Disclaimer: Character of Olivia Benson is property of Dick Wolf and the Law and Order franchise.
Open Arms
When I heard the key in the lock I leapt from the couch. I ran to the door of our small apartment. The door finally swung open and there she was, Olivia. She had already taken off her worn leather jacket and was carrying it draped over her shoulder. Pieces of the brunette's hair hung loosely into her chocolate brown eyes, she shot me a beautiful half smile upon seeing me. I melted on the spot. I took her hand and pulled her inside. My detective pressed me to her strong frame, her arms around my waist, her chin resting on my shoulder. "Liv" I breathed, as I nuzzled her neck. "Hey beautiful" she whispered back, kissing the top of my head. I stepped back to take a look at her. She was tired. She had tension in her shoulders and the dark circles beneath her eyes meant that she had hardly gotten any sleep within the last few days. I brought her to the couch and pushed her gently to lie down, she didn't protest.
As I knelt beside her, I gave her a deep, slow kiss on the mouth letting my lips linger against hers, savoring it. "How was work today?" I murmured. She paused to think for a moment. "Hard" she replied. I believed her. She reached out a hand to caress my cheek; I kissed her palm, not breaking eye contact with her, not yet. "How are you?" she asked, her gaze heavy with genuine concern. "I'm good" I responded with ease, trying hard to conceal the exhaustion in my voice. "Mmm, I'm glad" she smiled back. I grabbed a knit quilt from the edge of the couch and draped it over her, finally leaning down to brush the hair out of her eyes. "I'm going to make you some tea" I said decisively. "Okay" she said squeezing my hand. I had put some water on to boil a few minutes before Olivia had arrived. Now white steam shot out of the kettle making it sing. The aroma of jasmine filled the air as I poured the tea. I added two spoonfuls of honey for sweetness, just as she liked. "Here you go, Liv" I said as I set the hot cup down on the coffee table. But Olivia had already fallen asleep. Her breathing was heavy and labored. I knew she been dealing with a difficult case for the past week.
A 12 year-old girl who had been raped by her father for years. I recalled the disgust and hatred in her eyes as she told me the story. I had searched her face then and saw the slightest flicker of pain. The pain she carried with her every day, the weight of her past. It was the pain she tried so hard to hide. I had seen Olivia embrace the girl after her last day on the case, it was snowing out and in the tall doorway of the precinct she had knelt down and held the girl close, assuring the child that if she ever needed anything, she could always contact her. I have always been amazed by the gentleness and patience Olivia exhibits when dealing with victims, and for many of these people this type of understanding is exactly what they need; for that, she is a true guardian angel to countless victims, but most of all, she is my angel. I went into our bedroom and collapsed onto the mattress. I glanced out the window, the lights of New York City burning for an eternity just beyond the glass pane. I remembered when we had made love for hours in this bed, feeling as if I was on fire, needing her body with the deepest urgency, exploring every inch of each other, collapsing from the sheer ecstasy Olivia had caused me. Olivia Benson was irresistible.
As I turned on the light and opened my book I wondered if we could ever be as close as we were in those few passionate moments. Moments that seemed so long ago. As I lay back onto my pillow, my mind wandered to the evening we met, the memory still made me smile. I was on stage performing my set. Singing "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack as beautifully as I could, wearing my favorite luminescent navy blue dress, brick red lipstick, and a white magnolia blossom pinned to one side of my unruly brown and caramel colored curls. I felt that I was doing well that night, and I was genuinely enjoying myself. About halfway through the song, I sensed someone watching me. I allowed myself to scan the room as I sang. My breath almost caught in my chest when I saw her. She sat at one of the tables up front, her face illuminated by the candlelight. She wore a brown leather jacket and dark blue jeans. She had short brown hair and looked to be fairly tall. Her eyes were fixed on me; she was listening to the music, watching me sway on stage. I immediately began singing to her. Our eyes met. She greeted my subtle advances with a warm and knowing smile. I beamed back at this gorgeous stranger with butterflies in my stomach. Something I had never felt as strongly as I did in this moment. After my set was over, I went to get a drink from the bar, but all I could think about was her.
"A glass of red please, Mark" I asked the bartender. "Sure thing, babe" he replied. As I waited, she appeared behind me. "You have a beautiful voice" she said touching my shoulder gingerly. "Thank you" I smiled shyly, relishing in the gentleness of her touch. Her voice was deep and smooth; she spoke in a rich, honeyed tone. I held on to every word she said. She slipped into the barstool next to me, looking me over with gentle eyes. I looked up to meet her gaze. I almost fell off the stool. Her brown eyes captured my hazel ones, just as they had on stage, except this time, I couldn't look away. She wanted me, and needed me to know it. I knew in that instant, that I would be hers by the end of the night. I was starting to feel lightheaded… "Easy sweetie" she said with a laugh. She automatically put her hand over mine to steady me, this action of hers made me blush profusely.
"Gosh, you almost made me lose my balance there" I smiled sheepishly. "I've been known to have that effect on certain people "she grinned back. After I regained my senses I realized that I had never learned her name. "I'm sorry, " I said hesitantly "I didn't catch your name" "Olivia" she said confidently "but my friends call me Liv" "and how about yours, beautiful?" she asked shooting me a sweet half-smile. "Lena" I replied smiling back at her. "Olivia…" I said softly, saying the name as if it were a prayer, "it suits you". "Why thank you Lena". "So Liv, what do you do?" I said allowing my curiosity to get the best of me. "I'm a detective" she said slowly "I work for the Manhattan Special Victims Unit" "Well, it's truly a pleasure to make the acquaintance of one of New York's Finest" I said with a warm smile. "It's really nice to meet you too Lena" she said giving me a playful wink.
Suddenly, music began to blast out of the speakers. I looked over at Robert the DJ setting up. His shift was about to start, the best part of the evening by far. "You want to dance, detective?" I asked flashing her an eager grin. "Gee, I don't know about that, Lena", "I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep up with you!" she said with a laugh. "That should be the least of your worries" I said as I took her hand and pulled her towards the dance floor. She let me guide her through the crowd until we found a vacant spot. Robert was playing some wicked salsa music, and I loved every second of it. To my surprise Olivia had me in position before I knew it, moving to the beat, she spun me with expert precision. Gingerly, she placed her hand on the small of my back guiding me. She had to have done this before. Olivia quickly turned me around so that I was backwards, leaning against her, her strong arms wrapped around my waist. I could feel the heat of her breath on my neck. I arched my back, allowing my head to fall back onto her shoulder. "You're a really good dancer, Lena" Olivia whispered huskily, her warm lips against my ear. "So are you, Olivia" I whispered breathlessly. As I moved against her, her hands slipped onto my hips and down to my thighs, caressing them as I danced. A sharp intake of breath on my part let her know how turned on I was. "You enjoying this babe?" she asked, I could hear the smirk in her voice. I shot her a look that silenced her chuckling, and then delivered a passionate kiss on the mouth that left her speechless. "What do you make of that detective?"I said with a smile. It only took the dumbfounded Olivia seconds to regain her composure, "I think I'd like to take you home with me tonight" she whispered into my neck as she began to lay butterfly kisses on my bare, brown shoulders.
"I'll be anywhere you want me to be, Liv" I said smiling up at her. "Then are you ready to go?" she asked gently, twirling me in front of her. "Absolutely" I said looking her straight in the eye. She smiled warmly at my eagerness. Olivia wrapped an arm around my shoulder as we walked toward the doors, sharing a small kiss in the doorway, as we left the club. The frigid night air hit us full blast, and it soon became clear that a fresh blanket of snow had just graced the streets of New York. In one swift motion Olivia removed her leather jacket and put it over my shoulders. "God, that's so sweet of you Liv" I said, looking up at her affectionately. "Don't mention it, sugar" she said with a smile. In the cab, Olivia held me close, I leaned my head against her shoulder, breathing in her scent, allowing my eyes to close. They flickered open when I felt Olivia squeeze my hand, "We're here, Lena" she said gently. "Okay" I replied sleepily. The night air cleared my head, as Olivia helped me out of the cab. Within five minutes we had reached the door of her apartment. Olivia leaned me back against the wall, brought my hand up to her lips, and kissed it gently, never breaking eye contact with me. The gesture was so simple and so gentle, but I still went weak at the knees. I took several steps toward her, until our foreheads touched. I smiled up at her, before I closed the space between us. She kissed me so tenderly I almost melted in her arms.
Then she pinned me against her door, laying hungry kisses on my neck and my bare chest. I gasped with pleasure at each kiss, until she stood up to meet my gaze again. "Let's get you inside, Lena" she said with a playful smile "you'll wake the neighbors if you keep that up!" I blushed and delivered a swift punch to her upper arm. "Ah feisty I see" she said dodging my punch "I like that in a woman" She said flashing me a grin. She opened the door to her apartment, and pulled me inside. The apartment smelled slightly of cinnamon, and I loved it. The place was immaculate; all of the dishes were washed and put away. A few tasteful black and white photographs of Liv and the SVU squad were arranged on the dresser, and a vase of orange and yellow tulips was placed in the middle of her dining room table. "You keep a lovely place, Liv" I said turning to her. "Thanks Lena" laughed Olivia "I try". "Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked politely. "I'm perfectly fine thank you, but there is something else that I would like" I said walking over to her. "And what might that be sweetheart?" Olivia asked sweetly, taking me into her arms. "I'd absolutely love to go to bed with you" I smiled, placing a tender kiss on her cheek. "Now that can be arranged" Olivia grinned back, encircling my waist with her strong arms. "That's what I like to hear!" I laughed, losing myself in the playful shimmer of her brown eyes.
Before I knew it the charming detective had picked me up, and was walking towards her bedroom. I gasped in delight, and put my arms around her neck, leaning my head against her shoulder. "You really do know how to give a girl the royal treatment, don't you?"I laughed as she placed me on her bed. "I only reserve this type of treatment for the special ones" she said smiling. "And I don't think I've ever met anyone more special than you, Lena" she said earnestly, searching my eyes, gently caressing my hands with hers. A new case of butterflies erupted in my stomach as I gazed back at her. "I feel the exact same way, Liv" I said softly, gently cupping her cheek. She kissed the palm of my hand, and I pulled her into a tender embrace. We fell back onto her bed, and that became the first time that Olivia and I made love.
My eyes flickered open from the feeling of warm lips against my neck. "Liv?" I said sleepily, turning around to face her. "That's right, honey, only me". She whispered gently. She leaned across my body and turned out the light. She had already taken the book from my grasp. She took me in her arms, tenderly kissing my forehead. "Are you all right, baby?" I asked with concern. "I am, now that I'm with you" she said with a genuine smile. The scent of soap was fresh on her skin and her hair was damp. I placed a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. "I missed you" I whispered. "You have no idea how much I've missed you" she murmured into my hair. I slipped my arm around her waist, and she kissed me once more on the top of my head. Before I drifted off to sleep, I realized that there was no place I would rather be than in the safety of Olivia Benson's arms.