A/N Please enjoy and review!
"Hey Al…"
"Liv! Oh my God where are you? Are you okay?"
"Yea Al I'm fine I met up with an old friend. So I just wanted to let you know I'm safe."
"Liv where are you?" She could hear Elliot in the background but couldn't make out his words.
"It doesn't matter okay? I'm not coming back there I need time to think."
"You're not going to do anything stupid are you?" She then realized she was on speaker and everyone in the group was silent trying to hear her response.
"So what if I do. Who cares?" She heard Elliot begin to say something but someone must have shushed him.
"Liv I care." Alex stated, "And I know you don't want to hear it but Elliot and Casey care and Fin and Munch would lose it if you were to do something to hurt yourself."
"Yea sure. I'm sure Elliot and Casey would find a way to cope."
"Liv STOP!" Elliot finally bellowed from behind someone's hand that was obviously clasped over his mouth, "Liv I did not cheat on you!"
"Goodbye Elliot." She was about to press END when she heard his sobs break through her speakers.
"Please Liv please don't do this I love you more than anything in the world please don't leave me." Suddenly she couldn't put her phone down.
"Take the phone Elliot." She said, referring to being taken off speaker and only wanting to speak to Elliot.
"Liv?" He whispered through his tears.
"Yea El."
"Please Liv, I swear I didn't cheat on you Casey just hugged me it-"
"Elliot I don't want to hear it okay, I saw what I saw and denying it is just making this easier."
"Liv please don't do this let me come talk to you, let me explain, I don't know what you think you saw but I never kissed Casey and I would never cheat on you."
"Elliot, I want to believe you, I really do but right now I just need time to think."
"Okay, how much time?" he whispered into the phone, his voice cracking.
"I don't know El…"
There was silence for a few beats then Elliot began, "Liv, please don't hurt yourself. I know you have your gun and everything but please Liv, for me don't even think about hurting yourself. Please Liv I couldn't live with myself if you did."
He heard her sigh, "I made a promise El. And I don't break my promises." Elliot gathered the double meaning behind her words; she wont hurt herself and Elliot broke his promise to never leave or hurt her again.
"Liv I love you."
Suddenly another voice broke in "Livvy is everything okay out here?"
"Yea Greg thanks I'll be in in a second." Olivia responded to the person.
"I've gotta go El."
"Liv who was that?"
"The person I'm staying with till all this gets sorted out. I'll speak with Alex tomorrow. Goodnight."
"Wait- Liv!" But she was gone.
Olivia headed back inside Greg's boathouse and found him making Mac n' Cheese in the kitchen.
"How'd the phone call go?"
"I talked to Elliot."
"What'd he say?"
"Mostly the 'I didn't cheat on you' then 'don't kill yourself'"
"Don't what?"
"I had just told him this afternoon I had thought about it when I was really depressed and now I think he's never going to forget I mentioned it to him."
"That's messed up… Why'd he bring it up again?"
"I don't know maybe because I took my gun. But I'm not leaving my service weapon in some place random! I don't know it's just gotten so out of control I just want this whole thing to end."
"You want which part to end? The relationship or the cheating?"
Olivia sighed and took a long swig of wine, "I don't know yet. Maybe both…"
"Then I think you should eat," He pushed a freshly made bowl of Mac n' Cheese towards her, "Then go to bed and sleep on it and in the morning if you feel the same way I'll help you get the house boat back and take them all back on my boat so you don't have to see him or the chick again. If not then you can have a nice long chat with him and figure this whole thing out. How's that sound?"
She chuckled while taking a tentative bite of Mac n' Cheese, "Sounds good, and can I just say you still make the best macaroni in the world?"
"I knew you'd love it Livvy." He smiled and got up from his seat to go get his guest room ready for her.
It wasn't that Elliot didn't believe her when she said she wasn't going to hurt herself, it was more of the fear that it was still crossing her mind. He wasn't all too convinced she wouldn't do anything stupid either. From the sounds of it she was with 'an old friend' that happened to be named 'Greg'.
"Alex, Casey who does Olivia know down here that is named Greg?" Elliot hadn't spoken to anyone since Olivia had hung up, and as he broke the silence everyone's eyes darted to him.
"I- I'm not sure I don't remember a Greg." Casey stated.
"I do." Alex added quietly.
"Who is he? Is he gonna take care of her or should I be worried and go and find her?"
"I don't know what you should do, I remember she said when her mom would let her take out the boat by herself she would pick up some boy named Greg and they would find some secluded spot and… you know… but she always said he was super nice to her and if she hadn't lived so far away she would have…" Alex trailed off afraid she'd said too much already.
"She would have what Alex?" Elliot prompted, his face growing redder by the second.
"She would have married him…" Elliot jumped out of his seat and ran to the cabinet rummaging around looking for something.
"What are you doing?" Fin asked as he seated himself to a still sniffing Casey.
"I'm trying to find the damn directory and find out where this woman stealing piece of shit lives and hunt his ass down and get Olivia back and then Ill-"
"Elliot! Slow your roll!" Munch shouted over Elliot's tirade, "first of all that Greg guy was her love in HIGH SCHOOL not now. I highly doubt it's even the same guy and if it is then she's not going to jump into bed with him or go off and marry him. So stop thinking like that, screw your head on straight and sit your ass down and think about this."
Elliot stomped his foot and slammed the cabinet shut making everyone jump.
"I can't lose her. I just can't I don't know what to do with myself without her here. Please just someone tell me what to do!" Elliot looked pleadingly at his best friends and former coworkers searching for an answer.
"I have an idea." Fin responded gruffly, "Why don't we do what she asked us to do? She is obviously very hurt by what happened and hasn't got a clue what to do so if she wants to stay with Greg because that's what she wants right now then let her. She said she'd call tomorrow and she will, so let her alone for tonight, go to sleep and we will find out more tomorrow. But let me make something clear, it is not her fault she thought you cheated on her. I would have thought the same thing Stabler and if it had been with anyone else I would have believed her but I trust my Casey and I know she wouldn't do that. But you Stabler, you made this mess and now its time for you to clean it up and the best thing you can do is give her space."
Elliot knew Fin was right. He had to leave her alone and trust that she was being safe and wasn't going to do anything stupid to herself or with this Greg guy. Fin got up along with Casey and they headed towards their room with a quick goodnight. Munch clapped Elliot on the shoulder, "Future congratulations man, she'll come around and then we'll have a nice big fat wedding." Munch looked at Alex but she shook her head so he retired alone.
Once Alex and Elliot were alone she began, "Elliot I know Olivia misread the situation with you and Casey but you have to understand where she's coming from."
"I know where she's coming from, she doesn't trust me."
"No. Elliot, she does trust you. Has she told you how she lost her virginity?"
"Briefly… but what does that have anything to do with-"
"This guy told her he loved her, he was 23, she was 14, he told her he could take her away from her mother if she went with him. He said her age didn't matter, that he only loved her and that he wanted to marry her when she was old enough. Well three days after losing her virginity to him she came back to his place with her bag ready to move in and he had not just one girl but two in his bed with him. She said he laughed upon seeing this little 14-year-old girl with her bag packed ready to move in with him when he was just using her. She has been cheated on several times after that as well. So before you blame her for 'not trusting you' think about all she has been through, THEN reevaluate the situation." And with that Alex got up and went to her room with John.
Elliot sat there for a long time just thinking, thinking of how badly Olivia had been treated her whole life; how she never got the love she so desperately craved and deserved. He thought about how he had let her down in her eyes and how even though he didn't actually do anything, he had still caused her that kind of pain. He pulled out his phone and typed a message to his Liv:
Olivia,
I know I let you down. I know I disappointed you even though I didn't mean to. I know I broke my promise to not hurt you. Even though nothing happened between Casey and me, I still have caused you this immense amount of pain and I am so sorry for that. I want you to know that if you want me to I will leave tonight. If you want to come home and have me gone then I will leave. I don't want to cause you any more pain Olivia, and if leaving is the only way to prevent that then I will leave. But please know I will always love you.
Love,
El
He pressed SEND and headed towards their once bedroom. Looking at it now it did not look like it held the life he once loved inside it. The bed did not look inviting or welcoming like it did when it held Olivia. His fingers curled around the bed sheets as he lowered them to find the slight bow where their bodies had been the previous night. His eyes welled up with tears again as he slipped into their indention and hugged the pillow that still smelled like her to his chest.
Just as he began to drift off to sleep he heard his phone chime from the nightstand and quickly reached over to see the message:
"Don't leave me."
And just like that he realized what she needed, not him gone but him to prove his love.
"Never Liv. I love you with all my heart."
He didn't expect her to respond so he rolled back over and drifted into an uneasy nightmare filled sleep.
"I love you too El" Olivia whispered to the ceiling of Greg's guest room.
Elliot woke the next morning and reached his arm out looking for the warm body he had gotten used to waking up to. When his fingers only met the sheets he shot out of bed and it all came flooding back: Olivia gone, thinking he cheated, with an old boyfriend, took her gun. Suddenly the room began to spin and he sat back down on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands.
"How did this get so fucked up?" he whispered to himself.
On the other side of the lake Olivia was having the same thought. She sat down with Greg at his island counter and began to pick at the pancakes he had so graciously made her.
"What? Not hungry?" Greg asked innocently.
"Not really… I'm just still so confused…"
"That's okay Olivia, you're allowed to be confused, especially when it comes out of left field like this did. Do you think you'll go talk to him?"
She sat quietly for a moment then nodded, "I feel like if I don't and I just cut him off forever I will be worse off than before… I have to at least go hear him out."
"Okay well then I'm not going to cancel the fishing if you're going to meet them is that okay?"
"Oh God yea don't cancel work I'll get my stuff and get out of your hair." Olivia began to stand up from her seat.
"Livvy, I just meant I was going to call and say I couldn't go if you still needed me here with you. If things don't go well and you want to stay here another night or for another month I don't care. While I don't love you like I used to I still love you and I don't want you to feel like you have to leave or feel unwelcome. You are always welcome here Livvy."
She smiled warmly at him, "Thank you Greg, but if Elliot and I do decide to break up I'm just going to go back to New York, I can't stay out here if he's not here too…"
"I understand," Greg said nodding his head, "But know my door is always open."
"Thank you." She leaned over and gave him a tight squeeze then began rummaging around getting all of her stuff together to make her way back to the boat she once called home.
As Greg helped her untie her boat he added, "Call me when you know what you're doing. If you decide to stay with them let me know cause I'd love to have dinner with everyone and meet the prick that did that to you."
Olivia laughed and pushed back from his boat, "Will do, thanks again Greg!"
"Anytime!" and with that she was off.
"Fin!" Elliot called from the bow of the boat.
"What Stabler?" Fin mumbled.
"I think I'm going to go ride around the lake for a bit and try and clear my head."
"Ride around on what? Why are you going to go clear your head, she may call while your gone!"
Elliot thought for a second, "I know but I am driving myself crazy sitting here waiting for her to pull up. I wont be long I just need to get away from this whole situation for a little while."
"Well if she calls and gets mad that you weren't here to talk to her I'm not covering for your ass."
"Thanks Fin." Elliot added sarcastically as he boarded the Jet Ski. And with that Elliot took off.
**Earlier that day** Elliot called the marina and asked if they knew any Greg's who lived on their boat full time, like Alex told him Greg did. The marina found who he was with little problem. Elliot informed them that he was an old friend and was trying to look him up but seemed to have misplaced the directory. After arguing with a girl who seemed to not believe him, he finally told her he was an NYPD officer and she was obstructing justice. Gaining all the information he needed he headed out.
As Olivia rounded the corner of the cove, which held her houseboat she expected, well more like hoped, Elliot would be sitting on the bow waiting for her to pull in.
When he wasn't, her heart dropped. Just then the sliding glass door opened and Fin, John, and Alex rushed out to meet her. She pulled the speedboat up next to the big boat and Alex pulled her out giving her a tight squeeze as both men tied up her boat.
"Where's Elliot?" she asked quickly.
"He said he needed to clear his head, he went out on the Jet Ski about an hour ago.
He said he wouldn't be too long so lets go inside and wait for him." Alex said as she ushered her inside and led her to the sofa.
"So… how are you feeling?" Alex asked, concern lacing her voice.
"I'm okay I guess… shouldn't Fin go?" She asked questioningly thinking he still didn't know what happened.
"I know what happened Baby-Girl."
"So is that why Casey's not here?" She assumed.
"No she's in our bedroom, she didn't want to make you uncomfortable."
"Well wasn't that just so nice of her." Olivia said, venom lacing her voice.
"Baby-Girl she didn't kiss Elliot."
"So Elliot kissed her!" Olivia said rising from her seat, "Is that what you're telling me?"
"NO! Olivia sit down, wait for Elliot to explain." Alex pulled her back down to her seat.
Olivia's eyes welled up with tears as she leaned into Alex's arm for support, "I just love him so much. I can't believe he'd do this to me…"
"Liv, I really think you need to just hear him out. I do not believe he kissed her."
Olivia's head shot up from its place on Alex's shoulder, "What? You don't? Why not?"
Olivia's eyes searched Alex's for an explanation.
Elliot road around on the Jet Ski driving as fast as he could, trying to find this Greg son of a bitch and bring his baby girl home with him. The coordinates for the cove where Greg was supposedly docked in were quite a bit of a ride, especially on a Jet Ski.
Elliot rounded the corner of the cove when he realized he did not know what this guys boat was named or what color it was or anything to help him identify it. Seeing three other boats tied up there he decided he would go boat to boat until he found his girl. Then, out of the corner of his eye he saw an all too familiar name painted it big, shiny, black letters: "The Olivia Marie"
Elliot's blood began to boil. He knew, he just knew that this was Greg's boat; he also knew that the love of his life's name was plastered along the side of this boat along with HIS Olivia inside.
Elliot failed to notice Olivia's boat was no longer tied up there and that she had headed back to meet him hoping beyond hopes to mend their broken relationship.
A/N Okay going out of town tomorrow so I wont be updating until Tuesday (hopefully). The next chapters are written but still adding and subtracting things so let me know if there's anything y'all want to see happen (Especially with how Elliot handles Greg and how Olivia handles Elliot handling Greg) Please review and PM love y'all!
-Roe99
