Author's note: Wow, I didn't realize so many people would actually read this. Thanks for the reviews! Seeing as I have an audience, that will help motivate me to write. So in case you decide to forgo reviewing a chapter, remember that it is what fuels how quickly I get these written.
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, no matter how quickly I write them, I never get any closer to actually owning…anything.
"Elliot, I don't see one other woman in this room. Why is that?"
Elliot had noticed as much, and his only response was to shake his head and shrug his shoulders.
"Detective Benson, did you have something to add?" Agent Smith asked, interrupting his own introductory briefing.
She flushed at the unexpected calling out. "No, I'm sorry."
He continued with his talk as though nothing had happened, but Liv was now getting the occasional glance from the eighteen other agents and detectives around the room.
"So today we're just gonna focus on getting to know one another. This will give us all a good opportunity to meet some people from other agencies around the region," he concluded.
The meeting broke and the conference participants got up from their seats to mingle before the actual scheduled task.
Olivia, as the only female—and an attractive one to boot—was Miss Popularity as nearly all the men queued up to introduce themselves to her. Elliot got unceremoniously pushed to the side.
"So, Detective Benson," said a man who introduced himself as Detective Ron Stewart, "what does your husband think about your line of work?"
She smiled knowingly and replied, "Subtle. I'm not married." She made a mental note: Detective "Bad Pick-up Line" Stewart.
Unfortunately, this particular memorization method turned out to be ineffective, as half the detectives who introduced themselves tried the same tactics.
Olivia scanned the room for who she was beginning to think was the only sane man, which was a scary thought considering she'd often called him crazy. She spotted him laughing with a couple other guys near the water cooler and started pushing her way towards him.
"Miss Benson," a young guy said, stepping in her path.
She looked at him and said, with forced patience, "Yes?"
"You seem far too young to be a detective. Did you just graduate training?"
She rolled her eyes and didn't even justify the false flattery with a response. She pushed past the kid—who looked as though he himself had just graduated training—and took the last couple strides to her partner.
She grasped his arm and said pleadingly, "Save me."
He looked down at her in amusement and grinned, obviously enjoying her discomfort. He then addressed the two men he had been talking to. "Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce my partner, Olivia Benson. Liv, this is Agent Reynolds and Agent Curry. They're Feds."
She smiled warily before Elliot leaned down conspiratorially and said, "They're not interested in getting to know you on any more than a professional level. Both guys are married."
Her smile immediately warmed and she extended her hand to each of them.
"These guys have agreed to join up with us in the group sessions," Elliot continued. "I thought you might want a little bit of sanity."
"Thank you," she said, nudging his shoulder. He responded with a wink.
"Okay, people, eyes up here now," Agent Smith barked from the podium at the front. "As you recall, I had each of you fill out a short bio questionaire. I have them right here." He held up a stack of papers.
"Our first exercise is an introduction to the group. But instead of introducing yourselves, your partners are gonna introduce you. This is to determine how much you really know about each other right off the bat." He quickly scanned the group and zeroed in on Olivia. "Detective Benson, since you were so keen on speaking up earlier, we'll start with you. Introduce us to your partner." He pulled out what was no doubt Elliot's sheet and awaited her briefing.
Olivia seethed internally, but quickly quelled her anger in order to show just how good she could be at this game. She began to tell Elliot's entire life story.
When she had finished the main points, such as full name, date of birth, college degree and military service, Smith fired off more questions for her.
"Marital status?"
"Divorced."
"Children?"
"Four. Three girls, one boy."
"Names and ages?"
She listed each of his children, their ages, and even their birth dates. At this point, it appeared that some of the men around the room were beginning to see her as more than just the only woman at the conference.
"Favorite color?"
"Blue."
"Without looking, eye and hair color."
She stared at Smith unflinchingly. "Blue and brown."
"What's one thing he admires about you as a partner?"
Olivia paused, continuing to stare down the offensive agent. Finally she answered pointedly, "My patience with unsavory characters."
Smith narrowed his eyes. He knew that he had just been beaten. He flicked casually through the other surveys and turned his attention to another detective without so much as acknowledging her victory.
Elliot held out his hand, palm-up. She gave him a low-five, allowing a smug grin to grace her lips.
She started mentally keeping score. As of now, she was tied with Agent Smith.
She wouldn't let that stand for long.
To be continued….
This chapter is just kind of a transitory jump-off. The real team-building will start next chapter. As always, reviews are yummy. Served cooked or raw. Elliot on top optional, but mucho appreciato.