And here goes a new chapter! I hope people still are enjoying this story and all I can say is please don't hate me or give up on me. I promise, I will try to make it up to you in the end. Please, keep up the reading and reviewing, because your reviews mean so much more to me than you will ever know! Thank you! :)
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LAW & ORDER:SVU
Elliotandoliviababies:
Aww babe I'm sure your drive for writing will come back and You will be writing some more amazing stories…Moving on this chapter was great. The kiss was sweet and the way everyone watched Olivia as she ate 3 whole plates (That's a lot) was adorable.
~First of all, thank you. I'm starting to finally get free time from having to work long hours at work and moving again, so little by little I'm getting more inspired to write. Hopefully I didn't lose all of my fanbase! Secondly, I know it's a lot of food Olivia consumed, but believe me I've seen it with my own eyes. My friend, man when she was pregnant, I had to keep my food away from her because she would eat it all, and she hardly gained any weight. Lucky duck!
ladybugsmomma:
Aww, that kiss! So sweet. I hope that Liam willow be okay being deployed. Can't wait for more!
~Seeing as how Elliot and Liam are so close, I think I would be a cruel cruel person to hurt Liam while he was deployed. We'll just have to see, but based on the way things look right now, I have a feeling Liam will be okay, at least for a while ;)
Everyone stood still, as if time had stopped. They couldn't believe what Liam had just told them. He was going to be deployed. That meant he was going to be in real danger, possibly in a war zone. How was his family supposed to deal with possibly losing him.
Bernie was the first to react, as her eyes, which had been filling with tears ever since Liam had ended his phone call, let herself finally cry. "What?" she asked, hoping what her son had told the family was a figment of her imagination, that he wasn't going to be deployed and sent to fight in a war that would change his life forever.
"Ma, we all knew it was a risk when I signed up," Liam explained, taking a step towards his crying mother.
Elliot looked down at Olivia and shook his head, remember he hadn't told her the extent of his military service, knowing she had to know everything considering their situation. "You just got back though," Joey exclaimed, angry that the military wanted his brother again. "Can't they send someone else?"
Liam let out a small chuckle. "It's the military Joey, you can't just not go or tell them to get someone else. It's my job."
Maura looked at Liam, wanting nothing more than to agree with her older brother's statement. She watched as her father wrapped an arm around her mother, before Bernie continued to cry. "We're all just worried about you Liam," she said, trying to be supportive. She knew her brother loved being in the military, but she also knew his deployment was going to be extremely hard on her whole family.
Olivia, who had stood quietly next to Elliot, wrapped her arm around his waist, letting him know she was still there. Elliot in turn, wrapped his arm around her, as he tried to think only of a positive outcome of this situation.
It was another hour before the whole family was able to make sense of everything and accept the fact that Liam would be leaving in a few days. They all knew it was something they didn't want, but knew it was part of his job, a job he enjoyed very much. Joe had taken his son aside and made him promise to try his best to make it back to them, and Liam made sure his father knew he would do everything he could to be safe.
Dinner was eaten in silence, and when everyone was done, everyone went their separate ways. Maura and Bernie cleaned up the dinning room and kitchen, trying to keep busy to avoid thinking of all the negative outcomes of Liam's deployment. Joe, Elliot, and Joey went into town to buy some things, although everyone knew that was an excuse to go down to the bar and (well for Joe) try to drink his problems away. Elliot and Joey merely went to make sure their father was responsible and didn't drive back home while drunk. Riley sat on the couch reading one of the new novels Maura had given her for Christmas, while Cole sat in his room playing guitar.
Olivia sat on the bed she shared with Elliot, flipping through the book Bernie had given her, glancing over the pages. Every now and then a section would catch her attention and she would skim over the words, but she knew it wasn't enough to retain the information. Something was on her mind, something to do with Elliot. His attitude had completely changed when he heard Liam's announcement, and she wasn't sure it was in a good way either. She continued to blindly flip through the book, her fingers turning page after page, as she continued to wonder what was going to happen. It wasn't until someone began to knock on the door did she stop what she was doing. She quickly hopped off of the bed, walked to the door, and opened it, surprised to see who was on the other side. "Liam? Elliot's not back yet," she said, wondering why he would come to the room knowing his brother was still out.
Liam looked her in the eye. "I know, I was kind of hoping I could talk to you." Olivia nodded as she stepped out of the room. "Want to take a walk?" he asked, as he held up her coat.
Olivia nodded and grabbed the coat from him. She quickly put it on and noticed he was already dressed in a heavy sweater and beanie. She slipped into her boots by the door and the two walked outside.
The two walked in silence for a few minutes, neither really knowing what to say. This past week Olivia had gotten to know him really well, so she didn't mind being out with him, but she was curious as to what he wanted to talk to her about. Maybe it was something to do with the family, maybe it was something to do with Elliot. Did he know why his brother had all of a sudden become so hostile?
"So, I'm pretty sure that was an intense family moment for you," Liam said, ending the silence.
Olivia looked up at the man and shrugged. "It's understandable, the way your family feels."
Liam nodded as he continued to walk through the snow. "I know. It's part of the job though, and as much as it pains me to do it, I have to go." He put his hands in his pocket, regretting the decision to not put on gloves. It was cold out, below freezing, and although Olivia and he could have had this talk in the cabin, he knew fresh air would do them both good.
The two continued to walk in silence, listening only to the faint crunching of the snow beneath their feet. Every now and then a few twigs would snap where they walked, but other than that silence filled their ears. Olivia thought of how she would approach Elliot when she saw him next. She knew she had to ask him what was on his mind, but she knew some guys didn't like to talk about personal things. Liam, on the other hand, was debating whether or not he should tell Olivia things he had never bothered telling Elliot's ex-girlfriend. Something about Olivia was special, something was different, and it was something more than the fact that she was carrying his niece or nephew.
"My Senior year of high school I didn't know what I was going to do. Joey was at NYU on sports scholarship, Maura was a straight A student, bound for an Ivy League school, and I was kind of out of luck. I wasn't great at sports, my grades would make any college turn away from me, so I started looking into the military." He looked at Olivia who raised an eyebrow, trying to see why he was telling her this. "I decided to join the Marines and make my family proud. For the first four years it was great. I finally felt like I knew where I belonged. Then I came home and found out Elliot had joined, and I knew he was making the biggest mistake of his life."
"Elliot and I were close, we still are, but he's the first person I go to if I need help and vise versa, so I didn't want him to be tied down to the Marines if I knew he had potential for other things. He doesn't do too well taking orders from others, so I knew right off the bat the military wasn't going to work out for him. Well, after a long talk I finally got him to agree to joining the reserves, rather than going on active duty like I was. He's being smart about this whole thing, letting the military help him get his degree. That way he can live a life outside of the military and if he still wants to join the Marines in a few years, I won't stop him."
Olivia nodded. She knew Elliot had mentioned the Marines, but she didn't know he was still a part of the reserves. Maybe that was what he was so angry about.
"Olivia," Liam said, stopping to let Olivia know whatever he had to say was serious. "I see the way my brother looks at you, heck, I see the way the whole family looks at you. You're like a breath of fresh air, and I want you to promise me that if anything happens to me, you won't let my family crumble."
"Liam I-"
"Please Olivia," Liam begged, as she placed his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Just promise me."
Olivia nodded, pretty much the only thing she could do to show Liam that she would try her best.
The two continued to talk and walk for another hour, discussing everything from being in the military, to the baby. Olivia had even asked why Liam didn't have anyone special and he simply shrugged off the question, saying he didn't have time for a relationship.
The two made their way back to cabin, grateful that they had taken the time to talk and get to know each other more.
"Where have you two been?" Cole asked Liam and Olivia, as they walked into the cabin.
Liam looked at his younger brother and shrugged. "Just walked around. Is Elliot back?"
Riley, who had been seated next to her brother on the couch, nodded. "He's in the room," was all she said, before she returned back to her book.
Olivia looked at Liam. He knew the two of them needed to talk, so with a silent nod, he walked away, hoping he'd be able to talk to his mother and reassure her he would be fine.
Once Liam walked away, Olivia walked to the room she shared with Elliot. She knew, thanks to Liam, why Elliot's mood had changed drastically, but she also wanted to allow him to explain it to her himself. She quickly opened the door, stepped inside, and shut the door behind her.
Elliot sat on the bed, his face hidden by the same baby book Olivia had been blindly looking through earlier. He was tense, and she could tell from afar things with Joe hadn't gone too well. "Elliot." She spoke softly, wanting him to know she wasn't here to judge him, or even get mad at him, but to try and comfort him as much as she could. She walked over to him, watching as he made no attempt to move, before she took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Hey," she whispered, as she placed her hand on his leg, letting him know things would be okay.
Elliot slowly lowered the book, his eyes locked with hers the entire time. His eyes were red and swollen, a sure sign he had been crying, but Olivia knew better to assume things with him. "Were you crying?" she whispered, trying not to cry herself. Normally she would've been a rock, but her hormones were out of whack, not to mention she genuinely cared for this family.
"No," he stated quickly, before looking down. Olivia was quiet. She knew he was stubborn, almost as much as her, but there was no way he could deny the obvious. "Maybe," he finally responded after a few moments of silence.
"Elliot, you're brother's going to be fine," she said, trying to reassure him that there was nothing to worry about.
Elliot nodded. "I know, I just- There's something we need to talk about."
Olivia watched as he placed the book on the nightstand next to the bed, before he stood. "Does it have anything to do with your change of attitude this afternoon?"
Elliot looked at Olivia, his eyebrows furrowing. Olivia simply stared at the man, waiting for him to say what needed to be said, and by the way he was looking at her, it was serious. "Olivia, we haven't really talked about this, but I'm still part of the Marines. At least for another two years." Olivia nodded. She had found this out from Liam, so it wasn't really a shock, she was just glad he was telling her himself. "That means I could possibly get deployed if they needed me."
Olivia raised an eyebrow. "I thought you weren't on active duty like your brother."
Elliot stared at the woman sighed. He knew Liam had told her about him being in the Marines, but he probably didn't tell her all the details. "I'm not, but if they need people, I'm one of the first they call." He stood up, knowing what he was going to say was something neither of them wanted, but it was probably best. "Olivia, you probably thought of your life one certain way, and I don't want to be the reason it turns out completely different."
"Elliot-" Olivia began, trying to tell Elliot he didn't have to go there.
"Look Liv, you were right when you said we shouldn't be in a relationship just because we're expecting a baby. And I know we've gotten to know each other more these past few days, but maybe we should wait more, especially considering I could be shipped off as well."
"Elliot, just because your brother is going off doesn't mean they'll send you."
"I know, but I don't want you to feel obligated to be in a relationship with me. I think you need to be able to live your own life, especially since you'll be having a baby soon."
Olivia stared at Elliot, unsure of what to say. He was right, she was the one saying they shouldn't rush into a relationship because of the baby, and the more she thought about it, the more logic told her that she was rushing into things. Maybe Elliot was right, maybe they should wait, until they were sure they were doing it for themselves. "So, you want to end whatever this is?" she asked, unsure of what exactly he was asking.
Elliot shrugged. "I don't think we should put a label on it right now. I think we're better off, for the moment, as friends."
Olivia nodded. Her head knew what Elliot was saying was true, but her heart couldn't help but feel a bit of regret. "Alright," she said, deciding it was best to wait until they were both absolutely sure.
The two continued to talk, moving the conversation onto a lighter subject. It wasn't long before Elliot had fallen asleep, confined to his side of the bed. Olivia, tired yet still somehow unable to sleep, tossed and turned in the bed. She couldn't help but feel awkward about the situation. She knew it was probably a bad idea to have let herself get carried away in the first place, but she also knew Elliot was a great man, and she deserved that. She stared at Elliot as he slept, his deep breathing telling her that he was completely at peace with his decision.
She rolled over once more so that she was staring at the ceiling and sighed. They would be going back to the city soon, and although she knew it would be hard, she would try to pretend that their relationship hadn't changed. They were, after all, only two friends having a baby, nothing more. Her eyes began to get heavier as she came to terms with what was happening, and by the time she was okay with the mutual decision to remain friends, she was practically asleep. One thing though kept pulling at her, making her feel a little uneasy; the feeling that she had let Liam down.
Please, don't hate me. I know it may seem like I'm an idiot for breaking them up, but don't worry, everything will happen for a reason. Please, just stay with me!
Anyway, please read and review. I like to know who's still interested in this story. And believe it or not your guys' reviews and comments make me more inspired to write, so keep 'em coming ;)
