Adding Fuel to the Fire: An Elliot Stabler Story

Chapter Two

"Stabler!" Johanna called when she saw Elliot searching the crowded bar for her.

He smiled when he saw the redhead sitting at the bar, holding an empty seat for him with a Manhattan ready for him to drink.

"Hey you," Elliot greeted his friend as he took his seat next to her and picked up his drink.

"The pool table has been occupied for a while, I haven't had a chance to call dibs on it," she informed him.

"No problem," he nodded. "I need a drink first anyway."

"Long day?" She questioned as she watched him take big gulps of his liquor.

He nodded as he swallowed the last of his drink. He thought about the crime scene he had witnessed earlier. The family that was found raped and beaten to death. The two kids who were the same age as Elliot's youngest children.

"Did I tell you I have four kids?" He asked her as he motioned for the bartender to bring him another drink.

Johanna shook her head. This was the fourth time they had their weekly meet-up for pool, but she realized there was a lot about Elliot that she didn't know. Sure, they talked when they played pool and drank at the bar, but it was small talk, they didn't say much about their personal lives or feelings. Elliot spoke about work, but only briefly, mentioning he was a sex crimes detective. They didn't talk about family, work, or anything like that.

"I have three girls and one boy," he told her.

She wasn't sure what to say. This was the first time they were sharing things about their lives, the first time they were being serious instead of relaxing and laughing. She looked at his face; he looked tired and worn out. She figured his job was exhausting and very demanding, but she hadn't seen him look this way yet.

"If they knew I thought about my own kids every time I saw a murdered child, they'd force me to go to psych counseling until the day I died," Elliot confessed, staring straight ahead. "We're supposed to separate work life and family life. Sometimes I can't."

Again, Johanna didn't say anything. She just listened. She wasn't sure if Elliot wanted her to say anything or if he just needed to get the thoughts off his chest.

The bartender placed another drink in front of Elliot, which he immediately brought to his lips and sipped.

"I love my job, but it's tough, you know?" Elliot looked at Johanna for a moment. "Every day I'm reminded of all the evil people in the world and I witness the shitty things that can happen, and it reminds me that I can't protect my kids from everything. And that kills me."

Despite their friendship being very platonic so far, only innocent billiards games and drinks, Johanna was definitely attracted to Elliot's rough and tough exterior. But seeing him act so human – she found him even more attractive than before.

"Sorry," he laughed nervously, taking another sip of his drink.

"Don't be," Johanna insisted, finally taking a sip of her own drink.

"Do you have kids?" Elliot asked her.

"No..." she responded, trailing off, insinuating there was more to her answer. She appeared lost in thought for a moment until she cleared her throat and added, "But I work with kids, so sometimes I feel like I do."

"What do you do?" Elliot wondered, realizing he didn't even know what the woman did for a living.

"I do therapy with kids with autism," she told him.

"What kind of therapy?" He inquired.

"It's called ABA therapy – applied behavior analysis – but the actual therapy depends on the child," she responded. "Some are severely delayed, others aren't, so some need speech, some need physical therapy, some need occupational therapy, some have behavior problems. I just get them up to speed with where they need to be for their age level. I fill in the gaps of whatever they're lacking."

Elliot was impressed. For whatever reason, he expected her to have a job in an office setting, not dealing with people, especially not dealing with children. It added a little more depth to her, and he liked that.

"Do you like it?" He wondered.

"I love it," she answered honestly. "It can be difficult sometimes, a few of my clients have extreme behavior problems, but I wouldn't trade it for the world."

He understood that. He understood the love and passion she had for her career; he shared the love and passion for his own career. He understood that her job could be difficult but that she loved even the challenging aspects of it.

"Hey, look, the pool table is free," Johanna announced as she stood up from her barstool. "Ready to play?"

Elliot nodded and followed the redhead to the pool table, where he expected the rest of the night to continue as it had for the last few weeks, but it didn't. They continued to share details about their lives that they had previously kept to themselves.

"Tell me more about yourself," Elliot requested as they chalked the tips of their pool sticks. "I just realized I don't know too much about your life."

"Hmm, you first," Johanna challenged as she stalled, unsure of what to share about her life.

"Okay," Elliot agreed with a smile as he prepped the table for their game. "Let's see...I'm 35, recently divorced. I told you I have four kids; they're great. I've got a thirteen-year-old daughter, an eleven-year-old daughter, and three-year-old twins, a boy and a girl. I see them on weekends if I'm not working. I told you I was a cop, but before that, I was a Marine. I served in the Gulf War."

"Well, that tells me about the past, but tell me about now," she insisted as they began their game.

"Now," Elliot paused for a moment as he thought. "Now, I work a lot, spend time with my kids when I can, and play pool with you, I guess." He was slightly embarrassed at the realization of how lackluster his life was. He knew he didn't lead an exciting life, though his job was often adventurous, but saying it out loud made him a little unhappy.

"Sounds like a pretty good life," Johanna commented with a hint a humor. "A job you love, great kids, and having fun with me!"

Hearing her describe his life like that swayed his opinion a little. She was right; it was a pretty good life for the most part.

"It is a good life," he agreed. "Okay, your turn. Past and now."

"Hmm, okay," she began. "I'm 28. I grew up upstate. I just finished grad school a few months ago, got my masters degree. I've never been married. I told you about my job, but I am currently preparing to take a certification exam in a few weeks, so I can do therapy independently instead of under a supervisor. And like you, I work a lot, I study a lot for my exam, and I play pool with you!"

"Sounds like you've got a pretty good life too," Elliot concluded, admiring her similar lifestyle and dedication.

"What it sounds like to me is that playing pool is basically the only fun thing that either of us do," Johanna commented as she leaned across the pool table to line up her shot.

"I'm surprised I even do this much for fun," Elliot responded, watching her. "It's been a long time since I did anything fun for myself."

"That's what you get for being a workaholic," she teased as she smacked the white ball into a green striped ball. "But we'll work on that having fun thing."

Elliot smiled in response as he took his turn. Never in a million years did he think he would be spending Thursday nights playing pool with a younger, gorgeous redhead for fun.