A/N: Takes place at the end of 2004. Olivia has a secret talent, and our detectives deserve a night out on the town. A New Year's Eve fic. If you have the time, please listen to the song "New York" by Alicia Keys to accompany the story. Happy New Year, everybody!
P.S. I'm still writing Worth, but just needed a bit levity.
"May I have your attention please?" Captain Cragen cleared his throat. "Please, be quiet." In response to his authoritative directive, the loud buzz in the bullpen dropped to a quiet hum. Detectives and unis turned to look at their captain, most of them wondering what horrific crime he would be announcing now.
"What's up, Cap?" Fin asked.
"Relax people, this is good news," Cragen assured them, in an effort to calm the apprehensive faces surrounding him. The shift in mood was instantaneous, as a collective sigh of relief went around the room. "I know this has been a tough year for all of you, and the stress of working through the holidays hasn't helped. Sadly, crime doesn't take a break over the Christmas season. So, I want to take this moment to thank you. I want to thank you all for your dedication and hard work, for the long hours and time spent away from your loved ones. I appreciate the sacrifice. The residents of New York City appreciate your sacrifice. Don't ever forget how much you're needed in this city, and how your work impacts the community we live in." He nodded at them all, acknowledging their efforts. "So, without further ado, I want to tell you all that you'll be receiving generous yearend bonuses." His words were met with applause and whoops of enthusiasm. Cragen waited until the cheers died down before continuing.
"There's more." He paused for effect and waited for the room to go quiet. "Our precinct, along with all of those within Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs, are invited to attend a New Year's Eve Ball. It was supposed to be a Christmas party, but the situation with the Martinovic murder made that impossible. We'll be on skeleton staff, essential crew only for New Year's Eve. The rest of you are invited to the Four Seasons Hotel for a formal event. We'll dance, eat, and toast the New Year together. Your official invitations will be distributed today. Any questions?" A flurry of hands went up.
"Yes, you …" Cragen pointed at a young uniformed officer.
"Can we bring a date?"
"Of course. It's a plus one event."
"Is it black tie?" another officer asked.
"Yes, it is. All of the information is on your paper invitations, which you'll be receiving later today. I think we're done here, folks. Back to work." Cragen knew how busy his people would be between now and New Year's Eve. He wanted them to get back to work so more of them would be able to attend the Ball. Choosing the few to stay behind wouldn't be fun. He would first ask for volunteers, and hope it wouldn't come down to a random draw. They all deserved this reward.
"John and Olivia, may I see you in my office please?" the Captain asked them after he'd dismissed the others. The two detectives glanced at each other in surprise and followed the Captain to his little office.
"Please, close the door and have a seat."
John and Olivia obeyed and waited for their captain to speak. "Do you want us to stay behind the night of the party?" Olivia asked. She assumed this because both of them were single.
"No, not at all. Actually, this is about the party," Cragen said. "John, I hear you were quite the accomplished pianist some years back. Do you still play?"
Munch shrugged. "I know my way around the ivory keys, Captain. It was all those forced piano lessons when I was a kid. Guess they paid off."
"Good, good, I'm glad to hear that," the Captain replied. "And Olivia, when you applied here, I noticed in your file that you minored in music prior to applying to the Academy. Do you play any instruments?"
"No," she said as a light flush crept up her cheeks.
"You don't? Then, why did you minor in music?"
"I don't play any instruments. I, uh, oh gosh, this is embarrassing." Olivia looked down at her feet and bit her lip.
"Ok, now I've got to know," Munch said with a sly grin. "What musical talent do you possess, Detective Benson?"
"I sing," she whispered.
"You sing?" both men repeated.
"Well, sort of. Or at least I used to, back when I was nineteen," she told them. "The minor was my mother's idea. She thought Criminal Justice on its own was too depressing. As an English professor, she favored the arts, and she offered to pay my tuition if I took the music classes. Kind of like your forced piano lessons, John."
"So, Olivia, how comfortable are you singing in front of a crowd?"
Xxxx
December 31st dawned mild and sunny, much warmer than had been predicted. The SVU detectives were all scheduled to work that day, but only until 4 pm. The New Year's party was to begin at 7 pm, giving them all adequate time to return home and dress for the occasion.
"Who's coming to the party tonight?" Fin asked his colleagues. He was trying to get through some dull paperwork and felt a bit chatty.
"Kathy is looking forward to a night out without kids," Elliot replied. "We don't go on dates very often. It gave her an excuse to buy a new dress but when I saw the price tag, I remembered why we don't go on dates very often," he mused.
"One of my exes once spent over three grand on a damned dress," Munch threw in. "She had to have designer duds." He shook his head at the memory. "Thank god I'm divorced."
"Yeah, well, it's just a dress, John. And it wasn't three grand. That's what we spend on orthodontics for one kid. Not on a dress."
"And that's why I don't have kids either," Munch countered.
"How much did your dress cost you, Olivia?" John asked her. "I'm sure you found something decent for under three grand."
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You can't ask me that," she told him, sternly. "My dress is my own business."
"So, did you buy a new dress?" Elliot asked. He was curious to see her later, wondering what she'd look like in feminine clothes instead of her usual cop threads. For a minute, he let his thoughts drift to Olivia in a form fitting gown, maybe with a bit of cleavage showing. He entertained the thought for a moment too long and felt himself begin to harden. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably and cleared his throat.
"Yes, I did," she said. "And I'm not revealing the sticker price."
"Do you, uh, have a date?" Elliot asked. He cringed at the thought of a man dating his partner, even though it wasn't his right.
"John and I are going stag together," she said.
"Couldn't you at least pretend it's a date?" John said, defeated. "I mean just for tonight?"
"No way we'd buy that," Fin laughed.
"Why the hell not? All of my ex-wives are beautiful women!"
"Yeah but, no offense, they ain't Olivia-beautiful," Fin said. "Besides, you're old enough to be her father."
"Asshole," John shot back.
"Geezer," Fin said.
"Guys, enough!" Olivia jumped in. She walked over to Munch and patted his shoulder. "I'm happy to be going with you tonight, John. It's a date." She shot Fin a warning look and headed over to her locker.
"Where are you going?" Elliot asked her. He was feeling jealous and couldn't focus on his work. Thinking of Olivia out of context was too distracting.
"To the stylist," she told him. "I'm done for the day."
"But it's not even noon!"
"Cragen told me to take the entire afternoon off. Sorry, guys. See you at the party," she said with a huge grin. She certainly had no intention of cluing them in, but John knew. He caught her eye and winked, though she almost missed it because of his dark lenses. Olivia shot her colleagues a wide smile and headed out the door.
Xxxxx
Olivia loved being pampered. As a busy detective, she didn't have much time to devote to massages or mani/pedi's, but deep down, there was a girly girl inside who craved the feminine luxury. She spent a couple of hours at a nearby spa, getting a salt rub, then having her hair styled and nails done. She chose a daring crimson red for her fingers and toes, and felt giddy admiring the result. Once her hair was done, she allowed the cosmetician to apply her makeup.
"You look beautiful, Miss Benson," the makeup lady told her. "I didn't use much foundation because your skin is naturally even toned and tanned." She spun Olivia around so she could see the results for herself in the mirror.
She gasped at the dazzling elegance mirrored back to her. "I like the eye makeup; it's very dramatic," she said.
"You have lovely eyes. They're mysterious. This makes them pop out, no?"
"Oh yes, it really does. Thank you."
"Please make sure your nails are dry before you get dressed for your party. And please, don't smudge your makeup."
"Don't worry," Olivia reassured her. "I will be extra careful. Thank you so much; you did a terrific job. I feel pretty." Olivia grabbed her purse and gingerly unzipped it with her fingertips, careful to avoid her manicure. She took out a twenty and gave it to the woman as a tip.
"Thank you, Miss Benson. And you are so much more than pretty. You're a knock out," the lady told her.
Xxxxxx
Elliot and Kathy had gotten the older girls to babysit the twins. They had to pay them, of course, and the going rate was seven bucks an hour, each.
"Ya think Maureen and Kathleen are overcharging us?" Elliot asked his wife, as he drove to the Four Seasons.
"Of course they are. They know they can get away with it tonight because we wouldn't miss this Ball for anything," Kathy replied. She smiled at her husband and checked her reflection in the visor mirror yet again.
"You look fine, Kath," he told her. Kathy nodded but double checked again. Her hair was up in a bun and her makeup was heavier than usual. She'd let the girls help her with it, and wasn't used to the thick mascara or extra layer of blush they'd applied to her face. Kathy preferred not wearing any makeup at all, or very little. She also wasn't used to her dress, and she scratched at the itchy lace around her shoulders.
"Do you have a rash or something?" Elliot asked her. "You've been scratching yourself for the entire ride over."
"I don't have a rash. This dress is itchy," she complained.
"Too bad you didn't realize that before you bought it," he sighed. "Four hundred dollars ago."
"I'll return it, don't worry. The tag is still attached. So long as I don't spill anything on it," she explained.
"What?! No, you can't do that. I won't have my wife borrowing a dress from the store. You bought it; it's yours now," he exclaimed incredulously.
"But it's four hundred dollars honey. I only wanted to look nice tonight, not overspend."
"Yeah but …" Elliot trailed off, unsure of what he wanted to say. He didn't actually like the overtly frilly pink dress, and wouldn't object to getting his money back. Then again, he didn't want to be a cheapskate. "If it's itchy and uncomfortable, okay," he finally relented.
"We're here!" Kathy told him. She pointed to the limousines arriving and giggled with excitement. "Oh my gosh, look at the fancy limos. Do you think any celebrities are here?"
"I don't know," Elliot said. He frankly didn't much care if there were celebrities or not. "Maybe some couples hired a limo, you know, like for a prom," he suggested.
"But that's such a waste of money!"
"It's okay, Kathy. Tonight is supposed to be a reward for our hard work. It's New Year's Eve. We can live it up a little. It's not a sin." Elliot pulled the car up to the valet service and gave his keys. He and Kathy began to make their way to the hotel door.
"Speaking of sin, look at that woman! Her dress is practically non-existent," Kathy huffed. She was watching the back of a tall, shapely brunette strolling toward the hotel entrance. "Honey, could her dress be any slinkier?" Kathy shook her head in dismay.
"Huh?" Elliot stood transfixed, watching the woman's hips sway in a sexy rhythm with each step she took. The effect was hypnotic, and he couldn't tear his eyes away. He watched as she disappeared through the revolving door.
"Elliot!"
"What?"
"Don't crash into the door," she said, her voice heavy with sarcasm and hurt.
Elliot turned to face his wife. "It's a revolving door. I can't crash into it. Let's go."
"You were staring at her behind."
"You told me to look at her!" he said in exasperation.
Kathy scoffed and blew air through her nose. "Never mind."
The Stablers went through the revolving door and were greeted by a glorious, wide marble lobby. Christmas decorations were still up from the previous week, with magnificent trees reaching well over thirty feet each, and fully decorated in gold and silver bells. The overhead chandeliers were reflected in the shiny ornaments, creating a dazzling effect. "Wow, it's so beautiful here," Kathy exclaimed!
"Excuse me, Elliot, you're blocking my way!" A breathless John Munch ran up to the Stablers. "Hello Kathy, nice to see you tonight. My date was waiting for me while I was parking the car; no valet is taking my keys. " John walked between the husband and wife, eager to reach Olivia's side. "There she is," he declared proudly. "Holy smokes, Liv, you look amazing."
Elliot and Kathy followed Munch's gaze, as it landed on the tall brunette with the sashaying hips.
Oliva swung around and smiled. John reached her side and stood next to her, a look of gratified disbelief on his face. "Olivia is my date tonight," he told Kathy as the Stablers rounded in on him.
"Olivia?" Elliot croaked, unable to believe the vision before him. She was stunning; her newly bobbed hair shiny and sleek, the long bangs playfully swinging against her cheeks when she moved her head. And she glowed; her skin was like polished copper. But it was her eyes that drew in him completely. Olivia always had lovely, expressive eyes, but right now, they appeared even larger than usual, enhanced by a deep, smoky shadow. He clenched his hands and fought the powerful urge to stroke her smooth arm. He swallowed hard and shifted his lower half away from his wife.
"Doesn't she look beautiful?" John asked them, proudly.
"That's some dress, Olivia," Kathy choked out. She stared at the other woman, wondering how on earth she could fit a bra under such a slinky gown. She stared at Olivia's cleavage, but looked away when the detective caught her.
"Thank you," Olivia replied, somewhat guarded now. She'd seen the resentful look on Kathy's face and could sense tension between her and her husband.
Elliot couldn't tear his eyes from her. The light sparkled off the silvery filaments of her gossamer thin, translucent wrap. It didn't hide a thing. Olivia's dress was moulded to her body, a thin silver crushed velvet gown with spaghetti straps and a deeply plunging neckline. The dress was long, down to her feet, but a slit up one side made it possible for her to walk, no to sway.
"We should go in," Olivia turned to her Munch. Elliot's intense scrutiny of her was causing her tummy to do all sorts of funny little flip flops. She needed to breathe, but how could she when his blue eyes were stroking her entire body? When he raked his gaze back up the length of her and connected with her eyes, she felt a warm heat assert itself in her cheeks and belly. Bedroom eyes, she though. Elliot was looking at her with bedroom eyes and she couldn't breathe.
"Yes, we should all go in," Kathy replied, a little too sharply.
His wife's voice slapped him back to reality. She was looking daggers at Elliot. If looks could kill, he thought to himself. Man, I'd be dead.
To be continued …