A.N. Sorry it has taken me so long to update. As suggested I shifted back to the present-after their conversation on the rooftop(ch1). Please review.

As Detective Olivia Benson steps out of the 16th precinct and onto the grimy city sidewalk the ominous grey New York sky opens up with a roar of thunder. She tilts her head back with a thin smile and welcomes the rain. There's something about a rainy summer night she finds terribly nostalgic. Her mind travels back to the summer after the tenth grade. She sees herself and her "first love", Jack, sitting on a bench in Central Park. Jack takes off his jacket, held it over the both of them protectively and told her he loved her. Another threatening crack of thunder brings Olivia back to the present. She shakes her head with a slight grin, tucks her head down and faces the downpour head-on.

She enters her apartment with a long yawn, unable to avoid her pressing exhaustion. It's been a long day. Throwing her keys on the coffee table, she starts to flip through the mail she just picked up. Bill, junk, bill, bill. She rolls her eyes, ignoring the urgency of the final notice warnings, and tosses the unopened envelopes next to her keys. She'll get to them, eventually.

She takes a quick shower and changes into sweat pants and a tank top.Next, she flops down on the couch and turns the television on. For the first time all week she's home before ten.

Elliot was right-he was better off doing the interrogation alone. After her less than professional interview with Brian Greene, she stormed out of the squad. Elliot chased after her like she was a child who couldn't run off alone. She returned to do some paperwork, but wouldn't dare make another attempt at the interrogation. She had embarrassed herself enough for one day.
Elliot completed it quickly and effectively. After convincing Greene it was in his best interest to admit his guilt, the gutless child abuser confessed. Without saying another word to her partner, Olivia finished what she had to and then headed up to the roof. She needed to clear her head, or maybe just get away from it all. Of course, he had to come after her. He couldn't leave things alone. He probably regrets it now, she thinks.

After a few minutes of shouting and accusing she walked away from him. The damage to their relationship done. Their feelings towards each other altered. This time he didn't come after her. She wonders if they have reached a breaking point. If that was it for them. If they finally buckled under all the stress in their relationship. She knows they have come close in the past, but they always managed to rebound. This time felt different though. It stung a little bit too much. Maybe they went too far. Despite what she said to him, what she accused him of, she still wanted him in her life. She still expected him to come after her. She can't help feeling alone. She glances at the door with disappointment.

She sits, starring at the television, but couldn't tell you what she was watching. Mentally she is back on that rooftop. His words are fresh in her mind. Why did she have to act like that? Why did she have to push away the one person in her life who truly cared about her?

She knows he didn't mean to say that. She could see it in his eyes. He was shocked and frustrated. His intentions were good. They always are. Elliot Stabler is a good man.

But Olivia Benson could be a stubborn brat sometimes. She was too proud. Why didn't she just accept his help. He wanted to help her through this. But his concern, his insistence that she wasn't alright, although accurate, only made her angry. It made her feel weak and incapable. And she had enough of those feelings for one week. Elliot was just the unfortunate target of her frustration and rage. He was the only one she felt comfortable enough around to show any type of emotion, no matter how disagreeable.

But she was angry, and rightfully so. He could be so condescending. Still, the whole thing is just one huge mess she wishes she didn't have to deal with. With a heavy sigh, she brings her legs up on the couch, hugs them to her chest and rests her head on her knees.

A week has passed since that night and there is no change in her. She still felt weak and stupid. Broken and humiliated. Scared and alone. She impatiently awaits the moment when things will be back to normal, although deep down she knows it will never come. Weren't things suppose to get better with time? Time heals everything. What delusional optimistic moron came up with that? she wonders. Granted a week wasn't that much time, but still isn't she due for a break.

He shouldn't feel like this. He should be happy. He just sent a vicious child abuser to jail, where he'll never be able to hurt another kid again. But the feeling of accomplishment takes a backseat to the consuming regret he simply can't shake.

Elliot finds himself driving aimlessly around the city, repeatedly passing her apartment. He drives slowly, wary of the slick wet roads. Not even in his distraught condition can he bring himself to be reckless. It's been an hour since he left work but he's been unable to work up the courage to talk to her. He will. He knows he has to. He can't leave things like this.

"When did you stop believing in me?" He recalls her sharp words and practically winces. Never! He wants to shout it. He could never, and he would never, stop believing in her. He would never give up on her.

He knows he made a mistake. A huge one. He knows that his respect and admiration for his partner translated into disappointment and disbelief. He only said that because he thinks so highly of her of. Because he knows her true strength. Because he couldn't believe something like that happened to someone like her. He knows its not about her-its never about the victim. That bastard, whoever he was, would have been able to overpower most women. Men are physically stronger than women. It's a simple fact. Olivia was a victim, just like the women whose cases he worked.

Still, he didn't mean it. He wasn't sure exactly what he meant, just that he never meant to hurt her. Of course she didn't let it happen. It was a momentary lapse. For a second his mouth broke away from his mind. It was a simple slip that wasn't caught on time. However, it was a costly one. That simple slip could be the downfall of perhaps his most vital relationship.

A loud blaring sound brings him out of his daze. He turns his head to look at the car honking its horn behind him. Returning his eyes to the road ahead he realizes the light has changed. He squints his eyes at the tiny green spot and presses his foot lightly on the gas pedal. He turns the corner and heads back to her building. There's no time like the present.

TBC...