The sleepy mood had disappeared and the excited atmosphere surrounded the passengers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The three-person crew of the plane welcomed them as they boarded the plane, and they looked around curiously. The plane wasn't brand new, but it was neat and spacious. There were enough seats for 10 people, the seats were in pairs and there was a wide table in front of each pair of seats. They sat down and the air hostess immediately brought wine glasses in front of them.

"Alcoholic or non-alcoholic?" She asked Brown first. Fin brushed the table with pleasure.

"I could get used to this. I would travel comfortably from one place to another, and I wouldn't have to listen to screaming children or give way for people who want to go to the toilet from the window seat."

"Hear! hear! my dear partner," Munch put his hand on Fin's shoulder. "I will never forget that trip to London when a child sitting next to me screamed and vomited all the way."

Fin winced miserably.

"Good morning, dear passengers!" The captain's announcement interrupted them. "Today we are heading to Ottawa, the capital of Canada, our beloved neighbor. The flight time is about two hours, the weather at the destination is also very snowy and the temperature seems to be lower than here in New York."

Olivia shivered. If the weather remained the same all the time, she could give up the idea of wearing thin dresses. A quilted jacket seemed to be a much more comfortable idea at the moment. Cassidy seemed to read Olivia's thoughts and leaned on her.

"Fortunately, the hotel room is warm, so there is no need for clothes at all," he whispered and grinned. Olivia felt herself blush and pushed Cassidy's head farther. She hoped that others would think the red on her cheeks was a result of wine that, when drunk on an empty stomach, quickly began to take effect.

"So without any further delay, we'll take off as soon as we get a permission. We wish everyone a very comfortable trip," the captain wished. Olivia took a more comfortable posture and looked around. Fin and Munch had started arguing about something as usual, Brown scrolled his phone and Elliot stared at the safety card looking focused. Cassidy also noticed Elliot's changed demeanor.

"Would Detective Stabler want that someone held his hand?" He chaffed and Elliot scowled at him. Olivia sighed tiredly.

After 20 minutes, the plane had rolled onto the runway and took off, engines howling. The seat belt lights had gone out and the air hostess had served them stuffed croissants for breakfast. All six ate contentedly in silence. The engines of the plane rumbled soothingly, and the satisfied passengers began to nap one after another. An hour later, Cassidy unbuckled his seat belt and woke Olivia up when he headed to the toilet. She rubbed her eyes and Elliot jumped into Cassidy's seat.

"Do you remember what time we have our first meeting today?" He asked. Olivia blinked and opened the cap of her water bottle.

"I would say at nine," she replied. "We're probably going to the hotel first to drop our stuff. You share a room with Brown?"

"Yeah," Elliot rubbed his forehead. Then he leaned on Olivia's side and continued in a low voice, "You'll probably think I'm crazy, but I think there's something suspicious in him."

Olivia snorted. "You say so just because you're annoyed to share a room with a stranger," she joked.

"No, really I…"

"Stop it, El," Olivia interrupted him. "You're paranoid."

Suddenly the plane swayed violently and the seat belt lights came on. Elliot grabbed Olivia's arm and the color escaped from his face. The plane swayed a few more times, and then the captain's voice filled the cabin.

"This is you captain, sorry about that. The low pressure below us causes some turbulence, but we try to continue as comfortably as possible."

Olivia turned to look at Elliot, who squeezed her arm with one hand and the armrest of the seat with the other hand. A small smile lingered on Olivia's face.

"Aerophobia, huh?"

"A phobia?" Elliot snorted. "You wish. I just don't like flying because I can't control the situation in any way."

Olivia knew what he was talking about. Over the years, she had learned that Elliot always wanted to keep the situation under control. If the situation seemed to get out of hand, he became stressed, angry and restless. Therefore, Olivia answered nothing, but laid her hand on the hand that squeezed her arm and smiled encouragingly. Elliot sighed quietly.

"A phobia or not, but you squeeze pretty hard," she laughed. Elliot flinched and immediately released his grip.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," he murmured and suddenly looked insecure.

"You didn't," Olivia patted him on the shoulder. When Elliot didn't seem to brighten up, she suddenly remembered Cassidy and grinned.

"You know… Cassidy went to the toilet a moment ago," she started. Elliot turned to look at his partner confused, but Olivia just stared at him significantly and rubbed her nose.

"Yes…?" Elliot asked slowly. Then his face brightened and a mischievous grin spread across his face. "Oh boy…"

At that moment, the toilet door opened, and Cassidy, looking less amused, stepped out. He spotted Elliot in his seat and marched over to them. His pants were wet and he lifted his suitcase off the shelf. Elliot seemed to resolve with joy, and the other passengers turned to look at the man whose face was beginning to flush.

"Is it the tide already?" Elliot grinned. Fin laughed and lowered his head to his hands. Cassidy glared at Elliot infuriated.

"Do you want to get beaten?" He snapped. Elliot's grin deepened further, and Cassidy furiously opened his suitcase, pulled out the other pants, and threw the suitcase back on the shelf. He then leaped a few steps back to the toilet door and tore it open.

"Watch out for leeches!" Elliot called out, and Cassidy slammed the door shut. Olivia shook her head.

"You immature son of a bitch," she sighed, but when she faced Elliot's laughing eyes, she couldn't stop the smile escaping her lips.