Sweet Relief

I'm Sure

After Olivia rinses the conditioner from her hair, she grabs a clean towel from the counter and wraps it around herself, stepping out of the shower. She stands for a moment, watching Elliot in the bathroom mirror and she smiles to herself as he shaves his beard.

It's so simple.. And yet, just another sign that he's home for good.

She rifles through her drawers in search of a pair of underwear and a tank top. As soon as she's dressed she walks back into the bathroom to see Elliot, done shaving, his hands gripping the side of the sink as he looks at himself in the mirror.

She sees just how weary he is and it breaks her heart. She wraps her arms around him from behind and kisses his back before resting her chin on his shoulder, looking at the both of them in the mirror.

"Welcome home, Elliot Stabler." She whispers.

He gives her an exhausted smile, his eyes fixed on her. God she's beautiful... And having her arms wrapped around him is all he's wanted for months.

"It's good to hear my name again." He says quietly. "I was gettin' a little too comfortable answering to Eddie Wagner."

"I know, baby..." She says quietly, squeezing him just a little bit.

He sits on the side of the bathtub with a grunt, pulling her in between his legs, resting his head on her chest the same way he did at the precinct. She holds him close as he takes a couple shaky breathes in. A few tears slip down her cheeks silently as she strokes his skin lovingly, grateful that he's letting her take care of him, even if it's just a little bit.

She can count on one hand the number of times she's seen Elliot this worn down and vulnerable. The bruises and cuts that cover his body don't even begin to cover it...

He clears his throat and pulls away from her, wiping away at his eyes quickly.

"I'm fine, I'm okay." He says gruffly.

"Elliot..." She says his name gently, caressing his cheek as she looks him in the eyes, "You don't have to be okay. You're home."

He looks at her, tears brimming his eyes and she thinks he's going to confide in her.

As he looks at her, he knows that nothing he could tell her would surprise her, but he can't bring himself to say anything. He's always wanted so badly to shield her from the worst of their work, now even more so. He can't bring himself to burden her with the things that have been keeping him up at night.

"I'm just tired, Liv." He says, shaking himself out of it.

Olivia can't help but be disappointed as he pulls away from her. He always shuts down just as she thinks they're getting somewhere.

"Whatever it is, El, I can take it." She says, arms crossed as she leans against the bathroom wall.

He meets her eyes in the mirror and he sees the seriousness on her face as she looks at him and he knows she's right. She's always been stronger than him, and he needs to tell someone. She's the only person in the world that he trusts enough to confide in, especially about the things that haunt him.

"In the morning, Liv, okay?" He says quietly, "I just, I can't right now."

She nods her head and he kisses her on the head as he heads to bed.

She brushes her teeth, doing her best to calm the thoughts swirling around in her head. Questions can be answered tomorrow.., Elliot knows about their baby and the world isn't falling apart around her, everything else can wait until the morning.

As she finishes brushing her teeth, she catches Elliot watching her in the mirror as he sits on their bed, waiting for her to come lay next to him.

"What?" She asks self-consciously.