Title: Streetlights and Skylines
Author: Sara and Lizzie
Rating: T for language, a little violence and little sex
Disclaimer: Dick Wolf is God, obviously, since he really does own Law and Order, but since he'd never stick this on at 10 pm Tuesdays, we took the liberty of doing it for him.
Summary: Four years ago, Elliot attended Olivia's funeral. Little did he know, the casket was empty, and Olivia was in a condo in Los Angeles, calling herself Lucy. But, when the man who forced her from her life dies, she comes back to New York, and the 1-6, to find her former partner and boyfriend, engaged.
Author's Note: Okay. We told you we'd be regular with this. Check out 'Into The Fire' and 'Murphy's Law', as well as 'Notorious'. We're going to try and get those all updated by Monday.
So um, REVIEW, we guess?
"All this feels strange and untrue,
and I won't waste a minute without you,
the anger swells in my gut, and I won't feel
these slices and cuts."
-Snow Patrol
Olivia dropped down on the barstool in between Munch and Casey. "Who the hell is this woman?" she asked.
"Hello to you, Liv." Munch quipped. "So glad you're back. I've been fine, thanks for asking, means a lot."
She shook her head, got the attention of the bartended and ordered a dirty martini. Casey raised her eyebrows. Olivia winced. "L.A. thing. Sorry, John. Don't take it the wrong way. I'm really glad to be out of witness protection, but I never imagined he'd be…."
"Engaged to the most eligible single woman in Manhattan?" Munch supplied. "Well, no, neither did we."
Olivia shook her head. "She's beautiful," she moaned. "She wears Valentino in broad daylight, for God's sakes."
Casey nodded. "Did you see those Blahnik heels? God, I'd kill for a pair."
Olivia rolled her eyes as Fin sank onto the stool next to Munch. "Old times, huh?" he asked. Olivia smiled at him.
"It's so good to see all of you guys again." She bit her lower lip, something they all recognized as her tell tale anxious habit. "So where did he meet her?"
Casey took a sip of her drink. "She parked her town car right in front of the precinct."
Olivia pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers. "How did this happen?" she asked, sounding incredulous. "He was… he was supposed to be in love with me."
"He is, Liv." Casey supplied, helpfully. "He thought you were dead. We all did."
Olivia nodded. Munch nudged her. "Stop wallowing." So she straightened up, downed her martini, and let her mind wander to how, exactly, she was going to fight for him.
She got to the precinct early the next morning, beating everyone there except for Cragen. She walked in and smiled at him, depositing all of her things on her desk.
"I won't say I told you so, Olivia." He said.
She eyed him quizzically. "Told me what?"
"I told you getting involved with your partner was going to come back and bite you in the ass."
She sighed. "You did say that, didn't you?"
Cragen nodded, his twinkling eyes showing her he wasn't upset. She frowned as his face turned serious. "He's different now, though Olivia. He lived because he had you. Without you, he shut down. He's colder. Numb."
Olivia nodded. "Yeah, I can tell."
Cragen nodded back. "You always could tell, Liv. You always could tell."
Elliot woke up the next morning in a haze. Two days ago, life had made sense. Olivia was alive, she was here, and she had vowed to fight for him. It thrilled and terrified him at the same time. He was walking into the precinct when he almost ran over Munch.
"Whoa." Munch warned. "I'm not the spry young thing I used to be."
Elliot attempted a vague smile. "What the hell is this, John?"
"She loves you. She always has."
"Why now? Why ten days before my wedding?"
"It's not like she could plan the date she got out of the program, Elliot."
"You have vast experience with women. What do you think?"
"I think I can't make decisions for you, Stabler. This one's all you. But if you want my expert, objective opinion, shit happens, and here it happened. You've got deal with it. You just need to figure out what you want."
It was hours later, sitting at his desk, he examined Olivia. She was still gorgeous. She was tan, and her sun streaked bangs hung across her forehead. Same perfect eyes and mouth. Same tantalizing curves.
Olivia pretended not to watch Elliot while he watched her. She couldn't help it. He was right across the desk, so close she could practically touch him. And she wished she could. He still looked strong, sexy. Still had those chiseled features and those ice blue eyes.
Elliot looked up and met her eyes. She held his gaze, but he swept his eyes down to the cold metal of his desk. He felt vulnerable, drawn in by her. He shook his head, grabbed his coffee mug and stood. He was getting married.
"Jesus, Olivia, I don't believe this."
"I don't either." She said.
"He never would have gotten engaged. If he'd known." Kathy said, stumbling over her words. It was very strange, talking to your ex husband's ex girlfriend who he loved more than he had loved you.
"Andrea Lawrence. She owns half of Manhattan."
"Her family does. She's not all sunshine and rainbows, Liv." Kathy said, as the two women fell back into their usual banter. They had become friends, somehow. Kathy had remarried, and they had become friends. "Call me anytime. Good luck."
"Thank you, Kathy." Olivia said, hanging up. She sat in the precinct, glad to have a focus, glad to have a goal, but she still felt an underlying sense of apprehension. What if he stayed with her? What if he married into billions of dollars, and half of Manhattan? What would she do then?
"Fifty says he has sex with her by the end of the week." Fin said.
Munch chuckled. "I give it two days."
Casey shook her head. "Seventy five says he stays with the pampered princess. He has severe attachment issues."
Huang rolled his eyes at all of them. "While Casey brings up an excellent point about attachment phobias, this is ridiculous. This is complicated, intense. It's not the Kentucky Derby."
They all stared at him. He shook his head. "Fine. Two hundred says he picks Olivia."
Olivia was fiddling with the items in the top drawer of desk, trying to remember how they'd been arranged before she left, when Cragen left his office. "Benson, Stabler." He bellowed. "Teen girl brought into Lennox Hill last night for a broken wrist, nurse sees scratches on her inner thighs, they ran a rape kit, it was positive. Get down there, and talk to her."
They stood up at the same time. Olivia scooped up the keys to the sedan and tossed them to Elliot. He caught them, surprised they still had that fluid rhythm. It was like she never left.