"Here, you can borrow my jacket." She feels the thick fabric around her before she can even reply that it's unnecessary. The autumn night was chilly, and, yes, she isn't dressed for the car-turned-off stakeout they find themselves in, but Elliot isn't exactly covered in layers and could use the warmth just as much as she does. Olivia moves to shake it off, a denial rolling off her tongue, but his hand comes up to stop her. "Liv, I can hear your teeth chattering, for Christ's sake." He's laughing as he looks at her, his coffee cup back in his hand and an easygoing smile across his face.
"Blasphemy from Elliot Stabler? What has the world come to?" She doesn't acknowledge that he's right, and she's been freezing for the past 10 minutes.
"With this weather? Hell's probably starting to freeze over." His eyes are bright, almost too bright for whatever late hour this is. Elliot should be grumbling and irritable, mad that he isn't home in bed with his wife and kids safely sleeping in the house around him. Instead, he's here with her, smiling even though there is nothing remotely happy about waiting for a potential predator to strike.
Breaking away from his gaze, a smile now playing across her lips, Liv looks to her watch. "It's after 3 AM; he's never hit this late." Glancing back at him, she watches as his face goes serious, his eyes focusing on some thought that struck him. Attraction pools in her belly, so much so that she has to look away for a second. Watching the street, she listens as he calls out on the radio to Munch and Fin stationed at the other neighborhood being targeted. They've seen nothing either, and the cold makes the two men particularly grouchy. Fin is commenting when they catch this guy he wants to give him a taste of his balls freezing off.
"I think that might be sooner rather than later. Head back to the house." Liv looks back at El, locking eyes with him and seeing they are wide with realization before settling into satisfaction.
"What have you got?" She's asking as he turns on the car and heads back to the precinct.
"That guy we saw in the photos at multiple scenes? Edwards? He works at that bakery over on 8th." That same look of satisfaction is now creeping across her face.
"He'd be getting ready for work right around now."
"Exactly."
An hour later, they're all heading home for a few hours of sleep before they plan to bring Edwards in for questioning, a laundry list of strikes against him to account for. She's almost in her car, parked next to his Jeep, when she remembers the jacket she's wearing isn't hers. "Hey El, hold on, lemme give you your jacket back." He watches as she takes the jacket off and throws it across his hood, both of them smiling. "You saved me from an icy fate."
"What can I say? Always got your back, partner." His eyes are bright again, and he's doing more to warm her up with a smile than his jacket ever did. It stays with her long after she's driven home and settled into her bed, the scent and feel of that green jacket the last thing she thinks of as she drifts to sleep.
