Disclaimer: they're not mine, I just play with them.
When Elliot entered Olivia's apartment that night, he was expecting her to be asleep in her room. However, as he looked in and was met by nothing other than an unmade bed, his brow furrowed in confusion. He turned around and headed back down the hall, stopping when he found her on the couch, legs curled up underneath her, one arm resting beneath her head and the other draped across her stomach, as if she was subconsciously protecting it.
Elliot smiled at the sight. He quietly moved forward until he was leaning against the back of the couch. He carefully leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across her cheek. Olivia stirred, but didn't wake. Silently, he moved around to sit on the end of the couch by Olivia's feet, careful not to jostle her. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV, lowering the volume and setting it to a sports channel. He settled down to watch, glancing over at the woman laying next to him every few minutes, nothing but love in his eyes.
Olivia woke slowly, the sports announcer from ESPN finding its way through the fog of sleep to draw her out of the comfortable abyss. Groaning softly, she lifted her head slightly, noticing the football game playing on the television. A larger part of her brain, however, was focused on the man sitting on the end of her couch, watching the game. She groaned again, closing her eyes, hoping that he hadn't noticed. Olivia had had a lot of time to think while she was alone in her apartment all day, and as much as she hated herself for it, she was having some doubts. Elliot had always been there for her, but she was Olivia Benson; she just didn't do stable. She didn't do trust. She wanted Elliot, badly, but she didn't have enough confidence in herself to make a relationship work, and she didn't want to lose her best friend just because, in a moment of weakness, she gave in to her desires.
Unfortunately, Elliot heard her. "Morning, sunshine," he said cheerfully, still looking at the television.
Olivia didn't answer. She didn't know what to say, or how to tell him what was on her mind. She opened her eyes again and focused on the television, deliberately avoiding looking over at her partner.
Elliot waited for a response. When he didn't get one, he turned to look at Olivia. She was staring at the TV, but it didn't look like she was really watching the game. There was a small frown on her face, and her eyebrow was scrunched up, which told him she was thinking way too hard about something to just be watching television. There was something on her mind, and judging from her expression, Elliot knew it had to be big. "Liv?" Still no answer. "Olivia?" She grunted, proving that she had heard him. Elliot reached out and rested a hand on her leg, noticing her flinch under his touch. He started to get worried. "Liv, what's wrong?"
Olivia felt his hand squeeze reassuringly. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't be close to him or her resolve would waver. She slowly got up, careful not to move too quickly. Without looking at Elliot, she turned and headed towards her bedroom.
Elliot was confused. What had he done wrong? "Liv?" he called after her again.
Olivia stopped and balled her hands into fists, swallowing hard. She couldn't deny him when he sounded like that; hurt, like a wounded puppy. She had to give him some excuse. "I'm fine, Elliot." She tried to keep her voice even, so that he wouldn't hear the fearful tremor.
But Elliot, being Elliot, knew her better than that. He walked quickly to join her, stopping her in her tracks as he turned her around to face him. "Olivia, look at me." It wasn't a question, it was a request. One Olivia could not grant. She focused on his chest, trying desperately to rein the tears in, keep them from falling. "Olivia?" Elliot gently grasped her chin and raised her head so that she couldn't avoid his gaze anymore. He gasped at the sight of the tears. "Liv, what's wrong?" he tried again.
Olivia shifted her gaze over. She couldn't do this if she had to look at his baby blue eyes. And he saw her way too clearly when he looked into her chocolate brown orbs. "I can't do this, Elliot," she replied softly.
Elliot felt his heart break. "What do you mean," he winced as his voice cracked.
Olivia pulled her chin out of his grasp. "What are we doing, El?" she asked, slightly harshly. "What about our jobs? What about our friendship?" Elliot just stared at her. Olivia was working her way up to a rant by now. "What happens if we try this and it doesn't work out? Our friendship would be ruined, our partnership would be ruined. I can't take that risk, Elliot." She stopped to breathe, still avoiding his gaze. She couldn't take the hurt she knew she would see in his eyes. "You are the most important thing in my life. I can't lose you." Her voice dropped to a whisper by the end. She folded her arms across her chest, and tried desperately to stop the tears from flowing.
Elliot stared at her. She didn't want to give this a shot simply because it might not work? He had to convince her to change her mind. "Olivia," he begged. "You can't just give this up because of what might happen." Internally he was cursing himself. He knew her fear of commitment, but he had hoped that the fact that it was him she was getting involved with would count for something. "If you're always looking for reasons not to be with somebody, then you're always going to find them." He saw the doubt in her eyes, but he didn't see her resolve wavering anytime soon. Trying one last time, he pleaded, "Please Liv. You need to have-"
Before he could finish that sentence, Olivia cut him off. "Have faith, I know Elliot," she said exasperatedly. "You're always saying that. Twelve years, I've heard you say that." She finally looked him in the eye. "But I'm not you, El," she glared. "You know what my life has been like, Elliot; I'm not religious, I don't believe in things like fate or faith or anything like that."
Her eyes were glinting now. Little gold flecks were invading the brown, and Elliot irrelevantly marveled at how beautiful they were, and wondered if he could make them glitter like that without being afraid that she would bite his head off.
Deciding he needed to stop her before she built up to a full rant and quite possibly hurt herself, or him, he raised his hands to cup her face, effectively shutting her up. "I know, Liv, I'm always telling you to have faith. But Olivia," he leaned down and continued, "Faith is believing when there's nothing left to believe in." He closed the distance between them, kissing her gently. Pulling back, he continued, "Believe in me." He leaned down for another kiss. "Believe in us." One more kiss, and then he took her hands in his and raised them up so that they were resting on his chest. "Because this," he made sure she could feel his heartbeat, "has always been yours, and will always be yours."
Olivia was stunned into silence. Part of her wanted to be mad at him for taking every little reason she had for not wanting to get into a relationship, and making them all disappear. But she knew he was right. It all came down to whether or not she could believe in him. Did she trust him? Olivia clamped down on that part of her brain right away. She trusted Elliot with her life. He was the one person she knew would never leave her. Could she believe in them? The two of them? Together? They made a kick-ass team, there was no doubting that. But that was all the job. What about in life? Olivia had to admit, she believed it was possible.
Elliot watched her think, worrying the entire time. He wasn't one for mushy speeches, god knows he had never said anything like that to Kathy, but he needed Olivia; it was a deep seeded craving that manifested on a level he had never reached with his ex-wife. He needed her to believe in him, and to give this a shot, because now that he had gotten a taste of what it could be like, he needed the whole thing. He was rewarded a few minutes later when he saw the evil smirk spread across his partner's face. Not entirely certain what it meant, but positive that any kind of smile was good, he tentatively grinned back.
Olivia stood on her tiptoes, yanking her hands out of his grasp and reaching up to clasp them behind his neck, and pulled him down to her level. Their lips crashed down on each other, in a heart wrenching, fireworks display, chorus singing in the background, kiss.
When they finally broke apart, Elliot rested his forehead against Olivia's, trying to catch his breath.
Olivia chuckled wryly. "Damn you," she whispered through her own ragged breathing. Elliot pulled back slightly, confused. Olivia saw the worry in his expression, and she reached up to run a hand down his cheek softly. "You take away every reason I have for leaving, and you make me realize I don't want to run any more. I was happy before you came along." She saw his eyes narrow, the smirk starting to stretch across her face. She amended, "OK, maybe not happy, but I was content." The smirk widened, and she glared at him playfully. "OK, so I was miserable, but at least I was blissfully ignorant of how unhappy I was! And then you came along, and made me realize just how empty my life was."
Elliot reached his hand up to grasp hers. He brought it to his lips and kissed it gently, whispering as he did so, "I live to serve."
Olivia smiled. Still entangled in each other, they made their way back to the couch. Elliot pulled Olivia down gently next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her, drawing her closer. Olivia closed her eyes contentedly. She could definitely get used to this.
But there was one more thing she needed to do. "El?" she whispered into his shirt.
Elliot began to stroke her arm, noticing the goose bumps that he raised with each pass. "Hmm?" he let her know he was listening.
Olivia swallowed. This shouldn't be that hard, and she was certain he would say yes, but she needed to let him know. "You know I've never really done this before." Her hand subconsciously grasped his shirt, as if to keep him next to her, to make sure he wouldn't leave. "I just don't do serious relationships, so do me a favor?"
Elliot pulled back to look at her directly. "What?" he asked. He wasn't nervous, she had already overcome the big hurtle, and was willing to give this a try. But he was a little apprehensive, hearing her speak now.
Olivia smirked again, locking eyes with her boyfriend. "If you ever see me about to run, or if you think I'm about to run, stop me."
Elliot laughed and leaned forward. "Deal," he replied, just before he took her lips in another heart wrenching kiss.
Fin came to a stop outside of apartment 5C and stopped. He took a deep breath to steady himself, and felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He turned around to face Melinda. She smiled. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked gently.
Fin swallowed and nodded firmly. "I know it's stupid," he replied. "Ken's grown up, it's not like I need his permission." He saw Melinda nodding along, smiling. "But he's my son, and I want him to meet you, officially."
Melinda leaned forward and kissed him quickly. "I can't wait," she said, smirking.
Fin turned back to face the door and took another deep breath before knocking. They heard some rustling around before the door opened to reveal Ken standing there, blocking the entrance.
"Dad?" Ken was surprised to see his father standing at his door. He was surprised to see a woman with his father, though he thought he recognized this woman from his father's work. "What are you doing here?'
Fin tried to smile, though he suspected it came out as more of a grimace. "Hey Ken, how are you doing?" It sounded phony, even to him.
Ken rolled his eyes. "Fine, dad," he replied exasperatedly, and repeated, "What are you doing here? I'm busy."
Fin glanced at Melinda, who nodded encouragingly. He turned back to his son. "Do you mind if we come in?" he asked. "I'd like to talk to you."
Ken looked behind him, a worried expression on his face. Finally he turned back to his unexpected guests. "Fine," he sighed, backing up to let them in.
Fin and Melinda followed Ken to the living room, where they were met by a tall Caucasian man in his late twenties.
"Hey, Ken, what's going on?" the man asked, getting up from his previous position on the couch.
"It's nothing Paul," Ken replied, gesturing for the man to sit back down. He turned back to Fin and made the introductions. "Dad, this is Paul, Paul, my father, Fin." He turned to Melinda, and apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, I don't quite remember-"
Melinda cut him off, holding out her hand to shake. "Melinda Warner," she said, smiling. "I don't think we've ever been properly introduced."
Ken took the offered hand, returning the smile. "Yeah," he replied, remembering now where he knew her. "You're the medical examiner, right?"
Melinda nodded, and moved forward to shake Paul's hand after Fin. The two of them then watched Ken take a seat next to his friend, while they stood awkwardly in front of them.
Ken nodded towards the chairs. "You can sit down," he offered.
Fin and Melinda found seats, and the four sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, before Fin broke it. "So, you and Paul…" he started, before trailing off.
Ken knew where he was going, and he nodded. "Paul is my boyfriend," he informed his father.
Fin looked even more uncomfortable, but he knew he had screwed up enough where his son was concerned, and he needed to be happy for him. For them. "Congratulations," he said.
The two young men nodded their thanks.
"So, dad, what are you doing here?" Ken asked for the third time.
Fin looked momentarily panicked, before he looked over at Melinda and his expression evened out. She was right. He needed to tell his son how much he meant, and how proud of him he was. Fin looked back at the couch. This was going to be a very awkward conversation in front of people, but that didn't matter if it meant that he could lay another brick in mending the bridge. "Ken, I know I haven't been there for you like a father should, and I know that all of that is on me," he started, smiling wryly as he saw the 'no duh' expression on his son's face. "But no matter what you think, I love you and I want you to be happy." He saw the expression change to surprise and shock. "I came here today, because your opinion and your feelings matter to me." He reached out and took Melinda's hand, grasping tightly. "I wanted to formally introduce you to my girlfriend, Melinda."
Ken was still staring. He had barely heard past 'I love you and I want you to be happy' to hear the rest of it. But as he saw them holding hands, he got it. He couldn't believe his father was sitting in his living room, saying all of the things he had longed for as a child. True, they had had a better relationship ever since they had reconnected a few years ago, but it wasn't the typical father-son relationship. It wasn't one filled with love or compassion. Neither one of them was the sappy 'I love you' kind of person, but what Ken had refused to admit to anyone was that, in all of the years since they had reconnected, he just longed for his father to tell him that he was proud. To tell him he loved him. And here, in this living room, he was hearing the words, finally.
Ken realized that everyone was staring at him, waiting. He shook his head to clear it. "Congratulations dad, Melinda," he said, getting up to close the distance before he realized that he didn't know what was appropriate here. A hug? A handshake? Fin stood up too, offering his hand to his son, who took it gladly. Melinda stood up, unsure. She hovered in the background for a moment, before Ken transferred his attention over to her. As Fin watched, Ken lightly encircled Melinda in a friendly hug, which she returned wholeheartedly. Fin smiled, watching them.
As they all settled down, Ken returned to his position next to Paul, and Fin and Melinda to their seats, Ken asked, "So how long have you two been seeing each other?"
The detective and ME looked at each other. "A couple of weeks," Melinda replied.
Fin tore his gaze from his girlfriend and looked at his son. "And you and Paul?" he asked curiously.
Ken stiffened momentarily, until he realized that his father was genuinely curious. He wanted to know, and he wasn't disgusted or outraged or upset. He and Paul clasped hands, smiling at each other.
"Almost a year," Paul replied giddily.
Fin and Melinda looked at each other and smiled. They clearly were in love. Fin cleared his throat, and the happy couple turned their attention back to him. "Mel and I were going to get dinner, and we were wondering if you would like to join us."
Ken and Paul glanced at each other. Paul nodded, and Ken turned back to his father. "Sure, dad," he answered. He wasn't sure what was happening, but he liked it. His father was really trying. He had to, too. "We'll just go get our coats."
As Fin nodded, Ken and Paul left the room, and Melinda turned to look at him. "That went really well," she smiled impishly.
Fin agreed, "Yeah. I think we're going to be OK."
They stood up and clasped hands, moving to wait by the door. When the two men returned, the four of them walked out of the apartment together.
Next-how does dinner go? Are Elliot and Olivia finally (I would italicize that, but it already is, haha) on the right track? What happened with Casey's meeting? Does she get reinstated?
So this chapter had some nice little fluff. What'd you guys think? Please, please, PLEASE review! =]