Chapter Text
Her legs extend to rest on the coffee table after a long day at work, she yawns and tips her wine glass to her lips as she watches the news, grimacing at the headlines. It was something that she was dreading, they were all dreading it and it actually looked like it might be happening. She never thought the word dystopian would come to mind over the economy failing, but this presidential speech was making her reel. Her eyes are glued to the television as the American government implements a mandate to help increase the average birth rate, in turn, aiding the failing economy by increasing spending; women and men will be put into a pool, they get paired up together to marry and must conceive a child within eighteen months of that marriage, if not, they are granted an extension on their marriage or divorce so they can get repaired to repeat the cycle.
Olivia sucks in a breath at the thought of being paired with someone she didn't even know, a stranger, it sends uncomfortable shivers down her spine so she goes with the whole idea of ignorance is bliss.
She didn't have to worry about it until she needed to.
Olivia gets the letter in the mail the next day, a blood draw to check fertility levels or something like that. Even though she yearns for a child, she finds a small section of her mind hoping she's infertile so she doesn't have to do this with a complete stranger.
"Olivia Benson?"
She frowns and stands up, she falters a little seeing all the other unsuspecting women in the waiting room. It's a distasteful thought to think that they were all there for the same reason, because they were, having blood taken to see if they were fit and healthy to conceive a child and carry a baby to term, it all seems so wrong and it shouldn't be like this.
Her eyes meet Melinda's and she frowns, confused as to why she was here instead of the morgue. But she scurries off into the room and turns her head when she gestures to the seat so she sits down, rolling her sleeve up.
"Don't worry Olivia" Melinda says, she swallows and watches her move around the room, sliding latex gloves onto her hands "It's only a blood draw"
"It's not that I'm worried about" she whispers, watching her secure the band around the top of her arm "I just find it so wrong how we're being used for the government's gain"
"I hate it too but sadly it's out of our control"
She nods slowly, it doesn't stop the swirling anxiety within her.
"What are you doing working here anyway?" she looks up at her, wincing as she pushes the needle in "Shouldn't you be at the office?"
"I'm here to help with getting all these women tested, they need more hands to get through the list. At least I get paid for it" she sighs and shakes her head, Olivia nods and closes her eyes "I heard along the grapevine that Elliot's getting tested-"
"As if he needs to get tested" she rolls her eyes and Melinda laughs a little gesturing for Olivia to hold the gauze against her arm to stem the bleeding "He has four kids, surely he's getting back with Kathy to create more babies, maybe they can get a soccer team together before the law comes to an end"
Melinda laughs.
"I don't know how he does it and he's not getting back with Kathy, in fact, he's already got the paperwork ready to process so he's put in the pool when the law starts-"
"Oh" Olivia swallows, "I'm surprised"
"I was too" she admits and sighs softly "I'll tell you something, if I was in your position I'd want to do it with someone I knew already"
Olivia goes to work, she sits down at her desk and yawns tiredly, she rubs at her arm and winces at the brief memory of her blood draw an hour earlier. Soon enough she realises that it's going to be the new normal when she's paired off with someone in the pool. She's quiet all day, deep in thought, she's distracted and everyone can see it. The squad room is also quiet, the thought of last night's newsreel weighing heavily in the air. Elliot walks in and she looks up at him before looking down at the papers in front of her, she rubs the back of her neck and he frowns a little at her, he looks around and then bites his lip, everyone is quiet so Olivia just got up and walked out of the room, Elliot watches her go and follows her.
"Liv"
She turns around and looks at him, she bites her lip.
"Are you okay-"
She laughs, cutting him off, wringing her hands together and all she can think about is crying, all she can think about is the dread in her stomach at being married to a stranger.
"I went for my blood draw"
"Oh," he nods and breathes out, a hand running over his head "Okay, the uh...mandate?"
"Yeah," she swallows "I get the results in a couple of days, to see if I'm fertile-"
"Yeah," he nods and offers a tight smile "I um...I went to my fertility test earlier too...not that I need it-"
She rolls her eyes and walks off, he follows her and takes her hand, she turns around and looks up at him, blinking slowly.
"Liv-"
"Elliot can you just..." she looks down at their hands, he lets hers go and offers a tight smile "Melinda took my blood and she said something that...it sounds insane when I say it out loud but inside my head, it's a solution and I don't have a lot of choice in the world right now but this I would have..."
That flare of anxiety happens in her belly, it makes her feel dizzy, sick too and it embarrasses her when it really shouldn't, her cheeks feel hot and he's giving her that look, the look that tells her that she's the only goddamn thing on his mind right now.
"What is it Liv?"
It's almost like he knows what she's going to say because he feels it too.
"That maybe it would be easier if I married someone I already know" she swallows, eyes fluttering shut because she doesn't want to see the look on his face
"Liv"
He softens, resting his hands on her shoulders, she opens her eyes and breathes out but she diverts her gaze immediately because she feels stupid, she feels really, really stupid to even suggest this.
"Liv are you saying what I think you're saying-"
"I just..." she trails off "I just think it might be easier and...but you're probably going to go back to Kathy so you can have another baby to do your bit-"
"Oh"
He swallows.
"No I..." he trails off, rubbing his hand against his head "No, I'm not...I'm not going back to Kathy"
"No?"
"I've um...I've agreed to be put in the pool if the test comes back okay, good enough-"
"Oh, okay" she nods and rubs her lips together, she knows this already but she needed to hear it from him "That's um, that's fine...good luck I guess? I'll just uh..."
She points behind her, a tight yet awkward smile on her face. She turns on her heel to walk away because she feels embarrassed, and stupid too.
"Liv wait" he rushes after her again, grabbing her hand, she turns to look up at him, a small smile on her face "I could...I could change my paperwork, say I intend to marry if that's what you want, if..."
He swallows and she looks up at him, her eyes wide in shock.
"It would be easier if we..." he trails off "We don't have a lot of choice anymore and if we can have a choice here...then why don't we just do it?"
She bites her lip.
"Yeah," she croaks, "Yeah okay, if you want to, if you...we both want the same thing and...yeah, choice, it's good - a good idea, in this world it's good to have a chance to have a choice"
"Good, I'll uh...I'll change my paperwork then and you change yours too?"
She nods with a small smile, he smiles a little too and then walks off.
Maybe things really would be better this way.