Close Calls
Summary: See ch1
Disclaimer: Not mine
A/N: Thanks for all the positive reviews! Here is another chapter! Enjoy!
True Love?
When the group got to the bar they chose to slide into a rather large corner booth. Munch had called everyone they knew to meet them. He had to tell them the bad new about their money.
"Are we really going to do this here?" Elliot asked, as Olivia slid in next to him.
"Dude, everyone is gonna find out eventually. Don't you think it's better if you just tell them now?" Fin asked.
"True." Elliot muttered.
"Hey guys, can I get you something to drink?" A young waitress asked, approaching their table.
"Can we get a few pitchers for the table please? We're expecting a big crowd." Munch answered for all of them.
"Just how many are we talking about?" Olivia asked when the woman left.
"Relax; I just called your close friends. I'll tell everyone else over the phone tomorrow." Munch tried to assure her, looking over his glasses.
Fin just shook his head. "You are a cold man John." He laughed.
"Hey, I lost over 300 bucks to these people." He responded, causing everyone to laugh.
"Serves you right for betting on our sex lives." Elliot quipped. He absentmindedly snaked his arm around Olivia's shoulder and allowed her snuggle into his chest.
Fin and Munch just smiled to themselves. They were happy for their friends, no matter how much money they may have cost them.
"So, what was so important that you call me at 10 o'clock at night, drag me away from my kids and husband, and demand that I meet you down here?" Warner asked, suddenly standing over the table.
She looked so different in 'normal' cloths. Her scrubs had been replaced with jeans and a sweater, and her lab coat replaced with a leather black pea coat.
"Well, I'll just tell you this: it has to do with a certain amount of money placed in a certain underground pool." Munch answered cryptically. He really was a strange man.
Melinda just turned her gaze to Elliot and Olivia. She noticed for the first time that they were sitting awfully close for 'just partners'.
"You didn't?" She smiled.
When she saw the flush come across both their faces, she realized that they indeed had.
"Wow. Looks like I lost, considering I figured it wouldn't happen for another two years." She huffed, scooting her way into the booth next to Munch.
The next person to get to the bar was Casey. She was arm in arm with her boyfriend Mike.
"Hey guys, hope you don't mind that I brought a friend." She smiled. "But considering we were on a date first, I don't really care." She added in good fun.
"Why not, the more the merrier." Olivia mocked. This was going to be an uncomfortable evening.
They slid into the large booth as the waitress placed a few pitchers of beer and glasses in front of the group.
"Thanks." They all almost said in unison.
Huang and Cragen both arrived soon after Casey.
"You called Cragen?" Olivia said, almost choking on her drink. "I didn't think he was in it."
"He's not, but I figured, why the hell not." Munch noted.
"Why the hell not? We happen to want to keep our jobs!" Elliot said in a loud whisper, leaning over Olivia to get closer to Munch's ear so he wouldn't have to scream.
"Well, you're certainly doing a wonderful job of keeping everything under wraps, you know, with arm around Liv and all." Munch mocked.
For the first time Elliot noticed that he was holding her, and the two quickly jerked away.
Huang and Cragen pulled two chairs up to the table and waited to hear what Munch had called them all to say.
"Alright everyone. I assume you all want to know why I called you all here." He began.
"Yeah, and it better not be for one of your little conspiracy theories, or you'll be looking for a new job tomorrow." Don joked. He was off duty; he no longer had to act like their boss.
Everyone around the table laughed.
Munch just ignored it, and went on with his speech. "As many of you know, there was a… friendly… little wager going around the precinct pertaining to two of the detectives we work with." He said. "And said wager has gotten pretty high as of late. Now, do to the nature of said wager, I don't want to get into any specifics." He added, looking at Cragen over his glasses.
It was okay though, everyone already knew what he was talking about.
"Anyway, it has come to my and my partner's, knowledge that someone has in fact won the entire pot." He announced.
A buzz went around the table quickly before everyone turned their attention to Elliot and Olivia, who sat in the corner, beat in the face.
"Well it's about time." Cragen smiled. "Of course, I have no idea what Munch is talking about, but off the record, it's about time." He added assuring them that their jobs would be safe.
"I hate you Munch." Olivia simply said under her breath. She hated being the center of attention like this. At least Elliot was there with her for this one.
"So how long?" Mike asked. He knew the two through Casey, and like everyone else, could tell the moment he met them that there was something more between them.
"Three months." Elliot answered, downing most of his beer. It was the only way he could foresee himself getting though this evening.
"So, who won?" Casey asked, generally wondering. Elliot and Olivia being together was old news for her. She wanted to get down to the money.
"According to the records a Detective Miller from robbery has won all the money." Munch answered truthfully.
"Wait a sec, all the money?" Warner asked.
The rules stated that a person could only win all the money if they had the date exactly right. If no one did, the people closest split it.
"That is correct." Munch answered.
"Who the hell is Detective Miller?" Casey asked.
Elliot cleared his throat and stood. "I guess… the polite thing to do… would be to say that drinks are on Olivia and me." He smiled.
"That's cheating!" Casey accused.
Cragen burst out into a roaring laughter, Huang just shook his head, and Warner chuckled.
"Hey now consular, it doesn't say anywhere that you have to use your real name when placing a bet." Elliot defended.
"Besides, it serves all of you right!" Olivia added.
"Well, next time don't make it so obvious that you're in love." Munch shot at them good naturedly.
"Didn't hear that." Cragen noted quickly, just to put it on the record.
"Well congratulations you two." Melinda smiled. "You look happy."
"We are." Olivia answered as Elliot re-took his seat, and pulled Olivia to him.
"Let's just make one thing clear, I don't want to be able to tell that there is anything between you two, other than your desks, when you're at work." Cragen piped in.
"Cap, we've been together since right after I got shot. Have you been able to tell?" Elliot asked.
Cragen thought about it for a moment before answering. "The only thing I've noticed is that the both of you seem a lot happier lately."
"Then we'll just keep acting that way." Olivia smiled.
The night went on for about an hour. The group drank together, and laughed. It was nice when they could just all be together without cases and victims. It allowed them to really be themselves, and let loose.
Slowly the group began dissipating. First Melinda left to get back to her family, they Casey and Mike to get back to their date, Huang left with them, needing to be up early for a case he was working on. Cragen, Munch, and Fin all left together, wanting to get home and finally get to sleep. Being in SVU could be tiring.
When Elliot and Olivia found themselves alone in the booth, they allowed themselves to relax. Olivia leaned deeper into Elliot's arms and he enveloped her tightly.
"Well, that wasn't as painful as I thought it was gonna be." He said quietly.
"Yeah, who knew they'd take it so well. It's probably going to be a running joke at the precinct however." Olivia smiled as Elliot began absentmindedly tracing circles on her hand.
"I think it's worth it." Elliot said with a sly smile.
Olivia turned to face him. "Well I know it's worth it." She replied, kissing him gently on the lips. "The fact that I get to do that whenever I want, makes it worth anything."
"You think we have what it takes to make it?" Elliot asked, catching Olivia completely off guard. He hadn't even really known where it came from, or why he asked it.
Olivia sat back in the booth. "You mean… like forever?" She asked carefully.
"I guess." Elliot answered. It was like the words had come from someone else. He hadn't even realized that he had even been thinking about forever. But now that he had said it, he realized that he was. He knew Olivia's fear of commitment, but it was at the moment he said it, he realized how much he already wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
"I guess. I mean… I don't know El. We've only been seeing each other for a couple of months." She answered. She was already pretty sure that she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life, but wasn't quite ready to admit it yet. Although, what would it take for her to admit it. Would Elliot need to get shot again?
Elliot just nodded his head. She could see he was disappointed,
She cupped his face in her hands, and made him look into her eyes. "Hey, I didn't say that I couldn't see us sticking this thing out. I just think that it's a little early to be talking about forever." She tried reassuring him. "Now I love you. And I can't see a day when I won't, but… El, you know how I get with stuff like this. Can't we just be happy in the here and now?" She asked almost pleading.
Elliot took both of Olivia's hands in his.
"Liv, I have loved you for so long. I'm happier than I have ever been now that I can tell you that. I just… I need to know that you're in this one hundred percent. We don't have to take about marriage or anything like that now. But I need to know that we're in this together." He told her.
The word marriage made part of her want to get up and run right then and there. But the other part could have melted into Elliot's arms and asked when and where. This man made her crazy.
Olivia leaned in, and kissed Elliot gently, yet passionately on the lips. "Does that answer your question Detective?" She asked in a whisper.
Elliot could feel his whole body shivering. He truly could feel the love that was behind that kiss. In that instant he knew that, although she was still terrified of what they had, she trusted him enough to stay. And that was all that he needed.
"I'm sorry I even asked." He smiled. "I should have just known."
Olivia just smiled. She slid out of the booth, and pulled him after her. "Come on Detective, lemme take you home."
She didn't have to ask him twice. He was out of the booth, and had his arm wrapped around her waist before she had time to complete her sentence.
That night Olivia lay awake in Elliot's bed. He had his arm draped protectively over her body, and she was snuggled comfortably into his bare chest. Her eyes were focused on the wall in front of her. Her mind wouldn't stop racing.
She had woken up about ten minutes ago from a dream. It wasn't a nightmare but it had scared her. Mainly because she realized that it had been about what she really wanted. She thought about it laying in silence.
She was sitting in her apartment, reading something when a strange noise caught her attention. It was a shrill crying coming from down the hall.
She looked up from her reading to the direction of the noise. After a moment it stopped. She then heard footsteps coming down the hall. Normally, she would have been a little on edge if she heard someone walking around her apartment, but in the dream she wasn't.
She strained to see who was coming down her hallway. Suddenly, Elliot appeared. He had a huge grin on his face and a baby in his arms.
Olivia suddenly found herself speaking. "She's probably hungry." She said, she sounded happier than she had ever been. She got off the couch and made her way over to Elliot and the baby. "She slept right through her 12 o'clock feeding."
"Then I guess I'll hand her off to you." He said, placing the baby gently in Olivia's arms. She cooed, and smiled up at her. Olivia's heart melted.
"Hey princess." Olivia smiled down at the baby. "Let's get you some lunch huh?" As she carried the baby to the couch, she turned back to Elliot who was smiling at her. "What?" She asked.
"Nothing. I just love you." He answered.
It was then that she woke up. As she lay in Elliot's arms, replaying the dream in her head, she realized she wanted that, more than anything. And that was what scared her. She had never been able to see herself with anyone like that before. Could Elliot really be the one?
TBC... Tell me what u think!