Elliot's head rose vigilantly from the mountain of paperwork he had the
pleasure of tackling when Cragen's door opened a few moments later. He was
cautious, almost timid to raise his eyes to hers.
"Hey," his new partner threw him a friendly greeting in her attempt to break his awkward silence.
"Hi, how are you," the polite, somewhat uneasy small talk continued from his end.
"I'm pretty good thanks, but you seem like you've seen better days there, Detective." She was reading him. This new partner of his was reading into him. He wasn't quite sure if he enjoyed it playfully or loathed it jealously.
"You could say that," Elliot seemed to be loosening up a bit to his new partner. However, his attempts at learning more about his new, exotically beautiful partner were abruptly halted.
"Looks like you two just caught your first case together, Detectives." Cragen came striding out of his office commanding his detectives to the first case they would work together.
"We're on it." Elliot rose immediately, adjusting his tie and swinging his jacket around his broad shoulders in anticipation of getting back on the job.
"Detective Benson," Cragen motioned to Olivia Benson with a comforting tone while still seeming over-bearing. "You alright to handle this."
"Yes, Captain, trust me, I got this. Thanks" Olivia smiled a bittersweet smile before giving him a slight nod of her head.
Elliot stared confused as he witnessed Cragen's conversation with Detective Benson.
"You coming or what?" Elliot tried to break the silent tension with a slightly sarcastic statement.
"We're partners, aren't we?" Olivia smirked. She collected her coat in her arms and followed her partner out of the doors of the 1-6 for the first time.
===========
"Our chariot awaits us" Elliot grinned and motioned toward their police sedan.
They simultaneously slid into their respective seats in the car as Elliot hastily pulled away from the curb.
Silence again encompassed the two detectives as they fought their way through mid-day traffic. Elliot's erratic driving and seeming lack of attention at the road proved to be the first conversation starter of their ride.
"You do have a license, right?" She was half joking and half scared for her life. "What do you say I drive, you seem like you're a bit preoccupied, Stabler."
"Preoccupied?" He shot a diminutive angry glare at his passenger. "If you don't like it, you can just get out, no one's making you put up with me."
"Are you always this polite, or is this just a special initiation for me? I don't need this, you know." Elliot had yet to learn that pissing Olivia off wasn't such a smart idea.
He started fuming and spitting words faster than he was thinking, "You know maybe if you just lost you're partner to a .9mm you'd understand why I'm 'not that polite' at the moment, detective."
Her expression softened somewhat, and Elliot found it hard to look at her, ashamed that he had mouthed off like that to her.
"I'm sorry..." Her appearance grew sympathetic while still remaining defensive.
"Just forget it, okay."
"Right, so you can just sit there and sulk, and feel sorry for yourself and have others feel sorry for you too." Maybe she would have been more compassionate to his situation had he not crossed her the wrong way before they even had a chance to get acquainted with one another.
"You really know how to beat a guy when he's down, don't you?"
"You brought this on yourself, Stabler."
"Oh well, excuse me, excuse me Detective Benson, excuse me for being upset, obviously you wouldn't know anything about being upset."
"You have no idea, you know that."
"Yeah, well then enlighten me, Benson." He could tell his sarcastic statement hit some kind of nerve within his partner that he should not have hit. At least not the way he just did.
"Like you said, 'just forget I said anything'" She rolled her eyes painfully. She turned her head to the window, her hand on her head, turning the back of her head and dark hair towards Elliot.
The rest of the ride was understandably made in silence.
"Hey," his new partner threw him a friendly greeting in her attempt to break his awkward silence.
"Hi, how are you," the polite, somewhat uneasy small talk continued from his end.
"I'm pretty good thanks, but you seem like you've seen better days there, Detective." She was reading him. This new partner of his was reading into him. He wasn't quite sure if he enjoyed it playfully or loathed it jealously.
"You could say that," Elliot seemed to be loosening up a bit to his new partner. However, his attempts at learning more about his new, exotically beautiful partner were abruptly halted.
"Looks like you two just caught your first case together, Detectives." Cragen came striding out of his office commanding his detectives to the first case they would work together.
"We're on it." Elliot rose immediately, adjusting his tie and swinging his jacket around his broad shoulders in anticipation of getting back on the job.
"Detective Benson," Cragen motioned to Olivia Benson with a comforting tone while still seeming over-bearing. "You alright to handle this."
"Yes, Captain, trust me, I got this. Thanks" Olivia smiled a bittersweet smile before giving him a slight nod of her head.
Elliot stared confused as he witnessed Cragen's conversation with Detective Benson.
"You coming or what?" Elliot tried to break the silent tension with a slightly sarcastic statement.
"We're partners, aren't we?" Olivia smirked. She collected her coat in her arms and followed her partner out of the doors of the 1-6 for the first time.
===========
"Our chariot awaits us" Elliot grinned and motioned toward their police sedan.
They simultaneously slid into their respective seats in the car as Elliot hastily pulled away from the curb.
Silence again encompassed the two detectives as they fought their way through mid-day traffic. Elliot's erratic driving and seeming lack of attention at the road proved to be the first conversation starter of their ride.
"You do have a license, right?" She was half joking and half scared for her life. "What do you say I drive, you seem like you're a bit preoccupied, Stabler."
"Preoccupied?" He shot a diminutive angry glare at his passenger. "If you don't like it, you can just get out, no one's making you put up with me."
"Are you always this polite, or is this just a special initiation for me? I don't need this, you know." Elliot had yet to learn that pissing Olivia off wasn't such a smart idea.
He started fuming and spitting words faster than he was thinking, "You know maybe if you just lost you're partner to a .9mm you'd understand why I'm 'not that polite' at the moment, detective."
Her expression softened somewhat, and Elliot found it hard to look at her, ashamed that he had mouthed off like that to her.
"I'm sorry..." Her appearance grew sympathetic while still remaining defensive.
"Just forget it, okay."
"Right, so you can just sit there and sulk, and feel sorry for yourself and have others feel sorry for you too." Maybe she would have been more compassionate to his situation had he not crossed her the wrong way before they even had a chance to get acquainted with one another.
"You really know how to beat a guy when he's down, don't you?"
"You brought this on yourself, Stabler."
"Oh well, excuse me, excuse me Detective Benson, excuse me for being upset, obviously you wouldn't know anything about being upset."
"You have no idea, you know that."
"Yeah, well then enlighten me, Benson." He could tell his sarcastic statement hit some kind of nerve within his partner that he should not have hit. At least not the way he just did.
"Like you said, 'just forget I said anything'" She rolled her eyes painfully. She turned her head to the window, her hand on her head, turning the back of her head and dark hair towards Elliot.
The rest of the ride was understandably made in silence.