Summary: Olivia's life seems to be at a high; she's even thinking of settling down. But in a matter of minutes, her life spins out of control, and in more then one way. EO, eventually.
Disclaimer: I don't owe the show or the characters, I'm only using them to create a work of fanfiction… yada yada.
AN: So, I know I've got a million of other fictions on hold right now, but this is the one I've got my mind on right now.
This is defiantly a EO, even though it might not seem like it at first. Of course, there will be many other factors. I hope you guys like it. Don't forget to leave me a word. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
The Difference of a Minute
The air conditioning was not working that particular morning, so the warm water dripping down her back only added to the uncharacteristically good mood Olivia had been in. She woke up at five and was so wide awake she decided to leave for work extra early that day. Or maybe it was because she wanted to be out of the apartment before he woke up, because last night had ended on such a good note, it had been so perfect, she didn't want to ruin it.
Olivia wrapped a towel around herself and went to look through her clothes, picking her favorite sweater and most comfortable work pants. She glanced over at him, sprawled face down between her sheets; his full lips open just a bit, deep asleep.
His name was Greg Corman. She met him just over three months ago; he asked her out at the gas station, of all places. His dirty blond curly hair and charming looks got her off the back, and during their first date, she couldn't help but be attracted to his brains. He had his flaws; no one is perfect, but this was as close as she's ever gotten. And best of all, she was finally able to get her mind off of her partner; detective Elliot Stabler.
The drive to work was calm and relaxing. It was just past six thirty, and the city was up and running. She took in a deep, long breath, smiling to herself once again.
Last night was perfect.
When she found out a week ago that she was pregnant, she was a wreck. She'd come as close as she'd ever been to having a panic attack. It was a big surprise, and she wasn't built for surprises. But then she came into work the next morning. Whether it was the particular case they were dealing with which included a woman trying to get pregnant, or maybe it was the bracelet that Greg had given her that morning as an act of random kindness; whatever it was, she started seeing things differently.
If she ever wanted kids, now was the time. She wasn't as young as she'd like to think, so settling down was not that bad of an idea, as foreign as it might have been to her. And Greg would make a good father. He was the hot high school history teacher, and he didn't even know it. He was calm, collected, down to earth. In a way, he was everything she wasn't, yet still, they were similar. She hated talking to him about her job, and he always complained that there was a big part of her that he never got to see. But she liked seeing him after a long day of work, drink dry red wine in his cool and collected arms, cozy and totally happy.
And he took it so well. The news, about her pregnancy. She told him the previous night, and although he couldn't hide the shock from his face, he made it perfectly clear that he was willing to make it work. She pointed out that they had only known each other for a few months, and he said the most perfect thing. He said that they had at least another nine months to get to know each other better.
She came into the SVU precinct to find that she wasn't alone at the early morning hour. Munch and Elliot were already there.
"You guys are extra early today."
"We never went home." Munch muttered tiredly.
"Still working that case?" She asked as she took her coat off and started looking through the pile of paperwork on her table.
"We're just waiting for a call now." Elliot said, rubbing his eyes.
"We're waiting for him to make a mistake. Use his credit card... something. As soon as we've got him; case closed."
"Mmm. You should have called me in if you needed help." Olivia said, only half listening.
"Good morning."
That was Captain Cargain. "Stabler, Munch, any development?"
"Nothing yet sir, but I can feel it in the air. We've almost got him." Munch said. His dry humor came out the most when he was tired or in a bad mood.
"Alright. Let me know as soon as anything happens. Benson, I've got you working a case with Fin. As soon as he comes in, come into my office for a briefing." She nodded her understanding, and Cargain retreated to his office.
As she sat down across from Elliot, she felt her partners's eyes on her.
"What?" She asked, looking up. She couldn't help suppressing a smile. What was the matter with her? Even she wasn't used to this giddy version of herself.
"What? Look at yourself. You can't stop smiling."
"I don't know what you're talking about." She said as coolly as she could.
"What's the matter with you? It's a shitty rainy day, you should be in a bad mood like the rest of us. Just take a look at Munch." Elliot said, and she looked over at Munch who was muttering something under his breath.
She laughed and shook her head.
"How's Greg?" Elliot asked, probably suspecting something. They rarely talked about their private lives, or at least she rarely did. Elliot was pretty open about his relationship with Kathy, but all she's told Elliot about Greg was that they were still together. She also introduced them once when Greg was picking her up from work one day.
"Greg is just fine. So, what's this Captain is up to? This is the second case I'm about to work with Fin." She said, quickly changing the subject.
"I think Munch and Fin had some fight of some sorts. Munch won't talk to me about it, but I think they need some time to cool off the steam."
It was about half an hour later that both Elliot and Munch jumped up from their tables simultaneously.
Elliot raised his cell in the air and shouted towards Cargain's office. "Captain, we've got an address! The bustard just stopped for some gas!"
"Well done! I want this case closed by noon." Cargain instructed, nodding towards the door.
Elliot and Munch grabbed their coats while running out of the door, both busy on their cell phones calling for backup.
She sighed, and looked back down at the fat pile of paperwork in front of her.
Elliot. That was a whole another part in her life which she felt she let spin completely out of control. They had been partners for a very long time, and at some point during their line of work, she realized she cared for him more then any other person in the world. She realized that she had crossed that line and admitted to herself that she was in love with Elliot. Together with work, he had become her reason for waking up in the morning.
But she was beginning to gain control. Ever since Greg, life started making more sense. And especially now, that there was a baby in the near future…
By eight, Fin hadn't come in yet and she was about to call him when her cell rang.
"Benson." She said in a monotone, professional manner.
"This is Corman speaking."
Greg. His voice was like a song. She laughed.
"I didn't even notice you leave this morning." He was saying.
"I left early, didn't want to wake you up."
"How's work?"
"Uneventful, so far. Hopefully it stays this way. I'm in too good of a mood." She said.
"Me too. Really. Olivia, I'm actually excited. Really excited. I want to celebrate. Lets go out to a ridiculously expensive restaurant tonight. Huh? What do you say?"
"I would love that. Hopefully work won't keep me late."
"Try to make it. Class is about to start, call me later?"
"I will. Bye." She said, and hung up.
"Liv, sorry I'm late. Cap said we got a new case?" Fin said, coming in with a wet umbrella and even wetter clothes.
She started getting up. "Hey Fin, need me to teach you how to use that?" She asked with a smile, gesturing towards his umbrella.
Fin gave her a raised eyebrow and set his umbrella open to dry.
"Alright, let's get this over with." He said, heading for the captain's office.
It was two hours later. Fin and Olivia had laid out all the info they had on the case on the table, and took a step back, trying to decide how to tackle this one.
"I guess this is pretty straight forward. Let's talk to the mother of the vic, then we'll go down to see Miranda. She should have something for us by noon." Fin was saying as Olivia nodded in agreement.
From the corner of her eye she saw Cargain coming out of his office, yelling into this phone. She realized he was heading straight for them.
"Elliot, how soon can you be there? Ok, we'll be there about ten minutes past that. What? Of course. I'll tell her." He snapped his cell closed and looked straight at Olivia, his eyes wild.
"What's up?" She asked, trying to keep her cool as she sensed that something was terribly wrong.
"There was a shooting, Olivia. At your apartment." He said this so fast that it took her a moment to register.
"A shooting? What do you mean? Was anyone hurt?"
From the look on his face she could tell the answer was yes. She made quick calculations in her head, and realized that Greg must have come back to her apartment by then. His class was over at eleven on Wednesdays.
She didn't think twice before running for her coat and keys.
"Wait! Liv, I'll drive." Fin said, running out right after her.
The ride over was a blur. Her mind was blank. She was optimistic, for no apparent reason. She felt like she was on her way to just any other crime scene.
There were numerous police cars by her apartment building. It even looked like any other crime scene, accept that she knew it was much closer to home. Much too close.
"Liv, wait…" Fin was saying, but her mind was elsewhere. She opened the door before the car even came to a full stop. She flipped out her badge and held it in front of her, dodging anyone who might try to stop her from getting to her apartment.
She took the stairs. Or better, she ran the stairs. There were more cops and detectives in her hallway. She caught a glimpse of her next door neighbor being questioned by a detective but she ran right past them.
Munch was standing in her doorway, looking down at something with a gloomy stare.
As she got closer, he saw her.
"Olivia, don't…" He tried, his voice so sad that she felt goose bumps on every inch of her skin. Now, she couldn't help but fear the worst.
Ignoring Munch, she got right past him and her eyes shot right to where he had been looking.
Elliot was kneeled down on one knee next to a pool of blood. In the middle of that pool, was Greg. Her Greg.
She must have uttered some kind of a sound, because that was when Elliot noticed her and got up, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Come on, Liv, you don't need to see this…" He tried, but she looked right past him.
The detective in her looked at Greg's body and analyzed it like he was a vic.
Greg Corman. Shot twice; once to the neck, and once… right to the eye.
It was a horrifying sight. His other eye was open wide, and his mouth seemed to be in mid speech. God, there was blood everywhere…
Elliot was still trying to get her attention, trying to usher her back into the hallway.
She felt herself gag. There didn't seem to be enough air in the room. Or the hallway. She needed to get some air…
She got out of Elliot's hold, and headed fast back towards the stairs, this time going down. She could hear Elliot running after her.
All she could comprehend was her own breathing, and how difficult it was to do it. As she opened the front door of the building, she saw Cargain approaching her in a fast pace. She might have heard Fin shout something, but she couldn't concentrate. A wave of nausea washed over her as Greg's lifeless form flashed through her head, and at once she leaned over, one hand holding the handle of the door for support, as she emptied her stomach.
As she finished, she felt a hand rubbing her back, and then another handing her a napkin. She looked up with watery eyes and saw Elliot. His own eyes told the same words that had been running through her head in the past minute or so.
Greg was dead.
AN: I hope you guys liked this beginning. Let me know what you think, and I promise to update.
