Everything Else [SVU; Elliot/Olivia]
TITLE: Everything Else
FANDOM: Law & Order: SVU
PAIRING: Elliot/Olivia
SPOILERS: "Fault"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
They'd chosen each other, something partners on the force could never, ever do. Olivia hadn't been left with a choice, then. She had to do what was best, for the both of them.
"For the best, Olivia?" Elliot's harsh, raised tone broke into her thoughts, his sharp blue eyes narrowed, in either confusion or disbelief, she couldn't be sure. "You think this is what's best for both of us?"
Olivia swallowed hard and stuffed her hands back into her pockets. Part of her had known he'd show up here, at her apartment, after he'd had plenty of time to brood.
She forced herself to nod. "At the moment, yes." She studied him, the way that he paced back and forth in front of her couch with agitation written all over his face, and she had to ask, "Why are you so upset about this, Elliot? You practically handed me the idea."
"Why'm I upset?" He strode quickly over to her, stopping when they were nearly toe-to-toe. His eyes burned through her, scorched her soul as they so often did. "I'm upset, Olivia, because I basically tell you I can't live without you and you leave me!"
She shook her head, blinking back the tears triggered by the heart-shattering desperation in his voice. "I never left you," she whispered, voice tear-clogged. She rolled her eyes dramatically skyward. "Jesus Elliot, don't you get it?"
"No, I don't. I don't get why, after what we went through, why you would just ask Cragen for a new partner and then walk out. I don't get why I had to hear about it from Munch and Fin instead of from your lips. I just don't get it, Liv."
Even through the tears in her eyes, Olivia had to chuckle. Elliot was clueless. Gorgeous and infuriating and intimidating... but completely clueless.
She slowly told him, "You said yourself that if we chose each other over the job, we couldn't be partners anymore." She stepped closer, practically obliterating any space left between them now, and held his gaze steady to get her point across. "Elliot, I'm always going to choose you. Always. There will never be a doubt in my mind. That's why I left."
His eyes searched hers. "And this is what's best? For the both of us? Not seeing each other anymore?"
Olivia rolled her eyes once more. "You're such an idiot."
He cocked his head, tone patronizing. "Well gee thanks, Liv. Thanks for that second pick-me-up of the day." He started to brush past her, "Maybe I should be going..."
She caught him by the forearm before he could reach the door. "Elliot."
Elliot spun to meet her gaze, the ice back in his bluer-than-blue irises.
"You still don't get it, do you?"
He just stared...
"You think that's all there is to us. The partnership. That once we're not partners anymore, we'll no longer see each other." She shook her head. "Elliot, if that were true, we wouldn't have chosen each other today. If we had been all about the job, then nothing today would've been in jeopardy. But we both know there's a hell of a lot more going on than that."
Olivia swallowed and dared to slide her fingertips feather-lightly down his arm; dared to grasp his hand. "Elliot, we will still see each other. I will always want you in my life, even when we're no longer working together." She chuckled to herself. "And it's corny and ridiculous, but when I imagine my life years down the line, I can't imagine you not being there. I mean, I've imagined my life turning out a hundred different ways, and whether or not I was still with SVU didn't matter. But in every scenario for how my life could turn out, you are always there... as a primary fixture."
"Liv--"
"So whether we're working together or not, Elliot, you're all I've got left, too." She smiled as she shook her head, voice soft. "And I don't wanna wreck that. I couldn't handle it."
She watched one corner of his lips twitch, the patented Elliot Stabler smile that had hooked her eight years ago, as she threw his own words right back at him. She squeezed his hand. "The job? Sure, I love the job. I belong in Special Victims. But when it all comes down to it, it's just a job. You're..." Olivia swallowed hard once again and held his gaze, hammering in her final point and hoping it would get through to him this time. "You're everything else."
Elliot swallowed hard and Olivia noted he had the exact same look on his face he'd had in the warehouse -- stunned, relieved... frightened. Then, his arms were around her. His face was buried in her hair and her hands were stroking down his back. "You have no idea..." he whispered hoarsely, and swallowed hard again. "You have no idea what you mean to me."
She closed her eyes and held him tight. "Yeah I do, El. You love me."
"I do."
"And you know exactly what you mean to me."
He kissed her shoulder through her shirt. "You love me, too."
"I do."
"But we're not partners anymore."
She shook her head and raked her nails through the short hair at the nape of his neck, pressing a lingering kiss to his ear. When she pulled away, she leaned her head against his again. "Not at work, no."
"Outside of work?" He pulled back and searched her eyes with his own, and for a moment Olivia lost herself in the clear blues of his irises.
Her lips twitched in a barely-there smile, then, as she laid her palms across his face and drew him in for a kiss. It was deep, soul-searching, releasing the seven-years-worth of pent-up attraction and frustration. Elliot's arms wound tight around her waist, binding her to him, while hers snaked around his neck and held on tight.
When the kiss broke, Elliot dropped his head down and leaned his forehead against Olivia's. She smiled at him, eyes still half-closed, and answered him, "Outside of work, we'll figure it out. Slowly. For right now, we love each other -- beyond the partnership, beyond watching each other's backs. So for right now, let's just love each other. Everything else will work itself out."
Instead of responding, Elliot leaned in for another kiss.
FIN
Dedication: to yuki_onna90 for the First Kiss meme!
FANDOM: Law & Order: SVU
PAIRING: Elliot/Olivia
SPOILERS: "Fault"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
They'd chosen each other, something partners on the force could never, ever do. Olivia hadn't been left with a choice, then. She had to do what was best, for the both of them.
"For the best, Olivia?" Elliot's harsh, raised tone broke into her thoughts, his sharp blue eyes narrowed, in either confusion or disbelief, she couldn't be sure. "You think this is what's best for both of us?"
Olivia swallowed hard and stuffed her hands back into her pockets. Part of her had known he'd show up here, at her apartment, after he'd had plenty of time to brood.
She forced herself to nod. "At the moment, yes." She studied him, the way that he paced back and forth in front of her couch with agitation written all over his face, and she had to ask, "Why are you so upset about this, Elliot? You practically handed me the idea."
"Why'm I upset?" He strode quickly over to her, stopping when they were nearly toe-to-toe. His eyes burned through her, scorched her soul as they so often did. "I'm upset, Olivia, because I basically tell you I can't live without you and you leave me!"
She shook her head, blinking back the tears triggered by the heart-shattering desperation in his voice. "I never left you," she whispered, voice tear-clogged. She rolled her eyes dramatically skyward. "Jesus Elliot, don't you get it?"
"No, I don't. I don't get why, after what we went through, why you would just ask Cragen for a new partner and then walk out. I don't get why I had to hear about it from Munch and Fin instead of from your lips. I just don't get it, Liv."
Even through the tears in her eyes, Olivia had to chuckle. Elliot was clueless. Gorgeous and infuriating and intimidating... but completely clueless.
She slowly told him, "You said yourself that if we chose each other over the job, we couldn't be partners anymore." She stepped closer, practically obliterating any space left between them now, and held his gaze steady to get her point across. "Elliot, I'm always going to choose you. Always. There will never be a doubt in my mind. That's why I left."
His eyes searched hers. "And this is what's best? For the both of us? Not seeing each other anymore?"
Olivia rolled her eyes once more. "You're such an idiot."
He cocked his head, tone patronizing. "Well gee thanks, Liv. Thanks for that second pick-me-up of the day." He started to brush past her, "Maybe I should be going..."
She caught him by the forearm before he could reach the door. "Elliot."
Elliot spun to meet her gaze, the ice back in his bluer-than-blue irises.
"You still don't get it, do you?"
He just stared...
"You think that's all there is to us. The partnership. That once we're not partners anymore, we'll no longer see each other." She shook her head. "Elliot, if that were true, we wouldn't have chosen each other today. If we had been all about the job, then nothing today would've been in jeopardy. But we both know there's a hell of a lot more going on than that."
Olivia swallowed and dared to slide her fingertips feather-lightly down his arm; dared to grasp his hand. "Elliot, we will still see each other. I will always want you in my life, even when we're no longer working together." She chuckled to herself. "And it's corny and ridiculous, but when I imagine my life years down the line, I can't imagine you not being there. I mean, I've imagined my life turning out a hundred different ways, and whether or not I was still with SVU didn't matter. But in every scenario for how my life could turn out, you are always there... as a primary fixture."
"Liv--"
"So whether we're working together or not, Elliot, you're all I've got left, too." She smiled as she shook her head, voice soft. "And I don't wanna wreck that. I couldn't handle it."
She watched one corner of his lips twitch, the patented Elliot Stabler smile that had hooked her eight years ago, as she threw his own words right back at him. She squeezed his hand. "The job? Sure, I love the job. I belong in Special Victims. But when it all comes down to it, it's just a job. You're..." Olivia swallowed hard once again and held his gaze, hammering in her final point and hoping it would get through to him this time. "You're everything else."
Elliot swallowed hard and Olivia noted he had the exact same look on his face he'd had in the warehouse -- stunned, relieved... frightened. Then, his arms were around her. His face was buried in her hair and her hands were stroking down his back. "You have no idea..." he whispered hoarsely, and swallowed hard again. "You have no idea what you mean to me."
She closed her eyes and held him tight. "Yeah I do, El. You love me."
"I do."
"And you know exactly what you mean to me."
He kissed her shoulder through her shirt. "You love me, too."
"I do."
"But we're not partners anymore."
She shook her head and raked her nails through the short hair at the nape of his neck, pressing a lingering kiss to his ear. When she pulled away, she leaned her head against his again. "Not at work, no."
"Outside of work?" He pulled back and searched her eyes with his own, and for a moment Olivia lost herself in the clear blues of his irises.
Her lips twitched in a barely-there smile, then, as she laid her palms across his face and drew him in for a kiss. It was deep, soul-searching, releasing the seven-years-worth of pent-up attraction and frustration. Elliot's arms wound tight around her waist, binding her to him, while hers snaked around his neck and held on tight.
When the kiss broke, Elliot dropped his head down and leaned his forehead against Olivia's. She smiled at him, eyes still half-closed, and answered him, "Outside of work, we'll figure it out. Slowly. For right now, we love each other -- beyond the partnership, beyond watching each other's backs. So for right now, let's just love each other. Everything else will work itself out."
Instead of responding, Elliot leaned in for another kiss.
FIN
Dedication: to yuki_onna90 for the First Kiss meme!