Stuck Like Glue
Chapter 2
A/N: This is canon compliant up until the new show. After that it will differentiate. Sorry if that's not your cup of tea. If you don't like the premise of where a story is going then maybe don't read it. Any grammatical mistakes are mine despite having help from a translator and beta. Picks up right where chapter two left off. Don't get me wrong I have total sympathy for Elliot losing his spouse but it also didn't really give Olivia the chance to really let her feelings and emotions out completely, aside from that one little scene. So I'm giving Olivia the chance, now that six months have gone by too.
Thursday Afternoon, Police Conference Hotel, Suite of SVU and OCCB
Every eye in the room was darting between Olivia and Elliot.
"You two know each other?" Sergeant Bell questioned.
Elliot nodded, "Olivia was my partner at SVU for over 12 years."
"Wow, how the heck did you manage 12 years with him? I can barely handle 12 minutes, you've got to give me some info on him Captain," Bell chuckled dryly.
Olivia snapped out of her staring contest with Elliot, "I don't really know him that well, he left me with no word, after 12 years, I didn't know him at all."
Elliot frowned at her cutting remark, "Fin, hows it going?"
Fin nodded, trying to keep the grin off his face, this weekend just got interesting, "Good man, you?"
"As well as can be expected," Elliot smiled politely.
"You remember Rollins, and Kat?" Fin introduced the other people in the room.
Two other men came out of another door, "This is detective Freddie Washburn, and detective Diego Morales," Sergeant Bell explained.
After all the introductions were made Bell spoke up again, "So this is everyone then?"
"Yes," Olivia agreed.
"We have the bedrooms on that side of the suite," Bell pointed behind her and to the left. "Yours are over there, do any of you need help with anything? We were just about to head down for a quick bite to eat, we were hoping to attend some of the afternoon seminars and training courses."
Olivia smiled, "We didn't think we'd have much time if we wanted to make the courses this afternoon, so we came prepared, thank you though."
"That why you're wearing a skirt Liv?" Elliot inquired.
Olivia narrowed her eyes, "Yes, sorry if my fashion has changed since you disappeared."
Olivia could hear Fin chuckle behind her, "Why don't we all put our bags in our rooms and then we can head back downstairs together?" he proposed. As he moved past Olivia, Fin whispered in her ear, "This should be good."
Olivia scowled at him, and rolled her suitcase towards one of the empty rooms. She was barely two feet in the door when Amanda came in behind her and closed it.
"Rollins?" Olivia said, raising one eyebrow.
"Did you know he'd be here?" Amanda asked, folding her arms against her stomach.
Olivia shook her head, "I was as shocked as anybody."
Amanda nodded looking away, "You think it's just a coincidence?"
Olivia pondered the question as she sat on the edge of the queen sized bed, "I think so, I had no say in who we shared a suite with…but with Stabler involved, who the hell knows," she shrugged.
"Do you want me to stay in here with you? A preemptive cockblock if you will? Because you know he's gonna be knocking down this door any second," Amanda asked her seriously.
Right on cue someone knocked on her door, "Liv, you in there?" Elliot called.
Amanda raised her eyebrows and pointed with both hands at the door as if to say, 'I told you so!'
Olivia smiled, "Thank you for offering but I'm a big girl, I can handle him myself." Olivia got up from the bed and opened the door that was being knocked on again, Elliot stumbling forward when she came into view, Rollins standing directly behind her.
"Oh uh hi, we have a few minutes before we head down, I was hoping we could talk for a moment," Elliot explained, ignoring Amanda's death glare.
Olivia hummed, "Fine, five minutes," she agreed, wanting to clear the air, she opened the door wider and stepped aside to allow him entrance.
"Uh," Elliot murmured looking at Amanda who continued to scowl at him.
Olivia sighed, she actually sincerely appreciated Amanda's protective attitude, but she also knew she needed to quickly set some ground rules with Elliot if they were going to be stuck in the same vicinity for the weekend.
"Amanda," Olivia said without even looking at her.
Amanda sighed loudly before leaving the room, knocking into Elliot's shoulder on the way out, she pulled the door closed behind her.
"Thanks for calling off your guard dog," Elliot semi joked.
"Amanda joined the squad before I even knew you had handed in your papers. She saw me go through it…anyways she's not your biggest fan. Over the years we've grown close and yes she's protective of me, as I am of her too," Olivia explained, waving a hand in the air.
Elliot nodded, "I'm glad you have someone like that, someone in your corner, someone like-"
"You?" Olivia cut him off. "That someone was you, you're also the reason it took so long for me to let people in again, so thank you for that."
"Olivia, I can apologize until I'm blue in the face but I can't take it back, I can't erase the past 10 years, did you read my letter yet?"
Olivia shook her head no.
Elliot sighed, "I really wish you had, I explained so much."
Olivia shrugged, "I've been busy."
Elliot stared at Olivia as they had come to a conversation stalemate. He hadn't seen enough of her to know how she dressed now but she was currently donning a good looking blazer and skirt. The jacket was black with a dark purple shirt peeking out where the last blazer button was done up. Her black pencil skirt ended a couple inches above her knees. She had finished off the look with some skin colored stockings and black boots. Professional, stylish, and yet practical enough that she could still move in them.
"You look good Liv," Elliot commented as his eyes, which had been running along the length of her body, finally returned to her face.
Olivia snorted, "Don't even start Stabler, and stop calling me Liv."
Elliot furrowed his eyebrows, "Since when can't I call you Liv?"
"Since you left, I think that's be pretty damn obvious. Look I'm sorry for your loss, and everything you've been through these last 6 months, but we're not friends Stabler, and clearly you don't think we are either because you've had 10 years to call me at anytime," Olivia stated.
Elliot frowned, "You think I didn't want to, every single day?!"
Olivia scoffed, "No in fact I don't, I think you were too damn happy with your new life and Kathy to give a damn. And that was your prerogative, but the very least you owed me after twelve very long years, was a goodbye."
Elliot stalked towards her while shaking his head, "You really should have read that letter Liv!"
Olivia laughed sarcastically, "Why? What was so important in that letter hmmm? And you said it yourself that you two were happy in Italy."
Elliot nodded as he closed the space between them, "We were, but I never said we were happy together!"
Olivia took a step back for every one he took towards her, "Wh-what do you mean? You said you were together."
Elliot chuckled darkly, "We stayed 'together' for Eli, but Kathy met someone not even six months into our move there, Carlos, and he was a good guy, he made her happy. I'm happy she had him all these years."
Olivia backed up until she hit her bedroom wall. She hadn't expected this piece of information. She thought he had abandoned her and lived out his days blissfully with his wife and young son.
Olivia shook her head, "It doesn't matter, Kathy having a boyfriend that made her happy had nothing to do with why you left. I don't know why you even bothered to tell me."
Elliot smirked as he leaned one arm against the wall by her head, "You never asked if I found someone," he whispered.
Olivia smiled, "Because I don't care."
"Really?" Elliot questioned. "Well I didn't, I wasn't even looking Olivia. I've been alone for 10 years too. So don't ever fucking doubt that you weren't on my mind every day."
"What the hell did I have to do with your dating life?!" Olivia exclaimed.
"I think you know," Elliot whispered breathily against her face.
Before she knew what was happening Elliot thread his fingers through her hair and clasped the back of her head and neck, pulling her face forward towards his own.
Just as his lips were about to hit hers she tilted her head to the side, "Oh no, I don't think so!"
Elliot growled as his lips met her cheek instead. "Olivia…" he sighed.
Olivia placed her hands against his chest and gave him a slight shove, "I don't know what the hell you think you're doing but I'm calling bullshit. You're not thinking clearly. You just lost your wife!" she was trying to make up any excuse to make sense of what he tried to do.
"Liv," Elliot groaned, but before he could try to explain himself there was a knock at the door.
Olivia pushed him away, causing him to stumble back a few feet, which is where Rollins found him when she opened the door.
"We're ready, time go, y'all good?" she asked, directing her question to Olivia.
Olivia nodded, grabbing her purse from the bed and walked out with her detective, only briefly glancing at Elliot on her way out.
Elliot looked up at the ceiling and sighed, before he too walked out and closed the door behind him.
He truly hadn't meant to get in an argument with her and then try to kiss her. He knew now that she would have her guard up with him all weekend, but that's okay, he knew this would be an uphill battle. Which is why he had bribed the room coordinator for the conference. And why he had signed himself up for a lot of the same seminars as his ex partner. If he was ever going to get her to let him back in her life, he knew they actually had to spend time together, as their new selves, not the people they were a decade ago.
They all clambered down the stairs and once they were on the main floor the squads separated to begin their afternoons. He and his squad grabbed lunch at one of the restaurants. He looked around for Olivia but didn't see her or anyone he recognized around him. He knew she'd be avoiding him now whenever she could.
Eoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeo
Olivia walked into her first seminar after grabbing a quick bite to eat with her squad. Olivia was successful in avoiding the same restaurant as Elliot but unfortunately she could not avoid her detectives talking about him at lunch.
When she couldn't take anymore questions from Kat, she excused herself to go to her first course, Amanda left at the same time for hers too, leaving the gossipers Fin and Kat at the table. She wasn't too worried as she knew Fin would never divulge anything she didn't really want people to know. The man was her vault and she his.
After checking in Olivia settled into a chair. The chairs formed a circle at the seminar she had chosen. It was a two hour long course on the different and updated ways to subdue a suspect without resorting to violence.
Olivia was looking at an information brochure when someone sat down beside her.
She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. She would recognize that scent anywhere. She had smelled it almost every day for over 12 years.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, not even bothering to look up from her pamphlet.
"Small world," Elliot argued.
Olivia snorted, "Yeah right. So is this how this weekend is going to go? Just so I can prepare myself?"
Elliot shrugged, "I have no idea what you're talking about Benson."
Olivia rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore the man beside her.
It was easier once the speaker started talking. Olivia tried to take notes, but became angered again when they told them they would be breaking off into groups of 2 to practice a few of the maneuvers. Olivia knew she'd get assigned Elliot as her partner and sure enough he was. She had spotted Phoebe a few minutes into the session, any hope of partnering with her went out the door when the instructor assigned the pairings.
The instructor was very young. He couldn't have been outside his 20s yet which surprised her slightly. Why would a rookie be teaching these new methods? Maybe because he had only recently learned them?
He asked for any volunteers to demonstrate on, Elliot immediately raised his hand.
Together they stood in the center of the circle with the speaker, as he instructed how to handcuff two people to one another. A practice they found worked well with protestors or when an officer was under manned. Most people struggled to run away when handcuffed to someone else.
Olivia sighed as he slapped one cuff on her and one on Elliot. Olivia and Elliot instantly began to tug in the opposite direction of the other, proving the speakers point.
Once the instructor had made sure everybody understood the method he took out the key to the cuffs and inserted it into the hole.
Olivia stopped breathing altogether when she heard a snap. Sure enough the key had broken in the lock.
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," the instructor grimaced.
Olivia sighed and looked towards the ceiling of the small conference room, "Are you kidding me?"
"Um okay, don't panic, I can, I'll call a locksmith?" the speaker asserted questioningly.
"Half the key is still in the hole! We don't need a locksmith we need a bloody saw or pliers or something!" Olivia exclaimed.
Elliot shook his head, "A locksmith will have tools to snap these open."
This was unbelievable. This would only happen to her. She tried to ignore Elliot as she watched the young instructor call a locksmith.
She couldn't hear the conversation but when he hung up he looked like he would be the barer of bad news.
"Well?" Olivia asked. "Let me guess he can't come?"
"No-no someone can come yeah!"
Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. She could not be handcuffed to her partner. Ex. She reminded herself. Ex partner.
"It's just because we're in the middle of nowhere there's no company or service close by, so he can't send someone out until tomorrow. But he said someone would definitely be here before noon tomorrow!" the instructor exclaimed, trying to put a positive spin on the situation.
"Unbelievable," Olivia murmured.
"Uh so maybe, I don't know, you two could take a seat for the rest of the seminar? I don't think I'll use you for any other demonstrations. I swear I've never had this happen," the young man chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
"I've been a cop for over 25 years kid, don't worry I've never had it happen either!" Elliot tried to reassure him.
He felt a tug on his hand as Olivia pulled him back to their seats.
"I swear to God if I didn't know any better I'd think you'd planned this too," Olivia complained.
"Hey I'm just as uncomfortable as you are," Elliot snipped back.
"How the hell are we going to get through this?"
"Maybe it's a good thing, forces us to spend time together, to actually talk," Elliot suggested.
"Ughhh my squad will never stop talking about this!" Olivia groaned.
Just as Olivia expected the seminar began to drag on. There were a few more demonstrations, one that Phoebe and her partner to part in, but they all seemed to go much better than hers did. Phoebe gave her an apologetic smile as they left the conference room. Olivia wondered just how much of her history, Fin had regaled to her.
Walking with Elliot at her side was proving to be difficult as she kept forgetting they were stuck together. She had no doubt that she would have marks on her wrist whenever she was finally free from these cuffs.
Olivia wasn't paying attention when she ran into somebody.
"Oh I'm so sorry," the man apologized.
"No I wasn't looking where I was going," Olivia said, recognizing the younger man.
"Oh hey, it's Captain Benson, Manhattan SVU," he smiled at her.
"Great memory!" Olivia smiled at the man who checked her in.
"Hey Liv, how was the seminar?" Rollins asked strolling up to the odd grouping.
Olivia scowled, "I'll tell you later."
Olivia turned her attention back to the stranger, "It was nice seeing you again."
"You too, I work here, at the hotel I mean, maybe I'll see you again sometime this weekend."
"Maybe," Olivia nodded as she watched him walk down another hallway.
"You wanna head back up? Some of the other guys talked about just ordering some room service for tonight. We're all pretty beat," Amanda informed her, still not looking at Elliot.
"Yes let's go," Olivia agreed, following Amanda to the door leading to the staircase, Elliot once again falling into step beside her.
Amanda glanced back at the odd pair but didn't say anything.
They appeared to be the first ones back in the suite.
"You gonna change? Maybe we could take a few minutes to call the kids, you know, alone…" Amanda trailed off, shooting Elliot a dirty look.
Elliot chuckled and shook his head, "You know you're not gonna have any privacy."
"Excuse me? Look I don't know you detective, and I don't know what your deal is or want you want from Liv, but she's my friend and our kids happen to love each other too so if we wanna take a few minutes to ourselves to FaceTime with our children-"
"Rollins, we're stuck with him. Or more accurately, I'm stuck with him until noon tomorrow," Olivia interrupted, not wanting Rollins to go off on Elliot, the way she knew Amanda was capable of.
Rollins furrowed her eyebrows, "Why is this some weird homework assignment from your seminar? Hang out with someone who ghosted you before ghosting was even a thing?"
Olivia held up her handcuffed arm.
"What the hell?!" Amanda exclaimed, stepping right up to the pair and yanking on the cuffs. She checked the lock and sighed, "Oh no, it didn't…"
"Yep it did, key snapped right in half," Elliot smiled smugly at the blonde. "So like I said Olivia isn't going to have much privacy for a few hours but feel free to call your kids I promise I won't say a single word."
"Why do I have the feeling that you're not all that upset about this situation?" Amanda sneered at him.
Elliot shrugged, "I don't think most people would be too bothered at being handcuffed to Olivia Benson."
Olivia rolled her eyes, "Yeah because she's a good person," Amanda declared.
"The best," Elliot agreed.
"Enough," Olivia snapped, as Elliot continued to smirk and Amanda continued to glare.
Just as Olivia was about to direct Elliot to cut it out, the front door of the suite opened and the rest of their squads piled into the room, immediately noticing the standoff between the trio.
Fin stepped up to them, "Is it true? I ran into Phoebe downstairs, she was in your seminar?"
Olivia nodded holding up her hand again so the rest of the people in the room could see too. Fin chuckled, Kat snorted. Olivia narrowed her eyes, "One word from any of you and you're on call for the next four weekends in a row!"
The wiper the grins off her squads face.
"Yes that's what I thought," she mumbled.
Bell spoke up, "Alright guys let's wind down, go get changed, we talked about ordering room service if your squad is interested Captain. Maybe having dinner together, get to know one another better?"
Olivia smiled at her, "Sounds great."
Everyone began moving into their respective rooms.
"Um so, I'm currently sharing a room with Freddie, you want me to come share your room? Just for the night obviously?" Elliot questioned.
Olivia sighed, "Well I'm not sharing with the two of you, and it's easier for one person to move than multiple people."
"Always thinking about others," Elliot mused.
Olivia sneered, "Yes it's a bad habit of mine, thinking about how my actions may affect other people. Maybe you should try it sometime. Move it, grab your stuff, I want to call Noah before he starts his homework."
Elliot frowned at her outburst but knew there would probably be more to come. He had wanted to spend time with her this weekend but he hadn't wanted to be literally tied to her.
"Liv, please, look I know this is the worst case scenario for you, and I'm not trying to annoy you I swear," Elliot started.
Olivia rubbed her forehead, "You don't have to try, for starters stop purposely aggravating Rollins."
"She started that confrontation!" Elliot accused.
"What are you five?" Olivia frowned.
"Fine, fine, I'll stop teasing her, happy?" Elliot asked, pulling her in the direction of his room.
"Yes, thank you," Olivia whispered.
Olivia followed along as she watched her partner grab his luggage. It didn't take long as he hadn't unpacked much. They walked to the room she had left her suitcase in earlier.
Shutting the door behind her she spoke up, "Look I can understand what you hoped to get out of this weekend. You were hoping we would talk, maybe spend some time together, possibly get back on the road towards friendship, am I right?"
Elliot nodded slowly, wondering if her change of attitude was some kind of trap. "Yes that's what I wanted, but not like this," Elliot replied while jangling the cuffs.
"Okay, we-we can talk but not right now, not like this, I agree," she said, holding up their conjoined hands.
Elliot gave her a small smile, "Progress."
Olivia chuckled, "Sure, now then how are we going to do this because we both obviously are going to want to change."
The pair of them looked at one another, running their gazes up and down the other's body while they tried to figure out just how they would not only get through this latest predicament but how they would get through the rest of their night as well.
A/N: I try to not make chapters too too long. This will be a fairly short story. Only couple more chapters. Thank you for any and all reviews. My high school teacher once made fun of immigrant people's writing and how we should all know English before we come to the USA. This stuck with me for many many years. It is something I have worked hard on my whole life. If this or any story of mine offends you though, than I suggest you don't read them.