Chapter 4 Meloni's

The sat at the bar for their first drink. Both upset that 'their' table was taken. They watched the table like they hunted a perp. They laughed when they both realized what they were doing.

"But it's 'our' table," Olivia wined, "and I missed it"

"I missed it too." He said smirking at her.

"Come on, El. Like you didn't sit there at all while I was gone?" She asked leaning her shoulder toward him just a bit.

"I didn't even come to this bar." He said leaning in closer to her.

"You did too!" She said not believing him.

"I did not! I swear! I couldn't come here…this is our place," He said smiling at her and taking a sip of his beer, "It wouldn't feel right if you weren't here"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I missed you Liv. It's good to have you back." He said putting his hand on her thigh squeezing gently.

The touch of his hand on her thigh made her want to take him right there on the bar. Her face was beat red and she could feel the heat rise in her face. He didn't remove his hand though. He kept it there, and she was glad. She gave him one of her pearly white smiles, the kind that mad his inside turn back flips.

Could it be? That Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler were actually going to do something about their feelings for each other? I mean something other then hide them away?

They both saw 'their' table open up and they jumped up to go claim it. When they sat down they both laughed and their child-like behavior.

"Beat you to the favorite chair!" Elliot said gloating.

"Oh no!" He gasped.

"What?" Olivia looked her partner over to see what could be the matter.

"They fixed it!" He said trying to rock his chair back and forth.

"They didn't!" She said looking down at the legs of his chair.

"They did! It doesn't rock anymore." Elliot said disappointedly.

"Well maybe it is a different chair." Olivia suggested.

"Nope, has the rip mark you made." he said pointing to the rip on the seat.

Olivia laughed remembering the night it happened, "Yeah well it was still all your fault"

"How's that?" Elliot pleaded innocently.

"You stole my seat when I went to the bathroom! I was just trying to get it back."

"And there I was thinking I was being a gentleman and offering you the non-broken chair, and you try and push me off"

"I would have taken you if my ring didn't get caught in the chair, causing the rip." She said laughing.

"Not a chance Benson, I would have had your ass"

"I don't know why you have to lie." Olivia replied and they both sat there and laughed. Each of them thinking the same thing. They missed each others company, the snickering, the fighting, the playing, the flirting, the banter. All of it. The whole package was missed.

"Feel like doing a shot?" Elliot asked raising an eyebrow to his beautiful partner.

"Always. Did you really have to ask?" She said playfully.

"Just checking. Didn't know what else you gave up while you were out hugging trees." He said as he nudged her elbow with his. He got up and walked to the bar to order the shots, and another round of beers. He smiled as he walked to the bar. Things were changing, he could feel it.

"Persephone! We have got to stop meeting like this!" Hope said as she walked into the bar holding hands with a man Liv had never seen before.

He was tall and had shoulder length curly hair his eyes were…well she couldn't actually see his eyes, they were closed. He was wearing green cargo pants and a long sleeve gray shirt with a short T-shirt over it. He looked like hippie. He looked perfect for Hope.

"Hope! What are you doing here?"

"Getting drunk! What are you doing here?" She laughed.

"Same. Who's your friend?"

"Josh this is Persephone we worked together in Oregon. Persephone this is Josh and old friend of mine." She said laughing.

Olivia got up and shook Josh's hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you Josh"

"Hope! Hey quit following us around would you?" Elliot said as he came back to the table with the shots and beers.

"Elliot good to see you too. This is Josh. Josh this is Elliot, Persephone's boyfriend." Hope introduced. Elliot looked at Olivia and they both smiled. Liv loved the sound of that, 'boyfriend' she said it over in her head.

Josh and Hope were giddy, they kept laughing at everything, and their eyes were red. Olivia knew right away that they were stoned, but she couldn't tell Elliot that. She panicked a little hoping that they didn't say anything in front of Elliot about it…or say anything about how Olivia used to smoke with Hope everyday when she was in Oregon.

"So I'm just an old friend of yours?" Josh said playfully to Hope.

She giggled a little, "A good friend? My best friend?" She questioned.

"Hope man, when are you going wise up and realize we are perfect for each other?" He said teasingly.

"Josh stop it. You know we wouldn't work out"

"No I don't know. We are best friends, why don't you see us being anything else?"

Elliot leaned over and whispered in Liv's ear, "Who needs TV when you get the live show." She swatted him in the stomach and giggled.

"Because Josh, we are best friends, I don't want to ruin that? What if we don't work out? I don't want to lose you as a friend ok?" Hope spat out.

"I think you are just scared"

"I am not!" She said hitting him in the arm.

"Are too." He said leaning his face close up to hers.

"I just love you too much to risk it." She said as she kissed him softly on the lips.

"You're torturing me Hope, you know that right?" He said gazing into her eyes.

"Yeah. I know." She said smiling and giving him another kiss.

"Persephone, Elliot, you guys seem close, I mean I've only known you for a little bit, but from what I can tell I see that you guys have that connection, that chemistry. That same connection that Hope and I have. Were you guys' best friends before you got together"

Elliot and Olivia just looked at each other. Wide eyed and smiling, "Yeah, we were best friends for what 8 years before we got together?" Elliot asked.

She smirked at him, "Yeah something like that." She said.

"Ohhh! You guys are sooo cute!" Hope chimed in.

Elliot put his arm around Olivia's waist and pulled her into him, "Yeah we are, aren't we?" He said and kissed her on the cheek. Olivia almost fell out of her chair but managed to keep her composure, although her beat red face was a different story.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

The hours passed and everyone was inebriated. They spent the night playing cards and drinking…lots of drinking. The two pairs were getting along really well surprising Olivia because you know they were cops, and we all know how Hope felt about cops.

"God Persephone I missed hanging out with you! Elliot do you know how lucky you are to hang out with one of the most fun, and funniest persons I have ever met?" Hope said.

"I do." He said placing Olivia's hand in his and giving it a kiss.

"Remember that time we got wasted before the Fur protest?" Hope started to laugh just thinking of the memory, Olivia started to laugh too, and Elliot was more than intrigued, "You should have seen her Elliot, oh my God it was sooo funny. Perseph, was having a bad day because of that stupid biased cop, remember that fat ass? He was just pissed you turned him down for romp in the sack, but anyways, we drank probably three bottles of wine and smoked like four bongs before we went to the protest"

Shit! Why did she have to say that! I hope that he didn't catch it! Of course he caught it, he's Elliot, he notices everything. She thought as she looked over at Elliot.

He was laughing, he didn't seem mad at all. That made her smile.

"And as soon as Perseph stepped out of the cab she fell flat on her ass! Oh my God it was so funny. I was laughing so hard, I made my way over there to help her up but instead I tripped over the fucking curb and fell on top of her. Oh my God I thought that T-Bone was going to kill us for showing up to a protest like that! So then the cabbie got out and made some sexist comment about a three some, he went on and on, finally Perseph got up and clocked him right in the jaw! It was awesome"

"That sounds like my girlfriend." He said with a wink to Liv.

"Don't you think that Hope should stop being a baby and just go out with me?" Josh said to Elliot.

"Yesh, I do! Stop being a baby Hope!" Elliot started his drunken slurring speech, "See the way I shee it," he started circling his beer around the table with his hand, "Is that if you guys have the chemistry, and you do, I maybe drunk but I can still see it. You guys just need to stop hiding behind the 'we are best friends' defense and go for it. I mean you never know unless you try, right? And what if it is the best thing that ever happened to you? I mean you can't just pass that up, what if you never get a second chance? I mean you can't live the rest of your life just wondering 'what could be'," Olivia wondered if Elliot was maybe was talking about his own personal life in his little rant, "I know I can't. Sometimes you just have to grab life by the horns." He set his beer down, and then did something that would change Olivia and Elliot's life forever.

He cupped his hands to her jaw and pulled her in until her lips were pressed to his, and he dove in devouring every bit of her mouth with his. It was hot, and Olivia's body reacted. She never wanted him more, she wanted to lay him down right there on the table and do things to him that partners should not do, let alone think about doing.

When he finally broke the kiss Olivia was stunned, she froze for a second mouth still hanging open. Until she finally came down from her high. She licked her lips and smiled.

"Wow. That was the hottest kiss ever," Hope said who got hot just watching the two of them kiss, "You guys must have the most mind numbing, freaky ass sex ever! No wonder Perseph was having sex dreams about you"

Olivia just placed her hands to her face and smiled embarrassingly. She fucking wished! Elliot couldn't hold in his smile either, I wish, He thought, "You know it!" He said pulling Liv off of her chair and into his lap. He held her close to his body and rubbed his nose in the curve of her neck sending shivers through her body.

"Ok guys, well it is getting late so I think I'm going to break this up," Hope said to the group, "We should do it again before I leave." She took a napkin and wrote her number on it and passed it to Olivia, "Call me k"

Olivia smiled, "You got it. Get home safe ok?" And then she motioned for Hope to come closer so she could whisper in her ear, "Don't be a fool girl, go get him. Trust me"

Hope smiled at her, "Call me and let tell you how the rest of my night went"

"Persephone, Elliot it was nice meeting you guys. Thanks for the advice Elliot. And hopefully I will see you two crazy kids later"

"Likewise." Elliot said.

"Bye!" Olivia called out to them as the made their way to the door.

"Those two are so cute. I really like them." Elliot said to Liv. Liv now all of a sudden felt really uncomfortable on Elliot's lap so she got up and sat next to him.

"Everything Okay Liv? I mean…sorry about that kiss and"

"No…please don't apologize for kissing me. It was … umm…wow. Just don't apologize okay"

"Okay. Hey Liv"

"Yeah"

"Was it as good for you as it was for me?" He asked not able to look at her.

"Oh yeah," She said, taking her hands and placing them in his hair and turning his head so that he was looking at her, "Too good to never do again." She said as their heads leaned in closer and they did a little dance around each others lips, until it became too much teasing and they both crashed their lips into each others. His lips were pressed hard against her mouth and when she moaned inside of his mouth he wanted nothing more then to take her right there, right then. His hands cupped her face as her hands played in his hair.

"Olivia? Elliot? Is that you?" A voice said.

'Oh Shit.' They both said at the same time as they turned to see the familiar person standing there.