Chapter Text
A/N: Thanks to Whip & Puff for entertaining this. PSA: This is about Kathy, Elliot and Olivia... heavy on the Kathy. This may not be the fic for you & that's okay.. but if it is, welcome.
—
"I'm Detective Stabler. This is my partner, Detective Benson."
It's his standard greeting, one she's heard hundreds of times, and yet it still makes her smile internally. The sentence itself blankets over her and it sends her hormones fluctuating. She'd only been in Oregon for a couple of months, but she'd missed hearing that greeting the most. She didn't say her name, or his name, at least not consciously, for that entire stretch. It's been years since then and the greeting still resonates with her. She holds onto it, probably in an unhealthy way. Time has given her the privilege of reliance. She depends on their partnership, trusts in their relationship and it hasn't always been this way. So inwardly she smiles at something as small as hearing their names in the same sentence.
They've been in the office building before. They've asked their suspect's coworkers the same questions and they've all given the same answers, so by now she's fallen into a midday slump and she has to work harder to participate in the conversation.
"Oh, Detective Stabler. I remember you." Coworker number five is a flirt. She's blonde, fit, average height and she's making heart eyes at Elliot and he doesn't even flinch.
Poor lady. Doesn't she see the ring?
"Everyone hated Paul. A real creep, but harmless," Blondie says, holding her hand just above her cleavage. "Will you be coming around more often to ensure the women in this office are safe?"
The ringing of her cell phone stifles her laugh and Elliot turns to look at her with a lifted eyebrow. "Gonna take this. Meet you outside," Olivia says. She's still laughing when she opens her phone to find that the person calling her is Kathy Stabler. Elliot's phone hadn't rung. Why is she calling her?
Kathy never calls unless she can't reach Elliot…
And Elliot's been the picture perfect husband lately, she's made sure of it. She kicks him out of the office at decent hours, makes sure he is not only answering his phone when Kathy calls but checking in with his wife, too.
So, why is she calling Olivia?
She waits too long to answer the phone and it goes to voicemail.
"Captain?" She hears Elliot ask from behind her. She hadn't even made it outside of the building and she's standing at the elevator.
"Actually," she says before pausing. She jabs the button for the elevator and she turns her speculative look in his direction. "It was Kathy."
"Oh," Elliot says and he offers her a smile. "That's my fault. I'm sorry."
"What's your fault?"
"She's going to ask you to dinner."
"Me?" She doesn't mean to sound so shocked, but they weren't exactly the type. Olivia has been invited over for holiday parties, dinners, barbecues. And usually, those invites came from Elliot asking the entire squad. Kathy has never called her to personally invite her anywhere… except that one awkward walk through the park.
"Yes, you. Kathy does like you, Liv." Olivia raises an eyebrow. "She loves you because of me."
As they step onto the elevator she wonders if that's his way of telling her he loves her. My wife loves you because I love you? Or is that just wishful thinking? She knows that he loves her. It'd be impossible to not love the person you've worked with for years and years and years. She loves him and she's had to make herself believe that her love for him is normal, common, routine. There's no grand romantic conspiracy to see here. No reason to speculate.
She ushers him off to his wife every night, just like she is supposed to.
They stand in silence for the quick trip and just before the doors open, he says, "there's a guy she invited."
Olivia's head snaps up. "What?" Her eyes follow him as he leaves her in the elevator alone.
"Walk," he reminds her smirking. She narrows her eyes at him but she follows him through the quiet lobby. They both wave at the security guard and then they're back in the sweltering heat of July. "She thinks you'd like each other."
"I was on the fence about coming and now I'm definitely not coming."
"Can you please come? She's been bringing you up a lot lately."
Olivia stops and her hand flies out to his abdomen, stopping his movement as well. People walk around them and she pulls him off to the side. "Saying what?" she demands softly.
"She just… I don't know, Liv. Asks about you. About your personal life."
"Maybe she's bored?" Olivia asks. Kathy's still home with Eli and Olivia's overheard her begging Elliot for adult interaction on more than one occasion. She could forgive Kathy for being bored, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she suspects it's more than that.
"Whatever it is, I'd like you to come and get it over with so I don't have to hear about it for the next three weeks." He offers her a smile and a subtle wink. "Please?" He's always been a lot to take in. The eyes, the muscles, the fucking adorable dimples.
How can she say no to that face?
Olivia starts off to the car. "Fine. You're buying me lunch, though."
"I buy your lunch every day."
"From where I choose!" she hollers over her shoulder. She won't be eating any street meat today. Not for a favor this big.
—
She doesn't know what to expect when the door to the Stabler residence whips open, but Kathy Stabler answering the door in a fluffy robe is not it. She also isn't expecting Kathy's critical eyes taking her in from fresh blow-dry to $300 high-heeled sandals. "Liv!" Kathy exclaims, grinning, but it's about thirty seconds too delayed and it's already awkward. One minute in. "You're early! I was just getting into the shower." Kathy's arms slip around Olivia's shoulders and they hug. "Jesus, are you early? I've been running around all day."
Olivia glances down at her watch. "No, I'm right on time." She offers Kathy the bottle of red wine in her hand and Kathy clutches her chest like it's the sweetest gesture in the world. Tonight is going to be a lot. She feels it in her bones. "Thank you! We can have this with dinner," Kathy says. "I told Shane 8 o'clock. So we'd have some time to chat beforehand. Didn't want to bombard you. Come on in." Kathy leads Olivia down the hallway and straight into the kitchen. It smells like barbecue and summer in their home. Like someone's opened an ice cold beer recently and a hint of freshly cut fruit settles in her nose. "I can make you a quick drink. I've still gotta shower. Tequila? Rum? Whiskey? I have wine." Kathy tips her head in the direction of the small makeshift bar on the counter.
Olivia's eyes run over the selection and it's a dinner party so she considers red wine, but this is also lining up to be a very painful night. "I'll take tequila and lemonade."
Kathy washes her hands and retrieves a glass. "Thanks for coming. What'd Elliot say about Shane?"
"You know Elliot. He told me barely anything."
"He's an old friend. We went to school together. Very cute. Never been married. No children." Kathy leans in, her blue eyes widening. "He wants them, though," she says earnestly.
Yikes, Olivia thinks. She takes a large gulp of her drink the second Kathy passes it off, finishing at least a fourth of it in one sip.
"El's mentioned you want kids. That you want to get married someday."
Olivia's jaw clenches at the idea her partner has told his wife any personal details about her at all. It somehow feels like a betrayal, but she smiles anyway. "I'm excited to meet him."
"Great." Kathy smiles back and it feels genuine.
The tension between them had been established a long, long time ago.
They were the two women in Elliot's life. It's never been something discussed, but it's always been there between them. Underlying.
They stare at each other for a silent beat and for the life of her, Olivia can't make out Kathy's intentions. Her blue eyes are smiling at her but she can't read beyond the smile. It's unsettling. Especially because she's a cop and she does this for a living. Olivia runs her hands through her hair and she uses the motion to dart her eyes away. So fucking awkward, she thinks.
"Elliot just got on the grill. You can wait out back with him. Just listen out for the doorbell, please. I know he won't." Kathy opens the door to the deck and she motions for Olivia to enter. "Be right back."
The door slams shut behind her and the sound makes Elliot turn away from the grill. His eyes widen and his back straightens like he's shocked to see her standing there. It pisses her off just a little because she's been invited here and they keep giving her these weird looks.
"You and your wife are some funny characters."
"Hi, Olivia," Elliot says finally, attempting to wipe the stupified look from his face.
"Your wife looked at me like that, too. Am I overdressed?" Olivia looks down at the bandage dress that held tight to every curve she had. This was a date, right? She was aiming to impress the guy, right? She'd spent an hour in the salon having her hair blowdried to perfection. It's parted on the side and lays seductively over her eye. She took her time to do her full makeup routine, her body had been slathered in glittering body butter for this. She's sprayed perfume up her dress for this.
"You look like a…"
Her eyes go wide, horrified as he struggles to find the words.
"Like a… hot, I don't know. Liv, you look like a… sexy. Woman."
It's truly painful to watch him speak.
"Should I ask Kathy to borrow something?"
"Believe me," he snorts, "she doesn't have anything like that in her closet."
"You're not making me feel good at all."
"Liv, you look good," he says and she's happy he's finally stopped stuttering. He turns back to the grill and over his shoulder he cracks, "too good." His shoulders move as he laughs. His voice lowers, but she still hears him. "In fact, I might drag you out of here and leave Kathy with Shane before the nights over!"
"Elliot!" she admonishes. She pulls out a chair and she sits with her drink still clutched in her hand.
He's grilling steak and vegetables and she watches as he pokes around for a bit before he turns back to her. "You're not gonna like this guy," he says suddenly. He pulls out the chair across from her and he sits.
"Why not?" asks Olivia, raising a suspicious eyebrow.
He falters under her gaze and he shrugs. "I don't know. I'm just praying you won't."
"Why. Not?"
He shakes his head and his mouth breaks out into a grin. He's too shy to ever say it. He'll allude to it, complain about the competition out there, but he'll never say what the actual competition is for. Is it for her? Is that what he's suggesting? For once, she'd like to just hear him say it.
She's here for him, drove all the way to Queens because his wife asked. All because he flashed her his irresistible smile on the sidewalk a week ago. So for once, could he just say it?
I'm married but I don't want to see you with another man.
I want you to myself.
Hypothetically, of course.
One thing she always forgets about her partner is that he's always up for a challenge. She's asked him twice and he's too cocky to bow down, no matter how red his cheeks get. He leans forward in his seat, his voice is low and somewhat dangerous when he speaks. "Because I don't know how I'll handle it if you do." The blue of his eyes darken and she knows exactly what he means and maybe hearing it will do none of them any good.
He doesn't need to say anymore.
—
"Were you ever in a sorority?" Kathy asks and Olivia pulls her eyes from Shane to the woman seated to her left. "I hear sororities get a little crazy."
They're not even talking about college and Kathy has just randomly dropped this question into her lap and God, is this lady's middle name 'awkward?' Kathy Awkward Stabler. Does she like making other people feel this uncomfortable? Olivia clears her throat. "I was."
"Was it fun?"
"Yeah, I had so much fun at Siena."
"I can't even imagine you as a kid. As a young girl."
"I haven't always been this badass with a gun," Olivia says and Kathy laughs.
"Were you a cheerleader, too?"
Olivia glances at Elliot and he says nothing, so she looks back at Kathy. "No. I was never a cheerleader." Is this not weird, Olivia wants to ask the table. Her eyes land on Shane and he's already looking at her now this truly is painful.
"I was," Kathy offers.
That does not surprise Olivia, at all, actually. But she's playing this game already so she pretends. "No!" she gasps. Elliot hears the performance in her voice and he chuckles.
"Swear I was. I used to cheer for that guy over there." Kathy motions across the table and Olivia glances in her partners direction again.
Elliot picks his head up from his plate and he eyes Kathy before speaking. "You know, Kath, how about you let Olivia talk to Shane?"
Shane clears his throat. He's handsome. So damn handsome but he's fading into the night and Olivia is losing interest. He walked into the Stabler Residence wearing a crisp white shirt and black fitted pants. His back was erect, voice so deep, his handshake so firm, but somehow Kathy has found a way to redirect her attention at every turn.
"So, Olivia. Do you like being a cop?"
Shane is also unoriginal.
"I love my job," Olivia answers politely with a smile. Her eyes aren't on Elliot and she makes sure to keep it that way because his eyes are on her already and they very well can't spend dinner gazing at each other. After his bold statement on the deck, she made an excuse to leave, to refill her drink, and offered to grab him another beer. The next time she came back onto the deck, it was with Shane. They hadn't talked since.
"My uncle was a cop. I respect what you guys do."
Olivia smiles. "Thank you."
"I read an article once that said women actually make for better cops than men."
And just like that Shane isn't all that boring anymore. And his eyes are so green they don't even look real. "The article said women are less likely to use excessive force and that because of their interpersonal communication skills, they're more likely to deescalate a situation. Also, female partners have a calming effect on their partners." Shane's eyes dance from Olivia to Elliot and back again. "Is that true?"
Elliot snorts. "Sure. I think so. Liv's kept me from killing many of men—"
"You're gorgeous," Shane says suddenly and Olivia's face lights up right there at the table. A sound comes from Elliot but she's too focused on Shane to care.
"Isn't she?" Kathy agrees.
"She is," Shane says, his eyes still on Olivia.
"Thank you." Olivia tucks her hair behind her ear and she reaches for her drink.
Shane's phone rings and with one glance at it, he says he must take it for work.
"Do you like him?" Kathy asks once he's out of the room.
Elliot shifts uncomfortably, but he remains silent. Olivia knows that he's waiting for her answer, too. She wants to scream yes, but she settles on, "he's sweet."
"Can I give him your number?"
Olivia thinks about it for a second before she answers. "I'd like him to ask me for it. I like men with balls."
"You're right," Kathy agrees. "Maybe I should start calling you for advice."
"Please don't," Elliot says and both women look at him. "You're enough separate. Together, you'll kill me."
"El, lighten up." Olivia's touching his hand before she knows it. Her fingers curl around his for a brief squeeze and their eyes connect. "What's wrong? You want me to get you another drink? A shot?"
"He's upset with me," Kathy answers for him. "Thought he'd be over it all by now."
"I'm not upset. I'm playing my part," Elliot grumbles and Olivia makes a mental note to ask him later if his foul mood has anything to do with Shane. Or her. And his graceless wife.
"You know what, Liv?" Kathy stands up, holding her empty cup up. "Let's get drinks. I'm tired of wine. Let's go back to the tequila."
Olivia picks up Elliot's glass and hers as she stands to her feet. "I'll make you something strong," she whispers as she walks around him and follows his wife into the kitchen.
"God, Liv, this dress?" Kathy gasps.
An hour ago she'd looked at this same dress and was almost rendered speechless. Olivia had thought she'd been passing judgment, but perhaps Kathy was jealous? Maybe she liked the dress so much and just didn't know how to say it?
"You don't want to know how much it was," Olivia jokes with a roll of her eyes. She knows how to do this. She knows how to take awkward situations and spin them, so she tries to relax as she stands three feet away from Kathy in the Stabler kitchen. Kathy passes her the bucket of ice and Olivia begins dropping ice cubes into her and Elliot's empty cups. She's so busy with being a temporary bartender, she doesn't notice Kathy's gaze from the other side of the counter.
"I don't remember you being so busty. Are those real?"
Kathy's eyes are right on her breasts when she looks up. Olivia looks down at her cleavage and she is wearing a pushup bra so her breasts do look fuller. In fact her cleavage is damn near perfect thanks to the support bra and the close fit of the dress. "Yeah, they're real," Olivia answers.
Kathy comes around the counter so they are standing right in front of each other. "Can I touch them?"
This has happened before. She's been drunk in bathrooms with other drunk women and she's been felt up by drunk women. She's been known to grab a pair, too. She isn't an angel and maybe good ol' Kathy Stabler was tired of being a goddamn angel herself.
Kathy wants to touch her boobs?
"Sure," Olivia chirps.
Kathy's hands are hesitant when they cup around her breasts. She runs her tongue across her lips as she squeezes gently and Olivia's seen this look before. Kathy is fucking flirting with her. "They're perfect," Kathy whispers.
"Shane is—" Elliot pauses, even his forward motion stops at the sight before him. Kathy backs off and Olivia chuckles to herself. "Kathy, Liv's going to call HR on Monday morning. What the hell?"
"She has great boobs," Kathy says casually. She hands Olivia the tequila bottle and both women resume making drinks. "You know that."
Olivia and Elliot go to speak at the same time.
"I— what? I—"
"Elliot doesn't—"
"He's a boob guy," Kathy interrupts turning back around to face them.
"I'm so sorry," Shane announces walking into the kitchen. "Has Elliot told you all that I have to run? Something came up. Olivia would you mind walking me out?"
Olivia smiles and she dries her hands on a nearby dishtowel. Elliot gives her a look, but she ignores him as she walks right out of the room with her new friend. She isn't even fully gone before she hears Elliot whisper-yelling at Kathy.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"What?" Kathy asks.
"You're being weird tonight. Are you flirting with Olivia?"
"Am I?" Kathy asks. "El, she's beautiful." When he stares back blankly at her, she continues. "Isn't she?"
"Is this about… me and Olivia? Because I've told you—"
"No," she says, but he doesn't believe her. "It's more about me and Olivia. She's great. We could've been closer all this time. I'm just making up for it. Don't think the worst." Kathy steps forward and she kisses his mouth gently. "Sorry for being a headache all day."
"Yeah."
She laughs. "Yeah?"
"Okay. I've been in a mood, too. Sorry."
She laughs again and she tips up to kiss him, this time with an open mouth. It's what Olivia sees when she returns to the kitchen. Elliot bent over kissing his wife, his large hand resting on her back, his body towering over hers. It makes her blush, intruding on their intimate moment.
"I can go, too," Olivia offers playfully and Kathy breaks the kiss.
"No!" she says, unhooking Elliot's arm from around her body. "Let's have dessert. I made apple pie."
Twenty minutes later, the three of them are in the family room finishing dessert. Olivia tells them that she's going to dinner with Shane next Saturday and she ignores Elliot's jealous glare.
"What are you going to wear?"
"I don't know." Olivia crosses one tan leg over the other and both Kathy and Elliot take a peek at her legs. She pretends not to notice. "Something similar to this. He liked it."
"You look amazing, Liv. Color really compliments your skin. Doesn't she have the prettiest skin, El?"
Yes. He's been looking at her skin for the last decade. He's too afraid to agree so instead he warns. "Kath."
But Kathy is barely paying him any mind. Instead of backing down, she blurts, "you know, I've never kissed a woman before. I've always wanted to. Have you, Liv?"
Olivia laughs and her eyes narrow. This isn't a universal drunk female moment anymore. "A lifetime ago," Olivia answers cryptically.
"Kathy. Come on," Elliot whines. He's sitting on the other side of the coffee table in an armchair. He's drinking tequila straight now and he's been playing referee since the minute Olivia came back into the kitchen without Shane.
"What? I'm interested. We grew up so fast, El. Too fast. I missed out on a lot."
Olivia's eyes flit between husband and wife. It's almost so farfetched she doesn't even think this is real. She must've had too much to drink and she's passed out in one of the kids' rooms and this is a dream. Or a nightmare.
She's for sure seen this in the plot of a porn video before.
"So what?" Elliot shakes his head and he's so confused his eyes are barely open. "You want to be with a woman now?"
"Not any woman."
Holy shit. Olivia came to meet a man tonight, not to strike up some random, sexual relationship with Kathy Stabler.
It's flattering really.
But what is this?
And fuck, she's had too much to drink so she can't even stop herself from asking. "So just me, then?"
Kathy threads her fingers into her own hair and she rests her elbow on the back of the couch, her eyes low and her lips upturned. "Please forgive me," Kathy says. "But what would it take for me to be able to steal just one kiss?"
Olivia is shocked by Kathy's boldness. Flirting is one thing, asking straight out is another.
She respects it, actually. "Just ask."
Before Elliot can say anything to deter her, Kathy is clamoring across the couch, standing on her hands and knees as she propels herself forward.
He's never seen Olivia flinch and true to form, even with Kathy a hairsbreadth away, she remains immovable. In fact, she tilts her lips for Kathy and then right before his eyes, they're kissing.
Olivia's hand is on the side of Kathy's neck and he sees tongue, hears the wetness, and Jesus Christ. Should this be making him so hard and so angry?
When Kathy finally pulls away, both her and Olivia's cheeks are red. She should be embarrassed but she isn't and Olivia's lips are soft and plump so she leans in for one more peck before she climbs back over to her side of the couch.
Olivia is smiling when she looks up at Elliot and he just glares back at her. What does he want her to do? His wife asked nicely. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, Olivia," Kathy murmurs. "He's just sorry I beat him to it."
—
Olivia watches silently as he moves around in the kitchen. It's different. Seeing him in this element. He doesn't have his gun at his hip, his shoulders aren't as tense. He does have a scowl on his face, a given with him, she thinks. But she's happy to know she's not the only reason behind his frown. This time, Kathy can take most of the credit.
She does feel the slightest bit guilty so she clears her throat as he puts the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. He dries his hands with a paper towel and he turns finally to look at her. She doesn't even know how he's ignored her the entire time she's been standing there no more than five feet away from him. She takes a sip of her drink that all of a sudden is just straight tequila before she drops it onto the counter. She wonders when it was that she'd decided to say fuck a mixer altogether.
"What, Liv?" he asks finally. It's agonizing standing under her gaze sometimes. So he shifts and he diverts his eyes to the floor. His eyes land on her toes, the black nail polish is seemingly the most Olivia Benson thing about her tonight. The giggling, long-legged, effortlessly stunning woman before him isn't his partner. She's relaxed and smiling and playful and she's just kissed his wife. He only gets tiny glimpses of this person in front of him and he doesn't know how to handle it.
"You're jealous," Olivia says plainly. There's no accusation in her voice, just a simple acknowledgment.
She expects him to groan or grunt or make any other typical Elliot sounds, but he doesn't. She listens for his denial, for his comeback, but again it never comes.
"Yeah. You're damn right I'm jealous, Olivia."
"Don't be," Olivia says with a small smile on her face. "Don't worry, Stabler. I won't take your wife away from you... although you should know that she's different now." She pauses for dramatic effect. "Now that her lips have touched mine, I don't think she'll ever appreciate your kiss the same."
He's never seen her be so cocky. "You're drunk."
"A little," she grins. "You shouldn't be jealous of Kathy kissing me. She said she's always wanted to kiss a woman and-"
"This has nothing to do with Kathy."
"So what is it?"
"She kissed you."
"So…"
"Before me."
"Wait, so she was right. You're not jealous because I kissed her. You're jealous because she kissed me?"
"Yeah."
Olivia scoffs and she plants her hands behind her on the counter. "That's silly."
"Is it?"
"Yeah. Because if you wanted a kiss, Stabler, all you had to do was ask."
She usually doesn't give out kisses this freely. In fact, her last few dates didn't even end in kisses, so she doesn't even understand how or why she'd say something like this. Twice in one night.
Elliot kicks off the cabinet and her breathing quickens as he cages her into the counter. She still has on her heels so they're close in height, almost even, almost too perfectly lined up for this to be friendly. Her tongue darts out to wet her lips and he's close enough that her tongue almost touches his lips as well.
She should be more nervous, but this is Elliot, her best friend. A sense of calmness washes over her and her lips lift in a grin. "Are you going to kiss me or stare at me all night?"
He chuckles and she feels his breath on her face.
His face drops and her mouth is open when their lips touch. Her mouth is open and she freely accepts the slip of his tongue against hers. She moans as his hands go to her sides, swiping over her hips. He's caught her in the perfect position and his hands fit around her waist, just under her ribcage. He steps even closer, too close and she feels that he's hard already. From a barely there kiss.
She thinks that maybe she should end it there, but one of her hands clutch the back of his head as the other slips over his ass and she is the one who tips this over into dangerous territory. His hands slip too, his left cups her breast, his right squeezes over her ass.
She'd like to lift the skirt of her dress for him. Feel him inside of her. Her panties are so small, so thin, she wouldn't even have to take them off.
God. He sucks at her bottom lip before his mouth is searching for the skin of her neck. Her head tilts back and his teeth scrape and his lips kiss and … and then they both hear Kathy's footsteps on the stairs and they separate.
Elliot turns back to the sink and Olivia is rearranging her dress and wiping her smudged lipstick. She feels like the worst person in the world. She just kissed her partner of twelve years and it was great. It was fucking great, too great. Fuck. Kathy's coming and she just kissed her husband. The panic is sobering and she wants to say something to Elliot but his back is heaving and what the fuck?
By the time Kathy returns to the kitchen, it's with Eli on her hip.
"This guy doesn't want to go back down," she announces. Eli has his head on her shoulder and Olivia grins at the sight of him. A baby. A distraction. Thank God.
"He's so big!" Olivia says, reaching for his chubby hand.
"Here, Liv. Hold him. I'll make you a cup of coffee."
Olivia takes the sleepy kid into her arms and he wraps her protectively in a hug. When Elliot turns to look at her with worried eyes, but they soften at the sight of her and his baby, and she sees it. What was that? What just happened? Why is he looking at her like that?
Kathy passes between them and she stops to kiss Elliot's lips.
Olivia buries her nose between Eli's fat cheek and his neck and she turns away from the sight. She can't watch them kiss because all she's thinking is if Elliot had the sense to wipe her fucking lipstick off his mouth? She chances a glance at him to catch Kathy making a face but again it's unreadable to Olivia.
Olivia hates this lady. For being strange and awkward and so fucking aloof. For being his wife. Her eyes search Kathy's face over the top of Eli's curly hair and the woman just smiles back.
And of course, she says nothing.
—
"We're stopping by Olivia's."
"No. No, we're not."
Kathy offered to drive and he should've known she was up to something.
On Monday, he and Olivia smiled like fools at one another over their desks. It took a new case to snap them out of it and in true form, they never spoke about their shared kiss or the kiss between Kathy and Olivia. Never talked about the weird dinner with the Stablers, just kept working and smiling politely.
They were moving forward and being cautious to not be alone for too long. They were doing the responsible thing, the respectful thing to maintain some distance. Now Kathy wanted to go to the woman's home? This just isn't a good idea.
"Kath, you're forcing this. Stop."
"Well, I've already texted her and—" Kathy makes a turn and they're headed toward Manhattan. Fuck.
"I kissed her," Elliot blurts.
"What?"
"After you kissed her... I kissed her." It's only right that he confesses. It's too risky to continue lying and maybe this will be just the thing to make Kathy turn the car around. For some reason, Kathy doesn't even flinch. "So no we're not going to Olivia's. We can't," he whispers softly. Kathy says nothing and she continues to drive. "You're a piece of work Kath. This is kidnapping."
Finally, Kathy glances at him. "Now that I know you've kissed her, we have to go..."