Disclaimer: No, not mine. But I do own...runs away
Author's Note: Hello! I know I should be updating Senses, but I felt the need to write this after watching the episode "Contagious". It doesn't really have anything to do with the actual episode, but Season 6 was such fertile ground for EO to grow, yet the writers are stupid and nothing happened. So this takes place end of season 6/beginning of season 7. Kathy and Elliot are divorced; so there!
I've written this so it can end nicely at the end as it is. But if enough of you convince me otherwise, I might post a second chapter where things end a little happier. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
Thanks goes to Nettie for tirelessly proof-reading everything (even the first three sentences) I am so grateful; to Sam for both distracting me with her hot boyfriend and telling me I don't suck; and to Allie for convincing me to bite the bullet and just post.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Thanks for tonight Liv."
She smiles, looking at Elliot sideways through her fringe. She's surprised for a second at how long it has become, and vaguely remembers the promise she'd made to Casey about getting it cut together.
That had been six months ago.
That had also been the afternoon Lorna Scarry had inadvertently informed her and Cragen about Kathy filing for separation.
Six months later and her hair isn't the only thing that's grown.
She and Elliot have become a lot closer; and while working together will always include an argument or two, these moments outside of the precinct would more than make up for them.
She's found herself confiding in him things she hadn't really admitted to herself; and it scares her, because she and Elliot have never really been the touchy-feely, emotionally involved type of friends.
For the past six years they've been more than happy to allow their personal lives to occur independently of their work ones; only venturing into the personal territory to make sure that the other was stable enough to continue working unaffected.
But for the past four months, they've found themselves sharing a booth at O'Malley's pub three streets from Olivia's apartment, talking about anything and everything.
The Elliot Stabler she'd known as abrasive and head-strong when it came to matters outside of work has become more relaxed and easier to be around.
He speaks freely about his children who he sees almost every day when work allows, about how he and Kathy are much better friends than partners and how the cases they work every day affects him.
And over the past four months, she has begun to fall more and more in love with him.
She even remembers the exact moment it happened. She remembers it because it had taken her so much by surprise that she almost spilt her coffee all over Fin's desk and lap.
Four months ago, as she clutched her steaming mug close to her chest in the vain hope it would ward off the early morning cold; she had watched Elliot making his own coffee. They were laughing about some stupid television show they had been watching the night before, and as he turned back to the coffee pot, she froze.
Her mind began to reel as she felt her eyes drawn to the way the muscles of his back and shoulders worked as he tore open a sugar sachet with his teeth, before tipping the contents into his mug.
She tried to pull her gaze from his hands but found that she couldn't, even though he was partaking in such a menial task. He looked up from his activities and smiled; not just a quirk of his lips, not just a half-couldn't-be-bothered movement, but a full-blown grin.
She doesn't know exactly how, or why, but at that moment she fell. Hard.
She had tried to cover her blatant staring by rushing back to her desk and burying herself in the mountains of paperwork that had accumulated that week. She tried desperately to get images of Elliot's hands on things decidedly not coffee out of her head but found the harder she tried, the more insistent her brain got.
Luckily for her, Elliot was required in court by Casey that day, so she'd had ample opportunity to get her body's sudden response to his presence under control. What seemed to work best was the logic part of her brain, bringing up issues to do with work, as well as questions about where a relationship with Elliot would lead.
So, by the end of the day, and with a number of arguments inside of her head, she resigned herself to the fact that she had it bad for her partner; and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.
She'd become quite adept at keeping her feelings to herself; she was too afraid it would ruin what existed between her and Elliot. And for the most part, their partnership had continued as if nothing had changed.
Until two weeks ago.
Olivia had received a call from a friend from her time at the academy.
Anna Thomas was the same age as Olivia; stubborn and resolute in her beliefs.
On her first day at the academy, Olivia had been paired up with Anna for one of the numerous team exercises. The first thing out of Anna's mouth had been a declaration that she would graduate top of the class.
Instead of being put off by Anna's adamant attitude, she had been taken aback by the life and spirit in her eyes. She'd found herself drawn to Anna despite the negatives others continually pointed out.
And it didn't hurt that she was funny as hell.
As it was, Anna hadn't graduated top of the class; but Olivia had to give her credit, her eyes had been as full of life as the first day she had met her.
After graduation, Anna had moved to Queens to be closer to her ailing mother, as well as her best friend, Paul; and had taken up a position at a local Queens precinct, before making Detective in Homicide three years ago.
The distance and workload meant they didn't get to see each other as often as Olivia would like; but when they did, it was like they'd never been apart. Over coffee or dinner, they would laugh and reflect on times when their lives hadn't been so complicated.
So, two weeks ago, on a lunch break with Elliot, Olivia had answered her cell expecting to hear her friend's buoyant voice, telling her about something outrageous she had said or done.
What she wasn't expecting however, was the detached and far-away tone, as Anna, audibly holding back tears, informed Olivia of Paul's sudden passing.
Elliot had watched with concerned eyes as she comforted Anna as best she could, promising to come and see her as soon as she could get away from work. Without hesitation, Elliot had told her not to worry, and that he would cover for her so she could make it to Queens before peak hour.
In all her years as Olivia's friend, Anna had always been the more reluctant of the two to show any sort of emotion in private, let alone public. But her hysterical condition didn't fare any better between Olivia's visit and the funeral four days later.
It had gotten so bad that she had taken Anna aside after the wake, and sat next to her in silence so she could allow her friend to grieve in relative private.
After what seemed like hours, Anna had finally managed to pull herself back to a slight sobbing, and when she turned to Olivia, she was thrown by how much life had left Anna's usually sparkling eyes.
Anna had fixed Olivia with a distant stare and had said eleven words that would change Olivia's perspective on life dramatically.
I didn't even get to tell him that I loved him.
Anna had fallen into her arms at that, her tears saturating the fabric of Olivia's blouse at her shoulder.
While holding Anna in her arms, Olivia's mind, as it had taken to doing, automatically brought up images of Elliot; but this time, they were associated with a pang in her gut. For five, terrifying minutes, she imagined her life without Elliot and all of the things that, out of stupid pride and cowardice, she hadn't been able to tell him.
Now, a week later, the feelings she had so successfully pushed deep inside, had re-surfaced; and Elliot had noticed the change.
He had noticed mainly because she had avoided him for the majority of the week; making excuses she knew were lame as soon as they left her mouth
So, tonight, she had decided to bite the bullet and accept Elliot's invitation for a drink.
So far, Elliot hadn't brought up anything about her odd behaviour, choosing instead to talk about Lizzie's upcoming dance recital and other subjects that were in a definite safe territory.
But now, he was walking her back to her apartment, and fixing her with a smile that automatically tells her that he's was up to no good.
She gently bumps his shoulder with her own. "What's up?"
He moves his gaze to the footpath in front of him, but continues to smile. "It's just nice to finally go out after such a crappy week."
She shuffles her feet guiltily, pretending to kick a rock with her boot. "I'm sorry for behaving the way I have this week, El."
He shrugs, "No big deal. I'm just glad that you're ok." He turns to look at her, "at least you're not ducking into empty rooms when you see me coming towards you."
She closes her eyes and stops walking, "You saw that?"
She hears him chuckle, his footfalls stopping just in front of hers. "I think everybody saw that. Except for maybe Munch - he saw the floor."
Even with her eyes closed, she can sense his presence. Just slightly to her right and about half a step in front.
"What did Anna say to you, Liv?"
The question throws her off, and her eyes snap open to meet his questioning ones. People continue to move past them down the street, and she lets out a relieved breath when his blue eyes move to watch as they do.
It gives her time to try and think of a response that won't make her seem as crazy as she's been feeling for the past fortnight. But all she really finds herself doing is admiring the way he looks in the leather jacket she bought him for his last birthday.
She pulls her eyes away from him and they watch together as an elderly couple move slowly past them, the woman laughing loudly at something her male companion whispers in her ear.
She wants that. God, she wants that. Not so much the old part; but the companionship and the obvious adoration those two have for each other.
She's tired of having only herself to rely on.
And if getting what she wants results in her looking like an idiot, then so be it.
"I hope their house is close, 'cause he's lookin' a little unstable."
She wants to laugh and slap his shoulder playfully as they walk the remaining block and a half to her apartment. That way, she won't have to confront the feelings overwhelming her.
But she doesn't respond; and she finds her eyes glued to the couple's retreating silhouettes. And before she can control them, tears begin to well and her vision is blurred. But when she turns to Elliot; she can still see him as clearly as ever. And she knows.
This is it.
Elliot approaches her slowly, his face etched with concern. "Liv?"
"I love you."
The words come out as her breath does, and she feels the pressure that had been crushing her for so long, dissipate. She hadn't meant to blurt it out so forcefully, nor did she want to seem like a blubbering mess, but if he didn't stop staring at her, she might just burst into tears.
His eye widen, clearly surprised, but he keeps smiling. And he hasn't stopped moving towards her.
His eyes don't leave hers as he moves to stand in front of her, his breath coming out in an even rhythm against her cheek. She feels a tear escape and trail down her cheek. Her eyes flutter closed as Elliot cups her cheek, swiping at the stray tear with his thumb.
"El, I..."
Before she can lie and tell him she didn't mean it, his lips meet hers in a tender kiss, her bottom lip trapped between his. She can tell from the way he keeps his body a safe distance from hers that he's testing the waters, but her heart however, has other ideas and is pounding as if she had run a marathon.
She can feel Elliot's own pounding where her hand is resting against his chest and her fingers contract slightly as she realises that it's in rhythm with hers. She smiles as his lips move to her forehead, because she expected nothing less.
Elliot takes in a breath, and before he can say something that makes her start thinking again, she pulls his lips back to hers skimming his top lip with her tongue. Elliot moans at her insistent probing and she pulls his hips flush with hers in response. She can feel the stirrings of a glorious erection against her thigh, and the thought makes her head spin faster.
Her hands roam from where they're resting on Elliot's waist, to his shoulders; his solid torso keeping her from melting into a puddle on the pavement. She's sure that if he lets go, her legs won't be strong enough to keep her standing. The combination of his searching tongue and the taste of him was forcing a sound from the back of Olivia's throat that was foreign to her; but from the way Elliot growls back at her tells her that he seems to appreciate it.
One of his hands fists tighter in her hair, while the other begins to trail further up her side, her skin burning in the wake of his warm palm. Olivia opens her mouth wider, allowing his tongue better access, and moans loudly as Elliot's thumb brushes a hardened nipple.
Olivia tears her lips from Elliot's as his hand slips under the material of her bra, cupping her breast in his hand. She watches him watching her as he rolls her nipple between his fingers; her head dropping backwards as she cries out. "Oh, Elliot."
"Ssh, Liv. We're in public," Elliot whispers against her temple, his tongue tracing from her ear to her neck.
She can't help but shiver as he places hot, open mouthed kisses against the pulse point on her neck. She's completely forgotten they're in the middle of a street, hell, outside somebody's apartment building. But she'd so over-sensitive at the moment, she really doesn't give a damn.
She moves her hands to his head, pulling it up so she can look into his eyes. Eyes, which at the moment, are the darkest midnight blue. She's never seen them this colour before, and it sends a shiver down her spine like nothing else.
"Take me home, El."
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
TBC? Read and Review, and let me know.
