John said… I shouldn't have done that."

"Liv."

"I mean, you've been my partner for so long…"

"Liv."

"And you've been in SVU forever-"

"Liv!" I didn't yell, I just said it loud enough to finally get her attention.

She looked up from the floor, scared and guilty as she waited for me to speak again.

"Are you okay?" I sincerely asked, not an ounce of anger hidden anywhere within the question.

A puzzled look crossed her face. "Uh, yeah."

I gave a warm, comforting smile. "Then I'm fine." Olivia opened her mouth to protest, but I stopped her. "It's all right Liv. You were under stress, I understand. And I don't blame you," I added.

Her mouth fell open in bewilderment as soon as I said that. "How could you not blame me? I accused you of raping me! You,who's been my partner for years and a cop in SVU for twice that, and been in the military! How could you not hate me for that?" Tears started welling up in her eyes, hurting me more than any accusation she could ever make.

"Because I could never imagine what you went through." My voice was shaky and I hoped that it wouldn't completely break before I was finished. "And I know you would never have said what you did unless you were absolutely certain that it was the truth." I paused and attempted to figure out what effect my words have had on Olivia so far. All I could see was that she was still trying to figure that out herself. "You've been my partner for years. I only care about you." I shook my head and gave a small smile despite my watery eyes. "I could never hate you."

Olivia still stared at me, but slowly, her lips curled into a smile at the same time a tear slipped down her cheek. "Damnit Stabler," she whispered affectionately, the smile still on her face. "Why can't you just be like anyone else and say you hate me?"

A quiet laugh escaped at her question. "Would saying I hate you make you feel any better?"

She studied me for a moment, pondering my inquiry. Then she gave a sheepish shrug. "I wouldn't feel so guilty."

Just to show her how ridiculous that sounded, I pretended to agree. "Right," I gave a professional nod and rubbed my chin with my hand, like I was lost in thought. "Because saying I did indeed hate you would obviously clear your conscious of any guilt."

"I get it," Olivia laughed, a sound that was music to my ears. "You don't have to mock me."

"Seriously Liv, don't feel guilty." The 'seriously' part was quickly dismissed with my next sentence. "I have been shot before," I bragged. "I think I can get through a minor injury like a broken nose." Olivia opened her mouth to answer, but she was interrupted by a familiar voice coming from the doorway.

"And you're lucky that's all it was."

"Hi Rachel," I greeted the nurse again.

"Hi." She stood in the doorway, her hand against the frame. "I just wanted to let you know that the doctor checked your vitals and x-rays and says you're good to go. There are no skull fractures and everything's in order. He should be stopping by in a little bit to talk to you."

"Okay, thanks." I beamed, maybe a little too much. I'll be honest. For all the time I had spent in the hospital in my life, I loathed every second of it.

"You're up," she remarked, finally noticing Olivia.

"Yeah." Though I noticed the subtle puzzlement on Olivia's face, the nurse was oblivious to it, way too caught up in her own world.

"I was just telling your brother here that you two are so lucky to be so close. I see so many families that are no where as supportive as you."

Olivia's puzzlement turned to bewilderment as she listened to this. "Thanks, I guess…" I couldn't help but watch on with an amused grin on my face as Olivia played along, having absolutely no knowledge of my previous conversation with the nurse.

Rachel just grinned again and turned back to me. "Well, I just wanted to tell you that, and if I don't see you again, good-bye."

I thanked her again and said my good-byes as well. Once she had left, Olivia looked at me.

"Brother?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms as she waited for me to clarify.

I shrugged like it was nothing. "It seemed better then saying you were my wife."

"Why didn't you just say I was your partner?" I bit my lip as I fought back a grin. Liv could be such a 'cop' sometimes.

"You were lying on top of me asleep." I pointed out to her, something she obviously hadn't been aware of by her expression. "I don't think even the closest 'partners' could explain that without going into some major personal details."

At that, Olivia slightly blushed and awkwardly no longer met my gaze. She quickly got over her bashfulness and started interrogating me again.

"What did that nurse say before she left?" She pointed towards the door.

"That we're lucky to be so close," I smiled. "Have a seat, stay a while." I pointed to a chair behind her.

Though she sighed and acted like I was annoying her, she pulled the chair up and sat down next to my bed.

"I mean before that. Something about x-rays?"

I nodded. "Yeah. They took some x-rays just to make sure I didn't have a skull fracture."

"A skull fracture?" She asked like she heard me wrong. "You mean I could have cracked your head open!"

I grinned at her way of putting it as I tried not to laugh. I remembered Kathleen yelling at me when she was younger and I was demonstrating the art of jump rope to her. I clumsily entwined my foot in the rope and fell like a lead weight to the ground, smacking my head on the concrete. She came running up to me asking if I had 'cracked my head open.' I only had to have a few stitches, but I was quick to hang up the rope after that.

"It's not funny!" Unbelieving amazement flashed in her eyes as she watched me try to hold back my laughter. "I could have killed you!"

"But you didn't," I stated the obvious. "And besides, aren't you the one always talking about how thick-headed I am?"

Her mouth simply fell open as she stared at me in shock, disbelief covering her face. "You're unbelievable!" She stood up and started to walk away. "I'm leaving."

"Liv, come back." I reached out and grabbed her hand. She jumped as soon as I touched her. I pulled my hand back, not believing I just did something so stupid. Olivia hadn't moved; she was still frozen, her face turned away from me.

"I'm sorry," I softly apologized for my stupidity.

She spun back around and waved it off, a worn look about her. "It's okay." She ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to straighten it out. "So, are we okay?" She asked hesitantly, trying to see where we stood.

"Ain't nothing changed, not a damn thing, baby," I reassured her and smiled, repeating a line in a song Maureen made me listen to a million times over while we were in my car during rush hour traffic.

"Since when did you turn ghetto?" Olivia inquired, amused by my response.

"It's a song," I shrugged and suddenly felt foolish under Olivia's stare. "Never mind," I mumbled. She was silent for a few minutes before she changed the subject.

"What's that?" She nodded towards the side of my bed at a tan rectangle with a power cord coming out of the end.

"A remote control." I leaned over and picked it up. "For the TV." I showed it to her. There were two buttons on the bottom with arrows pointing up and down. There were four other buttons spaced out on top of those, consisting of a nurse alert, the TV power, the TV guide, and another one reading "CC." And right on top of those was a speaker for the volume.

"How does it work?" She turned it over in her hands.

"You push this to turn it off and on," I pointed to the power button, "this to change the channels," I played around with the arrow buttons, "and this controls the volume," I showed her the dial on the side of it. "It's kind of annoying though. The sound comes out of this, not the TV."

Olivia quickly glanced it over, turning it in her hands. "You know a lot about the hospital, huh?"

I shrugged. "You're not the first person to land me here." I smiled, letting her know I was just being a smart-ass again. "Wanna watch something?"

"Sure," she stood up. "Move over." She ushered me over to the side of my bed, leaving enough room for her to sit next to me. I grinned and happily obliged, glad to see some things about her hadn't changed.

"Pillow ma'am?" I picked up an extra one and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She accepted and placed the white square behind her head. She was in a sitting position, her legs stretched out in front of her and her head resting against the wall behind the bed.

"Comfortable?" I half-laughed.

"Quite." She grinned at me and turned the TV on. "So what do you want to watch?" She started flipping through the channels so fast that I could barely tell what number she was on.

"The second to last red blur," I stated sarcastically. "Who taught you how to channel surf?" I took the remote from her and started looking for something.

"What's that?" She didn't seem at all bothered by my taking the remote as an image flickered on the channel I had stopped at.

"Bravo." I waited a few seconds until the commercials were over to see what was on. "Oh." I recognized the show at once. "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," I informed Olivia.

"Excuse me?" She asked, like she'd heard me wrong.

"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," I repeated. "It's where five gay guys make-over a straight guy and his house." At Olivia's expression, I was tempted to explain. "Maureen was watching it once. It was actually sort of intriguing with her explaining things to me," I defended myself.

"Intrigue me with something else," she commanded me. "I hate make-over and home renovation shows."

"So I guess Trading Spaces is out of the question," I blandly stated as the screened fixed on an image of the bubbly host. I continued changing the channels, passing over tons of news stations and shopping channels.

"Isn't there anything good on?" Olivia wondered aloud, a slight disgust in her voice.

"Define 'good,' " I sighed, still not finding anything decent.

"Try Lifetime," she suggested. "Channel 36."

I looked at the number I was on – 75. Honoring her request, I quickly started flipping down though channels. "You know, this would be so much easier if this had a number pad," I pointed out, finally arriving at the correct station.

"Ugh," Olivia groaned. "Not the Golden Girls. Change it." I obeyed and began going past all the crap we'd seen before. "Maybe TV Land," she broke the silence again.

"Channel 65, almost right next to the channel I was just at." I normally didn't mind channel surfing, but it was starting to give me a headache.

"Maybe TV wasn't such a good idea," Olivia stopped me.

"Yeah." I pushed the power button on the remote and tossed it aside. Just as I was about to ask Olivia something, I heard a low grumbling noise. "When was the last time you ate?" I asked her, recognizing the sound as her stomach growling.

"Define 'ate,' " she mocked me.

"There's a cafeteria down the hall. Why don't you get something to eat?"

She shook her head, dismissing my suggestion. "I'm fine."

"Liar," I accused her, sitting forward a little. "I promise I'll be here when you get back, and besides, both of us in the hospital won't do either of us any good."

"Fine." She sighed and threw her feet off of the bed and started walking towards the door. Just as she was about to completely disappear behind the wall, she poked her head back in. "Want anything while I'm gone?"

"I'd love some coffee," I requested politely.

"Okay," she smiled again and kept walking.

--XXX--

About ten minutes later, I heard the door start to squeak open and I assumed it was Olivia. "Geez Liv, what took you so long?"

I was met with an unexpected surprise when the door completely opened and revealed the person behind it.

"Hey John." Standing in the doorway was the man who only a couple days ago had attacked me, and was half of the reason I was in the hospital now. I tried to ignore that fact as I spoke again. "Come in."

"Thanks." He politely smiled and stepped in, closing the door behind him. There was an awkward pause between us before he spoke again. "So how are you doing?"

"Fine," I nodded my head. "I'm doing good. The doctor said that my x-rays were clear and that I could go home pretty soon.

"That's good," he started nodding his head as well.

"Yeah." There was another awkward silence as neither of us met the other's eyes. Finally, John spoke again.

"Look, I came here because I wanted to… apologize for attacking you when you came to see Olivia. It was just… When she said it was you… I just lost it."

I just sort of stared at John for a moment, absolutely stunned as I tried to figure out if I'd heard him correctly.

"What?" I remained silent for too long and John immediately picked up on it.

"I have never heard you apologize before, to anyone, for anything."

He just sighed and came right back. "Yeah, the world is obviously coming to an end."

"Either that, or you're not as cynical as you want everyone to believe."

He raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms. "All right Huang, you've got me all figured out. That is the last time I'm doing that."

I grinned and realized he might not be lying. "It's all right," I dismissed his apology, though he might have already done that. "If it makes you feel any better," I started, "I would have beat the crap out of you too had out positions been switched."

He smiled, knowing that I was speaking the exact truth. "You mean you would have taken Olivia's side over mine?" He held a hand over his chest and pretended to be hurt.

"In a heartbeat, considering." I flashed him a look.

Though he tried to hide it, I knew my joke made him feel guilty when he started asking me questions. "Are you sure you're okay? Is there anything I can do for you?"

I thought a moment before I answered. "Yeah," I nodded. "Do whatever the hell you have to do to find the sonofabitch that did do this."

John's face twisted in hesitation as soon as I said that. It looked like there was something he wasn't telling me.

"What? Did you find him?" I shot straight up, my eyes never moving from him.

"Well, we found a lead." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "But we're not positive on anything yet."

"What's that?" I motioned towards the paper he was holding.

"Our lead." He handed it towards me and I greedily snatched it out of his hands.

"Oh my God." I looked it over. "What the hell is this?" It was a snap shot of a woman with dark brown hair on a beach with someone who easily could be considered my twin, aside from a few hardly noticeable differences.

"Olivia said she was attacked in her apartment while she was sleeping, and that the perp came through the front door. When Fin and I went there, we found no sign of forced entry."

"So he had a key?"

John nodded and continued. "So we decided to check out the super of her building. The super turned out to be a woman. A few days ago, the night Olivia was attacked to be exact, her boyfriend suddenly flipped and gave her a broken leg and concussion. He made off with her wallet and her keys, including the master one to all the apartments. She gave us that picture of him."

"So what the hell are you doing here? Go arrest the bastard!" I heard the anger in my voice as my volume increased with each word.

John slightly recoiled at my outburst. "No one's seen him since he attacked his girlfriend. We have people out checking his office and usual hangouts and we're going to release the picture of him if we can't find him."

Just as I was about to speak, I heard the door open again. It was Olivia and Fin this time. Both of them had a cup of coffee in each hand.

"Hey." Olivia smiled and greeted the both of us. I quickly hid my previous outburst. "Here you go." Olivia handed me one of the cups in her hand.