This story is DONE. Thank you so much for reading, I appreciate it more than you know.

"You do realize it's been a year," he mentioned as he passed her a file over his desk. It was a nonchalant as he could have possibly made it sound and yet it still made him sound whiney, nearly needy.

New York was dreary, rain pelting against the windows of the precinct in a steady pitter-patter that had lulled her into a dreamlike state. "Huh?" Olivia pulled herself up off of her palm and accepted the file he was offering. "A year?" There was a slight twitch at the side of her lip and he wondered for a moment if he was being played.

Elliot's eyes fell to his desktop as he hid the rather boyish grin that was quick to appear on his lips. "Nothing, never mind." Elliot sighed and reached for a pen, risking one last glance at her before he intended on working.

Olivia smiled coyly at him, winked and then mouthed "Happy anniversary." She went about her work as she normally did, otherwise showing no signs that the day was important to her. He supposed he should be happy about that; no pressure to create a romantic outing, no need to purchase an expensive gift.

Truth be told, Elliot had forgotten about the occasion until the night previous and, until present, had had no time to formulate an adequate anniversary plan. The occasion did have to be celebrated, that he decided for sure. A year spent together with minor squabbles... that was certainly something to be thankful for. And there was no end for them in sight; he could see himself putting a ring on her finger in a year or two-

Elliot had to stop thinking about it; he was freaking himself out. Visibly shaking himself to the present, he brought his pencil down onto a sheet, intending on working. "Pssst," she whispered conspiratorially, looking back and forth in mock paranoia. "Tonight, be at my place at eight."

Damn, she was gorgeous... so gorgeous... he just couldn't believe it sometimes...

"But... that blows my super secret plans," came his grumble and Olivia threw a crumpled up ball of paper at his head.

"Please, you had nothing," came her swift and accurate accusation. That was another thing that always tripped him up sometimes; he forgot that they were partners and as such, she was privy to everything that happened in his life. That was what partners were for; they were for buying beer and listening as the other drowned their sorrows. Perhaps that was why they had gotten along so smoothly as their relationship progressed: they had already known everything about the other.

There was no need for awkward conversations about his divorce or of talk about her mother; they already knew.

Picking up the ball of paper, he fiddled with it for a second before tossing it back at her, a broad grin splitting his face.

"You know me too well, this could be a problem."

"Doesn't that suck for you?" It didn't suck for him, nothing sucked for him. Nothing at all, in the world, sucked for him in that moment. He found it strange that he had been smiling so much in the past months and really, couldn't get enough of it. Because when he smiled, she smiled... and when she smiled, well, everything was amazing.

"You have no idea," he huffed and got up to grab another cup of coffee.

When the ball of paper hit his ass, he laughed; one year down, a lifetime to go... that even sounded bad in his damned head.

---

Eight o'clock rolled around and Elliot was pulling at his collar. He'd come straight from work, so technically he was still dressed in such a way that would make formal dining an acceptable outing. When he arrived in front of her building, he stalled for a moment, wondering if the daisies in hand would really go over better than the lilacs he'd eyed earlier.

Elliot reached up and rang the bell, being buzzed through immediately. His hands were sweaty for some reason though there was no reason for them to be. As he mounted the stairs, he thought about how strange the year had been. Falling in love a second time had been much more fulfilling than falling in love the first time. He tried not to think about it. There was no point.

Outside of her door, his fingers plucked gently at the petals of the flowers. They did look a little limp... if he left then and ran back down the street he could have-

"Happy anniversary," she appeared in the doorway, clad in sweatpants and a baggy tee shirt. Immediately he recognized it as one of his and laughed. As it sank in what she was wearing, he began to wonder if he'd taken the date too seriously.

Stepping inside, he waited until she shut the door behind him. The daisies fell limp in his hand, but she snatched them anyway, tucking them under her arm before wrapping her arms around his neck.

The flowers fell to the floor as her lips collided with his. "Didn't have to get me flowers," she murmured as she kissed him once more. After pulling away and running a finger across his deliciously sweaty throat, she beckoned him into the living room.

"Listen, I know this is a big day and all," she spun and planted a cold glass in his palm; he didn't bother looking at its contents. He was too busy watching her. "But really, I just want to be with you... so I ordered Thai from your favorite place and got us some Corona and... that's about it."

Olivia moved forward and grabbed his collar, sliding her fingers beneath the still-starchy fabric to touch his deliciously taut, warm skin. Immediately, she began plucking at the buttons, her gaze focused on the task at hand. He brought the drink to his lips and swallowed; her lips immediately sought his Adam's apple and placed a wet kiss there.

Sighing, he waited happily as she rid him of his shirt and left him standing in the middle of the kitchen in his undershirt and pants. "Dockers too bud, you're still too overdressed." Sliding into his arms, her mouth tilted up for a kiss and he accepted the invitation immediately, finding his tongue stroking over hers with enthusiasm.

She deftly undid his trousers and slid them over his hips, stepping back so that he could kick off his shoes and struggle out of his pants. She made her way to the couch and he followed and for a time they were sucked into the pointless plot of a made-for-TV movie before the food arrived. His hand stroked her thigh and her mouth kept finding its way to his cheek and neck.

When the buzzer sounded, she trailed off to retrieve their meal, returning with a rather heavy looking bag, placing it on the coffee table before she went to retrieve some utensils and plates. They ate in relative silence, the television gabbing in the background as they stole bites from the other's plate.

"This is pretty nice," he said, twirling noodles around his fork.

Olivia nodded, swallowing, "Yeah, it is."

Elliot gestured at her with his chin and smiled a sweet little thing, "Wanna do this forever?"

"Okay," she said, smiling, and ran her foot up his calf underneath the table.