A/N: Moving right along! I wrote this chapter in about twenty minutes today—it just flowed out of me like something organic, and I knew I had to get it down. We are working up to a rather rocky chapter, and I just hope you guys continue to enjoy this story. In this chapter, we get to see a glimpse of Elliot's soft but protective side. The idea for this chapter came to me this morning when I was brushing my teeth—go figure! Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter, because I think it's pretty endearing. Again, thank you all for the reviews and favorites. You are why I have kept this story going. I was just thinking today that when I started this story I envisioned about 15 chapters, and now, here we are, starting chapter 40!

Chapter 40

Elliot

The next morning came too soon. Olivia heard the shrill tone of the alarm on her phone and reached over Alex to silence it. They were entwined so closely together that Olivia wasn't sure where her body ended and Alex's started.

"No. Hu'uh. Nope." Alex's voice was groggy and Olivia felt the blonde pull the detective's arm around her slender body, cuddling closer to her lover. Alex's forehead fit snugly between Olivia's shoulder and collarbone—she took a deep breath and smelled the sweet scent on Olivia's skin, trying to decide whether or not to listen to the voices in her head that told her she had to get up for work. She glanced at the digital clock on Olivia's side of the bed—it read 6:50. Knowing that they were already 5 minutes past the alarm, she moved her sights to the sleeping detective.

"Liv, baby." She kissed her cheek and watched as those golden brown eyes fluttered open. Seeing, but wanting to conceal the light that flowed through the apartment.

The detective looked down on her girlfriend and smiled, closing her eyes halfway again. "Having a good dream. Can't wake up now. Bye." She rolled over away from Alex, ripping the covers over her, and the attorney laughed. Alex propped herself up on her elbow and admired Olivia's chiseled back and shoulders.

"What's this good dream about?" Alex leaned over toward Olivia and gently rubbed her hip, caressing the soft skin on her side.

"Hot blonde asked me on date—Red jumpsuit thing—looked sooo hot. Made love for most of the night. Wicked awesome." She rolled over and acted surprised when she saw Alex naked under the covers. "Holy shit! Must've been real. What a lucky life I lead." She winked at Alex and squeezed her in her arms.

Minutes passed as they both held each other quietly, taking in the feeling of being in the other's arms. "This is so nice." Alex's voice was comfortable, content.

"But?" Olivia's voice wasn't as satisfied—it was tainted with dread, knowing what was coming.

"But," Alex leaned over and placed a kiss on Olivia's cheek before continuing, "we've gotta get up. I've got a meeting with Casey and Fin stopped by yesterday to tell me you were going with him to look for someone connected with the Central Park guy."

"Yeah. You're probably right." Olivia threw the covers off and walked towards the bathroom, starting the shower. Peeking around the corner, she asked, "Want to come in here with me?" Alex returned a shy smile and strolled over to the bathroom, delicately shutting the door behind her.

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Alex sat back in her chair and read over Casey's notes for their next trial. She was aware of the situation, and the players, but SVU busted this one open when she was off work with Olivia, so she wanted to make sure she had everything in her head before they started another trial. She sipped her coffee and opened her laptop when she heard that same soft, familiar knock on her open door.

"Hi." Olivia had never looked better. She wore dark stonewashed jeans secured to her waist with a black leather belt. The top two buttons of her long sleeve white polo were undone, allowing her tanned skin to show through under her gold necklace. She was wearing her usual minimal amount of makeup, but there was just something so striking about her this morning, Alex noticed. Her badge and gun stuck out from her jeans, her shirt caught under them. The way she leaned on the doorframe caused her shirt to ride up a bit, and her gaze caught Alex's attention, her brown eyes were so compassionate, so loving.

"Hi." Alex smiled widely and adjusted her glasses, welcoming the detective into her office with a wave of her hand. "How can I help you?"

Olivia smiled at the question and rolled her eyes a bit as she entered the room, whispering. "Well, there are probably many ways you can help me, however, I don't think we can take care of any of those right now." A smile pulled at the corner of Alex's mouth as she sat back and waited for the detective to continue.

"I took a cab here and I was thinking about just stopping by and saying hi when I got in. But, as soon as I leaned in here…" she moved inside the office a little more and lowered her voice significantly, "I couldn't help but notice how beautiful you look right now." Olivia had moved so close that the silver buckle on her belt was touching the other side of Alex's desk. "And, we are probably very lucky that this desk is here." Olivia lingered over the desk for a minute more and severed their eye contact with a charming wink. She smiled over her own coffee and turned to leave the office when Alex cleared her throat and piped up.

"Detective Benson?"

Olivia turned around and awaited Alex's response. "Yes?"

"I like that shirt."

Olivia rolled her eyes and exited the room, softly closing the door behind her. She knew that Alex only left the door open when she wanted a visitor—all other times, she would prefer to be left alone with her thoughts. It seemed like her door had been open a lot in the last week since she had been back. Olivia smiled at that thought on her way up the stairs.

Alex sat back in her chair and kicked her feet up on the desk, stretching out her calves. She removed her phone from her briefcase and immediately composed a text message to Olivia.

I think what I meant to say was, "as sexy as you look in that shirt, I think I'd prefer you with it off." But alas, we must keep the secret another day. I love you, Detective.

With that on her mind, she returned to her laptop and began to compose another message to Cragen, copying Judge Donnelley.

Captain Cragen,

I know your schedule is pretty hectic, but I was wondering if you'd be able to meet possibly today or Monday? I know it is short notice, but I already have all of the paperwork and I don't think it would take very long.

Judge Donnelley,

Is there any room in your schedule for such a meeting today or Monday?

Thank you both for your time,

Alex

With that out of the way, Alex turned her attention to grand jury testimony and preparing opening arguments. She didn't mean to be pushy, but hopefully Cragen and Donnelley could meet soon—this hiding shit was getting old.

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Only one full week back at work and you're already thinking about fucking me in your office? Really Ms. Cabot, some restraint would be nice.

Olivia smiled as she composed the message and sent it—she could only imagine Alex's face when she opened the text. She looked over at Elliot, who was concentrating pretty hard on his computer, which was odd.

"Trying to decipher some secret code over there?" Olivia asked this lightheartedly, knowing that her partner wasn't the best with computers. When she moved to computer crimes for those few weeks, she and Elliot didn't speak at all. But, when she returned he was quick to give her a hard time about how big of a nerd she was. Secretly, though, they both knew he was jealous and wished he knew how to navigate his computer half as quickly as Olivia could.

"Nah, just replying to this email from Kathy. Dickie is missing 9 community service hours and I guess he was supposed to have them before starting his senior year. Damn catholic schools."

"Hmm. Well, if it can be any kind of community service, I'll just sign a form and he can continue to help us with the restaurant."

"Liv, that just might work. You're the best." Elliot beamed at his partner and started to reply to the email. After he finished replying to his wife, he studied Olivia for a few seconds. He had spent the last 15 years with Olivia as his partner, and although they had gotten into a few tough spots together, he knew that no one would ever compare. She wasn't only his partner, she was his best friend—and she was the best friend he had ever had. He opened a new email and began typing.

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Downstairs Alex smiled cleverly at Olivia's response, as a few choice words stuck out. She began to reply when she noticed that she had three unread emails. Deciding that she should quit daydreaming and start her day, she sent the message she had composed.

Restraint, huh? I like where you're headed….LOL I've gotta get down to work. I love you Olivia. See you later today.

Her first email was from Judge Donnelley—she was not able to meet today or Monday. Alex took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm her frustrated state of mind. The second email was from Cragen, and of course he was able to meet whenever.

Alex began to think that this meeting would be harder to put together than she had originally thought, which tested her nerves a bit. As soon as news of their relationship came out, IAB would be all over it anyway, and delaying this meeting only increased the chances of her and Olivia meeting on the same case within the next few weeks—it became more of an inevitability than an exception. Alex silently hoped that this situation wouldn't happen any time soon when she saw that her third email was from Elliot.

"Elliot?" She questioned under her breath. Now she knew she was in muddy waters: if Elliot needed something for a case, it was a sure bet that Olivia was probably involved too. All she could think about was if their relationship got out and when IAB would be breathing down their neck.

There was no way Alex was going to disclose their relationship without telling Donnelly or Cragen first—period. The last thing Alex wanted to do was deny Olivia, but she didn't want to cost the detective her job. So, hopefully no one from IAB came sniffing around. They had been pretty careful lately: they usually got to work at different times so they took different modes of transportation, they didn't eat lunch together too much, and Olivia tried to limit the visits to Alex's office. Alex tried to flush these thoughts from her mind when she opened Elliot's email.

Alex,

Was wondering if you had any time to meet today for the Central Park case? I am thinking any time between 11:30-1:00. Are you available?

Alex immediately responded.

Detective Stabler,

I am free for most of the afternoon. Let's meet around 12—I'll be out of judge's chambers by 11:45. Do you want to meet in my office?

Alex

She sat back and thought for a few minutes about why Elliot would be contacting her instead of Munch or Fin—it was their case after all. Maybe they wanted to bend the rules, but weren't ok asking Alex themselves, and instead wanted the guy who usually breaks all the rules to ask. As she was pondering this, her email dinged, signaling a new message.

I was thinking a lunch meeting. I'll meet you at the Rooftop Café around 12:15? My treat.

Now she knew something was up. First of all, Elliot wasn't someone to just go out to lunch to actually eat. Lunch for Elliot and Olivia was the hot dog stand at the corner of Madison Ave and 44th St, between coffee trips and arrests. She tried not to think about it for the rest of the morning, and debated texting Olivia to tell her, but didn't want to raise any suspicions. She met with Casey and walked to Judge Petrovsky's office, spending most of the early afternoon there.

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"Counselor, so nice to see you." Elliot stood up and pulled out the chair across from him, giving Alex enough room to put her purse down and sit, before she felt him pushing it in towards the table. It was a polite gesture, Alex thought, but not something that a detective who wanted to talk to her about only work would do. Elliot straightened his sunglasses on his face and broke the semi-awkward silence. "I ordered you a water, I hope that's ok."

Alex propped her glasses on the top of her head and smiled as she cleared her throat and opened the menu in front of her. "Yeah, sounds good. Thanks." She eyed Elliot over the menu, still wondering what his motivation was for calling her out here. "So, what's new with the Central Park guy?" She tried to keep her voice purely curious. But, she couldn't tell if he could sense the intrigue in her tone, trying to figure out what the real meaning of this meeting was.

Elliot smiled that crooked smile and leaned back in his chair. He took off his sunglasses and met Alex's eyes. "Alex, I'm not here to talk about the Central Park guy." After the waiter arrived and they both ordered, Elliot continued. "I want to talk to you about Olivia."

Alex straightened up and tried to read his face. What about Olivia? Is there something wrong? Is this the "what are your intentions" talk? So many thoughts ran through her head, but, in true attorney fashion, she sat back and gave a noncommittal response. "Ok."

"I just kind of want to clear the air with you, Alex. I know that there have been times where you and I…" he searched for the proper words, "haven't exactly gotten along very well. And, I just want to let you know that I see how happy Liv is, and I just want to thank you."

Alex was not expecting this, and her smile betrayed her hard exterior as she melted a bit on the inside. "Well, I guess I should thank you for being her best friend for all of these years. I don't know where she'd be without you."

He brushed this compliment off with the upmost modesty. "Nah. She'd be just fine without me. But, I've seen her without you. And trust me, it's not good." Elliot paused and emptied his water glass, obviously trying to shake that memory for a minute.

"Here's the thing Alex—I don't want this to turn into one of those big brother 'if you hurt her I'll kill you' talks, but I just want to make sure you know how much you mean to her." Elliot sat back in his chair and folded his hands together, awaiting Alex's response. In his demeanor Alex could see how much he cared for his partner, and it warmed her heart to know that he would always look out for her.

"Elliot, I know that you and I haven't always seen eye to eye, but it's because we are both passionate about the law and we like seeing people brought to justice—we both just happen to think that what we want to do is the right thing to do, whether it is or not. Maybe we butt heads because we are a little too similar, I don't know. But…I do know that, even if we aren't similar in any other way, we do both love Olivia." She paused and watched as Elliot nodded his head in agreement.

The waiter brought their food and Elliot dug into his burger while Alex waited to finish speaking before eating her steak and arugula salad. "You know, I really meant what I said when you and Liv got those medals. I know that you guys are great cops, and even better detectives. So, Elliot, don't worry about 'clearing the air' with me. If everything goes the way I'm hoping, I'll have to put up with your crap both personally and professionally for many years to come."

They both laughed out loud at this last comment, which sparked Elliot's next question. "So, just out of curiosity, where do you see this going? The whole white picket fence, 2.5 kids, house in the suburbs?"

Alex smiled as she put her fork down on her plate. "Well, I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about that. I mean, I definitely see a future with her. I would probably be the luckiest woman in the world if I could ever call her my wife. But, at the end of the day, I just want to be with Olivia. That's all. She makes me so happy, and I know that she's the one for me."

Alex paused, wondering how much she should disclose to Elliot. After a few seconds of thought, though, she realized that Olivia probably tells Elliot everything, so she knew it'd be ok to continue. "You know, or maybe you don't, that there was one night that Olivia and I spent together before I was shot…" she waited for him to acknowledge this statement, and when he nodded, she continued. "And, that one night was really all I had to hold onto in WITSEC. I knew that when I came back, I had to make things right. Now, as you were a witness, it was a little more difficult than I had played out in my head, but all that matters now is that we are together."

Alex raised her glass to her lips and took the last sip of her water before she continued. "If you're worried that I'll hurt her, I can promise you that I would never intentionally do that. I will work every single day to make her as happy as she makes me."

Elliot finished his burger and sat back in his chair. He had been pretty quiet while Alex was talking, giving her ample time to answer his questions. A few minutes passed and the waiter came around to collect empty plates and drop off the check. Elliot reached for it before it even hit the table and placed his credit card in the waiter's hand as he passed back by.

"When I was about 18," Elliot's voice intrigued Alex, and she sat back and crossed her legs, listening to his story, "Kathy called me at my parent's house and asked me to come over for dinner. When I got there, her dad was waiting on the porch with his car keys in his hand." Elliot smiled at this memory, took a deep breath, and continued. "I could see why he wanted to have this talk with me—I was kind of a punk, but he knew I loved his daughter with everything I had…Don't get me wrong, Alex, I don't mean for this to be like that."

"At the end of this little talk we had, he turned to me and gave me a hug. It was a little weird at first, because he only ever shook my hand before. He said to me, 'I love you like my own son, Elliot. If you treat Kathleen only half as well as I know you will, I know she will be in loving hands.' That has stuck with me—that, at 18, I knew enough to know that Kathy was the love of my life. Now, we've had our problems, but it's always been her."

Alex felt her throat tighten a bit, as she felt herself getting emotional. There was something about these tough cops that she had come to know so well—when they spoke what was on their hearts, deep down, they were so loving and committed. Before long, Elliot paid the bill and signed his name. As they gathered their stuff, he started speaking again.

"So, I'm here to tell you something that you already know. Olivia doesn't have a father—and that's not my place. But, she has been not only my partner, but my absolute best friend for the better part of the past 15 years. She is the most loving, passionate, and loyal soul you will ever know. I have seen her do things that I will never understand, but I will always stick by her—thick or thin, no matter what."

"I'll tell you the same thing Kathy's dad told me: it won't always be easy. Things will get in the way. But, if you love Olivia like I think you do, every second will be worth it, because you'll know, at the end of the day, that the person you lay down in bed next to at night is truly your other half. I love Olivia, Alex. That is no secret. And she loves you. Therefore," Elliot took a breath in and stood up, signaling for Alex to do the same. She gathered her belongings and walked toward Elliot, where he caught her in a warm embrace. "I love you, Alex, for the way you love Liv. Please, respect her, and take care of her."

When Elliot released Alex, they looked at each other and emotion overwhelmed Alex. Only two words escaped her lips as she replied softly to Elliot through a tearful smile: "I will."