Title: Ménage À Trois

Author: mindy35

Rating: K, nothing naughty.

Disclaimer: Not mine, you know whose.

Spoilers: Nope.

Pairing: Elliot/Olivia.

Summary: Missing scene for "Snitch". A case of polygamy prompts Elliot and Olivia to discuss their office marriage.

The coffeehouse was packed. Opening the door, Elliot placed a hand on his partner's back as she stepped inside. Olivia joined the end of the queue then blew some air out through her lips. Behind her, Elliot picked up the strands of the discussion they'd been developing in the car:

"I gotta say though…this whole polygamy thing? I kinda get it."

Olivia twisted to look at him, brows raised and eyes wide. "You? Mister Traditional Marriage himself – you understand this guy having multiple wives?"

He shrugged, one corner of his mouth curling upwards. "Hey, takes both you and Kathy to keep me in line, doesn't it?"

"Okay, one—" she faced him, held up a finger, "that's offensive. And two—" her eyes became wider, her voice more indignant, "it's not the same thing!"

Elliot nodded vaguely at their surroundings. "Mm." Then turned his gaze back on her. "Why not?"

Olivia rolled her eyes, turning her back as the queue shifted forward. "I don't recall exchanging vows, do you?"

Elliot shuffled up a step, standing a little closer than necessary, hands slipping into his pockets as he said, "You know, Kathy calls you my office wife."

Olivia paused, casting a cursory half-glance over her shoulder at him. "Yeah, and I'm sure Kathy must have a very well-developed sense-of-humor to remain married to you."

"See, that there," he pointed a finger at her, sliced the air with it, "that's totally something a wife would say."

His partner gave a little humph, leaning to one side to check out the cabinet of cakes and slices and sandwiches. After a moment, she replied in a low, slightly sour voice, "Well, perhaps you'd like to add a third spouse to your harem. I'm sure your friend at Immigration would be interested in the position."

Elliot shrugged his mouth and stroked his chin. "Kathy is always saying she could use some help with the kids…"

Olivia turned slowly, meeting his gaze over her shoulder. "You're a pig." Then she stepped up to the counter to order.

Elliot grinned, rocking on his heels as he listened to her relay their preferred coffees to the barista. Her addition of a turkey sandwich and a roast beef sandwich to their order made him remember his neglected stomach. Lunch hadn't occurred to him but his gut leapt as the words toasted and sandwich fell from her lips. He hoped the roast beef was for him. Or maybe they'd just go halves on both. After Olivia had handed over a crumpled note and received an array of coins in return, they moved off to the side to await their order. Bodies crammed into a small space by the condiment cart, Elliot once again picked up where they'd left off, saying in a voice that attempted to sound casual:

"It was one date, Liv."

His partner looked at him then looked away again. But it was enough for him to know that she knew what he was referring to.

"I was separated from Kathy. You were…." he lifted two plastic lids from the condiment cart, handed her one, "I dunno, wherever the hell you were..." He shook his head and shrugged. "I was trying stuff."

"Clearly."

"And for the record, she asked me out."

Olivia looked at him from beneath her brows. "I wasn't asking, Elliot."

Her gaze was hard and her voice intractable – a mixture he was familiar with and knew not to test. Elliot let the topic drop, muttering a quiet okay and propping a hand on the wall where she leant. At the counter, an order of two coffees and two sandwiches came up but another name was called. Olivia gnawed on her lower lip then took a breath.

"Look, I admit – I was shocked." She forced a smile, directing her gaze past him to the café bustle. "I had no clue that you were even thinking about other women during that time, let alone dating them."

"Like I said, it was one date. And it wasn't…" his hand dropped lower as he edged in closer, "what I wanted. But – yeah…I was."

Her eyes cut to his face, scanned it – once, twice, three times – searching for meaning. "Was…?"

His eyes met hers. And held. "Thinking about other women."

His partner's lips twitched, almost but not quite muttering an 'oh' of understanding. Then her head ducked, her throat visibly constricted. Elliot opened his mouth to go on— just as Olivia's name was called by a boisterous barista. Her head snapped up, eyes darting in the direction of the oddly timed interjection. Spotting her, the barista shoved their coffees and sandwiches across the counter. Elliot dropped his arm. His partner moved away from the wall to collect their order. She gave a weak smile as she handed him his tall coffee and roast beef sandwich. Then he followed her through the crush to the door. Elbowing it open, Olivia stood with a coffee in one hand and sandwich in the other, body propping open the door for him.

"It's not like you owe me any explanations," she said once they were back on the grubby but considerably quieter street. He turned to look at her and she shrugged lightly, adding, "And it hardly matters now, right?"

Elliot squinted at her in the bright sunlight. "Guess not." He took a sip of coffee, gulped it down then returned their conversation to its original purpose. "All I was saying is…I don't think this guy is your usual run-off-the-mill polygamist. I don't think he's exploiting these women, I think he genuinely loves each of his wives. In his own way."

Olivia's eyes narrowed, her head tilted to one side. "You really think it's possible to love more than one person at the same time? To commit yourself to both of them?"

Elliot glanced down the street, breath trapped in his chest and coffee burning his hand. "I…think it's possible, yeah."

"That's not love, El, that's greed." She shook her head, mouth pressed into a straight line. "You can't have it both ways. Something's always gotta give." Olivia tucked her sandwich under elbow, whipping out her sunglasses and fitting them over her eyes before adding: "And it's never the guy who ends up paying the price. Is it?"

For a moment, Elliot felt rooted to the spot, unable to move, breathe, respond, continue. He watched Olivia walk away, watched her head down the pavement in the direction of their parked car, watched her familiar stride and the way her wrinkled jacket sailed outwards as she moved. Then, all at once, his senses returned and his body leapt back into action, jogging to catch up with his partner before she disappeared into the oncoming crowd.

END.