Prompt #23: Surrender Benson — Fin watches as Liv reaches for her phone multiple times without dialing. So, the ever-knowing Fin constructs a plan to make the first holiday after the nightmare a special one... (He pulls all the favors he has to dig Elliot up from the UC op and brings him back for Valentine's day)
Call Me Maybe
•••
It happened first at the hospital. Fin watched Olivia reach for her phone then set it down as if she'd changed her mind. She did it six times within the space of thirty-minute before shoving her phone across the little table by her bed until she couldn't easily grab it.
She still reached out for it. It was painful to watch. Finally, Fin settled down in his seat and closed his eyes, giving her privacy to grieve for her partner once again.
Fin knew instinctively who she'd wanted to call. Stabler. Who else? Her world had been turned upside down. He could see her coming apart at the seams, so it only made sense for her to reach out to her partner.
The man who'd had her back for thirteen years.
The man who she probably thought in her heart of hearts would've known she was missing on day one. They hadn't checked on her for over two days. A fact Fin had taken personally.
A personal failure on all of their parts to protect the heart of the 1-6 Special Victims Unit.
Seven months later, Fin watched her endure the trial. Reaching for her phone had become almost a method of soothing herself. But it was standing outside of the stairwell, securing her some semblance of privacy while she sobbed out her fear, humiliation, and anger, that Fin made up his mind.
Stabler needed to come home.
His partner needed him.
Fin called in just about every favor he had. He talked both Munch and Barba into helping him. Munch had been the one to discover Stabler working undercover overseas for a joint-task force. He had been working with Interpol on organized crime and terrorism.
But they needed him to come home.
After a few weeks, they were able to get a general location but were stone-walled on communicating with him. Fin had decided to cut out the middle man. He'd found one of Stabler's kids, Kathleen. She'd been more than happy to give her dad up.
Kathleen also told him that her parents had divorced. Amicably. Her mother had moved to upstate New York to be closer to her ailing parents. They'd been unable to contact their dad by phone to tell him about Olivia's encounter with the beast. The kids had decided not to reach out, fearing they'd make things worse since they had no idea when their dad would be back in contact.
But they had a location. A city. And Fin decided to make use of his vacation days. No one needed to know why he'd gone to Europe.
It seemed easy enough to find him. A week later, Fin finally managed with a bit of sweet talk to local baristas to find the bearded, bald American. It was cold and chilly when Fin spotted his target.
He followed him for half a day before cornering him in an alley.
In the years of his absence, Stabler had bulked up significantly.
"The hell do you want?" Elliot spun around to confront him when they'd gotten to the end of the alley that led to another narrow street. "What the fuck? Fin?"
"No, fucking Santa, I'm a few weeks late." Fin smirked. "You know how fucking hard you are to find?"
"I'm undercover. No one's supposed to know where I'm at." Elliot's eyes narrowed immediately. He looked dangerous. Angry. Ready to rip something or someone apart with his bare hands. "Is she…is she alive?"
There was a prolonged silence in the alley. Fin watched Elliot struggle to maintain his composure. Maybe it was a little cruel.
"Fin."
"She survived." Fin thought the flash of pain was a little deserved. "Barely."
Elliot stumbled back, grabbing onto the wall behind him for support. "What happened? Where was her partner?"
"In Europe pretending to be someone else." Fin had a moment of concern for his own safety when Elliot pushed away from the wall with his fists clenched tightly. "Listen, man, I ain't got time to make you feel better. She needs your ass. She's…I ain't never seen her like this. I'm worried about her."
"I…" Elliot dragged a hand across his face, his anger draining from him slowly. "Can you give me a day to wrap this case up?"
Fin nodded sharply. "My flight leaves at the end of the week anyway. Actually, how do you feel about a Valentine's Day surprise?"
•••
It was Valentine's Day. Olivia slunk down into her chair, glowering at the flowers on someone else's desk. She was alone.
Lonely.
Scarred, battered by the trial, and lonely.
She'd been thinking about Elliot recently. Her anger had waned. Now? Now she just missed him. Craved the comfort and familiarity of his embrace. His strength. She could admit that she'd been in love with her partner.
Was.
She was in love with her partner.
She missed him and was in love with him, but he'd left.
With time and distance, Olivia knew they'd been too co-dependent as partners. Too close. Jenna's shooting had simply been the catalyst; she understood why he'd left.
But she missed him and was in love with him.
After the trial, Olivia had talked her way into the evidence room and gotten his courtesy badge back. She had it and the semper fi medallion he'd left. The two pieces of him. The two pieces of her heart in tangible form.
"Who the hell is that with Fin?"
Olivia glanced up at Nick's comment. She spotted Fin coming into the bullpen, the first time he'd been back since his vacation. "Who?"
"Dude behind Fin."
"Oh my god." Olivia didn't know what to do. Finally, she dropped her pen on her desk and tried to stand on shaky legs. "Oh my god. Elliot."
He was by her side in what seemed like seconds. One arm went around her back while his other hand slid up to her neck. That familiar warmth and weight brought tears to her eyes. "I got a little lost on my way home, Liv. But I made it."
"Oh my god." Olivia was beginning to fall completely apart. She tried to draw a breath, and it stuck in her throat.
"Hey, easy, sweetheart, let's get you somewhere a little more private." Elliot looped his arms around her and walked her back into what she realized was Cragen's office. He kicked the door shut with his foot. "I got you, Liv. You're okay."
"I haven't been." Olivia pressed her face against his neck. Her fingers grasped at his shirt. He was her lifeline, the only thing keeping her on her feet while she allowed herself just the briefest moment to let someone else hold her up. Carry her burden for her. Just for a second. "I haven't been doing okay, El."
His arms tightened around her. "It's okay. Cap'n had the foresight to close the blinds. So they can't see anything."
"El. I can't…" Olivia held on to him so tightly that her fingers hurt. "I can't go through you leaving me again."
"Good. Because you're stuck with me now." Elliot eased her back just enough that he could brush his lips against her forehead. "I was hoping you'd be my valentine."
"Elliot."
He grinned at her. The smile that had always told her they were going to be okay. She was going to be okay. "Be my valentine."
"What about Kathy?"
"Engaged to a teacher in upstate New York. And before you ask, my kids have all been encouraging me to reconnect with the love of my life." Elliot brought his fingers around to tilt her chin up. "That's you, by the way."
"Your Valentine?"
"Mine." Elliot leaned in to brush a soft kiss just above her brow. "And I'll be yours if you'll have me."
"You've missed a lot, El."
"I know." His grin faded away on a sea of regret. "I know. And I'm—"
"I don't need an apology. I need you here." Olivia cut him off mercilessly. "I need you here, El."
"Swear to God, Liv. I'm here. Not going anywhere." He lifted her chin just a little further, and his lips descended on hers. "I love you."
Olivia glanced over her shoulder when someone knocked on the door. "What?"
"Listen, has his dumb ass kissed you yet? I've got a bet with Munch on how long it takes." Fin called out through the door. He knocked a second time when she had to cover Elliot's mouth to keep him from responding. "Liv?"
"Mind your business and tell Munch that he lost." Olivia figured it was the least she could do for the man who'd flown around the world to bring her partner back to her. "Happy Valentine's Day, Elliot."
Elliot dragged her hand away from his mouth so he could move in for another kiss. "How long until the Captain kicks us out of his office?"
"Elliot."