He had just been reprimanded for another case gone wrong because of his inability to restrain himself. He felt as if he were being used as a scapegoat because of a case he couldn't fix. They had watched the case crumble right before their eyes; a woman recanting her statement of rape, a criminal released due to tampered evidence and lives nearly lost in the line of duty. But the blame had been placed on him and now his ass was on the line.

His jaw was rigid and his eyes were filled with disdain as he watched Cragen's normally stern features become even more harsh and belligerent, his voice raised to a level he rarely used. He was ranting about Elliot's misuse of his badge and how he may be forced to pick up drinking again if he had to deal with his top detective constantly crossing the line. Elliot almost had the urge to roll his eyes at a speech he had already heard too many times before.

But he could tell this time Cragen wasn't just letting him go with a slap on the wrist. He began to shift nervously in his seat as Cragen reached over and picked up the telephone on his desk, dialing a number unfamiliar to Elliot. The conversation between his boss and the mystery man gave him nothing more than a time scheduled later for that day and a reference to an old friendship.

"Captain?" Elliot prompted with eyebrows raised. His curiousty was growing by the second and he leaned forward in anticipation. It wasn't like Cragen to keep him at bay.

"I didn't realize that my leniency over the years would finally come to this. But I can't have any more smudges on my record, and your behavior reflects that immensely. Your tendency to lose control with the suspects, your blatant disobedience at times because you're so damn stubborn and your relationship with Olivia, whatever it may be, have pushed me over the edge."

Elliot's eyes flashed with anger. He didn't like what Cragen was implying.

"Elliot, I've made an appointment for you with a shrink. I think it'll do you good to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours," he said, and when Elliot's mouth opened for protest, Cragen held up a hand to silence him. "This isn't a choice, Detective. You either complete these sessions or you're fired."

He looked over his shoulder and saw Olivia at her desk, head bent in concentration as moved a pen across the file. She was as far away from him as possible in the small space of the precinct.

She had been avoiding him lately, only speaking to him directly when she was in dire need and only looking at him when her eyes had run out of spaces on the floor to focus on. He didn't know when their relationship had changed from comfortable partners who confided virtually everything in one another to partners who lost the ability to even be in the same room with each other before sidelined emotions exploded.

Before he had a chance to turn his head away, her blemished eyes met his. He'd always had the talent to read her but this time he was at a loss. There were indescribable emotions flashing through her eyes.

He rubbed his hand over his face, turning back away from her. If there was any reason to participate in this, it was her. Because lately their partnership had crumbled and he wanted to put the pieces back together. He needed to put the pieces back together because without her, the bond they shared would be broken. She was Olivia Benson and he was Elliot Stabler. Benson and Stabler. Elliot and Olivia. El and Liv. Brooding intensity with a dedication that never wavers and empathy with tough exterior motivated by past. It was an unspoken truth that one never went without the other.

He despised therapists in any shape or form. He had always been taught to be sufficient on his own, to take care of his own without asking for help, to solve his own problems without having to resort to an outside party. He'd never particularly liked someone sitting across from him, judging him, analyzing him, regarding his feelings as if they actually meant something to a complete stranger.

But now, everything was spiralling out of control and he couldn't take control like he was so used to being able to do. His options had run dry and this time he couldn't fix what was broken on his own.

Maybe seeing a shrink was exactly what he needed.

So it's extremely short, but it's just the premise. The next chapters will steer more towards humor as the shrink delves into Elliot feelings but as he opens up, there will be some angst. It will develop into EO as the story goes on. How could it not be? :)