Olivia had picked up her mail on the way up, fishing around in her pocket for yet another key, she was surprised she didn't jinggle when she walked.
She had just shut the door behind her when the buzzer went off. She peered around the corner to where the grate stood, the red light glowing and the annoying screeching buzz, drawing her to press the button. "Yeah?" She called out softly, pulling off the heavy outer coat she wore to the precinct. "Liv! I brought Happy Panda." Elliot said and Olivia could picture him holding up the double bagged boxes of take-out.
Olivia started cleaning her apartment until she heard the gentle knock of her partner's hand at the door. Olivia smiled as Elliot walked in, he lifted up the take-out and nodded, putting it on the counter. "Happy panda" he said happily. "Fun" Olivia responded throwing a fortune cookie at Elliot. "And... i brought some files for the cold cases we were assigned." He said a little dejected. "Not so fun." She said to this one. She started flipping through her mail, bills mostly, and then a manila folder, one of the large rectangle envelopes they normally used for reports or evidence.
She started to open the envelope but stopped going back to her food picking at the chicken with her chopsticks. She looked over and saw Elliot who stabbed at his food with a plastic fork, "why don't you use chopsticks?" She asked her eyes light. "Why do you?" He countered his tone lighter. She smirked her nose crinkling up, and he returned the favor. She opened up one of the files, looking them over as she ate carefully avoiding spilling on top of the slick paper that held the evidence of abuse. They ate in silence for a while before Elliot asked, " Are we going to stay up to work on these?" He asked softly he stood up and made a way to the cabinet where she kept her coffee grounds. "Yeah," Olivia said resigning herself to night of off duty work. "Brew a pot?" She said knowing he already would.
Elliot fumbled around her cabinets pulling out coffee grounds and filters filling the pot, he shuffled around then pushed the buttons with sharp jabs, he had never understood how to work her coffee pot.
"Elliot, calm down, its inanimate. " she said but her voice was light and teasing.
He smiled back at her and walked to get back to the table, he bumped into the counter, his outstretched arms scattering her mail. "Elliot? Are you okay?" She said getting to her feet and rushing over to where Elliot was, he gave a pained smile back to her, holding his hip where it had slammed into the edge of the counter. Elliot waved off Olivia's concern and bent down to pick up the scattered papers. He stopped cold, holding a slick sheet of photo paper. "Liv?" He said his voice shaking. "Huh?" She said her stomach dropped and knots formed at the sound of his concern.
Elliot straightened out, "What-" he cleared his throat, "what is this?" He said turning over the picture in his hand. Olivia's heart raced, it was a picture of her, pulling off her shirt, her arms bent over her head tangled in the mess of sleeves, the image of her was disrupted by inch bars, her shutters half open.
"What the hell!" She said when she could finally speak.
And there was more, oh so many more. Elliot turned bright red and handed her the stack waiting for Olivia to give him permission. Olivia quickly searched through them, heart racing at what she would find, but the worst thing she saw was a handful of pictures depicting her without a shirt, bra still on, these ones matching the first, she wore the same outfit in these ones.
Olivia scooped up the other files and put them on an empty chair spreading out instead the photos of her.
The photos showed her in a wide span of places. The precinct or home, out shopping,or having a beer or two with Elliot. It didn't matter it seemed like this guy followed her everywhere.
Olivia froze in her spot when she recognized the look on Elliot's face. "Don't. Don't tell Cragen. or the boys at the precinct," Elliot looked at her as if he had just asked her to fly to the moon.
"Olivia are you crazy? you could get yourself killed without protection!" But Olivia stared at him, her eyes saying all they needed to. Please, please Elliot, give me this one.