A/N: Of course I don't own them. If NBC and Dick Wolf gave them to me they would do fun stuff like this! Thanks for reading, please review!
As the empty pitcher was replaced with a full one, Elliot began refilling glasses without even asking. Evenings like this had become the norm lately, as the detectives sought refuge from the day's events. None of them really had anyone to go home to, and it was comforting to just be somewhere, anywhere – other than the bullpen, or a crime scene, or an interrogation room – allowing the stresses of the day to fade away.
"Elliot, are you trying to get me drunk?" Casey smirked as he filled her glass. Casey was a new addition to their "happy hours", and she was beginning to feel more comfortable socializing with the four detectives. 'Not exactly like one of them…' she thought to herself, but getting closer. She certainly dealt with the same cases they did every day, and welcomed the chance to blow off some steam with them after hours.
"Wouldn't dream of it, counselor," Elliot grinned in response to her statement. "So what did I miss when I went to the bar?"
"Just gave us a chance to talk about how cute you are." Olivia liked the slight buzz she was getting that let her feel alright about relaxing, about forgetting work, about flirting with her partner. She feared she liked that part a little too much and made a mental note to tone it down. Although they had finally gotten back on track as partners and friends after his divorce, she was afraid that she might one day cross a line she shouldn't. One that she wouldn't want to cross back.
"…Earth to Olivia. Where'd you go?"
Blushing slightly, Olivia snapped back to the present….all four of her friends looking at her expectantly. "Sorry, I was just… what?"
"I asked you if you knew the name of this song…..reminds me of my college days," Casey said, closing her eyes briefly and smiling, remembering a distant memory.
"That must have been some memory. Who was he?" Munch asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Why does it have to be a 'he', John? It actually reminds me of many nights out with my sorority sisters…you know, Frat boys, lots of beer, drinking games…the good old days," Casey said, laughing to herself.
"Never pegged you for a sorority chick, Casey," Fin said, finishing off his glass. "How 'bout you Olivia? You a 'sister' too?"
"No, I never got into the whole buying your friends thing." 'Damn,' she thought. 'Why can't I keep my stupid mouth shut for once?'
"Case…what I mean is…"
"It's ok, Olivia. I know what you mean. I really joined to try and fit in a little more." 'Like I still seem to be trying to do now,' she thought. "And more importantly, of course, to meet the frat boys!"
"Oh, Liv never had trouble with the boys, did you?" Elliot's blue eyes sparkled as he grinned at her. "Left a trail of broken hearts all across campus, I bet."
"And still leaving them today, Stabler, all across Manhattan," she winked at her partner as she swallowed the last of the beer in her glass. Reaching for the pitcher to get a refill, she continued to gaze at Elliot's mesmerizing blue eyes. "I'll have you know I took college very seriously, no partying, no drinking, no boys…" She tried to look as serious as she could, swallowing her giggle with another drink of beer.
"My ass, Liv." Elliot's curiosity peaked at the thought of Olivia in college – carefree, young, happy. He thought she was probably the life of the party, especially with a few shots in her. He loved seeing her in those brief moments when she unconsciously let her guard down, let herself relax, have fun. He hoped he could see a glimpse of that Olivia tonight.
"So what were these drinking games you mentioned Casey, " Munch questioned. "Spin the bottle?"
"Munch, are you twelve? Spin the bottle? My favorite was called 'I Never'. You know, you make a statement like 'I never dated anyone older than me'. Anyone who has, drinks. You can learn a lot of interesting stuff, especially as people ingest more and more alcohol. You know, truth serum, and all that."
"Ok, Casey, I'll bite. I never went to law school." Munch smirked at her, getting her back for her attack at his earlier game suggestion.
"Ha, Ha John."
"I'm serious, Casey, drink."
Casey looked at the group and shrugged, taking a drink of her beer. "Alright. I've never fired a gun." She smiled as the four detectives rolled their eyes and took swigs of their drinks.
"I've never been married." Olivia smiled, feeling the tingle of her nose as the beer took its effect, and enjoying the triviality of the game.
Everyone stared as Casey took another drink. "What? Nobody ever asked if I had been married, is that so hard to fathom?" The detectives had assumed that it would only be the men, all now divorced, who would lose this round.
"Spill it, Casey. Your game, you gotta give up the goods," Fin smiled.
Casey let out a breath. "Chris Novak. We met in Law School. Whirlwind romance. Got married our second year. He was the most charming man I ever met. A few years later I found out he charmed the pants off of a few paralegals and a secretary."
"How long were you married?"
"Three years. Two years after our divorce I wiped his ass all over a courtroom," she smiled. "Better than alimony."
Eager to move away from the subject of ex's, and curious to find out more about his partner, Elliot decided to interject. "I've never danced on a bar." The group looked at him like he was crazy and almost missed Olivia taking a quick drink.
"I knew it!" Elliot's blue eyes danced toward his partner. "I figured you for a wild child once upon a time."
She hated that he knew her inside and out. Hated it and loved it all at the same time. "I had my moments, Stabler. Too many tequila shots and too many encouraging boys, and my friends and I did an impromptu strip-tease on top of a bar."
Casey marveled at the three men struggling to get their composure at Olivia's mention of stripping. Especially Elliot. 'Interesting,' Casey thought. 'I've always wondered if the rumors were true about these two.' Feeling the boldness that comes with too many drinks and no dinner, she decided to do a little detective work of her own.
"I've never fantasized about a co-worker."
"Excuse me?" Elliot looked at Casey as though she had somehow read his innermost thoughts. He wanted to turn to Liv and see if he could gage her reaction to the statement but he decided against it. He secretly hoped at least a few of her innermost thoughts were directed at him.
"I don't just mean SVU, Elliot, it could be the Dairy Queen you worked at when you were sixteen." She smiled. She had touched a nerve. This could prove interesting.
"Mmmm….Maria Washington. She worked the cash register and I bagged groceries. She was bad ass….." Fin was lost in a memory.
He took a drink as did Olivia and a slightly hesitant Elliot. Olivia smiled to herself. The ever-guilty Catholic. A warm thought spread through her - has he fantasized about me? 'Stop it Liv', she scolded herself. 'Stop it right now. Harmless flirting is one thing, but don't get ahead of yourself.' She looked up to see that Elliot was avoiding eye contact but Munch was waiting for her explanation.
"A girl's gotta have her secrets, Munch. I plead the fifth."
"I knew it, " he stated, puffing up his chest. "I knew you fantasized about me. It's ok, Olivia, you can tell the world how you feel."
Olivia felt a drunken giggle start all the way at her gut. Her brown eyes glimmering, she tipped her head back and laughed so hard she almost fell out of her chair and onto the floor. Tears threatened to run down her cheeks. Gasping for air and a little composure, she tried to apologize to Munch, who was feigning hurt and disappointment.
"I'm….I…. sorry. Really not…that…funny." She took a deep breath and settled herself back in her seat. Elliot smiled. This was the carefree woman he was hoping to see. So what co-worker did she fantasize about? Easy, Elliot, he thought. Cassidy, Erickson. Hell, there could be more, although he didn't want to think about that. He needed to convince himself that she didn't think about him. That would make this easier, wouldn't it?
"I've never fantasized about my partner."
Fuck. Well, there it was, Olivia thought. Although Fin's statement came across as an attempt to further deflate Munch's ego, she knew it was laced with a lot more than that. She stood up a little too quickly for the amount she'd had to drink, and stumbled slightly, almost knocking heads with Elliot who had also attempted to stand at the exact same moment.
"I've gotta……"
"I'm going to the….
"….bathroom."
They spoke over one another, nervously trying not to look each other in the eyes. As they both headed toward the restrooms, the rest of the group shared knowing smiles around the table. There was the answer.
Olivia leaned against the sink trying to stop the swimming in her head. She knew it wasn't really from the beer, but from the conclusions that everyone at the table had just made about she and her partner. Straightening up, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. 'Ok Liv, what are you going to do about this,' she thought as she put a few unruly strands of hair back in their place. 'Acknowledge it, ignore it, laugh it off?' Even as she weighed the options, she knew that the damage had already been done. She might be able to bullshit the other three, but Elliot knew her like he knew himself. They had had practically identical reactions. Nervousness…avoidance. The need to run away – from the question, from the answer, from the truth. 'Wow,' she thought as she let out a long breath. 'Here goes nothing.'
Making her way through the crowd of people, all celebrating the end of another work week, she noticed that Munch and Fin were no longer at the table. "Where's tweedle dee and tweedle dum?" she asked Casey, the only one of the pair left at the table who would make eye contact with her.
"They left. Said they'd had a long week and needed to get home." Casey searched Olivia's face for a sign of her mood. Pissed? Embarrassed? Amused? 'None of the above,' Casey mused to herself. 'These two really need to just get it over with.'
"And I am going to follow suit. 'Night guys, have a good weekend," Casey said quickly, leaving before either had a chance to protest.
"That was some escape. She should be a magician," Elliot said, still not making complete eye contact with his partner.
"El…" Olivia longed to see his blue eyes. Despite everything that had transpired in the last ten minutes, she still felt a nice buzz and a little less inhibition than usual. "You never answered the question."
"What question?" Elliot swirled the beer in his glass, smiling slightly at her boldness in continuing the game.
Leaning close to his ear and taking in his scent, she closed her eyes and took the plunge. "Do you fantasize about me?"
He turned toward her slowly, his eyes staring deep into her soul, lips just an inch from hers, and smiled that smile that sent shivers up her spine. "Let's get out of here, Liv. I'm suddenly a little hot." With that statement he stood up quickly, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the door.
The cool night air hit her like a blast when they stepped outside, and she took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. They were about to cross the line from partners, friends to….who knew what. And she couldn't wait.