Yay! Thanks for the reviews everybody! I can feel the love! Now all I need to do is find me a man with that kind of dedication and I'm all set... ;) TheseBrokenWings-Hey, I think your review got cut off. I'm in such suspense over here to know what you think! nem-Yay, pity party! I was waiting for your review to chapter 6, and I wasn't disappointed. ;) Whitney-Threats? Now is that anyway to get me to update? You better believe it:)

I have had writer's block for the past few days, so I just finally managed to write this. It's not much really. It's kinda short and it's more of a continuance of the last chapter. It's also more EO though, so I hope you like it! I'll try to write a few long chapters this weekend, we'll see. (BTW, the song is called "Standing Outside the Fire" by Garth Brooks. I just can't get over my lyrics obsession, sorry!)

A Moment Custom Made To Order

Olivia wasn't sure how long she'd been staring up at Elliot, her tears freezing up as she scanned his eyes in astonishment, barely grasping onto what just happened. I just kissed my partner, she told herself, hoping to convince herself it hadn't just been a dream. No, no dream. His lips, my lips… wow. Even though they had hardly touched and it hadn't lasted more than a second, Olivia had never experienced a kiss with more passion and love behind it. The back of her mind had always wondered what it would be like to kiss Elliot, and her imagination hadn't even come close.

As Olivia remained silent, Elliot quickly became uneasy and started second-guessing his actions. Maybe he came on too strong when he kissed her and brought up the 'L' word. Olivia had only said that she thought there was something between them, she'd never directly specified. Elliot did the only thing he could do, stand and wait patiently for Olivia to do something, her reaction holding his life in its hands.

Without warning, a soft smile spread across Olivia's face, yet still not convincing Elliot. She crossed her arms against the cold night air and shifted her weight from one foot to the other before breaking the hush between them. "You just always gotta one-up me, don't you?" Her voice was a soft, passionate tone as it brought a grin to her partner's face.

"You wanted the truth." Pitiful answer, but he was too swept-off-his-feet to really care.

"I did." Her grin didn't leave as she turned and started walking down the sidewalk, throwing another mixed signal at Elliot.

"Where are you going?" He didn't want to appear too over-bearing, but that was an odd place to end everything.

"That all-night diner two streets over," she nodded with her head and shoulder, her hands bundled up in her pockets. When the only reply she got was another baffled look from Elliot, she chuckled and decided to explain. "I'm freezing!" She called out. "Follow me there and we'll talk." After seeing that her clarification had settled the anxious Elliot, she continued to her car.

"Hey Liv!"

"What?" Reaching for the door handle, she stopped her arm in mid-air and looked up.

"You really think I'm handsome?" He gave a playful grin, waiting for an answer. Olivia just rolled her eyes and slid into her car, but not before Elliot caught a glimpse of her slightly reddened face.

--XXX--

"I shouldn't have said anything. I mean, we can't be together! I didn't even think about everything." As the two detectives sat in a lonely both in the corner of the almost completely vacant 50's style diner, Olivia was only now considering the problems of a relationship between the two of them. Before, her thoughts had been on whether or not she even wanted more than a friendship, not what would happen if they did start something. After what happened in front of the station house, God knows she wanted more than a friendship now.

Elliot sat across from her, studying her face as she rambled and he remained quiet. He couldn't help but feel the smallest hint of a smile curl his lips as Olivia started vocalizing all the doubts and concerns he'd thought of when he realized that he loved her. They were so similar in some ways and yet completely different in others, a quality in their relationship that attracted him in the first place. He heard what she was saying, but he couldn't bring himself to take her remarks to heart. He may have been slightly in denial, but he was just so deliriously happy that she felt the same way that not much else could affect his mood.

"Anyone ever tell you that you look cute when you're flustered?" He wondered honestly, gazing at her. A slightly embarrassed and somewhat flattered smile started to creep on her face, but she ignored it and starting talking again.

"I mean, what about Cragen and IAB? You know it's against policy for coworkers to be together. If anyone found out they'd have to transfer one of us." And I don't want to lose you as a partner. You've been so wonderful and supportive, I doubt I could ever find that in anyone else. "What if it didn't work out between us? We couldn't stay partners after that." Or friends… That would kill me more than anything. You're my best friend. "And you just separated from Kathy." And I know that no matter what you feel for me, a part of you will always love her. "And-"

Suddenly, Elliot eyed up the basket of dinner rolls sitting on the table between the two of them. Before Olivia could finish her sentence, he grabbed one and leaned towards her, wedging it part way into her open mouth and silencing her chattering.

Taken aback by his actions, she sat there for a second, fairly confused. Elliot just crossed his arms on top of the table and flashed an amused, boyish grin at her, a devilish twinkling in his eyes. Recovering from her initial shock, Olivia sent a glare at Elliot as she pulled the biscuit out of her mouth and tossed it back on the table.

"What was that?" She asked aggravated, clucking her tongue like a disapproving mother as she rested her arms against the edge of the table and leaned forward.

"That," he kept his grin and leaned forward as well, "was my subtle way of pointing out that you talk too much."

Her mouth fell slack for a moment and incredulity flashed on her face as she sat straight up. "Elliot, this is serious! I'm talking about us here!"

"Olivia, you get stuck in cop mode too much." He informed her amusedly, having to tilt his chin up to meet Olivia's eyes.

"Meaning?" She knowingly took the bait, uncertain if she wanted to hear this.

"Meaning you over-analyze everything." Elliot watched as the most microscope ounce of hurt flickered on her face. "Liv…" He unfolded his arms and placed his hands on top of Olivia's, sliding his fingers underneath her palms so that he was holding her hands. He pulled their clasped hands closer towards him, drawing her forward from her stiff position. Resting his elbows against the table, Elliot locked his eyes onto Olivia's. "Liv, I can't remember the last time you've followed or even cared about IAB policy, why's this different?"

Olivia's gaze swept over Elliot's face as she deliberated over his question. The answer didn't take long to reach her. "Because," she whispered tenderly, turning her stare downwards. When she brought her head back up, her the corner of her eyes were glittering. "You've been my partner and best friend for as long as I've been in SVU. I could never find anyone that came even close to you, and I don't want to risk losing that."

Just as Elliot was about to answer, they heard the static of a radio turning on. Their heads immediately turned to the source of the noise, somewhere behind the swinging kitchen doors behind the bar. Music wafted through the small building as a song started playing.

"We call them cool
Those hearts that have no scars to show
The ones that never do let go
And risk the tables being turned

"We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
That always comes with getting burned

"But you've got to be tough when consumed by desire
'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire

"We call them strong
Those who can face this world alone
Who seem to get by on their own
Those who will never take the fall

"We call them weak
Who are unable to resist
The slightest chance love might exist
And for that forsake it all

"They're so hell-bent on giving, walking a wire
Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire
Standing outside the fire

"Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire

"There's this love that is burning
Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide
Standing outside the fire."

As the song ended, Elliot turned back to Olivia, her hands still clasped in his. "Olivia, I've never felt for anyone what I feel for you. It's something amazing, powerful… and beautiful." He glanced down at their entwined fingers, delicately firming his grip before looking back up. "Being with you, it's worth any risk to me. So IAB finds out? Even if what we have only lasted a second, at least I'd be able to look back and say that, for a moment, we were so in love that we didn't care about the repercussions or what anyone thought. That we just did what we felt, what we wanted."

Elliot's sudden speech rendered Olivia silent as she heard each beautifully worded sentence replay in her mind. He is so right, so totally and completely right.

"I haven't ever brought rules and regulations into my choices, so why should I start now?" She smiled blissfully. "So screw IAB. Elliot, I want to be with you too."