Elliot had always been a light sleeper, the slightest of noises in the middle of the night and he would find his eyes springing open, like right now.

Hand automatically reaching out to grasp his cellphone which vibrated loudly on the bedside table, Kathy kicking his shin as she twisted and turned to face the other way. Groaning, Elliot ignored the sharp pain radiating from his lower leg as he made quick work of answering the phone and drawing it up to his ear, his fingers pressing into his eyes as he tried and failed to hold back a yawn.

"Hello, is this Elliot Stabler?" Not recognising the voice on the other end, Elliot quietly cleared his throat before dragging the duvet off his chest so he could swing his legs over the side of the bed.

Standing up, Elliot took a second to orientate himself, a quick glance at the alarm clock on the dresser telling him it was only five minutes shy of two o'clock in the morning.

"Yeah, that's me." It had become a skill, dressing himself with one hand as the other was often preoccupied with a phone call from a late night call out and so Elliot tugged his trousers up before settling the phone in the crook of his neck to zip up his fly.

It took a second before Elliot properly listened to the sounds coming from the other end of the phone, fingers tapping wildly on a keyboard and the distant sounds of sirens and background voices.

"We have a Miss Olivia Benson here at Mount Sinai West. You're down as her emergency contact, would it be possible for you to come to the hospital?" Everything seemed to slow down, cell phone almost slipping out of Elliot's grasp as the heavy pounding of his heartbeat thudded loudly in his ears.

Shirt hanging loosely around his shoulders, Elliot felt his legs almost fall out from underneath him and only just managed to prop himself up against the doorframe as he trailed out of the bedroom.

"Olivia? Is she okay? What's going on? Did someone hurt her?" The questions fell from his lips, words cracking slightly as he rubbed his forehead in a nervous gesture that always has Olivia lifting a telling eyebrow in his direction. Olivia.

The nightlight from Dickie's bedroom flooded the hallway, Elliot quickly finding his legs before striding toward the stairs as his hand held the phone tightly in his grasp, the plastic creaking under his strong grip.

"Miss Benson had a fall, she's had to have stitches on her forehead and a number in her hand from what seems to be a laceration from a broken bottle." Eyebrows knitting together, Elliot couldn't quite grasp exactly what kind of situation was going on however rather than waste anymore time quizzing the nurse on the other end of the phone, the dark haired man murmured a quiet 'I'll be there' before ending the phone call.

Questions were flying left right and center around Elliot's mind, his body moving on autopilot as she quickly found himself already seatbelted into the driver's seat ready to pull out of the driveway. Thankfully the roads were empty, Elliot's foot pressing down heavily on the accelerator as he sped down the quiet streets of Queens toward the hospital where Olivia was.

Laceration, stitches, broken bottle. The words played over and over in Elliot's mind as he tried and failed to understand exactly how Olivia had found herself in hospital when only yesterday evening ago he had watched her walk inside her building looking set for bed, a tired look in her face that Elliot was sure was reflected in his own.

Exhausted was the only word to describe Olivia's state the last he had seen her. It was obvious he had missed something and whatever that something was he was sure he was going to get to the bottom of it.

-/-/-/-/-/

Elliot could hear her before he could see her but what had the hair on the back of his neck instantly rising was her voice, specifically the way he could hear the slur from a mile off. Being a cop for so many years now he could pick up on drunkenness from a mile away and it was obvious, painfully so, that when he pulled back the curtain to reveal Olivia sitting on the bed that the woman was inebriated. Heavily so.

"Oh greaaat. I told you I didn't want you to phone any-anyone, is that really hard to understand? Huh?" Stumbling her way through her sentences, Elliot couldn't help the way his eyes widened at the sight in front of him, his partner gesturing wildly at the nurse as she angrily spouted the words out, the poor woman trying to place a heart rate cuff around Olivia's upper arm, clearly struggling as his partner shrugged her off repeatedly.

The drunken woman, his partner, his best friend, laying in a hospital bed with a swollen lump on her forehead and her hand bandaged up heavily. The sight had Elliot's heart sinking, never had he come across Olivia having had more than two drinks maximum. Always making a point of cutting herself off and drinking water, Elliot often mirrored her actions to make her more comfortable around their workmates who carried on drinking.

Sweatshirt tugged up to allow the woman to take Olivia's vitals, Elliot quickly diverted his eyes away from the dark haired woman's deep red bra that encased her breasts. Flicking up to meet Olivia's eyes, Elliot felt his cheeks flame red as the slight upward twitch of the woman's lips told him he hadn't been quick enough to look away and had been caught red handed.

Wanting to kick himself for being a total pig, Elliot cleared his throat before taking a step further into the cubicle, quickly dragged the curtain back over to allow some small sense of privacy away from prying eyes. The stench of alcohol reached Elliot's nose, the smell almost making him gag as a stern expression fell upon his face.

"What happened Liv?" Elliot watched as Olivia pretended not to have heard his question, closing her eyes before leaning back to rest her head against the pillow behind her, seemingly calming down enough to allow the nurse to get on with her job.

Approaching the bed, Elliot cleared his throat loudly and after receiving no reply he repeated his question a little louder, resisting the temptation to reach out and touch Olivia who was seemingly doing her best to ignore his presence. The swelling around her forehead was clear to see, the angry cut crusted over with dry blood around the stitches.

Face devoid of all make up, Elliot's fingers twitched by his side as he dug deep for self control to keep his hands to himself. The same self control he had been digging for since the first day his eyes had settled on his new partner. Elliot dreaded to think exactly what he might do one day if it ran dry.

Glancing over at the nurse, he didn't receive anything from her either as an awkward silence settled over the cubicle.

Folding his arms across his chest, Elliot could feel the anger simmering throughout him as his patience began to wear thin with Olivia. The woman's uninjured hand came up to her face, her uncoordinated movements making it glaringly obvious just how inebriated she was she she poked herself in the eye making her face screw up, letting out a yelp of pain as the stitches on her forehead pinched.

Before he could help himself, Elliot's hand reached out to rest on Olivia's forearm, the woman flinching under his touch as her eyes flicked open to meet his gaze. Thumb brushing against olive skin, Elliot felt the goosebumps rising in Olivia's arm at his touch.

"Okay Olivia, you're okay to be discharged now. You have a mild concussion and so we need someone at home to keep an eye on you for the next few hours, I assume that you'll be taking her home?" The nurse asked, her eyes firmly planted on Elliot who reluctantly dragged his attention away to Olivia, turning his head he nodded firmly in response.

Olivia opened her mouth to rebuff the woman's assumption but before she could Elliot sent a warning glare to the brunette who let out a loud huff and pulled her arm out of Elliot's reach. Fingertips sliding from the soft skin, Elliot resisted the temptation to roll his eyes at his partner's childish behavior before addressing the nurse.

"I will be. Does she have any medication to take home with her? Do I need to pick it up?" Elliot had spent a fair amount of time in hospitals, be it there to witness the birth of his children or to meet a victim but never had he heard or seen of Olivia having to go to hospital. The last two years had found Olivia visiting him in the hospital, offering congratulations to himself and Kathy or himself when he had broken his ankle jumping from a suspect's balcony believing he was like Spider-Man(Olivia's words, not his).

Only ever in his nightmares was he haunted by visions of the long haired woman lying motionless on a hospital bed and now that it had become a reality Elliot felt the sudden urge to surge forward, wrap his arms around Olivia's fragile frame and never let anything harm her ever again. But he couldn't. The wedding ring that glinted under the harsh hospital lighting was a stark reminder of exactly why he remained vigilant about keeping his hands to himself at all times.

Elliot could tell the nurse had picked up on the tension between himself and Olivia, her eyes constantly flicking between the pair of them as she looked down at his wedding ring. It wouldn't be the first time people had been confused about their relationship, or lack of. Constantly correcting suspects or witnesses that jumped to the conclusion they were a couple or married before they introduced themselves as Detectives, Olivia usually being the first to correct them as Elliot choked on the rebuttal that protested leaving his mouth.

"I'll go and grab the discharge papers and collect the medication. I won't be long." The nurse's thick New York accent floated over them, patting Olivia's arm kindly before dragging the curtain over loudly against the curtain rail, the metal sound screeching loudly in Elliot's ear causing him to wince internally.

The second the nurse left them alone, Elliot rubbed his hand over his face in sheer frustration, Olivia turning her head in the opposite direction so she could avoid eye contact.

"Have you got any idea how worried I was when I got a phone call saying you were here?" Elliot couldn't help the words from tumbling from his mouth, spoken so harshly he noticed Olivia flinching only ever so slightly, a blink and he'd had missed it but when it came to the younger woman he knew her better than anyone. Better than he had ever known Kathy which told him deep down everything he needed to know.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Elliot tried to shake the anger and instead calmed himself down before moving to sit on the edge of Olivia's hospital bed. Peering over, it wasn't hard to see the tear stains on the woman's and it was safe to say as his gaze settled upon them Elliot felt as though someone had his heart in a vice grip.

Clearing his throat, Elliot waited for some form of response but Olivia still didn't acknowledge his presence. Taking a risk, Elliot nervously squeezed his hand before reaching out, feeling the rough hospital sheets against his palm before his fingers felt the warm skin of Olivia's hand. Waiting a second, expecting Olivia to snatch her hand away after his outburst only seconds ago, Elliot felt a relieved smile tug at his lips as small fingers slowly entwined with his own.

Never had they held hands, at least not like they were now, Elliot occasionally offering a helping hand out of the car which was often snorted at as Olivia rolled her eyes at his gentlemanly gesture. But right now, Elliot found himself soaking up every second of their connection, his thumb subconsciously brushing over his knuckles before he could second guess himself.

There were so many things Elliot wanted to say, so many questions that threatened to fall from his lips and yet he held his tongue, almost drawing blood in fear of Olivia drawing her hand back. Pathetic was the word that instantly flashed in Elliot's mind at his thoughts.

Instead, the two sat silently awaiting the nurse's return as the clock ticked silently above Olivia's bed, almost taunting Elliot that it was only a matter of minutes before they would be forced to separate.

Olivia's breathing sounded as though it had evened out and a quick glance told Elliot the woman had managed to fall asleep. No doubt the alcohol playing a large part in her managing to sleep despite the pain that was probably radiating from her hand and forehead.

Elliot couldn't resist watching the rise and fall of Olivia's chest, the movement reassuring him that despite what may happen in his nightmares, the real Olivia was alive, bruised, bandaged and extremely drunk, but alive.

For a second Elliot let his shoulders relax, the tension ever so slightly melting away until he glanced up at Olivia's face and was met with the angry gash on her forehead.

Before his mind could wander down a dark rabbit hole yet again, the nurse entered the cubicle but before she could loudly announce herself Elliot placed his finger over his mouth motioning her to be quiet as though he were scolding one of his children for speaking.

The nurse raised her eyebrows at his action but didn't comment on it, instead she walked toward him holding out the bag of prescription medication and the clipboard with Olivia's discharge papers.

Letting out a sigh, Elliot gently squeezed Olivia's hand in his own and silently waited for the younger woman to open her eyes.

-/-/-/-/

The car journey back to Olivia's apartment had been made in silence, the woman glancing out the passenger seat window seemingly more interested in the streetlights than conversation.

Elliot had more or less carried the dark haired woman to the car from the hospital entrance, despite Olivia's vehement words that she could manage herself when in reality she could hardly walk two feet in front of herself with the amount of alcohol running through her body.

Elliot had constantly found himself looking over at Olivia, whether the woman noticed his attention or not he wasn't sure but she refused to look back in his direction.

There was an underlying tension in the air, Elliot couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly it was but he felt his nerves were on edge as his fingers tapped on the leather steering wheel beneath his hands. It wasn't the first time he and Olivia had found themselves at odds, often arguments bubbled up and they shouted at one another but within a matter of hours they would apologize. The problem Elliot found himself in was that he had never been in the presence of Olivia when she was drunk, unsure of exactly what might set the woman off or trigger more tears to fall; he kept his mouth firmly shut and his hands occupied.

The clock on the dashboard telling him it was nearing half four in the morning, Elliot was grateful his body was so used to working on so little sleep as he pulled up outside Olivia's apartment.

Olivia reached out to grab the door handle, misjudging terribly before angrily muttering under her breath in a drunken slit that Elliot couldn't make any sense out of.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Elliot opened his own door before walking the short distance around the car to open the passenger side door. If it weren't for Elliot's fast reflexes, Olivia would have tumbled to the wet pavement beneath his feet, only narrowly avoiding grabbing her already injured arm as he slid one arm around her back and the other underneath her thighs.

Tightly holding Olivia against his chest, Elliot kicked the car door over with his foot and tried his hardest not to drop the woman who was currently trying to wriggle out of his hold.

"Put me down you bastard!" Grunting as Olivia's fists punched against his chest, thrashing around like a toddler Elliot was glad he had some experience in that department as he easily maneuvered toward Olivia's apartment building.

"Olivia, stop it." The use of her full name paired with the no nonsense tone that he usually only reserved for suspects in an interview was obviously enough of a warning for the dark haired woman who let out an angry huff before giving one last final punch to his shoulder.

Elliot had to give it to Olivia, still able to connect firmly with his muscular shoulder despite being three sheets to the wind, barely even able to hold herself up straight and her right hook still able to knock someone to the floor.

Part of the man was proud, always had been when Olivia could hold herself against men twice her size but there was absolutely no way he would ever tell her that, not if he didn't want to end up with a slap to the face or labeled as a sexist when in reality he was just impressed by the woman authority. Olivia was ready to fight, especially when she believed she was in the right and despite the arguing that usually arose because of their equal stubbornness it only made the dark haired woman all the more attractive in his mind.

Expertly maneuvering up the stairs with the drunk woman in his arms, Elliot was careful not to knock her arm on the wall as they approached her apartment door that was thankfully only on the third floor.

It was only when he was standing in front of the door that Elliot realized he would actually have to put Olivia down and so reluctantly he helped the woman lean up against the wall sending up a prayer that her legs wouldn't fall out from underneath her.

"You're not staying." Elliot was soon coming to the conclusion that despite Olivia being so drunk, the woman could still move quite quickly as within the blink of an eye the woman had slid past him into her apartment when the door unlocked with his 'emergency key' he had made Olivia give him.

The door just about slammed back in his face, Elliot wedging his foot firmly in the way before Olivia could shut him out. Obviously she hadn't thought too far ahead though considering he still had a key but she was still trying her hardest to keep him out of her apartment.

Thankfully it only took a few moments before the door gave way in his favor, the door swinging over as Olivia lost her balance allowing him to enter the threshold. The sight that he was met with was something more akin to crime scenes that he was called out to, nothing like what Olivia's apartment usually looked like.

Glass crunching underneath his dress shoes and the smell of spilt alcohol reaching his nose and then to top it all off the blood trailing along the hallway.

Wide eyes turned to look at Olivia however the woman was making a point of looking elsewhere, unsteadily making her way toward the kitchen trying and failing to avoid the glass all over the floor as she stumbled and very nearly fell head first into the kitchen counter.

"For Christ sake Liv! Stand still!" Elliot berated, quickly hopping over the broken glass before tugging Olivia so she fell against his chest, her hand automatically gripping around his shoulder, fingernails digging into the sensitive skin at the nape of his neck.

Letting out a hiss, Elliot ignored Olivia's grunts of protest as he lugged her over toward the sofa in her open plan living room. Carefully sitting Olivia down, Elliot reached over to flick on a lamp on a sideboard before crouching down in front of the brunette.

The room was illuminated in a soft glow paired with the street lights streaming in through the window, only further enhancing the chestnut tones on Olivia's hair as she ran her hand through the silk like locks as she so often did throughout the day. It was one of the small mannerisms Elliot had quickly picked up on, her need to constantly rearrange her hair and thank heavens she did so he didn't have to reach out like he so desperately wanted to. Like right now, a stray curl that Olivia had missed settled over her eyes and before she could move to brush it away his fingers tentatively reached up.

Fingertips gently dancing across Olivia's forehead as he tucked the curl behind her ear, Elliot felt his throat dry up as he watched Olivia's eyes flick down toward his lips.

Leaning forward, Elliot placed a feather light kiss upon Olivia's forehead, just above the stitches. Olivia instantly leaned into the touch, resting her forehead against Elliot's chin. It took a second but Elliot instantly felt the way her body shook beneath him, the sniffling sound only confirming that the woman in his arms was crying.

"Talk to me." The words were pleading, whispered softly against her skin as his arms wrapped around Olivia's back, his hand tracing soothing patterns along her back.

It was silent save for the soft sound of sniffling as Elliot waited patiently for a response, anything to tell him exactly what he was dealing with. Olivia's hands were gripping his waist so tightly, the bite of her nails digging into his shirt clad skin as though afraid that if she let go then he would move away. But Elliot had no intentions of going anywhere.

"My mum.." Elliot instantly felt his heart sink at Olivia's words, the mention of the woman that had brought Olivia so much pain already and now he could tell that something had happened he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise up.

Watching on from the sidelines Elliot knew that whatever relationship there was between Olivia and her Mother was tumultuous. Phone calls to the precinct that he had overheard before, the way Olivia fought so hard for the kids suffering at the hands of their parents. And then there was the drinking, two drinks maximum whenever she decided to show up at the bar after work to celebrate winning a case. Even then it was rare for Olivia to show up. Elliot understood it, was one of the very few who knew about her Mother's drinking problem and so now looking at Olivia's injuries his mind was going to the worst possible outcome.

"Did she.. Did your Mum do this to you Liv?" It was as if all the air in the room had been sucked out, a blanket of silence falling over the two of them as Olivia's body tensed underneath his touch.

It wasn't for a few moments, a few moments too long, before Elliot felt Olivia's head shake. Releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding, Elliot continued his soothing motions across Olivia's back and felt the woman relax ever so slightly.

"My Mum was waiting for me outside my door after you dropped me off yesterday. Drunk and begging me to buy her a bottle, I said no so she tried to steal a bottle of wine I had on the kitchen counter but it fell to the floor. She left and.. And I wanted to just forget everything, all the vicious words she spat at me so I drank a bottle of brandy and can't remember what happened after that. Like Mother, like daughter it seems." The humorless watery chuckle that fell from Olivia's lips only broke Elliot's heart even more, attempting to pull back to look the brunette in the eyes; he failed to do so as her grip tightened, not allowing him to move.

The crying had ramped up, turning to sobs that had Olivia choking on her breath as it came out in broken cries. Every attempt Elliot made to pull back was met with firm resistance, Olivia's tears soaking into his dress shirt as she sunk her head into his shoulder, not caring about her bandaged hand that was wedged awkwardly between their bodies.

"Liv, honey, you need to take a breath. C'mon." The pet name easily fell from his mouth, the panic easy to hear in his voice as Olivia became more and more hysterical underneath him.

A panic attack, easy to spot when he worked with victims who had suffered from immense trauma. Never had he seen Olivia so upset, a few tears now and again was the most he had ever seen but right now it was a deluge. Inconsolable was the only word that came to Elliot's mind as he murmured quiet words of reassurance that weren't doing anything to calm the woman down.

It was as if Olivia was releasing years of pent up emotion, unable to hold it in anymore it was being released in the most heartbreaking of ways and she didn't seem to be slowing down one bit.

Clutching Olivia's shoulder firmly, Elliot eventually managed to pull Olivia back ever so slightly. Red eyes, so puffy that he could hardly make out her warm brown eyes anymore. Hair stuck to her tear stained cheeks and hiccuped breaths stuttering from her plump lips.

"I can't breathe El. I'm going to be sick." Catching Olivia's hands in his own as she scratched at the neck of her thin knitted jumper, Elliot entwined their fingers together as carefully as he could with her bandaged hand.

Taking deep breaths despite his own anxiety, Elliot tried to coach Olivia as best as he could but the woman was still hyperventilating, her eyes darting between his and over his shoulder where the glass was all over the floor.

"Olivia, look at me okay? Copy me. In and out, deep and slow." Finger curling underneath Olivia's chin, Elliot could hardly make out the woman sitting in front of him past his own tears that were welling up in his own eyes.

If you were to ask Elliot exactly what possessed him to do what he did next he quite honestly wouldn't have a straight answer. Hands sliding up to grasp along Olivia's jaw, thumb brushing slightly over the sensitive skin causing her to shiver beneath him as he closed the distance between their lips.

It was without a doubt one the most stupid thing he had ever done, the wedding ring burning against his ring finger and the fact that Olivia was a drunken and vulnerable mess, the sorts of people he dealt with everyday that got taken advantage off. And yet he couldn't stop. The simmering tension that had been bubbling since day one between them had finally boiled over, as much as they had both tried to stop it from happening they both knew it was only a matter of time before either of them pushed over the line that they tied every single day.

What Elliot didn't expect was for Olivia's lips to move beneath his or for her hand to wrap tightly around his neck, drawing him closer as their lips met in a kiss that was sure to change everything.

-/-/-/-/

Thanks for reading :))