This is an idea I've had for a long time now, and finally decided to write it. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own SVU.

It was a relatively quiet night, the wind blowing oh so softly outside, a branch nearby the window occasionally making a faint scratching sound against the glass. Snow fell softly, gathering in small white clusters on the windows sills.

But a noise amid the stillness stirred Elliot Stabler from his sleep.

He awakened with a start at the sound of his door slowly opening with a long, squeaky creek. Footsteps padded a few steps into his room, and instinctively he sat upright and fumbled for his gun. His fingers curled around the cold handle and he started to raise it, but froze as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the light, and he recognized the figure illuminated in the doorway.

He slowly set the gun down on his nightstand and squinted at the figure. "Liv?"

Olivia took a step forward, and he could faintly see tearstains on her cheeks. He reached for the lamp and pulled the chain, the light momentarily blinding both of them. He beckoned for her to come closer, and when she did, he sat up straighter.

"What's the matter?" he softly. Olivia didn't respond right away, and he took her wrist, gently pulling her onto the bed next to him. "Are you alright?"

Chewing on her lip, she looked at him nervously. "I had a bad dream…"

He let out a small sigh and turned the lamp off, lying down and motioning for her to join him. "What about?"

She curled into him, winding her arms around him tightly. "Nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing. C'mon. You can tell me," he urged softly, squeezing her shoulder. Reluctantly she sighed and started to speak.

"You got hurt…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "I was there…"

"I'm right here, honey. I'm okay. Is that it?" He desperately prayed that it was a memory of some sort. Something. Anything to assure him that somewhere, his Olivia was still there. But her chocolate brown eyes still carried that same look, carrying very little, if any at all, of her former self. She had always had the most beautiful eyes, he had thought.

"That's it."

"How did it happen?" he murmured calmly. "Did someone else do it?" She didn't answer him. "Liv, tell me. Please?"

"Yeah."

"Who? How?"

"A man with a gun." She yawned and snuggled deeper into him. Sensing that he wouldn't get much more, he pulled the blanket up, wrapping it tightly around her shoulders. Suddenly he had another question.

"Were we in a building?" She nodded sleepily, closing her eyes. "Did the man die?" Olivia nodded again, but this time more gently, and he listened as her breathing evened out. Within minutes, she was sound asleep. He gently kissed the top of her head and scooted over to give her more room.

He let the gears of his mind wander. This wasn't the first nightmare she had dreamt in the past three months, but it was the first one she had answered his questions about, and it left him desperately wanting to ask more, a memory from years ago now perfectly fresh in his mind. With a tired yawn, he closed his eyes and fell into a restless slumber.

SVUSVUSVU

It was early in the morning when a single ray of faint sunlight spilled through the window blinds, beaming into Elliot's eyes. Groggily he opened them, turning over in bed. Olivia shook his shoulder, smiling widely.

"El," she whispered. He looked up at her.

"Hey there, Liv."

"Look outside!" she pleaded, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. He stretched and yawned before standing up, peering through the curtains. "It looks pretty."

"You're right. It does look pretty." Silver clouds stretched across the sky, but the sun was somewhat visible, leaving a strip of sunlight sparking on the sparkling white snow. Olivia grinned radiantly, obviously recovered from her dream the previous night.

"Can we have pancakes?"

"Sure. I'll make some just for you." He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a sideways hug. She hugged him tightly before he pulled away and made his way into the kitchen. Olivia sat down at the table as he poured the flour and milk into a bowl. Soon he had several steaming pancakes piled on a plate, and he handed her some.

"Thank you, El," she said sweetly. He smiled and nodded, sitting across from her and helping himself. "You make good pancakes."

"Well, thank you." He took a bite from his pancakes.

"What are we doing today?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It depends on if I get called into work or not." Olivia scowled at her plate. "But it's my day off," he said quickly. "I'll probably be home all day."

"Good." She finished her breakfast and handed the plate to him. She studied him closely. "Don't ever go back to work," she said seriously.

Elliot sighed. "You know I can't do that. I have to go to work tomorrow," he said gently. Olivia sighed quietly and looked away.

"Why?"

"Well… it's my job, and I have to do it." His response didn't seem to answer her question, but she didn't ask any more questions as he rinsed off their plates and slipped them into the dishwasher. "But I'm here today. And I'll try to come home early tomorrow. How's that?"

She nodded approvingly, although he knew that when he left for work the next day, she would be upset, and he would spend his entire day in guilt. But that was nothing new. He sat down on the couch, and she took a seat beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I love you," she said, smiling innocently. He forced a smile. For years he had waited to hear those words from her, but not like this. And now he heard them so often.

"I love you, too."

Aww. I know it's confusing, but the next chapter will explain what happened to Olivia. Stay tuned, and if you can guess what the dream is a reference to, you get mentioned. Of course, it should be easy...