Elliot Stabler loved people-watching. As far as he was concerned, it was better entertainment than reality TV. He could sit on a bench all day and watch a multitude of colorful characters go by. To him, it was a great comfort to know that the world was so diverse, and a pleasant change to look at people who weren't raping and murdering each other.

That was what he was doing now: sitting on a park bench, next to his partner, his eyes following each person that walked by, trying to forget about the "Battle of Wounded Knee" (hard to do when the person it concerns is sitting right next to you). Other than that, he was perfectly content.

What made it even better was that his arm was around the shoulders of the woman he loved.

Olivia scootched closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. At that moment, an elderly couple walked slowly past their bench. The woman caught Olivia's eye, and smiled warmly at her. She blushed, but smiled back.

She imagined that she was looking at herself and Elliot many years from now. They would be happily married, living in a small cottage in the country. Their children would all be grown up, with their own families. She let out a long breath, settling into the idea of growing old together.

She felt his chin come to rest on top of her head, and each short breath slightly ruffle her hair. She was beginning to wonder where she ended and he began. It seemed that everyone who passed gave them a small grin. She felt a little too out-in-the-open, but she had no intention of moving.

She tried to shut her eyes and rest, but something was bothering her. She could not make it go away. She did not want to disturb the serenity of the moment, but there was no putting it off. But she was afraid of the consequences.

"Hey, El?" she asked.

"Hmmmm?" His voice rumbled quietly, his nose tingling with her scent.

She took a deep breath and forged ahead. "What did you mean when you said that you were afraid you'd lose me?"

She felt the arm around her shoulders stiffen.

"I mean, you know, it's no big deal, but I'm kinda curious. You know me." She laughed, a little nervously.

"You think it's no big deal?" he whispered.

She lifted her head from its place on his shoulder and looked at him. He was staring off into the distance, as if he could find the perfect answer there.

"I'm sorry. Forget I even said anything," she sighed. She did not put her head back on his shoulder, though his arm stayed where it was.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked after a moment of contemplation. She stared at him, and he took it as an invitation to go on.

"You are my best friend, Olivia. Eight years we've been together. We have seen more horrible, vile, disgusting things in one week than the entire city of New York sees in a lifetime. We see parents killing their children for insurance money. Husbands raping their wives. Kids shooting up playgrounds. Teenagers killing their friends. Crazy people doing crazy things. The point is…" Here he paused and shifted so he was looking straight into Olivia's eyes. "The point is that we've stuck together. Yes, even through the Richard White case, we always watched each other's back." Olivia smiled, remembering her anger at Elliot for ordering a protective detail. "We've never left each other's side and I'm proud of that. But I'm having scary thoughts."

She looked at him quizzically. He sighed, turning his eyes away for a minute. He looked back at her, his blue eyes expressing truth.

"Don't you see? We're always together, but what if one of us gets tired? What if one of us gets shot? What if it all becomes too much? I couldn't bear it, couldn't live, if you left, Olivia. If you don't work, I don't work. You're my best friend, Olivia. The best ever."

Olivia's eyes widened, but then she became confident. "No, Elliot," she said, and then paused. "I'm not leaving. You and this job are my life. I pour everything I've got into it, and though it takes some away, it gives so much more back. The best part is that I'm with you. Did you feel it, that first day? The undeniable bond? Those don't break, Elliot. They don't tear; they can't be severed. You see, that's what makes us so special."

A tear fell down her face and into Elliot's open palm. He pressed his hand to his heart, as if soaking up her sadness.

"I can't leave you, Elliot," she continued. "I can't split myself in half."

She looked at him for a few more moments, then bit her bottom lip and stood up. "I'm going home. Thanks for taking me out."

Her hands shoved deep into her pockets, she slowly kicked the few leaves that had had fallen to the ground. She was not grass anymore, nor was she a tree or even a bush. She was the leaves, manipulated by outside forces, crumbled to dust, left to blow away. She gave particularly small leaf a hard kick. It sailed up into the air, twirled a dance, and drifted back down to her feet.

She looked at the tree next to her. Could this be the leaf's home? She imagined it clinging to a branch, and the branch supplying it with all it needed. The tree was the leaf's protector, and the leaf gave back what it could. Leaf and tree worked together, and when you thought of a tree, you didn't think of branches and leaves separately.

She was the leaf and Elliot was her tree. I couldn't bear it, couldn't live, if you left, Olivia. Yes, leaves do fall, but not her. She'd be the one that clung onto the branch when all the others had deserted it.

He's right, a small voice in her mind said. She knew that voice; it was the one that always tried to sabotage her. You'll get tired. You know how hard you are on yourself. One day, you won't be able to take it anymore. Or maybe a suspect will get a lucky shot.

No, there's nothing physical about this, said the other voice. This one she could count on to make the right decisions. The bad voice laughed. Aww, is this about the soul?

Listen to me, said the good voice. Do you trust him? She nodded. Do you support him? She nodded again. Are you always there for him? "Yes," she whispered. The voice drew a breath, preparing Olivia for its next question. Do you love him? She stopped on the sidewalk. This was going somewhere strange, but she had always trusted this part of her.

"Yes," she said out loud.

Good, said the voice, satisfied. That's all you need to know.

She looked at the tree's trunk and smiled. The small leaf had attached itself to the bark of the tree.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and immediately knew who it belonged to.

"Hey," Elliot said.

"Hey," she smiled at him. "Forgive me?"

"Yes," he whispered, and quickly pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry," she sighed.

Do you love him?

"I just wanted to know what you were feeling. I wanted us to feel comfortable with each other. Not that we don't already, of course."

Do you love him?

"I'm never going to leave you, Elliot. I'm always here."

Do you love him?

She placed her hand on his heart and felt it beating. His own large hand covered hers and warmed it.

Do you love him?

Yes.

Note from SuperCellist: Thank God I got this done. I was so busy so I didn't have time to pick up the noteboook and pen. When I wrote the part about the leaf and the tree, I was staring out the window of my house at the tree on the front lawn. That scene was a spur-of-the-moment thing.

I just watched the first three episodes of House. That show can make you angrier than anything or perfectly happy. One second, you want to shove Dr. House's cane up his nose, and the next, you're completely in love with him.

Oh yeah, Mariska Hargitay is coming back to SVU! Dani Beck is gone, baby! I hope she gets a nice, hard kick outta there. During the last episode, I was pretty much hoping the suspect would kill her, or at least really hurt her. I am a horrible person.

Don't forget the three R's: relax, read, and review!!!!