Chapter Text
Emily Prentiss met Olivia Benson underneath the football bleachers during third period when she was running to escape the ‘new student introductions’ in her French class. Something that she was already fluent in and had taken to merely pass the time until her mother decided that it was time for them to pack up and move again. At the sound of the noise, Olivia had turned her brunette hair falling out from behind her ear. A thin cigarette was hanging on the edge of her lip and when she noticed it was Emily she smiled.
“Welcome new kid,” Olivia said shoving her lighter in her pocket, “I’m Olivia Benson and you have just stumbled upon my secret hideout.”
“Emily Prentiss. Here to skip French.”
“Ah, running away from class introductions?” Olivia laughed taking a drag and then letting the smoke slip slowly through her lips.
Emily could barely respond as she watched the grey cloud escape from her mouth. Her lips were… so pink and they looked so light and full of a thousand secrets she wanted to learn. She shook her head one more time as Olivia placed the cigarette back into her mouth.
“Yeah,” Emily sighed, “It is all a waste anyway. By the time I get settled and learn where everything is Elizabeth will decide she doesn’t like the smell of New York and ship us off to a new place.”
Olivia nodded and extended the cigarette out to Emily who took it gratefully. She leaned back against one of the supporting poles looking at the raven-haired beauty. Even the way that she blew smoke into a large puff of smoke sent a shiver down Olivia’s spine. She wanted to know this new girl. Not just know… she wanted to kiss this new girl. To explore every inch of her skin with her lips. To shower adoration and love over everything that Emily presumed the world hated.
“You know, if you ever need a tour guide to make your limited time in New York more eventful I would be more than happy to offer myself as tribute,” Olivia grinned.
Emily’s cheeks turned a pale pink as she returned the cigarette to Olivia’s hand their fingers gently brushing over each other, “You would do that for me?”
“Of course, but I do have one condition,” Olivia said flicking the butt of the cigarette to the ground before putting it out with her foot.
“What would that be?” Emily asked crossing her arms and raising her eyebrow.
“Kiss me.”
Emily merely smiled as she pulled the brunette close to her by the loop of her jeans. When their lips pressed together Emily swore she could see fireworks go off in her brain. The feel of Olivia pressed against her was intoxicating. She could feel the Liv pull her closer as she took her bottom lip between her teeth and give a gentle pull. Before a moan could escape from Em’s lips a distant school bell began to ring.
Olivia pulled away but laid her forehead against Emily’s, “We should get going. The next class is going to start in a couple of minutes.”
“Says the woman who skipped a whole period,” Emily protested as Olivia threw her backpack over her shoulder.
Liv merely laughed and reached for Em’s hand, “I have a free period for third hour. It is supposed to be used to work on my thesis paper for my so-called internship but I finished it two weeks ago.”
“Impressive.”
“You aren’t in the top five of your graduating class if you aren’t impressive Prentiss.”
“Top 5! And you want to show me around? I can barely get a B in English class.”
Olivia smiled as they stopped in front of her locker, “Well luckily for you this tour guide also acts as a tutor.”
“Do I pay you in hand-holding and cuddles for tutoring?” Emily winked.
“Oh I’m sure we could figure something out,” Olivia whispered giving Emily a kiss on her cheek, “Now come on. Timeliness is also a part of being in the top percentile.”
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Emily’s short-term stay became two years long as she decided she was going to finish high school in New York. More importantly, she was going to be finishing high school with her girlfriend right by her side. So much to Elizabeth’s secret pleasure she left Emily in a small one-bedroom apartment in New York and went gallivanting around the world without her. She never visited; merely put a couple of hundred dollars in Emily’s bank account every week to make sure she could get by.
This is how six months into their relationship Olivia began to live with Emily in her rented apartment. After Emily picked up Olivia with a bruised eye and cuts down her arm from another one of her mother’s drunken brawls it was decided that they would just live together. Well, it was Emily who insisted but Olivia accepted more than willingly as long as she could help pay for some of their necessities.
That is how they both ended up getting part-time jobs. Olivia became an English tutor at the local middle school and Emily was titled game master at the local arcade. Every day after they got home from work or school Emily and Olivia would sit down and do homework together. By the end of their Junior year, Emily was an all-A student encroaching in on the top five student range.
At the beginning of their senior Emily decided to join the softball team hoping that it would help pad her resume to college. That and the idea of Olivia wearing her varsity jacket made Emily’s heart do flips. And she wasn’t wrong. The day that Emily’s varsity jacket came in Olivia wore it everywhere. She wanted everyone in the school to know that the star pitcher was hers. Although they were so inseparable that no one would have questioned their love for each other anyways.
For senior prom, Olivia wore a spaghetti strop low v cut red burgundy dress with a large slit up the side. Emily had a burgundy crop top bralette underneath a black suit jacket and black pants. She had been nervous about wearing a suit the old lessons of her mother still stuck in her brain. However, Olivia had dragged her to a suit store and Emily had never looked back. It became the best day of her life. They took pictures with their friends in Central Park before rushing to the banquet hall where they danced away their last moments of high school. When the night was over Olivia was more than a little drunk repeatedly kissing Emily’s cheek and telling her how much she loved her girlfriend. It warmed her heart especially when she fell asleep in Em’s lap on the ride back to their apartment.
The day they graduated was full of celebrating and sorrow all at the same time. They took pictures in their cap and gown in Times Square before walking to the ceremony. As they walked across the stage for their diplomas the only person in the crowd cheering for them was each other. When Emily walked off stage Olivia launched into her arms telling her how proud she was and how much she loved her. After the event, they flopped down on the couch in their apartment to sort through all of their college mail. That is when the news broke that Olivia had been accepted to her dream college in the middle of Manhattan with a full-ride scholarship and Emily had been given a scholarship to a college in London she had wanted to go to since she was a child. There was excitement in the air but as the women laid in bed that night another thought crept into their head...they were going to be leaving each other sooner rather than later.
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Emily held Olivia’s hand all the way to airport security her eyes still red from crying. They had debated all summer what to do but had finally decided long distance was not for them. Olivia was going to be staying in New York and Emily was going to be living her dreams out in London. They had spent their final night together trying to memorize every inch of each other’s bodies before falling asleep tangled in each other’s arms. Olivia was determined that their last night together was going to be full of joyful memories, not tears.
Emily looked towards the growing security line and then back at Olivia, “You know, I don’t have to go to London.”
Olivia took Emily’s head in her hands and kissed her forehead, “Oh my love… I would give anything in the world to have you stay but you need to go. This is all you have ever dreamed of.”
Emily let the tears roll down her face as she responded, “I love you Olivia Benson with all my heart.”
“And I love you, Emily Prentiss,” Olivia said giving her girlfriend one final kiss, “Just do one thing for me… Don’t forget me.”