A/N: I have no idea where this little plot-bunny came from, but I sure hope you all like it. I had no idea there were so many C/E fans out there! It hasn't been beta'd, so any mistakes are my own. Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I don't own it... blah, blah, blah. You get the idea.
"I can't believe that for our first weekend off in months, you picked camping," Detective Elliot Stabler groused as he struggled to push the support poles into their sleeves on the tent. "We could've gone to a cabin upstate, or a bed and breakfast on Long Island. Anything but camping."
His colleague and girlfriend, Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak, grinned. "I thought you would've liked camping."
"I do. Sometimes." He grunted as he tried to stand it up. After failing miserably, he shot a withering look at his still-grinning girlfriend.
"Quit your complaining." She put a hand on her thin hip and narrowed her blue-green eyes at her glaring lover. "If you really hate it that much, I can always go back to my apartment. Without you."
Elliot's eyes narrowed slightly. She might've been bluffing. But that hard look in her eyes resembled the one she usually used for perps when she wasn't about to make a deal. As much as he teased her, he really wanted to spend time with her. This was the first chance they'd had in months to get away together. "Fine," he growled.
The grin suddenly reappeared on Casey's pretty face. "I thought that might change your mind."
Despite his bad mood, a chuckle escaped his lips. That was what he loved about her. Somehow she always made him laugh, no matter how mad he got. "You know, you could give me a hand." He bent over and picked up a stake and the hammer from their spot in the grass.
"I could." Casey cocked her head to the side and silently marveled his muscular ass. "But I'm enjoying the view."
He turned around and stared at her. Casey cocked her eyebrows at him playfully, and he laughed heartily. "Nice to know I turn you on."
"Mmm. Why else do you think I agreed to go out with you eight months ago?"
"Because you like me." Elliot quickly stood and wrapped his arms around her thin waist. She was so surprised that she almost took a step back, but his strong arms drew her to his muscular chest.
"Well, yeah, but that's not the reason I agreed to go out with you." Casey smirked and snaked her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with the short dark hairs at the nape of his neck.
"I'm dying to hear your reasoning."
"Because you're too damn sexy to resist."
Elliot raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was because you loved me for my brain."
"Among other things."
He laughed again, the sound vibrating through their bodies, and brushed a strand of strawberry-blonde hair from her brow. "Glad to know I keep you satisfied."
A smile quirked the corners of her mouth. "There was never much of a doubt in that area."
"I must admit, the sex is pretty great."
Casey's eyebrows nearly reached her hairline, and she pulled back a little in his arms. "Pretty great?" she echoed. "I was expecting 'mind-blowing'. Or 'best I've had in my life'. Hell, even 'fantastic' would've sufficed."
Elliot grinned and gently pressed his lips to her forehead. "How about 'all of the above'?"
She frowned, pretending to consider it. "I think I can deal with that."
"Good." He softly brushed his lips against hers, tasting the familiar strawberry lip gloss. "Now help me put up the tent." The smack from his hand soundly slapping her ass resounded through the woods.
Casey shook her head and chuckled as her boyfriend released her waist and walked back to the flat tent on the grass. Their relationship was definitely different. Elliot wasn't at all like the guys she'd dated in the past. They were friends and colleagues for years before they started dating, and their interaction had always been affectionate. But something changed after his wife divorced him. They began seeing more of each other outside of work, until Elliot finally asked her out.
"Hey!"
The sudden shout from Elliot's general direction rudely interrupted her musing, and she trained her patented glare on him. "Patience is a virtue," she admonished as she walked over to the tent.
"Patience isn't going to help us when those rain clouds get closer." He jerked his head toward the east.
Casey glanced off in the indicated direction. Sure enough, dark cumulus clouds gathered to the east of their location, heavy with rain. A cool breeze blew in from that direction, bringing with it the distinct, heady smell of rain. "Okay, maybe you're right."
Elliot grinned. "A man loves to hear that every now and then."
"That's the only time you'll be hearing that anytime soon."
He cocked his head to the side as she bent over to crawl into the tent and watched her closely.
"Stop staring at my butt."
"You were staring at mine."
"Error in judgment."
"Ouch." Elliot winced playfully as she ducked into the tent. "That was cold."
"Mmm. You won't be saying that later tonight."
He bent over and hammered one stake into the ground, then moved over to the other one. "Doesn't that involve staring at my butt?"
Casey grunted as she held up the roof of the tent. "I can avoid it if I want to."
"But do you want to?" He walked around the tent and hammered in another stake.
Damn it, Casey thought. She'd lost the playful battle of words. He knew her too well. When it came to Elliot Stabler, Casey just couldn't say no. She loved him.
Her silence spoke volumes, and Elliot smirked triumphantly. He didn't win verbal tennis with his girlfriend very often, simply because arguing was what she did for a living. She couldn't resist him. And the crazy thing was, he couldn't resist her either. Casey Novak had completely won him over.
Ching, ching, ching. Elliot hammered the last stake into the ground and stood up straight, marveling at his work. Casey threw back the entrance flap and stepped onto the cool grass. "I rock," he said with a grin.
"Yeah. You're a mountain man." Casey shook her head and walked over to Elliot's sedan, parked just a few yards away. "We'd better get our crap in before that rain gets here." She opened the driver's side door, popped the trunk, and hauled out Elliot's overnight bag.
Elliot trailed after her and grabbed a couple of the plastic bags of food from the trunk. "Are we taking out the grill too?"
"No. We need to leave it in the car until after the rain passes," she replied, ducking into the tent and reappearing in seconds to grab the next bag.
"How'd you learn so much about camping?" he asked as he carried the bags to the tent. He put them in one corner and walked back to the car for the sleeping bags.
"My dad used to take me and my brothers camping every summer." Casey tossed Elliot's overnight bag into the tent and stood at the entrance, watching as he returned to the car for the cooler. She glanced up at the sky. The dark clouds were almost right on top of them. "My mom refused to come, so it was me and three guys sharing a tent. You learn a lot about men that way."
He chuckled as he carried the cooler to the tent, his muscles straining against his t-shirt. "I bet. What'd your brothers think about you being the only girl along?"
"They knew I could take 'em any time I wanted."
Elliot laughed and set the cooler down in the tent. A moment later, he reappeared and wrapped his arms around Casey, drawing her close to his chest. "Why is that so easy for me to believe?"
"Because you know I'm kick-ass." Casey draped her arms around his waist and grinned.
"Yep. You certainly are." Elliot kissed her softly, holding the sides of her head, his fingers entangled in her long hair.
Suddenly he felt a drop of water hit his head, and he broke the kiss to look up at the sky. The clouds looked ready to burst. Another drop of water splashed onto Casey's shoulder. Simultaneously they looked up at the sky, which had steadily become darker.
"I'm thinking we should get inside," Casey said, wiping another raindrop from her forehead.
"Probably." Elliot grabbed her hand, and together they dashed into the tent – just as the sky opened and sheets of rain began pelting the grass.
Elliot sat down on the floor of the tent and gathered Casey into his arms, smiling when she sighed and leaned back against his chest. He pressed a kiss into her hair, inhaling the sweet vanilla scent of her shampoo.
"I love the rain," she whispered, watching the downpour through the tent flap.
"Mmm," Elliot hummed into her hair.
"No, really."
"I believe you."
"I love the rhythm it makes when it pounds the tent."
"Poetic."
Casey gently slapped his knee. "Don't be cute."
"I can't help it."
She chuckled and interlaced her fingers with his. "No, I guess you can't." Suddenly a grin spread across her face, and Casey struggled against his arms to get up.
"Where're you going?" he protested.
"To play in the rain." She finally wiggled free of his arms and disappeared through the flaps.
Elliot stuck his head through the flaps and laughed as Casey danced around the small meadow. She lifted her arms high above her head and spun around like a child, smiling and laughing at the rain. Her rain-soaked t-shirt clung to her thin frame. "You're going to catch a cold, Casey!" he shouted through his laughter.
"So?" she retorted. "C'mon!"
"What?"
"Come out here with me!"
He shook his head. "Nuh-uh. I don't wanna get sick."
Casey sighed and rolled her eyes. "You won't get sick, you germaphobe. C'mon!"
Finally, he shook his head and gave in. As she spun around again, Elliot crawled out of the tent, tiptoed up to her, and lifted her off the ground into his muscular arms, grinning at her squeal of surprise and delight. He spun her around in the air, ignoring her playful curses.
"Elliot Stabler!" she shouted, a wide smile across her pretty face despite her stern tone. "Put me down!"
He laughed and gently dropped her to the ground. "You wanted me to come out."
"I never said I wanted you to scare the crap outta me."
Elliot drew her close to his chest. "But you still love me."
Casey raised her eyebrows and settled her hands on his dripping wet biceps. His wet t-shirt seemed suctioned to his body, showing off his powerful abs and cut torso. "I'm debating that."
He laughed and lowered his lips to her forehead, tasting the rain on her porcelain skin.
"Hey, Elliot?"
"Hmm?" His lips gently brushed against her cheek, sending shivers through her body that weren't from the cool rain.
"You know what I've always wanted?"
Elliot pulled back and wiped a droplet from her nose with his finger. "What?" She hesitated, and he furrowed his brow. "You can tell me, Casey."
Casey sighed and gave him a little half-smile. "I've always wanted to be kissed in the rain by someone I'm in love with."
He stared at her for a moment. They'd been together for months, but neither one had ever said anything about love. "What?"
She sighed again. "Nothing. It's nothing," she whispered and started to pull away.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." He tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her back to his chest. "Are you telling me you love me, Casey?"
For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the rain softly falling on the grass around them. They stared at each other, searching each other's eyes for some sign of what the other was thinking.
"Yes," Casey finally whispered, averting her eyes from his.
Elliot shook his head and gently forced her chin up with his thumb and forefinger so that he was looking her in the eyes. "Let me hear you say it."
Her blue-green eyes met his sapphire orbs, and her arms wound around his neck, pulling him close. "I love you," she whispered.
A smile split his face, and he pulled her flush against his body, their heat mingling together. "Good," he whispered back. "Because I love you, too." With that, he crushed his lips to hers, relishing the taste of her lip gloss mixed with rain.
Casey arched her back against him and tangled her fingers in his crew-cut hair. She moaned when his calloused fingers slipped under her soaked t-shirt, and his tongue darted in as soon as she opened her mouth. They battled for control, sweeping over each memorized curve and crevice.
Finally they both pulled back, panting heavily. "I vote," Elliot said, trying to catch his breath, eyes sweeping over her wet form, "that we take this inside and get warmed up."
Casey grinned, recognizing that look in his eyes.
"Except, tonight, there's no sex for us."
Her smile faded, and she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Tonight, we'll be making love." With that, he bent down, gathered her up into his arms, and carried her to the tent. Soon, the sound of their cries of passion mingled with the rhythm of the gently-falling shower, covering them in a curtain of rain.