A/N: A wild ride.
DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and all related characters. TStabler owns the following story.
The walk to the meet-up was long, quiet. Once people started to come into view, though, Elliot reached out and grabbed Olivia's hand, linking their fingers. He wasn't necessarily surprised when she gripped it tightly in response, but his heart did give a heavy thud against his chest.
"You look amazing," he whispered.
She raised an eyebrow and smiled. "If you're putting on a show, you might want to talk louder so the audience can hear you."
"I'm not," he told her, shaking his head, still smiling. "I just…wanted you to know that."
She furrowed her brow at him, but stayed quiet as he led her to the tour group. They stood in line between an older couple, listening to them bicker about the heat, the smell, and how sore this was going to leave them.
"Why bother doing this if you're just going to complain?" Elliot snorted under his breath.
Hearing him, Olivia laughed and rolled her eyes, not even noticing that Elliot had managed to pull her close and wrap his arms around her waist.
"Good morning, group!" a bright-eyed woman in khaki's chirped. "Each of you has been pre-paired with one of our pure-breed horses. Based on the personality tests you took when you checked in, we matched you with a horse that we feel you'll be compatible with."
Olivia stared open-mouthed at the woman. "Seriously?"
"Welcome to your all natural honeymoon, baby," Elliot teased.
"Mister and Missus John Farmer?" the guide called out. She held out a hand to help the couple up onto a platform, and one at a time she explained why their horse was chosen, then helped them mount up. She gave each animal a swat on the side and they trotted to a rope line a few feet away. She turned back to the group. "Mister and Missus Elliot Sullivan?"
"Right here!" Elliot barked back. He moved, Olivia still in his arms, to the platform.
"Elliot," the guide smiled and patted a black horse on the side. "This is Blake. He's strong, brave, and madly in love with his mate."
Elliot chuckled. "Well, that's me."
"Cocky son of a bitch," Olivia laughed at him.
The guide winked at them and said, "Olivia, this is Chelsea." The woman ran a hand through the white mane of a large, brown horse.
"Um…what?" Olivia blinked, not even pretending to be happy about what was happening. "Is that a, um…she's a…"
"Clydesdale," the guide nodded. "Strong, independent, a bit scary but beautiful and graceful, a little rough around the edges with a wicked temper. You don't want to get on her bad side."
Elliot chortled. "Oh, man, she has you pegged."
"Elliot, that horse is huge!" Olivia gasped at him. "I thought they'd give me your horse's mate…or whatever."
The guide laughed and folded her arms. "Olivia, Chelsea is Blake's mate."
"How…how is that…wow." Olivia's mouth snapped shut.
Winking again, the guide said, "Blake always had an attraction to the horse he thought he couldn't have. It took a lot of persuading, a lot of work, but he knew what he wanted and he went for it. He wouldn't settle for another horse, and he wouldn't take no for an answer."
Elliot stiffened and cleared his throat. "Well, uh, yeah. That…wow, they need to use those personality tests in the force. You know how many idiots we would weed out of the squad?"
Olivia gave him a worried look as he pushed her up on the platform, and she closed her eyes as she mounted the large, burly horse. "Okay, uh. No, no, see this is…she's way too big for…whoa! Whoa! What's she doing?"
"Hold on, baby!" Elliot called, leaping up onto his black beauty. "I think she's just…um…you insulted her. She's like you, babe, you pissed her off and now she doesn't want you on her."
"I would gladly get off of her if she would stop!" Olivia said as she was jostled around by the bucking Clydesdale. "You're a beautiful horse, okay? I know no one tells you that, but when…when Blake looks at you…" she paused, noticing the horse stopped, and the animal turned its head slightly to look at her as if to say 'go on.' Olivia took a breath and leaned over. "You feel beautiful when he looks at you, huh, girl?" She ran a hand through the white hair on the horse's head. "Well, Elliot, he…he's my Blake."
The horse snorted and shook her head, she neighed loudly as she plodded back over toward Blake and Elliot, stopping beside her mate. "Thank you," Olivia whispered, then looked helplessly at Elliot. "I can't do this for five miles," she whined.
He laughed and held out his arms. "Come here," he said, waving his hands at her. He got a good grip on her and pulled her in front of him, settling her on the saddle. He grabbed both of her hands and then the reins on the bridle, and he shimmied closer to her, grinding up against her back.
She let out a soft moan, her eyes closing briefly, and she said, "Thanks."
"Honestly," he said, then bent his head and whispered right into her ear, "I like this much better anyway."
As Blake began to move, Olivia felt Elliot pressing into her. Their bodies rubbed together with every gallop, and when the horse sped up, he held her tighter. She leaned back, into him, loving every moment.
"This isn't half bad," Elliot said, smirking. "Fresh air, just the two of us, no one up our ass about paperwork. It's exciting." He purposely ground against her, making sure his point was well made.
She moaned again, loud enough for him to hear her, and she said, "You have no idea."
He laughed into her ear, pressed even closer to her, and gave the horse a light kick with both feet, getting him to speed up.
"I didn't know you could ride," she said, her head back against his chest.
He kissed the top of her head and said, "Neither did I. I am really just, uh, trying to do what John Wayne does."
She laughed, then sobered, trying to hold back the louder, longer moan that had built in her throat. They stayed quiet, their bodies melding as they followed the horses in front of them.
The ride was long, thrilling, and every once in a while she'd hear a grunt or groan from him, he'd hear a moan or sigh from her, and their hands were clasped for every second. When the horse began to slow, he trotted over to where his lady-love stood, without a rider, and he nuzzled her.
"Aw, El," Olivia sighed, watching. "Look."
He bent forward again, mimicking Blake's actions and nudging the side of her neck and face with his nose. "He loves her, Liv."
She turned, stunned, and looked into his eyes. "El, this is just…I know you like getting into character when we have to, but, please, don't…"
"Liv," he interrupted, closing his eyes. "Can we enjoy this? Please? As long as we're here, I don't…I'm not holding anything back, and you…shouldn't either."
"Why?" she spat. "So we can go back home, pretend none of this ever…"
"Shh!" a woman on a grey mare hushed them angrily. "Have a little respect for this, would you?"
Olivia and Elliot both turned to look at her, but what met their eyes was the most beautiful scene they'd ever taken in. The horses had come to a stop on a cliff, overlooking an enormous green valley. Birds were flying at almost eye-level, they had a clear view of waterfalls and a rushing river, the sun was still struggling to make its way to the high sky, giving everything its light touched a golden tone.
"Wow," Olivia breathed, amazed.
Elliot hummed and pressed a soft kiss to the back of her head. "Nowhere else I'd rather be," he whispered. "No one else I'd rather be with. Believe that."
She nodded, too lost in the moment, in the view, to protest or fight with him. She sank back into his arms and let herself enjoy it all, take it all in, forgetting about the case, the harsh reality that waited for them back in New York.
As Elliot pulled her tighter still, he closed his eyes and sighed against the skin of her neck. He knew what was happening, he wasn't stopping it. He knew he was teetering on a very thin ledge, and he had no intention of preventing the fall.
A/N: A dinner alone, an overheard phone call, and a moment that pushes them a little closer to the edge.
