Title: Streetlights and Skylines
Author: Sara and Lizzie
Rating: T for language, a little violence and little sex
Disclaimer: Dick Wolf is God, obviously, since he really does own Law and Order, but since he'd never stick this on at 10 pm Tuesdays, we took the liberty of doing it for him.
Summary: Four years ago, Elliot attended Olivia's funeral. Little did he know, the casket was empty, and Olivia was in a condo in Los Angeles, calling herself Lucy. But, when the man who forced her from her life dies, she comes back to New York, and the 1-6, to find her former partner and boyfriend, engaged.
Author's Note: Okay. So we haven't updated this in over a YEAR. Maybe no one remembers it. Maybe no one wants to read it. Whatever. We just decided to go for it.
So um, REVIEW, we guess?
The sleek black Lincoln Town car stalled in front of the sixteenth precinct. "Thank you Thomas." Said the lithe, sleek blonde from the plush, leather backseat. "I'll take a cab to my later engagement." She said to her driver, Thomas Fairchild. He nodded and smiled at her, and Andrea Lawrence got out of the car.
She was gorgeous, really. The Grace Kelly of post millennium New York. Socialite. Media Darling. Beloved daughter of one of the oldest, wealthiest families in America. And engaged to a detective who made say, seventy thousand dollars during a good year.
She really didn't mind though. She had enough money to keep herself in the lifestyle to which she had become accustomed, even if Elliot didn't make any money. She smiled to herself, recalling their first meeting. Having business in the area, she had instructed Thomas to park the town car, illegally in front of the station. When he had pointed it out to her, she had brazenly asked him out for coffee.
He was handsome, and honest and so different from anyone that she had dated before; it had initially been the novelty that attracted her to him, but when she got to know him, she had fallen in love with him, rather rapidly. Now, with their wedding a mere week and a half away, it was all hard to believe.
She walked into the precinct now, wearing tailored black Prozena Schuler Bermuda shorts and a Valnetino tank top. Her Manolo sling backs made slight clacking sounds as she opened the door, simultaneously hoisting her Chanel bag onto her shoulder and pushing her Gucci sunglasses on top of her head.
She looked around, but Elliot was no where to be seen. She recognized John Munch and Fin Tutola, as well as Casey Novak, who were sitting casually on desks, laughing with a gorgeous, tan brunette Andrea had never seen before.
She hesitated, unsure of whether or not she should call attention to herself. She always had a nagging feeling that John, Fin and Casey didn't quite accept her. She knew there had been someone else, between Kathy and herself, but she didn't even know the woman's name. But she always had the distinct feeling everyone else in Elliot's life was comparing her to that woman.
Her Treo rang intrusively, causing all four heads to turn in her direction. She checked her Treo; it was Michelle, her sister in Boston. She silenced her Treo, knowing her sister would leave a lengthy message for her later enjoyment.
She smiled in the direction of her fiancé's colleagues. "Hi." She said, coming forward, hand extended to shake the brunette's hand. "Andrea Lawrence." She said, pumping her hand.
"Olivia Benson." The brunette said, a bemused expression on her face.
"Oh." Andrea said. "Aren't you… Elliot said you were…"
Olivia's bow furrowed. "I was in witness protection." She said stiffly, a horrible realization coming over her. "And you are…."
"His fiancée." Andrea said with a chipper smile. "He's told me about you. His old partner."
"His partner. No longer past tense." Olivia said.
Andrea nodded. "Right. Is he here?"
"He's on the roof." Munch told her.
She exited in a clatter of heels, and Olivia whirled around. "His fiancée is Andrea Lawrence?" she hissed. "Andrea freaking Lawrence?"
Casey smiled weakly and nodded as Olivia sank into her desk chair.
"There you are!" Andrea said, spotting Elliot standing along the far edge of the roof, staring out over the expanse that was Manhattan.
"Andie." He said. "What are you doing here?" She walked over to him and placed a delicate kiss on his lips.
"I have a little bad news." She said. "I'm afraid I need to fly to Paris for a few days." Elliot sighed. Of course she chose now to leave. He didn't know if he should laugh, cry, or just throw himself off the roof of the precinct. Andrea had a job, as a freelance fashion writer, and was often jetting off to some designer's showroom.
"I know the wedding is only a few days away and I hate to leave, but Anna has decided she wants the Lagerfeld piece in the same Vogue that our wedding will be in," she smiled, "So it's got to be done now."
Elliot felt desperation creeping into his bones. He was marrying this woman. This charming, beautiful woman. So what if she wasn't Olivia? If she had more money than the entire NYPD, and hated nicknames and would never dream of calling him El? He was going to marry her. That didn't mean he wanted her to leave the country with Olivia suddenly back in New York.
"I could go with you." He suggested.
She laughed her delicate laugh. "Elliot. That's absurd. You have work, and for God's sake, someone has to make sure the wedding planner stays on task."
"Of course." He said, eliciting a classic, white toothed smile. She loved that he fit into her perfectly ordered world at all times. "Right, also, look at this." She said, handing him a manilla envelope.
"What is this again?" he asked, hearing the distraction in his own voice.
"Paris real estate guide." She said. She checked her Cartier tank watch. "Okay, I've got a lunch at Pastis, and then my plane leaves, so I've got to run."
"Andrea, I can't leave New York. My kids are here. My job is here."
She smiled, tucking the single strand of blonde hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her left ear. "Nonsense. We'll find you a new job. Trust me. Details later. I'll call you." She kissed him, and as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone.
He ambled down the stairs a few minutes after she had gone, flipping through the glossy booklet, staring absent mindedly at the over priced townhouses along the Champs Elysees. Munch caught up with him in the hall before he made it back to his desk.
"Paris, eh?"
"She wants to move there."
"Don't do it, Elliot. Ex- marine? You'll hate the French."
"Funny, Munch."
"Liv was pretty shocked to meet her. Apparently she didn't know it was that Andrea."
Elliot's head snapped up. "She met Liv?"
"What did you expect us to do? Stuff her in a closet?"
"Of course not." Elliot sighed, rubbing his hand over his head. "I just didn't expect this all to be so…complicated."
They were the last two detectives in the squad room that night. Olivia stood up at her desk, where they had been graciously ignoring each other all day and flashed him a tentative smile. "Can we talk?" she asked.
He gathered his own belongings from his desk and followed her outside. They walked slowly down the street, and Olivia searched for the words.
"I'm sorry." She said suddenly.
"For what? For leaving without a word? For not getting in touch with me for four years? For coming back the week before my wedding?"
"I don't know, Elliot. I'm just sorry."
He stopped walking and turned to face her. "Did it mean that little to you? That you could just give it all up without so much as a sign to me that you weren't dead?"
"No, Elliot, it meant that much to me. I had no idea how long I would be in the program. I didn't know the danger that would be posed to you if you knew where I was." She trailed off and looked at him.
Their eyes locked, and she didn't break the contact as she spoke again. "El, this is all I'm going to say. I love you. For years, I've loved you. But if you can tell me now that you don't love me anymore, I'll go. I'll be on the next plane out of here, and you'll never hear from me again."
Time stopped again for Elliot Stabler. "I…," he faltered. "I can't say that."
"Then I'm staying. I can't turn back time, El. I can't change any of the choices I made, I know it's too late. And I don't expect you to just, forgive me, but I have to fight for you." She kissed him on the cheek, turned and briskly walked down the sidewalk, leaving him dumbfounded in her wake.