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1.
The actual first time he ever picked her up was when she was high on mushrooms. She had ended up passing out and he caught her, wasting no time by scooping her up into his arms and carrying her out of interrogation.
The first time that he did it with her conscious was at the diner. The first time she asked for him to get her up was afterwards, when they were at the urgent care.
Elliot isn’t one to lie, he loves carrying her. He loves the domesticity of it. He isn’t really sure if she knows that and does it to feed his ego, or if she genuinely just likes him doing it.
The next first time was when he visited her before leaving for a couple months. She had texted the day after he stopped by her office, saying that Noah was finally home and that he wanted to see him before.
It turned into Elliot staying for pizza, and getting him to bed since Olivia didn’t want to leave the couch. He came back out of her son’s room to find her in the exact position she was in at the urgent care.
“He’s out,” he told her, seeing her brown eyes staring at him.
“Get me up?” she asked, the same familiar pout at her lips. He smiled, and then held out his arms.
“Of course, partner,”
She already had the compass on.
2.
The second time was after he came back from a couple of months of being UC. He was back by September, and in just enough time to work himself into going to the NYPD gala with Olivia.
As her date.
She looked amazing that night. A long black dress that had a slit in the side of it, revealing her right leg. And not to mention he thought her breasts looked fucking amazing in it. And so did the compass, which rested just above them.
She made it to the end of the night when she finally complained. It made him stop when she angrily kicked both of her heels off, muttering something about her not listening to Amanda.
“Some regret on the shoe choice?” Elliot asked, which earned a glare in response.
“You don’t get to judge me,” she said, “can I get on your back?”
“Aren’t we both a little old for that?” he asked.
“I see how it is Stabler,” she teased, “it’s okay, I’ll just step on some glass and gash the bottom of my foot.” He chuckled, grabbing her waist as she dramatically walked away from him.
“Course I don’t,” he told her, “c’mon, partner.”
He felt the compass hit his shoulder as she jumped up.
3.
She’s a liar, and he’s learned that in the few months that they’ve been living together.
She insisted and insisted that she’d be able to stay up to watch the entire movie. But instead, here she is, drifting off and hitting his shoulder after an hour.
It makes him feel like they’ve been married for years, because it’s this that’s annoying him.
“You said you’d be able to stay up,” Elliot accused.
“Shut up, El,” she responded, “some of us have mounds of paperwork and units to run.”
“Touché,”
“Carry me to bed?” she asked, feeling him laugh. He slipped out from where her head was resting on his shoulder, and she fell against the couch with an oomph . She pouted, opening her eyes and holding out her arms. “Up.” Elliot laughed at her antics.
“So you just say up now?” he asked.
The gold chain of the compass had tangled up from her movement.
+1
Fin clocked him as soon as he walked into the squad room. Most of the lights were off, and he was the only one still there.
“She’s in her office,” he said, “last time I checked, she was still out like a light.”
“Thanks for staying,” Elliot said, and Fin nodded, heading out. Her Sergeant was right, because as soon as he walked into her office, he found her on the couch, curled up and using her blazer as a blanket (probably Fin’s doing).
He didn’t say anything, or didn’t try to wake her. Instead, he removed the blazer that was draped across her, throwing it on her desk chair. One of his arms curled around her legs while the other went around her back, hauling her into his arms.
Just like he had done at the diner.
She stayed like that, asleep, in his arms until he had gotten her into the car. She stirred when he put her in the passenger seat, but then went back into her drowsy haze, resting her head against the window.
The gold of the compass shined in the car when it hit a light from the street, along with the matching shade of her wedding band.
It led them both to happiness.
Led them both home.