Bell and Fin: EO talks
***Bell and Fin agree to meet up at a local bar to hangout out and grab a drink on a Friday after work. Fin arrives first and orders a Bourbon(neat) and Bell arrives shortly thereafter. Bell is running late because she had to finish updating Lieutenant Brewster on the latest information on Elliot’s case with the crooked cops at the 3-7–She’s squeezing in this meet-up into her busy schedule. She rushes in because she only has an hour or so to spare before picking up her wife and son for dinner at her in-laws. Bell absolutely had to meet up with Fin to fill him in on all the flirting that occurred with Elliot and Captain Benson in the hallway at her squad room recently, and get some juicy stories about EO from back in the day, as well .***
Bell: Hey! Sorry I’m late....had to finish up some paperwork and update my Lieutenant (*side eye*) -You know how that goes....
Fin: Nah, its cool. No need to explain.....I just got here myself.
Bell: -Cool. Can’t stay long......gotta pick up Denise and the baby in like an hour -we gotta head over to my in-laws for dinner. (*puts handbag on bar and looks for bartender*)
(*Bell sits down and gestures for bartenders’ attention*)
Bell to bartender: Hey. Yeah, can I get a scotch on the rocks...with a twist? Thanks...
(*Bell turns to Fin and begins chatting*)
Bell: So, your captain came by my office the other day. We had to follow up on the Donnelly case to see what the next steps should be. We agreed to check in and keep each other posted once a week….gotta keep each other in the loop.
Fin: That’s cool. Yeah, we gotta stay on top of this.....The 3-7 is a real mess and when we finally get these guys I’m sure y’all are gonna need all hands on deck to take ‘em down. (*Nods head*)
Bell: Uh huh, ain’t that the truth…I can’t wait ‘til we get these dirty cops off the street.
(*Bartender gives her a drink, Ayanna takes a sip*)
Bell: Me and you both.......Anyways, I thought I’d also bring you up to speed on our colleagues while we’re at it. So, apparently when Stabler was walking Benson out they stopped to chat in the hallway for a lil bit. Jet told me she spotted them in the hall from her desk. (*Leans in*) She pretended that she needed to use the copy machine and snuck over there to listen in…she stood by the doorway—She said Stabler asked her and…umm, Noah out to lunch? (*looks confused*)
Fin: Whattt! Okay! My man Elliot.....ready to shoot his shot! (*leans back and raises glass in the air*) Okay…so wait….what’d Liv say?
Bell: (*squints eyes*) Ok, Jet said something about….she wanted to wait….something about Noah gets attached…she wants to hold off for now….
Bell: I didn’t realize she was over there being nosey. I actually called Jet in my office to look up another cop Stabler who’s workin’ at the 3-7—I had no idea she was over there eavesdropping.(*rolls eyes*).....She was like ‘I think Stabler’s out there flirting with his cop friend..…I think he just asked her out to lunch—-They were standing pretty close too…thought they might kiss.’
Fin: Mannn.....I wish I coulda been a fly on the wall for that one. (*chuckles repeatedly*)
Bell: Who are you tellin’? It happened right outside my office and I missed it!
Bell: —So wait…hold on. Who’s Noah, is that her son?
Fin: Oh Noah? Yeah that’s her son…he’s a cool guy…calls me Uncle Fin(*smiles*)
Bell: Ohhhh okay. Gotchya…I figured it had to be her son….invited him to lunch, too.
(*Fin pauses for a minute, sips his drink*)
Fin: You know…….I’m thinkin’…..that’s probably who Liv was talking to last week in her office. I was running out for lunch…I stopped by her office to see her if she wanted anything. Liv was FaceTiming someone and she was like ‘Okay sounds good….I’ll have to check my schedule and I’ll let you know….Bye.’
Fin: So, I knocked on her door and I was like ‘Hey, is that Noah? I didn’t know he could have his phone on him at school….I thought he had to keep it in his locker.’ She’s like ‘Oh….um…he needed…to ask me if he can go out with his friend this weekend—told him I’d think about it.’
Fin:(*shakes his head*) I’m telling you THAT was Elliot…she was smiling and tryna get her words together—I know Liv….she only does that when she’s lyin.’ —I think she was tryna make plans with HER friend. (*smirk*)
(*Bell looks down and pauses for a minute*)
Bell: I dunno.....for me…I just….I just couldn’t get over the part with him leaving for 10 years. I’m sorry….that’s just how I feel((shrugs shoulders*)….It’s just unforgivable to me….there’s no way I could even allow that person back in my life….let alone my heart...
Fin: (*shakes his head repeatedly*)Nah, see it doesn’t surprise me at all. Those two were inseparable…you couldn’t see one without the other. Trust me, there’s something there and those feelings —those feelings don’t just go away.
Fin: Not only that, but I think Elliot had enough time to grieve for his wife....If I’m not mistaken, I think it’s been a year or so?—Yeah....it’s time for him to move on. And….you know…since they’re both single now….ain’t nothin stoppin’ them from being together….they can really explore a relationship. I’m tellin’ you…I think it’s fate that brought them back together. —It’s never too late to start over. (*grins*)
(*Bell pauses for a second and sighs*)
Bell: See I can’t…I gotta disagree with you on that. See....if I have strong feelings and I don’t act on them and that person leaves—that’s it for me…I don’t have time to wait around. Me and Denise met and married within 6 months. I told I her —‘I know what I want and I don’t wanna waste any time’…..(*pauses and shakes her head*) You know, My dad was in the army and my mom waited on him to get back so they could get married. He died in Desert Storm….she never had a chance to marry him and settle down with him. —Life is too short….and I don’t wanna wait around like my mom did only to miss out on love.
(*Fin readjusts himself in his seat and leans in*)
Fin: (*speaks softly*)Look, I get it….things we go thru effect how we see things in life. You know Liv’s been thru a lot in her life…..seems like it’s been one thing after the other…. I don’t know…maybe she kissed a couple of toads and now she’s finally gonna get her Prince Charming. Maybe she’ll finally gonna settle down like the rest of us. -Who knows....All I know is that I been seeing Elliot around the office lately and she seems happier lately….seems like she gotta little pep in her step.
Bell: Hmm….Well….Jet said they were standing pretty close and they seemed pretty friendly with each other. Happy for them!…(*shrugs shoulders*)(*sips her drink*)
(*Fin begins to reflect on the past*)
Fin: You know, back when we worked together, I would catch him checkin’ her out, especially when she would get coffee at the little coffee station. He would be reading reports then all of a sudden Liv gets up and starts walking to the coffee station. He’d stop what he was doing and look over there and lean back in his chair to “enjoy the view” (*smirks*)—-He wasn’t admiring the French roast I’ll tell you that. (*chuckles*)—One time I tapped him on his shoulder and whispered ‘take a picture it lasts longer.’
Bell: Ha! Fin you are a mess! (*giggles*)
Fin: Oh, I know…and I even called him out one time right in front of her. Elliot was away on assignment and he did a video call to check in on the case. I was passin’ by and while he was talkin’ to Liv and I heard him say -‘Fin may have your six but he’s not me’…..Ha!—I was like ‘Oh yeah?.....Well I actually watch her back and not her backside, see yah’ …and banged on him. (*laughs repeatedly*)
Bell: Bahahahaha Fin you DIDN’T! (*puts hand over mouth and keels over while laughing*)
Fin: (*smirks*)Oh I definitely did! -I kinda wanted to call him out for a while tho…I’m just like don’t play with me, Elliot. I know you always have your partners’ back, but I’m gonna make sure to look out for her too. I’m not in love like him tho— that’s the only difference. (*Finishes his Bourbon and orders another one*)
Bell: Oh Goddd (*rolls eyes*)
Fin: Oh, and I can remember there were a few times she stayed after work…..she was heading out for a date night or whatever. One time she changed into this red dress. —I’m telling youuu(*shakes his head and smirks*)….Liv came walking back to her desk to grab her stuff and wait for her date to pick her up. Meanwhile, me Elliot and Munch were out heading to the elevator to leave. Elliot took one look at her and did a 180 —He said he forget his keys—funny thing is…I seen him grab his keys off his desk right before we left out….It’s like as soon as he saw her in that dress he couldn’t think straight. Hahahaha
Bell: Ha! Oh he had another look, huh?
Fin: I guess so….and I wasn’t gonna put ‘em on the spot for gettin’ a little extra eye candy. (*smirk*) Hahahaha
Bell: (*shakes her head*)....Too funny. I can’t with him!
Fin: Oh and there was this one time Liv got a little eye candy herself: I remember a time when the AC broke and the office it was burnin’ up—like 90 degrees…we were all miserable…tryna open some windows get a fan goin’ or something. So, Elliot comes in late…he had to drop his kid off somewhere. He comes in with a button up shirt —he didn’t get them memo about the AC. He rolled his sleeves up….like he usually does…but that wasn’t gonna cut it. He starts taking off his shirt off —he had a white beater on underneath. In the meantime, he’s heading over to find another shirt in his locker with short sleeves. But the thing is, his locker got jammed—he kicked it the day before outta frustration when a perp got off so he couldn’t get it opened. —I had to give him one of my t-shirts…our Captain was not gonna let him walk around with just undershirt, no matter how it was. (*shakes his head*)
Bell: Aww man that’s rough....good for Olivia though, I’m sure she enjoyed that... (*giggles under her breath*)
Fin: This whole time he was giving Liv a peep show. —When he took off his shirt I saw Liv stare at him for a while…like she was in a trance….she was on the phone but Liv wasn’t really paying attention to the other person on the end. I could hear the person on the phone say “Hello? Hello? Olivia are you there?” Liv was like “uh…hey uh..Melinda…yeah I’m here….did you a chance to run the DNA?” She didn’t know that I noticed the whole thing….I just kept that to myself. (*smirk*) —you gotta keep ya eyes open or you miss stuff.
(*Fin pauses again and looks off into the distance to reminisce*)
Fin: Yeah, I can tell he was into her. I could tell Liv was into him too….They were always together. I mean they were partners, yes, but.....with them, it was different. When you work a case with ya partner ya’ll work side-by-side. Yeah, but no, they literally worked side-by side! -Like, when they would be workin’ on cases. I watched them--It’s like they always found an excuse to get close to each other. She would sit on his desk…he would go over and sit on hers. Then, a few minutes later I would notice...a touch on the back….touch on the arm. Very subtle....
Fin: I mean they were like.....a whole married couple. Like, one time Elliot got punched in the face by some lady while they were workin’ a case. Both him and Liv came back to office. Liv got some tissue and peroxide to stop the bleedin.—Like she coulda passed him the first aid kit. But no.....she sat up there and cleaned up his wound. —You shoulda seen her! ...She cleaned up the cut and stopped the bleedin’ and at the same time she’s holdin’ his head steady with her other hand....like she’s is wife. -Come on now! (shakes his head repeatedly*) Now if that was me or Munch....Liv woulda tossed that first aid kit to us and kept it movin.’
(*Bell chuckles under her breath as Fin continues to speak*)
Fin: They definitely had some chemistry tho......they would gently touch each other ….and they would stare at each other here and there, when the other one wasn’t lookin’….but, they were never flat out flirtatious….never pressed up against or anything like that. But I’m sure deep down they both they thought about it....who knows...they probably messed around on the side.
Bell: Let me ask you this: do you think he would’ve considered leaving his wife to be with Olivia?
Fin: Nah, I don’t think so. From what I hear they were high school sweethearts…got married young and everything. I guess he felt obligated to stay with her…you know….all that time invested. Plus, Elliot was church boy —a good catholic. Couldn’t see him breakin’ his family up….not even for Liv. (*shakes his head*)
Fin: Wait—Oh……yea yea yea. Actually, there was a time when they did split up for a minute tho....I think him mortgaging the house for Liv had something to do with it. —He REALLY went above and beyond that time.
(*Bell gets frustrated and readjusts herself and sighs*)
Bell: Ok hold on now Fin. He mortgaged his HOUSE?…while he was married?? With a family?! Wow, Stabler went way too far. (*knocks back the rest of her drink, and requests another*)
Bell: I wish I would mortgage my house for a coworker —I like Jet we’re cool and all but I don’t like her *that* —she would be sittin’ right there in the toombs at Rikers while we figure something out.
(*Fin speaks in a gentle tone*)
Fin: I hear you….I mean....not too many people would mortgage their home for their family member let alone a coworker. But, it was pretty extreme —The Death knights were a bike gang that really had it out for Liv…her DNA was on the knife and everything. —Someone set her up! They thought she killed one of their guys and they were gonna retaliate. —She was lookin’ at 25 to life and she was remanded ‘til then. Elliot was desperate to get her out….they coulda shived her, raped her or even worse...
Fin: Oh, but when Kathy found out.....she put him out. Yeah from what I recall….like 2 weeks later when I was coming into squad room and I noticed Elliot was coming from upstairs in the crip….where they got the beds —he was sleeping upstairs. He had an overnight bag next to his desk —I put two and two together. I also overheard them talkin’ outside the precinct that same day…..Liv was like ‘you hear from Kat?’ Elliot said ‘eh….just givin’ her some space.’
Bell: (*raised eyebrows*) Oh I’m sure she had enough —that’s crossin’ the line....Denise would have to get outta my house too! (*receives new drink from bartender and begins to take a sip*)
Fin: Look, Liv doesn’t have family....She had no one to turn to....he did what he had to do to get her outta jail. He might’ve paid a price, but he eventually made up his wife because he moved back home, and they ended up having another baby.
Bell: Hmm…Well good for them. I don’t know if I could get past it. (*raised eyebrow*)
Fin: No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. I’m just glad they worked things out and got back together.
Fin: Now, what I couldn’t understand is how her and Tucker got together….that’s the dude that helped put her in jail in the first place. (*stirs drink and takes a sip*)
Bell: (*blank stare) Are you kidding me?
Fin: (*laughs*) I can’t make this stuff up....
Bell: I guess not! I can’t believe it myself...
Fin: The guy’s name is Tucker…..One time, when they were dating Liv invited us to Tucker’s birthday party. I went just to show my face and support Liv, but I really didn’t wanna be there. I left before they cut the cake.......didn’t feel right partying with a guy from IAB….I had to roll. Hahahaha(*giggles*)
(*Bell smirks and begins to reflect back momentarily*)
Bell: Ohhh, Tucker! Mmm hmm....Yeah, I remember when I was a uni at my old precinct—The 5-1……He gave one of my coworkers a hard time —-never wanna have a run in with him. (*shakes her head*)
Fin: I guess people can change I never would’ve thought Liv would date Tucker of all people…Same guy that tried to jam her up when she was facing the murder charge.(*looks away and sips on his drink*)
Bell: Sheesh! She dated the guy who booked her murder and the guy who ghosted her too?…..Wow I’m speechless!(*eyes widened*)
Fin: Ayanna. People can change. You gotta give people a chance….
Bell: If you say so Fin.….(*sips drink*)
Fin: Well, I can tell you one thing. Stabler has changed. This guy used to be a real hothead. —He couldn’t keep it together…..roughed up a few perps back then…his temper got the best of him. But, the Elliot that I’ve seen now.... seems like he got it together…seems like he got it under control.
Bell: (raised eyebrows*)Yeah, I’m fully aware of Stablers’ past. I had a talk with him when he first came to our headquarters. I told him I had a zero tolerance policy for actin’ a fool. —I’m not a babysitter, I’m your CO......and if you’re gonna be in this unit you WILL control yourself or you will be dismissed. (*stirs drink in hand*)
Bell: Oh, and I made sure to recommend hobbies like boxing and working out in general to release all of that anger in a healthy way…his wife was also really good with helping him stay on track with that, too. (*sips drink*)
Fin: You runnin’ a tight ship over there—-Ain’t nothin wrong with that. And that’s good that El did some anger management. He can’t be a hot head doin’ undercover work…that ain’t gonna work.
Bell: Oh, I was not playin’ with him. I need him focused—we gotta job to do.
Fin: (*nods*)And you know what?….I can respect that.
Fin: Plus, you know, if they do get together, Liv won’t have to deal with all that….She’s got enough going on in her life: being a single mom raising Noah…being captain of our squad….she don’t need no drama added on top of that.
Bell: Yeah, trust me. I get it...
Fin: (*leans back in his seat*) Oh, by the way…..working out really did him some good—My man is lookin’ cut nowadays(*smirks*)…Had on one of those shirts that show your muscles when he came through our squad room the other day. Usually, if he comes by I’ll see him bring her some coffee or probably some food on his lunch break. He’ll have one of his button up shirts on, as usual. …but one time he came through in a muscle shirt on his day off and, uh,….well...Liv is gonna keep it professional around us, but when she walked to elevator…I watched them….seemed like they had a little moment.—I saw her touch his arm…..seems they locked eyes for a few minutes before he left. (*pick up drink and swirls in his hand, then takes a sip*)
Bell: Aww, look at Stabler droppin’ by to see his boo…that’s so cute! (*smirks*)
Fin: Hey, so I was thinkin’....how ‘bout we kick it up notch and throw a party, invite those 2, and see what happens?
Bell: Hahaha. Oh boy, what are you a matchmaker? —You tryna set them up?
(*Fin tries to get his words together*)
Fin: I like to look at it like this: helping to move things along for two friends that need to hurry and get together because we’re all getting old.
Bell: (*side eye*) Okay Fin whatever you say…(*sips drink*)
Bell: Alright, so how we gonna do this?(*puts drink down and turns toward Fin*)
Fin: Hmm, I’m thinkin’ we can do a little dinner party?…We can get a few of us together --nice food....good conversation, and let nature take its course.
Bell: Okay sounds good….when and where?
Fin: We can do it at my place. Phoebe loves to cook…You know she’s Italian. She makes a Veal Parmesan that’ll knock your socks! She’s been talkin’ about tryin’ some new recipes too. Oh yeah! She just got some new fancy cookware that she wants to use too...
Bell: You know, me and Denise can contribute, too. Maybe a few appetizers…desert or somethin’? --She’s makes a good sweet potato pie. We can whip up a ‘lil soul food for y’all! (*knudges Fin and smirks*)
Fin: Aye, I’m sure Phoebe would love it -I’ll give her your number tell her to collaborate….but there’s one condition: I need my own personal sweet potato pie. Hahaha.
Bell: Ha! Fin, you are a mess. I’m sure Denise won’t mind making you one, too. (*side eye*)
Fin. Cool! Now, uh, back to the guests of honor. How ‘bout we stick to just couples me and Phoebe, you and Denise, Rollins and Carisi. You know—only couples….to give them a little inspiration. (*sips his drink*)
Bell: Okay but are they gonna be cool with that? -Only couples?
Fin: Nah....see, we’re not gonna tell them that it’s just couples--
Bell: So, how about we do this: how about we just tell them it’s a little get together with friends. Tell ‘em Phoebe just wants to try out some new recipes and new cookware and she’s feeling very “Rachael Ray” (*gestures using air quotes*) these days. She doesn’t get to see us that often because of our schedules and she’s insisting that everyone comes and she’s not taking ‘no’ for an answer.
Fin: Feeling very “Rachael Ray” —-Ha! I like that….I mean….Yeah, sounds like a plan.
(*Bell and Fin laugh and raise their glasses before taking another sip of their drinks*)
Fin: Ooo!….How ‘bout this…How about we get Phoebe to call her directly and personally invite her —throw a little guilt trip on her.....they haven’t seen each other in a while……you’re a hard-working mom who deserves to let her hair down and enjoy herself....blah blah blah....all that good stuff.
Bell: (*eyes widening*) Yea that’s good! The personal invite and the guilt trip….throw in a little compliment and you’re good to go...Now what about Stabler?
Fin: (*smirks*) Oh, I’ll take care of it....I’ll just like be we’re having a couple of friends over to hanging out…oh and Liv should be coming too. —Just throw that in there at the end and I’m telling you he’s comin.’ Hahahaha (*chuckles*)
Bell: Hahaha….I can’t with you...
Fin: Wait, so what’s the dress code?
Bell: Dressy...definitely dressy. -No jeans sneakers or anything like that….let’s get dressed up. It’s a dinner party! –Plus I kinda wanna see Stabler droolin’ over Benson in a dress. (*devilish smirk*)
Fin: That shouldn’t be a problem…just make sure you can Elliot help find his keys by the end of the night….seeing Liv in a dress again will definitely throw him off again—might have to call him a Uber….(*chuckles*)
Bell: -Or better yet…..if things go well he won’t need his keys—He’ll be goin’ home with Liv instead. (*smirks*)
(*Bell checks phone and puts it away*)
Fin: (*shakes head repeatedly*) Whoa whoa whoa….remember she’s gotta son...They can’t do that.
Bell: Oh right! Ok, well maybe they’ll make out in the car or something.’ Look—the point is that should get somethin’ goin’ between them. (*finishes drinks*)
Fin: Wait.....Oh, you know what, I just thought of something.’ ...Hold up Hold up....I gotta idea. Okay—check this out right.....How ‘bout I arrange to take care of the kids....keep them busy so the parents can be free for the rest of the night.
Bell: Wha-Fin...what are you...what the heck are you talkin’ about? (*looks confused*)
(*Fin takes a minute and then leans in*)
Fin: Listen, all I’m sayin’ is...if things go right at the party....I’m tryna make sure that we can give the grown folks an opportunity to enjoy a lil....ya know....time to themselves after the dinner party festivities...(*knudges Bell and winks*)
Fin: Hear me out....So, I remember like 2 months ago Liv’s son, Noah, and Rollins’ girls had a little slumber party at Rollins’ mom’s house in Jersey. So, I figured it might be time to set one up again.....especially with the kids gettin’ outta school in a few weeks. –That’s perfect they can stay up late, have some fun, while the parents hangout and have a little fun of their own. (*devilish grin*)
Fin: Plus, you know we all got crazy schedules -we’re always on the go. –I can barely keep up with my lady and we live in the same place! So, if that’s the case, I’m sure El and Liv aren’t seein’ much of each other. These little drop-ins.....stoppin’ by for coffee or lunch here and there ain’t gonna cut it. Look--I’m just tryna make sure that they can at least spend some time together. That’s all...
Bell: Okay...wait wait wait. (*Sigh*) ....Fin, alright I get it.....You wanna do something nice for your friends...tryna get Olivia and Elliot together -throw a nice little party and everything. -Cool.....But don’t you think it’s a bit much to try to arrange something for the kids, too?
Fin: Nah, see....we’re family. I was Rollins’ first partner when she moved up from Atlanta....then her mom moved up here too—they both been over our place plenty of times. Billie and Jessie...they’re my nieces. –And you already know me and Liv go wayyy back. And as far as babysitting? Please! Liv trusts Ms Rollins with Noah or she never woulda had him go to sleepover. Oh, and Noah’s sitter, Lucy....she helped out last time with party. Actually, Lucy watches one of my other friends’ kids so, I know how to get in touch with her without tippin’ Liv off. -It’s cool...don’t worry about it....We’re good to go.
Bell: Okay, okay! Cupid. Alright....Do whatever you wanna do. I guess you got it all figured out....Look, just make sure to give Phoebe my number so we can get started on the menu for the party.(*raised eyebrow*) (*looks at watch*)
(*Fin turns to Ayanna*)
Fin: Ayanna. Listen, I know it seems like I’m doin’ a lot, but you gotta understand its been 10 years....10.....years. But they found their way back to each other...that doesn’t happen too often-That’s rare. They couldn’t be together before...but now, its different. I have never been more convinced that two people were made for each other. You know what they say....true love only comes around once...its rare that it comes around again. Think about your father and mother -we all know tomorrow’s not promised to any of us.....I know you said your mother missed out on love......but if she had another shot to be with your dad, I’m sure she would take it, right? -I just -I don’t want Liv and Elliot to miss out. If the opportunity presents itself. Why not? ....Everybody should get a chance to be with the person that they love.
Bell: Alright, I get it. (*rummages through bag and looks at phone*) Okay, keep me posted. I gotta pick up my wife and son and head to my in-laws. See ya later!
Fin: Okay, good talkin’ to you. I’ll catch up with you later...
(*Bell begins to walk away. She stops turns back around and taps Fin on the shoulder*)
Bell: Fin. I think it’s beautiful, I think what you’re doing for your friends.......is beautiful.
(*Fin and Ayanna smile at each other and Ayanna heads out*)
