Operation Christmas Mom
Chapter Ten Epilogue
Zebraboymom
Disclaimer: Not mine. But I think I get to watch them for another season.
Author Notes: One epilogue as promised. See you guys on the flip side. Start writing, will ya? I like reading as much as I do writing.
Nine months later, almost to the day, Donald…Donny Stabler was born. He had his dad's blue eyes and his mother's beautiful skin tone. He had the signature Stabler dimples. His oldest brother was ecstatic. Surrounded by their family and friends Elliot and Olivia cuddled their new son. Eli held his arms up to Elliot who gently placed him on the bed next to a very tired Liv and his new baby brother.
"That's Donny?"
"Yes, baby boy."
"I'm not the baby anymore Mommy."
"That's right munchkin. You're the big brother now."
Elliot smoothed Liv's hair back and leaned down to tenderly kiss her.
"You were amazing Liv. I am so proud of you. Come here little man."
Elliot lifted his new son into his arms and looked deeply into his eyes as he blinked up at him.
"Welcome home buddy. Welcome home."
Three months later Maureen married the love of her life, Daniel Masters. Elliot had actually liked the young man and he and Liv were thrilled that he wanted to become an assistant D.A. The wedding took place on New Year's Eve at the cabin just like Elliot and Olivia's one year earlier.
Maureen locked eyes with Liv while she attached her veil.
"Mom?"
"Yes honey?"
"Thanks for being my mom."
"I just wish Kathy could have been here to see you honey. You look so pretty."
"I like to think she can."
"Liv, I hope I can be the kind of mother and wife you are. You're my hero."
Olivia felt herself tearing up.
"Now listen you, I was not going to cry until at least halfway through the ceremony, so stop saying such sweet things."
"What sweet things?"
Elliot walked into the room and stood smiling at his favorite girls.
"Dad."
Maureen stood and turned to face her father.
"Honey, you look beautiful."
"And you look handsome. Mom is a lucky woman."
"And I'm a lucky man."
Elliot put his arms around each of them.
"Shall we go get hitched?"
Two years later Liv and Elliot retired. She was pregnant with their second child.
The retirement party was the affair to end all others. Liv, El, Cragen, Munch and Fin were all retiring at once. It was the end of an era the top brass said. They rented out their favorite bar for the night and everybody they knew came. There was dancing, drinking and the stories about Manhattan SVU went on for hours. Cragen asked Liv to dance.
"I want you to know I'm demanding regular Grandpa visiting rights."
"I wouldn't have it any other way Don."
"I still can't believe you two are moving to the country. Are you sure you aren't going to miss the city too much to stay away?"
"It's funny, but I think if we stayed here, I'd worry too much. Every time I heard a siren I'd wonder if it was one of our cases. I'd worry whether or not the victim was being taken care of. No, I need a clean break Don. I want a life that doesn't center on that. I want to watch my children grow up in a small town and have clean air and happy memories."
"I'm gonna miss you two. You kept my life interesting."
"You really are welcome out there any time you want Don. Elliot is going to start building a second house on the land with the money we got for the house in Queens. Once it's done, you can come and stay as long as you want. I mean it."
"I agree."
Elliot stuck his head over Liv's shoulder and grinned at him.
"You're family, Don. You always have been."
"What about us?"
Fin and Munch crowded in and the five of them stood swaying together on the dance floor with their arms around each other.
"You're all welcome out there. In fact, you can come and stay in the dormer upstairs anytime you want and help Elliot with the new house."
"That sounds like a plan, Baby Girl. I'll definitely help. Munch will have to supervise. I'm pretty sure he has never even seen a hammer, much less know how to use one."
"Okay, time to get this over with."
The five of them listened to the crowd sing Old Lang Syne and hugged people for what seemed like hours. The older Stabler kids had come and gone and so the five of them stepped out onto the street. Even at the late hour cars were whizzing by and horns were heard all along the street.
"That sound I will not miss."
"Me either."
They all stood silently for a moment and then they looked around the circle at each other.
"It was a wild ride."
"Hell yeah."
One by one they either got in a cab or walked towards home. Cragen was the last one to go. It was the hardest thing he had ever done saying good-bye to his detectives. He was a lucky man to have had almost fifteen years with the best team any department had ever seen. Their arrest and conviction record was better than any squad in New York. He turned up his collar against the cold and whistled as he walked down the street. His steps felt lighter. The responsibility of it all began to slip from his shoulders finally and he smiled. He couldn't help it.
A month later Elliot and Liv were settled in the cabin. Elliot slipped his arms around Liv's waist and lovingly stroked her baby bump as they watched Eli roll down the hill they tubed down during the winter months.
"I'm going to have to become really familiar with stain remover."
"And first aid. We start on the house tomorrow."
"Are you telling me that macho Elliot Stabler may not be as handy as he would like me to think he is?"
"I'm saying any time there's construction, there's blood. It goes with the territory and I am going to build you a beautiful guest house, trust me."
"I always have."
"Mommy look, a butterfly."
"I see it Eli. It's very pretty."
The boy was lying on the ground with his chin resting in his hand watching a butterfly sitting on one of the wildflowers that cascaded down the hill. Donny waddled towards him and sat down on his back, scaring the butterfly away."
"Moooooom! Make him get off me will ya?"
Liv breathed in the fresh clear mountain air and turned to face Elliot.
"Our son is pretty darn cute, don't you think?"
"Which one.? Do you think they'll like sharing the bunk beds?"
"Are you kidding? If we play it right, once Donny is old enough for a bed, Eli will want to move up to the top bunk because he's "older". He'll be in hog heaven. If it doesn't work out, we can always let him move up into the loft. When they both get older they will probably want to move into the loft anyway so they can spread out. We'll have to save all the twin beds for the older kids when we get the guesthouse built."
The sound of a car coming up the hill on the gravel caught their attention. They heard it park and a car door slammed. Elliot yelled out.
"We're on the deck."
They turned to see Don stride up the stairs with a full tool belt around his waist. They both busted out laughing.
"Okay, let's get started."
"Where are Fin and Munch?"
"Munch has a new girlfriend so he wanted to wait and leave later when her shift starts. They'll be up tonight. Liz sends her regrets. She has a big media trial right now, but she's thinking of retiring next year. I asked her to consider a long term relationship with me."
"Don, that's great!"
"How are you two doing?"
"A little tired from all the unpacking and settling in, but very happy to be here."
"Well, I've got an idea. Why don't you two take a "break" and let Grandpa Don do the babysitting. I want kid time and I want it now."
"You've got yourself a deal."
They watched as Don walked down the stairs to where the two young boys were playing.
"Grandpa Don! Look Grandpa Don, there's butterflies everywhere."
"Well, let's see how many different kinds we can find, okay?"
"Sure!"
Eli was up and running down the hill again. Don picked up his little namesake and followed him down the hill as Donny patted his face.
Elliot surprised his wife by scooping her up and carrying her inside and straight down the hall to their bedroom. He kicked the door shut and carried her over to the bed, lowering her gently to the soft coverlet. His eyes never left hers as he slowly undressed her and then let her watch him slowly undress himself. He climbed onto the bed hovering over her, resting on his forearms.
"I love you Liv. I love you so much. This life now is no longer a dream and all the things before are quickly fading from my memory. This is real: you and I. You have always been the one real thing in my life besides my kids."
"I love you too El. I never thought it was possible to be this happy, but it is. I feel normal for the first time in my life. I meant it when I said you're home for me. You really are the longest relationship I've ever had with a man. I just never thought I would get to have you for my man."
Eliot placed his soft lips on his wife's and kissed her slowly and thoroughly. They spent the next hour making love and then lying in each other's arms talking. Elliot was nibbling on Liv's neck.
"Elliot I've been thinking. Fin really needs to wake up and ask Casey to marry him. I was thinking maybe since they are all coming for Christmas we could enlist everyone's help in getting those two to take the next step. We could call it Operation Christmas Engagement."
"Oh, not, not you too. Will this family ever stop?"
Author's notes: Wish this is how the series could end, but alas I fear not. Hope it fulfills some of your fantasies for these two. It helps me with mine. Until next time…