Prompt #32: A Detective from another precinct (e.g. Shaw) hits it off with Olivia — jealousy ensues

The Holiday Hook Up

~oOo~

"Listen, Liv. Phoebe wants to hook you up with a…" Fin trailed off when Olivia raised her hand to cut him off. "At least hear me out."

"Fin." Olivia didn't have the strength for another failed blind date, especially not with the specter of Elliot in her life once again. "No."

"He's a good man. Detective. He used to be a lawyer." Fin listed all the attributes that he thought might convince her. "Give him a chance? It's the holidays. Let him buy you coffee."

"I don't have…"

"What? You don't have time for Stabler or anyone else? You don't have time for a life? Or time for the holidays? Something's gotta give." Fin placed the coffee that he'd brought for her onto her desk. "Just think about it."

"Fine."

And she did. Think about it. All damn day. She couldn't get the idea of 'time for Stabler or anyone else' out of her mind. Fin had made a good point, though.

Lately, Olivia had done nothing but work herself to the bone. Her personal life had taken a backseat for so long. She had two priorities — Noah and the job.

It wasn't healthy. And if she admitted it to herself, she wasn't happy. She hadn't been for a while.

What could coffee with Phoebe's friend hurt? It would be less stressful than going out with Elliot. They were stuck in a rut of trying to figure things out.

Maybe a little pre-date with someone else would help.

It couldn't hurt.

"Fin?" she called out to him.

He poked his head into her office a few seconds later. "Yeah?"

"Tell Phoebe that I'll have coffee with her friend. Just coffee." Olivia tried to ignore the sudden smirk on his face. "Fin."

"What?"

"Do not use this to needle Elliot."

"What? Who me?" Fin walked out of her office whistling, 'I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus'. He laughed when she hit him in the back with a stress ball. "Reporting your ass for workplace violence."

Deciding not to stress about whatever Fin was up to, Olivia reached out to Phoebe herself. She set a date for Friday afternoon for coffee. She'd taken half a day in order to be there for Noah's Christmas dance recital.

It was two days away. Not enough to really fall into a complete panic. Fin still had to talk her out of canceling at the last minute; he'd guilt-tripped her into keeping her date.

The glint in his eyes still made her suspicious. Fin was definitely up to something, but she didn't think it was fair to bail on the coffee date. One thing had become crystal clear to her while driving to the café—part of her heart was still all wrapped up in Elliot.

I'll have coffee. It'll be fun. And I'll call Elliot tomorrow to invite him out for dinner.

Stepping into the café, Olivia glanced around the room. She had no idea who she was meeting. Phoebe hadn't given her a name. All either Phoebe or Fin would say was that 'he stood out.'

What the hell had that even mean?

And then she saw him. Fin. I'm going to fucking kill you.

"Detective Shaw." Olivia sensed a setup. And not the blind variety. "What's going on?"

"I…"

"Whatever Fin or Phoebe talked you into saying, what's the real story?" Olivia folded her arms across her chest, glowering up at the man. "I'm not buying for a second this is a blind date."

"In about ten minutes, your former partner and Fin are going to meet here for coffee." Shaw gave her a pointed look. "I imagine you know how he's going to respond."

"This…is the opposite of a Christmas miracle." Olivia covered her face with her hand for a second and laughed helplessly at the ridiculousness of it. "How'd they rope you into this?"

"I like you, Captain. You're good people. Fin thought I might encourage...things along a little." Shaw shrugged. He motioned to the chair across from his. "Why don't you have a seat? I'll buy you coffee. Then, we'll shoot the shit until the show starts."

"The show?"

"Tell you what. There's an exit out back. You can sneak out before either of them see you." Shaw took a sip of his coffee. "Or, you can sit down. Enjoy the coffee. Maybe have a piece of cake. And see what happens."

It was a terrible idea. The worst idea Fin had ever had. They were all too old for this—even Shaw.

And yet, Olivia found herself sitting down across from him. She had a cup of coffee and a Santa-shaped cookie; she'd gotten a second one to take home to Noah.

The conversation started awkwardly, but soon Olivia found herself laughing at one of his stories. She was having such a good time that she'd almost forgotten why they were there. Until. Until she heard Fin being unusually loud.

"Look who's here. What a coincidence."

Olivia turned her head to hide her smile. She glanced back to find Fin and Elliot making their way to the table. She rolled her eyes at Fin. "What a surprise to see you both."

"Liv." Elliot barely glanced at her companion. He managed a gruff greeting to him. "Shaw."

"Detective Stabler. Fin." Shaw glanced at their small table. "I'd invite you to join us, but….there's not enough room."

"We wouldn't want to interrupt your date." Fin was laying it on far too thick.

Olivia expected to see the usual jealous flash in Elliot's eyes. There was a hint of it, but mostly he seemed sadly resigned. "It's been a little while. Are you doing okay? How's Eli?"

"We're all fine." Elliot looked between the two of them. He shook his head. "I have to go. It's good to see you."

Fin gave Olivia an uneasy glance while they watched Elliot leave the café. "Well, fuck."

"When you find yourself scheduled for weekends in the next month, I think you'll understand why." Olivia was out of her seat in a second. She grabbed her coat and purse, dodging and weaving past customers to catch up to Elliot. He had almost reached his Suburban by the time she got there. "Wait. El."

Elliot stopped in the parking lot. He shoved his hands into his pocket. "What?"

"El. Turn around. Can we talk?"

"Why? Pretty sure Detective Shaw's more than capable of handling a conversation with you," Elliot muttered sullenly. "Why the hell did Fin even bring us here? We usually have coffee closer to the 1-6."

"It wasn't my idea."

"The hell would Fin set me up to see you on a damn date? He knows how…." Elliot trailed off. He shook his head before finally facing her. "I don't want to play games, Liv."

"Neither do I. I'm just…"

"Seemed like you wanted something. You were laughing with him. Having a good time." Elliot seemed to be trying desperately to appear nonchalantly. "I'm…happy for you."

Olivia blinked in surprise when a snowflake landed on her nose. It made her laugh, despite everything happening. "El?"

"Yeah?"

"It's snowing." She reached out to grab his hand and tug him forward. "It's December. Christmas. I don't want to doubt myself. Or you. Or us. I just want to be happy. I want to be loved."

"Liv?"

"I want to love you—and I want to be loved by you." Olivia twisted around, so she was facing him. "I don't need a fake or real date with Detective Shaw. I don't need Fin's help. Or mistletoe. I just…I want you for Christmas."

Elliot smiled before leaning in to kiss the snowflake off her nose with a smile. "Not sure I'll fit under your tree, but I'll do my best."

The author of this A Merry SVU Season story will be revealed in January