Title: Relaxing

Author/pseudonym: Tona

Fandom: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Pairing: Olivia Benson/Elliot Stabler

Rating: G

Status: new

Archive: Please archive.

E-mail address for feedback: taramsey@syclone.net

Series/Sequel: Not a series yet...could become one though

Other websites: n/a

Disclaimers: I don't own the characters of Law and Order: SVU nor do I make any money from writing these fan fictions. I'm actually just playing in the sandbox here.

Notes: This was an entry to the Improv Challenge #4.

The words to be used were:

Summary: Stabler takes Benson out to relax, but the evening becomes about getting to know one another.

Warnings: n/a

Relaxing
By Tona

Olivia Benson sat at her desk and tapped at the file in front of her with the tip of her pen. She flipped through the papers in front of her and groaned softly.

"Liv…"

She looked up to see her partner, Elliot Stabler, watching her closely. She frowned, "What?"

"You haven’t been paying attention to a word I’ve said, have you?" He asked as he leaned onto the desk, "What’s on your mind?"

"Nothing really," She said as she looked back to the file, "I just really need to get into this case to find the missing link."

"No…I don’t think that’s it at all," He shook his head as he slid his chair back. He stood and plucked his jacket from the back of his chair, "Close that file, and come with me."

"Where?" She asked as she watched him step around the desk.

"Trust me," He said as he helped her out of her chair. Olivia followed along as she wondered what her partner was up to.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Please sir, I want some more," Olivia said as she held out her glass.

Elliot refilled her glass full of scotch before placing the bottle back upon the table. He raised his glass to her, "All you needed was a little time to relax."

"It’s been so long since I’ve really relaxed."

"I haven’t done this in a while either," He admitted as he sat back, throwing back a biting swallow of the scotch.

"Why don’t we do this more often? Why don’t we get out of the office and have a drink just to relax a little?" Olivia said as she looked back into the glass, "We always do it while we’re trying to unwind from a particularly bad case. Why can’t we do it just to relax on a regular day?"

"Do we ever have any regular days?" He asked as he refilled the glass once again.

"No," She frowned as she leaned onto the table and looked to him, "I don’t suppose we do."

"Still…we could do this just to talk to each other about things. We’re really the only people who can understand what we have gone through during the day."

"You’re right. It’s always so hard to talk to people about what I’ve done during the day," She frowned, "Dating is so damn hard. You’ve got it easy."

"Whoa…it’s not easy to go home to my wife. She wants me to talk to her about my day, but I don’t want to unload the horrors of my day on her. She gets upset because she thinks I’m hiding something…especially where you’re concerned."

"Are you?" Olivia asked bluntly as she looked to him with a slight grin.

Elliot grinned as he met her eyes, "Just what did you have in mind?"

"I don’t know. You’re the one who apparently has something to hide where I’m involved. Shouldn’t I at least be in on what the big secret is?" She asked as she leaned closer, "Come on, Elliot. You can tell me."

"Why don’t we talk about you instead of me?" He asked as he attempted to change the direction of the conversation.

"Oh no, don’t even think you’re going to deflect this question, Mister."

"Does that mean this is officially an interrogation?" He teased as he looked back to her.

"Yeah, I believe it is. And you are most definitely an uncooperative suspect."

"Suspect? And just what are the charges I’m suspected of?" He asked as he leaned upon the table.

"That’s a very good question," Olivia said as she leaned upon the table, "Right now, I’d say obstruction and failure to cooperate with a lawful investigation are two very good charges."

"And you think that’ll hold up?"

"Don’t you know by now that I don’t bring charges that I can’t back?"

Elliot smiled, "It’s true. You don’t like going into something you can’t win…this situation, for example."

"Are you saying that I can’t get you to spill the little secret you’ve got all pinned up inside that head of yours?"

"I suddenly feel as if I’m in grade school playing a game of truth or dare."

Olivia smiled as she picked up the bottle of scotch and refilled their glasses, "I’m game if you are."

"I never pegged you as one for mind games…at least outside the interrogation room anyway."

"There are all sorts of things you don’t know about me, Detective," Olivia grinned, "Are you brave enough to find out about them?"

"I’m game," Elliot said as he watched her smile grow, "For a price."

"A price?" She chuckled softly, "Somehow I didn’t think I was going to get away without using some sort of bribe on you. So out with it. What is this price?"

"We have to leave here. If we’re going to start telling all of our dirty little secrets, I’m not sure I want all of New York to hear about it."

Olivia chuckled, "Okay…fair enough. You pick up the tab here. We’ll go back to my place, and you can fess up to whatever it is you’re hiding."

"Now you have me second guessing myself," Elliot said as he tossed some money on the table, "I’m wondering if this was such a good idea after all."

"You’ll never know if you don’t come on," She flashed him a bright grin before making her way towards the entrance.

Elliott gathered his jacket and followed after her, wondering if he had allowed himself to relax a little too much.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Black roses," Olivia replied as she tipped the pizza guy, taking the pizza box from him before closing the door and returning to the living room.

"Your favorite flowers are black roses?" Elliot questioned, almost choking on his beer before placing it back upon the coffee table before him, "You’ve got to be kidding me."

"Do I look like I’m kidding?" She asked as she placed the pizza box upon the table, "They’re just different and have a beauty all their own."

"Liv…they’re black and look dead."

"Elliot, they’re beautiful just the same."

"If you say so," He shrugged as she opened the pizza box.

She plopped a slice of pizza onto a napkin before passing it to him, "Okay, Mr. Big Shot, then you tell me something that’s unusual about you."

"Such as?" He asked as he took a bite from his slice of pizza.

"Well," She paused for a moment as she picked a piece of pepperoni from the slice before her, "What would you be doing if you weren’t a cop?"

He placed the slice upon the coffee table before he replied, "I’d probably be working security some where…as boring as it seems."

"Security? Why?" She asked as she bit into her slice of pizza.

"I guess I just have that cop thing in my blood," He shrugged before taking another drink of his beer.

"It figures."

"Why does it figure?" He asked as if he were offended.

"Elliot, you just carry yourself as that bad ass kind of guy. Half the time, I think our perps are wondering if you’re one of them or a really nasty cop."

"That’s not fair," He said firmly, "Just because I’d love to take some of these guys behind the building and give them a taste of their own medicine doesn’t make me one of them."

"I didn’t say it did make you one of them," She said as she looked to him, "I was just saying that you have an awesome presence."

Elliot grinned, "That sounded suspiciously like a compliment."

"Maybe it was," She said with a smile, "It’s the least I could do after what you’ve done for me tonight."

"It was nothing," He shrugged.

"No, it was," Olivia said as she placed her hand on his arm, "I really need to thank you for this. I needed to just have a night where I didn’t have to worry about who I am or what I do. I could just be."

He met her eyes and a soft smile formed upon his features, "It does feel pretty comfortable, doesn’t it?"

"Yeah, it does," She agreed softly as she moved to sit on the sofa beside him. She lightly rested her head upon his shoulder as she sat beside him, "Thank you for this."

Elliot smiled, "Don’t mention it," He said glancing down to her, "I’ve enjoyed tonight too…more than you imagine really," He paused, "In fact, there’s something I want to talk to you about, Liv…Liv?" He repeated her name before he glanced down at her, realizing she had settled in and promptly passed out while resting upon his shoulder. He chuckled lightly as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to her bed, "It’s probably best left unsaid anyway." He lay her upon her bed and pulled a light blanket over her before cleaning up the mess they’d made in her living room. He finished tidying up and locked up before leaving her apartment for the evening.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Olivia found Elliot at the coffee machine the next morning. She slowly approached him and smiled, "Hey…sorry about passing out on you like that."

"No harm, no foul," Elliot said with a grin, "Although…I’ve never known you to snore like that in the Crib," He teased before he walked away.

Olivia groaned softly as a smile appeared on her features, "Just you wait…I’ll find a way to get you back for this…some how, some way…I’m going to get even."

*~*To Be Continued???*~*