I seriously thought to get this up sooner, but then again another exam, another presentation, another practical task... and another and another. And there is my master's thesis I'm starting to work on and apparently when I'm handed a problem with a task to figure out how to do it... Well, it takes a toll. And I have no idea when this period is going to end.. or if it's going to end, because from where I am now - I don't see it coming.
I'm not 100% satisfied with the outcome, but finally got some important events mixed into this and got the ability to work on the fundament I've been building for quite some time.
***SVU***
7.10 Storm
Her pager had been peeping for awhile now, while his stayed perfectly quiet. She groaned and stretched her hand to shut it off; she grabbed it and unwillingly opened her eyes to read her page. It was O'Halloran , who apparently had something. She dropped her paged back on the nightstand and took her watch, reading 5:40 am and groaned again – she just lost 20 minutes of sleep.
Slowly Olivia dragged herself off the bed and quietly entered the bathroom, she splashed some cold water on her face and brushed her teeth. Finished with that she quietly changed into work attire and that's when Elliot's pager went off.
He hid his head under the pillow and refused to accept his page.
Olivia laughed at him, then came to sit by the bedside and shook him gently.
"Wake up, honey, we have a job to do," she said in fake enthusiasm.
"I'm sleeping," he protested.
"Not anymore," she said, and gently poked his ribs with her fingers, tickling him.
"Stop it, Liv, it's not funny," he said, blindly trying to grab her hands to stop the tease.
Olivia wore a proud smirk on her face until Elliot finally threw the pillow away and sat up, but he had no intentions of getting up. Seeing as he failed to stop Olivia from teasing him, he grabbed her waist instead and pulled her back to bed and to secure his success, he covered her with his body and kissed her. Olivia offered no resistance.
"I don't wanna go to work, let's just stay here and call in sick," Elliot proposed, "Can't remember when we took a sick day."
"Oh, I like the idea, but we have a little kid to rescue," Olivia replied.
Elliot frowned.
"This better be good," he grunted and released her.
Olivia got up and announced that she'll make coffee, so Elliot could get ready. Their usual morning routine continued in kitchen, drinking coffee, eating cereal and reading the newspaper while having a casual morning conversation, then drove to work.
"I saw we have a weekend off, so it would be a nice time to clean up my apartment," Elliot said and pressed the button for the elevator.
"Oh, we're doing this now," Olivia was surprised.
"Well, we are moving in together, unless you managed to change your mind again," Elliot explained, hoping she won't reconsider.
"Oh, no, I just didn't think about the idea becoming reality, but weekend sounds nice," she said.
The elevator reached their floor and the detectives got in, Olivia pressed the button to SVU squad room and the moment elevator doors were closed, he pressed her against the wall and pressed his lips to hers, eagerly using the time he had with her before they become partners and their relationship is purely professional – Cragen made that very clear.
"I'll call my landlord and cancel my rent," he said, when the elevator reached its destination and the detectives got off.
Elliot stayed down by his desk, while Olivia went upstairs, where O'Halloran was with the TV and VHS player.
"I got your page. You've been working all night?" Olivia asked, when she reached her destination.
"Yeah, but it was worth it," Ryan confirmed, "Dozens of family photos came in. Then we hit the jackpot. Video," he added and showed a VHS cassette, then put it in player.
"Lady was filming her kid on the carousel, we got a full 360 of the crowd. And a lot of kids," he said as the video player.
"Pause it," Olivia ordered, when their victims came to picture, she pointed at the screen and counted the kids, hopeful because that means their dirtbag must be somewhere too.
"Morning," Munch said, when he got there with Tasha, "We didn't have time to get her dressed at the children's center," he added to avoid the questions about her outfit.
"I'm sleepy," Tasha whined, her eyes only half opened.
"Oh, sweetheart, I know you are, but come here," Olivia said and settled Tasha on the chair she had occupied earlier, "I want you to have a seat and take a really good look and see if you can find the man, okay?" she instructed.
O'Halloran pressed the play button and everybody was focused on the screen. Luckily Tasha found the guy they were looking for.
Munch led Tasha to the crib, where the little girl fell asleep instantly. Olivia stayed with O'Halloran to get the prints of their perp until loud noises from the squad room took her attention. She hurriedly walked down the stairs and to the center of it all.
Seems like Elliot and the reporter Jackson were in word fight, in which Elliot confiscated the camera.
"Throw his ass in the cage, give me the camera," Elliot said to a fellow detective, who had a hold on the reporter.
"A source at the hospital said the girl left with you. It's gonna make a great headline: NYPD fakes a coma girl tragedy," Jackson said in rage.
"Hold on, let him go," Olivia said as she just arrived, "Don't do this," she tried.
"You've got nothing coming. I'm running the story," Jackson said confidently.
"You're risking a child's life," Olivia protested.
"Yesterday you said she was dying. Why should I believe you?" Jackson asked.
"Because we'll give you an exclusive on an even bigger story," Elliot interrupted.
Jackson turned away from Olivia to her partner with a grin as he held the cards here, "Bigger one than what I just got?" he asked smartly.
"Pulitzer material," Elliot confirmed.
"Screw me over and I will spend the rest of my career crawling so far up your asses," Jackson threatened.
"Well, we wouldn't want that," Olivia said.
Jackson seemed to believe them and focused on Olivia.
"Early edition deadline is at 11 P.M. You call me by 9, or coma girl runs," Jackson made his offer and left.
Elliot came to Olivia, glad that the reporter was gone and they could come back to the case. He also made a mental note to ask her about that guy since he seemed to be fond of his girl. Munch came with a information about Katarina relief center they should attend and so Olivia and Elliot were on their way.
***SVU***
Elliot pushed the brakes at the red light and turned to his partner, who was focused on looking out of the window.
"What's your deal with this reporter?" he asked bluntly.
"Well, he's a reported and I'm a detective, that's our deal," Olivia said, a little confused by the question.
"You two seem to be cozy around each other. You know him well?" Elliot fished.
"We met yesterday at the press conference and he smelt something fishy. He's just doing his job and we have to get along so he won't get in the way of our job," Olivia explained simply.
"And why do you think he turned to you, I was there, so were Fin and Munch, plus he could go to Cragen, get the source from highest level?" Elliot asked.
"El, it's a little over the line, don't you think so?" Olivia shot back.
"No, I don't think so," he was firm, "Plus your zipper is way too low – I could almost see your breasts," he added.
Olivia glanced at him, then took a look at her sweatshirts zipper, which stopped at her breasts. Stubbornly she pulled it all the way up and gave him a death glare.
"Better?" she asked, obviously pissed.
"Yeah," he said quietly.
Olivia shook her head and chose to stay quiet for a moment.
Elliot stopped the car and parked it in front of the shelter.
"For the record, I don't wanna get that kind of treatment from you ever again," she snapped.
Elliot glared her, deciding his options and turned away.
"Let's go, see if we can identify the perp," he said and they both headed to the shelter.
***SVU***
She was pissed. Well, that's an understatement, she was way beyond pissed. They had the guy and they just had to follow him home to get the little girl, but now… They had the guy, but they had no idea where is Nikki. And from experience and this guy's attitude, she was pretty sure he'll give them nothing to go on and Nikki's location is still undetermined. So she was pissed and tired and she wanted to kill that Jackson guy, but lucky for him – murder is a crime and she is a detective.
Her mind was raging when she got off the elevator to see what she can do to get closer to the girl, Elliot was doing the interview and Munch was… doing whatever he does to close the case.
"Hey, I'm sorry," Jackson said from behind her, following her.
Olivia turned around and controlled herself – she seriously wanted to strangle that guy.
"You blew our surveillance on a child abductor. An 8-year-old girl is out there somewhere, maybe dying because of you," Olivia snapped.
"I thought you were gaming me," Jackson explained, "What can I do?"
"Pray that he talks," Olivia snapped and walked away from him before she will snap and so something she'll regret.
She basically threw her coat on the back of her chair and got behind the computer. She decided to check the child molesters from the hurricane zone and compare them to their perp.
***SVU***
Everything took a turn to the worst with SVU ordered to stand down and their investigation was over, except there might be an anthrax epidemic lurking around, but they could do nothing about it. All they knew is that it's bad and feds want to make this go away without any trace, but Olivia for once was not willing to let that happen.
So there she was, standing in the middle of street, hoping for Jackson to show up after she had avoided telling him anything about the case and now they needed public to know so feds can't make it away. To her luck a cab pulled up and Jackson came out.
"Change of heart?" Jackson asked.
"Yeah," Olivia said and nod, "I want to tell you a story."
Jackson took out his notepad and looked at Olivia seriously with a feeling this was going to be a real story and she probably would get into trouble for doing this.
"All right," he said.
"There's a nice quiet café just across the street," Olivia proposed.
Jackson nod and followed her.
"I assume if anyone asks, we're just having coffee?" Jackson asked.
"Hopefully they don't ask, but if they do we're just having coffee and discussing weather or something," Olivia confirmed.
They got to their destination, both ordered coffee and took the most private table at the back, and then Olivia started talking about everything she had been avoiding until then. Jackson was surprised by everything coming out from her mouth, but he wrote it all down carefully.
"I should be able to get it printed tomorrow," he said, giving a quick look at the time.
"Good," Olivia said heavily.
"Is there also a catch? Are you hoping for something?" he asked.
"No, not this time," Olivia said.
Jackson nod, but before he could say anything Olivia's phone went off. She took it out and saw Elliot's name flashing on the screen.
"Sorry, it's my partner," she apologized and answered.
"Benson," she said to the phone.
"Liv, where are you? You left hours ago, but you're still not home," Elliot asked.
"I was checking a lead for a cold case, but it came out to be nothing," Olivia lied.
"Didn't know you were working a cold case, what case is that?" Elliot asked curiously.
"The Samantha Roberts case, her friend called me before with some information about the boyfriend we liked for the crime, but comes out it's nothing. I'm on my way back now," Olivia said and winced – she didn't like lying to him.
"Okay. I got Chinese, but it's cold now. I'll heat it up," Elliot said, figuring he'll question her real whereabouts later.
"Great," Olivia replied.
"See you soon," He said.
"Yeah," Olivia agreed.
"Love you," he said.
"You too," Olivia said and hang up.
She put her phone back in the pocket and turned to Jackson, while she was thinking about Elliot she had to face soon.
"Guess it's secret enough if you're lying to your boyfriend," Jackson commented.
"What?" Olivia asked in surprise.
"It's fairly obvious you two are together given by the looks he sent me every time I was near you and the way you act around each other," he said neutrally.
Olivia had no reply, she just glared at the reporter, waiting for him to make his offer and wondering how much keeping it quiet will cost her.
"Don't worry, it's not something I'd write about, got a much better and bigger story now," Jackson said and Olivia relaxed visibly.
"Thanks," she said, "But I have to get home."
Jackson nod and they both left, taking different directions home.
Elliot was slouched over the couch watching the late night news, when Olivia got home. She joined him on the couch and took the untouched carton of Chinese from the table, eagerly eating it.
"I have to go to my place tonight, I've ran out of clean shirts and figured I could start packing," he said.
"That's great," Olivia replied.
"I was wondering if you want to help me, we can make packing sexy," Elliot proposed seductively.
"I'd love to, but I'm too tired to do anything but sleep," Olivia politely refused.
"Well, you were tracking down the lead so late at night," Elliot prompted, not quite believing her.
"Yeah, I was tracking down a lead," she lied.
Elliot nod.
Olivia put her half eaten box on the table and stood up.
"I'm gonna go to sleep," she said.
"Liv, what's wrong?" Elliot asked.
"Nothing," she answered quickly.
"I know you," Elliot said and stood, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"It's the case, once this mess is cleared, I'll be fine," she said and rubbed her eyes.
He nod, figuring pushing it now won't do any good.
"You know, I can stay and go to my apartment tomorrow," he said, really not wanting to leave her now.
"No, it's okay. Go," Olivia brushed it off.
Elliot pulled her to him and hugged her, burying his face in her hair and trying to comfort her.
"I'll stay if you want to," he said again.
"Okay," she said weakly.
"Okay," he repeated.
She struggled away from his grip and went to bed like she originally intended. Elliot cleaned up the living room, turned off her TV and followed her, when she was already under the covers with her face buried in the pillow. He stripped down to his boxers and lay down next to her, letting his hand lie loosely around her and turned off the lights.
***SVU***
The next morning Elliot woke before Olivia, changed and went to his apartment to shower and get clean clothes, but still he was in the precinct before Olivia. The first thing he saw was Cragen furiously coming towards him with a newspaper in his hands. He threw it in front of him and let Elliot read the headline.
"Do you know anything about it?" he demanded.
"No, I swear I didn't talk to that newspaper guy," Elliot replied, but he had a hunch who had.
"Did Liv?" Cragen asked.
"Not that I know of," Elliot answered.
"You better not be messing with me. Chief of D's is on his way now, I've already gotten calls from the feds and they are not so pleased. They know someone from this squad leaked the photo and that someone might end up in federal prison," Cragen said seriously.
"I know it's serious, but I know nothing about it," Elliot said firmly.
Before Cragen could say anything Chief of D's walked to the squad room and to Cragen's office, where the Captain followed his boss and closed the door.
Elliot sat down behind his desk and stared at the photo. There was no lead last night, Olivia was with Jackson Zane and she told him the story that could cost her everything she had worked for. And Elliot also realized that it could cost him Olivia and the relationship he so eagerly wanted to work.
About an hour later Olivia finally got to work and Elliot got to her the moment he saw her.
"What the hell were you thinking?" he hissed and gave her the paper.
"Nice picture," Olivia commented and dropped the paper on her desk.
"Why'd you give it to him?" Elliot demanded.
"Who says I did?" Olivia answered in avoidance and dropped her coat on her chair.
"Don't play games with me," Elliot said seriously, "Olivia, look the Chief of D's is in there right now," he pointed at Cragen's office, "the Feds are going nuts. They know someone from this squad leaked the photo to Ledger."
"A lot of people had cameras in the park that day. Jackson Zane could've gotten that photo from anybody," Olivia said easily, seemingly not afraid at all.
Elliot was surprised by her indifference and he wanted to say so much to her, but he found that it's neither the time nor the place.
"You think that's gonna fly?" he asked.
"Those girls lost their mother, their home, everything. But they still trusted us to make things right," Olivia explained.
Elliot walked back to her and lowered his voice so their conversation will stay private.
"I get it, they've been through a lot, but while you're thinking about everybody else, who's thinking about you? I can't fix everything you do in the name of this job," Elliot argued.
"I'm not asking you to, I can take care of myself," Olivia replied.
"Liv, we talked about this. The decisions you make affect both of us now, there are things we should decide together for example you risking your life," Elliot said.
"El, you're exaggerating, my life was never in danger," Olivia said easily.
"You're missing the point. You're supposed to talk to me about these things," Elliot got back to his point.
"And put us both at risk?" Olivia asked and shook her head.
"Liv, there is such thing called honesty that's fundamental to any relationship. I know you weren't following a lead last night," Elliot said finally, walked over to his desk and sat down, refusing to look at her any longer.
Olivia also sat down and turned on her computer.
"I don't ever want to read about a classified investigation in the tabloids again. You receive an order to comply with the feds, you and everybody under you obey it or you won't have a command anymore," Chief of D's said as he exited Cragen's office and glanced over at the detectives.
"Yes, chief," Cragen said.
The Chief of D's left hurriedly the precinct, but he also let silence take over in the room, no one dared to speak.
"Olivia," Cragen said calmly, "In here, now." he added and pointed at his office, then went in and waited for Olivia to follow.
Elliot instantly looked at her, so their eyes locked for a moment and then she stood up and went to face her punishment with everyone's eyes at her as she did so, except for Elliot's – he couldn't look at her at the moment.
Cragen closed the door after Olivia and turned to the female detective. While Olivia was waiting for a lecture and screaming to follow, she was surprised, when her Captain turned to her calmly, worriedly even.
"I don't like being bossed around by some G-man in a $1,000 suit, but when I'm told to stand down in the interests of national security, I bite my tongue," he said heavily.
"Captain…" Olivia started.
"Shut up," Cragen interrupted, "When they question me, I don't wanna lie and they will question us all," he continued.
Olivia stayed quiet and Cragen closed the distance between them with a clear intention not to call her out, but to express his concern – they both knew it was Olivia, probably everybody knew it.
"If they prove you leaked this, they will take your job, your pension, and your freedom," he said seriously, "I don't want to visit you in a federal prison and I doubt Elliot wants that either."
He moved his hand to her shoulder and looked at her intensely.
"Liv, I know why you did this, but you can't keep on putting your life at risk for the sake of everybody else around you. Stop for a moment and think of yourself, think about your partner desperately trying to save you. And let him. You are needed here not in some federal lock-up facility," he said seriously.
Olivia nod, but chose not to reply – she couldn't say anything, because maybe she did the right thing, but that could come back not only to her, but Cragen and possibly Elliot could suffer the aftershock of her actions.
"Dismissed," Cragen said and removed his hand indicating that the conversation is over.
Olivia left his office, but Cragen stood frozen in the spot. During his conversation with the Chief of D's, he intended to be pissed and yell at Olivia – give her the lecture she'll never forget. He really meant to do that. He was sure of it the moment he called her in to her office, but the moment she entered and stood opposite of him, looking at the floor and looking – probably feeling too – guilty and sort of sad, but still with no regret, Cragen knew he couldn't.
She stood in front of him and all he could think about what would happen if Olivia was no longer there – how it would change him, because even though he didn't think much of her, when she started, she has grown on him and he sees her as the daughter he never had. He couldn't be mad at her, because even though he doesn't admit it, she did the right thing and maybe, just maybe, he would have done the same thing if he had been in her position and if he'd still have that determination and passion Olivia has.
Cragen mentally hit himself and walked across his table and took a seat with multiple piles of paperwork waiting for him and more cases to solve than he had the energy to, all while praying that Olivia wouldn't be caught – praying that she'll get away with this crime, but he refused to think about the future. There will always be another case like this, another perp almost getting away and another case where his detectives have to risk everything just to get the job done. So he couldn't focus on the future, because for some weird reason present seemed to be better.
He turned his eyes to the squad room, where the detectives were working quietly behind their desks. His eyes caught Olivia descending to her desk and Elliot coming to her instantly. He watched them, occasionally praying for them too, because if this crashes and burns, he'll lose his two best detectives and he is not willing to do that. But he found peace in watching Elliot take her hand in his, their conversation seemingly peaceful. Cragen saw Elliot kiss her forehead and then both of them heading out, presumably trying to solve the case, because feds can't make it disappear anymore.
Cragen knew that Olivia and Elliot will get to the bottom of things and he knew that they'll find some closure. And that made him smile.
***SVU***
Olivia unlocked her door and entered the apartment. Elliot was sitting on couch watching the TV and eating Chinese from the carton.
"Hey," she greeted.
"It's late," he stated.
"I know. I had an errand to run," Olivia explained.
Elliot nod and waited for Olivia to join her. He took another carton out of the plastic bag and handed it to her wordlessly. Olivia accepted her dinner and suddenly realized how hungry she was – probably skipping lunch had not been such a good idea.
"What errand was that?" Elliot asked.
Olivia stayed quiet and ate her noodles.
"You went to see him, didn't you?" Elliot asked, already knowing his answer.
"I did," Olivia confirmed, "Asked him to give the feds my name," she added.
"Did he?" Elliot asked calmly.
"No," Olivia said heavily.
"Guess the man has more guts than I thought," he said easily, "You should consider yourself lucky."
"Maybe I should," she said, obviously not happy about the outcome.
Elliot focused on the movie for a moment, he was not in a mood to take this topic any further, because he had disliked that Jackson guy and this case from the beginning and he was glad that it's all over now. And he was thankful that Olivia managed to get out of this without losing her job or being locked up.
"We have the weekend off and I invited the kids over tomorrow," Elliot said, changing the topic.
"Okay," Olivia said, but her mind was already starting to form all kinds of scenarios how all of this could go wrong.
"It's gonna be okay. Kathleen and Maureen know and they're okay with this, Lizzie and Dickie like you so you have nothing to worry about," Elliot assured her.
"Yeah," she said vaguely, "I have no board games though," she added.
"I got Monopoly somewhere there," he said and pointed at boxes by the wall, "I picked up some stuff from my apartment and canceled my rent. I have month to move out."
Olivia looked at the boxes she failed to notice before and nod. It's good, they're moving forward and taking another step in the relationship. It's what they're supposed to do, right?
Both of them ate in silence until both of the cartons were placed on the table as a sign that they're done.
Elliot looked glanced over and saw that she barely ate half of her dinner, again.
"You really should start eating more," he commented.
Olivia sent him the best death glare she managed and Elliot put his hands up in defeat. He figured he could bring it up sometime in near future again if she doesn't change her eating habits.
She casually scooted closer to him and climbed on his lap, straddling him. She pressed her lips against his casually and kissed him.
"How about you quit talking now?" she proposed with a smirk.
"I'm liking the idea," he said eagerly and kissed her again, more than willing to end the dry spell he was currently having.
He started unbuttoning her shirt and then slipped it off, leaving her in tank top. He slipped his arms around her and under the shirt, caressing the bare skin of her back. She broke the kiss and moved on to his neck making him moan. Her hands were unbuttoning his shirt and with a little help from him, she got his upper body rid of clothes. He returned the favor by getting her top over her head and unclasped her bra.
Elliot felt familiar tightening in his pants and decided to move this forward, so he grabbed a hold of her and turned them around so her back hit the cold material of couch and he landed on top of her. He was hungry for her, his hands were trying to grip as much as they could and his mouth was rediscovering the soft skin of hers which was now exposed to him.
"Bet your journalist is dreaming of this right now," he said as he kissed her breasts.
Olivia stopped him and pushed him away keeping her hands on his chest so there was a distance between their bodies.
"What? It's true," Elliot protested.
She kept on staring at him.
"You know I'm possessive and you gotta admit he was trying to get into your pants," Elliot said.
"One more comment and you won't get there either," Olivia threatened.
Elliot frowned and nod in defeat. Olivia loosened her hold on him and he slowly removed his hands, kissed them both and held them in his hand, placing them on the armrest above her head and holding them there.
He kissed her tenderly on the lips and got on with his intentions.
"Mine," he whispered after breaking apart.
He loosened his grip on her hands and moved downwards, paying attention to her breasts.
"Mine," he whispered again after releasing her left breast and repeated the action with her right.
Elliot kept on moving down and left a trail of kisses on her belly until he came in contact with her belt, he quickly unbuckled it and removed the rest of her clothing. His lips found her clit and sucked her tender skin there, causing her to suck in air and gasp loudly.
"Most definitely mine," he decided and continued to please her.
"El," she squeaked, when she felt her orgasm building up.
His hand was resting on her breast, massaging it while his tongue mimicked the action, which made her lose control and scream his name.
He waited for a moment for her to come down from her high and then started trailing kisses on her once again, this time moving upwards, finally reaching her lips.
Olivia meanwhile found his belt and unbuckled it and pushed his pants down, finally freeing his aching member. She grabbed a hold of it, which caused Elliot to bite her lower lip he was sucking on. She started stroking him while he assaulted her breasts again.
"Mine?" she more like asked than stated, unlike he did before.
"God, Liv, yours forever," he said and disrupted the contact for a moment.
Soon her strokes were not enough for him and Elliot grew restless by moment, so he started rocking his body and finally met her halfway, but he needed to be inside of her.
"You ready, Liv?" he asked hoarsely.
Olivia nod.
Elliot swatted her hand away and positioned himself over her precisely. He teased her clit with his tip for a moment before entering. Then he pushed himself all the way in with one swift movement, while his lips found hers again and muffled her cry.
He started thrusting slow at first, allowing her to adjust, and she broke the kiss, turning her head to the side. His lips found her neck, his hands wrapped around her tightly so their chests were pressed together tightly, and he was picking up his pace. She encouraged him with her moans, the way her heels pressed at his bottom, urging him, and her nails scratching his back.
"Oh, Liv," he managed when his world came close to exploding.
"God, Elliot," she replied, "Just keep doing that."
He obliged and he was rewarded with her crying out his name once more, when he managed to make her world come undone, again.
"Olivia," he shouted and pressed his teeth into her neck seconds later when he spilled himself inside of her and collapsed on top of her.
"Oh, Liv, you're amazing," he panted.
"And yours," she added.
He smiled and lazily angled his head so his lips were right by her ear.
"And I'm yours," he said.
Olivia smiled and closed her eyes, content with the very situation they were in, but still she shifted to get more comfortable underneath him. Elliot took it as a clear sign and found her lips again, so he pulled out of her and turned them around so she ended up on top of him.
They stayed like that for quite long without moving or saying anything, simply enjoying the feeling.
"We should get up," she said.
"Yeah," he agreed, but neither of them made a move to get up.
"Seriously, we'll regret falling asleep like this," Olivia said again referring to her uncomfortable couch and the suddenly cold air that hit her.
"I don't see you moving," he teased.
Olivia groaned, and finally pushing herself up and getting up from the couch. Elliot protested loudly at that, he missed the warmth her body offered, but now it was replaced by cool air hitting his skin. So he followed her and found her brushing teeth with the bathroom door creaked open. He joined her, but to his great dismay she had found her shorts and one of his t-shirt she used for sleeping, covering her body he had so very much grown to appreciate. A frown covered his face, but he kept on brushing.
She was already under the covers, when he finished brushing his teeth, so he quickly joined her and turned off the lights. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her shoulder.
"I'm so tired," she whispered.
"Then sleep," he ordered, "We have a big day tomorrow."
"Night," she said through yawn.
"Sleep well," he whispered.
***SVU***
Olivia was watching. Her eyes followed carefully every movement he made in her kitchen to make sure he wouldn't set it on fire, even though he was known to be a better cook than Olivia. Still Olivia was banned from doing anything, because in the eyes of Elliot she managed to cut the carrots the wrong way, so he ordered her to stand down.
The kids were supposed to arrive in an hour, so the apartment was much cleaner than it usually was, while the kitchen reminded Olivia of warzone it regularly was not. The Monopoly was on coffee table with healthy snacks.
They were ready for the night.
Olivia practically jumped, when her phone rang. Elliot eyed at her curiously, already knowing it's their Captain, but he kept wondering if his will start ringing too or he'll get the order from Olivia.
"Benson," she said to the phone.
"Olivia. I know it's your free night, but we need you," Cragen said.
"What happened?" Olivia asked and made a face at Elliot.
"Fin and Munch caught a break at Coleman case, but our suspect will only talk you. Comes out he saw your photo on the newspaper and now he keeps on giving us silent treatment until you come," Cragen explained.
While Cragen was talking, Elliot kept on shaking his head violently.
"What's the evidence against him?" Olivia asked ignoring Cragen.
"His DNA matches and the suspect gave us positive ID, but a confession will make Casey's job easier," Cragen explained.
"We're not coming in, Munch and Fin can handle it for one night," Elliot said after grabbing the phone from Olivia.
"I need only your partner," Cragen said. He heard some distant noises, a loud cracking and then someone grunting loudly.
"I'll be right in," Olivia replied.
"Thank you," Cragen said sincerely.
Olivia flipped her phone shut and looked at Elliot who was now cursing and rubbing the back of his head – when Olivia tried to grab her phone from him, Elliot put up a fight which ended with him hitting his head against the cabinet.
"I have to go in," Olivia said to Elliot.
"But kids are about to arrive. I've been waiting for this moment for so long," He protested, but deep inside he knew it's a lost cause.
"I'll be quick," Olivia promised and left the kitchen, "Your food is burning," she shouted from the bedroom door and Elliot cursed again, trying to save his cooking.
She appeared moments later in her work attire and clipped on her badge along with the gun and looked for her keys.
"I'll say that you're sorry, but will be here later," Elliot said.
"You do that, I'll do my best to get back here," Olivia promised.
Elliot nod.
She walked up to him and gave him a quick kiss goodbye. Elliot grabbed her hand and stopped Olivia for a moment.
"Do you want to be here when I tell them?" he asked seriously.
"You can tell them. Maybe it's better when I'm not here," Olivia said, considering her options.
"Okay," he agreed and released her hand.
Olivia grabbed her coat and she was out of the apartment.
***SVU***
"Daddy is a sore loser," Lizzie announced, when Elliot was forced into bankrupt and he took his player "Old Shoe" out of the playing table.
Only Maureen, Lizzie and Dickie were still in game, and by the looks of it Dickie was probably going to win.
"Don't worry dad, we can always beat them the next time," Kathleen said to comfort Elliot since they were the first two to go bankrupt.
"Absolutely," Elliot agreed and sat back, his eyes paying close attention to the game.
Maureen's top hat reached Dickie's lot and the pavement was way too high for the already broke Maureen, so she had fall out of game too, leaving the twins to play alone.
"Guess the new generation of Stablers is coming on," Maureen commented as she moved across the room to join her father and sister.
"We'll get them next time," Kathleen assured her sister.
Elliot and Maureen chuckled, took a look at Lizzie's turn, curious of the outcome.
"When's Olivia getting back?" Kathleen asked.
"I don't know. She promised to be back as soon as she could, but the interrogations might take longer than we expect them too," Elliot said easily and glanced at his watch – Olivia went back to the precinct 3 hours ago.
"So she's not running away from us?" Maureen teased.
"Of course she is, if she'd see you in your own element, she'd be running away so I made her work tonight," Elliot replied with sarcasm he knew Maureen and Kathleen will get.
"That explains," Kathleen went along.
"True, we are a lot to handle," Maureen joined.
Elliot smiled at his daughters and suddenly felt proud of them.
"I'm sure she's stuck at work, but she'll come," Elliot said, hoping it's true.
Kathleen sipped her ice-tea and turned serious for a moment.
"Dad, are you happy, seriously?" Kathleen asked quietly, so the twins couldn't hear it even if they were paying attention to anything else beside the board game in front of them.
"We saw you and mom fight so many times and for so long time. I saw how it changed our parents and we felt the pain of seeing the loved ones breaking up. I don't wanna feel like that again. We don't want to see you get hurt," Maureen explained.
"I'm truly happy girls, Olivia is so different from your mother. When we got married, we were both kids and I guess we couldn't stand the test of time. I've known Liv for almost 8 years now and we've both seen each other in situations we'd rather forget. We've spent 8 years watching each other's back, which has created a mutual trust. We both understand the demands our job has, and the need not to think about work outside the precinct. I know for a fact that she adores you and I hope you like her as much for this relationship to work," Elliot talked about Olivia, hoping his kids truly are as accepting as they said before.
"Olivia's great," Maureen said easily.
"We're happy if you're happy, until she becomes the evil step-mother and takes you away from us," Kathleen said.
"She wouldn't do that," Elliot said easily, knowing Kathleen didn't really meant the last part.
"We know. Kathleen just gives you sort of warning just in case," Maureen explained.
Before Elliot could say anything a big shout coming from Lizzie filled the room, apparently Dickie had taken a turn for the worst and now Lizzie had the lead.
"I can't wait for Olivia to get here to see me win," Lizzie announced.
"Oh you are not winning, lil Sis," Dickie replied confidently.
"I'm sure she wouldn't miss it," Elliot said, praying she'd get here already.
"We believe in you Lizzie," Kathleen encouraged.
"Yeah, show the little brat what women are capable of," Maureen added.
Lizzie looked proud of herself and stuck her tongue out at Dickie.
"Act like a lady Lizzie. Dickie show her what Stabler men are doing," Elliot said to his son.
"I'm gonna win, dad," Dickie said and rolled the dice.
Lizzie and Dickie turned their full attention back to the game and forgot the rest of the world.
"So you told the little brats already," Kathleen mused. She had joined them later due to staying at school a little longer and Elliot told them over the drive to Olivia's. Lizzie seemed to be excited to see Olivia more often – she has always had a soft spot for Elliot's partner, while Dickie was more indifferent, but Elliot took it as a sign that his son needs some time to think about it and Elliot will hear about his opinion sometime.
"I did," Elliot confirmed.
"Does mom know?" She asked.
Both Maureen and Kathleen looked at Elliot curiously, wondering how Kathy would react if she got the news.
"I haven't told her yet, but I will," Elliot said strictly, he was truly intending to do that, but he just hadn't had a moment alone with his ex-wife to talk about Olivia and the situation they were in.
"Oh, she'll be furious," Maureen said knowingly.
"She was never Olivia's fan," Kathleen agreed, "But she's dating Mike so I guess she's moving on and maybe it's not that bad."
The conversation was cut due to a key placed to a lock and the door opening afterwards with indication that Olivia had arrived.
She took her time kicking off her work boots, placing the coat neatly on hanger and removing her gun with the badge and placing them beside Elliot's.
Olivia heard laughter from the apartment and when she finally looked at the scene with twins playing Monopoly, while Elliot, Kathleen and Maureen were sitting on floor, away from the Monopoly competition.
"Seems like I've missed a lot of fun," Olivia said to announce her arrival.
"Dad, Kathleen and Maureen lost and now I'm gonna beat Dickie," Lizzie said proudly.
"Good girl," Olivia said with a wide smile.
Elliot scooted towards Maureen to make place for Olivia to sit down by his side.
"How did your interrogation go?" Elliot asked casually.
"He held out at first, but I got a full confession," Olivia replied.
Elliot placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezed it and angled his body towards her.
"I knew you would," he said, glad that she was successful.
"Yeah, so what other did I miss beside you all losing to the youngest?" Olivia teased.
Elliot rolled his eyes, and pretended to be hurt; he let his hand fall from her shoulder and placed in on the floor by her back, leaning on it. Maureen made a face of being insulted and Kathleen gave the Monopoly board a disgusted look.
"We lost on purpose," Elliot said as if it was natural.
"Gotta let the youngest have fun," Maureen agreed.
Olivia nod, but clearly not believing them – but after all it's just a board game with only pride in game.
"You hungry?" Elliot asked, suddenly remembering she left before his masterpiece was ready.
"Fin ordered pizza," Olivia said quickly.
Elliot nod.
"And Cragen wants us there at tomorrow, because Casey needs the reports neither of has finished," she added.
"And there goes my free weekend," Elliot complained.
Olivia gave him an understanding look – she was too looking forward spending the Sunday doing nothing.
"Shit," Dickie said louder than he probably intended.
"Watch your tongue, son," Elliot reprimanded quickly.
Lizzie beamed with a huge grin on her face, while Dickie slouched down and threw the money he had been holding in his hand on the table.
"Who's a sore loser now?" Lizzie teased Dickie.
Maureen and Kathleen went to high five Lizzie.
"I won. I'm the best Monopoly player in this room," Lizzie said proudly.
"Oh, we'll have a rematch, sis," Dickie said mischievously.
"I'm counting on it," Lizzie said.
"And this time Olivia will join us too," Maureen said.
"Of course I will, sorry for bailing this time," Olivia apologized.
Elliot took a look at his watch and saw it was almost 11 pm already.
"Guys, let's pack up the game now, I promised your mother to get you back by 11," Elliot said remembering his promise to his ex-wife.
Lizzie and Dickie made faces at each other while the put the game neatly back to the box and placed it at the table.
"Maureen, you're going to the dorm or back at home?" Elliot asked.
"Home," Maureen decided.
Elliot nod.
All Stabler kids got dressed and said goodbye to Olivia.
"I have a play on Tuesday, will you be coming?" Lizzie asked Olivia.
"We'll be there," Elliot answered for Olivia.
"I wouldn't miss it for a world," Olivia said with a wide smile.
Lizzie seemed to be satisfied with the answer and followed her siblings out with Elliot hot at her heels.
***SVU***
Kathy was waiting for Elliot in living room. Kids ran off to their rooms instantly, leaving Elliot and Kathy alone in the quiet living room.
"So, how was your night?" Kathy asked.
"Great," Elliot smiled.
"They miss you," Kathy said.
"I know. I try to make more time for them," Elliot promised.
Kathy nod.
"How are you doing?" Elliot asked.
Kathy shrugged her shoulders and said: "Guess I've been better, but I'm good. How are you?"
Elliot took a deep breath and stared at his feet for a moment before turning back to Kathy.
"I'm seeing someone," he said quietly.
Kathy was taken by the news, but collected herself instantly.
"Do I know her?" she asked and crossed her hands on her chest, already suspecting, who that woman is.
"Yeah," Elliot said, "It's Liv."
Kathy's fear was confirmed and she pouted her lips, and when she looked at Elliot, he could see the anger and hurt she was feeling.
"Are you doing this to hurt me on purpose?"
"No, of course not," Elliot said, taken aback from the statement, "It just happened. I didn't do this to hurt you, I just fell in love with her. This has nothing to do with you, I promise."
Kathy nod, but didn't seem convinced.
"Have you told kids?" Kathy asked.
"They know," Elliot replied.
"Good. Well, I guess you should be going back to your woman, wouldn't wanna keep her waiting," Kathy said with anger obvious in her voice.
"Don't do this, Kathy. The divorce is hard on them, but we should at least try to keep on being civil, if not for ourselves, then for them," Elliot said roughly.
Kathy nod.
"Take care," Elliot said on the doorway before leaving. He waited for Kathy to reply, but she never did, so he left with a heavy heart and closed the door to a house he used to call home for so long time with a woman he used to love so much.
He hoped that Kathy will find someone too, he always wanted the best for her and he could only hope that they could be friends again. But it didn't make him feel bad, because he had a great woman waiting at home – a woman who made him happy. Though he was still at unease, when he got to his car and drove back to Manhattan, he wasn't angry or disappointed, he felt content. It's time to leave the past behind and move on and now that his divorce is finally finalized he has the chance.
***SVU***
Your opinion is appreciated, so click the button and let me know. :) .
L.