AN: Again Happy Halloween. I haven't lost hope yet, but I just read an article about EO...and it's not looking good. ANYWAY! I need EO- so here we go.

Also, parts of this story are based off of the Russian folktale "The Finger"-which is the original "Corpse Bride" story. The folktale was written when Jewish Brides were being killed for no reason on their wedding day and dropped into a shallow grave. This story is for them. And the fact that Eo is slowly dieing..as of today anyway.

Our Lady of Grace
October 31st, 2007
Evening

"Can you help me with the zipper?"

Her fingers pulled at the zipper of the white satin and lace dress. A voice came from the other side of the room.

"Sure. Let me see it…"

The grandfather clock ticked as another woman rushed to fit the dress snugly onto the bride's body. Bits of white taffeta and crinoline rustled past the mirror.

"Your makeup is perfect. And this dress…could we have gotten any luckier when we found this dress? I can't wait to see everybody's reactions."

"Second hand finds are always the best. Especially when it's vintage. Can you hand me the flowers?"

"Got it."

The phone rang loudly next to them and they each jumped in surprise. The white dress with its' many bustling layers swished to a silence, which was broken by the second ring and a fit of nervous giggling laughter. A delicate hand reached for the old boxy receiver and lifted it from its' cradle.

"Hello? Yes, we'll be down soon. I know. No, she's ready. I'm the one that needs to finish up."

The bride of the hour smiled at her self in the mirror then tapped her best friend on the shoulder. "I'll be outside. I need some air."

"Okay. Give me ten minutes. You look amazing, doll."

Manhattan's 1-6 Precinct
October 1, 2007
Early Morning

"You look like shit, Big E," Fin chimed as he passed Elliot's desk dumping a pile of files in front of his tired body.

"Yeah, I'll remember that the next time you sleep on the couch," he yawned.

"Again?"

"The game was on. Kathy's hormonal. I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Right. Well, you can add the stack of paper work to your baggy lids. Cragen wants that finished by the end of the day. Lake and I just got called out. Where's Liv-"

"Morning boys. I come bearing gifts of warm legal stimulants for my coffee grinding friends," Olivia beamed as she rounded the corner, handing Elliot a tray of freshly brewed coffee, and tossing her leather jacket over the brown swivel chair next to her desk.

Munch looked up from his New York Times. "Friends? You're awfully chipper this morning. Extra shot of espresso?"

"Nope."

Olivia clicked her computer on and happily ignored the stares. It was as if she were waiting to be asked.

Fin threw his car keys at Lake and poked at Olivia's blushing complexion. "There's only one reason for anybody to be that happy, and I'm sure we're not lucky enough to get the details."

"Did you get a promotion," Lake asked brightly. His dark cheeks almost turned pink with the naïve smile that formed under his genuine brown eyes.

"No, Barney Phiff! She got laid," Fin said as he shook his head with embarrassment while adding a macho twitch of the shoulder. "Man, how the hell I ended up with another clueless partner is beyond me. At least, Munch had a reason to be celibate…you, I don't even know what your deal is. You're like the Indian trail guide to New York City. The original boy scout that never got his canoe to the girl's side of the lake."

"How would you know anything about boy scouts," Elliot added with a closed mouth smirk. "I thought they banned your kind from that program,"

The room paused with an astonished reaction to Elliot's comment. Fin's brow lowered with question.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Used goods. Experienced. Non-virgin if you will," Elliot winked before taking half of the files Fin had given him and dropping them neatly on his desk. "And ah, these files are yours, I've never even seen these people. I'm not typing up their shit."

"Son of -, " Fin huffed.

"Fin, I'll do them for you." Olivia pushed Elliot out of the way and warmly winked at Fin.

"See that! Your girl got my back. That tap must have been historical-"

Olivia paused with her back to Fin. Her head fell down and she soon as quickly dropped the files back onto his desk before he could even finish the thought.

"Fin!"

"What?"

"I was on your side buddy and you just had to keep digging. And I would like to add to the statement at hand, before you all get carried away with this, there was no tapping of any kind last night, and I'm not his girl."

"It was just a joke," Fin back peddled.

"Pardon his French, Olivia," Munch stepped in. "Love making isn't in his vocabulary."

"Why is it always sex with you guys? Can't I just be happy?"

"No," Elliot added as he grabbed her right hand and touched the new diamond on her freshly manicured finger. "What's this?"

She pulled away from him. The room grew uncomfortably quiet as they watched Elliot go from tired to lost. For once in her life Olivia wished he wasn't standing so close.

Lake was the first one to break the tension.

"Porter proposed?"

Olivia nodded. Her eyes flickered back and forth as and she forced herself to push Elliot's silent thoughts from her mind. He was not going to ruin this for her.

"Yes, Dean proposed to me last night…and, yes, I said yes."

"That's great Olivia. Congratulations!"

"Thank you Chester." Then as if she couldn't control it, she released that breathtaking smile that could make a room full of sinister men blush...and did.

Fin patted Olivia on the back and nodded for Lake to head towards the doors. "Good for you, Liv. I wish you the best."

Munch stood up from his desk and brushed past Elliot as he headed for the filing cabinet. The intentional nudge brought him back to the world and he turned away from Olivia's face.

"Anybody want a bagel? I'm gonna go to the deli. Get some fresh air."

Our Lady of Grace
The courtyard
October 31st, 2007
Evening

A cool night breeze hit the side of her freshly made up face and the moon made a silhouette of her veiled head as she brought the pink razor cell phone to her ear.

"I wanted to know if you're coming tonight? I know you said you'd try. Fine, come when you can. I can't believe you took a shift. Why would you… You knew that this was important. Okay I'm not going to fight about this….just know… that I…I really need you to be there…here. Good-bye."

She clicked the phone shut and looked down at her hand. It was shaking from the cold and possibly the nerves. The diamond ring sparkled next to the lacey satin of her dress and her insides fluttered with mixed excitement. Just as she started to run through the events that were about to take place, a sound from behind her rustled in the dark church courtyard, and her smile faded.

"Hello?"

Benson Residence
October 18, 2007

"It's me. You ready?"

"I'll be down in a second."

Olivia released the intercom button and grabbed her jacket and purse. When she reached the entrance to her building Casey was standing outside with her shoulders hunched in and her hands in her pockets.

"It's windy today," she shivered.

"As much as I hate the cold, its' appearance is comforting," Olivia replied. "I hate when it's 90 degrees in October."

"I suppose. Owwwwwww, LIV!!! I'm so excited to put you in a wedding dress," Casey squealed unexpectedly and completely out of character for a woman of her age.

She grabbed Olivia's arm, and they headed for the little Vintage dress shop three blocks away.

Over the years the shop had become one of Olivia's favorite places to find hidden treasures. She didn't know how they stayed in business. Everything was reasonably priced for a vintage boutique and all the times that she'd stopped by she'd never seen anyone else in the store.

When they reached the storefront a white dress was displayed in the window. Casey gasped at the sight of its' near perfect beaded corset-like bodice and its' silky antique skirting. It was almost too good to be true.

"Oh, Liv, that's it. That's it! Is that it?!"

Before Olivia could answer the question, Casey was pulling her into the shop and practically ripping the gown from the manican.

"Ladies, allow me."

Olivia felt the hand on her shoulder. It's icy touch bled through her light sweater and she whipped around to see a tall man in his thirties standing next to her. "Oh, hi, I…I'm sorry. I didn't expect...you're not Natasha."

"No, my name is Azeri. I'm…filling for her this afternoon."

Azeri was standing too close for comfort. If Olivia had indeed had an invisible bubble, he was definitely bursting it. With a white toothy smile on his face he pulled a pack of Orbits from his pocket and daintily placed a piece of white square gum onto his tongue.

Olivia could smell the wintry flavor rolling from his mouth and she interrupted her thoughts with a wrinkled stare. "I hope Natasha is alright."

"She is fine. The dress. Why don't you have a seat in the back? Make yourself comfortable. I'll bring you the dress to try on."

Casey grabbed Olivia's arm. "That was weird. He came out of nowhere."

"Yeah."

The two of them shrugged it off and started chattering away about flowers and hairstyles. They waited for Azeri to return, and when he did, Olivia tried on the dress and watched herself in the mirror. It was an erry feeling to be standing in lacy white, but she did like the way it looked. Her heart began to beat loudly in her eardrums.

"Stop it, Olivia," she thought to herself. "This is what life has rolled for you. Stop running from it. It's okay. You are fear-"

Knock knock knock

"Olivia?"

"Uh!" Olivia jumped as Casey opened the door behind her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I…it's the zipper. It's just the-"

Our Lady of Grace
The courtyard
October 31st, 2007
Evening

"Wind…it's just the wind." Her heart returned to a normal beat and she walked back towards the church. Her heels clicked on the cobblestone underneath her. As she neared the door a sharp pain stabbed at her head and she fell to the ground.

The hand wrapped around her mouth.

The streets of Manhattan right outside of the precinct
6pm
October 30, 2007

"Elliot, wai-."

Olivia watched Elliot rush for the blue Sedan. She wanted to desperately for him to approve of her major life decision, but his rejection was making it harder to breathe.

"Elliot!"

"Liv, I've already missed dinner with the kids. I gotta go."

"I know. I need to talk. Can you drive me home?"

Elliot stopped. His back was to her. He didn't need to see her face to know what she wanted, and he knew he couldn't avoid this conversation much longer. He sighed and turned to the car with a weak gaze.

"Sure. Get in."

The sound of the city faded as they closed the doors and headed down the street. Elliot was weaving in and out of traffic.

"Elliot, I need your support. I thought you'd be happy for me."

"I am."

He honked his horn and slammed on the breaks. "Come on, asshole, you can't have both lanes. Pick one already!"

"Sorry. Liv, I…I don't know what to say. I'm happy if you're happy, but don't you think this is a little…"

"Hasty. I know, it's only been a couple of months, but I can't wait forever and Dean will be a good husband. You yourself said I should date him."

"Yes, date him. Not marry him after a month of sex and a few late night coffee breaks."

"We didn't have sex. We haven't…I mean…had sex, and when a girl knows…she knows. I'm not getting any younger."

"You're marrying a man that you never had sex with? Yeah, and my pregnant wife is still in love with me. I'll believe that when I-"

"Oh, please! I know you like to think I can't control myself, but I've got more security than you like to give me."

Olivia, who had started off with good intention was now fuming with anger, but Elliot wasn't about to let her off with an apology and a smile.

" If you're so secure than why do you have to get married to prove your self worth?"

"What?! This coming from a man that pretends to love his wife. At least, I'm honest with myself."

"Are you sure about that? What do you know about love, Olivia? Are you ready to make a lifetime commitment to love? It's a lot more than a feeling, let me tell yeah."

"Why do you always do this?"

"Do what? Make you think?"

"Nobody is ever good enough for me in your eyes, Elliot. You always have a problem with every man I've ever dated. He loves me and we're happy. Be my friend and support me through this. Please."

Olivia tossed about in the passenger seat as Elliot carelessly drove faster.

"He may love you, Olivia, but you don't love him. You wouldn't even talk about this until today and the only reason you're bringing it up now is because you're scared."

"It wasn't a matter of wouldn't, it was a matter of couldn't. You haven't even looked at me since I told you. You couldn't even say a simple, congratulations. And you still can't admit that you're jealous."

"Jealous! Jealous of what? Dean? I could take that Federal pansy down in a second."

Elliot pulled the wheel of the car and made a hard right. The truck in front of them stopped abruptly and Olivia leaned over and blasted the horn. "Yeah, jerk! That's a lane not a loading dock! Asshole! And you could not take Dean down. He's much taller than you and he'd get your ass fired."

"Taller! What's that have to do with it? He's a push over. A softy."

"He may be sensitive, but he's man enough to face his fears."

Elliot stopped the car at the red light and looked at her with his blazoned blues eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. He's just better at handling certain situations."

"Like what? Ass kissing? I've seen him ignore his gut feelings just to pander to the people around him. He's deathly afraid of rejection. But hey, then again, maybe you will be good for each other."

Olivia smacked him in the face. "That's enough."

The light turned green and several people honked behind them as they sat in silence and shock.

"The light's green," she whispered.

He lifted his eyes away from her firm glare and continued to drive.

Softly Elliot spoke with a heavy heart. "I'm sorry. I just don't think he's good enough for you. Olivia, you need…a challenge."

Olivia searched his eyes and then looked away when she realized he wasn't going to say what she wanted to hear. "I'm tired of the challenge, El. I need roots and life outside of my work. I need a family and a realistic image of who my friends are and where my family begins. I thought, you of all people could understand and appreciate that."

Elliot slowly stopped the car in front of Olivia's building and she quickly opened the door.

"Liv, wait." He paused in thought about why he was fighting so hard for Olivia to remain empty and alone. He wondered why he cared so much and why he needed her to stay unchanged in the role she was so good at playing. As he took in her strong presence and her need for his approval his insides collapsed and he dropped the wall he'd built up over the years. "Why are we fighting about this?"

"You tell me."

Elliot's heart hung in his chest like a lead weight as he teetered on that moment of fear and truth. "Close your eyes."

Olivia starred at him in confusion. One foot was hanging out of the car and the other was bent in and just barely touching his.

"Close your eyes," Elliot whispered as he watched her body language fighting to control the moment.

Olivia never closed her eyes for anybody, but Elliot was different. She stopped all of her logical thoughts, blinked her eyes shut, and waited as his lips lightly grazed the tip of hers. Their noses came together side by side and the pit of her stomach fluttered as she took in his warm breath for the first and possibly last time.

Our Lady of Grace
The courtyard
October 31st, 2007
Evening

"Cause of death. Suffocation."

Melinda walked Elliot to the back of the church. "She was hit over the head, raped, and then buried…but not alive."

Elliot's eyes were clouded over, but he refused to go home. The last three days had been pivotal to say the least. He hadn't been home in three days. He wasn't even sure what home was anymore and Olivia…well…as of this moment…Olivia was gone.

"What caused the suffocation," he asked grimly.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, go on."

"When we got here, her left hand was sticking out of the ground with both the engagement ring and the wedding ring."

"But this was before the wedding."

"Right. The rest of her body was wrapped in plastic, but when we opened it I found that her lungs had been crushed by…"

"Blunt force?"

Melinda blinked at Elliot as he wrote the details into his notepad and wiped his brow from exhaustion.

"No," Melinda continued. "You know, we can do this later. Fin and Lake have already interviewed…"

"Melin- I know my limits. Can we just get this over with?"

Melinda lifted a brow and shook her head. She hated when he was like this. With a snap of her rubber glove she reached over and pulled the covering away from the body. "Her lungs were crushed by her dress. The dress was pulled so tightly around her body that she…"

Elliot stared weakly at the cold lifeless image in front of him. Her lips were blue, and besides the small cut next to her temple she was perfectly preserved. Soft manicured hands, porcelain skin, and serene eyes. Closed and peaceful just like he remem…

"The good news is that the plastic our perp used to wrap the body in only comes from one source-"

"Russia," said a voice from behind them. Melinda trailed off as she turned to see Olivia's warm features walking towards them.

"Olivia." Elliot's blood shot eyes were a dead give away that he'd been left in turmoil.

Olivia held his thoughts with her pause, and then broke the feelings with a blink and a glance at Melinda. "I heard the call on my scanner. You must have been on a coffee break. Trevor got me up to date."

Elliot stepped in front of her before she could get even more involved with the case. "Shouldn't you be on a flight to Paris by now?"

"That dress," she continued. "I knew immediately. The careful stitching around the zipper, the way the fabric was preserved and the body inside of it wasn't. And this," Olivia was ignoring Elliot's controlling eyes as she continued her case and pulled out a plastic evidence bag containing a small gum wrapper. "Orbits. Winter green. I knew the perp. Azeri Volkiwitz. Fin and Lake are on their way as we speak."

Melinda took one careful look at the corpse bride and gently covered her body with the covering. "Nice work. I'll just wrap this up and take her to the lab then."

"Great," Olivia nodded.

The three of them stood in awkward silence for a moment and then Melinda grabbed her clipboard and walked away.

"You didn't answer my question. Why are you not with Porter? Where's your ring?"

"Don't." She touched the side of his hand lightly. "I can't. I mean, I could have, but I'd be lying to myself. This is where I belong. Right here. Helping these victims and standing next to you."

Her eyes lifted from the ground and Elliot pulled her gaze into his. Then with a smile he placed his hand on the small of her back and she stepped beside him as they walked in sync towards the car. Each step was a little more familiar, like old times with a new realization. They reached the archway next to the church and Elliot stopped and looked up at the carvings in the stones above them.

"Saint Valentine."

Olivia looked up and then back at Elliot, who seemed to be memorizing the monk-like saints and angels above them. "Patron Saint of Love and Marriage."

Elliot smiled. "He was an easy guy to like. I hear. But his ceremonies were long."

Olivia smiled and took a step closer to Elliot in order to get a better look at the jolly Valentine's face. "Did you know that in some religions the wedding ceremony only consisted of a solemn vow and a three circle dance?"

"Three circle?"

"Yeah the groom swears to stand by his wife to death to he part and then circles the bride three times. It was simple and personal…to the point."

Elliot looked down at Olivia, brought her hand to his lips and whispered. "I promise to stand by you till death do I part, Olivia Benson." Then slowly he held her finger and circled her three times. On the last turn he touched her face and kissed her lips lightly. She smiled and happily turned her face away in blushing embarrassment.

"It took you long enough."

As the laughed, Elliot held her knowing that it was a promise he could hold.


AN: Write me some lines. Drop me some thoughts.