The rain poured down outside on the sidewalk as Detective Olivia Benson shopped inside the small boutique store in SOHO with her friend Lacey. It was a tentative friendship, the beginnings of a real relationship in her life, outside of work. They had met in group, and had gone for coffee afterwards. In her late twenties, Lacey, like Olivia was trained in law enforcement, but had decided to enroll in the military. She had returned to New York City after her tour had ended last September. She was slowly getting her life back together, and had invited Olivia out on a very girly shopping trip, preparing for her second date with a man she had met through friends. They were going to see a Broadway show. Things were looking up and both women were enjoying themselves.
"Aw, come on," Lacey urged Olivia, "You have to try one of these on too. It's been three years since I wore a dress like this." Lacey mentioned, with a smile. "I need some moral support!"
The usually quiet and stoic Olivia managed to smile. She did enjoy shopping for clothes, and it made her smile to help Lacey get excited for the new man in her life, even if it did pang her heart slightly when that thought reminded her how alone she was.
Lacey picked out a strapless flowy royal blue dress with an empire waist. She pointed to a deep purple dress, with shiny layers that overlapped each other, similar to the way Olivia's hair was styled. It looked very fitted, and wonderful.
"Okay" Olivia nodded.
She hadn't been shopping in quite a while, and in most cases she usually went by herself. She would try to make the most of this opportunity. Each woman made their way into a change room. Olivia loved the way the dress felt on her body. It was original, classic, stylish yet not too revealing. It hugged her curves in all the right places and made her feel great. It was not a feeling she had been expecting. Now she really wished that she had some place to go in it!
"Are you ready?" Lacey called from within her change stall. Olivia pulled back the curtain and peered out to see Lacey in her blue dress. She looked great too. Lacey was taller than her, but both women were standouts because of their physical fitness and sheer beauty.
"Not bad" she joked at Lacey, who she knew was well aware that she looked great.
As both women admired themselves in the mirror at the back of the store Olivia turned to her left and realized that they weren't the only ones staring.
Detective Elliot Stabler had been out taking his daughter Kathleen shopping for a dress for her college banquet. He had brought her to this store because he had remembered that Benson had mentioned it once in passing. He had a knack for remembering the little things she said. Yet, he had no idea that she would be here. Did she have female friends? He thought to himself. There really was a lot about her that he didn't know yet, even after all these years.
When he saw Olivia, he couldn't stop staring. He had to pull his brain back from frozen mode when he realized that she knew he was there. The sight of her in that dress was burned into his thoughts. Her usual work wear did nothing for her compared to this dress.
"El" Olivia remarked at Elliot - glancing around the store with her keen police eye she spied Kathleen looking at a rack near the front of the store. She looked back at Elliot. Stabler nodded in reply.
"Lacey, this is my partner, Elliot Stabler." She directed Lacey's gaze towards the handsome Stabler, and Lacey took a good look at him for the first time. He was wearing a brown leather jacket, wet from the rain outside.
"Hi, great to meet you" she smiled as they shook hands.
"El, this is Lacey Richardson," Olivia continued.
"So, do you enjoy shopping for dresses too?" Lacey asked, jokingly. He looked so serious.
"I'm here with my daughter." He pointed to the young woman at the front of the store. Lacey acknowledged his response with a smile and nod.
"I have theater tickets tonight but nothing really appropriate to wear. Olivia was kind enough to come shopping with me." Lacey supplied.
"So you two are going together?" he asked.
"No, I have a date." Lacey answered. Stabler found himself suddenly wondering what Olivia was doing that night, and why she was dressed like that.
"Well, you both look great. See you later Liv," he smiled as he made his way back to his daughter.
"Wow, Olivia, you didn't tell me much about your partner before." Lacey remarked in the cab, headed back uptown. Both women had purchased the first dresses they had tried on. Even though Olivia didn't have any place to wear it, she knew she needed that dress. It made her feel so good.
"And now I see why". Lacey added.
Olivia didn't reply. She had liked the dress when she first tried it on, but she realized that she had wanted to buy it after she had seen Stabler look at her in it. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she had liked the way he looked at her.
"What?" Olivia had been in dreamland.
"You and your partner." Lacey surmised. "There's something there."
"I don't think so." Olivia calmly replied.
"The way he looked at you in that dress..... I know it's been a long time for me but I know that when a man looks at you like that, there is definitely *something* going on." Lacey studied Olivia's face for any hint of acknowledgment, but found nothing. Olivia was a better liar than Lacey had expected.
Lacey was an innocent observer, Olivia thought. She didn't know that Stabler was again separated from his wife; that the feelings that she, Olivia, had repressed for quite a long time had resurfaced after realizing once again there was a possibility that, well she didn't even dare think about it. It had long been a dilemma for her. Act on her feelings, and ruin their partnership? So many unknowns. She thought about it for a minute.
"So, Lacey," she asked, re-focused "what time are you meeting Brad?"
Olivia was alone that night, but on call. She finished making dinner and began eating it while reading a novel and sipping some sparkling water out of a wine glass. Her hair was still a bit wet from her shower before dinner. She had gotten a lot of stress out with a run, and had rewarded herself with some carbs. The sun was setting and she could see the remnants of the day disappear through her apartment windows. The peacefulness was shattered with the ring of her cell phone. Expecting to hear from Stabler, she routinely glanced over at the phone.
She read the caller ID; unexpectedly, it was Lacey calling.
"Hi, Olivia," Lacey began.
"Hi, Lacey, how are you?" Olivia could sense Lacey was not as happy as earlier in the day.
"Brad called and said he couldn't make it. He's been called in for an emergency appendectomy. He said he would leave the tickets with the hospital front desk and I could pick them up and take anyone I wanted. Since you were such a big help earlier today, I was wondering if you would come with me?" Lacey sounded somewhat optimistic through her obvious disappointment.
"That shouldn't be a problem. I'll just have to call into the station to let them know where I am. It's a good thing I bought that dress today." Secretly, she was glad she had a place to wear it.
"Sure is." Lacey added. Olivia could almost hear her smiling through the phone.
"I'll meet you at the theater at 7:30. Sorry about Brad. See you soon." Olivia really was at her best when helping others. It made her feel fulfilled inside; even something as small as going to the theater with her new friend gave her some happiness.
She picked up the phone and speed dialed Stabler's cell. It went to voice mail. He must be on the phone already, she thought. He was on shift with Munch, working on a murder investigation. He had been picking up a few more shifts since he had moved into his own apartment and didn't have to be home for Kathy and the kids as much.
"Hi El, Its Liv. Lacey's date canceled so I'm going to the theater with her. I'll be at 219 West 49th Street until about 10pm."
She finished dinner and went to her closet to get that dress out. She slipped it on and put her gun and badge in her purse.
Even though it had been running on Broadway for about 10 years, Olivia had not seen the musical Chicago until tonight. Lacey seemed to enjoy herself, and Olivia the same. Chicago was, after all, a musical about murder, two powerful females, and one corrupt attorney, with a little dancing and singing thrown in. Something Liv had a bit of experience with. She had continually checked her phone throughout the show, but no calls registered. After seeing Lacey safely into a cab, she hailed one for herself and stepped in, directing the driver towards her apartment.
Her mind reflected on the day's events. It had been relatively quiet, a day off of work for her. She couldn't get the image of Stabler looking at her in the dress out of her mind. But, she knew she had to. If only life was as simple as a musical, resolved in a matter of a couple of hours.
She left the cab and made her way to the entrance of her building. Routinely, she opened the door, and made her way up the three flights to her apartment. She looked down the hall and saw Stabler waiting there. She could see he had been wrestling with something; he looked tired and had a certain intensity about him. Must be the case, she thought, and walked closer to her door. He hadn't noticed her yet, he was so deep in thought, but when he did, she sensed something inexplicable that she had not sensed before. He was looking at her the same way as earlier in the day, but this time, something was different.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him with a smile. This was not totally out of the ordinary, as he had stopped by her apartment in the past to talk about cases when he was close to a breakthrough. She was slightly embarrassed to be in the dress in front of him again, this time with heels and makeup, but quickly put that out of her mind.
"I need to talk to you," he answered.
She had gotten to the door by this point and had started unlocking it.
"Come in then. Let me change into something more comfortable." She pushed by him and let him shut the door behind them, as she knew he would. She slipped her heels off and turned on a small table lamp in the otherwise dark apartment. He took off his jacket. She continued going about her usual routine, putting her keys down in the usual spot, taking her cell phone out of her purse.
"Is it about the case?" she asked him, not looking at him directly, as she slipped off both her earrings.
She could feel him get closer to her, and put his hands on her upper arms. He turned her around so that she faced him.
"No" he replied. She could feel the heat of his body through the thin material of her dress. "I...." he stared into her eyes.
Could this be happening? She thought to herself. Something had changed that day. Something within him. Within her.
"...couldn't stop thinking about you all day" he finished. He pulled her closer.