A/N: happy Tuesday!

This wasn't the first time Olivia had been romantically involved in someone at work. Over the years there had been a few dalliances with fellow police officers, although these were more concentrated at the start of her career. As the years wore on, Olivia had chosen to distance her professional and private life wherever possible. She valued her privacy greatly and was keen to separate herself from her job, even though it was such a huge part of her life. Elliot had been the one person who straddled both areas successfully.

She found that relationships which started in the office rarely left it. The few tentative attempts at dating which went beyond one or two meals had been stalled when it became clear that they had little in common on topics beyond the uniform. And simply sharing a job title or an office wasn't enough to allow these relationships to continue for more than a few months.

But Olivia knew that she and Amanda wouldn't have that problem. Sure, she wasn't clear exactly how their future would unfold but she did know they'd never run out of things to say or get bored of one another. Even though it had only been a few months since the blonde detective had popped up in her life, Olivia could tell that she would never find Amanda dull.

There was something else too, something more. Olivia didn't know what it was but she certainly recognised it that morning when Amanda appeared in the bullpen. It had only been a few hours since she'd left the younger woman's apartment, reluctantly heading back to her own place to shower and change before walking into work. The lingering kiss they'd shared was still a ghost on her lips when the blonde strolled over to her desk, greeting everyone as she took her seat before shooting a wide grin at Olivia.

For her part, Olivia promptly blushed and looked down at her keyboard where she began furiously typing to finish up the report she had not submitted the night before. The reaction was embarrassingly juvenile. It had also not gone unnoticed. She could feel Amanda's eyes on her and when the woman announced she was getting a coffee, something told Olivia she should follow. No, something in Olivia screamed at her to follow.

"Hey, you want one?" Amanda asked as she glanced over her shoulder at the sound of the break room door opening and seeing the statuesque woman entering.

"Yeah, thanks," Olivia said, leaning against the counter and watching the blonde go about the practice of making their drinks, just as Olivia had done for them back in the younger woman's apartment.

"So, what's up?" Amanda asked, tipping the steaming dark liquid into the second mug.

"Nothing."

Amanda laughed. "Yeah, right. You went bright red when I said hello to you just now. What's wrong? Are you imagining me pinning you up against the kitchen cabinet just a few hours ago?"

"Amanda!" Olivia exclaimed. "Keep your voice down."

The woman shook her head in amusement, picking up Olivia's coffee and handing it over. "Firstly, there is no one in here except you and I and we were both present for the pinning incident. And secondly, you blushing like a tomato is more suspicious than anything I've said or done so far. I mean, it would have been weirder if I hadn't said hello to you, right?"

Olivia had to admit that was right. "Yeah, ok, I need to work on my reaction. But like I told you, we need to keep this on the downlow."

"And I've done nothing to make people suggest that I know what your tongue feels like in my mouth."

Olivia wondered whether her cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg on at that moment. What was wrong with her? She was used to talking about sex, well sexual assaults, in honest, abrupt language. Hell, half of her life was spent talking with victims and encouraging them to use specific, accurate words to describe body parts. What Amanda was saying was accurate. So why was Olivia's face on fire? Amanda, for her part, seemed to be enjoying herself.

"I just …" Olivia cast around for the right words. "I guess I'm getting used to this, that's all. It's new and I always told myself I wouldn't get involved with anyone from work again. Don't worry, I'll get over it."

"You sure?" Amanda asked, suddenly sobering. "Cos, you know, if you don't think you can do this, tell me now. I'd rather find out today than weeks or months down the line when people start talking. And they will talk, Liv. If we keep dating, people are going to find out. You're going to have to come to terms with that or decide if it's something you can't deal with."

"I know and I don't want to pull the plug before we've even given us a chance," Olivia reassured. "That's not what this is about. I suppose I'm not used to reacting like this."

At that, Amanda grinned and waggled her eyebrows and stepped a little closer, eyes flicking down to Olivia's parted lips. "Oh yeah? And what sorta reaction are you havin' to me?" she asked, exacerbating her Georgian drawl.

Olivia rolled her eyes at the innuendo but couldn't deny that Amanda's teasing had some truth in it. "Come on, we've got to get back to work. People will talk."

"They won't talk about two colleagues getting coffee but they might talk about those."

Amanda pointed to Olivia's chest where, when the brunette looked down, she noticed the faintest shadows of her erect nipples straining through her blouse.

"You're a nightmare," Olivia groaned as Amanda let out a peal of laughter while the brunette tried to readjust her blouse to allow her to get back to her desk where she could shrug on her blazer.

"And you're horny," Amanda said, walking right up to Olivia and pausing before her, looking up into those big brown eyes. "Don't worry, Detective. I had to take a long cold shower after you left this morning and I'll need another one by the end of the shift. However turned on I make you, trust me, I feel it too."

And with that, Amanda strolled past Olivia who only let out the breath she had been holding when she heard the blonde ask Nick how his morning off had been.

The rest of the week passed in much the same fashion. Amanda seemed to relish every opportunity she found to tease the senior detective, sometimes going out of her way to ensure the two of them were alone but never alone enough for anything to happen. By the time their shift ended on Saturday, Olivia was practically vibrating with anticipation.

It was new; this excitement. Sure, she'd looked forward to dates in the past but this was different. She had been planning all week what she and the blonde would do together during their precious hours away from the precinct. Now all that was left was to see if Amanda liked her idea.

The moment their shift ended, both women all but leapt to their feet. If Nick and Fin noticed how keen their colleagues were to leave for the night, they didn't say anything. It wasn't as if they weren't eager to leave as well. Within five minutes, all four of them had vacated the bullpen and were travelling down in the elevator together. In the presence of their colleagues, neither Amanda nor Olivia said a word. It wasn't until they'd stepped out onto the street and said goodnight to the men that they acknowledged one another's presence.

"So, where are you taking me?" Amanda asked, looking up at Olivia and grinning widely.

"It's a surprise," Olivia replied, falling into step beside the blonde as they walked in the direction of their apartments. "Wear something warm and comfortable. I'll pick you up in an hour, if that's ok?"

"Can't you just tell me what we're going to do now?" Amanda pouted, slipping her arm through Olivia's as she walked and huddling up to the woman. Olivia wasn't sure whether the move was just because she wanted to be close to her or because snow had started to drift down from the skies. That week had seen the first dusting fall across Manhattan after the earlier storm blew itself away. Either way, Olivia wasn't going to complain and she placed a gloved hand over Amanda's as it rested on her forearm.

"I'm sure you can be patient for a little longer," Olivia teased. "I'm fairly sure you'll enjoy yourself."

They reached the crossroads where they had to part ways and stopped, sheltering in the doorway of a building. Amanda was reluctant to detach herself from Olivia but was also eager to get home and get ready for this mysterious date.

"Fine, I'll wait. But just so you know, I'm not telling you what I'm planning for your birthday in a few days time."

Olivia opened her mouth to protest that she didn't want to celebrate her birthday but Amanda got there before her, insisting that it wasn't going to be anything more than just the two of them, somewhere quiet. "Well, that is if tonight goes well and you don't realise you've made a mistake," the blonde added when she'd finished reassuring the older woman.

The self-doubt was evident in her tone and made Olivia's heart ache. How did the woman before her not know what a catch she was? Taking a glance up and down the street, Olivia leaned forwards and placed a chaste kiss on a downturned mouth. "This isn't a mistake," she murmured as she pulled back. "I'll see you in fifty minutes."

By the time the buzzer to her apartment rang exactly fifty minutes later, Amanda was not ready. In fact, she was standing in the middle of her bedroom in her underwear, surrounded by a sea of clothes which she'd pulled out of her wardrobe and promptly discarded. Frannie watched her mistress from the bed with what looked suspiciously like amusement. It was not the first time she'd watched this bizarre display of behaviour.

"Crap," she muttered, climbing over the mound of fabric between her and the door and hurried across her apartment to let Liv in. "The door's on the latch. I'll be five minutes," she called into the receiver before flicking the catch on the lock and rushing back into her room.

There was no more time. A decision had to be made. Given the bitter weather which was outside and the fact that Olivia had told her to dress warm, Amanda finally plumped for her black skinny jeans. She tugged them on and was wriggling her hips to get the denim to settle in place when she heard Olivia enter her apartment and call out her presence.

"Two minutes. I'm just, you know, um -"

"Take your time," Olivia called back as Amanda scooped up a black tank top and thrust her arms through the holes. This was paired with a navy blue blouse and would be finished off with her favourite jacket. She hoped it wasn't too formal, too work-like. The clothes happened to be what Amanda felt most comfortable in. And sexiest in.

With time having run out, she gathered up armfuls of clothes and threw everything into her closet. Just in case the date, well, she wouldn't let herself dream of such an ending. Dreading the task of putting everything back on hangers, she pushed the door shut and turned to the mirror. Luckily she'd done her makeup before choosing the outfit, knowing the decision of what to wear might make her late. Which, it had.

Grabbing her leather jacket from her bed, the one piece of clothing she'd decided on days before, Amanda returned to the living room to greet her guest. And date. And friend. And colleague. Well, this was going to be an interesting night.

"I'm so sorry, Liv. I … wow."

She stopped short when she took in the sight of the woman before her. The heels the brunette was wearing, black ankle boots, gave the tall woman a couple of extra inches than usual. That, paired with the fact that Amanda was just wearing socks threw their height difference into sharp relief. That was the first thing that struck Amanda but it was closely followed by the way the woman's outfit hugged every curve in a way that she was fairly sure had to be illegal. Dark blue jeans and a tight, blood red shirt, the woman had slung her heavy winter coat over her arm upon entering the warm cocoon that was Amanda's apartment.

"Wow yourself," Olivia said, recognising that Amanda's unfinished sentence was as a result of her appearance. And she wasn't exactly disappointed in the reaction. She had been hoping the woman would be pleased with the look. If she was honest with herself, she had been apprehensive. After all, she was quite a bit older than Amanda who was a pint-sized, blonde bombshell, to use the cliche expression. Judging from the slackjaw expression, however, Amanda was speechless. Which had to be a positive thing in the circumstances. "So, are you ready?"

"Um, yeah, hang on," Amanda said, pulling flat black boots of her own out of the cupboard by the front door and jamming her feet in. As she did this, Frannie hopped up on the couch, recognising that the rest of the night's events wouldn't involve her. "So, are you going to tell me where we're going now?"

"No," Olivia asked. "You've waited all week. What's a few more minutes?"

Amanda pouted but didn't try and argue. What was the point? And anyway, what mattered was the fact that she was about to go on a date with Detective Olivia Benson.

"Hey, you look beautiful by the way," Amanda said as Olivia turned to open the apartment door.

"Thanks," Olivia smiled. "You look gorgeous too."

Amanda beamed and followed Olivia out into the hall, shouting out goodnight to Frannie who had been watching the exchange from the couch. But out in the hall, her progress was cut short as she walked into Olivia's back.

"What's up? Did you forget something?" she asked, confused as to why the woman wasn't moving further down the corridor.

"Just this," Olivia said, spinning on the spot and cupping Amanda's face as she kissed her, hard and firm. There was a moment of surprise but Amanda was quickly kissing her back, not caring that the carefully applied lipstick would be smudged now.

"Sorry, couldn't wait a moment longer," Olivia said when they broke apart. "You really are beautiful, Amanda Rollins."

"You scrub up pretty good yourself, Liv. Come on, let's get this date underway before the not knowing kills me."

Olivia nodded her agreement and reached to take Amanda's hand in her own as they set off out of the building and into the cold New York night.

A/N: Next up, the date! Any ideas for what our ladies might do?