A/N: A one-word one-shot TStabler style, the word being 'invitation' and provided by er...TStabler - thanks buddy!
DISCLAIMER: Olivia, Elliot and all things SVU belong to Dick Wolf. These little daydreams are mine.
Invitation
Elliot glanced at his phone as the shrill of a text message filled the air. He read it quickly and his brow furrowed in confusion.
'Ring Captain. Urgent. Fin.'
What the hell? He thought to himself as he dialled Cragen's number.
"Cap, Fin said to...what? No, why? Huh...no idea Cap...yes, fuck...I'm on it!"
He pulled on his jacket, grabbing his gun from the coffee table and his keys from the breakfast bar before bolting from the apartment. The car journey was brief, speeding through the streets of Manhattan in order to get there faster.
The car ground to a halt, tyres screeching on the tarmac as Elliot threw the vehicle into park. He leapt from the car, panic coursing through his veins as his Captain's words wound through his mind on repeat.
"Harris is out and AWOL, baying for blood...Olivia's blood Stabler! Harris wants revenge!"
Images of Olivia in trouble flashed through his mind; images of her shackled, beaten and broken. His heart clenched in his chest, knocking the air from his lungs at the thought of her being in trouble.
He had dialled her cell the entire journey over, cursing her loudly as it went straight to voicemail on each attempt. Now he stood at the entrance to her apartment block, buzzing infuriatingly on her intercom. The panic rose, terror clinging to his nerves as he finally managed to weave his way inside. Bounding up the stairs to her apartment he rapped furiously on her door.
"Olivia!" He yelled, his voice gruff and raspy in his agitated state, "Liv! Come on Liv, open the door!" Still no answer.
Inserting a key in the lock, his key to her lock, he burst through the door, yelling frantically as he began to search her apartment. He zoned in on the car keys atop her coffee table, her purse discarded on the cushion of the sofa close by. His eyes flicked across the scene; her jacket was strewn across the back of the couch and her TV was on. It was muted, but it was on.
He turned to the kitchen, an opened bottle of red wine on the counter and a box of half eaten chocolates lay haphazardly by the sink. His eyes narrowed in thought, if he didn't know better these were all the signs of a woman indulging in a little relaxation. His eyes widened and his lips curled into a smirk. These looked like the signs of Olivia indulging in a little relaxation.
Elliot fished his cell from his pocket, sending a brief text to his Captain, telling him all was fine and that he and Olivia would be at the precinct in the morning. He snapped the phone shut and tossed it to the sofa before padding across the living room and making his way along the hall.
He stopped in his tracks as he heard a dull hum drift from her bathroom, the door slightly ajar allowing the sound to whirl its way throughout the air. He paused briefly, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to collect his thoughts. He and Olivia had grown closer these past three months, ever since the divorce from his wife had been finalised, but what he was standing in her hallway about to do was taking that closeness to a whole new level.
Olivia knew how he felt about her, that much was true. Two weeks ago, after a particularly harrowing case that resulted in the two of them at his apartment, finding solace within the arms of each other, he finally confessed the real reason he and Kathy had split up. Her. And as silent tears spilled from her eyes at his revelation he held her, whispering tender words of comfort into her hair as she sobbed against his chest.
Elliot inched closer to the door, peering through the gap between the frame, his breath catching in his throat at the vision that greeted him. There she was, Olivia, immersed in the bath, bubbles covering her torso while her shoulders, neck and face remained free. As did her legs, each hanging languorously over the sides of her bath. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted, her hair pulled up in a messy knot at the top of her head. Damn she was beautiful he thought with a smile.
The humming returned and his eyes settled on her face once more. He watched closely as her head bobbed to the side and her humming grew louder. He saw the headphones in her ears attached to an iPod that rested on a cabinet to the side of her bath. A smile was plastered on her face as she relaxed to the music, in turn forcing a low chuckle from Elliot's chest as he delighted in seeing Olivia in such a natural state, enjoying herself away from the stress of the job.
Before he could stop himself his feet had carried him through the door and into the room, tipping over her wine as he went and causing the crystal to smash dramatically across the floor. Olivia screamed at the sound, sitting bolt upright in fright. Her eyes widened at the sight of Elliot.
"What the fuck Elliot?" she screeched in shock, suddenly all too aware of her state of undress. She crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to conceal her breasts, a fleshly globe spilling from under each palm.
"Liv, shit...I'm sorry, but Cap. he called and said that...fuck Liv, you're so godamn beautiful..." he trailed off as his gaze dropped to her chest.
"Elliot!" she yelled, her pitch high and her tone warning him to snap back to reality.
"Sorry Liv, I'll go," he mumbled as he turned to leave, internally berating himself for invading her space. He wasn't even sure what he had hoped to achieve by entering the bathroom...Olivia to suddenly declare her undying love for him? No.
He was halfway through the door and into the hallway when she spoke, her words halting him dead in his tracks.
"Stay."
It was all he needed to hear. Pushing the door closed behind him, he pulled off his jacket and began popping the buttons on his shirt as he made his way to the bath. He smiled at her, an attempt to soften the apprehension he knew she felt.
Returning a smile of her own, Olivia suddenly became shy, all too aware that she was just a girl, open and naked in front of a guy. A guy she liked. A guy she loved. Her heart thumped loudly under her breast as he knelt by the side of the bath and stroked her cheek tenderly.
"I meant what I said the other night Liv," he whispered, turning her chin towards his face, "I really do love you." He kissed her, a sweet kiss, pressing lip against lip in an attempt to finally show her just how much she meant to him. "More than anything," he said with an air of finality, the discussion no longer up for debate.
Breaking the contact of the kiss, Olivia dived into the depths of his blue eyes...eyes laced with so much sincerity her heart ached, threatening to burst from her chest. And finally she admitted, "I love you too."
His expression was one of disbelief, "really?" he asked in genuine surprise.
"Yeah," she giggled, "I do."
"Stay?" she repeated, a hopeful look upon her face.
He leaned closer, nuzzling her nose with his own.
"You don't even need to ask, Benson" he said as he kissed her again, "invitation accepted."
A/N: Loved it? Hated it? Thought it was a bit something and nothing? Drop me a review and I'll get on the case.