Title: Escapism (1/1)
Author: kukrae
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Escape
Feedback: kukrae03@netscape.net
Author's Notes: Sheesh. First Olivia's not around for Elliot to talk to in Shaken...now Elliot isn't around to be with Olivia. Ah well, that's what happens when two eps overlap in filming. Guess it's up to us to set things straight. This is for Goldberry's challenge over on the SVU Yahoo list! And thanks once again to both Kat and Jessi - cheerleaders extraordinaire!
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Five minutes after US Marshal Andy Eckerson left, Olivia Benson still sat at her desk with her chin resting on the palm of her hand. She hadn't been wrong in what she told Andy. She *did* need stability. She just hoped he didn't understand her play on the word. A soft smile appeared on her lips as she reached across the desk to pluck one of the frames from Elliot's desk. All four grinning and happy faces of the Stabler children gazed back at her from the photo.
With her concentration on the photo, she didn't hear the quiet footsteps enter the open double doors to the squad room. Nor did she hear them stop and then continue to the coat rack. She was just reaching to put the photo back on Elliot's desk, when a hand came down gently on her shoulder.
"Hey," said Olivia, not even startled.
"Hmm, wondered if you'd heard me," said Elliot as he laid her leather jacket on the back of her chair. "Where's Marshal *Andy*?"
"Elliot, stop it. He's gone."
"What? No attempt to take you for drinks? The fink." Elliot's tone belied the fact of his words.
"No. He tried. I said no. Thank you for not killing him when he first arrived, Elliot. I heard the 'when pigs fly' comment. I know our parting wasn't on the best of terms, but the blood would have been too much to clean up."
"You're welcome. Not that he wouldn't have deserved it, Livia. He hurt you badly at your breakup and in my book, that's worth pain to him. Maybe it's a good thing I was in grand jury all day."
Chuckling, Olivia made to stand, "Y'know, if you remain this protective, your girls will never date, right?"
"Yep. I don't see a problem with that," grinned Elliot as he held her jacket for her to slip into. "C'mon, let's go."
"Elliot, I've got to stop at the hospital to see Baxter so I'll just take my car, okay?"
"Nope. I'm driving. If you need to see Baxter then we'll go there first. Then we're going to dinner. And before you ask 'why', my partner had a really rough day and deserves a very good evening. That's why."
"By the way, why *are* you here so late? Grand jury should have been done no later than four and you would have been home by five. That's an early night by our standards."
As they walked out the door and down the hall, Elliot looked over at her and grinned, "Keeping track of my schedule, partner?" A light slug to his shoulder was the first part of her answer. "No, just wishing my *real* partner had been my backup today. I know between us, Baxter would not have been shot."
A sober look overtook Elliot's face, "I wish I'd been there, too, Liv. But, you did good. Cragen said so and put it into his report to the Marshals on Andy's disregard for your work in ordering the sharpshooter to take the shot."
"You talked to the Captain?" Olivia was confused as to how Elliot had made contact with Cragen when he'd been in court.
"Yeah. He'd paged me as soon as he'd been alerted to the situation. Problem is, I only had enough time to call him back and find out what was going on before having to take the stand. I called him again after court and he gave me the rundown of what would be in the report." Elliot opened the main door and allowed Olivia to pass through first. As they reached the bottom of the steps, Elliot touched her elbow to get her attention and pulled her to a stop. "Liv, you know that if I hadn't been on the stand that I would have gotten there as soon as I could, right?"
Olivia turned and looked up at him in surprise. "Of course, Elliot. Same as if I'd been the one due before the grand jury. Don't worry about this. By the time you knew, and to be honest, I wasn't expecting you to know, Lee and I were already hostages. What could you have done? Well," she grinned and nudged her shoulder into his as they continued walking to the car, "besides taking out Andy."
"Would have been my utmost pleasure to do so," replied Elliot as he slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a quick hug while they walked.
On the drive to the hospital, Elliot explained that he'd just drop her at the main entrance and he'd stay in the car. Giving him a look that basically said she thought he was nuts, she just agreed and said she'd call him when ready to leave. She'd given up trying to get the plans for the evening out of him and decided to just go with the flow after he'd explained that Kathy was at her parents as her mom had recently broken her hip. The twins were with her and Kathleen was spending the night at a friend's house. So, after the day she'd had, he'd decided to make plans for their own escape and he wasn't going to divulge them.
Mentally shrugging her shoulders, she watched the boyish grin flash once again she exited the car so just she accepted her fate for the evening. "Might as well let him have his fun," she thought as she walked into the hospital. "Better than both of us sitting at home doing nothing."
Twenty minutes later, Olivia called Elliot and he picked her back up at the main entrance. Sensing her disquiet, he simply pulled away from the curb. "Why don't you put your head back and catch a few. We'll be on the road at least an hour."
"Where in the world are we going, Elliot? I thought we were just going to O'Malley's or something."
"Nope. Somewhere nicer. Good food, good music and good company," he turned and grinned at her. "Actually, you need to do something." He reached under the seat and pulled out a holster. "Switch your weapon over to this ankle holster or at least into your purse."
"What *are* you planning?" asked Olivia who was really beginning to wonder about her partner.
"Look, where we're going, I thought you'd like to at least sit down without your weapon showing. No one there will know us and for once we won't have to be 'cops on duty'. I know neither of us will lock them in the trunk but we might as well be comfortable."
"Okay, I'll use the holster. My purse can hold many things, but not a full- size Glock," she grinned as she took the holster and began to make the switch. "This place better be worth it."
"I just figured that with the day you've had, you really wouldn't want to just sit at home thinking. I know I wouldn't."
"You're right, El." Olivia reached over and patted him on the leg. "Thanks."
"Anytime, Livia." At that, she tipped her head back, took a deep breath, released it and closed her eyes. "This really is a good idea," she thought as she allowed the motion of the car to put her in a doze.
The slowing and eventual stop of the car brought Olivia awake nearly an hour later. Yawning and tightening her body into a stress-relieving stretch, she glanced out the window but really couldn't tell where they were.
"Hey there, sleepyhead. Feel better?" asked Elliot.
"Yeah, actually I do. Where are we?"
"Chesapeake Clam Club in Long Beach," said Elliot quietly, hoping that she's not upset.
"Really? Sounds interesting. Music, you say?" asked Olivia as she punched the switch for the dome light and pulled down the passenger side visor.
"Liv, your makeup is fine...you're gorgeous, as usual." Finally realizing what he'd said, his cheeks turned a light pink.
Deciding not to give him grief for his words, she gently teased him, "Wow. Flattery will get you get everywhere, partner." Words such as that were hardly ever offered and quite frankly, she was surprised to hear them.
Snapping out of his embarrassment he replied, "So, that means if I lay the flattery on pretty thick you'll do my half of the paperwork?" Elliot opened the door and stepped out as Olivia did the same.
"Not a chance, but a good try," she replied as she stepped around the car to join him. "Nice area."
"Yeah, the beach is just on the other side of that building."
"Hmmm, maybe a walk before we leave? Would feel good to walk on sand."
"Sure," said Elliot as held open the door to the establishment. He removed his overcoat and assisted Olivia with hers then turned with both to hand them to the attendant in the coat room. He stepped forward to speak with the maitre-d. "Table will be ready in a moment," he said as he turned back to her.
She could hear the soft sounds of the jazz floating on the air. Already beginning to relax, she closed her eyes and listened. "It does sound good, doesn't it?" said Elliot quietly into her ear.
"Yeah, have to be careful, I'll be so relaxed that I'll be asleep in my meal," she said turning to glance up at him.
"Relaxed is what we're aiming for," he chuckled as he rested a hand on her back, "I'll be sure that you miss the plate if you fall asleep."
"Brat."
The maitre-d returned and cut off his reply stating that their table was ready.
Once seated, they perused the menu and made their choices. A server returned with their wine choice and opened it for Elliot's approval. Taking their first sips, they sit back and relaxed. The small jazz ensemble was just taking a break so the few couples that had ventured onto the small dance floor at the back of the room walked past on their way to their tables.
"Elliot, why did you choose to stay in the car while I went into the hospital?"
"Well, I didn't know Baxter and I took the time to place my evening calls to check in with the kids."
"Oh. How is everyone?" asked Olivia as she took another sip of the very well-flavored wine.
"The kids are going to take the train back Sunday night so I'll have to pick them up. Schedules will a bit tough this week since I've got court again for the Maragorn trial, so I don't know quite how I'm going to work that one yet. Kathy has decided to stay another week at her mom's."
"If need be, Elliot, I can pick up the twins and bring them to the station at least a couple of times. Cragen would understand. And, when need be, doesn't Kathleen ride with a friend to after school soccer practice? Maybe on those evenings, she could go home with that friend and you could pick her up from there."
Chuckling, Elliot said, "Now that you have *my* schedule figured out for the week, I also have a message for you. Spoke with Kathleen after the twins and she wanted to ask me when you are available to go shopping with her and Maureen. They want to get a jump on their Christmas shopping and she said that the three of you had such a good time the last time that they'd love to do that again. That is, if you don't mind. You don't have to if you don't want to."
"Don't be silly, of course I want to. Maybe Lizzie can join us this time. Dickie'd be welcome, too, but I'm not too sure how much he could stand waiting around for four women to try on outfits," she grinned picturing a miniature Elliot pacing around the store with a look of murderous intent on his face at the antics of his sisters. "Could be a fun form of torture, I suppose."
"Hmm, that holds great possibilities of a threat for future punishment. Will have to remember that. Thanks, Liv."
"Anytime."
Their meals arrived about that time and they were both quiet and introspective as they enjoyed the wonderfully prepared cuisine. Knowing that there was still the drive back, they limited the wine to the single bottle. During the meal, the jazz ensemble returned to the small stage area and started up with some older melodies. Between eating, small chit chat and listening to the music, an hour passed in quiet companionship. Finished with their meals, coffee was ordered and savored. Olivia excused herself to visit the ladies room. Standing at the sink inspecting her makeup, she hadn't really believed Elliot when he said it was fine in the car, she almost didn't recognize her reflection. In the place of her staid, no nonsense police persona was this soft, bright-eyed woman who looked completely tired but relaxed. Closing her eyes as tears quickly welled up, she took a tissue to wipe them so to stop it from ruining her mascara. Just what she would need - to look like a raccoon. She knew that with the meal over that Elliot would want to talk about the situation from the afternoon. Normally, they hashed things like this out over burgers at O'Malley's. "Guess he was just as upset as me," she mused. Taking a deep breath she turned and exited the ladies room and returned to their table.
Sitting back down at the table, she took another sip of her coffee. Elliot had excused himself and she had closed her eyes as she concentrated on the music. She sat up and opened her eyes quickly as a hand reached down for hers and Elliot's voice whispered in ear quietly, "Dance with me." She allowed him to pull back her chair and she stood and followed him out onto the dance floor with the other few couples.
Taking her hand and turning around, Elliot allowed her to step into his arms with her left hand coming up on to his shoulder and her right into his hand which he turned and held to his chest. For a few minutes they simply moved softly to the rhythm of the instrumental music that flowed through the room. Then Elliot tipped his head forward and whispered those words that Olivia had been waiting for and dreading all evening, "Talk to me, Liv. Walk me through today so I understand what you went through. And not just the situation at the motel, I mean from the time I left you with Andy. I've gotta know, Liv." His arm around her waist tightened and pulled her closer to him. Completely relaxed, yet nervous, at this point, she simply laid her head on his shoulder and turned it so she could speak quietly into his ear.
"You left and Cragen sent us to interview Carin Healy. She was worried about her son Daniel, who was the son Baxter didn't know about, so we went to his football practice and picked him up. From there, Andy and I interviewed Lee Healy and then Baxter's mother, Sheila. Y'know, it was so weird working with Andy. He's so different than you. Coming out of Sheila Baxter's house he commented on our previous relationship. I reminded him of his conceit and how that would one day land him in a body bag.
"We returned to the house and then got the report that Lee Healy, the actual victim from ten years ago, was missing. At the scene we located his coat and a quantity of blood that was proven by the labs to be his.
"Baxter had escaped with another inmate named Double D. He was located and we rousted him. We also pulled Sheila in for another interview. She had to leave for chemo and more questions popped up so we went to the hospital. From the information that she finally provided, we knew to be looking at motels. We split up, and before you comment, yes, it was my idea. We didn't have the man power nor the time to horse around, El." She felt the chuckle rise through his body at that last comment and she smiled against his shoulder and chuckled. "Guess that proves that I *do* know you.
"To continue, if I may, I ended up the lucky one to find the hotel he was in. Some skanky place down by the shore. I went upstairs while I sent the Troopers to evacuate the other rooms." She knew he was just dying to comment but she raised her head and said, "Quiet, I don't want to hear it. I cleared the room and found Lee duct taped and tied. He said Baxter had been gone a few minutes. We came back out and I called Andy. I cleared the walkway again and was approaching the stairwell. Had my weapon a bit lower due to the railing and kept Lee behind me as I peered over. That's when Baxter popped into view with the gun on me immediately. I probably could have gotten the shot off but he would have definitely gotten me and that would have left Lee with him."
"You made the right decision, Livia," said Elliot as he continued to lead them slowly around the dance floor. She was quiet for a few moments to listen to the music and bring to order in her mind the sequence of events for the next portion of the story.
Clearing her throat, she continued, "Baxter moved us all back to the room and took my phone when it rang. I figure that it was Andy and Baxter just wasn't going to let me speak with him. He went so far as to destroy my phone. God, Elliot, I told Baxter that Andy was my partner, I'm so sorry."
Another chuckle rumbled through Elliot's chest, "Don't worry about it, Liv. Just think, then if he'd come after your 'partner' you could have pointed Andy out to him." Olivia grinned at his comment.
"For the next few minutes I spent the time trying to get Baxter to trust me. He even told me to leave and then pulled me up off the bed and pushed me to the door. I refused to leave. Told him about his mother and my promise to her. I swear that I could hear tears in my voice, Elliot, but I couldn't stop them." She felt a light kiss on her temple and she looked up at him with a watery gaze.
"By then I couldn't get Lee to shut up. He kept antagonizing Baxter. I explained about his mother's cancer. I even offered myself as a shield to get him out the door. Lee went off again and then Baxter demanded to talk to Carin Healy. The guys had already turned the phone off, but reconnected it when they heard me. I was guessing at the time whether or not there was a full team out there. They patched the call through to her house and then connected her to me. I handed the phone over to Baxter. All he wanted from the call was to talk to Danny so all I could do was sit and listen. He tried to convince Carin of his innocence, but at the same time, Lee started in again and I told him quietly but hard to shut up. Baxter became over agitated at this and aimed at Lee. I stood up and moved closer and kept talking...told him I was going to take the gun.
"Elliot, he lowered the gun, couldn't the sharpshooter see that? I know there were blinds, but he should have been able to see that. Just as I got my hand wrapped around both the gun and his hand, the exit wound appeared in Baxter's chest. I thought he only took him in the shoulder, but later on, according to the docs, it actually nicked his aorta. When that shot came, I was bent over as I had pushed down his arm further when I took the pistol. Thinking about it now, I don't know, but I think if I had been upright that the round would have gotten me, too. I had grabbed Lee and shoved him to the floor and focused my attention back on Baxter who was barely breathing on the floor. The Marshals charged in at that point and I was relieved of the scene.
Elliot released her hand to let it rest on his chest as he wrapped both arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. Speaking quietly, he said, "You did good, Olivia. But, I could kill you for going with no backup." She made to interrupt, "No, don't argue, dammit. You know and I know it, you were *wrong*. You should have waited for the Troopers to clear the rooms and then gone upstairs. Then again," he said with a sigh as he leaned back to look at her face, "I guess I can't complain too much...I'm guilty of the same boneheaded move once or twice, too, huh?" He grinned as the corner of her mouth turned up slightly in a tiny smile. "What happened next?"
"Baxter was transported and the medics checked over Lee. He was brought back to the house by Cragen and Fin as Andy and I were headed to the hospital to see about Baxter. That's when we found out about the shot nicking the aorta. Worse part there was dealing with his mother, Sheila. She accused me of breaking my promise and trying to execute her son. Something about his whole continued insistence on his innocence grated on me so I started researching the original evidence when I got back to the precinct. Cragen tried to send me home, but I convinced him to let me stay when I discovered that the evidence testing from the original crime in Virginia was under investigation for improper testing.
"This morning, Warner concluded her work with the Virginia authorities and found the truth. The DNA was only a match on the male side. It wasn't Baxter, but another male relative. I told Andy and he finally realized his error. From there we determined that it had to be Jeremy, Lee's cousin. When we confronted him, unfortunately, Andy came very close to being charged with brutality." Grinning, she looked up at him and said, "Believe me, he doesn't listen to me half as well as you..."
Smirking right back at her, "You have me trained."
"Hah! I'll remember you said that, you know," she chuckled. Reaching up, she wrapped both arms around his neck and hugged him. "Well, to wrap things up, I interviewed Lee again and confronted him with the information about Jeremy. He continued to deny it until Carin came in and then the truth came out. How he felt that Baxter took his mom away from him. We all walked out into the hall as Fin was bringing in Jeremy. I know we should have gone into a room, but it just kind of rolled from there. Jeremy ended up admitting to everything. Lee had told the lie so many times over the years that he'd actually come to believe it. From there, Jeremy was processed and the Healy's went home. Andy stopped back to talk to me and you know the extent of that conversation. And then you showed up. End of bad day."
"Sounds like a long couple of days, Liv."
"Yep. Want to tell me about yours?" she asked. She heard the bandleader announce that this would be the last song of the session before the ensemble took another break. "Nah," Elliot said, "No better, no worse than any other grand jury proceedings that either of us have sat through. Tell you what. Do you want any dessert?" At the negative shake of her head he continued, "Then let me settle up and we'll get your tired feet into the sand. Sound okay?" Olivia stepped back out of his embrace and turned for the table. "Sounds wonderful."
Fifteen minutes later found the two of them sitting on a bench at the edge of the beach removing their work shoes and socks. "Oh, that feels so *good*," said Olivia as she dug her toes into the sand and wiggled them. "C'mon, I want the water." She turned, still holding her shoes, and began walking down the beach towards the water's edge.
"Liv, why are your toes green? Have you been hanging out with Maureen too much?"
"Funny, you ole' fuddy duddy. And it's Lizzie who likes the brighter colors, not Maureen. C'mon," came her breezy reply as she continued walking. Elliot caught up with her and she placed her arm around his waist. His arm came up over her shoulder and they walked on in silence, both enjoying the quiet companionship and the water as it came up around their feet. Awhile later, Olivia asked quietly, "Why did you do this, El? I'm not complaining, but you have to admit that this isn't exactly a typical M.O. for us."
Elliot stopped and turned to face her before replying. "Maybe it can be for the rougher stuff or even should be just to talk. And because we needed to be away so you could let this go."
"You know me too well."
"I could never know you well enough, Liv. You mean the world to me and it about ripped me apart not to be there for you today. I needed to be able to be there for you after this like you were for me with Lucy." He sighed and looked out over the water, "I hate to ask this, but are you ready to go? We've both got work tomorrow."
"Yeah, in a moment." Looking up at him as she thought for a second, she took a deep breath and slid both hands up behind his head and tugged gently so she could reach up and place a lingering, yet soft kiss against the corner of his mouth. The hands at her waist slid around to her back to hold her tightly to him as he bent his forehead to hers as her arms went completely around his neck for a hug. "I will not allow either of us to regret me doing that, El. *Now* let's go home...back to who we have to be." As they turned to walk to the car, she felt his hand slide over her wrist and into her hand to entwine their fingers. She didn't look at him, just tightened her grasp and kept on walking.
*End*
Author: kukrae
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Escape
Feedback: kukrae03@netscape.net
Author's Notes: Sheesh. First Olivia's not around for Elliot to talk to in Shaken...now Elliot isn't around to be with Olivia. Ah well, that's what happens when two eps overlap in filming. Guess it's up to us to set things straight. This is for Goldberry's challenge over on the SVU Yahoo list! And thanks once again to both Kat and Jessi - cheerleaders extraordinaire!
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Five minutes after US Marshal Andy Eckerson left, Olivia Benson still sat at her desk with her chin resting on the palm of her hand. She hadn't been wrong in what she told Andy. She *did* need stability. She just hoped he didn't understand her play on the word. A soft smile appeared on her lips as she reached across the desk to pluck one of the frames from Elliot's desk. All four grinning and happy faces of the Stabler children gazed back at her from the photo.
With her concentration on the photo, she didn't hear the quiet footsteps enter the open double doors to the squad room. Nor did she hear them stop and then continue to the coat rack. She was just reaching to put the photo back on Elliot's desk, when a hand came down gently on her shoulder.
"Hey," said Olivia, not even startled.
"Hmm, wondered if you'd heard me," said Elliot as he laid her leather jacket on the back of her chair. "Where's Marshal *Andy*?"
"Elliot, stop it. He's gone."
"What? No attempt to take you for drinks? The fink." Elliot's tone belied the fact of his words.
"No. He tried. I said no. Thank you for not killing him when he first arrived, Elliot. I heard the 'when pigs fly' comment. I know our parting wasn't on the best of terms, but the blood would have been too much to clean up."
"You're welcome. Not that he wouldn't have deserved it, Livia. He hurt you badly at your breakup and in my book, that's worth pain to him. Maybe it's a good thing I was in grand jury all day."
Chuckling, Olivia made to stand, "Y'know, if you remain this protective, your girls will never date, right?"
"Yep. I don't see a problem with that," grinned Elliot as he held her jacket for her to slip into. "C'mon, let's go."
"Elliot, I've got to stop at the hospital to see Baxter so I'll just take my car, okay?"
"Nope. I'm driving. If you need to see Baxter then we'll go there first. Then we're going to dinner. And before you ask 'why', my partner had a really rough day and deserves a very good evening. That's why."
"By the way, why *are* you here so late? Grand jury should have been done no later than four and you would have been home by five. That's an early night by our standards."
As they walked out the door and down the hall, Elliot looked over at her and grinned, "Keeping track of my schedule, partner?" A light slug to his shoulder was the first part of her answer. "No, just wishing my *real* partner had been my backup today. I know between us, Baxter would not have been shot."
A sober look overtook Elliot's face, "I wish I'd been there, too, Liv. But, you did good. Cragen said so and put it into his report to the Marshals on Andy's disregard for your work in ordering the sharpshooter to take the shot."
"You talked to the Captain?" Olivia was confused as to how Elliot had made contact with Cragen when he'd been in court.
"Yeah. He'd paged me as soon as he'd been alerted to the situation. Problem is, I only had enough time to call him back and find out what was going on before having to take the stand. I called him again after court and he gave me the rundown of what would be in the report." Elliot opened the main door and allowed Olivia to pass through first. As they reached the bottom of the steps, Elliot touched her elbow to get her attention and pulled her to a stop. "Liv, you know that if I hadn't been on the stand that I would have gotten there as soon as I could, right?"
Olivia turned and looked up at him in surprise. "Of course, Elliot. Same as if I'd been the one due before the grand jury. Don't worry about this. By the time you knew, and to be honest, I wasn't expecting you to know, Lee and I were already hostages. What could you have done? Well," she grinned and nudged her shoulder into his as they continued walking to the car, "besides taking out Andy."
"Would have been my utmost pleasure to do so," replied Elliot as he slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a quick hug while they walked.
On the drive to the hospital, Elliot explained that he'd just drop her at the main entrance and he'd stay in the car. Giving him a look that basically said she thought he was nuts, she just agreed and said she'd call him when ready to leave. She'd given up trying to get the plans for the evening out of him and decided to just go with the flow after he'd explained that Kathy was at her parents as her mom had recently broken her hip. The twins were with her and Kathleen was spending the night at a friend's house. So, after the day she'd had, he'd decided to make plans for their own escape and he wasn't going to divulge them.
Mentally shrugging her shoulders, she watched the boyish grin flash once again she exited the car so just she accepted her fate for the evening. "Might as well let him have his fun," she thought as she walked into the hospital. "Better than both of us sitting at home doing nothing."
Twenty minutes later, Olivia called Elliot and he picked her back up at the main entrance. Sensing her disquiet, he simply pulled away from the curb. "Why don't you put your head back and catch a few. We'll be on the road at least an hour."
"Where in the world are we going, Elliot? I thought we were just going to O'Malley's or something."
"Nope. Somewhere nicer. Good food, good music and good company," he turned and grinned at her. "Actually, you need to do something." He reached under the seat and pulled out a holster. "Switch your weapon over to this ankle holster or at least into your purse."
"What *are* you planning?" asked Olivia who was really beginning to wonder about her partner.
"Look, where we're going, I thought you'd like to at least sit down without your weapon showing. No one there will know us and for once we won't have to be 'cops on duty'. I know neither of us will lock them in the trunk but we might as well be comfortable."
"Okay, I'll use the holster. My purse can hold many things, but not a full- size Glock," she grinned as she took the holster and began to make the switch. "This place better be worth it."
"I just figured that with the day you've had, you really wouldn't want to just sit at home thinking. I know I wouldn't."
"You're right, El." Olivia reached over and patted him on the leg. "Thanks."
"Anytime, Livia." At that, she tipped her head back, took a deep breath, released it and closed her eyes. "This really is a good idea," she thought as she allowed the motion of the car to put her in a doze.
The slowing and eventual stop of the car brought Olivia awake nearly an hour later. Yawning and tightening her body into a stress-relieving stretch, she glanced out the window but really couldn't tell where they were.
"Hey there, sleepyhead. Feel better?" asked Elliot.
"Yeah, actually I do. Where are we?"
"Chesapeake Clam Club in Long Beach," said Elliot quietly, hoping that she's not upset.
"Really? Sounds interesting. Music, you say?" asked Olivia as she punched the switch for the dome light and pulled down the passenger side visor.
"Liv, your makeup is fine...you're gorgeous, as usual." Finally realizing what he'd said, his cheeks turned a light pink.
Deciding not to give him grief for his words, she gently teased him, "Wow. Flattery will get you get everywhere, partner." Words such as that were hardly ever offered and quite frankly, she was surprised to hear them.
Snapping out of his embarrassment he replied, "So, that means if I lay the flattery on pretty thick you'll do my half of the paperwork?" Elliot opened the door and stepped out as Olivia did the same.
"Not a chance, but a good try," she replied as she stepped around the car to join him. "Nice area."
"Yeah, the beach is just on the other side of that building."
"Hmmm, maybe a walk before we leave? Would feel good to walk on sand."
"Sure," said Elliot as held open the door to the establishment. He removed his overcoat and assisted Olivia with hers then turned with both to hand them to the attendant in the coat room. He stepped forward to speak with the maitre-d. "Table will be ready in a moment," he said as he turned back to her.
She could hear the soft sounds of the jazz floating on the air. Already beginning to relax, she closed her eyes and listened. "It does sound good, doesn't it?" said Elliot quietly into her ear.
"Yeah, have to be careful, I'll be so relaxed that I'll be asleep in my meal," she said turning to glance up at him.
"Relaxed is what we're aiming for," he chuckled as he rested a hand on her back, "I'll be sure that you miss the plate if you fall asleep."
"Brat."
The maitre-d returned and cut off his reply stating that their table was ready.
Once seated, they perused the menu and made their choices. A server returned with their wine choice and opened it for Elliot's approval. Taking their first sips, they sit back and relaxed. The small jazz ensemble was just taking a break so the few couples that had ventured onto the small dance floor at the back of the room walked past on their way to their tables.
"Elliot, why did you choose to stay in the car while I went into the hospital?"
"Well, I didn't know Baxter and I took the time to place my evening calls to check in with the kids."
"Oh. How is everyone?" asked Olivia as she took another sip of the very well-flavored wine.
"The kids are going to take the train back Sunday night so I'll have to pick them up. Schedules will a bit tough this week since I've got court again for the Maragorn trial, so I don't know quite how I'm going to work that one yet. Kathy has decided to stay another week at her mom's."
"If need be, Elliot, I can pick up the twins and bring them to the station at least a couple of times. Cragen would understand. And, when need be, doesn't Kathleen ride with a friend to after school soccer practice? Maybe on those evenings, she could go home with that friend and you could pick her up from there."
Chuckling, Elliot said, "Now that you have *my* schedule figured out for the week, I also have a message for you. Spoke with Kathleen after the twins and she wanted to ask me when you are available to go shopping with her and Maureen. They want to get a jump on their Christmas shopping and she said that the three of you had such a good time the last time that they'd love to do that again. That is, if you don't mind. You don't have to if you don't want to."
"Don't be silly, of course I want to. Maybe Lizzie can join us this time. Dickie'd be welcome, too, but I'm not too sure how much he could stand waiting around for four women to try on outfits," she grinned picturing a miniature Elliot pacing around the store with a look of murderous intent on his face at the antics of his sisters. "Could be a fun form of torture, I suppose."
"Hmm, that holds great possibilities of a threat for future punishment. Will have to remember that. Thanks, Liv."
"Anytime."
Their meals arrived about that time and they were both quiet and introspective as they enjoyed the wonderfully prepared cuisine. Knowing that there was still the drive back, they limited the wine to the single bottle. During the meal, the jazz ensemble returned to the small stage area and started up with some older melodies. Between eating, small chit chat and listening to the music, an hour passed in quiet companionship. Finished with their meals, coffee was ordered and savored. Olivia excused herself to visit the ladies room. Standing at the sink inspecting her makeup, she hadn't really believed Elliot when he said it was fine in the car, she almost didn't recognize her reflection. In the place of her staid, no nonsense police persona was this soft, bright-eyed woman who looked completely tired but relaxed. Closing her eyes as tears quickly welled up, she took a tissue to wipe them so to stop it from ruining her mascara. Just what she would need - to look like a raccoon. She knew that with the meal over that Elliot would want to talk about the situation from the afternoon. Normally, they hashed things like this out over burgers at O'Malley's. "Guess he was just as upset as me," she mused. Taking a deep breath she turned and exited the ladies room and returned to their table.
Sitting back down at the table, she took another sip of her coffee. Elliot had excused himself and she had closed her eyes as she concentrated on the music. She sat up and opened her eyes quickly as a hand reached down for hers and Elliot's voice whispered in ear quietly, "Dance with me." She allowed him to pull back her chair and she stood and followed him out onto the dance floor with the other few couples.
Taking her hand and turning around, Elliot allowed her to step into his arms with her left hand coming up on to his shoulder and her right into his hand which he turned and held to his chest. For a few minutes they simply moved softly to the rhythm of the instrumental music that flowed through the room. Then Elliot tipped his head forward and whispered those words that Olivia had been waiting for and dreading all evening, "Talk to me, Liv. Walk me through today so I understand what you went through. And not just the situation at the motel, I mean from the time I left you with Andy. I've gotta know, Liv." His arm around her waist tightened and pulled her closer to him. Completely relaxed, yet nervous, at this point, she simply laid her head on his shoulder and turned it so she could speak quietly into his ear.
"You left and Cragen sent us to interview Carin Healy. She was worried about her son Daniel, who was the son Baxter didn't know about, so we went to his football practice and picked him up. From there, Andy and I interviewed Lee Healy and then Baxter's mother, Sheila. Y'know, it was so weird working with Andy. He's so different than you. Coming out of Sheila Baxter's house he commented on our previous relationship. I reminded him of his conceit and how that would one day land him in a body bag.
"We returned to the house and then got the report that Lee Healy, the actual victim from ten years ago, was missing. At the scene we located his coat and a quantity of blood that was proven by the labs to be his.
"Baxter had escaped with another inmate named Double D. He was located and we rousted him. We also pulled Sheila in for another interview. She had to leave for chemo and more questions popped up so we went to the hospital. From the information that she finally provided, we knew to be looking at motels. We split up, and before you comment, yes, it was my idea. We didn't have the man power nor the time to horse around, El." She felt the chuckle rise through his body at that last comment and she smiled against his shoulder and chuckled. "Guess that proves that I *do* know you.
"To continue, if I may, I ended up the lucky one to find the hotel he was in. Some skanky place down by the shore. I went upstairs while I sent the Troopers to evacuate the other rooms." She knew he was just dying to comment but she raised her head and said, "Quiet, I don't want to hear it. I cleared the room and found Lee duct taped and tied. He said Baxter had been gone a few minutes. We came back out and I called Andy. I cleared the walkway again and was approaching the stairwell. Had my weapon a bit lower due to the railing and kept Lee behind me as I peered over. That's when Baxter popped into view with the gun on me immediately. I probably could have gotten the shot off but he would have definitely gotten me and that would have left Lee with him."
"You made the right decision, Livia," said Elliot as he continued to lead them slowly around the dance floor. She was quiet for a few moments to listen to the music and bring to order in her mind the sequence of events for the next portion of the story.
Clearing her throat, she continued, "Baxter moved us all back to the room and took my phone when it rang. I figure that it was Andy and Baxter just wasn't going to let me speak with him. He went so far as to destroy my phone. God, Elliot, I told Baxter that Andy was my partner, I'm so sorry."
Another chuckle rumbled through Elliot's chest, "Don't worry about it, Liv. Just think, then if he'd come after your 'partner' you could have pointed Andy out to him." Olivia grinned at his comment.
"For the next few minutes I spent the time trying to get Baxter to trust me. He even told me to leave and then pulled me up off the bed and pushed me to the door. I refused to leave. Told him about his mother and my promise to her. I swear that I could hear tears in my voice, Elliot, but I couldn't stop them." She felt a light kiss on her temple and she looked up at him with a watery gaze.
"By then I couldn't get Lee to shut up. He kept antagonizing Baxter. I explained about his mother's cancer. I even offered myself as a shield to get him out the door. Lee went off again and then Baxter demanded to talk to Carin Healy. The guys had already turned the phone off, but reconnected it when they heard me. I was guessing at the time whether or not there was a full team out there. They patched the call through to her house and then connected her to me. I handed the phone over to Baxter. All he wanted from the call was to talk to Danny so all I could do was sit and listen. He tried to convince Carin of his innocence, but at the same time, Lee started in again and I told him quietly but hard to shut up. Baxter became over agitated at this and aimed at Lee. I stood up and moved closer and kept talking...told him I was going to take the gun.
"Elliot, he lowered the gun, couldn't the sharpshooter see that? I know there were blinds, but he should have been able to see that. Just as I got my hand wrapped around both the gun and his hand, the exit wound appeared in Baxter's chest. I thought he only took him in the shoulder, but later on, according to the docs, it actually nicked his aorta. When that shot came, I was bent over as I had pushed down his arm further when I took the pistol. Thinking about it now, I don't know, but I think if I had been upright that the round would have gotten me, too. I had grabbed Lee and shoved him to the floor and focused my attention back on Baxter who was barely breathing on the floor. The Marshals charged in at that point and I was relieved of the scene.
Elliot released her hand to let it rest on his chest as he wrapped both arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. Speaking quietly, he said, "You did good, Olivia. But, I could kill you for going with no backup." She made to interrupt, "No, don't argue, dammit. You know and I know it, you were *wrong*. You should have waited for the Troopers to clear the rooms and then gone upstairs. Then again," he said with a sigh as he leaned back to look at her face, "I guess I can't complain too much...I'm guilty of the same boneheaded move once or twice, too, huh?" He grinned as the corner of her mouth turned up slightly in a tiny smile. "What happened next?"
"Baxter was transported and the medics checked over Lee. He was brought back to the house by Cragen and Fin as Andy and I were headed to the hospital to see about Baxter. That's when we found out about the shot nicking the aorta. Worse part there was dealing with his mother, Sheila. She accused me of breaking my promise and trying to execute her son. Something about his whole continued insistence on his innocence grated on me so I started researching the original evidence when I got back to the precinct. Cragen tried to send me home, but I convinced him to let me stay when I discovered that the evidence testing from the original crime in Virginia was under investigation for improper testing.
"This morning, Warner concluded her work with the Virginia authorities and found the truth. The DNA was only a match on the male side. It wasn't Baxter, but another male relative. I told Andy and he finally realized his error. From there we determined that it had to be Jeremy, Lee's cousin. When we confronted him, unfortunately, Andy came very close to being charged with brutality." Grinning, she looked up at him and said, "Believe me, he doesn't listen to me half as well as you..."
Smirking right back at her, "You have me trained."
"Hah! I'll remember you said that, you know," she chuckled. Reaching up, she wrapped both arms around his neck and hugged him. "Well, to wrap things up, I interviewed Lee again and confronted him with the information about Jeremy. He continued to deny it until Carin came in and then the truth came out. How he felt that Baxter took his mom away from him. We all walked out into the hall as Fin was bringing in Jeremy. I know we should have gone into a room, but it just kind of rolled from there. Jeremy ended up admitting to everything. Lee had told the lie so many times over the years that he'd actually come to believe it. From there, Jeremy was processed and the Healy's went home. Andy stopped back to talk to me and you know the extent of that conversation. And then you showed up. End of bad day."
"Sounds like a long couple of days, Liv."
"Yep. Want to tell me about yours?" she asked. She heard the bandleader announce that this would be the last song of the session before the ensemble took another break. "Nah," Elliot said, "No better, no worse than any other grand jury proceedings that either of us have sat through. Tell you what. Do you want any dessert?" At the negative shake of her head he continued, "Then let me settle up and we'll get your tired feet into the sand. Sound okay?" Olivia stepped back out of his embrace and turned for the table. "Sounds wonderful."
Fifteen minutes later found the two of them sitting on a bench at the edge of the beach removing their work shoes and socks. "Oh, that feels so *good*," said Olivia as she dug her toes into the sand and wiggled them. "C'mon, I want the water." She turned, still holding her shoes, and began walking down the beach towards the water's edge.
"Liv, why are your toes green? Have you been hanging out with Maureen too much?"
"Funny, you ole' fuddy duddy. And it's Lizzie who likes the brighter colors, not Maureen. C'mon," came her breezy reply as she continued walking. Elliot caught up with her and she placed her arm around his waist. His arm came up over her shoulder and they walked on in silence, both enjoying the quiet companionship and the water as it came up around their feet. Awhile later, Olivia asked quietly, "Why did you do this, El? I'm not complaining, but you have to admit that this isn't exactly a typical M.O. for us."
Elliot stopped and turned to face her before replying. "Maybe it can be for the rougher stuff or even should be just to talk. And because we needed to be away so you could let this go."
"You know me too well."
"I could never know you well enough, Liv. You mean the world to me and it about ripped me apart not to be there for you today. I needed to be able to be there for you after this like you were for me with Lucy." He sighed and looked out over the water, "I hate to ask this, but are you ready to go? We've both got work tomorrow."
"Yeah, in a moment." Looking up at him as she thought for a second, she took a deep breath and slid both hands up behind his head and tugged gently so she could reach up and place a lingering, yet soft kiss against the corner of his mouth. The hands at her waist slid around to her back to hold her tightly to him as he bent his forehead to hers as her arms went completely around his neck for a hug. "I will not allow either of us to regret me doing that, El. *Now* let's go home...back to who we have to be." As they turned to walk to the car, she felt his hand slide over her wrist and into her hand to entwine their fingers. She didn't look at him, just tightened her grasp and kept on walking.
*End*