A/N: We have arrived my friends. True, it wasn't a long journey, but it was certainly a fun one. This will probably be the last chapter … but I promise, there will be an epilogue.

So, enjoy the last-ish installment of Dangerously Close.

Disclaimer: Okay. You caught me. I guess I'll have to admit that I do actually own the greatest show on earth, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

Dick Wolf: "Excuse me? You what?"

Me "Yeah Dick. You heard me. I stole your show. What are you going to do about it, hmm?

Dick Wolf: "Oh you wanna know what I'm going to do about it?

Me: "Yeah. What are you going to do?"

Dick Wolf: "You really wanna know?"

Me: (sighs) "Are you going to tell me?"

Dick Wolf:"Mariska! Chris! Get in here!"

Mariska Hargitay: (sighs) "What is it, Dick?"

Dick Wolf: (childlike) "She's trying to take over SVU!" (add childlike stomp here)

Chris Meloni: (looks at me and smiles, causing me to blush and try very hard to ignore the sexiness; fails miserably) "And that's a bad thing how?"

Dick Wolf: (gapes like a fish a few times) "Chris … have you seen her ideas? She wants to kill Kathy!"

Mariska Hargitay: (smiles at me) "And as Chris said, that's a bad thing how? It would finally make time for 'Elliot' and 'Olivia' to get together. Everybody's been waiting for that for quite some time."

Dick Wolf: "But what about the other supp-"

Chris Meloni: (interrupts Dick) "Kathy should be killed. Dani should be murdered. Now tell me sweetheart, (turns to me) do you want Elliot and Olivia to start dating?"

Me: (happy to be back in conversation and thrilled that Chris called me sweetheart) "Oh yes Chris. Very much so!"

Mariska Hargitay: "What are your ideas for this relationship to begin, sweetheart?"

Me: (thrilled that my idol is speaking to me) "Well, I would love for them to fall in love, of course. But it can't be, you know, like, 'Oh my God! Elliot! I love you! Be mine forever and ever and ever etc.' It has to be a kind of deny-the-feelings-at-first but then realize-that-they're-true kind of thing.

Mariska Hargitay: "I love this girl!"

Chris Meloni: Me too! I hereby give you, Brittany, the ownership rights to Law and Order: Special Victims Unit! Screw Dick. Who needs him?"

Me: (tears streaming down my face as I scream in utter delight) "Oh thank you Chris!" (gives him a hug, feeling his strong muscles. Yeah baby!) "Thank you Mariska!" (gives her a hug)

Yay! I got the rights! I got the rights! I got the -

Yeah right. I wish. Hope you enjoyed that little ... thing. :) But no, SVU is still not mine.

Dick Wolf: "HA!"

Mariska Hargitay; Me; Chris Meloni: "Oh stuff it."

In my mind, I knew it was only 6:30 AM and that'd I'd only been at the station for around 30 minutes. Too early, I know, but I couldn't help it. It still felt like I'd been here for over 24 hours.

It was painful for me to wait this long for my partner to show up, but it would have been harder to wait at home until I was supposed to arrive.

Munch was right. And though it would be hard for me to admit it to Elliot, I knew I had to.

I rolled my eyes. John was under the ludicrous impression that Elliot had the same feelings for me, but I didn't know if I really believed that. After all, he was separated from his wife before and nothing happened between us.

This time, however, the separation was far more permanent. But I still had to wonder …

Cold air suddenly blasted through the room, making me shiver slightly. Who would be here this early? I silently prayed it was Elliot.

"Morning Benson," my gorgeous partner called, smiling as he stepped into the squadroom and slid out of his coat. "It's freezing out there." He paused, as if just noticing the time. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Hey Stabler," I smiled back and took a deep breath. "I wanted to talk to … someone."

"Who?" Elliot wandered, sitting down casually in his desk.

"You."

He raised an eyebrow and his breathtaking smile got larger. "I wanted to talk to you too. But you first. What is it you wanted to discuss?"

He wasn't going to make this easy, was he?

"El …" I whispered, walking over and perching myself on the edge of his desk. "I think you know."

"Ah right. Our moment, right?" All I could do was nod while I swallowed the nerves building up.

"Yeah. I figured we should talk about that too."

Here goes nothing. Still not entirely sure about what I was about to do, I opened my mouth and began my speech.

"So, I've done a lot of thinking. And I even talked to Munch about it. He helped me realize what I had to do. Elliot I-"

Another cold gush of air interrupted my speech followed by something I wouldn't have expected at 6:45 in the morning.

"You have got to be kidding me!" A familiar voice floated into the room along with the sound of two pairs of footsteps. "Why would the President's administration circulate a bogus tape of Bin Laden's voice? Do you think they want to cause any more pandemonium over post 911 terrorist threats?"

"Of course they do!" Munch's voice followed Fin's. "They have to find some way to quiet the uproar of anti-war protesters! Just remind the common man of why we're over in the Middle-East, stir up some of that blue-collar anger everyone felt because of 911, and America will jump back on the bandwagon to keep sending troops over there to the slaughter!"

I turned to see Elliot staring towards the source of the uproar with a mixture of anger and confusion on his face. It was quite an amusing sight actually. And if it hadn't been a serious moment between the two of us, I would've laughed.

"Elliot," I said, touching his shoulder gently. "Let's go talk in the cribs. We can probably get more privacy there."

He nodded and stood to follow me upstairs.

"You were saying, Liv?" Elliot asked softly, turning to look straight into my eyes. I took that moment to examine what I found there.

Nothing. Wait! Was that fear? No, no. Longing? Desire? Love?

There goes my mind playing tricks on me again. Might as well get down to business. Oh God. I'm starting to sound like Casey!

"I … care about you Elliot." Wow. That was stupid. Obviously he already knew that.

He let a beautifully crooked smile fill his face and light up his eyes. "Yes Liv. I know. I care about you too …"

His expression became one of mock fear. "Are you asking Cragen for a new partner? No Liv! Say it ain't so!" He collapsed on the bed and allowed his hand to fly to his forehead.

Again, I would've laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious. Plus the fact that his sarcastic comment had been part of the truth.

No matter how he reacted when I told him my feelings, I'd have to ask for a new partner. It was a given.

Let's say he chose my favorite of the two options: he returns my feelings. Partners aren't supposed to be together: something about conflict of interest …? Anyway, Cragen would have no choice but to separate us there.

And then there's the other option: he doesn't feel the same way. There would be no way in hell that I could stay partners with him if he knew I was in love with him. God it just about kills me now to imagine how incredibly awkward that would be. Of course, it would still be the same way if we worked in the same unit … Perhaps I'd work computer crimes again … I shuddered at the thought.

That was not fun.

At my lack of response, Elliot quickly sat up in the bed and gazed at me with a more serious attitude. "Liv? You aren't really asking for a new partner, are you?"

I bit my lip. "It might come down to it," I whispered.

"Oh no. Olivia, please don't do that." He sat up on the edge of the bed. "Liv, I can't handle another new partner. I missed you too much when you were gone."

He sighed and shook his head, placing it in his hands. He laughed once without humor. "You have no idea how awful Dani was." Shuddering involuntarily, he added, "Each time you're gone, my partner gets worse."

I had to bite my lip again to hide the smile that was forming there. "Elliot, I didn't just want to talk to you about our partnership." Elliot looked up, the confusion back on his flawless face. "Though, what I do have to say will affect our professional relationship a great deal…"

"Liv?" Elliot interrupted gently. "What on earth are you talking about?"

Olivia, I instructed myself. Now's your shot. Just go for it.

Without even thinking about it, I finally let my heart take the plunge.

"You know what I think?" I wondered.

"No," he became slightly more bewildered. "What do you think?"

"We're too close," I quoted Cragen's words from 2 years previously, while moving closer to Elliot's solid body. I allowed a smile to fill my soft face.

Please don't move away, Elliot. You have no idea how much it will crush me if you do.

"Oh really?" Elliot smirked, wrapping one arm around my waist, tugging gently to move me forward. Placing the other on the back of my neck, he went on. "And how close is that?"

Oh thank God! Finally! Just took a little bit longer than I expected.

"Dangerously close," I whispered softly into his ear.

Smiling brightly, I pulled his lips to mine swiftly. He kissed back eagerly, as if he'd been longing for as long as I had to do this. Nothing stood in our way.

Not even our jobs. We'd figure that out later.

If I lived to be a million years old, I don't think there would be anything that could top the feeling of his gentle lips upon my own.

It was like instant sparks. Kissing him softly at first, and then more aggressively as time went on, I knew immediately that I wasn't the only one who'd waited all these years for a chance at this. And boy was I glad that we finally took that leap.

As Elliot deepened the kiss, I knew he felt the exactly same way.

And this was how it was supposed to be. Just the two of us, just Elliot and Olivia. Who knew what the future would bring for us? Who cared? All that mattered was that we had each other. Right here and right now. And that's how it was always going to be.

Our fate was sealed, yes. But we were the ones who sealed it.