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Elliot Stabler prided himself on being a professional. Years of chasing criminals, pulling double shifts, and navigating the tightrope of law enforcement had honed his focus and discipline. But all of that seemed to go out the window every time Olivia Benson walked into the room.
The thing was, they weren’t just partners anymore. They were… something more. Not that anyone in the squad could know. Olivia had made that perfectly clear after their first late-night kiss in her apartment.
“We can’t risk this, El,” she’d said, pacing her living room. “You know how they’ll react.”
“They won’t find out,” he’d promised, leaning casually against the wall. “We’ll be careful.”
But “careful” with Elliot Stabler around was easier said than done.
_____
It started small. Olivia and Elliot were too in sync, even for them. They finished each other’s sentences, swapped knowing glances during interrogations, and seemed to have developed a mysterious shared coffee habit.
“You notice anything… weird about Benson and Stabler lately?” Munch asked Fin one morning over his third cup of coffee.
“They’ve always been weird,” Fin replied, scrolling through his phone.
“Yeah, but this is different. They’re hiding something. I can feel it.”
“Sure, Munch. And the Illuminati runs the DMV.”
But Munch wasn’t deterred. He decided to investigate.
______
The next morning, Rollins cornered Fin in the break room.
“They’re hiding something,” she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
“I know,” Fin replied, leaning against the counter. “But what?”
“We need to figure it out,” Rollins said. “You in?”
Fin hesitated. “I don’t know. Isn’t it kinda.. invasive?”
“Do you want Munch to figure it out before us?”
That sealed the deal.
______
“Olivia, where were you this morning?” Rollins asked casually one day as Olivia walked into the precinct, five minutes late and noticeably cheerful.
“Home,” Olivia replied, her voice calm and even. She set her coffee on her desk, avoiding Rollins’ gaze.
“You sure? Because I saw Stabler come in late, too.”
Olivia raised an eyebrow, her expression unflinching. “What are you implying, Rollins?”
“Nothing,” Rollins said quickly. “Just… coincidence, I guess.”
“That’s right,” Olivia said, turning back to her computer. Her tone left no room for argument, but Rollins couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d missed something.
______
By the end of the week, Munch had compiled a list of suspicious behaviors.
Number one beinh Benson and Stabler’s identical coffee orders, the way they always seemed to “coincidentally” end up paired on assignments and
the time he caught them having an unusually intense conversation by the vending machine at 8 a.m.
“I’m telling you, something’s going on,” Munch said, laying out his “evidence” in the break room.
“So what?” Fin asked, rolling his eyes. “Maybe they’re hooking up. Who cares?”
“It’s not just hooking up. It’s deeper,” Munch insisted. “There’s a conspiracy here, and I’m going to crack it.”
“Good luck with that.”
______
One evening, Elliot and Olivia were reviewing case files in the interrogation room—alone, as usual.
“We have to be more careful,” Olivia said, leaning over the table. “Rollins is getting nosy, and Munch is acting like he’s in a spy movie.”
“We are being careful,” Elliot replied, smirking. “You’re just paranoid.”
“Am I? Because last week, you called me Liv in front of Cragen.”
“He didn’t notice. And I call you Liv all the time.”
“He absolutely noticed.”
Their argument was interrupted by the sound of a camera shutter.
“What was that?” Olivia hissed, immediately on alert.
Elliot opened the door and found Munch standing there, holding an old Polaroid camera.
“Caught you!” Munch declared triumphantly.
“Doing what?” Olivia asked, crossing her arms.
“Conspiring!”
Elliot groaned. “Munch, go home.”
“You can’t fool me, Benson. The truth will come out!" Munch shouted as the detectives leave the room with obvious annoyance on their faces.
_______
The next day, Rollins, Fin, and Munch gathered in the precinct’s bullpen to compare notes.
“They’re definitely sneaking around,” Rollins said.
“I saw Stabler pick her up this morning,” Fin added.
“They’ve got a ‘partners’ lunch thing going on,” Fin chimed in.
Munch, of course, had a more dramatic theory: “They’re part of a secret government operation. Probably something to do with black ops.”
Everyone stared at him.
“What? It’s plausible"
_______
Olivia had always been good under pressure, but even she wasn’t perfect.
“Hey, Liv,” Elliot said one morning as he handed her a coffee. “You left this at my—”
Olivia’s eyes widened. “My what?”
“Uh… your car,” Elliot said quickly. “You left it in my car.”
Rollins, sitting nearby, perked up. “Why was her coffee in your car?”
Elliot froze. Olivia, ever the quick thinker, stepped in.
“Because we were following up on that lead in Queens yesterday. Remember?”
“Oh, right,” Rollins said slowly, clearly not convinced"
_______
The squad had split into teams again, with Olivia and Elliot staked out near a suspect’s apartment while the others monitored from a nearby van.
“Okay, this is it,” Munch said, adjusting the monitor connected to the hidden camera. “We’re going to catch them red-handed.”
Sure enough, the camera showed Olivia and Elliot sitting in their car. At first, everything seemed normal. But then Elliot reached over and brushed a strand of hair out of Olivia’s face.
“They’re just… being professional,” Fin said weakly.
But then Olivia leaned over and kissed Elliot.
“Boom!” Munch shouted. “I knew it!”
________
The next morning, the squad wasted no time confronting them.
“Alright,” Fin said, arms crossed. “How long’s this been going on?”
“How long’s what been going on?” Olivia replied coolly, sipping her coffee.
“Don’t play dumb,” Rollins said, grinning. “We saw the footage.”
Elliot sighed, exchanging a glance with Olivia. “Fine. You caught us. We’re together. Happy?”
The squad erupted into cheers, laughter, and a lot of “I told you so’s.”
Munch, of course, couldn’t resist a parting comment: “I still think you’re part of a conspiracy.”
“Thanks, Munch,” Olivia said dryly.
_______
As Olivia and Elliot left the precinct that evening, Elliot couldn’t help but laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Olivia asked.
“They think they figured it out, but they missed half the clues,” he said, smirking.
“Good,” Olivia replied. “Let them think they’re great detectives. Keeps them busy.”
She smiled as they walked to her car, hand brushing against his. “And next time, you explain it to Cragen.”
“Deal.”