On the way to Olivia's place, they stopped by their favorite Chinese place. Cragen had planned on taking them all out as a farewell dinner for Olivia but with their case just wrapping late tonight and Olivia still had to pack the rest of her stuff at the office, they were all too tired to go out. Olivia opted for a rain check. Feeling hungry, Olivia had asked Elliot to stop by the Chinese place to order take out and told Elliot that if he wasn't too tired, she'd love to have his company. Elliot could not contain the joy he felt at that moment. For the past two weeks, he had wanted to spend time with her but work always prevented it.
When they got to Olivia's place, Olivia told him to just sit while she sets the table up. From where he was sitting, Elliot studied Olivia. He looked at her face and recalled the first time he laid eyes on her. She had darker hair then and her hair was just slightly shorter than what it is now but he remembered taken aback when Cragen first introduced them. She was so beautiful. She still is after 12 years. Some lines have added through the years on her face but her beauty never faded. She is as beautiful today as she was the first time they met. Her eyes, they never lied to him no matter what. There was always a certain sadness in her eyes even when she smiled. He remembered, before Olivia told him about her mother, she seemed haunted by her past. It took her a few months to confide in him. But the trust came naturally to them. Through the years, she had become a partner, then his best friend and now, the woman he would love to spend the rest of his life with. He cannot imagine not having her in his life.
His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Olivia waving her hand, as if she was trying to get his attention.
"El…Elliot. Where did you go?"
"Ah…I'm sorry Liv, I was just thinking."
"I can see that. What were you thinking about?"
"Oh, the first time we emt. Do you remember that day?"
"How can I forget El? It was the day that changed my life. Can you believe it's been 12 years?"
"I know. So much has happened and yet, here we are, still together."
"Yeah. I can't believe we are not gonna be partners anymore. I can't believe that when I come into work on Monday, I won't have you sitting across from me anymore."
"So you admit you will miss me?"
"Of course El, I will miss having you as my partner."
They ate in silence the rest of the evening. After dinner, Olivia offered Elliot a beer.
They sat down on the sofa.
"El, I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, Liv."
"You know, your proposal, have you talked to you kids about it? I was going to ask you, to talk to them first."
"That's taken care of, Liv. Remember when I had them over for the weekend? Well, I talked to them."
"Really?"
"Of course, Liv. It's important for them to know if they are going to have a brother or a sister in the future."
"What did they say?"
"Well, they are fighting on who gets to baby sit. And they said that it would not matter, if the child is their half sister or brother or just yours, they would love to baby sit."
"Wow. I am quite surprised."
"You're surprised? Imagine my reaction. Did you tell Casey, Alex and Melinda?"
"You mean about you wanting to be my baby daddy?"
"Yeah.' Elliot said laughing at the "baby daddy part.
"Well, let's just say that they almost spitted out whatever was in their mouth at that moment I told them. Casey almost had a heart attack. Alex wanted to kill you. And Melinda, well, I think she wanted to dismember you."
"Really? Their reactions were that violent? Oh, God. Do I need to be on the look out for Alex and Melinda?"
"I'm just kidding El. They were supportive but they all said that the decision is on me."
"And it is Olivia. Liv, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead El."
"Just promise me that you will not runaway from me again. No matter what, I want us to talk."
"I do promise you, I won't ever runaway again. But you also have to promise me that you will never push me away."
"I won't ever do that, El."
Elliot took her hand and just held it. It felt so natural to be this close. The touch seemed innocent but it was so much more.
"Liv, when will you tell me?"
:"Soon, El. I have to weight all the options."
"Do you think that maybe, before you decide, you and I can start you know…Spending time together and see where it takes us."
"That seems like a good idea. This is going to be weird."
"Not if we let things happen naturally. We have to always keep in mind, that we are best friends. And that we trust each other."
"And I do, El, trust you with my life."
"And the same goes for me. You look really beat Liv, why don't you go to bed now? We had a long week and even longer for you, with this being your last week. I'll clean up here and I'll lock the door on my way out."
"No, El. Why don't you stay for the night? I have an extra toothbrush in the guest bathroom and extra towel in the cabinet. Do you have any extra clothes in the car?"
"Yeah, I do. Let me just go get it in the car really quick."
"Okay. I'll have your towel ready and also your toothbrush and soap."
"Thank, Liv."
When Elliot came back, Olivia had pulled out the sofa bed. She had put on a clean, fresh sheet and had out a towel laid out for him to use. He inhaled the scent of the sheet and the towel. It smelled like Olivia and this made him smile.
When Elliot came out of the bathroom, Olivia was waiting for him.
"hey, Liv, I thought you were already asleep. Thanks for getting my bed ready,. And thanks for letting me stay."
"Well, if we are going to start seeing each other, I might as well get used to you being around."
Elliot could only smile.
"Goodnight Elliot."
"Goodnight Liv."