Disclaimers: None of the SVU characters of mine, axcept for Michelle Mendicez. References to other shows are meant as a crossover, but nothing heavy.
Author's Note: Okay, so chapter two came quicker than what I had expected. I was just on a roll today, I guess. Well, I hope that you enjoy this chapter, so, here it is! Enjoy!
The rest of the day had flown by; no new cases had come in, and, to everyones' surprise, Cragen had let them go early. John had pushed to stay, to "finish up some paperwork", but Cragen had told him that if he didn't get his butt out of the building, he would have security drag him out. John had then mumbled something about a holiday conspiracy, which everyone brushed aside, and they all exited the squad room.
"See you later," Alex called to Olivia, as she attempted to hail a cab. The two had decided to drive to the party together, get drunk, and then walk as far as they could before they would need a taxi.
"Want a ride?" Olivia asked, hating to see Alex take yet another cab back to work.
Alex just shook her head. "Nah, I've got to go back to the office and grab a few things before I leave."
"Alright." Olivia shook her head, and sighed. Just another hopeless workaholic. Grinning, Olivia called to everyone else, "I'm gonna' go home, get some stuff ready. I'll see you all in about..." she looked at her watch. "In about three hours!" Everyone chorused in their "see ya'"s, and stood on the sidewalk, just talking for a few minutes longer.
"So, Elliot," John spoke up, as shuffled his feet. "The whole family coming tonight?" It was general conversation, and John genuinely seemed to be interested.
Elliot nodded. "Yeah, everyone but Maureen. She won't be in until tomorrow." Elliot shuddered at the sudden feeling of cold that he was experiencing. It hadn't been bad for a December day, until about noon, when it had begun to snow. The flakes were landing anywhere and everywhere, melting on exposed skin, becoming cold dropplets of water. "God, you think it could stop snowing for just one whole day," Elliot smiled, looking up at the sky.
"No such luck," John sighed. "That would take away the meaning of Christmas." Fin laughed at his partner's comment.
"My nephew seems to think that the meaning of Christmas is opening lots of presents on Christmas morning." He grinned, and turned to his right. "Michelle, you got any family around here?"
Michelle, who had her head in the same position as Elliot had his, looking up at the sky, was jerked back to the conversation. "Um, no, not really," she hurridly answered. She pulled her jacket up around her neck, as if she were trying to hold onto it with her life, trying to sink into it, hide behind it. John noticed, and became curious. Before he could say anything, Michelle was beginning to back away. "I'm gonna' go. I've got a few things to do, so, I'll catch you guys later."
"Bye," Elliot and Fin called. John had something else to add.
"You walking?" he yelled after her. She spun around, and nodded her head.
"Yeah, why?" she asked, her voice a combination of suspicion and defensiveness.
"Want a ride?" John offered, as sincerely as he could. If he had a car, he sure as hell didn't want to see anyone walking home. "I'd be happy to do it. Like you say, it's the season of giving!" He smiled at Michelle, who just laughed.
"Eh, what the hell." Michelle did a half walk, half run back to the huddled mass of the unit. "Might as well get out of the cold for a few more minutes." She looked up at John, who was ushering her to his car.
"Catch you guys later," John said, with a nod. Again came the "Bye"s of Fin and Elliot.
Elliot, for no apparent reason, continued to talk to Fin about the horrors of family at Christmas time, and Fin listened. He was intrigued by Elliot's continued banter of what he described as "traveling the depths of Hell, with his family right behind him".
"Last year," Elliot laughed, "we went to Kathy's mother's for Christmas Eve dinner. Now, you've gotta' understand one thing; her mother has never been very fond of me. All through dinner, she kept giving me these evil looks, like she wanted me to keel over in my holiday pudding."
Fin broke into laughter at this, knowing that he had had his share of aweful holiday experiences. "That's nothing. One Christmas, about six years ago, my sister brought her boyfriend over to meet the family. Well, my mother didn't really like him from her first glance at him."
"Why?" Elliot asked. "Was he a mess?"
"Close," Fin nodded. "He was Latino." Elliot nodded his understanding, and waited for Fin to continue. "Well, my mother is known to drink on occasion, adn by the time dinner was done, she had gone through an entire bottle of a vintage wine." Elliot cringed his face at the humour he saw, and in knowing where the story was going. "Well, she started in with Ricardo, calling him every single racial slur that she could." Fin shook his head. "I think she even asked him to wash the dishes after everyone was through. Now, that night was Hell." Fin continued to shake his head, knowing that Ricardo hadn't deserved any of the verbal assault that his mother had thrown at him. He was a good guy; a little rough around the edges, maybe, but he was from New York City. To Fin, that should have said enough. "Well," he spoke back up, "I think I'm gonna' head home, myself. Big night, tonight."
"Yeah," Elliot agreed. "I'd better get myself home, too. Kathy hates to have to get ready for things by herself." The two smiled, nodded, and said their goodbyes. As they separated, each turning to opposite ends of the street, Elliot remembered something that had wanted to bring up. "Hey, Fin!" he called in the direction of where Fin had turned to. However, Fin was now out of sight, and had obviously not heard Elliot's voice calling to him. Elliot decided that there was no point in hollering again; it could wait until they got to the party.
Fishing in his pocket, Elliot pulled out his keys, and unlocked the driver's door of his car. He got in, closed the door, and put the key in the ignition. Turning the key, he waited for the engine to turn over. Elliot let his head fall back against the seat. The day had, somehow, completely wiped him out. He hated to think that tomorrow was Christmas, which meant that he got to run around like a chicken with his head cut off, trying to get to different places on time, or, as the case had sometimes turned out to be, getting to the right place on time. Shaking himself back to reality, Elliot pulled the car out of park, and started for home. It was going to be a long night, no doubt about it, and he still had a long ways to go before he would be able to get any rest.
Authors Note: Still looking forward to reviews! Thank you for reading! Until the next chapter...
Author's Note: Okay, so chapter two came quicker than what I had expected. I was just on a roll today, I guess. Well, I hope that you enjoy this chapter, so, here it is! Enjoy!
The rest of the day had flown by; no new cases had come in, and, to everyones' surprise, Cragen had let them go early. John had pushed to stay, to "finish up some paperwork", but Cragen had told him that if he didn't get his butt out of the building, he would have security drag him out. John had then mumbled something about a holiday conspiracy, which everyone brushed aside, and they all exited the squad room.
"See you later," Alex called to Olivia, as she attempted to hail a cab. The two had decided to drive to the party together, get drunk, and then walk as far as they could before they would need a taxi.
"Want a ride?" Olivia asked, hating to see Alex take yet another cab back to work.
Alex just shook her head. "Nah, I've got to go back to the office and grab a few things before I leave."
"Alright." Olivia shook her head, and sighed. Just another hopeless workaholic. Grinning, Olivia called to everyone else, "I'm gonna' go home, get some stuff ready. I'll see you all in about..." she looked at her watch. "In about three hours!" Everyone chorused in their "see ya'"s, and stood on the sidewalk, just talking for a few minutes longer.
"So, Elliot," John spoke up, as shuffled his feet. "The whole family coming tonight?" It was general conversation, and John genuinely seemed to be interested.
Elliot nodded. "Yeah, everyone but Maureen. She won't be in until tomorrow." Elliot shuddered at the sudden feeling of cold that he was experiencing. It hadn't been bad for a December day, until about noon, when it had begun to snow. The flakes were landing anywhere and everywhere, melting on exposed skin, becoming cold dropplets of water. "God, you think it could stop snowing for just one whole day," Elliot smiled, looking up at the sky.
"No such luck," John sighed. "That would take away the meaning of Christmas." Fin laughed at his partner's comment.
"My nephew seems to think that the meaning of Christmas is opening lots of presents on Christmas morning." He grinned, and turned to his right. "Michelle, you got any family around here?"
Michelle, who had her head in the same position as Elliot had his, looking up at the sky, was jerked back to the conversation. "Um, no, not really," she hurridly answered. She pulled her jacket up around her neck, as if she were trying to hold onto it with her life, trying to sink into it, hide behind it. John noticed, and became curious. Before he could say anything, Michelle was beginning to back away. "I'm gonna' go. I've got a few things to do, so, I'll catch you guys later."
"Bye," Elliot and Fin called. John had something else to add.
"You walking?" he yelled after her. She spun around, and nodded her head.
"Yeah, why?" she asked, her voice a combination of suspicion and defensiveness.
"Want a ride?" John offered, as sincerely as he could. If he had a car, he sure as hell didn't want to see anyone walking home. "I'd be happy to do it. Like you say, it's the season of giving!" He smiled at Michelle, who just laughed.
"Eh, what the hell." Michelle did a half walk, half run back to the huddled mass of the unit. "Might as well get out of the cold for a few more minutes." She looked up at John, who was ushering her to his car.
"Catch you guys later," John said, with a nod. Again came the "Bye"s of Fin and Elliot.
Elliot, for no apparent reason, continued to talk to Fin about the horrors of family at Christmas time, and Fin listened. He was intrigued by Elliot's continued banter of what he described as "traveling the depths of Hell, with his family right behind him".
"Last year," Elliot laughed, "we went to Kathy's mother's for Christmas Eve dinner. Now, you've gotta' understand one thing; her mother has never been very fond of me. All through dinner, she kept giving me these evil looks, like she wanted me to keel over in my holiday pudding."
Fin broke into laughter at this, knowing that he had had his share of aweful holiday experiences. "That's nothing. One Christmas, about six years ago, my sister brought her boyfriend over to meet the family. Well, my mother didn't really like him from her first glance at him."
"Why?" Elliot asked. "Was he a mess?"
"Close," Fin nodded. "He was Latino." Elliot nodded his understanding, and waited for Fin to continue. "Well, my mother is known to drink on occasion, adn by the time dinner was done, she had gone through an entire bottle of a vintage wine." Elliot cringed his face at the humour he saw, and in knowing where the story was going. "Well, she started in with Ricardo, calling him every single racial slur that she could." Fin shook his head. "I think she even asked him to wash the dishes after everyone was through. Now, that night was Hell." Fin continued to shake his head, knowing that Ricardo hadn't deserved any of the verbal assault that his mother had thrown at him. He was a good guy; a little rough around the edges, maybe, but he was from New York City. To Fin, that should have said enough. "Well," he spoke back up, "I think I'm gonna' head home, myself. Big night, tonight."
"Yeah," Elliot agreed. "I'd better get myself home, too. Kathy hates to have to get ready for things by herself." The two smiled, nodded, and said their goodbyes. As they separated, each turning to opposite ends of the street, Elliot remembered something that had wanted to bring up. "Hey, Fin!" he called in the direction of where Fin had turned to. However, Fin was now out of sight, and had obviously not heard Elliot's voice calling to him. Elliot decided that there was no point in hollering again; it could wait until they got to the party.
Fishing in his pocket, Elliot pulled out his keys, and unlocked the driver's door of his car. He got in, closed the door, and put the key in the ignition. Turning the key, he waited for the engine to turn over. Elliot let his head fall back against the seat. The day had, somehow, completely wiped him out. He hated to think that tomorrow was Christmas, which meant that he got to run around like a chicken with his head cut off, trying to get to different places on time, or, as the case had sometimes turned out to be, getting to the right place on time. Shaking himself back to reality, Elliot pulled the car out of park, and started for home. It was going to be a long night, no doubt about it, and he still had a long ways to go before he would be able to get any rest.
Authors Note: Still looking forward to reviews! Thank you for reading! Until the next chapter...