Disclaimer: The characters from SVU belong to Dick Wolf and the powers that be at NBC. The rest, belong to me.
Author's Note: This was first published on my Yahoo Group, vivalab. Thanks to everyone on the group for your ongoing support.
The sandwich bar was busy, however, Elliot had secured them a table in the corner, away from the bustling counter and next to the window. All three occupants of the booth sat with a large sandwich and a soda in front of them.
Elliot looked over at Alex, "What?" he asked, lifting his foot long sandwich carefully to his mouth.
Alex smiled, "When you said 'lunch', I had visions of subdued lighting, a nice ambience…table service at least," she said, opening her sandwich to examine the contents.
Elliot snorted around his mouthful of bread and filling, chewing loudly before swallowing and reaching for his drink. He sucked greedily through the straw and smacked his lips together in satisfaction, "Now that..." he pointed to his sandwich, "…is a sandwich," he said, poised to take another bite.
Alex sighed and lifted the top of her bread to examine the contents. A hand settled on her arm and she lifted her eyes.
Olivia gazed at her, "You'll love it Alex, I got everything I know you like and no tomatoes, or spread," she assured her girlfriend.
"Mayonnaise?" Alex asked.
Olivia nodded, "And sweet onion relish," she added, watching Alex part her lips. She glanced briefly up to meet her eyes, "A lot…of sweet onion relish," she said quietly, her eyes transfixed on Alex as she wet her bottom lip.
Elliot held the sandwich to his open mouth, watching the exchange with rapt fascination. He studied his partner and her reaction to the beautiful blonde and smiled, "Are you gonna eat it or tease it?" he asked in a playful tone before taking another large bite.
Alex glanced over at him and smiled before lifting the sandwich and taking a bite. She chewed slowly allowing the flavors to burst on to her tongue. The mixture of meats and salad topped with the sweet, tangy sauce was a taste sensation for the ADA. She closed her eyes and moaned, savoring the flavors, unaware the other two occupants of the table were staring at her.
Elliot swallowed the bite in his mouth with a strangled gulp, reaching for his soda. Olivia looked at him and shook her head as Alex continued to make soft mewling sounds of pleasure.
"Maybe we should have got these, to go," Olivia said to her partner, finally taking a bite of her own sandwich.
Elliot nodded, "If Kathy ate a sandwich like that, I'd never let her leave the house," he remarked, smiling enviously at his partner.
Olivia grinned, feeling her cheeks color. She took a drink from her plastic cup and turned to look at Alex again. As she turned she saw a flash of light through the window, as if something was being reflected. She peered past Alex and strained her eyes, trying to get a better look.
Elliot noticed the change in her demeanor instantly and followed her gaze, turning his head to the right to look out the window. "What?" he asked.
Olivia shook her head, "I thought I saw something," she replied, bobbing her head in an effort to catch another glimpse.
Alex lifted her soda and sucked on the straw, she looked out the window, "What are you looking for?" she asked, replacing the cup and lifting the sandwich again.
Olivia studied her curious gaze and smiled, "Nothing, all that moaning you're doing...must be distracting me," she teased, beaming as she received a warning glare.
Elliot looked out the window again, searching the streets for anything out of place. Nothing.
Alex placed the sandwich in front of her and licked her lips, "Why have I never eaten this before?" she asked.
Olivia laughed, "They don't serve this in the ivory tower?" she asked with mock horror, clutching her chest.
Alex snorted, "I'll ignore that…I usually order in, don't get much time to go out for lunch," she replied.
Elliot nodded, "We'll need to change that, show you the delights of the city," he said, looking over at his partner.
Olivia smiled back at him, "Yeah, we'll definitely need to change that," she agreed.
He stood behind the parked van, glancing round every few minutes and looking directly into the deli window. When he followed the two women from the courthouse and watched them take their seats across the road, he knew fortune was smiling down on him.
Twice he thought they were about to kiss and twice they pulled back at the last second. All he needed was one picture, just one and he would make a lot of money. He checked his watch, almost 3pm. He sighed wearily, he'd been with them since they left the apartment just before 9am and his patience was beginning to wear thin. Two hours to get the money shot or the last three days had been for nothing.
He knew what he had to do, he needed to get closer.
They discussed the events of the morning and the upcoming trial in DC. Elliot and Alex talked animatedly about Dean Porter and his possible expectations for the upcoming legal proceedings, while Olivia sat studying her girlfriend.
She couldn't deny the feelings of happiness that were coursing through her, nor did she want to. She had taken pleasure in ordering Alex's sandwich, confident she had learned enough about her likes and dislikes over the past ten days, to choose wisely. The sounds Alex had made and the expression on her face with every bite she had taken, confirmed that. She smiled reflexively.
Elliot listened intently to Alex, enjoying their new dynamic, due to a certain distracted, dark haired detective next to her. He motioned with his head for Alex to look to her right and smiled when she glanced at Olivia.
"Is she sleeping with her eyes open?" he asked quietly.
Alex smiled, "No, I think she's daydreaming," she replied, taking in the glazed look in Olivia's eyes.
Elliot laughed softly, "You really have her whipped…she's got it bad," he said, watching his partner.
Alex blew lightly across Olivia's face, trying to distract her.
Suddenly, Olivia blinked and leapt from her seat, racing past the busy line and bolting out the door.
Elliot was behind his partner within seconds as Alex sat momentarily stunned. She followed the fleeing figures through the window, watching as Olivia weaved her way through the crowded, mid afternoon sidewalk. She grabbed her briefcase and made her way quickly, out of the busy deli.
The moment he made eye contact with the dark haired woman through the window he knew she was on to him. He threw his camera into the protective bag and started running. He looked over his shoulder and saw a dark figure racing along on the opposite side of the street and felt his heart beating wildly with panic.
He looked at the oncoming traffic, wondering if he should hail a cab. He was about to raise his hand when the sound of a male voice bellowed behind him. He glanced over his shoulder before ducking into an alley, clutching his camera bag to his chest.
Olivia weaved through the oncoming traffic, avoiding the glares and sounds of the angry drivers. She saw the short, balding man run down a side alley and pushed her legs on harder. She looked to her left, Elliot wasn't far behind and was tearing along the sidewalk.
"Stop! Police!" she yelled.
The man glanced behind him as he searched for a way out, he spotted the fire escape and pulled it down.
Olivia groaned as she watched the man leap up and grab the railing, before ascending the iron ladder. She reached the ladder and looked up, he was already on the second level. She jumped, instantly regretting it as she felt her side pull awkwardly. She prayed ten days of skin adhesive was holding together.
He looked down and saw the brunette pull herself up onto the first rung. He cursed under his breath and continued to climb.
Elliot entered the alley and looked up as he caught movement in his peripheral vision. He shook his head as he watched his fearless partner race up the stairwell and pulled out his cellphone, calling for back up.
The balding man stumbled over the top of the ladder, falling the short distance from the eave onto the gravelly surface of the roof and looked around. He spotted the building access stairwell behind a series of ventilation fans and headed towards it.
"Police!"
He spun on the gravel, facing the woman he had been stalking for three days and froze.
Olivia stood on the raised roof edge staring at him, "Put the bag down," she instructed, stepping down the foot high border onto the gravel and advanced on him slowly.
He glanced down at his bag and considered his options before looking up at her, "Don't take another step," he warned, indicating with his head to the bag.
Olivia looked at the black canvas bag, back in the deli she thought she had seen a camera lens, but maybe it was a sight scope. She blanched, realizing she had abandoned Alex. Her mind began to race, 'What if it's another hit?', she thought, watching the retreating figure carefully. She cursed herself for leaving Alex.
"I mean it...not another step," he shouted, taking another slow step backwards across the crunching gravel.
Olivia looked at his sweating face. He was a short man in his fifties and balding, with dark and graying wisps all that remained of a once, full head of hair she surmised. He was overweight and wearing a cheap dark suit, jacket pockets misshapen due to over filling. The pale blue shirt looked tight and the dark tie around his neck looked more like a garrote than part of his ensemble.
She took a step forward, "What are you doing?" she asked, indicating the bag.
He wiped his sweating brow with his sleeve, eyes darting around him, "I'm getting out of here," he replied.
"Where are you gonna go? My partner's probably called for back up by now…there's nowhere for you to run," she said calmly, taking another step closer.
As if on cue, sirens wailed from somewhere below.
His eyes widened as he heard the distinctive sound. He looked at the adjacent building and bit his bottom lip.
Olivia followed his gaze, "You don't wanna do that," she advised, shaking her head.
He looked at her, "You think you've got me all figured out…you don't know anything about me!" he shouted angrily.
Olivia was only twelve feet away from him and heard footsteps echoing on the railing behind her, "My partner's about to appear over that ridge," she said, indicating behind her with her thumb, "He's got a weapon and he won't hesitate to stop you," she informed him.
"Liv?" Elliot shouted from behind her.
Olivia kept her eyes locked on the man in front, "I'm okay, take the shot if you have it," she replied loudly, watching the panic flash across the man's face.
Without warning he lunged at her, swinging the bag at her head.
The gravel caused her to lose her footing as she dodged the blow. She grabbed on to his jacket as he passed, allowing her to remain upright. They stumbled backwards, tussling with each other as they slid across the loose surface, unaware of their proximity to the edge of the building.
Elliot appeared at the top of the ladder and watched in horror as the backs of Olivia's legs connected with the low border at the edge of the roof….
