Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show
Really short, based on a phone call from scavenger
He hadn't said when it had been her, to Huang he had no issue they were friends, more or less, but he couldn't say it to her... because it was true. Humphrey had noticed that he hadn't said it, commented on it too.
"What, no i love you this time?"
He was just grateful the scumbag freak hadn't asked why. Why he hadn't said i love you to his 'wife'. Of course Humphrey had no idea it was not his wife on the line, but still, it would have been awkward and the guy seemed to pick up on some of his lies, at least the ones that had nothing to do with him.
He sat there, mulling over why he hadn't been able to say it, getting more and more frustrated by the second as the waste of life in front of him loved every second of it thinking it was all to do with him. And it was, well most of it anyway. But part of it was because he had no clue why he hadn't said it. No that wasn't true he knew exactly why he hadn't been able to say it. Elliot Stabler knew exactly why he hadn't said 'i love you' to Olivia Benson.
Because it was true. He loved her and had for a long time. Despite Kathy and the rules and whatever other reason he shouldn't love her. And there was no way in hell he was going to tell her like that, no he would not tell her he loved her like that.
But when he did, he was going to tell her he loved everything about her, from how much she cared about victims and was always there for them, even years after the case was closed. And the way her voice took on a sharp edge when she was mad at him, he found it sexy as hell when she was mad because her face flushed with anger, her eyes lit up with fiery passion, she stood tall and proud and convinced she was right. And there was always a look on her face when she was done yelling at him or telling him or a perp off that was directed only at him. He did not know what that look meant, sometimes it looked like a promise of something better, something more. Sometimes it was a hint of lust fussed with anger and passion that he knew he wore when they fought, and sometimes it was a sadness, a look that made him want to leap across the room forget everything but her and hold her till it went away.
He would tell her and when he did it would be great, they would be great.
"Hey El you wanna grab a beer?" Olivia asked as she grabbed her coat, hand pausing over his awaiting a reply.
"Yeah Liv I do" and as he got up and walked to her smiling at her smile he knew that when he told her they would spend the rest of their lives together. He knew he would tell her soon.