HEY EVERYBODY!

I am here with a new chapter, finally. I'm sorry its taking so long, but I promise I haven't given up on this story yet.

I can't believe we've got this many chapters going. I'll be honest, as I was writing this chapter, I was unsure at first of where I was going and then about halfway through, I had a brain wave. Just you guys wait; I hope you'll trust me and stay on this ride with me. I know it seems all over the place, but I'll all tie together soon and so...just stay with me guys.

So I present to you, Chapter 21 of Better Circumstances!

Enjoy xo

Better Circumstances

Twenty-One

The next few days passed in a blur and any plans that Edgar and Olivia had ended up being cancelled as their jobs seemed to get in the way. They were a little upset about their cancelled lunch date, but they both knew what they were getting into with being together and knew that their jobs sometimes would get in the way. All they could do is promise each other that they would make time as soon as possible, and figured that when things settled again, they could have a little date night.

The week was passing quickly, and by Thursday, trial preparations were underway for the upcoming trial with the perp that Olivia and the squad had collared. She and Carisi had been in the courtroom with one of the victims all morning and had been making sure she was ready. By late morning, they were all pretty much in need of a break, especially Olivia as she had been desperate for the restroom and she wanted more coffee. She excused herself then headed off down the hall, her heels clicking against the linoleum floors as she did so.

Once she was finished, she found herself heading down the hall towards the lobby area to go buy a coffee from the area where some other people were. However, as she rounded a corner, she heard a familiar voice that for a few months now, had been making her heart skip beats. She looked up just in time as a courtroom door was swinging open, and she immediately started smiling as she spotted Edgar coming out of a courtroom with a client and their family. She slowed her pace, and she watched as Edgar spoke calmly to them while they listened in tently. He hadn't noticed her yet, so she just used the moment to take in his feathers. His tall, muscular frame looked gorgeous in that grey suit which contrasted perfectly against his caramel skin. He had recently gotten a haircut, so his salt and pepper curls were cut short and shaved along the sides, and his beard was shaved. Even from where she was standing, she could see his warm brown eyes shining in concern and understanding, and she found herself letting out a cliché sigh as the little smile remained on her face.

It was a few moments later that Edgar looked up, though he had to do a double take until he focused his gaze on her. He gave her a smile and gave her a head nod, then looked back at the client and family. He shook their hands and waved them off, then headed towards her while they headed in the opposite direction. Olivia stood up a little straighter as she pushed herself up from standing against the stone pillar, just as Edgar approached with a sweet smile on his face.

"Well I certainly didn't expect to run into you; suddenly my day is better." He smirked.

"I'm here for trial prep in a courtroom upstairs, but we're taking a break and now here you are, so this is a better day already…" she replied as she lightly tapped his arm; "Are you in a rush or do you have a minute?"

"I've got a minute so let's go get some coffee and talk; I've barely seen you." Edgar remarked. Olivia nodded in agreement. The two went and grabbed a couple coffees, then she allowed Edgar to lead her around some corners to a more secluded area of the courthouse, near where some restrooms were. Nobody was really around, so they were able to stand near one of the frosted glass windows and talk a little while sipping their coffees. They caught up on the week so far and all that had transpired since the last time they'd seen each other, which had been Monday evening. Edgar was telling her about the case that he was working with, and Olivia filled him in on how their case was going and how trial prep seemed to be going so far. She mentioned that she had briefly spotted Heather going into another courtroom when she first arrived but hadn't seen her since, to which Edgar just rolled his eyes and shook his head in despair as he continued sipping his coffee.

As they continued to talk and sip coffee, Edgar couldn't help but let his eyes roam over Olivia. She truly looked so beautiful; her olive skin tone was contrasting perfectly against the pale blue v-neck shirt she was wearing underneath her blazer along with her black skinny jeans, which hugged her curves perfectly. The black boots she was wearing only elongated her legs. She was glowing, and was only wearing a minimal amount of makeup. Her full lips were glossy and looked more impressive than normal, her wavy hair was spilling perfectly over her shoulders, and her brown eyes were sparkling in the lights. Edgar was really looking between her eyes and her lips; he just wanted to kiss her so badly right now.

Olivia saw the look in his eyes. She let out a little giggle as a light blush crept onto her cheeks; "Not here…not now."

"I haven't kissed you since Monday, and you look so…so beautiful…" Edgar looked around to ensure that nobody was around, then leaned towards her a little more while bracing a hand against the wall above her head. His other hand had moved to rest on her waist, and his voice dropped as he whispered; "Come on Captain; don't make me beg."

Olivia had to laugh; he always would throw her that line and it never failed to bring her some amusement. She did a quick scan around to make sure nobody would see them, then she placed a hand on his bicep. She leaned towards him and teasingly brushed her lips against his; "No."

She then pulled back and started laughing while Edgar dragged a hand down his face. Olivia was such a tease; always messing around entirely too much when they were having a moment. But, that was something he loved about her and their relationship; he loved that they could joke and laugh and just enjoy this without overthinking it.

He looked around one more time, then leaned in and stole a kiss thus stifling her giggles. Her resolve faded fast, and she found herself resting one of her hands on the side of his face as she reciprocated the kiss. She knew in the back of her mind that this was so dangerous since they hadn't disclosed, and if anyone saw them in this compromising position that it could be trouble, but they couldn't stop. For Edgar, Olivia's lips were almost addictive; always so soft and plump, always fitting perfectly against his.

Olivia pulled away after a few moments, and she took a breath. She could feel her heart racing, and she could feel the heat in her cheeks. Her head was spinning and her vision was blurry. This man and his kisses were always driving her crazy, to the point where she couldn't believe she had just been kissing him right there in the courthouse.

"I'm…you…holy shit, hang on." She leaned back against the wall, trying to get her bearings. Edgar was chuckling at her reaction as he wiped her lip gloss away from his lips. The two were still trying to get themselves together, to the point where they hadn't even realized that someone had spotted them as she had been coming out of a courtroom some feet away. The blonde was seething in anger even now, as she silently watched them talk and laugh together with their flushed faces and megawatt smiles.

Heather McKnight was so damn sick of Olivia, and yet she had absolutely no idea how to get rid of her. She needed something; some information that would get under Olivia's skin and get to her.

She seethed in anger as she walked away from where the couple was standing. She had some calls to make. She needed to do something.

Later in the day back towards uptown Manhattan, Olivia was back behind the closed door of her office. After her and Edgar's tender moment in the hallway of the courthouse – one that had left her paranoid yet wanting more – they had been forced to part ways as Edgar had work to do and Olivia had to get back to trial prep. For the remainder of her time with the victim as they prepped, she could hardly focus on her work. Even as she returned to the precinct and throughout the last few hours, she had been having trouble focusing. All she could think about was Edgar's warm eyes, or the smell of his cologne, or the way his muscles felt beneath her fingers and the way his lips felt as they pressed against hers. The thoughts left her heart racing and caused an ache; she wanted him, but she couldn't have him now.

She groaned to herself as the words blurred on her computer screen; she had read the same line in his email four times and still had no idea what was going on. She took her glasses off and scrubbed her hands down his face. Never had she ever been so sprung over a man like this; not David Haden, definitely not Brian Cassidy. She had been loved Tucker of course but not like this.

And then there as her old partner – her best friend, a man she secretly wanted for so long until her heart was crushed with a baby and a reconciliation. And yet, as much as she had loved him, it still hadn't been like this. Edgar Pierce was bringing her to her knees and knocking down all the barriers she had built.

A knock on her closed door startled her from her thoughts. She called for whoever it was to come in, and she sighed as she saw Amanda entering with a stack of paperwork in her hand; "That for me to look over?"

"Yep, because we actually did work today while you were doing trial prep…" Amanda paused for a second as she placed the papers onto Olivia's desk. She eyed her boss; the distant look on her face and slightly flushed cheeks had her wondering about something. She sat down in one of the chairs, and it seemed that the action had captured Olivia's attention.

"Do you need something, Amanda?"

"Not really, but I did want to talk for a second…" Amanda replied with a simple shrug of the shoulders; "Tell me something, or just tell me its none of my business."

Olivia raised an eyebrow, so Amanda continued; "You seeing someone?"

Olivia stared at her for a second. She thought about lying, but she also knew that Amanda was a detective and would definitely sus her out. Besides, she could trust Amanda and knew that she wouldn't tell anyone about her and Edgar, so it would be fine.

She sighed and sat back in her chair; "Okay so, do you remember-"

And suddenly, she was cut off by the ringing of her phone. She went to pick it up when Fin suddenly appeared in her doorway; "It's a detective from Organized Crime, transferred them to you."

"What the fuck for now?" Olivia whined. She told Amanda that they'd finish talking momentarily, then composed herself before picking up her phone;

"Captain Benson."

She listened as the detective explained the reason for the call: the perp that was about to go to trial for SVU had some ties to human trafficking, specifically to do with children. The Organized Crime Unit was still investigating as information was being revealed through various sources and undercover ops, and their captain was requesting that they work with Manhattan SVU to bust this criminal and any others that may be involved. This was not the twist that Olivia had been looking for and this was only leading to more work, but she would do anything to get predators off the streets so she agreed.

The detective was pleased to hear that they could work together and mentioned that he and his Captain would come by the precinct within the hour to have a meeting with her and her detectives. Olivia told the young man that, that would be fine, then rounded off the call. She hung up and told Amanda that they'd talk later, before heading out into the squadroom with the blonde in tow to brief the others.

About an hour later, just like predicted, the elevator doors had pinged and a young detective named Evan McCarter was rounding the corner with his Captain in tow. Kat and Amanda looked up and gave them a smile, while Fin had a look of shock on his face when he locked eyes with the Captain. The Captain gave him a slightly nervous smile, and Fin simply jumped up to give Olivia a heads up as he didn't quite know how she'd react. He didn't think that she'd cause a scene, but he still wanted to give her a heads up.

However, before he could do so, she had rounded the corner after coming back from the breakroom; "What's going on?"

Evan turned with his Captain and he immediately introduced himself; "Captain Benson, I'm Detective Evan McCarter; I called you earlier from Organized Crime. This is my Captain-"

"Elliot."

Evan stopped and looked between his CO and the female CO standing before him. Kat and Amanda were equally confused, and Fin was just watching Olivia for a reaction.

Meanwhile, Olivia was staring at someone she hadn't seen for nearly a decade.

Her former partner - the same former partner that had left her without a word - was the captain of a unit that she and her squad were going to work with.

He gave her a timid smile; "Hey Olivia; long time no see – right?"

And at that moment, Olivia wanted the ground to swallow her up. The day had officially become a complete shit show.

Olivia Benson making out with an attorney in a secluded corner in the courthouse? *gasp* lol. And what about that blast from the past popping up? I know he's not everyone's cup of tea and he really won't even be in this story for long, but his presence will make sense after the idea that popped into my head. Please just trust me and stick with me. Leave some reviews and all that jazz. Next Chapter is going to be...a lot of Edgar and Olivia :) So stay tuned. I'll be back soon! Stay safe xo