Hey guys!

I'm back with another two shot. This part if the first part. Set around season 14 (imagine season 14 Liv). Elliot is divorced, and he's retired. He and Olivia are a couple, and as she's out working on a case, he thinks about how lucky and blessed he is to have her in his life.

Enjoy this first part xoxo

Blessings - One

"El."

He sat up in their bed as soon as the sound of her voice comes through the receiver of his cell phone. It's just another night of him staying at home, but the second night without them being together in their bed. She had been working a case for almost three days straight and the exhaustion was evident with each time they were able to speak. He missed her terribly, and truthfully couldn't wait until she came home. He already had a plan for when this was over - he was going to spoil her, help her relax and forget about this heart wrenching case that she and the squad were working on.

"Hey baby," he replied, scratching a hand over his chest before laying back down again; "You okay?" He looked over at the clock; it was just past three in the morning.

"I'm supposed to be in the cribs taking a nap, but I can't sleep; this case is getting to me," he listened as she paused to let out a yawn, "I'm on the roof; wishing you were here. Remember the last case we were on like this – with kids?"

Elliot closed his eyes, remembering one where it was this intense. It was during the third year of their partnership; they worked for three days, working to find a kidnapped girl before she was killed on the third day. He remembered as the days dragged on, the more the tension ran high which meant he and Olivia were fighting by the third day. He remembered how they yelled at each other due to being so tired, then silently apologized once it was over by having dinner together and paying for one another's meals. He also remembered that he drove her home after they ate and ended up crashing on her couch because he was too tired to drive to Queens.

"I remember," he breathed out, "Do you want me to come see you?"

"No babe, it's okay; I don't want you coming all the way out here this late just for me," she chuckled a bit, "I just hope this will be over soon; these kids…dammit." He could hear the wobble in her voice, and he knew that she was struggling to keep it together.

"Liv…talk to me baby." He spoke softly, keeping his voice calm as to not get her too worked up.

There was silence for a bit, then the sound of a sniffle, then she spoke; "The latest kid that was snatched…he's only five. Eli…Eli is five."

"Liv, Eli's okay…did you talk to him?" he asked, closing his eyes. He had seen the report on the news earlier about the latest missing child, and the child was only five years old. The report made him think of his youngest son whom had recently celebrated his fifth birthday, and he ended up calling the former marital home where the little boy lived with his mother, just to hear his little voice.

"Yeah," he heard her sniffle again, "I called the house and Kathy let me talk to him…" She let out a chuckle; "He was telling me about the animals at the zoo, and God, for a moment, I forgot about this shitty case."

Elliot smiled, his heart warming. Olivia and his youngest son had always had a close bond, considering she was the one who saved him and Kathy when they were involved in a car accident five years earlier. Kathy ended up slipping into unconsciousness, which left Olivia to hold the little boy for quite a while until the doctors were able to revive Kathy and make sure her vitals were stable. Since then, Olivia and Eli had always been super close and shared a special bond; she was 'Liv' and he loved her. Olivia loved him too; she loved him like he was her own son.

"Once this is all over and you're finally able to come home, we can spend some time with him – sound good?" he asked, smiling as he relaxed against the pillows.

"Sounds absolutely perfect, I just want…" she stopped, and Elliot could hear someone talking in the background and could hear Olivia respond with an 'okay'; "Elliot, I gotta go…I love you."

His heart fluttered every time she said those words; "I love you too, baby."

The call disconnected, and he laid there, looking up at the ceiling. All he could think about was the brunette detective that he had just finished talking to.

He and Olivia had been for so long; their chemistry had been evident from the day Captain Cragen first introduced them and Elliot swore that when their hands touched, he felt a jolt that couldn't be explained. With their connection and the chemistry, with the way they could look into each other's eyes and know exactly what the other person was thinking, they became this dynamic crime fighting duo of the NYPD. Their partnership was the longest, their case closure rate was the highest. He was the rage at the crime, she was the compassion for the victim. Together, they were unstoppable.

But with this job, with seeing the worst of the worst...it could take a lot out of the person. Elliot had been at SVU for nineteen years, and he had seen many people come and go. Three years was usually the maximum amount of time he would see certain people in that unit, and that was because the cases they saw were too sickening. He, along with Olivia, Fin, and Munch ended up being the longest detectives in the unit. Now, just those three were because after nineteen years, he had to bow out.

The shooting had occurred over a year earlier, yet it still haunted him. After the smoke cleared, it dawned on him what had happened. He had done the one thing he tried like hell not to do again - he chose Olivia over the job. When he saw Jenna Fox aim that gun in their direction - at Olivia - he fired. When the teenage girl - one whom was just a couple years younger than his twins - bled out in his arms, that was the final straw. He had turned his badge and gun in that day, and three months later, the papers were on his Captain's desk. He couldn't do it anymore - enough was enough.

And the retirement also allowed him to face the truth. His marriage was over; he had been legally separated when the shooting happened and divorced by the time he turned his papers in. It was then that he allowed himself to finally realize that his partner of thirteen years - his Olivia - meant a lot more to him than he had been willing to admit. He and Olivia had remained in contact following the shooting, and he had spent many nights in her apartment on her couch, with a beer in his hand and with his other arm around her, holding her as she rest her head on his shoulder while they soaked in the effects of their job. She was the first person he told about his retirement plans, and while she was upset at first, she eventually realized that it was the best thing for him.

And it was him who - a week after he put his papers in - confessed his true feelings for her. The nerves flooded all over his body as he revealed the truth to her on her couch on that late August evening, but when she told him she felt the same way and had felt it for so long, all nerves were extinguished. They agreed to give things a try and to see what happened between them, though they both knew deep down that this was 'it' for them.

And now here it was, December 2012. They had been together for a little over a year and were very happy. The two actually felt better about the fact he had retired. Their professional chapter together may have been closed, but that was okay because their personal chapter was so much more magical than either of them could have ever dreamed of. He found it great how fate worked. He had prayed so long for the woman of his dreams, as he had always known that Kathy just wasn't it. He prayed for signs and signals, when all along, the woman of his dreams had been the one that had walked the streets by his side and had his back for thirteen years.

He felt so blessed. He had the woman he had loved for so long – his Olivia.

Elliot sighed, looking over at the clock as he broke away from his thoughts. It was almost four in the morning now, and he needed to get some sleep at least.

He laid himself down and snuggled up to her pillow. The faint scents of lavender, coconut, and a smell that was simply Olivia filled his nostrils and calmed him down.

And before long, he had drifted off to sleep.

Elliot woke up some hours later, around eleven. Today was his day off from his job at the police academy, so he simply pottered around - he showered, made the bed, had some brunch, called all of his children to talk with them for a bit. He even shot a text off to Olivia to check in on her, but there was no reply which was a sign that she was still busy.

A short while later - towards late-afternoon - his phone buzzed with a new text from Olivia. He smiled as he read the message; the case was closed, all the kids were safe, and that everything was good. She also told him that she and Fin were taking their perp to the tombs, to which he responded with a message to say he was coming to pick her up, so she wouldn't have to get a cab. He then then threw on some sneakers and a hoodie with his black NYPD sweats, then grabbed his keys before bolting out the door. He needed to get to her...now!

He soon arrived at the familiar building that had been his second home for so many years. He parked his truck, then got out and went inside. He spoke to the familiar guard at the front desk, then went straight upstairs to the Special Victims Unit squad room. The place still looked the same and he smiled at the familiar sight of Olivia's desk and at Munch sitting at his own desk. Off to the side at a desk was a blonde detective he'd met before – one of the new detectives, Amanda Rollins. Across from Olivia's desk was a dark hared guy he had met before; Olivia's partner, Nick Amaro.

"Stabler - how ya doing man?"

Elliot's attention was captured by Munch, whom had noticed him and was now coming towards him. The two shared a one arm hug and clapped each other on the back, as despite Elliot no longer working with them, they were still all close.

I'm good, John; no need in complaining," Elliot replied; "You doing okay, old man?"

"I'll be even better when I can get the hell out of this place," Munch replied before continuing; "Here to get your lady?" Munch wondered. Elliot nodded as he followed the older man over to his desk. He quickly popped into his former Captain's office to say hello and to give the older man a handshake then gave a head nod to Amanda and to Nick as he passed their desks to get to Munich's desk.

"Liv still with Fin?" He wondered.

"Yeah; taking our perp to the tombs." Munch explained. Elliot nodded, glancing over at Olivia's desk. He sighed to himself; he hoped she was back soon.

He chatted with Munch, Amanda, and Nick for a little bit longer until Munch headed out for the evening. Amanda headed out a short while later, which left him and Nick in the bullpen together. Elliot was perched on the edge of Olivia's desk, flipping through a random magazine that was on her desk.

"So, you and Benson...you were partners for thirteen years?"

Elliot looked up; Nick was leaned back in his chair and looking at him. Elliot nodded his head, smiling to himself as he thought about Olivia.

"Yep; longest partnership here." He replied. Nick nodded, fiddling with his pen.

"I've heard people saying that in the last year since I've been here; saying that you two were the best and longest partnership around here," he tilted his head; "How did you two manage to keep your shit together for that long?"

"Man, it wasn't easy," Elliot chuckled, shrugging; "We've has some rough patches." He shuddered, flashes of Gitano and Oregon and Kathy being pregnant again and the accident flashed through his mind. So many chances of what could have been, yet so much stopped them from ever crossing the line.

Until now, of course.

"She's did tell me that you guys had some pretty intense fights and stuff," Nick remarked, "When I first met you them months ago, I was expecting some hot head." He then laughed when Elliot chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as he did so.

"I've always had a problem with my temper, but Liv has always calmed me down. When we fought though, we just...we knew how to hurt each other; I think it was the tension and knowing we couldn't do anything about it is what caused us to fight so intensely," he laughed to himself; "We only recently said 'I'm sorry' for all the fights; we used to just buy dinner or coffee and that was the white flag of surrender."

Nick laughed, clearly amused by the stories of such. He really did have a great respect for Olivia and her old partner as well, who was just as great as she was and whom was one of the most respected officers to have ever been in the NYPD. When they had met about a year earlier, it had taken Elliot a little bit to get warmed up to him, considering Elliot never really trusted anyone to have Olivia's back other than himself. However, the few times that he had met Nick and talked to him, he started to ease up a bit and understand that Olivia seemed to be in safe hands.

"Sounds like me and my old partner when I was in Narcotics, minus the tension of course - we're best buds but had the worst fights;" he chuckled before going serious; "On a serious note man, I'm just glad you trust me to have her back, but I don't think I can ever be what you were to her."

"Probably not," Elliot rubbed a hand over his jaw and chuckled at the bemused expression on the younger man's face;

"Didn't mean it in a bad way; I'm just saying that me and Liv had a connection that not even we could understand - it was intense, and we were in love even though we couldn't do anything about it, so it was even more intense. Man...from day one, I knew she was special...but I was married so, couldn't do anything."

"I can see you two had something intense, and obviously now you two have something special going," Nick chuckled before leaning his elbows on his desk; "Well...you don't have to worry; she's safe."

Elliot smiled. Even though he had talked to this man a few times already, it did make him feel better actually hearing that Nick would have her back and keep her safe. Though he would never fully trust anyone to have her back other than himself, it was still nice to know that while she was at work, she had someone else that was just as dedicated to protecting her as he was. He knew that it would be hard to step away from constantly being around her when he made the decision to retire, but now, they were free to take the next step and build something beautiful together. He could protect her all the time outside of work and shower her with all the love she deserved.

"I appreciate that," Elliot chuckled a bit, "Thank you though, seriously; I'm glad she's got you to keep her safe while she's here."

"No problem," Nick smiled before leaning in a bit, "And thanks for making her happy; I've only known her for about a year, but Fin says she's the happiest he's ever seen her and well, she deserves it; she's a great person."

Elliot nodded, opening his mouth to speak when a familiar voice interrupted him;

"Well, looks like my partners are getting along great."

He and Nick looked up. Elliot felt like his breath had left his body. She looked so beautiful. Even though she looked so tired and her clothes were a little wrinkled from the work she'd been doing for the last three days, she was still beautiful in the grey t-shirt and black slacks that hugged every curve on her body, the boots that added a few inches to her height, and the grey hoodie that no doubt was one that belonged to him. Her glossy brunette locks were swept up into a messy bun, and that dazzling smile that came about when he was around was on her lips.

"We were having a manly chat." Nick chuckled as he sighed off on another file.

"See, we can get along just fine," Elliot chimed in as he shared a hand shake with Fin while his other arm slipped around the waist of the brunette beauty, whom was standing in front of him now, "Perp get to the tombs without injury?"

"If we're ignoring the fact that Fin accidentally knocked the prick into a wall then yeah, he got there without injury." Olivia teased, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"He stumbled." Fin smirked as he picked up some files to take into Cragen's office. Elliot laughed before sliding his other arm around Olivia as she snuggled into him. He rubbed her back a couple times and breathed out; he was just so glad that she was safe, and this case was over.

"Ready to go home?" he murmured. She nodded her head, discreetly placing a soft kiss onto the skin of his neck.

"Let me take these files to Cragen and then we can go," she let go of him and grabbed the files to take to the Captain, "I'm so tired, holy shit. I'm gonna enjoy these couple days off." She popped into Cragen's office, while Elliot stood up from the edge of her desk. He turned to Nick and stuck his hand out, and the younger man grabbed his hand and gave it a firm shake, a silent thank you and an understanding between the two men. They both cared about the brunette and wanted her to be happy and safe; Nick would keep her safe at work, Elliot would keep her safe everywhere else.

Olivia emerged from the office a few moments later and packed up her things quickly, clearly excited for the fact they were getting a couple days to recuperate after this long case. Elliot took her bag for her, then gave a wave to the captain. He nodded his head at Nick, who nodded back and wished them a good few days together. Elliot kept his arm around Olivia's waist as they stepped into the elevator, and once the doors closed, he turned and kissed her forehead in that protective manner. She smiled, snuggling into him some more. They stepped off the elevator at the ground floor and walked to the car together, and Elliot helped her into the passenger seat before going around and slipping into the driver's seat.

He began driving back to hers with a smile on his face. He figured she hadn't eaten much over the last few days, so he glanced over at her as he stopped for a red light. He chuckled softly as he saw her sitting with her elbow on the door and her head against her hand, already fast asleep.

His heart fluttered. She was so cute, and he was so in love with her. And God, she was such a blessing.

And that was part one. Part two will be coming soon...but until then, leave some feedback please. Thank you friends; until next time xoxo