Panic

Summary: See ch1

Disclaimer: Not mine

A/N: Sorry I took so long to post, but like i warned, finals are next week, and I've been really really busy, but here is another chapter, enjoy!!!

Telling

Olivia woke up to the best feeling in the world. She wasn't in just any man's arms, but the arms of her fiancé! She never imagined she'd ever be engaged to anyone; and certainly never her partner. When she realized that she would be waking up like this every morning for the rest of her life, something changed. For the first time, ever, she felt completely at peace. Everything seemed right.

She lay there for a while, just basking in this new, alien feeling before Elliot finally shifted under her.

He stretched and yawned before saying, "We really have to get up or we'll both be late."

"I know. But I just want to stay here forever." Olivia smiled. "Everything is so perfect right now."

"But if we stay here forever, we'll never get to the wedding." Elliot noted. "Plus Cragen will start calling when we don't show, and then he'll send Munch and Fin to knock down your door." He smiled. "And of course, no wedding means no honeymoon." He added.

That was all Olivia needed to hear, she jumped out of her bed and rushed right into the shower.

Elliot just sat there laughing.

When the pair got to the precinct that morning, Olivia carefully turned her ring over so that the diamond was hidden from sight. She and Elliot took their seats like they normally would have.

"What's going on with the two of you?" Munch immediately asked. They were too happy for a Tuesday morning.

"Nothing." Both said in unison, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Bull crap." Fin snorted. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Can't two people just be happy?" Olivia asked shrugging her shoulders.

"Not at seven o'clock, on a Tuesday morning, in Manhattan they can't." Munch answered.

Olivia just shook her head and let out a small chuckle. She and Elliot both wanted to shout from the rooftops that they were engaged, but knew that it would be better to keep it low profile; at least until they talked to Cragen about it. They knew that there was going to have to be some changes made at work now that they would be getting married.

Munch looked back and forth between the two. Neither could stop smiling. Something was up, and he was going to find out. "Don't think I won't find out." He mumbled.

"Munch." Olivia said sternly, slamming her hand down on the desk. "We are not happy about anything in particular. Now, I understand that it isn't every day you see happy people in Manhattan, but it happens. There are no conspiracies surrounding it, we weren't taken over by pod people, Martians haven't implanted anything in our brains, and the CIA isn't paying us off to be happy. We just are. Now can you please just let it go, so we can get some work done?" She finished.

"Well then." Munch mouthed before turning back to his work. He was still convinced something was up, but decided to save it until later.

Elliot just stared at Olivia in amazement. He had never heard her bark orders in such a forceful manner. It turned him on.

She caught him staring at her, and blushed slightly. She offered a shrug of her shoulders as an explanation and then went back to looking over the messages on her desk.

Just then Casey walked in.

"You all will be very pleased to know that Patrick Donnell will be serving life in prison." She said with a smile. She was referring to their last case. Donnell had kidnapped, raped, and killed three women over the span of a month, and would never see freedom again.

"Good job Case." Olivia smiled.

"After seeing those crime scene photos, there was no way that jury wouldn't…" She began, but stopped. "What is that?" She asked suddenly.

"What's what?" Olivia asked, looking up at her friend from her memos.

Casey's eyes were glued onto the band that was across Olivia's left ring finger.

Olivia followed her gaze to her hand. "Oh shit." She thought.

"Nothing." She said, quickly pulling her hand under the desk.

"That was not nothing Olivia." Casey said with a huge grin on her face. She looked back and forth between her and Elliot. Both were white in the face.

"What's going on out here?" Cragen boomed from behind the group. He had come out of his office to get a cup of coffee and discovered all his detectives, and his prosecutor standing around Elliot and Olivia's desks.

"That's what I've been asking all morning." Munch answered.

"I think we're busted Liv." Elliot said with a smile. He had wanted to wait to announce the engagement until they were sure they would be able to stay working together, but Casey ousted them!

"Fine." Olivia sighed. She pulled her hand back from under the desk, and turned the ring around.

"So?" Munch pushed.

Elliot smiled. He looked at Olivia and then back to the rest of the squad room. "Liv and I are getting married." He finally revealed.

Everyone in the room just stared at them in utter shock. They figured that this was where the relationship was headed, but they just hadn't expected it.

"I knew that was a ring on your finger." Casey beamed. She didn't know if she was more ecstatic that her friend was getting married, or that she had been right! "Lemme see it." She smiled as she made her way over to Olivia to inspect the ring. "Oh El, it's beautiful."

"Thanks." Elliot said. He was nervous about the silence of the rest of the group.

"Well, there's another 20 bucks the two of you have cost me." Munch finally said. "But, congratulations." He smiled.

"Yeah, took you two long enough." Fin added.

"You do know that this poses a problem, right?" Cragen asked, putting a damper on the situation; although everyone knew that it was coming.

"We talked about that." Olivia said, taking Elliot's hand. "If one of us has to transfer, I will go back to computer crimes."

Elliot looked at her shocked. The two of them had in fact discussed what would happen if one of them had to leave, but they hadn't been able to come to any agreement. Both volunteered to be the one to leave, and both had decided that they wouldn't let the other give up their career as an SVU detective. As of last night, they were at a stalemate.

"Liv, if anyone has to transfer it'll be me. I know someone in Bronx SVU, I'm pretty sure I can get a position there." He said, correcting her.

Olivia turned to Elliot. "El, you know the guys at Bronx SVU are completely inept." She scoffed. "You'd be miserable there. Besides, I'm sure they still have my paper work over in the 1-8."

"Liv, SVU is your life. You already tried leaving, it didn't work." He argued. This was not a fight he was willing to lose. He knew how much working in this squad meant to Olivia, and he would be damned if he was going to be the reason why she left. Besides, her ex-boyfriend/ lover was the Lieutenant over at the 1-8.

"You're my life Stabler." She said gently. "And yeah, I did come back because I missed it, but it was more because I missed you. As long as I get to come home to you, I don't care where I work."

"Okay, not that this isn't touching and all, but I think I may have a solution." Cragen butted in.

Everyone turned their attention to him.

"Now, you do understand that this arrangement will only work if you two drop this whole, 'being nice to each other' thing you seem to be doing, because quite frankly, it's scaring me." He began with a slight laugh.

"Oh don't worry Cap; within the hour those two'll be biting each other's heads off." Fin assured him.

Olivia just shook her head. "So, what's the arrangement?" She asked.

"You two switch partners. I pair Olivia with Fin and Elliot with Munch." He stated. "Does that work for everyone?"

"Are you kiddin me? Cap, if you were given the option to stare at Olivia's face all day or Munch's, who would you pick?" Fin asked with a laugh.

"I resent what you're implying." Munch snorted. "I give you three days before you miss me."

"Wait, so this means we both can stay?" Olivia asked, cutting through the sarcasm of her colleagues.

"As long as we can keep IAB from sniffing around, I have no problem with it. You two are two of my best detectives; I don't want to lose either one of you any more than you want to leave." Don answered with a sly smile. He knew that this day would come eventually, and had been working this out as long.

"Thank you." She smiled and hugged her captain.

"Just think of it as an early wedding present." He smiled embracing her.

"Thanks Cap." Elliot said, offering his hand to his boss.

"Congratulations you two." He said shaking Elliot's hand. "Now, everyone, back to work." He added, turning and making his way back to his office. As he sat back behind his desk he shook his head and laughed.

"It's about time those two got their acts together." He said allowed.

After receiving congrats from the rest of the squad everyone went back to work. Elliot and Olivia exchanged loving and relieved smiles before going back to work. They had never thought this would turn out as well as it did.

TBC... what do u think??? I love reviews!