An E/O oneshot and songfic to Reset my Heart by The Outer Vibe.
Enjoy my first attempt of a songfic!
I don't own the characters or the song, just the content and the ideas in my brain.
A/N: Thank you to those who have read, reviewed, and followed. Your support means more than you know. I'm considering turning this into a collection of different songfics. Yay or nay? Let me know in the reviews please!
RESET MY HEART
"El," Olivia murmurs to herself as her partner scurries into the bullpen, twenty-four minutes, and counting, after their captain ordered them to arrive that morning. The distressed look on his face does not go unnoticed to her. Anything out of the ordinary about Elliot is easily picked up by Olivia. And today, everything about his appearance is immensely out of the ordinary. It doesn't even take a partner of seven years to notice that.
He sets his coffee on his desk before his partner and greets her with a smile that doesn't meet his blue eyes-his beautiful blue eyes, she might add-that have dark circles formed underneath them. She gives him a warm smile in return, a smile that doesn't reach her eyes either; all Elliot can see in her eyes is worry. "Later," is all he says, knowing she's going to ask what is wrong with him and why he's so disheveled this morning. She nods in response, understanding now isn't the time because their captain is-
"Benson. Stabler. My office."
Exactly.
"Elliot, twenty-five minutes late? That's not like you," Cragen says, not with anger, but with concern. "Is everything alright?"
Elliot sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Well, no, Cap, but I know that's not the reason you called us in here."
"No, it's not, but if there's something wrong with one of my detectives, shouldn't I have the right to know?" Olivia notices that Cragen is nearly as concerned for him as she is.
"Yes, but-"
He's cut off when Olivia places her hand on his shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze while saying, "El, we're just concerned for you. We can tell you're out of sorts today." She smiles reassuringly when he glances her way. His lips twitch upright when he sees the look in her eyes, a look of care and concern.
"I'm struggling with Kathy," he says to her, then looks back at his captain. "We were up all night fighting, and I didn't get much sleep. I overslept, and I'm sorry. Won't happen again." Olivia removes her hand while Elliot straightens up to more of a professional stance.
"I'm sorry to hear about you and your wife. You know, this can wait until tomorrow. I'd tell you to take the day off and go home, but that doesn't seem reasonable given your situation." He's silent for a moment, pondering. "Okay, Olivia, take the day off too and work your charm to cheer Stabler up, got it? That's an order."
Olivia stares at her captain for a moment with a bewildered look on her face, then smirks. "Yes, Captain," she says with an almost playful tone in her voice and leads Elliot out of the office.
"Leaving already? But you just got here!" Munch exclaims.
Elliot shakes his head at his fellow detective's enthusiasm as he and Olivia leave the room. "Bye, Munch!" they call together.
"Raise the price," Munch tells Fin. "It's happening this week," he predicts, nodding in the direction where Elliot and Olivia just left.
"You're on," Fin bets, shaking Munch's hand. "He's going through a rough time with his wife, it ain't gonna happen."
"Ah, and even more of a reason for it to happen." Munch points with his index finger to elaborate his theory. "Experience, remember?"
Fin rolls his eyes, and says with a sarcastic tone, "Right."
"It's such a nice morning," Olivia admires as she and Elliot stroll through Central Park together. A beautiful spring morning, the sun radiating on their faces, leaves rustling in a light breeze, a variety of birds sharing their tunes with the world.
"It is," Elliot agrees, solemnly, kicking a stone and watching it disappear into the grass.
Olivia pulls her hand out of her pocket and places it on his forearm, rubbing up-and-down softly. "Do you want to talk?"
He looks over at her, his lips slightly curved in a smile because of her caring gesture, but doesn't answer.
"C'mon, talk to me, El," she encourages and leads him over to a park bench and takes a seat with him. "It's just me."
Visions of black and white flood into her mind. The two sitting on the concrete porch steps, discussing their partnership and friendship. How they mean everything to each other. How they are all the other has. What about me? She remembers how her heart fluttered when he said she and the job are all he has left. She felt something she's never felt before, a void filled deep inside, like a rainbow in the night. It was love. She felt loved by the broken man sitting beside her then and now.
Realizing he wasn't planning on saying anything right now, Olivia says, "Well, the window is open wide when you're ready to talk. I'm always here." She rests her hand on top of his folded hands. He unclasps his and pulls hers into a grip between his both.
"I thought love was over," Elliot says, in the same strained tone he spoke with that night.
"It doesn't have to be over with Kathy, El. It can be fixed," Olivia says, attempting to soothe him.
"No, Liv. It's over with her, long over. It has been. I was already planning on moving out this weekend." Rather than continuing to focus on the uninteresting pavement, he turns and gives Olivia his undivided attention, his blue eyes staring deeply into her chocolate browns. "I meant... God, I don't know what I meant. What I had with Kathy, it was never real love. I figured what I had with her was love because I knew nothing else. I never knew what love was. So when I realized my marriage was over, a long time ago, I thought love was over... That is until," he trails off, sighing. He takes one hand away from his grip on Olivia's and uses it to rub the back of his neck.
Olivia squeezes the hand still holding onto hers. "Until what, El?"
He relaxes, feeling her tightly gripping his hand. He takes his free hand and takes a hold of her other hand, to her surprise. "Well, Liv, until I met you and you reset my heart." The smile he now wears, meet his lively blue eyes.
She blinks, astonished at his statement. "Me?" is all she chokes out.
"You. Because of you, you gave me a brand new start."
The feeling returns deep inside Olivia. The rainbow in the night, the void being filled deep inside, the key that sets her free. She feels loved.
"What are you thinking?" he asks her, nervous that his confession has scared her and that she'll run away from him again.
"I'm thinking...that," she gulps, afraid to admit her feelings to the only man she's ever loved and ever will love, the man that reset her heart. "That I…I love you, El." Elliot's face brightens. She's never seen such a radiant smile light up his face before. And his blue eyes, his beautiful blue eyes, are twinkling, gleaming, glistening. "May I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Why were you so down today, I mean, if you weren't upset about Kathy?"
He chuckles. "I'm really fricken tired. And I've been contemplating all morning on how to finally tell you how I feel." His thumb strokes the back of her hand.
"Well, you did just fine," she tells him, watching his smiler somehow grow wider. "And I ask of you one more thing, El."
"Anything, Liv," he murmurs.
"Kiss me."
So he does.
Please review and let me know if I should add more songfics!
