A/N: Things are getting flirty up in here.


It had been weeks since the night of Donnelly's attack, and everyone in the squad could start to see a subtle shift in Elliot, and they knew it was all Olivia's doing. She spent the first few nursing him back to health after his run in with Stuckey. She changed his bandages, checked on his wounds.

"We all know that's just an excuse for him to get up close and personal with that man's damn fine body," Amanda had muttered to Carisi one day.

But clearly, Elliot didn't seem to mind. He started bringing Olivia tea in the morning along with his usual coffee. Jet had the best view of him scampering over to Olivia's desk over 100 times a day with theories about the Donnelly/Lewis case. Jet watched him lean on the back of her chair, over her shoulder and point things out. It was starting to get to the point where they were having conversations without finishing their sentences.

"It's freaky," Jet told Munch and Fin one morning. "There's definitely more there than just… friendship."

"Maybe they should get a hotel room? Get it out of their systems," Amanda suggested, overhearing the conversation.

"Nah, it's more than that Manda," Carisi said. "They're in love."

"They are not in love," Amanda scoffed. "They've only known each other a couple of months."

"Well, when you know you know," Carisi said.

Munch and Fin gave each other a look before heading to Elliot's office where he had a case file open on his desk, but Olivia had just walked in for the day and was looking at something on Jet's phone a gesturing wildly, hugging the girl, which seemed to surprise them both. Elliot chuckled, something neither of them had heard in all their time working for him.

"So there is a heart underneath that beard and those three piece suits," Munch said, kicking the door shut behind him and Fin.

"What are you talking about, John?" Elliot said, the ghost of a smile still gracing his face.

"Dude, we all know you're smitten with Liv," Fin said, dropping into a chair. "Pretty sure the only one who can't tell is her."

"I'm not.." Elliot started but munch put his hand up.

"Don't lie to us," Munch said. "We're detectives. It's just insulting at this point."

Elliot sighed and brought his fingers up to rub his temples.

"Fine," he said. "I may have noticed that Olivia isn't exactly hard on the eyes. And that she has a good personality."

"Beauty and brains," Munch said.

"Can't beat that," Fin chimed in.

"I've never…" Elliot trailed off, trying to find the right words. "Felt this way before, about anyone honestly. Not even Kathy."

"When you know you know," John said, mimicking Carisi from earlier.

"Yeah, and yet it still took you four tries and you screwed up every one," Fin snorted.

"I want to do something nice for her," Elliot said. "I'm still trying to make up for being an ass. And it honestly seems like she's not used to people doing things for her. Just being nice to her for no reason. She's so skeptical of it all."

"Pot and the kettle," Fin mumbled.

"What was that?" Elliot asked and Fin shrugged. "I just don't know what to do for her."

"Well, there's the usual," Munch said. "Flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep."

"It ain't no wonder you pay four sets of alimony," Fin said. "Nah, you gotta do something real special for a girl like Liv. Something that might stick with her like…"

Fin got a smile on his face and then leaned over to whisper something to Munch.

"Yes, something just like that," Munch said.

"El, I don't like this," Olivia said.

He'd pulled her aside when she walked in this morning and said he had something to show her. He made a big deal of making her cover her eyes and he was leading her… somewhere. But she didn't like not knowing, the feeling of disorientation that came from being led around the precinct building, even if she didn't hate having Elliot's hands on her shoulders and arms, guiding her.

"Just a few more steps," Elliot said from behind her. "Still got them eyes closed? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Four," Olivia said.

"Shut them, Benson," he said.

"They are shut, El," she said. "Everybody picks four."

"I guess if you're going to get smart with me I'll take the surprise back," he said.

"No, no," she said. "I'm sorry. I'm ready. Eyes are really shut. I'll never guess four again."

She felt Elliot move her a few more steps to her right, and then he let go of her shoulders and stepped back.

"Can I open them now?" she asked.

"Go ahead," he said.

And when she popped her eyes open, she was staring at a door.

"This is a door," Olivia said.

"Very good, detective," Elliot said with a smile.

"It's a great door," she said. "Does it lead to Narnia?"

"Did you happen to read the plaque on the door?" Elliot asked.

Olivia looked around to see a plaque hanging slightly over her head in what was technically the middle of the oversized door. She should be able to read it from here, but the sun glinting in from one of the hallway windows cast a glare and she couldn't make out the words.

"The sun's on it," she said. "Can't read it."

Elliot looked nervous, running a hand over his bald head and biting his lip. Before she really knew what was happening, he hoisted her up by her waist, practically dead lifting her like she was nothing so that she was face level with the sign.

"The Serena Benson Memorial Library," Olivia read, feeling the breath leave her chest, even as Elliot returned her back to earth.

"But.. how?" Olivia started.

"Munch and Fin said your Mom used to be an English professor," Elliot said. "We, uh, the squad doesn't get much use out of this room, but I talked to the local schools and we worked out an agreement to make this part of their at risk programs. Kids can come here to study or hang out, get off the streets on hours when we're at the precinct to supervise."

Olivia was speechless.

"We're going to get a counselor to come in regularly," Elliot said. "His name is George Huang. And of course we'll all be available to talk and interact with the kids if they need it."

Olivia felt herself tearing up.

"Can I see it?" Olivia asked. "The inside of the library?"

"Sure," Elliot said, pushing the doors open and letting her inside.

The sheer volume of books and shelves tucked inside made Olivia gasp. It was beautiful, a perfect little safe haven for kids with nowhere else to go.

"My mother would have loved this," Olivia said. "I love it."

"I'm glad," Elliot said.

"Thank you," Olivia said. "For naming it after her. She… her legacy wasn't… just thank you."

Elliot couldn't help but smile.

Outside, around the corner, the squad looked on.

"Ha," Fin whispered. "I knew this would work."

"Seems like his icy little heart is melting," Munch said.

"You think he's gonna ask her to the Gala now?" Carisi asked.

"I think he'd rather carve his eyeballs out with a rusty spoon than go to that Gala," Jet whispered.

"Yeah, but now he's finally got someone to take with him," Amanda whispered back.

Elliot and Olivia got even closer after the library dedication. It was almost if they were melding into one person. Olivia now spent a lot of time with him up in the West Wing trying to find a connection between Lewis and Donnelly and what Elliot could have stumbled upon all those years ago.

They decide to stay late one night, leaving the library open for a few extra hours. There'd been some gang activity recently in the evening near one of the schools and Elliot thought it might be better to give the kids a safe space to hang out as day slipped into night.

They'd ordered Chinese food with extra egg rolls (Olivia's favorite). They'd been so wrapped up in discussing theories they hadn't realized they'd been sipping from the same bottle of Coke and sharing a single egg roll until Olivia went in for the last bite and it was a lot smaller than she remembered.

She looked over to Elliot studying the evidence board, and her heart started to pound and her stomach did a somersault. Gone was the hardened man she'd met a few months ago. He still looked the same, large, hulking, and intimidating. But there was a softness around his eyes. A gentleness in the way he'd touch her shoulder, or her elbow, or the back of her neck. He'd been more open with her since sharing the details of the case that landed him in the 3-7, or what he could remember of them anyway. He'd even started to share photos with her of his kids, stories of the nights they'd stay over with him, and how much he really loved being a Dad.

She'd been lost in thought too long and got caught staring.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Elliot asked, coming to sit next to her on the table.

"How you've changed since I got here," Olivia said. "I guess the squad was right. You really aren't exactly what you appear."

"I just…" Elliot started. "After Donnelly it became really hard for me to trust people. McGrath was involved in your transfer and I don't trust him as far as I can throw him."

"You could probably throw him farther than most," Olivia said, bumping his shoulder with hers and got a smile in return.

"My life has been pretty dark for a lot of years," Elliot said. "I guess I couldn't seem to find the good in the world."

"So what changed?" Olivia asked.

Elliot didn't answer. Instead he started to fiddle with his cufflinks and he gulped a few times.

"There's this thing the NYPD has every year," Elliot said. "The Gala. And I normally try to get out of it, but they're requiring mandatory CO attendance this year. Basically unless you're in contempt of court or you're dead you have to be there."

"Sound fun," Olivia said sarcastically.

"It's on Friday. I really don't want to go," Elliot said. "But, um, it might be better, or at least not so bad if you were there with me."

Now it was Olivia's turn to gulp.

"Lieutenant Stabler, are you asking me to be your date to the NYPD Gala?" she asked.

"If you're not busy or something," Elliot said, staring down at his legs dangling off the table. "You have to have a fancy dress and do your hair up and everything and I'd understand why you might not want to go. Or if you have plans. I guess I don't know all that much about your personal life."

He was rambling, and Olivia found it cute.

"El, look at me," she said.

Slowly he lifted his eyes to hers, afraid of what he might see.

"I would be honored to be your date to the Gala," Olivia said with a smile.

"Really?" Elliot asked.

"Really," Olivia said. "How often do I get to look like a woman and not a cop?"

Elliot looked like he was going to make a remark but thought better of it.

"So Friday, we'll leave from here, together?" he asked.

"Can't wait," Olivia said, picking up the Coke bottle and taking another swig.

She hoped maybe the artificial carbonation would calm the excited anticipatory bubbles already brewing in her gut.

She had a date with her CO, her once gruff, very handsome, perfectly single CO.

What had she gotten herself into?