Note: I do not own these characters.

"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever."
― Alfred Tennyson

Concealed Passion

Rollins crept up the stairs of the dark apartment block, Benson a few steps ahead of her, gun in hand. They walked slowly down the corridor trying to find the number of the apartment they were looking for. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Rollins looked down at her watch, it was a quarter past midnight and she was starting to get hungry. All of this searching and paperwork had done her in for the day but she kept going she knew she had to find Rose Mendes. Eighteen. Benson turned and nodded, indicating that the door at the end of the hall was the one they were looking for. The one they hoped Rose would be in.

They'd been working a case together, Benson and Rollins, a hard case involving an underage girl and a group of really revolting men. Amanda had found out that the girl had been kidnapped somewhere around Chinatown and the assailant had been seen handling a gun and a well-known gang tattoo was seen on his neck. Benson was the one with the contacts; she nailed it down to two suspects. Either Frank Dune or Steven Gonzales, two prolific sex traffickers. Amaro and Fin had been sent to find Steven Gonzales and Rollins and Benson to find Frank Dune. Nineteen.

Rollins kept her gun in her hand as she tried for the door handle but it was locked. 'Surprise' she thought to herself. Benson looked at the younger woman, she watched as Amanda's eyes darted to the door then back to her gun. She was nervous and she had every right to be. Whatever was on the other side of that door wasn't going to be nice. Olivia touched Amanda's arm and smiled, a form of reassurance. Then she turned and slammed her foot against the door, it burst open and the two detectives rushed in. Benson ran straight over to the window where Rose was lying on an old mattress, chained to a radiator. Her face bloodstained and her clothes were torn.

While Benson clawed at the girls restraints Rollins took her gun and turned the corner into the bedroom. All that could be found was an old chest of drawers and screwed up newspaper thrown into a corner. Amanda walked over to the newspaper and picked it up; it dated back to the 80s. 'He's been doing this a long time' she thought to herself. Turning on her heels she headed back to where Olivia was, she had one more room to check. As she reached the door she saw Frank Dune stood behind Benson, a knife in his hand about to make the final move.

"LIV!" Rollins shouted pulling the trigger on her gun and watching as the bullet flew through the air and imbedded itself in the back of Frank Dune's neck. Olivia ducked as she heard the gunshot and turned her head to see the perp fall to the floor and lay motionless. Rose began to weep as she realised that that man could never hurt her again while Benson tried to comfort not only Rose but also herself.

Back at the precinct Rollins got on with the paperwork, Benson had seemed in shock and had gone for a drive around the block a few times to clear her head. Fin walked in and sat on the side of her desk and handed her a coffee.

"Thanks" she said looking up him.

"Heard you saved Liv"

"It's all part of the job I guess" she smiled, she was partly proud of herself and partly relieved that no harm had come to her partner.

"Well either way good job" he patted her on the shoulder and walked over to his own desk grabbing a pen and some sheets.

Cragen walked in and nodded to Rollins, a sign that she had done a good job. Rollins nodded back and took a pen out of her mouth and signed a sheet. Out of the corner of her eye Rollins saw as Benson walked in and past the door to the office, presumably towards the toilets. She got up from her desk and followed her down the corridor and into the ladies toilets. They were alone. All that could be heard was the noises of the cops pacing up and down the corridor. Olivia stood by the sink, her head in her hands. She looked up as she saw Rollins walk in.

"You okay Liv?" she said stepping closer to the older woman.

"Thanks" was all Olivia could manage.

"It was nothing, a part of my job. Let's call it a favor." Rollins smiled and rested a hand on Olivia's shoulder.

"I should have seen it coming, it was an amateur move. I dunno what's wrong with me these days!" Benson looked down at her hands; she'd had a rough couple of cases in the last two months. A group of children had been kidnapped and trafficked and then there was Rose. And what she'd said to Amanda was a lie, she knew exactly what was wrong with her she just didn't have the guts to admit it. She wanted to; she really did but now was not the time. It was never a good time.

"It's fine Liv, we ain't all perfect you know." Olivia grabbed Amanda and pulled her into a comforting and warm hug. Amanda felt as Olivia's breathing went up and down, how her hair was so soft and how Olivia's hands had slowly begun to move down to her lower back. They stayed like it for what seemed like hours. Olivia had started to nestle into Amanda's blonde hair then she pulled away eventually and looked up at Rollins; her blue eyes seemed so beautiful yet so distant like she was keeping something hidden. A secret perhaps.

Olivia swiveled around to check her hair in the mirror, knocking her badge onto the floor. Amanda instinctively bent down to grab it but was met by Olivia's hand on top of hers. She felt the heat of her partner and looked up at those brown eyes. She parted her mouth about to say something, something she'd wanted to say a long long time.

"Benson, Rollins. I need you in the squad room there's something I need to tell you." The two detectives looked up at ADA Novak who had come back for the month. Casey looked down and the two detectives realised their compromising position. They both blushed and rushed to their feet; Rollins picked up the badge and handed it to Olivia. Their hands touched once more and Amanda couldn't help but notice that Benson had lingered as she'd taken it from her.

"Am I interrupting something ladies?" Casey joked, her eyebrows rising.

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