She lowered her head on his chest, and he wrapped his other arm gently around her. They laid this way for a while, and the anxiety vanished from Olivia's limbs as she listened to the steady beat of Elliot's heart. The sense of safety Elliot caused inside her was something indescribable. She sighed deeply and wrapped her other arm around him.
"I'm really glad you're back."
"Me too," Elliot mumbled into her hair. "Me too."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It was still dim in the cottage when Olivia woke up. She laid still with eyes closed, and let her body wake up little by little. Despite the hard berth, she had slept better than for a long time. She had turned to her other side at some point in the night, but she felt Elliot warm against her back and turned towards him. He laid on his back, and still eyes closed she wrapped her other arm around him and pressed herself against him. Breathing in his scent, she thought she could stay here for the rest of her life. However, the quiet rattle of the firewood brought her back to reality, and when she opened her eyes she met Fin's grinning face.
"Morning."
Olivia quickly detached her grip on Elliot and sat up. She blushed and this made Fin grin even wider.
"Shut up, this isn't what it looks like," she muttered and tried to get her hair settled. Fin turned his gaze to the fireplace and added some firewood.
"Yeah… That's how two friends sleep," he said seriously, but his eyes twinkled significantly. Olivia took a deep breath and turned to look around. The others still seemed to be asleep and she sighed in relief because she didn't want the general public to stare as they slept intertwined to each other. She had broke up with Cassidy just a few hours ago and Elliot… Laura was waiting for Elliot at home in New York probably worried sick. The thought of his girlfriend caused a lump in Olivia's stomach.
"Look, I'd be happy if you didn't tell anyone about this," she glanced at Cassidy and then looked at Fin, begging, and he raised his hands.
"I promise not to tell anyone about your cuddling," he reassured, and his smile spread to his ears when he saw Olivia's facial expression.
"Our cuddling?" She asked in a stifled voice. "But how do you…"
"I added firewood in the fireplace in the night. It looked pretty comfortable I must say, I have to try to sleep with Stabler next night, who knows if would sleep better," he seemed to be overjoyed when he added: "But only if you let me."
Olivia felt her whole face glow with shame and she stood up snorting irritably. Fin's smile didn't fade, even though she glanced at him brutally.
"You're such an ass," she snapped. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to take a hot bath in our lovely hot tub." Then she turned her nose up and continued: "I would recommend it to all of you."
Fin's smile finally died, and he shivered at the thought and grimaced. "Yeah, you're probably right."
Olivia took a step towards the door, but then hesitated and turned to Fin. "I .. uh… Could you keep an eye on Brian?"
Fin pursed his lips and nodded. "I'll make sure he doesn't leave this cottage until you get back."
"Thanks," she answered, opened the door and stepped out. The snowstorm was over and the wind was calm, but the temperature had clearly dropped. She took a deep breath and at the same time her stomach growled with hunger.
"I really hope Brown's traps have worked," she thought and set off walking slowly towards the frozen brook.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
When Olivia returned to the cottage, she felt very refreshed. The ice-cold water had made her blood circulate, and she had been able to spend more time in the water than the evening before. She had even rinsed her hair, and as she stepped in through the cottage door, drops of water fell from her hair. Everyone else had woken up, and Brown had already left.
"Morning!" She greeted as she closed the cottage door. "The storm is over, but the temperature has dropped."
"Good, we can only hope the rescuers will find us soon," Munch said. "I was thinking that we could go to the plane wreck and make some kind of sign for the rescuers."
Fin nodded. "It is a good idea. Does anyone want to go there as a volunteer?"
"I can go," Olivia announced. "Some kind of activity."
"I can go too," Elliot announced immediately and Olivia looked at him suspiciously.
"Really? I mean, how about your feet?" She asked but he waved his hand understatingly.
"It's already better. Besides, I'm going crazy if I have to sit here all day long."
Olivia looked at him hesitantly, but then agreed. If Elliot had decided to go with her, it was completely pointless to try to turn his head. She felt Cassidy's gaze on her back, but didn't turn to look at him.
"Great, it means Munch and I can spend a relaxing spa day," Fin grimaced.
"Cool, remember to take your sunglasses with you," Elliot said in a serious voice, and Fin and Munch turned to look at him questioningly.
"Do you think we're going to sunbathe there?"
"Maybe that too, but I mean you might become dazzled when you see the sunlight hitting Munch's white butt," laughter bubbled in Elliot's voice. Fin's expression spoke more than a thousand words, and a laughter escaped Olivia's lips. Munch shook his head wearily.
"What would we do without Stabler?" He sighed. "And I thought we'd get enough of the immature jokes just because Cassidy's with us."
"Hey!" There was Cassidy's offended exclamation in the corner of the bed. "My jokes are not immature!"
A light gabble filled the cottage, and Olivia sat down next to the fireplace to warm up. Despite the circumstances, the atmosphere was cozy, and she gave herself a moment to enjoy her light mood as the heat of the fireplace began to dry her dark hair.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After about an hour, Olivia was warm and dry, and they set out to walk slowly towards the wreck of the plane. The rays of the sun sifted through the trees, and a lonely bird chirped happily. Frost pinched their cheeks and the snow crunched under their feet as they walked side by side towards the scene of the crash.
"You okay?" Elliot asked and glanced at her.
Olivia knew that he was talking about Cassidy. "Yeah, I think so," she replied. She took a short break before continuing: "I don't know, I think I should be sadder, but somehow… Somehow I feel light, as if some invisible weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I thought we were happy, I really thought so, but maybe… Maybe we weren't really. Maybe I just wanted us to be happy, and finally started to believe it. You may not know what I mean, but…"
"I think I know better than you think," Elliot said suddenly, and she glanced at him in surprise. He had squeezed his mouth into a tight line, and his whole being suddenly felt tense.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Elliot sighed deeply and turned his gaze to the ground. Olivia thought she wouldn't get an answer, but then he opened his mouth:
"It's about Laura."
She felt her heart skip a beat. Finally, she thought. Finally he tells me what's going on. However, she had not expected Elliot's next words.
"I think she's got an affair."
"What?!" She asked in dismay. "Are you sure?"
"Very sure," there was pain in his voice.
"But how… How do you know?"
"She's been very distant lately. She is on her phone all the time and smiles at the messages she receives. She is constantly away from home and may not return until the small hours."
"What if she's texting with her friends and spends time with them?" Olivia tried to suggest, but Elliot snorted.
"Pretty close friends if they make hickeys. We haven't had sex in a few months either, she always says she's tired, or "not in that mood"… And a couple weeks ago I saw her kissing with an unknown man," he blurted out and then fell silent. Olivia was speechless.
"I… I'm so sorry, El," she managed to say in a hoarse voice. "I don't know her very well, but I never would have believed her."
"Yeah, neither would I," he said quietly, and seemed to hesitate for a moment before he continued: "But on the other hand, I have to admit we haven't been very happy in the last six months. Our relationship… It worked well as long as I was mentally unstable. But after I got my life back… It felt like the more my well-being improved, the farther we drifted apart. Lately, we've finally noticed how different we are." Then he sighed. "I've wanted to break up with her for a long time," he admitted. "But why haven't I done it… I can't say. Maybe I've felt somehow indebted to her for helping me, or maybe… Maybe I'm scared of what happens next," his voice muffled for almost a whisper.
"El…"
"I was married for so long. I was mentally at the bottom when we divorced with Kathy. Soon after, Laura came into my life, helped me to get my life back. But now… If we break up now, I will be alone. I mean… I'm not even sure anymore who am I," Elliot fell silent and his eyes filled with tears. Olivia stopped and took his hand.
"El, listen to me. You are Elliot Stabler, the father of five, the best detective at SVU. You are a good man, noble, trustworthy and faithful, and you always want to do the right thing. You are my partner, and I promise you that whatever happens, you won't be alone. Do you hear me?" Elliot turned his gaze to her, and she looked intensively deep into his eyes. Suddenly the air felt to electrify, and Olivia had to bite her lip. Then he nodded and she let go of his hand.
"Good." She whispered.
They continued their slow walk in silence, and soon they arrived at the wreck of the plane. However, when they looked around, they stopped in amazement. The scene of the wreck looked as if it had been turned upside down. Traces in the snow revealed that the snow had been dug systematically, and they glanced at each other in concern.
"Someone's been here," Elliot said quietly. "And that someone's been looking for something feverishly."
