CHAPTER 37

Olivia stood in front of the chart staring at the squared red letters in front of her. As Olivia counted the connected red dots her eyes swelled. "Eleven." She spoke out loud lowering her head and shoving her hands in her pockets. Elliot approached her gently placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Olivia, you are not responsible for what he has done." His words were equivalent to a band aid over a gunshot wound. Olivia used her thumb to destroy the tear that was vacillating between staying in her pooled eye or dropping out into freedom.

"Are these women alive Ryan?" Elliot asked him.

Ryan looked at the two detectives and pressed his lips together "Yes they are." he said bending over to pick up a large evidence box and allowing it to slam onto the counter, it caused a startle in both Elliot and Olivia.

"What's that?" Asked Olivia turning to avoid the map with her initials.

"Copies of all of the 'red dots'" Ryan responded taping his fingers on the lid of the box.

"Copies?" Elliot was offended. Why doesn't 'Ryan the pup' trust us with the real thing? He thought to himself.

"Keep your blood pressure low Elliot. I got you copies because this is getting crazy. In order to nail this guy your gonna have to get things on the record Olivia." Ryan spoke as a father would to a child with a poor report card. Olivia shook her head dazed but still in agreement.

"I've managed color copies of the pictures for Mr. Anal Retentive here." Ryan told Olivia gesturing to Elliot who had already removed the map, rolled it and handed it to Olivia, who was smiling at Ryan's remark. Elliot raised an eyebrow at Olivia which made her smile larger.

Elliot picked up the box and walked to the exit using his back to open the door.

"Hey Ryan." Elliot paused in the threshold.

"Yes?" Ryan responded not looking up from his work.

Elliot smiled to himself. "Try not to choke on your own cockiness will ya?" Elliot followed Olivia out the door.

Olivia shook her head and smiled faintly. "You two, I am gonna call the honeymooners."

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Elliot walked our of the master bedroom of their home just as Olivia was placing the telephone handset back into its cradle. The hollow expression on her face told Elliot she was distressed.

"We just moved in and already telemarketers?" Elliot knew that wasn't the case but who could be calling? Elliot himself had not even memorized the house number yet.

"I called Cragen." Olivia said turning to face Elliot.

"Oh?" He said leaving the conversation in her court.

"Everyone is coming here – they're on the way." She said glibly.

"Everyone?" Elliot stepped back. "Who's everyone?" He asked her.

"With this many vics we will need Munch and Fin, and in order to get this guy in jail were gonna need to completely fill in Casey." Olivia paused allowing Elliot to digest everything she just said.

"Are you angry with me?" She whispered looking away.

Elliot took her face into his hands and kissed her, an act that startled Olivia at first. Shouldn't he be angry? She thought as his lips caressed her's. He separated from her but remained close to her face. "Look at me Liv." She hesitantly looked into his eyes only inches from her own.

"Olivia, for better or for worse – remember?" He whispered to her. "I am not angry, I told you we are going to get through this together and I meant it." He brought her into his chest and held his wife.

"I guess we should look at those case file while we are waiting." Olivia suggested as she gave Elliot a final kiss on his cheek and walked to the dinning room. As she took the lid off the box, Elliot covered her hand with his.

"Whatchya doin'? He asked her playfully.

"I just told you...the case files." She responded confused.

"No I mean why here?" He smiled as he took the box into his hand.

" The dining room table is huge and we are going to need the space for all of these cases."

she said matter of factly.

"Follow me Mrs. Stabler." Elliot said as he walked down a hallway – his bare feet producing low slapping sounds against the hardwood floors. Elliot spoke as he walked "I haven't given you a full tour." He said stopping in front of a door and motioning for Olivia to open it. She did allowing Elliot to walk into the room first then her.

"WOW" Olivia blurted out as Elliot placed the box on a customized drafting desk that spanned the wall length.

"This room use to be the den." Elliot said with a smile.

"No way!" Olivia was surprised at the size of the room, the dry erase board covered the opposite wall near the desk. A filing cabinet and other various office utilities were in the room.

"The miracles of a sledge hammer and sheet rock." Elliot laughed putting his hands int eh air and declaring "Ta Da, our very own miniature one-six."

"Wow, this is amazing – no more sleep overs in the crib." She stopped close to Elliot. "Of course, we may not sleep much here either." She said taking hold of the button on the front of Elliot's pants. Elliot braced himself against the wall kissing her. He shuddered feeling her hands caress him. She allowed his pants to free fall to the floor. She slowly knelt before him and began to pull at the bottom of his boxer briefs. Olivia managed to get the waistband as far as his thighs before Elliot suddenly pulled his boxers back up covering himself.

"Elliot?" She stood up facing him. "Why are you nervous about this?" She asked him softly.

"N...n...ner...nervous? Me? No, not nervous." He said bright red.

"Right." Olivia half smiled. "You stutter because you exude confidence?" She was teasing him. "Seriously, please tell me?" She placed one hand around his neck and the other over his chest.

"I...um... my first case at SVU." Elliot swallowed hard. He never talked about this with anyone. But he would be a hypocrite if he encouraged Olivia to make herself vulnerable to him and he not do the same to her. "This is going to sound so stupid Liv." He was blushing with a nervous smile.

"It's okay Elliot. I love you." Those were the vary words Elliot had spoken over Olivia when he touched her scared abdomen for the first time. "Tell me." She whispered softly.

"A girl found out her boyfriend was cheating. To get back at him so before she confronted him she seduced him, tied him up and started to perform...you know..oral sex." Elliot was clearing his throat, Olivia recognized it as his nervous reaction.

"El, our job is stressful, and the nature of it...it's bound to mess with our minds." She said reassuring him. "And our sex drives." She added.

"She waited until he was going to climax and then snip." Elliot said turning his fingers into make believe scissors. "Since then, I have always had trouble with it, it's nerve racking." He lowered his head. He was man and normal men don't turn this act down. Elliot felt ashamed and humiliated in front of his new wife.

"What can I do to help you?" She asked him softly.

"I suppose I am just scared." He chuckled realizing that perhaps it was an odd connection to make considering they had seen so much worse on the job together.

"Elliot" Olivia whispered kissing him softly on his lips. "It's okay." She traveled his neck softly, repositioning her hands on his waistband. She knelt again slowly lowering his boxers with her body. She could feel him tense up. "Elliot, It's me. It's okay." She reassured him. Elliot removed her hands giving her reign over his body.