A/N: Enjoy :)
Elliot was already at his desk when Olivia arrived. She kept her head bent over her larger than usual coffee she had picked up on the way. Olivia had briefly considered wearing sunglasses to conceal the dark circles beneath her eyes, but there wasn't enough sunlight to make it seem inconspicuous.
She had barely gotten any rest last night. No matter how hard she tried, her thoughts and fears had kept her awake. Although, judging by his drained expression and the equally large cup of coffee sitting in front of him, Elliot hadn't had a good night's sleep either.
Not long after she started working, Cragen disturbed the silence.
"Heads up everyone, got an attempted rape in Chelsea."
At his words everyone looked up, with the same question on their lips. Before anyone could ask, Cragen, seeming to read their minds, elaborated,
"Different m.o. it's not our guy." The squad marginally relaxed at the news, relieved that although Milner was temporarily free, no one else had fallen victim to him.
"Olivia, Elliot. I want you two to-" Cragen broke off mid sentence as he surveyed the worn out detectives before him. Despite being sent home early, neither of them looked like they had slept a wink. Cragen changed direction.
"I want you to canvass the area. It was broad daylight, someone had to have heard or seen something. Munch, Fin, go to Bellevue and interview the victim.
At Cragen's command, the squad divided. Elliot and Olivia filed into the squad car and silence engulfed them the moment the doors slammed shut. Elliot hated how strained things had become between them. It was easy to say they were okay, but it was obvious that everything had changed. Almost overnight they had become like strangers, struggling to figure each other out all over again. Elliot cleared his throat, determined to break the silence.
"So, did you 'uh' sleep well?" It was a pathetic attempt at conversation and they both knew it. Still, Olivia latched onto as though he had asked the most interesting question.
"Oh, I 'uh' slept alright. I had, you know, dreams about…stuff." Olivia finished lamely and suppressed the urge to cringe. That was more than just a little uncomfortable. It was almost as awkward as a middle schooler's attempt at flirting. Talking to Elliot had never been this difficult before. Olivia tried again, racking her mind for anything before blurting out the first thing that came to her.
"I signed up for a class at the Y. It starts next week."
"Oh really, what kind of class," Elliot inquired, his voice tinged with curiosity.
"Acookingclass," Olivia mumbled, suddenly fascinated by something outside the window.
"What was that Liv?"
"I said a cooking class," Olivia repeated a bit louder. Elliot's eyes widened in surprise and a shit-eating grin spread across his face.
"The notorious Olivia Benson learning how to cook. Is the world ending?"
"Ha ha, very funny Elliot," Olivia dryly intoned, "I just thought I should take up a hobby."
With a grin still on his face, Elliot continued, "Finally ruin one skillet too many?"
Olivia thought back to her most recent attempt at preparing a meal before quietly murmuring. "It was the one with the red handle, I really liked that one."
A couple hours later, Olivia and Elliot had just about exhausted their door to door canvass of the area. Despite talking to several potential witnesses, their search had turned up nothing. They were both leery of returning to the precinct empty handed, but they had little choice. Elliot started to trudge back to the crown vic but Olivia stopped him.
"Elliot hold on, let's stop in there before we head back." She gestured at a small weather-beaten sign that said Gil's café. The café was the type of unassuming place that was easily overlooked by passersby. The building itself was dwarfed by two larger buildings towering on either side of it. However, in the window in brown lettering, another sign was posted. World's best cup of coffee…taste and see for yourself.
"C'mon El, we could both use a pick-me-up." Years of consuming the mocha liquid as though it was essential as water caused them to build up a rather high tolerance. The coffee they drank earlier had lasted long enough to get them through the canvass, but now the buzz was fading fast.
"Best cup of coffee, Olivia?" Elliot deadpanned, raising an eyebrow at his partner. "It's clearly a tourist trap."
"Who cares Elliot, coffee is coffee… And besides, it can't possibly be any worse that Munch's." Olivia added as an afterthought.
Elliot couldn't argue with that; the memories of the last time he had ingested Munch's concoction that he claimed to be coffee were still fresh in his mind.
Inside the shop, a man wearing an apron was currently engaged in a conversation with a patron who was leaning on the counter. The men had a familiar ease between them. The jangle of the little bell positioned above the entrance signaled Elliot and Olivia's entrance and disrupted the conversation. The men glanced up at the newly arrived customers, and the larger of the two slid off of the barstool.
"I'll let you get back to work Ben. I should probably be going anyway, those apartments aren't gonna rent themselves." He chortled, apparently pleased with his joke.
The leaner man, Ben, grinned in reply although he gave off the impression of having heard the phrase several times before.
"Yeah, I'll see you around. We'll talk more later."
The man's silver ring glinted as he repositioned his flat cap. He picked up his coffee and brushed past the detectives to the door, giving Olivia a once over on his way out.
Olivia placed her hand on Elliot's arm, sensing his protectiveness begin to flare up. It was just a glance, and the man was already halfway down the block. She didn't need Elliot chasing down every man who ever dared to look at her. With her hand still on his arm, Olivia steered Elliot towards the counter.
By this point, Ben had finished trying the strings of his apron and was waiting expectantly for their order. Moments later, Ben placed two steaming hot plain coffees in front of them. Olivia immediately busied herself with removing the lid and adding a nauseating amount of cream and sugar to hers.
Elliot couldn't understand why Olivia didn't just order a flavored latte and save herself the trouble of sweetening it. Every time he brought it up, she scowl and start lecturing him on how unhealthy those drinks were. Elliot concealed a smirk as he watched as Olivia add yet another packet of sugar to her cup. Instead he focused his attention on Ben, who would was currently wiping down the counter.
"Ben, it is? Were you working this morning?" Elliot inquired, casually sipping his coffee.
"None of your business. What are you, a cop or something?" Ben retorted, his pleasant customer service giving way to a surly demeanor.
Raising an eyebrow, Elliot pushed back his jacket just enough for the barista to see the badge that was mounted on his belt. "Actually yes, we both are."
Olivia, who by now had deduced that her coffee was sweetened to her liking, came over alongside Elliot. Pulling out her badge she announced herself. "Detective Olivia Benson. I believe my partner asked you a question?"
Ben dropped the rag and his eyes widened a little in surprise. "Uh, y-yeah. I was here since this morning. Why? Did something happen?"
"A woman was assaulted not far from here earlier today. We're looking for anyone who may have seen or heard something." Elliot took over.
"I didn't notice anything; I was working in the back. But Staci was here working the register. Maybe she knows something."
Olivia-who had been jotting down Ben's statement-looked up. "You have a last name for Staci?"
"Uh, Mattox I think. We just work together, we're not really close"
"Thank you for your help Ben." Olivia pulled a card out of her pocket and placed it on the counter. "If you happen to think of anything, give us a call.
The bell jangled again as Elliot pushed the door open for Olivia. The duo exited leaving Ben standing behind the counter with a stunned expression on his face. The sun was just beginning to set when the crown vic pulled back into the precinct parking lot.
