Layover
The fog hung low to the streets as Olivia's Mustang pulled up to the corner in a quiet Queens neighborhood. She would have blown the horn to announce her arrival, but the glowing green numbers on the radio made her think twice. '4:32, usually I'm headed to bed around this time not getting up. Stupid early morning flights,' she thought. It was then that she noticed Elliot had finally come out of the house, luggage in hand. He smiled at her through the windshield before opening the back door on the passenger's side and tossing his suitcase and briefcase next to hers.
"Damn it's cold out there," he said dropping into the passenger seat and rubbing his gloved hands together. Immediately he changed the radio station in the car to one that played classic rock.
"Why do you have to do that?" she asked as she turned off of his street and headed toward JFK airport. "What's wrong with my music?"
"No offense Liv," he laughed, "but I can't listen to piano music unless I'm at a fancy restaurant." She huffed of the comment and enjoyed the comfortable silence that filled the vehicle. "How did we get pegged for this anyway?"
Olivia laughed, "I don't know, but I'm not passing up a trip to Miami. Especially one the Brass is paying for."
"I didn't say I was refusing," Elliot added. "Think anyone would notice if we didn't come back?"
"Considering that we're supposed to be 'sharing what we've learned' once we get back," she chuckled, "yeah I think they would." Initially Olivia's heart had dropped when the Captain told her she would be attending a three-day policemen's seminar. But once she learned that along with the seminar came an all expenses paid trip to beautiful, sunny Miami and that her traveling buddy would be none other than her recently divorced, blue-eyed partner she couldn't pack fast enough.
"I can't believe how cold it is outside," Elliot said off-handedly. "Weather channel's calling for a blizzard today."
"Are you kidding me?" she said incredulously. "It's not even December yet!"
"Since when does that mean anything? Elliot laughed. "It'll snow when it wants."
"It just better not snow until we're within Florida state borders. Then I could care less what happens in New York."
The looming clouds were nice enough to wait until Elliot and Olivia were inside the airport before opening and dropping a light blanket on the city below. The flakes started slowly but before long a constant white stream was falling from the sky.
"Think it's safe to get on a plane with weather like this?" Olivia asked and they approached their gate.
"It's only a little snow," Elliot said. "You're not afraid to fly are you?"
"No," Olivia answered a little too quickly; Elliot nudged her arm with his elbow. "Not under normal circumstances I'm not, but I don't trust people driving in the snow let alone flying."
Elliot laughed as he showed his ticket to the woman at the desk who wished them both a happy flight. As they walked down the ramp, he reached out and took Olivia's hand hoping to calm her fraying nerves. He felt her relax a little under his grip and smiled inwardly to himself.
The smiling flight attendant greeted them as they boarded the plane and pointed them towards their seats.
"Can you believe the Brass splurged for first class seats?" Elliot asked as he shoved his luggage in the overhead compartment, followed by Olivia's luggage.
"I know," she answered. "I figured I'd be stuck in coach next to some guy that never shut up while you were across the aisle next to some supermodel."
Elliot laughed as he took his seat and fastened the seatbelt around his middle. "What are the odds that I would actually be put next to a supermodel?" Olivia shrugged her shoulders and turned her gaze out the window. "Besides," Elliot quickly added just above a whisper, "I would much rather be next to you."
Olivia pretended not to hear his last comment, but she could feel the blush creeping into her cheeks. She stared out the small circular window at the city in the distance. It was still early morning, but the city was alive and well. After all it is the city that never sleeps.
"Good morning passengers," the voice came over the speaker, "this is your Captain speaking. We are currently second in line for takeoff and anticipate being on the runway within minutes. We will be landing in Miami by 9:30 a.m."
The plane went silent, save for the few conversations between couples as Olivia continued to stare out her window. Without warning, the plane began to shake with motion and Olivia's hand reached out for Elliot's.
"Relax Liv," Elliot said in a soothing voice with just a hint of sarcasm. "You're gonna make it through this. I promise." Even as the passengers fell silent Elliot never let go of Olivia's hand, his thumb absently stroking the back of hers.
The plane had been in the air for no more than thirty minutes when the cab began to shake violently. Olivia, who had only seconds ago been asleep against the window, shot up in her seat and looked around. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," Elliot answered with the slightest hint of fear in his voice.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the captain's voice came over the speaker, "we've run into a major blizzard and it looks as though we're going to have to make an emergency landing. We've been cleared by Dulles International airport to use their runway so we will be landing in the D.C. area momentarily. We apologize for the inconvenience."
"Great," Olivia grumbled. She leaned her head back against the seat and squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply.
"Liv calm down," Elliot said holding her hand tightly. The cabin rattled and dipped drastically and Olivia's grip tightened around his fingers. "It's just turbulence, everything is going to be fine." Olivia nodded, but kept her head flush against the seat, eyes clamped shut. She tried to calm her breathing as the cabin rattled and made its descent onto the runway. As the wheels touched to the ground, Olivia's hand loosened its grip on Elliot's but didn't let go completely.
When the plane finally pulled up to the gate the captain's voice once again broadcasted over the speaker, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have landed safely at Dulles International Airport. Once you exit the plane please report to the Customs Desk and they will help you with making arrangements for your time in the D.C. area. Again we apologize for the inconvenience."
Olivia breathed a sigh of relief as the other passengers stood from their seats and gathered their luggage from the overhead compartments. She felt like her life had passed before her eyes, even though her logical voice told her that it wasn't that serious of a situation.
"Liv?" Elliot asked, his voice breaking through her thoughts.
"I'm fine El," she said knowing what he was going to ask, "I promise."
"That's good to know," he said with a slight chuckle. "But would it be possible for me to get my hand back?"
Olivia's gaze dropped to her hand, still intertwined with her partner's. Smiling weakly she pulled her hand from his and stood up. "Let's get off this death trap."
A/N: Okay so I know this kinda seems a little pointless, but trust me when I say that things are going to get very interesting in the next chapter. But as of right now it's past midnight and I have class in the morning…oh yeah and don't forget to review!