Beautifully Broken

(Chapter Twenty Five: Making Time For Love)

Olivia sat at her desk typing up a report on her computer when she felt someone staring at her. She raised her eyes and scanned them over the room, landing on Elliot. He smiled realizing he had been caught staring and winked at her. Olivia smiled shyly and shifted her attention back to the document on her computer.

Moments later she heard him clear his throat and turned around to see Elliot standing behind her. He leaned in and whispered softly against her ear.

"Would you like to join me for some lunch?"

Olivia smiled at him.

"I could use a little lunch," she agreed nodding her head as she saved her file and turned off the computer.

Half an hour later they sat at a little café drinking coffee and waiting for their food.

"So I was thinking," Olivia began.

Elliot raised his eyes to look at her over his coffee cup.

"You were thinking what exactly?"

She smiled and reached for his hand.

"I was thinking that we have kind of been dating for a few months now."

"You breaking up with me?" he asked with a smile and a wink.

"No," Olivia laughed. "I wanted to take things slow. I think that was what was best for us. I mean, this has been a very odd situation for both of us and I didn't want to jump into anything with out us getting to know each other again."

"And that made perfect sense. Liv, I just want us back. And you are right, we needed to get to know each other again. We both changed a lot over those eleven years. We were just kids before."

"We grew up, El. We both did. We changed and we became very different people than we were before you left for Iraq."

"But we know each other now, Olivia. I know you, sweetheart and you are the only person in the world who has ever really known me. I love you."

"El, I love you, too. And what I was trying to say is that I was thinking maybe we could spend the weekend together."

"We spend every weekend together," Elliot said as the waitress sat their food onto the table.

Olivia thanked the waitress and watched her walk away.

"No Elliot, I mean spend the weekend together. As in together at my apartment."

Elliot looked up at her.

"Together, together?"

Olivia pressed her lips together and smiled at him.

"Yes. Together, together. I mean, if you want to."

"Of course I want to. I just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing here."

"We are if you are talking about spending the weekend with me at my apartment and partaking in some….hopefully amazing sex."

Elliot almost spit his drink across the table. He never thought she would be this forward with him.

"Well," he said wiping his mouth with his napkin trying to hide the shock. "The I guess we are talking about the same thing. I was kind of hoping that was what you were talking about."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I have been trying to think of a way to bring it up, but I wanted to make sure that we were both ready to take this step together in our relationship."

"You don't usually date a woman for four months without sex, do you?" she asked as she combed her fingers through her hair.

"I don't usually date. Period."

"You mean to tell me that there hasn't been at least one special girl in the last eleven years?"

"One," he said staring into her eyes. "One that I never really got over. That makes it hard to try to date someone new."

"I know what you mean."

Elliot smiled at her clever little admission as his cell phone began to ring.

"Stabler," he said placing the phone to his ear as she took a bite of her salad.

Olivia watched him for a moment as he scribbled down an address onto a napkin.

"Got it," he replied to the voice on the phone as he nodded his head in agreement. "No, I will meet you there. Fifteen minutes?" Elliot looked down at his watch. "How about twenty? Okay, I'll see you in a little bit."

He closed his phone and took a bite of his cheeseburger, then stood slipping his jacket back on.

"El?"

"I have to meet Munch. I think he just got us a witness and we go to court in four days." He took a drink from his full glass of tea then sat it down beside his coffee cup.

Elliot pulled out his wallet and laid his credit card onto the table.

"You enjoy your lunch. And whatever else you would like. I will just get the card back from you later," he said kissing her tenderly. "I'm sorry, baby. I love you."

"It's all part of the job, I guess. I definitely understand that. Am I still going to see you tonight?"

"Tonight?"

"We were supposed to have dinner together and work on a report? You said you would help me with it."

"I will. Umm… this is liable to run late. We have to interview this guy and hopefully get him prepped for court. What if we have dinner tomorrow night and I will help you then?"

"Elliot, tomorrow is Friday."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow night starts the weekend we are supposed to spend alone together at my apartment. And I would really rather not have to deal with any work during our weekend. This is a big thing for us."

"It is a big thing for us. And it is going to be wonderful, I promise. But I have to do this, Liv. You know how this job works."

"I know. And I can't count the number of times I have backed out on dinner with friends or a date with Rick because something came up at work. I understand it, Elliot. I guess I am just not used to being on the receiving end of it. You go and help make Casey an amazing case for work. I will get my report finished and this weekend will be opened to just you and I. No work what so ever! Deal?" she asked extending her hand for him to shake.

"Deal," he replied with a smile placing his hand in hers. "I will even turn off my cell phone. Just you and I for one incredibly romantic weekend. I love you, baby."

"I love you, too. You should get going."

"I know," he replied kissing her once more. "What do you have going on today?"

"I thought I would do a little shopping," she said with a grin picking up his credit card.

Elliot laughed.

"Well, you have fun. I will call you later."

"Alright."

Olivia sat alone at the table and watched him hale a cab.

After lunch Olivia returned to work to try and finish up her paperwork and the report. That night she laid alone in her empty apartment thinking about him.

The next morning as Olivia got ready for work, her doorbell rang. She walked to the front of the apartment and buzzed in the visitor assuming it was Fin. Moments later she opened the door to see Elliot with coffee and fresh scones from the bakery on the corner.

"What are you up to?" She asked with a smile as he walked into the apartment.

"I was in the neighborhood. I thought I would grab us a little breakfast and offer my girlfriend a ride to work."

"What is going on?"

"What are you talking about? I can just do a nice thing for you with no strings attached?"

"Spill it Stabler. I know you. And I know by the look in your eye and the fact that you showed up forty five minutes before I even leave for work that you are up to something. So what is going on, El?"

"Something is going on," he said handing her a cup of coffee. "I got a call this morning."

"About your case?"

"No. It isn't work related. Well, not this job anyway."

"Something to do with the Marines?"

"Yes."

Olivia could feel the fear begin to knot up in the pit of her stomach.

"Elliot, what is it?"

"Liv, I'm sorry sweetheart. I am not going to be able to spend the weekend here with you. I have to go down to San Diego and help run drills with a training class."

"Oh," she said trying not to sound disappointed. "I guess if you have to go…"

"If I had a choice, I would choose you. Hands down. I want you to know that."

"I do know that. It just seems like this is never going to happen for us."

"It will happen, honey. But I'm afraid it isn't going to happen this weekend." Elliot watched her turn from him and sit her coffee cup on the counter. He knew her well enough to know that she was hurt and trying not to let him see her cry. "Unless…"

"Unless, what?" she asked wiping her cheek with her hand and turning to look at him.

"What if you went with me?"

"Me? Go to San Diego?"

"Why not?"

"I have a job to do here for one."

"I know this is all last minute. But we could get a suite at a nice hotel. And you could order room service and watch pay per views. I will only actually be working for a few hours a day and we can spend the rest of the time together."

"How long are you going to be gone?"

"I leave tomorrow morning. I will train them the first three days of the week and they have their graduation next weekend. I remember my graduation."

"So do I," she said with a soft smile.

"We had a great time. We could do it again. Only this time I am not graduating. And I don't have to ship out afterward. When it is all over, I get to come home with you. And there is the dance and dinner. I can introduce you to some of my Marine buddies. Finally. They have all heard so much about you. It would be nice for them to meet you in person then they can all stop wondering if you are even real."

Olivia smiled.

"That don't think I'm real?"

"It is kind of a running joke. When I am with them I talk about you all of the time and they all tease me that a woman this perfect has to be a figment of my imagination."

"Well, I don't know about perfect, but I am definitely real."

"I think you're perfect."

"Maybe you are just saying that to get me to go to San Diego with you."

"No, I really think you are perfect. But I would still love for you to go to San Diego with me. Promise me you will at least consider it?"

"It all sounds spontaneous and romantic, but what about reality?"

Elliot stared at her unsure of what she meant.

"What if Cragen won't let me go?"

"You have a ton of personal and vacation time."

"Yes, but this is giving him no notice at all. I will just be gone all next week and not have anything prepped, I don't even know if this is a good time to take off on a romantic getaway."

"Do you have to be in court next week?"

"Once, on Thursday. But Fin can cover that."

"Liv, if you don't want to go I will understand. It is very last minute. And if you can't get the time off that sucks, but I will understand that, too. I just thought since I have to be there anyway and am only going to be working part of the time we could share a few romantic days together. But if not, we can pick a weekend and go away together some other time."

"No, I want to go. I'm just not sure if I can."

"Why don't you let me talk to Cragen?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I think I can make him understand why this is so important to us both."

"Okay. But we should get going. If I am late to work he will definitely say no."

"Good point," Elliot said kissing her gently and holding open the apartment door for her.