Conspiracy Theories

Chapter 3

The rest of the week passed without incident. Elliot kept his anger and comments to himself. The routine returned to normal and everything seemed to be evening out. At the end of the day on Friday, the Captain announced they wouldn't be on call for the weekend. They had two days off. They'd earned it.

As Olivia shrugged into her coat, Fin kicked John and nodded at her. His not so subtle hint to ask her for a ride. John took the clue happily. She was by far a better choice for a lift. She didn't complain like Fin did.

"Olivia, can I catch a ride?" He asked. She nodded and waited patiently for him to put on his own coat. Elliot didn't comment, but he did eye them suspiciously.

"Do you want to have dinner tonight?" He asked when they were out the door.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"How does pizza sound? I know a great place for real Italian pizza and breadsticks."

"Pizza sounds good to me. Do they do to go orders?"

"Yeah, we can get it to go?"

"Good. I picked up a movie while I was out at lunchtime. Is it closer to my place or yours?"

"It's actually just around the corner from my apartment."

"That's convenient."

"It is." They drove to John's apartment and this time he had he park in his parking garage. They walked to the pizza place and got their pie to go. They didn't say much, but that was fine for them. They were comfortable with each other.

When they got back to John's apartment, Olivia started the movie while he got plates, napkins, and a couple of cokes from the kitchen.

"So what are we watching?" He asked when he came back into the living room.

"Appaloosa. It's a western. It looked interesting."

"Sounds good. Dig in." They watched the movie in silence from his couch. He had his arm draped across the back and sometime during the movie, she moved so she was tucked against his side. By the time the movie was over, they were stretched out along the couch, fast asleep.

When Olivia woke up the next morning to find herself sprawled across John's chest and unsure of how she got there it wasn't awkward and it didn't feel wring so she laid her head back down over his chest and listened to his heart beat steadily against her ear. A little while later she felt his hand move against her back and his breathing changed.

"Morning." She mumbled. He made a noise that could have been 'mmmm' but she wasn't sure.

"You're better than a blanket." He said a few minutes later and she smiled into his chest. "I don't want to move, forever. This is nice, here, with you."

"So we wont." She answered.

"Sounds good to me." They stayed there on the couch until they absolutely had to move. It was nice having two days off from work, so there wasn't anything pressing to call them into action. After they had coffee, John offered her the bathroom first and one of his many black shirts. She accepted both and while he was taking his own shower, she cleared away the remains of their dinner.

"So what are your plans for the day?" He asked, startling her as she hadn't heard him come back into the room.

"Shopping. I need to finish my apartment makeover. What about you?"

"Nothing really, just some laundry, but it can wait."

"Want to help me pick out paint and dishes?"

"Sure. Let me feed the fish and we'll go." She followed him into his home office to find a large aquarium filled with colorful fish and strange plants in bright colors. He explained what each type of fish was as he fed them.

They stopped by her apartment before they went shopping, long enough for her to drop off her clothes. They spent the day picking out paint, dishes, glasses, a rug, living room furniture and some art for the walls. The new sofa was to be delivered later that afternoon and they would take her old one to the nearest homeless shelter. John agreed to help her paint, so they spent afternoon together at her place. They were happy with each other. They meshed on a personal level in a way that had never happened before, for either of them. She told John so, when they stopped for the evening.

"I noticed that too. It could be because we've been friends for seven years. We know each other well enough on that level that it's a simple transition to something more." He answered.

"Do you want to take the next step with me, though?" She asked. She didn't want to ruin what they had already established.

"Yes, I'll take the next step with you."

"Are you absolutely sure, because neither one of us has a great track record?"

"I'm sure. I think you're what I was looking for."

"I feel the same way." That evening they slept curled together in Olivia's bed.

The next morning was when trouble showed up on Olivia's doorstep in the form of Elliot. She got up to answer the door and John followed her. She peered out the peephole and cursed softly.

"It's Elliot, isn't it?" John whispered. She nodded. "I'll go make coffee then. Call if you need back up." She kissed his cheek in thanks, then opened the door. It was barely seven in the morning and she had yet to have her coffee, so she was slightly grumpy.

"What do you want Elliot?" She asked, eyes and body still heavy with interrupted sleep.

"To talk, see how you are."

"And you picked now? Seven am on a Sunday, one of the few days off I've had in who knows how long? It had better be damned important! Talk!"

"Um…Can I come in?"

"No. Talk."

"I wanted to say I'm sorry about the other day in the locker room and that I'm in love with you. That's why I was being so weird. I want to be with you."

"First of all, we've already had this conversation once before. Number two, you just got divorced and you named me as the cause. I'm not your catch all reason for you problems with Kathy and last but not least, I don't feel the same and I'm seeing some one. You need time tom put your life together. I refuse to be your rebound girl too. See you tomorrow." With that she shut the door in his face, locking it behind her and putting the security chain on. Then she joined John in the kitchen.

"You alright?" He asked, handing her a cup filled with coffee.

"I will be as long as I have you."

"Then we'll both be fine." He responded as he pulled her close for a hug. "We'll be just fine."