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.

Author's Note: God bless the summer time…any one with access to the song "When the Sun Goes Down" by Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker should definitely listen when reading- perfect song for this story!

An extremely loud ringing next to his head made Elliot jump about four feet out of sleep. When he realized it was the bedside phone, he groaned and pressed his face down into the pillow again.

He discovered that he was lying on the opposite side of the bed than he had started on the night before. The phone was ruthless…the volume must have been cranked to the highest level. No way was he going to be able to ignore the damn thing.

Growling in irritation, he slid on his stomach over the jumble of pillows and stretched a hand toward the bedside table.

"Hello," he murmured, squinting in the sunlight that was peeking through the cracks in the curtain.

"Get up, lazy ass," Jesse said brightly.

Elliot groaned again and dropped face first onto the mattress. "Why are you calling me at…" He glanced at his watch. "Eight o'clock in the morning?"

"Quit your whining, you pussy," his friend cracked, laughing. "You've been sleeping for like 13 hours…come on; everyone is meeting downstairs for breakfast."

"Go without me," Elliot moaned, snuggling under the covers again.

"I'm stopping by your room in ten minutes," Jesse said. "If you don't answer the door, I'm going to break in. You know I can…I took the same classes in the Marines that you did, buddy."

A low groan rumbled up Elliot's throat. To this day he could still break into a house using a credit card….when he was 19, he thought it was the coolest thing ever to learn. The corp had its advantages at times.

"I hate you," he grumbled playfully, and slammed the phone down.

Jesse grinned and hung up as well, heading for the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Elliot stretched and allowed himself another minute to relax in the warm bed. Sighing, he reluctantly slid out from under the covers and stood up. After eyeing his bag again, he decided that he really didn't feel like unpacking right now either. He dug through it for some clothes and promised himself that he was going to tackle it as soon as they finished breakfast.

Throwing the clothes on, he walked into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. There was a knock at the door as he was spitting out the foam.

Quickly wiping his mouth, he walked through to the door, checking the peephole before unlocking the door. He opened it wide and walked back to the bedroom, leaving Jesse to let himself in.

"How do you like the rooms?" he called smugly as he followed Elliot through the living room.

"Who the hell do you work for, man?" Elliot called back from inside the bathroom. "This room is nicer than my entire apartment." He checked his reflection in the mirror before shutting off the bathroom light.

Jesse sat on the bed and watched Elliot dig his shoes out from under the bed. He grinned. "Isn't it great?" he said, teasingly. "This hotel is like some VIP powerhouse or some shit. Supposedly it's where the NFL players come to stay during the season."

Elliot scoffed, straightening. "You're full of it," he said, turning off the lamp.

Jesse hopped off of the bed and Elliot followed him out of the bedroom. "No, I'm not," he insisted, walking through the front door. "It said it in the brochure."

Elliot laughed as he stepped out behind him and locked the door. "Yeah, right," he said, pocketing the room key. "I'm sure that's what they tell all of the tourists."

Jesse looked at him indignantly. "We are not tourists," he said with conviction. "Whatever happens, don't let anyone call you a tourist."

They stepped into the elevator and headed for the lobby.

Craig, Vanessa, Jack, and Trent were standing there when they got down. They greeted each other and milled around to wait for the others. They appeared a few minutes later, and the group headed for the dining room.

Elliot was pleased to see that all of them were wearing casual clothes this morning. Breakfast was a seat-yourself buffet, and it too was very casual. He was going to like this trip…he could already tell.

"So," Wes said as they were finishing. He pushed his plate aside and rested his elbows on the table edge. "Who's up for the beach?"

"Count me in," Theresa said immediately, looking at Vanessa. She nodded agreeably. Craig and Scott looked slightly undecided.

"Well…" Craig hedged. "Maybe for a little while." He shot his wife a mock-threatening look. "But I refuse to lie there all day like a blob, like someone I know likes to do."

Vanessa smiled at him, glaring playfully at him and swatting his arm. "You'll do it if I say you'll do it, baby."

Elliot felt a squeeze in his heart as he watched the exchange. There had been a time when he and Kathy had argued playfully like that….now all the arguments were stinging and venomous. He had to force himself not to dwell on those thoughts…they would only end up making him depressed.

"I'd really like to try out the pier," Jesse said. "They've got some great fishing on the other side of the island."

"Hey, sweet," Jack said. "I'm with you on that one." Ken agreed, as did Trent.

Elliot realized they were looking at him. "What?" he said in confusion, his mind slow. "Oh…" He thought a minute, deciding quite quickly. "I'm game for the beach."

They stood up and began getting ready to go. "Well, this one I know already has her bathing suit on," Scott said, with an arm around his wife. "So we're going to go ahead down there."

The others agreed to meet them a little while later.

"Hey, wait," Elliot said, as he realized something. "Where is it?"

"It's about a five minute walk from the north side of the hotel," Wes spoke up. "I've got to head back to my room anyway. I'll walk with you."

He looked at him, a little surprised, and smiled. "Sure," he agreed.

"Alright," Jesse said. "Well, how about if we all meet up for lunch somewhere then?"

Trent checked his watch and spoke up, "How about the Beach Grill?" He looked around to see what the others thought. Nods and shrugs of approval were exchanged. "One o'clock okay with everyone?"

"Sounds good to me," Craig said.

The others agreed, parting at the lobby to go their separate ways. Elliot walked with Wes to the elevators. "Oh, shit," he said suddenly. "I have to buy a bathing suit."

Wes waved a hand carelessly. "The boardwalk has plenty of shops," he said.

Elliot nodded in relief. He thought he was going to have to go brave a mall somewhere.

"So, Elliot," Wes said conversationally, as the elevator climbed. "What do you do?"

He turned toward him. "I'm a cop," he answered. "Detective, actually…New York Police Department."

Wes looked surprised. "Wow," he said. "That's cool. How long on the job?"

"Twelve years," he answered. "My dad was a cop…figured I might as well keep up the family tradition." He shrugged. "How about you…you work with Jesse, right?"

Fulton nodded. "All of us work together," he said, referring to the others in the group. "At the Lucas Air Naval Academy in Seattle, training rookies."

"What about Theresa and Vanessa?" Elliot said. "They do the same?"

Wes nodded. "That's where Craig and Scott met them, actually...Vanessa works in the radio control room, and Theresa is a field instructor." He gave Elliot a wry look. "And let me tell you….don't mess with that girl. She's got a pair of balls on her that rivals the male instructors. I worked with her one time and almost got myself castrated."

That made Elliot laugh. "Trust me, I know the feeling," he said, grinning. At Wes' confused look, he explained, "My partner is a woman…she definitely gives us guys a run for our money."

"Ah, a pistol, eh?" Wes grinned.

"That she is," he agreed. "But I wouldn't trade her for anything. Olivia is rock-solid."

The door opened as they got to Elliot's floor. "Meet you downstairs in…ten minutes?" Wes nodded and the doors closed.

Unlocking the door, Elliot grabbed his wallet from the counter and kicked off his sneakers. He searched around in his bag until he came up with a pair of flip-flops and slipped them on his feet instead. Letting the bag fall to the floor, he looked at it with distaste.

After lunch...after lunch I will definitely unpack that.

Pocketing his wallet and cell phone, he headed out again.

After meeting up with Wes, the pair left the hotel and walked along the side of the sparsely traveled road. No one seemed to drive in Hawaii….every he looked, Elliot saw bikers, joggers, and people walking.

They made idle small talk as they walked, the other man turning out to be quite intelligent and very hilarious. Elliot's sides were splitting by the time the boardwalk came into view.

"I'll meet you guys in a minute," Elliot said, stopping before reaching the sand.

"Okay," Wes agreed. "We'll be over there." He pointed a vague hand in the general direction and began wading through the sand.

Turning, Elliot walked down the boardwalk and checked out the shops, searching for a place to find a bathing suit. It proved to be not very difficult, as almost every one in sight was some kind of surf shop. He went into the first one he saw.

Ten minutes later, he emerged from the store carrying his clothes and wearing a pair of dark orange Hurley swim trunks. They slung low on his hips and grazed his kneecaps when he walked.

The sound of the waves crashing assaulted his ears, and he suddenly stopped just before stepping into the sand.

I'm in Hawaii…I'm standing on the beach in the middle of the workweek and its fucking ninety degrees outside

A huge smile stretched over his face and his eyes twinkled in delight.

I'm… in…Hawaii!

With the first step into the warm white sand, all thoughts of New York vanished from Elliot Stabler's mind.

"Hey, Elliot!" came a shout.

Shielding his eyes from the blazing sun, he squinted in the direction of the voice and saw Theresa waving at him. Waving back to her, he walked towards where he saw them sitting.

"Hey, you made it!" Craig said, waving him over. "Have a seat, man."

Both women were lying flat on towels, soaking in the sun. The guys were sitting in chairs, drinking beers. A boom box was between Craig and Scott, blasting rock music.

Elliot dropped into the chair next to Craig and was handed a Corona. He smiled and popped the lid, taking a long sip. The alcohol slid down his throat and pooled wonderfully in his stomach.

"Yes," he sighed blissfully, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. "Damn I needed this vacation."

Theresa propped herself on one elbow. "Rough job?" she asked curiously, reaching for her own beer and taking a sip.

He scoffed. "You don't know the half of it," he said, straightening up. He stretched his legs out and dug his toes deep into the sand.

After about twenty minutes, the heat became unbearable. "Alright," Elliot said abruptly, interrupting Wes mid-sentence as he was talking. "Who's going in the water?" He stood up.

"No thanks!" Vanessa said. "It is way too cold for me."

He looked to the guys. They all looked at him like he was nuts. "Come on," he pleaded. "Just for a minute!" He looked at them, trying for his most charming smile, but they just grinned and shook their heads. Desperately, he looked at Wes. "Wes….don't leave me hanging brother!"

Grimacing, Wes said sheepishly, "Sorry, Elliot…the ocean and I don't get along."

He groaned loudly and scoffed. "Man, you guys are such babies," he said. He sighed dramatically. "Alright….I guess I'll just go all by myself."

Theresa smiled and slid gracefully off of the towel she was perched on. "I'll go with you," she offered.

He turned toward her with a smile as she walked up to him. "Hey, alright!"

They walked down toward the water. Theresa was wearing a mint green halter bikini, and Elliot couldn't help but notice how amazing the woman looked in it. Her abs were rock hard and toned to perfection, leading to a pair of lean, shapely legs. His eyes slowly traveled upward. And those breasts….

Jesus! Elliot had to stop himself quickly, his face flushing crimson. What the hell are you doing? She's married, you ass!

"So, Elliot," she said, as they approached the breakers. "Is this your first time in Hawaii?"

Quickly turning his attention to her words, he prayed that his thoughts weren't written on his face. "Yeah," he stammered. "You?"

"No," she said. "Scott and I actually went here on out honeymoon…this very same beach."

He smiled. "How many years have you been married?"

She stopped, turning toward the direction her husband was sitting and smiling lovingly. "Sixteen years," she said, her eyes sparkling. "And it has been absolute heaven."

That's the same thing I used to say.

He couldn't stop the thought from rushing up. After sixteen years of marriage, he had been looking forward to growing old with his wife and all the joy that would come with it…retirement, grandkids, alone time with the kids grown and gone….

Now here it was, four years later, and look what he had.

"Hey." The voice of Theresa broke through his thoughts. She was several feet ahead of him and looking at him in amusement. "You coming?"

God damn it! He clenched his teeth and angrily shook his head. He had promised himself he wasn't going to think about anything but Hawaii….damned if he was going to spend his vacation brooding. He had plenty of time to do that in New York.

He quickly caught up to her and they waded in. The chilliness of the water shocked him as he kept going up to his waist, but it was also amazingly refreshing. Taking a breath, he dove under a wave, sliding deep to the underwater sand and burying his fingers into it.

They swam around for a few minutes and then made their way back to the beach. Theresa wrung her hair out with a towel and plopped into a chair next to her husband. Elliot sat back in his chair and shivered, the coldness of the water having seeped into his skin. He leaned his head back and sighed gratefully as the warm sun began spreading over him.

He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew Scott was saying, "Hey guys, it's quarter to one….we should head to the grill. The others are probably waiting."

They began standing up and brushing themselves off. Elliot stood up as well.

The Beach Grill was nothing like it sounded. The small, outdoor restaurant was packed with people ranging from teenagers to senior citizens. Obviously, it was a local favorite. By some miracle, the line to be seated wasn't very long. They met up with Jesse and the others, who hadn't caught a single fish.

Elliot got a kick out of that and started laughing, earning a death glare from Jesse.

"Are you laughing at me, Stabler?" he said threateningly, laughter twinkling in his eyes. He slugged his arm hard. "Keep that up and I'll chop off your balls to use as bait next time."

"Ugh!" Theresa complained. "Hello? We're eating."

Jesse turned toward her with a huge smile and winked. "Well, I guess we can just use yours then."

Scott snorted, spraying Pepsi all over the table in front of him, and choked because he was laughing so hard. Theresa glared at him playfully, making him laugh harder.

Jesse smiled sweetly at her. She cocked an eyebrow and extended her middle finger in his direction.

Elliot laughed, almost choking himself. It was like watching a home movie…he could almost see Olivia and himself acting out the same scenario over the desk at work. Wes had been very accurate in his description of Theresa, that was for sure. She was a rocket.

The women headed for the shops after lunch, leaving the men to fend for themselves. They glanced at each other. Trent raised an eyebrow. "You guys want to head back to the beach?"

There was an exchange of the universal male shrug, and they all began walking back toward the beach. Along the way, something caught Jesse's eye and he stopped.

"Hey, you guys," he said. "Look."

He was pointing to a sign beside a small building that said "Bikez and Bladz". "Let's rent some rollerblades."

Elliot's interest was immediately perked, but the other guys declined.

"Actually," Ken said, looking at his watch. "We should get going." He gestured toward Trent, Craig, and Scott. "We're supposed to go play golf at three."

They nodded. "We're going to head back to the hotel to change," Craig said. "We'll see you guys later."

Jesse nodded, looking at Wes.

"I'm going to go with them," he said. "I think I'm going to go work out in the gym for a while."

Elliot looked at him. "There's a gym?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah," he said. "On the second floor…huge. Tons of machines. It has a weight room, too, and three pools."

His eyebrows rose. "Wow," he said, making a mental note to check it out later.

The other men left. He and Jesse walked inside the small building and got pairs of rollerblades.

"So, what's up?" Elliot asked, as they sat on benches putting them on. "You don't golf?"

Jesse scoffed. "Yeah, right," he said defensively, fixing Elliot with a challenging look. "Do you?"

"Ha," Elliot said dryly. "Putt-Putt is about the range of my golf skills." He dropped his Rollerblade-covered feet heavily onto the ground and stood up. "Man, I haven't done this in at least ten years…hope I can still remember how to stop."

He saw a mischievous glint in Jesse's eye. "Wanna race?" he asked, slyly. He raised an eyebrow smugly.

Elliot looked at him warily.

He pointed to a light post a few hundred feet down the boardwalk. "First one to the light post wins?"

"I'm not racing you," he protested. "I haven't been on blades since-?"

Jesse poked him in the ribs. "Oh, what's the matter?" he drawled. He poked him again. "Chicken? Huh?" He began making obnoxiously juvenile clucking noises, twirling around him in a circle and poking him.

Finally, Elliot couldn't take it. "Alright!" he cried, shoving Jesse. "Jesus….quit!"

With a smile of victory, Jesse got into position and waited for Elliot to line up next to him. He didn't see the wicked smile that was playing on his friend's lips as he counted out loud.

"Get ready….get set….GO!"

Elliot took off like a shot, taking expertly-skilled, smooth strides. He turned his head to see Jesse standing still with a stunned look on his face. He smiled devilishly.

"Sucker!" he shouted, and kept going.

Jesse's mouth dropped. "You asswipe!" he shouted in shock. He began making a mad dash to catch up with him.

Laughing, Elliot slid gracefully to a stop beside the light post. Jesse skidded next to him a few seconds later, breathing hard.

"You fucker," he said angrily, panting. "You hustled me."

He was rewarded with a wide smile. "Hey, don't blame me," he said, shrugging. "You fell for it."

Reaching over, he poked Jesse the same way that his friend had done to him and then punched his arm. "You haven't changed either," he continued, his eyes twinkling. "You're still as dumb as a rock!"

The minute the words left his mouth, he took off again, laughing. Jesse was on his heels, shouting at him that he was dead meat and laughing too.

"Yeah, you'd better run," Jesse yelled. "I'm going to kick your smart ass!"

"Bring it on, chump!" he yelled back, turning his head and grinning as he pumped harder.

"Watch it!"

The sound of a voice next to his ear made him whip his head back around fast, and he was horrified to see a woman standing right in his path. With a gasp, he frantically tried to swerve to avoid her, but failed. He careened right into her, knocking her down, and went sliding onto his back.

He lay still, stunned and in pain. "Ugh," he groaned, feeling shards of fire making their way up his back.

Suddenly, his mind caught up. "Oh, fuck!" he cried, leaping to his feet. Whipping back around, he hurried to the woman he had plowed into.

She was crouched down, gathering up the pile of books that had gone scattering to the ground, not paying any attention.

"I'm so sorry!" a male voice said anxiously. "Are you alright?"

Startled, she looked up and into the bluest eyes she had ever seen. A man with dark hair and a tanned, chiseled stomach was standing in front of her with a worried expression on his face. He was wearing rollerblades and an orange swimsuit.

She stared at him, unable to form any words. Holy…shit. Hello, Mr. America. She kept staring, blinking dumbly, before she realized that he had spoken again.

"Huh-what?" she managed.

He looked at her worriedly. "Are you okay?" Elliot asked again. "Oh my God…I am so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going at all." He looked mortified.

Swallowing, she nodded. "Yeah," she said quickly. "Yeah, I'm-I'm fine." Like an idiot, she kept nodding. "Fine."

His eyes flew to her feet. "Oh, man," he said quickly, still embarrassed. He stopped down and began gathering her books. "Here…let me help you."

He kept apologizing, sure his face was as red as a beet, as she stooped next to him. "I'm sorry," he said again. "Did I break anything? I'll pay for it."

She laughed. "It's alright," she said. "They're just books…they won't break, I promise."

He stacked the books and stood straight, holding them out to her. She reached to take them, grazing her hands over his. They both froze.

It was then that Elliot got a good look at her. She was petite, wearing a white sleeveless top and a simple pair of jeans. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a braid. There was nothing distinct about her, no jewelry or makeup.

But she was special. He knew it.

"Elliot Stabler," he said softly, extending his hand out to her.

She almost lost her breath when he smiled, revealing a row of perfect white teeth that would have made a Crest commercial actor jealous. She swallowed hard.

"Al-Allison Denny," she said, in a voice that sounded more like a squeak to her ears. "Ally."

She gripped his hand. It was smooth, soft, and nothing like she was expecting. A ripple traveled up her spine as he held the contact and stared at her.

"Pleased to meet you." He found himself in a trance as he looked into her almond-shaped hazel eyes.

She found herself drowning in the deep blue of his eyes as they stood there silently, still grasping each other's hand.

"Ahem!"

They were both startled when Jesse cleared his throat next to them. Elliot jumped slightly and shook himself mentally. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly pulled his hand away.

"Sorry," he stammered, laughing uneasily. He kicked himself. Way to go, jackass…she probably thinks you're a stalker or something.

Ally drew her hand back and smoothed it absently over her braid. "Me, too," she said weakly. Ugh, great line, stupid…he probably thinks you're slow or something.

Jesse had a knowing grin on his face as he watched them. "Elliot." He didn't respond. Grinning wider, Jesse called out, "Elliot? You coming?"

"Huh?" Elliot finally looked at him in confusion. Seeing the shit-eating smirk on his friend's face, he blushed again. "Uh, yeah. Yeah." He smiled at Ally and took a clumsy step backward, nearly stumbling.

She bit back a laugh at the sheepish look that crossed his face. God, he is too cute!

"Sorry I bumped into you," he said, backing away from her finally. Jesse rolled his eyes and started skating away. He looked after him for a minute before turning to her. "It-it was nice to meet you, Ally."

Go, idiot…go now, his brain was scolding. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right...

She smiled, praying that she didn't look like a doofus. No one had ever said her name like that… "Ally"….it was breathy and kind and charming all at once. Swallowing hard to get her vocal cords to work, she managed to croak out, "You, too-"

The gorgeous smile appeared again, making her breath hitch involuntarily and her heart pound.

Her smile made her lovely eyes light up and he almost went down onto the ground again. Knowing his mouth would only trip him up again, Elliot settled for a nod and whipped around before he could make a fool out of himself again.

He began skating toward where Jesse was standing several yards away impatiently. His heart was pounding frantically and his pulse was racing, making him lightheaded.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Allison watched as he skated away. She was startled to feel her heart thudding against her ribcage, like she had just finished running. Her head was swimming, and she couldn't catch her breath. She bit her lip.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Gulping in a breath, she was finally able to finish the sentence that she had been unable to before, her voice perplexed and anticipating.

"Elliot."