Me: "There should be one more chapter after this."
Also me: *abandons fic for 10 years*
Okay, first of all, I'm incredibly sorry! Never have I felt as bad about delaying a chapter as I am about this one. I really don't know what to say except, both Chutes and Ladders and Sin were my first two babies and finishing Sin felt too monumental for me, like it wasn't something I was prepared to let go of (possibly because it was one of my first attempts to deal with Elliot's absence *sobs*) - that and also writing fluffy endings is my least favourite thing to do, so much so that it low key pains me to even post this chapter and claim my name to it lol.
Second of all, I must apologise for accidentally updating this last year when I was just trying to re-load old chapters to fix typos, gah my bad. Speaking of - this is unbeta'ed so if you see a typo, please pretend it's not there.
Third of all, as half of this has been lying dormant on my desktop for nearly a decade I wrote Munch's retirement party before it actually happened on the show but at least in this version we get to see Stabler present (as he should be).
Fourth of all, this isn't actually the final chapter (I could easily end it here) but there will be one more after this to tie up the plot points but in the meantime hopefully this will give you some satisfaction on the EO front.
And finally, thank you SO much for all your kind words and support throughout this story and for those who are still around for this, I hope this delivers.
Enjoy the Reunion!
Elliot took a sip of his chilled beer, his eyes taking her in across the function room in the midst of conversation with Munch and Bennett.
He couldn't tell if it were the highlights in her hair or the deep crimson dress she sported that made her eyes sparkle but she was a timeless vision of beauty.
Elliot's eyes traced her features and when her gaze moved across to capture his, she held his stare for a long drawn out moment.
Just hours before they had been tangled in sheets, skin to skin, fingers intertwined, bodies writhing and now here she stood, casually sipping her glass of red - a rich, warm smile now unfolding beneath his unwavering stare.
It was right there in that moment that he felt at home.
"So we gonna talk about it?" Fin's brash voice tore his attention away from Olivia as the seat next to Elliot's abruptly became occupied.
He thinks about offering up his stock standard response of denial but indifference about the subject washes over him.
He's done sidestepping it now.
"Do we need to?" Elliot says, masking a smile as he brings his beer up to his lips.
Fin's lips turn upward as he takes a draw of his own.
"Guess not."
It's no surprise Fin has known for years that there has been something going on between them.
Elliot's eyes move back to Olivia and he watches as she laughs heartily in response to something Munch had just said and it can't help but make him smile.
"She makes you happy." Fin states before taking another swig of his beer.
There is silence between them as Elliot continues to watch his lady in red before he responds.
"She always has."
Olivia feels Elliot's eyes on her profile but attempts to hold her gaze steady on Bennett. They're moving to a fast paced version of'Save the Last Dance for me', light-heartedly over emphasizing each dance move, spinning inward, outward - dipping and flipping.
A few beats pass before her eyes relent and flit towards Elliot and she watches as he places his beer on the table next to Fin and starts to make his way over to her. Her stomach braces with sudden nerves as she glances over Bennett's shoulder, their eyes colliding. She locks onto his gaze as he gets closer and she doesn't know what to expect from him but she prays he doesn't make a scene.
Play it cool El.
"Can I cut in?" Elliot's eyes never leave her face and that's when Bennett turns around and gains eye contact with Elliot. He lets go of Olivia's waist and steps back, holding his hand out, eagerly gesturing for him to be his guest.
"She's all yours."
Elliot nods his thanks, stepping forward, his hand possessively curling around her back as he brings her body flush up against his chest. Her heart thuds with a familiar pang at his touch and she wonders if she will ever get used to the feel of his hands on her. They start to sway to the familiar sounds of Michael Buble and she notes immediately the difference between his and Bennett's dancing style.
"13 years," he rumbles in her ear, catching her a little off guard. "We haven't danced like this once," he muses.
Her lips curl up at the notion. She had caught the hint of regret in his tone, but she knows it was mostly a dig at Bennett - four months into their partnership and he's got her spinning around the room like it's a dancing with the stars competition.
She juts her face upward, capturing his eyes in a heavy stare.
"13 years..." She smiles purposefully. "And you never asked."
His eyes flicker as she gives it right back to him and he digests the knowledge that he could have had this.
All of this.
With her.
If only he had asked.
"Also Bennett is a professional dancer." She gives him a look. "So given the choice.."
Her words were in jest but she feels the sting it would have caused, his body tenses just a little before he spins her outward and then tugs her back in.
She senses something coming.
"Do I need to be worried?" he whispers as their bodies collide once more in a cocoon of warmth.
'Oh I know that the music's fine, like sparklin' wine, go and have your fun.'
She furrows her brow. "About what?"
"Your new man." Elliot's eyes lift up in the direction of Bennett who is now conversing with Fin.
'Laugh and sing, but while we're apart, don't give your heart to anyone.'
She can tell the question is mostly light-hearted but she doesn't let it land.
"Elliot," she shakes her head. "He's my partner."
"Right." He cocks an eyebrow. "And so was I.."
He spins her out at that point and she feels the air whip through her hair before he brings her firmly back against his chest. He should know she isn't Bennett's type, he enjoys Broadway musicals and has already asked three women in the room to dance tonight.
"He's a friendly person," she explains before her eyes tilt up to his with a firm look. "You could learn a thing or two from him." Her words taper off and she stops herself, having realized he may not have taken the jab as it was intended.
His eyes narrow mockingly before his hand slides down her body, clutching her lower back possessively. He dips his mouth then, skimming the side of her temple as he draws her breasts firmly up against his chest as he says it.
"I can be friendly."
Her body breaks into a plethora of goosebumps as his lips smooth over her neck.
"I was friendly this morning," he murmurs as his lips knock the shell of her ear, memories of their love making rising to the surface.
"El," she warns as she feels his hand move up the plains of her shoulder blades before they're sprawling into the back of her hair. "We're in public." She presses her fingers into his side, attempting to separate their bodies. "Cragen is literally 20 feet away."
"We're not partners anymore Liv," he twists her loose curls in his fingers and she feels the heat start to rise up her neck and bloom into her cheeks. The memory of their morning together still tangible, palpable - they didn't want to leave their sheets.
"We can do what we want."
God she wants to kiss him.
She thinks about their conversation when they were getting ready for tonight, the one where they promised to keep a lid on this in public - just until both of them were ready to disclose but she now realises that's not going to last very long.
She presses a hand against his hip once more, attempting to maintain some distance between their bodies but he's not letting up.
"We've got two hours left," she whispers in the cocoon of his neck, struggling to formulate her response as her lower belly reacts to the intimate way he is holding her. "So how about you exercise a little self control until then." She breathes out in the crook of his neck, unable to believe their second night together has fallen on Munch's retirement party.
"They already know," he sighs, letting up a little on her body and allowing some space between them. "Fin just called me on it.. they've known for years Liv."
She rears back in response to that, her eyes darting around the room to see if anyone is watching and he can tell he's just thrown her.
He lets out the breath he's holding before he creates a little space between them, dropping the curls he'd just bunched in his hand.
"Okay Liv," he whispers, moving his hand respectfully down to her lower back as he holds her palm in his other. "I'll back off." He offers. "Just don't forget who's taking you home," he murmurs playfully, his thumb swiping over their clasped hands as he bows his head a little closer. "And in who's arms you're gonna be." He mimics the lyrics of the song playing in the function room.
She shakes her head at him, her eyes still scanning the room before they land back on his.
"You're an idiot," she whispers, a few beats passing before her eyes drop to his lips.
It's going to be a long two hours that's for sure.
She hears the clinking of glasses in the background, the music slowly dying down to a quiet hum and they turn to see the MC take the stage with a microphone in hand.
"Now it's time to honour the man of the hour Mr John Munch, so lets hear from his nearest and dearest - starting with his longest serving partner, Odafin Tutuola."
She feels Elliot's hand slip from around her waist as they both turn and watch Fin take the microphone.
"We may not be partners anymore Liv," he whispers down at her. "But I still get dibs on being your nearest and dearest when the time comes."
She chuckles at that remark, a pang of nostalgia hitting at the thought of them both eventually retiring.
"Damn straight," she whispers, not looking up at him but letting a smile play upon her lips.
She barely has a foot through the door before he wraps an arm around her waist from behind, a surprised sound leaving her throat as he tugs her back into his body.
"Now can I touch you?" he murmurs against the back of her hair, his hands respectively sitting at her stomach but desperate to roam.
He walks her clumsily through the threshold, the sound of the door being closed by his foot echoing through his apartment.
"Answer me Benson," he hums from behind. "Because that cab ride just about killed me."
She tosses her clutch on the kitchen counter and it lands with a loud clatter before she is turning around in his arms, those chocolate pools coming into view.
She is holding the lapels of his jacket, trying to keep the smile off her face and there is amusement in her eyes that he hasn't witnessed since their earlier years.
"Why wouldn't you let me kiss you…" he presses her up against the counter, trying his best to reign himself in and failing. "In the cab?"
He notices her lips are still perfectly set from their evening, miraculously undisturbed by his mouth and he presses his forehead against hers, just daring her to let him mess them up.
"Because I wouldn't have been able to stop," she admits, indicating her restraint is just as lacking as his.
He smiles at that before cupping her cheek and seeking out her mouth and they lock lips in one desperate, heated frenzy. He feels her sink into it with a quiet moan, opening her mouth to his and driving her tongue forward immediately, relief spilling through him as if she were a cold drink on a scorching day.
He kisses her back with equal intensity as he starts to guide their bodies towards the living room and she steps back with him until both of them knock the edge of the sofa on his pursuit.
She chuckles against his lips at his lack of decorum and pulls back from the kiss.
He presses his forehead against hers, his lips parting because he's about to make a playful dig about how much champagne they'd consumed but the desperation he feels to get this woman horizontal suddenly takes precedence.
He walks her the few final steps before they are moving through the bedroom threshold and his hands go for the belt on her coat, grasping at the loose tie before he is opening it, sweeping his hand through the material and pressing her body against his.
She grasps the knot of his tie and starts to break it open, both of their restraint waning as his hand slips downward and runs purposefully over her ass cheek.
She hums against his mouth as he squeezes her, his fingertips bunching the material in his fist and dragging it up her backside in fistfuls while his other hand sheds her coat hastily off of one shoulder.
She helps him, shaking it off altogether until it falls messily onto carpet.
He walks her a few more paces before the backs of her knees meet with the mattress, disbelief churning through his chest that this is her.
That this is them.
He gets to take her home now.
Every night.
He drops her down onto the plush surface with a thud and just watches as she slips her heels off with ease, each shoe falling to the floor one by one.
She is all smiles as he moves downward, sinking into her body, widening her thighs with his hips and the amusement fades the moment he presses his erection against her core.
She groans in response, shifting her lower half to garner more contact and his palms grasp her cheeks, until he is driving his tongue into her mouth and rocking himself against her to gain some instant relief.
He nips at her lower lip, softly sucking, and he knows he must be hitting her at a good angle because her eyebrows are hitching together now, her mouth parted, her eyes closed. He starts to make his way down her throat, his hands smoothing the edges of her torso - sweeping the sides of her breasts.
Her dress is a wrap around, one with logistics that even on a good day would rival his patience so instead it propels him further south until his chin is dragging low on her abdomen. His hands trail beneath her dress, his fingers meeting with lace until he is seizing the material in both his hands and stripping it down her thighs.
He's been hard since the cab ride, his pants far too tight for comfort and when she shifts herself so he can discard the material easily his chest pounds in anticipation.
He drags her body closer to his face, parting her thighs with his shoulders until her feet have no option but to smooth down the plains of his back. His mouth runs dry with want, his groin straining at the scent of her desire.
He moves forward until his tongue is flattening against her clit and she groans out her surprise. He can tell she hadn't expected that, that perhaps she would have anticipated he'd draw this out, make her wait like - just like she had, but his impatience was unmatched tonight. She inches herself closer as he tongues her, soft moans coming out as he kisses her with a similar intensity that he had on her mouth.
He draws out the sensation, moving a hand up until he is thumbing her clit and he feels her body buck as his tongue continues to slide across her folds, tracing her most intimate areas. She practically whimpers his name, a plea on her lips as her hand finds his, slipping over the back of it as he holds her thigh firm in his grip.
He runs his thumb down her inner lips and he can hear each heavy breath she takes as she waits on in expectation. He dips the tip of his thumb into her - testing, teasing but he doesn't penetrate, just drags it slowly back up to her clit until he is moistening her all over.
"U-gh." Her breath trips, her hips starting to inch away but he lands one heavy arm across her pelvis, stilling both her thighs as he sinks forward and sucks intently on her clit.
"F-ugh," she drags out, surrendering to his mouth, a whole host of all kinds of unintelligible sounds emitting. "Pl-ease."
He scrapes his stubble against her thighs, purposefully making her sweat it out now because Olivia Benson begging him for relief will always be music to his ears.
He releases his hold on her pelvis, dragging her further down the bed, giving her the indication that he's going to comply with her unspoken request to penetrate but he simply moves his attention to her inner thighs now, kissing and trailing his mouth across the smooth skin, his ministrations far lighter than before.
"Stabler," she rasps breathily, her voice chock full of frustration, and the use of his last name in that husky tone makes his cock twitch against the sheets. He chuckles, returning to her centre before he circles her clit with his tongue, giving her little to no warning before he slips his thick index finger into her.
She lets out a sob, her thighs clamping welcomingly around his neck and his face falls forward as he sucks hard on her clit
His ears are muffled by her thighs, muting any noises but he catches the back end of a moan as her foot drags across his shoulder.
He continues to fill her when she digs her heel in and he doesn't know whether she's trying to push him off her or if she's urging him deeper.
He gets his answer when a string of curse words leave her mouth and she in no uncertain terms tells him to- fuck her.
He lifts his head, watching as she tugs at the tie between her breasts, doing her best to pull at the material that's been driving him wild all night and he's thankful he won't have to contend with it later.
He slowly slips a second finger into her heat and she arches her hips with a groan, the ties on her dress forgotten as her hands drop back to bunch the sheets beneath her.
"Yesss El," she practically hisses and he watches each and every way her body contorts, curls and responds to him, his cock throbbing against the hard mattress as her walls clench around him.
He curls his fingers inside her and when she bucks this time he is ready, holding her stomach down with his large palm and he is relentless on her clit, tonguing it repeatedly as he slides his thick fingers deep inside her folds, brimming with pride because he knows she's about to come – hard.
She sobs through her orgasm as she contracts forcibly around his digits, her body strangling him with force as his tongue works to bring her down.
She kicks against the sheets as the tail end of the spasms subside before she lets out a loud, sated groan.
He waits a few beats for her to come down completely before he slowly slips out of her and she is silent now as if the girth of his fingers had rendered her still.
His lower half is still throbbing as he slides up her body and she is absolutely breathless when he reaches her mouth.
Her hands are still bunched around cotton and he can feel her juices trailing down his digits taunting his cock now with what's to come.
"I've waited a long time to do that," he whispers down at her, his chest pounding when he says it, disbelief over taking him in that moment that this was his reality – their reality now.
Her glassy, sated eyes are blinking up at him, she's still coming down from her orgasm, words lost to her as her chest rises and falls beneath him.
"I'm gonna need you to do that," she whispers her response. "Every night of the week."
His lips curl upward before he is sinking back down onto her body.
"Deal," he mumbles as he captures her lips with his, his erection now a visceral strain at her hip. He's reaching for the ties between her breasts and he attempts to tug at it one handed. He manages to get one side of it open and then he is sliding beneath the material, cupping her breast, lace warming his palm as he squeezes.
"Why aren't you naked?" he rasps down at her.
She moans softly in response before she is helping him, tugging at the rest of the ties and shrugging the dress down her shoulders. He moves up onto his elbow so he can help her slip it down her body and before he knows it they're kicking it off the end of the bed. His mind flashes back to Sin, the dress she had discarded had been red also and she'd kicked it down her body in a similar fashion. His eyes glance back up to hers, his chest pounding at how close he was to never seeing her again that night. Disbelief churns in his gut suddenly that she's even beneath him now - no cameras, no case, no partnership, no wife, no barriers and it hits him like a freight train.
"What?" She whispers up at him when she sees the visible way his expression had just shifted.
He shakes his head, cupping her cheek and kissing her firmly until he is breaking the peck, his lips sweeping across her forehead.
"I'm just really glad you're here Liv," he tells her, his mind racing at how easily she may not have been.
She slides her hand down the front of his chest until her fingers curl around the material of his dress shirt and starts to tug it from his pants, unbuttoning it from the bottom as he lifts himself up.
He swallows as he looks down at her.
"Liv really … I mean it."
She undoes the last button and instead of taking it off him she runs her palm down the centre of his exposed chest until his eyes draw to a close.
"I know El.." she muses quietly. "Same."
She strokes the small patch of chest hair between his pecs, then she flips her hand until she is running her knuckles down his bare stomach before reaching the fuzz above his belt. He is still painfully hard but the mood between them is far more sensual, far less frantic than last night and his mind is suddenly riddled with overwhelming gratitude.
They have more time now.
"I want skin on skin," she tells him and when he doesn't oblige, her fingers begin to curl into the lip of his belt buckle.
"Please," she whispers from beneath him and his eyes slip closed.
Sounds of Olivia begging him once more will never get old.
Her voice has a rare huskiness tonight which he doesn't know whether to account for the angle she is lying or the orgasm that had just ripped through her.
He moves up dragging his open shirt off his shoulders before he reaches for his belt buckle and sinks back onto his heels. She watches him start to undress in front of her, her eyes running down the plains of his chest, unapologetically taking in all the dips and valleys.
He moves leather through his belt buckle and starts to unzip and then he juts his chin forward indicating her bra that's still on.
"You too." His voice is low.
She gives him a smile before she starts to move up on her elbows undoing the clasp from behind, the whole time they are watching each other undress in silence. He pulls his pants and underwear down as she discards her bra and his eyes darken when he sees her nipples come into view.
He is so distracted by the peaks that he stops removing his own clothing and just watches on as she moves forward, dragging his pants down the remainder of his body until the garments are discarded, then it's just his painfully erect penis bobbing in front of her now. Her eyes drop down to his desire for her but she doesn't touch him, instead she encircles his wrist and draws him forward until his body is sinking down onto her naked form.
His chest meets with her breasts and he sighs as her nipples scrape welcomely against his chest. She encircles his shoulders then, pulling him into an unexpected hug and he sinks into it, sighing into her neck as she wraps her thighs intimately around his hips.
"God I've missed you," she whispers against his cheek and the words make his chest constrict. They haven't left each others sides since last night when they verbally consummated their relationship, but he understands what she means.
There has been an unspoken longing between them, one that had pervaded the years in between, a separation that spanned the length of 13 years and now it was as if they were finally coming back together.
Coming home.
He sighs into his neck, he's still rock hard against her hip but he's in no hurry to break the intimacy of their embrace now.
"I love you Olivia," he whispers and the words fall out of him with sheer ease now as if he's told her this many times over, and not for the first time.
"You know that right?" he breathes out. "You've always known that," he muses contemplatively, waiting for the confirmation that had laid dormant between them for years.
She is silent in his arms at first but her lips lift and he feels the relief as she presses the kiss gingerly against his cheekbone.
"I have El," she confirms, before she is bringing his mouth back down to hers and kissing him deeply.
He sinks into her once more and it's heaven and hell all at once, because it's all he's ever wanted and needed and he is worried that if she ever leaves him, he would starve from her mere absence.
"I love you too El," she whispers pulling back from their kiss and it's far more than he expected in that moment, his chest filling with disbelief.
He was still coming to terms with the fact that he can hug her indefinitely now.
Twelve years and he no longer has to pull back.
TBC
AN: See you in 2031. :)
