Title: And Then Dani Died
Pairing: Dani/Elliot, and then Olivia/Elliot
Spoilers: Just the preview where Elliot and Dani kissed…you know, the one that made you throw things at the TV and swear like a sailor. Yeah, that one.
Disclaimer: I don't own any TV shows or their characters. You can tell by the fact that I don't have piles of cash lying around.
A/N: Nothing but a fun little one-shot where I kill Dani. Come on, you know you want me to.
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Olivia approached them slowly, blinking her eyes. At a block away, she was sure it wasn't Elliot. From two buildings down, she was sure she was seeing things. At 20 feet away, she knew what she had to do.
At ten feet, she said, "Hey, El," in the most nonchalant voice she could manage.
Elliot pulled out of the woman's embrace, and emotions flashed across his face faster than she could read them: happiness, guilt, fear, shame. He finally found his voice. "Liv," he croaked too loudly. Then his expression and voice softened. "Welcome back."
"Thanks," Olivia said genuinely. "So…" she began, shrugging toward Elliot's companion, who looked both embarrassed and put out.
Elliot's eyes widened. "Oh, right! Sorry. I should've introduced you."
"You were busy," Olivia deadpanned, quirking her eyebrow at him. "You still can, you know."
"Uh—sure. Olivia, this is Dani, my…" He trailed off, undecided on descriptors.
"Girlfriend?" Olivia supplied, and Elliot and Dani both jumped.
"Oh, no," Dani began, holding up her hands.
"God, no," Elliot said, earning a searing gaze from Dani that, thankfully, he didn't notice. "She's my…well, while you were gone…"
"Partner," Dani finished. Olivia thought she looked smug saying it, though of course she couldn't know for sure, since this was the first she'd seen the woman. But she wasn't making a favorable first impression.
Elliot looked daggers at Dani and started to sputter an excuse, but Olivia interrupted him. "It's okay, Elliot. I've been gone a while. You couldn't have worked alone all this time." His expression told her he wouldn't be let off the hook that easily. That old Catholic guilt. "I came to see if I could help," she said, changing the subject. "On the case, that is." She smirked as Elliot snapped his gaze to her. "If you just came here to make out, I can go."
Dani turned red and took another step away from Elliot. "Look, I'm gonna go back to the station and check up on a couple things," she said. "You two are used to…uh, working together, so you can just…work together. I'll see you later, Stabler. Nice to meet you, Olivia."
Elliot turned to Olivia as Dani walked away.
"What, no kiss goodbye?" Olivia asked innocently.
Elliot winced. "Liv…listen, I—"
"Uh uh," Olivia interrupted. "No need to explain. I was gone for months, and even when I was here, we were never…" She made a helpless gesture with her hands, not knowing how to continue. "You have nothing to be sorry about, and I have no interest in prying."
Elliot looked relieved and then slightly affronted. "No interest?"
Olivia's will faltered, but she stood her ground. "Nope," she said cheerily.
"None?" Elliot asked with a—my God, was that a pout? Olivia couldn't help but laugh at his pitiful face.
"Oh, okay," she conceded. "Maybe a little." She saw Elliot's face brighten despite his efforts to hide it, and she suggested, "Maybe you can fess up over dinner. Let your new 'partner' handle the case for the next hour or so."
"Love to," Elliot said, slinging his arm around Olivia's shoulders. As they walked toward Olivia's car, they noticed that it was parked behind a familiar sedan.
Elliot frowned slightly as Olivia asked, "El, isn't that your car?"
"Yeah…" he said, looking around half-heartedly.
"And was Dani going to drive it back to the station?" she asked, pronouncing the other woman's name with unmasked cattiness.
Elliot chuckled at her jealousy. "I'm sure she's around here somewhere," he said casually, turning his gaze back to Olivia. "You'll give me a ride, right?" he smirked.
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Sure, baby," she said, steering him toward her car. "So, where ya wanna eat?"
"You're driving, your choice," Elliot grinned, noncommittal as ever.
As they approached the car, Elliot suddenly pulled Olivia to him. She gave him a questioning look, and he pointed at the ground where she'd almost stepped. "Open manhole, Liv. Person could fall to her death if she wasn't careful."
"Good thing I've got you watching my back," Liv said, nudging his ribs as she stepped around the manhole and moved to unlock the car door.
"Always," Elliot said, smiling at his partner.
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Dani didn't show up back at the station that night. Or the next day, for that matter. Curiously, nobody seemed to notice...but Elliot did miss his car.
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The End