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They boarded the plane Tuesday as the sun was setting. It was a hot day, even worse for Olivia who had bandages covering most part of her left hip and it was itching so bad.
Elliot did his best to make things comfortable for her. He carried her bags, he took care of their tickets, he did all of the thinking just so she could have a few moments of peace and not think about anything else.
It was a quiet night with not many people at the airport so things moved fast. There were even less people in the flight with them. Jet was the only one to fly back with them and she had sat a few rows behind and, being the classic Gen-Z she was, immediately put on her headphones. In fact, she had barely said a word since the last update on Jamie's condition.
Ayanna, Fin and Amanda had stayed behind to wrap up the case, something that Olivia would've done if she hadn't been shot on the hip.
Complete bullshit, she called.
Realistically, Elliot should've stayed too but he point blank refused to let his partner travel back alone.
Olivia tried to argue that Jet would be on the same flight as her and even though Elliot trusted the girl blindly with his life, he knew she wouldn't stand a chance against the most stubborn woman on the planet. So none of the Sergeants argued with the detective.
She could have pulled the Captain card, she absolutely could have, but she didn’t. They would be obligated to obey her, none of them could defy a Captain's order.
But she wanted him with her. She would always want him with her.
"Are you feeling alright?" He asked worriedly, when she started to move around her seat trying to get comfortable. The pain was absolutely horrible, and there wasn't any position that helped with that.
And to make matters worse, Olivia has refused any strong pain medications so she was only on Ibuprofen.
Elliot had looked at her like she had grown another head when she told the doctor but she ignored him. She did not want to open that can of worms.
"I'm fine." She answered, grinding her teeth. "Getting shot sucks."
"I could have told you that." He pointed, not at all amused by her attempted joke.
"I guess I wanted to see it for myself, idiot." The son of a bitch laughed and nodded like her answer had pleased him. She tried moving some more, but the pain only got worse. "I can't get comfortable."
The seats weren't small, but weren't that big either so she didn't have that much space around. Olivia knew that she could move closer to him and put her feet up on her own seat, but she didn't want to bother Elliot more than she already was.
She had asked for the window seat and he promptly gave it to her. It would be a bitch if she had to use the bathroom but Olivia hated the aisle seat.
He hated it too but she knew Elliot would have offered her even if she hadn't asked.
"Can I do anything to help you?" Elliot asked, feeling like shit for not being able to avoid it. She was shot right next to him and even after getting shot, Olivia was the one to save them by killing the man. He did nothing.
The Captain knew what position would be helpful, but again, she did not want to bother him. "I don't think so."
"Olivia." He said in a warning tone indicating he knew she was lying. He eyed her strongly and she had to avert her eyes because his stare was too intense. "Let me help you. Please. "
She looked at him again, trying to tell him that she was fine.
"Please. I don't want you to be in pain the whole flight."
Well, she couldn't really deny his request when he was looking at her with his puppy eyes that reminded her so much of her beautiful baby boy. The resemblance was astronomical and sometimes she wondered if that was the Universe trying to tell her something.
"Can I lean on you?" She asked uncertainly, almost trembling from fear of his rejection but his eyes softened when he heard her. "I can't really sit straight or put my weight on the injured side so it'd be bett-"
"Yes, Liv. You can lean on me." He interrupted her, talking so softly and relieved that it almost brought tears to her eyes. Elliot started to adjust his body so she could move freely.
Olivia breathed out relieved that she would be able to relax her body. Carefully, she turned around, letting her left hip upwards – immediately relieving the pain – and with his help, she leaned her side on him. They were almost spooning and she felt her cheeks reddening.
They had never been this close intentionally where she was there just to relax. And she was already thinking about when they were going to do this again.
"You're more comfortable?"
"Yeah, just let me…" Olivia tried to move her arm that was giving her support against the seat so she could fully relax but her elbow ended up brushing against his crotch and she heard when his breath hitched. "I'm sorry.”
It took him a few seconds but he eventually answered her, "It's all good."
She adjusted her body again, leaning her back completely against his side and finally relaxed when he put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her frame closer to him. Her hip was still throbbing but it was manageable since she wasn't putting her weight on it.
His scent was heavenly, masculine and so comforting to her. She knew she'd be asleep in minutes, especially with the way his fingertips started caressing her arm gently.
"Sleep, Liv. I'll be right here next to you." He whispered against her hair and gave her a little kiss there. She smiled, content and closed her eyes.
↔
They landed in LaGuardia at almost 8 pm . Olivia was already awake, she had been for a few minutes after one of the best – probably the best – sleep of her life. She never felt more relaxed and safe than in that one hour nap.
Elliot hadn't moved an inch, not until the plane was almost landing and that was when he had to nudge her gently so she would wake up. And Olivia wished for another flight, an even longer one so she could sleep in his arms again.
But that was just that: a wish.
Outside the airport, Olivia watched as he and Jet argued for a few seconds. The girl was insisting she did not need a ride, she could go home on her own, but Elliot won eventually.
Olivia laughed because he could cry all he wanted about his partner being stubborn but he was the same.
Kathleen was the one waiting for them outside since she had her father's car. They walked slowly, knowing Olivia couldn't keep up if they walked at a normal pace. And obviously she felt bad and tried to tell them to leave her behind, she could call an uber but Elliot was relentless and didn't want to hear it.
"Not happening." He said, shaking his head and both girls agreed.
Three against one. She lost.
Traitors.
They got inside the car and Elliot turned his body around to look at them. "I'll drop Kathleen off first and then Jet, alright?"
They all nodded, agreeing with that arrangement.
No one mentioned the fact he did not say when he'd drop her off. Or that her place was closer than Jet's and it wouldn't make sense if he dropped the girl first.
She didn't say anything either so maybe, unconsciously, she didn't mind.
The drive wasn't silent at all, they talked most of the way. Jet had her headphones but Olivia had the impression she could hear everything around her and just did not want to engage in any conversation. Kathleen was the one to talk more, asking them all sorts of questions.
Mostly she asked Olivia about Noah and wondered when she would be able to meet the adorable little boy her father talked so much about.
That one took her by surprise.
Olivia eyed him with adoration. She never imagined he would talk about her son with his daughter but it seemed that she was wrong.
And it felt good to be wrong.
"Was the food good there?" Kathleen asked suddenly when they were almost at her apartment building.
"The food?" Elliot retorted, a little confused. "It was okay, I guess."
"Yeah, it was okay." Olivia answered too and she saw when the girl smirked from the backseat.
"You guys ate at the hotel?"
"No, uhm… We ate at the local diner." Elliot said, distracted while looking for a place to stop for Katie to get out of the car. "Liv didn't even finish her mac and cheese."
"Damn, don't remind me. It was so good." She complained, closing her eyes. Indeed it was a freaking good mac and cheese and it was abandoned on her plate when she went down with a birdshot on her hip. Such a shame.
Elliot stopped the car and Katie leaned over between the front seats to give each of them a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks for the ride." She said, already opening the door. "And dad, maybe you could take Liv to an Italian place so she can have some real macaroni. You know, since your last date was interrupted and she never finished her food."
Before either of them could respond, Kathleen closed the door and walked towards her building. Both of them couldn't do anything besides watch her with their mouths agape.
After a few steps, the girl stopped and turned around with a smile on her face.
"Try not to get shot this time, Liv. That way you guys can enjoy what comes after the date." The girl winked at them.
"Kathleen!" Elliot practically growled at his daughter, but she just laughed and went inside, not caring at all about what she had said.
Liv couldn't help but laugh at the girl’s antics. Kathleen was never afraid of speaking her mind and she never hid her desire about them becoming something more since her father came back.
None of them did, honestly.
Except Eli, of course.
Elliot closed the window when his daughter disappeared from their view and Olivia noticed how red his cheeks were. He was embarrassed!
"El, it's okay. She's just joking." She said softly, trying to make him feel better. He knew Katie well enough to know she never had a filter.
He got silent for a while, unmoving and staring blankly at the street in front of them. And his silence made her chest hurt. Olivia started to get apprehensive thinking about how she had mistaken every interaction between them and how the flirting had all been in her head.
Did I get this all wrong?
And every person – Richard Wheatley included – was wrong about his feelings for her.
Judging by his reaction to a joke from his daughter he was probably thinking about billions of ways to let her down gently.
"Elli-"
"She's right."
She was frozen.
Uhm… what?
"El?"
"She's right." Elliot repeated like she had suddenly gone deaf. "I should take you to an Italian place. My daughter is completely right, and I'll do it." He said, convicted of his own words while she just stared at him dumbly. "Noah's at your place?"
Olivia was silent, shocked. Did he just imply he would take her on a date?
"Well, we'll pick him up and I'll take us to my place." Elliot started the car without waiting for her to respond. She couldn't. She had lost her voice from shock. "We can grab some pizza on the way and have a movie night."
What was he talking about?
"I… uhm… what?" She felt like the dumbest woman on the earth. And maybe she was, since she did not have a fucking clue about what was happening.
"Well, your doctor said no physical activities for at least two weeks. You can't stay home alone, so you'll be staying with me. You and Noah."
What? When did she agree with that? And what did he mean by 'I should take you to an Italian place'?
"No, we won't."
Yes, they will.
"Yes, you will."
"No! We won't." She argued stubbornly. "I can take care of myself and my son. Thank you very much."
"No, actually you can't." Olivia was two seconds away from jumping on his neck and causing an accident, killing them both. "You need to rest. You need to be laying down for an extended period of time and you can't do that having to take care of a pre-teen. You could do it if you absolutely had to, but you don't have to. I'm here."
He was totally right and she knew it but Olivia didn't want to impose or be a burden to him. Her kid was her responsibility and not his, even though she wished more than anything in the world he was.
“Let me take care of you, okay?”
“But at your place?” Liv shook her head. “I don’t want to invade your space, El. Me and Noah will be fine, I’ll let you check on me everyday without complaining. How about that?”
Elliot simply laughed, looking straight ahead while driving, “Not up for negotiation. I already talked to Fin and Rollins while you were sleeping, they both agreed with me.” He glanced at her, feeling her growing anger. “You can be mad all you want, Liv. We’re doing this for you because you absolutely need to rest. This is not just a minor injury. You were shot for heaven's sake!”
“It was a birdshot!” She argued.
In all truth, she wouldn’t mind having him take care of her, but something deep in her would not allow her to simply let it go. So he would have to push.
“It wouldn't matter even if it was a scrape, Olivia.” His voice was firm. “Look, just stop being so goddamn stubborn for once and let me take care of you and Noah. I almost lost you in that diner, okay? I could’ve been planning your funeral right now, do you understand that?” She was stunned into silence hearing the aggravation in his voice. “I’ll take care of you in these two weeks, then you’ll go home with your son and when you’re completely healed I’ll take you out on a date. So don’t argue with me.”
She lost her thought process when she heard the word ‘date’ coming out of his mouth.
So it will be a date!
“Carisi is already driving Noah to my place and tomorrow we’ll go to your apartment to pick up some clothes for you.”
Inside, it was so fucking good the feeling of being taken care of, not having to think about what needs to be done or anything at all. Olivia knew she could zone out and everything would be just fine with Elliot right beside her. He was the only one she ever trusted to make decisions for her, anyone else she’d be halfway across the city right now.
And the word ‘date’ was still making her dizzy.
“I want pepperoni pizza tonight.” She said stubbornly, crossing her arms and looking out of the window. “And I’ll choose the Italian restaurant.”
She knew instinctively he was smiling triumphantly, “Yes, Captain.”
They both had completely forgotten about Jet in the backseat, who pretended not to hear anything until they dropped her off.
↔
Outside Elliot’s building, he refused to let her carry her bag. She couldn’t do much so she simply accepted and waited, supporting herself against the car. He closed the trunk with one hand while holding her bag with the other, not caring about his own things.
“I’ll grab it later.” Without any warning, he pulled her close by her waist, holding her steadily against his sturdy body. For the tenth time, she found herself stunned into silence. “Let’s get you inside and then we can order the pizza.”
It felt nice to have his arms around her, holding her, supporting her. And she took advantage of that, letting him carry most of her weight just to fuck with him but the man did not complain. Neither seemed to be struggling, the only thing he did was adjust his hold.
Oh and he also smirked.
She wanted to punch him for being so goddamn cute.
“I need to get my keys.” Elliot said when they reached the gate at the back.
Olivia thought he would let go of her waist to reach for his keys, but instead he slung the bag over his shoulder and used his – now free – hand to reach for it.
They both could hear the laughter coming from inside the apartment and Olivia recognized it immediately, her son’s laugh. The smile that appeared on her face was instantaneous. She heard Elliot’s mother laughing and another woman too, but the woman she did not recognize.
“It seems that Lizzie’s home.” Elliot murmured when he opened the door and walked inside with Olivia in his arms. “Hey, guys we’re home.”
“Dad!”
“Mom!”
“Kids!”
Everyone greeted them at the same time and Lizzie rushed to grab the bag from her father’s shoulder. She had a worried expression on her face and Noah had it too. But Bernie was looking at them with mischief.
“You okay, mom?” Noah asked observing his mother with attention while Elliot lowered her on the couch.
“Yes, baby. Just a scratch, I’ll be fine with a little rest.” She answered him gently, not wanting to alarm her son. “Come give me a hug, please.”
He did without complaining and that showed her how worried her baby boy was. Noah hugged her tight around the neck, but never touched her hip which told her that someone had talked to him about where she had been hurt.
“Uncle Sonny told me you hurt your hip and that we’ll stay with Elliot until you get better.”
Well, it seems that everyone knows.
“That’s right, kiddo. You and your mom will be staying here with me and my mom so we can help her get better.” Noah just nodded and smiled. Not bothered at all.
“Your mom said she won’t be here, but it’ll be nice to have someone to take care of my mom. She’s always taking care of everyone and no one takes care of her.”
Olivia wanted to dig a hole in the ground and crawled into it. Her son, just like Elliot’s daughter, did not have a filter on his mouth.
Bernie was trying to hold back her laughter and Lizzie was watching the scene with amusement. Elliot was looking sad, but also confused.
“Well, I promise you I’ll take care of you and your mom for the rest of my life.” The little boy’s eyes lit up with wonder.
“Me too?” He asked, completely amazed by Elliot’s words.
“Of course, kid.” Noah took everyone by surprise when he ran to the man and hugged him tightly. Then he went to Lizzie and Bernie and hugged them too.
Olivia was shocked by the display of affection from her son. That was not something he usually did, not at all, Noah was mostly very shy around people he barely knew and Elliot he had seen twice. Bernie and Lizzie? Not even once, but it seemed like they knew each other forever.
“Are you sure you’re not gonna stay here with us, Grandma B?” Olivia was shocked again when she heard what Noah had called Bernie and judging by Elliot’s red face, he was shocked too. And mortified.
But both Bernie and Elizabeth seemed completely unfazed. “I’m sure, honey.” The old woman patted his head softly. “But don’t worry, I’ll be back tomorrow night.”
Elliot didn’t know what to address first, there were too many things happening at once for him to process. Olivia didn’t know either, but also didn’t dare say anything in front of Bernadette Stabler.
“Mama, where are you going?” He asked first and his mother gave him a smirk.
“To Lizzie’s. She invited me and then came to pick me up, we were just waiting for you two to get home.” Bernie answered, already walking towards the table where her bags were.
Olivia, with Elizabeth’s help while the two were talking, lay down on the couch with her hip propped up. The same position that she was when they were flying. The girl even went to get some pillows for her to help her get comfortable while she watched the scene unfold.
Liv looked briefly at Noah, who was already at the breakfast bar painting without a care in the world.
“And why are you going to Lizzie’s?”
The woman looked at him like he was dumb, “Because the three of you need some time together, we can all hang out another day. Don’t play dumb, Elliot Joseph Stabler.”
He scratched his chin, not knowing what to do. There was no point in arguing with his mother when she had made up her mind. “Alright.” Elliot then looked at the boy to make sure he wouldn’t hear. “And why is Noah calling you Grandma B?”
“Because he wants to.” She shrugged dismissively and looked at her granddaughter. “Come on, I want to get there in time for my crime show.”
“Mama!?”
Bernie ignored him completely but Lizzie felt bad for her father, “Dad, he asked what he could call her and she said he could call her that. He agreed, that’s it.”
“I’m just speeding things up.” She yelled from the door. “Move, Elizabeth!”
The girl rolled her eyes, amused and went to crouch in front of Olivia.
“Liv, if you need anything, call me or Katie ‘cause Mo is in Washington this week and Dickie is somewhere in Canada on a hiking trip.” The blonde girl said, kissing her on the cheek, then she went to where Noah was sitting and kissed his head. “Bye bye, kiddo. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay. Will you bring your PS5? I forgot mine.”
“I sure will.” She saluted him, making him laugh. “Bye, guys.”
“Bye, Libby!” Elliot immediately looked at Noah, stunned. No one called Lizzie like that except her twin and he still remembers vividly when once, a very long time ago, one of her ex-boyfriend called her that and she almost bit his head off.
No one ever dared to call her Libby after that.
But seeing her now, smiling and waving at the little boy like she was the one to tell him to use that nickname… his heart was almost exploding from all the love he was feeling. He watched as she closed the door slowly, still waving at Noah and making the boy laugh even more.
Elliot glanced at Liv and saw her also watching the interaction with wonder and with a glint in her beautiful brown eyes. When Lizzie closed the door completely, he saw Olivia sighing happily and his heart got warmer.
He walked close to her and crouched down in front of her the same way his daughter had done, “If this is too much for you, I’ll talk to mama, okay? I don’t want you or Noah to be uncomfortable with us.”
Olivia smiled and nodded before answering him, “We’re okay, El. Noah wouldn’t call her that if he wasn’t comfortable." He breathed totally relieved. "Should we order the pizza now? I’m starving.”
↔
They ate together, sitting on the couch and watching a Disney movie that Noah picked because he had been wanting to watch for a while with his mom but Olivia never had the time to sit down and watch with him. Elliot was smiling throughout everything, engaging in every conversation the boy started and paying him undivided attention.
The boys talked about everything and anything, like they’ve been best buddies since day one. Olivia could not possibly feel more love for them than she was already feeling. Also, Elliot had pulled her against his chest again, so she wouldn’t put her weight on her injured hip and she didn’t complain at all.
It felt natural.
It felt like they belonged there, the three of them together.
And perhaps they did.
Perhaps it was time for her to let go of her fears and actually give a chance to this handsome man. A chance they never had before and a chance she didn’t want to waste.
Elliot was right, she could’ve died in that diner, bleed out in front of him and never know the taste of his lips or the feel of his touch. Olivia needed to know all of that and so much more.
“You okay?” He asked, whispering against her hair like he had done when they were on the plane.
“Yeah, I’m great.”
“We need to change those bandages soon so don’t fall asleep on me, huh?” He said teasingly and she nodded. “The kiddo is already asleep.”
“I’m gonna wake him up. Where will he sleep?” Liv asked, already trying to get up, but the man stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and she looked confused at him. “What?”
“I’ll take him, there’s no need to wake him up. And he’s gonna stay in Eli’s room.” Elliot got up, careful of Olivia’s injury. “Lay down, I’ll be right back.”
Very gently, he lifted the boy from the couch to his arms without making a ‘humph’. Olivia knew Noah was heavy, he was growing and she couldn’t carry him anymore, but apparently Elliot could.
He did carry me bridal style out of that diner after being maced, so that says a lot about his strength.
After almost five minutes, Elliot came back with a stupid grin on his face and with his eyes shining.
“What?” Liv questioned him while he was trying to settle on the couch the same way he was before. He grabbed her by her waist and lifted her up so that he could sit behind her again.
“He asked me about my kids, apparently my mom talked about them a lot. Then he said he thinks you like me.”
Olivia laughed, unbelieving. “What? He knows I like you and you know that too, why are you smiling?”
“He said he thinks you like like me. ‘Like boyfriend and girlfriend’ he said.” Elliot was smug, like he had hit the jackpot and he smiled even more when he noticed how red her cheeks were. “Ooh, big bad Captain Benson has a crush on this low level detective?”
“You’re an idiot.” She said, smiling fondly at him.
“I’m your idiot.”
She froze, looking at him with wide eyed.
She had lost count of how many times she had lost her words around this man and he kept surprising her. Olivia knew that if it was any other time, she’d be running for the hills after the slightly flirty word from him - let alone after what his mother had said.
“What?”
He stopped for a second, softening his features while fixing her gaze. “I am. Your. Idiot.” Elliot said, pausing, getting closer to her face with each pause. “Forever.” He placed his forehead against her, just feeling her closeness in that moment, wanting to memorize everything so that even in his most senile moments, he’d still remember every detail about her. “I love you and I’m not gonna hide it anymore. I love you with every beat of my heart, with every breath that I take and nothing in this world can ever change this.” Her eyes were tearful, never breaking their eye contact and listening, fascinated. “And even when this life ends, I will find you in the next one and the next one after that.”
Olivia loved him like that and maybe even more, but never in this lifetime she thought the love he felt for her was on the same level. Not like this. This was a whole other thing. He was looking devotedly at her, with his blue eyes filled with tears and so much love.
Her heart was pounding against her ribcage, almost screaming his name for the whole world to hear. Tenderly, she clasped her hands around the back of his neck, pulling him even closer as their noses would allow.
“I know we have a lot to talk about, but right now I just want to enjoy this with you.” Olivia confessed to him.
They had so much to discuss but she could not bring herself to break this beautiful moment with such heavy topics. They’d have the rest of their lives to talk about whatever they wanted and she wouldn’t waste another minute without this man.
“I love you, always had and always will. Ten years apart weren’t enough for this love to disappear, even though it seemed to everyone else I was over you, it simply wasn’t true. I have loved you for twenty-four years, Elliot and I will love you for any more that will come.”
The kiss was slow, not at all what she had imagined it would be between them after so many years lusting and loving each other from afar. He was gentle, tender and so, so careful with her that she felt like crying. His hands were in her hair, trapping her against his mouth.
She wouldn’t even complain if she died asphyxiated.
He wouldn’t either, he’d die a happy man if he died kissing her. She tasted like heaven, like every single dream he ever had in his life. Elliot never expected to feel his love for her enhance after a kiss, but God, it did. It kept growing and growing and Elliot feared he would explode from so much love.
“Don’t leave us.” She whispered, feeling her cheeks wet from her own tears. “Don’t leave us, please.”
“Never. Never, Liv.” He shook his head and kissed her again.