The Station House

Chapter 16

The weekend goes by ever slowly as they anticipate disclosing their relationship to the squad. They spend their time watching movies together and cuddling on the couch to pass the time. When Monday finally arrives they eagerly wake up and get dressed for work. They make their way to the station house and Elliot finds a good parking spot. They look at each other and both exhale loudly.

"Are you ready?" He asks as a smile begins to form on his face. She takes a deep breath. "I'm ready." They both step out of the car and make their way to the door. They head inside and are greeted by Munch and Fin "Morning guys." They say as they pass them, making their way to Cragens office. "What's up guys everything okay?" Cragen asks. They look at each other anxiously.

Their minds begin to race. Elliot takes a deep breath. He can feel his heart racing. "Captain we have something to tell you." He says and Cragen shifts in his seat. "Okay... -there's a short silence-"I'm listening" he looks up anticipating their response. They look at each other and take a deep breath as Elliot moves closer to Olivia. He places a hand on the small of her back.

"We're in a relationship Captain." He blurts out. They both nervously wait for him to respond. "Okay." He says nonchalantly. "Uhh Captain..?" Elliot asks confusingly. "Am I supposed to be surprised?" Cragen says as a smile forms on his face. You guys have been attached at the hip from the moment you met and can't seem to look at each other without puppy dog eyes,.. it was almost painful to watch-he jokes and they all laugh- I'd be lying if I said I didn't see this coming, honestly it's about damn time."

"So what now Captain?" Olivia asks eagerly. "Well you guys will have to disclose your relationship to HR. They'll probably separate you guys because you can't remain impartial and put the job before each other, and we wouldn't want you to be in that position anyways, but the job has to come first. I'm sorry guys." "We understand Captain." Elliot responds and Olivia nods in agreement. "Why don't you go ahead and go let the guys know and I'll get the paperwork ready for you guys to fill out." Cragen says as he begins rummaging through this desk.

They head out of the office and find Munch and Fin sitting at their desks with a cup of coffee as Munch reads the newspaper. They walk up and Elliot clears his throat and they both glance up at them. "Thank you for blessing us with your presence guys." Fin jokes. "We want to talk to you guys about something." Olivia responds. "Uh oh this doesn't sound good. That's how every conversation that ended in divorce started with all my ex wife's." Munch says playfully.

"We wanted you guys to know.. we're in a relationship." Olivia says hesitantly. "You lovebirds finally hooked up?" Fin says and they chuckle. "It was a bit more romantic than that." Elliot says. And they all smile. "I figured man I was just pulling your leg. I'm happy for you guys, I'm surprised you guys lasted this long." Fin responds. "So what does that mean, do one of you have to transfer now?" Munch asks. "We're not sure, cap said he'd let us know." Elliot responds.

"Liv, Elliot can I see you for a second." Captain calls from the doorway. They enter the office. "Shut the door please." Their faces grow concerned. "I made a call. They advised that I'll have to separate you two. I'm sorry." "It's okay Captain. We understand you don't need to apologize. Do one of us need to transfer or do we just have to stop being partners?" Elliot asks. "You can't be partners anymore. They'll allow you to stay in the same unit since you both have spotless records but it's on the condition that if there's ever any issue or favoritism or personal drama between you 2 that interferes with the job then we have to have one of you transfer to Bronx SVU. Understood?" "Yes Captain." they both respond simultaneously. "Okay glad we have an understanding. You're free to go" They turn and begin to head out of the room.

"Guy's, one more thing-they stop in the doorway and turn to look at him -I believe in boundaries between professional life and personal life and I would normally never condone interoffice dating, however I'm damn proud of you guys for finally putting your happiness above this job. You guys both deserve it. I wish you all the luck and many years of happiness together , although if I'm being completely transparent I don't think my wishes of luck will make a bit of difference. -They look at each confusingly for a moment before fixating their eyes on Captain again- I genuinely don't believe you need it. I believe that there's a much stronger force at play here, I believe the connection between you two is not something that could ever be broken. Very seldom do we see love and connections this rare, don't let it slip through your fingers"

"Thanks Captain it means a lot." Elliot says. Liv turns her back to them slowly and lifts a hand to her face. "Hey you okay?" Elliot asks softly. She sniffles-"It's just crazy and ironic that most people can't wait to get home to their family after a long day of work but I can't relate to that in the slightest because this unit is my family. Sometimes I look forward to coming into work because I'm just so grateful for all of you guys. I know at the end of the day we're all just co-workers, and it's probably just my warped view of what family is, but it feels like so much more to me."

Captains face lights up with a warm smile. "Family is what you make it Liv. It has nothing to do with blood. It's about who makes you feel at home." She nods apprehensivly and wipes a tear from her cheek. "What do you say we all go grab a drink after work. It's a nice way to end a long day of work and it'll be the teams way of congratulating you guys. I'll be sipping lemon water obviously, but I'd be happy just to be in attendance." Captain says.

"We'd like that" Elliot answers for the both of them, Olivia nods in agreement, and they exit the room and head to their desks. Well now that we have Captain's approval it makes it real now-liv thinks to herself.-the way it felt before still felt real but it was different when it was just them, this solidifies it in a very significant way, a way that will change the nature of their relationship and she can't wait for the doors it opens for them.