A/N: I don't own any of the characters.
On New Year's Eve, Hank and Olivia left New York for Ft. Lauderdale. They were both looking forward to getting away and spending some time alone without any interruptions, mostly from her job. They got to the hotel and got checked in. They got to their room and got settled. They put their swimsuits on and went to get something to eat before they went to the pool. They went back to the room and fell asleep for a while. Olivia woke up and went to sit on the balcony. Hank woke up and joined her.
"You ok?"
"I just have a lot going through my mind with the surgery coming up."
"We'll get through this."
"I hope so. I just don't want this to come between us."
"It won't. I promised you for better or for worse and I meant it. You're one of the strongest women I know and no matter what happens, I know you won't give up without a fight."
"What if I can't fight?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there and we'll do it together."
"Ok. I'm glad I have you in my life."
"I'm glad I have you and Noah in mine."
Hank sat down in the other chair and Olivia got up to sit on his lap. They kissed and then they wrapped their arms around each other.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
They kissed again and decided to go for a walk along the beach. They ended up running into the last two people they ever would have expected to see: Trudy and Mouch.
"Hank, Olivia."
"Trudy, Mouch."
"Hey."
"What brings you two down here?"
"We're going on a cruise. It was our Christmas present to each other."
"We are too. Ours is for our honeymoon."
"What's this I hear you were in town and didn't stop over at the District?"
"I know. I'm sorry. I came in at the last minute because Olive needed help with the twins. I was there Thursday and Olivia and Noah came in on Friday. We spent Christmas with Erin, Olive and the kids and flew back to New York on Monday."
"Are you enjoying living in New York?"
"It's ok. It's not Chicago. That's for sure. Although I do love not having to go to work. Noah and my projects around the house are keeping me busy. When Erin and the guys were in town, they guys did some painting for me, so I just need to move the furniture."
"You don't have the help like you do in Chicago though, do you?'
"Fin and Carisi have offered to help and so has Ed."
"Who's that?"
"Her ex."
"You two have actually become friends?"
"Yeah. Surprising enough. How are things going at the District?"
"Not too bad. Intelligence hasn't been overwhelmed with cases. Dawson seems to be handling things pretty well though."
"Good."
"Olivia, when is your surgery scheduled for?"
"The 17th. I have to be there early"
"So, that is pretty much as soon as you get back."
"Yep."
"What made you two decide to take a cruise?"
"We haven't really gone anywhere since we went to the Dells for our honeymoon. I haven't had much time off. We talked about it and decided to go away somewhere warm, even if it is only for a little more than 10 days. Boden was fine with him taking some time off."
"It'll actually be fun to be in this cruise with someone we know."
"Definitely. We're talking about coming out to New York. We're not sure when though."
"That'll be fun. You should stay with us."
"I'll have to think about that one."
"Because of the kids?"
"No. If we stayed at a hotel, we could come and go whenever we wanted. The hotel also has a pool."
"We have a pool."
"Do you really?"
"Yep. That was one of Olivia's requirements when we were looking."
"Thanks for the offer. We'll think about it though."
"Ok."
The 4 of them walked for a little while longer. Olivia had gone back to the room first. She told Trudy to keep Hank busy, while she got ready. She called Room Service to order champagne and she changed into the sexy nightgown she brought. She poured the champagne and got on the bed. When Hank came in and saw her, he nearly stopped dead in his tracks."
"Wow! You look stunning."
"I'm glad you think so."
"Does this mean what I think it means?"
"It does. I want this trip to be memorable."
"Me too. You sure you're ready?"
"I am."
Hank got on the bed with Olivia and they drank some champagne. He put the glasses on the bedside table and started kissing Olivia passionately. They undressed each other and then they made love. Afterwards Hank held her as she had her head on his chest.
"Wow! That was amazing! I love you so much."
"I love you too."
"I'm glad I'm your wife."
"I'm glad you are too. If someone had told me a year ago that I'd be married in a year, I'd probably laugh in their face, especially after February. I just want to forget most of this year happened."
"I know what you mean. The best thing to happen to me this year was us. I'm looking forward to spending more time with my two favorite boys. If the results of the biopsies turn out to be cancer, I am going to fight like hell because I want to be around to see Noah and our grandchildren grow up."
"I know the hospitals in New York are good but if you need treatments, we could go to Chicago."
"Yeah, I know. I just want everything to be ok. I want us to grow old together."
"I do too. Carisi sounds like he's pretty strong in his faith."
"He is. I've never been overly religious. I did have Noah baptized and I'll let him make his own decisions when he's older as to what he wants to do. I've found myself praying a lot more lately but you're really the only person I've told. I did feel kind of out of place at Dodds' funeral."
"I take it Ed's not too religious either."
"No. He was a pallbearer at Dodds' funeral though. Mike was really the only one who accepted Ed and me together."
"How's the Chief doing?"
"He has his good days and bad days. He invited me to a Holiday party they were having at a restaurant the night you left for Chicago. I declined because I had houseguests and needed to pack anyway. He was a little more civil with the group from Chicago this time than he was at the baseball game. He said his ex and their other son were coming for Christmas. They figured they'd spend one holiday together and Mike always liked Christmas."
"It was always Camille's favorite. She liked Thanksgiving too, especially after Erin came to live with us. She would do all the cooking and the only one that would help her was Erin. She didn't want Justin and me in the kitchen because she said we would purposely mess something up, so she wouldn't ask us to help her again."
"Did you?"
"No. One year I purposely turned the alarm off, so she overslept and Justin and I got up to make the entire dinner by ourselves."
"How'd it turn out?"
"Camille was so proud of us that she let us do it every year after that. I never minded cooking but I always had her to do it. After she died, I really could have cared less. Takeout and delivery had become more my thing or it was something I could put in the microwave. Once Olive moved in with me, I started cooking more again."
"I know how you feel about takeout and delivery. Ed really tried to be romantic but his idea of a romantic evening included Chinese takeout and a movie, usually something he wanted to watch. That usually resulted in me leaving the room and going to bed. Sometimes he'd stay but mostly he'd go home. On the rare occasion that I got to pick the movie, he'd look at his watch, check his phone and fall asleep or say he'd have to go. He wasn't much into snuggling. He wouldn't hold me unless I asked him too. The only time I didn't have to ask him was after Dodds died."
"What about after sex?"
"Sometimes but very rarely. You do it automatically. I think there is more of a connection between us than I ever had with him. He didn't make me feel the way you do and I never felt the closeness between us after sex with him. With you, I know it's real."
"That's one of the things I missed after Camille died besides the lovemaking, even though it had been a while since we had done anything."
"I am so lucky to have you in my life. You are such a good daddy to Noah. You also gave me another chance when I didn't deserve it. I know what I said hurt you deeply."
"I'm not mad anymore. After that first night we spent together, I knew I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life."
"Marriage is something I've wanted for a long time. I just never found 'the one' until I met you."
"Apparently, Camille didn't want me to spend the rest of my life alone. I had no desire to even date again until I went to New York a little over 2 years ago."
They kissed and made love again before ordering Room Service for dinner. After dinner, they watched TV for a while. They ended up bringing in the New Year as they made love. The next day, they went to the beach after breakfast and met up with Trudy and Mouch. The following day, they boarded the ship.
"This is absolutely gorgeous."
"You can say that again."
They got checked in and went to their cabins.
"Hank, this is amazing!"
"Isn't it?"
They unpacked and sat down in the bed. They started kissing just as there was a knock at the door. Hank got up and went to open it.
"Yours is bigger than ours."
"It's supposed to be. It's the Honeymoon Suite."
Trudy and Mouch walked in.
"So gorgeous."
"Have a seat."
"Thanks."
Trudy and Mouch sat down.
"Hank, I still cannot believe you're married again nor can I believe that you're retired."
"I'm enjoying my retirement and loving every minute of being married to this pretty lady."
"We all miss you."
"I miss you guys too but I love being at stay at home dad to Noah. We're looking forward to having Olive and the kids move in with us. I know she wants to move out to New York when the twins are 6 weeks. That's the end of January and a week after Olivia's surgery. She's driving out. I'm not sure who is coming with her to help her though. She can't make the trip by herself. Erin is coming the week before for the surgery. The company is going to do the moving but she will need help getting out here."
"Maybe I'll see what I can do."
"Even after taking time off now?"
"Yep. Maybe I'll send Burgess and Ruzek. I think those two should spend some time alone anyway."
"I'd do it myself but I need to be around to take care of my wife and son. I'm sure she'll be home by then."
"Oh, no doubt. Even if you did go, I could probably get someone to stay with me. Amanda could probably stay with me at night and Lucy during the day. Amanda would just have to stay there until Lucy gets there, so I'm not left alone with Noah."
"That would probably depend on who is left in charge of SVU."
"Fin should be hearing about his Sergeant's exam soon. It would be nice if it happened now. Chief Dodds said he hasn't had much luck getting someone to fill in. After the Munson case, we seem to have made some enemies."
"You know who would love to help but I'm not sure if her current Squad would get anything done without her?"
"Lindsay."
"How'd you guess, Trudy?"
"It's obvious. If it wasn't for Halstead, I think she would have put in for a transfer to Olivia's Unit. Right now, other than Crowley, I'm sort of indirectly in charge of Intelligence. I don't go out with them to scenes but if they need an officer to approve something, they come to me."
"I'd be fine with it but I'm not sure Chief Dodds would go for it."
"You are one of the cops she really looks up to and it might be a learning experience for her. She loves working with your Squad."
"If she were to leave Chicago, I'd love to have her as part of my Squad. You could also fill in but you'd have to do things my way."
Hank gave Olivia a look.
"I'll take that as a no."
"I'd much rather stay home with you and Noah. Are you going to arrest me if I don't agree to this?"
"I hadn't thought of that but I guess I still love you."
"What do you mean, you guess?"
Olivia started laughing and tried kissing Hank but he turned, so she only got his cheek.
"I'm only teasing you."
"You said you guess you still love me. Now I'm insulted."
Olivia started pouting and when Hank tried kissing her, she pulled away.
"Now you insulted me."
Hank put his arm around Olivia and kissed her cheek.
"You two are crazy."
"I'm crazy about her and she knows it.'
Olivia put her head on Hank's shoulder.
"I didn't mean it that way."
"I know you didn't. I was just teasing you too."
"I know."
"I love you even though you can be a pain in the butt sometimes."
"I love you even though I had to threaten to arrest you when we first met. Trudy, you've known him for a long time, right?"
"Yes."
"Was he always like this?"
"He was always a bit on the aggressive side and intimidating but he has the biggest heart of anyone I know. He's one of the most loyal people I have ever met. I do remember a time about 7 years ago when he said he would never fall in love or get married again after Camille died because it was just too painful."
"What made you change your mind?"
"I went to New York and fell for you. That doesn't happen very often, obviously, because until you, I was only with Camille."
"I knew I'd settle down eventually but finding the right guy to do that with was difficult."
"What if we never met or got together?"
"That's a good question. I doubt I ever would have married Ed because it probably wouldn't have lasted and honestly, I didn't love him. I cared for him but like I've said before, I'm glad I got to see another side of him that anyone hardly ever gets to see. I never really felt our relationship was any more than it ended up being. I learned to trust him, which is something I never thought would happen but my heart was never truly in that relationship. It just kind of happened with him in the first place and I was vulnerable after being held hostage. I know I shouldn't have just blurted out that I was in a relationship when you told me you had feelings for me and I would have understood if you were never able to forgive me. A part of me wishes you were the one who rescued me though. I would have been fine with that. I often wonder what would have happened if I had known you during my ordeal with William Lewis."
"He wouldn't have gotten to you again. That's for sure. I would have put my life on the line to rescue you from that Joe guy too. Even if we had never gotten together, I still would have done it. Even though I got as pissed at you as I did when you told me you were in a relationship, I still cared what happened to you, even though sometimes I didn't act like it. Camille told me on many occasions that I need to be more open with my feelings. It was never one of my strong points. Only those closest to me know what a wreck I was after Camille's death and it took me a couple years to get out of that."
"Yep. I remember that. Olinsky, Lindsay and I had to rescue you many times from the local bars because you were too drunk to drive yourself home. One of us had to bail you out of jail for getting into a bar room brawl. I believe one of those times you were thrown through the window and we had to meet you at the hospital."
"I felt nothing at the time. I did after I sobered up though. That's for sure. I never drank that much again. There is a lot I regret doing in the last several years. I didn't want to become that person again after I lost Justin that I became after I lost Camille. Erin kept reminding me that I had Daniel and I think know that is what kept me from doing something stupid. When Camille said she didn't want me to be alone for the rest of my life, one of the things that really bothered me was I didn't think anyone would want me. I have too many anger management issues and I was never really the greatest father to Justin, especially after his mother died, obviously because we both ended up in prison. I often wonder what my daughter would have been like had she lived. I'm hoping she would have been like her mother."
"I never knew you had a daughter."
"Justin was supposed to have been a twin but she was a stillborn."
"Sorry to hear that."
"Thanks, Mouch. That's one of the reasons I love Erin so much. I would have loved to have had a daughter of my own but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Sometimes I don't think I was meant to be a father."
"You had 20-some years with Justin and I've seen you with Noah. That kid is crazy about you."
"He could have done worse. Believe me. His biological father was a sex trafficker, so to me, that's worse. I never thought I'd be ever be a mother but I was given that chance when Noah came into my life. Sure I wish I had had a child with you but when you're the child of a rapist and an alcoholic, maybe it wasn't such a good idea for me to reproduce."
"Do you know for a fact that he was a rapist?"
"Oh yeah. My mother had that constant reminder of what he did to her."
"Which was?"
"You're looking at her. Nothing I ever did was good enough for my mother."
"I take it you're an only child."
"I found out that I do have a half-brother on my father's side and we have met but I haven't seen or heard from him in years. I'm fine with that."
"Is your mother still around?"
"No. She fell down the subway stairs coming out of a bar and died. This was 15 years or so ago. I started drinking more frequently after I was held hostage about a year ago and I started to become scared that I was turning into her. I didn't want to put Noah through that. My job has also become more stressful since I have been a Lieutenant, On top of that, I got involved with someone I probably shouldn't have gotten involved with in the first place and that almost cost me my job and some of my friendships."
Olivia explained to Trudy and Mouch about what happened that almost cost her her job with SVU.
"I know I hurt Rafael, our ADA, by not telling him about my relationship with Ed but the one that hurt me the most was what happened with Hank when I told him I was in a relationship with someone after he tells me he has feelings for me. I deserved to have him tell me to go to hell and tell me if I ever stepped foot in his City again, he'd arrest me and put me in the Cage. I guess my feelings for him were stronger than I realized if it hurt me as much as it did. In my heart, I knew Hank and I belonged together but I just needed to give him time to cool off. I hated that he was so mad at me."
"Honestly, I think you coming to Chicago when you did saved him from doing what he did after Camille's death after Justin's death. As stubborn and pigheaded as he is, I think he needed someone to get through to him when none of the rest of us could. Lately, I think he listens to you more than anyone."
"For a while there, I didn't think he'd ever speak to me again."
"He's definitely been a different person since June and you are definitely to blame for that."
"I'm glad I could help."
Olivia smiled at Hank and kissed him.
"I still can't figure you being friends with the guy she was with when you told her how you felt about her."
"If Olivia and I weren't together, I probably wouldn't be. I did tell him that I never had any use for anyone from IAB but he's not so bad."
"When did you tell him that?"
"At the baseball game when you, Noah, Erin and Olive had gone to the washroom and Halstead and I went to find the seats."
"I'm glad you two do get along so well."
"Do you two want to meet at the pool later?"
"Sure."
"How long?"
"An hour?"
"That sounds fine."
Trudy and Mouch left and then Hank and Olivia started kissing. They undressed each other and then they made love. Afterwards, Hank had his arms around her.
"Have I told you how much I love you lately?"
"You might have but I always love hearing you say it."
"I love you, Mrs. Voight."
"I love you too. I hope this year is better for both of us."
"Me too. It's still been hard losing Justin but I think that as long as I have someone to help me cope with my loss, it makes it a little less painful. Thank you for being that person."
"You're welcome. This trip so far has been amazing."
"I wanted our first trip together to be special."
"It definitely is special. It's amazing how much better my life has become since you have been a part of it. You, Noah, Erin, Olive and the kids are my whole world and I wouldn't change that for anything."
"You're all my whole world too and I also wouldn't change anything. I never realized how much I needed someone in my life until I lost Justin. I thought losing Camille was hard, losing Justin was harder."
"I'm sure it wasn't easy losing your only child. I promise you that I am always going to be here for you. I do feel that my surgery is going to be no big deal. As long as I have you by my side, I can get through anything."
"I will be by your side. I happen to take my marriage vows seriously. I did with Camille and I will with you. We're a family and family always comes first."
"I'm glad you said that. Until I became Noah's mother, I never had any of the family stuff. When I was held hostage a year ago, I knew I had to get through it because I had my son waiting for me at home. I'm lucky to have him but I'm also lucky to have you. At least I know that if I ever get into a situation like that again, I'll have you around to comfort me."
"I'll even let Ed do his job and rescue you, just as long as he doesn't let it go to his head."
"We have maintained a professional relationship and friendship, which I'm happy about. Who knows, he might let you help, since he has seen you in action."
"Even if he doesn't, I'll still be the one who holds you after you are rescued."
"That's for sure."
Olivia kissed Hank and then they made love again before meeting Trudy and Mouch at the pool. That night they had the formal dinner. Olivia actually got to see Hank wearing a tux and he got to see her in a fancy dress.
"I didn't think you ever wore anything other than your jeans and leather jacket."
"You've seen me in a suit. I wore one for the Yates trial and I wore one when we got hitched."
"A tux makes you look even sexier."
"I'm glad you approve. You look pretty sexy yourself."
"Thank you. Can you zip it up for me?"
"Of course."
Hank zipped up Olivia's dress and started kissing her neck.
"I have a feeling this will be a short night."
"So, then it wasn't just me?"
"Nope."
They kissed, Hank took her hand and they headed to dinner. They met Trudy and Mouch in the hall.
"Hank, I almost didn't recognize you without your jeans and leather jacket but then again, I just saw you in a swimsuit for the first time a few days ago and I've known you for years."
"I do clean up every once in a while."
"Olivia, if I had a body like yours, I'd be wearing a bikini."
"I'm a little self-conscious about that. When I was being held hostage by William Lewis, he used everything he could get his hands on to torture me. I have so many burns on my chest and stomach from him."
"What did he use?"
'Wire hangers, keys, cigarettes. If you could heat it, he used it. He burned the tips of his fingers, so we couldn't get prints."
"Oh, wow! I'm sorry I bought it up."
"It's ok. For me to be wearing anything sleeveless is progress because I usually want my arms covered, since I have scars there too. When that happened, I was with Brian and I was reluctant to have him see me in the bedroom. When I was first with Ed, it wasn't that big of a deal to him because he had seen them during the investigation. After the Yates trial, I told Hank everything about what happened with William Lewis and by the time we were first together, it was a little easier. They're always going to be a part of me. Like Hank told me, everyone has scars whether their physical, emotional or both."
"That came out of his mouth?"
"Yep."
"Wow!"
"You're funny Trudy."
"Really, she's not. Shel likes to think she is."
"No one asked you, Randall."
"I don't know how those poor people at the 21st put up with you, more specifically, Burgess."
"Give me a little credit."
"The first time I came to Chicago, Burgess and Roman said I had to check with you on how to go up to see Hank and I heard them say something after they told me who you were that you don't like visiting police."
"Most of the time, no. I didn't have any problem with you though. Amaro was another story. He threatened to take the copier when I told him Sergeant Voight liked things as they were. I'd hate to see how he is living with a 3-year old."
"Noah is good about not leaving his toys all over the house. His bedroom sometimes is another story. He knows he has to pick up the toys in the playroom and in his bedroom regularly. He has so much more space now than he ever did in the apartment."
"I still had a lot of Justin's old toys in the attic at the house in Chicago, including all of his Matchbox cars, which he had what seemed like hundreds of them. I gave those to Noah and he loves them. Justin also had tons of Legos, so maybe in a couple years, I'll give them to him. We did go to Legoland and he went absolutely nuts. Now he wants a puppy."
"Are Mom and Dad going to get him one?"
"Maybe."
"Yeah, maybe. He still wants a sibling. He knows I can't give him one. Maybe once I'm back on my feet following surgery, we can see about getting Noah a sibling. That is if you want to."
"I do. You probably know the right people."
"I do. Maybe I'll make the call when we get back to get stuff started. Lucy is probably going to quit."
"She's not going to quit."
"How do you know that?"
"I don't. I would suggest not saying anything to Noah yet."
"Yeah, I know. If we do, he'll keep bugging us until he gets what he wants."
"Yep."
They had dinner and then did some dancing. Hank and Olivia went back to their cabin and made love. Once the ship docked at its first destination, they got off the ship and walked around, which they did at every stop. When the ship returned to Ft. Lauderdale, Hank and Olivia said goodbye to Trudy and Mouch and headed to their respective gates to wait for their flights to either New York or Chicago.
Reviews are appreciated.