Hey...

So, It's been a long time, huh? I mainly write over on A03 now, but with the news of Elliot's impending return to Olivia and SVU, I've fallen straight back down the Elliot/Olivia hole.

So, after bingewatching my favourites episodes, this appeared!

This is my first Elliot/Olivia story, so I apologise if they seems a little OOC.

Enjoy! X

Allowing the tears to fall freely down her cheeks, she climbed into her waiting taxi, slamming the back passenger door loudly, not even masking the tears. These last few days had to be the most draining, mentally and physically. Unconsciously, she reached up to lightly touch the wound on her neck, the butterfly stitches covering the actual wound.

She shuddered, remembeing how everything seemed to happen so fast. One minute she was trying to reason with Gitano without letting the panic show on her face, the next she was laying on the floor, clutching her neck with her partner screaming her name.

Elliot.

You and this job are about the only things I've got anymore. I don't want to wreck that.

If that sniper hadn't beaten you to it, I know you would've taken the shot, Olivia.

No, she wouldn't have. She seriously couldn't believe that he wanted her to be responible for his death. His kids would hate her, probably no more that she would hate herself. And Kathy... Olivia didn't even want to think what she would do.

Wiping her face, Olivia took a few deep breaths before she could feel herself getting angry. Angry that Elliot even thought she'd take the shot if the sniper hadn't beaten her to it. After nearly eight years, he should know her well enough now.

''Miss, where to?''

Olivia thought for a few minutes, before giving Elliot's address. She knew their partnership was strained and she knew it was probably only a matter of time that a blazing row (even worse than the one they had earlier) would explode over the squad room. So, she had decided to take matters into her own hands and he deserved to hear it from her.

Paying the taxi driver, she stepped out on the sidewalk and gazed up at Elliot's building. Using the code he had given her in-case of an emergency, she entered the building and headed up to Elliot's floor. Taking a deep breath and hoping that he was awake, she knocked lightly, before wiping her face clear of tears. Waiting a few minutes, she knocked again, a little louder and more firmly. She was about to turn and leave after another minute of waiting when she heard them. Footsteps approaching the door. She bit her lip as the door swung open, revealing her partner.

If he look surprised to see her standing at his door, he didn't show it. Staring at each other for a few moments, she saw his gaze flicker to her neck, before he abruptly headed back into the apartment, leaving her stood in the doorway. Stepping into the apartment, she gently closed the door behind her and headed further into the place Elliot now called home.

Perching on the edge of the sofa, she was suddenly nervous. While she and Elliot had had disagreements before, they had never been on the scale of risking their partnership to the point of breaking point. She was so deep into her thoughts that she didn't hear Elliot calling her name, until a cool beer bottle nudged against her skin, making her jump slightly. Elliot handed it to her silently, looking at her intensely before sitting down at the other end, the wall between them both widening. The silence soon turned awkward, both of them not saying anything, when in reality, there was loads of things to say.

''I've requested a new partner.'' Olivia spoke, not bearing anymore of the silence after ten minutes of not talking.

Elliot froze, the beer bottle halfway to his lips. What? Surely he hadn't heard her right. Because it sounded like she just said she had requested a new partner. ''What did you just say?'' he asked, for clarity more than anything.

''I've asked Cragen to assign me a new partner. So, I've been transferred to Comp-''

''Why the hell have you done that?''

Olivia looked at him, incredulous that he could even suggest that. ''You're kidding me, right? After what you said earlier? In the hospital.''

''I didn't mean get a new partner, Liv! Jesus Christ!''

''Are you sure about that?'' she took a deep breath in, but Elliot cut across her again.

''Of course I'm sure! You, the kids and the job are the most important things to me. If anything happened to any of you, I'd never forgive myself!'' Olivia stayed silent, sensing he wasn't done yet. ''Look what happened yesterday. I could've lost you and that would've killed me.''

Olivia sat staring at him, stunned that he was actually opening up to her. ''I could've lost you too, don't forget.'' she whispered. ''How could you seriously think I'd ever pull the trigger? I don't want your blood or your death on my hands, El!'' her voice cracked on his nickname and she cursed herself. ''I was glad the sniper got there first instead.''

''I could see it in your eyes, Liv! You would've done it.''

Fire suddenly raged in her brown iris'. ''I had to make him think I was going to do it! I knew one of the snipers would take the shot. They wouldn't have missed, they didn't miss. With my shaking hands, you wouldn't be here right now!''

''It would probably be for the-''

Olivia held her breath, certain of what was going to come out of his mouth before he cut himself off. ''Please, don't say that.'' she whispered, before taking a long swig from her beer bottle.

Silence enveloped them both again, the room simmering with something neither could put their fingers on. Both of them were lost in their thoughts, the past two days playing out in their minds like a CD stuck on repeat. The station stake out, Elliot choosing his partner over the little boy, their argument at the precinct, the warehouse, their silent conversation when Elliot had a gun to his head.

''I can't...'' Elliot whispered, before stopping. Why was he suddenly pouring out his emotions? He never ever did that. He knew his emotional walls were down and he was struggling to put them back up. He blamed Huang for getting him in the office earlier before he even had chance to process the past twenty four hours, let alone today's events.

He hadn't slept much. Whenever he manged to drop off, he managed at least hour before the nightmares came, him carrying a pine box or Olivia just bleeding out on the floor of the train station. His hand instinctly tightened round the beer bottle. The sofa shifting next to him brought him back to the present. Olivia had moved to sit next to him, staring at him intensely. The wound on her neck was in his eyesight and his hand moved without his brain's consent, reaching for the butterfly stitches.

Olivia stayed still, allowing her partner very gently and very lightly stroke the butterfly stitches. She waited until he looked at her, before speaking. ''Tell me what you're thinking.'' she whispered, scared that if she spoke any louder, it would cause Elliot to draw his emotional walls back up.

Elliot sighed before he spoke. ''I can't stop thinking about the what ifs?''

Olivia frowned. ''El...''

''Before you knocked on the door, I was...'' He sighed, cursing himself for breaking off. He didn't want to appear weak to Olivia, even though he knew she wouldn't think that. ''I can't sleep because everytime I close my eyes, you're in a pine box or bleeding out in my arms on that station floor...''

''El... You know it's going to take-''

''Please, Liv! Don't even... I heard what the paramedic said to you. ''Another couple of centimeters, you'd be buying a pine box.'' Do you think I want to be a pallbearer at your funeral?''

''Did you think I want to be attending your funeral?'' Olivia got to her feet, pacing up and down in-front of the TV. ''I couldn't have your family hating me for what I did, or the rest of our squad!'' She ran a hand through her hair, debating whether or not to keep going. Cragen had already accepted her request, so what did she have to lose? ''There was another reason why I asked for a new partner.''

Elliot frowned. ''What?''

''We're too close.''

''Of course, we're close. We've got nearly eight-''

Olivia shook her head. ''No, El. We've become too close.'' Olivia stopped pacing as Elliot got to his feet. ''The lines are too blurred and we're either gonna do some... We're going to have a blow out, sooner or later and I won't cope with that, if it damages us for good. I don't want to do this, but we need some time apart.''

''Liv...''

''Admit it, El. Today and yesterday were the tip of the iceberg.''

''We don't need time apart! We just... Can't pick each other over the job again...''

''What if next time, it's fa-'' A hand closing over her mouth had Olivia's eyes widening with shock and surprise.

''Don't. Don't.''

Olivia reached up and slowly pulled her his hand away from her mouth, her fingers staying wrapped round his wrist as she lowered it. ''I'm sorry.'' she apologised, keeping hold of his wrist, her thumb absentmindly stroking the skin there. ''Just... Trust me when I say this... It'll do us some good.'' She cracked a small smile. ''Give Cragen and the others a break from our screaming matches.''

She could tell he wasn't happy, but he was the one who said he didn't want to wreck their friendship or their partnership. ''Promise me, we're going to be okay.'' he whispered, his another hand that clasped the back of her head slid round to cup her cheek.

Olivia quickly nodded. ''It'll be for two weeks at most. Maybe a week, we'll see.'' she said, glancing down at his hand that was still clutching her face. ''El?''

Elliot shook himself out of his thoughts, with a slight shake of his head. ''What I said yesterday... In the hallway-''

''It's fine-''

''No, it's not fine. I was angry but I didn't know who I was angry at. At myself for not protecting you from him, or him for doing that to you. I shouldn't have taken it out on you or said those things.''

Olivia nodded, taking a deep breath so she didn't start crying again. Those words had hurt her and Elliot knew that. At first she didn't want to believe that he would say something like that but the evidence was out there for the whole squad and their boss to see.

Glancing at the wall where the clock was, she checked the time. ''I should... I should get going.'' she said, finishing off her bottle of beer quickly. She didn't like how the tension in the room was simmering with something she didn't want to put her finger on.

Stepping away from Elliot, she headed for the door, stopping only when Elliot said her name. Turning her head to the side, she waited. Waited for the words she knew would never come out of his mouth, despite the fact it was so late at night. She had stayed at the hospital to mull over her decision, before heading back to the precinct to tell Cragen of her request. After telling him and gathering a few things out of her locker, it had been night fall.

''Coffee and a pastry tomorrow?''

She smiled and nodded, before opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. Shutting it behind her, she fell back against the wall next to the doorframe.

This was definitely one case neither of them were going to forget in a hurry. They would wear the scars, physically and mentally for a while, knowing they had changed their partnership forever. She knew this little break would do them good. Save their partnership. Save their friendship, even though the lines between their relationship was getting more blurred by the day.

Let out a sigh, she ran a hand through her hair again, before she pushed herself from the wall and headed for the elevator, making a mental note to pickup some Chinese on the way back home.

If only they knew what was coming...