This chapter is partly linked to "Deadly Ambition", season 14 episode 15, because of the date, February 14.

26.

It was early February and Olivia had her suspicions. Elliot was up to something. She tried not to think about it but she was also pondering about what to get him for Valentine's Day. They weren't about big gestures but she wanted to surprise him. To let him know how much he meant to her. She had even asked Alex to help her find the perfect little gift but Alex's imagination didn't go any further than lingerie. That was not what she had in mind.

Her co-workers were still unaware of who her mystery man was. She wanted some male input and decided to ask Nick. Fin and Munch would get way too suspicious and might even guess who she was seeing. Nick asked her if she was sure she wanted a devout Catholic to give her advice about a Valentine's Day present for her man but she insisted she did.

'He's not entirely unlike you, you know,' she added, leaning next to Nick against his desk.

Nick was very surprised.

'Liv, don't tell me that a guy like me would actually be your type!'

She laughed out loud and Nick smiled. She had been laughing a lot more lately. It seemed as if she had shed all of the melancholy that he had seen in her when he started out as her partner. It had been replaced by actual, real happiness. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of man could do that for Olivia. He was very happy for her. And now she told him the guy was like him?

'You know, you aren't half bad Nick. If you weren't married ...,' she said and looked at him with a sly smile. 'I'm just kidding Nick. But really, what would you like to get from your wife for Valentine's Day?'

'I'd like her to be home,' he answered without thinking.

Olivia put a hand on his shoulder.

'I'm sorry Nick.'

He shook his head. 'No Liv, I'm sorry. That wasn't an answer to your question at all.'

Fin and Rollins came in and they automatically lowered their voices. Fin glanced at them but said nothing. Amanda raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything either. Olivia realized that it might actually look like she and Nick were having an intimate discussion. Her hand was still resting on Nick's shoulder. She grinned and Nick understood. His back was turned to their co-workers so they could not see his face. He put his hand on her knee and winked at her. Fin and Rollins turned around quickly and Olivia nodded slightly, letting Nick know it had worked. Then she leaned over to him and he whispered something in her ear. She started smiling widely. He had just given her the perfect idea for a gift for Elliot. She hopped off the desk and sat down at her own desk again. This was going to work. And the smoke screen she and Nick had just thrown up was perfect too.

The day before Valentine's Day, Elliot let her know he would not be staying at her place. He needed to make some 'arrangements'. She already knew they were going out to dinner the next day so she wondered what kind of arrangements still needed to be made. He would not tell her and she accepted that they would be sleeping in their own apartments that night. They wouldn't meet until he would pick her up for their Valentine's Day dinner the next day.

Olivia had been very busy at work, working with ADA Barba to try and get Amanda out of a tricky situation with her sister. It looked like her sister had set Amanda up to shoot her boyfriend and the insurance policy with both sisters' names on it was enough for IAB to start putting Amanda through the ringer. She was arrested on the 13th and would be arraigned the next day. There was nothing they could do for Amanda until then so Olivia decided to go to bed early. Something told her she would need all the sleep she could get before the next day - either for Amanda or Elliot, or both.

Elliot was excited. He had the whole thing planned out. He had permission to come in to work a little later so he could work out the last details. After that, he would have to trust his accomplices of the day, the delivery men and his former Captain. He was enjoying discovering his own romantic streak and also how much Olivia secretly enjoyed all the attention. He could tell she was feeling much more like a woman these days, and not just like a cop. He knew he was taking a risk - again - but he wanted to show her how much he truly loved her. He didn't want to hide it from the world anymore.

...

Olivia was a little surprised that Captain Cragen sent Nick out with Fin that Thursday morning. He wanted her to dig through a pile of files in stead of going out with her partner. She wasn't even sure what she was looking for. Discrepancies, Cragen had told her in his don't-argue-with-me voice.

Around ten, some flowers were delivered to the station for several female officers. Olivia smiled. That was sweet of their significant others. A while later, more flowers were brought in, and one delivery man walked straight over to her desk. Munch looked up while the delivery man handed her a bouquet of beautiful long-stemmed roses. Six red roses and a white one. Olivia's heart leapt up. From Elliot? She quickly read the small card, a very familiar format.

'I love you.'

She sat down speechless on her desk. That man and his roses. The roses had paved his way back into her heart twice already and he was doing it again. Munch couldn't resist peeking at the little card she was clutching. He smiled and patted her on the back clumsily.

'Now that's nice,' he mumbled.

Olivia could only nod and smile, swallowing a small lump in her throat. Captain Cragen looked at his detectives from inside his office and sighed contently.

...

'Anyone up for some lunch?' Olivia asked around noon, her nose still in her paperwork. She looked around and noticed that Fin and Munch weren't there and Nick was getting some coffee. She was getting a little bored and could really use a change of scenery. Just when she was getting up from her desk, another delivery man came in.

'Delivery for detective Benson?' he said with a loud voice.

'Here,' she replied, holding up a hand.

The man placed a box on her desk.

'I didn't order anything,' she said a little surprised.

'All taken care of ma'am,' the delivery man assured her.

She opened the box carefully and found several smaller boxes in it, containing her all time favourite Thai food, exactly how she liked it. She put a hand over her mouth and had to blink away a few tears. First the beautiful roses, that were now in a vase on her desk. And now her favourite food. She whipped out her phone, she just had to call him. Cragen had walked over and Nick had also moved closer to see what had been delivered and they both smiled. Olivia took a few steps away from them while she called Elliot.

'El, what have you done?' she asked him softly.

'Just making sure you keep your strength up Liv,' he said. She knew he was smiling without seeing him.

'And the roses are beautiful too. Everyone wants to know who sent them.'

'Why don't you tell them then?' he asked. 'Or are you embarrassed?'

'No! No, of course not. Maybe I should tell them ... if you are ready for that?'

'Let me think about it, okay?' he said, and Olivia was slightly disappointed. He wasn't embarrassed, was he? Before she could ask him about it, he urged her to eat her lunch while it was still hot. She thanked him again and whispered 'I love you' before ending the call. She looked around and saw Nick and Cragen moving away quickly but she caught their smiles. Yes, she was in love. That was no secret. She took her lunch to the break room and remembered sitting there, eating the exact same menu with Elliot so many times. She smiled. She was eating alone now but she was much happier.

Around 2 pm, she almost begged Cragen to let her go out with Nick for a short visit to the hospital to meet with one of their young victims of domestic violence.

'I just want to see how she is doing after her operation. We won't be long. I really need to get out of here for a bit, Captain.'

Cragen sighed. He was surprised he had been able to keep Olivia inside for this long. He knew that her last Valentine's surprise wouldn't get there before 5 pm so he agreed to let her go out for a while.

'You will need to be back here before Amanda's arraignment though. I'm going there with Fin, so I will need you and Nick to be here when we leave.'

Olivia nodded and thanked him, then walked away quickly with Nick, before the Captain could change his mind.

...

They were back at the 1-6 by 4.45 pm and Fin and Cragen left right away to support Amanda in the courtroom. Nick and Olivia could only hope that she would at least be let out on bail. Olivia wasn't sure if she would enjoy going out to dinner if Amanda was in prison. Nick was restless as well and sometimes Olivia got the impression that there was something going on between him and Amanda. She didn't ask him about it though. He was still married, although there seemed to be a lot of pressure on the marriage all the time. Talk about a déjà vu ... She smiled and caught Nick looking at her again. She raised an eyebrow and he grinned back at her.

'Something on your mind, Nick?'

He replied honestly.

'I'm just happy for you. You are nothing like you were when I first came to this unit anymore. And it looks like it's the real deal for you this time. This is the longest relationship I have seen you in so far.'

'It is!' Olivia confirmed. 'You know, I can honestly say that this guy ... he's the longest relationship I've ever had with a man.'

Somehow, Nick found that hard to believe. Surely she had managed a few months before? Olivia didn't feel like explaining it to him further but added for his benefit,

'Let's just say we have a prior history together.'

Nick's interest was piqued but he didn't ask any further. Olivia let out a content sigh and then grinned at Nick.

'I'm really in deep, aren't I?' she asked and Nick just nodded. When Olivia got up to get them yet another cup of coffee, a man holding a box came in.

'Another delivery, really?' Olivia exclaimed while walking towards the coffee corner. 'Some guys just don't know when to stop.'

'Package for Olivia Benson,' the man said and Olivia stopped dead in her tracks. For her? Again?

...

She couldn't believe it. Elliot was really pulling out all the stops. She had been planning to leave before six so she could get changed at home before her dinner date. But when she opened the box carefully, she realized that her outfit for the night had just been delivered for her. She closed the box immediately so others wouldn't see what was in it, but Nick had already spotted some shiny purple fabric.

'What's that?' he asked. 'A robe or something?'

Olivia laughed. 'Not a robe Nick, it's a dress!'

'Wow, put it on!'

'Wouldn't you like that,' she muttered. Now that Nick knew there was a dress in the box, she opened it again. She saw there was a note in the box and pulled it out.

'Olivia, I know we said we would leave from home at 7 but this will save some time. Please wear this and meet me downstairs at 7.15. Love, E.'

She was dumbstruck. But she also knew the dress would be perfect. He had proved twice before that he was absolutely aware of her measurements. There was probably some lingerie in the box as well but she wasn't going to show that to Nick or the other officers who were glancing her way.

In stead, she took the box to the cribs. There, she took all the items out. A purple dress, black lace underwear, black pantyhose and black high-heeled pumps. The man sure knew what he liked. It was already past six and she decided to take a quick shower and change into the outfit Elliot had picked for her. When she emerged from the cribs about thirty minutes later, Fin and the Captain were just returning, with Amanda. She forgot for a moment what she had just changed into and walked over to Amanda to give her a hug. Amanda was still upset but she was relieved that she didn't have to stay in jail.

After making sure Amanda would be okay, Olivia turned back towards her other co-workers. Fin was staring at her and she wondered why. Then she realized he was starting at her attire. She smiled faintly. Somehow her date wasn't such a big deal, compared to what Amanda was going through. But even Amanda noticed her dress and told her she looked absolutely gorgeous. The purple dress had a tight top with long sleeves made of lace only. It showed ample cleavage but through the same see-through lace as the sleeves, which went all the way up to her neck. The skirt was a little more loose than the top and went just over her knees. She felt absolutely classy in this dress. She had pinned her hair up loosely and had put on a little extra makeup, but not too much.

'Dang girl! You look like a movie star,' Fin told her.

Cragen looked at her almost like a proud father and nodded at her. She smiled. Cragen was the only one in the room who knew about Elliot. Nick looked at her and told her 'He's one lucky guy.'

Olivia was getting a little uncomfortable with all the attention and said she was just really happy Amanda was out, and asked if any of them had plans for the evening. While she had often felt left out of all kinds of celebrations, it looked like she was actually the only one who did have a date this time around. The others were getting ready to leave and Olivia checked her watch. It was 7 already. Elliot would be downstairs soon. She put away the paperwork she had been working on and checked her purse. Then she heard some commotion out in the hallway and she frowned. She heard Fin saying loudly,

'What the hell are you doing here!'

Olivia walked over and heard Nick getting involved as well.

'This is Stabler?' Nick said, also loudly. 'The guy who walked out on Liv? You have a lot of nerve showing up here like this!'

'Let me fix that,' Fin said while getting in Elliot's face. 'She don't need you anymore Stabler. She's got a life now so get out before I help you out!'

...