Prompt #52: Jet has a new love interest and it's one of the Stabler kids
Family Secrets
~oOo~
It takes months of their relationship slowly fizzling out before Jet and Malachi both admit that perhaps they'd be better off as friends rather than chasing something romantic. And despite Jet hearing from other people how trying to be friends with an ex is a mistake, she discovers it doesn't really apply to her and Malachi. Or maybe because their relationship ended before it had become fully serious, they had managed to save that rapport and friendliness without their past breaking them apart.
The problem comes when Malachi finds himself a new girlfriend, not for any reasons of jealousy, but because being enthusiastically happy about his love life apparently means he is now a dating coach, determined to help Jet find that 'someone perfect' also. She thinks it's more to alleviate guilt he has for managing to find someone while she's still single, but from her perspective, it's really not an issue. She's perfectly happy being by herself.
"I don't need a wingman," she tells him grumpily, after he's finished listing several dating apps that are the 'most popular with women from New York', according to some web blog. "And online dating is not something I will ever use."
After that he switches tactics, subtly trying to encourage her to go out for after-work drinks with colleagues, dropping hints about which of them happen to be single until Jet threatens to block his number.
Truthfully, she's already made up her mind that she isn't looking for a partner. The dating world is too much effort, full of human complexities and emotions, and she's decided it's just simpler to accept her fate as a spinster. Malachi even discovers her googling 'do I need cats to be a proper spinster', judging her heavily for the rest of the afternoon.
("Why are you shopping for cats?" he had asked, appalled. "How have you given up on a dating life already?"
She ignores him.)
And then she goes to get coffee one unremarkable day.
~oOo~
It's been a long morning. All her attempts to trace their suspects have led to dead end after dead end, and she finds herself pathetically dropping her forehead onto her desk.
"Jet, take a break," Elliot orders, wandering by. "Have some lunch and stop staring at those screens for a while. I'm sure it'll look better when you've had some fresh air."
Jet deigns to lift her head slightly, turning just enough so that she can send him a disgruntled look.
"I don't want fresh air," she grumbles mutinously.
Elliot is in a horrifyingly good mood, and she knows it's because Captain Benson is going to be at a joint team meeting that afternoon. It's true that Jet always loves to see the good Captain too, because she's both an extremely impressive person, and an extremely attractive person, but she refuses to let Elliot ruin her perfectly understandable annoyance now she's sunk into the pit of despair. Besides, she doesn't think Elliot would approve of her thoughts regarding Olivia Benson's hotness.
"Look, if you don't want lunch, then at least go and get yourself a good cup of coffee," he bargains. "Not the shit here, but an oversized, sugary serving that will keep you fueled for the entire rest of the afternoon."
She's reluctant to give him a win, but a tasty iced coffee does sound excellent right now. Slowly, she sits up and spins her chair around.
"I'll have you know, I'm leaving under protest," she announces. "And only because the coffee here is indeed not worth my time."
Elliot nods distractedly, his eyes drawn to an incoming text message, and Jet is confident that if she peered over his shoulder to see who it was from, it'd be Captain Benson. She rolls her eyes at the besotted gaze he's sending at his screen, complete with a soppy smile, and heads towards the door.
"I'm proud of you," he yells facetiously after her, and she flips him the middle finger as she leaves. She'll never tell him, but the short walk to the cafe is rather pleasant, the sun shining brightly but not too hot, a nice breeze in the air. She swings through the door with considerably more cheer than when she left the office, inhaling the wonderful scent of fresh coffee.
And promptly gets hit by another person hurrying towards the exit.
"Oh shit, oh shit," the woman says, her hands flailing as her iced coffee spills down Jet's shirt. "I'm so sorry."
Jet inhales from the shock of cold liquid soaking into her top and trickling down her skin. The woman in front of her is now gathering massive wads of napkins, patting them hurriedly against Jet's chest in an attempt to stave off the worst of the staining, and Jet's brain tries to catch up with everything happening at once.
"Shit," the woman says again. "Sorry, I didn't ask your permission to…you know."
She waves the soaked paper napkins at Jet's chest, grimacing slightly.
"I'm so sorry about ruining your shirt," she continues apologetically. "Let me pay for the dry cleaning. And your order!"
Jet finds her voice at last, frustrated that she's now covered in iced coffee but finding it difficult to direct it towards the woman who is obviously extremely upset about the whole situation also.
"Don't worry about it," she reassures, her voice rising into a squeak when she actually looks at the stranger's face, realizing she's standing in front of a beautiful young woman, with glowing blonde hair and cute freckles dotted across her face. There's something familiar about her, although Jet can't imagine why.
"No no, I insist," the woman says. "Let me buy you whatever you came in here for, and then maybe we can exchange details so I can pay your dry cleaner's costs."
Jet finds herself being herded towards the counter, unsure of the etiquette in this situation. Should she tell the woman no again? Take the coffee and thank her, but refuse the dry cleaning? Considering who's at fault here, she's finding it ironic that she's the one concerned about being rude.
"I'm Lizzie," the woman says, hoisting her bag further up her shoulder and sticking out her hand now that she's unloaded herself of her now-empty cup and the napkins.
Jet takes her hand carefully, giving it a quick shake before dropping it as if it were a hot potato, self-conscious about the fact that her palms are becoming clammy now she has the woman's - Lizzie's - full attention. Suddenly, she realizes exactly why she recognizes the woman.
"Lizzie…Stabler?" she checks, and receives a surprised look in return. "I work with your father. We met at his—"
"Medal ceremony!" Lizzie interrupts. "Of course, Jet right? The one who has super computer skills."
"Well, I don't know about that…" she says awkwardly. "But yeah, I do a lot of the computer stuff. I'm a Detective though."
"Well, I'm sorry that it happened this way, but nice to meet you again Jet!" Lizzie enthuses, and somehow that is enough to launch a conversation that Jet in all her introverted glory would have normally avoided with anyone she barely knows. But before she's really noticed, she has her own coffee, a sandwich for lunch, and is seated at a table across from Lizzie, involved in a debate about the latest World of Warcraft updates. It feels as if no time has passed when Jet notices with a start that she's spent almost a full hour sitting talking to this relative stranger.
"Maybe this is a bit forward of me, considering I threw coffee over you," Lizzie says as Jet reluctantly announces her need to return to work, "and I certainly don't know if you're…uh, interested. Plus maybe this is going to make everything difficult considering you work with my father. But I think you're very cool and pretty. Would love to exchange numbers and maybe take you out for a proper dinner some time?"
Jet feels her cheeks burning, but there's a bright flush across Lizzie's own face as they gaze at each other, and Jet can hear Malachi's voice in her head going 'give her your number!'.
That's how it starts.
~oOo~
They've been dating for three months, and Jet is amazed at how simple it's been to embrace having Lizzie in her life. The conversations come easily, the company is actually appreciated, and Lizzie is emotionally aware enough to be able to tell when Jet needs her own personal time to recharge her internal batteries. It's already the most successful relationship Jet's ever been in, something she is not about to reflect upon too heavily in case she begins to overthink and second guess anything. For once, she's listening to Malachi and 'going with the flow' of it all, which so far has been working well.
The only sticking point is that Elliot still doesn't know. At first, it didn't bother Jet, because she wasn't even sure Lizzie would still like her after a couple of dates, and then as it developed into something more serious, she was unsure how to broach the topic with him – a 'hey, I'm dating your daughter' didn't seem like an appropriate work conversation. At this point however, it's becoming more and more challenging to go into work and feel as if she's lying to him, despite the fact he would never ask her questions on her dating life. It's a lie of omission, but still a lie in her mind, and she respects him enough to want to resolve the situation.
Lizzie has been dragging her feet as well, which serves to make Jet uncomfortable when she reflects on it too much, but her girlfriend's explanation is that Elliot is dramatic when it comes to meeting new partners, and she's just as concerned as Jet about avoiding creating issues at work. Jet thinks he'd be too professional, but it's true that she's developed a bond with him more than anyone on the team, and she's desperate not to lose it.
They haven't discussed the issue in a while, however, and so when Lizzie cooks her favorite meal one Friday night and acts slightly nervous all evening, her first thought is to spiral into 'what have I done wrong' or 'she's about to break up with me', before Jet internally shuts down any intrusive thoughts. They have a lovely, quiet weekend stretching ahead of them, and she is not about to begin it with a misunderstanding.
Taking a deep breath, she raises her eyebrow at her girlfriend instead, after Lizzie repeats the same work story a couple of times thanks to whatever distraction has taken over her mind.
"Something wrong?" Jet asks, impressing herself that she's willing to tackle the topic head-on, rather than trying to guess the issue.
Lizzie stops talking immediately, drops her fork down, and leans back in her chair.
"I have a favor to ask," she says, nervously biting her lip. "And I know it's…a lot, but I'm hoping you'll say yes anyway."
She's already switching on her puppy eyes, a dangerous skill that Jet is usually defenseless against.
"Go on…" she says warily, stopping eating also in order to fully pay attention. If it's something that's making Lizzie nervous, it must be big indeed.
"You know my sister Kathleen?" Lizzie begins, and Jet nods. "Well, she's been dating her boyfriend Joe for quite a while, and she really wants Dad to meet him because it's getting serious. And honestly, I would like to tell dad about us now too, because I'm really serious about you."
Jet feels her heart skip slightly in hearing those words, and she can't help but reach out to grasp onto Lizzie's hand, a demonstration of physical touch she doesn't often instigate. Lizzie squeezes her fingers, understanding exactly the emotions she's trying to convey.
Jet knows a fair amount about the Stablers, but she has yet to meet any of Lizzie's siblings except for her twin, mostly because she felt too guilty about going behind Elliot's back. She can't help but feel relieved that they'll be open now, but also rather intimidated by the concept of being integrated into a family she knows is rather large and loud. Her own family is disconnected and cold, and she isn't sure how to behave around a close-knit family unit.
"I'd love to tell your dad about us," she says eventually, because Lizzie has stalled in actually telling her what the issue is. "But what does this have to do with Kathleen and Joe?"
"Well, the thing is…Kathleen organized having dinner with Dad tomorrow, so they could all meet. And she kinda bookeddinnerforallofus."
Jet tries to digest that for a second.
"She what?"
"She booked dinner for all of us. Herself. Joe. Dad. Me…You."
"So you want to double date with your sister, and bring your dad too?" Jet can't help her voice rising slightly. "Why can't we just send him a text or tell him over coffee?"
Lizzie dials up her puppy eyes.
"Please, Jet? Kathleen is really nervous about this, and honestly, I'm nervous too, not because I'm not super proud of you as a girlfriend, but I don't know how he'll react to me dating one of his work colleagues. There'll be less pressure if we split the focus."
Jet is not convinced by this, nor is she convinced that ambushing Elliot Stabler is a good idea in any form. It's Saturday tomorrow, and she won't even have a chance to talk to him beforehand.
Or maybe Lizzie and Kathleen know their father best, and she should trust them.
"I don't know, Liz," she says slowly. "Are you sure this is the best approach?"
Lizzie perks up, sensing that Jet is wavering in her opinion.
"Katie says she has a 'secret weapon', that will make sure things go smoothly. She seems adamant that it will work, and she's never led me astray before."
Jet still feels uncomfortable about the whole situation, but she decides to take a leap of faith, especially in the face of Lizzie's beseeching expression.
"Fine," she says, relenting.
Lizzie leaps up from her chair in excitement, coming around the table so she can dip Jet down into a deep kiss.
~oOo~
Saturday evening comes too soon, and Jet is increasingly concerned, and increasingly unconvinced about the whole event. But she's already promised to attend, and Lizzie is actually excited to introduce her not only to her father, but her sibling too.
"After tonight, we'll have to have a family brunch," she says enthusiastically at one point. "You need to meet Maureen and Carl, and Eli…Grandma B. My nephews! Everyone!"
Jet is glad that Lizzie hasn't demanded reciprocity in terms of family engagement, but it's all starting to feel vaguely overwhelming.
Still, at 8 pm she finds herself standing outside of the restaurant, knees slightly shaking and clutching onto Lizzie's hand so tight that she's pretty sure she's cutting off the blood supply. Elliot is her co-worker and someone she greatly respects, as well as being the father of the person she is pretty sure she's deeply in love with, so tonight is the most momentous event in her personal life that she's had to face in years.
"Lizzie!" a voice calls out, and they both spin around to find another young, pretty blonde woman barreling towards them, dragging along—
"Holy shit," Jet breathes, her mouth falling open in surprise. Opposite her, Joe Velasco, Detective from SVU and team member of Captain Benson herself, is also frozen in place, staring at her with shock in his eyes.
"Kathleen, this is Jet, my girlfriend," Lizzie is saying. "Jet, this is…hey, are you alright?"
Jet blinks quickly for a moment, and tries to rejoin the conversation.
"Sorry," she says. "Yes, I'm fine. I just…well, I think 'Joe' and I know each other already."
"Detective Slootmaekers, right?" he says quietly, stepping forwards to shake her hand briefly. "Great to meet you again."
"It's Jet," she corrects. "Nice to see you too. And nice to meet you, Kathleen."
She's making an effort for Lizzie, her mind spiraling but her manners impeccable, determination flowing through her veins that she'll make a good impression on her girlfriend's sister too.
"I'm so happy to meet you," Kathleen beams. "I've wanted to for ages, and I'm glad we can all hang out together now."
They're still standing outside the restaurant, a fact Jet is reminded of when the door to an SUV slams loudly, and they all turn to see Elliot standing there with a shocked look on his face.
"Hi, Dad!" Kathleen says confidently. "Ready to meet everyone?"
He doesn't move, eyes darting back and forth between each person crowded in front of him. Jet can practically see his mind whirring from where she's standing, and she has no idea what he's thinking.
She's so focused on Elliot and his reaction, that she doesn't even register the fact that someone else has exited the car on the other side until she sees Elliot stumble forwards slightly, propelled by a hand on his back.
"Hi all," Olivia says, striding forwards and practically pushing Elliot along with her. "Sorry we're late; El had to come pick me up because my car is in the shop."
THE Captain Benson is also attending this dinner. Jet suddenly wishes she could sink through the ground, to disappear forever and not have to face the most challenging dinner she can possibly imagine. She's pretty sure her face is bright red rather than its usual pale complexion, as she resists the urge to shuffle behind Lizzie and hide from sight.
There's a slightly wide-eyed expression from Captain Benson also, as she brings herself and her reluctant companion to a halt beside the rest of them, enough to make Jet believe she wasn't aware of exactly who she'd be joining for dinner either.
"No worries, Liv," Kathleen leads the conversation once more, clearly used to being the most disruptive Stabler child. "I really wanted the both of you to meet my partner Joe, and of course Lizzie has brought her better half too."
"I think we've all met before," Elliot says dryly, and Jet chances a quick glance up at his face, only to realize his bright blue eyes are directly on her. She shrinks back a bit, and Lizzie shuffles closer.
"Cap—Captain," Velasco is saying, and by the looks of things, Elliot and Olivia aren't the only two people surprised here tonight. Jet isn't sure if Kathleen knew the connection and was simply content to set everyone up for a shock, or she genuinely didn't know, but the tiny evil smirk on her face certainly lent itself to the more chaotic answer.
"I guess for tonight you can call me Olivia," Captain Benson is saying, and her gaze sweeps over to include Jet, sending across a warm smile. Her poker face is certainly impressive, and as much as Jet knows Olivia has the capability to make hardened criminals cry, in this instance, she actually feels a sense of relief building in her chest thanks to the other woman's calm reaction.
No wonder Kathleen thought of her as a 'secret weapon' to help with the evening.
There's the awkward shuffle as they all enter the restaurant, identify their reservation, and settle down at the table.
Jet finds herself with Lizzie on one side, and Elliot on the other, her shoulders squeezing in tightly in order to make herself smaller and less noticeable. She knows she has to talk to Elliot at some point, explain herself, but she doesn't even know where to begin.
"So, Lizzie is the person who's been making you smile these past few months?" Elliot is the one to actually turn to her, lowering his voice for the conversation. Olivia is smoothly engaging in a discussion with her own detective and Kathleen, giving them a moment of privacy.
"I…yes?" she manages to reply, surprised he'd noticed she'd been behaving differently. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you before."
"It's my fault, Dad," Lizzie leans forward, involving herself in the conversation too. "I was nervous and didn't want to upset your working relationship. But Jet is so amazing and I'm really happy to have her in my life."
Elliot rests a hand on Jet's shoulder, squeezing it briefly in reassurance before he pulls away again, and the gesture settles some of the nerves still fluttering in her stomach.
"This explains why I've had both a daughter and a colleague constantly staring at their phones with stupid grins for all these weeks," Elliot muses.
"Like you when Captain Benson messages you?" Jet says, and then claps her hand over her mouth, shocked she would be so daring in this situation of all times. To her mortification, Kathleen manages to overhear, cackling loudly before she reaches over for a high five. Jet raises her palm slowly, torn between her loyalty to Elliot and her desire to bond with Lizzie's sister. He raises his eyebrow at her, but his expression is faintly amused, enough that she carries through with the high five with a stubborn lift of her chin.
"I like her," Kathleen announces, and Lizzie jumps in with her own high fives.
"Dare I ask?" Captain Benson – Olivia – asks, and Elliot shakes his head.
"Best you don't," he says, and then the table is interrupted by their orders being taken.
Jet finds herself immediately out of the hot seat as soon as the waiter wanders away, Elliot's attention focused this time on Velasco, who looks both terrified and determined.
"So, Joe is it..?" Elliot begins, his tone sounding as if he's about to launch into a speech about not hurting his daughter. Jet spies a slight movement from the other side of him, Olivia's hand reaching out to tap out a warning on his knee, and his shoulders deflate.
"Yessir," Velasco sits up straight.
"How did you and Kathleen meet?" Elliot asks, and it's clearly not the question he had wanted to ask before Olivia had cautioned him otherwise, but he's trying to be on his best behavior too.
The conversation in general is stilted but manageable, not descending into the sheer awfulness that Jet had envisioned when the night had first begun. At one point, Lizzie leans over to her with a bright smile.
"I'm pretty sure you're more Dad's favorite than either me or Kathleen," she notes. Jet laughs it off, but there's a warm glow in her chest as she realizes maybe Elliot really has accepted her into the family.
He's being far harsher towards Velasco however, and Jet can sense Kathleen's patience beginning to wane, a Stabler-esque furrow in her brow as she watches their back-and-forth exchanges.
Jet excuses herself to slip away to the bathroom, both to pee but also to take a moment to herself as the adrenaline that's been pumping around her body for the last hour or so finally starts to dwindle.
She's just about to return to the group when she hears familiar voices. Peeking around the corner, she can see that Olivia has managed to drag Elliot away from the table for a moment, and they're in the middle of a disagreement, judging from the tone of their voices.
Jet ponders walking past them back to her seat, because she doesn't really mean to eavesdrop, but the idea of interrupting an argument and having Olivia Benson's annoyance turn her way keeps her feet firmly on the ground.
"Well, I know Jet, so of course, I trust her," Elliot is blustering defensively, hands on hips, and her ears prick up at the sound of her name as she hides herself around the wall again.
"That's not what this is about," Olivia hisses, her voice low. "Of course Jet is wonderful, and I'm very happy she's with Lizzie. My issue is how you're treating Velasco right now."
Jet's mind can barely move past the fact that Elliot has said he trusts her, and that Oliva thinks she is wonderful.
"I'm treating him like I treat all my daughters' boyfriends," Elliot tries to defend himself. "I don't think there's anything wrong with that."
"No, you're trying to be the terrifying father figure," Olivia throws back, and Jet's impressed with how easily Elliot argues with her when she has a tone that could chill blood in her opponent's veins. "Except he's my detective, so just as you say you know Jet, I know him, El. Kathleen isn't a young girl anymore – she doesn't need your protection, she needs you to see her as a mature adult. And quite frankly, it's insulting that you wouldn't try to intimidate a girlfriend but think you need to for a boyfriend."
Jet hears Elliot let out a deep groan.
"Fine, fine," he mutters. "I'll be nicer to your detective."
"Thank you," Olivia's voice is immediately calmer. "Besides, Kathleen was ready to blow up at you, so you can thank me for telling you this now, rather than allowing her to do it at the table."
There's a pause in conversation. Jet almost peers back around the corner, to see if they're walking away, but her detective instincts tell her to wait. She's rewarded with the sound of Elliot's chuckle.
"Did we just have our first argument about the kids?" he says, and she's surprised by the amount of humor in his voice, right after an apparently tense conversation. Olivia snorts.
"I guess we did," she says.
This time, there's a longer silence, and Jet slowly counts to ten in her head, before carefully checking if her pathway is clear.
Her gaze immediately falls onto her colleague and the woman she greatly admires, locked in a make-out session that is borderline inappropriate for such a public place. They're lucky to be in a small alcove hidden away from the rest of the restaurant, and Jet can barely refrain from letting out a squeak as she spins back around the corner, hands over her eyes as she hurries back to the actual bathroom, where she stares in the mirror for a long time, wondering how her life led her to this moment, hiding in a restaurant's bathroom with all this chaos going on around her.
Eventually, she risks the route to return to the table, and this time the coast is clear, allowing her to slide safely into her seat.
"You alright?" Lizzie says, clearly concerned as to why she'd been away for so long. Jet nods, leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek and studiously avoiding looking across at Elliot or Olivia.
Looks like she wasn't the only one who's been hiding a relationship recently. She wonders when they'll be brave enough to tell the family.