AN: I own nothing; all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC and as much as I would love for them to be mine, the lyrics to Wonderwall belong to Oasis.
There are many things that I would
Like to say to you
But I don't know how
And maybe you're gonna be the one who saves me…
Olivia's eyes slowly opened as she was awoken by the sound of her buzzing alarm clock, she quickly reached over and shut it off before she noticed the single red rose sitting on her night table and the note that was neatly tucked under her phone, "Happy 2nd Anniversary, Baby. Sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up; I promise I'll make it up to you. I can't wait to see you for dinner tonight. –Brian"
Olivia smiled to herself as she put the note back on the night table and reached over to smell the rose before getting up to get ready to start her day.
Olivia took one last look in the mirror to make sure her hair and makeup looked okay before she stepped out of the bedroom she shared with her boyfriend and walked to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, the smile that had be plastered on her face from the moment she woke only grew when she saw a neatly wrapped gift and a card sitting beside a plate of blueberry pancakes, eggs and bacon. She took a seat at the kitchen island and opened the card as she ate her breakfast.
"Liv, I know I'm not always the best at expressing my thoughts and feelings so hopefully this helps you understand how I feel about you. I love you, happy anniversary."
Olivia examined the neatly wrapped gift, surprised that Brian put so much effort into it. She carefully pulled at the taped corners, lifting the ornate paper away bit by bit. When she finally rid the gift of the decorative paper, tears immediately stung her eyes, she didn't know what she was expecting but it wasn't this.
Brian had gotten her a book filled with love poems and sonnets by some of her favourite authors and poets. She quickly reached for her phone and dialed the familiar number.
"Morning, Sunshine."
Olivia's heart swelled when she heard the smile through his words, "Good morning, Baby. I opened the present, I love it. Thank you and breakfast was incredible."
"Don't thank me yet, that was just a little something to hold you over until you get the rest of your present tonight. Hey Liv, I gotta go but I'll be home early tonight, I'm sorry. I love you, bye."
"I love you too." Olivia hung up the phone and ate the rest of her breakfast in peace before heading out for work.
.
It was a quiet day at the precinct which Olivia was incredibly thankful for, it gave her and the rest of the squad a chance to catch up on all the paper work they were behind on. Olivia sat in her office, buried in paperwork when she heard a knock at her door; she looked up and saw Nick standing in the door way with a huge grin on his face.
"Nick, what's up?"
"There's a delivery for you, Serge"
Olivia gave her partner a questioning look but he said nothing. He stepped out of her doorway and stood just outside her door waiting for her to exit.
"Okay…"
Olivia's breath hitched when she stepped out of her office and saw a delivery boy, no older than 18 years old holding the most beautiful flower arrangement she had ever seen, "Sergeant Benson?"
"Yes, that's me."
The delivery boy walked up to her and handed her the exquisite arrangement of roses, peonies and hydrangeas with a sweet smile before turning around and walking out of the precinct, Olivia could feel her face flush but couldn't stop the smile once again that spread across her face; she had only mentioned her favourite flowers once and somehow he had remembered exactly what they were.
Fin was the first person to speak after Olivia received her gift "Cassidy in some kind of trouble? That's the biggest flower arrangement I've ever seen. He's gotta be making up for something." He quipped, causing the other deceives to chuckle.
The smile on Fin's face was genuine and Olivia could see just how happy her friend was for her. She couldn't help but laugh at Fin's comment as she shook her head before returning to her office and putting the flowers gently on her desk.
She pulled the little card that came with the flowers and tears immediately stung her eyes at the simple words written on the card.
"You bring beauty into my life every day I thought I should return the favor –Brian."
Olivia quickly fished her phone out of her desk and sent Brian a text message "The flowers are gorgeous, thank you, xo"
It wasn't long before Brian texted her back "You never need to thank me, I love you."
.
It was just after 6 pm when Olivia arrived home, she could smell the aroma of Brian's cooking as soon as she reached their front door and the smile that seemed to be plastered on her face all day returned.
Olivia entered their apartment and was shocked to see what Brian had done; the apartment was spotless and adorned with fairy lights. Their dinner table had another beautiful flower arrangement surrounded by tea lights and rose pedals and the sounds of soft jazz quietly floated through the apartment.
Olivia spotted her boyfriend in the kitchen and she quickly pulled off her jacket and threw it haphazardly onto the back of the sofa before wrapping her arms around her boyfriend's waist and closing her eyes, as she breathed in his familiar scent as she rested her head against his back.
Brian turned around and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's waist, pulling her close as their lips met in a heated kiss. Olivia's body melted into Brian's as she wrapped her arms around his neck, moaning into the kiss when she closed off whatever space there was between them.
Once their lips parted Brian looked down at the gorgeous brunette that was standing in front of him and smiled "Hi" he said quietly, placing another soft kiss on her forehead.
"Hi" she said quietly, still catching her breath from the kiss they just shared "it looks incredible in here. I can't believe you did this."
Brian flashed the boyish grin that Olivia loved as he gazed lovingly into her eyes "believe it. You deserve to be romanced, Baby."
Olivia left her cheeks flush at her boyfriend's words, she smiled at him sweetly as she fought back tears. Never in her life had she met a man who was so willing to put her before everyone else in his life, a man who was so attentive and loving with her.
After everything with Lewis she doubted their relationship, it was Brian who constantly assured her that he wasn't going anywhere. He spent countless nights holding her while she cried herself to sleep or comforting her when she'd wake up terrified from a nightmare. She knew now she wouldn't have come as far as she had without him, he became her rock, her savior.
"I drew you a bath babe. Go relax for a little, dinner will be ready when you are." Brian said sweetly as he rested his hands on her shoulders.
"You, Brian Cassidy are too good to be true." Olivia stood on her tip toes and placed a chaste kiss on her boyfriend's lips before turning toward their bedroom to bathe.
.
Olivia emerged from their bedroom about a half hour later, wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a black tank top, her face was makeup free sans the light pink gloss on her lips, Brian had already plated the meals and was now pouring wine in the glasses that were placed neatly beside the steak dinner he had prepared. He gently took Olivia's hand and led her to her seat, slowly pulling out the chair and pushing it in once she sat.
Brian and Olivia ate dinner in perfect harmony, relishing in each other's company, it had been far too long since they last had a moment of pure bliss and tranquility between them and neither of them wanted it to end.
Once they finished their meal, they chatted a little longer before Brian smiled at his girlfriend and walked toward the bookshelf where he picked up another wrapped gift. He made his way back to the table and intertwined their fingers together before placing a soft kiss on her knuckles and handing her the thin box.
"Happy Anniversary, Babe."
Olivia beamed as she reached under her chair for the gift bag she put under her chair before they started eating "Happy Anniversary, Bri" she said sweetly as she handed him the present "you go first."
Brian reached into the bag and pulled out the box that was hidden under all the tissue Olivia used to cover the present; he slowly opened the box and was stunned when he saw the gold Armani watch.
"Wow, Liv. This is gorgeous. Thank you." He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her lips before smiling widely while he handed her the box that he had placed on the table, "your turn."
Olivia quickly pulled and ripped the decorative paper surrounding the box. Once the layer of lavish paper was gone, she slowly lifted the lid off the long, thin box. She froze when she saw two two-way plane tickets to Belize, "oh, Bri" Olivia breathed out, completely taken aback by the extravagant gift, tears forming in her eyes as she bit her bottom lip. "This is incredible, Baby. Thank you."
"If I could, I'd give you the world baby but, I can't. I can however, give you a taste of what you give me every morning when I wake up with you wrapped in my arms- paradise." Brian gently cupped his girlfriend's face between his hands, wiping the tears that fell spilled from her eyes, "there's more. Pick up the tickets"
Olivia slowly picked up the tickets and gasped when she saw it, the most exquisite diamond ring she had ever seen, "is this…are you…"
Brian smiled as he reached over and picked the ring up and held it out between them. "This, Liv is whatever you want it to be. If you want it to be an engagement ring then Baby, I'll propose to you right now but if you aren't ready, I'll understand and this ring will just be a token of my love…a promise that I'll be here when you are ready."
"Ask me."
Brian smiled as he stood up and took Olivia's hands in his own gently kissing her knuckles before kneeling in front of her.
"Olivia, I know I'm not good with words, but I'm good with you. I'm good at loving you. I love everything about you, your determination, your strength and your courage amazes me more and more with every day that passes, your smile makes even my darkest days brighter. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else, and I promise you, no one will ever work harder to make you happy or cherish you more than I will. I love you, Olivia Benson. Will you marry me?"
"Yes, Bri, of course I'll marry you." Olivia beamed as Brian slipped the ring onto her finger before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her body flush against his, kissing her passionately. She wrapped her arms around his neck and traced his lower lip with her tongue, Brian groaned into the kiss, opening his mouth to give her better access. He reached down around her and gently lifted her off her feet; she smiled against his mouth as she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her into their bedroom.
