A/N: Jumping ahead a little from the storm's aftermath. That'll get summarized. Way too much stuff about to happen here… ;-) Enjoy!
x x x
"So what was it like?" Munch asks.
Elliot adjusts the speaker phone volume, then sets the phone on the table between him and Olivia. They lean closer to hear him over the background conversations and clatter throughout the bar.
"A fucking nightmare," Olivia groans, rolling her eyes and setting the empty beer glass down on the table.
"It's not something we want to relive anytime soon," Elliot agrees.
"Well, I've never had much interest in taking on Mother Nature either. Reminds me too much of my third marriage," he adds dryly. "Anyway, the two of you are braver than me to have sat through it. But I hope you get back to New York soon."
"Us too."
"Just be safe. Stick with the freaks of nature that you know best. Oh that reminds me… Hey Olivia, how's Elliot behaving?"
She glances at her partner and smirks. "Not too bad."
"You let me know if he gives you any trouble, okay?"
"Sure, John."
"You guys get some sleep. Sounds like you need it after the day you've had."
"We will. And thanks for the update on the Hannon trial," Olivia adds.
She didn't plan to miss it. With the timing of this case, things just worked out that way. All the same, she didn't care if she ever saw that creep's face again.
Five rapes, three homicides, and zero remorse.
"No sweat. Hannon's never going to see the light of day. Well, I guess I'd better let you go. Say hey to the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion for me," he teases.
"Right," Elliot groans. "Good talking to you, buddy."
"You too. Good night, guys."
"Good night."
Elliot pushes the end call button and sets his phone on the table.
x
The area is still under a tornado watch.
They sit at a corner table in a bar in Youngstown, just a few miles from the restaurant that was torn apart by a half-mile wide tornado.
There were at least two dead and dozens with injuries across the county from that storm.
Sam, Alexis and Levi had checked in at a motel in Youngstown with a guard outside their doors. The FBI agreed they would be better off staying put until they had James in custody.
The local fire and rescue team arrived on the scene, as Elliot and Olivia began assisting people out of the wreckage at Margo's. Two of the restaurant staff and a customer were transported to the hospital.
Half of the roof of the restaurant was gone and the front end was destroyed. The customers and staff were able to exit from the basement door that led through an alley way.
The federal agents assigned to the case reached Olivia on her cell phone and met up with them at the restaurant. The Crown Vic was towed to a local garage so the two damaged tires could be repaired the next morning.
After checking in at a motel, the two detectives walk a few blocks to the nearest bar. It appears to be a popular night spot.
The pool tables are full, as is the dance floor. The DJ plays a mix of pop, classic rock and country.
The TV monitors behind the bar show footage of the storm that hit Margo's, and of other storms earlier that day. Customers appear to be going about their night as if there were no tornado threat or reason to worry. For most, it's a five minute conversation.
The server walks up to their table. "Can I get you two anything else?"
"I'm fine," Elliot replies, then turns to his partner. "Liv?"
"I'm good."
He turns back to the server. "I think we're set."
She pulls their ticket and sets it down on the table. "Pay me whenever you're ready."
"Got it right here," he responds quickly. He pulls out enough cash to cover the drinks and tip, and the server collects it.
"Thanks for coming in and enjoy your night." She smiles pleasantly and heads over to clear one of the tables.
"Are you going to finish that?" Olivia asks, eyeing the glass of beer in front of him that's still about half full.
"Oh, I don't know…," he tells her, while his eyes drift toward the dance floor.
There's a spark in his eyes. He's up to something, Olivia notes while she watches him.
Less than a minute later, he turns his head to look at her. "You wanna dance?"
She returns a classic-Olivia, what-the-fuck glare, and he laughs.
"You just asked me to dance…?"
"The pool tables are full and I'm in the mood to burn off a little energy. C'mon, Liv, I know you're not that tired." He lightly nudges her arm which rests on the table. "You won't fall asleep when you get back to your motel room either."
"You're probably right."
They're at the tail end of some pop song he doesn't recognize, but it's got a good beat. "It's not a samba. I think I can handle it."
"Why?" she asks, seeming more amused by his proposition than anything else.
"Why…?" he repeats, tossing the question around in his mind. "Well, I can come up with a few reasons. It's been a long day, we just sat through a tornado, we're stuck out here until this guy is caught, and we have to finish this case with a couple of federal agents who won't even come out to have a drink with us. Those sound like good reasons to you? Come on, let's dance." He gets up from the table and waits for her.
"Oh alright…," she answers halfheartedly. Just before she stands, she picks up his beer glass and chugs the rest of it.
"Hey, that was mine…" he responds, trying not to smile.
"And since you asked me to dance…I might need a couple more," she tosses back smartly.
He grabs his phone from the table and slips it into his pocket. "I'm gonna get a picture of us on the dance floor..."
It earns him another glare from Olivia.
"The guys are gonna want proof."
She rolls her eyes, failing to hide a smile as she follows him to the dance floor.
Glancing around at the people dancing, about a third of them are drunk. The rest are about halfway there or they don't care.
The first few drum beats of One Republic's, 'Love Runs Out,' begins while they find a less-crowded spot in the corner of the dance floor and start to dance.
One look at her partner and she snorts out a laugh. Elliot is a great dancer, but of course he's got to ham it up.
She loves this Elliot. She misses this Elliot. This man has more warmth and passion than darkness.
She grins and joins him; shaking her ass, moving her arms and shoulders, and thrusting her hips to the music.
A minute into the song, he takes her hand he swings her out a little, then pulls her in close. His other hand lands on her hip. He leans closer to speak to her over the music.
"We're good… As long as you don't try to grab my ass."
She narrows her eyes, but there's an arched brow and the hint of a smile that lets him know she'll accept his playfulness. "Then you'd better watch where you stick it, Stabler," she fires back.
He loves this.
It may have been a long-shot asking her to dance, but he thought they needed a little fun.
So far, he's right.
The proof is right in front of him.
There's a spark in her beautiful brown eyes and a sexy smile. He wonders if even a small part of it is just for his benefit.
The song progresses toward the finale and ends with the two of them breathless but still grinning.
Another song begins and it's a slow one. With a glance, he prompts her to continue and she accepts. He takes her hand, pulls her back toward him and they start to dance.
This one's got a comfortable, easy beat. Dancing is practically effortless.
After a minute, he fears he'll start to pull her even closer, because that's exactly what he wants to do.
But she shifts closer on her own.
He wonders if she's getting tired when she begins to lean into him.
He doesn't give a shit about the three men at the bar who keep checking her out.
He's slow dancing with Olivia Benson.
Life just got a little more complicated.
x
A few strands of white lights run along the top border of the bar, and they're right in her line of sight.
She's comfortable and a little tired, so she doesn't try to focus on anything. She's even starting to zone out a little. The lights appear to give off this hazy glow.
She's not going to try to figure out how she ended up dancing with Elliot or why he even asked her. She'll save that to mull over later, when she's back in her motel room trying to fall asleep.
He's swaying them back and forth while Jason Mraz sings, 'I won't give up,' and she's not thinking about James, the fight they had earlier, the weather, or the day.
It's just her and Elliot.
She wishes it could always be this simple.
This is probably going to end up being her favorite memory of the two of them.
x
The song ends, bringing them both back to the present.
She releases his hand and steps back. "Thanks, that was fun."
It prompts a smile from Elliot. "Yeah, it was." He tucks the last ten minutes aside for the next time he needs something to cheer him up.
"Oh, I meant to get a picture…" he suddenly remembers, taking out his cell phone.
He spots a lady who is just leaving the dance floor with her boyfriend and catches her just before she passes them.
"Hey… Would you mind taking a picture of us?"
She glances back at the two of them and smiles. "Oh, sure…"
Elliot pulls Olivia back toward him and she snaps the picture. "You two look so good together," she remarks before she hands the phone back.
"Thanks," Elliot replies. He turns the phone around to look at it. Aside from some girl's ponytail waving in the background, it's a good picture.
"Could you send that to my phone…?" Olivia requests.
"Sure." He agrees, then gestures toward the bar. "One more for the road?"
"Why not."
They walk up two steps and exit the dance floor.
To their right is the DJ booth and some tables. To the left are more bar tables and the counter.
The bar counter itself forms a large horseshoe shape, with about the same number of barstools on three sides. It backs up to a large mirror-paneled wall with the exit in the far right corner.
Four bartenders rush around in the middle, filling drink orders for the customers seated at the counter and for the servers needing drink orders at the tables.
While Elliot tries to flag down one of the bartenders, Olivia's gaze lazily drifts around at some of the people seated at the bar.
Her eyes stop at one of them. She leans closer to Elliot so he can hear her over the conversations around them.
"Hey, El…?"
"Yeah?"
"Across from us, third seat from the end… She look familiar to you?"
He lifts his head and casually looks in that direction. "No. Who is she?"
"The girl in the front passenger seat. The one we saw with James…?"
"I didn't get a good look at her before," he admits, as he takes in her appearance.
Short, dark brown hair. Black sleeveless top. Her drink is something red in a highball glass. She's avoiding eye contact with most of the people around her. Periodically, she'll lift her head up and glance toward the door.
"She's alone. Looks like she's waiting for someone," Elliot observes.
"Any sign of James?" she prompts. They begin checking anyone in the girl's vicinity. "He ditched the truck. He could have changed his appearance," she suggests, recalling what Detective Eames told her earlier.
"Yeah, but not his approach. She's his bait. She's nothing to him except a way to trap us. Sonofabitch has to be around here somewhere," he groans bitterly.
"I want to see how she's holding up."
Elliot places the drink order with one of the bartenders, while Olivia makes her way toward that end of the bar.
The girl suddenly glances up and sees Olivia approaching. She panics, gets up from her barstool and heads for the exit. A large mob loitering near the door disbands and she pushes her way through.
In the process of getting away, she knocks over the barstool she was sitting on. The barstool bumps the man standing behind her, who is busy talking to his friends and not paying attention. He spills his beer on his shirt. "Hey, what's your problem, bitch?" he groans as he watches her take off. He heads to the counter for some napkins.
Olivia makes her way toward the door, squeezing passed another cluster of people until she's outside. The air is cooler but still humid. Wind gusts hit infrequently, bringing a little relief. The air smells like rain.
Her eyes drift up and back down the block, as far as she can see in either direction.
She wanders up the block a little further.
What are the chances this girl would show up here?
This isn't New York, she'd have to call for a cab.
It's about midnight, and the entire three block stretch of road is rather dark. Cars are parked along the street on both sides. There are a few lights on the outside of the bar, and on the office buildings that continue on the next block. There's one working street lamp and a traffic light along that entire stretch of road.
She sends a quick text to one of the agents with the description of the girl, then she wanders back inside to meet Elliot. She finds him sitting at a table near the dance floor and takes the seat across from him. "She took off," Olivia informs him.
"She panicked. She knows James is after us too," Elliot remarks.
"She escaped, El… How many of his victims have done this? It's not like him to leave a victim alive without knowing where they are at all times. He kept tabs on Clayton. If she's out there unprotected, it won't be long until he'll grabs her again," she states, disheartened.
Seeing the glassy-eyed look in his partner's eyes, he reaches over and touches her arm. When she lifts her head and meets his eyes, he adds, "You did your best, Liv."
She offers an unconvincing shrug back.
x
While they finish their beers, he steers the conversation over to Elizabeth's dating woes, Dickie's summer internship and Eli's bad haircut, in the hope it would take her mind of the case.
She loves his kids. It's hard not to smile and even laugh at a few of the stories.
Moments later, Elliot finishes the last of his beer, sets the glass on the table and stands. "Ready to call it a night?"
"Sounds good," she responds. She feels a tad better at least.
Olivia gets up from her seat while Elliot shifts his focus toward the door.
He glances over just in time to see the girl wandering back inside. Her eyes are drifting about nervously, in search of them.
With a hand on her shoulder, Elliot halts Olivia. "She's back."
"Where?" Olivia asks hopeful.
"Around the corner from where she was sitting before. Two from the end. Don't move, she's looking over this way…" He waits for the girl to avert her eyes, then adds, "I guess she didn't see us. She's at the bar ordering a drink," he concludes.
"Surprised she came back in at all," Olivia admits.
"Yeah, I don't know… Maybe she thinks we left?"
"You go first," she prompts.
Elliot nods and starts toward her. Olivia is less than a foot behind him.
The girl turns her head in their general direction, and Elliot quickly averts his gaze. He lets a server squeeze passed him with a tray of drinks.
A few feet in front of him and to the left, is a couple engaging in some sort of drunken foreplay. To his right, there's a guy about six foot five, 270 pounds, who looks like a defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's hitting on one of the servers, who seems equally as interested.
The girl is still about twenty five feet away and looking in their direction.
He doesn't want them to lose sight of the girl this time.
Elliot comes up with a plan. He turns around and Olivia walks right into him.
"Hey?" she startles.
"She's looking…," Elliot slips his arms around her and kisses her.
Olivia figures out his ruse, but their mouths collide awkwardly at first.
He takes a breath, tilts his head, and presses his lips to hers again, trying to play it off like they do this all the time.
He peeks at her. He wants to see if her eyes are open so he can suggest that she watch for the girl.
But when he opens his eyes, the moment robs him of a breath... Olivia's eyes are closed.
He's greeted with the soft outline of her flushed cheeks, the curl of her lashes, and her beautifully toned skin.
Either she's not put off by this, or she's one hell of an actress and she's plotting to kill him when there's no one around.
He thinks about her soft, perfect, moistened lips as she kisses him back. Her skin, her body, her silky hair that somehow ended up interlaced with his fingers.
He's not wondering what it would be like to part those sweet lips of hers with his tongue… He's not thinking about deepening the kiss.
This is just an undercover kiss.
Damn.
It's probably the only chance he'll ever get to kiss Olivia Benson, and he's not going to survive it.
x
Sonofabitch, Olivia thinks to herself.
She knows what he's doing. That doesn't mean she's ready to play along.
Her hands find a spot on his shoulders. After the awkward start, he draws back, she moistens her lips and he's kissing her.
She can't wrap her head around it. Her and Elliot have been at both ends of the spectrum in less than 24 hours. This morning they were blowing up at each other in a jury room.
Then of course, the dance floor. The only explanation she can offer, is that they were just blowing off a little steam.
And now this. It's supposed to be a ploy, a distraction.
Her heart is pounding. Her body is reacting to this. She can't trust herself.
She's fighting the urge to deepen the kiss and she's afraid of what will happen if she gives in.
When he parts his lips for even the briefest of seconds, she can't think. She almost forgets about the girl.
Her attraction to Elliot has always been there.
There's just never been a place for it.
x
Elliot breaks the kiss and settles back without letting go. He averts his eyes. He's not ready to make eye contact with her just yet. "She still there?" he mumbles breathlessly.
Olivia glances in the girl's direction. "Uh…yeah," she mutters back, trying to slow her breathing as well. She steps out of Elliot's grasp and walks passed him hurriedly, catching a moment while the girl's attention is turned toward the door.
When the girl glances back and sees Olivia, she hops off the bar stool and tries to leave. Elliot steps into her path.
"Stop! Stop! Leave me alone!" the girl says agitatedly.
"We're not going to hurt you, we just want to make sure you're okay," Olivia offers.
"I'm okay! Get away from me!"
The bouncer quickly pulls a velvet rope across the entrance to block it off, then steps up when he notices the girl becoming distressed. "Something the matter here?" he asks Elliot.
Elliot flashes his badge. "NYPD. Part of an ongoing investigation. We've got this."
The bouncer nods and goes back to his post.
"We're here to help you. I saw you earlier today, when you were in his truck. I'm really glad we found you," Olivia offers, attempting to console her.
"He'll kill me if he finds out I'm talking to you!" she answers gruffly.
"We won't let that happen! You're gonna have to trust us!"
"He said he'll kill my mom, my brothers and my fiancé! He knows where they live! I don't know how in the hell he got their address…" The girl starts sobbing.
Olivia guides the girl into her arms to comfort her. "Shhhh… It's going to be okay. You're safe now."
"Help me, I'm so scared!"
A minute later, the girl finally begins to settle down. She releases her and steps back. "I'm Olivia. This is my partner, Elliot. We're with the NYPD. What's your name?"
"Mara Gold."
Olivia smiles. "Nice to meet you, Mara. Where are you from?"
The lights in the bar suddenly go out and the music stops. Aside from the strands of lights above the bar and above the DJ booth, the place is very dark. There are no windows inside the bar. A couple of recessed emergency lights start to flicker on slowly.
There's a collective groan by the customers throughout the bar. A couple seconds later, lights and music come back on again.
"Sorry, guys…" the DJ announces over the intercom. "It's not last call yet. I guess we're having some power issues."
Mara shrugs, then continues answering Olivia's question. "Tower, Pennsylvania. I work for the Chronicle. I was covering the Holly Morrison story."
"He brought you to Youngstown?"
"I escaped at a truck stop about twenty miles from here. I went to school here, so I called a friend to pick me up. She's letting me stay with her tonight because I'm too scared to go home. When I saw you, I figured he was close by. That's why I freaked. I'm sorry…"
"How did he find you?"
"I was trying to get a Coke from the vending machine at the courthouse. Some guy stepped up and said he had selected a Coke and changed his mind, so he gave it to me. About a minute later, I started feeling dizzy. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a pick-up truck, with my arms restrained. The guy who abducted me wasn't the same guy who gave me the Coke. No idea who he was. I never saw him again."
"Can you remember what the guy with the Coke looked like, what he had on when you saw him?"
She nodded.
"Good. We'll have you give a description of him a little later to some people working with us. And were you assaulted by James at all?"
She shook her head. "No, but I thought that was his plan. He hit me, threatened me and he injected me with something that made me throw up… I blacked out. When I woke up, I was at a truck stop. He wasn't around, so I took off."
"This is a federal matter, so we're going to take you to see a couple of agents working the case. They'll see that you get checked out by a doctor, have a place to stay and you're safe. You'll stay wherever they put you until this guy is caught. I'm so sorry for what you've been through, Mara…"
Seeing the sincerity and warmth in the female cop, Mara smiles. "Thank you, Olivia."
She smiles back. "Is your college friend meeting you here?"
"Yeah, she's working. She's about two miles from here. Doesn't get off until 1:00am. I was waiting for her to pick me up."
The lights cut out again. The delay is a little longer before they come back on.
"Okay. More than likely, they won't let you see her until he's in custody."
She nods that she understands.
The lights are on for less than a minute before they flicker and cut out a third time. The emergency lights slowly start to come on.
"Sorry everyone… I guess the storm is causing some power disruption. We'll make this last call. Cash only purchases beyond this point. Thanks for coming in, and don't forget to tip your servers."
Elliot can hear the heavy rain on the roof when the music cuts out, but without any windows around, he can't see what's happening outside. The emergency lights are a little sparse. It's just enough so the customers and staff can walk through safely.
He turns his attention to Olivia and Mara, as a large group enters the bar.
They bump Olivia as they pass her. When the crowd thins, they don't see Mara.
Olivia realizes she's missing the second Elliot does. They both start calling for her.
"She's over here, guys!" a man yells out.
Elliot and Olivia glance in the direction of the voice.
James is standing near the DJ booth and he has Mara. He has a gun to her head.
This time, he's wearing a mask. It's a black nylon hood with a neon white painted skull face. Looks like part of a Halloween costume.
Several customers were leaving the dance floor when the power went out. Those that remained are giving James plenty of room. Most of the conversations have ceased while people nervously wait to see what's going to happen.
Olivia steps aside and sends an urgent text to one of the agents.
Elliot draws his gun. "Let her go, James."
"Oh, hey there, Stabler!" he greets back in a placid tone. "What have you been up to? I'm kind of bored with all this bad weather, how about you?"
"I'm not in the mood… Put down your gun, you're coming with us!"
"You think so, huh? Remember your Detective friends and that security guard? Well I've got a compact clip here attached to Mara with just enough to blow a fucking hole in this place!"
Elliot looks over at Mara. Tears and horror fill the girl's eyes. He quietly berates himself for the fact that James slipped passed them unnoticed.
James continues. "All I have to do is click this little button…" He holds up a small compact object in his hand. It looks like a remote.
Olivia steps up beside Elliot. "They're on their way."
"He's got a portable bomb attached to Mara," Elliot quietly informs his partner.
"Let her go," Olivia orders, aiming her gun at the armed suspect. "You're business is with us, not her! And not these people!"
He smiles calmly. "Oh, Benson… You're so cute, and so vicious. But I'm giving the directions here, sweetheart."
"I'll give you a direction… Go to hell, James," she responds.
Meanwhile, the customers and staff are becoming restless. Those nearest to the door are exiting one or two at a time. Once they get outside, they remain near the building, noticing the weather conditions rapidly starting to change.
"What do you want?" Elliot prompts, preparing to make a deal. He'd rather talk this guy out of hurting Mara and everyone in here. But he doesn't want to risk any more lives. With any luck, he might be able to keep James busy until the feds arrive.
"Ah… Negotiation time," he smirks. "First, I want both of you to put your guns down…"
"How about we let these people leave first?"
"El…?" Olivia alerts Elliot with unease in her tone, when she hears the familiar sound coming from outside.
Fuck… Tornado siren.
"Let Mara go. We're already at risk here!" Elliot argues.
"A stupid tornado siren?" he scoffs.
"This is not about Mara or any of the customers or staff here! You have no reason to compromise their safety. When this is over, the three of us will talk," Elliot argues.
James laughs. "Oh, right… A nice cup of coffee and a chat. And I'm sure you'll want to invite your FBI friends to be social. Sorry, pal, you're not my type and I don't chat. I'll tell you what... We'll trade. You can have Mara, I'll take Olivia."
He shakes his head. "You get us both."
James clears his throat loudly and holds up the trigger device. "Remember who's in charge here? I'll just take Olivia."
"No!"
"Poor, poor Elliot. This is tearing you apart, isn't it?"
"James, how about something else… Money? A vehicle?"
"It's okay," she tells her partner. She walks over to where they stand with her hands held up. "Now let her go."
"Liv…" Elliot starts to argue.
"I want both of your guns. Then you'll get Mara," James counters.
Elliot shakes his head adamantly. "No deal. And you're not going to take either of them…" He tightens his grip on the gun.
"Elliot…" Olivia cautions him. In her voice is a plea that he stand down.
"Take me instead," he requests.
"If I take her, I've still got you by the balls. More fun that way," James says smugly. "I'll take those guns now."
"No."
"How fast do you think I can hit this button?"
"It takes all of us out… You, me, Mara, Olivia, the staff, the customers… How the hell do you think you can win, James?"
"There's a lot of people here. At least a hundred. You're not going to sacrifice all these people, you, Mara and your lovely Olivia just for little ol' me…are you? I haven't got a lot to lose, genius…" he chuckles.
"We'll talk to the feds, we'll work something out. Just let Olivia and Mara go."
He smirks. "I don't accept. Hand your gun over and you get Mara. You really need to work on your negotiation skills, Elliot… They suck!"
The tornado siren continues to sound.
His eyes are on Olivia as he thinks back a few years to the pivotal moment in the bus terminal.
Ryan and Olivia could have both made it out of there alive, if he just used his head.
He's got to think like a cop now.
Elliot discretely deposits the gun cartridge into one palm, slips it into his pocket, then holds the gun up in his other hand. "Alright... You've got it." He starts to bring it over.
"Hold it right there, cowboy…," James says, halting him in mid-stride. He drops his gaze to Mara. "Go get his gun and bring it to me."
Mara complies. Elliot sees the fear in the girl's eyes, as she makes her way over, collects the gun and brings it back to James.
"There, that wasn't so hard." He tucks Elliot's gun in his belt. Olivia's gun is in his other hand, poised and ready should anyone else try to get in his way. The gun he had pointed at Mara is now on Olivia. They make their way toward the exit.
Elliot's eyes seek out his partner, but she keeps her head facing forward.
Before he exits, James turns back and says in a mocking tone…"Better get underground, guys! There's a tornado coming!"
x x x
TBC…