Prompt #41: When Elliot insists on tagging along on her day off, Olivia treats him to the girliest day she can think of. Brunch and pedicures, anyone?

His Feminine Side

~oOo~

After a particularly grueling week at Manhattan SVU, Olivia sat at her desk attempting to complete the mounds of paperwork that had accumulated upon it. Like falling leaves, it seemed that every time she had cleared a pile, another one formed in its place. She was deep in concentration when her sergeant knocked on her door.

"Hey, Cap. I'm gonna head out. You leaving soon?" Fin asked.

"In a little bit. I'd like to finish as much of this mess as I can since I have the weekend off." Olivia said, pointing to the heap of papers in front of her.

"You doing anything fun with Noah?"

"Actually, no. He is spending the weekend with a friend and his family. They are going to take some classes at the Broadway Dance Center, and they have tickets to see a ballet."

"Are you doing anything fun with Stabler?" Fin questioned, a knowing smirk tugging at his face. It was a fair question. Olivia had spent a great deal of time with Elliot over the summer. They had been talking more, and getting their families together for dinners. While everyone around them noticed the shy smiles, long glances, and subtle flirting that had been increasing between the two of them, neither Elliot nor Olivia had done anything to officially move their relationship past the friend zone.

"What? Uh… no." Olivia stammered, her face blushing ever so slightly. "I was actually planning on spending some quality time with myself this weekend. Things have been so crazy lately, that I was hoping to get in some much-needed pampering. You know…girly stuff."

"That sounds cool. You deserve that. Try not to stay too late."

"I'll try. Now get out of here." Olivia commanded. "I'm sure Phoebe has forgotten what you look like after all the overtime you put in this week."

"Good night, Liv. See you Monday." Fin called behind him as he turned and left her office.

An hour later, Olivia had finally begun to make a dent in the stack of files on her desk when her phone rang. Not looking at the caller ID, she answered. "Benson."

"Hey, how's my favorite captain?"

Olivia grinned at the familiar voice on the other end. "Still at work. I just had a lot of paperwork to get done since I took some time off this weekend. What's up?"

"That's actually what I was calling you about. I know you said Noah was going to be away this weekend, and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to get together tomorrow. We could go and do something, or if you're tired from your crazy week, we could stay in and watch some movies and eat Chinese take-out."

"That sounds nice, El, but I already have plans for tomorrow."

"You do? With who?" Elliot asked.

Sensing unease in his voice, Olivia answered coyly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Uh, yeah. I kinda would."

Olivia could almost see the clench in his jaw through the phone, so she decided to spare him. "Not that it's any of your business, but if you must know, I am going out by myself."

An audible breath was expelled on the line. "Well how about I tag along with you?"

"Sorry, not this time. I'm looking forward to a little relaxation and self-care."

"But that's my specialty. I love taking care of you."

"I'm serious, Elliot. I'm going to be doing all sorts of girly things. It's nothing that you would want to do with me."

"You have no idea what I want to do with you." Elliot said suggestively, "And besides, as a father of three girls, I am very in touch with my feminine side."

Olivia rolled her eyes as a blush took over her face. "You can't seriously expect me to let you tag along for my spa and shopping day."

"Why not?" Elliot asked. "I think it would be a lot of fun."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Definitely not," he said matter of factly.

"I really can't believe we are having this conversation right now." Olivia huffed. "Fine. You can come with me. But I don't want any complaints, and I get to choose what we do."

"Deal."

"Meet me at my place at 10am."

"Okay, see you then."

Olivia rubbed her hands over her face and wondered how it happened that her much anticipated spa day had gained an unexpected tag along. As she packed up her things to leave the office for the night she smiled to herself as she thought about how eager Elliot had been to spend some time alone with her. As flattering as that was, she still had no intentions of changing her plans for the day. She needed the chance to unwind and relax, and she knew exactly how to do that. "Well Stabler," she said aloud to herself, "I guess we're about to find out just how in touch with your feminine side you really are."

~oOo~

At 9:59am, Olivia heard the knock at her door. She opened it to find a bright and cheery Elliot on the other side, holding two cups of coffee and a bag from her favorite bakery on the corner of her block.

"Morning, partner!" He said cheerily as she opened the door to let him slide past her. "I brought us a little snack to start off our day of fun." He made his way toward her kitchen counter, and Olivia could not help but catch herself staring at him. In dark-washed jeans and a charcoal henley that was snug in all of the right places, Elliot Stabler made casual look like an art form.

"I appreciate your attempt to bribe me with caffeine and pastries, but I hope you don't think I'm changing my mind about what I had planned for my day of fun that you insisted on tagging along for."

"I wouldn't dream of it!" He scoffed in mock outrage. "Seriously, Liv, I'd tag along with you anywhere." He glanced softly in her direction, a sheepish smile taking over his face as his blue eyes focused on her.

Olivia felt heat rush to her cheeks, an occurrence that was happening more and more whenever she was in his presence. Eager for a distraction, Olivia reached for the coffee he had brought for her and took a sip. "We'll see about that." She smiled and looked over at the bakery bag. "What's in there?"

"An apple turnover and one of those quiche rolls I know you love."

"Mmm…" Olivia grabbed plates from the cabinet, and the pair sat down at the table, alternating eating from their own plates and eating from each other's.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Elliot asked as he mouthed a forkful of Olivia's quiche.

"Our appointments at the spa don't start until noon," she said, "because they had to move me a little later when I called and told them I'd be bringing a friend along."

"Appointments? Plural?"

"Yes, Elliot. I told you that I was making a day of this. There are several appointments."

"Oh. Well, how was I supposed to know that? I've never been to a spa before."

"Well, Mr. In Touch With His Feminine Side, you are about to find out. And I'd like to start the day with some shopping. I need some new clothes for work."

"Okay. You're the boss, Captain. Today is all about you."

~oOo~

When they walked into the women's clothing store, Olivia had expected Elliot to keep to himself and possibly be overwhelmed at the thought of shopping with her. That couldn't have been further from reality. With each rack she found herself glancing through, Elliot was right over her shoulder pulling out items and making suggestions. While she tended to lean towards neutral colors and loose fits, Elliot was choosing things that were fitted and more colorful.

"What about this one, Liv?" Elliot suggested as he pulled a blue leather blazer from the rack. "It's on sale."

"Honestly? I like it." Olivia took it from him and added it to the pile of clothing in her arms that she planned on trying on in the fitting room. When her arms were overflowing with items and she couldn't possibly carry anything else, she made her way towards the dressing rooms. She noticed Elliot close on her heels, so she turned around, stopping him abruptly in his path. "Where do you think you're going, Stabler?"

"To the fitting room area with you."

"I don't need help trying on clothing, my friend."

"No, but you could come out and show me the different outfits and I can tell you what I think. Isn't that what women do when they shop together?"

Olivia let out a huff as she continued towards the dressing rooms. Elliot laughed to himself as he heard her mutter under her breath something about not what I had in mind when I decided to go shopping for clothing. He took her outward silence as acquiescence, and settled himself on a chair in the center of two rows of dressing rooms, in front of a full-length tri-fold mirror surrounding a platform. He continued to giggle as he heard her forcefully ruffling through hangers.

Inside the dressing room, Olivia was searching through the items she had brought in with her, attempting to create full outfits from the individual pieces she had collected. She grabbed a pair of black, high-waisted slacks and a fitted white blouse with a rounded neckline. On top of that, she layered a pale blue blazer that cinched at the waist and hugged her curves. Grumbling and taking a deep breath, she exited the fitting room and walked reluctantly into the central area where Elliot was seated. A smile sprang immediately to his lips as he watched Olivia make her way onto the platform to look at herself in the mirror.

"That looks really nice, Liv. I like the blue."

Rotating to see herself from all angles, Olivia was surprised to see that she too liked the outfit. Although not something she would typically choose, she had to admit that it was flattering. "Thank you," she said aloud, " I actually like it too. I think this is going into the Want to Buy pile." She made her way back to the dressing room to try on another outfit. This process continued for a while, with each of them both liking and nixing choices along the way, laughing and joking the whole time.

Olivia was in the middle of trying on one of the last outfits when she noticed that the blouse didn't fit her quite right. It was too big, and it hung off of her. She liked the style though and thought it might work in a smaller size. "Hey, El?" she called out.

"Yeah?" he responded.

She took off the blouse and hung it over the door of the fitting room. "Do you think that you could grab me this top in the next smaller size?"

Elliot stood and walked to the door of the dressing room, grabbing the garment from her. "Sure. I'll be right back." As he went out into the store in search of the item she wanted him to grab, Elliot stopped in his tracks as he saw a dress on a mannequin. It was simple, but beautiful. The dress was black silk crepe and sleeveless with a high neckline. It had ruching at the waist with a skirt that had an asymmetrical hem with a slit that reached midthigh on one side and draped to mid-shin on the other. His heart raced just thinking about how Olivia's long, slim legs would look in it. Completely forgetting his search for the blouse, Elliot grabbed the dress in Olivia's size and made his way back to the dressing room. "Here you go, Liv." He reached the dress over the door so that Olivia could grab it.

"Uh, Elliot? This is not the shirt I asked you to bring me."

"I know. I got sidetracked. Could you just try it on anyway?"

"Are you kidding me? This is not something that I could wear to work!"

"No, but it's perfect if you were going out to dinner or something. Come on, Olivia, just try it."

As was becoming a pattern throughout this trip, Olivia grumbled to herself, but ultimately did as Elliot had asked her. Running her hands down her sides, she took a deep breath summoning the nerves to exit the dressing room with confidence. She quickly opened the door and walked out, surprised to find Elliot standing a foot in front of her, and not sitting in the chair as she had expected him to be. His breath hitched as he took her in, his eyes appreciatively making their way from her head to her toes. "Liv…" he struggled to find words as she made her way to the mirror. "You look…amazing."

Olivia's breath quickened, and she could feel her heart pounding in her throat. She tried to keep her hands from shaking as she rested her hands on her waist, posing to look at her reflection. The dress was gorgeous, and it fit her like a glove. It accentuated the best parts of her, and made her feel like a queen. Her eyes met Elliot's in the mirror, and the world shifted from its axis for just a moment. "You were right, El. It is a beautiful dress…" trying to remember how to breathe, she stammered, "but… I… really don't have any reason to wear it." Awkwardly, she retreated to the safety of the fitting room, and to the closed door that saved her from seeing the look on Elliot's face as he admired her in the dress.

Flustered, Olivia got dressed in her own clothing and gathered the items she wanted to purchase. Her fingers fumbled as she nervously returned everything to the appropriate hangers. "Get your shit together, Benson." She whispered quietly as she tried to compose herself. After a few moments, Olivia exited the dressing room, placing the items she was not going to buy along with the black dress onto the return rack. "Come on, El. We have to leave soon if we're going to make it to the spa on time."

"Okay," he said, "You go ahead and check out, and I'm going to find a bathroom and then I'll pull up the car. I'll meet you right outside."

~oOo~

Olivia walked into the spa with Elliot following closely behind her. The receptionist greeted them with a smile and asked how she could help them.

"Hi! I'm Olivia Benson and this is my friend Elliot, and we're here for our appointments."

"Yes," the sunny, young blonde responded, "I see your reservations right here. It looks like you're starting off with manicures and pedicures."

"Yes, that's right." Olivia smiled as Elliot shook his head slightly, wondering how he had gotten himself into this situation.

"That's great. I'm going to have you follow me. I'll bring you to the changing rooms. Your locker number is on the keys I'll be giving you." She held up a coiled bracelet for each of them, attached to which was a small silver key. "You can leave your clothing and any of your personal items in the locker for the duration of your time with us." The trio made their way down a long hallway to a waiting area that was lined on one side with numbered cabinets and had three dressing rooms on the opposite side. In the center, was an aroma fountain surrounded by plush seating areas. Gesturing towards the cabinets, the receptionist said, "Over here are the lockers, and right over here are the changing rooms. Within them, you'll find a cozy plush robe to slip into, along with some comfortable slippers to wear. Once you're done changing, you can wait in here, and your nail technicians will come and get you."

As Olivia changed into her robe, she once again became nervous. When she had agreed to let Elliot tag along for her spa day, she had forgotten that she would be wearing only a terry cloth robe and nothing else. While they had seen each other change in the locker room during their time as partners, the dynamic between them had been rapidly shifting as of late, and she found herself second-guessing this whole idea. Not one to back down from a challenge, however, Olivia quickly undressed and put on the robe and slippers that were waiting for her in the changing area. As she was tying the belt on her robe, she jumped as there was a sudden knock on her door.

"Liv!" She heard Elliot cry out in a loud whisper.

"I'll be out in a second, El."

"No, Liv. It's important!" he insisted.

Olivia quickly finished tying her robe, and glanced in the mirror to make sure she was fully covered before opening the door a crack. "What's the matter?"

"What am I supposed to wear under this robe they gave me?"

"That was what you needed?" She sighed and brushed her hand through her hair in frustration. "It's a bathrobe, Elliot. You're a detective, what do you think you're supposed to wear underneath it?"

Elliot's eyes widened in surprise before realization occurred and a lopsided grin formed on his face. His eyes moved down her neck and back up to look at her again. "So you're naked under there?"

Olivia placed one hand on his forehead and pushed him out while closing the door forcefully with her other one. "Oh my God, I'm done with this conversation. Go get ready, Elliot! And if you can't act like a grown adult, I'm kicking you out of my spa day!" She leaned back against the closed door and took a deep breath. Once again, she found herself flushed with her pulse raging through her entire body. She took a few moments to compose herself, and made her way back out to the waiting area, carefully folding her clothing and gathering her belongings. As she was locking the cabinet that had been assigned to her, she could feel Elliot's presence behind her before he even said a word.

"You okay?" he asked timidly.

She placed her key around her wrist and turned to face him. "I'm fine."

"Are you mad at me?"

"Not at all, I just…"

"Olivia and Elliot?" a tall blonde came from a door to their right, bringing their conversation to an abrupt halt.

"That's us," replied Elliot.

"Hello. My name is Sasha, and I'll be doing a manicure and pedicure for Olivia today. If you both follow me this way, I'll get you settled." Elliot quickly locked up his belongings and tagged behind Olivia as she followed Sasha towards the pedicure chairs. She gestured towards two chairs that were next to one another, where a young redhead was waiting.

"This is Melanie," Sasha continued, "and she'll be taking care of Elliot."

"Hi, Melanie." Elliot greeted her and sat down in the chair while Olivia took her place next to him.

As they sat with their feet submerged in eucalyptus-scented bubbling water, Elliot was surprised at how relaxed he was feeling. "I think I could get used to this," he exclaimed as he pushed his elbow towards Olivia. She looked over at him, and seemed to relax a little herself as her body slumped into the pedicure chair.

Olivia tried to enjoy the pampering as Sasha worked magic on her aching calves, but her eyes kept roaming over to Elliot's chair, where Melanie was smiling from ear to ear while chattering endlessly with him. It was probably just her imagination getting the best of her, but she could swear that the redhead was swooning as she worked her hands up Elliot's muscular legs. With every word that fell from Elliot's mouth, she giggled and flipped her hair over her shoulders, all while keeping her eyes focused on his face. She had been so focused on glaring at the woman that she had apparently missed that she had been asked a question.

"Liv?" Elliot nudged her with his arm, snapping her attention to his face.

"Hmm? Oh… I'm sorry. I must have gotten sidetracked for a moment. What were you saying?" Olivia stammered.

Elliot looked at her with a smirk that made Olivia think that he knew exactly what she had been concentrating on, "Melanie was just asking how long we've been friends for." He winked as he emphasized the word that had been gaining so much more attention over the past several months with them.

"We've been friends and partners for twenty-three years now," Olivia announced, knowing that she was intentionally misleading the overly attentive redhead who was still gazing starry-eyed at Elliot. She swore she heard Elliot laugh quietly as she shifted in her chair.

"That's really nice," Melanie responded with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. There was an air of tension surrounding them that was broken by Sasha, who informed them that it was time for them to make their way towards the manicure tables.

"Looks like we're headed this way, partner," Elliot said as he casually placed his hand on the small of Olivia's back, guiding her in the direction that Sasha was heading. Olivia responded to his teasing with a death glare, but the smile on Elliot's face made it difficult for her to be aggravated with him for long.

Once again seated side by side, the pair enjoyed their manicures. Olivia laughed at the sight of Elliot having his knuckles buffed, and Elliot marveled over the magnitude of color choices available for her polish. Conversation between them was easy and light, and they both found themselves smiling to the point where their cheeks hurt.

"I hate to admit it," Olivia said when one of Elliot's comments had her laughing out loud, "but you're a pretty good spa buddy."

"See? I bet there are a lot of things we've never done together that could be fun if we tried."

Olivia could feel the blush rising up her body, and again she was frustrated with her inability to keep herself together. She couldn't even think of a witty comeback, and so instead, she sat there staring at him with her mouth partially open. She prayed that he couldn't hear her heart which threatened to beat right out of her chest. She became even more rattled when they rose from the manicure chairs and Elliot placed his hand along the side of her cheek.

"Wow," he exclaimed, "feel how soft my hands are!"

Reaching up and grasping his hand in her own, Olivia became lost in the gaze of his blue eyes staring down into her brown. Digging down into the pit of her stomach, she struggled to remember how to formulate words. At this point, any words would work. "Mmm…" she leaned her cheek ever so slightly into his palm, which was still curved around her face and was enveloped in her own hand, "Mmm…massage." She was able to articulate with great effort.

"What?" Elliot furrowed his brows in question.

"Massage!" Olivia said, finally composing herself and dropping her hand to her side, bringing his along with it. "We have massage appointments next. We should head in that direction."

~oOo~

They sat in relative silence as they waited for someone to bring them to have their massages done. This was supposed to be a relaxing trip to the spa, but Olivia was having a hard time settling herself. There was a certain electricity between her and Elliot today, and every time he touched her, it was like igniting a spark in a powder keg. Elliot, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected. He sat in the chair in the waiting area slouched and comfortable looking with his legs spread, while Olivia fidgeted nervously. Elliot looked over at her with a grin on his face. He reached over and placed a hand on her shaking knee in an effort to calm her. "Hey. You okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine." Olivia replied.

"You sure?" Elliot asked, squeezing her knee.

"Yeah." Olivia smiled reassuringly, not knowing whether she was even convincing herself. What the hell is wrong with me? She thought. She focused on Elliot's hand, his thumb ever so slightly caressing her knee as she shook it.

"Olivia and Elliot?" a pleasant woman with ebony hair came into the waiting area. Olivia quickly rose to her feet and made her way toward the woman. They followed her down a hallway lined on both sides by massage rooms. "We have you down for a couple's massage today."

"What?" Olivia stopped dead in her tracks, so abruptly that Elliot almost ran right into her as he followed behind. "It was supposed to be two separate massages."

The spa employee furrowed her brow and looked over the paper on her clipboard. "I'm sorry, there must have been some sort of miscommunication. When you called to add an appointment for a man to your massage, the receptionist assumed it was a couple's massage."

"Is there a way to change that?"

"I'm sorry. We don't have any other rooms available at the moment."

"Liv, it's fine. We'll just do the couple's one."

"But we aren't a couple, Elliot," she replied in a loud whisper.

"What's the big deal? We'll just add this to the running list of things that we've never done together."

Olivia was frustrated that Elliot's argument was making so much sense. It really wasn't a big deal… was it? Friends could get massages together… right? "Okay. You're right. It's fine."

They followed the girl with the ebony locks into the massage room, where two tables were set up next to each other, but with the front ends slightly closer together than the rear ends. Peaceful music played from the speakers and there were candles lit on the perimeters of the room. Olivia felt herself relaxing in the soothing ambiance of the room.

"Your massage specialists will be in in just a few moments." said the ebony-tressed employee as she exited the room and closed the door behind her.

So much for feeling relaxed… Olivia had a moment of panic when she realized that she would have to remove her robe for the massage. She frantically glanced around the room looking for a dressing screen, or some other place that she could run, but discovered that there was none. She let out a gasp as her eyes returned to her partner, who apparently had no issues with removing his robe in front of her. All of the saliva left her mouth when she took in Elliot, who, with his hands on his hips, looked as though he was posing in a Mr. Universe competition. It was easy to see that the swagger with which he carried himself was completely justified. As if moving on their own accord, Olivia's eyes roamed over his muscular form before coming back to his eyes, which were staring right at her! Olivia's face turned to fire and she quickly rotated her head in a completely futile attempt to pretend as if she hadn't just been ogling his body.

Elliot let out a small laugh when he caught Olivia appraising him and said, "See something you like?"

"Oh my GOD, Elliot!" Olivia exclaimed as she covered her face with her hands.

Elliot broke into a full-on laugh at her reaction and started to settle himself under the sheet on the massage table closest to him. "I'm sorry, Liv. I didn't mean to embarrass you. Come on over and get ready for your massage. I think you could use it right about now. I'll close my eyes… I promise."

"Why is it that I'm having a hard time believing you right now?"

"I swear, I won't look!" Elliot made a dramatic show of lying his face down on the massage table and then covering his eyes.

Still with her back turned to him, Olivia peeked over her shoulder to confirm that he really wasn't looking at her. Although not fully convinced, she decided that she really had nothing to lose. She wasn't ashamed of her body, and she'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit that a small part of her wouldn't mind if Elliot tried to sneak a peek at her. They had been circling around each other's orbits for months now, and maybe it was time for their friendship to get to the part that happens after "for now." Taking a deep breath to try to calm her nerves, Olivia reached for the belt on her robe. Untying it, she hesitantly let it fall down her backside. Although she was still not facing him, she swore she heard Elliot suck in a breath, but when she turned her head, it appeared that his head was still down. She quickly lay down on the massage table and slid in between the two sheets. She crossed her forearms over one another and rested her chin upon them, and was not surprised when she saw that Elliot was mirroring her position. "Hey." She smiled as she made eye contact with him.

"Hey." He smiled back at her.

Just then, the massage technicians entered the room. Olivia relaxed into the table and allowed herself to truly enjoy the experience.

~oOo~

The drive back to Olivia's apartment was filled with laughter and effortless conversation as they recounted some of the events from the day.

"You should have seen your face when they pulled your hand out of the paraffin wax treatment!" Olivia teased.

"It felt so weird, but good at the same time!" Elliot replied, chuckling.

"I have to be honest with you, El. I didn't think you'd be willing to do half of the things we did today."

"I'm just glad you let me tag along with you. I really liked spending time with you, Liv."

"I liked spending time with you too."

As they pulled in front of Olivia's apartment, Elliot parked the car. He turned towards her and sighed. "This was a great day. I don't want it to end."

"Who says it has to end?" Olivia replied with a slight raise of her eyebrows.

Elliot reached across the center console and grabbed Olivia's hand in his. His mouth turned up into a smirk before he could even get a word out of his mouth, "Hey, my friend Olivia. I had a really amazing time with you today, and I was wondering if you would let me take you out for dinner tonight."

Olivia could see that he was holding his breath as he waited for her answer. She shyly lowered her head but raised her eyes up to meet his with a timid smile. "Elliot, my friend, I would love to go out to dinner with you."

Elliot's smile was immediate, and he forcefully expelled the breath that he had been hanging on to as he anticipated her response. "Wait here," he said suddenly, opening his car door, "I have something for you."

Olivia wrinkled her forehead in confusion as Elliot ran around to the back of the SUV and opened the trunk. Elliot's smile could light the universe as he got back into the car. In his hands, he held a decently sized rectangular box.

"What is this? How did you buy something for me when I was with you all day?"

"Stop asking questions, and open the box!" Elliot said as he passed it to her.

Olivia rested the box on her legs and pulled the top off of it. She gasped when she saw pink tissue paper which was folded over and sealed with a sticker that displayed the logo of the boutique where they had gone shopping earlier in the morning. Careful not to tear the paper, Olivia delicately removed the sticker and unfolded the paper. "Elliot…" Words failed her as she gathered the black silky fabric from the box. "Is this…"

"The dress you tried on in the store? Yes. After seeing what you looked like wearing it, I couldn't let you leave without it."

"Thank you, El. Really."

"So you like it?"

"I love it! And if you keep pampering me like this, you might just get to see me in that other outfit I was wearing today." Olivia said, raising her index finger and placing it on his chest.

"Which one?"

"The one from my massage…" She said, pulling her hand away with a coquettish smile as she turned to open her door. As she walked towards her building, she turned her head to look at Elliot who remained frozen in his seat with his jaw agape as he realized what she meant.

Note: The author of this SVU: Fall in Love story will be revealed in November