AN: This is a one-shot that I wrote when I needed a break from Deception this past weekend. It could be a two-shot if anyone is interested. Let me know.
EOEOEOEO
Olivia walked into Mahoney's, and made her way directly to the bar. She found an empty stool and when the bartender made his way over to her, she ordered a shot of whiskey.
"Rough night?" he asked.
"You have no idea." She said, tipping the shot glass back and draining it. She only answered him because she knew him; this was the cop bar not far from the precinct and they frequented it often after a tough week, or a tough case.
The bartender eyed her, and she knew she was overdressed for this crowd. She looked around a little, not used to being here at this time of night. It was only 10, but normally when they stopped for drinks, they were out of here by 8 or so. 9 at the latest because no matter how tough their week had been, they wanted to get home. "I had a date."
The bartender nodded, as if her statement said it all. And like a good bartender, he didn't comment and he didn't ask any questions.
"I think your friends are still here." He said, nodding towards their normal corner booth. Olivia did a double-take, because she never would have expected them to still be here drinking. If she had thought they would be, she never would have stopped in.
She turned in her stool slightly, praying that Elliot wasn't one of the people still crowded in at the table. He had been an ass today as usual; jealous of any guy she dated. He had somehow found out that her date was with someone from over in Homicide…someone he didn't particularly care for…and it had made him almost impossible all afternoon. Of course, he would never say anything directly to her about it; it was all in his attitude.
Damn it. She saw him sitting there with Fin and Casey and Lake, and the moment she saw him, he turned his head and saw her too. She registered the look of surprise on his face and she swore to herself again and turned back towards the bar. She pulled a $10 bill out of her purse and set it on the bar, getting up as quickly as her dress and heels would allow.
She headed for the door, wondering how this night could possibly get any worse, when he heard him calling her name behind her. She considered ignoring him, but she knew he would only follow her out, so she stopped. When she turned to face him, she saw the look of concern on his face.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
Shit. She hadn't bothered to think up a logical reason for her being here when she should have been out on her date. Elliot had called Andy Streiter an asshole, and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right. She considered any number of lies but she just wasn't in the right frame of mind right now to be convincing.
"Night ended early and I just thought I'd stop in for a nightcap." She said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Hmm." He said noncommittally, and she knew he was probably happy to hear that things hadn't gone well.
If he only knew.
"Then why didn't you join us?" he asked.
"I didn't know you were still here." That was true.
"Yeah, but when you saw us, you bolted." He said. He stared back and forth between her eyes, as if trying to figure out what she was hiding. She dropped her eyes and cursed the fact that he could read her so well.
"I just didn't want to get into it." She said. "I didn't want anyone asking about what happened."
"Did something happen?" Elliot asked.
She could hear alarm in his voice and she cursed at her choice of words.
"No." she said quickly. "I just didn't want a million questions about why my date was over by 10."
"I wouldn't have asked you a million questions." He said, breaking into a smirk. "I'm just assuming that after a few hours, you realized that I was right and he's an asshole." He only knew Andy Streiter by reputation; he'd heard he was quite the player. He didn't want Olivia to be just another notch on his belt, but he also knew there was nothing he could do about it. That didn't mean he had to like it.
He and Olivia were close; probably too close. The wedding ring on his finger kept him from straying, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't have feelings for her. So he couldn't help but feel that no man was good enough for her.
"Yeah, you're right. He's an asshole." Olivia said, looking away.
Elliot narrowed his eyes. That was too easy. She wouldn't normally give in that easy…tell him he was right without a fight.
"Liv." He said, and she looked up at him. He saw a sliver of panic in her expression and then it was gone.
"I'm going to get going." She said. "It's been a long night." She didn't want to get into this with him.
Elliot grabbed her upper arm lightly as she moved towards the door. "Liv." He said softly, moving close to her. "There's something you're not telling me." He said, acting on a hunch. Her behavior was off.
She looked down at the hand on her arm and then up into his eyes. "I'm fine El."
"Bull." He said. "I'm taking you home."
Before Olivia could protest, he had walked her out the door and hailed a cab, giving him her home address before she even knew what was going on.
Her knee bumped into Elliot's as the cab turned a corner, and suddenly she felt Andy's hand on her knee, sliding up her thigh and taking her dress with it.
"Let's go back to your place."
She put her hand on top of his, trying to keep it from moving any further up her leg. She laughed lightly; she'd been here before. "I thought we were going to go out for a drink." She said, pushing his hand back down her thigh.
"C'mon, don't be like that." He said, wrapping his other hand around her shoulder and placing a kiss on her neck. His other hand was back on her knee and he slid it up more forcefully, his fingers grazing her inner thigh. She tried to push his hands off without making too big of a scene, but he was stronger than her and he squeezed her thigh painfully. "Pretty thing like you... don't tell me your shy." He said, placing more kisses on her neck. "I've heard the guys talk…they say you're a wild one."
Olivia dug her fingernails into the hand on her thigh and he yelped and pulled his hand back.
"Pull over." She yelled at the cabdriver and he had looked into the rearview mirror. Bastard had probably been watching all along. He pulled over and Olivia was out of the car before it had even fully stopped. Unfortunately, Andy was right behind her. He grabbed her upper arm and pushed her back against the brick wall. Olivia gasped in surprise, and then watched as the taxi driver pulled away from the curb.
He had a hand on each of her upper arms and he leaned in. "Why are you being such a bitch?" he asked.
Olivia glared at him. "I'm being a bitch because I'm not falling into bed with you after one dinner?"
"You'll give it up for all those other guys, why not me?" He ran a hand down her arm. "I'll show you a good time." His eyes roved down over her breasts and rage filled her.
"Get your hands off me." She said, trying to free herself from the grasp he had on her.
He released her then. "So I guess what I heard is true." He said, spitting on the ground next to her.
She didn't even ask him what the hell he was talking about. She was rubbing her arms and wondering if he left a bruise, and trying hard to decide whether or not she should knee him in the groin.
But he didn't wait for her to ask. "Word is that you've stopped sleeping around because you're fucking your partner." He said. He let that sink in with a cocky smile on his face. "You know that's against regs." He leaned in again. "So, do you want to rethink going back to your apartment?"
Olivia didn't hesitate this time. She slapped him hard, startling him, and brought her knee up hard. Andy fell to the ground with a loud yelp. Olivia leaned over him. "Don't you ever fucking touch me again…or threaten me. Or I'll have you arrested so fast you won't even know what hit you."
Her adrenaline was pumping as she made her way down the block as quickly as possible. A cab was coming her way and she managed to flag it down, falling into the backseat, shaking. She didn't want to go home, and she gave him the address of Mahoney's before she even realized it.
She leaned back in the seat, a mix of anger and frustration overwhelming her. She hadn't really felt any real physical danger. She'd been surprised by his actions and had tried to deflect them with humor; it wasn't like she hadn't had men make advances…make assumptions. She could defend herself. She was just so tired of the double standard. No matter how hard she worked…no matter how good of a cop she was…they still saw her as a woman first. She wasn't stupid enough that she didn't understand that she was attractive, and that she was blessed with good genetics, but she tried to play them down. She worked hard to project a tough exterior…her badass reputation.
But she still heard uniforms comment on her ass or her breasts when she got to a crime scene. She had heard rumors about her and other detectives…lawyers…uniforms…in her precinct and others. If she had slept with all of the men she'd been rumored to have slept with, she'd never be alone. The truth was that she rarely dated, and slept alone most of the time.
But his comment about her sleeping with Elliot. That riled her.
When she had arrived at Maloney's, that thought was on her mind. Because even though it wasn't true, it had hit a little close to home because she had thought about it. And she was pretty certain from his attitude and his actions, that he had thought about it too.
"Olivia." She looked up at Elliot and realized she hadn't been paying attention.
"What?" she asked, furrowing her brows together.
"Did you hear anything I said?" he asked.
"I'm sorry." She said, shaking her head. "I'm just distracted." She looked out the window and saw they were sitting outside her apartment building. Elliot handed the cabbie a $20 and slid out of the cab. He held out his hand and helped her out and the cab pulled away.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm coming up with you." He said. "No arguments."
She didn't give him any.
When they got up to her apartment, she excused herself and went into her bedroom to change. She tore off her dress and kicked it into the closet. She pulled on a pair of black leggings and a tank top and slipped on a hooded sweatshirt and zipped it up.
When she walked back into the living room, she saw Elliot had made himself comfortable on the couch, and she smiled when she saw two beers open on the coffee table. She sat down on the other end of the couch, and tucked one leg underneath her as she turned her body to face him. She grabbed one of the beers and took a long swig. She let out a heavy sigh, happy to be home.
"So do you want to tell me what happened tonight?" he asked. He figured she wouldn't tell him, doubting his reasons for wanting to know, but he had to ask.
She shook her head. "Not really." She took another sip of beer. "But men are assholes."
"All of us?" he said, chuckling. He knew she would probably answer yes because of his behavior this afternoon. He knew he had no right to be jealous but when it came to her, he couldn't help it.
She let out another heavy sigh. "You're just lucky your married. Dating sucks." Dating sucked for her because she compared all men to the one she couldn't have.
Now it was Elliot's turn to let out a sigh. He grabbed his beer and drained half of it before he spoke again. "Yeah, well, marriage isn't all it's cracked up to be." He hadn't told her that he had moved out again. They had tried to reconnect and move things in the right direction since he had moved back home, but it just wasn't working. He didn't know why he hadn't told her yet. Maybe because he didn't want her to try to talk him into giving it another try. He was done.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, turning the tables on him.
He smiled. "No."
She leaned her head back on the couch. "I think I'm done dating." She said. "I'm just going to use men for sex." She joked. "Since that's apparently what I'm doing anyway."
"What?" Elliot said.
Olivia lifted up her head and looked at him. "Never mind."
Elliot leaned in. "There's something on your mind. So just tell me."
She debated if she wanted to tell him about her conversation with Streiter, but it was really bothering her. "Do you ever hear rumors about me?"
Elliot looked uncomfortable. "What do you mean?"
Olivia looked down at the beer she was holding in her lap. She picked at the label. "I just get tired of the double standard. I'm a good cop but apparently the only thing people can talk about is my sleeping my way around the NYPD."
Elliot pressed his lips together because he had heard the rumors and the crude remarks about his partner. And he was quick to correct anyone that spread the horrible lies with a withering stare or a harsh comment, making sure he nipped it right away. He didn't realize it had gotten back to her.
"Men are assholes." He said, confirming her earlier statement.
She looked up at him, surprised by his comment. "So you have."
Elliot shrugged his shoulders. "Sure I have but men are idiots. You're a beautiful woman Liv. And you're…" he didn't finish the sentence but waved a hand in her direction, as if that explained what he was going to say. He wasn't about to tell her that she was incredibly sexy…he didn't want her to have any idea that he had thought about her like that, especially with the conversation they were having.
"So…you've also heard that we're sleeping together?"
Elliot shrugged. He couldn't say he hadn't been asked that before.
"Men are pigs Liv." He leaned in again. "You can't let it get to you. You're a good cop. Better than most of the other detectives out there. You know that."
"I know that El. I just hate it. I mean, if I'm going to get accused of sleeping with you, it would have been nice to have actually done it." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized how it sounded. "I mean… That didn't come out right."
Elliot chuckled. "Are you sure about that?" He watched her squirm a little, wondering if she had just made a confession that she'd been keeping under wraps. Could it be that she'd had the same thoughts he had?
Olivia narrowed her eyes. "You're married." She said, wondering what he was insinuating.
"You didn't answer the question." He said, taking another drink. Now he was really curious as to what she would say. "And I'm separated." He said dropping the bomb on her. He watched her eyes open in surprise.
"What? When did that happen?" she asked.
"It's been a week or so."
"Oh." She said. A week. That was nothing.
"It's over for good this time." He said.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not." He said and he saw another look of surprise on her face.
She looked back down at her beer, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Having her married partner in her apartment was one thing, but having her unattached partner in her apartment late at night was another. Especially considering the topic of conversation.
"So…" he said, leaning back again. "You're saying you've thought about us sleeping together?" he said, surprised that he threw that out there. But he had to know.
"I didn't say that." She said quickly. She didn't understand how the conversation had turned.
"I know that you already think that all men are pigs, and so maybe you'll kick me out after this, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it." He watched for her reaction, but surprisingly she didn't visibly react at all. She seemed to be thinking about what he said, and she was avoiding eye contact. "Does that bother you?" He didn't want her to think he was just another asshole, because it was so much more than lust.
She still didn't answer and so he forged ahead. "It's not just about sex Liv. I care about you." He didn't want to scare her by telling her that he thought he loved her. He was pretty certain that would freak her out.
He stopped talking and looked at her. "Are you going to say anything?" he asked, starting to worry that she really meant what she said and she hadn't thought about it. He would just be one more man to add to the list of men that disappointed her. That lusted after her.
"You've always been off-limits." She said quietly. That was as close to a confession as she could give him. Her nerves were all over the place and she stood up and walked away from him, needed to create some space.
"I'm not off-limits anymore." He said while his eyes trailed over the curve of her ass. He saw her body tense slightly. He stood up and walked over towards her, hesitating slightly before he stepped into her personal space.
Olivia felt his proximity; smelled his cologne. His words sent a shiver through her body, and she felt like a young girl whose crush and told her that he liked her. She didn't want to turn around, because she didn't know what she would do.
"Liv." He whispered, placing his hands on her upper arms. He slowly turned her body to face him, and when he saw her eyes, he knew she felt the same way he did.
Olivia saw the question in his eyes and she hesitated only a second before she leaned forward, tipping her head slightly and closing her eyes.
It was only a few seconds later that the years of wondering and wanting ended…and Elliot's lips were pressed against hers. He cradled the back of her head while his other arm snaked around her waist, and the next thing she knew, Elliot was opening her mouth with his and deepening the kiss. He kissed her like he knew her…like he'd been kissing her his entire life…like he was making her his own.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him with the same intensity. And she knew that the wondering…the what if's…were over.