Olivia sat in her minivan, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. Her two children were in the backseat playing on their tablets. She looked at her son and smiled sadly. Ryan looked like a miniature Elliot. Her daughter, Grace, is a carbon copy of herself, right down to her dark brown eyes. She was pulled from her thoughts as Elliot's Jeep parked in the spot next to her. She quickly wiped the moisture from her eyes. "Alright kiddos, put your tablets away, your Dad's here." She opened the door and stepped into the sun. She then leaned against the car and looked over at Elliot. As he got out of his car, she couldn't help but whimper at the sight of his muscles flexing through his shirt. She flashed back to a memory of him holding her in his arms and kissing the top of her head. She smiled again at the thought.
"Ahem." Elliot cleared his throat. "A penny for your thoughts?" He snickered.
Olivia's eyes widened. She immediately stepped back as her face turned red. "Oh, just a memory."
Elliot smiled, "Must have been a good one."
As Olivia walked around to the trunk, she whispered, "You have no idea." She turned to face him. He immediately noticed her eyes looked tired and sad. Had she been crying? Would she push me away if I pulled her into my arms and held her? He shook his head at the thought.
She watched him while he was deep in thought. She found herself drifting towards him. She wanted to reach out and touch him. The past two months had been hard for her. Temporary separation had been his idea. What was 'temporary' about two months? One month from now will be Christmas. It will be the first Christmas they wouldn't spend together as a family. She had suggested counseling instead, but he wouldn't budge. He kept saying, 'I don't want some stranger knowing my weaknesses.' They had been married for 8 years. The twins' 7th birthday was in 32 days. Since the separation, Elliot moved downstairs to Homicide. Olivia stayed in SVU. They hoped that if they didn't spend every waking hour together, maybe they wouldn't argue as much. Well, now they don't talk much at all. Only every other weekend.
She handed the kids' duffel bags to him. His fingers brushed over hers and sent a warm sensation through her body. Their eyes met and for a second she could have sworn she saw lust and want. She knew her eyes conveyed the same thing. He looked down quickly, "So, we'll meet again Sunday at 6pm?"
"Yep." She hesitated. "Hey El? Have you given any more thought to what we talked about two weeks ago?"
He nervously cleared his throat and raked his hand down his face. "Liv, I'm just not ready yet."
She glanced at his ring finger and noticed his wedding band was missing. She couldn't stop the tears that began to pool and slip down her face. Elliot stepped closer to her and wiped them with his thumbs. He took her face in both of his hands and raised it to his. "Liv, what's going on?"
She wrapped her hands around his wrists. "I can't do this any longer El. Don't you miss us?" She took in a deep breath. "Or are you seeing someone else?"
He immediately dropped his hands and took a step back. "Olivia, why would you ask me that?"
She nodded towards his left hand and she spoke softly, "You're not wearing your ring."
He looked down. "Damnit! I left it on the bathroom sink."
Olivia threw her hands in the air. "Ugh! You're still doing that?!"
His face became red and he clenched his fists. "Well shit Liv! Which would you rather me do, cheat on you or forget to put on my ring?"
She turned and walked around to the side of the van. Elliot's voice could be heard loud and clear. "That's right Liv, walk away like you always do."
The sliding door opened and two happy kids jumped out. They ran up to their father and hugged him. "Daddy! We missed you!" Grace shouted. Ryan gave him a high-five. "Hey Daddio!"
Olivia slowly made her way back to them. "Come give your Mom a squeeze." Both kids ran up to her. Grace looked at her with puppy dog eyes. "Family hug?"
Olivia looked at Elliot. He let out a long breath and nodded yes. He slowly walked over to them and wrapped his arms around both kids. He let his fingers brush her arms. She closed her eyes. He cringed when he saw the tears start to fall again. He doesn't know why he gives her such a hard time. It's not her fault. None of this is her fault.
They released each other and said their good-byes. Olivia got back in her van and as she drove away, she forced herself to keep her eyes on the road. On her way into work, Olivia stopped by the coffee shop. She was definitely going to need caffeine and sugar to make it through the day. Today was one of her volunteer days. She chose to come in on her off day. Today, she was glad that she did. She didn't feel like going home to spend the day feeling sorry for herself.