Prompt #70: Olivia visits OCCB and notices the 'Liv, Love, Laugh' ornament hanging on the small tree on Elliot's desk
Liv, Love, Laugh
~oOo~
Olivia Benson was tired. The last week had been a disaster. For starters, Noah had twice as many dance classes because the Christmas festival was coming up, plus she'd had to help him prepare some final papers and it seemed like everyone had a birthday that same week. On top of that, work wasn't much better, three new cases had come in which made her work harder and the detectives under her command were nervous and irritable. And finally, Christmas was just around the corner and she still hadn't bought presents for Noah nor had she been able to decorate the house, causing some fights with her little boy. She didn't know what to do about it either, for all she knew, Elliot had been back for two days and they hadn't been able to see each other, both busier than they would have liked.
The phone rang, interrupting the second of peace she was using to calm herself after a meeting with McGrath. He had gotten on her nerves, prompting her to close the cases of two of the victims because they were not what he considered to be perfect victims. She picked it up without even seeing the ID, automatic, without thinking. Whatever it was, she hoped it wasn't another case, she didn't know if she could take it.
"Captain Benson."
"It's me, Ayanna Bell," a friendly voice replied.
Olivia couldn't help but get nervous. She sat up and closed her eyes for a second, hoping it wasn't a call to warn her that Elliot had been injured. He had only been back a few days, he couldn't have been hurt in such a short time, could he?
"Ayanna, hello," she greeted. "What do you want?" she asked bluntly.
"We were investigating a case and I think we just happened to find your suspect. Kevin McDonnald, right?"
"Thank God. Yes. That's our suspect," she said and smiled. "You've got him there?"
"Yes. He's being held. Are you coming to question him?"
"I'm on my way." She smiled and got up, grabbing his jacket to go over there.
Olivia headed for Organized Crime headquarters where Ayanna was waiting for her. She instructed Fin to finish the search for Mr. McDonnald and to hold down the fort while she was out. She could have asked him to accompany her, but she knew Elliot would be there and she didn't want any comments from him after seeing each other for the first time in months.
The whole way, she couldn't help but touch the compass he had given her. To lead her to happiness. That's what he had told her when he handed her the necklace. First, she wanted to cry with emotion and then, when he was no longer by her side, she wanted to scream at him. Did he still not know that it was he who gave her happiness? The compass would lead her to him. Always to him.
When she walked up the stairs, she was surprised. There were garlands, tinsel, lights, and even fake snow everywhere. It seemed like she had entered Santa Claus' world and she felt overwhelmed. She hadn't decorated the station either, she felt swamped with so many things to do, although, she reckoned, decorating might be lowest on her list for now. She stopped in the doorway, seeing the large Christmas tree in the middle of the hallway.
She took a couple more steps before he had to stop again. She put her hand to her chest and couldn't help but smile. Before her was Elliot's desk, without him, but with a small Christmas tree decorating the place. However, that wasn't what caught her attention, but the ornament with the inscription "Liv, Love, Laugh". He had kept it, just as he had told her months ago.
She had to blink not once, not twice, but three times to keep the tears from coming to her eyes. She knew he would keep it, she hadn't doubted his smile and the words he said, but seeing it was something else. She smiled and stroked her chest, as if she wanted to release the emotions from her entrails so she could speak. She didn't know how long she stared at the desk when a voice brought her out of his thoughts.
"Captain?"
She turned to the voice and noticed Ayanna looking at her with a smile. She wasn't sure if she was aware of what that ornament meant to her, to him, to them, but she couldn't stop her cheeks from blushing briefly. She hoped Ayanna didn't see it, and if she did, she wouldn't say anything to Elliot about it.
"The suspect?" she asked, snapping back to reality.
Ayanna led the way, but not before waving to Jet, who had a Santa hat on. She couldn't help but smile, though her serious face looked like he had been forced to wear it and she wondered who did it. Part of her knew exactly who it was. Elliot.
During their years as partners, he was always happiest at Christmas, always decorated on November 1st, and whenever he could, he'd put Christmas carols on the car's radio. She wanted to kill him the first year. She hated Christmas, being a constant reminder of everything she never had. Love, happiness, family, a home. But over the years, she grew to appreciate it. It gave her one more reason to smile and he always brought her leftovers from his family dinners, being one of the few home-cooked meals she ate during the year. She hadn't learned to cook decent things until she had Noah.
When he left, Christmas was very different. It was sad and gray again, the carols reminded her of trips with Elliot and she no longer had any home-cooked food. She hated the holiday again. Everything changed again when she adopted Noah. She'd always wanted to give him a chance, to give him everything she hadn't had, and they'd been happy. She thought about last year, about the invitation to join the Stabler family for the holidays and how she couldn't face her fear, and in the end, they didn't go. She couldn't help but smile, thinking that maybe this year might be different. She looked up at the compass and smiled. Happiness was within her reach, and she wanted to achieve it.
She took a deep breath and, for a second, forgot all thoughts about how tired she was, about all the things she had to do, about the holidays, the emotions she was feeling, and about Elliot, to focus on the case and the suspect. It was time to make him confess and close one of the three cases that kept her from sleeping at night. It was time to go back to being Captain Benson and not just Liv.
She came out a couple of hours later with a written and signed confession. It had taken a while at first, but once she had it, it didn't take long to make him fall for it. Turns out he had fallen in love with the victim during a party and was stalking and harassing her for weeks before he sexually assaulted her. Once outside, she sighed. One out of three. Now there were only two left. Ayanna congratulated her on a job well done and Liv couldn't help but smile.
She kept walking and went out to the office where she observed the rest of the group. Bobby Reyes was writing a report and Jet Slootmakers was engrossed in her computer. She didn't care. She didn't see Reyes nor Jet, nor Ayanna, who had walked out of the office right next to her, she was just watching Elliot, who was sitting at his desk, he himself looking at the small Christmas tree with what was once the McCann's gift.
"El," she spoke, smiling.
"Liv?" He turned to look at her. "Why didn't anyone tell me you were here?" he asked no one in particular as he stood up.
"It's good to see you, partner." She also approached him, and within seconds they were facing each other.
"You look beautiful," he whispered, trying not to let anyone hear him, though he knew everyone would be watching.
"You don't look bad yourself," she replied, stroking the beard he had grown again. At first, she didn't like the beard for all it meant, but she would be lying if she hadn't fantasized about it.
"You have the necklace I gave you," he said, caressing the compass and making her breath catch at the closeness.
"You still keep the ornament," she said, feeling proud of not stuttering.
"I said I'd keep it," he replied matter-of-factly, smiled, and looked into her eyes, then her lips, then her necklace. "Did you find happiness?" he whispered.
"Now I have," she answered with a smile and looked into his eyes.
A poorly pretended cough brought them out of their world and they separated, though not enough. They were still closer than most people, but for them, used to being within inches of each other, it was a world away. They didn't apologize, they didn't need to. She knew they wouldn't say anything. Maybe Ayanna would tell Fin, who she seemed to have grown closer to these past few months at the cost of teasing her with Elliot, but she didn't care. Not anymore. She was ready. It was time for her happiness.
"I'm glad you're home, Detective Stabler," she said with a smile and stroked his arm. She said goodbye to the rest of the detectives and started walking. Before she could leave, she turned at the door and smiled. "I'm waiting for your call, El. We have some catching up to do."
"I'll call you as soon as I'm done." He smiled, and as Olivia left, Elliot went to work on his reports.
"If I had known seeing Olivia would have made you work faster on your reports, I would have brought her in sooner just for this." Ayanna smiled, patting him on the back, and then headed to her office.
"Shit, now I owe Fin $20," Jet growled and Elliot turned to look at her. "He bet you'd have eye sex as soon as you saw each other and I said no."
"We didn't do anything with our eyes."
"You're not lying to me, Stabler. If Bell hadn't interrupted, there would have been no need for heating. There was enough heat between you."
"Jet!"
"Weren't you going to finish your reports to call Captain Benson?" Jet joked and Reyes couldn't help but laugh too.
"I hate you," he replied, but quickly returned to his reports. He wanted to see Liv again.
The author of this SVU - Heart for the Holidays story will be revealed in January