Disclaimer – I don't own, just borrowing for amusement.
Author note – This was written before the season seventeen premier in the hope that Fin would become a sergeant. It is AU as far as it concerns Elliot, and it takes on the premise that he and Olivia have kept contact off screen since he retired at the beginning of season thirteen. If you're too shy to leave a review, send me a PM to let me know what you think of the story or if you want more. I am mainly working on one shots but this idea was too long for one chapter. It's not a long story, but I think this deserves another chapter or two. Heavy on sap and light hearted moments with no angst in sight, that's the intention any way. I have no idea what's wrong with me.
Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending how you feel) no minions were harmed while writing this.
No Place Like Home
'Though we drifted apart in distance I still think of you as being right here. And although we have many new friends, it is our friendship that means the most to me.'
Olivia sat with her phone pressed to her ear as she listened to Dodds drone on about the latest headline which has caused him a headache this morning. She winced as he called out her counterpart in Brooklyn, emphasising that particular fuck up better not happen in Manhattan. Her eyes wandered out into the squad room. Her team's heads were down and focusing on their work, every once in a while Fin or Amanda would glance at the little boy kneeling on the chair beside Amanda's desk. Noah had wandered out there soon after she answered the phone nearly half an hour ago and headed straight for Amanda, who smiled brightly at him when he emerged alone from Olivia's office, quickly settling next to her when she made space for him on the corner of her desk. The younger woman met her eyes after Noah made a grab for a pencil and nodded to say Noah was fine where he was. He didn't notice them or feel her gaze as his head was bent over the construction paper Fin had got him from the play room.
"T'ank Oo Unca Fin," Noah had said softly when the paper and crayons were placed in front of him silently with a conspiratorial wink. The aging newly appointed sergeant may not be the most comfortable around young kids but his chest puffs out proudly whenever Noah utters Unca Fin.
Olivia smiles as Noah startles the rest of her team by sitting up suddenly and pulling on his bright yellow shirt with the face of a minion on the front. "I'm a min'on," he declares to his audience. Amanda smiles fondly and Fin allows a chuckle to escape while Carisi rolls his chair to the opposite end on the joined desk and points at himself.
"Sonny got you that shirt," he tells Noah.
"C'isi got me shirt," Noah replies less enthusiastically than before and Sonny's face falls. This makes Amanda laugh and she covers it with the back of her hand so not to encourage the little boy. Olivia didn't blame her; it takes a lot of self-control to smother her own. She doesn't know whether Noah does it on purpose but he, along with the rest of them, refuses to use Carisi's first name.
"Nah, Noah's my minion," Fin argues and Noah nods his head enthusiastically.
Carisi rolls away in defeat and after a few minutes they resume their own tasks and watching Noah. Olivia looks at her watch, Lucy will be here soon. She wants to get Noah ready to leave before that happens. It's not because she doesn't love spending time with him whenever she can, she hates having to bring him here and expose him to this environment but she has little choice. He is well behaved when he's here and loves seeing the rest of the team and they love seeing him. She trusts them not to use this against her and inform Dodds of Noah's presence in the squad. She isn't worried about the reprimand he'd give so much as she worries about her sons' safety and the possibility of one of their perps seeing him and making him a target to use against her.
Dodds is still talking and she meets Fin's eyes through her open door. She scowls and when he smirks back she shakes her head. His phone beeps in his pocket and she watches him take it out of his pocket to check the message. Olivia hopes whatever it is it won't take him out of the squad while she's still listening to Dodds. On cue her own pocket vibrates but she doesn't check it because she hopes she'll be free from listening to Dodds soon.
Olivia enviously watches Fin read the message before he tucks the phone back into his pocket and says something to Amanda who shakes her head her lips twisting into a humorous sneer before she checks on Noah again who has decided not to show her his picture till it's done.
Thankfully Dodds mini tirade seems like it is coming to an end and she expels a quiet sigh of relief. He reiterates his point of not repeating Brooklyn's mistake and abruptly hangs up the phone without so much as a goodbye.
Olivia breathes out and she replaces the phone back on the base unit and she sits back in her chair, her muscles revelling from being hunched over in the same position for so long. She rolls her neck and lets out a groan as it clicks. After a moment she pushes up from her chair and walks towards the bullpen. Her phone vibrates again in her pocket and she pulls it out to check the message.
She's typing in her code as she approaches Noah's chair from behind. Resting her hand on the back she looks over his shoulder at the scribbles of yellow and blue which form what she assumes is meant to be a minion. Noah senses her appraisal and twists his head to look at her, smiling when he realises it's her. She strokes a hand over his hair reassuringly and he goes back to his picture. Her eyes slide onto the phones' screen as the message appears.
Olivia frowns when she sees it's from Munch and sees that it's been sent to Fin, Cragen and Elliot as well. She tosses the phone on to the desk next to Noah, who snatches it up quickly to play with; thankfully the screen automatically locks after a few seconds. Olivia turns to Fin. "Munch wants a reunion?"
"Yeah, he's getting sentimental in his old age," Fin offers.
"Don't let him here you say that," Amanda advises from across their desks.
"I won't," Fin replies.
"Maybe he's getting married again," Amanda wonders out loud and the incredulous looks she receives for her curiosity makes her duck her head and redirect her attention back to her paper work.
"Don't let him here you say that," Fin stares at his partner for a long beat. "There's too much paperwork involved for it to be that." he dismisses drolly with a shake of his head and Amanda rolls her eyes. "He wants to celebrate our promotions. When's Stabler coming back to New York?" He asks Olivia.
"He's visiting next week," she answers.
Elliot had been in Vegas for the last year and a half setting up a security business with a friend, trying to establish connections with the casinos. He hasn't been home since, his children choosing to visit him there on their college breaks rather than return to New York. She misses him and it took a while for her to get used to his absence in the squad room after he retired. He eventually returned her calls a few weeks after Cragen broke the news to her and apologised for shutting her out, explaining that he had been convinced to talk through his anger with a therapist. Since then his presence in her life has been less significant than it was before. She was still just as busy with work and he wanted to distance himself from that while he was dealing with his issues, so their interaction became the rare drink when they could fit it into their schedules.
That was until her abduction. He only got angry once. He'd managed to convince a friend Olivia didn't know to slip him the report, which only contained barely any details. He raged at himself, drank the best part of a bottle of whiskey and then attempted to take it out on the punch bag he set up in his garage. Kathleen found him lying on the concrete floor with a bloody nose from where he'd obviously swung but was too drunk to actually connect with the bag and he'd fallen to the floor. He hadn't been able to pick himself up, just laid there mumbling her name over and over again. Well, that's what Kathleen told her when she phoned. Once he sobered up Olivia told him she needed his support rather than drinking himself into a drunken stupor over misplaced, self-imposed guilt. She's had enough of that in her life.
After that talked semi-regularly until he got offered the chance to buy into a security company in Vegas a few weeks before Noah came to live with her. Since then, their talks turned into video chats every couple of weeks, sometimes with Noah, sometimes without. And she likes that she's able to talk through her insecurities with her former partner, whether they be of being a new parent or running the unit. He's happy for her, urging her not to give up when things got too hard. They've never meet in person but Noah is thoroughly entertained during their conversations with 'E'iot', laughing at the faces her friend makes at him on the screen of her tablet.
Friend.
It's nice to call him that when she's aware his departure from the force could have gone completely differently.
"He gonna meet Noah?" Fin asks breaking her from her reverie.
"Yeah, he's coming over on Saturday." She's got to admit she's a little apprehensive of how that meeting will go. It's one thing for them to meet via a screen but completely different for it to happen face to face. She has no idea why she feels insecure about it, Elliot's been nothing but supportive. Olivia glances down at Noah. He's content tapping at the numbers on pass code screen, trying to unlock it. Carisi's phone rings and he answers it loudly, drawing her attention. Seconds later he announces a body has been dragged from the river with signs of sexual assault. As he and Rollins get up to leave, Lucy arrives to collect Noah. The coy looks exchanged between the sitter and the newest member of the team as they exchange greetings doesn't go unnoticed by the rest of them, though none of them comment.
"You okay with that?" Fin asks her quietly.
Though she feels protective of Lucy it's not her place to offer judgement about who she dates. "She could do a lot worse and his heart is in the right place."
Fin accepts her answer with a small bob of his head. She doesn't have any time to say anything else as Noah taps her hand and holds out her phone. "Mama, it E'iot," he says quietly, his tiny voice full of guilt.
Olivia takes the phone and sure enough Elliot is staring back at her, looking as confused as she is. "Elliot? I didn't hear the phone ring."
"I didn't ring, I think Noah called me," he says with a smile. "Smart kid."
"Yeah," Olivia drawls. At least it was Elliot he called and not Dodds. Besides her, Fin chuckles and reaches around her to ruffle Noah's hair before sitting in his and returning to his paperwork. She looks down at her son who was looking back at her, his eyes wide as he attempts to look as innocent as possible. Even at two he understands he's done something he shouldn't have. "Noah, did you phone Elliot?"
Noah just shrugs and quietly says, "Uh huh."
Olivia sighs. "I'm sorry Elliot."
"It's fine, my kids did worse," Elliot brushes it off. "Did you get this invite from Munch?"
She smiles gratefully and sees Lucy come to stand on the other side of Noah. "I did and so did Fin, I'm sorry to cut this short because I have to get my cheeky little boy ready to go with Lucy. Talk to you later?"
"Sounds good," he confirms, unoffended. "I'll see you next week. Bye Noah thanks for calling."
Noah lifts up onto his toes and peeks at the screen. "Bye E'iot," he says scrunching his hand.
"Thanks El," Olivia says disconnecting and turns to Noah. "Come on little man let's get your coat so you can go with Lucy."
"No coat," Noah replies as he eagerly jumps down from his chair and runs into her office.
TBC?
