AN: I had such a wonderful time writing Holiday last summer, and I wanted to have another light-hearted romp like that one. I went camping this summer and as I was there, I started to wonder what would happen if Elliot took Olivia out of the city…out of her element…out of their routine…for a few days. So here we go.

EOEOEOEO

Elliot watched as Olivia closed another file and slapped it on top of a pile to her left. "Just two more days." He said with a smile. "Then ten glorious days off."

Olivia looked at him and gave him a half smile. She was exhausted, and she knew they both needed the time off. The city had been crazy that summer, and she and the entire squad had been pulling a lot of long hours. Cragen kept promising them that 1PP was sending help, but here it was, early August, and the only help they'd received had been temporary. Cragen knew they had all reached their breaking point and had granted them each a week of vacation. Fin and Munch had been off for a week, only returning today so they had some crossover. It was her and Elliot's turn starting Saturday morning. They had earned every minute of it, because with both Fin and Munch out, she'd barely strung together 20 hours of sleep all week.

"What fabulous plans do you have lined up?" Elliot's chair offered a squeak of protest as he leaned back.

"I'm going to go home, take a hot shower and climb into bed. And then I'm going to sleep until my ten days are up."

Elliot laughed because he knew the feeling. "Yeah…you'll sleep about 8 hours and then you'll be up. You have to have something else planned."

Olivia shook her head. "Honestly, I haven't even thought about it." She shrugged. "I'm sure I'll do some shopping and go to the gym. You know. Normal stuff. Stuff I don't get to do when I'm working 24/7."

Elliot sat up in his chair. "Liv. The point of vacation is that you don't do the normal stuff. You go somewhere…do something fun."

"That sounds exhausting." Olivia said with a laugh. "What do you have planned that's so fantastic?" She asked, turning the tables.

"Well…tomorrow I'm going to crash. But Saturday night, I'm going to take Lizzie to dinner and a play. On Sunday, Dickie and I are going to a ball game. And on Monday, I'm taking Eli camping for a few nights."

Olivia raised a brow. "Eli's what? 3? Isn't he a little young to go camping?"

"Eli saw some old photos of me and Dick and Lizzie camping. Dickie was really selling it, telling Eli about all the great things we did, and now Eli keeps begging me to take him." Elliot shrugged. "So, we're going camping."

"He's not even going to remember going." Olivia said with a slight laugh.

"We'll take photos. Plus…I've got to take my opportunities when I get them. When they get older, they don't want to hang out with me anymore."

Olivia laughed. "Well, I want to see those photos. I can't see you camping."

"Liv." Elliot said, narrowing his eyes. "I was in the Marines. You think we stayed at the Hilton?"

Olivia had to laugh again. "I guess I always forget about that. OK…so, you're going camping. For how long?"

"Well, we're planning on three nights, but if we're having a good time, we can stay longer. We've got a great spot." Elliot held up his hands, envisioning the place. "It was where I used to take the other kids when they were younger. Tree lined spot, but right on the lake. Nice little beach." He sighed. "The other sites are far enough away that you feel like you have the whole place to yourself."

Olivia loved the excitement in Elliot's voice. She knew that he didn't get to spend as much time with the kids as he'd like. It was especially hard with Eli. She knew Kathy had been accommodating in swapping weekends and weeknights, and that Elliot tried to take Eli as often as he could, but it had been rough this summer. "Sounds like heaven."

"It is." Elliot said.

Fin and Munch walked back into the squad room at that moment and overheard the end of the conversation.

"What sounds like heaven?" Munch asked.

Elliot repeated everything he'd just told Olivia as Fin and Munch sat down at their desks.

"Camping?" Fin shook his head. "No way. I'm not sleeping on the ground anymore.

John was nodding. "I always wanted to go camping when I was a kid, but that just wasn't what we did." He swiveled in his chair until he was facing Olivia. "What about you? You ever go camping as a kid?"

Olivia let out a small laugh. "You do remember that my mother was a college professor, right? My mother's idea of fun was to go to an art museum or a poetry reading. We never left the city."

Elliot always felt a small stab of guilt when he was faced with the realities of Olivia's childhood. He knew she had loved her mother, but that her childhood had been anything but normal…driven by her mother's drinking. "You never went to the beach or anything?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course. But with my friends. When I was older." She glanced over at Munch. "And stop thinking about me in a swimsuit. It's creepy." She saw John wiggle his eyebrows and she laughed. They had all worked together too long…she practically knew what everyone was going to say or do before it happened.

Olivia looked across at Elliot and saw he was back to working on his paperwork. She smiled to herself as she pulled out the next file, thinking about Elliot's plans. He worked hard to be a good father, regardless of the circumstances. It was one of the things she loved about him.

A few minutes had passed, and the squad room was relatively quiet as they all settled in to their work. Olivia could feel Elliot's eyes on her, and she bit back a smile. It had been twelve years of this…stolen glances and lingering looks. It was just where they were after all this time. Closer than they should be…but not as close as either of them would like to be. But time and circumstances being what they were…it was just where they found themselves. Things were good between them. She glanced up and Elliot gave her a small smile and a knowing look.

Busted.

She gave him a small smile back, tucked her hair behind her ear, and went back to the file in front of her. "I swear…" She teased. "Your handwriting gets worse with each passing year. I can't tell what you've written here." She lifted the file to take a closer look. "Is this an a or an o?"

Elliot pushed his chair back from his desk and used his legs to propel it over to Olivia's desk. "Let me see that." He snatched the file from her hands and looked at the sheet inside. "Where?"

Olivia pulled the file back towards her and dropped it on her desk in front of him. She scanned the page, looking for the word she'd been unable to read. "There." She said, pointing at a witness' name with her nail.

"That says Nelson."

"Nelson?" Olivia scrunched up her features. "I thought it said Wilson." She slid the folder back in front of her and wrote the name Wilson in the space above it. "Honestly El…you need to start typing up your notes."

"Yeah, yeah." He said, waving her off with a laugh. "Of all the things I need to change, that's probably not the highest priority."

"True." Olivia couldn't resist teasing him. She waved her hand at him. "You're dismissed."

"Right." He started to push his chair back, but then he stopped. "Hey." Elliot looked over at Fin and Munch, but they were knee deep in their own paperwork. When he turned back, he saw Olivia glance over at them too, and then back at him. "I've got a crazy idea."

"Does it involve Chinese food and cold beer?" Olivia asked hopefully. She was hungry and ready to be done with this day.

"No." Elliot said. "But that does sound good." He scooted his chair a few inches closer. "I was thinking…"

"That can't be good." Olivia teased.

"Seriously. Why don't you come camping with me and Eli?"

Olivia let out a laugh, but Elliot didn't join in. "You're serious?"

"Yes. I'm dead serious. It would be fun."

Olivia shook her head and pressed her lips together. "I don't sleep on the ground El."

"We have blow-up pads to put under the sleeping bags. It's like sleeping on a feather bed."

"I'm sure." She said, rolling her eyes. "I'm a city girl. My idea of hiking is using the stair stepper at the gym."

"We're not doing any hiking." Elliot leaned in. "Come on…I never pegged you as a princess."

Olivia lifted one brow. "A princess? You didn't just say that." She knew he was baiting her…trying to get her to agree. She saw right through his tactics. "This is your time with Eli. You don't want me there."

"Eli goes to bed at 8:00. What am I supposed to do after that?"

Olivia stood up and leaned over, placing her hands on the arms of his chair. "I guess you should have thought that through before you decided to take him camping." She pushed him then, and his chair went sailing back towards his own desk. She laughed when she saw the surprised look on his face, and she turned and headed towards the vending machines.

Elliot watched her walk away, letting his eyes slide over her retreating form. Now that he'd thought to invite her along on this camping trip, he couldn't let it go.

EOEOEOEOEO

Olivia climbed into the passenger side of the sedan and closed the door. Elliot slid into the driver's seat as she buckled her seatbelt, and she closed her eyes and lay her head back against the headrest. "I'm getting too old for these long days." She groaned as he started up the car.

"You just need a vacation." Elliot said, shifting the car into gear. "It's been too many long days."

Olivia let out a sigh. "I guess."

"You need some peace and quiet." Elliot said as he pulled out of the precinct parking lot.

"Hmmm." Olivia said. The sound of the engine was making her sleepy.

"Think about sitting by a campfire…looking up at the night sky." He turned to look at her, but saw she had her eyes closed. "Have you ever seen a real night sky without the lights of the city? It's amazing how many stars there are."

"El…" Olivia mumbled.

"OK." Elliot said. He wasn't going to bully her into going. Still, he couldn't quite let it go. "But just think about it. Ok?" He asked as he turned down her street. "It would be fun. A lot more fun than sitting around your apartment. We'd love to have you come with us."

Olivia lifted her head as she felt the car coast to a stop. She saw her apartment building to her right, and she wondered if she had actually dozed off on the drive.

"So, you'll think about it?"

Olivia looked back at Elliot, trying to grasp the thread of the conversation. Camping. "Yeah." She was going to have to let him down easy; he seemed so damned eager for her to go all of a sudden. "I need to get some sleep. Good night El."

Elliot watched as she walked up to her apartment, and he waited a few more minutes until she flicked her lights. It made him smile every time. He drove away, hoping she would reconsider.

EOEOEOEOEO

Olivia woke up the next morning and groaned as she looked at the clock. One more day. She just had to get through one more day. And then…freedom. She rolled over on her back and rested the back of her right arm across her forehead. She thought about her plans…or her lack thereof. It had sounded wonderful when she'd first thought about it, but now that Elliot had dangled an option in front of her, she was starting to question her lack of imagination. A week with nothing to do suddenly sounded boring, and she wondered about the sincerity of Elliot's invitation.

No. She couldn't intrude on his time with Eli. He got little enough of that as it was.

She rolled over on her side and snatched her phone off the table. She saw she had a text from Elliot and she opened it up.

I know you were half asleep when I dropped you off last night. But the offer is still valid. Eli and I would love to show you Whispering Lake. We have an extra tent (just in case you were wondering), and all the extra gear you need. You just need to pack a bag. No pressure.

Olivia saw he had added a smiling face at the end, using a colon and a right parenthesis, and her first thought was that he had lost his mind. The Elliot she knew did not text in full sentences, and he most definitely did NOT add smiley faces to his texts. It must be some influence from his kids. But she had to smile at how well he knew her; he had known she was thinking about the camping trip.

She let out a sigh, knowing she was going to accept his invitation. He would continue to tell her all the reasons she should go while they worked side by side today, and she would continue to resist and tell him all the reasons she shouldn't go, but in the end, she would give in. Because despite the thought of sleeping on the ground…of actually sleeping outside…the bugs and the dirt…it actually seemed like it could be fun. It was certainly something she had never done before. And besides, Eli was three. She imagined they may end up packing up and coming back to the city within 24 hours. What could happen in 24 hours that she couldn't handle?

EOEOEOEOEO

Elliot pulled up outside Olivia's apartment. Eli was talking excitedly in the backseat. Even though he didn't really know Olivia that well, he had been excited when Elliot had told him that a friend was coming along. He texted Olivia and told her he was downstairs, but by the time he hit send, she was already pushing her way through the door of her building. She was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder her right shoulder and a pillow clutched against her body. He wondered what she had packed, because she had sent him innumerable text questions as she'd been trying to pack the night before. He had expected her to overpack, but now, seeing the size of her bag, he was worried that she was seriously under packed.

Olivia saw Elliot hustle out of the car and open the back hatch of the Jeep.

"Do you have enough warm clothes?" Elliot asked, taking her duffle from her.

"It's going to be 85 degrees." Olivia said.

"Well, in the City maybe. But we're headed a couple hours north. And we're in the woods. It gets cold at night."

"You told me last night not to pack too much!" Olivia said, tossing her pillow on top of the bags stacked in the back. She saw a couple of large packs of gear and some bags of groceries and a cooler. Some smaller bags were tucked in the empty spaces, but the entire back of the Jeep was packed. "That's a lot of crap." She said, looking back at Elliot.

"Yeah, well it takes a lot of crap. Plus, I had to throw in an extra tent and sleeping bag and…"

Olivia reached for her duffle. "I don't have to go along." She said, toying with lifting it back out of the Jeep. "You're the one that pushed me to go." She bit back a small smile as she said it.

Elliot put his hand over hers, keeping her from lifting the bag. "You're such a pain in the ass. Get in the truck." He said with a laugh.

Olivia laughed and then turned on her heel and headed towards the passenger side of the truck. Elliot slammed the hatch closed and he couldn't help but smile. Olivia was in a great mood, and he was really glad she was coming along. They were going to have a lot of fun.

EOEOEOEO

It had taken them over an hour to get out of Manhattan and put some distance between them and the city. Olivia had been entertaining Eli the entire time, turned in her seat to talk to him and play games with him. They were currently singing some sort of silly song, and he wondered how she knew it. As far as he knew, she was never around anyone's kids…except on the job. He glanced over at her and saw the smile on her face…he heard the laughter from his son in the back…and it made him slightly sad that she didn't have a child of her own. She would be a great mother.

"What?" Olivia could feel his eyes on her.

Elliot broke free of his thoughts and saw she was staring at him. "Huh?"

"Keep your eyes on the road." She teased, letting him know they she was well aware of the surreptitious glances he was giving her.

"I was just wondering…isn't that my NYPD sweatshirt?" He asked.

"It's mine now." Olivia said with a smile. "Possession and all that." She loved this well-worn sweatshirt. She had borrowed it at some point so many years ago, and she had returned it at the time. But it seemed to always be the one in his locker when she needed one, and it had gone back and forth over the years until it stayed permanently in her closet. Alongside a gray zipped hoodie that they also seemed to share.

"It's ours." Elliot stated. "We get shared custody."

"If you can get it back, we can share it." Olivia teased, knowing a new game had started.

"You don't see me stealing any of your clothes." Elliot said, trying to sound petulant as he maneuvered around a car driving slowly in front of them.

Olivia laughed and looked over at him, taking in the worn khaki shorts and the beat-up old sweatshirt he was wearing. "Well, maybe you should. Honestly, did you grab all your oldest clothes to take camping?"

"I love this sweatshirt." Elliot said, his voice sounding defensive. But, he loved this kind of light banter between them. It set a great tone for the next few days, and he could feel the tension of the job and the chaos of the city easing out of them with each passing mile. "And camping can be a dirty business. I hope you didn't pack any silk blouses and cashmere sweaters."

"Do you remember the fifty questions I asked you last night while we were packing?" She honestly had been in crisis mode as she packed, knowing it was too late to go out and buy anything she might need. She knew she had given Elliot a good laugh when she had asked if she needed anything special, but she really didn't know. His answers…layers…stuff that can get dirty…something warm…hadn't been particularly helpful. But it was his last comment…and don't forget a swimsuit…that had really thrown her for a loop. Of course, she hadn't thought about the fact that they were going to be on a lake. That there would be swimming.

That comment had resulted in an hour of pawing through a pile of bikinis and one-pieces and trying them all on to decide what still fit and what wasn't too revealing. She was with Elliot, for Christ sake. She wasn't going on a tropical vacation, hoping to meet someone for a vacation fling (as if that ever happened…the vacation or the fling).

Although…she had lingered over one black bikini. She had turned this way and that in the mirror, fingering the material. Tugging it here and there. She had decided that she didn't look half bad…maybe even kind of sexy. She worked hard at the gym to stay in shape and was pretty proud of the fact that even at her age, she could still rock this suit. She had taken it off and lay it to the side, packing two one-piece suits. But at the last minute, she had tucked it inside of her bag.

She didn't linger on thoughts of why.

"Libbia"

Olivia laughed at Eli's pronunciation of her name, and she turned back towards him. "Yes?"

"I hungry."

"OK bud." Olivia turned towards Elliot. "Any chance we're stopping for food on this trip?" Her own stomach was growling.

"We just got on the road." Elliot said in protest. He hated stopping unless it was absolutely necessary. He just wanted to get to the campsite.

"We're hungry." Olivia said, mimicking Eli's tone. She tugged on Elliot's sleeve. "We need to eat now!"

Elliot heard Eli's laugh from the backseat, followed by Olivia's, and he knew exactly who was in charge this trip. And it wasn't him. He smiled to himself as he started to watch for signs for the next exit. He was already having a great time.