55. Don't Take Your Time

They had a busy night again, and all four bartenders worked hard. Olivia could appreciate the fact that the son of the owner wasn't a slacker. She noticed that he really was keeping an eye on her, and not a totally professional one, but all in all, they had fun. All four bartenders danced around the huge bar and did hip bumps regularly when they passed each other. Olivia didn't mind when Mike wrapped his arm around her waist a few times to turn them around, as long as he let go of her right away, which he did each time.

Once the club was officially closed, they all cleaned the bar up together and then split the contents of the tip jars into four equal shares.

"What are you gonna do with your share Liv?" Mike asked her, and she could tell he was trying to get a better read on her.

"Dunno yet," she said, pulling her sweater over her head and stuffing the cash into her back pocket.

She was tired and would have to get up early in the morning - which was only a couple of hours away - and she didn't feel like fielding questions from a guy hitting on her.

"I'd take my girl out to dinner if I had a girl," Mike said, and their co-workers Holly and Tobias both rolled their eyes simultaneously.

Olivia just laughed and shook her head.

"That's hard to believe, Mr Casanova. You had all those girls wrapped around your finger with they way you served them those shots."

"Maybe, but I haven't found my dream girl yet," Mike said, cocking his head and giving her his most charming smile.

"Keep looking, Dodds," Holly muttered. "Liv's taken."

Mike moved a little closer to Olivia.

"Really?" he asked her, and the sudden softness of his voice surprised her.

"Yeah, really," she answered confidently, taking a small step away from the younger man. She'd told Holly a little about her city cowboy before the crowd came in and while she hadn't planned on telling Mike about Elliot, it might be the best way to get him to back off.

"Nobody told me. Do I know the lucky guy?" Mike asked her.

"No."

"You sure? I know a lot of people around here."

"He's not from around here."

Olivia wanted out of the conversation but she knew Mike would be even more intrigued now. So she told him,

"He's from New York. I was just up there and he'll be back here soon."

She'd added the last part for Mike's benefit, not knowing what Elliot's plans were, or if he even had any. Their contact had been flimsy since she'd been back home. She decided to check her phone and her heart skipped a beat when she saw she had a new text message from Elliot. Finally.

Tough case all weekend, sorry I couldn't call. Text me tomorrow when you're awake? Be safe. xxx El.'

Mike must have realized she had a text from her boyfriend and he tried to look at the screen of her phone. She turned away from him and shot him a glare.

"Boyfriend sent you a goodnight kiss? That can never compete with a real kiss, Olivia," Mike teased her.

She was fully aware that long-distance relationships sucked and didn't need Mike to remind her.

"Give the girl a break," Holly intervened, and Olivia was grateful.

She'd only known Holly for two days but she liked her already. She thought she'd seen a few sparks flying between Holly and Tobias but she wasn't going to say anything, especially in front of the boss's son.

"I should get going. Have to be up in a few hours," Olivia announced, and Holly immediately offered to walk with her.

"See you all on Friday," she said as they left the club.

Their town was a pretty safe place, but it was still wise not to walk the streets alone at 4.30 in the morning. Once Olivia got home she forced herself to take a shower before crashing on her bed. She'd wanted to reply to Elliot's text but she'd do that in the morning.

...

'Off to the hospital now. Overslept. Sorry we keep missing each other. Call me tonight? xxx O.'

Elliot breathed a sigh of relief. He'd managed to sleep in and hadn't heard his phone beep when Olivia had texted him a few minutes before nine. It was 10.30 AM now and he had to get up. Olivia was alright. She'd had a long night but nothing had happened to her, or her text wouldn't have been so normal. He hoped he'd be able to call her tonight. He went out to run some errands and went back to work after lunch, picking Fin up on the way to the station.

His contact with Olivia continued to be less than he'd hoped. They managed to talk on the phone a few times but it was like they weren't connecting anymore. He wanted to tell her he was planning to go apartment hunting soon but he was hesitant. He didn't want to put any pressure on her while she was figuring out what she wanted. She was still excited about the courses she wanted to take and was already doing two on line. Elliot had always thought Olivia was very intelligent and the way she was absorbing all the new information and was able to talk about it in her own words, only confirmed to him that she was very smart. So far, she was just learning a lot of theory and when he brought up the practical side of working with survivors of domestic violence, it was Olivia's turn to be hesitant. Where would she acquire practical experience? He wanted to say she was free to come stay with him anytime, but somehow it felt like a forbidden subject. Just like his plans to move as well. He wanted to tell her but it just never felt like the right time.

Another week went by and Olivia was going back to the Swamp on Friday night. He still didn't like it and he texted her, asking her to please text him back once she was home so he'd know she'd made it back safe and sound. Her reply came quickly this time.

'You worry too much, detective.'

'It's my job.'

'No it's not. I'll be fine. Will call you tomorrow.'

...

But she didn't. And she wasn't answering her phone either. It was almost 2 PM on Saturday and she should be up and about by now. She hadn't sent him a text after work. Elliot was on duty this weekend and had already been out searching for witnesses in their latest rape case, but he was restless. He was going to talk to Cragen as soon as he got back to the station. He wanted a few days off, preferably during the week, so he could look at a few places with Noah Bunning, and he wanted to let his boss know he was considering leaving the unit to be with Olivia. He wanted to tell Olivia about his plans but she wasn't answering her phone. He'd sent her two texts during the morning, but it was like she had just vanished.

He tried not to worry too much about her, but he couldn't help it. He had a feeling something was off and he wondered if it would be too much if he contacted Kathy again. He didn't want to come across as overbearing or possessive so he tried to focus on his talk with Cragen first. He needed to give Olivia space and not add to her reasons for leaving New York in the first place.

Cragen wasn't amused to say the least, because he really didn't want to lose Elliot as a detective. But he had seen the change in the younger man over the past months, and he could tell that it wasn't just a phase. He was genuinely in love with Olivia and willing to make sacrifices for her. He knew a job or even a city could never compete with true love, so he reluctantly agreed to look into it. If they weren't swamped in cases like the one they'd had last weekend, he might be able to spare him for a few days after the next weekend.

After the next weekend. It was Saturday now so in about nine days, maybe ten, he'd see her again. Elliot couldn't wait. Both Fin and Munch noticed that their co-worker was distracted and they both had their own theories about what was going on.

"I am willing to place a bet that the lovely Olivia will once again grace this grim place with her presence within just a few days," Munch stated.

"Nah," Fin said, scrunching up his nose. "He's gonna go to her. Maybe stay a while. Right El?"

Elliot grinned, shaking off the uneasiness he felt because he still hadn't heard from Olivia. Fin was right and once Fin realized it, he grinned as well, at Munch.

"Pay up, old man."

"Oh no my friend. I said I was willing to place a bet. I haven't done so yet so you are out of luck."

While his co-workers continued bickering about the rules of the game, Elliot's mind wandered to Olivia again. Why hadn't she shot him a text? It only took a few seconds to tell him she was home. His concern was slowly giving way to annoyance. She should be awake by now. He could try to call her again but he felt it was up to her now. If she had a reason why she wouldn't talk to him, maybe he should respect that. He wanted to, but he simply didn't understand. She'd been all over him while she was staying with him and he thought they were happy together. Maybe he should have told her sooner that he was considering moving to her town, but he hadn't wanted to push her if she wasn't ready to commit to their relationship. It wasn't easy to deal with her mood swings. One day she was determined to just jump in blind and the next, she wanted to go home and didn't know what she wanted. He understood that she was afraid to get hurt again, but she couldn't let her past determine her future like that.

Elliot shook his head. He sounded like a saying people put on a tile. It was true though. If she kept looking back, how would she ever get ahead? How would they get ahead? He could only do so much to prove to her that he wanted to be with her for the rest of their lives. He'd ask her to marry him if he wasn't certain it would make her run for the hills. Finding a place to live in her town was what he'd chosen to do and he could only hope it would be enough to convince her that he was here to stay.

He managed to get through some paperwork. They had several witness statements to file and once they got into a groove, they actually made some headway. Around 4 PM Fin suggested a coffee break and Elliot automatically checked his phone. Nothing.

"You okay man?" Fin asked him as they sat down opposite each other in the break room.

Elliot hesitated but then decided to confide in his partner.

"Yeah I ... I haven't heard from Olivia all day, that's all."

Fin nodded.

"This long-distance thing sucks."

"It does. That's why I'm considering moving out there," Elliot blurted out.

Fin was stunned for a moment.

"Seriously man? You gonna leave me?"

Elliot chuckled and put a hand over his heart.

"I'm so sorry Fin, but my heart just isn't in it anymore," he said dramatically and Fin scrunched up his face in annoyance.

"Yeah yeah, I always knew we weren't meant to last man. But moving away from the city? You sure?"

"If that's what it takes, yeah, I'm sure," Elliot said without thinking.

He didn't feel like he really had a choice. All he could do was follow his heart.

"And what does she say about it," Fin asked him, gesturing at Elliot's phone, that was lying face down on the table.

"She doesn't know yet," Elliot admitted.

"Seriously?"

Elliot raised his eyebrows and looked at his partner, who was shaking his head.

"Now I thought you were the experienced one with women," Fin huffed. "Com-mu-ni-ca-tion is everything man! Even I know that!"

Elliot sighed.

"Yeah. Well. It's complicated. I may be experienced with women but not with real relationships, Fin. This is new territory, even for me. She's the real deal."

"That's pretty obvious El. And if you gotta move, you gotta move. Just discuss it with her first, okay?"

"I will. If she'd just answer the damned phone," Elliot said a little harsher than he'd intended.

He jumped when his phone actually beeped just then. He grabbed the phone and checked it, expecting a text from Olivia at last. He frowned when he saw it was from Kathy and opened it quickly. The ominous feeling that something was off, made his stomach clench.

'Can you get away? Call me asap. Kathy.'

His heart stopped for a moment. Now he was certain something was wrong and he jumped up, feeling a panic squeeze his throat shut.

"Bad news?" Fin asked, also standing up.

"I ..." Elliot started, but he couldn't speak.

He needed to talk to Kathy immediately. His hands were shaking when he hit the call button next to her name on the screen. The phone hadn't even rung once when Kathy picked up.

"Elliot, thank God," he heard the blonde sigh at the other end of the line.

"Is she okay?" Elliot almost yelled into the phone.

"Can you get away from there?" Kathy asked, repeating the question she'd texted him.

"Tell me what's going on!" Elliot said, now yelling full on. "Is she hurt? Did somebody hurt her? Was she in an accident? Just tell me! Tell me something!"

Fin tried to put a hand on his back but he shrugged it off, pacing the break room waiting for Kathy to give him a clue.

"No, it's nothing like that Elliot but ... she needs you. Don't take your time. Get here as fast as you can."

She needs you.

Elliot leaned against the wall with one hand, hanging his head and still pressing his phone to his ear.

She needs you.

"I can be there before morning but give me a clue Kathy. Please!"

"I can't tell you, Elliot. I'm sorry. It's not up to me."

He wanted to smash his phone in frustration but he managed to grunt 'I'm on my way' before dropping it to the floor and punching the wall in stead. Fin kept a respectable distance from him and gave him a minute. He then told his partner,

"Go, Elliot. I'll talk to Cragen."

...

Dun dun ...

Reviews are appreciated. Any ideas what's going on?