Author: Fate Believer
Rating: R
Pairing: E/O E/Oc (Kathy) O/C
Summary: Complete Alternate Universe....'He was being pushed into a life he wasn't ready for and his fiance be damned he would make sure he enjoyed his last night as a bachelor. Of course he never thought he'd have to deal with the consquences of that night ever again'
Disclaimer: The idea is mine...but the characters (all except one) belong to Dick Wolf and the people at NBC. So don't sue me please, cause I only got the lint from my pockets.
A/N: A friend and I were having a conversation on IM one night and came up with the idea for this story. So I can't take all the credit cause she helped me through my writer's block and helped me try to establish the age of characters. They aren't perfect, and I apologize. We are going on the assumption that Elliot is twenty one and about to be married to his pregnant girlfriend. Olivia is eighteen and trying to work her way through college. Please read and review! We thrive on feedback, positive or negative. Also, part of this fic is inspired by the scene in Futility. At least that is where part of the story idea comes from.
Elliot POV
Elliot Stabler was not a happy camper. He'd just left his parents house after having a huge argument with his dad. He let out a long sigh as he thought about the things his dad had said. A lot of it was more true than he was really ready to admit. Yes, he loved Kathy, but did he really want to marry her? There was really no choice now. At the age of twenty one, he was going to become a husband and a father. Tomorrow at three o clock, he would become legally responsible for two other people. A wife and an unborn child. He shook his head sadly as he realized that the hopes he had of doing something with his life were slowly becoming dimmer and dimmer. When was he gonna have time to go to finish school when he had a kid to take care of? He couldn't blame Kathy though, it was his stout Catholic faith that got him in this position. Catholics don't use birth control. If only he had made Kathy stay home that night instead of helping her sneak out...
Coming back to the present he stood in front of the beer coolers, scanning the selection. He had decided as soon as he left the house he would spend his last night single...drunk as a skunk. It had to be at least nine o clock at night and the store was pretty vacated. Ohh save for the leggy brunette that was heading this way. He allowed himself a grin. Hey there was no harm in looking, especially if he was going to be stuck with the same woman for the rest of his life. She was oblivious to his stare as she walked past him. He couldn't help the low whistle that escaped his lips when she was out of hearing. He'd always been partial to blondes, but she was gorgeous. With long chestnut brown hair that fell in waves down her back, she was the epitome of all the things he was never going to have again. He liked women like her. Women who didn't have to dress up. She was still fucking hot in her form fittting jeans and tiny cut off tank top.
He grabbed a random six pack of beer as he headed off in the direction he had seen her last. Elliot maintained a safe distance behind her as she headed up and down the aisles. He admired the way her hips swayed as she walked and the way she tossed her locks over her shoulder. He felt his body harden as he watched her bend over to pick up a bottle of nail polish of all things. She was in here at this time of night for...nail polish? His heart sank as he realized she must have a date. Scowling, he headed towards the check-out and put his beer down on the counter. There were two people ahead of him and he wished they would hurry the fuck up. He wanted nothing more than to just go get completely shit-faced somewhere. Something shifted behind him and he turned only to see the same brunette. She seemed distracted for a moment before offering him an uneasy smile. He almost wanted to take a step back when she smiled. He hadn't seen that much of her face before, but now...he saw a face that was more beautiful than the body he'd been admiring.
"Hi", Elliot said softly
The woman regarded him for a moment before responding.
"Hello" she replied.
There was silence for a moment before Elliot decided to pursue the conversation.
" How are you this evening" he inquired with a smile, the same smile that he had used when he first asked Kathy out. It was guaranteed to get a good response.
"I'm alright, I guess I can't complain" his brunette beauty responded with a smile.
He noticed the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
She waited a beat before asking him the same question.
Elliot grinned at her before saying "I'm better now"
Her smile got a little wider and he could have sworn she blushed before looking down.
Oh yes, Elliot thought. My last night as a bachelor might not be so boring after all.
Olivia POV
I had no idea what the hell I was doing. The only reason I was even at the grocery store was because my Ruby Red nail polish had run out and I was supposed to dance at some frat party tonight. My polish had started to chip and the damn bottle had been empty. I wasn't supposed to be there until ten so I decided to just run up a few blocks to the store. Now here I was, being hit on by the clearest blue eyes I'd ever seen and a shit eating grin to match. I decided he had a touch of arrogance to him, but I sure as hell wasn't about to strike up an in depth conversation with a man I'd never met in the middle of downtown Manhattan. All I wanted was to get my nail polish and to get home, so I wouldn't be late for my gig.
I winced when I thought of the job I was doing. Ever since I was a little girl and able to understand where I came from, I had wanted to be a cop. Unfourtanetly the classes to become a cop were a little out of my price range. So when working a job on the up and up got me no where, I took a job as a private exotic dancer. The pay was good, but it was a little more degrading than I liked. Yeah, I kept my clothes on, but having men grope me was the hardest part of the job. I just reminded myself that if I wanted to be a cop, that it would be worth it in the long run. My mom of course didn't approve, so when I turned eighteen I got my own apartment. I had been living on my own for about three months and I was doing good. It was quiet, but it beat the hell out of living with an alcoholic.
I like to think my mom really does love me, but more often than not I think I am just a reminder of an experience she will never forget. I thought maybe if I moved out and she didn't have to see me as much , it would help her. What hurts is her not seeing me really does seem to help her. So now I try and visit once a week, go to school and study during the day, then lead my alternate life at night. The only thing that keeps me going when I'm working is that maybe one day the case file for Serena Benson might marked 'solved'. I owe my mom that much.
Blue Eyes seems to be taking his time in getting through the check out, but I don't want to be rude because you never know how people will react in New York. Instead, I smile and listen to the tone of his voice, which is oddly soothing. Finally, he makes it through the check out and heads towards the door. I quickly pay for my nail polish and dash out the door, hoping I'll still get home in time to get ready. I turn and head in the direction of my apartment when a voice stops me.
"Need a ride there stranger" the voice calls
I turn and there's Blue eyes leaning against an old Camaro. His arms are crossed and that same grin is still there, but when I walk towards him I notice a kindness in his eyes, marred only by a hint of sadness. I cross my arms protectively over my chest and stare at him defiantly. He holds up his hands and stands up straight. The grin drops down to a friendly smile and he cautiously approaches me.
"Look, I know you probably think I'm some crazy serial killer or some weird stalker. The only reason I asked is because it's not really safe on the streets this time of night and it IS kind of chilly out here. I just thought I'd offer to help you get home safe and sound. It's an added bonus you're completely gorgeous and I'm thanking my lucky stars you haven't decked me yet for harrassing you" he rambled on.
I couldn't help but laugh at him and even though it goes against everything they try and tell us in school, I decided to take him up on the ride back to my apartment. I'd get there quicker and it wasn't like I'd ever see him again. If he tried anything, I'd just show him how well I had learned to punch. He opened the car door for me with a flourish and I climbed in, shivering when my back hit the cold leather. He joined me a few seconds later and cranked the car. I glanced in the floorboard and saw the beer he had just purchased along with a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag.
"Either you can really handle your liquor or your head is going to be hurting in the morning" I stated.
He shook his head before looking over at me with a serious look on his face. It was kind of heartbreaking, because he looked so lost. You know that type of puppy dog look that made women want to wrap their arms around a man? I resisted the urge and turned to glance out the window. It wouldn't take long to get back to my apartment.
" Nah, I just really would like to forget for a while....actually maybe just forget the rest of my life" he said
I looked over at him and he gave me a little half smile. I felt sorry for him. Probably not something I should have been doing in a stranger car with a strange man I didn't know. He didn't feel like a threat to me though. I liked to call that my cop instinct in the making, but deep down I knew this guy wouldn't hurt me. We pulled up in front of my apartment complex, but I didn't get out immediately. He still had the car running, so I wasn't worried about what he expected from me. Yet, I couldn't help but wonder just why he was being so nice. It was my experience men didn't do anything without wanting something in return.
" Like you said earlier, I don't know you or anything, but you look kind of like someone just ran over your dog. Again, you don't know me, but would you maybe like to talk about it" I waited a beat, but when I got no response I moved to get out of the car. Like before though his voice stopped me.
"Tomorrow I'm going to become a husband and then a father, all because of some stupid Catholic belief that we shouldn't use both control. I had all these dreams ahead of me, of maybe joining the military or the police force, but that's all down the drain now"
I didn't know why but for some reason that gig didn't seem so important now. I grabbed the brown bagged bottle out of the floor board and I saw the surprise written on his face. I moved to get out of the car and he shut the engine off with a questioning look.
" Don't suppose you wanna tell me what you think you're going to do with my bottle of Jack" he asked me.
"Come on, the least I can do for you for the ride home is give you some glasses to shoot this stuff with. Besides, any NYPD pulls you over with this stuff in the car, you'll be spending your last night as a bachelor in a cell somewhere" I grinned.
" Well before I go up into an apartment with a complete stranger...will you at least tell me your name" he asked quietly as he climbed out of the car, beer in hand.
" How about we make a rule? No names, that way no pressure on either one of us" I said.
He shrugged before following me up the stairs. I put the key in the lock and wondered too myself just what the hell was I doing. I was bringing a complete stranger into my apartment. Then again, I had brought home guys from parties and bars who I didn't know. At least this guy didn't seem like a creep. I hit the light switch and made my way into the kitchen, with my blue eyed stranger not too far behind. I saw him taking in his surroundings. I grabbed two glasses out of the cabinet and set them down. He raised his eyebrows at me with a smile.
" Guess this means I'm sharing huh" he laughed
He went to open the bottle but I stopped him. He looked at me quizcally for a few minutes before I offered to take his jacket. He shrugged it off and I laid it across the chair in the kitchen. He reached for the bottle again and I couldn't help but admire the way his muscles flexed in his arm as he twisted the bottle cap off. He must have been into athletics in high school, I thought. He grinned and pour us our first shot....with a salute we down the first one. It burned going down, but it was a good burn. At least when I went to work, I'd be toasted. We decided to move ourselves into the living room so we had somewhere to sit.
He asked me questions about what I did, what I was interested in. The look on his face when he found out he'd picked up an exotic dancer in a grocery store was priceless. He was easy to talk too...maybe because I didn't know him. All I knew is that I would rather be with him than taking my clothes off at some frat party. When he offered me shot number two, I took it. By number five I couldn't remember I was ever supposed to have gone to work. By six...well after six I don't remember anything.