A/N: Sometimes people need to be hit over the head with the obvious, and sometimes their significant others are just the ones who need to do the hitting.

DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns characters and Law and Order: SVU. TStabler©, that's me, owns the story, plot, narrative and dialogue.

Olivia sat across from Kathy, smiling, but secretly hoping that her next bite of whatever grotesquely expensive shit she ordered would be the bite that choked her to death. She knew she should be trying to enjoy their "double-date," Dean's brilliant idea, but Dean kept prattling on about the superiority of FBI Agents and how he had been trying, for months now, to lure Olivia away from the NYPD and she stubbornly refused. She had since stopped paying attention to the conversation.

This was, in fact, the most excruciatingly painful evening of Olivia's life. She was not only armed with the knowledge that Elliot was out, on Valentine's Day, with the woman he was supposedly divorcing, but she was sitting at their table, taking an active part in their reconciliation. She had been waiting for Elliot to sign those damned papers for months so she could kick Punk-ass Porter to the fucking curb with the rest of the garbage in her life, and be there for Elliot in his time of need, but now, it just didn't seem like it was going to happen. She, of course, had no idea why any of this was bothering her. Kathy was Elliot's wife, she wanted them to be happy, didn't she?

"Olivia?" Dean's voice snapped her out of her manic thoughts.

"Huh? What?" she mumbled as she shook her head, trying to break her gaze away from Elliot, who had, for some reason, been staring right back at her.

Dean smiled at her. "We were just discussing what love really is, and we thought you'd like to jump in with an idea or two."

"I'm the last person you should be asking about love, so...I'm sure whatever you three have got is just fine," she said, drinking her wine a little too fast. "Can I get some more of this?" she asked, wiggling her glass.

Kathy laughed. "You haven't heard anything we've said?"

"Um, no," Olivia said, watching, gratefully, as the waiter poured her another glass. She drank it, quickly, having it halfway gone in one sip.

"Elliot, tell Olivia what we have on our list, so far," Kathy commanded.

Elliot simpered. "Uh, I can't. I wasn't really..."

"Oh, give me a break, you weren't listening either? Stabler...fine. I will tell you," Dean said, proudly. he took Olivia's hand, suddenly earning Elliot's undivided attention. "Olivia, I think love, or someone you're in love with, is someone who you can tell anything to without fear or hesitation. Someone you can spend every single day with, and never, ever be sick of them. Someone who, you would kill or die for without a moment's thought, and you would not regret it."

Olivia's eyes widened, but it wasn't because Dean had just pulled a black box out of his pocket. It was because she had just realized something. She realized why she despised Kathy, why Elliot meant so much to her, and why she really couldn't stand being with Dean Porter.

Dean continued, "Olivia, love is waking up in the morning and seeing that person's face, even if they aren't next to you in the bed. Love is knowing their favorite things, their deepest fears, their biggest dreams and, if you don't, love is the strong desire to learn them." Dean flicked open the ring box, Elliot gasped, Olivia's hand shot to her mouth and Kathy giggled. "Olivia, tell me, do you feel any of that for anyone," Dean asked, smirking as he held the ring out in front of her. "Anyone in particular?" He grinned, smugly, assuming he'd be the one.

Olivia was silent, but she nodded. Elliot's heart snapped in half and he knew that he'd just lost her, when he was so close to being able to have her. "Yes, Dean," she finally said. Kathy clapped, Elliot felt like crying and Dean pulled the ring out of the box. Olivia stopped him. She said, "But...it isn't you, Dean." She threw her napkin down on the table, pushed her chair back and bolted toward the bathroom.

"What just happened, here?" Dean asked, stunned.

Kathy moved to get up, but Elliot stopped her and got out of the chair he'd been sitting in. "I'll go, Kathy. She, uh, she doesn't really like you." Kathy looked purely pissed off as she watched her almost-ex-husband run after Olivia.

Olivia heard the frantic knock on the door. "I'll be right out," she said, her voice shaking.

"Liv, it's me," Elliot said. "Is anyone else in there?" he asked, pushing the door open.

Olivia turned away from the door and wiped her eyes, quickly. "Fuck, Stabler. Go away! You're in the women's bathroom!"

"Yeah, what are they gonna do? Arrest me?" he joked. "Um, what happened back there? I thought you wanted...a life, Liv? Husband, kids. He was offering..."

"Porter? Shit, Elliot, I can't...everything he said. He was so...God, he was right! All those things, that is what love is, and I have been convincing myself that it wasn't for so fucking long, and he was about to ask me to marry him, I'm not in love with him. I...I couldn't do that, Elliot. I can't end up like..."

"Me and Kathy," he stated.

"I didn't say that," she said as she turned to face him. "You're fine, clearly. You two are just fine. You're here, aren't you? Valentine's Day, in the nicest restaurant in the city, El, don't tell me..."

Elliot interrupted again. "We're only here because Dean called Kathy and said he wanted us to be here. He, apparently, doesn't know we're getting divorced. He knows that I'm your best friend, he invited us out, I guess. Kathy probably knew that he was gonna propose. I didn't, Liv. I swear, if I had I never would have..."

Olivia's eyes narrowed. "What? You wouldn't want to be here for me, if I..."

Elliot barked at her. "No, Liv! I wouldn't, okay! I don't want to sit there and watch some guy put his ring on your finger, making you his for the rest of your life, when I know, and you know, it should be me doing it! My ring on your finger, making you mine."

Olivia's eyes widened.

Elliot nodded and smirked. "Yeah, I said that. Now, you said, back there, that you felt all of those things for someone, but it wasn't Dean, thank God. Who is it?" Elliot asked. "Because, the whole time that piss-ant was speaking, I was thinking of you. Everything he said, Liv, I feel for you." He took two steps closer to her, almost pressing her up against the bathroom wall. "Who are you in love with?"

"You," she whispered.

He smirked and brushed his lips lightly over hers. "I couldn't hear you, Liv. You need to speak up," he said with a small chuckle, sounding quite evil.

Olivia's breath hitched and her knees went weak. She backed up, hitting the wall, needing it for support. "I'm...in love with you," she said, so he could hear her. "See, I knew there was a reason I hated Valentine's Day. This shit could only happen to me."

Elliot laughed, low and deep, as he took another step toward her, pressing his body against hers. "What's happening to you, Liv?"

"I'm having a fucking heart-attack in the bathroom at Sardi's," she said with an eye-roll.

Elliot ran his hand down her arm, lifted her hand and placed it over his chest. She could feel the powerful, racing pulse beneath his shirt and her eyes widened. "That makes two of us, Liv." He leaned in closer to her, just skimming the air in front of her lips. "I've wanted this for so long, Liv. Every time I pictured it, and it's been many times, it was never up against the wall in a bathroom. But, at least three times, it's been on Valentine's Day," he told her softly. His face brushed against hers in sweet, loving nuzzles. He took his time, slowly brushing his lips against hers lightly again before finally pressing his lips to hers. A moan of great relief left both mouths, and Olivia's other arm wrapped around Elliot tightly. Her other hand remained, under his, over his heart, and she felt it beating faster and faster. Elliot's other arm snaked its way between Olivia's body and the wall, pulling her closer to him, wrapping around her waist. He let go of her hand and pulled it our from between their chests, then ran his hands over her entire body, running them over every curve. She did the same as their seemingly never-ending kiss just grew deeper.

Elliot tore his lips away from her mouth and dotted her chest and neck with soft, wet kisses, until he attacked her pulse, sucking on it, licking and kissing the spot he discovered, during a drunken evening, drove her mad. "Oh, my God, El," she moaned, running her leg up his body. He latched onto it, catching it at the thigh as he rolled his hips into her. Another moan escaped both of them. She felt his rock-hard, ready erection through his dress-pants and it felt like it could do a lot of damage. Damage that she was so ready to withstand, but not up against the wall of a bathroom, when her boyfriend and his, technically she was still his wife, were outside waiting for them.

Olivia pushed him away, sadly, slowly, regretting it immediately. "I want you," she said.

"God, Liv, I want you, too. So badly," he cried, moving back to kiss her.

She stopped him and he furrowed his brow. "Not here, not now. This...we're in a bathroom. You're wife is waiting for you and my...Dean...is waiting for an explanation. We can't...as much as I want to...it's Valentine's Day, El. Knowing you love me, and that....that amazing, soul-crushing kiss, that was enough for now." She pressed his lips to his, sweetly, brushed his cheek with her hand, and pulled him out of the bathroom.

They walked back to the table where Kathy watched, in dismay, as Olivia broke up with Dean, in the middle of the restaurant.

Elliot hid his glee well and drove Kathy home, finally convincing her to do the one thing she'd been refusing. He walked into the living room, picked up the signed papers and was out the door again in seconds, leaving Kathy annoyed and clueless as to where he had gone.

"Okay, okay," Olivia yelled, padding her way to the door at eleven-forty, she had just fallen asleep. "Stop knocking damn it!" She opened the door, Elliot stood before her, still wearing his suit, holding a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a dozen roses. "What...are you doing here?"

Elliot smiled. "It's nice to see you, too." He pushed the door open with his foot, sidled his way in and watched as she, still confused, closed the door.

"El, what are you doing here?" she asked, again.

"I know it's only going to be Valentine's Day for another twenty minutes, but I had to save it for us somehow." He poured the wine and handed her a glass, clinked it with his, and said, "I dropped off the papers, on my way here. Kathy finally fucking signed them. She was hoping you were in love with Dean, enough to marry him, and she hoped having me watch you get engaged, tonight, would make me realize I could never have you. When her little plan backfired, she knew she had to let me go." He pulled her close and placed a gentle kiss to Olivia's lips. "If she only knew half the shit we've done. Drunk my ass, Liv. She'd know that I wrestled out of her clutches long ago," he said with a chuckle.

Olivia's eyes widened, then narrowed, as she realized he wasn't shitfaced, he was sober, at casey's party a year ago. But then again, so was she. He put his glass down and handed her the roses. "These are for you," he said. "I had to flash the badge to get these, Liv. Every store on the street was closing."

Olivia smiled at him and kissed him sweetly. "They're beautiful," she said. She walked into the kitchen and was putting them in a vase when she felt him wrap her hands around her.

"I love you," he whispered to her, pressing his lips to her cheek.

She turned, in his arms, and looked up at him. "I love you, too, El."

A/N: Perhaps, you shall get that drunken evening? Review! Love you all!