AN: I hope you all like this chapter (I think you will; three cheers for first dates!), sorry for the wait! It gets a little rated R, but nothing worth changing the story rating. I had some commentary that I almost added to this, but I feel like maybe it's better for you all to interpret this as you'd like. Read and review, please!

Chapter 15 – Stay the Night

On the night of January 22nd, 1999, Olivia Benson had called Elliot and asked in a rushed voice if he and Kathy could watch Luke for a few hours. Elliot, of course, had said yes, brushing aside her repeated thank yous. He had only met Olivia the previous September, but they got along quite well, and he was happy to be able to help her out. He had not, however, been prepared for the moment when he opened the door for her a little while after they got off the phone.

There stood Olivia Benson in a nearly floor-length black gown that draped and clung in just the right places. Her hair had been much darker then, and it fell around her shoulders and contrasted against her olive toned skin quite pleasantly. The red lipstick she'd been wearing had made her teeth look even whiter, and when she offered him a sheepish smile he felt his heart pound inexplicably quickly in his chest, suddenly aware of the frumpiness of his own sweatpants and 5 o'clock shadow.

"Hi," she said, trying to hold onto Luke's hand. Luke, however, was already trying to charge into the house, as he had spotted Dickie, hiding behind Elliot's legs. Olivia leans down and whispers something into Luke's ear before letting him run ahead. Dickie becomes less shy when Luke is beside him, and together they run back towards the kitchen. After they go, Olivia shoots an apologetic look at Elliot, who is still trying to figure out why he feels so nervous. "Luke was really excited when I told him who was babysitting tonight. As if he doesn't come over here at least once a week already."

She leans up and in to place a light kiss on Elliot's cheek in greeting, and he swears his tongue rolls up in his mouth.

"Thank you for watching him again," she says, pulling back before tucking a piece of her hair back and pulling her coat a little closer, hiding her figure and thus, allowing Elliot's mind to return from wherever it had been. "Usually I wouldn't spring anything like this on you, but I have to meet Jonathan at this work thing and our nanny is sick, and there was no one else…"

"It's okay," Elliot says, the mention of Olivia's husband jarring him into speaking. "Really, it's no problem. We love having Luke over. And it's always good to see you." This last line had been unplanned, but it makes Olivia smile, and he sees a bit of color appear on her cheeks.

"Yeah?" she says. "I'm sure you'll be even happier to see me when I come to pick him up. It won't be later than 11, alright?"

"Sure, don't rush," Elliot says. His eyes find Olivia's, and they linger for maybe a half-second too long, and he pulls them down, chuckling. "Alright, we're all good here. I don't want to hold you up, but you're welcome to come in if you'd like."

"No, I think I've stalled for as long as I can," Olivia says, making Elliot grin. "Don't want to make Jonathan upset." Her cheeks flush a deeper shade of magenta here, but as Elliot's trying to avoid staring by looking everywhere but Olivia's face, he doesn't notice. "Call the office if you need anything, okay? And tell Kathy I said thank you. I'll see you in a bit."

"Yeah," Elliot says, surprised when Olivia reaches out and squeezes his hand, getting him to look at her once more. She smiles again, and that smile stays burned into his mind even after she walks back to the car and pulls out of the driveway. He closes the doorway reluctantly, taking a breath in an attempt to slow his rapid heartbeat.

When he closes the door, he's surprised to see Kathy leaning in the foyer archway, her eyebrows knit together.

"What?" he asks, his voice a bit firmer than it needed to be. They had argued last night. And then a little this morning. He really had been glad to have Luke over, because it would limit the opportunities for another closed door, hushed, angry-voiced, conversation with Kathy.

"Nothing," Kathy says unconvincingly. She continues to stand there and watch him with slightly narrowed eyes, and eventually, Elliot chooses to walk away to go see what the boys are doing so quietly.

•

Elliot knew now that there must have been a look on his face reflecting the strange feeling he'd gotten in his chest when he'd seen Olivia. Kathy, being the closest person to him at the time, had noticed it first, in the same way that it was Fin who had first noticed that Elliot was not okay with Brian taking Olivia out. Olivia had always had an effect on him, even when he was a bit too dull to realize it himself.

They had both been married then though, even though he and Kathy separated later that same year. That was the easiest explanation for the earliest suppression of the feelings he'd had for Olivia. But their relationships didn't stop them from growing closer, didn't stop the planting of the seeds of what they had grown into. Over time, the boys had gotten closer and so had they. They started seeing each other more often; twice a week, three times a week, then nearly every day. Olivia started accepting Elliot's invitations in and lingered for longer periods of time. She found more reasons to touch him, to be close to him. And then before either of them had realized it, they had become each other's best friend. Now, in the same way, it seemed like they were just realizing (though the transition had occurred sometime long ago) that they had developed into something much more.

Elliot was at the stage in his life where he was just becoming able to understand all of this. Maybe this is why he had been so quick to move past the scene in Olivia's office. Maybe it was just because he liked to think that he understood Olivia and knew that she was trying her hardest. Whatever the reason, he didn't care anymore about anything other than this, what they were on the edge of becoming.

Elliot also understood for the first time that he was in the position to do something about his relationship with Olivia, to prod it forward if need be. So, this is why he stood outside Olivia's door on a Sunday night, flowers in hand. This is why he musters up the courage to knock.

Inside, Olivia is sitting on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket. The sound of knocking on her front door startles her. She hadn't been expecting anyone. This was the first time in a long time that she was home alone – Kathy had offered, then insisted, on watching Grace in addition to Luke, to give Olivia "a little break" and eventually Olivia had been forced to comply.

It was kind of nice to be in the house alone, although the quiet felt almost foreign. Maybe that's why the knocking seemed so loud. Olivia sighs, throwing her blanket aside and walking to the front door. When she looks through the peephole, she's surprised to see Elliot, and even more surprised to see that he's holding a bouquet. A very small wave of panic runs through her as she glances at the mirror in the entryway and sees her oversized band tee and messy ponytail. She quickly tries to straighten herself up, and then immediately chides herself. This was Elliot, who had seen her looking much worse, for example, looking sweaty and red-faced, minutes after Grace's birth.

But this was different, a voice whispers in the back of her head. She hadn't felt the way she felt about Elliot now all those times before. Or, at the very least, she hadn't been conscious of her feelings.

She was being stupid. And Elliot had been waiting for her to answer the door for too long already. So, Olivia takes a deep breath to calm her nerves, and then she opens the door.

Elliot breaks into a smile when he sees Olivia, instinctively. This makes her smile in return, and almost automatically, her nerves substantially subside.

"Hey," he says. "These are for you." He offers her the flowers, which Olivia sees now are bright yellow daisies.

"Thank you," she says, telling herself not to blush as she takes them. She steps aside to let Elliot in and closes the door after him. When she turns back to face him, she notices that he looks nice; he's wearing a plaid button-down she hadn't seen before. He smells nice too, like her favorite cologne of his. It takes her a few minutes to find words. "So, um, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Are you busy, tonight?" Elliot asks. But Olivia can tell that he already knows the answer; the glint in his eye is telling, and if it had been a normal night, he would have been asking about the kids already. "Have dinner plans?"

"No," Olivia says, smiling shyly. "Why do you ask?"

"Would you like to go out for dinner?" Elliot asks. He still looks a bit mischievous, but also a little nervous. Olivia can tell by the way he tucks his fidgeting hands in his pockets. She looks at him for a second and then nods slowly.

"Yes," she says, her heart pounding in her chest. "Just give me a minute to put these in water and get dressed."

"Great," Elliot says, his smile much wider now. "There's no need to get all dressed up."

•

After the initial element of surprise subsides, Olivia looks down at her shaking hands, which are making the ordinary task of zipping up a pair of jeans extraordinarily difficult and realizes that her nervousness is back.

She should have been prepared for this. She had been to Elliot's house only a few days ago to fix what she had nearly destroyed between them, but somehow, she'd quickly forgotten all about that encounter. To be fair, in the time that followed, she had been awfully busy. When she'd dropped by CVS for vitamins the day after, she'd heard the music playing in the store, and noticed the decorations, and remembered with a start that Christmas was next Wednesday. Over this weekend, she'd been focused mainly on buying and hiding presents, so it was very useful that Kathy had taken the kids because Luke was a tough kid to keep secrets from.

And so, with all of that, she'd forgotten to feel nervous about Elliot's response to her question. And she'd forgotten to anticipate him asking her out. But even if she had done those things, she thinks that she still wouldn't have expected this, him coming to her door with flowers unexpectedly. It's unbelievable that he still manages to surprise her.

But now, Olivia had the time to be nervous. Maybe Elliot had tried to surprise her so that she wouldn't, but the 20 minutes it takes her to get ready is more than enough. When she comes out, dressed casually, as requested, she feels like she's walking on legs made of jelly.

"You look great," Elliot says, his eyes flicking over Olivia. The resulting smile that appears on his face makes Olivia feel oddly warm inside. "Although I'm sad you changed your shirt. Aerosmith '81, baby."

"Oh my god," Olivia says, rolling her eyes. She is thankful, though, for Elliot's playful mood. It's easier to relax when Elliot is joking. "It's like going out with someone's dad."

"I am someone's dad," Elliot says, grinning as he stands and grabs his coat. He pulls it on and walks with Olivia to her coat rack, then helps her into her own coat.

"Yes, I know, but I don't want to be reminded of that," Olivia says, pulling on gloves and a scarf. Elliot laughs, and as they walk out the door, Olivia can feel the shaking in her hands subsiding.

•

It had taken Elliot a little while to decide where to take Olivia. The first date he had planned, the paint and sip, had gone quite terribly. Maybe this was just because he hadn't been on it with her (this is what he liked to tell himself) but he also knew that he had planned that date for the Olivia that had been married to Jonathan. This had obviously been a very bad decision, but he hadn't known that until that night when a drunk Olivia had spilled her secrets to him. And so, it seemed that in giving Brian an idea for a Jonathanesque date, he had inadvertently sabotaged Brian and Olivia's relationship from the very beginning. He tried not to feel too guilty about this and did so by assuring himself that if he had indeed taken Olivia on that date, he would have handled the entire situation much better than Brian. But the fact remained that he did not want to plan a date that reminded Olivia of any way of her late husband.

Anyways, Elliot knew now that the Olivia that had been with Jonathan did not seem to be the person as the Olivia that was his friend. She seemed funnier, more relaxed, more casual. He couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed all of this before.

And so, with the hopes that Olivia would appreciate a more casual date, Elliot decided to take her to a dine-in Chinese restaurant that he liked, just outside his neighborhood in Queens. It was tucked between two bigger restaurants, and often overlooked by those passing on the sidewalk. When they walk in, Elliot glances over at Olivia for her reaction, but it's not until they sit in a corner booth, and Olivia removes her scarf that he's able to see that she's smiling. A wave of relief washes over him.

"Is this alright?" he asks tentatively. Olivia looks around at the warm, red lighting, the golden decorations on the wall, and then at Elliot, his cheeks pink from the cold. She nods quickly, her smile widening as she speaks.

"Yes, this is perfect," she says. She should be nervous. She should be scared. It wasn't as if the fears she'd had two weeks ago had dissipated completely. It was just that it was so hard to feel panicky, here in this cozy atmosphere, with Elliot so close to her, reaching out to pull her gloves off for her. This restaurant seemed so far away from all of her worries that it was difficult to feel threatened by them, at least at this moment.

"So, tell me," she says as a waiter approaches and fills their water glasses. After saying thank you, she tilts her head and looks at Elliot. "How did you know I didn't have the kids tonight?"

Elliot pauses, almost as if he's debating not answering. Eventually, he shrugs and smiles sheepishly.

"I mentioned to Kathy that the last time I saw you, you seemed really tired. You know, like you could use a break. Eventually, she said something about offering to take Grace for you this weekend. To give you some time to relax."

Olivia's eyebrows raise, and Elliot quickly realizes the issue. Watching her facial expression, he reaches for his water.

"I'm just realizing the moral implications of coercing my ex-wife into watching your kids so that I could ask you out…"

"Yeah?" Olivia says, laughter in her eyes.

"But I think it was worth it, don't you?" Elliot says. And Olivia scoffs, but she can't hide the beginnings of a chuckle. Elliot smiles, placing his arm on the upper part of the booth, over Olivia's shoulder. This reminds her of something, although she can't remember exactly what at the time. "Alright, it won't happen again. Next time I'll give you enough notice to call your sitter."

"Next time?" Olivia repeats, crossing her legs as she looks at him, an eyebrow raised. "Cocky, aren't we?"

"Right," Elliot says, his cheeks flushing now for a reason other than the cold. "Sorry. It's just I that enjoy hanging out with you. I'm already excited for the next time I see you."

"Mm," Olivia says as if she's considering this. "Smooth, Stabler."

She catches Elliot's eye, and the slightly guilty look on his face makes her grin. She reaches out and nudges his leg, getting him to smile back at her. She rolls her eyes playfully before looking down at the menu on the table, which had been previously forgotten.

"What's good here?" she asks, and Elliot chuckles, shaking his head slightly and glancing at his own menu.

"Doesn't matter, does it?" he says, his tone teasing. "You're ordering kung pao chicken. You always do."

"Well, maybe I want to try something different this time," Olivia says. "You tell me what you suggest, and I'll order that."

"Fine," Elliot says, picking up his menu and running his eyes over it. "But I'm ordering the kung pao chicken. Just so you have something to eat when you don't like what you order."

•

Elliot had been right. Soon after the dishes had come out, Olivia had gotten tired of the beef and broccoli she'd decided on and started picking at Elliot's kung pao chicken. Knowing that this had been a hit to her pride, Elliot had only shot her a knowing grin before switching their plates.

Elliot knew her well. And maybe that's part of why the date goes so well. Aside from the early anxiety Olivia had felt, there aren't the usual first date nerves, and there's no lingering air of awkwardness. They know each other so well that they don't have to spend this time trying to learn everything about the other person; they're able to just…hang out. They talk a little less about the kids than normal and more about work and other topics that they don't usually have the time to talk about. Elliot mentions at some point that he's in between partners right now, as his last partner had transferred.

"Honestly, it's not like I miss the guy or anything. He could be a real ass," Elliot says, taking a swig of water. Olivia chuckles. She'd found herself inching closer to Elliot all night, and now they were less than an inch apart, her body turned inwards toward him.

"You feel that way about all of your partners," she says. "Maybe you're just better suited for solo work."

"No, that's not it," Elliot says, smiling a little before looking over at Olivia. "It's just hard to find someone you fit with, you know?"

"Yeah," Olivia says slowly. "I think I know."

She looks over and smiles slightly at Elliot before looking back down at her plate. She feels his eyes linger on her for another second before the conversation continues.

Truth be told, Elliot has a hard time keeping his eyes off of Olivia all night. It's difficult, really, not to stare at someone so beautiful. And it doesn't help that he keeps remembering how hard it had been for him to tear his eyes off of her all those years ago when she had stood at his door in that dress, and the fleeting feeling of longing he'd had then. He couldn't believe they had eventually found their way together. But, he supposed that sometimes life was bound to work out in his favor.

Olivia catches him staring a couple of times. Like when he's having this epiphany, her cheeks flush and she nudges him.

"What?" she asks, sounding a bit exasperated. "El, what is it? Is there food in my teeth?"

"No," Elliot says, finding that he has to suppress a very strong urge to lean in and kiss Olivia right then. He manages to smile reassuringly. "It's nothing, sorry."

But it's hard to deny the growing attraction between the two of them. And it's hard for both of them to ignore it. Olivia almost wishes that they had gone out a long time ago, partially because she is having such a nice time, but more because the tension between the two of them is so intense that it's growing difficult to ignore. She figures this is just because they had waited so long; because she had tried to deny her feelings for such a long time, longer than she had ever cared to admit. There had been tension mounting between them for months, maybe years, and so it was no wonder, really, that it begins to present in itself such an undeniable manner on this date. And it was no wonder, really, that that tension peaked later that night, right outside her front door when Elliot drops her off.

"I had a really good time tonight," Olivia is saying, trying and failing to ignore her increasingly forceful heartbeat, which she swears she can hear reverberating in her ears. "Honestly, Elliot, I hope we can do it again soon."

"Yeah, me too," Elliot says, his blue eyes glinting. He had been trying all night, it felt like, to keep himself from kissing Olivia. He'd wanted to prove that this was about more than his attraction to her, and it was. It was about the sum of so many things: the way she made him laugh, how her presence relaxed him, how she supported him. And yes, there was a great amount of attraction involved, but that hadn't been what he wanted to highlight, not this early in their relationship. But now it was the end of a date had gone very well, and at the end of dates that went well, Elliot believed a goodnight kiss was in order. So, he smiles at Olivia, and she smiles back. Then he steps in, and as soon as he does, she leans up, almost as if she had been waiting for this, too, and their lips meet in the middle.

What had been meant to be just a goodnight kiss quickly grows into something much more. Elliot's hands find Olivia's waist beneath her coat and grip it in such a firm manner that it makes her let out a small noise of pleasure. Her lips find his again, and again, and suddenly she feels like there is nowhere in the world she'd rather be than right here. Elliot's kisses grow more intense, and she matches the pace, moving in closer and closer, and suddenly, she's turning away and fumbling with her key so that she can let them into her apartment.

Once they're inside, and the door is closed and locked, their coats are the first things to go. Olivia's gloves and scarf hit the ground with a soft thud, and then she's tracing over Elliot's warm jawline, using her teeth to pull his lips even closer to hers. Elliot grunts softly, and tentatively, his hands travel lower, until one of them is cupping her bottom. Then, very bravely, he squeezes, and the resulting moan that comes Olivia washes away any lingering anxiety, and he lifts her to sit on the foyer table, his lips never leaving hers for more than a few seconds.

Olivia feels the need to speak, but it seemed that words had abandoned her. It isn't until she feels that familiar tug in her belly, more than the gentle pull she'd felt on the day after Thanksgiving, that she finds the strength to pull back slightly and speak.

"I don't…usually do this," she says, in between rushed breaths. "I mean, not on first dates." This is a bit of an understatement. She had only slept with one person before, and that had been the man she eventually married. Normally that thought would scare her into shooing Elliot out the door. But the look in Elliot's eye tells her that he understands. And every fiber of her being is begging for more contact.

"I know," Elliot says, pulling his forehead away from hers, also breathing heavily. His eyes run over Olivia's face. Her lips were slightly swollen, and parted, her pupils dilated, her hair mussed. He tries to correct this and reaches up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. She shivers when his hand brushes against her skin. "Me either. We can stop. Do you want to?" Olivia only hesitates for a fraction of a second.

"No," she says, shaking her head and slipping her arms around Elliot's neck to pull him back to her. "No."

•

Olivia had never known that sex could be like it was with Elliot. She had known that they fit well together in other ways, but in bed it was unbelievable. He listened to her. Understood her. And it was difficult to explain, but it felt almost like he was made for her.

She lies next to him after, feeling something close to bliss as she stares up at the ceiling. Fear had completely evacuated her body sometime around her first orgasm, and now, she felt little more than pleasantly tired and warm. It takes a very large amount of willpower for her to stand and go to the bathroom to get ready for bed, and when she returns, she's extremely glad to back next to Elliot.

He shifts as she wiggles under the covers, wrapping an arm around her and pressing a kiss to her forehead. This surprises her, though pleasantly, and she lays her head on his chest, speaking softly.

"I thought you were asleep," she says, tracing over the faint outline of his abdominal muscles.

"No," he says. "I didn't want to pass out right after, in case you wanted to ask me to leave." Olivia laughs softly and moves closer, happy to feel the tightening of his arm around her wait.

"No," she says. "I'd rather you stay."

"Good," Elliot says. And when Olivia glances up, she can see the tired smile on his face. She wonders briefly, if this is something she will ever grow to regret, but quickly dismisses the thought. "I have a question."

"Yes?"

"That was good, right? Like, really, really good? It wasn't just me was it?"

Olivia laughs again, and she hears Elliot laugh next to her. She has always loved his laugh.

"Are you asking for a performance review?" she asks, and his laugh grows in volume. "Are you serious?"

"I just wanted to make sure…"

"Yes, it was good," Olivia murmurs. "Really good."

"Okay, but on a scale of 1 to 10…" Elliot begins, catching her off guard. She sits up a little to look at him before bursting into laughter. This brings a wide smile to Elliot's face, and before he knows it, he's leaning in to kiss her again.

"You're impossible," Olivia whispers. She can feel Elliot smiling against her lips as he whispers.

"I want your completed survey by the morning."

There's more laughter. The good, belly-aching kind that makes Olivia wonder what she had ever been so afraid of.

•

Olivia wakes with a start in the morning. She hadn't been having a bad dream. She can feel Elliot next to her, breathing steadily, and acting as a guard dog for all nightmares. She pauses for a second before she opens her eyes, wondering what had caused her to awake so abruptly.

Then she hears it, knocking at her front door. She sits up lazily, yawning and glancing at the clock to see that it's just barely 8 o'clock.

Elliot stirs, his arm still draped over her waist.

"You expecting someone?" he asks groggily, his eyes still closed. Olivia yawns again and tries to rub the sand out of her eyes as she looks around for Elliot's shirt from last night, pulls it on, and climbs out of bed.

"No," she mutters, slightly irritated at having been woken up so early, on this morning of all mornings. She's still half asleep as she makes her way out of her room, down the hallway, and to the front door, and so when she looks through the peephole, she has to blink and look again to make sure she isn't imagining things. She steps back from the door after her second look, now awake.

On the other side of the door stood Vivian and Joshua Rhodes. Jonathan's parents.