Olivia, you okay with Stabler. We need you guys to do surveillance from our set-up in room 402."
Liv shifted uncomfortably, but what was she supposed to say? Sorry I can't be in a hotel room with this man because there is a real risk I'll lose my clothes and professional dignity? Yeah no. "Yeah. Let's go Elliot."
She turned back when he didn't answer her, to see him having some kind of silent conversation with Sergeant Bell. She giggled inside. Bell had no idea what he was trying to communicate, but Liv knew exactly what he was trying to 'say', and it was basically the same thing she was thinking.
Enough. "Elliot," she called louder, "Lets go." He shot Bell, another misunderstood look, and followed Olivia down the hall.
He seemed nervous, which was humorous since he made the first moves on her in the kitchen a few weeks ago. You'd think he'd be thrilled to be locked in a room with her for God knows how long. They talked off and on through the last few weeks, but they hadn't gained any ground. Given, they hadn't talked about anything important, but it was better than ghosting each other for months.
She tapped the keycard and the door unlocked. Light from multiple monitors lit the room. She hit the light so they could settle in. She dumped her bag on one of the beds, and Elliot tossed his next to hers.
The monitors were already running the correct frequency, and their radios sat in the chargers. The silence got awkward. Olivia broke the ice, "so you think they will take the bait?" She sat on the bed directly across from the monitors.
He shrugged and joined her on the bed. "Maybe? I think the stakes are high enough, but you never really know with these guys."
"How did you manage to find this guy?" She nodded towards a picture of their informant.
He started to relax with the work talk. They kept their eyes on the monitors but before long they were swapping 'who had the worst toddler' stories.
"I think I automatically win because I had twins. That's two babies. Twice the trouble." He smiled broadly.
"I don't know," she laughed, "Noah wasn't always such a barrel of joy." Without thinking she added, "You had Kathy, two parents, and with Noah it's always been just me. So really the ratio is actually the same."
Elliots face fell, and Olivia immediately felt flooded with guilt. "Sorry El, I shouldn't have brought up…" the thought trailed off.
"No it's not that, Liv." His eyes met hers, the blue hue only made him look more sad. "I'm just," he shrugged. "I'm just mad at myself for missing it. I wish I could have seen you become a mom. Watch Noah grow. Help you, you know." His fist clenched beside him. "The worst part is, it was my own damn fault. I left, and I missed so much, and I can't fix any of that."
Her hand squeezed his knee. "I wished you were there too, but we can't change what happened. We can only move forward." Suddenly something clicked. She continued to hold them back because she couldn't let go of choices he made more than a decade ago. She knew he wasn't the same man he was back then. Still reckless, still carried that Irish temper, but he had softened. He wasn't as brash and destructive as he once had been. The pain she carried was created by the Elliot of ten years ago. Not the remorseful Elliot sitting in front of her now.
She watched his eyes, noticing the pain and grief. As much as she wanted him there the last ten years, he wanted to be there just as badly. Her heart skipped a beat as a thought crossed her mind. It was impulsive. It was probably stupid. She might regret it later, but she didn't think she would. It was time to put the pain away, and replace it with something else.
Elliot nearly jumped back when she slid her hand from his knee, up his leg, and gripped his hip. She let out a nervous breath before diving in. His lips immediately responded to hers. No questioning. No hesitation. His hand skirted up her back, and weaved into her hair, pushing her harder against him. What started out as slow, and sweet, heated up quickly, as she knew it would. His tongue trailed along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, allowing him to deepen the kiss.
She knew things were getting a little out of hand when he pulled her on top of him, his back pressed against he mattress. Her body laid flush with his, her lips moved to his jaw and onto his neck, while his hands felt the bare skin under her shirt. She was beginning realize they heading directly to a point of no return, but a click and static noise from their radios made them immediately jump back. Both were breathing hard when the radio clicked again, Bell's voice echoing through the room.
"Liv, can you check screen B3- mine is only displaying static." Liv rolled off the bed, adjusting her shirt as she reached for her radio. She shot a glare back at Elllot who was literally laughing out loud.
"It looks clear on our end." Liv checked all the monitors, realizing it had been a solid ten minutes since she last looked. "Wait." Liv squinted at one of the screens. "I think I see your informant. Check screen A2."
"Yeah that's him. Looks like he's meeting them on the first floor. You stay up there until we know they aren't moving locations. Our ground team will move in when its time."
"Good Luck." Liv nearly threw the radio onto the charger before turning to a grinning Elliot..
She tried not to smile back, but it was impossible, "That's so not happening again."
"Oh?" he hopped off the bed and reached around her waist. "I think it will happen again," he whispered, his lips enticingly close to hers, "But it probably shouldn't happen here."
She laughed out loud. "We definitely need to make it happen again," she pressed a kiss to his cheek, right next to his lips, "But definitely not here." She moved her lips close to his ear, "Your place maybe?"
His arms tightened around her, "Absolutely."