"Morning," she greeted.
"Morning," he said. He looked at the clock, "We should get ready," he said reluctantly.
"I know, but I don't want to leave," she said.
"Me neither." He pushed himself out of bed and pulled on his robe. He turned back to Olivia, who was slowly crawling out of bed as well, wearing pink pyjamas. "It was fun. Let's do it again sometime." She laughed, remembering the night before. The embarassment of a police reprimand hadn't affected their mood much. By the time they had come in the front door, they were all over each other. They had made love on the living room carpet, falling asleep there briefly before ascending to his bedroom for the rest of the night.
"How does tonight sound?" She said, grinning.
"Tonight it is." He returned the smile. Her face went suddenly serious.
"I really do love you, Elliot," she said.
"I love you, too." He pulled her into a hug.
**********
Cragen's phone had been ringing off the hook, and, for the first time in his career, it wasn't the media or concerned citizens. When Olivia and Elliot entered the squadroom, obviously in love, he was in a really bad mood.
"You two. In my office. Now," he commanded. They lost their smiles, exchanging glances. Munch and Fin sat at their desk, snickering. Cragen shut the door behind his two detectives and circled them to stand in front of his desk, hands on his hips.
"I have had over fifteen calls in the last hour and a half. The first was from two Vice detectives wanting to know if there was really a Detective Olivia Benson under my command." Her eyes widened in severe embarassment.
"Sir, we...."Elliot began.
"I'm not finished. I then got a call from IAB. Do you know what it took for me to convince them not to formally reprimand you?" Elliot and Olivia remained silent.
"After that came the calls from every other Captain in the city, and a few Lieutenants, calling to either laugh at me or question my ability. What were you two thinking?!"
"Captain, we weren't thinking," Olivia stated guiltily, "I'm sorry for getting you into this."
"We're sorry," Elliot added.
"Good, cause Olivia, I want you to finish the second and third filing rooms today. Elliot, you're on desk duty. I would also ask you to take your lunches separately until you figure you can keep your hands off each other."
The detectives nodded and exited the office. Cragen smiled. They were so perfect together.
**********
As soon as Olivia shut the door behind her, Munch and Fin burst out laughing. She rolled her eyes, noticing that most of the office staff were snickering behind their clipboards and file folders. Munch motioned for quiet and sat on top of his desk, holding a paper which he began to read from.
"Preliminary Report by Officer Thomas Hutchinson. During our usual rounds at 11:45pm, my partner and I came across a car in which we assumed a prostitute was completing a transaction." Olivia and Elliot stayed rooted to the spot as he continued.
"Then there's some boring stuff. The colour of the car, etcetera. Here's the good part: The 'John' identified himself as Detective Elliot Stabler and produced adequate ID. However, the alleged Detective Olivia Benson was not able to produce identification when requested. Request to investigate further. . ." Munch stopped as the staff exploded into shouts, cheers, and laughter. Fin was doubled over. Olivia pretended to ignore them and headed for the filing room. Once she was there, she began to laugh as well. It really was sort of funny, although it certainly wasn't the way she pictured the office learning about their relationship.
**********
After Olivia returned from her lunch, her cell phone rang. She shut the drawer of the filing cabinet, sat back, and fished the phone out of her jacket on the table.
"Benson."
"Hey." It was Elliot. He spoke in a hushed voice, so as not to be overheard.
"Hi."
"How's it going?" He asked.
"Awful. I feel like I'm a librarian. How about you?" She replied.
"Not too bad, considering."
"I know. It wasn't really what I was expecting this morning." He didn't reply to this.
"So, I was just wondering if you'd like to go out for dinner this evening." Her face crinkled into a smile.
"I'd love to."
"Good. Can I pick you up at seven-thirty at filing room three?"
"Sounds great. See you then."
***********
He swung by the filing room promptly at 7:30.
"You ready?"
"You bet."
When their orders had been taken, Olivia put her elbows on the table and leaned forward.
"So, would this be our first real date?"
"You didn't consider last night a date?" He joked.
"Very funny."
"I don't know. We've been out for dinner before, lots. After work," he said.
"Never to a real restaurant. Bars and cafés. And we talked about work mostly. But you were. . .married those times. I was often involved elsewhere. This is different." There was silence before he responded. It was the first time either one had acknowledged their past relationships in words.
"Then I guess this is - our first date." He took her hand across the table. "Do you want to know what Cragen made me do on desk duty?" She nodded, staring straight into his blue eyes.
"I had to call all the people that called him this morning and explain my conduct." She cringed.
"That's harsh. I think we need a new rule. From now on, no remotely sexual behaviour in motor vehicles."
"It's a deal."
**********
That night, Elliot lay cuddling Olivia, who was fast asleep. He tried to sleep, but he stayed awake. The moonlight cast a slanted, blue glow on their forms. He looked down at her and let the happy glow fill him. He tried to imagine the house without her in it. He couldn't. He didn't want to. She made his existence vibrant. He didn't feel lonely anymore. Sure, she could come over once in a while after she moved out, but it wouldn't be the same.
Olivia turned slightly in her sleep. Elliot held her tighter.
He didn't want to let her go.
**********
Almost done! Please continue to review.
