"So. Captain Benson eh?"
The late afternoon sun streamed through the glass sliding door as Elliot stood by the granite countertop, stirring a large pitcher of iced tea. The ice cubes tinkled merrily against the glass, the brown liquid virtually transparent where pierced by the sunlight. The windows built into the wooden frame of the massive cabin were open, but there was no breeze to cool the interior. Little plastic fans perched strategically on tables around the room fought feverishly against the oppressive heat. In the corner of the room, one of the two adorable mutts she had seen earlier lay on the floor, head on paws, chocolate brown eyes observing the action lazily.
Olivia sat at a knotted wooden picnic table in the large open concept kitchen, forearms folded on the lacquered top as she watched Elliot work. The muscles in his shoulders flexed under his thin gray T-shirt as he stirred and she couldn't help but notice how his shape had changed since the last time she had seen him. He was leaner now, still muscled, but with the wiry muscle of someone who spent a lot of time in outdoor physical activity, not of someone who spent hours at the gym.
When he turned, sweating glasses in hand, she also had the chance to assess the changes in his face. His eyes were the same, light and intelligent. His skin was tanned and, although there were a few more wrinkles than she remembered, he actually looked younger, healthier. His hair was even shorter than his typical marine cut and he had let a beard grow. It was the gray that flecked the light brown hair on his chin that belied his age.
Olivia smiled as she took the glass from his hand. "Yeah, Captain Benson. Who would have thunk?"
Elliot's grin was lopsided as he lowered himself onto the bench across from her. "When did that happen?"
Her first sip of the cold tea was refreshing. "Two years after you left SVU. They kept me a Lieutenant until Cragen retired. He was grooming me to take his place."
"Moving up in the world. Lucky you." Elliot's eyes slid to the expansive picture window that looked out down a jagged rock face and to the shimmering lake below.
An awkward silence fell between them, and Olivia shifted uncomfortably on the hard bench. Although their conversation thus far had been friendly, there was a disjointedness between them that was new. When Elliot retired, they had tried to keep in touch. They had made a point of meeting for drinks at first but, somewhere along the way, without a conscious decision being made, those get-togethers had become fewer and further between. Eventually they had stopped altogether, any attempts on either of their parts thwarted by other plans or simply bad timing.
When had they grown apart? When had they fallen out of sync?
"So when did you move out here? You're a long way from Queens, Toto," Olivia teased in a lame attempt to ease the awkwardness.
It didn't work.
"After the divorce." Elliot's voice was flat and he refused to tear his eyes from the window. A drop of perspiration ran down the side of his glass and pooled on the shiny tabletop.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know." It took an effort to force back the pang of sadness that tickled her soul. Six years ago, she would have been one of the first to know.
When had it all changed?
Elliot shrugged, his gaze returning to inside the room but still not meeting hers. "Kathy and I have been over for a long time. We probably only lasted as long as we did because I was never around. Once I left the force, I was around too much. Too much, not enough, we couldn't win. We only lasted a couple more years after I retired. She's still in Queens."
"The kids?"
Elliot smiled genuinely for possibly the first time since he had invited her into his kitchen.
"They're good. Great actually. The twins are living in the City, sharing an apartment. Dickie's finishing up his Master's degree. Elizabeth is working as a waitress in an upscale restaurant. She does really well with tips. Maureen and Kathleen are both married now, to good men. Maureen just had a baby."
Elliot stood suddenly, the movement making his knees creak. Moving over to the wood fireplace that sat just inside the living area, he plucked a gold frame off the mantel and returned to the table. A cheery infant grinned from inside the frame and Olivia couldn't help but smile in response. "That's my first grandchild. Sasha."
"She's beautiful."
"Yeah, she's cute," Elliot agreed with a smile, turning the picture to face him. "She loves it out here. She's a regular water spider."
"How often do you get to see them all?"
Elliot shrugged, fiddling absently with the frame, twisting it this way and that. "Quite a bit. I get Eli every other weekend and for a month in the summer too."
"It's nice you get to spend more time with your kids. I know that was really important to you." Olivia grinned lightly. "And look at this huge bachelor pad! You must have a hell of a pension Mr. Stabler."
"Yeah, it's great." Elliot's eyes went flat as he watched the perspiration drip down the side of his glass. "So tell me about the case. What brings you to my neck of the woods?"
Automatically, Olivia went to share, but at the last second stopped and regarded Elliot carefully. His light eyes were on her now, unwavering, and she weighed her options. A part of her longed to share all the details, to rehash the case until something fell into place, until something made sense the way it always used to. But he wasn't her partner anymore. He was a civilian now. He didn't need to burden his conscience with the details of horrible crimes he was no longer bound to investigate.
After a moment, the past won over the present.
She started slowly and gained momentum, detailing the facts of Teresa's disappearance, the fruitless search efforts, and the call from the startled bird watcher who had stumbled over her body. Elliot's expression never changed as she spoke, his eyes fixed on her face for the first time since they had sat down.
"I'm a little disappointed in your neighbors El," Olivia sighed finally, using the tip of her finger to dunk one of the ice cubes that floated on the top of her glass. "They weren't very helpful. Fin said the door-to-door canvass was a waste of time. Everyone clammed up. Insisted that type of thing didn't happen around here."
Something flickered on Elliot's face when she used his nickname, but it was gone almost as quickly as it surfaced. Instead, he grunted in acknowledgment around a mouthful of iced tea. "It's a private neighborhood. People keep to themselves. To be honest, I don't know much about them either, and I'm a resident. They will talk to me though. Seems if you own property up here, you're in. If not . . ." he shrugged lightly. "Well, if not, you're just an outsider."
"Great." Olivia took a frustrated gulp of iced tea, the sweetness catching at the back of her throat. "It's going to be a long and irritating investigation. I can feel it."
Elliot was quiet for a moment, his gaze returning to the window. From her vantage point across the table, she could see the reflection of the water in his eyes. "I could help, you know."
Olivia smiled lightly. "You don't want to do that El. You're out of the life now." She gestured to the beautiful log building and impressive vista surrounding them. "Things are going well for you. Don't get sucked back into the abyss known as Sex Crimes."
Elliot leaned forward, elbows on the table, his face serious. "No one is going to talk to you Liv. You know it. I know it. But they'll talk to me. I'm a resident."
Outside, a bird sang a song with no name. Olivia regarded him carefully for a moment, breath deep and thoughtful. "Resident or not, as soon as they hear "police", they're going to shut down just like they did with the detectives this morning."
Elliot smiled genuinely for the second time that afternoon, his eyes twinkling just slightly.
"Sure, if they hear "police". But not if they think you're my girlfriend."