Hey guys,

Sorry for such the long wait for an update. I had much more homework this week than I thought I would end up with, so I finally got a break as of today.

No flashbacks in this chapter, but in italics, it's in Elliot's POV...but that's only for about three lines in the chapter.

I'll try and get another update up this weekend, but if I can't, it'll be sometime early this week..

-Em

Chapter Four

"I'm heading out." Olivia could barely get her coat on fast enough. She had been ready to leave work before she even got to the precinct this morning. Elliot looked up at her, waiting for the answer that Olivia already knew he was questioning for. "I'll see you tonight." Her voice was much softer, ensuring that no one else left in the squad room could hear. She was gone before he had a chance to say anything else.

He gave her a small smirk before turning his attention back to the paperwork in front of him. The pile that had been there this morning had diminished to almost nothing, a small prayer in the largest of sorts. He glanced back toward the hallway Olivia had just walked through, making sure she was out of sight. When he received his conformation, he reached over his desk and grabbed the file that was closed, on top of her keyboard.

Cragen was written across the front of the folder.

Curious, Elliot opened the cover of the file, and let out a small sigh of relief. He recognized the form right away as a case file. Between himself and Olivia, they had filled out thousands of them over the years, not exactly something to brag about, but he figured it was just another closed case. That was not what caught his attention, though. It was the name that was written next to the line for the lead detective assigned to the case that caught Elliot's eye right before he closed the file.

Odafin Tutuola

Why the hell does Liv have Fin's case file?

Elliot knew that he should have put the file back, knowing there had to be some explanation for this. Whatever the reason Olivia had one of Fin's cases, he knew it was none of his business.

But it was his business.

He saw the other line of the file that answered why she had Fin's case. Olivia Benson was listed as one of the witnesses for the prosecution.

For a second, Elliot forgot where he was, and he felt that all of the color had been drained from his face. The past month, Olivia treating him like he didn't exist, being so sharp with him that he barely understood her anymore. It was all because of this case, and he knew that for certain once he saw the name who was labeled as the defendant.

Lowell Harris

"Where's Fin?" Elliot stormed into Cragen's office, rage spilling over the entirety of his face. He could barely keep his composure. How could no one tell me this?

"Elliot, keep out of this!" Don barked, meeting him with just as much anger as soon as he saw the document Elliot was flaring in his right hand. Cragen knows?!

"Keep out of this?!" A sarcastic grin appeared across Elliot's face as he slammed the file onto the Captain's desk. "My fucking partner was raped by that sick, son-of-a-bitch, and not one person in this precinct thought to tell me?" His face was so red, he was surprised his fist didn't come into contact with Don's face. "Where the fuck was Fin, why wasn't he there?" The questions were flowing out of his mouth faster than he could control them.

"It was all a freak accident," Cragen's voice was calmer. "He got down there as soon as he could, and that's all I'm obliged to tell you." Elliot shook his head with a smug laugh before getting up to head towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"To get some answers, and if you can't give them to me, I'll go to the source."

"Don't..." Don grabbed his arm before he was able to open the door. "...do this, Elliot. She'll never forgive you for betraying her privacy and trust. That file wasn't yours to open." Elliot put his head down, staring at the ground below the both of them, pondering what to say next.

"And if I don't find out what happened, I'll never forgive myself for not being there." They both shared a brief moment of silence before Don sighed.

"Fin's in the cribs." Don seethed through his teeth. "Elliot do not make me intervene if you go up there. And don't make me regret telling you!"

Elliot left his office as quickly as he could and headed towards Fin. He was trying to force himself to not be angry, to believe the captain when he said it was all an accident; it wasn't working. It was Olivia, his Liv, and it all happened during an undercover operation that he knew was a horrible idea. When Olivia shut everyone out after Sealview, he always figured it was just small forms of sexual harassment by some of the guards; just touching or even groping.

But not raping.

"Whoa, Stabler what the hell!" Fin rose from the cot immediately when Elliot ripped off the blanket on top of him. He stood up immediately, facing Elliot who was standing just inches away from him.

"I'm gonna ask you one more time." He was pointing a finger accusingly at Fin, his command coming out sharp. "What happened in that basement?"

"Back off, Elliot."

"Wrong answer." Elliot swung his arm until his fist hit Fin straight in the jaw. "Where the fuck were you, huh?" He was screaming at this point, just waiting for Cragen to come running in. "I've kept her safe for years, and the one time I count on you to protect her, you let her get raped?! I'd be pissed if she came out with a bloody lip, but you let that lowlife fuck rape Liv?!" It was Fin who reacted this time, taking the hand off of his jaw to punch Elliot just as he had done seconds earlier.

"How about you keep out of what you know nothing about! You weren't there!" Fin was shouting just as loudly as Elliot was. Elliot wiped the back of his hand across his nose while a smug grin crossed his face.

"No, see, that's not what I'm saying. The whole problem is that you weren't there for her." Fin lunged at him again right as Cragen came roaring through the doors.

"Elliot!" He pulled him away from Fin and tossed him towards the opposite wall. "You lay one more finger, or say one more thing, to anyone in this precinct tonight and you can consider yourself suspended!" It was Cragen's turn to point fingers, this time at Elliot. "Now get the hell out of here before I do something I regret!"

Elliot ran his hand across his lips before storming out of the room.

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Olivia was sitting on her couch, picking at the chinese take-out container that she had brought home with her after work. It was later than she thought it was, but that may have been because of the nerves she had for the upcoming day. Being at court, seeing him again, was not exactly comforting. That was the main reason she told Elliot to come by tonight; she needed to let off as much stress as possible, and he had become quite good at making her do just that in the past month. As she turned to pull the blanket draped over her couch over her legs, her apartment door opened slowly while he walked inside.

"I was starting to think you wouldn't show." He almost lost it as soon as she stood up. She was completely undressed except for her bra and a pair of shorts, ready for what he would normally give her. Without another glance at her, he walked into her bedroom. "What's up with you?" She followed him in to her room only to be met with him in her doorway.

"Put this on." He shoved a t-shirt that he had taken from her dresser into her hands before walking past her to sit on the couch. His hands were clenched together as he stared straight ahead, not sure how he was going to say this without yelling.

"Elliot, what the hell is this all about?"

After a few moments, he got up from the couch and slowly walked towards her. She was still standing in the doorway of her bedroom, but he could tell she was nervous. And nervous she was, her heart was beating wildly against her chest. Putting his hands in his coat, he pulled out a piece of paper and placed it into her hands. He couldn't even look at her fully as he spoke."How could you not tell me?"

"Get out." She hissed at him through her teeth. There was no need for her to look down at the paper he had given to her to know what it was. Elliot didn't budge. "How dare you do this?" Her eyes began to swell with tears, and her heart was beating out of her chest. He didn't answer, and his eyes were staring straight into hers. The first sob left her throat, and the rest were uncontrollable as she began to break down in front of him. He was never supposed to know. She didn't want to tell him, especially not now.

And he was never supposed to see her like this. It was one of her rules.

There was a knot tangling in his stomach, but he didn't know whether to be insanely mad at her or to grab her, to tell her he was going to fix this, that she would be alright. He knew one thing, though, and that was she needed a shirt. "Here." He took the shirt he had given her out of her shaking hands and slid her arms into its sleeves. Tears that had fallen down her cheeks were wiped off as the shirt slipped over her head. The shirt was barely on completely before she collapsed into his chest, too exhausted to say anything.

After first resisting, he relaxed and held her small frame tightly against his. He rubbed his hands across the small of her back, anything to get her to stop shaking. The tears had stopped falling from her eyes drying out, but sobs were still finding their way out of her throat. "Liv..." Maybe the captain was right, maybe he shouldn't have come over here, maybe he shouldn't have ever picked up that file. Not knowing was almost better than seeing her so broken. "I'm so sorry." He could've sworn his own voice cracked, but he knew he couldn't let her know her being this way could kill him.

"I hate you..." Her voice trailed off to a whisper before her fists began to pound against his chest. "How could you read that?!? It was personal!" Her voice was back up to a scream as he fought to grab her flailing hands before they hit him again.

"Liv! Stop!" He finally had control of her hands, clenching her wrists with his own hands. "I'm sorry for what happened to you, and I'm sorry for not being there to keep you safe, but I'm not going to be sorry for reading that file." He was practically shaking her, trying to put some sense into her head. "I'm sorry for not being there..." She broke into another set of sobs as the words he said sunk in. He was right, and she knew it; if it were him with her, she would have never been out of his sights.

Elliot pulled her into him once more, this time walking them both towards her bedroom. He lifted her onto the bed and pulled the comforter over her legs. Without asking, he unbuttoned his shirt, taking it off before climbing into bed next to her. His hands immediately wrapped around her torso to pull her body into his. "Get some sleep, Liv...we've got to be at the court house by nine." She didn't even protest once he decided he was going to be there with her.

And for once, she did get some sleep, soundly against the arms of the man she never, until now, let stay the night.

A/N---Thanks for reading! I kind of contemplated with where to go with this story, but I figured this chapter turned out appropriate. Reviews are always appreciated!