Disclaimer: Nopey dopey, not mine. Stupid Dick Wolf won't even let me take them for a ride. Of course he probably knew I was going to go to Mexico with them so...yea.
Author's Note: Not much. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT EPPY ANDY ECKERSON IS IN? I REALLY WANNA KNOW!!!!!!!! THANKS IF YOU CAN TELL ME!!!!!!!! I hate having to go to the MCPL to check my e-mails and post. Plus, I can only really go once a week. Freaking assholes of neighbors moved so I can't steal their internet connection anymore. Hmph. Anyways, here is the long-awaited 4th chapter of Thinking It Over. Will Olivia say yes? Will she lie? Will she skate around the subject the whole chapter and make you wait another chapter for her to answer? Find out HERE AND NOW ON: THINKING IT OVER; THE 4TH CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"What?!?!" He so did not just ask me what I think he just asked me.
"I said, do you love my dad?" He repeated even though he knows I heard him loud and clear the first time. His eyebrows are raised in a very Elliot-like fashion, his hands are squeazed together impatiently and his lips are pursed awaiting an answer. Oh Jesus, Joseph and Mary!!!!!!!!!
"I...I...yes." I admitted and, after a minute of staring at my steering wheel, glanced at him for a reaction.
He stares at me for a second and then just smirks. "Okay. That's good to know." And gets out of the car. I sit there for a minute, contemplating what exactly just went on in the last 45 second, maybe a single minute. Dickie Stabler just asked me if I loved his dad. And I said YES! Then he just hopped right out of the car to go on his merry little way! WHAT THE HELL?
I hear a knock on the window and glance through it at DJ, barely hearing him say, "You comin?"
I open the door and he grins at me. "So...uhm...where you wanna go first?" I can barely stutter out sentences. God, this is going to be one hell of a long trip.
"Uhm...how 'bout Dick's?"
"Sure." We head to the store and after almost an hour of searching and not finding anything we decided to get something for dinner and then try looking for his basketball shoes somewhere else. Things have calmed a lot and I haven't really thought about our last conversation in the car since we got in the mall.
"Pizza, chicken?" I list off a couple of different types of food available and look at the teenager in question.
"Nah...Subway?" He asks.
"Subway it is." We head to the restaurant, get our sandwiches and sit down.
"So, Liv, about earlier..." He trails off, cautiously glancing up at me from his turkey melt. The dreaded conversation has finally been brought back up.
"Yea?"
"I'm not mad at you, you know? I just wanted to know for myself. And...I want you to know that we, me and Liz that is, wouldn't mind if Mom and Dad got a divorce and you dated Dad." I had just taken a bite out of my roast beef and ended up choking and having to take a very large drink to kee from keeling over and dieing.
"Ex...excuse me?" I can tell my eyes are about as big as plates and he laughs at me a little.
"I'm serious. I mean, it's pretty inevitable that Mom and Dad are going to get a dovrce. Beside...I know you know I have a crush on you and that Katie, Liz and Maur all look at you like an aunt. We all love you Liv. Really." There are tears in my eyes and I'm fighting to hold them back. Just like his father, he senses this and cracks a joke to make things better. " 'Course I'd much rather like it if you were dating me, but ya know, you are a little out of my age range and way out of my league so...yea."
I laugh and then smile at him. "Whatever! If I was your age I'd be dying to date you!"
He laughs and shakes head, blushing, and says, "Whatever Liv."
"Believe me DJ, by the time you're my age you'll be married to a woman much prettier than me and have probably like, 15 kids or something."
He shakes his head at me and grins. "Nope. I mean, yea I'll probably be married with kids. But more like two or three, four at the most. Besides, nobody in the universe is prettier than you."
I smile at him. "Whatever."
He grins at me again. "I'm serious Liv!"
I laugh and stand up, throwing my food in the trash can while he follows, "All right you little suck up. Let's go get you some shoes."
"You are coming to my game tomorrow right?"
I bite my bottom lip and glance over at his expectant face. I really don't want to disappoint him but there's no way in hell I'm going to a game if Kathy Stabler is going to be there. I remember the first, last and only time I made the mistake of doing that.
Flashback
"Hey, Liv?" Elliot asks me from his desk and I glance up at him.
"Yea?"
"Dickie wanted me to see if you'd come to his basketball game with me tonight. It's the biggest game of the season. If they win he's going to State Finals."
I smile at him. "Sure El. You're driving right?"
He grins. "Always Liv."
A couple hours later and we're pulling into the Queens Sports Plex. We walk to court 4 and head to the benches to see Dickie before the game starts.
"Hey Dad! Liv, you came!" He jumps up from his seat and wraps his arms around my waist. At nine the kid barely hits my shoulder so he has to give me what Kathleen has dubbed, "short person" hugs.
"Of course! Anything for my favorite All Star!" He blushes and lets me go after a long hug, turning to the three boys that were sitting beside him.
"Liv, these are my three best friends."
"Hey."
"Hi!" They all chorus and I smile, trying not to laugh at a bunch of nine and ten year olds checking me out.
"Liv, this is Chase, Harley and Brady. Guys, this Liv, my dad's partner." They all smile at Elliot and I.
I have to raise an eyebrow at Elliot when Dickie suddenly jumps up and runs around the bench to a cardboard box. He just grins at me and says, "You'll see."
Dickie runs back over with a bundled up t-shirt in his hand and hands it up for me to see. "Here! Now you can support the team in our colors!" I laugh when I realize it matches the shirt Elliot changed into before we came. It is red and blue striped and reads "Hornets" across the front in black lettering. Dickie flips it over and I see the back reads "Stabler Fan Club" and I have to crack up at that.
"So, is this your own little fan club's t-shirts or what Midget?" I hear Kathleen beside me while I pull the shirt over my white tank top.
"Yes. And only Dad, Liv and Lizzie get them. So ha!" Dickie says and sticks his tongue out. Elliot and I laugh and I turn to see the three oldest Stabler children, (Maureen, Kathleen and Elizabeth) along with Kathy beside us. Kathy gives me a glare which, over the years, I have learned to just brush off.
"Well I'm very proud to be on your fan club Dickie." I say and rub my fingers through his shaggy hair, tugging on it playfully.
"And I'm glad to have you as a fan, Little Missy." He says with a fake English accent and a bow, kissing the top of my hand.
I laugh when I hear Elliot groan and mutter, "Dear God." Which draws a glare from Dickie.
"Elliot! Be nice!" I whisper when Dickie is talking to Lizzie and therefore can't hear me. "He's just figuring out the fine art of flirting.
He rolls his eyes and laughs. Then leans to whiser in my ear, "He would start with the hardest woman to get a date with in the world wouldn't he?"
I grin and shake my head no. "I'd go out with him. He's a real cutie."
"Liv, he looks like my clone. Well, with lighter and messier hair that is."
"Exactly Detective Stabler. Exactly." I grin and wink at him, turning to follow the other Stablers to the bleachers since the "one mintue" bell has just rang, signaling there's a minute until the game starts. I glance behind me and see he is blushing and doing something he always does when I walk in front of him, stare at my ass.
When we reach the bleachers I sit next to Lizzie, which is as far from Kathy as I can get, seeing as Elliot has decided to sit beside me on the outside.
Throughout the game Elliot and I gave each other smiles and high fives, flirting the whole time. When Dickie shot the last and winning point, we jumped up and trampled off the bleachers to congratulate him. Elliot and his sisters gave him hugs while I stayed in the back of the crowed watching and wanting.
Just as Kathy was going to hug him I saw him hold a finger up to her, silenting telling her to wait. He then asked Elliot something and then Elliot looked around and then pointed towards me. I then see Dickie sigh in what I guessed was relief and push passed Kathy, knocking her into several strangers in the process, and run towards me.
"Liv! I thought you left!" He squealed and wrapped his arms around my waist for the second hug of the night. I laugh and hug him back.
"No way, All Star! I wouldn't leave your biggest game of the season! Not in a million years!" He grinned at me and blushed. He then coughed and licked his lips.
"Gosh, I'm thirsty!"
"Here." I handed him my Gatorade and he drank down about half of it in one gulp, making me laugh.
"Dickie! Jesus, kid! She paid for that you know!" I heard Elliot exclaim and I smiled at him.
Dickie started to protest, "But Dad, I..."
"It's okay, El. I gave it to him. He deserves it after all that!"
"Ma'am, Sir? Can I get a picture?" I heard a photographer from the Queens local newspaper ask.
"Oh! I'm not his..." I started to tell the man I wasn't Dickie's mother when Elliot cut me off.
"Of course, Sir."
Elliot pulled me to him and Dickie in front us and we all smiled for the camera. "Looks great! Look for it on the sport's page tomorrow!" The photograher said and, after getting our names, walked off.
Kathy and the girls walked towards us at that moment. "Hey! Who was that?" Lizzie asked.
"He was from the newspaper Liz! We're gonna be on the sport's page!" Dickie exclaimed, smiling excitedly at his twin sister.
"Uhm, why wasn't I in this picture instead of Olivia?" Kathy asked, and spat out my name like it was the plague.
"Uhm...cause I was with Liv I guess. Why? I thought you said you didn't like getting pictures taken of you and you always said you hated basketball anyways Mom." Dickie said rolling his eyes.
"I...I can find that photographer and have him re-take the picture if you want." I offered, not wanting Dickie to get in a fight with Kathy over me.
"No! It's fine Liv." Elliot said and I glanced at him worriedly. He mouthed, I promise, and I smiled at him.
"Well, I have to get outta here. My couch and chinese delivery boy are calling my name!" I exclaimed.
I wasn't exactly surprised when Dickie and Elliot both didn't miss a beat to say anything.
"No!"
Elliot then calmed himself when I stopped in my tracks and turned to him, one eyebrow raised. "I mean, we're taking Dickie to Outback to celebrate. Well...me and the kids are going but Kathy has to work. I mean...uhm..."
Dickie then cut him off. "Come with us Liv! Pretty pretty please?"
I grinned and sighed playfully, "I guess."
We went out to eat and had a great time since Kathy wasn't there. The only problem was the next morning.
"Hey El!" I said, coming into the office with a bag of donuts and two cups of coffee.
"My savior!" He replied and grabbed one of the coffees, slurping down as much as he could without burning his throat or tongue. And then pulling a chocolate glazed donut out of the bag.
I laughed and rolled my eyes. "You're coffee addicted."
He nodded, laughing, and then his smile fell. I turned to see what he was looking at and found myself almost face to face with Kathy Stabler, Queens News sport section in hand.
"What the HELL is this?" She yelled and threw the paper down on Elliot's desk. He and I both leaned to see it. I winced at the subtitle under the picture of Dickie, Elliot and I. It read, Queens Sports Plex team "Hornets" player, Dickie Stabler (who was dubbed most valuable player for his constant point totals and rebounds) with his mother and father Olivia and Elliot Stabler after shooting last night's winning point to advance to the State Finals.
"Kathy! I sware I gave them my last name!" I defended, not wanting a fight to break out in the middle of the precinct even though I knew I could kick the woman's ass in a minute or less. Not to mention I hadn wanted to since the first time I met her.
"I don't give a shit! I wish you would just stay away from me, my husband and my children!" She yelled and stormed out of the precinct, sending one last glare towards Elliot and I over her shoulder.
End Flashback
I hadn't gone to a game that Kathy was going to be at since. In fact, even though that was 4 years ago I'm pretty sure I haven't been to more than a dozen of the kids' games in total since then. I felt bad but I knew that they all knew what had happened, Elliot had told them, and that they understood why I couldn't come very often.
Then, the little mind reader speaks up, "My mom has to go out of town for a nurse's confrence! Please Livvie?"
I grinned, "Okay All Star. I'll come."
When I pulled up to the Stabler house at almost 9 o'clock that night I smiled at Elliot, who was on the porch, and then waved at Lizzie who came u beihind him. Elliot came to talk for a second, asking if DJ behaved and telling me goodnight, while Dickie grabbed his shoes out of the back seat. As Elliot walked towards the house again Dickie finished digging things out of the back seat. He then stuck his head between the seats and gave me a peck on the cheek which wasn't unusual but the next thing he said was, "Oh and, if you go to my game, my dad will get to see you some more. And we all know how much he loves that." He winked and pulled out of the car, waving when he got the door with his father.
I love that kid.