Protégé

Chapter 31

A/N: There's so much going on with different elements of the show and cast, and OC, hopefully this is a nice break for some of y'all. Quick little chapter to set up the next one. Hope everyone has a good weekend. If you read the second author's note at the end of this chapter, beware it contains a couple fandom spoilers.

Disclaimer: I don't own SVU or Universal or Peacock.

Taxi, Streets of Manhattan, Saturday Night

"Alright, we're basically alone," Elliot tipped his head towards the driver of the cab. "Let's hear it," Elliot leaned against the door, watching his girlfriend check some emails on her blackberry, his lip and cheek were throbbing from where Fin had punched him. Twice.

"Hmmm?" Olivia muttered as she read an email from her boss.

Elliot sighed heavily as he scrubbed a hand down his face, avoiding his swollen eye and lip. "Look I know you've been holding it inside, shit Liv, you broke up with me when my Mother almost walked in on us. Now Fin, one of your closest friends, not to mention he's technically your employee too, caught us, and you're not freaking out? Elliot grunted, starting to get annoyed at her reaction, or lack there of.

"Haha, let me get this straight, you're getting mad at me for not freaking out over a colleague catching us having sex, at another colleagues party?" Olivia put her phone on vibrate, placing it back in her purse, she realized that Elliot wanted to have a serious conversation.

Olivia squirmed around in her seat, maneuvering until she was as close to facing Elliot as she could get on the bench style seat in the back of a NYC cab.

"I'm just going from experience-" Elliot muttered.

Elliot stopped talking as she palmed his cheek, "Does it hurt?" Olivia felt bad as she ghosted her thumb over his swollen lip.

"I'll live," Elliot shrugged.

"Oh you're not going to use your injuries to coax me into playing doctors and nurses with you?" Olivia questioned.

Elliot tried to smile through his plump lip, "Please tell me you have a costume for that role!"

Olivia giggled, she knew she was bordering the line between tipsy and drunk. "Thank you for not retaliating anymore than you did, I know if I hadn't intervened that you could probably have held your own but-"

"Held my own?! I could've kicked Fin's ass!" Elliot declared, not even bothering to keep the indignation out of his voice, he pulled back, putting some space between their bodies.

Olivia slid beside him, pressing the sides of their body's back together. She crossed her legs, slipping her thigh over his knee, she rubbed his upper thigh with her right hand while lightly scratching the back of his head, in a soothing manner.

"I didn't mean to offend you, it's just Fin has to have what, a good 30 pounds on you, and he had the element of surprise right?" Olivia didn't want to demean her boyfriend. Despite how things were going they bother still harboured a lot of insecurities about themselves and their relationship.

The way her body wrapped around his, her scent invaded his nose as he took a deep breath, it was very relaxing, she knew how to calm him down, he briefly wondered if she ever used it to her advantage, but that question left his mind as he gave in to the soothing feeling she was creating.

"Ummm yeah yeah you're right he caught me by surprise. But I'm qui-quicker, and in better shape." Elliot reached down and tugged up his shirt, exposing the lower half of his washboard abs.

Olivia smiled, "Yes, yes you are." She took the opportunity and slid her hand over his exposed navel, she circled his bellybutton. She tried not to sound like she was placating him, but she also recognized how inebriated he was too.

Elliot let go of his shirt, enjoying the way she touched his body. He knew he was fighting sleep. Between his orgasm and his fight with Fin, he was exhausted. "And I-I box," Elliot continued to come up with reasons he would've won had Olivia not pulled them apart.

Olivia smiled as she watched her young Detective succumb to sleep, clearly he had forgotten that Fin boxed too. Olivia nodded, "And you do it so well."

Using his last ounce of energy Elliot explained, "I'm just gonna close my eyes for a minute, but I'm still awake, jus-ust give me a minute."

"Okay, you do that," Olivia had barely finished her sentence but she knew Elliot was out cold. The adrenaline from earlier had worn off as he sat still in the back of the taxi with her.

Turning her attention to the man behind the wheel, Olivia gave him a different address to go to.

Monday Afternoon, 16th Precinct SVU, Captain Olivia Benson's Office

Shitshow.

That was the only way to describe her department. And not just her unit but the entire 16th precinct, and a couple other precincts in Manhattan.

The lab that processed the police's personal health tests had come under fire when a tech had been caught fudging the results. The lab technician had been taking bribes to change the results of officers, allowing them to get away with getting high, abusing drugs, and alcohol in some instances. Everyone in their unit would have to have another physical. The perp wasn't just changing the results of paying customers, he had been changing other tests just for fun, and to cover his tracks so it wasn't only prohibited substances that he was changing.

Olivia had just finished giving the bad news to her squad, when there was a knock on her office door.

"Come in," Olivia called.

"Hey, you got a minute?" Elliot asked, poking his head in the door.

"Mhmm," Olivia nodded, watching as Elliot slipped inside her office and closed the door behind him. "How is everyone taking the news?"

Elliot shrugged as he approached her desk, sitting down in the chair across from her, "It's just an annoyance having to get another physical, but hey it might be good for you, I don't like how this flu is lingering for you, everybody else that caught it got over it after a couple weeks."

"I'm sure it's nothing, I'm just tired, and stressed, colds linger, but you didn't come in here to discuss my flu did you?" Olivia raised an eyebrow and leaned back in her chair.

"Uhhh no, I just wanted to apologize for Saturday night, I don't even remember how it ended…" Elliot responded sheepishly as he tucked his hands into his pockets, he rocked back and forth on his heels. He looked so young, and embarrassed, Olivia could see a blush rising up his neck.

Olivia laughed lightly, "Well after you fell asleep in the cab on our way home, I knew I wouldn't be able to get you into my apartment, so I gave the cabbie your address. Your Dad and I got you into their house in the end."

"That explains how I woke up on our couch in the living room…" Elliot trailed off as he scratched his chin, avoiding the dark purple bruises adorning his normally handsome face.

"Oh I'm sure it was a good look, your face swollen and bruised from Fin, and let's face it we both drank more than normal, we just didn't realize it because it was over the course of many hours," Olivia explained. "I think I held it together though in their presence."

"Yeah, my pops wasn't pleased with me, then I got called in yesterday, normally I plug my phone in to charge before I go to sleep, obviously I didn't so it died a few minutes after I met Nick at the crime scene. It's why you didn't hear from me yesterday, that's all I wanted to say-" Elliot was about to ask her something else though, when there was a knock on her door.

"Enter," Olivia found herself calling once again.

Both of them were surprised to see Sergeant Joseph Stabler walking into her office.

"Elliot," Joe nodded at his son as he came to stand beside him. He turned his head, "Captain," he said as he addressed her.

"Dad what are you doing here? Is everyone okay? Is it Maw?" Elliot asked in a rush.

Joe chuckled, "Everything's fine, I actually came by to talk to your Captain."

Joe looked around the office, missing the nonverbal exchange going on between the other two officers in the room.

"This office looks so different without Cragen behind the desk," Joe whispered, almost not realizing he had stated it out loud.

Olivia's eyebrows raised, and she opened her mouth to respond-

"Oh no, please excuse me, I didn't mean that offensively." Joe waved his hand, "Anyways I just came by to thank you for taking care of this kid Saturday night. Making sure he got home safely."

"It was nothing," Olivia confessed, "Just looking out for my squad."

Well never the less, he's learned his lesson about partying, especially with people he works with, I'm sure he will tell you that he's willing to accept any punishment that you deem appropriate," Joe continued.

Olivia could feel Elliot's embarrassment from behind her desk, Joseph didn't realize he wasn't just apologizing for her Detective, her employee, but her boyfriend too. "We weren't working, and this wasn't a police function, we were all off the clock, so no punishment necessary," Olivia smiled politely.

"Hmmm, I don't think he should be let off so easily Captain, Cragen would have never let this kind of behaviour slide… But you're in charge now, on a separate note," Joe turned his attention to his extremely embarrassed son. "You'll be attending the Manhattan Officer Appreciation Ball this weekend, for the first time as a working Detective, I've taken it upon myself to set up an appropriate date for you."

"So-sorry what?" Elliot asked, finding his voice again, and finally joining the conversation.

Olivia of course knew the event that Joe was referring to, she had hoped that they would both attend solo, giving them an excuse to hang out with each other. She couldn't very well object to him taking a date in front of his father, she had no plausible excuse.

"Your mother and I will be attending, as will you, and you're not only representing our family but this unit as well. You can't just show up with anybody on your arm. And I hope you are over your over indulgence from this past weekend, and you will not be repeating it at this ball."

"I-I look can we talk about this later, at home maybe?" Elliot felt like a teenager, being scolded by his parent, and told what to do.

"Fine but, here this is her contact information, she is the daughter of a friend of mine, currently working for the DA, she's got great potential, everyone says she'll be the next DA one day, and she definitely has political aspirations. She's expecting you at 7, and told me she is wearing a black dress, so any colour corsage will be acceptable. Don't screw this up, her Dad and I think you two will be a great match-" he held out her business card to his son.

"Okay enough, look Oli-Captain Benson and I have a lot on our plates and we need to get back to work so we can talk when I get home, I'll walk you out," Elliot walked to the office door, hoping his father would follow.

"Captain," Joe nodded, "Thank you again for getting him home, and your discretion, he won't screw up like that again."

"It was nothing really, water under the bridge," Olivia gave him a curt nod, unable to fake a smile in that moment.

"Well I suppose I'll see you this weekend then too, have a good afternoon Captain," Joe turned to exit her office. Scanning the room one last time, "Cragen would be proud of what you've done with the place," Joe explained.

Olivia watched the two men leave her office. She released the breath she didn't know she was holding inside.

Just as she was about to turn her attention to the many reports on her laptop, there was another knock on her door.

Olivia sighed and held her face in her hands, "It's open."

"Captain," Olivia raised her head to find Captain Tucker standing in her doorway.

"Ed? What are you doing here?" Olivia inquired, she couldn't remember having an appointment with him, and wondered if he was there for business or pleasure.

"We're investigating the lab tech, you mind if I have a word with your squad?" Tucker couldn't keep the frown off his face.

"Of course," Olivia stood walking out of her office with Tucker.

"Everyone listen up," Olivia raised her voice to get her officer's attention. She watched as Elliot came back into the squad room, Tucker had taken over, speaking to the room at large and explaining what they would need to do in the immediate future, and what could be expected down the road. His speech was quick, lasting less than ten minutes, he answered a few questions before telling them if anyone had anymore more questions or information, that they could contact IAB at anytime.

"Alright, back to work," Olivia clapped her hands together once, turning and heading back into her office. Tucker followed closely behind.

"Sorry your unit was affected by this idiot," Tucker sighed as he dropped into the chair in front of her desk, the chair Elliot had just got up from. "We're going around today, talking to every department that was affected."

"Long day," Olivia smiled sadly tilting her head.

"I fear it's going to be a long few weeks-" Tucker scowled.

"Oh sorry I didn't realize-Uncle Eddie," Elliot walked over to the pair, grasping Tucker's outstretched hand.

"Nonsense, how ya doing kid? Your pops told me you had quite the time at Novak's party? I dropped by, but only stayed for an hour," Tucker explained, smiling for the first time that afternoon.

"Actually you just missed him, he stopped by to thank me again, which was completely unnecessary and to let Elliot know he got him a date for the ball this weekend-" Olivia informed Tucker.

"Oh yah, speaking of, Captain Benson, would you do me the honour?"

Elliot coughed uncontrollably, this day just kept getting worse the longer it went on.

"I'd love to," Olivia didn't dare look at her boyfriend.

"Great…" Tucker's phone beeped repeatedly. "Ughh, I gotta go, I'm literally the bearer of bad news today. I'll see you on Saturday? Pick you up at 7?"

"Sounds great," Olivia stood to walk Tucker out, but he waved her down. "Hey kid walk me out, I wanna hear more about your weekend and date to the ball."

Olivia noticed Elliot's clenched fists in her peripheral vision. She knew he would be pissed that she accepted Tucker's invitation to the ball. But if he had a date then she would most definitely be going with someone too. He had no right whether his father had set it up or not, to be mad that she'd be attending with Tucker.

Olivia hadn't been looking forward to the ball, she never did, but this year she was looking forward to it even less. She didn't want to watch as some young thing clung to Elliot's firm, muscular arm. And she knew he wouldn't want to watch her sway to the music in someone else's arms. There were normally fireworks the weekend of the annual ball, however this time she thought the fireworks may be inside instead.

A/N: Jealous Elliot. Jealous Olivia. Surrounded by their colleagues, old and new. What could go possibly go wrong? And awwwwww Olivia despite being the older mature person in the relationship has been emotionally the immature person in the relationship, so look at her growing up! Not running the moment someone else found out, could she be moving forward in their relationship?

Up next: the annual ball? What do y'all want to see?

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

A/N 2: Between Kelli getting fired and MH confessing something serious in her Gutsy episode on Apple TV, there's a lot of hurt and pain going around the the fandom at the moment. Hopefully this chapter/doc can bring some light heartedness to anyone reading this.