I'm back. So here's chapter 8 and things are gonna be heading into, well I'm trying to keep things a bit more cannon in this story - but not all the way, creative liberty is just too much fun! Again, thank you all so much for the love you've shown this story. You guys make this all so much fun. Not sure how much longer we have with this story but I'll try to keep it good until the end and if I don't just let me know. Here we go, Dick Wolf owns these characters. Enjoy.
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It had been three weeks of tension between she and Nick after that night in her apartment. Two weeks where they drove themselves crazy trying to coexist when all he wanted every minute of every day was to pin her down and kiss her, make love to her until she realized how silly she was being. He knew in his heart that she loved him - he'd bet his life on it but as much as he needed to have more, for now he was willing to settle for what they had - being her best friend and being there for Noah. He knew and understood the concerns she had for her son and he was grateful that he'd be one of the men in the child's life who would be there to teach him how to be a man. Thing was, Nick wanted to be Noah's main influence. Fin and Raf were great, he'd never begrudge the part they played in Noah's life but while they were content being Tios to the boy, Nick wanted more than anything to be his father and knew that if he could just get Olivia to see past her own fears... She was endgame for him. He'd known this even through her Cassidy phase and though he'd found himself discouraged at times, in his heart he never stopped believing and once this transfer happened. He knew she'd come around.
Nick watched from his desk as Olivia entered the squad room on her first day back and again he could tell that something was off. She hadn't been herself ever since they closed the Thornhill case last week and took down that trafficker. She'd taken last week off but he'd stopped by her place a couple times and she seemed frazzled. He'd asked about it but she dismissed it, said she was just tired but Nick knew better. However trying to get Olivia Benson to open up when she wanted to hold things in - it was easier to get blood from a rock!
"Those of you who haven't completed their REQUIRED yearly department physicals, get your asses into gear. I want EVERYONE seen by week's end so make time! This is not a request!" Olivia barked to the squad before marching straight to her office and shutting the door without so much as a 'hello' to anyone.
Amanda looked at Fin who looked at Nick who in turn looked at Carisi who was busy stuffing his face with a bacon, egg and cheese bagel at his desk. While the other detectives and unis just buzzed about in the background.
"What?" Carisi asked with his mouth full. "Hey, I already got mine done, I know better than to piss her off!" He said and went back to eating. Fin and Amanda laughed while Nick grimaced. He'd been sick to his stomach the last week throwing up like crazy - twice since he'd gotten here this morning and the smell of Carisi's greasy bacon had him fighting the urge again. He needed to get away from it and was thankful that he needed to check on Liv, it was the perfect out.
... ... ...
"Okay what's goin on?" He asked as he entered the office and shut the door. "And don't say it's nothing."
It shocked him when instead of denying, Olivia seemed to crumble, suddenly seeming so small behind her desk, her face etched with worry as she reached for Noah's picture on her desk and her eyes filled with tears.
"I don't know what to do." She confessed as calmly as she could though the urgency in her voice was unmistakable.
"What's goin on Liv? Is Noah okay?" He asked, panic in his tone as he took a seat on the sofa. She had already gotten up and was making her way to him.
"Whatever I say to you does not leave this room, please." She asked and took a seat beside him.
"Of course... Whatever it is." He promised. Olivia paused and released a nervous breath before speaking again.
"You remember when we found Noah, we ran his DNA to try to find a familial match?"
"Yeah but we never got a hit until Ellie got arrested..."
"Well, looks like lightning struck twice in the exact same way."
"What are you talking about?" Nick asked, afraid of what her answer might be.
"What I'm talking about is... Nick, we found Noah's father."
"What? After all this time?"
"Yeah. He um...he managed to stay out of the system - until now." Her leg shook as she chewed her bottom lip between her teeth. "It's not good." She cried in a whisper.
"Who is it?" Nick asked, feeling his stomach tighten and churl as his nervousness increased. He was just as on edge as Olivia at this point.
"The uh, the trafficker we locked up." Nick's eyes went wide with shock.
"Johnny D?!"
"Yeah. That sick son a bitch is Noah's father. And if he finds out, I lose my son!"
In utter shock, Nick put his arm around Olivia and pulled her close, quickly feeling her tears wet his shirt.
"Like hell you will! I don't care whose DNA he has, Noah is your son and I'll be damned if ANYONE takes him away from you, I swear I won't let it happen!" He vowed. "Who else knows about this?"
"Aside from Melinda; Trevor Langan. He's Noah's law guardian, he has to know what we're up against."
"Do you trust him?"
"He wants what's best for Noah and he thinks I'm what's best."
"We got that on our side. Liv I don't want you to worry about this."
"Easier said than done" she scoffed as she sat up to look at Nick "I can't lose him, Nick... He's all I have."
"Nobody is taking Noah away from you." He promised as he wiped her tears. "Definitely not a scumbag like Drake. No judge in their right mind would even give him rights to a child, forget custody."
"But what if..."
"No. We're gonna do whatever we need to do, you hear me?" He asked, pulling her into his arms and holding her. "He's home and nobody is gonna take him away from us!"
There was something about the word he used, us. It gave her comfort. She wasn't in this alone.
"He's been asking for you, you know? Why don't you come by for dinner tonight?
"Sounds good. What are we having?" He asked though the thought of food literally sickened him right now.
"Whatever you're bringing." She managed to laugh in spite of her tears. "Nick, you don't look so good, are you okay?" She asked in all seriousness, the suddenly-greenish tint to his skin worrying her.
"Yeah, I just... It'll pass." And it would. It always did, but it always came back. He had no time to stop it as he dropped to his knees, grabbed Olivia's wastebasket that sat by the couch and began violently throwing up into it.
"My God, Nick!" Olivia had never seen him like this before and was worried as she moved closer to him and rubbed his back in soft circles while gently combing her fingers through his hair, much like she did with Noah when he'd throw up.
"I'm sorry!" He felt terrible about this happening in her office.
"It's okay just let it out." She'd barely gotten the words out of her mouth before another violent gush erupted from his just as Fin walked in.
"Everything okay in - oh damn!"
"No, he's sick!" Olivia cried.
"He's been sick all week, man I told you to stay home!" Fin wasn't even attempting to mask his disgust as he snapped a picture of his sick colleague from his phone.
"Shut up Fin!" Nick stammered, his head still down in the wastebasket. "You tweet that, I'll kill you!"
"Too late! Fin laughed.
"Guys, knock it off!" Olivia ordered. "Nick, you're going home, and Fin I need you to take him."
"I feel better now." Nick promised. "I can stay."
"Nice try Amaro. You're out of here!"
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She'd somehow managed to get through the day without falling apart over the whole situation with Noah and was thankful to have gotten out by four and that she was now back at home with him in her arms.
"Did you miss mama?"
"Mish" he whispered with a nod of his head
"I missed you too. All I could think about all day was getting home to you."
"Mama home."
"I am." She smiles as she snuggled him in her arms. She couldn't imagine not being able to come home to him every night. Just the thought of it made her heart twist itself in a knot. "Looks like it's just you and me tonight buddy?"
"Hmmm... Unc?" Noah frowned and Olivia couldn't help but laugh.
"Baby I don't think..." She was cut short by the doorbell.
"Doe mama!" Noah announced quite loudly, pointing in that direction. Letting Olivia know when the doorbell rang had become his favorite thing and he took immense pride in it.
Olivia made her way to the door, again surprised to see Nick.
"Aren't you supposed to be sick?" She asked with a smirk while Noah nearly jumped out of her arms trying to get to Nick before he could even get his coat off.
"I told you it would pass. Besides, there's no way I'm missing dinner with two of my favorite people." He said, finally having hung his coat. "I brought Italian."
"We like Italian!" She smiled. "Are you even able to eat?" She asked with a chuckle as he followed her to the kitchen.
"You were pretty sick in my office, I don't want a repeat performance in my living room."
"No worries. It's just a morning thing, comes and goes" he explained, reaching for Noah but Olivia pulled him back from Nick's reach. This did not sit well with Noah who began whining.
"A morning thing? What are you, pregnant?" She grinned.
"Oh, jokes!"
"Somebody has to. You're not contagious, are you?" Nick couldn't help but laugh.
"Mama wun go!" Noah demanded impatiently.
"I promise, I am not contagious. Jesus Olivia, you see anybody else sick around the precinct?"
"No."
"Exactly! Now hand him over... Hey buddy!" He smiled to Noah before hugging him close. Noah happily threw his little arms around Nick's neck and began happily jumping up and down on his lap while Olivia unpacked the food.
"This smells amazing! Marco's?"
"Lorenzo's"
"You read my mind." She smiled. "They have the best garlic bread!"
"I hope you're gonna eat more than bread."
"You kidding? I'm starving."
"Good cuz there's plenty. Ready for spaghetti, mano?"
"Setti!" Noah clapped excitedly as Olivia turned to look at him and smiled. Even with the worries that she'd voiced to Dr. Lindstrom about Noah's behavior, now that she knew the the kind of man he'd come from it didn't change her love for him and just the thought that she could lose him...
"Hey..." Nick said as he put his arm around her as if reading her mind. "Don't. I told you, he's home."
She hasn't even realized she was crying until she felt her sons little fingers trying to wipe her tears.
"Mama?" Noah could see that she was upset and offered a big smile to make her feel better, feeling his own relief when she gave him a smile in return.
"Come here little man" she cooed as she took him from Nick's arms and held him tight while littering his cheek with kisses. "I love you! I don't ever want you to forget that. Noah's big eyes looked directly into his mothers and he just stared at her for a long moment before smiling again and giving her a hug around the neck then burying his face in the crook of her neck as he held her. She lost it, leaning into Nick as he put his arms around both of them, unable to stop his own tears.
... ... ...
At some point they managed to get their emotions under control and have a nice dinner and now sat on the living room floor playing with Noah. They'd just given him a bath and now he ran around the living room enjoying himself before bedtime.
"Unc weed?" He asked as he handed Nick his favorite book about lions. Olivia got up to get his bottle knowing that if he was ready to sit and be read to, he was tired and would soon be asleep. From the kitchen she looked over at them. Noah was so content whenever he was in Nick's arms and she wished that her son had a man like him for a father instead of the monster that created him. But coming from bad DNA didn't necessarily make you a terrible person.
"Before you and Kathy had kids, did you ever wonder how they were going to turn out?"
"All the time, still do."
"At least you know what you're passing on... half my genes are drunk, and the other half are violent and cruel."
"And look how great you turned out... It's not all about the genes, Liv, all you can do is love your kids."
Her mind had wandered to Elliot a lot lately. What she wouldn't give to be able to talk to him right now. She missed him.
Her reverie was cut short by her phone ringing. She looked at the display, seeing it was a work number before answering.
"Benson."
"Sergeant Benson, do you have a minute?" The woman's voice asked from the other end.
"Yeah, what's going on?" Olivia listened as the woman introduced herself then proceeded to tell Olivia the reason for her call. As the woman went on talking...
"What? I... You're sure about this? ...no... I'll take care of it first thing tomorrow. Thank you for calling."
Olivia hung up the phone and just stood there in shock for a long moment before she forced her feet to move and carry to to the living room where she handed Noah his bottle. His chubby hands accepted it as he thanked this mother and he greedily turned it up to feast on it as Olivia, still stunned, took a seat on the sofa.
"Liv... You okay?" Nick asked upon noticing the state she was in.
"You son of a bitch!"
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Sooooo, who was on the phone? And what did she say? What has Nick done? So many questions! I promise to answer them quickly if you guys want it. So talk to me!
P.S. for those of you reading my 'Anytime, Anyplace Bensaro sexcerpts', I'm now taking requests so leave your scenario ideas in the comments section on the story or pm me if you're shy. See you guys next time!
