A/N: Great response to the first chapter guys. I truly appreciate your input.
Olivia's has had a long damn week.
She thought the Monday after the policeman's ball would be kind of awkward, but Elliot treated her like he always had, as if nothing happened. They worked cases, interviewed witnesses, filled out 5's at their desks and ate lunch together. Not once did her partner mention or even allude to "the kiss".
She doesn't know whether to be relieved or insulted.
Yes, she told him she didn't think workplace romances are a good idea. But the way he so passionately covered his lips with hers, tickled her mouth and tasted her, how could he just pretend that it hadn't happened? Oh yeah, she rejected him.
There is that.
Elliot said goodnight to her about twenty minutes ago. She's been sitting in the darkness of the bullpen with just her desk lamp to shed light on her thoughts. Her intention was to review the paperwork she's been too preoccupied not to have made mistakes on.
Realizing she needs to add something from his half of the notes, Olivia gets up to check his out box.
The file isn't there.
She thinks it's in his desk so tries to take a look but of course he's locked it, just as they all do upon leaving for the day. The paperwork is due Monday but she can just call and ask him about it tomorrow. So she gathers her things, deciding that it's no emergency and it can wait until then.
In moving down the corridor, Olivia's startled by the unexpected "ding" signaling the arrival of the elevator. Walking towards it she pauses, surprised when her partner steps out of the box on a string.
"El," she says. "What are you doing back?"
"Got halfway home and realized I forgot my notes on the Nicholson case," he answers. "You finally headin' out?"
"Yeah," she responds. "I was actually gonna call because I need to take a look at those too."
"Well, give me a minute," he starts. "I'll get 'em and we can go over 'em together at my place," he suggests. "If you don't have plans."
The only residence she's ever been to is the Stabler home in Queens. Olivia has no idea where her partner now lives but she knows his wife…make that his ex-wife…won't be there with them. Nor will his children. It'll just be him and her.
Alone.
It's not something that should worry her. They've been alone a million times. In the car, the locker room, it's…fine. And she really shouldn't be taking this long to answer. Elliot's starting to look at her funny.
"Or I could just make copies it's-
"No," Olivia interrupts. "Uh…no plans," she clarifies. "It won't take as long if you're there to decode that chicken scratch you call handwriting."
He smiles and nods as he walks past her to retrieve the paperwork from his desk.
"Like yours is any better," he comments.
She watches as he unlocks his drawer, thumbing through the file folders until he gets to the one he's looking for. It's something that she finds herself doing now. Watching him. He's the same man he was before "the kiss", only…he's not. And it isn't even so much the act as it was everything that preceded it.
Elliot thinks he can make her happy, that they can be happy together.
How is she supposed to go back to the status quo after listening to that admission? How is she supposed to not think about how he held her when they danced? How he looked at her beneath the moonlight?
How is he so okay with it?
Though these are the questions that have been plaguing her brain since Elliot left her apartment that night, Olivia finds she has to remind herself that she turned him away. She told him being lovers and coworkers was a bad idea. She was so concrete on that fact, had made it a personal policy years ago after Cassidy. But now, she's on the fence about it.
And it's all her partner's fault.
Him with his smile and those damn dimples, the way he whispers to her when he's trying to be genuine or consoling. Then there's his commitment to their partnership and the way he looks out for her, even on things she tells him are none of his business.
Add to that, strong arms that provide warmth and comfort when she's hurting as well the ability to make her laugh at the strangest things. Soft lips. Why the hell did Elliot have to kiss her like that anyway? Who the hell is she kidding? That's exactly why she's been watching him.
"Liv?"
She's got to stop the damn daydreaming. Olivia hadn't realized he'd gotten the notes and was standing in front of her again.
"Huh?"
"I said I got what I came for," he tells her. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah," she answers, slightly shaking her head, trying to loosen the invading thoughts. "Sure, let's go."
After pushing the button, the elevator doors immediately open and they step inside. She can feel his concerned eyes on her.
"You okay?" Elliot asks.
"Fine, why?"
"You just…seem preoccupied," he answers.
"I'm good," she says. "Long week ya know?"
He of course doesn't believe a word she's telling him but none the less decides to go along with it.
"Yeah."
Once they make it to the parking lot, Elliot tells her to follow him because his new place isn't that far. Twenty minutes later they're walking into a newly renovated industrial loft in SoHo.
The place is enviously bigger than hers. It's all exposed brick walls, bare beams on the ceiling, and hardwood floors.
He must've gotten a nice chunk of cash from his half of the house after they sold it, because his new place could not have been cheap.
Immediately to their right is the small closet where he stops to stash their coats, hats and gloves. They continue down the short hall and the room opens up. There's a rectangular wooden dining table directly in front of them and the kitchen is to their direct left.
After Elliot turns on the lights is when Olivia begins to really get jealous.
It has cabinets in dark wood with green smoked glass doors and nickel fixtures. The appliances are all stainless steel and the long L-shaped counter is cream and black speckled marble.
"Make yourself at home," he tells her. "Should be something to drink in the fridge if you're thirsty."
Beyond the dining table and into the living room she sees a vanilla colored suede sectional with cranberry and orange hued accent pillows, a tufted dark brown, leather table in front and a large patterned rug of contrasting colors sits beneath.
Adjacent to the sofa are two matching arm chairs, separated by a magazine table. They face the row of floor to ceiling windows along the wall. The panes of glass end in a floating room divider where an LCD television is attached. Olivia guesses there to be a bedroom on the other side.
A staircase is a few feet beyond the kitchen and pictures of his children line the wall that leads to the loft dorm above. There, a faux wall was created to provide privacy, a window added to look out over the space. She can see at least one lamp illuminating the area.
Immediately, Olivia is curious to find out what his bedroom looks like.
"Did the girls help you decorate?" She asks, surprising herself by hoping that it wasn't a woman.
"Yeah," he yells, still at the closet hanging their stuff. "I love how everything turned out," he adds. "Just hate that I'm still payin' for it."
"Seems worth it," she comments, entering the kitchen and opening the refrigerator to examine the contents. "They did a great job."
"Thanks," he says, joining her. "Anything appealing in there?" He asks, as she bends to look in the refrigerator.
"You got beer, bottled water and apparently…green apple flavored iced tea," she adds, picking up the bottle and eying the label like it's the strangest thing she's ever heard.
"Courtesy of one of the kids no doubt," he says. "But I'll take the beer."
"Good choice," she tells him, taking out two beers out and turning just in time to see him getting an eyeful.
Olivia raises an eyebrow as a slight blush covers his face.
"You checkin' me out Stabler?" She asks, walking towards him.
She sits the beer next to him on the counter as he rests against it with his arms crossed over his chest. Olivia sees the slight crimson in his cheeks and decides to take the opportunity to see if he's doing as well as he seems to be in pretending last week's lip lock didn't happen.
She shortens the distance between them and he instinctively moves his arms to his sides, trying to create more.
"Don't tell me Fin was right," she begins in a lower tone. "That you've been watching my backside instead of my back all these years."
Elliot stuffs his hands in his pockets as if removing the temptation to touch her. He knows what she's doing. Getting physically close to a perp to make them uncomfortable is something she learned from him. He used to watch in awe, at times feeling sorry for whatever poor skell she directed it towards.
Now he's the poor skell.
"I…uh…of course not," he lies. "You're my partner Liv, I wouldn't ogle you like that."
Olivia isn't buying it. She knows what she saw and takes things a step further by placing both hands beside him on the counter, effectively caging him in. Leaning towards his left ear, she stops short of putting her mouth on his lobe.
"But you're still a man Elliot," she whispers. "So tell me," she adds, before pulling back. "You've never once looked at my…assets?" She asks, smirking.
Elliot has been a cop over twenty-five years. If Olivia thinks he's going to make it that easy for her, she has another thing coming.
Two can play this game.
He stands to his full height, a breath away from touching his body to hers. Slowly he reaches out until his fingers land on the badge still adorning her waist.
"You know," he rasps. "Since you're so happyhaving only this," he adds, caressing the shield as if it's a part of her. "I wouldn't worry about me looking."
Elliot reaches around her, causing Olivia to raise an eyebrow. Maybe she thinks he's gotten bold enough to reach for her ass. Instead he extracts her cell phone from her back pocket with the finesse of a master thief.
Olivia still has him caged in and he barely has enough room to place the phone on the counter behind him. Without having to actually say it, he just showed her that he had been looking. How else would he know where she kept her cell?
He leans into her right ear, intentionally touching it with his lips.
"And I think we're guilty of mutual admiration," he whispers as his warm breath tickles her lobe.
Olivia puts some distance between them and is about to protest when he places both hands on the sides of her neck. He looks at her intently, caressing her skin with the pads of his thumbs. Then he erases what little distance she created, leaning into her other ear.
"You know Liv," he whispers. "If you wanna confession out of me, you're gonna have to use tactics I haven't seen before."
When he pulls back he has this annoying smirk on his face as if he's won. Olivia's always hated that smug look he gets when he thinks he's right about a perp's alibi being full of crap or a victim not being completely forthcoming.
As handsome as she's always found him to be, that 'I told you so' look has never been attractive.
She started this game. And since it's hers, she's damn sure going to finish it. He's leaning against the counter again, palms resting at his sides on the marble. Olivia nods and gives him a small smile to let him think she's surrendered.
Then all manner of playfulness leaves her face as she steps up to Elliot once more.
She places her hands on his chest, moving them up slowly until she reaches the heated skin of his neck. Her thumbs caress him there, taking the time to revel in the surprised look on his face.
Let him put that in the 'tactics he hasn't seen' column.
Elliot never takes his eyes off hers. He's too curious to see how far she'll go. But when Olivia leans in leisurely, close enough to kiss, he instinctively closes his eyes. He smells the subtlety of her perfume, feels her breath on his mouth. Then, she pauses with her lips a hair away from his.
"Say it," she tells him, hovering with the promise of a kiss.
"Liv," he grates, almost in warning.
Olivia ghosts her hands back down his neck, over his shoulders and down his arms until she reaches his wrists. She pulls his arms behind her and his strong hands immediately find her lower back. When she hears his breathing change she melds her body to his, putting both arms around his neck.
Again she leans in, this time nuzzling his nose with hers before whispering against his lips, "Say it," she repeats.
Elliot didn't think she would take things this far. Not without some alcohol for courage, not to make a point. She's held his hand and played his wife on several occasions. She's even gotten half naked and pressed her breasts against his body to save his life.
But there's no one pointing guns at them this time, no threat of death.
Olivia is well aware of his attraction to her and if she keeps touching him, he won't be able to hide just how into this he is for much longer.
"No," he manages, eyes still closed.
He can feel her smiling against his lips, knowing how close she is to cracking him. It's a dangerous game she's playing but apparently he's underestimated how much she enjoys the thrill of victory.
Olivia always has been the more competitive of the two.
She rubs her cheek next to his days' worth of stubble as she moves her mouth towards his left ear. Elliot thinks she's going to repeat the demand when she surprises him, taking the lobe in between her teeth to nibble on before soothing it with the warmth of her mouth.
Pulling her tighter against him is an instant reflex before he mumbles something unintelligibly.
"What was that?" she asks, leaning away to eye him.
The way he's looking at Olivia is not an expression he's ever directed at her before the night of the Christmas party. And he's not allowed her to witness it since. His breathing has picked up, his eyes have darkened and they're so intense he nearly looks angry.
"I said you win," he growls. "I was looking."
"Now see, that wasn't so hard, was it?" She asks, pun completely intended.
The smile that graces her face is not unlike that wildly popular feline in Alice in Wonderland. Victory is sweet and so was the journey. She almost gave into her baser instincts to simply kiss him but it wouldn't have been nearly as satisfying if she had been the one to initiate it.
Though it wasn't exactly distressing for Olivia to be draped all over him to prove a point, Elliot has always been a sore loser.
"You done torturing me?" He asks.
"Torturing you?"
"This isn't exactly partner-like behavior Olivia," he points out after releasing her. "So what were you thinking with that little game just now?"
"Clearly I wasn't," she says, picking up a beer and walking into the living room.
"That's crap and you know it," he tells her, following behind. "A week ago you're telling me workplace romances rarely work out and tonight you're all over me."
Olivia tips her beer up, taking a long slow sip as she looks out the window. Even his view of the city is better than hers.
"I caught you checkin' me out and thought I'd have a little fun," she tries. "End of story."
And much like she didn't buy his denial that he was eying her ass, Elliot's not buying her explanation of the resulting game.
"Bullshit. You've caught me checkin' you out before so why not just tell the truth," he demands, moving to stand closer. "I think I deserve that much."
She bites her bottom lip, takes another drink and turns to face him. The playfulness they had between them just seconds ago is now gone.
"I've been thinking about what you said," she confesses. "About…how good we are as partners, how that might translate into a personal relationship."
"And how I might just be the one that could make you happy," Elliot concludes. "Yeah Liv I remember," he adds. "But I also recall getting a rejection for my troubles."
"I was worried we wouldn't be able to keep it out of work," she admits. "But all this week you've been treating me like you didn't say any of those things, didn't kiss me and-
"And what Liv?"
He's not going to make it easy.
"I realized that it might be possible…that maybe I should've given it more thought," she tells him. "If we try-
"You're asking me out now?"
Hearing his tone, how annoyed he sounds, Olivia decides to make an exit. She sits her beer on his coffee table and heads for the door. But Elliot's faster and he grabs her hand, turning her to face him again.
"I'm sorry," he begins. "It's just…I'm surprised is all."
"No more surprised than I was when you suggested that we started seeing one another off the clock in the first place," she returns.
Suddenly they realize that he's still holding her hand. Elliot leads her back to the sofa and they sit, preparing to revisit last week's conversation.
"Okay," he tells her. "I get it. I sprung that idea on you after all this time and didn't give you the courtesy of thinking it over before wanting an answer on the spot."
"Pretty much," she agrees. "Yeah."
"But I'm assuming you have…been thinking about it," he continues and she immediately nods. "And now you realize that maybe it's not such a horrible idea?"
Olivia takes a breath and reaches for her beer again.
"I never thought it was a horrible idea," she corrects. "I was just so quick to think about what'd happen if things went wrong that I didn't consider-
"What would happen if they went right?" He finishes.
"Yes," she tells him, sipping her Bud Light. "But I don't wanna let those fears stop me from taking a chance on-
"Having something good?"
"Do you remember me telling you about those annoying habits we both have?" Olivia asks, as he nods. "Well one of yours is finishing my sentences."
He laughs then grins, throwing his hands up in surrender.
"I'll stop," he promises.
"So my suggestion is that we try one date," she offers. "Spend a night trying to pretend that we don't already know everything there is to know about each other."
Elliot looks at her as if she's speaking a different language.
"We don't."
Olivia wholeheartedly disagrees.
"You know not only why I joined SVU in the first place but why I can't seem to leave," she begins. "How I take my coffee, what my morning face looks like, how much I love kids, what music I enjoy," she lists. "All the important stuff."
But mostly impersonal in Elliot's opinion.
"Yeah but, those are things anyone could've learned as your partner," he says. "I wanna know your favorite flowers, whether you prefer showers or bubble baths, if Serena let you play in mud puddles when it rained," he adds, garnering a smile from her. "Whether or not you kiss on the first date."
"Pink roses, hot showers, only after I put on my rain gear and not usually," she answers in sequence. "But then again, I already know how you kiss," Olivia quips, yet hopes she isn't blushing.
"Yeah but you haven't kissed me," Elliot clarifies, eying her lips.
And no matter how much she wants to, she won't be showing him tonight either.
"Well you'll just have to wait," she tells him. "We're not catching this weekend so what about tomorrow night?"
The sooner the better she thinks. The daydreams that have been in her head since he put his mouth on hers have been driving her to distraction.
"Wow," he says, getting up from the sofa. "I don't know Liv, that's kinda short notice," he continues dramatically. "I mean, what am I gonna wear?"
Olivia rolls her eyes, shakes her head and smiles.
"And my nails aren't done," he adds, pretending to scrutinize his cuticles. "I wonder if Jean-Paul can fit me in for a haircut and a facial," he goes on.
She's laughing full on now.
"I am such a mess," he concludes as she lobs a throw pillow at him.
"You sure you don't wanna date Fin or Munch instead?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Nah," he says, joining her on the sofa again. "I only bat for one team and right now, you're the captain."
"Good to know," Olivia tells him. "Now that that's settled, maybe we could actually get some work done."
"Hey, you started it," he contends.
"Too tired to argue," she says, opening her work satchel.
Several hours, several beers and a couple boxes of lo mien later, she's still sitting on his sofa. They've gone over Elliot's notes, the Nicholson case as a whole and made sure their witness and victim statements sync up. As Olivia's packing everything to leave, she yawns and rubs her eyes.
"You look like Eli when he's fighting sleep," he notices.
"I'm not fighting it," she disagrees. "But since I still have to drive home, I'm not exactly in a position to give in."
"Why don't you stay here?" He suggests.
Olivia angles her head, smiling at him.
"You've ogled my body, gotten me all liquored up," she exaggerates. "Now you're tryin' to get me in bed too? I gotta say I'm disappointed in you Elliot," she goes on. "Having daughters, I thought you'd treat women better."
"Ha, ha," he says. "I'll take the guest bedroom which is that way," he continues, confirming her assumption as he points to the room on the other side of the sliding wall. "You can take my bed upstairs."
"I can take the guest bedroom El," she offers. "I am the guest."
"I don't think you'd appreciate a twin bed or the Transformers theme on Eli's side," he tells her. "I'll be fine."
"I'm too tired to care El," she confesses. "Really."
Elliot takes both her hands in his, pulling her up from the couch.
"You'll be more comfortable in my bed," he reasons. "And since you are the guest, you shouldn't argue."
After raising a hand to caress the lobe of her ear, he gives her a tired grin. Olivia doesn't know how such a simple gesture is working on her but she decides not to offer any further objection.
"Okay."
"There are fresh towels in the bathroom and a new toothbrush under the sink."
Elliot lets go of her hand and begins to clear their empty bottles from the coffee table.
"You have guests over so often that there's an extra toothbrush?" Olivia asks, trying to make it sound like casual conversation.
Again, she's surprised to be hoping that it's not because he's rekindled his dating life.
"No Liv," he answers. "I have children over that are constantly forgetting to bring the essentials," he clarifies with a wink. "I'm gonna go find you something to sleep in."
Olivia thinks how tired she must be for his charm to be working on her as she grins sheepishly, starting to busy herself by cleaning up the takeout. In bending to gather the cartons, she eyes his form as he makes his way up the stairs.
"Stop lookin' at my ass," he throws out on his ascent.
Yep, tired. She doesn't even bother trying to deny it, just carries the rest of the Chinese food to the refrigerator shaking her head at the fact that she was so quickly busted.
Twenty minutes later the lights are out in the loft and Olivia's in his large bed. It's surprisingly soft to belong to a man. She is delightfully warm and surrounded by the lingering but welcomed scent of her partner.
After figuring out Elliot doesn't own one single pair of pajamas because he likes to sleep in only his underwear, they'd settled on a well-worn dress shirt that barely comes to her knees.
'No wonder they have five kids,' she'd thought. 'The man goes to bed nearly naked every night.'
Olivia tries to let go of that final thought before she drifts off. The last thing she needs is that particular mental picture invading her dreams. She already has enough on her mind trying to forget that she has in fact, asked her partner out on actual date.
END A/N: Well I hope you've enjoyed this latest installment. Please feel free to comment in a review!