She loves the fall. The changing of the leaves in Central Park, an occasional Sunday night football game at her local sport's bar, hot apple cider and seeing kids dressed in their cute little costumes for Halloween.
School semesters have begun at various colleges in the area and those that hated high school get to start anew.
She wants that for her life.
A reload.
But Olivia has no idea how to go about getting it so she settles for a little fall cleaning. Or, at least as much as she can get done with her arm in a sling to limit the stress to her shoulder. They let her out after a couple of days with strict instructions about doing as little as possible. Yeah, right.
She's put all her summer clothes into those Space Bags from the infomercials. Her heavy coats have been sent to the cleaners in preparation for colder weather, her apartment's never been more dust or dirt free and she's stocked her refrigerator with actual food.
Going stir crazy is an understatement as to how she feels about not being allowed back at work. Her to do list is now done and then some.
Perhaps a shopping trip to add to her fall wardrobe will help curb her boredom.
With her arm in a sling, a flirty little dress is out of the question. It doesn't exactly scream sexy. So, she opts for dark wash blue jeans that hug her curves, a satin patterned cream blouse with a green velvet blazer and some brown wedged boots. It'll do for her day out.
No matter how many times she's been, she's always enjoyed the eclectic atmosphere of The Village.
The area has independently owned mom and pop shops as well as modern chain stores. There a multitude of cafes, restaurants and wine bars. And Olivia's seen more than one pair of boots that'd require a lot of overtime at her favorite shoe spot. She has to remind herself that carrying a lot of bags isn't an option at the moment. It's the only thing that stops her and saves her plastic from the abuse.
After several hours of window shopping and buying easy to carry items, she decides to pop into a bookstore café for hot cider. Olivia spots a title she's been meaning to purchase and grabs it to peruse while she rests.
She sighs heavily after sitting down, dropping the meager purchases at her feet. A waitress soon appears taking her drink order before leaving her alone again.
Not soon after she leaves does a tall man with green eyes and blonde curly hair approach Olivia. He looks to be about fifteen years her junior. She's never been into younger men so she vows to send him away as nicely as she's able.
"Hi I'm Matthew," he tells her. "Do you mind if I sit?"
"Actually I do," she says, giving him a polite smile. "I'm not looking for conversation at the moment," she adds honestly.
"Will you be looking for one later," he asks, giving her a ten thousand watt grin.
"Probably not," she tells him. "But thanks anyway."
"Come on," he persists. "Do you know how much courage it took for me to walk over here," he asks, trying the pity angle.
"That's very cute," she says. "And I'm sure it usually works," she admits. "But not today okay," she tells him.
"One coffee," he presses.
Then, as if by some miracle from heaven Elliot appears. He saunters right over to her, leans down and kisses her on the cheek.
"Sorry it took so long parking the car babe," he tells her. "I had to circle the block three times before I found a spot," he explains. "Who's this," he asks, nodding once in Matthew's direction.
"Oh, that's-"
"I'm nobody it was nice meeting you," Matthew says quickly before slinking back off to whatever corner of the bookstore he appeared from. Elliot was always like "man repellent" when he was around. Today she actually appreciates it.
"Babe," Olivia says, raising an eyebrow.
"Hey he didn't sound like he wanted to take no for an answer," he explains sitting down in an adjacent chair, one of his knees touching one of hers.
"I could've handled him you know," she tells him, unwilling to let on that she's actually glad he took care of it.
Olivia still has the same instincts as when they were partners. Telling him she can do things herself, that she's fine, that things are okay are all second nature to her, especially when they're anything but.
"I know," he says smirking a bit. "But my way was quicker," he tells her waiving over the barista.
"So you stalking me now or what?"
The young lady appears again to give Olivia her drink order and take Elliot's before disappearing again.
"No, I'm not," he responds. "I just left Kathleen and Elizabeth after several hours of them trying to run through my pension in one day," he explains.
She smiles at his obvious frustration.
"Teenage daughters will do that for you," she tells him, grinning before taking a sip of her drink.
"Right. Well I saw you in the window, told them I wanted to say hi to someone and that I'd take the subway home," he explains.
"So you used me as your escape plan," she asks, raising an eyebrow.
"And I'm not the least bit ashamed," he says taking his drink from the waitress. "I love 'em to death but they were driving me nuts."
Olivia gives him one of those smiles that says, "Good for them". Her facial expression tells him he deserves more than a hit to his wallet. Perhaps a gut punch.
"So how's the shoulder," he asks moving the conversation away from him.
"It's getting better," she informs him. "Stitches come out in about a week but they itch like mad," she adds garnering a grin from him. "I don't know how you dealt with being shot as many times as you were."
"Painkillers helped," he tells her. "But I can't say I never popped a couple stitches ignoring the doctor's orders."
She gasps dramatically to feign surprise.
"You, Elliot Stabler, going against someone's orders, say it ain't so," she says with a hand over her mouth in shock.
"Go ahead and yuck it up," he responds. "Like you aren't every bit is hardheaded," he claims. "I'm almost positive you aren't supposed to be strolling through Greenwich Village shopping," he offers, gesturing at her purchases. "You're probably not even supposed to leave your apartment."
Her face while usually a mask for stoicism is blushing because he's right. The sucky part is, he knows it.
When Elliot sees her expression, he sits back, crosses his legs and takes a self satisfying sip from his coffee.
"Cocky bastard," she tells him. "I can see you haven't changed a bit," she comments.
At that the smile leaves his face, he sits up and leans just that much closer to Olivia.
"I've changed some," he expresses. "How could I not," he asks, not needing to mention their severed partnership and him leaving a job he'd had for nearly half the time he's been alive.
Elliot holds her eyes for a moment, letting her see just how much it took out of him to hand in his papers. The shooting he got through. Finding something else to do with the other half of his life may have taken more.
"So how's retirement treating you," she asks, having to look away from everything his eyes reflect.
Olivia has always known better than to look for long. It's always made her want to reach out and touch him.
From the time he hugged her after Eli was born until he left, she's only ever reached for him once-the day Sonja was murdered.
It was the one time she allowed herself to need him and the way Elliot held on to her, he didn't disappoint. Pulling herself away after feeling such a visceral need was damned near impossible.
But as always, she got it together and let him go. He wasn't hers to hold.
"Just trying to keep busy I guess," he answers. "They say the number one killer of retirees is retirement," he adds. "Between Eli and my two youngest girls, I'd have to agree."
"But no more calls at all hours of the day and night, no more standing over dead bodies, no more making victim notifications to hopeful parents, no more of Munch's bad coffee or long nights with me instead of your wife," she tells him, counting off each with a raised finger on her uninjured side. "Poor baby," she adds smirking before sipping her hot cider.
He lets her gloat for about two seconds before responding.
"And no more getting justice for the victims, no more feeling the satisfaction from the cases we actually won, no more of the day to day camaraderie with the people who became my second family, no more seeing the faces of parents who had the fortune of good news and no more long nights with you instead of my ex-wife," he concludes, watching as the smile leaves her face.
First he shows up in her hospital room to see her and apologizes for the way he ended things, now this.
He just said he's divorced. If he expects Olivia to process this information rapidly, he's going to be in for a major disappointment.
"I'm sorry, what," she asks, nearly choking on her drink.
"Which part?"
"The last sentence," she responds, placing her cider on the table.
"Kathy and I called it quits," he informs her. "For good. No separation, legal or otherwise. Divorced."
"I'm sorry Elliot," she tells him. "You never mentioned having any trouble, not that you would've told me anything. Eli was always your favorite subject when we weren't discussing work," she reminds him.
He rubs his hands over his thighs, stopping at his knees. It was then she noticed that he wasn't in fact, wearing his wedding ring. He didn't even have a tan line. She'd missed that when he'd visited her in the hospital. But, then again his hands were stuffed into his pockets. Then, they were on her at which point she wasn't focused on what was missing, but what was there…his touch.
"What happened," she asks earnestly.
"I wasn't the easiest person to live with when I had a reason to leave the house every day," he admits.
She remembers saying to him, "She should try working with you." when he used this reasoning during the legal separation.
"Between the frustrating hoops the brass wanted me to jump through after Jenna's shooting, my all but forced retirement and suddenly having way too much time on my hands, I was more of an asshole than usual," he explains.
Olivia's mouth opens and closes several times before deciding to just listen because she has no idea what to say.
"We tried couple's therapy, one-on-one therapy and counseling at our parish," he continues. "All we came away with was shrink bills and the understanding that we loved one another but had just grown into different people."
"What about Eli," she asks picking up her drink again.
"We were able to come up with a good schedule," he tells her. "It's been about a year so it's working for us. Everyone seems well adjusted."
"Wow a year," she exhales. "And you're looking pretty well adjusted yourself," she acknowledges, hoping it didn't sound like a come-on.
"Thanks Liv," he says. "And minus the sling you're looking good too," he compliments, giving her a smile.
Olivia can't help but return the gesture and feel a bit of the comfortableness they had as partners come back.
Yet she knows for all the time they've been apart and the way that he left, that things can't continue to be so easy going. But at least they're talking. At least he's there to talk with.
As good as it feels she can't help waiting for the other shoe to drop. Olivia has been left anything but unscathed by her life and those that have been in and out of it. She's skeptical, uneasy and her former partner has a little something to do with that.
Her beeping watch distracts them from one another.
"What's that for," he asks, knitting his eyebrows together.
"Time to take my pain meds," she informs him. "I need to get home and eat something first though," she tells him. "It'll probably be lights out after that, they really do me in."
"I think they left me enough money to eat with," he says to her. "If you don't mind me joining you we could get something close by," he offers.
"Um, okay," she responds hesitantly. "Let me pay for this book and I'll be right back."
When she returns he's holding her packages and looks at her like she's crazy when she tells him to hand them over.
Olivia tucks the new purchase in her purse and they walk out together, him holding the door for her.
"So what sounds good to you," he asks as they maneuver around other pedestrians.
"Why don't you pick."
"You know I'm easy Liv," he says. "But the Tribeca Grill sounds good," he suggests.
"Let's do it."
Sooner hopefully rather than later maybe Elliot will tell her why he's decided to grace her life with his presence once again. Perhaps he needs that kidney after all.
"And then you can tell me what I've missed out on since we've been apart," he missteps. "I mean since I retired."
Jeez. He made it sound like they had broken up or something.
Maybe instead of dying, she fell through Alice's rabbit hole into an alternate universe. The Mad Hatter is sure to show up sooner or later.
