"Double Time" Sequel to "Stepping Time" (Highly recommend you read Stepping Time before reading this sequel)

The main characters of Law and Order SVU belong to Dick Wolf and NBC Universal. This is meant for entertainment, not profit.* There are several characters I have created. I hope you enjoy, and I welcome feedback.

Author's Note (Especially for laurel hardy) Characters guide-Primary SVU Characters Olivia Benson, Alex Cabot Primary Original Female Characters Army Lt. Col. Erin Mathison, Attorney Angie Secondary SVU and L&O Characters Elliot Stabler, Casey Novak, Abbie Carmichael, Serena Southerlyn Secondary Original Characters Jeff Stockton, Amelia Stockton, Dylan Mathison, Petraeus (Erin's Chihuahua), Senator Rushing, TJ McCoy

Thanks for reading and the reviews for the first 21 chapters. Love and appreciate the reviews and it means so much that so many are reading this sequel.

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"I love you Erin," Olivia said turning her head toward Erin.

"I know," Erin gasped, choking back tears. "I am so lucky…And I love you too, so much."

"Come here," Olivia whispered, extending her arm and Erin curled into her. "Why are you crying babe?"

"Because I…"

"Double Time" Chapter 22

"Because I…Well a lot of relationships, a lot of marriages don't make it through deployments. And we were and we still relatively are a new couple…And then I get home injured and then Weston is killed and I have to leave again soon," Erin sighed, running her fingertips over Olivia's stomach and under her breasts. "Fuck, I'm not making much sense…You just…you amaze me. You keep giving and loving me more."

"I get so much in loving you, being in love with you Erin…"

"There were just some times over there, that I was afraid you might decide that it was just too much, that you might meet someone…or that Alex and Angie might split…"

"Erin," Olivia said softly, sliding a finger under her chin so Erin looked up at her. "I don't want to be with anyone else. I'm grateful for our friends and I love them. And among our friends I am in many ways closest with Alex, but I see that now kind of like you and Jeff. I'm happy for Alex and Angie. They're great together."

"They are really good together," Erin said cracking a smile.

"And hell you and Angie should come down to the precinct sometime soon. Besides El, Munch and Fin and everybody you've met so far, I'd bet there'd be many others who would be thanking you two for making Alex and I so much more enjoyable to work with and around," Liv smiled. "And the core group would tell you both that they have never seen either of us happier."

"Babe it's not like I had those insecurities a lot, and when I did have any of those fears when I would talk to you…you made them go away."

"But you didn't tell me ever. And I wish you would have," Olivia said. "It was hard with you gone, but it was hardest because of the fear that you wouldn't come back alive. And those hours waiting when I thought you might be, when I thought you had been killed…were fuckin' unbearable."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I really wish the first time you would have heard anything about was from me after we were rescued," Erin sighed.

"I don't know. You would have downplayed it."

"Kind of like you did after you were shot," Erin asked sincerely.

"But I don't think I really did, because you had already talked to El and Alex and Casey and heard my doctor before I did get to talk to you," Olivia replied. "I mean once I got to talk to you I might have downplayed the amount of pain I was in slightly."

"Okay, I'm guilty of that one too," Erin smirked. "After you found out I was okay, was that when you started thinking about…"

"Other career options?" Liv smirked. "Yeah, it was. But not just because of the potential dangers. You being in D.C. is going to be a lot easier in many ways then you being in Afghanistan, but the reality is still that if we get to see each other on average twice a month that is probably going to be pretty lucky."

Erin sat up, propping a couple of pillows against the headboard and leaning back into them. Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at Erin with a frown.

"What…I wasn't comfy enough?"

"You're very comfy, but I was just finding it difficult to concentrate on this conversation with my lips mere inches from this nipple," Erin smiled, pinching it between her thumb and forefinger. "And I could go on about every other distracting sexy thing…but we should probably continue this conversation."

"Okay," Olivia pouted playfully sitting up and handing Erin her beer. "Where was I?"

"About how we will be lucky to see other twice a month once I get to D.C. And unfortunately I think you're right," Erin sighed lightly. "I'm not thinking I am going to have a Monday through Friday, eight to five job, like it was most of the time at Hamilton. I don't think there will be too much travel though. But Liv I don't want you giving up your career for me, especially not over 16 months."

Olivia took a long drink of her beer and ran a hand through her hair. "The thing is Erin, it wouldn't be just for you, it'd be for me too, for us. And I guess…I don't understand why you seem so opposed to it as a possibility."

"Because I'm afraid," Erin started, blankly looking straight ahead, "I'm afraid that you would regret it and I would be the constant reminder of that regret and then I'd lose you…so that's my selfish motivation about it. And the other part is I love you too much to want you to give up something that is so important to you."

"Erin you're not going to lose me," Olivia said firmly, running her hand over Erin's thigh. "And I'm not thinking about it seriously just because of 16 months. It's the 18 hour days, the 3 a.m. phone calls. I don't know that I want those when you are retired either."

Erin turned her head towards Liv and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers. "Do you think 16 months in different cities is going to be too tough for us to navigate through?"

"No, definitely not…you don't either do you?"

"God no Liv. You're it for me," Erin said, pressing her lips to Liv's cheek. "Listen maybe I haven't said enough. I think there's a part of me that's in a little bit of denial that I do have to leave again in a few weeks. And that we are going to be separated again. I would love it if we didn't have to do it again."

"And I'm just saying that we don't necessarily have to. I mean I could take a leave of absence, not for the whole time, but some of it. I'm sure I could find some part-time work or something short-term."

"Liv," Erin chuckled. "You certainly wouldn't need to work if you were to take a leave of absence."

"Well it would be unpaid so I…" Liv started.

"No you wouldn't," Erin interrupted. "You're my partner. And coming from me, I can't say we're rich, but we are doing well."

"But…"

"But what," Erin grinned. "You obviously have looked into and thought a lot about possibly changing your career or taking a break from it for us, and you are going to try and argue with me about a joint account and all."

"Okay," Olivia nodded and then continued. "I was looking over related career things and if I go back to school and get a master's in criminal justice, I could potentially get a job down the road as an adjunct professor."

"I think you would be a great teacher. They'd be lucky to have you with all the knowledge and experience you have already. Plus I would love to sit in one of your classes and see all the young lesbians fawning all over you," Erin laughed.

"Oh shut up. I'm already old enough to be their mother," Liv said, slapping Erin on the thigh. "And you my dear are making a somewhat stereotypical assumption of the demographics of such classes."

"But you are incredibly hot and smart so I am sure you will have some male and female coeds crushing on you," Erin said, swinging her good leg over Olivia's hips and straddling her. "And as far as my alleged stereotype I'll bet you a hundred that we'd find a few more lesbians in criminal justice courses over let's say elementary ed."

"Ok," Olivia laughed. "I'll take that bet."

"Really?" Erin grinned, cocking her head.

"Sure," Olivia smiled, running her hands up Erin's back. "I'll just take the one hundred out of our joint account."

"You are such a smart ass," Erin laughed. "And I love it."

"So we all good with this discussion?" Olivia asked.

"Very good," Erin said leaning forward and capturing Olivia's lips.

"Wait," Liv sighed, breaking the kiss. "So you are good if I look further into taking a leave of absence."

"I am, but I want you to be sure it is what you want too," Erin smiled, sliding her legs between Olivia's and lowering herself on top of her. "And if it is, you know my first couple of months at this new job, I'm speculating they'll be the busiest while I learn the ropes and get to know the press corps there."

Olivia ran her hands through Erin's hair and over her shoulders. "I need to definitely talk to El about it before I even talk to the captain. But I was thinking a couple of months down the road too. Like maybe starting in mid-May or beginning of June."

"I am so going to lose my highly elevated status with Elliot," Erin smirked. "Munch and Fin will…Hell I better go in and visit before you discuss this with the gang. I might be banished after. But, you know you could start working on your master's in the summer then without having to juggle it with work."

"No, you won't be banished. Far from it," Olivia laughed. "You will be elevated to an even higher status for your prowess."

"Oh please," Erin gasped. "They're not going to be happy about you leaving for a while. It's going to be a huge void for them that they can staff but not replace."

"I know they'll miss me. And they were great and very supportive while you were in Kabul. But now that you're back they have already started again with their normal precinct humor. Munch called you Colonel Climax when I was leaving today," Liv snickered.

"That's kind of lame, but it is also kind of cute," Erin laughed. "And a lot less vulgar then I was expecting you to say."

"Oh trust me," Olivia smirked sliding her hands down Erin's back and over her ass. "I get the pussy whipped comments too, mostly from El, but Fin has some fun as well."

"Well I am most definitely PW with you among other parts and things," Erin chuckled. "Oh, I have to visit the precinct and maybe have a t-shirt made with Benson's Babe or something like that printed on it."

"I know you can definitely hold your own with those guys. That's one of the many reasons why they adore you. Just don't make it a mandatory leave for me," Olivia laughed.

"Happy to share my gutter humor and sarcasm with them," Erin grinned. "And no I won't get you in trouble."

"So tell me something," Olivia smirked sliding her fingertips back up over Erin's back.

"What babe?" Erin hummed, kissing along Olivia's jaw line.

"Did I scrunch my nose again?"

"I don't know," Erin laughed. "My eyes were closed. I don't watch…"

Olivia interrupted Erin's words with her lips. Erin moaned as Olivia's tongue claimed hers and her hands slid back over her ass, pulling her into her. Olivia rolled Erin onto her back, capturing her lips again in a deep but tender kiss as she slid her thigh between her legs pressing into her softly.

Erin began rubbing her slick center against Olivia's thigh.

"I love you Erin," Olivia whispered, kissing along Erin's jaw line and down her neck.

"I love you babe," Erin said, tilting her head back further into the pillow, revealing more of her neck to Olivia. "God you feel so good Liv."

"So do you," Olivia husked, palming one full breast as her mouth slid toward the other. Erin tangled a hand in Olivia's hair as she felt her lips and tongue sweep over and around her hardened nipple. Erin arched her back into Olivia's touch and rocked her pelvis faster around her thigh.

Olivia slid her hand between Erin's legs, trailing her fingers through soaked, trimmed curls.

"Oh please Liv," Erin gasped. "Inside me baby. I want to feel you inside me."

Olivia laced the fingers of her other hand with Erin's as she trailed kisses across Erin's taut abdomen. She slid two fingers between Erin's folds, moaning as Erin arched into her touch. She inhaled Erin's scent as she moved lower wrapping her lips around Erin's swollen clit as she slid two fingers inside her.

"So good, so good baby," Erin moaned, squeezing Olivia's hand and pulling it to her breast. Olivia could feel that Erin was so close already, but instead of sending her over with a few knowing curls of her fingers or deeper strokes around and over her clit, she maintained a steady rhythm with her fingers and a soft stroke with her tongue, savoring the feel, the scent and the taste of her lover.

Erin looked down, her inner walls tightening around Olivia's fingers as she watched her partner love her so intimately. Olivia's eyes were closed and Erin could see her gorgeous lips moving around her clit and hear her soft moans and purrs.

"God Liv…you are so beautiful," Erin gasped. Olivia suddenly felt Erin's eyes on her and looked up as she stroked her firmly and faster with her tongue and curled her fingers inside her.

"Yes…oh God yes Liv," Erin cried as Olivia felt the very familiar and welcome tremor run down the inside of Erin's right thigh. Olivia sucked on Erin's clit trying to extend her release as she felt her juices pour over her fingers and into her palm. Erin's hips bucked into her once more before collapsing back into the bed. Olivia stilled her fingers and placed soft kisses on the insides of Erin's thighs. She withdrew her fingers and ran her tongue through Erin's folds, savoring her taste.

"You are amazing," Erin smiled through still somewhat ragged breaths.

"I am definitely pussy whipped for you," Olivia smirked.

"As I am most definitely for you. So I really think you ought to slide all the way up here," Erin husked, patting the pillow with her palms, "and let me show you again."