A/N: A big thanks to Lindsay, my beta/muse/Fraternal SVU name twin. You are my hero. Okay, this is my first fanfiction endeavor, so please comment and let me know what you think. Good? Bad? I'd like to hear what you have to say. :)
Disclaimer: They aren't mine, but sometimes I like to pretend they are.
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He sighs and makes his way over to his destination, glancing briefly to his left and then to his right. There are relatively few people this Sunday evening. The rain has probably kept most people home, snuggled up beneath blankets, watching home movies over mugs of hot chocolate. For this he's glad. Nobody else needs to see this.
Reaching his target, he stops and assesses the situation. A myriad of possibilities sits in front of him. He's completely baffled, but he has to do this, it comes with the territory of being a father.
He sighs again, grabbing a box from the shelf in front of him.
"Super absorbency," he reads quietly. He picks up another box. "Junior."
He considers his choices a few moments before reaching again for the shelf.
"Medium. Wings. Scented." He groans.
God, what the hell am I doing?
Elliot Stabler has done many things in his lifetime. Buying feminine hygiene products is not one of them. He thinks of Kathleen laying on his couch at home, crampy and cranky. He felt terrible leaving her alone when she was feeling so bad, so when she asked if he would pick up pads and tampons for her while he was at the store, he'd happily said, "Of course I will, honey."
And now he stands, in the middle of the feminine hygiene aisle at his local supermarket, juggling several different kinds of tampons and pads in his hands.
Thoughts are running through his head, a mile a minute, as he contemplates his current situation.
What do all of these things mean? Does it matter if they're scented? What kind of absorbency am I supposed to get? Is one brand better than another? Does--
"Elliot Stabler!" A familiar voice interrupts his thoughts and he slowly turns his head towards the speaker.
Shit.
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What a vision!
She makes her way down the aisle where her partner stands motionless, blushing furiously as he struggles with the assortment of tampons and pads in his arms.
"Hey Olivia," he mutters.
Eyes bright with amusement, she pokes, "You start your period El? Certainly would explain why you've been such a grump lately."
He snorts. "Yeah. Says you, McBitchy the PMS Queen."
Her smile fades and hurt flickers in her eyes, as she moves to push her cart past him.
Dropping his armload into his cart, he grabs her hand, squeezing it lightly. "Liv. I'm sorry. Can you… can you help me out here?" He smiles hopefully, gesturing to the shelves before them.
She stares blankly at him.
"Please Liv. Pretty, pretty, please," he pouts, giving her hand one more squeeze.
A small smirk flits across her face and her eyes soften. Elliot grins. Olive branch accepted.
"Fine. I'll help you. But any more McBitchy comments and you're going to get McBitch-slapped, got it?"
"Got it," he chuckles.
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"So, El… Grey's Anatomy?" She jokes, pushing her cart alongside Elliot's as they meander down an aisle, the tampons and pads crisis having been resolved a few minutes earlier.
"I'm sorry?"
"Come on. The whole McBitchy comment. A blatant Grey's Anatomy rip-off of McDreamy. I didn't figure you for a for a Grey's Anatomy fan, given your intense hatred for hour long medical dramas." She grins, enjoying watching his reaction.
"Hey, I watch medical dramas." He defends. "I watched ER with you once when you were sick," he points out.
She laughs lightly, "yeah, but you were only watching it because you have a crush on Cynthia," He opens his mouth to protest but she cuts him off, "don't even try to deny it El. Interesting choice in women though, that woman was insane."
He shuts his mouth, then retorts, "Okay. So what? You have a thing for Dr. Ross."
"You bet your ass I do."
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"Meredith."
"What?"
"Meredith. You have a crush on her. That's why you watch Grey's Anatomy," she announces smugly.
"You know, I never even said I actually watch Grey's Anatomy. How do you know I didn't come up with the McBitchy thing on my own?" He counters smirking.
She ignores his comment and continues with her interrogation. "Must be Izzie then."
"You kidding me? Izzie is young enough to be my daughter," he exclaims.
"Aha! So you do watch it, then," she smiles triumphantly.
Dropping his head, Elliot mumbles something that sounds mysteriously similar to "fuck."
"What was that El?" Olivia teases.
"Hey, ice cream!' Elliot says, pointing to a freezer further down the aisle, effectively shifting Olivia's previous train of thought.
Olivia's eyes brighten and she let's out an excited "Ooooo!" as she makes a beeline toward the ice cream. Elliot has to laugh at this. He watches in amusement as she yanks open the freezer and analyzes the selection, just as she would a crime scene. Taking special note of flavors that pique her interest. After a few moments of careful consideration she selects four pints of Ben and Jerry's from the freezer, and starts back toward Elliot, a pleased smile lighting her face as she quietly hums an unknown tune.
"Damn Liv. You think you might want to reconsider all that ice cream?"
Olivia scowls, but her eyes glitter with amusement. "Are you insinuating that I'm fat?"
"No, I'm not insinuating that you're fat. I'm merely implying that that is a shitload of ice cream for one person."
She snorts.
"You're really gonna eat all of those?"
"No, just three. This one is for Kathleen. She'll love you for it," she says handing him a pint of Chocolate Fudge Brownie.
"What else you got in there?" He asks, looking at her other ice cream selections. Grinning devilishly, he lifts one carton up from the cart. "Hmmm. Karamel Sutra. You like Karamel Sutra, Liv?" He waggles an eyebrow suggestively.
He just thinks he's so damn funny.
Olivia plays along. "Yeah. You should try it sometime Elliot. It's really… satisfying..." She replies demurely.
"Is that so?"
"Well, it always hits the spot for me," she winks, and pushes her cart away, leaving Elliot standing, mouth slightly agape at her innuendo.
When Elliot finally catches up to her, she's standing in front of the bakery, pulling a loaf of French Bread from a basket and plopping it into her cart.
"So, what's next?" She pushes a strand of hair behind her ear before looking up at him, briefly catching his eyes.
"Uhhh.." he scans his grocery list. "Apples."
Without another word said they turn their carts to the Produce section, clear on the other side of the store.
Well, this is weird. Grocery shopping with Elliot Stabler. Who would have thought?
She looks at him from the corner of her eye as they push their carts side by side. He looks cute. He's the picture of domesticity as he pushes his cart down the aisle, shopping list in one hand, and a pen to cross off items in the other. Olivia allows her eyes to travel down his body.
God, he looks hot in those jeans…
Her lips curve wickedly and her thoughts continue to wander as she discreetly eyes his ass. She laughs slightly, shaking her head as if that will get these thoughts to stop. Elliot turns to her. He doesn't have the slightest idea what she's laughing at, but when she flashes him a shy smile, he can't stop the grin that lights up his face.
God, she's gorgeous.
He continues to stare at her for a moment, focusing his attention on her lips. Full, pink, and still curved in a graceful smile. The sudden desire to kiss her hits him like a freight train. For a moment he closes his eyes and imagines what she would feel like, taste like. Mimicking her actions from moments earlier, he shakes himself out of his reverie and pushes his cart a bit faster, putting some distance between them. If he doesn't get a little bit further away from her he won't be responsible for his actions. And sexually plundering his partner in a supermarket isn't exactly a good idea.
The distinct screech of wheels on the tile floor assaults his ears as Olivia speeds up, her rattling cart overtaking him. About 15 feet in front of him, she looks back at him over her shoulder, raising her eyebrows playfully, a challenge of sorts that only he would understand. The mischievous glint in his eyes can only mean one thing: Game. On.
At the same time, they take off. In a mad race to be the first to reach the Produce section. Olivia is still about 15 feet in front of him, having had the edge from the start, but he's gaining on her fast. 10 feet. 7 feet. 3 feet. He swerves his cart in front of hers. 40 feet to their target and he wins. A resounding crash from behind causes him to skid to a sudden stop. Whipping around, he sees that Olivia has crashed into a display of Cheerios.
Shit.
She holds her breath, cringing, as the pyramid of cereal sways precariously. She closes her eyes, waiting for the inevitable thunder of tumbling boxes… but nothing. Cautiously she opens her eyes, and peers at the pyramid, which has ceased to move. Eyes wide and cheeks red with embarrassment, she glances at Elliot, who is now standing next to her And then, as if dropped down from heaven, a box of Cheerios falls from the very top of the pyramid and lands in her cart.
Laughter bubbles from her throat and echoes loudly through the store. Elliot rolls with laughter, clutching his stomach as he fights for air. He takes a deep, calming breath, and looks at Olivia. Tears of mirth stream down her flushed cheeks. To him, no woman has ever looked so beautiful.
Still gigging, Olivia leads the way to the produce section.
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Now, how the hell are you supposed to know if a cantaloupe is ripe?
It's one of those things she's always wanted to know. You know tomatoes are ripe when they're bright red and still firm, you know bananas are ripe when they start to get the smallest of brown freckles, but what about cantaloupe? She grabs another one, now juggling two melons in front of her, weighing her options.
The cantaloupe in the left hand… or the cantaloupe in the right hand?
"You almost done over there Liv?" His voice breaks through her thoughts and she spins around to face him.
"Nice melons," he says, his lips jerking up into a smile.
She follows his gaze down to her chest. Of course, both melons are positioned perfectly in front of her breasts. She glares at him and puts one melon back.
"Shut up Elliot."
The other melon is plopped into her cart with a small thud as she makes her way toward him. She notices at the exact moment he does, that his gaze is still focused on her chest. He immediately diverts his attention to his shopping list, which is suddenly very interesting, but she can't fight the blush that she feels creeping up the back of her neck.
She clears her throat before speaking, "Got your apples?"
"Yep." He lifts his pen to the grocery list and makes a check.
"So, we done with the produce then?"
"Nope. Still need to get strawberries."
"Strawberries? Are those even in season?"
"Don't know, but they're my favorite."
"No they're not."
"Yes they are."
"Since when are strawberries your favorite fruit Elliot," she asks eyeing him skeptically.
"They've always been my favorite fruit. You just haven't been paying attention," he grins, enjoying giving her a tough time, as he places a package of the fruit in his cart.
She snorts. "Sure. I assume you know what my favorite fruit is then."
"I do know."
She raises an eyebrow inquisitively, prompting him to answer. He starts moving in the direction of the checkouts and she follows suit. A few moments of silence pass before he answers.
"Golden Delicious apples. And only the ones from that farmer's market down your street." He gazes absently at the assortment of food lining the shelves, as they continue to push down the aisle, waiting for her response. In fact, Olivia's waiting for her response too. Quite frankly, she's shocked, and a bit more touched than she'd like to admit, that he's paid attention to such a trivial part of her life.
"You know what Elliot?"
"What?" He turns to face her and she smiles.
"You never fail to surprise me."
When he returns the smile, the twinkle in his eyes isn't lost on her.
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"Did you get everything El?"
"Yep."
"You sure you're not forgetting anything?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Oh come on El. It's like an unwritten law of nature. You always forget to get something you need at the grocery store."
"Maybe that's true for some people, but I have a grocery list." He waves it in front of her, smiling smugly.
"Nope. You're forgetting something, trust me. And you won't remember it until you get home and start unpacking your groceries. That's just the way it works."
"I still don't think I'm forgetting anything."
"Whatever you say."
They head to separate checkouts and pay for their food. They finish at the same time, and push their carts out together, always in sync.
"Where are you parked?"
"Over there," Olivia says pointing to the far left of the lot. Elliot nods. She sees Elliot's sedan to the right.
"Well, it was fun shopping with you Benson," Elliot jokes.
"Well, I'm a fun person Stabler," she winks.
"We should do this again."
"What? Go grocery shopping together?"
"No. Hang out. Talk."
"Sure, El. Anytime." Her lips curve into a dazzling smile, and he swears he feels himself get weak in the knees. "'Night El."
"Goodnight Olivia."
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He has just finished putting away his groceries and all he wants to do is just pop open a bottle of beer and lounge on the couch. He's about to open the fridge to grab a bottle, when a flickering of light catches his eye, causing him to turn his head. The warm light of the kitchen is reflecting off of his stainless steel coffee pot, which sits on the counter across from him. As he stares at the coffee pot, something in his brain clicks.
Shit.
"Shit."
And with that, Elliot grabs his car keys and his wallet and heads to the store for the second time that night.
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Olivia will get a kick out of this when I tell her tomorrow.
He walks down the coffee aisle, surveying the selection. He hears her laughter before he sees her, and feels a goofy grin spread across his face as his turns his head towards the noise. If it's even possible, she looks even more beautiful now than she did less than an hour ago. She walks over to him.
"Don't even say it Oliv-"
"I told ya so."
He shakes his head and grabs package of Columbian Roast from the shelf. "What about you?"
"Coffee," she answers, grabbing a pack of Columbian Roast for herself. "Go figure. Two people as addicted to caffeine as we are would forget to buy coffee."
They laugh as they head to the checkouts.
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"You aren't stalking me, are you Olivia?"
"Hey!" She hits him lightly on the arm.
"I mean, running into each twice in one day, in a big city, with lots of markets…" he jokes playfully.
"Maybe you're the one who's stalking me," she counters, smiling smugly, eyes glittering.
He laughs and hands the cashier a few bills. "Maybe."
After she has paid, they walk outside together. Her car is parked in the same row as his, but he's parked further down.
"Well, goodnight Elliot, again," she says when they reach her car. He nods in response and she goes to open her door, but his voice stills her actions.
"Olivia?" He swallows hard.
It's now or never.
"Hmmm?" She turns back around.
"I forgot something." She chuckles, and he smiles sheepishly.
"What is it this time Elliot?"
He doesn't answer. Instead, he moves closer. His heart beats faster. He reaches for her, pulling her to him as he cups her cheek in his warm hand, tilting her chin upward. Her eyes widen in surprise and their eyes lock. His eyes burn with a blue intensity she's never seen before and she's mesmerized. He's close, so close, and she's overwhelmed by his presence. She inhales sharply when she feels his hot breath on her lips, and she thinks she might melt when his lips tentatively brush her own. Suddenly her hands are on his hips, pulling him closer to her, as she deepens the kiss. His lips are soft as they dance over hers, and she can't stop the light moan that escapes when his tongue traces her lower lip, teasing her. And as abruptly as the kiss started, it ends, as Elliot pulls away his hands dropping to her hips. Olivia's eyes remain closed for a moment longer, as she allows herself to focus on the tingling sensation Elliot's lips had wreaked on her own. When her eyes flutter open, Elliot is staring at her, smiling.
"Strawberries."
"What?"
"You taste like strawberries. My favorite."
The sound of her laughter is music to his ears.
"So…" she says, voice still laced with amusement.
"So," he prompts.
"Gotta go home."
"Yeah, me too," he says as they reluctantly pull from their embrace. He clasps her hand in his own and sways it back and forth between them for a few moments before completely breaking contact. "Gotta get home in time for Grey's Anatomy in 17 minutes," he says winking at her, as he walks to his car.
Olivia's just about to slam her car door shut when she hears his voice and pokes her head back out.
"What was that Elliot," she asks.
"McGorgeous," he calls from across the parking lot.
"WHAT?"
"You. McGorgeous."
"See ya tomorrow El," she calls back.
A satisfied smile brightens her face.
Somewhere between tampons and cantaloupe something in their relationship changed.
Two partners rediscovered their friendship and two friends rediscovered each other.