A/N: Some parts may be triggering due to abuse mentioned in this story. This particular chapter contains a flashback. Proceed with caution.

Disclaimer: I don't own either show.

When she told Elliot, she described the events in intimate detail, not afraid to show her emotions or insecurities. She felt safe breaking down in front of him. This time though, her voice was distant, as if she was speaking about a victim in a case they were working, not her. It worried Elliot, she knew, but she would be ashamed if she fell apart in front of the rest of the squad, not to mention at the precinct. There was not a single dry eye in the room when she was done, and Elliot, who had to force himself to not chime in and comfort her, knowing she would see that as being weakened in the other's eyes, pulled her close and kissed her head, a simple reminder that he loved her and was still with her, both physically and emotionally.

Olivia had only been with the SVU squad for about a year and a half. She was the baby of the unit and she quickly had become aware of how protective the whole unit was with her. They were her family, and they were the first people who loved her unconditionally. When she and Elliot had first become partners, they had an instant connection. Elliot, a single divorcee, and father of four had asked Cragen about a month into his partnership with Olivia if there was really any policy against partners being in a relationship. Cragen had smirked, knowing why he was asking, told him not to worry about it as long it didn't interfere with their ability to do their job, and then slapped him on the back saying 'good luck' and told Elliot that Olivia was like a daughter to him so if he hurt her there would be consequences. He drove her home and they ordered takeout from the Chinese place that had been their favorite late night spot during a long case. They were sitting on her couch when he asked her, she had been hesitant, and he now knew why, but eventually agreed to let him take her to dinner. They hit it off and had been going strong ever since. Last Christmas was when he told her he loved her for the first time. She kissed him, too speechless to say anything and tried to keep her tears at bay. He wiped her eyes and kissed her again, in a way that she felt she would have melted in the snow if his arms weren't wrapped securely around her. It was the first night in a long time she didn't have a nightmare about Lester Sproles and her life as Audine. Her work with SVU and her relationship with Elliot had been enough to keep that part of her life on that backburner...until now.

"Stabler, when you go to kill this guy, leave some of him for the rest of us, will you?" Detective Brian Cassidy spoke up darkly. Even though he and Olivia had never had a relationship, he had a secret crush on her. He would never take her from Elliot, not that he could if he tried, but he would definitely take on anyone who wanted to hurt her.

"So...where are we gonna go?" Abbie asked the question that was on everyone's mind since they knew the man after Olivia had everyone's address.

Captain Cragen cleared his throat, feeling a bit choked up himself after hearing what the woman he loved like a daughter had been through.

"I think the best option, for now, is for us to all stay here tonight-"

"Just baiting ourselves to this guy?" Was Detective Monique Jeffries reply.

"Cap's right, it's safer if we stay together until we can make a plan," Elliot spoke up, still holding Olivia, who had leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Cap I don't want to put all of you at risk like this. I'll stay here, you guys should get out of the city and Elliot should go home to his kids and Kathy-"

"Seriously Liv? One, we're divorced and Kathy hates my guts and probably wants to kill me as much as this psycho does and if we all just leave who will protect you?"

"You wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for me!"

"We'd still be in the Richard White mess or some other perp and that's part of the job. We're gonna protect you Liv, and you might as well stop trying to fight Elliot on this. Poor guy's just as stubborn as you are. Together you're impossible." John Munch replied causing the partners in question to roll their eyes and rest of the squad to chuckle.

"As of right now Olivia we have to treat this as if you're a civilian in danger-"

"Because I am-"

"Don't take this the wrong way, you're as tough as all of us, perhaps even tougher. But you are in danger and we're your best protection." John looks at Elliot and continues. "Or, well, your partner is your best protection. We're just trusty sidekicks."

"I know he is. But who's going to protect him? Who's gonna protect any of you?"

"Tonight, we are all going to stay here. I'll stay down in my office and everyone else can sleep in the cribs and loft area. You can argue over which beds you get when I'm done talking-" Cragen spoke up and looked at his detectives. This was his squad. His family. And at the end of the day, he would fight for all of them. "Munch, Jefferies, Cassidy and Carmichael and I will stay here together and do everything we can to find this psycho." He pauses and looks directly at his youngest detective and her partner who was still holding her protectively. "As for you two, it would probably be best to get you as far away from the city as possible."

"My parents used to take us to a beach house in Cape Cod in the summer sometimes, it's still there, I took the twins last year. That's about 4 and a half hours." Elliot spoke up.

"What if he tracks our locations through our cell phones or follows us in his car. He's clever Cap." Olivia replied.

"That's why I'm giving you guys a burner phone, we will call you with updates from the case but only accept calls from the precinct. He won't be able to track you with these."

"Maybe we should leave now while it's still dark. It will be harder for him to follow us or track our car then it would in daylight." Elliot suggested.

"El we don't have anything with us. My apartment is a crime scene and yours is destroyed."

"CSU's finished at yours Olivia if you want-" Cragen interrupted

"I'm not going back there, I can't. Not tonight. Not while he's-"

"There are shops in the area, we can get basic necessities there. I still have some old clothes in the house itself and-"

"I'm not wearing your ex-wife's clothes," Liv said smirking.

"I will take you shopping."

"You're sweet El, but I'm kidding." She whispered this next part in his ear. "Besides, I like wearing your clothes better anyway." If the circumstances weren't so serious, he might have blushed at the comment.

"We can put you in an unmarked car like you use undercover so you can't be tracked. It won't take long to set things up. Whatever you do….stay together." Cragen's voice had a fatherly tone that gave Olivia comfort. He was worried but determined to keep them safe.

"I have no intention of letting her out of my sight. Ever." Elliot's blue eyes locked with hers, holding her steady. The swirls were fiery and strong with determination and loyalty. He would protect her. He would always protect her. She allowed herself to relax in his embrace. Still, a part of her was unsettled because she knew Elliot would do anything to keep her safe, including risking her own life. She couldn't imagine losing him, nor could she think or anything that would be more devastating.

"Neither do I," Olivia replied just as strongly.

X

They were on the road in half an hour. Elliot had the burner phone in his pocket and his gun was in between their seats, allowing either one of them the opportunity to reach for it if needed. Olivia's gun had been stolen, making Elliot her sole protector, but she was still his partner and she would go to the same lengths to protect him that he would to protect her. Always. One hand was on the steering wheel while the other held hers firmly. To protect her in case something happened and they needed to get out fast, and to comfort her, to remind her that he was there and that she was safe. They had been driving for almost 2 hours and the stress of the night was weighing on them both. Olivia was exhausted, but Elliot knew she was fighting sleep. He pulled over to the side of the road so he could lean over and kiss her head gently and stroke her hair.

"You can rest honey. It's ok. I'm right here." She closed her eyes and leaned closer to him, resting her head on his arm while still holding his hand.

"El?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." She yawned and scooted closer in her seat so she could wrap her arms around his while his other hand was on the steering wheel. He could feel tears prick his eyes, the stress of the night combined with his love and worry for the woman in the passenger seat.

"I love you too sweetie. Get some sleep ok." His soothing voice, combined with the quiet lull of the road was enough to finally allow her body to relax in the midst of the chaos surrounding them.

X

She started to come out of her slumber about an hour and a half later. The first thing that registered was that she was in a car that seemed to be stopped at a gas station. She was alone in the passenger seat and was leaned back as if someone had delicately positioned her not wanting to wake her up. It was the gun in the middle of the seats that caused her slight panic. The scene was way too familiar.

She stayed in the car...careful not to make a sound as he got out to enter the small convenience store, the gun that had been aimed at her the night before was gone. She heard the gunshot and whimpered, he had told her not to question him and the night before had shown her what would happen if she did. All she could do was sit in the car hopelessly, praying that someone would catch him and she could escape.

She didn't hear a gunshot this time. But she kept her head down, not wanting whoever had driven the car to know she was awake. If it was him then he had probably put her to sleep to shut her up. There was some type of badge on the floor next to the gun and some small part of her mind registered that it belonged to a police officer of some kind, but in her state of mind, the thought didn't bring her comfort. Lester probably killed a cop and stole his badge. She leaned back in her seat and squeezed her eyes shut when she heard the driver's door open and saw a figure lean over. She jerked away and whimpered when a hand reached for her.

"Liv, Liv honey it's just me." A man's voice that definitely wasn't Lester's was calling her by a nickname of the full birth name she hadn't used in a year.

"Olivia, Olivia it's Elliot, it's your partner." My partner? Maybe Lester had drugged her or something. "It's your El Liv, it's just me. No one else is here. No one is gonna hurt you." She scooted further away from him and Elliot felt his heart shatter. "I'm not going to hurt you, baby. I would never hurt you." His blood ran cold at her next words.

"You already did Lester. You left me out here so you could go rob and kill those people." The realization of what was happening hit him with force. He couldn't bear to wake her up, but the car needed gas so he stopped and got out. Figuring it was ok because he was close enough to the car to protect her, he left his gun and badge in between the seats. It was late at night, and they had been on the road for a long time. He realized she was having a flashback to when the same type of situation had occurred with Lester. In her mind, she was back in that time in her life. She was Audine and he was Lester and if she woke up while he was out of the car or questioned him he would hurt her. He didn't bother to wipe the tears that welled in his eyes at her trembling form in the passenger seat, curled up as if blocking someone from hitting her. Her eyes were squeezed shut tightly. He picked up his badge, shut his door and walked over to her side and opened the door. He kneeled down so he was level with her, so she didn't feel intimidated. His voice taking on the gentle, soothing tone they were trained to use with victims.

"Olivia. Olivia, can you please open your eyes. I won't touch you I promise. Please look at me."

"I'm sorry." Her voice was still shaking with fear and he wanted to hold her in his arms but knew that in her current state she would see that as anything but comfort.

"You have nothing to be sorry about Olivia. Absolutely nothing." He had started to say baby but realized Lester had likely used pet names on her and that might be triggering. He opted instead to say Olivia as many times as he could, hoping that hearing her real name as opposed to Audine would help her come back to him.

"You're not there anymore Olivia, and I'm not him. You're Olivia Benson, a New York City Detective and I'm Elliot Stabler, we're partners and...well recently we've become more."

"I'm...I'm a cop?"

"Yeah."

"You're my-my partner?" She still wasn't looking at him, but she wasn't shaking as much.

"Yeah, I am. I can show you my badge if you want." She finally looked at him then but her eyes were still glazed over, the lack of recognition gutted him. He held up the badge.

"El-Elliot?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we've known each other for almost 2 years now. You call me El for short and I call you Liv...unless I'm being a pain in the ass...then you usually call me Stabler." He laughed nervously. It's his small smile and the calming swirls of blue in his eyes that finally begin to bring her back to the present. She's silent for a minute before he sees the recognition and she sobs in relief.

"Elliot?" He opens his arms out to her, wanting to comfort her, but still being cautious. The gesture breaks the haze of the flashback she's in and she throws her arms around him, clinging to him tightly. "Elliot?"

"It's me Liv. It's just me." He moves onto the seat and cradles her in his lap. Soothing her as he wraps his arms around her securely. She snuggles into him and sobs when she feels his heartbeat. It's Elliot. It's Elliot. I'm safe. It's just Elliot.

"L-Lester, is he?"

"He's not here baby. He doesn't know where we are. You're safe. I'm right here. I'm not gonna let him or anyone else hurt you."

"Why-why are we stopped?

"We have about a half hour to go but I needed to get gas. I'm so sorry sweetheart I just...you were so exhausted. I couldn't wake you up just to step out of the car but I wouldn't have gone far and left you completely alone I promise.

"It's not your fault El I just panicked."

"I know, I know. It's alright now." He kissed her head. "It's alright." He holds her quietly for a minute or so, allowing her breathing to go back to normal. "Cragen gave us cash to use so Lester couldn't track my credit card. We have to go inside to pay but I'll be right next to you the whole time. I won't leave you. Not for a second."

"Ok." She sniffled and he kissed away a couple stray tears before they got out of the car. They walked side by side, holding each other's hands tightly as they walked into the store, paid for the gas and walked out, neither of them let go of the other or even stepped away slightly. They got back in the car and Elliot yawned.

"You need me to drive babe?"

"I'll be alright. We don't have much longer. You ok?"

"Yeah..yeah I haven't had a flashback that bad in a long time."

"You've been through a lot tonight honey, all cause this psycho's back in your life. Not to mention me being stupid and putting you in a position to have the flashback."

"Elliot none of that was your fault. I could've had one about anything." The guilt on his face broke her heart and she kissed his forehead. "I love you, Elliot. You have absolutely nothing to be guilty about." He kissed her knuckles as they returned to their earlier position of holding hands as he drove.

"I love you too. We're gonna get through this Liv. I promise. We're gonna get through this." She gave him a genuine smile and squeezed his hand. As long as they were together things would be ok. She just hoped they stayed that way

X

They made it to the 'Stabler Sea Shack' as Elliot's dad used to call it 30 minutes later both feeling emotionally drained. He got out and opened the passenger door to help Olivia out, who had almost drifted off to sleep again.

"El?"

"We're here honey." He wrapped his arm around her waist when she nearly tripped getting out of the car.

"Thank god we don't have any massive suitcases to lug in." She paused when she saw the steps and groaned.

"You want me to carry you?"

"I don't want to hurt you El, you're exhausted too."

"Olivia Benson I would carry you across a desert barefoot with a broken ankle if you needed me too. I think I can handle a few stairs." He smirked and she laughed at his cheesiness.

"If you say so." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as he picked her up bridal style and locked the car.

"I would do anything for you, Olivia."

"Then do me a favor and take me inside. We clearly both need sleep and we're far enough from the city so we don't have to worry about-" Elliot cut her off, wanting to protect her from even having to say the name.

"I'm gonna call Cragen and let him know we got here safe, then I'll find us something to sleep in and get the bed ready."

He carried her up the stairs and into the house, locked the door, kicked off his shoes, and kept her in his arms as he sat on the couch to call their Captain. She rested her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest over his heartbeat. He set the gun on the stand next to the couch and held her tightly while informing the Captain over the phone that they had made it safely. He was definitely being overprotective, but at the moment she didn't care. She needed a rock right now, a bodyguard, a person who loved her, and he was pretty great at filling those roles. If there was one positive about the last few hours, it was that she was pretty sure she had fallen in love with Elliot Stabler even more than she already was. She had told him everything and he didn't judge her once. He still loved her and he reminded her of it as much as he could. She had cried in his arms more times than she could count, and he didn't let go, he didn't walk away. If his biggest flaw tonight was his overprotectiveness, she was gonna let him because she knew that he was that way because he loved her so much. It wasn't possession, it was protection. It was safety. It was a pure, strong, loyal, unconditional love and she had craved it, craved someone like him for so long that if he wanted to carry her up the stairs even if she could walk or hold onto her to the point where they weren't even in different parts of the room she wasn't complaining a bit.

"Cragen says they'll contact Althea's family tomorrow. They're gonna try to rest a few hours too."

"I just-I hope nothing happens to them."

"Me neither, but they're all staying together just like we are. He can't hurt us if we're together." He kissed her forehead and stood up, carrying her once again. He turns the light on in the back bedroom and reluctantly puts her down so he can reach into the closet.

"There are some old clothes in here. You want one of my t-shirts or...my mom might have left something in here?"

"Your t-shirt is fine." Even at home, she loved wearing things of his that he would leave at her apartment. They kept each other steady at work, and his clothes had the same effect when she would wear them at home after a long case.

"Just my T-shirt?" He smirked and she smacked him lightly laughing.

"You've got sweats in there too Stabler."

"Alright." He hands her a pair of his sweats and an old USMC t-shirt, while he decides on another pair of sweats and takes off the shirt he's wearing. Even under the circumstances, she allowed himself to admire the muscles in his toned chest and arms. The shape the man was in was incredible. To some, his strength was intimidating and angry but with her it meant safety. He could also be extremely gentle, which few other than her got to see. The first time they made love she had been nervous and told him to be gentle with her. He was. He was a slow and gentle but passionate and attentive lover. He didn't question her on why he just moved carefully. Giving gentle care to every inch of her, reminding her with words and actions how much he loved her and how beautiful she was. That night sealed the deal for her. Elliot Stabler had her heart, and she never wanted it back.

"You get changed, I'm gonna look for stuff to make the bed but I'll be right here. There's a bathroom-"

"Elliot I'll be fine. I'm not going to suddenly disappear the second you let go of my hand." She smiles to let him know she's not angry at him. The stress-filled sigh she hears from him though makes her smile drop.

"I'm sorry Liv, I know you won't I just-"

"You know what, I'll just change in here. It's not like you haven't seen anything." She smirked.

Once they were both changed and Elliot had put pillows, sheets, and blankets on the bed. The partners laid next to each other, Olivia once again snuggled into Elliot's side with his arms wrapped around her protectively. Her head was on his chest and she planted a small kiss on his skin. The rhythm of his heartbeat was calming.

"Liv?"

"Yeah?"

"Wake me up if you need me ok? Even if you hear a strange sound. I don't care if it's the refrigerator. Wake me up."

"I promise." She lifted her head to kiss him on the lips. He stroked her cheek with his thumb and pulled her in for another kiss. This time she deepened it slightly before snuggling into his chest again."

"I love you, Olivia, very much."

"I love you more."

"Not possible." She yawned before responding.

"Night El."

"Goodnight sweetheart. Get some sleep. I'll keep you safe, no matter what." I know you will was what she wanted to say but sleep took over and the partners, wrapped tightly in each other's embrace were finally able to rest….for tonight anyway.

A/N: dun dun dunnnn we got some fluff but then we have those last 3 words 'for tonight anyway'. What could that mean!? Heehee, I guess you'll have to wait till next chapter to see. Thanks for reading. :)