Disclaimer: if you still need one, check the other two chapters!

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, we've been getting ready for our big move!

The Front of My Heart

Chapter 3

My neck is subtly aching and there is a cramp in either one of my legs when the vibrations of my cell phone against my hip alerts me to the early morning light.

My body is spooned around a female and for a minute I believe that it is my wife, only the blood in my body racing south immediately disproves my theory.

Kathy and I were too young to get married, but with a kid on the way and our Catholic traditions and the fact that we thought we were in love, marriage seemed like the right thing to do.

Olivia stirs against my chest and turns over to drape her body across mine. I try to conjure up images of ice storms and polar ice caps to suppress my body's natural reaction to her closeness and the smell of her perfume. She shifts again so that her legs are straddling my upper thigh and I can't help but wonder if she is comfortable sleeping in jeans, but I don't want to move her for fear of rousing her from her slumber.

Her arm curls around my waist and she snuggles deeper into my stomach. Olivia strongly reminds me of a kitten. If you are nice to her and respect her, she will show you her sweet, loving side, but treat her the wrong way, or do one wrong thing, and she won't ever let you live it down, assuming that she is still talking to you.

I work my hand slowly into my pocket to retrieve the offending device and check the caller id. Cragen. Shit. I flip it open and listen to him whisper into the mouth piece.

"Captain," I mumble into the phone, careful not to wake my gorgeous partner.

"I don't need an excuse Detective, I know that you are at Olivia's," I start to interrupt to make sure that he knows that nothing happened except our friendship solidified, but Don doesn't let me, "You might want to call your wife first off and then tell Livia that if I see her pretty face down here today she won't have a job anymore."

"Sure thing!" I answer before closing the phone and slipping it back into my pants.

My partner hides her face in my dress shirt and moans softly, she clearly isn't a morning person. Her hair is slightly mussed and her cheeks are gently flushed and she scrunches her eyes closed tightly, trying to avoid the light. I don't think that she is aware of the fact that her body is nestled tightly into mine, or if she is she is doing a damn good job of pretending to not notice. Doesn't matter to me though, she needed my support and I'm willing to give it to her for as long as she needs it.

"Who called?" she asks quietly, managing to startle me out of my reverie.

I smile at her before answering, "Cragen,"

Her eyes, which had been closed before flutter open and I feel myself being pulled into their depths. My heart is hammering against my chest and I can tell she can feel its steady thudding. Her liquid-brown eyes are asking me several questions at once and I do my best to answer them.

"I told him you were fine. And you are to stay out of the precinct on Captain's orders."

She sighs softly, like she's trying to hold in a small chuckle and her eyes gently squint while her mouth adopts a gentle smile. If I thought she was beautiful as a teenager, nothing can hold a candle to her now. Her fingers find the small strip of skin that became exposed when my shirt came untucked sometime during the night. Her skin is warm and she slips her hands around to my stomach places a feather-light kiss on the skin of my abdomen. I feel my whole body tense at the contact and she smiles against my heated skin.

"You are the best friend any girl could have!" she chuckles before sliding off of my body to stand up and stretch. Her fingers make nimble work of the buttons on her shirt and let it fall to the floor before stretching again. Her white wife beater accentuates her tanned skin and she grins at me. "Coffee?" she asks cheerfully and I can barely manage a nod.

I sit up and mutter a quick 'thank you' She nods and motions towards her phone,

"You should call your wife and kids and let them know that you're alright!"

I know that I'm staring at her with my mouth probably wide open. She just smirks at me and raises an eyebrow.

"El, I knew you when I was fourteen, did you really think that Fin wasn't going to do an extensive background check? He does one for every person I ever work with. I know everything about you, from the birth of your twins Elizabeth and Richard, to the time you got mono while doing a stint in the marines."

I chuckle in reply and pull my phone out of my pocket while she waltzes into her kitchen. I hear the water dispenser on the fridge buzz and a cluster of ice cubes clink into a glass. I hit speed dial two on my cell and listen to the gentle ring of the phone. Kathy will be at the hospital by now; the kids will be at school.

"Hi, you've reached the Stablers and we're not home right now. Leave us your name, number and a brief message at the tone and we'll call you back as soon as possible…beep,"

"Hey, it's me! We had a small problem at the office. I'll be home for dinner tonight unless I call again!"

I shut my phone and pull myself to my feet, shuffling into the kitchen after my new partner. I lounge against the door frame and watch her throat move as she gulps down the cool water. Olivia clinks the now empty glass on the counter and wipes a drop of water off of her chin.

"So," I say nonchalantly, "What have you been up to? Besides becoming a gorgeous cop that is!"

She laughs lightly and looks away from me, "You don't really want to know, it's not that important."

"Liv, i asked didn't I?" she gives me a smile for that comment. "Besides, it's not like you were a stripper or anything!"

I notice the blush furiously heat her face before she can turn around and I stifle a chuckle. She would have made a damn near perfect tease.

"I wasn't a stripper," she defends softly, "I prefer the term exotic dancer thank you!"

"Want to exotically dance for me Babe?" I offer, watching her blush kick up another ten notches.

"Sorry," Olivia laughs at me, turning to face me over her shoulder. "I don't think I'd still fit into my costumes."

Before I can reply that she wouldn't have to wear her outfits very long, my cell phone rings again. I flip it open and stare at the number, Cragen again, I wonder what he wants with me.

"Stabler,"

I let him talk for a few moment before turning to Olivia, and scowling slightly.

"He says that he knows that he gave us the day off but Cassidy and Munch are in court and Monique is with her sister since their mom just passed away, so we've got our first body partner. 23 year old 'exotic dancer' raped and murdered. Welcome to the club girly!"

She nods and shimmies out of her dress slacks and into a pair of jeans that she has draped across the back of a chair. Olivia holds her hand out to me and swiftly attaches her glock and badge to her waist.

"Let's kick some ass," she smirks at me, "partner!"

tbc…