The Undercover Rookie [A Bensler Fanfiction]

6

Olivia spent most of her time outside in the front yard so that Linda could always see her. Several times Linda would come over and they'd sit on the porch swing and chat, or go for a walk around the neighborhood. Elliot eventually got in contact with Oscar, but didn't get as much information out of him as Olivia did out of Linda.

"Alice!" Linda exclaimed, as she waved at Olivia. Olivia was standing at her mailbox, but only pulled out pieces of mail that Fin had placed inside for her and Elliot.

"Hey, Linda! How are you?" Olivia smiled. Linda walked to her and gave her a quick hug, before stepping back.

"I'm good! Oscar and I were talking, and we wanted to make sure you received an invitation to the neighborhood block party."

"Block party? I don't think Danny or I received one," Olivia said with a frown. The thought of being around her neighbors didn't sound appealing. She got out to investigate and do her job, but at night, all she wanted to do was curl up and read a book. Or kick Elliot's ass at a game of cards.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that, Alice. Since you two are so new, the organizers forgot. But I wanted to give you the invite. I hope you two can come," Linda smiled, as she passed an envelope to Olivia. She used her finger to break the seal before pulling out a colorful paper invitation. 

"It's Friday?"

"Yeah! The kids are all done with school, so we wanted to do something big to celebrate them being on summer break. And it would be good for you and Danny to get to know everyone else."

Olivia smiled and nodded as she kept her eyes focused on the invitation long enough that Fin could pull a good picture of it.

"I think I can pull my husband out of the house for a few hours. Is there anything we can bring?" Olivia chuckled as she looked up and back at Linda.

"Bring a dish to pass. All desserts have been claimed, so bring a salad of some sort. Okay?"

"I will figure something out. I will see you tomorrow, Linda."

///

When Elliot got home, he walked into the kitchen and found Olivia looking up different summer salads that she could make for the block party tomorrow. Elliot still couldn't get used to Olivia standing in the kitchen because they rarely ate home cooked food when they dated. But then again, Olivia spent almost every day at the academy and Elliot could burn pretty much everything he attempted to cook.

"What's happening?" Elliot questioned.

"We got invited to the block party tomorrow. Linda invited me today."

"A block party?" Elliot whined.

"You thought I'd be the one complaining about getting out there and investigating, but you are the one whining like a big baby," Olivia snapped, as she turned around to look at Elliot. His eyes went wide, but a small smile grew on his lips.

"I like when you scold me," Elliot grinned, but that smile faded when Olivia elbowed him in the stomach. 

"Don't be dirty, Elliot. I hate it when you do that, and you know it," Olivia sighed. She went to a cabinet and pulled out a few boxes of pasta, before reading the back for the cooking instructions.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Help?"

"Yes, help. I'm assuming you are making some sort of pasta salad, so let me help prep. Make up for all the teasing and being a jackass." Elliot breathed. Olivia nodded slowly before pointing at the sink.

"Grab the biggest pot and fill it with water. I'll get the stuff out so we can prep together."

///

Olivia and Elliot left their house just as the party was starting. Olivia and fussed over the pasta salad they made, and also fussed over the clothes they would wear. She settled on a cute floral dress, and Elliot wore shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. They held hands as they walked towards the cul-de-sac part of the neighborhood. They were quickly greeted, and one woman led them around and introduced them to the other neighbors. 

Olivia grew overwhelmed by the amount of people, but tried her hardest to not shut down. Elliot kept an eye on her, and when she started to panic, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side. 

"Ally, it's okay," Elliot breathed, as he reached out and cupped her flushed cheeks in his hands.

"I didn't think there would be this many people here..." Olivia trailed off as tears burned her eyes.

"I know, babe. But it's okay. Just breath and focus on me," Elliot replied.

"What if I don't want to focus on you?" Olivia asked with a lopsided smile. Elliot grinned, before leaning close and kissing her forehead softly.

"Keep joking around, honey. Maybe teasing the crap out of me would make you feel better," Elliot smiled. 

They stood there for a few moments longer before hesitantly pulling away from each other. Olivia was surprised when she didn't want to part from Elliot, so she kept his hand in hers and squeezed it when she got hit with residual anxiety.

Later that night, Olivia and Elliot sat around a bonfire in the back of Linda and Oscar's house. A few other couples sat around, and they discussed work. Eventually, the other couples left, and Elliot leaned forward and got ready to leave.

"We had a lot of fun tonight. Thank you so much for inviting us. We really needed to get out of that house," Elliot smiled.

"We are so glad you two could join us. I have to admit, spending more time with Alice was a lot of fun," Linda smiled, as she looked over at Olivia and winked.

"We don't have a lot of friends, so I hope you guys like us too," Oscar spoke, as he reached over and grabbed his wife's hand.

Elliot stood and smiled as Olivia grabbed his hand and pulled herself to her feet.

"Ally and I enjoy your company a lot. Hopefully, we can get together soon and play some games or have dinner. Maybe both."

"Well..." Linda trailed off as she looked at her husband. Oscar gave her a small nod before speaking for her.

"Why don't you two come over on Sunday night? We are doing a little party of sorts. We will drop the details in your mailbox," Oscar smiled.

A few goodbyes were spoken before Elliot and Olivia walked through the gate and walked to their house. Once inside the front door, Olivia turned to Elliot with wide eyes.

"Do you think this is it?" Olivia asked, and Elliot nodded.

"Yeah, I think we just invited to help with a trafficking ring."