There are a myriad of shiny things in the world. The sun shines down every day. Glitter. Water when the moonlight hits it just right. In Olivia Benson's life, the shiny things were becoming more prevalent but, that wouldn't last long.
"Liv, what are you doing?"
Olivia had been sitting in her bed against the headboard with her shirt pulled up above her seven month pregnant belly. She had a small smile on her face as she caressed the ever growing bump. She looked up when she heard his voice. "I was trying to tell her to please move away from my bladder but she doesn't want to listen."
Elliot pushed himself off of the door frame with his shoulder and sat down on the bed beside her. He gently pressed his hand against her belly and grinned when he felt a gentle tickle against the palm of his hand. "Hey now little girl," he cooed, "Mommy has a date tonight and I don't want her having to rush to the bathroom every ten minutes." He leaned away from her stomach and gently pressed his lips to Olivia's before whispering in her ear, "that just wouldn't be any fun."
Olivia let out a small chuckle before pushing him away and pulling her shirt down. She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and pushed herself up before waddling away.
"Where are you going?" Elliot looked crushed.
"To the bathroom," she simply stated, "the baby didn't listen."
Elliot shook his head before falling onto his back on the soft mattress. Tonight would most likely be their last time together before the baby came. Elliot had the day off of work so he planned a dinner at Olivia's favorite restaurant and then he planned on going for a walk on the beach once the crowd had cleared away. He wanted to take away the stress that the pregnancy had been giving Olivia and he wanted to give her a night to remember forever. However, the baby had other plans. Olivia couldn't even leave the apartment these days unless their was a bathroom located somewhere nearby. Their little girl seemed to take to using her bladder as a pillow and Elliot and Olivia both wished she would find another spot to lay.
When he heard the toilet flush and the bathroom door open he rolled to his side and propped his head up with his hand. "So, he said, I have to go pick up a few things before tonight but I'll be back in time. Are you going to be okay?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "I think I'm going to take a little nap. I want to be well rested for tonight." She winked at him before crawling into bed under the covers.
"Alright, I'll be back soon. Love you." He planted a soft kiss on her cheek before grabbing a light jacket and heading out the door.
Elliot spent hours walking around the store and trying to find the perfect gift to give to his wife. He wanted to show her how excited he was for the baby and how he couldn't wait to add another year to their marriage. Finally, with the help of the lady at the jewelry counter, he found the perfect gift. He paid for it and tucked it safely into his jacket pocket. Tonight was going to be perfect.
When Elliot walked back into the apartment he expected Olivia to be ready to go. He was surprised to find her still in bed and snoring slightly. He didn't have the heart to wake her up. The past few months had really taken a toll on her energy wise and he knew that she sometimes pushed herself to the limit. He was happy she was finally catching up on some well deserved rest. He closed the bedroom door quietly and called the restaurant to cancel the reservations. They could still have fun tonight but it could wait until she woke up. In the meantime, Elliot thought of something else they could do for dinner and the perfect idea crossed his mind. He rummaged through the cabinets and the fridge, tossing contents into a brown wicker basket. A picnic on the sand was even better than some fancy restaurant where one meal was one hundred dollars.
When the picnic basket was filled and waiting on the table, Elliot heard the bedroom door open and Olivia as she shuffled down the hallway and into the living room. "El, I'm so sorry." She looked distraught as tears swelled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "I didn't mean to sleep late and now we missed the reservation. El I-"
"Liv, babe, calm down." He made his way over to her and wrapped his arms around her as best he could with her belly in the way, "it's alright. I didn't want to wake you. You were sleeping so well. I have something else in mind for us tonight."
She looked up at him and wiped her eyes. "You're not mad?"
"Of course not. Look," he pointed to the basket on the kitchen table, "we are going to have a picnic on the beach."
Olivia raised a brow, "El, I don't know if you have realized this but it isn't exactly easy for me to get up and down these days. You want me to sit on the sand?"
Elliot laughed, "I'll help you. Trust me."
"I do," she whispered before she leaned in for a kiss. "Let me fix my hair and we can head out."
Olivia walked out of the bathroom several minutes later with her hair fluffed so it lay perfectly. She had a dark pink sundress on and a light jacket over top of it. "Ready."
"You look gorgeous," he commented as he grabbed her hand, "let's go."
The beach had been cleared of people for at least an hour now as the sun disappeared and the moon took over. Elliot found a level spot in the sand and spread out a blanket for them to sit on. He sat the basket down and then helped Olivia before taking a seat across from her. They ate sandwiches and shared some chips before cleaning their mess and then proceeding to lay down. Olivia rested her head on Elliot's chest and they both looked up to the night sky.
"This is nice," Olivia commented.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I could fall asleep out here."
They both chuckled for the simple fact that she had slept most of the day and was still tired. "Do you want to take a walk?"
"Sure."
Elliot stood up first and reached out to help Olivia whose belly made things a little complicated. She loved her little girl but she was ready for her to come out. When Olivia was standing safely, Elliot grabbed for Olivia's hand and held it tight. They walked closer to the water and let the sound of the small waves carry them away.
"I have something for you," Elliot admitted.
"What is it?"
Elliot shrugged. "I wanted to get something that showed you how much I love you and how much I love our little girl. When we were trying to get pregnant... it was rough and now look at us." He smiled as he looked at her baby inhabited abdomen. "I just love you so much, Liv."
Olivia's hormones were getting the best of her and tears once again filled her eyes. "El..."
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the velvet jewelry box, opening it and exposing the dime size diamond earrings. "El... they're beautiful." She shakily took the box from him and examined the earrings up close, loving that he spent the time to find a gift. When he noticed the tears cascading down her cheeks he wondered what he had done to upset her.
"What's wrong?"
"I didn't get you anything," she cried.
"Liv, that wasn't the point. I just wanted to get you something nice. And you did get me something, you gave me my life back."
Olivia closed the box and stuffed it into her jacket pocket before throwing her arms around Elliot's neck and kissing him passionately. "I love you so much."
Elliot parted his lips as Olivia fought him with her tongue. Things were escalating and he needed to get her back to the house so they could continue their night in bed but, he couldn't move. Olivia wasn't letting up and she rubbed her hands down his shirt clad chest. It was a damn good thing nobody was around... or say they thought.