Disclaimer: Law & Order SVU/OC and its characters don't belong to me. This story has been written for fun only, not for money.
Spoilers: SVU24 & OC3
Summary: Series of calls between Olivia and Elliot while he's away. Post-Finale SVU24 x OC3.
Note: I've had this idea since the finale…not sure how many chapters it will be, but the possibilities are (almost) endless…especially since the seasons won't start until 2024!
Please enjoy and review!
4 minutes and 59 seconds
By musical-Aven
"Captain Benson."
"Hey, it's me. Don't say my name."
Olivia's heart stopped at his voice. She excused herself from the meeting at 1PP and stepped out of the room.
"Are you okay?" she asked, breathless.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I didn't know where you were or who you were with, so I didn't take any chance."
She let out a breath, but stayed alert. She walked down a corridor, looking for a quiet spot. This was the first time they talked after he left about a month ago.
Last Saturday evening, Olivia had gotten a call from Jet. The panic had risen within the Captain, but it turned out Jet had made some arrangements, at Stabler's request. One call, once per week (as long as it was safe for him to reach out), to anyone he wanted, while he was away. But the calls had to be under 5 minutes to ensure they stayed undetected.
Olivia had been grateful for the opportunity to have contact with her partner during his absence, but hadn't really expected to be reached by him unless there was an emergency. She was a little bit surprised Elliot would call just to chat.
"How are you?" he asked, calm and seemingly just wanting to take news of her life.
"I'm…I'm okay," she replied, pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts. "Dealing with McGrath and his insensitivity is always a challenge…I'm at 1PP right now about a case."
"Oh, is this a bad time? I can let you go-"
"No," she cut him, not wanting to miss this opportunity to connect with him. "No, I'm actually glad to take a break."
She heard him breath.
"How's the case going?" she asked, hoping to hear about his work and distract herself from the longing to see him in person.
"Slowly," he sighed, annoyed.
Olivia started to pace a little while focussing on his voice. She knew he couldn't divulge much about the case, but that he would still tell her what he could.
"We're three steps ahead of the feds at every corner." He complained. "We move in one direction and we have to wait for them to catch up. It's…frustrating to say the least."
"I bet…" Olivia empathised. "Then again, patience was never your thing." She added, playfully.
Elliot snorted, and Olivia could almost picture the grin on his face.
"I have other qualities." he retorted.
She chuckled, their banter offering a moment of comfort and familiarity.
"I know." She said, her smirk evident in her tone.
Elliot wanted to continue the lighthearted exchange and ask her to elaborate, but they both knew their time was limited. Olivia found a quiet space in the corridor and leaned on the wall, savoring every second of their conversation.
"Are you being safe?" Olivia asked tentatively after a moment of silence, her concern evident.
"Yes, Liv. Don't worry." He reassured her, his voice warm. "I just wanted to let you know that I was fine and that I would be calling whenever I could."
He wanted to let her know that even though he had been sent away, he wouldn't give her the radio silence treatment like last time. Olivia was relieved and touched that he cared enough to keep her informed during his time away. Still, she couldn't help but worry about him.
"Okay." she said, her voice carefully satisfied. "Call your kids too. And your mom."
Elliot smiled at her selfless request.
"I will. I wanted you to be my first call though." He said, and his voice carried everything he wanted to say but didn't.
Olivia felt her heart swell with emotion.
"Thank you." she said, her voice filled with gratitude and affection.
She glanced at a wall clock from afar. Were their 5 minutes up already?
"Talk to you soon, partner." He finished, the unspoken promise in his words.
As the call ended, Olivia put her phone back into her pocket and took a moment to gather her emotions. She then realized she was unconsciously playing with her necklace the whole call. The compass never left her neck since he gave it to her. She wouldn't admit to anyone else, but she was calmer now that she knew Elliot was safe and had arrived safely at his assignment, whatever it was. Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself off the wall and walked back into her meeting, her steps now a little bit lighter.
A few chapters are in the works...stay tuned! Let me know what you think :)