Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking."

The boom over the loudspeaker made Elliot jump, and his eyes flew open. He met the smile of Bill Sherman as he looked around groggily and realized he had dozed off. How long he had been asleep, he hadn't a clue…a flush crept over his face and he prayed to God that he hadn't been snoring.

"We will be arriving in Oahu momentarily. Please fasten your seatbelts and put all seats in an upright position. Thank you for flying Air Delta."

Grunting softly, he sat up straight, wincing at the soreness in his back muscles. He rolled his neck to work out the kinks as he fixed the seat.

After fastening the seat belt, Elliot stretched as much as the confines of space would allow. He looked over at the man beside him. "I wasn't snoring, was I?" he asked worriedly, leaning closer to speak.

Bill smiled, inwardly chuckling. "Do you want the truth?" He laughed out loud at the panicked look that crossed the young man's face. "Relax. It was only a little…I hardly heard you."

Unsure as to whether he was telling the truth, Elliot smiled uneasily and turned toward the window. It was raining in Hawaii; big drops pelted the windows as he craned his neck to get a view below. He couldn't see much of anything, though, and turned to face front in disappointment.

The landing was much smoother than the takeoff; he didn't even realize they were on the ground until he felt the plane stop.

Passengers began getting up and filing toward the exit ramp, so he quickly got up to follow suit. He reached for the overhead compartment and pulled out his bag and the small suitcase next to it, assuming it was Bill's. He looked at him questioningly, gesturing to it, and Bill nodded.

"Thank you," he said, taking it from Elliot. He put it on the floor and held out his hand. "It was nice talking to you."

Elliot grasped his hand and shook it. "Hey, same here," he said, smiling. "Take care."

The older man smiled and joined the thrush of people exiting. He disappeared from sight a minute later.

Sliding his bag on the seat that Bill had been occupying, Elliot slipped his Walkman inside the side pocket and zipped it shut. He checked his pocket to make sure he still had his wallet, and then hefted the bag over into the now-clear aisle. He was among the last few to exit the plane.

Pouring rain and a bitter chill greeted him as he stepped out into the fresh air. He groaned in irritation and effortlessly slung the heavy bag over one shoulder in standard military fashion as he ran toward the airport terminal, dodging people and leaping over puddles. The blinding rain stung through his half-shut eyes as he spied the entrance.

He dashed inside gratefully, his sneakers squeaking on the linoleum. The lobby was crowded and noisy as people waited in lines and checked luggage. Beeps from metal detectors and shrieks of small children seemed to come from everywhere.

He paused to check his watch and was almost trampled. Quickly mapping out corners, Elliot ducked around the crowds and found solace by a few deserted tables stationed next to a mini-mart. His watch read 6:25 pm. Judging from the swarms of people mobbing the terminal, he guessed that a flight was going to be leaving at 6:30.

A voice suddenly boomed over the chaos: "The 3:30 flight to Sacramento, Southwest Airlines flight 116, is now loading. All passengers must report to the ticket claim prior to boarding."

The fuck…? As a few frazzled passengers dashed past him in frantic search of the ticket line, Elliot checked his watch again in confusion. 6:27. Puzzled, he looked around for a clock.

A giant wooden clock with huge hands was hanging above a Starbucks booth, and it read, clear as day, 3:27. His eyebrows shot up. Huh, he thought in surprise. Guess I was right about the time change.

His cell phone suddenly rang, the shrill sound echoing loudly in the open area. He grabbed it quickly and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Hey," Jesse said. "Where are you? I'm standing beside the baggage claim."

Elliot's eyes immediately flew to the sign a few feet from him, and his eyes lit up when he saw his friend turned to the side, talking on his cell phone.

He grinned madly. "I'm right beside you, sleazebag!" he said, hanging up. He walked toward Jesse, laughing. Jesse turned, startled, and grinned too when he spotted him. Hanging up himself, Jesse smiled widely and began walking to meet him.

"About time, scum bucket!" Jesse laughed, slugging his arm. He looked delighted.

Elliot dropped his bag and slugged him back, grinning. "How you doin', filth ball?" he cried excitedly.

They grabbed each other in an affectionate, brief embrace, continuing to playfully punch and cuss each other in order to save face. The smiles on both of their faces were identical and elated.

Elliot scrutinized his friend. The Jesse Fox he remembered had been a scrawny kid who had a six-pack that looked more like a two-liter and was the second-biggest smart-ass in the entire platoon…Elliot himself was the biggest smart-ass, and he had never denied it. Jesse had definitely shaped up, but the shit-eating grin on his face was exactly the same.

Jesse was busy doing his own critiquing. Elliot was two years younger when they met, a baby-faced kid who had been forced to grow up too fast, but had a sharp tongue that was quick to fly. Jesse had saved his punk ass from getting a serious beating more than once after he had smarted off to some of the older guys.

For some reason, girls had adored him. Jesse never could figure it out…even when he was engaged and talked about Kathy so much that Jesse had seriously considered strangling him and dumping his body, he still had a legion of female worshippers. The pair would often drive out to the beach near the base on weekends to cruise the boardwalk, and the local ladies seemed to flock to Elliot like bees on honey.

Eyeing him, Jesse disgustedly realized that Elliot hadn't changed. He had matured, obviously, but still had the blue eyes and god damn ripped abs that had driven the girls wild back then.

The bastard...cocky little shit probably still had the ladies cat-fighting over him.

Jesse slid an arm around his friend and tilted his head forward in a headlock. Elliot ducked it easily and shoved him, laughing.

"You ready to go now?" Jesse asked, grinning. "I've been sitting in this damn airport for the past hour waiting for your ass."

"Fuck off!" Elliot laughed. "The flight was right on time, you dirty liar."

Jesse reached down and grabbed Elliot's bag. "Come on." He turned on his heel and walked off, ignoring his friend's demands to give him the bag. After continuing to be ignored, Elliot gave up and followed him through the terminal.

"Over here!" he yelled, over the rain. Elliot followed after him blindly. Jesse pulled out a remote and unlocked a blue Camaro, yelling at him to get in as he heaved the bag into the trunk. He hurried around to the driver's side, jumping in.

Elliot looked around appreciatively. "Nice ride," he commented. "What year?"

"'03," Jesse answered, shifting into second gear as he pulled out of the parking lot. He dropped to third gear and floored the accelerator when they hit the highway. Elliot reached for the radio and flipped through the channels.

"Hey," his friend said indignantly, shooting him a glare. "Who died and made you radio commando?"

Elliot paid him no attention as he stopped on a rock station and cranked it up. Jesse rolled his eyes and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hey," he said into it. "You guys want to meet us in the lobby? We'll be there in a minute."

The Camaro zipped around a curve and the hotel came into view. Jesse pulled under the hanging archway, and Elliot was surprised to see two men in crisp uniforms immediately come out to them.

"Good evening, Mr. Fox," one said, coming to the driver's side as Jesse stepped out.

Elliot was startled when another came around and grabbed the bag from him as he was pulling it out of the trunk. He looked at the man in surprise. "Hey, that's alright," he said. "I got it."

"No, no," the man insisted. "Please, it's no trouble, sir." He lifted it up and closed the trunk before Elliot had a chance to protest.

Jesse handed his keys to the other man as Elliot came around the car. "Your car will be waiting for you in the morning, Mr. Fox," the man said. "Please let us know if there is anything we can bring up to you. Have a good evening, gentlemen."

"Thank you," Jesse said, watching the man get into the car. He turned toward Elliot and laughed at the shocked look on his face. Grinning widely, he slid his arm around him. "Welcome to paradise, my friend."

They walked through the doors and into the lobby, where a group of men and a few women were sitting on couches, chatting.

"Hey, guys," Jesse said, announcing their presence. He gestured to his friend. "This is Elliot Stabler."

Elliot smiled as the group stood up. Jesse began introducing everyone, pointing to each in turn.

"Scott Wrigley," he said, gesturing to a good-looking blonde man with glasses. He leaned forward and shook Elliot's hand as Jesse gestured to the lovely brunette at his side. "His wife, Theresa."

He continued to the dark-skinned man next to her. "Wes Fulton."

Wes shook his hand heartily. "Nice to meet you," he said, in a deep baritone.

Elliot nodded and smiled. "Likewise."

Next was a tall, black-haired man and a woman with dark blonde hair who had such a strong resemblance to Kathy that it almost made Elliot do a double take. "Craig and Vanessa Mills," Jesse said.

Quickly shaking off the thought, Elliot shook their hands dutifully.

The man next to Vanessa broke in and introduced himself before Jesse had a chance. "Ken Walters," he said, shaking Elliot's hand. He had bright green eyes and a friendly smile.

"Jack Staff," Jesse continued, gesturing to the man with brown hair next to Ken, who winked and shook Elliot's hand. He pointed to the last man. "Trent James."

Elliot noted that all of them looked young, probably mid to late thirties, and very fit. He was suddenly very thankful for his own strenuous workout regimen; otherwise he may have felt a little intimidated.

It also appeared that the group was no stranger to the wealthier side of life. Wes was wearing what looked like a Rolex on one wrist, and both women had rings that looked like they cost more than Elliot's car on their fingers. All of the men wore slacks and dress shirts while the ladies were wearing casual dresses.

Elliot glanced down at the faded jeans, Nikes, and old Billabong t-shirt that he had thrown on in a hurry that morning and felt a flush creep over his face. Self-consciousness wasn't something he was used to feeling.

He looked at Jesse. He was in jeans and a sweatshirt, and looked entirely comfortable as he laughed with the others. As if reading his mind, his Craig glanced at him and grinned.

"Don't get the wrong idea," he said, winking. "We've got dinner reservations atfive in some fancy seafood place that the girls picked out."

He rolled his eyes at Elliot to emphasize his opinion of the idea and continued in a stage whisper, "Personally, I think they just like to make us spend money." He gestured to the other men. "We wanted to order pizza."

Elliot laughed, and immediately felt guilty for being so quick to judge. He shook his head, blaming it on jet lag. His body felt like it had taken a trip through a car wash.

"Not to be rude," Vanessa said, checking her watch. "But we ought to get going…it's quarter after."

The men nodded. Elliot looked at Jesse. "Are you going?"

Jesse looked at him like he had three heads. "Like this?" he said, gesturing to his clothes. "Get real…they'd probably make me wash dishes!" He smirked.

Theresa rolled her eyes at him. "Like you couldn't go upstairs and change," she said in annoyance, giving him a wry look. She looked at Elliot, giving him a sly grin. "He probably just wants an excuse so he can order the Spice Channel on pay-per-view."

The dry tone and playful look that she threw at Jesse reminded him so much of Olivia that he laughed out loud. Jesse shot him a miffed look, and he laughed harder. Theresa grinned at his reaction.

"You want to join us?" Ken asked Elliot. "We can wait for you to go upstairs….it's nothing too fancy, but the restaurant doesn't allow jeans."

He smiled. "Thanks for the offer," he said. "But the flight wore me out. I think I'm just going to go upstairs and crash. Can I take a rain check?"

Scott smiled. "Sure," he said. "We'll catch up tomorrow."

Elliot nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Elliot," Jack offered, extending his hand again. He slapped Jesse's hand. "See ya, Jess."

"Bye, guys," Jesse said, waving, as they all mimicked Jack and said goodbye to Elliot. "Have fun."

"Turn the volume down," Wes cracked at Jesse, slapping his shoulder as they left.

Elliot yawned suddenly, surprising himself. "Damn," he said, looking at his watch. "It's only twenty after four? It feels like freaking midnight."

Jesse smiled. "It's the time change," he said. "You'll feel better after a night's sleep. We've been sleeping all day."

As they walked toward the elevators, Elliot noticed again the vastness of the hotel and the upper-class feel of the place. "How in the hell did you land a place like this?" he asked, as Jesse stabbed the button. He looked at him with incredulously raised eyebrows. "Was that valet service?"

Jesse grinned devilishly. "I have connections," he said mysteriously, cocking an eyebrow. Elliot looked at him suspiciously, making him laugh.

"You haven't changed, you know that?" Jesse said, as the doors closed. He pressed the button for the eighth floor.

Startled, Elliot looked at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"You never did like not being in the loop," he chuckled. "You were the nosiest person in the entire corp."

"Hey!" Elliot's mouth fell open in shock. "That's not true! I never…." He trailed off suddenly, remembering how many times he had just happened to "overhear" the drill sergeants when they were discussing their plans at night, and grinned.

"Yeah," Jesse persisted, smiling widely when he saw his friend's look. "That's right. Don't even try to deny it."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, whatever," he said lamely, trying not to laugh. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, do we have our own rooms?"

Jesse looked at him. "Why do you ask?" he said, leering suggestively. "You getting ideas?"

It took Elliot a minute to get it. "Aw, man," he said in disgust. "You're a freak, Jesse."

His friend laughed. "I know it's been a while since we've seen each other," he continued, keeping up the ribbing. "But come on, Elliot."

Elliot smirked. "You know how I said I'm a cop?"

Jesse looked at him like he was nuts. "Yeah…" he said in confusion.

He grinned knowingly and leaned in closer. "I'm a detective in the Special Victims Unit," he said. He cocked an eyebrow. "Sex crimes."

The look on his friend's face almost made him die laughing.

Elliot dug his room key out of his pocket when the doors opened. They walked down the hall. He stopped at room 814 and slid the key through, opening the door.

"I'm in 817," Jesse called from where he stood down the hall, unlocking his own door. He turned and waggled his eyebrows at Elliot mischievously. "In case you get bored later." He grinned and made a crude gesture with his tongue.

Elliot burst out laughing in shock, almost doubling over. When he could get enough air, he gasped out, "I'm locking the doors." Shutting the door behind him, he leaned against it, still chuckling. Shaking his head a minute later, he pushed away to inspect the room.

He had been in his share of hotels in his lifetime, but this was nothing like he had ever seen before. The place was easily the size of his entire apartment. A large television took up almost the entire far wall of the room, with a leather couch a few feet away. A mahogany desk and matching chair were against the other wall, with a full-size lamp beside it.

The entire room was carpeted with cream-colored, plush carpet that felt so soft that he gave in to the temptation to take off his shoes as he walked further inside. He curled his toes into it as he padded back to inspect the bedroom.

His jaw dropped when he got to the doorway. The bed was the size of a small car. It literally stretched from one end of the room to the other, almost touching the walls. The frame was a rich mahogany that matched the desk in the other room; the comforter was a deep blue. Elliot had never seen so many pillows in his entire life- there were at least ten piled against the headboard, each one looking softer than the one before.

A flat-screen television was mounted to the wall in front of the bed, with a DVD player and VCR positioned on the dresser next to it. He could probably fit his entire dresser at home into one of the drawers in this one. Scoffing softly in utter amazement, he kept going.

The closet was big enough for a person to sleep comfortably in. Elliot looked inside for a minute and then continued to the bathroom. It had a large Jacuzzi and shower, stocked with fluffy towels, a razor, and an endless supply of soaps.

When he stepped out, he saw that the wall furthest from the bed was actually a sliding glass door leading to an outside balcony. It was still raining, so he didn't go out, but still had a spectacular view of the beach in the distance.

Whistling in amazement, he shook his head again. This is a room? I wonder what the penthouse looks like!

Walking back through to the living room, he locked the door and turned off the lights. He went into the bedroom and shut that door, locking it as well, and checked the glass door lock before pulling the curtain.

His bag was sitting on his bed, something he hadn't noticed coming in. Crossing over to it, he picked it up and set it on the floor. He was too tired to unpack. His body was begging for sleep.

He felt outrageously small when he climbed into the massive bed and pushed aside some of the pillows. He slid under the comforter and couldn't help a blissful sigh at how fluffy it was. Reaching above him, he turned out the lamp on the wall above his head. Even thought the curtain was close, there was still moonlight peeking in, casting a comfortable glow over the room.

Elliot piled three pillows behind his head and sank down into them, his body relaxing immediately. He couldn't believe how cozy and safe he felt in this room…it was insane just how much.

Just as he was drifting off, his cell phone rang. Popping one eye open, he groaned angrily. "You've got to be kidding," he huffed in annoyance, reluctantly moving out from under the giant mass of fluff.

Reaching for his jeans, he pulled out his phone. "Stabler," he said gruffly, unable to keep the irritation from his voice.

Olivia grimaced and tapped a pencil against her desk sheepishly. "Sorry," she apologized. "Did I wake you?"

He chuckled softly. "Yeah," he said, honestly. He climbed into bed again. "But that's alright."

"I just wanted to make sure you got there alright," she said. "Did you?"

"Yep," he said, stretching out and cradling the phone against his face. "I'm in the room now."

She grinned. "So how is it?" she asked excitedly. "Is it beautiful?"

"Well….it's raining," he said with a laugh. "So I haven't seen much of the outside yet." He glanced around and grinned. "But this room is so nice that I'm considering staying in the hotel all week."

"It's that nice?" she asked in surprise.

"Liv, this place is probably fit both of our apartments in it," he said. "I'm afraid the bed is going to swallow me."

Olivia laughed. "Well, if you aren't back in a month, I'll send out a search party."

He laughed.

There was a minute of silence and she remembered guiltily that he had been sleeping. "Ok, well," she said. "I'll let you go then…sorry I woke you up."

Elliot smiled, knowing how much of a worrier she could be. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I was just falling asleep when you called." He was unable to stop himself from yawning in her ear.

She heard it and laughed. "Sweet dreams," she said.

"You too," he replied, smiling drowsily. "Don't work too hard."

"Me?" she said teasingly. "Now why would I do that? That's what I have you for."

"Ouch!" Elliot said, feigning hurt. He chuckled sleepily. "Good night, Olivia."

She smiled warmly. "Good night, Elliot," she said softly, and hung up.

He turned the phone off and tossed it on the bedside table, snuggling back under the covers. He was out before his head hit the pillow.

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