A.N. Thanks to all those who have been reading and reviewing!! They still aren't mine.
Thanks to all those who submitted baby name suggestions. You'll find them somewhere in this chapter!!
ALONE AND LIVE AT THE DEER HEAD
A Story by Elisabeth Carmichael
- - -
She couldn't turn her eyes from his, held captive by the love radiating from the sapphire depths. Her eyes struggled to see through the tears that had begun cascading down her cheeks. Here he was, being everything she wanted him to be, loving, kind, adoring, and all she could do was cry and tremble from the sheer force of two souls being joined together, becoming inextricably linked so that one was the other and the other was one.
His hands, thick, strong, beautiful hands, quivered as he removed from the velvet box a most stunning piece of jewelry. Eyes clouding over with tears, he smiled, radiating love. He kept his gaze fixed steadily on her as he lifted out the exquisite strand of black pearls, their iridescence captivating. With a gentle swoosh of his hands, it was around her neck, set off brilliantly by her glowing, tanned skin. He sat back down, eyes still brimming with tears.
"That completes the look," he blinked, willing his eyes to cooperate.
Her hand lifted delicately to finger the strand, reveling in its smoothness.
"It's too much, El," her voice was quaking, almost inaudible, the shock still very real.
He placed his hand across the table to grasp hers, "No Liv, you deserve it." He sat up a bit straighter. "They're pearls, for the month of June when the twins were conceived…and black because they are so rare and unique like you."
She withdrew her hand from her neck, placing it atop his, squeezing with a loving reassurance. "El, that is so, so sweet. Thank you."
"Liv, I love you, and I know you don't want to do anything about us, but I wanted to give you something as a token of my love, to know I will wait as long as it takes."
Her eyes closed, momentarily overwhelmed by emotions. "I love you too, El, I love you too."
- - -
United Grey Metallic. She smiled. It was a beautiful car. And it drove like a dream, not that she'd get much chance to allow it to stretch its legs, but still, best car she'd ever owned. Elliot had laughed when she told him no way in hell was she getting a minivan—too soccer mom-ish—or an SVU—too Yuppie. No, she wanted a fun, sporty car that could hold two car seats, and that is exactly what she got.
"Wanna take 'er for a spin?" she dangled the keys in front of Elliot's face, knowing he hadn't driven a hot car in years.
With stealthy reflexes, he snatched the keys and raced around to the driver's seat, breathing in the new leather smell.
"I guess that's a yes," she mumbled, getting into the passenger's seat.
He ran his hands over the smooth leather of the steering wheel, fingers dancing on the shifters, eyes ablaze. "This baby is gonna fly. Damn. Volkwagen GTI, five doors of 18" rim fun!"
Olivia rolled her eyes at his excitement. "It's a car, El, not the key to Heaven."
"It's a car that purrs like a cheetah," he revved up the engine, "listen to her."
"You two wanna be alone?" she joked with a bemused grin, rubbing a hand over her growing stomach, already five months along.
He smirked at her before tearing out of the lot, grinning further at her look of shear terror as she grasped the door handle with strained hands.
"You know, El," her voice portraying her slightly un-amused mood, "I was thinking about baby names. Perhaps something along the lines of I Hate Daddy."
"Ha, ha," he glanced at her quickly before turning back to the road, "very funny. How 'bout Mommy Can't Handle Fast."
She gave him a seething look before relaxing into the deep leather seats, "Seriously now, what do you think? I mean, we need like a set a names if it's two boys, and a set for two girls, and a set for a boy and girl."
He placed a soft hand on her thigh, sending sparks throughout her body. "I haven't really given it much thought. I figured you'd wanna come up with the names." He shrugged.
"You're their dad. We're a team in this," she paused to smile at him. "And besides, I've been having a hard time with names."
"Hmm, well, let's see. For boy names, I like…uh…John. And for a girl…Jeanne. And Munch would be a great middle name." He turned away from her, trying to conceal his laughter.
She smirked, swatting him on the arm. "Ha, ha. Thanks, but Munch already mentioned those names. Come on, seriously, El, we gotta start thinking about this."
"Oh, I don't know, maybe David Isaac or Austin Tyler for a boy and, uh, Alyson Marie or Natalie Claire for a girl."
"El, those are great names," she fingered her black pearl necklace, now a permanent fixture around her neck. "I've been having such a hard time with names. There are too many good ones. Like Carter and Logan for a boy, and Charlotte, Abigail, Louisa, Edie, Emmaleine, Alexandria, Joanna, Mackenzie…I think I like girl names a bit more," she giggled. "There are just too many good names!!"
Elliot pulled the car into a parking space in front of her new brownstone, "When we meet them, you'll just know."
She grinned at him. "Have I told you how much I love you, Elliot Stabler?"
He walked around to open her door, "Once or twice."
"Well I do." She took his hand to stand up. "So very much."
Gently, she reached her hands to cup his face, brushing a thumb over his slightly stubbly cheek. She leaned in, eyes connecting with his, their lips meeting in a chaste kiss, delicate, soft, adoring but restrained. Pulling back, she rested her forehead against his, their breathing in perfect synchronicity.
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