ZOMG! MY MUSE HAS RETURNED! (and it brought all the DVDs back that it 'borrowed')
no, I just turned on the TV and Fault was on. so I was like all OMFG, I MUST WATCH THIS. and I watched it and felt like crying because I have left What If on the line for so long. I even forgot where I was going with it. luckily I had written all of that down, so I reviewed my notes and now I'm right back on track. there will be more drama and angst (I mean, what is this story without it?) but some more nitty gritty case stuff is to be included here and there. I don't want to bore the hell out of you with details about raping, but I don't want to wear you out on all that brooding dramatic intensity either.
so, update on my life: relationships are becoming fascinatingly dramatic, finals are in full bloom, and school's out for summer. which means you get more of my fic!love and I get more satisfaction from your review!love. if you don't review, I might send someone over there to beat you to a pulp. you won't like that, I'd guess. unless you are a gangstah anyhow, in which case you will come kick my sorry ass and make my house a pimp joint.
but hey. my family is full of lawyers. and psychiatrists. so…be afraid. we will attack you with our…uh…ballpoint pens. and large salaries. and brain power.
yeah. smart people kick ass.
ha, mariska's going to pop any day now. I have already declared official nanny rights, so PWNED noobs. and in other celebrity-related news, I have Nelly Furtado's Promiscuous stuck in my head. and goddamnit, I'm starting to really truly love it. hey, has anyone else seen the Da Vinci Code yet? it's actually pretty good. but Tom Hanks' hair really should have its own talk show…every once in a while I SWEAR I saw it crawl across his head and make hissing noises.
I am becoming so emo. applaud me, really. I'll probably become a better author because of it.
alright, without further ado….THE NEWEST UPDATE EXTROIRDINAIRE! (HOW THE HELL DO YOU SPELL THAT WORD!) YEAH YEAH YEAH!
…
Three Months After 'Ebony'…
…
He stood on the edge of the dock, at the edge of forever. Somewhere between today and tomorrow, between never and always…that was where this sunset lived. It illuminated his face, framed his outline with a tangerine glow. It enveloped his soul in the cool, clean bath of a thousand promises, none of them yet broken. For just a moment in this sunset, he could forget about the body they'd found beneath the dock, the pale face of a girl who'd left her last breath on a sand dune two miles from here. He could forget about the bruises she'd worn on the fragile face of childhood.
"Hey."
He turned, finding a familiar set of eyes before him, lit by the fading lights in an amber blaze. She came to stand beside him, posture unassuming, her face still clear and undeceived by the passing memories. Her hands fell into the pockets of pants he'd seen her wear last Monday, breeze blowing across the shirt that tightened over the soft swells of breasts. She turned to him, expression suddenly accelerating with the intense frown, her most brooding attribute.
"It's not fair, is it?"
"What?" He felt her breath touching his cheek. Even with the wind against him, he could still taste the distinct flavor of her, that familiar scent and tantalizing tang of her lips that he had only so recently savored.
"Life. The world. Whatever it is that lets a six year old girl die on the first day she spends at a beach."
"There's been others."
"Her expression. It just got to me somehow. She almost looked…forgiving."
"Little kids are like that. They don't hold things very long. Grudges, you know." He let a small smile fall over his lips. "They let everything slip out their grasps before they've ever had a chance to really feel them."
"No one should have to die that young." She bit her lip, eyes wandering over the ocean, frothy pink as it churned against the silver shore. "It's not fair."
He caught that look in her eyes, the expression she'd worn a few months before. Lying in a hospital bed, cradling an empty womb, he'd seen the same depth to her pupils. The darkness in her irises as she'd turned from him to wipe away the growing tears. Today he knew her thoughts.
"I know," He brought her to his shoulder, let her rest there just long enough to shelter her soul from the showers of memories that were slipping by. "I know."
"It shouldn't have died that young, El." She whispered, her hand running over the back of his neck, a needy palm grasping for something, anything. "We shouldn't have lost it…"
"I know," He kissed the top of her head, feeling the sunset shrouding them from the world for a moment. Standing there in the last light of a dying day, he knew he'd do anything to get a part of that day…and a part of their life…back forever.
…
The back table at Moriarty's was already crowded before the entire party had taken its seats, with the conversation growing louder and alcohol circulating faster than change on Wall Street. The redhead had gotten to her feet just as the two seated across from her had begun an arm-wrestling contest for who would buy the hot girl at the bar the first drink. She moved through the crowd with a precise but lady-like gait, arriving at the bar and hovering lightly at the edge before leaning in to the tall and dark-haired man who was giving her a wide grin.
"So Case, when are you going to let me take you out to dinner already?"
She gave him a quick smile, her eyelashes fluttering. "Why don't you start by getting me a beer, Anthony?"
"Works for me." He handed her a tall glass of Sam Adams, and added a playful wink. "I like your hair like that."
"I thought you said the blonde was best on me."
"Well, I like it back to its original red now. It's very professional looking."
She leaned farther in, giving his hair a muss. "Anthony, you'll never get laid if you keep lying like that."
He grinned, his boyish eyes sparkling. "I think you like my lying."
"I think I like your beer." She gave him the satisfaction of one last smile. "Keep the refreshments coming to our table, Ant, or I might have to beat you."
"That doesn't sound entirely unpleasant." He called after her as she retreated to the back table, taking a seat between a tentative looking Asian and a balding man brooding into his glass.
A few minutes later, the last of the table's occupants were sliding between the rows of busy customers, looking frazzled. Greetings were expressed and drinks exchanged as coats slid off and chairs pulled out.
"Sorry we're late." Elliot said, rubbing his hand over the back of his head, cautious eyes flashing onto his partner. "Went a bit overtime on the case today."
"I thought I told you both not to overdo yourselves on the Curry case." Cragen snapped, giving them both a wide frown. "It's not healthy, is it George?"
Dr. Huang looked up from his glass and attempted a nod. "Er, no. It can be a bit traumatizing after a while. Am I right?"
"Of course he's right. He's a damn doctor." Cragen's eyes flashed dangerously. "I've been telling you both not to overwork yourselves, and yet you blatantly disregard my orders." He rolled his eyes. "Why do I frequently feel like I'm working with a bunch of teenagers?"
"Did you guys see those two girls making out in the front?" Munch's head snapped back around, his eyes widening with an enthused luster. "It's kind of nasty and kind of hot all at the same time!"
Cragen's head fell into his palms. "I rest my case."
"How are you doing?" Casey leaned in closer to her friend, who was twisting a lock of her dark hair around a careless finger.
"Fine," Olivia shrugged, her voice lowering. "Tough case today, that's all."
"And how is…everything else?" Casey had been the first one outside of Elliot to know about the miscarriage, but certainly not the last. "You're feeling healthy and everything, right?"
"I'd tell you if there was something wrong." Olivia said quickly, brushing her off with a wave of her hand, her other fingers wrapping around an empty glass. Casey watched as Olivia leaned into Elliot's neck, a light whisper reaching his ear. He gave her a quick frown, biting his lip.
"Drinks are on me." Casey announced, her eyes still resting longer on the tight faces of the couple beside her. "This is simply so I can control how plastered you all get."
"Unless we get you plastered first." Fin said, laughing.
"Which you won't, since I have sworn not to get drunk tonight."
"Hey Munch," Huang leaned closer to the man on his right. "Do you think I should buy some drinks for those girls?"
"You mean the ones making out?" Munch frowned, giving the front of the room a quick glance.
"Yeah, they're kind of hot."
Munch sighed, pouring more beer into his friend's glass. "George, my comrade, we must entrust in you the vast knowledge involved in getting laid before you are the lost to the epic darkness of the rest of manhood. Because it looks like you are pretty far along to leading a life on the dark side as it is."
Huang raised a confused eyebrow. "Uh, thanks?"
Olivia was resting a hand on Elliot's thigh, her eyes still dark and unreadable. "I want to go home." She whispered into his ear, her breath lingering and gathering moisture on his tepid skin. "Something feels wrong."
"You're just being apprehensive, Liv. I never saw the car you were talking about."
"I know it followed us, Elliot."
"I don't think so, Liv. I never saw it."
"It was there. I know it was there, El." She whispered harshly, removing her mouth from his ear.
And as she did so, three bullets ricocheted across the room.
…
In 2.3 seconds, there is very little you can do in the face of an incoming bullet. But Elliot Stabler succeeded in diving to the ground, taking Olivia with him. For 2.3 seconds he cradled her beneath him, the same 2.3 seconds that Munch and Huang were turning to the front of the room and Fin was reaching for another beer and Cragen was getting up to use the bathroom and Casey was glancing across the crowd to get another glimpse of Anthony. The same 2.3 seconds that three bullets were screaming towards the table, two hitting flesh and one lodging in the wall.
There was screaming and chaos when the bullets had stopped, but that can be expected. Fin and Munch were to their feet and raising their own guns, moving through the people and yelling back to their companions. Munch was bleeding from his right shoulder, but it looked as though the bullet had only grazed his skin. Casey was kneeling on the floor, her eyes flashing over the sea of crying people and calling out a name when the familiar face of a bartender did not appear. Huang was bent over Cragen, who was clutching a hand to his side and blinking at the blood that was being quelled between his fingers.
Everything had stopped. And then started. And it felt like it was about to stop again.
She stirred beneath him, felt his weight against her, felt those arms wrapped protectively around her like a bastion of strength. He held her tight in his grip, unable to release her from his fingers, keeping her small and safe within his arms.
"El…El, are you alright?" She whispered, turning to face him and finding his neck.
"It's okay." He whispered, finally sitting up, letting her fall back onto him. "I've got you."
"Cragen," She said abruptly, turning to the captain who was now shuddering against the cold floor. "Jesus…" She pulled away from her partner, her lover. She let go of his hand and reached for someone else, and yet his presence was still there, hovering over her heart with angel's wings. Elliot never really left her anymore. He was always there…somehow, always there.
…
They were huddled beside the ambulance, the stolid party of companions lined up on the sidewalk, their expressions and the weight in their eyes connecting them in a deeper kind of way. One was giving a small wave to a man being loaded into the ambulance, his hand on his bleeding shoulder. A redhead was sitting on the curb between the rest, her eyes wide as she stared at the street where her unconscious employer had just been driven away. The shortest of the males was standing above her, giving her a comforting pat on the back. Another two were huddled closely together, arms hooked and hands interlaced within the folds of one's pockets.
"They were coming for us." One of the two whispered, her head falling onto his shoulder. "Those bullets were meant for us."
Elliot gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, his hand tightening around hers. "I know."