My apologies in advance, I barely know anything about baseball so I won't focus on the game details … enjoy anyway?
...
2. The Game
Sunday, June 3, 2108
Noah was elated to hear that he could go and see the Mets play against the Cubs. He wasn't sure yet which one was his favorite team and he asked his mother about the man who had gotten them the tickets.
"Is he a Mets fan, mom?"
"He is," Olivia confirmed. "I think Peter knows people in the club, actually."
Noah's bright eyes were filled with admiration and he couldn't wait to meet this new friend.
"Does Peter play too?"
"Well, we're meeting him soon so why don't you ask him? I'm sure he'll be happy to tell you," Olivia said, tapping Noah's nose before straightening out his jacket.
They were having nice weather lately but it was cloudy today and she thought it best to have Noah put a jacket on over his thin shirt. She was wearing a grey hoodie over a white t-shirt and blue jeans herself, and she had pinned her hair up loosely. They were going to a ball game so there was no need to dress up. Still, she wondered if she looked alright and she sighed when she realized it. Why would she need to look alright? Peter had seen her in her work clothes as well as a bullet proof vest with messy hair, so why would she try to look nice now? They were going to a ball game for Noah, and to distract Peter from his loss. This wasn't some kind of date!
"When does the game start mom?" Noah asked her eagerly and Olivia checked her watch.
"In an hour and a half. We should get going."
"Will we meet Peter there? Does he have the tickets?"
"Yes. Yes, he does."
They left the apartment and took the bus and then the 7 train to the stadium.
Peter was waiting for them at the entrance and Olivia spotted him from a distance. She secretly had a thing for tall men and while nobody was a match for Trevor Langan lengthwise, Peter still qualified. He looked different in faded jeans, blue sneakers and a blue Mets jacket. When he spotted her too, he raised his arm and waved at them, and Olivia pointed him out to her son. Noah waved too and started tugging on her hand to hurry up.
Peter smiled when the young boy introduced himself enthusiastically and Olivia was glad her son was so at ease with other people. She wondered sometimes if he was too naive, but she didn't want to raise him to be scared of everyone and everything. There would be time to warn him about the dangers of the city. For now, she just made sure she or Lucy stayed close to him at all times.
"Do you play too, Mr. Stone?" Noah asked excitedly, and Peter grinned at her.
"I used to. And please call me Peter. When you call me Mr. Stone, I feel so old."
Noah laughed happily at that and they followed Peter to their seats. She watched her son walking next to Peter, eagerly absorbing everything the man was telling him about baseball and the stadium. He'd said he would feel old if Noah called him Mr. Stone and she wondered about his age. He was definitely quite a bit younger than she was. She felt a little self-conscious suddenly, and a little silly for even thinking she wanted to look nice for this … what was it? Play date for Noah? Peter was way too young to be looking at someone her age. They were here to provide some company while he was grieving. Nothing more.
Olivia looked around and saw several younger women looking in his direction. She didn't blame them. Peter stood out in a crowd and his handsome features were sure to turn heads wherever he went. They arrived at their designated seats and she was mildly surprised when Peter held out his hand to help her step over a row of seats to join him and Noah in their row. She took his hand though, not needing the embarrassment of tripping and attracting even more attention to her ageing body, and she couldn't suppress a grin when she bumped into Peter lightly after stepping over the seats.
"This is us," Peter said rather superfluously and Olivia nodded, quickly checking where Noah was planning to sit.
Before she could say anything, Peter told her son,
"Noah, why don't you sit over here, between me and your mom?"
"Okay Peter," Noah said happily, and he moved over one seat before sitting down.
Peter sat down to Noah's right in the seat Noah had just vacated and Olivia plopped down on her son's left side.
"We can see the whole field from here," Noah told his mother enthusiastically. "I wanted to sit on the other side but Peter says that's for Cubs fans. I don't know if I'm a Cubs fan yet."
Olivia smiled and ruffled her son's curls. She caught Peter smiling at her son as well and it warmed her heart that he was being so kind to Noah. What was it she had called it once, when he'd first mentioned possibly getting tickets for Noah? Charming his way into their hearts. Maybe it was working … She looked across the baseball field, not wanting to stare at Peter, but the game hadn't started yet. Noah giggled and the two adults looked at what he was looking at. The Mets mascotte was trying to do a trick and failing, falling on his behind, much to the amusement of the waiting crowd.
Once the game got started, Olivia hoped Noah would still have fun, because it took forever until finally someone made it home, and it wasn't the Mets. But Peter proved to be a very entertaining commentator, explaining to Noah what all the players were doing and why, and even why their plans failed. Noah's eyes were sparkling and he remained focused on the activity on the field much longer than Olivia could. Her eyes drifted to Peter regularly and she had to admit she hadn't expected him to be so tuned in to a child Noah's age. She hadn't really thought of the stern ADA as a father figure before but watching him now, she could see it. He was still young and he had time to start a family. She felt like he deserved it.
When there was a short break in the game, Peter offered to get them all something to eat. Olivia felt like stretching her legs as well, and all three of them ended up going together to get some hotdogs. Olivia hesitated when Noah asked if he could have a coke but when Peter joined him and they both gave her the most adorable puppy eyes, she laughed out loud. Peter even managed a pouty lip, which surprised her a lot.
"Now how can I refuse you two," she said, still chuckling.
Peter grinned at her, then high-fived Noah.
"But you gotta promise to go to bed on time tonight, alright Noah? Otherwise, your mom will never let you have coke again," Peter told the boy, who nodded excitedly.
"I'll be good mom, I promise," he told her, already turning away from her to grab the drink Peter was holding out to him.
Olivia smiled and told Peter,
"Now he'll want to come here every Sunday."
Peter gave her a warm smile as well and handed her a hotdog while answering,
"Wouldn't that be nice."
…
He was having a good time. He didn't really care that the Mets were off their game. He was enjoying explaining things to young Noah a lot. The Bensons provided the most perfect distraction from his sad thoughts that he could wish for and he found himself hoping they could do this again soon. Olivia wasn't as invested in the game as her son was, that much was obvious. But she was relaxed and it was nice to see her away from the stress of their jobs. He wondered if she knew how unusually beautiful she was. On the job, she was as tough as nails, one of the guys. She ran a tight ship and the responsibility visibly weighed on her. But here, relaxed and happy, dressed in casual clothes, she oozed a kind of femininity that really struck him. She was fierce and strong but that only made her more beautiful in his eyes. For him, it wasn't in contrast with her femininity, no matter what some people said about independent women. He knew that women really were the stronger sex when it came down to it and he couldn't think of a better example than Olivia Benson.
He could tell that there was much more to her than meets the eye. There was a depth and a sadness behind her eyes that resonated with him. He recognized loneliness because he knew like no other what it was like to be alone. He had dated over the years, naturally, but he'd never really felt a connection to the women he'd been with. He didn't blame them and some of them had definitely tried to love him. But it was as if none of them ever managed to break down the barriers he'd erected around his heart. They always remained on the outside looking in, no matter how badly they were trying to reach him.
He felt like the tables had turned on him this time. This time, he was the one on the outside looking in and maybe for the first time in his life, he began to understand the urge to want to break down those barriers in another person. Olivia Benson wasn't just another woman in his life, another coworker to deal with - and a difficult one at that. He smiled inwardly at that thought. But she was more than just a difficult Lieutenant to work with. She was like him. And no matter how hard he had tried to deny it in between asking her along to the ballgame and now, he was intrigued. What could have happened to her, to make her seal herself off like that, while she still had such an incredibly empathic heart for other people? He'd been tempted to ask around about her, but aside from thinking that might be a little weird, he really didn't want to go behind her back. He would want her to tell him herself - whatever it was that had made her the way she was now.
Her eyes locked on his suddenly and he could see surprise in them when she noticed that he was watching her. They were back in their seats, munching their hotdogs contently and Noah had finally taken a break from all his babbling. Peter had taken the opportunity to focus on Olivia and now she had caught him staring. He gave her a small, almost apologetical smile and she smiled back at him equally hesitantly. Just then, the announcer yelled through the speakers that the game was resuming, and Noah sat up between them.
"They're going again Peter!" the boy said excitedly, and Olivia's smile widened.
She might be a closed-off person, but Peter could see that her heart was open for her son. He was happy for her that she had him and rubbed Noah's back gently as if he wanted to thank the boy for giving his mother joy. He didn't really understand why that was important to him, and the rational part of his brain was telling him he needed to get a grip and focus on his own life. But somehow, it was becoming important to him how Olivia was doing. She was a mystery to him and in some strange way, the walls she had built around her heart, were making him want to look over his own walls. Maybe even open up a little, hopefully to make her open up a little as well. It was confusing, distracting and exciting all at once and he shook his head when he realized that his musing had made him miss another good hit by the Cubs. Noah screamed with excitement and he feared the boy would become a Cubs fan after all.
…
After the game, as they were walking out of the stadium, Peter sidled up next to Olivia.
"Hey," he said softly, and Olivia understood that he didn't want Noah to hear them so she gave him a small upward nod.
"Do you have to go right away or could I treat you both to a burger at McDonald's?"
Olivia bit her lip and glanced at Noah, who was holding her hand as they walked, but wasn't paying attention to them.
"No more coke for him," she whispered back and Peter felt his stomach do a happy flip when he realized she was basically saying yes to McDonald's.
"How 'bout some iced tea?" he said softly and he felt a sense of relief when Olivia nodded and smiled.
He wasn't sure why he didn't want their time together to end just yet. Or maybe he was but he wasn't ready to acknowledge it.
"I'm glad we were able to provide some distraction for you today," he heard Olivia say, and in a way, her tone reminded him of how she used to talk to victims of the crimes she investigated. Had this been a pity thing for her, he wondered. He hoped it wasn't, and if it had been at first, that she had a good time as well.
"I had a good time. I hope you did too?" he responded as they continued walking.
He pointed in the direction of his car and they crossed the parking lot.
"Noah had a blast," Olivia said and Noah looked up at them with a wide grin to confirm her words.
"Can we go again next week mom?" he asked her innocently.
Olivia chuckled and then told her son,
"I don't think Peter is going to get us tickets every week Noah. And sometimes the games are really late at night."
"I have some money in my piggy bank!" Noah announced, looking up at Peter happily.
"It's not about money, kiddo," Peter responded.
"No. Peter may have other plans. Besides, we will need to feed the ducks in the park again too," Olivia said, and Peter realized she was trying to tell him that they didn't want to get in his way.
"Oh yeah," Noah said, sounding shocked. "We forgot all about the ducks. Do you want to feed the ducks with us next Sunday, Peter?"
Noah's innocence was disarming and Peter smiled, but he noticed that Olivia was slightly embarrassed. Before he knew what he was doing, he put his hand on her back while telling Noah,
"Why don't your mom and me check our plans first, alright? I'm sure we can work something out."
"Okay Peter," Noah said, completely undeterred.
Then, when he saw Peter's car, he was instantly distracted again, giving the adults a moment to breathe.
"Wow! Is that your car? That's a Tesla!" Noah exclaimed.
Olivia beamed with pride. Her son was already recognizing car brands from the US as well as Europe and he would love riding in a real Tesla.
"I'm leasing it," Peter told Olivia more than Noah, because the five-year old was already trying to open one of the doors.
Peter quickly used the remote to unlock the car, and they all got in. He didn't have a car seat and Olivia could tell he was slightly embarrassed for not having thought about that at all.
"Noah, can you just hold the seatbelt with both hands honey? It won't be a long drive. Right?" Olivia said, looking at Peter.
She wasn't really sure where he was planning on taking them but she hoped it would be a McDonalds nearby. Without a car seat or booster, she would prefer taking the train back to Manhattan.
"Right," Peter said, starting the car and steering them off the parking lot. "There's one nearby in Corona. We'll go there."
The drive was short indeed, and Peter was a careful driver. The car was a very smooth ride and soft jazz music played in the background. Olivia wasn't sure if she would have pegged Peter as a jazz lover. She hadn't really thought about him and music. Why should she? But she found herself filing the information away, just like the way he was keeping Noah entertained until the boy finally realized where they were going.
"McDonalds!"
Both adults chuckled and Olivia took a deep breath before exiting the car. This was nice. Very nice. Too nice?
Peter touched her back again when they walked into the fast food restaurant and she didn't know what to make of it. Men usually didn't touch her casually. She knew that her attitude had something to do with that. The only one who had never given a crap about personal space between them had been her first partner at SVU, and she couldn't believe that she was comparing this man to that man. Still, it wasn't uncomfortable to feel Peter's hand on her back. He didn't keep it there for long, it really was just a casual touch and yet, she noticed it and remembered it.
After Noah had finished his Happy Meal and the adults had enjoyed a Big Mac and a cup of coffee, Peter managed to convince Olivia that it would be no problem to drive them home. Noah was beginning to get tired and she finally accepted the offer. She did join her son in the back seat, so he could rest his head in her lap and it was fine with Peter. He just wanted to make sure they got home safely.
Noah was barely standing once they arrived at the door of her building.
"Thank you so much Peter. We had a great time. Didn't we Noah?"
Noah nodded slowly and smiled up at Peter.
"Thank you Peter," he mumbled.
Peter crouched down next to him and held out his hand. Noah shook it and Peter told him,
"I should thank you, Noah. I had a great time talking about the game with you."
Noah chuckled and said,
"Yeah. Mom doesn't really know how it works, does she?"
"Hey hey," Olivia interjected, but she was chuckling too.
Peter stood upright again and looked at his companion.
"I'm sure she knows a lot more than you think, kiddo," he told Noah, but his eyes remained locked with Olivia's.
She smiled at him and sighed, averting her eyes. She was tired but she was still sorry their day was over. But she should get Noah into bed.
"Alright. In you go," Peter said, helping her along. "Noah, you promised to be good and go to bed on time, remember?"
Noah made a face but then squeezed his mother's hand.
"I'll be good mommy. And then we can go again next week!"
Olivia glanced at Peter, who looked away and she sensed some awkwardness between them.
"We'll see about that Noah, like we agreed earlier," Olivia said quickly. "Come on, let's get you to bed."
She didn't want Peter to feel any obligation to ask them along again and hoped that he knew that.
"Bye Peter," Noah said, waving at the man before walking into the building in front of his mother.
"Bye Noah. See you soon," Peter responded.
Olivia looked at him and he smiled with a slight shrug.
"I had fun. We could do this again some time."
Olivia nodded and smiled bravely.
"Yeah. Yes, we could."
She quickly turned to follow her son into the building and could only hope Peter hadn't seen the blush that had crept up her cheeks. It would be embarrassing because surely, a young man like him wasn't interested in an older woman with a child, like her.
...
To be continued.
