Well, the thought crossed my mind because I kind of did what I have Olivia do
Only I did it dancing not chasing anyone. Since I will be in a cast for at least 4 weeks, I thought I could as well give it a try and write it down.

„He went that way!“ Olivia yelled pointing.
She was in the lead of the two detectives running after their escaping suspect. She briefly turned to make sure Elliot had heard her; only an instant, a split second but it was long enough. Long enough for her to lose her balance, twist her ankle and go down. Pain shot through her foot and for a moment she didn’t know what to do. She pulled her leg close and tried hard not to cry but the tears just came on their own. Breathing heavily, she rested her head against her knee, squeezing her eyes shut. The pain seemed incredible and it took all of her energy to keep herself in control.
„Liv, you ok?“ Olivia felt a hand touch her back and lifted her head.
Elliot was kneeling beside her, looking quite worried.
„Leave me,“ she demanded but Eher partner shook his head.
„He’s long gone,“ he said and Olivia knew he was probably right.
Slowly her breath got back to normal and she dried her wet cheeks, sniffing. The pain was still strong and sharp and she knew there was no way she could get up let alone walk. Unsure Olivia glanced at Elliot. She wasn’t so keen on having him know how painful it was but at the same time she knew there was no way around it.
„Can you get up?“ Elliot wanted to know that very same moment.
His partner hesitated for a moment then reluctantly shook her head.
„I am not sure,“ she said, knowing very well that she couldn’t.
Elliot offered her a hand which she took. He more or less pulled her to her feet. Olivia winced as the pain seemed to increase but she bit her lip and didn’t say anything. Realizing that she held her breath she slowly breathed out. She ignored the thorough look Elliot gave her and tried to take a step instead. Putting pressure on the foot was unbearable and there was no possible way to hide it from her partner.
„That bad, huh?“ Elliot asked, knowing the answer already.
Without a word he helped her sit down again then considered calling an ambulance. The car wasn’t parked far away and he could easily get her to the hospital himself.
„I am going to get the car,“ he told her.
Olivia simply nodded and watched him get up, then he stopped and turned to face her again. Realizing that he wasn’t moving, she looked up at him with questioning eyes. Elliot seemed to be lost in thoughts. At least he simply stared at her without doing anything for what appeared to be an eternity to her. Eventually he knelt back down again. Hesitantly he pushed up the leg of her pants. He didn’t want to hurt her further but they both knew that the shoe had to come off. That she didn’t think about it right now wasn’t a surprise but he did. The very thought of it made him feel uncomfortable though. It would hurt like hell to get the shoe off, that was why he was still hesitating. On the other hand, it wouldn’t be less painful later in the hospital, so he carefully unzipped her shoe. He looked up at her again not sure if he should go on.
„Just do it,“ Olivia mumbled having long realized what he wanted to do.
„I simply don’t want to…“ Elliot began to explain but was interrupted by his partner.
„Just don’t want anything. It’s going to hurt anyway.“
He studied her face for another moment then nodded. Taking a deep breath he started to pull the shoe off slowly. He felt Olivia get tense and for a moment thought about backing out but didn’t. As quickly as possible he got the leather of her already swollen foot. Fresh tears had welled up in her eyes since his actions had increased the pain but she was determined not to let him know.
„I – I am going to get the car now,“ he murmurmed, leaving the shoe and getting up.
She simply nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. He stood there for another second then nodded himself and turned. The jog back to the car helped him clear his head a little. Seeing Olivia go down he had expected the worst that very moment even though he had not heard a gunshot. It had felt as if his heart was about to stop beating and when he had seen her crouching on the floor but not lying he had even been relieved. He had waited for her to get up again.

This is really good!

it was really goo but WHAT IS THAT?!?!!
in the cast?
O_o

I love your story please update !

I looked that up in the dictionary... The british word for it is plaster. At least my dictionary says so It's when you got your leg put in that white stuff in which you can't move... Like a hard bandage.

Thanks for the positive feedback. Here's more.


That she hadn’t had him realize that she appearently was in a lot of pain and again his heart had started to beat faster. By then he had long forgotten about the chase, all that had mattered was that Olivia. There hadn’t been any room left for anything else on his mind at that moment.
Elliot reached the car and got in. The jog had calmed him a little nevertheless he sped back to the place where he had left Olivia. She hadn’t moved an inch. He opened the passenger door, threw her shoe onto the backseat before helping her to get up. The pain she was in was obvious and even though she put on a brave face there was no way for her to hide it. He felt it.
Carefully he got her into the car then hurried back to the drivers seat and reached for the sirene.
„We don’t need that.“ Olivia grabbed his arm to keep him from switching it on.
Elliot was about to contradict but decided otherwise. There was no point in arguing with her. Besides, it was no matter about life and death and with the rush hour traffic in full motion they would not get to the hospital that much faster anyway. He started the car when they realized that they hadn’t called it in yet. Olivia took care of it, not mentioning her being injured though.
„Why didn’t you say that we’re on our way to the hospital?“ Elliot wanted to know, eyeing her suspiciously.
„It’s none of that guys business,“ his partner remarked.
„It happened on duty…“
„That doesn’t make it any better,“ she snapped.
She turned to stare out of the window while Elliot glanced at her before he focused back on the road. It was stupid to discuss that with her now. It didn’t really matter anyway. He would call Cragen and fill him in once they were at the hospital anyway.
„I am sorry,“ he said, while she did the same.
Their eyes locked for an instant and the hint of a smile appeared on Olivia’s face but vanished as quickly as it had come. Silently they rode on, only Elliot cursing the other drivers was heard now and then.
Eventually he stopped in front of the hospital emergency entrance, hurried out of the car to help Olivia get out. She had already done so by herself but was glad for her partner to help her get inside. There didn’t seem to be any way to subdue the pain.
There was a short line in front of the admittance.
„Why don’t you sit down?“ Elliot suggested.
„I am good,“ Olivia assured even though she wasn’t.
She started to feel dizzy and sick to her stomach but she didn’t want to worry her partner any further.
„You certainly don’t look like it,“ he said, giving her a thorough look.
She had turned ashen and he was afraid that she would pass out on him.
Not being able to stand up any longer, Olivia hobbled towards a few chairs on the opposite wall of the admittance counter. She started to get cold inside, her eyes felt heavy and she breathed deeply to make herself feel better. Not noticing she started to play with her hands then got aware of it. She stopped herself from doing so but felt the sickness return. A shiver went through her body, so she took the playing up again. Somehow it calmed her down.
„You ok?“ Surprised Olivia looked up to find Elliot standing in front of her.
He had some forms in his hand and sat down beside her.
„You want me to fill them out?“ he asked softly.
Olivia looked at him as if he was some sort of an alien then shook her head.
„I can do it,“ she mumbled taking the forms from him.
He watched her hold them for a moment. For a second he thought she was about to pass out and he prepared himself to catch her but she didn’t. Slowly she started to fill out the blanks. The sickness returned and she closed eyes for a minute.
„Liv, let me do it,“ Olivia heard her partner’s tender voice next to her.
In an effort she opened her eyes again and simply let him take the forms from her. Resisting the urge to just drift off she leaned her head back against the wall and watched Elliot fill everything out. He did so without asking even one single question but right now it didn’t occur to either of them how odd that actually was.
When he was done, Elliot handed the forms back to the nurse. He took his seat again and glanced at Olivia. Er pale face looked tired and he hesitated only a second before he put his arm around her to pull her against his body. He felt her resist but didn’t let go of her and she finally gave in. She tried hard to stay awake but with his arm around her it was difficult. It was comforting and made her feel safe – safer than she probably should feel.
„You still there?“ Elliot wanted to know.
Almost automatically his fingers moved up to her cheek and barely touching it he stroked over her soft skin.
„I am here,“ Olivia mumbled, pushing herself back up to sit up straight. „Could you get me some water?“
Elliot studied her, then nodded. He wondered if his touch had made her ask for it or if she simply was thisty but he didn’t say anything. It had been wrong of him to touch her like that in the first place, so he got up and went to get something to drink. The ring of his cell phone made him realize that he had forgotten about calling his captain and it was the very same on the other end of the line now. Fetching a bottle of water, he filled his superiour in on what had happened before pausing for a moment.
„If I am needed, I can get back to the station,“ he offered reluctantly.
He didn’t want to leave Olivia alone, he planned on staying with her until she was through, then get her home and settle her in. But if he had to, he had to get back.
„If I need you, I’ll give you a call,“ Cragen said and Elliot almost breathed a sigh of relieve.
He caught himself, just replied with a casual ok and hung up. He hurried back to Olivia and handed her the water bottle.
„Just talked to Cragen,“ he informed her.
She nodded but he wondered if she really cared right now.
„How’s the foot?“ he asked and got a shrug in response.
„Better,“ she answered the moment her name was called.
She got up and immediately felt the pain return. It shot through her foot like a thousand needles and she was glad that she didn’t have to go far. Elliot helped her to sit down before he dropped into a chair himself.
„You feeling better,“ he wanted to know since she wasn’t as pale anymore now that she had drunk quite a bit.
Wordless Olivia nodded and they waited in silence for what seemed an eternity. Finally a doctor came in and examined the foot. Both detectives were relieved when he told them that no ligaments were torn and the matter of x raying only seemed like a formality.
A nurse came and put Olivia in a wheelchair to get her to the x raying unit. Elliot went back to the waiting area. He thought about calling Kathy but then realized that there was no need in doing so since he was supposed to be still working. He sighed and watched the people around him. A lot of older people were waiting to be cared for, lot’s of them were accompanied by what seemed to be their children or at least one of them. It made him smile to see that even though his job sometimes indicated otherwise there were still quite some families where everything seemed to work out. He wondered with which of his kids he would be sitting here in the far future. Probably Maureen, she had turned out pretty decent. With the twins he couldn’t tell yet and certainly not with little Eli. That young man still had lots of years ahead of him. The thought of his youngest child had him smile again and he flashed back to the day he was born. He’d been so tiny, so vulnerable and yet he had been there, his flesh and blood. At times when he was holding him he still felt so grateful for what Olivia had done and during the past weeks he had felt the urge to call her and thank her whenever he thought about it. He hadn’t of course. Not only because Kathy would have given him a strange look but also because Olivia would have probably thought him nuts.

I loved this new part, please more !!

This is really great!

Some more...

His eyes went back to the older people and he spotted a few sitting all by themselves. He felt sorry for them, wondered about their stories, if they hadn’t had kids, if so for what reasons, if their kids had maybe died or if they had lost contact with their children. They seemed so lonely and all of a sudden he realized that as it appeared right now, Olivia would be one of them too. His heart immediately started to ache at the mere thought of it and he was determined not to let it happen. He had no clue of how that could be achieved, he hardly could give her one of his kids, but he would find a way, no matter what.
„Elliot Stabler?“ a voice interrupted his thoughts.
He looked up to find a nurse standing beside him and rose.
„Your friend asked for you,“ she said and showed him into another examination area where Olivia was already waiting.
„Hey,“ he said, smiling at her.
She smiled back at him.
„I am waiting for the doctor to tell me about the x rayes,“ Olivia informed her partner.
Elliot nodded and took a seat. Judging from the time they had already spent in the hospital, he figured it would take another while.
„Elliot, why don’t you go home or get back to work?“ It was not really a question, more of a demand.
„And just how do you want to get home?“ he wanted to know.
„I can grab a cab. It’s not like New York would be short of those,“ she replied. „But there is no need for you to sit around here and wait for me to get done. You have already wasted so much time sitting around.“
Studying her, Elliot wondered if she really thought he considered it wasting his time to look out for her. He couldn’t read her but it hurt to think that she did.
„I am not wasting my time,“ he simply said. „But I can go if you want me to.“
He knew that he probably shouldn’t have said that, but it was out before he could do anything about it. She didn’t reply. She didn’t want him go, certainly not, but didn’t want to admit by saying so either. Fortunately the doctor came back and safed her from anwering to that.
„I got some bad news for you, Miss Benson,“ he said, settling on a stool. „The metatarsal bone is broken. The good news is that it’s straight all the way through, so we don’t have to fix anything with surgery.“
Not knowing how to respond Olivia glanced at Elliot who didn’t seem to know what to make of it.
„We’re going to put you a cast, then will have another set of x rayes done in about 3 weeks,“ the doctor continued.
„Three weeks?“ Olivia repeated getting a nod from the doctor. „That’s how long it will take?“
The doctor shook his head.
„Three weeks is only half time,“ he informed Olivia who stared at him in disbelief.
„Six weeks?“ she explaimed. „You gotta have to be kidding me.“
She looked at Elliot as if she expected him to protest on her behalf too but he didn’t.
„If you’re lucky, it’ll be five,“ the doctor said.
„Great,“ Olivia replied, not the least enthiused. „And what am I supposed to do?“
„You’ll be picked up here by an assistant to get you to get a cast,“ the doctor explained, ignoring her comment. „You have to come back for a check up tomorrow so we can make sure everything is alright. Would you like to get some pain killers?“
Olivia looked at the doctor as if he had spoken to her in Chinese then slowly shook her head. She didn’t need pain killers, she needed a time capsule.
„I – it’s ok,“ she assured. „The pain is bearable.“
The doctor studied her suspiciously as did Elliot at whom he looked now.
„I certainly can’t force you to take some,“ he shrugged.
He got up, handed her a sheet of paper, told her to bring it along tomorrow then left her alone with Elliot.
„Liv,“ he said as soon as the doctor was gone.
„He said six weeks,“ she interrupted before her partner could anything more.
„It’s not a lifetime,“ he replied but regretted the words the moment they were out.
His thoughts went back to what he had thought about earlier. She would be all alone, would have no one to be around. „I am sorry, Liv,“ he said quietly.
She looked at him in surprise but he didn’t meet her eyes.
„It’s not your fault,“ she said, not knowing what else he could have meant.
Elliot didn’t react to that and silence fell between them. If it hadn’t been for the business of the nurses you could have heard the clock ticking on the wall.
After what seemed another endless wait a nurse came and took both of them into the plaster lab. Another few minutes passed before the responsible nurse came. Showing no reaction Olivia watched her foot being plastered as did Elliot. He thought it odd and somehow the situation seemed surreallistically, somewhat absurd. He couldn’t quite say way, it just was a feeling.
When the cast was done, the nurse got Olivia some crutches, explained how she had to walk with them. From the look on his partner’s face Elliot could tell that Olivia was not happy about that but she wasn’t allowed to put any pressure on the foot at all so there was no other way. Wordless she signed the final forms, took the crutches from the nurse and barely responded to the get well before she left the room. She was determined not to show how clumsy she felt and hurried for the exit as fast as she could.
„Liv, take it easy,“ Elliot warned, worrying she would trip and fall down again.
„I don’t plan on spending my entire night in here,“ she snapped back.
Elliot sighed. He could have argued, normally he probably would have but Olivia had been through enough and he didn’t want to make her feel worse than she already did.
It was already dark when they got out of the hospital. Quietly they went back to the car where Olivia refused any help from Elliot to get into the seat. She barely let him take the crutches to put them in the back before he took the drivers seat.
„How about we grab a pizza on the way to your place?“ he asked once they were en route.
„I am not hungry,“ Olivia grunted.
„But I am,“ Elliot told her realizing the mistake of his words as soon as his partner replied.
„I told you to go,“ she snorted. „You were the one not to. How about you let me out and call me cab?“
„Liv that was no what I meant,“ he said, his voice soft.
He glanced at her and decided to leave her alone for a while. It would do no good to tell her to look on the bright side of things, that it could have been worse. She probably knew that herself, just needed time to accept things as they were.
They rode in silence for a while then Elliot stopped in front of a pizza place where they had at more than one occasion ordered pizza before. He didn’t ask Olivia again if she wanted something to eat, instead he left the car without a word and hurried inside. The place was small but cozy. He and Olivia had spend quite some evenings here, eating pizza, talking about God and the World after a hard day at work. Lately though it had been less and he wondered why that was. Most certainly she didn’t want to keep him away from his family and he somehow hadn’t thought of it.
He put in the order then took a seat at the bar and had a coke while waiting. A few people were sitting at the narrowly put tables. The windows were steamed up but more because of the cold outside than the heat inside. Although it certainly was warm and comfortable.
Elliot took out his cell phone and pulled up Kathy’s number then decided he was not in the mood to talk to her right now. He sent a text message explaining briefly what had happened and that he would help Olivia get settled in before he would be home and not to wait for him with dinner. Kathy wouldn’t like that part but he didn’t care. Not now, not here, not today.
He finished his coke by the time the pizza was ready. He paid for it, then headed back to the car where he handed the boxes to Olivia. She didn’t comment on the fact that he had come back with two pizza and satisfied he drove the few blocks to her place. He found a parking space more or less in front of the building and took the pizza boxes from her before her handed her the crutches. They still hadn’t said a word when they got to the elevator and rode up to her floor in silence as well. Elliot watched Olivia fumble for the keys but kept himself from asking to help her with it. It would only make her grunt some more.
Eventually she had the door open and managed to get inside. Elliot followed and put the pizza boxes on the table. He would have loved to assist Olivia with getting her shoe off but he knew well enough not to especially since she seemed in a slightly better mood now. Watching her from the corner of his eye, he took out some plates as well as glasses and drinks and put all of it on the table as well. Olivia had disappeared into the bathroom so he set the table and waited for her. It took her a moment to get back and wordlessly settle into the chair opposite of him. Still without having said anything they began to eat but then Elliot couldn’t keep quiet anymore.
„Now in fact I do get the impression that you are hungry,“ he remarked flashing her a heart meltingly grin.
She was about to snap back a response but didn’t. Instead she smiled shyly, quickly casting her eyes downward. She felt guilty for having snapped at him earlier but wasn’t ready to admit that yet, neither to him or herself.
„Does it hurt?“ Elliot wanted to know, basically just to make conversation.
It wasn’t that he felt uncomfortable, quite on contrary. Sometimes he even felt more comfortable sitting in silence with Olivia than with his own wife. But he wanted to talk to her, get her thoughts off the weeks which lay ahead of her, cheer her up – although he had to admit it hadn’t been a smart question if that was his intention.
„A little,“ Olivia answered.
She felt his eyes study him and couldn’t help smiling.
„Really, El. The pain is a lot better now.“
He considered her words for a moment then decided to believe her. She did look a lot better than she had earlier in the hospital. He took another bite of his pizza before telling her the latest news about Eli. Since she had helped deliver him she had gotten quite attached to the little guy and Elliot had made sure that she got each photo of him that they took. He was glad when he heard her laugh for the first time in hours. She finally seemed to relax and accept what had happened, at least she responded to his jokes and even made some of her own. They kept on talking for a while after they had finished their pizza. It felt so right to just sit there and chat that neither one of them was aware of the time which had passed. It was almost midnight when Elliot looked at his watch.
„I guess I should be going,“ he said without getting up.
Olivia turned so she could see the clock on the wall to her right. She was surprised once she had found out the time and it showed when she turned back to Elliot. They kept looking at each other for another second then Elliot got up to clear the table.
„El, let me do that,“ Olivia told him. „You should go.“
He knew that himself, he knew that Kathy would not approve of him coming in that late. After all he had simply wanted to settle Olivia in, by now all the kids would be in bed and again a day had gone by without him seeing any of them.
„El,“ he heard his partner say again.
„I am almost done,“ he cut her off and put the last two glasses away.
He quickly cleaned the table before he collected his stuff and started for the door. Somehow he did not want to leave but there was no reason for him to stay either.
„Will you be ok?“ he asked, turning back to Olivia.
She was on her crutches again, following him towards the door.
„I guess so,“ she said, not happy.
„I can stay if you want me to,“ Elliot blurted out.
„Sure, Kathy will be amused if you tell her you’ll move in for the next month and a half,“ Olivia replied disapprovingly irony filling her voice. „You know that I’ll need to take of myself on my own. So I better get started right away.“
Elliot opened his mouth to contrdict then shut it again. He turned to face the door, grabbed the doorknob to open it but let go of it.
„Give me a call if anything happens or if you need anything,“ he pleaded. „And I mean anything.“
She nodded and again he made a move to go but stopped once more.
„When should I pick you up tomorrow?“ he wanted to know.
„Tomorrow?“ she asked in surprise.
„To get you to the check up at the hospital,“ he refreshed her memory.
„I’ll take a cab,“ she rejected his offer. „You will go to work.“
„Liv, please…“ he refused to give in.
„El, I am not your priority here,“ she reminded him. „If you weren’t here I’d have to work it out on my own too.“
He studied her thoughtfully. She was right, of course, but at the same time he wanted to argue that he was here and that right now she was his priority. She was somewhat dependable on assistance and without a family therefore he wanted to be there for her.
„El, stop looking that worried,“ she pulled him back to reality. „I will be alright, I promise.“
„And you’d call if it weren’t so,“ he demanded again to which she nodded.
„I will call,“ Olivia agreed. „Just – will you get home to your family, please.“
She was almost pushing him out of her place now and for good reasons. He was her best friend and she was very well aware of the fact that he had done more than necessary for her today. She also knew that Kathy knew that too and she didn’t want to trouble his marriage any further. At times she got the impression that he and his wife were still in the process of getting it back together and tonight certainly had not been favoring that.
„I’ll swing by tomorrow after work,“ he said finally opening the door.
„Elliot, I’ll be fine,“ she replied.
He looked at her and remained where he was for another moment.
„Good night,“ he told her eventually.
„Good night,“ she answered and watched him getting out into the hallway. „Elliot,“ she held him back.
He stopped to look at her.
„Thanks,“ Olivia said, giving him a warm smile.
„Nothing to thank me for,“ he assured her returning the smile.
Their eyes stayed locked for a second then for the umpteenth time he turned to leave.
„I am sorry for being so rude with you,“ he heard her say after he had taken a few steps.
He paused again smiling before he made a waving gesture with his hand, telling her that it was alright.
„See you tomorrow,“ he only said then went around a corner and was gone.

Olivia stared in the direction which he had disappeared in for a little while before she turned and hobbled back into her apartment. Quietly she closed the door and took a look around. With the lights still on the place looked cold and empty despite all of her personal belongings. She had been tempted to ask Elliot to stay. She hadn’t wanted to let him go, hadn’t wanted to be alone tonight but she knew that she had to. He had to go back to his family which she did not belong to – as much as she wished it were different.
Olivia sighed and forced the thoughts out of her head. That desire to be with Elliot wasn’t new to her. Lately she had caught herself staring at his desk when he wasn’t at it, wondering what it would be like living with him. She had blamed that on the emotional rollercoaster she had been through during the past months and was sure that Elliot was simply representing her need of a steady boyfriend. It was not Elliot that she wanted, it couldn’t be him. They had been partners for such a long time, they were best friends and she would do anything to make him happy. No, she was in the need of someone like Elliot, someone she could trust like him, who would take care of her like him. That was all there was to, she was sure of it.
Olivia entered her bathroom and started the shower then realized she didn’t know how to take it. It took her a while until she had figured out a way, banged her foot twice in the process of doing so and when she was done, one of the crutches slipped out of reach. She struggled to pick it up before she noticed that her pyjamas were still in her bedroom. Anger was rising but she swallowed it down and went to get her pyjamas instead. Again that proved to be a difficulty but finally she was able to get back to the bathroom and brush her teeth. She wrapped up getting ready for bed and grabbed her second crutch but only send it slipping again. In a reflex she reached for it to keep it from falling didn’t make it though. The crutch hit one of her perfume bottles which crashed on the bathroom floor while she lost her balance and almost fell herself. Looking at the mess, she felt tears well up in her eyes and not being able to hold them back anymore she started to cry. The shock, the pain, the feeling of being helpless, that whole situation seemed to hit her right now and slowly she dropped onto the floor. Hiding her face in her hands she leant her head back against the wall and sobbed quietly. She longed for someone to be with her, wished for Elliot to come back, for him to put his arms around her and telling her that it would be ok in that caring voice he always used when he comforted her. She wanted to feel the warmth of his body, his strong arms around her; she wanted him here and now.
Alarmed by those thoughts she pulled the hands off her face and her vision still blurred from tears she stared at the fragments.
„Be strong, Olivia,“ she told herself.
She took a deep breath and got up to clean up. It took her a while but eventually she was done and crawled under the sheets. With a huge sigh she sank into the pillows. She shut her eyes to keep fresh tears from rolling down her cheeks but a single one did so anyway. She started to replay the accident in her head, saw herself twist her ankle and fall over and over and as frustrating as it was, she had to admit that there was nothing she could have done about it. Even if she had looked straight ahead instead of back at Elliot it would have happened. She simply had put her foot in the wrong place and that had been simple bad luck.
Olivia wiped at her cheek and rolled to the side. She hated things she could do nothing about. Her mind went back to the afternoon, back to Elliot who had been so worried.
Of course, he would be, she told herself. She was his friend, his partner, but she knew that this had beend different; he had been different. She couldn’t quite point her finger at it, though. Still, the way he had looked at her, had taken care of her, had asked her to call him… at times she had expected him to ask what he would have to do to have them switch their feet.
She had to laugh at herself at the thought of it. It was probably just her imagination running wild. He had most certainly just been concerned, like everyone else would have been and her emotions were clouding her memories. But still…
She held her breath and forced herself to think about something else. It would do no good anyway, tomorrow was another day, tomorrow would be as it had always been – except for her foot, of course. But everything else would be back to normal, she was certain about that and with that she drifted off to sleep.

The doorbell rang and Olivia was about to get up from the couch when she heard a key being inserted in the lock.
„Liv, it’s me,“ Elliot announced from the outside.
Seconds later he pushed the door opened and carrying two big shopping bags squeezed himself inside the apartment.
„I thought you might need some groceries,“ he explained, bringing the bags into the kitchen.
„Some?“ Olivia asked in disbelief, joining him.
„You need to eat healthy, you know,“ Elliot replied and started to unpack the bags.
„It’ll take me weeks until that amount of food is gone,“ she remarked eyeing everything he put into her cabinets and fridge. „I am single, El, I don’t have some roommates hidden in the closet neither do I want to supply the US Army.“
He grinned but didn’t say anything. He was done unpacking and threw the paper bags in the trash. She noticed that he had not put away all of the food and was about to ask.
„I thought I could cook us some dinner,“ Elliot explained before she could say a word.
„I think you should leave the cooking to me and go home,“ Olivia returned.
It was not that she didn’t want him here but she had the feeling that he had spent more time with her than with his family. It was Monday, a little over a week after the accident and he had stopped by every single day, even yesterday. He had managed to check on her during the day and she wondered how he had justified the detour. Of course, he had just been in the neighbourhood when she had asked but she had enjoyed his quick visits so she hadn’t commented on them any further. She also hadn’t said anything about his dinner visits although she had felt guilty and seen to it that he had left as soon as they were done. Elliot had always found a way to stay a little longer than necessary. One day he had to clean her kitchen, the other day it was her bathroom, he even had vacuumed one evening. The only thing he hadn’t done so far was her laundry but it wouldn’t have surprised her the least if he would ask for it within the next minutes.
„I already called Kathy,“ he interrupted her thoughts.
„And told her what?“ Olivia wanted to know.
„That I’ll have dinner after work and she shouldn’t wait on me,“ Elliot explained.
„So you didn’t tell her that you’ll have dinner with me – again?“
Olivia gave him a challenging look.
„I didn’t lie to her either,“ Elliot defended himself but didn’t meet his partners eyes.
„I am sure she wouldn’t mind if you came home anyway,“ Olivia simply replied.
They looked at each other for a moment then Elliot started to get the spaghetti sauce ready. Olivia sighed, settled on a stool and studied him. The way he stood there cooking she imagined him to be the perfect husband. He was committed and honest, was someone you could lean on and the only flaws she could think of were his introversion and his temper which he sometimes had difficulties to control. In short, he seemed everything woman could hope for and she wondered how Kathy had ever been able to let him go.
„El, is there something you are not telling me?“ she asked in a soft voice.
She didn’t know where that came from and felt as surprised as Elliot looked at her now.
„What do you mean?“ he wanted to know.
„I don’t know,“ Olivia said non committing. „Is everything ok between you and Kathy?“ she then decided otherwise.
Her voice was filled with worry and for a brief second Elliot was tempted to find out what she would do if he said no.
„Sure,“ he shrugged „We’re fine. Why?“
He went back to cutting tomatoes for the sauce while she eyed him suspiciously but his answer seemed honest enough.
„I was just wondering,“ she told him a moment of silence following in which she seemed to debate whether to drop it or not. „You have been spending so much time around me lately instead of at home, so I just asked myself…“

She let the sentence trail off but her words made him pause nevertheless. She was right and he knew it although he justified it to himself with her injury. After all she had no one to look out for her and he just replaced a family member as best as he could. And he was her best friend too, wasn’t he?
„You have a broken foot,“ he simply reminded her.
„Like I don’t know that,“ she replied.
„I was just explaining why I spend so much time around here,“ Elliot said defendingly.
„Sure,“ Olivia answered thoughtfully which had her partner look at her again.
„What’s that supposed to mean: sure?“ he repeated the word the way she had said it.
„It’s just…“ Olivia thought about how it was best to put it so he wouldn’t get the wrong idea. „I somehow don’t think you would spend so much time at anyone else’s place if they were in my situation.“
„And?“ he asked getting a bit irritated.
„And that is why I wondered about you and Kathy,“ she explained. „I mean, she is your wife…“
„Yeah I know,“ he snapped, throwing the knife he was holding into the sink.
„So there is something wrong…?“ Olivia didn’t let go of the subject.
„No there is not,“ Elliot snorted. „We’re fine. Just because I don’t spend all day at home doesn’t mean that something is wrong.“
„It’s not like you get to spend so much time at home,“ Olivia replied.
She was mad at him for being mad at her.
„I don’t have a problem with that and I am sorry if you do,“ he barked. „But I can leave if you don’t want me here. You would have just needed to say so. It would have saved me a lot of trips.“
„I never asked you to come here,“ she countered angrily. „Don’t make me responsible for your actions.“
„I simply thought you didn’t like to be alone,“ Elliot replied loudly. „The last time I checked I was the person you had the closest relationship to. If that has changed, you should have told me.“
„That’s not the point,“ she contradicted. „I was worried about you and your wife.“
„Maybe you should just leave the worrying to me and mind your own business,“ Elliot snapped back.
„So if you stop by each day it’s ok, because we are friends but if I am worried about you because we are friends I should mind my own business?“ Olivia concluded.
„We’re talking about my private life here,“ Elliot tried to justify what he had said.
„Oh – friends who don’t bother about the other one’s personal life, I get it,“ Olivia snorted. „Or should it be that we are only allowed to care if convenient for the other one?“
He didn’t know what to respond to that and they glared at each other angrily. Neither one of them had an idea how it had gotten out of control like that but neither of them was willing to back off as well.
„Maybe I should be going,“ Elliot finally said coolly. „That way you can enjoy your loneliness,“ he added, grabbing his stuff.
„How considerate of you,“ Olivia bellowed, cynically.„I didn’t know you were such a sensitive person.“
She slipped of the stool
„Doesn’t surprise me since you were obviously busy to figure out a way to stay alone,“
Elliot replied turning away from her to head for the door.
„Quite successful, wasn’t I?“ Olivia snapped ignoring that his words made her feel like needles were stuck into her heart.

Elliot opened his mouth to throw a reply at her when his cell phone went off. For a second he was confused then fumbled through his pockets and got the phone out. Olivia watched him take the call which was obviously work related. It didn’t take long until he ended it. He looked at Olivia for a brief moment before he turned and left without another word.
With an angry snort Olivia grabbed her crutches and went into the kitchen. Elliot had already cut all of the ingredients, so the food only needed to be put into the pot and cooked but Olivia didn’t care about that right now. She was mad at him, mad at him for what he had said, mad that he had overreacted and mad at herself that she had not been able to remain calm. She took a sponge and half heartedly began to scrub but soon threw it back into the sink. Just staring at it, she stood there for a moment then breathed deeply to calm herself down a little. Although his words had certainly been hurtful she refused to be hurt by them and simply was furious at him. Not only was it much easier it also prevented her from thinking too much about what he had said and especially why he had done so. Of course, he had never been one to talk a lot about his feelings but the way he had reacted about her asking about him and Kathy was unusual, even for him. Not because he had blocked, because he had gotten so worked up about it.
Olivia sighed and looked around her dimly lit apartment. It was empty – sure it was, it had always been and it wasn’t news to her. But today it struck her as odd. It was as if the place was cooler and emptier than it used to be.
She shook her head to clear it from her thoughts. It was nonsense and she knew it still she couldn’t quite shake off the cold feeling that took over her body. The apartment suddenly seemed to scream loneliness from every corner and blaming that on Elliot, Olivia felt her angriness come back. Determined to prove him wrong, she took her crutches and went over to light all the candles and tea lights she could find. It took her a while but having done so gave the place immediate warmth and made her feel better instantly. Content she looked around. Her fury had died down and she realized that she was indeed hungry by now. She put in one of her favourite CDs then went back behind the kitchen counter and finished off the dinner Elliot had started to work on. It didn’t take long until it was done and she enjoyed her meal before she prepared herself some tea. As usual she had to juggle to get it over in front of the TV but she managed and snuggled up on her couch. She pulled up a blanket and warmed her hands at the cup of tea for a moment. Her mind flashed back to the argument she had had with Elliot. It seemed so silly now especially since she still couldn’t tell what had caused them to turn their conversation into arguing or what had Elliot set off like that. Again she considered that he wasn’t easy to talk to but as far as she could remember he had told her when he had had a problem with his family and she had asked. She certainly couldn’t recall him going off like he had earlier because she had inquired about everything being alright… which on the other hand, she concluded, must mean that he was having emotional trouble. It would explain his overreaction nevertheless the question remained why that was so. She wondered if indeed there was a problem with Kathy or maybe it concerned her. The way he had poked around in her being single was indeed weird. He had never done that before. He had always been understanding and supportive, and throwing that at her was uncharacteristic. He knew all to well how she longed for a family still now that she thought about it she wondered if there wasn’t at least some truth to what he had said. She certainly wasn’t single on purpose but at the same time she knew that there was a reason for her not being able to maintain a long-term relationship. There had to be. She had liked all of the guys she had been dating; they all had been loving and caring and for the most part they had been someone you could spend the rest of your life with. But something had kept her from making that choice, from committing and to this day she hadn’t found out what it was. It wasn’t that she spend such an awful lot of time thinking about it either but she did and so far hadn’t figured out a reason.

I love this chapter! Keep up the great work

Thanks

Posted the same thing twice. Will post the new page soon

Here we go now

She knew that at some point she had been afraid of commitment, it just had scared her to be depend on someone even though she had wished for a guy to share her life with. Still, she was ready now nevertheless it didn’t work out. More and more often she spent the nights trying to figure it all out. So far she hadn’t come up with a conclusion. Sometimes she was ok with that and just let it rest but at days when she already didn’t feel well emotionally it drew her into despair even further. At those nights tears were flowing and recently she had caught herself thinking about Elliot, about his family, about him being caring and making her feel safe. Of course she never allowed herself to pursue that thought in any direction other than being friends and having been through so much together. Whenever that happened she forced her to think about something else and that was what she did today as well. She reached for a book and started to read but her mind kept going back to her partner. With all her might she tried to concentrate on the text but didn’t succeed and unnerved she put the book aside to switch on the TV. Since there was nothing on that really interested her she settled on one of the home redecorating shows and snuggled deeper into the couch. It didn’t take long for her eyelids to grow heavy and a few moments later she had drifted off to sleep.

Elliot had regretted the words the moment he had been out of the door. He had even considered going back but as much as he had wanted to he eventually had talked himself into being responsible and left. Nevertheless he had felt the urge to apologize all the while being at the crime scene. Half-heartedly he had done his work and had been relieved when he had finally been able to leave. Uncertain he had spent fifteen minutes driving around after driving Olivia’s neighbourhood before he had pulled in front of her apartment building. He got out of the car and let himself in with his key. Even though he had been able to leave earlier than Munch and Fin it was still late which was why he didn’t ring the bell in case Olivia had already gone to bed. Quietly he let himself into her apartment and automatically had to smile when he saw her lying on the couch. She looked kind of cute, snuggled up on the couch and the fact that the TV was still running made all of it even cuter. For a moment he kept staring at her before tiptoeing towards the TV. Carefully he switched it off when he heard a commotion behind his back.
“It’s me, it’s ok,” Olivia heard a voice when she woke with a start.
It took her a few seconds to realize that it was Elliot who had switched off the TV and that that had woken her up.
“What are you doing here?” she wanted to know, sitting up straight and going through her hair.
She kept her voice as firm as she could manage in that situation. Hesitant Elliot settled on the small coffee table but didn’t say anything. He kept his eyes cast down onto his feet which he slightly moved up and down.
“Elliot?” Olivia cut into his thoughts.
She threw the blanket back and pulled her legs down so she could face him.
“I – I didn’t want to – I thought we shouldn’t leave things unsettled,” Elliot eventually admitted.
He raised his gaze to meet hers and it was obvious how self conscious he felt right now. Olivia’s heart went out to him but she was determined not to let him off the hook.
“I had hoped for you to still be awake,” he continued quietly. “I had wanted to apologize for what I have said.”
Still silent Olivia studied him waiting if there was more.
“I – I don’t know what made me say that,” Elliot went on, taking his eyes off Olivia again.
He had thought about his words and what had made him say so. He also had come up with some possible reasons but sharing those with Olivia would bare too much of his soul.
“It was just… Kathy and I are fine and there is no reason… I shouldn’t have barked at you like that. I don’t know why I said it, it’s just…”

love it post more soon

Elliot made a pause. He sensed that Olivia didn’t quite believe him and he couldn’t blame her. But admitting more than he had simply wasn’t possible. He was showing enough emotions already.
“I shouldn’t have kept pushing,” Olivia offered softly gazing at her hands. “You’re right – it’s your personal life… None of my business.”
It cost her a lot of effort to say so but she felt she had to for Elliot’s sake.
“No,” she heard his voice which had her look up in surprise. “I was wrong. You have all the right to be worried, like I have the right to worry about you. We’re friends.”
She couldn’t hide her astonishment about his words and for a moment she studied him as if she expected him to take those words back any second. Their eyes locked and for a brief instant she saw his vulnerability. She couldn’t remember ever having seen that, not even when Kathy had left him. He had suffered, suffered from losing his children, suffered from having lost some of his pride but he had not allowed himself to be vulnerable in any way. This time he had and she searched his eyes to see if there was more to read. There wasn’t but their looks kept glued to one another. A tickling sensation overcame their bodies but it was gone as quick as it come and they tore their eyes away from one another.
“Did you eat?” Olivia wanted to know.
Not only was it a safe topic but she knew how those late calls were. Usually they came around the time they had come today right – before you were about to eat and you weren’t able to grab a bite until either late at night or when you were done. As she had expected Elliot shook his head.
“I finished your pasta,” she said smiling at him. “Want some?”
“I probably shouldn’t,” Elliot teased. “But since I cut all the ingredients, I guess it’s safe to try.”
He grinned at her and she was reaching for her crutches to carefully hurt him with one. She was about to get up when his hand took her wrist to keep her from getting up.
“I can get it myself,” he assured her. “You stay here.”
She was about to protest but Elliot was already on his way into the kitchen. Olivia wanted to get up to but didn’t. Instead she watched how he naturally took out a plate and a glass, filled that with water and helped himself to some pasta. A warm feeling started to stream through her body and the tickling she had experienced earlier returned, this time concentrating on her neck. The way he knew his way around her kitchen by now just felt so right and without wanting to she started to daydream. She knew that it was wrong; she knew that she could not go there with Elliot being right at her dining table but she also didn’t want to resist. Still, as much as she liked to drift into a daydream reason took over and with all her strength she pulled herself back to reality.
Elliot seemed not to have noticed and had already started to eat. Slowly Olivia joined him at the dining table and he told her about the case he had been called to. Something had struck him as odd at the crime scene and he wanted to know what his partner thought about it. They kept discussing the case after he was done with his dinner and switched to general psychological aspects after being through with this specific one. Even though it was a serious conversation neither one wanted to wrap it up and they were about to finish their second pot of tea when Elliot suddenly rose.
“Liv, I have to go,” he exclaimed as if he was about to miss his plane which would take him on his honeymoon.
She turned and saw that it was already close to 3 a.m.
“Will you be going back to the station?” Olivia asked watching Elliot collect his stuff.
If he drove home, he would have roughly two hours before he would have to get up again. Since Olivia’s apartment wasn’t too far away it made much more sense to go back to the station. Kathy would raise hell over him but he nodded nevertheless.

“Kathy won’t like it,” he shared his worries. “I will anyway. That way I get a couple of hours more.”
Olivia nodded and watched him collect his stuff. She was hesitant but Elliot didn’t notice and headed for the door.
“How about you stay?” The words were out of her mouth before she even knew she was saying them.
Elliot stopped dead and held his breath. He couldn’t believe what he just heard and didn’t dare to turn around to face her. Maybe he was mistaken and she had said something different or he had misunderstood. He wondered if he should just ignore that he had heard her say something. Yet, the prospect of sleeping at her place, without all the noises around, a more comfortable environment and a real breakfast did appeal to him.
Slowly he turned and looked at Olivia. If she had been unsure about what she had said that self consciousness was long gone. She returned his gaze straight forward.
“Kathy will just love if I’d stay,” Elliot mumbled, still not moving.
“What?” Olivia wanted to know.
She hadn’t been able to hear what he had said and Elliot simply shrugged.
“Are you sure – I should stay, I mean?” he asked not quite comfortable.
Now it was Olivia’s turn to shrug.
“It just came out,” she murmured. “But you could stay. The couch is quite comfortable. Can be folded into a makeshift bed. And it’s quieter, too.”
Elliot studied her. She hadn’t flinched a bit and was still looking him into the eyes. He almost laughed out loud. She didn’t seem to have second thoughts at all about her asking him to stay. It was obviously just a man’s wild imagination and probably wishful thinking that that sentence always meant something.
“What’s so funny?” Olivia drew his attention back on her.
Elliot shook his head to signal her that it was nothing and put his stuff back.
“I should go to sleep if I want to enjoy your couch over the station,” he remarked.
A little confused Olivia looked at him. There was something mischievous about him which she hadn’t seen ever before but it was gone as quickly as it had come.
Elliot was already on his way into the bathroom and she went to get him a pillow and a blanket. Once she had cleaned up she went into her bedroom and dropped onto her bed. She listened to the running water coming from the bathroom and all of a sudden wished that it was not limited to one night. To have someone here, have someone to share her apartment with had her heart beat faster and she started to regret her offer. She had successfully avoided to think about her situation earlier that evening but now with Elliot here, everything seemed to start over again. Ever since the accident her feelings had gone crazy. She was ok with him being close to her at work but to have him at home each day had turned her emotions upside down and she knew why that was so. The professional distance which was needed to do the job as well as possible was not needed while he cared for her. They had silently crossed a line they shouldn’t have crossed and with her offer she had made it even worse.
“Good night, Liv.”
Elliot’s voice pulled her back into reality and for a moment she stared at him startled. She almost expected him to crawl into bed with her now; almost wished for him to do so but quickly regained her composure.
“Good night,” she repeated and got up.
She hurried into the bathroom and took a deep breath once the door was closed behind her. Today had been an emotional roller coaster and it still hadn’t ended.
She forced her thoughts away and stared into the mirror for a while. She wasn’t looking at herself or anything in particular, she just stood there before she finally pushed back. Quickly she undressed, got into the shower but didn’t stay long. She suddenly felt tired and hurried to have her teeth brushed so she was soon able to get into bed.

The thoughts were forgotten by the time Olivia woke up the next morning. She enjoyed her breakfast before dressing which as usual involved some cursing because she was handicapped. After finishing a book she started to cook and had dinner ready when Elliot dropped in to check on her. He was working on a case nevertheless had wanted to stop by. She was glad that he had and convinced him to eat a bit. He gladly gulped down some food and still found the chance to tell some hilarious stories before he left again. Olivia was about to pity herself for being left behind when she realized that Elliot was talking to someone in front of her apartment door. It was Casey who had brought some of her friends and with a girl’s night ahead, Olivia soon forgot all about her self pity. It was 5 a.m. when she went to bed and she spent most of the next day sleeping but everything which concerned the argument and thoughts connected with Elliot was definitely pushed out of her mind for now.

„He’s guilty, period!“ Elliot’s firm voice was heard in the hallway.
„I am not saying he isn’t,“ Munch explained. „I am just telling you to look at the big picture. He’s only a small piece in it.“
„It doesn’t change that he did it,“ Elliot insisted making everyone smile who overheard that discussion. „He… – How did you get here?“ he asked staring at Olivia in disbelief.
„Not by walking, I can assure you that,“ she replied not flinching a bit.
„Very funny.“ He gave her a reproaching look.
„I am serious,“ Olivia grinned earning the same look again.
“And what exactly is the point of you being here?” Elliot wanted to know, sitting down at the opposite of her.
“Try work for an answer,” she replied.
“Does Cragen know?” her partner inquired.
“El, it’s been two weeks now. No one talks about field work. I am simply sitting at a desk,” Olivia had to smile at the worried look her partner had on his face. “The foot doesn’t keep me from talking to victims, parents or suspects.”
“It certainly keeps you from talking to them!” Elliot insisted.
“El…” Olivia began.
“You know how an interrogation can get out of control,” he cut her off. “If you don’t back off of doing interrogations I’ll talk to Cragen and make sure he makes sure you won’t.”
Olivia was about to reply but didn’t get to it.
“Liv, just be responsible,” Elliot pleaded. “That’s all I am asking for.”
Olivia stared at him for a moment but the concern in his eyes made her swallow down the You-are-not-my-baby-sitter-response. He only meant well and she knew he was right. Interrogations could get dangerous, besides she wanted to be rid of the cast as soon as possible.
“I’ll reconsider,” she finally offered.
Elliot studied her. She wasn’t willing to back off completely right away but eventually had to grin at him. He threw her another reproaching look but Olivia knew that this time it wasn’t meant seriously. She went back to work at the file she had lying in front of her but felt that Elliot kept looking at her. It almost had her smile but she suppressed the urge to and tried to ignore him. It didn’t work nevertheless she pretended to be busy until she could not hold off the grin any longer
“Relax El,” she said, looking at him still grinning.
“I am relaxed,” he replied looking very much like the kid who had been caught sneaking out of the house at night.
He was quick to go back to the paperwork he had intended to do but knew that Olivia was now the one still watching him. All of a sudden his heart beat quickened and her gaze made him feel uncomfortable. He tried to busy himself with the papers but couldn’t concentrate and finally gave up.

“Relaxed, huh?” Olivia grinned, when he looked up at her.
“Stop staring at me,” he only answered which had her grin even more – or so he thought at least.
“El, I know you are worried,” she started in a low voice because she didn’t think it necessary for others to overhear their conversation.
“I am not,” he replied defensively.
His voice was indifferent and it had her smile.
“El, you have been worried since the minute I fell,” she answered.
“Naw,” he shrugged.
“Sure you are,” she insisted. “You said so yourself back in my apartment.”
He simply shrugged again.
“Maybe a little,” he admitted.
He was about to continue but held back and they looked at each other for a moment. She studied him until she stopped at his eyes. It was obvious that there was something else he was not daring to say so she waited some more but Elliot kept quiet.
“I am perfectly able to do desk duty,” Olivia then broke the silence, her voice still quiet. “And believe me, when I showed up here, Cragen was about to send me home with an escort.”
Elliot had to smile at that image.
“Might have been a good idea,” he murmured.
“What?” his partner asked.
“Nothing,” Elliot shrugged once more only to get another stare from Olivia.
“He said that?” he wanted to know.
“No he didn’t,” Olivia told him what he already knew. “But I know that was exactly what he was thinking.”
Elliot grinned at her.
“Smart man,” he mumbled but this time Olivia had heard him.
A crumbled piece of paper hit Elliot a few seconds later right on his forehead. He looked up in confusion but when he saw Olivia giggle he simply threw the paper back. It only so much as brushed her which had her giggle even more.
“Jeez, Liv, what did you have this morning for breakfast,” he inquired.
He rarely saw her in a good mood even less when she was work. He figured that she was a little hyper and over motivated since she was out of the house for the first time in two weeks.
“Should I be worried when we’re out in the field together?” she asked referring to his missing her with the paper.
“You are not going to be in the field with me any time soon,” she reminded her which had her scowl.
“You really know how to motivate someone,” she grunted.
“Sorry, Liv, I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s ok,” she interrupted his apology. “I should get back to work anyway.”
He watched as she started to work through the file again. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her and regretted that he hadn’t thought about what he had said before he had done so. He was about to start another apology when her phone rang. She picked it up and Elliot observed her while she scribbled some notes. Once she had hung up she stared at the paper for a second. She sighed and handed it to Elliot.
“Guess you got to have to go,” Olivia stated quietly.
Elliot didn’t know what to say and simply took the notes from her. He himself started at them for a moment before he remembered that he should leave and got up.
“See you later.”
He offered Olivia a shy smile which she replied then her face turned into a surprised expression when she felt him squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. He quickly let go of her again so no one would notice and hurried for the door yelling for Munch to come with him.

Wow, I feel like an idiot for misunderstanding. Haha, I know what a cast is.
I read it as "Im going to be in the cast."
I got really excited i thought you were going to be IN the cast.

Well I hope youre good as new when you get it off!
and... ITS WONDERFUL! KEPP GOINGGGG.

Thanks two times
If I am lucky I'll get it off Dec 18th...


Olivia watched him grab his jacket and rush after Elliot. She kept staring into the direction of the hallway, longing to be the one with Elliot right now.
“You see something I don’t?” Fin’s voice pulled her back into reality.
She startled, looked at Fin then went back to work without giving a reply. The self pity stayed with her but eventually she was able to suppress it and concentrate on what she was doing. By early afternoon half of the files were almost ready when a phone rang. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Fin pick it up but didn’t pay further attention to it.
“Liv, someone’s anxious,” his voice interrupted her which had her look up in confusion. “Your partner desperately needs you,” Fin told her.
Olivia wasn’t sure if he was mocking her but there was something in his voice that she couldn’t quite read. She looked at Fin for what seemed forever trying to make sense of how his words were meant then slightly shook her head.
“Very funny,” she replied to what he had said and turned away from him.
“I am serious,” Fin held her back. “He asked me to bring you down.”
Olivia looked back up and studied him. He was already grabbing her jacket to hold it for her. Still confused she got up, took the coat and left with him.
“Where are we going?” she wanted to know once in the elevator.
“Angel of Mercy,” Fin answered.
“Just the place I wanted to go,” Olivia mumbled.
Fin studied her but didn’t say anything and she wasn’t aware of it. They went to the car in silence, got in and left. Fin’s words still rang in Olivia’s eyes and she wondered what had made him chose those. She eyed him suspiciously. He probably knew how much time Elliot spent with her lately and she was afraid that he had drawn the wrong conclusions.
“Did Elliot say he needed me?” she then asked.
“He said he wanted me to bring you down,” Fin answered honking at a guy who almost hit him changing the lane. “Stupid ass,” he mumbled.
Olivia just nodded slightly. She considered telling him that there was nothing going on between them. On the other hand if Fin didn’t suspect anything then she saw no need in causing any trouble where there was none so she kept quiet. It wasn’t long after that Fin pulled up in front of the hospital entrance. She refused any help to get out of the car and followed him inside the lobby where they met Munch. He told Olivia where Elliot was waiting for her then left together with his partner. It took Olivia a moment until she had found Elliot but eventually she did.
“El, what’s going on?” Olivia wanted to know when she approached.
“We got a girl hidden under the bed her beaten-to-death mother was lying in. She gets hysterical when I get too close but she was fine with the nurses. So I figured I’d give it a try and have you talk to her,” Elliot explained. “Right now they are doing x-rays but…”
“Detective?” Elliot was interrupted by a nurse. “She is out of x-rays now. You can talk to her if you’d like.”
Elliot nodded and he and Olivia went to the small room the little girl was in. They remained outside and watched through the glass windows for a moment. The bloody wounds had already been taken care off and she inspected the hospital room with interest.
“We don’t know her name yet,” Elliot’s voice broke the silence between the two detectives. “So far we haven’t found anything in the apartment which indicated what it was.”
Olivia looked at him in surprise. Usually there were books, papers, anything from school which had the kids name on it.
“She might have not even been living at that place,” he answered the question she hadn’t asked.
Olivia nodded and turned her attention back to the little girl. Elliot then opened the door and the girl looked up, her eyes wide with fear for a moment but she relaxed when she saw Olivia come in. Elliot remained at the door putting enough space in between him and the girl while his partner made her way over to the bed.

“Hi,” Olivia said, coming closer. “I am Olivia.”
The girl just looked at her but didn’t respond in any way.
“May I sit down?” Olivia wanted to know getting a shy nod from the little girl.
Carefully Olivia sat down on the bed. The girl studied her with big eyes, taking in every detail and spending a lot of time examining the crutches.
“I might get those too,” she said in a quiet voice.
She obviously had decided that Olivia could be trusted and talked to.
“Really?” Olivia replied with a smile. “What did you break?”
The little girl’s gaze travelled to Elliot then back to Olivia and motioned for her to come closer.
“They say I broke my shinbone,” she almost whispered. – “Olivia, what is a shinbone?” she asked after a moment.
“This is your shinbone,” Olivia explained pointing at the girl’s healthy leg.
“What did you do?” the girl wanted to know.
Olivia turned towards Elliot. It was obvious that it would take a while until she got the girl to tell her what had happened.
“He is going to get me something to drink,” Olivia said pointing to Elliot. “Do you want something too?”
The girl looked at Elliot and kept her eyes on him while she seemed to consider whether she could take something that he would bring or not. Finally she motioned for Olivia to come closer again.
“Can he get me a chocolate bar?” she asked barely audible. “And a lemonade?”
The way she said it made Olivia smile but she only nodded. She wanted to turn back to Elliot when the small hand reached out for her.
“Don’t tell him, I want it,” the girl pleaded.
Olivia looked at her for a second then nodded again. She asked Elliot to fetch those two items in addition to her tea and from the twinkling in his eyes she knew that he’d understood.
Once he was gone she told the girl what had happened to her before she had to answer some more questions about her and her injury.
“Don’t you want to tell me your name?” Elliot heard Olivia say when he was back with the drinks and the chocolate bar.
The girl paused, studied Elliot and watched him hand the stuff to Olivia who gave it to the girl. Elliot stepped back again and waited for their victim to finally state her name. She had taken her eyes off him now but was busy eating therefore not able to talk. Both detectives waited patiently while the little girl devoured her chocolate bar.
“Do you like chocolate?” she then asked Olivia who had to suppress a sigh.
“Sweetie, how about you let me ask some questions now,” Olivia suggested. “I’ll answer that one and then it’s my turn, ok?”
Elliot watched her stroke the girl’s hair then tenderly have the golden curls run through her fingers. A warm feeling suddenly engulfed his heart which he tried to ignore. He forced himself to observe the scene in a professional way but was not able to get his emotions fully in check. It bothered him so he tried to focus his look on something else. It worked however only for a short time. Once he heard Olivia’s soft voice she always had when talking to a victim or family member or whoever in need of care and attention the strange feeling returned. He was suddenly longing for her to have a kid on her own and as much as he tried he couldn’t shake that thought from his head.
“Liv,” he interrupted even though he knew that was not a good move when they were talking to a kid like this one. “I am gonna go…”


If anyone is interested, I started another one over on fanfiction.net.
Here's the link:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4702888/1/Somewhere_Deep_Inside

Sorry, it took a while but I was busy doing Christmas presents.

Merry Christmas to everyone by the way.

He signalled her that it was the bathroom he would go to and before she even could respond he was out of the door. He leaned against it, closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relieve. After of moment he was able to regain his composure and dropped into a chair next to the room. He didn’t know what had come over him but he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt like that. To see Olivia care for that little girl in the way she had had made him long for something; the same thing which was driving him to her place each day after work. It couldn’t be her though, he told himself. It just couldn’t. Not only because he was back with Kathy but because it would be so complicated. Besides, Olivia had never made a move which indicated that she wanted more than they had and he was sure that he did not want it either. He was glad to be back with Kathy, glad to have little Eli around. He loved his kid, loved to see his other children grow even though he and Kathy were still having troubles. She still had a difficult time dealing with his irregular work hours. When he came home late she usually would still eat a little with him and fill him in on the kids but never without a voice that suggested he would know all that if… Sometimes he just ignored that, more often he would get mad at her though and they would end up fighting. That was one of the reasons he spent so much time at Liv’s. That was his refuge. He could eat in piece, laugh with her and come home to simply fall into bed or go back to the station to work if a case came up.
Thinking about it made him realize how absurd it was and he got up strolling through the hallway. He stopped in front of the little girl’s window. Olivia was still talking to her and he watched her for a while lost in thought. It was a pity she still was single and didn’t have kids. Surely he would miss her if she got pregnant and part of him didn’t want her to leave the unit – ever, unless he did so too, but on the other hand he also wanted her to be happy. After all that she had gone through she deserved to have the life she longed for and he wished there was something he could do to make it happen. But he could hardly snap his fingers and make the right guy appear. Life seemed so unfair at times and all of a sudden he felt himself getting angry at God. It simply wasn’t fair that someone like Olivia always had to fight to be happy while he, already happy and healthy, never seemed to run out of luck.
“Guess what her name is,” Olivia’s voice cut into his thoughts.
As if he had been asleep Elliot’s head shot around to face his partner.
“If she is telling the truth that is,” she added, dropping into the chair Elliot had been sitting in earlier.
He hadn’t realized that a nurse had come in and was now taking the girl to get her shinbone taken care off.
“What is her name?” he asked looking after the girl and the nurse until they had disappeared around a corner.
“She says it’s Olivia,” Olivia told him. “The way she immediately looked up at me, I am just not sure I can trust her on that.”
Elliot nodded. So far CSU had not gotten back to him.
“Did she say what happened?” he wanted to know, checking his phone.
Olivia followed his actions and took a moment before she nodded thoughtfully.
“First she told me that her mom and she were fooling around and she fell off the bed,” Olivia explained. “When I didn’t quite believe her and pushed for more details she admitted that it wasn’t the whole truth. She wasn’t very clear on what has happened, but she said she and her mother were at an uncle’s place. I am not sure it really is her uncle though. Anyway, she was allowed to play in the bedroom and didn’t know what everyone else was doing. Then the door was suddenly pushed opened, she fell off the bed between the nightstand and the bed. The guy, she wasn’t sure if it was the one she previously called uncle, tried to get her out of the room but she was stuck. That’s probably how she broke her shinbone. Anyway, her mother tried to get him off her, he hit her, lost interest in the little girl. The last push he gave her freed her and she crawled under the bed. From what she says, I think the mother was raped but we have to wait for the lab results to confirm that. A sure thing is that the guy continued to beat her once he was done then kicked her off the bed and left.”

Letting that sink in Elliot looked at Olivia who held his gaze. He knew that she was just as taken by that story as he was. He had never understood men who beat women let alone men who beat women to death.
His cell phone brought both of them back to reality and he excused himself. It didn’t take long until he came back.
“Warner could already tell that the mother was raped,” he said, sitting down next to his partner. “She checked on that first and found body fluids between her legs. Anything else will take time of course.”
Olivia only nodded but didn’t know what to say. Her mind went back to the long talk she had had with the little girl. She had never mentioned a father and she wondered if she even knew him.
“I’ll get you home,” Elliot interrupted her thoughts.
He had already risen and Olivia looked up at him. It took her a second to make sense of his words then she nodded. She got up and hesitated throwing a glance into the direction of Olivia’s room before she followed Elliot towards the exit.
It was already dark when they stepped outside and Olivia realized that all she had eaten had been a quick breakfast and a sandwich before noon.
“Would you mind stopping to grab a pizza on the way home?” she asked Elliot.
She wasn’t entirely comfortable with it but she didn’t feel like cooking either and the pizza place was right around her corner so she figured it would only be a quick detour.
“How about we grab a bite to eat together?” The words were out of his mouth before he could even think about them let alone know what he said.
He ignored Olivia’s surprised look as well as his rising doubts. He was very well aware of the fact that she should better go home and have dinner with Kathy and the kids but somehow it wasn’t as appealing as a pizza with Olivia. Even though the last time he had been at home for dinner had been 3 nights ago.
“Are you sure?” Olivia wasn’t sure she had heard right.
Despite himself Elliot nodded. He knew he shouldn’t. She gave him the option of taking his suggestion back but he didn’t. He didn’t want to.
He felt Olivia study him although he pretended not to. Seemingly indifferent to her stare, he opened the car door and helped her in before they left the parking lot a few minutes later.
It wasn’t even necessary for him to check where to go since it was somewhat of an obvious choice. Not only because the pizza place was close to her apartment.
His lips curved into a slight smile as he remembered how they sometimes spent half the night there, talking, while a storm was raging outside or snow was falling heavily. Neither one of them had ever regretted a single minute of sleep they had lost due to that. It just felt too perfect whenever they spent their nights there.
And he had to admit, he had missed it lately. Sure, he had not asked her to go but neither had she and he glanced at Olivia for a moment. There was no obvious reason for them not to have met and he wondered if his subconscious had kept him from doing so since he was back with Kathy. Or maybe it had been the baby.
He didn’t know but he knew that he wanted to change that again. Perhaps there was even a chance that they could make it a regular, a night every other week or so. He certainly would like that and Kathy didn’t have to know.
He sighed concentrating on the street again. It didn’t take much longer until they got where they wanted to and he stopped right in front of the little restaurant. Olivia got out and waited while Elliot was looking for a parking space. It took him a moment but eventually he joined Olivia and together they went inside. The place was relatively empty and they chose a table by the window before they placed their orders.