Who Could Have Known
Chapter 1: Chance Encounter
A/N Don't own them...if I did I would be driving a much nicer vehicle.
Meeting the woman he would fall in love with never occurred to Detective Elliot Stabler as he exited the brown Crown Victoria and quickly crossed the busy New York City street. Elliot had worked straight through the night on a child abuse case and was in desperate need of some type of nourishment. While he hadn't been to this particular diner before, his stomach demanded he stop immediately.
He was lead to a booth by an older waitress with large glasses that magnified her eyes ten fold. He didn't see a name tag on her uniform but, if he had to guess, her name would be something on the lines of Olga or perhaps, if she were luckier, a Stella. Elliot removed his suit jacket and tossed it on the seat and slid into the booth.
"Coffee please." He smiled at the older woman as she handed him a menu.
"Sure, I'll be back with your coffee sir." The woman spoke humbly and offered a weak smile. Elliot felt guilty being waited on by a senior citizen who should be enjoying her retirement. He would have to remind himself to tip her well. Within one, perhaps two minutes the older woman returned with his coffee. "Here you are, your server will be with you shortly, Sir."
Elliot perused the menu and finally decided on his selection when he was startled.
"Hi!" The most audibly gorgeous voice spoke. It was neither entirely high nor oddly low, but it was sensually in between. The fact that a chill had spread throughout his body caused him to look at the source of the voice.
Elliot lowered his menu to take in the young woman's features.
"Can I take your order Sir?" The voice resonated through his eardrums causing his cerebral cortex to freeze. Elliot couldn't fathom an appropriate age for the woman. He thought it was possible she was in her early thirties, plausible that she could have been in her late twenties. She had perfect Olive skin that accented her darkly exotic eyes. Although the young woman was smiling, Elliot could read the precious hurt that her eyes told. Her chestnut hair, that was so dark it appeared black, caressed her face and fell gently on her shoulders. Her naked left hand tapped the check with her pen.
"Sir? Need another minute?" Her voice pushed him further into oblivion.
Elliot's mouthed formed one simple word before he could stop himself, "Stunning."
"Excuse me?" The waitress was stuck between furrowing her brows in confusion and smiling out of embarrassment.
Realizing his slip of the tongue and the flush of his body he attempted to hide behind the shelter of his menu.
"Sir?" She smiled sensing his angst. "What would you like to have today?"
"You…err..." Elliot rolled his eyes at his behavior; he was a grown man yet this exotic woman reduced him to the mere ramblings of a boy. "I mean…whatever you suggest." He tried to correct his blunder and offered her back the menu. Elliot loosened his tie before the lack of oxygen he was experiencing did any further damage to the situation.
The waitress returned several minutes later, carefully balancing a plate in her hand and simultaneously reaching into her apron and retrieving utensils wrapped securely in a napkin. "Here you go, it's my favorite, so I hope you like it." She smiled as she lowered the plate in front of him. "Monte Cristoes." She informed him and slid the utensils closer to him. "Let me know if you need anything Sir." She lowered her tray in an effort to walk away.
"Elliot, please call me Elliot." He blurted hoping she would offer her name to him. She smiled softly lowering her eyes from his gaze and retreated slowly, not quit sure of the man she saw before her.
Elliot managed to call the waitress back to him repeatedly for nothing in particular save to hear her voice and see her smile.
"Excuse me for being too forward, but when is your break?" He looked up at her with the intensity of his blue eyes. He knew it was a fat chance for a goddess to give a mere mortal man a second look but he was certainly going to try.
"Actually, I'm off in about ten minutes." She smiled suspiciously at this man who was paying far too much attention to her. "Why?"
"Um…" He was shocked that she would actually respond to him. "I was wondering if you would join me." He smiled motioning to the empty side of the booth.
"I can't." She responded simply, retrieving his check form her apron.
Elliot shook his head digesting the letdown. "I understand." His voice was disappointed.
"No." She let out a small laugh. "I can't because I have a class on Saturday's, I leave right after my shift." She explained slipping the check face down on the table.
"What about tonight?" He suggested hoping she wasn't simply stringing him along out of pity.
She blushed bowing her head. "I have another job, so I have to study."
Elliot felt as though he was hanging from a clothesline but he would not relent until she flatly denied him. "Two jobs and school? Your intense." He smiled refusing to end the conversation, not when her voice soothed him like it did. "Where do you work?"
"Um…" she bit her bottom lip, Elliot assumed it was a nervous reaction, "Let's just say, my company transferred me and in order to get a promotion I had to finish my degree, one class away but tuition is nuts so…I work here on Saturday's then go to school."
"What do you do?" Elliot was struggling for any conversation piece at he moment. He needed to learn so much about the woman in front of him. He needed to, but he couldn't tell himself exactly why.
"Ahh, well, um…it's boring, long hours, little sleep but it pays the rent." She smiled attempting to walk away and then simply stopped and turned to face him again.
"Elliot… right?" She waited for his confirmation and then continued, "What do you do?"
Elliot froze, telling a stranger he was a sex crimes detective wasn't exactly his idea of making a great first impression, he thought quickly, "Um, well I use to be a marine but I've settled into something a little more closer to home." He offered a smile and retrieved money from his wallet placing enough for the bill and a healthy tip.
"So, what about Sunday?" He stood forcing her to take a step back as he donned his suit jacket.
"Your persistent." She smiled pulling her tray in front of her using it as a shield, as if she thought he could see the inner workings of her heart fighting with demands of her mind.
"Only when its of the utmost importance." He straightened his tie keeping his eyes on the creature in front of him.
"I'm…um…" She struggled to come up with an excuse as to why she couldn't go out with the handsome gentleman in front of her.
"School? Work?…Brain surgery?" He smiled offering her a more ludicrous reason to not go out with him.
She looked at him softly and smiled at his humor. Cute and funny, she thought to herself. She exhaled deeply and offered him a window of hope. "I'm free." She smiled and looked down at her feet secretly hoping her knees didn't give out right there in front of this man who chose to take a second look at her.
Elliot smiled amazed that she was actually willing to go out with a putz such as him. "Oh," he was shocked. "Um, okay Sunday then, how about the morning? Central Park?"
"Okay." Her response was simple but offered Elliot so much more.
"Ten O'clock the southern benches by the bird watchers?" He offered her a safe location not wanting her to feel trapped with a stranger.
"I'll be there." She moved slowly to return to the kitchen.
"Um, wait." He called after her.
"Yes?" She narrowed her eyes focusing on him.
"You have me at a disadvantage." He smiled shoving his hands in his pockets.
"How so?" She tilted her head, as a puppy would out of curiosity.
"You know my name, but I haven't had the pleasure of hearing yours." He searched her face; she was mysterious, and gorgeous. He wondered if she knew it, but was inclined to think that she was oblivious to her beauty…ignorant of her grace.
The waitress bowed her head smiling and stepped back. As she walked away she offered him a splinter of her identity. "It's Olivia."