Note: If you don't have an open mind, don't come bashing me because it's different. This is fiction. Not to judge anyone, but I've seen so many people come in and bash people's stories because they put their favorite characters in bad positions. Relax, I love Elliot. It's just a story. Fiction. If you don't like it don't read it. Thank you. :)

(Not to sound harsh, I just know some people don't like this kind of thing and are nasty about it.) Please still be honest in your reviews though! If you hate it say so, just don't be nasty about it.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own them. If I did, would I be here writing fiction?

Okay, so the title sucks, but all my creativity is gone after writing this.

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"I love you," Elliot whispered as he pulled Casey into a passionate kiss.

Casey couldn't believe she was finally in the arms of the detective she'd admired since her first day on the job. She knew she was falling head over heels for him the second her green eyes locked with his gorgeous baby-blue eyes.

For the first two years that they worked together Casey was sure that Elliot wanted nothing to do with her. They worked together on a professional level—maybe one could call them acquaintances—but that was all.

One evening Elliot just waltzed into her office and plopped down on her couch, smiling at her. Casey had looked up to meet his gaze with a puzzled look, and he asked her out right there. She felt as though she were on top of the world, and their relationship had been all that she had every imagined and more.

---

"Come ON, Casey! Look, we all know that it's this guy. We know it; you know it, why can't you get the damn warrant?" Elliot yelled, inching closer to the young ADA until he was practically yelling in her face.

"Elliot!" Olivia yelled, pulling Elliot away from Casey by the back of his shirt. Even if Elliot and Casey weren't a couple it was completely unprofessional, not to mention he was being a jerk.

"I'm sorry," Casey sighed once she had processed what had just happened. "Look I don't make the rules! You don't have enough evidence. Yeah, we think it's this guy, but that doesn't work in court. I think this bastard is guilty just as much as you do, but I can't get a warrant yet. I'm sorry,"

"Damn it, Casey! When this guy goes and kills again, this will be on you!" he shouted as he slammed his fist on the desk in front of him. Olivia and Casey both stared up at him in shock.

"I'm sorry," Casey whispered looking as if she were about to cry.

Olivia pulled Casey into a hug. Elliot was just as important to Olivia as Casey was, but she couldn't stand to let him talk to Casey like that.

"Don't be sorry, Casey," she began, shooting daggers at Elliot with her eyes. "It's not your fault. We'll go find you evidence."

"Baby, can I talk to you for a second?" Elliot asked, his eyes softening. Casey shrugged innocently and walked over to him as Olivia walked away.

"I'm so sorry, Case. I'm just really stressed out right now. I've never snapped on you like that. Can you forgive me?" he asked as he pulled her into an enormous hug.

Casey smiled; she couldn't help but forgive him, but of course she was going to make him work for it.

"Gee, I don't know, El," she smiled at him with mischief twinkling in her bright green eyes.

Elliot looked back at her with just as much mischief in his own eyes. He raised his hand as if he were going to tickle her.

"Don't make me…" he started.

"Okay, I forgive you!" she laughed before he could even touch her.

He pulled her into an even bigger hug and kissed her gently on her forehead until he made his way to her lips. She was still shocked by his attitude, but she couldn't believe her luck that she was finally with the man she had loved for years.

"Stabler and Novak!" Cragen demanded, pulling Casey out of her thoughts and both of them out of their kiss. They abruptly broke away as their captain approached them.

"You know the rules. Your personal lives are your personal lives, but keep it out of work. Got it? You know what happens if it becomes a problem," he threatened. Elliot and Casey both nodded like children being reprimanded by their parent.

Elliot squeezed his girlfriend's hand one more time as he walked over to his desk. Casey smiled as she watched him walk away.

"Hey," Olivia said, grabbing Casey's arm as she walked by.

"Hey," Casey replied with a huge grin on her face, which made Olivia start smiling too.

"You're really happy," Olivia observed. Casey just nodded back.

"You're not pissed off at him?" Olivia asked her, eyeing Casey suspiciously; if anyone had talked to her like that, she certainly would not have forgiven them in a heartbeat.

Casey shrugged. "He was a little harsh, but it's Elliot," Casey said as if that explained everything. "I love him. We're all stressed out," Casey explained, shrugging it off. He had never hut her before—he had barely ever yelled at her or spoken to her harshly, except over work.

---

"El?" Casey called out as she entered the apartment that they shared and flipped on the lights. It had been a long day, and all she wanted was to relax with her boyfriend. She smelled something cooking in the kitchen and decided to follow it, hoping to find Elliot there.

"Don't move any closer, Novak," she heard someone say as he reached out and grabbed her. Immediately her instinct was that someone was in her house and was there to hurt her. She screamed as she tried to pull away, sobbing.

"Casey! Casey, baby it's me, it's Elliot, what are you doing? What's wrong?" he asked in utter confusion. Casey stopped immediately as she looked up and realized she was face to face with Elliot, and she collapsed in his arms.

"You sounded different. I thought you were…" she began, but had no reason to finish. They both knew she was referring to the horrific night in her office when she was nearly beaten to death, but they also both knew that she hated to talk about it. Elliot just hugged her tighter as her voice trailed off.

"It's just me, Case. I won't hurt you. I was making dinner to surprise you, I thought you'd be later. It should be ready now though. You want to go change and I'll finish up?" he asked, brushing a stray piece of red hair out of Casey's face. She nodded as she stood up to change clothes, feeling ridiculous by her reaction even though Elliot had thought it was cute and had just shrugged it off.

---

The first hour or so of their dinner together was simple small talk, but as usual eventually it turned to work.

"Case, I'm really sorry about today. I shouldn't have yelled at you in front of everyone like that, I'm really sorry," Elliot apologized again.

"It's okay, El," Casey assured him as she grabbed his hand and smiled.

"You should have gotten it though. We had evidence," Elliot argued.

Casey stood up abruptly and turned away; she was sick of getting blamed for the fact that the detectives couldn't always get the evidence they needed to convict.

"Don't get mad, I was just saying," Elliot said as he stood up and turned her around so that she was facing him. She sighed—if she was going to keep working with the detectives she would need to get this out in the open.

"Elliot, listen. I love you, but not at work. Every time you guys don't find the evidence that you need, I get blamed. They're not my rules, but you always take it out on me. I try my best all the time, I really do, but some things just can't be argued. An instinct isn't good enough to put someone in jail for the rest of their life," she confessed.

Elliot sighed and paused for a moment, and Casey could only assume that he was waiting for her to speak. He had, in fact, been considering an apology when Casey continued.

"Besides, about this warrant, you are just as much as fault as I am, so stop blaming me!"

Before he even knew what was happening his hand was making contact with Casey's face. He stared in horror as she fell back. They both paused in shock; Casey didn't know any better than Elliot did what had just come over him. One minute they were having a romantic dinner, and the next thing he knew his girlfriend was on the ground and his hand was in the air.