The moon clung to the night's sky, darkness was punctuated with the sound of tired, frustrated taxis, the light of the dying nightlife, and the odd star. Tonight was just like any other night, only it was defiled, not by the muggers hiding in the shadows of street corners, not by the gangs that accumulated in their numbers sending shots of intimidation to those who dared walk passed them; this night was to be remembered as the night that started it all. The night that New Yorkers would talk about for years to come. The night that made everyone live in fear.

He had the money burning in his pocket, twenty thousand dollars for one job. 'What a moron', Joe Coiner thought to himself. Grinning, the short man walked along the sidewalk with a cocky confidence in his step. He knew where he was going, he was going to pay a visit to Dale Waverson. Coiner pictured Dale in his suit, the balding, fat man who cried himself to sleep every night after his wife had left him, the pitiful man who cowered at the sight of his boss.

Coiner spotted Waverson, he'd taken the usual route home, two lefts, then a right, all the way to the end of the road, then another right, first house on the left. The chubby man plodded with his head hung low, he'd had a visit from the loan shark at his office today, four thousand dollars needed by tomorrow afternoon or he was a dead man. Waverson smirked sarcastically for a second, 'Heck, I'll be dead tonight.' He had no idea.

"Sir." A lone voice shouted.

Dale turned to see a man wearing sweat pants and a tight white shirt. "Can I help you?" he asked miserably.

"Sir, I'm a private investigator, your wife hired me."

"Rachel hired you?"

He'd given it away, "Yes sir, Rachel. I fear I have something terrible to tell you about her, can I come in possibly, you need to sit down."

"Yes, yes of course. Follow me." Waverson hurried to his front door, as he opened it, it creaked. Coiner followed.

Both men took a seat, Coiner was shocked at the hell hole he'd just fallen into.

"I'm sorry," Waverson babbled, "My wife, you see she left me, took my kids away. That's them, Sally, Lucy and Liam. They were my world; they are my world."

Coiner nodded but said nothing, he still needed to learn as he had nothing to say about Dale's wife yet. "I didn't even see it coming, I know I worked a lot, but I had to provide for my family, I had everything. I had a beautiful wife, wonderful children, a house, my home." Dale started crying, tears of unshed pain rolled down his blushing face. "I should have seen it, she was unhappy, she started avoiding me, I'd sleep on the sofa if I came home from work at all. I had it all and let it all slip away." The crushed man looked up at Joe, "How can you lose everything in one day?"

Joe looked at him, if he hadn't felt the bulge of cash in his pocket, he might have felt sorry for the man. "I don't know sir. I honestly don't."

"I'm sorry," Dale rose to his feet, "You had something you needed to tell me."

Joe stood up also, he put a hand to his waist and pulled out his hand gun, "I'm here to kill you Dale."

Dale's face dropped further although neither of the men thought it possible.

"But why? Why would she want me dead? She took everything, I have nothing worth dying over!"

"Rachel didn't send me Dale," Joe noticed his victim's shirt pulling against the roll of fat the fabric concealed. He had a mustard stain that looked to be at least two days old; Dale really had suffered, he'd lost almost everything.

"Please don't kill me, please. I'll do anything, anything, please. I beg you, please don't do this." Dale held his hands up by his ears, he lowered himself to his knees, his joints aching as his weight landed on them.

"Don't beg."

"Please." Dale cried, his nose running in to his mouth, "I'll do anything, just please please let me live."

"What do you have to live for? Sweet FA Dale, sweet FA. I'm doing you a favour." Joe raised the gun to Dale's head, Dale collapsed to the floor, he cradled his head in his arms, his tears still falling like ever lasting rain. His body rocked in the foetal position, Joe stood over his victim, the weeping man, he took aim and in one shot, blew the man's head in countless pieces. Brain matter spattered over the walls, blood sprayed giving the dull grey walls some colour. Joe watched as Dale's body instantly fell into a state of deathly relaxation. He pumped three more rounds in to the man's body and wiped the blood from his face. Pulling out a polaroid camera, Joe took three pictures of Dale.

Taking a look around Dale's new apartment, Joe saw just how pathetic the man's life really had become; the kitchen was barely a camping stove, one cupboard with the door hanging loose and a kettle on the splintered window sill. Joe made his way in to what was meant to be a bedroom; Joe grabbed a shirt that didn't smell as bad as the rest, and put it on over the top of his own.

Sirens began ringing out in the distance, Joe knew it was time to leave. He kicked the backdoor open, with a soft nudge of the foot, it practically fell off it's hinges. Joe fled in to the night, money in his pocket, job done.

/

Elliot smiled softly as his eyes fell upon his partner, she had been the light of his life for years, but he hadn't been totally honest with her. She looked up and gave him her warmest smile back at him, he gazed at her for what seemed like hours; every sound drowned out by her beauty.

"Elliot." Olivia looked confused, "El, are you okay?"

Elliot nodded, "Fine, I'm fine. Got lost in a thought."

"Must have been a good one." Olivia said flashing him another smile.

"It was." Elliot replied. The detective sat at his desk totally lost in thought, how could he tell Olivia what had happened? It had been three months, she hadn't asked in a while, but could he really tell her? "Hey Liv, can I?"

"Elliot, Olivia, my office, now." Cragen demanded.

"Damn it." Elliot whispered under his breath. He dragged himself off his chair and followed Olivia in to the office. His eyes grazing over Olivia's well toned body.

"You two have some explaining to do!"

"Captain?" Olivia asked.

"Don't captain me, you two have got the Mayor all over my ass about this. You interrogated his son last week! Care to explain that to me?"

Elliot looked at Olivia then to Cragen, "Captain this is all on me. I."

"I don't need your half ass excuses, what I need is an explanation as to why you hauled his ass down here."

"Lisa Grey named him as her rapist, we brought him in to ask him some questions."

"He's eighteen Captain, he denied counsel and knew his rights. He wasn't under arrest." Olivia jumped in.

"Well he went home and told his dad all about you two. You're both being reassigned new partners until this dies down. You're both a damn liability. You two are too close!"

"Captain." Elliot started again.

"Get out." Cragen barked.

Olivia left Cragen's office followed by Elliot, he reached out for Olivia's hand, his fingers grazed her fingertips. Olivia looked down at her hand, then over her shoulder; her eyes latched on to his. "El, what is it?"

"I need to speak to you Liv. You want to go and grab some coffee?"

"Sure El." Olivia became concerned, although Elliot had taken the blame for many mishaps in the past, he seemed different today. Olivia couldn't put her finger on it, but something was very wrong with Elliot.

Olivia pulled her coat off the back of her chair, she looked around, Elliot had already left. Olivia walked out of the one six, as she left the building, Elliot was standing against the crown vic, his eyes lit up when he saw Olivia.

Olivia got in the car, she looked over to the driver's seat, she put on her seat belt, the silence was cruel and the tension in the car was thick. The detective turned in her seat, her knees facing Elliot; "El, what's going on?"

Elliot turned the key in the ignition and drove, he pulled around the corner and parked up. "Liv, I need to tell you something, I just don't know how."

"El, you can tell me anything, you know that." Olivia reached out her hand and took hold of Elliot's; "Elliot, you're scaring me."

Elliot turned fully in his seat and held Olivia's hand, he tightened his grip slightly, "Kathy left me, she took the kids and moved out."

"Elliot I'm so sorry."

"I'm not. Its been coming for a long time, I knew it, but when it happened, it was still a shock."

"Why did she leave?"

Olivia's heart and head were in conflict. Her partner's eyes melted her heart, "You know why Liv, you've always known."

Olivia didn't reply, "It's always been you, twelve years, three months, countless cases, too many sleepless nights together, all I've wanted is you."

Silence fell upon the car, a tear rolled down Olivia's cheek; Elliot looked at her, she sniffed softly. Touching her cheek, he wiped the tear that graced her cheek.

"Please don't cry Liv."

"Elliot, I don't know what to say. How long?"

"She moved out three months ago."

Olivia leaned in for a hug, Elliot reached out for her and held her as close as he could, her head rested on his shoulder. Elliot grasped at Olivia's hair, her soft hair ran with ease through his fingers. He breathed in her natural scent, his lips pressed against her neck; he couldn't resist. Elliot kissed Olivia's neck, she pulled out of the embrace, her partner kept his hands on her neck, he didn't want them to part.

Olivia rested her forehead on Elliot's; she could feel his breath on her lips, she closed her eyes; her heart beat sped up, she could hear nothing but her heart. She tilted her head, her lips brushed against Elliot's, a sigh of pure sexual excitement, of lust coursed through her body, she leant in and kissed him passionately. Cupping Olivia's cheek, Elliot kissed Olivia back with a passion he thought was lost.