A/N: Okay, here's my first shot at a SVU short story. It's got a smidgen of romance in it, more friendship than anything. Just how I felt after a long day of my own. Let me know what you think!
It was nearly midnight when he knocked on her door, weary after a long day. The case had been wearing on both of their nerves and Olivia had finally given in, after going head to head with Cragen.
He heard the numerous locks on her door click and the door finally opened to reveal his partner, her hair mussed up and makeup removed, revealing dark circles under her eyes. "Hey," she said softly, "I figured you'd stop by."
He didn't ask any questions, just followed her in and sat down on the couch. She curled up at the other end, wearing gym pants and a light pink cami. He was still in his work clothes, having come straight from the precinct.
"You doing alright," he asked, already knowing her answer. She sat quiet for a minute, propping her head up on her hand as she looked around the room, searching for the answer to his question.
"It's just, do you ever feel like what we do is pointless," she asked, "We get up on Monday morning, after working some weekends, fight the bad guys, figure out who the good guys really are, then start it all over again every week. It just doesn't stop, does it. Never gets any easier."She looked at some point in space,one he couldn't see, but seemed to help her form her thoughts.Her words revealed more emotion than she would ever allow her face to show.
"No," he replied truthfully, "It doesn't. But, you knew that coming into this. That's why you took this job." He reached over and squeezed her arm, and she looked at him, finally meeting his eyes. Even though she looked so tired, he could still see the fight was very much alive in her soft brown eyes. "Besides, someone has to help them." She nodded, her arm falling to take his hand in hers, squeezing gently. Silence fell between them, his fingers massaging hers silently.
"You want to go get a drink," he asked, breaking the silence.
"No," she said, "Can we just sit here….and talk? Please?"
"What do you want to talk about," he asked, grateful at her request.
"Anything but work," she stated, "How are your kids doing?" She smiled softly as she a grin spread across his own face. Talking about his kids always seemed to make him so happy.
"Well, Maureen got a bitch of a teacher this semester," he said, laughing softly. She tilted her head and listened to him talk about his children, about their accomplishments and the struggles they had faced. It helped her realize that everyday, they fought for this, a little bit of normality in their lives.