Hey everyone!

I just want to say thank you again for being so supportive with this fic. I have enjoyed reading the various responses/reviews on this so I can't thank you all enough.

Someone gets asked out in this chapter ;) hehe enjoy!

xo

Someone New - Eleven

Following his return from visiting his family home in Maryland, it ended up being a solid week and a half before Jalen and Olivia were able to see each other again.

Work had them both ripping and running. Homicide was going bezerk as they ended up chasing a serial killer it seemed, while SVU seemed to end up dealing with a couple high profile cases that left them running around and left Olivia in particular to have to go back and forth to One Police Plaza to appease the higher ups. The pair were lucky that despite their extremely busy jobs, they were at least still able to talk - whether it was just some texts to check in, or their nightly phone calls if they were at home. Of course after their conversation they'd had while Jalen was away, it seemed that the flirting had only increased and the connection between them was becoming harder and harder to ignore.

It was a sunny, slightly warmer Tuesday afternoon in New York, and Olivia was working her way through the stack of files that was on her desk, signing her name over and over. The Special Victims Unit was actually pretty chill for today; Bruno and Velasco were at the DA's office with Carisi for trial prep, and both Curry and Fin were in the bullpen working on files themselves while shooting the breeze. Both of them were lost in conversation, only to be interrupted by a familiar voice that greeted them with a;

"Hey guys."

They both looked up, only to see Detective Jalen Shaw approaching. Curry gave a polite wave and smile while Fin gave him a handshake; "Hey man, what you doing here?"

Jalen nodded his head towards the closed door of Olivia's office; "I actually came to talk to your Captain about something, if she's not too busy."

"She shouldn't be; she's just signing off on some files," Fin stood up then as he continued; "Hold up, let me get h-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Olivia's office door opened and she stepped out with a couple files in her hands; "Hey Fin, do you th-"

She looked up then, only to pause when she caught sight of the tall and handsome Jalen Shaw standing there; something she certainly hadn't been expecting, especially since she had been texting him off and on all morning, and he hadn't once mentioned that he was showing up to her precinct. She swallowed harshly in a quick bid to compose herself as she then spoke up; "J..Detective Shaw, I was not expecting to see you today."

She internally cursed as she realized she had almost slipped up and called him Jalen right then and there, and it didn't help that he was giving her that little smile which was only turning her to mush. That deep voice rumbled from his chest as he responded to her; "I just came to talk to you about something."

Olivia simply nodded her head, and after quickly handing a couple files to Fin and asking for his opinion on something, she and Jalen disappeared into her office. She pushed the door shut, and she remained casual and calm as she gestured for him to sit. She was already itching to close the blinds and fall into him for a hug - a much needed hug as she hadn't seen him for over a week - but she knew she couldn't do that right now as they were in her squadroom, in her damn office.

She returned to her seat behind her desk as she looked at him; "You could've just kept texting me."

"And miss out on a chance to see that pretty smile?"

Olivia bit her lip as she tried not to blush too hard at his words. Jalen simply smirked at her as he leaned back in the chair; "Seriously though, I came to see if you could get away for a quick lunch with me."

Olivia raised an eyebrow as she eyed him, searching for any indication that he was kidding. However, he was clearly not kidding as he was still staring intently right back at her, eagerly awaiting her response. She realized then that he truly was serious, causing her eyes to widen ever so slightly;

"Are you serious? What if someone sees us?"

Jalen was clearly not bothered, however, as indicated by the chuckle and that damn cheeky smile that remained on his face. "So? We're two cops, and cops are always hanging out together." He had that twinkle in his eye, and that too was turning Olivia to complete mush and causing her resolve to fade straight away. However, what really got her is when he leaned forward and discreetly reached across her desk, placing his larger hand over her smaller one. His thumb rubbed over her fingers as he quietly spoke;

"I haven't seen you in over a week, so let me take you to lunch."

Olivia stared at him for a moment as she quickly thought things over. Jalen was right, really; there was nothing wrong with them hanging out and having lunch together was there? Grabbing a bite for lunch with Jalen was certainly not the worst idea. In fact, it was the best idea she had heard all day. Her mind was screaming for her to be cautious, but her heart had won the battle right away;

"Okay, I'll let you take me to lunch."

Jalen playfully punched the air, something that made Olivia laugh a little as she pushed herself up from her desk. She grabbed her wallet and phone, and before long she and Jalen emerged from the office. Fin looked up with an arched eyebrow as he asked; "Everything cool?"

"Yeah, but I'm gonna step out for a second with Detective Shaw, lend my expertise about a case," Olivia quickly made up the story off the top of her head as she spoke with her loyal sergeant; "Call me if anything pops?"

Fin was giving her a look, one that she couldn't quite read. He didnt ask any questions however, he simply nodded his head; "I got you."

Olivia quietly thanked him and smiled before heading out with Jalen, who offered a polite wave to both Fin and Curry as he and Olivia left. Curry didn't notice, but Fin continued to watch them with a very suspicious expression on his face. He had to raise an eyebrow when he noticed the way Jalen very discreetly rubbed his finger over Olivia's hand as they exited the squadroom together.

They were none the wiser. They both wore giddy smiles as they stepped into the elevator, both of them eager for a chance to have a quick lunch - just the two of them.

Luckily for Olivia and Jalen, the nearby diner wasn't too busy other than typical people pottering around and a few cops here and there, either getting food to go or sitting at the bar to eat. The pair managed to snag a booth in the corner, where they would be able to talk freely and not run the risk of being heard by anyone. Olivia felt a little giddy even as she sat across from Jalen. She couldn't deny that she was happy to be able to have lunch with him like this; she had missed seeing him in person over the last week or so, though she probably wouldn't say it out loud as she didn't want to sound clingy or awkward.

Before long, the two had their drinks and were waiting for their food. They engaged in light conversation; Jalen gave a brief overview of his day so far and expressed his gratitude for a slow day, which Olivia hummed in agreement. After all, they'd both had a rough week and a half with work so a slow day was so desperately needed, especially in Olivia's case as things had been hectic lately.

Their food soon arrived, and they happily tucked into their meals while happily talking away; it seemed that even though they talked pretty much daily, there was always something else to talk about.

"I'm really glad we could sneak out for lunch today seriously," Olivia remarked as she stabbed her salad with her fork; "I mean I hadn't seen you in over a week, I forgot what you looked like."

Jalen let out a laugh before sipping his drink. He then licked his lips before he responded; "I can't forget your pretty ass face, so I had to come see you; I had to see that smile in person."

Olivia blushed a little, especially at the cheeky, flirty glint in his eye. She glanced down at her salad then looked back up at him, before lightly kicking him under the table as she mumbled an adorable; "Shut up; eat your food."

Jalen just winked at her before tucking into his food again. Olivia was trying to calm her racing heart, but Jalen definitely had her mind and heart going crazy in the best way. As much as the connection between them still scared her just a little, she was certainly starting to lean into it just a little more and accept it. Jalen really was a good guy, she liked him a lot, so if something did continue to blossom, it really wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

It was new, exciting, and refreshing.

After they finished their lunch, Jalen paid the bill before the two of them exited the establishment. The rays from the sun warmed their skin as they walked back towards the precinct, both of them still talking casually and flirting quietly, sharing matching smiles as their eyes sparkled. The walk to the precinct was relatively short, and Jalen of course walked her to the steps leading up to the doors of the building. She then turned to him, looking up into those kind beautiful brown eyes as she spoke softly; "Thank you for lunch, that was great."

Jalen nodded his head, a beautiful, happy smile on his face. "No problem, Liv; I think we needed it…" He then reached out and discreetly took her hand, suddenly thankful that no one was around to see this or interrupt;

"Now when are you going to let me take you to dinner?"

And there it was. Him pretty much asking her out in person. Olivia's heart damn near leapt into her throat, and yet she couldn't stop the giddiness from consuming her or the smile spreading across her face. "Jalen, seriously?"

"Yes, I'm so serious," he smirked, rubbing his thumb over her hand; "So when will you let me?"

Olivia bit her lip, her eyes briefly darting to their hands and back up to his face. "Jalen, the job…the hours; you know how this goes, and I would feel so awful if I have to break our date."

"Liv, you better hope I don't have to break the date since shit happens despite us having plans," he chuckled, something that made her laugh as well as she nodded in understanding. "But seriously, we're both cops; I'm sure there will be times where we will have to reschedule a date or something because of work, and I'll understand that."

Olivia nodded his head, feeling the knots of anxiety loosen slightly to know that Jalen would be equally understanding if a date did have to be broken because of work. She was still weighing options in her head, however, but she wasn't finding any reason to not take a chance and go out with him. He was still gazing at her, a soft smile on his face and kindness shining in his beautiful brown eyes as he rubbed his thumb over her hand once more.

"Olivia…" he purposely dragged her name out, something that made her blush and laugh a little as she listened to him continue with his question; "Will you please go to dinner with me?"

The answer couldn't have fallen from her lips quick enough; "Yes, I'll go to dinner with you."

Jalen playfully punched the air, something that caused her to laugh as she squeezed his hand. He was still smiling happily as he asked; "Friday or Saturday?"

"Well Friday I'm taking Noah to Woodstock to spend the weekend with his half brother and stuff, but Saturday works just fine." she responded. Jalen nodded in understanding, the smile still present on his face. He then leaned forward and slipped his arms around her torso, pulling her in for a tight hug. This caught Olivia off guard slightly, but she found himself winding her arms around him as she effortlessly fell into the very comforting embrace; one arm was on his back, and the other was stretched up around his neck.

Neither of them had any idea that they were being watched from afar.

The two pulled apart after a few moments; Jalen still had his strong hands on her waist while she had her hands resting on his biceps. They stared at each other for a moment before finally pulling awy further, though Jalen dragged his hand around to grab her hand again. They were simply staring at each other as they took in the magnitude of what had just happened: they were really acknowledging this thing that was brewing between them, and they were actually going on a real date.

It took a minute or two for Olivia to register that she was still very much outside of her precinct and needed to go back to work, leading her to take a breath before speaking; "Let me know when you're back at work safely?"

Jalen nodded his head; "I will, just make sure you text me back."

Olivia rolled her eyes; it seemed that the banter never stopped between them. "I will if I'm not busy, Jalen; you know I'm a Captain."

Jalen gave her a very flirty smirk as he unashamedly looked her up and down, obviously checking her out. Even his tone was flirty as that deep voice rumbled from within his chest; "Oh yes ma'am Captain, I'm well aware."

Olivia simply shook her head as she smiled and blushed all at once at his flirty behavior. She offered a soft; "Bye Jae" as she pulled her hand away, though of course Jalen kept hold of her hand until the last possible moment, sliding his fingers over hers until he was forced to let go. She turned and made her way up the steps, but she was also able to feel that he was still checking her out.

And he was shamelessly looking her up and down again, staring at her ass in the tight jeans she wore.

Olivia glanced back and gave him a wave before continuing into the building. She had a slight spring in her step as she made her way to the elevator, and eventually stepped off on the floor for her squadroom. She rounded the corner into her squadroom and noticed that Bruno and Velasco had returned, and they gave her a wave which she returned as she continued further into the room. She slipped into the breakroom to grab a bottle of water, thus missing the fact that Fin had slipped into the room behind her.

"You have a good meeting with Shaw?"

Olivia's back was still to Fin, so she was thankful that he couldn't see her blushing. Instead she busied herself with taking a sip of water before nodding her head, though she still wouldn't look at him; "Um yeah; case is all sorted."

She took another quick swig of water, only to be slightly taken aback when she realized Fin had stepped up beside her. She looked up, only to see him giving her a slight smirk and head tilt as he asked; "You wanna look me in the eye and make things sound a little more believable?"

Olivia bit her lip as she realized that she really could never lie to Fin; he was a damn good cop for one but he had known her for far too long, so of course he was bound to figure her out. She gave a slightly nervous laugh, her cheeks heating up in an instant as she quietly responded; "Okay, there's nothing really to tell…other than I like him."

"Mhm," Fin nodded his head as he leaned against the refrigerator while eyeing her; "And you'll tell me if there is something to tell?"

"I promise you'll be the first to know."

"Good, you just let me know when I need to threaten him." He remarked. Olivia rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to respond, only to be interrupted when she noticed Fin look out into the squadroom and mutter a very quick; "Oh shit."

She quickly whirled around, only for her eyes to widen as she caught sight of who had just begun making his way into her squadroom - tall, blue eyes, and a cocky ass smirk: Elliot Stabler.

"Kill me now." she muttered to herself. She and Fin exited the breakroom just as he approached with that damn smirk still on his lips.

"Hey guys." He then looked to Olivia, a look in his eyes that bothered her for some reason; "You got a minute?"

She knew why he was here and why he was asking: he was aware that she was avoiding him, that she had never responded after that unnecessary and disrespectful voicemail he left, and now he was popping up on her. Part of her wanted to just go ahead and turn him away, but she figured that maybe hearing from her outright that she wanted nothing to do with him was the way to handle this.

She nodded her head and gave Fin a look, one where he knew to keep an ear out just in case. She and Elliot then made their way into her office, and she made sure to leave her door open just a crack so Fin could hear her. She gestured for Elliot to sit before quickly making her way around to sit behind her desk as she didn't even want to stand next to him for too long.

He disgusted her now.

Elliot remained standing in the middle of her office as he spoke; "I've been calling you."

"I've been busy." she immediately retorted as she busied herself with opening her laptop. She was trying not to show that she felt weirded out by him standing here in her office. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her in a vulnerable state; not now, not ever.

He stepped a little closer to her desk, and then he spoke up again; "Where's the compass?"

Olivia was a little confused for a second until she remembered the necklace. She had taken it off a couple months ago and more recently given it to Eileen Flynn, as she and the family healed after the horrible kidnapping ordeal with their daughter Maddie. Elliot didn't need to know all those details, however, so instead she responded with; "Loaned it to someone."

She looked up then, and she saw a flash of anger cross his features. His tone was harsh; "I spent money on that for you."

"Well I didn't ask you to, Elliot," she was getting annoyed now, leading her to immediately follow up with; "Is there something you need? If not, you can go."

"Okay look, I just came to talk to you," Elliot replied, stepping back from her desk a little; "And I want to know why you're avoiding me."

Olivia eyed him for a second, momentarily thinking of all the ways she could light into this arrogant fucker right now. However, she opted not even to entertain this bullshit and instead responded with a simple; "I'm busy, now leave."

She wasn't expecting his next response, however;

"Busy with Jalen Shaw?"

Her head snapped up in an instant as he had actually caught off guard. She and Jalen were incredibly careful when they did hang out; it was only today that she had actually allowed herself to be a little free and give him a hug outside of the precinct. She wracked her brain; she hadn't recalled seeing anyone around but now she was wondering if Elliot had been following her or watching her all along and had seen her and Jalen today, or some other time.

"Oh good, now I have your attention," he smirked as he folded his arms across his chest; "How long's that been going on?"

Olivia took a much needed breath as she stood up now, though she remained behind her desk as she eyed him intently. "You don't get to interrogate me about my life. Now, leave."

Elliot smirked at her, and Olivia knew exactly what this meant. She mentally braced herself, but she knew Elliot; she knew that he knew just what buttons to push. She mentally told herself to not let him do this, to not let him kick down all the walls she had put up to protect herself from his manipulation and blatant disrespect. She kept her voice calm, her eyes still on his as she spoke in a low yet commanding tone; "Get out."

"A detective messing around with a Captain," Elliot shook his head, purposely letting out a rather arrogant chuckle; "He trying to get ahead or something?"

"Get out of my office, Elliot."

"Gotta be a reason; a guy like that, going for a police Captain…" he purposely stepped closer to her desk, "You know, he doesn't know you like I know you. You think he'll stick around?"

"Get out."

"When he learns every little detail about you and your past, you really think he's gonna stick around?"

"Get the hell out of my office!"

She said it a little louder than she meant to, which meant that Fin heard her. He was in her office within a second, immediately having pushed the door open and stepped right up to Elliot; "Stabler, she told you to leave, so leave."

Elliot simply looked between the both of them before letting out a chuckle. He then looked up at Olivia, still giving her that arrogant smirk as he remarked; "Have fun with your boy toy."

He then left out, not even looking back as he made his way towards the exit. Fin went to the doorway to made sure he left before turning back to Olivia, who had sat down at her desk again but was clearly a little shaken as she was taking a few deep breaths as she rubbed her temples. He quickly pushed her door shut before making his way over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder as he leaned towards her.

"Hey, whatever he said, don't let him get in your head…" he told her, still rubbing her shoulder in that comforting manner; "He's an asshole, Olivia, and he wants everyone to be miserable like him. Don't give him that satisfaction."

Olivia nodded her head as she took in Fin's words. She whispered a very soft but quick; "I'm okay" before giving him a slight smile. Fin squeezed her shoulder before disappearing from the office, closing the door behind him as he knew to give her some time.

And Olivia instantly had her head in her hands as she tried not to let Elliot's words get to her.

But he knew what buttons to push, he always knew what buttons to push.

And why did she still let him get to her after all this time?

Sooooo...what do we think? Of course someone always has to come burst Olivia's bubble. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Until next time xo