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See the Sweet, Intimate SVU Moment Stabler Wished He Could "Bottle" with Benson
Things always get real during a Benson-Stabler stakeout.
While the gripping cases and ripped-from-headlines formula have cemented Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as a primetime juggernaut, no one will deny that the dynamite partnership between Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) remains a pillar of the show's success.
Since SVU's 1999 premiere, the dynamic duo has stolen the show with their effortless banter and magnetic chemistry, forming one of the most iconic partnerships in television history. For the first 12 seasons of SVU, Hargitay's empathetic Benson and Meloni's fiery Stabler fought tirelessly to bring justice to victims, creating a powerhouse pairing that elevated the series from a crime procedural to a cultural phenomenon. When that Dun-Dun chimed, fans envisioned Benson and Stabler on the case. Part of what made Benson and Stabler so compelling was their undeniable gravitation toward each other both on and off the clock, with many a stakeout leading to heartfelt confessions.
RELATED: The Complete Timeline of Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler's Relationship
It's been years since Benson and Stabler were on the same squad, but in Season 24 of SVU, we saw the former partners reunite after Stabler's Organized Crime Control Bureau recruited Benson's SVU for assistance on a case. During the investigation, Benson and Stabler got some welcomed alone time, leading to some delicious dialogue as the pair ate dinner together.
Benson and Stabler shared a sweet moment during their latest stakeout
SVU fans soak up any moment when Benson and Stabler share the screen, and during SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime's 2023 crossover event, Bensler stans were gobbling up a stakeout scene between Benson and her old friend.
After working all day on a case, Benson and Stabler dismissed their squads and took on the graveyard shift, ordering some Chinese takeaway while watching the cameras. After Benson joked that the Chinese restaurant was the second-longest partnership she'd ever had, Stabler felt quite pensive while sharing some noodles with his former partner.
"I wish I could bottle this," Stabler told Benson.
"Bottle what?" she asked.
"This moment," Stabler said thoughtfully, gesturing to the two of them with his chopsticks. "Things just keep changing, though."
"And they change again," Benson mused.
"And keep changing," Stabler sighed, changing the subject to Benson's noticeably revamped SVU. While chatting about the new squad, Stabler noticed an unopened Christmas gift in Benson's office.
"What's with the Christmas present?" Stabler asked, prompting Benson to brush it off as just some gift from Noah's extended family, the McCanns. The family rubbed Benson the wrong way despite their pleasant demeanor.
"They're normal," Benson said, perplexed.
"What's that mean?" Stabler asked, confused by Benson's attitude.
"They're like a TV family," Benson said, struggling to communicate her aversion to the domesticity. "They're wholesome."
"Maybe that's easy to get when one..." Stabler suggested.
"When what?" Benson asked.
"When you're not seeing what we see on a daily basis," Stabler said obviously, standing up to inspect the gift. "What if it's perishable?"
"Then it's definitely stale," Benson told him.
"Can I?" Stabler asked, holding up the gift.
"Open it?" Benson asked incredulously. "No!"
"You have a Christmas present unopened in the middle of May," Stabler volleyed. "It's kind of a crime."
"And it's my gift," Benson reminded him.
"I'm not going to take it from you," Stabler assured her. "But I will tell you why you're not opening it."
"Maybe there is no why," Benson told her friend.
"There's always a why," Stabler said, smoothly sitting on Benson's desk.
"OK, detective," Benson relented. "Tell me why."
"Whatever is inside this box," Stabler began. "You're afraid is too normal."
"Too normal?" Benson asked. "I didn't know there was such a thing."
"There is," Stabler explained. "And it scares you more than anything you'll ever face in your life."
"Well, thank you, Dr. Stabler," Benson quipped.
"You're welcome," Stabler smiled.
Considering the heat the duo was navigating at the time — Stabler tried to kiss Benson just a few episodes prior — it certainly felt like Stabler was talking less about the unopened gift and more about their longstanding romantic chemistry. After Stabler made his move, Benson told him she wasn't ready yet, so there was clearly some fear on her end of settling down.
RELATED: This Iconic SVU Benson-Stabler Moment Was Improvised & Surprised Mariska Hargitay
"I have normal-itus," Benson teased.
"Liv, deflect all you want," Stabler shrugged. "It's the truth."
Fans had to wait until the Season 3 finale of Law & Order: Organized Crime to learn what was inside the mysterious parcel, leading to another heartwarming moment between Benson and Stabler. After Stabler stopped by to give Benson a touching present, Benson agreed to allow him to have the McCanns' gift.
After opening it with anticipation, he revealed an ordinary Christmas tree ornament with "Live Laugh Love" adorned on the front. After Benson giggled at the anticlimax and teased her friend for his insistence, Stabler schooled Benson on perspective.
"You can always fix things," Stabler told Benson, breaking off the last "e" in "live" so that the ornament read: "Liv, Laugh, Love," a nod to Stabler's longtime nickname for Benson.
