AN: I'm sorry I didn't get an update out sooner. SVU last night really threw me into a spiral and I just couldn't write. But maybe getting back into some EO goodness will help. Can't hurt. Thanks for all of the reviews. I really, really appreciate it.
EOEOEOEO
This is from the end of the last chapter:
Kathy was too angry for words, and she turned back, wrenching the door open. She started to march out the door and Olivia saw Elliot coming down the hall, her and Elise's bags draped over one shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arm. Kathy stopped cold and Elliot looked back and forth between Kathy and Olivia. He could see the anger on both of their faces.
"What the hell's going on?"
EOEOEOEO
Kathy started moving again and stopped two feet away from Elliot. "I've been trying to reach you all day. I need to talk to you about your son."
Elliot's eyes flicked over to Olivia and then back to Kathy.
"Why didn't you return my call? Too busy with your partner?" The insinuation in the word partner wasn't lost on Elliot. Or Olivia.
Elliot saw Olivia disappear into the apartment and he turned to Kathy, who was now standing with her hands on her hips and a look of impatience on her face.
"I was going to call you back tonight when I got home." He said, trying to remain calm, while wondering how long she had been there. Had she and Olivia been talking? Based on the upset look on both of their faces, he assumed so. "Can't this wait until tomorrow?" he asked.
"Oh, I see what the priority is here." She said loudly.
Elliot clenched his jaw, rage coursing through his body. They were getting too loud and he knew he had to get this fight out of the hallway before his neighbors called the police. Wouldn't that be irony.
He was just about to suggest they take it outside when he saw Olivia at the door again, Elise in her arms with her jacket on. No. No. No.
Olivia caught his eye as she moved down the hallway towards where Elliot and Kathy were standing.
"Liv." Elliot said, his attention shifting from Kathy to her as she walked towards them. He moved to block her way, and he saw her shoot a look at Kathy as she placed a protective hand over the back of Elise's head and pressed it to her shoulder.
"We're just going to give you some space." She said. "So you guys can talk." She didn't want to get in the middle of this. They obviously had stuff to work out, and she didn't want Elise to be around this; especially with Kathy's attitude towards her. She pushed past Elliot and turned down the hallway towards the elevator, not stopping as she heard Elliot call her name again.
Elliot didn't chase after her. He still had their overnight bags, so he was reasonably sure she wasn't running back to Connecticut. Reasonably sure.
He looked back at Kathy. "Let's take this inside." He motioned towards the door. He could see the uncertainty on her face and he was sure she was starting to rethink this entire confrontation. Because she knew he was pissed.
She turned and headed back through the open apartment door, and Elliot followed, dropping the duffle bags by the door and setting the groceries on the counter.
He turned to go into the living room and saw Kathy standing there, her arms crossed over her chest, looking at him.
He wanted to ask her what she and Olivia had discussed, or what she had said to her, but he knew the argument was only going to escalate at that point, so he decided to focus on why the hell she had shown up in the first place. "So do you want to tell me what's so goddamned urgent that you had to talk to me today?"
"I needed to talk to you about your son. You remember him, right?"
Elliot rolled his eyes. "Cut the drama Kathy. I just saw he and Liz." Kathy had never been this dramatic in their married life. Sure, they'd had their share of fights over the years; accusations flying. But it usually ended up with her in tears and him storming off. This was something different.
"Well did he tell you that he's failing Math and barely passing Biology?"
Elliot shifted on his feet, realizing his son had skillfully avoided that question when he asked how he was doing in school. He had brought up Liz's boyfriend and his attention had been diverted. "No."
"I don't know what to do with him anymore. I've tried everything. I'm out of options and you have to step in. I realize that you're busy with your new daughter…"
"Goddamnit!" he swore. "Why do you have to do that?"
"I'm not doing anything. You're the one that's been spending all of your time with her and ignoring your own kids."
"My own kids? What do you mean by that?" He hoped she slipped up and wasn't insinuating what he thought she was. "What did you say to Olivia?"
Kathy let out a huff. "I didn't say anything that didn't need to be said."
Elliot was trying to remain calm; he honestly didn't know who this woman was standing in front of him. She'd never been this bitter before and he was trying to understand where she was coming from because he knew they had to figure this out for his kid's sake.
He took a deep breath. They weren't going to get anywhere screaming at each other. They had tried that for years, as had he and Olivia. He needed to calm down. "Sit down." He said and Kathy looked surprised at the sudden turn in the conversation and the eerie calm in Elliot's tone. She hesitated a second, watching the way his jaw was clenching and his body tensed, deciding that the storm wasn't over yet, but she let out another sigh and sat down.
Elliot sat down in the chair across from her. He swiped a hand over his face. "I need you to listen to me. Because I feel like we've had this conversation but you haven't heard me." He said, his tone angry but controlled. "We were married for over twenty years and I wouldn't take that back for anything. I love the family we made and the years we had together. We tried at a second chance. But we both agreed after I moved back that things weren't working out. That I loved you but I wasn't in love with you anymore." He watched her eyes and he knew she couldn't deny it. That was exactly how they left things.
"You know that I love Olivia and I'm sorry because I know that's not what you want to hear. But it happened. That's why it didn't work out for us. Elise is my daughter. I don't have any question about that. None. And we all had a role in me missing the first four years of her life. Olivia, me and you."
Kathy started to object but he raised a hand to stop her. "We had this conversation too. Many times. It was precisely because of my kids that she left. And you were a big part of that. So you can't sit there and tell me you're innocent." His tone was starting to escalate but he was on a roll and he wasn't going to stop now. "So I'm sorry if I've spent the last two months getting to know my daughter and I haven't seen the other kids as much, but I have four years to make up for! And I don't really think they give a crap. It's you that's making an issue out of it!" He said, now having to stand up because anger was rolling through him in waves and he was trying to keep a cool head so he could get this out.
"I told you before that if you ever do anything to make Elise feel like she's some kind of bastard child that I was not going to tolerate it. So I'm cutting you some slack this time because I know you're trying to deal with this change in reality. But she's my daughter, she's not going anywhere, and the sooner you accept that the sooner we can move forward."
He could see tears in her eyes; she had never handled it well when Elliot was yelling, and he felt a flash of guilt because she had never asked for any of this. But he was so tired of having this same argument with her.
He let out a heavy sigh. "Do you think that my relationship with Olivia and Elise cancels out the twenty some years we were together?" He asked. "Do you think that it means that I never loved you or that I don't care about the kids?" he said. "You don't know me very well if you think that I'm one of those men that gets a family and just leaves the old one behind. That's not me Kathy. You know that."
"I always thought you'd come back. That you'd get her out of your system and come back to me." She said. Even after he left the second time, she thought they could make it work out. That he just needed time to get her out of his heart and mind and realize what he'd left behind. "When I heard she was back and that there was a child…I just knew that I lost you forever and I can't handle it." She sobbed then. "You are the first man and the only man I've ever loved."
Elliot didn't know what to do with that confession. He wanted to tell her that she'd find someone else, but he knew that's not what she wanted to hear. His tone softened. "Kathy, I'm sorry. I really am. I know this wasn't how you planned on things happening, but it did. So now we have to figure out what our relationship is going to be and you have to know that it's over between you and me…like that. I'm still here for the kids. And I want to be there for you too…but as a friend."
Kathy snorted as she turned her attention to her hands in her lap. A friend. She wanted her husband, not a friend. She honestly didn't know if she could ever forgive Olivia for seducing her husband and tearing him away from his family.
"Kathy?"
She looked up at him and he could see a mixture of anger and sadness. "I don't need a friend Elliot. And I think it's pretty presumptuous of you to ask me to be friends with the woman that stole my husband. I told you that before. What do you think? I'm going to call her up and we're going to meet for a cup of coffee?"
"I'm not asking you to be friends for God's sake." Elliot was surprised that she was still holding on to the anger of he and Olivia's relationship. He thought they'd gotten past that when Olivia had left. Maybe she could have if it was just that he and Olivia were together again; maybe it was Elise that had driven her over the edge again. "I just need us all to find a place where we can all co-exist and get past the anger and the accusations and the bullshit."
She stood up. "Maybe I'll get there one day." Her tone was shaky and she swiped a tear from her face. "Right now, I just need you to be a father to your kids." She started walking to the door. "I'll expect to see you at the house tomorrow to talk some sense into your son." She opened the door and slammed it shut behind her before Elliot could get another word in.
He groaned and rested his head in his hands. What a fucking mess. He lifted his head and looked at his watch. He had no idea how much time had passed since Olivia left with Elise, but it couldn't have been more than half an hour. He had to call her and figure out where she was. But he had another phone call to make first. He stood up and fished his phone out of his pocket.
"Dick." He said when the caller answered. "We need to talk."
EOEOEOEO
Olivia had left Elliot's apartment with only one thing in mind and that was getting Elise as far away from the shit storm as possible. They still hadn't eaten dinner, so she was happy to find a small Italian restaurant just two blocks down from Elliot's apartment. She was starving and Elise was getting cranky because she hadn't eaten either.
They were munching on breadsticks and she was trying to keep Elise entertained, but her mind was on the conversation Elliot and Kathy were having right now. She wasn't under any delusion that it would be reasonable; Kathy had obviously changed since she had seen her last. And she felt bad for any role she had played in that happening. The old Olivia would have left again, but the new Olivia wasn't going anywhere. This wasn't just about her anymore. She looked over at her daughter and knew there was no going back now.
They had just gotten their food when her phone rang. She saw it was Elliot and she answered right away.
"Hey." He said and she could hear the strain in his voice.
"Hey." She replied. "Are you OK?"
"Yeah." He sighed. "Just worn out." It was the truth. Between his fight with Kathy and his "discussion" with Dick, he was emotionally and physically drained. "Where are you?" He asked, bracing himself.
She laughed, hearing the fear in his voice. "Calm down. We're at dinner. Biaggi's." She heard a sigh of relief. "Where did you think we went?" she asked, not able to resist messing with him a little.
"With the way things are going, I honestly don't know. Can I join you?" he asked.
"You know what? We'll be done by the time you get here. I'll just order something for you to go and we will bring it back with us." She said. "How does that sound?"
He let out a sigh, laying his head back on the couch. "That sounds wonderful."
EOEOEOEO
He heard a knock on the door and realized he had fallen asleep. He jumped up to get the door and saw Olivia trying to juggle a sleepy Elise and a bag of food.
"Sorry." He said, wondering how long she had been standing there. He scooped Elise out of her arms and Olivia sighed with relief.
"She's getting too big for me to carry. Especially that far." She set the food down on the kitchen counter. She watched as Elliot set her gently on the couch and took off her coat. Elise never moved a muscle.
"Should she be asleep this early?" he asked, noticing it was just 7 o'clock.
"No, but she's worn out. It means she'll probably be up really early." She reached for her feet and took off Elise's shoes. "Or in the middle of the night." She grinned at him. "That's my favorite."
Elliot picked her up off the couch and they walked back to the spare bedroom. Olivia got her changed into her pajamas and tucked into bed and they both kissed her good night. They walked into the kitchen and Elliot unloaded the food she had picked up for him. Olivia grabbed two beers and they moved into the living room.
"Do you want to talk?" Elliot asked, assuming she had a million questions about his discussion with Kathy, and knowing he had a few of his own.
"Do you care if we don't?" she asked. She just wanted to enjoy a few peaceful hours with him. No kids. No Kathy. Because she knew that tomorrow she had no choice but to get in the car and head back to Connecticut.
"I think there's a Ranger's game on." Elliot said, wanting to give her the space she was requesting. He knew they'd talk at some point.
"That's fine." She'd watch anything as long as they could avoid any serious discussion. They'd had enough of that. She plopped down the couch with a heavy sigh. She lay down and stretched out and threw an arm over her eyes.
"Hey. Where am I supposed to sit?" he asked, standing with his food in his hand. His eyes roved over her body stretched out in front of him.
"Chair." She muttered. It felt so good to just lie down and relax. It had been a long, busy day and now her stomach was full of pasta.
Elliot set his plate down on the coffee table. "I wanted to sit with you."
Olivia lifted her arm and looked at him. "Seriously? You can't sit in the chair?"
He leaned over the couch, resting a hand on the back and the other next to her head. "Liv, I've been sitting by myself for the past five years. Now scoot over." He gave her a grin.
"Scoot over? We can't both fit on this couch."
Elliot wiggled his eyebrows. "You have no imagination."
Olivia shook her head slightly; her muscles were still sore from last night and she had no idea what he had in mind.
He tugged at the cushion on the back of the couch that his hand had been resting on, and the whole thing came up. He tossed it on the floor. Then he grabbed the other back cushion down by her legs and did the same thing. "Now move your ass over." He nudged her hip with his knee.
Olivia laughed and moved over slightly. Elliot climbed over her in a second, placing one knee between her legs and resting on his forearms as he lowered his body over hers.
He playfully rubbed her nose with his. "I've been thinking about kissing you all day." He said, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. "Among other things." He said, dropping his mouth to her neck and peppering her with small kisses down to the tiny bit of cleavage showing.
"Aren't you going to eat your dinner?" she asked. "I carried that three blocks for you."
"Oh, I'm going to eat." He said. "Don't worry about that."
Olivia blushed at the insinuation in his voice, and she honestly didn't know why. She wasn't shy about sex; never had been. "You're being ridiculous." She said, propping herself up on her elbows, intending to sit up so he could eat the lasagna she brought him.
He raised an eyebrow at her, and then pushed her back down on the couch. "I'm not being ridiculous." He said as he reached down and untucked her shirt from her jeans. He scooted down her body and placed a kiss on the bare skin of her abdomen, causing her to jump slightly. He looked up at her as he dug his fingers into the waistband of her jeans. "You've always been my favorite meal." Olivia wanted to laugh at how corny he was being but he chose that moment to place his mouth over her jean clad mound and she hissed because damn it, she wanted his mouth on her. Now. She let out a slow breath through pursed lips. How did he do that? One minute they're talking about a hockey game and the next minute he had her wanting to shed her clothing.
Her jeans were unbuttoned and unzipped and he was tugging them down her hips and she could feel his warm breath against her skin but she put her hands on his, stopping his motions. "Elise." She whispered. She didn't even want to think about how traumatized her daughter would be if she came out and saw Elliot's head between her thighs. There was no explanation for that.
Elliot seemed to consider what she was saying and she could see him weighing their options. He hadn't had to worry about a small child and a healthy sex life for years. Damn. He wanted to make Olivia moan and swear like a sailor and he couldn't do that in the room next to hers. He climbed off the couch and snagged her hand. "Bathroom. We can lock the door."
Olivia cocked her head as if to say really?
"Don't look at me like that." He said, laughing quietly as he tugged her down the hall. He pulled her into the bathroom off their bedroom and locked the door. She leaned against the counter, feeling like maybe the moment had passed and wondering if they were ever going to be able to have spontaneous sex again, when Elliot was on her…his hands on her hips, pulling her jeans and underwear to the ground in one quick motion. She lifted her feet as he pulled them over her ankles and he dropped them on the floor.
"El." She said.
Before his name was even off her tongue, he had his hands around her waist and was hoisting her up on the small counter. He pressed his lips to hers, cradling the back of her head with his hand as he kissed her deeply. He pushed her legs apart with his hips and settled his body in between hers. He kissed her hard, bruising her lips as he ran his other hand up and down her thigh. He brushed his hand up her side and then around her bicep, releasing her mouth as he lay her back gently on the counter. She adjusted her long body, trying to find a comfortable position, but then Elliot had his hands on her hips and was tugging her towards the edge of the counter. He kneeled down, placing her thighs on his shoulders and she tensed in anticipation, not sure if she should expect his hands or his tongue.
She could feel his warm breath against her bare skin and she let out a loud moan as he slid his tongue between her folds and his fingers teased her entrance. She hadn't expected both but she wasn't complaining. She was embarrassed at how wet she was already, but she knew she shouldn't be. Elliot loved the affect he had on her body and had told her that on several occasions.
She felt his tongue go to work on her, spreading her wetness, and then his entire mouth was on her clit and she hissed as he sucked her sensitive nub. He slid one finger inside of her and he moaned against her clit, causing her to squirm beneath him. He reached up and placed one hand on her hip, holding her in place. He added a second finger to the first, and his thick fingers stretched and twisted inside of her. He set up a rhythm with his fingers, bending them slightly and hitting her just right. She was unable to move; the hold he had on her keeping her firmly rooted in place. Her thighs clenched around his neck as he kept sucking and teasing her clit with his tongue and then his lips. He was fucking her hard with his fingers, slamming then inside of her and she could only moan in one long stream, her body clutching and tensing as she felt her orgasm building. It didn't take much more of his teasing and finger fucking her that she came hard, clutching at his head, trying to stop his movements against her. He didn't stop, feeling her walls clench around his fingers and the liquid heat rush between her legs. When he finally stilled, her walls continued to constrict around him and her thighs were clenched tight around his head and he was so hard. He wanted to drop his pants and fuck her right here…but this was about her. They had the rest of the night.
He stood up slowly, holding her thighs in his hands as he watched her try to calm her heartbeat and slow her breathing. Her eyes were closed and when he was standing, she opened them and looked at him.
He had a big smile on his face. "You're such a cocky SOB." She said, knowing he loved how he could get her off so quickly.
"Cocky? Maybe. Talented? Fuck yeah." Giving her a big grin.
She shook her head, having no response to that. Because damn, he was.
He helped her sit up and push herself back on the counter. He grabbed a towel and handed it to her. "Here." He grabbed one for himself.
"Are we going to have to have sex in the bathroom from now on?" she laughed.
"Nah." He said, helping her down from the counter. "I'll get a lock on the bedroom door. Now let's go watch the Rangers."