Down The Hall

by benslerbensler

I Can See You (Taylor's Version) [From The Vault] - Taylor Swift - Elliot's divorce had been finalized for quite some time now. The partnership between Olivia and Elliot returned to their old ways, always in sync and having each other's backs. However, the feelings she has been shoving deep down for so long are once again returning.

I Can See You (Taylor's Version) [From The Vault]

I DO NOT OWN OR MAKE ANY PROFIT OFF OF LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT AND ITS CHARACTERS.

~~~oo0O0oo~~~

-You brush past me in the hallway

And you don't think I, I, I can see ya, do ya?

I've been watchin' you for ages

And I spend my time tryin' not to feel it.-

Elliot's divorce had been finalized for quite some time now. With his children spending the weekends with him, his life began to fall back into a rhythm. Olivia and Elliot returned to their old ways, always in sync and having each other's backs. However, for the past week, Olivia has been particularly icy toward Elliot. Not in a way that is focused on resentment, but one that is focused on self-cooling. Olivia has been noticing her body temperature rising recently. Specific scenarios seem to trigger these hot flashes.

Just last night, Olivia and Elliot were the last two people in the precinct. While working together to wrap up the case, Olivia glanced at her partner. Not expecting to see him staring into her soul, she glanced back down at her paper almost immediately. The feeling that is rising in her chest is nothing new. She has always shoved her temptation for this man deep down inside of her. He was married, and he has a family, she couldn't be the one to tear that apart. However, now that he is divorced, all moves were fair game.

The burning desire in her pulsating through her body causes her to look up once more. This time, her eyes stay glued on him. The air becomes thicker and it is harder to breathe. Elliot is the first to break eye contact by glancing over at the analog clock on the wall. He reads out loud, "Eleven thirty… Liv-"

"Go home, El," Olivia interrupts him with a shaky voice.

Furrowing his brow he declares, "I'm your partner. I'm not leaving, Liv."

"It's a Friday- almost Saturday," once again Olivia shoves her overwhelming feelings deep.

"Liv-" Elliot tries his best to speak up.

"Go see your kids, Stabler. I'm sure they miss you," Olivia sternly states. Making sure to have the last word she says, "I'm a big girl. I can handle some light reading." Not wanting to make a bigger argument, Elliot stands up from his creaky chair and slowly puts his jacket on. Leaning against Olivia's desk, he smirks slyly. Olivia rolls her eyes and huffs. Lifting her head, she is able to make eye contact with Elliot. She asks with an annoyed tone of voice, "What is it, Stabler?"

"Nothing," he backs away from her desk and shuffles to the main doors, "G'night, Liv."

Olivia is unable to respond. If she were to say one more word she would jump out of her seat and do something she would regret. Disappointed, Elliot sulks as he leaves the precinct. Hearing the door shut Olivia exhales, "Fuck!" Shoving the case file off of her desk in frustration, she dramatically stands from her seat. Staring at Elliot's empty seat, she thinks, 'You're an idiot… Falling for your partner… Such a fucking idiot…'

Both of them were called in the next morning. Elliot stomps down the hallway practically bumping into every person. Olivia sees him and instantly feels her cheeks redden. She takes a deep inhale and thinks, 'Calm down. It's just Elliot…' Opening her mouth to talk with him, he brushes past her, not even giving her a second thought. The burning temptation sensation starts to coarse through her once more. Just the simple touch of Elliot's skin on hers caused a physical reaction.

- But what would you do if I went to touch you now?

What would you do if they never found us out?

What would you do if we never made a sound?-

Finding her way to the women's restroom, she closes the stall and lets her mind wander, 'You could just tell him how you feel. Just bring him to the cribs. Just kiss him. No one would have to know. No one would have to know…' Olivia's racing thoughts are paused when she hears the door swish open. Exiting the stall, she washes her hands and splashes cold water on her face in an attempt to calm herself down. Looking at herself in the mirror she mumbles softly, 'It's just Elliot.'

-'Cause I can see you waitin' down the hall from me

And I could see you up against the wall with me

And what would you do? Baby, if you only knew

That I can see you.-

Leaving the women's restroom she catches the shimmer of his eyes at the end of the hallway. His eyes are glued to hers. He raises his volume, "Liv!"

Olivia is lost in a daydream. She is too busy imagining him whisking her off her feet and taking her literally anywhere. The fiery feeling returns with a pit in her stomach. Coming back to reality she responds as she walks down the hall, "Coming."

Time with Elliot always moved too fast for her liking. The day went by smoothly- too smoothly… The case they were called in on, was open and shut. Olivia is the first to finish her share of their paperwork. She wraps her scarf around her neck and delicately slips her arms through her jacket sleeves. Quietly muttering, she walks away from her desk, "See you later, Elliot."

A minute passes by and Elliot looks up to ask Olivia a question, "Hey, did-" He notices that Olivia is not in her seat. Swiveling his head over to Fin, he asks, "Where'd she go?"

"She left. Brother, she said goodbye," Fin answers him.

"I didn't hear," Elliot shakes his head and talks lowly.

Fin chuckles to himself and goes back to work, "Maybe hearing aids would help."

Elliot slides his phone out of his pocket and begins to type out a message.

ELLIOT: I meant to talk with you before you left. Am I able to come over?

OLIVIA: I'm tired. Can it wait until tomorrow?

ELLIOT: Not really.

Radio silence. Not a single word is sent for six minutes. His phone chirps.

OLIVIA: I'm locking my door at 10.

ELLIOT: I'm on my way.

Elliot grabs his coat and keys and then marches out of the precinct. His work is not complete. His mind is all over the place. His destination… is Olivia Benson's apartment. A fifteen-minute drive was somehow shaved down to seven minutes. Practically running up the stairs to her complex building, he smashes his hand into her apartment buzzer. Relentless, he pushes it again and again. A woman's voice comes over the speaker, "Will you stop it?" The door clicks, "Come in."

Elliot reaches the second level and knocks sternly on her door. He can hear the shuffle of her feet coming closer. The door opens and there stands Olivia. She is dressed in what looks to be a mismatched set of Christmas pajamas. He smirks and jokes, "Feeling festive?"

Seeing his face at work was one thing, but seeing him in her apartment was a totally different feeling. The pit she once had, is gone, but the fiery temptation remains. Her heart rapidly beats, "What do you need, Elliot?"

He assertively steps into her apartment and shuts the door, "Tell me why I'm here."

Olivia steps back looking bewildered, "You said you needed to tell me something. What was so urgent that you couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"Tell me," Elliot stands still with his feet planted firmly.

"Elliot, I'm tired. I don't have time for your games," she waves him off and turns around to walk away.

His hand firmly grips her bicep. Spinning her back around to face him, he says in a low, husky voice, "I see it in your eyes…" Stunned by his swift movement, she is speechless. Olivia bats her eyes as he stares into her soul.

Olivia manages to whisper breathily, "What about my eyes?"

"I feel the same way," Elliot continues to hold her close to him. He can feel her heart thumping against his chest. Still gazing into her dark brown eyes he softly states, "I need to hear you say it, Liv…"

Knowing what he means she gulps. Beginning to have a slight tremor, Olivia shakes her head in denial, "I can't…"

"Why not?" Elliot faintly asks.

"Because…" she can't seem to find any logical justification.

Elliot smiles and lightheartedly says, "See when I used that as my argument with my kids, they always said that it wasn't a reason." Olivia so badly wants to give in. She can't allow herself to be the one who caves first. Being this close to him is already stepping over boundaries she thought she never could go near. Elliot cups her face with his rough hand, "Liv… I want…" He can't seem to express himself either. With a deep and shaky exhale he asks, "Can I kiss you?"

Her heart stops pumping. Her ears are ringing. Her head is pounding. All she thinks is, 'The fuck did he just ask me?' Olivia knows what she wants and for how long she's been wanting it. Without even realizing it, she spoke, "Yes…"

Starting off gently, Elliot brings her face closer to his. With his lips crashing onto hers, Olivia's body weight falls on him. His hands hold the back of her head firmly as hers are placed on his hips. Once Olivia is fully aware of her current situation, she realizes that there is no going back now. Opening her mouth ever so slightly, she moans in the back of her mouth. Surprised by the noises she is making, Elliot allows her to set the pace. She moves her hands up to his chest and allows his tongue entry into her mouth. He swipes his tongue across her lip and it elicits a soft whimper. So badly wanting this session to continue, but logically knowing that it needs to stop, Olivia pushes off of Elliot's chest lightly.

Thinking he pushed too far he starts rambling, "Did I do something? I'm sorry- I shouldn't have."

"Elliot… I wanted to. I did- I still do," Olivia takes a step closer to him, "It's okay… I just- I just need some time…"

"Time…" watching Olivia send messages through her deep eye contact, he understands that she isn't going anywhere. Stepping backward toward the door, he rubs his neck awkwardly and jokes, "I got plenty of time…"

Olivia smiles, and thinks, 'He knows…' -And he does. He knows that she isn't running from him anymore. Watching him as he opens the door, she waves goodbye, "Goodnight, El."

"It's a very good night… Sweet dreams, Liv," he backs out of the apartment and shuts the door. Elliot practically skips down the hallway with joy as Olivia sinks into her couch replaying that moment over and over again.

-And we kept everything professional

But something's changed, it's somethin' I, I like

They keep watchful eyes on us

So it's best that we move fast and keep quiet

You won't believe half the things I see inside my head

Wait 'til you see half the things that haven't happened yet.-

"Morning, Liv. How'd everything go last night?" Fin spins around in his chair to face her as she places her coffee on her desk.

"I'm sorry?" Olivia asks for him to clarify, not thinking he would know anything about her and Elliot.

"My boy, Stabler was lookin' for you last night… He was in a pretty big rush to go and find you," Fin points out, "He find you?"

There is no point in lying. Elliot would probably have told him the truth if he wasn't running late. Not even realizing it, she begins to smile, "He found me."

"Anything important?" he pushes her for more information.

"Just about the case…" she sips her coffee contently. Just as she sets her coffee back down she feels a feeling of warmth radiating behind her. A hand lands on her shoulder and squeezes it gently. Her breath hitches as she thinks, 'Elliot…'

With his hand still on her shoulder, he stands unusually close to her, almost pushing himself into the side of her, "Got anything?"

"Not yet, but it is a Monday, so all the college kids are coming back from parties. We're bound to have a few," Olivia feels his hand still on her shoulder. Fin is still facing her direction. She can practically hear Fin's thoughts.

The door to the Captain's office swings open abruptly. Cragen marches out of his office and plants himself in the middle of the bullpen, "Listen up, everybody!" Cragen notices Elliot's hand sitting on Olivia's shoulder. Ignoring his detective's closeness he continues, "We have a missing kid. His name is Colby Taylor, he is four years old, three feet and two inches tall, thirty-eight pounds, with blonde hair, and blue eyes. Mother is convinced the father has him. Father is Vince Taylor, the Columbus Circle Cutter. There is a BOLO out on the father's car and an Amber Alert on the kid." He turns to face Olivia and Elliot. Pointing at them, then at his office he announces, "You two. My office. Now."

Fin grins widely, "Y'all being sent to the principal's office…"

"Shut up," Elliot groans as he shuffles through the bullpen. Closing the door behind him Elliot begins, "Listen, Cap-"

"Do I need to know anything?" Cragen bluntly asks standing behind his desk.

Olivia quickly flashes a nervous glance towards her partner. Elliot takes the lead, "Whatcha really wanna know, Cap?"

"Is there anything going on between you two?" he is more direct than his last question.

Olivia speaks up, "Why would you think there is?"

"You're not answering my question," he sits down and clasps his hands together. With an exasperated breath, he grumbles, "If something is happening, you both need to make sure you keep it out of work. If 1PP gets a whiff of any kind of fraternization that isn't documented, they'll have your badges. You hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Cap. Loud and clear," Elliot answers with a smirk.

Cragen signals them to the door, "Go figure yourselves out before getting involved with this case. I want you two on your a-game."

"Got it," opening the door, Olivia sees everyone's eyes land on her. Freezing in place, Elliot squeezes past her and grabs her wrist. Pulling her through the bullpen and out into the hallway, he clicks the down button for the elevator. Before Olivia can ask where he is taking her, Elliot pulls her into the empty elevator. As the elevator begins to move, Elliot flips the switch and the elevator halts its movement. Olivia nearly screams, "Elliot! What the hell are you doing?"

-But what would you do if I went to touch you now?

What would you do if they never found us out?

What would you do if we never made a sound?-

"What are we?" he asks as he unintentionally corners her.

Sliding away from the corner and into the middle of the elevator she admits, "I don't know." Elliot stays silent for he has nothing to add to the conversation. Olivia sighs and steps closer to him, placing her hands on his chest, "I have wanted this for so long… I just…"

"Me too…" Elliot places his hands on top of hers, smoothly gliding his fingers over her soft skin.

"I just don't know what to call it…" she lets her tense breath out of her body, "I do know that if we stay in here any longer, rumors are going to be spreading…"

Elliot raises his hands to her face. With a smile, he softly says, "Let them spread…" Leaning in tentatively, he plants a kiss on her lips. Not a kiss like the night before, but a quicker, more delicate kiss. Pulling away from her with a wide grin sprawled on his face, he resumes the elevator.

- 'Cause I can see you waitin' down the hall from me

And I could see you up against the wall with me

And what would you do? Baby, if you only knew, oh, oh, oh

That I could see you throw your jacket on the floor

I could see you, make me want you even more

What would you do? Baby, if you only knew

That I can see you.-

Colby has been missing for over eight hours. With barely any leads the unit begins to feel frustrated. It is Olivia's turn to go on the coffee run. As she is entering the precinct with two cardboard trays of hot coffee she sees Elliot on the other side of the room. He is noticeably upset. Over the phones ringing and people chattering it's hard to hear what he is yelling about. As she gets closer to her partner she can pick up what he is saying, "You're letting that son of a bitch walk? We've had him for forty-five minutes! We're entitled to twenty-four hours. He knows exactly where his son is! I know he does. Give me two minutes alone with that animal and he'll be squealing like the pig he is!"

"Elliot?" Olivia softly calls out for him. Elliot turns around to face her. His face is red and his eyes are buggy. Olivia can feel her temperature rise. Snapping back into reality, she hands him the largest coffee cup she has. Olivia corrals Elliot back upstairs where they have a lot more police work to do.

Four hours pass by. They are waiting on the phone for the call. The call that ESU has secured the release of Colby Taylor. Elliot watches the second-hand tick on the clock. Getting lost in the circle of the clock, the ring of the phone startles him. Waiting for the signal, Elliot looks up. With a simple nod, Elliot picks up the phone, "Stabler."

"Colby is secured," a man directly states over the phone.

"Thank you," Elliot hangs up the phone and turns to the room, "Colby's safe."

Collectively, the room exhales with relief. Olivia makes eye contact with Elliot from across the room. With a small grin, Olivia gazes into his precious baby blues. His mouth creeps upwards to create a smile.

The two are reunited later in the day. Sitting across from each other, Olivia is diligently working on paperwork and Elliot is staring at her.

-I can see you in your suit and your necktie

Passed me a note sayin', "Meet me tonight"

Then we kiss and you know I won't ever tell, yeah

And I could see you being my addiction

You can see me as a secret mission

Hide away and I will start behaving myself.-

Slyly slipping a sticky note onto her desk, she slowly raises her head, "What is this?"

Elliot shrugs with a sheepish grin, "I didn't want to disturb you. You looked peaceful."

Olivia flips over the sticky and reads it. In Elliot's handwriting, it reads:

ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING AFTER WORK?

Looking up from the note, Olivia smirks. She flips the sticky note over to the sticky side and whips out her pen. Scribbling something on the backside of the sticky note, Olivia giggles to herself. The thought of them passing notes seemed so silly to her, but it also felt sentimental. Passing the note back, she watches as Elliot's face lights up. Elliot reads:

I'M GUESSING I WILL BE DOING SOMETHING WITH YOU.

Elliot lifts his head to meet her gaze. He smiles and leans into his desk, "I make a mean fettuccine alfredo."

"I didn't know you could cook," Olivia leans in as well.

Making sure to keep his voice down he smirks, "I'm the whole package." Standing up he moves next to Olivia. Discreetly leaning to ear, he whispers, "There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Liv…"

Biting her lip, trying to shove her temptation out of the workplace, she quickly and quietly responds, "Then I guess I'll have to come over and learn more about this mystery man I call my partner."

"You gotta do what you gotta do…" Elliot stands straight up and grabs his jacket from the back of his chair. He turns to face her, "Seven?"

Olivia looked around the room to see if anyone had heard him. Not seeing any eyes on her, she answers with a smile, "I'll be there."

About an hour later Olivia got herself ready. Elliot began frantically cleaning as soon as he arrived home. He scrubbed the dirty dishes, started a load of laundry, made his bed, and fluffed all the pillows in his apartment. Kathy had come and picked up the kids that morning. Elliot felt no need to tell Kathy about him and Olivia. Hearing a buzz coming from the kitchen, he runs to get it. He exhales breathlessly before speaking, "My button doesn't work, Liv. I'll be right down."

-I can see you waitin' down the hall from me

And I could see you up against the wall with me

And what would you do? Baby, if you only knew, oh

That I could see you throw your jacket on the floor

I could see you, make me want you even more

What would you do? Baby, if you only knew

That I can see you, oh, I can see you.-

Before Olivia can even try to respond, he is out of his apartment, down the hallway and facing the front door. He nearly stops in his tracks. Elliot sees his partner behind the entrance to his complex in a different outfit from when he saw her at work. He wasn't expecting her to get dressed up. He is simply in pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt. Olivia makes eye contact with him and she smiles. Walking down the hallway to the entrance, he envisions ripping her jacket off of her. Savoring every moment of his slow walk, he looks her up and down. Reaching the door he pushes it open, "You look gorgeous."

"Well, I wanted to make a good impression," Olivia steps into the apartment complex. Walking side by side, her heels click with every stride. Elliot opens the door to his apartment and lets her in first. She smiles, "Such a gentleman…"

"I try to be," Elliot helps Olivia with her jacket. Instead of ripping it off of her body like he dreamed of when walking to get her, he delicately helps her out of it and hangs it on the coat rack by the door. He leads her to the kitchen table where two plates are set, "I just have to grab the food. Have a seat."

Elliot pulls out her seat and allows her to sit comfortably. Practically sprinting to the kitchen, he grabs the food and places it in the center of the table. As he opens the lid, Olivia is hit with a wave of goodness, "That smells amazing."

"Thank you," he responds as he allows her to serve herself. They converse like normal, but eventually, the air fills with silence. Elliot smirks and states, "You said that you've wanted this for a long time…"

Not wanting to fully divulge all of her feelings on the matter, she nods her head, "I believe I did say that."

"How long?" Elliot asks curiously.

"I don't think that matters-" Olivia is cut off.

"I'll tell you how long it was for me…"

"I'm sorry?"

"If you tell me how long you've been hoping this would happen, I'll tell you how long I have been hoping for this to happen…"

"You…" she can't believe what she is hearing. Elliot Stabler, a man who was married just up until a year ago, has wanted this to happen. Olivia regulates her breathing, "How long?"

"I asked you first," he takes his napkin and wipes his face.

"I… I would say…" Olivia knows the exact moment her feelings changed from being 'just partners' to being 'just hopelessly in love with a married man who has a family.' She sighs and falsely claims, "That night I said that half my genes are drunk and the other half are violent and cruel… And when I was walking away you said-"

"And look how great you turned out," he remembers the conversation. With a confirming nod, she smiles. Elliot leans back in his seat and shakes his head, "Now… See I know that's not the truth…"

She freezes, and thinks, 'How does he know?'

"But I guess one of us has to be honest," Elliot suggests as he watches Olivia roll her eyes playfully, "I've always been the jealous type. You know that…" She nods her head. Elliot continues, "You and Cassidy-" Olivia stops breathing completely. "He wanted to see you again, and you didn't want to see him. We were standing at our lockers and I told you that we are partners: for better or worse… That's when," he bears his soul to her in hopes she would do the same.

"You told me to blink your lights when I went inside. You weren't leaving until I did," the physical relief Olivia feels after admitting her feelings is unimaginable. Dabbing the corner of her mouth with her napkin she softly admits, "I never thought this would happen…"

"Neither did I…" Elliot quietly adds.

Olivia takes the initiative and stretches her arms out to rest on his shoulders. Leaning in, she plants her lips on his. Starting soft and tentative, they begin to rhythmically add passion to the kiss. Olivia and Elliot stand from their seats, still attached at the lips. Only pushing away from each other for the necessity of air, they stay connected. Their hands roam each other as they stumble in harmony to Elliot's bedroom. Small pieces of clothing are lost on the journey to the bedroom. Elliot's body pressed firmly against Olivia's, creating a sensation of pleasure. Olivia allows herself to feel this. To feel happy. It's finally her turn to feel happy.

-Oh, I see you, I see you, baby

I see you

I see you, I see you, baby

Oh, baby.-

~~~oo0O0oo~~~

A/N: So I have never done any of my stories like this, but I was inspired by another author on here. Long live Special Fanfic Unit! Hopefully, y'all liked this, because I enjoyed writing it. Let me know if I should do more of these or just stick to my regular stories.