25. Longing

Monday, July 2, 2018

"Mom. Peter."

Olivia groaned and opened her eyes at the sound of her son's voice, but closed them quickly when she was hit with too much daylight at once.

"Mom! Peter! Look. I got dressed all by myself!"

Olivia was hearing the words but as soon as she managed to take in her surroundings, she knew she wouldn't be able to get up. One of Peter's legs was keeping one of hers locked in place while his arms were wrapped around her. His left arm wrapped around her waist while her head was resting on his right arm, that was around her shoulders.

But Noah was here, trying to get them both to wake up and Peter still didn't stir.

"Peter!" she whispered while pushing gently against his chest.

She couldn't believe how long she'd slept after her nightmare and she wondered if they had overslept, since Noah was already up and had apparently gotten dressed without her help.

Peter finally moved, releasing her waist, and Olivia pulled her leg from between his so she could turn on her back gingerly before attempting to sit up.

"Wow Noah," she mumbled even before she could look at her son. "That's great that you got dressed all on your own. Let me look at you."

Noah grinned proudly and turned around twice to show off that he'd put on his t-shirt and shorts himself, and he even had his socks on already.

"Did you put on clean underwear too?" she asked him, and Noah suddenly looked way older than he was when he sighed,

"Of course mom."

"Of course you did. Why did I even ask, right? C'mere," Olivia said with a smile.

Noah hopped onto the bed and they hugged each other. She kissed the top of Noah's head, still wondering what time it was.

Peter had finally woken up as well and was blinking against the bright daylight. He rubbed his face with both hands and tried to make sense of what he was hearing. He pushed himself up on his elbows and then he remembered. He'd stayed with Olivia all night. He must have slept like a log and he was a little surprised to see Noah sitting on the bed with them. Wasn't this a little awkward? What would the boy think?

But Noah didn't seem to think anything of it and was talking his mother's ear off cheerfully. When he noticed that Peter was awake, he simply included Peter, and continued talking happily about how much he was looking forward to telling his class about their day at the waterpark yesterday.

"I'm gonna tell them how you throwed me high in the air and the big splashes I made, and about all the waterslides. But I'm really hungry and I think Lucy will be here soon," he then added on the same breath.

"What time is it?" Peter asked, his voice still groggy with sleep.

"The big hand and the little hand were both on the six. Well, the little hand was just past the six," Noah explained without missing a beat.

Both adults exhaled, relief washing over them. It was only around six thirty. They hadn't overslept, Noah was just up extremely early. He hadn't said much the night before when they got home, because he was so tired, but he was making up for that now, big time. Olivia glanced at Peter and gave him a small smile. He winked at her and then suggested to Noah that they go into the kitchen to make them all some breakfast.

"Okay," Noah said cheerfully, and he hopped off the bed to join Peter. They left the bedroom together as if they had done so a million times before.

Olivia shook her head and smiled. Her son was a whirlwind sometimes but he hadn't even asked why Peter was here, in her bed of all places. Maybe the kids had the right idea after all. No need to complicate matters when they were having such a good time together. She got up and ducked into the bathroom to take a quick shower and then get ready for work. By the time she came out of the bedroom, there was a delicious smell of breakfast coming from the kitchen and Noah was beaming with pride when he told his mother to sit, and that he would serve her.

"Wow," Olivia breathed, grinning at Peter. "You train kids for housework too?"

"We just aim to please our number one girl. Right Noah?"

"Yeah. Just sit, mom."

She ended up eating a lot more than usual for breakfast and Noah ate well too. There was something to be said for getting up early and really take the time to sit down together. And she had to admit that there was definitely also something to be said for Peter being there. She actually might get used to this.

Peter had to leave right after breakfast to change for work at his place. Olivia walked him to the door, where he whispered in her ear,

"Noah has one sock on inside out but I didn't say anything and left it like that. We just put his shoes on."

"Thanks," she whispered back, and it moved her how considerate Peter was with Noah.

When he leaned in, Olivia felt butterflies flutter in her stomach and his soft kiss made her long for more. They had hardly even talked but she knew they were good. Peter whispered against her lips,

"I'll call you later today," and she nodded.

He winked at her again and she felt herself grinning like a fool when she closed the door. They definitely were good.

...

Peter tried to focus on his work but he was regularly distracted, thinking of the unusual way his day had started. He didn't just think of how he'd woken up, in Olivia's bed and with Noah present, but especially of how right it had felt to start his day with the two of them. He knew Olivia must have felt it too. She'd slept so soundly in his arms after her nightmare, that had to mean something. And Noah hadn't even asked why he was there, as if it was the most normal thing in the world that he'd stay over by now.

Peter had to tell himself a few times that it was too early to call her since they both had a busy schedule, but around noon he just had to hear her voice. He hoped she'd be free for lunch, although he prepared himself for a refusal because he knew how hectic things could get at SVU.

Olivia answered her phone on the third ring and answered with a formal, short "Benson."

"Hey. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No … no, it's fine. We're just wrapping up a briefing on the Jones case for the chief."

"Aha."

He knew by now how much she hated reporting back to her boss, especially when they were having trouble cracking a case that was making headlines. From her formal tone he gathered that Dodds was still there with her, probably following her into her office to talk to her privately. Their latest case was drawing media attention after the parents of the girl who had been attacked had gone on a talk show last Saturday night, along with Reverend Curtis Scott. They were worried that their daughter's was case not being taken seriously because she was black and her attacker had been white. Peter couldn't really blame them for being concerned because unfortunately, this kind of discrimination did happen. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt though, that Olivia and her team were doing everything in their power to find Angela's attacker. Olivia would nail him to the wall personally for what he'd done to the vulnerable young woman. Angela had gone along with some friends to try out a new drug. The girl had wanted to be accepted by the popular kids and some pervert had taken advantage of her while she'd still been high and had just been trying to get home. He'd hit the back of her head very hard after raping her from behind, and Angela had been put in a medically induced coma a few hours after being admitted to the hospital. All they'd had to go on for a while had been the few details the young woman had disclosed to the doctor before she lost consciousness.

"So I'm guessing you don't have time for lunch," Peter said.

"No, I'm sorry," Olivia breathed, and he heard genuine disappointment in her voice.

He heard a door close and guessed she and Dodds were now in her office and he had to let her go to do her job.

"Call me when you're done with Dodds?" Peter asked, and he swore he could hear a small smile in her voice when she simply replied,

"Okay."

…

Thursday, July 12, 2018

For over a week, phone calls were all they had and Peter couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. He had hoped to start building their relationship now that Olivia had opened up to him about her past so much, but she barely had time for him, not even during the weekend that followed. At night, she was too tired to talk for long and after almost two weeks, on Thursday afternoon, Peter decided to just drop by her office and see if he could steal her away for a little while before she'd have to relieve her sitter.

Olivia had been working around the clock trying to sort out all of Angela's classmates, friends, neighbors and family, and all of their friends - both in real life and online; who had been at the party; who had known about the party drugs; who had supplied the drugs; and even who had been in the vicinity of the party and Angela's house that night. Amanda Rollins was online almost all day long looking for leads on social media while Fin and Carisi were knocking on doors daily. They had other cases they were working on, but Angela's case was basically part of their daily routine now.

By now, Olivia suspected just about every white kid on the case board and had her team double-check every alibi. The rapist had used a condom but CSU had managed to salvage a blonde hair from Angela's clothes. There was no way to tell if it belonged to her attacker but that didn't stop Olivia from trying to scare a few of their suspects into a confession. Angela had been assaulted from behind and had only seen her attacker's hands and shoes, but a DNA match with the hair would definitely help.

Peter had been in and out a few times asking about their progress, but as long as they couldn't find anything that stuck, he really couldn't build a case. Olivia found herself missing him and that was new. She was busy during the day and tired at night, but every now and then she found herself simply wishing he was there, next to her. He wouldn't have anything to add to their case board, but just to look into his eyes and find encouragement there, would be so comforting.

They talked on the phone of course, but it wasn't the same. She found herself not only missing Peter, but actually longing for him. And then, suddenly, he was there.

"Liv," Peter said quietly, walking into her office without knocking, since she had left the door open.

"Hey," she said, taking off her glasses and standing up. "Close the door?"

Peter complied with a dimpled smile and she couldn't help smiling back at him despite her fatigue and the fact that they still hadn't caught Angela's rapist. She rounded her desk and walked towards the window of the office to close the blinds, and Peter closed the ones on the door. They both didn't speak but when Olivia walked up to Peter, he put his suitcase down and let her walk right into his embrace.

Olivia exhaled heavily and closed her eyes when her cheek hit Peter's solid shoulder. Peter buried his nose in her hair and they just held each other for a long minute, swaying softly to imaginary music.

"I miss you," Peter whispered, the first one to put it into words.

"I miss you too," Olivia replied.

She looked up at Peter and sighed.

"This case … it's draining all of us."

"I know. I understand that you can't let it go."

"It's not just because of the media and Reverend Scott …" Olivia started, but Peter put a finger over her lips gently, silencing her.

"Liv. I know. You fight equally for every single victim. Always have, always will. I know."

She let him take her in his arms again and tried to relax. Peter knew her. He knew that they were doing everything humanly possible to find Angela's rapist, to get justice for the young woman who was still not out of her coma.

"Have you been to see her?" Peter asked, rubbing her back gently.

"Yes. Yesterday. No change yet. They say the swelling in her brain has gone down but she hasn't woken up yet. She should have woken up by now. It's heartbreaking to see her parents, you know … so powerless ..."

Her own heart was hurting for these people who were going through hell, knowing what had been done to their child and on top of that, not even knowing if she would eventually survive. Angela had a younger brother and Olivia could see the parents trying to be strong for him, and she admired them so much. If it was Noah in that hospital bed, she didn't know if she'd be able to hold it together. It was extra difficult for her that she wasn't even able to support the parents personally. Reverend Scott was always there, speaking with the press and the police on their behalf. The only contact she'd had so far was eye contact with the mother. She could only hope that Mrs. Jones had been able to see her genuine concern.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Peter asked her softly, almost whispering in her hair.

She smiled against his shoulder and told him,

"You're already doing it."

Peter moved her hair to the side with his hand and placed a soft kiss on the skin of her neck, making Olivia shiver a little.

"Is there anything else I can do?" he asked slowly, and the tone of his voice was suddenly different; almost seductive.

Olivia felt a pang of … something in her belly and she couldn't believe that she was able to feel this way in the middle of this horrible case. Peter kissed her neck again and then moved his lips to her cheek. She turned her head automatically and captured his lips with her own without thinking any further. She had longed for him all day and now that he was here, she was giving in to her own selfish needs for just a moment.

Peter kissed her back eagerly, making her feel just how much he'd missed her too, and their hands were roaming their bodies over their thin summer clothes. They had been apart for too long, only stealing a glance every once in a while during a briefing and talking on the phone. Peter knew Olivia's ribs were healing nicely and she was in considerably less pain than two weeks ago. And the way she was kissing him now was doing things to his body that he could only hope she was ready for by now. No matter the developments in the case today, or the lack thereof, he wanted to be with her tonight.

Olivia felt her body respond strongly to Peter's and was having thoughts along the same lines. She could hardly believe that him calming her down after a nightmare had been the last time they'd spent any meaningful time together. The only upside of being apart had been, that there had been no conflicting feelings about what she wanted and what her body would allow. It had given her time to heal and her body was sending her signals that were crystal clear. It needed some quality time with Peter Stone and fast. Their intimate kiss had taken on a life of its own and neither of them wanted it to end.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door, which opened right after, and they didn't have time to let go of each other before Fin saw them.

"Liv, we got … Ow … excuse me," Fin said, barely hiding his amusement.

Peter took a small step back to give Olivia some space, but Olivia surprised him when she grabbed his hand behind his back and didn't let go.

"Alright, I guess it's a good thing you're here, Stone," Fin said, quickly getting back to business without missing a beat. "We just got word from the hospital. Angela's awake."

Olivia gasped and then started firing off questions at her Sergeant.

"Is she … is she lucid? Can she talk? Does she remember anything?"

"Only one way to find out."

"I'm coming with you," Peter said quickly and Olivia nodded. If Angela did remember something, it made sense that the ADA was present so he'd know right away if she remembered enough for him to be able to charge someone.

"Why don't I drive," Fin suggested. "So far, they've only talked to me."

Olivia quickly grabbed her iPad, hoping she would have the opportunity to show Angela the digital lineup that Amanda had compiled of the remaining suspects in case she'd wake up, and then they were off. Fin didn't comment at all on how he had found her and Peter in her office, but when she slid into the passenger seat next to him, he just smirked at her. Olivia bit her lip but grinned back at him. Fin always had her back and she knew this wouldn't be any different. Now that both he and Amanda knew about their budding relationship, it didn't make sense hiding it any longer anyway.

Peter had been sitting quietly in the backseat and had seen Olivia and Fin exchange a look. He was glad that Olivia wasn't too jittery about being caught by her Sergeant, and that Fin seemed to be accepting of their involvement. When they all exited the car in the hospital parking lot, Fin turned around suddenly and tapped his arm, muttering,

"You better be good to her or I'll find you, Stone. Got it?"

"Got it," Peter replied instantly. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Alright."

Fin seemed to be pleased with his response and they all headed into the hospital.

…

Angela had been a little groggy but lucid enough to answer a few questions. Her parents hadn't been too thrilled to let the Lieutenant and the ADA near their daughter, but Fin had assured them they were only here to help. When Olivia had asked Angela cautiously if she'd look at a few pictures, she had told them she'd only seen the man's hands.

"That's exactly what we want you to look at," Olivia had told her reassuringly.

Amanda had made sure they had pictures of all their suspects' hands and she'd done an amazing job. Angela's parents had become more appreciative of their efforts when they'd seen the pictures. And then Angela had visibly frozen when she'd seen one particular set of hands.

"That's him. That's him," she'd stammered, and the team knew enough.

Olivia had quickly handed the iPad to Fin, and Angela had allowed the Lieutenant to comfort her, rubbing her back gently while telling her that she had done very well and that they were going to arrest her attacker right away.

"I'll never forget those fingernails. And … and … that thumb," Angela had sobbed and Peter had assured the Jones family that this was enough for him to make his case. They had all been witnesses to Angela's highly credible identification of her attacker's hands, even Reverend Scott.

Fin had left, evidence in hand, to make sure all the paperwork was in order and the suspect was arrested promptly, so Peter could start working out their case first thing in the morning. Fin had promised Olivia he'd inform Dodds as well, so she wouldn't have to go back to the office.

And now, half an hour later, Peter and Olivia were standing outside in the warm evening air, without transportation.

"Where do you wanna go?" Peter asked Olivia.

She turned to face him and the look in his eyes told her he didn't want to be apart from her yet again. And she didn't want that either.

"I should get home so Lucy can leave," she told Peter. "Come with me?"

Peter smiled a relieved smile and nodded.

"Love to."

…

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