Title: Twist of Fate
Author: Rachel
Series: Hmm. I guess since this is a sequel, it makes it a series. Haven't got a name for the series yet. Any suggestions? Rating: PG13 so far I guess
Category: angst, romance, drama, yadda yadda yadda. Whollota shippiness. Olivia & Elliot (duh).
Disclaimer: Mine the characters are not! To Dick Wolf and company they belong. Hey, man, didn't anyone ever teach you how important sharing is? Come on, get with it! Summary: How will Olivia deal with the aftermath of the Livingston case and how will it affect how she handles Elliot's proposal? And when Olivia's health takes a turn for the worst, how will Elliot react?
Spoilers: None yet
Feedback: Yes please. Feedback is what keeps me writing.
Archive: Wherever, just email me.
Author's notes: This takes place a couple of days (yes, a couple of *days*) after "Chicago Hope". So you might wanna read that first. Elliot's still divorced. Boo, Kathy. Boo! Oh, and keep in mind that I'm not a doctor, so if there are inaccuracies in medical conditions (even though research has been done) and procedures, don't yell at me. (Not that you would, of course) Just bear with me, I'm doing my best. OH, and since I did not put dates on Chicago Hope, we'll just say that it took place May 29-May 31. Okie dokie? Character thoughts will be between the *'s and in Italics. This chapter is like, a big bowl of mush. It's as sappy as sappy gets. It's kinda pathetic. Don't say you weren't warned. Many Thanks to my Perfectly-Gracious-Beta, Caillean! You're the bestest! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Apartment of Olivia Benson Tuesday June 3rd, 2003 5:25pm
Three days. It had been three days since Elliot proposed to her. It was completely out of the blue.*I want you to marry me Olivia* the events of that day flashed through her mind as she sat in the middle of her worn-out coach, her injured left leg resting on the coffee table in front of her, the other curled up underneath her, mug of hot tea in her hand. It had been three days and she still could not believe that she was engaged to her partner. *He must have been stoned or something, 'cause that came out of nowhere. And I must have been high on painkillers to say yes! Maybe it was a dream* she thought to herself. Olivia needed to get confirmation on whether or not this was reality, so she had called Elliot and asked him to come to her apartment when he got off work. Although the doctors said she would be fine, Cragen still insisted that Olivia take a few days off. "You still have a broken ankle, remember?" he had said. *Beats riding a desk for a week* she reminded herself, since desk duty was the only other option Cragen had given her. The past three days had been hell. Flashbacks of what had happened to her with the Livingston case constantly flooded her mind. She couldn't sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time, because she would always wake up screaming from the nightmare that had invaded her brain. She never wanted to leave the house because when she would, she would always see people who looked like Livingston, she could always smell the scent of the abandoned warehouse wherever she went, so she became more and more withdrawn as the days passed. In fact, the only person to get more than "Yeah", "I'm fine", or "uh-huh" as a response from her was Elliot. People from work called her all the time. But the calls never lasted more than 2 minutes. She just didn't feel like talking to anyone. About anything. Olivia was startled from her current thoughts when she heard the intercom buzz.
"Hello?" she said into the intercom.
"Hey Liv, it's me," was Elliot's reply. *Elliot? What's he doing off work already?* she wondered.
"Come on up."
In less than 2 minutes, Elliot was knocking on the door. Olivia walked over to the door and allowed her partner entrance into her apartment.
"What are you doing off work already? Did something happen?" Olivia inquired.
"Liv, quit worrying. It was slow-nothing but paperwork-so Cragen said I could leave."
Olivia just gave a small nod as a response and motioned for Elliot to sit on the couch. "You look... tired." Elliot said, taking in her pale face along with the contrasting dark circles under her eyes, as well as her outfit. A tank top, flannel boxer shorts, and the air-cast on her left foot.
"Heh, thanks. Do you want something to drink or anything?" she asked.
"No thanks, I'm fine. Now what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Well," Olivia began, but she suddenly found herself unable to put her thoughts into words.
"Well what?" asked Elliot, a look of concern crossing his face as he saw the confusion in Olivia's eyes.
"Don't rush me, Stabler. I'm trying to find the best words to express what I want to say, so just wait a minute." Olivia said, flustered.
"Alright, sorry Liv."
"Okay, I really don't know how to start, so I'm just going to be straightforward and get to the point. What on earth possessed you to propose to me? I mean, we've been partners for years and you never once even gave the hint that you were interested in me as more than a partner or a friend. And then all the sudden you drop this bombshell on me that you want to marry me? Don't get me wrong, I still want to marry you, I'm just so confused as to what brought all this on." Olivia explained as she began to shake slightly, afraid that maybe he didn't really mean what he had said. He took her hand between his own, in order to cease the trembling that had made it's way down her arm and into hand. He began to stroke her palm with his thumb making tiny designs as he contemplated the best words to express all the emotions that had been floating around inside him for the past 3 years, building up, ready to flood out of him at any moment.
"Olivia, the day I met you, I could tell that we would get along great. And we have. Then after a year or so of being your partner, I started getting these unexplainable feelings of joy and warmth whenever I was near you. And those emotions slowly evolved into something more. But I knew I could never do anything about them because I was married. But then once I got divorced, I was going to confess everything to you." Elliot confessed.
"So why didn't you?"
"It just never seemed to be the right time. We were always either wrapped up in a case, or I was at war with Kathy over one divorce negotiation or another. Then when you got hurt, I was so terrified I'd be able to ever get a chance to talk to you again, so I finally grew some balls and told you as soon as I had the chance."
Olivia's eyes welled up with tears at Elliot's explanation. Timing. Elliot was right. Timing had always been a problem. Everything Elliot had just said matched her feelings exactly. But unlike him, she had never had the courage to say anything. A tear slowly inched its way down Olivia's cheek.
"Oh, Liv, don't cry. I didn't mean to make you cry." Elliot said softly, but then jokingly added "I said stop that!" as his own tears threatened to fall.
Olivia laughed as she wiped the tear from her cheek. "Elliot..." she barely choked out his name.
"Yeah?"
All she could do was smile. She couldn't get any words out. She leaned forward and captured his lips in hers. The kiss was gentle, yet passionate. Elliot pushed Olivia back so that she was lying down and he was hovering over her. He inched his lips down her throat and grabbed her shirt, pulling it up off her body. Olivia's fingers worked their way down his shirt, unbuttoning each button carefully before removing it completely. Elliot kissed her stomach as she gently closed her eyes. As Elliot started to unbuckle Olivia's belt, images of Richard Livingston flashed before her eyes. His grungy hair, his wild eyes, the gun, her gun, he held in his right hand. She suddenly burst into violent sobs that seemed to evolve into screams. Her eyes became more tightly closed as she screamed, "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Don't! Please stop!" Except her voice didn't seem to be coming from her. It sounded like an echo that was just whirling around the room. "Get the hell off me, Livingston!"
Immediately Elliot pulled back and gathered a hysterical Olivia into his arms.
"Oh my god Liv, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." He pleaded.
"It's not you Elliot. It's just.it's..it's too." She couldn't get the words out.
"I know Liv, I understand. We'll take this as slow as you need to. There's no hurry. We have plenty of time." Elliot understood completely. It wasn't him who had hurt her. It was Richard Livingston. Thankfully he would be spending the rest of his life in jail.
"Elliot. I'm sorry." Olivia said as she got up and started to walk towards her bedroom. She just felt she needed to get away from there. She wanted to escape from that moment. Elliot got up and followed her, putting his hand on her shoulder, turning her towards him.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. Do you hear me? This isn't your fault." He said. Olivia gave him a half smile as the tears continued to stream down her face. Elliot kissed her forehead and her trembling body into a hug. "Liv?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Elliot knew that it would take a while for Olivia to get over the pain that had so unexpectedly taken up residence inside of her. He understood that it would be hard for her. He just wasn't aware of the full extent of the suffering that Richard Livingston's assault would cause.
Author: Rachel
Series: Hmm. I guess since this is a sequel, it makes it a series. Haven't got a name for the series yet. Any suggestions? Rating: PG13 so far I guess
Category: angst, romance, drama, yadda yadda yadda. Whollota shippiness. Olivia & Elliot (duh).
Disclaimer: Mine the characters are not! To Dick Wolf and company they belong. Hey, man, didn't anyone ever teach you how important sharing is? Come on, get with it! Summary: How will Olivia deal with the aftermath of the Livingston case and how will it affect how she handles Elliot's proposal? And when Olivia's health takes a turn for the worst, how will Elliot react?
Spoilers: None yet
Feedback: Yes please. Feedback is what keeps me writing.
Archive: Wherever, just email me.
Author's notes: This takes place a couple of days (yes, a couple of *days*) after "Chicago Hope". So you might wanna read that first. Elliot's still divorced. Boo, Kathy. Boo! Oh, and keep in mind that I'm not a doctor, so if there are inaccuracies in medical conditions (even though research has been done) and procedures, don't yell at me. (Not that you would, of course) Just bear with me, I'm doing my best. OH, and since I did not put dates on Chicago Hope, we'll just say that it took place May 29-May 31. Okie dokie? Character thoughts will be between the *'s and in Italics. This chapter is like, a big bowl of mush. It's as sappy as sappy gets. It's kinda pathetic. Don't say you weren't warned. Many Thanks to my Perfectly-Gracious-Beta, Caillean! You're the bestest! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Apartment of Olivia Benson Tuesday June 3rd, 2003 5:25pm
Three days. It had been three days since Elliot proposed to her. It was completely out of the blue.*I want you to marry me Olivia* the events of that day flashed through her mind as she sat in the middle of her worn-out coach, her injured left leg resting on the coffee table in front of her, the other curled up underneath her, mug of hot tea in her hand. It had been three days and she still could not believe that she was engaged to her partner. *He must have been stoned or something, 'cause that came out of nowhere. And I must have been high on painkillers to say yes! Maybe it was a dream* she thought to herself. Olivia needed to get confirmation on whether or not this was reality, so she had called Elliot and asked him to come to her apartment when he got off work. Although the doctors said she would be fine, Cragen still insisted that Olivia take a few days off. "You still have a broken ankle, remember?" he had said. *Beats riding a desk for a week* she reminded herself, since desk duty was the only other option Cragen had given her. The past three days had been hell. Flashbacks of what had happened to her with the Livingston case constantly flooded her mind. She couldn't sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time, because she would always wake up screaming from the nightmare that had invaded her brain. She never wanted to leave the house because when she would, she would always see people who looked like Livingston, she could always smell the scent of the abandoned warehouse wherever she went, so she became more and more withdrawn as the days passed. In fact, the only person to get more than "Yeah", "I'm fine", or "uh-huh" as a response from her was Elliot. People from work called her all the time. But the calls never lasted more than 2 minutes. She just didn't feel like talking to anyone. About anything. Olivia was startled from her current thoughts when she heard the intercom buzz.
"Hello?" she said into the intercom.
"Hey Liv, it's me," was Elliot's reply. *Elliot? What's he doing off work already?* she wondered.
"Come on up."
In less than 2 minutes, Elliot was knocking on the door. Olivia walked over to the door and allowed her partner entrance into her apartment.
"What are you doing off work already? Did something happen?" Olivia inquired.
"Liv, quit worrying. It was slow-nothing but paperwork-so Cragen said I could leave."
Olivia just gave a small nod as a response and motioned for Elliot to sit on the couch. "You look... tired." Elliot said, taking in her pale face along with the contrasting dark circles under her eyes, as well as her outfit. A tank top, flannel boxer shorts, and the air-cast on her left foot.
"Heh, thanks. Do you want something to drink or anything?" she asked.
"No thanks, I'm fine. Now what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Well," Olivia began, but she suddenly found herself unable to put her thoughts into words.
"Well what?" asked Elliot, a look of concern crossing his face as he saw the confusion in Olivia's eyes.
"Don't rush me, Stabler. I'm trying to find the best words to express what I want to say, so just wait a minute." Olivia said, flustered.
"Alright, sorry Liv."
"Okay, I really don't know how to start, so I'm just going to be straightforward and get to the point. What on earth possessed you to propose to me? I mean, we've been partners for years and you never once even gave the hint that you were interested in me as more than a partner or a friend. And then all the sudden you drop this bombshell on me that you want to marry me? Don't get me wrong, I still want to marry you, I'm just so confused as to what brought all this on." Olivia explained as she began to shake slightly, afraid that maybe he didn't really mean what he had said. He took her hand between his own, in order to cease the trembling that had made it's way down her arm and into hand. He began to stroke her palm with his thumb making tiny designs as he contemplated the best words to express all the emotions that had been floating around inside him for the past 3 years, building up, ready to flood out of him at any moment.
"Olivia, the day I met you, I could tell that we would get along great. And we have. Then after a year or so of being your partner, I started getting these unexplainable feelings of joy and warmth whenever I was near you. And those emotions slowly evolved into something more. But I knew I could never do anything about them because I was married. But then once I got divorced, I was going to confess everything to you." Elliot confessed.
"So why didn't you?"
"It just never seemed to be the right time. We were always either wrapped up in a case, or I was at war with Kathy over one divorce negotiation or another. Then when you got hurt, I was so terrified I'd be able to ever get a chance to talk to you again, so I finally grew some balls and told you as soon as I had the chance."
Olivia's eyes welled up with tears at Elliot's explanation. Timing. Elliot was right. Timing had always been a problem. Everything Elliot had just said matched her feelings exactly. But unlike him, she had never had the courage to say anything. A tear slowly inched its way down Olivia's cheek.
"Oh, Liv, don't cry. I didn't mean to make you cry." Elliot said softly, but then jokingly added "I said stop that!" as his own tears threatened to fall.
Olivia laughed as she wiped the tear from her cheek. "Elliot..." she barely choked out his name.
"Yeah?"
All she could do was smile. She couldn't get any words out. She leaned forward and captured his lips in hers. The kiss was gentle, yet passionate. Elliot pushed Olivia back so that she was lying down and he was hovering over her. He inched his lips down her throat and grabbed her shirt, pulling it up off her body. Olivia's fingers worked their way down his shirt, unbuttoning each button carefully before removing it completely. Elliot kissed her stomach as she gently closed her eyes. As Elliot started to unbuckle Olivia's belt, images of Richard Livingston flashed before her eyes. His grungy hair, his wild eyes, the gun, her gun, he held in his right hand. She suddenly burst into violent sobs that seemed to evolve into screams. Her eyes became more tightly closed as she screamed, "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Don't! Please stop!" Except her voice didn't seem to be coming from her. It sounded like an echo that was just whirling around the room. "Get the hell off me, Livingston!"
Immediately Elliot pulled back and gathered a hysterical Olivia into his arms.
"Oh my god Liv, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." He pleaded.
"It's not you Elliot. It's just.it's..it's too." She couldn't get the words out.
"I know Liv, I understand. We'll take this as slow as you need to. There's no hurry. We have plenty of time." Elliot understood completely. It wasn't him who had hurt her. It was Richard Livingston. Thankfully he would be spending the rest of his life in jail.
"Elliot. I'm sorry." Olivia said as she got up and started to walk towards her bedroom. She just felt she needed to get away from there. She wanted to escape from that moment. Elliot got up and followed her, putting his hand on her shoulder, turning her towards him.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. Do you hear me? This isn't your fault." He said. Olivia gave him a half smile as the tears continued to stream down her face. Elliot kissed her forehead and her trembling body into a hug. "Liv?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Elliot knew that it would take a while for Olivia to get over the pain that had so unexpectedly taken up residence inside of her. He understood that it would be hard for her. He just wasn't aware of the full extent of the suffering that Richard Livingston's assault would cause.