A/N: Alex and Dean? Oh my! Olivia's reaction and a surprise for everyone…from Kathy.
DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©
Olivia stared at Alex in horrified shock as she processed what the blonde had just told her. "What?" she asked, almost inaudibly. "You were…you and he…you two were…"
"Living together," Alex began with a shrug. "He kind of grew on me, we had a spark, we went out…and we've been…"
"Alex, the man is nuts," Olivia interrupted. "You don't know…"
"Oh," Alex scoffed. "He finally got over and moves on, and you can't stand it so you have to try to talk me out of it? You think he has to spend the rest of his life pining for you? You have an ego almost as big as Elliot's," she spat, folding her arms.
Olivia was taken aback. "That's not…no, Alex, I'm not bitter," she said, composing herself. "I'm actually thankful that the scumbag is over me, now he'll leave me the hell alone, I was just warning you that he's a control freak." The fear behind Olivia's eyes struck Alex, and she knew there was something she was hiding, something no one knew. "I'm asking you, telling you as a friend, to think about this. If he was a good guy, I'd be happy for you."
"What did he do, Olivia?" Alex asked, her voice low as she saw Olivia flinch.
"Like I said," Olivia shrugged, "He likes to be in control. All the time." She tried to get through to Alex with her narrow-eyed expression.
Alex gasped and opened her mouth, but before anyone could say anything else, Olivia felt two strong arms wrap around her body. She relaxed at his touch, turned her head only slightly and smirked. "You shouldn't be doing this here, my husband's probably watching."
Elliot chuckled. "Leave him. Run away with me."
Olivia laughed and turned around fully, thankful that he'd interrupted the moment with Alex. "Sounds amazing," she said. "Tell me when and where, and I'll go with you."
"Tonight. Mexico," Elliot joked, kissing her softly.
Olivia moaned and rolled her eyes. "That would be amazing," she said. "Thanks for planting that fantasy in my head."
"Hopefully, that's not the only fantasy floating around in there," Elliot said with a light laugh. "Some of the gifts these guys brought would make even the most experienced porn stars blush." He wagged his eyebrows and said, "One of my old Marine buddies bought you a naughty cop outfit, complete with cuffs and nightstick."
Olivia narrowed her eyes and smirked. "I've got cuffs," she murmured. "And you, Detective Stabler, have definitely got a very big, hard nightstick. I don't need the outfit to play naughty cop."
Elliot grinned and his eyes darkened. "I'm really glad the kids are still staying with their mother," he groaned, dropping his forehead to hers. His arousal was evident and obvious to her, since she could feel every marvelous inch of him as he held her close.
"Oh!" Olivia gasped, picking her head up and interrupting their private moment. "You should go over and congratulate Dean. He got engaged last night."
Elliot furrowed his brow. "I didn't even know he was seeing anyone," he said, tilting his head.
Olivia gave him a grim smile. "Alex," she said, turning back to the blonde, who waved awkwardly at Elliot.
Elliot's eyes widened. "Does she know he…"
"No," Olivia said, shaking her head. "It's not something I bragged about, Elliot. I told you because…"
"You tell me everything," Elliot finished for her. "And I kicked his ass."
Olivia laughed. "Yeah, you did."
Alex was worried now. "Olivia," she said, her voice pleading. "What did he do?"
Olivia sighed. "When I was with him…it started off with little things. Ya know, he'd tell me not to wear my hair up, he'd tell me how to dress, and he'd get angry when I didn't listen. And then he tried to…"
"He tried to get her to request a new partner," Elliot hissed. "Because he was threatened by me. With good reason, obviously."
Olivia rolled her eyes at his cockiness. "He got really…controlling. It's one of the reasons I dumped him, Alex. He actually tried to hit me once, but I was faster. Punched him and ran to Elliot."
"She tried to keep me there, with her, but there was no way I was letting the bastard get away with it, so I paid him a little visit," Elliot said. "That was the last we saw of him, until he moved into the apartment across the hall, with you, who was miraculously back from the dead."
"This is gonna kill Munch," Olivia said, running a hand through her hair.
Alex groaned. "Oh, God, I didn't even think…we haven't really talked about…"
"Save it," Elliot said. "Just watch yourself with Porter, and Munch will get over it. Clearly, you have." He turned to walk away, but Kathy tapped the side of her glass with a spoon, much like Kathleen had done.
"Oh, no," Elliot moaned, pulling Olivia toward him.
Kathy smiled at the crowd and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, as most of you know, I was married to Elliot once upon a time, and all I can say to Olivia now is…"
"Here it comes," Olivia said, rolling her eyes.
Kathy looked at Olivia and continued. "Good luck, honey," she said, shaking her head and smirking. "He's impossible. He has a temper, he's a bit of a neat freak, he will try to take over in the kitchen so...oh, well you won't mind that. You don't cook."
There were laughs, and Olivia and Elliot looked at each other. "Who is she, and what did she do to Kathy?" Elliot asked, mumbling into Olivia's ear.
"He will give you hell," Kathy carried on. "But I know, as do most of the people in this room, that none of that will bother you the way it bothered me. You are just as stubborn, just as ill-tempered, just as dedicated to your job and your...family...as he is." She smiled at Elliot, then, and added, "You both got what you wanted. Here is to a very long, very happy, passion-filled life together, getting what you both deserve." She raised her glass and led everyone in a toast.
Olivia blinked. Her face was expressionless, her hands clung to Elliot's waist tightly, and the only thing she could do was blink.
"Shit," Elliot said, running his hand down Olivia's back. "Hell just froze over, didn't it?" he asked.
Olivia nodded dumbly, and walked over to Kathy, ignoring the bout of applause that spattered and echoed through the room. "Hey," she said, "Whatever you were just trying to pull, I…"
"Olivia," Kathy said, sighing, "I get it. Okay? I get it. I understand. I meant everything I said. I know Elliot told you I…saw the two of you…and at first I was insanely jealous, it was never like that with us."
Olivia folded her arms. "He told me," she said with a small smirk.
"Well, I realized that the reason it was never like that…is because he's never felt like that," Kathy admitted sadly. "What he gives to you, all of himself, so completely…Olivia, It's because he loves you more than he ever loved me. There is more sexual energy, and passion, and raw emotion with the two of you than I think, even in high school, there ever was between us."
"Are you feeling okay?" Olivia asked, furrowing her brow.
Kathy chuckled. "I feel fine," she said. "Better than I've felt in a long time. If you or Elliot, or the kids, of course, ever need anything…well, I'm right next door. Just…promise me that you'll take care of him."
"For the rest of my life," Olivia said with a nod.
Kathy nodded back, then walked over to Elliot to have a similar conversation with him. Olivia watched her go, confusion and relief flooding her system, and she shook her head as she turned, running into Dean.
"Hello, Olivia," he said, narrowing his eyes.
Olivia blinked and caught her breath. "Hi," she said, looking over at Elliot.
"I guess you talked to Alex," Dean said, folding his arms. "What do you think?" he asked, smirking.
"I think she's making the biggest mistake of her life," Olivia said, her lips tight and her eyes fierce.
Dean chuckled. "She listens to me," he said with a shrug. "She's never put up a fight, or argued, or…disobeyed." He looked over at Alex and said, "She's everything you weren't. Everything you could never be."
"Exactly," Olivia said, her hands crossing in front of her. "That's why she's in love with you. Because I never was, and could never be."
"You're still a cold-stone fox, Benson," Dean said with a light growl, "But you're still a bitch." He leaned into her and said, "If you hadn't run away like a scared, little girl, I could have made you appreciate me, and my authority."
Olivia scoffed. "Get over it," she said. "You know damn well you never had the control you wanted over me, and you knew you were never gonna get it. Your jaw healed nicely by the way," she spat. She walked back over to Alex, and she made one last plea for her. "Al, please, think about this. He's not…"
"I'm not gonna marry him," Alex interrupted. "I've been thinking about it, and he does make a lot of…suggestions…and he gets irritated when I argue with him. Maybe it's escalating, maybe it isn't. I don't wanna take that chance."
Olivia sighed in relief and hugged her, and then she offered, "If you need a place to stay…"
"Are you kidding?" Alex said, laughing. "I love that apartment. Dean can get his sorry ass out of it."
Olivia laughed and hugged her again, then the two ladies were joined by Cragen, Fin, Elliot, and Melinda. They gabbed and laughed, all the while oblivious to someone who was getting closer to their ultimate goal, who had just set a devious plan into motion.
A/N: What plan? Who planned it? It isn't who you think! How is Dean involved, and what happens when the new locks are finally put on the doors? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212
