A/N… Thanks for the reviews and follows! I can't even begin to apologize for the delay. Lots of real-life events. Two chapters after this one.
RECAP: When we last left these two, the storms were reforming. James (perp) is still planning to kill Elliot and Olivia before they can arrest him for multiple murders. The Feds and other law enforcement step in to help. On top of the weather and the case, Elliot and Olivia are dealing with the mounting sexual tension, their usual 'complicated' partnership, and really, REALLY bad timing.
Heard from a radio in the hotel lobby.
"...Severe weather is expected later this afternoon and this evening. Dangerous lightning, hail, strong winds, and a few tornadoes are possible with these storms. Currently, it's partly cloudy with a temperature of 74. Winds are out of the southwest at 7 mph…"
xxx
"Liv… I—"
"Shut up and kiss me."
Olivia's reached her limit.
They're going to screw things up, but maybe it needs to happen. Just wreck the shit out of this complicated partnership.
They started this trip barely speaking to one another. Cragen's planning to separate them when they get back. The thought of ending their partnership breaks her heart. They're better than this.
Nothing involving this case or this trip has gone according to anyone's expectations.
She remembers their fight at the courthouse over Clay and his lawyer. That was probably their lowest point during this trip.
She assumed they wouldn't bounce back from that, but then nature intervened.
They're forced to seek shelter in a grocery store to wait out a tornado. It gives them the chance to talk, apologize, and put the ugliness behind them. From that point on, they seem to be falling back in sync.
Then things get sticky.
They're in a bar. They need a quick cover to avoid being seen by one of James's victims before they can reach her and assure her safety. The victim avoided them out of fear of James, who is usually close to his victims.
So, Elliot turns his back toward the vic and kisses her.
Then there's a second kiss.
They're standing under a bridge, waiting out a heavy downpour. They're sleep-deprived and standing in close quarters. Their first kiss is still on their minds, and it just sort of happens.
Nature intervenes again.
They still have shit to work out if they want to prove to Cragen that they can handle working together.
For now, kissing Elliot is surpassing any other thoughts.
x x
He needs a shower. Maybe a cold one if he wakes up and finds out this is all a dream.
He just returned from picking up the Crown Vic, which has no AC, and this hotel hallway isn't doing much to circulate the air.
Liv has just showered and changed, and she smells great. If he had to guess, there's vanilla, something floral, and a hint of spice. All these years of getting in each other's personal space. This beats any expectations he may have had.
Liv dominates the kiss, and he kinda loves it. She knows what she wants. The tip of her tongue brushes the edge of his lips every so often, and then she deepens the kiss. Her hands slide over his lower back, then his ass.
Damn, Liv.
He's trying to impress her, and she's distracting the hell out of him.
He slips his hands between the wall and her back. His hands slide to her hips, then to her ass that he's been caught checking out many times.
He draws back just enough, allowing him to move his hands to her chest and then over her breasts.
His heart races, his breaths quicken. He's getting hard.
Olivia breaks the kiss for a breath, and Elliot moves his lips over to her neck, applying kisses and light flicks with his tongue, soon reaching the spot just between her shoulder and her neck.
Just her gasp when he hits the spot has him ready to break buttons.
He lifts the bottom hem of her shirt, and the pads of his fingers trace the skin along her waist.
Suddenly, her phone rings.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Elliot groans as he reluctantly steps back.
Olivia digs the phone out of her pocket and glances at the display. "It's Cragen." She answers on the third ring. "Hi, Captain. What's up?"
Her heart is pounding. She sounds breathless despite any efforts to hide it. For a few minutes, Olivia does more listening than talking.
Meanwhile, Elliot focuses on her.
Her skin is flushed. Her gaze is somewhere else as she listens, but she's grinning.
He really wants to touch her again.
Suddenly, the fans shut off at that end of the hallway, and the noisy air ducts become still. Elliot's able to hear more of Cragen's end of the conversation.
"Is Elliot there?" Cragen asks.
Her eyes lift and meet his, and there's a rush of butterflies in his stomach. He thought they had known each other too long for that, but apparently not.
"He's around. Do you need to speak to him?"
"No, no…that's okay," Cragen replies. "Is he behaving himself?"
"It's nothing I can't handle."
"You have my permission to get on his ass if he acts up."
"I understand, sir."
"I just want you both to be safe out there. Too many risks."
"Of course."
"Well, I'll let you go. Give me an update when you know more. I'll do the same."
"Yep. Bye, Captain."
When she disconnects and looks over at him, Elliot's grin widens.
"What?"
"You can get on my ass anytime you want, Liv."
She laughs. "Shut up."
"What else did Cragen say?"
"Not much. He isn't getting information from the locals or the feds. He wanted to see if we knew what was up."
Their eyes meet. He goes to kiss her again, and all of the lights in the hallway flicker and go out. They move toward the window at the end of the hallway, wondering if the weather has changed abruptly.
Elliot glances up, then to his left and right, as far as he can see in both directions. He sees a break in the clouds and some clearing.
"There's just some clouds. It's not even raining. I don't hear any wind. My room faces west. I'll check the view out front." He approaches the door to his room with his key out, then looks over his shoulder at her before swiping the card, "If this view is boring, I'm sure we can find something to pass the time."
She walks up behind him. "Just open the door."
He swipes the card, but it won't open. He tries it a second time with the same result. "There's not even a green or red pin light when I swipe the card."
Olivia immediately looks toward the center of the hallway and the door to the staircase. Under the door, she sees some light from the stairwell. "Locks should be on a generator, right? Same as the staircase?"
"Check your door."
"I already know I'm locked out. My key is in the room. I'll have to get a spare key," she replies. "I guess we go ask the front desk."
The hotel manager suddenly enters the hallway from the staircase, carrying a flashlight in his hand. He heads in their direction, and Elliot and Olivia stop in their tracks.
"Hey, folks… We're having some electrical problems," the manager explains. "They had to cut off the power to work on it. It shouldn't be more than a half-hour. Sorry for the inconvenience."
"Can we get into our rooms?" Elliot asks. "My card won't work."
"It's part of the outage. That's all I know at the moment. You're welcome to join the other guests downstairs if you'd like. There's free coffee, fruit, and muffins."
Olivia gives a polite nod. "We're supposed to check out at 11:00, or else reserve these rooms for one more night," she suddenly remembers, looking over at Elliot. "I guess we're staying put."
"You're the two cops from New York, right?"
"Right."
"I can extend your stay for another night. Just let us know if your plans change. You two enjoy your stay." He turns and heads toward the staircase.
"Thanks." Olivia turns back toward Elliot. "We don't have to stand around here. The feds have our cell phone numbers. Someone mentioned a deli down the road. We might be hungry later, and you know there won't be time to stop—" She pauses when she notices that he's just staring at her. "Do you think we can wait thirty minutes, El, or should we just go at it right here in the hallway?" she teases.
Elliot appears to be considering it.
"I don't think either of us could…"
"…be that quiet? Yeah, me either." He looks toward the staircase, then back at her. "Don't they have a master key for emergencies? There's a key slot on the door beside the card swipe. Why can't we just borrow it?"
Olivia laughs. "You mean… Tell the front desk that we have to get into one of our rooms to have sex. It's an emergency?"
"Well..."
"Thirty minutes, El."
"Too long, Liv."
"Thirty minutes, the Feds are coming, and we're still on the job."
"Maybe they'll get delayed." He backs her toward the wall.
The heat in his eyes, his hands on her shoulders, their unique sexual intensity mixing with the lack of AC in the hallway, and the light layer of sheen on his skin, and all she can think about is sex.
If they do this, it's gotta be hard and fast. Maybe slow can come later.
When he looks at her lips, she licks them. He leans in to kiss her, she moves her head back, and her smile lingers.
"Tease," he whispers.
"Yeah? What are you gonna do about it?"
"This." He slips his hands over the sides of her face to guide her closer and invites her in for a deeper kiss. His kiss is slow, soft, but intense and commanding, and it's reaching every part of her.
He moves his hands from her cheeks to her shoulders, then her back. He pulls her up against him, then backs them toward the wall.
They're both short of breath, but Elliot's mouth is just too good to quit. She wants his t-shirt off, then the rest of his clothing.
She can't wait much longer, and neither can he. Elliot fumbles with the button on her jeans, unhooking it with one hand. He nudges the zipper down with his thumb. Then he's running his fingers over the outside of her panties.
Her insides are throbbing. At the moment, they're still lip-locked, but she's losing the ability to keep quiet.
Someone at the other end of the hallway is trying to get into their room with their key card and having no success. Another hotel guest gives up trying to get into their locked room and re-enters the stairwell. When the hallway's clear, Olivia breaks the kiss and steps back.
"Elliot, the Crown Vic. Let's go somewhere. Let's go." She buttons and zips her jeans, preparing to relocate this little love fest.
The lights in the hallway flicker on, then off, then back on again.
The card is out of his pocket before he reaches the door. He swipes it, there's a click, and it opens. He pushes it open, and she enters behind him.
When he turns back toward her, she pushes him against the wall in the entryway. The door latch swings to the side, keeping the door propped open.
They both reach to unbutton and unzip the other's jeans, then Olivia takes off his shirt.
"Bed…bed…" he groans.
Olivia suddenly notices the door latch holding the door open and goes to shut it. As she swings the door open to fix the latch, a man and a woman approach the door who appear to be federal agents.
"Hi. Just a second," Olivia tells them. She turns to Elliot and mouths the word 'Feds' to him.
She quickly buttons and zips her jeans and attempts to fix her clothes and hair while ducking behind the door. She sees a wet spot on her shirt and folds her arms over her chest to cover it.
"Fuck," Elliot groans, quickly fixing his jeans and putting his shirt back on.
Olivia waits until he's ready, then opens the door further. Elliot steps up behind her. Both are still out of breath.
"Detectives Benson and Stabler…?" the man prompts.
"Yes. I'm Detective Olivia Benson, and this is my partner, Detective Elliot Stabler."
"Special Agents Jon Kim and Jessica Rove with the Pittsburgh office." Each one flashes their badge.
The female rookie agent, Rove, stands beside her partner, feeling sympathy for the two detectives who were obviously interrupted at a bad time.
Rove lowers her head, so it doesn't look like she's judging them. Meanwhile, her partner Agent Kim, master of the poker face, is unfazed.
"We thought we'd assemble at the local precinct," Kim begins. "It's getting risky with the storm, so we need to head out now."
"What have you found out so far?" Olivia asks.
"We found an abandoned vehicle a block from here matching the description of a stolen vehicle that our suspect drove. We assume he's watching this place and knows where your rooms are. We'll set up teams here, and in a few places we think he has visited. He's to be taken, dead or alive," Agent Kim answers.
"We were instructed not to shoot-to-kill," says Elliot.
He shakes his head. "Not anymore. Too many casualties."
Elliot nods appreciatively. About time someone agreed. "Okay. Detective Benson and I will get our things and check out, and we'll meet you at your office in about an hour or two?"
Olivia stifles a laugh as she looks over at him. Nice try, Elliot.
"Come with us," Agent Kim prompts. "You can check out later."
"Lead the way."
x
"…A moderate risk of severe weather is expected for this afternoon and early evening. Doppler radar indicated a line of thunderstorms that produced the tornadoes in Richmond, Indiana, late last night, are moving into east-central Ohio by tonight. These storms are capable of producing damaging winds, heavy rain, and hail to the size of quarters. There is also the potential for a few isolated tornadoes. Stay tuned to WKEO for continuing coverage of this weather threat…"
"…*screech*…*screech*…*screech*."
x
Hours later, they're back in the sedan for another stakeout. Elliot reclines in his seat and watches the street ahead of them.
It's a residential street—lots of trees and parked cars beside the curb, creating too many places to watch.
Their target is a house on the right side of the street, three doors from where they are parked. They can see the path leading to the house, and Elliot has a view of the side of the house from the driver's seat. Someone reported seeing an individual matching James' description entering the house a few times in the last 12 hours.
Agents Kim and Rove are watching the hardware store James had visited on the other side of town. They have two other teams as backup if needed.
Elliot glances up and still sees pockets of blue sky between the thick clouds. The outside air is humid. He starts the car and switches on the fan. It probably won't cool things down, but he can dream.
"Gee, this is fun," he groans.
He's bored. Furthermore, he doesn't think stakeouts will ever work with this particular perp. He can hope the feds give up, scrap the plan, and let them take the lead again.
Maybe there's a chance we'll get back to New York before Christmas.
He glances at Olivia, wondering what is going through her mind since their earlier interruption.
It was a close call, and he wasn't putting too much thought into being 'caught.' Not that he cares much about what the feds think, but it's not fair to Liv.
He feels her retreating a little, and it worries him. But he knows better than to press her about it.
x
Olivia props her elbow on the passenger door frame with her hand supporting her head. She watches ahead and sometimes out the side window. Her eyes occasionally scan the skies, wondering what the weather will bring.
Her thoughts return to what happened in Elliot's hotel room.
They knew the agents were on their way.
A minute later, they would have been naked.
It was a mutual decision, but she has to keep her head in the game for now. They'll figure all of this out later.
While her mind is on the case, she remembers something. "Hey, El?"
"Yeah?"
"Feel like taking a walk? I saw a convenience store on the corner, and I could use a bite. You?"
"I'm good."
She meets his eyes. Follow me. It'll just take a second. She gets out of the car and walks toward the store.
Elliot grabs the keys, exits the car, and joins her a few paces past the vehicle. "What's up?"
"We never checked the car for bugs."
He nods. "Yeah, I forgot."
"Okay, so call the agents and get one of their tech people down here to confirm."
"I think we assume there is a bug and let him come to us."
"If he decides to. What if he's already grabbed another vic, El? We're just killing time here."
Elliot nods. "I know. I'd almost bet that we pack it in until the weather clears. Tomorrow, we'll be able to get eyes on him from everywhere." He looks up the road toward the store. "Were you serious about getting a bite to eat? I think I might want something."
"Let's go."
x
Moments later, they're back in the sedan with a few snacks and drinks.
Raindrops begin a steady cadence against the windshield, filling their field of view in almost no time. Elliot starts the car and turns on the wipers.
"We're starting to lose daylight," he says aloud. "In an hour, we'll have to put a lot of faith into those two street lamps."
When she doesn't comment, he turns his head to look at her. "Liv?"
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
"Ready for this to be over." She sighs, then sinks in the front seat a little, folds her arms, and rests her head against the window.
She keeps her eyes on the front of the house while glancing up the road periodically for any incoming traffic.
A car driving down the street slows down as it passes them. She watches until the vehicle clears the next corner and turns. They might have been looking for an address, but she isn't taking chances.
"You saw that?"
He nods.
"Red Mazda. Pennsylvania tag. 'Z and 4' are in the tag number," she reports.
While their eyes are on the Mazda turning onto the next block, the back of the Crown Vic is suddenly hit with bullets; their bulletproof window deflects a few shots. Two bullets hit the trunk of the car.
"James," Olivia groans.
"At least he didn't hit the tires this time."
They both get out of the car and prepare to return gunfire.
"Freeze!" Olivia shouts. James continues on foot.
The rain picks up a little. Skies are hazy, and the clouds are filling in. They're losing daylight.
Olivia thinks she sees some movement to her left and runs in that direction. Elliot doesn't have a good visual, so he follows her.
A few cars turn onto that block as people return home from work. Olivia is several paces ahead of Elliot, and they have to separate as a sedan and a UPS truck enter the street.
x
Olivia moves onto the sidewalk to get out of the way of a car. She follows the path she saw James take to the front of an elementary school building.
Fortunately, school is finished for the day. The last thing they need to worry about is James grabbing a school kid to use as a hostage.
Two cars are in the parking lot, so people are inside.
It's raining harder right now. The lamp posts around the school building are creating more haze.
Between the rain and the humidity, her hair is soaked, and her clothing is stuck to her. Water pours off of her NYPD jacket, making it feel heavy.
She runs along the side of the building, her eyes scouting every possible hiding spot. Seeing no sign of him, she stops to catch her breath.
Where the hell did he go? Inside the school?
She doesn't see Elliot either.
It's not like she was close behind him, but there don't appear to be many places to hide once someone is inside the schoolyard.
Olivia runs toward the main entrance of the school. The lights are on in the hallway, but there's no sign of anyone. She checks a few doors and finds that they are locked. No broken windows, so there is no evidence he broke in.
She looks around, then decides to head back toward the car and find Elliot.
x
Elliot loses track of Olivia after she runs toward the elementary school.
He stops to catch his breath while checking every direction. Cars turning onto or off the road create more shadows. The rain, intermittent thunder, cars driving down the street, and distant traffic noise make it difficult to distinguish other sounds that could lead him to James.
His eyes pan around the parts of the neighborhood he can see. He sees a few people returning from work or going about their business.
He watches a man carry a couple of bags of groceries from his car to the house. A woman moves her trash can into the garage to avoid getting tossed by the wind. Another man stands on his front porch getting soaked while his rottweiler sniffs around for a spot to go.
He suddenly notices a man standing between two houses in one of the side yards. He appears to be looking at the siding or maybe the roof. Sure, the guy could be worried about a roof leak, but there's hardly anything he can do about it at this hour.
"Excuse me, sir?" Elliot calls out as he crosses the street and walks toward the man. "We've had reports of criminal activity in the area. Can I see some ID?"
The man turns and takes off running, heading further up the block in the opposite direction of the school. Elliot takes off after him.
He isn't sure whether the guy is James, but the man is about the right height.
James still prefers disguises. Fortunately, as they've come to know him, it has gotten easier to pick him out.
The guy is moving pretty fast despite the weather conditions. Elliot has trouble seeing through the haze, and the rain hits him in the face.
He doesn't see any sign of the man ahead of him and suspects he ran into a side yard.
Elliot takes a guess at the side yard and enters from the street, his eyes checking every direction. There's a fence separating the houses from the school. Elliot wonders if the man climbed the fence. Judging from the lack of accessibility anywhere else, it seems to be the only path.
After one last look around, Elliot climbs the chain-link fence. He is near the top when he senses movement from behind him. The man he was chasing comes at him with a shovel.
Elliot jumps wide to avoid the shovel and turns his knee in the wet grass and mud as he lands. The man is still wielding his shovel.
There's gunfire from somewhere behind them. The man is hit in the arm and runs toward the main road.
Without looking in that direction, he knew who it was. Thanks, Liv.
Liv takes off after their suspect. Elliot watches her until she is out of his line of sight, then starts to walk. The pain is intense for a few minutes, but it settles. He thinks he just twisted it.
Elliot reaches the street and notices tiny pieces of ice mixing in with the rain. The rain has begun to slow down.
He sees two police cars with their lights on parked near the Crown Vic. He walks toward him, doing his best to mask the limp because he knows Liv will say something about it.
Olivia notices Elliot, finishes speaking to the officers, and walks up to meet her partner.
"Are you okay?" she asks.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. That guy wasn't James."
"No, I lost track of him in the schoolyard. This guy had some outstanding arrest warrants for assault. He figured you for a cop and ran. I radioed some local cops. They're taking him in."
"You hit his arm, Liv. Good shot. Showed him down."
"I still had to tackle him in one of the yards. So what happened to you?"
"I chased this guy. Assumed he might have tried to head for the school. He hid as I climbed the fence and came at me with a shovel. I dove to avoid him and slipped. I'm fine."
She shakes her head. "You should probably see a doctor."
"Really, I'm good."
"Prove it."
"I walked from the yard to here, didn't I? I can walk. I'm only worried if you decide to jump me."
"Jump you?"
"I meant… If I should piss you off, you'll probably kick my ass." He snickers.
Olivia grins and gets on one side of him for support. "Come on. Let's get you to the car."
x
By the time they return to the Crown Vic, the rain has nearly stopped. There are still some small pieces of hail hitting the windshield.
Olivia takes over the driving.
"I think your injured knee is reason enough to pack it in, if not for the weather. Let's get you some ice and painkillers."
He grins at her. "Some TLC?"
She smiles back. "Maybe. We still have to find another hotel, remember? The feds might end up deciding where we stay. Probably stick a guard outside our door in case James decides to—"
The tornado siren interrupts Olivia's comment.
"I'll never get used to that," says Elliot, shaking his head.
"Me either."
The wind picks up, and larger pieces of hail start hitting the windshield.
"Let's get out of here." Olivia puts the car in drive and pulls away from the curb. She sees a car coming and waits for them to pass. "The doors at the school are locked. I guess that's out as a shelter. Where do we go? The convenience store?"
"Might be the closest," he agrees.
The car coming down the street slows as it drives by the Crown Vic. The driver glares at the two detectives.
"Liv…"
"I see him."
x x x
Agent Rove keeps an eye on her checkpoints while also watching the weather. Growing up in Pittsburgh, she only sees tornadoes on TV.
She's hoping for a little excitement to make the 4-hour stakeout more interesting.
She has to keep her mind on other things anyway. Her stomach is growling. It's not that her partner is thoughtless, but he can get too absorbed in a case and forget to eat.
Around 7:30 pm, the brief rain shower ends, and the hail begins. It's no larger than pea-sized at first. They start seeing larger pieces of hail mixed in.
Agent Rove gazes off to her far left and sees that the sky has darkened. To her right, she sees blue sky and sunlight.
The tornado siren sounds about a mile away, and both agents jump in their seats.
"That's it. We're done for the night," says Agent Kim. "Any minute now, this hardware store may be all we have in the way of shelter."
Agent Rove grabs the radio. "Detectives, we're going to pack it in for tonight. Copy?"
"Sorry, I know we should have grabbed some food when we had the chance," Agent Kim says when he notices her stomach growling over the sound of hail hitting the roof of their SUV.
She waits a couple of minutes and tries again. "Detectives Benson and Stabler… Come in."
A NOAA weather alert tone sounds from their radio.
x x x
"…*screech*…*screech*…*screech*…*long tone*
"The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning for Jasper, Willow, and Polk Counties, effective until 8 pm Eastern Daylight Time.
"Seek shelter immediately. Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If in a mobile home, a vehicle, or outdoors, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.
"A tornado watch remains in effect until 10 pm Eastern Daylight Time.
Remember that a tornado watch means that severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes, large hail, damaging winds, deadly lightning, and heavy rain with little or no advanced warning. Keep alert for threatening weather conditions and be ready to move to a storm shelter immediately…"
x x x
TBC…