Watching

Part 1

This story was published elsewhere before but I wish now that I had written it differently. So I am going to edit it, and publish here what I wanted the story to be originally. The first few chapters are the same as the first version. Enjoy!

1.

New York, November 2012

He was watching her.

He had been watching her for a few days now.

A few times he had wondered if she was on to him but so far, he was pretty sure she had not spotted him.

He watched her come in for work from across the street. He admired her powerful stride. She had the walk of a cop yet she remained utterly feminine. She was fierce. Determined. Strong. She was Detective Olivia Benson.

...

She was on a case and jumped into the car with her partner. He was several years younger than she was and he guessed they guy was Latino. He had spotted him before with his binoculars and had seen a wedding ring. She was partnered with a married man again.

He followed their car from a distance, making sure they did not notice him. They were trained cops so he had to blend in with the rest of the busy traffic. He wanted to see where they were going. They weren't using their sirens this time so maybe he would succeed today. Last time, he had lost them almost right away, unable to follow them without being noticed. This time they were not in such a hurry. Their victim was probably already dead.

The crime scene was in Central Park. Again. He remembered seeing so many crime scenes in that park, he was surprised people were still going in to have a nice day out. Olivia was striding alongside her partner, ducking while passing the crime scene tape that had already been put into place. CSU was busy collecting evidence and the two detectives spoke with several people on the scene. He could not make out the victim from where he was standing and he knew he wasn't supposed to. Civilians were being kept at a distance. After a while, he saw her walking back to the car. She was on the phone with someone and tossed the car keys to her partner while getting into the car on the passenger side.

He also made his way back to his car but they were too far ahead. He should not have stared at her for so long. He guessed they were going back to the precinct but he decided not to follow her back there. He grabbed a bite to eat and went home for a few hours. He had rented an apartment across the street from her and he would wait for her to come home.

...

His view was partially blocked by the high trees in West 89th street but he considered this an advantage. She would not notice him. And now, in November, the trees had shed most of their leaves, giving him a better view.

She did not close the living room curtains early. Sometimes she would not close them at all. He would see her turn off the lights in the living room before going into the bedroom. She always closed the bedroom curtains though. Right after checking that the window was closed properly and before undressing for the night. Sometimes he would wake up to find she was already off again. She would get called in the middle of the night about a case and she would always go. Why wouldn't she? She was alone. She could do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.

He saw her walking back to her building early in the morning. He took out his binoculars. She looked tired. She smiled at the paper boy. That smile. She was beautiful. She went inside and his mind started to wander while he waited for the lights to go on in her living room. It was still dark on this chilly November morning. The lights did not go on and he guessed she had just walked straight into her bedroom to catch up on some sleep.

He felt uneasy, watching her like this from a distance. He wanted to get closer but he needed to have an idea of what her life was like first. Did she go out? Did she date? That weekend, he did not see her at all. He couldn't tell if she had simply stayed in all weekend or if she wasn't even home. Heck, he needed to sleep too, he could not stay up to watch every move she made. He was beginning to feel like a stalker already, the way he was going. He should make a move soon. But he still did not know enough about her weekends. For all he knew she spent them elsewhere with a boyfriend. He needed to know before he could move ahead.

So he continued to watch.

Her.

Detective Olivia Benson.