The game had wound down; a rare win for the Mets this season. Everyone started filing out of the stadium, and Elliot had his arm securely wrapped around Olivia's waist.
He leaned over, whispering in her ear as they walked. "I've been looking at those goddamn legs all day and the only thing I can think of is that I want to get your home and have those legs wrapped around me while I'm…
"Stabler!"
They both heard someone calling his name and Olivia noted that immediately, Elliot dropped his arm from her waist. She shot him a look as they stopped, but Elliot had already turned towards the source of the sound. She heard his name again.
"Stabler!"
She saw two guys, both with Mets t-shirts on, moving towards them in a crooked line. It was very clear they had been drinking all afternoon.
"Mother fucking Elliot Stabler" one of them said as he reached Elliot, slapping one hand on his shoulder and stretching his arm out to shake Elliot's.
Elliot held out his hand, shaking the man's hand, a big grin on his face. "Mickey. How the hell are you man?" He looked over at the other guy, taking his outstretched hand as well. "Jimmy." He slapped him on his upper arm.
Olivia looked at the two men as they greeted Elliot. Both had heavy Brooklyn accents, dark hair, and muscular builds. They were shooting furtive looks over at her and it didn't take long after their initial meeting to turn their attention to her.
Mickey raised an eyebrow and shot a look at her and then back to Elliot. "Who the hell is this little honey?"
Olivia kept her face passive, even as she saw both of them clearly let their eyes wander up and down her body, lingering on her breasts before slowly moving back to her eyes. She gave them a small smile and then looked over at Elliot. She saw a small frown on his face as he watched them continue to stare at her.
"This is Olivia." He said, turning slightly back towards her. He grimaced inwardly. These were two of his oldest friends. They'd known he and Kathy forever, but he was almost 100% certain that no one knew that he and Kathy had called it quits. He looked at the faces of his two drunken friends. Lord only knows what they were thinking right now. But this was clearly not the time to have this conversation. He hesitated a moment while these thoughts raced through his head and decided not to elaborate on his introduction right now. He motioned towards each of the guys as he introduced them.
"Liv, these are two guys I grew up with. Mickey Boyle and Jimmy Collins. Been friends for a long time." Mickey and Jimmy had clearly been expecting more of an explanation, but at the mention of their long term friendship, they both got big smiles on their faces.
"Fucking long time." Said Jimmy, laughing.
Olivia stretched out her arm. "Olivia Benson." Jimmy gave her hand a quick squeeze. But Mickey wasn't having any of that. "Well, any friend of Elliot's is a friend of mine." He slurred, pulling her into a big hug. His hands were wrapped tightly around her as he kissed her on the cheek. She squirmed slightly at his hold on her, and then she saw Elliot's hand on his shoulder, pulling him away.
"Jesus Mickey. Quit mauling my partner." Elliot said, and Mickey laughed.
"Hey, I can't help myself. I see a beautiful woman and…" He shrugged his shoulders as he stepped back.
"So, your partner huh?" Jimmy said. "This the one we're always hearing about?"
Mickey slugged Elliot on the shoulder. "You lucky son of a bitch. You've been holding out on us. Your partner huh? I'd like to partner with her." He shot a look over at Olivia.
Olivia pursed her lips, slightly insulted by what he was saying but staying quiet. She knew these guys were drunk, and she'd certainly heard worse. A lot worse. But there was something about guys and their friends…some kind of dick measuring she never understood. She expected Elliot to put them in their place.
"Knock it off Mick. It's not like that. She's my partner at work." He said, shooting a look over at Olivia. She stared at him. What the hell? He'd just been telling her what he wanted to do to her when they got home and now he's acting like she's just a friend? Like it's all just business?
Mickey and Jimmy were too drunk to notice all of the non-verbal communication going on.
"Yeah right. We saw you with your hands all over her Stabler." Jimmy said.
"You're imagining things." He said.
Olivia's jaw clenched again, remembering the way Elliot's hands had dropped immediately when he'd heard his name. So much for being out together in public.
"Fine, keep her to yourself Stabler. I'd just be happy to watch." Mickey chimed in, his eyes trailing up and down her legs.
"Hey!" Elliot said, taking a step back towards the guys, partially blocking their view. "I told you it's not like that. Now have some respect."
"Aw, he didn't mean anything." Said Jimmy, slapping Mickey on the back.
"Yeah, don't get your underwear in a bunch Stabler. We're just saying…"
"I don't want to know what you were trying to say. Just knock it off." Elliot glanced over at Olivia, and saw her arms crossed and her expression cool. He was surprised she hadn't said anything to put these guys in their place. She must have figured she'd let him handle it because they were his friends.
Mickey put his arms around Elliot's shoulder. "C'mon man. We're headed to the bar. Let me buy you and your friend a drink." There was a lot of insinuation in that one word. "We haven't seen you in a while." He looked over at Olivia. "And you, darling, can fill us in on what it's like to be Elliot's partner." He laughed, and Olivia rolled her eyes, starting to get impatient with this idiotic discussion. Drunk people always thought they were so damn clever.
"I told you…" Elliot started, and Olivia turned to look at him. If she said he was just her partner one more time, she was going to lose it. But fortunately for Elliot, a drunken Jimmy interrupted him.
"Yeah. Come with us." Said Jimmy. "You're working all the time and we never get to see you."
"I don't know." Elliot said, glancing back at Olivia. She stared back, trying to keep the anger from bubbling to the surface. He'd stood there, denying their relationship to his friends, and now she could tell that he actually wanted to go have a beer with these guys. Well, there was no way she was going.
"You know what El?" She said, plastering a smile on her face. "You should go."
Elliot narrowed his eyes. He could usually tell what she was thinking, but right now, he was at a loss. Her voice was calm; her expression neutral.
"You're OK if we stop for one?" he asked.
Olivia shook her head. "No. Not we. You. You go. You know, it's been fun but I need to get home." She turned towards Mickey and Jimmy. "You know, take him out and have a good time. We don't have to be back at work for a couple of days, so he can be out as late as he wants tonight. In fact, he doesn't even need to be back in the city."
She turned to look at Elliot, and saw his jaw was tight. He'd heard her words, and now he knew she was upset with him. She'd basically told him not to bother coming back into the city. Which meant not to bother coming to her place tonight.
"See you later." She said, waving her hand dismissively as she headed back to the train station. She felt the pinpricks of tears in the back of her eyes and clenched her teeth together, trying to fight them. She was not going to cry.
Mickey and Jimmy, however, were completely oblivious once again. They were just happy to hear that their friend was going out drinking with them. Jimmy grabbed Elliot's shoulder and started to steer him in the opposite direction.
Elliot held up a hand as he saw Olivia walking away. "Give me a second." He said, shrugging Jimmy's hand off his shoulder.
"Liv." He called after her, but she kept walking.
He jogged a few steps to catch up with her, snagging her arm with his hand, effectively stopping her. "Stop."
She turned to look at him, her mouth set. "Take your hand off me or I'm going to knee you in the balls." She hissed.
Elliot dropped his hand quickly. "Liv. Don't go. Come with us." He gave her a small smile. "Ignore those guys and their rude comments. They're drunk. I want you to come along."
Olivia shook her head. Did he honestly think she was upset that he was going out for a drink with his friends instead of going home as they had planned? Men were such idiots sometimes.
"I'm going home." She said.
"OK. I'll come with you." He said, ready to turn to tell his friends he wasn't going with them.
"No." Olivia said, a little more harshly than even she intended.
"C'mon Liv. I want to." He said, giving her one of his patented Stabler grins.
"Yeah, but what you don't understand is that I don't want you to." She said coldly, turning away from him and heading towards the station.
Elliot stood rooted in place, staring after her. His head was spinning from how quickly things had changed from this morning. Hell, from just ten minutes ago. He knew his friends could be assholes but she'd certainly put up with her share of that over the course of her life.
"Liv." He called after her, but she didn't slow her pace; didn't look back. He stood there for another minute, contemplating whether or not he should follow her, until Mickey and Jimmy walked over. Jimmy put a hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine. Let's go."
Elliot stayed rooted in place until Jimmy tugged at him again. "C'mon."
"Yeah." Said Mickey. "We want to hear all about your partner."
EOEOEOEOEO
Olivia headed towards the train, annoyed by all of the people on the platform. She was going to get stuck waiting a while. There was no way all of these people were going to fit in the next few trains that passed through.
She tried not to think about Elliot; about what he'd said. It's not like that. Was he embarrassed about their relationship? She's my partner. Why didn't he want his friends to know they were dating? He had told her over and over again that they hadn't done anything wrong. So why did she feel like she was some kind of dirty secret? Her hurt started to morph into anger.
Well. Fuck him. She didn't need this from him. She didn't need him.
The train arrived at the platform, and she felt herself being jostled onto the train with everyone else. People were pressed together, unbelievably close and she found herself wishing Elliot was here to cage her in and protect her from the crush of people.
Fuck!
She wanted to scream because how had she already made him part of her every thought? How was she already relying on him for every damn thing?
She was independent. She was tough. She could take care of herself. She didn't need him.
And he obviously didn't need her.
The train kept going, jostling her along with everyone else, and it didn't seem like anyone was getting off. She couldn't stop thinking about it; about him. And it was pissing her off. She just wanted to get off this train and get home. Crawl under the covers, bury her face in her pillows and scream.
She pictured him sitting in the bar, tossing back a few drinks with his friends and it made her even angrier. No way she was going to go home and wallow in pity. Screw that. She wanted a drink. Yeah. That's exactly what she wanted. Have a few drinks…maybe flirt with a few guys…forget about Elliot.
She felt a tear slip from her eye and brushed it away angrily.
Olivia Benson wasn't anyone's dirty secret.
EOEOEOEOEO
Olivia held on to her anger all the way into the city. When the train finally stopped at the Times Square stop, she got off quickly. She stood on the platform for a minute while the crowd streamed around her, trying to decide where she wanted to go. She realized she was still wearing shorts and a t-shirt from this afternoon, and thought about going home to change, but didn't really want to take the time. She also decided she didn't want to go out anywhere near here…she needed to get back to some of the bars nearer to her apartment or nearer to the precinct. Places she was familiar with. She ultimately decided to go back closer to her apartment. There were a few small bars there, and that way she could be closer to home…just in case.
She walked over to the 1 train and caught it to 72nd Street station, exiting and walking a few blocks to a small joint she had discovered a few years ago. She was surprised that the place was fairly busy, considering it was about 6PM. Apparently lots of people with normal business hours stopped for a beer after work. She moved right to the bar and perched herself on a stool. She recognized the bartender from being here before, and tried to remember his name. James? John?
He walked over to her and gave her a big smile. "Hey." He said, obviously recognizing her.
Olivia say his nametag. "Hi Jon."
"What can I get for you?" he asked, setting down a glass of water in front of her. He set another glass down in the empty seat next to her but she waved him off. He raised an eyebrow. "You're here alone?" He asked.
"Yep. And I'll have a Guinness. And keep them coming." She said, slapping a $20 bill down on the bar.
Jon nodded, sending she was in a mood, and poured her a Guinness. He made a mental note to keep an eye on her tonight. He knew a single woman with her looks and her body wasn't going to be sitting here alone for long.
EOEOEOEOEO
Elliot and his buddies didn't have to walk very far before they found a local bar. They clientele looked a little mixed, but his friends didn't seem to care. They were three brawny guys; they didn't really have to worry about much. But Elliot was immediately grateful that Olivia wasn't with them. He wouldn't have been able to stand the leers and comments from the characters situated around them. Most of the women in the bar looked like they came in early in the morning and never left until they skulked out with someone at closing.
Mickey ordered three beers and they leaned against the bar. Like most Irishmen, they thought they could hold their alcohol, but Elliot could tell how really drunk his friends were.
They were halfway into their beer when their discussion turned back to Olivia.
"So Elliot. C'mon man. Tell us the real story with that partner of yours." Jimmy said.
Mickey made a curvy silhouette with his hands. "She's got a body man. That's temptation right there." He slapped Elliot on the shoulder. "I know it's a sin man, but what a way to go."
Elliot gripped his beer hard. He knew these guys were just talking trash like they always did, but this was about Olivia…
"Knock it off." He said. He lifted his bottle, taking another swig of beer. He did not want to get into this with these guys.
"Oh, getting defensive. That must mean it's true." Jimmy leaned in. "She looks like a wild one. Tell us you're getting some of that."
"Yeah, it's just between us guys." Mickey joined in. "Kathy will never know."
"You guys are pigs." Elliot said. "You're my friends. You've known me how long? Do you really think I'd cheat on Kathy?"
"We saw you with your hands wrapped around her Stabler." Mickey said. "I mean, I'm not blaming you man." He held up his hands. 'I mean, you're only human." He laughed and Jimmy joined in.
"Kathy and I are over." He said suddenly. "We're getting a divorce." Mickey and Jimmy stopped laughing, setting their beers back on the bar.
"What?" Mickey asked. They'd both been with Elliot all the way through high school. They'd been in their wedding. Their families did things together over the years. It was by pure chance that they'd never met Olivia. "When did this happen?"
Elliot felt bad as he watched the expressions on his friends faces. This is not how he'd wanted to tell them, and he could see the pained looks on their faces. "It's been happening for a while." Elliot said, sighing. "We've just grown apart." He shrugged his shoulders. "It happens."
Mickey and Jimmy didn't say anything for a few minutes. They just drank in silence.
Finally, Mickey spoke up. "So. Olivia…."
Elliot knew what he was going to ask and he cut him off. "Listen. Olivia isn't the reason we're getting divorced. We've been partners and friends for a long time, but I never cheated on Kathy."
His friends both nodded, but Jimmy spoke up. "And now?"
Elliot took another drink. He didn't know how to answer that. He wanted to tell them that he loved her, but he just didn't know how that was going to sound when he'd just agreed to get a divorce a week ago. People wouldn't understand; and he realized that he'd made it sound so easy to Olivia. He figured once his family knew and Cragen knew, everything would click into place. And he knew he shouldn't care what they thought because he knew the truth. But how would all the talk affect Kathy and the kids? Shit. "You know what? I don't want to talk about this right now. I just want to have a few beers with my friends."
Mickey put his hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, we get it. Sorry man. Sorry about Kathy." He turned back and ordered another round for them.
Elliot thought about Olivia. He thought about what he'd told her, and then how he'd acted when Mickey and Jimmy had approached them. He was being an asshole. He understood now why she was upset, and he wondered what she was doing right now.
He stood up. "I have to use the can." He said. "I'll be right back." He stepped out the back door of the bar and dialed her number, looking at his watch. Chances are, she was still on the train, which meant she'd get no reception. Sure enough, he got her voicemail after just one ring.
"Liv. Listen. When the guys walked up, I just didn't think. I should have told them, but it's just complicated because I've know them for so long and the know Kathy and I wasn't thinking and… Shit. Just." He let out a groan. This wasn't coming out right. Just call me back when you get this OK?" He hung up, kicking at the gravel on the ground.
He walked back into the bar, hoping she would call him back, but knowing that she probably wouldn't.
EOEOEOEOEO
Olivia was on her second beer when she felt someone slide on to the stool next to her. She turned slightly, checking him out in her peripheral vision. She ignored him, continuing to drink her beer. Her phone was on the bar, and she saw it vibrate with another incoming voicemail. She'd had two voicemails and three texts from Elliot by the time she'd gotten off the train, and she hadn't listened or read any of them. Just as soon as the phone stopped vibrating, her phone chimed with another incoming text message.
"Popular girl." She heard from the guy next to her. "But I can understand that."
She turned her head slightly, raising an eyebrow at the guy next to her. "Yeah? Well, it's not what you think." She said.
"So tell me how it is." He said, giving her a cocky smile.
She considered him for a moment, taking in his dark hair, olive skin and brown eyes. The exact opposite of Elliot. Perfect. "I don't really want to talk about it." She said, taking a drink of her beer.
"Ok." He said, sounding somewhat deflated and she realized that he thought she 'd just shot him down.
"Let's talk about something else." She offered, and she saw him smile.
He nodded. "OK." He said, smiling. "So what do you do for a living?"
Olivia shook her head. "Nope." Why was that always the first question? She wasn't trying to be difficult. But that was something that usually turned people off pretty quickly…and she wasn't in the mood. "You tell me what you do." She said, seeing him visibly relax after what he saw as a second strike against him.
"I work at an advertising agency. Creative director."
Olivia visibly relaxed. Finally, someone not related to what she did every day. "That sounds really interesting. Tell me more about that." She said, shifting her body towards him slightly.
His face brightened, and she saw him glance down at her bare legs crossed in front of him. He ordered them another round of beers and Olivia could tell that he was probably thinking today was his lucky day. She smiled. Maybe it was.
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