A/N: "Sometimes people are stuck in a place they enjoy, so they take steps to stay stuck there."
DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©
Cragen sucked in a breath when Elliot and Olivia walked through the doors. His eyes met Elliot's for a moment, and he rose out of the seat. "Before you say anything, I'm not here to stop you."
"Why are you here, then?" Elliot asked, his hand clutching Olivia's as the kids walked into the room behind them.
Cragen sighed. "You need witnesses." He dropped his arms to his side, cleared his throat, and said, "I wanna be here. I owe it to you to be here."
"You sure it's not just because you feel like you need to involve yourself in this more than you already have?" Elliot asked, snippy.
"El," Olivia said in a chiding manner, squeezing his hand.
"Sorry," he mumbled, pulling her over to the desk. "Stabler, here to see Judge Moredock."
The receptionist looked up and smiled. "Hello, Detective Stabler. Detective Benson," she said, handing them a packet of stapled papers. "You need to fill these out, make sure you both sign them, and the judge will be waiting in his office when you're ready."
Elliot took the papers and nodded with a smile. He handed them to Olivia as they walked toward the chairs against the wall.
"Congratulations, by the way," the receptionist called as they walked away.
Olivia waved at her with a bright smile, and she looked down at the forms. She sat, exhaled, and clicked the pen in her hands. "This is it," she said. "We fill out this thing, sign it, and that's it."
Elliot looked at her. "You sure it's what you want?"
"Yeah," she said, nodding. "There's no reason to wait, right? Live in the moment," she whispered. "Is it what you want?"
He nodded. "It's what I wanted…the second you kissed me in the park," he said, his eyes glazing over just a bit. "I remember thinking how I never wanted to kiss another woman as long as I lived, I never wanted to let that moment end, I never wanted to let you go."
She took a small breath and signed the paper on the dotted line. "Now, you never have to do any of that." She handed him the pen, and she watched him as he held it in his hands for a moment before biting his lip and signing his name right next to hers.
"We're doing this," he whispered. "We're really doing this. One kiss, Liv. One moment. This came from taking a risk, a risk I am thankful you decided to take."
"And that's exactly what we're doing, now. Still taking risks." She took his hand, pulled him up out of his chair, and walked with him to the judge's office. The kids followed, as did Cragen, and when she knocked on the door, the judge opened it with a smile.
"You two," Moredock said, grinning. "If someone would have told me, when I first met you, that we'd be standing here like this, I would have had them held in contempt until your psychiatrist could evaluate them. Regardless of if we were in court or not."
Elliot and Olivia chuckled, then he looked at the judge. "This is a spur of the moment thing, Your Honor. We just…we don't have a reason to wait." He pushed his kids over to the side of the room, and he handed the judge the papers. "The E-Ninety…whatever it was…is there, too."
Moredock raised an eyebrow, turning to Cragen. "You actually dragged that thing out of the depths of hell?"
"I thought they needed it," Cragen said as he shrugged. "This didn't seem like a real…"
"Don," Moredock said, "You're supposed to have incredible powers of observation." He shook his head and chuckled, and he walked over to the desk. "All right, who wants to get hitched?"
The kids pointed to Elliot and Olivia at once, making them laugh. "Pushy bunch, aren't you?" Elliot asked.
Dickie rolled his eyes. "You're the one who keeps spouting all that stuff about living in the moment, and the here and now. Well, Dad, we're here, it's now, and…"
"All right," Elliot said. "If you could stop turning into me, that'd be great."
"Can't help my genes, Dad," Dickie said with a smirk, just like his father's.
Moredock chuckled, then held out a Bible. "Will you both place your left hands on the Bible, and raise your right."
Olivia smirked. "Are we being sworn in?"
"Smart ass," Elliot quipped under his breath, following the judge's directions. His eyes moved to his kids as the judge started rambling, and he saw their faces. Small, content smiles were on their faces, and they looked almost happy. Then he looked toward Cragen.
The captain had his arms folded, a somber look on his face. He nodded at Elliot, not happily, but almost as if he was conceding in a fight, losing a battle. He had an empty look in his eyes and he shook his head, turning away when he heard the judge ask if they wanted to exchange rings.
"Yes," Elliot said, hearing him and looking immediately from Cragen to Moredock. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He handed it over, then saw the surprised look on Olivia's face. "Hey, just because we didn't plan this doesn't mean I'm not prepared." He winked at her, and smiled when she laughed.
Moredock handed her a ring, and handed Elliot the other. They slipped them onto each other's finger, and that was it. Moredock dropped the Bible to his desk and said, "By the power granted to me, by the state of New York, I now pronounce you man and wife. Detective Stabler and…well, Detective Stabler, congratulations."
They laughed, shook the judges hand, and then kissed. Cragen sighed, shook his head, signed the witness statement for them, and walked out, leaving them laughing and enjoying the moment.
Elliot turned the key, laughing, and walked into the apartment. He held the door open for Olivia and the kids, who were all still laughing, and when he turned on the light, there was a surprise waiting for them.
"Mom?" Kathleen asked, furrowing her brow.
"Kathy," Elliot said, narrowing his eyes, "What did you do to your hair?"
Kathy, on the couch, ran a hand through her hair. "You don't like it?"
"Not really," Maureen said, folding her arms. "You look much better as a blonde."
Kathy shrugged. "I needed a change. I, uh, I heard you two got…got married? Really, that was…that was fast. But I'm happy for you."
"Thanks," Olivia said. She tugged on a lock of her own hair, making a mental note to cut and dye it as soon as possible. "How did you get in here, by the way?"
Kathy held out a small silver key. "Elliot had a copy made for me, just in case I ever decided to stay in the city with him. Of course, I never did, but I kept the key."
Elliot reached for it, nodding. "Thanks for bringing it by," she said.
"I came to talk to Liv, actually," Kathy said, looking toward her.
Elliot held back a cough at the sound of Kathy using Olivia's nickname, and he said, "Go get changed, guys. When you're ready, we'll order the pizza, get the ice cream, and pick a movie."
The kids eyed their mother suspiciously, then filed up the stairs, mumbling to each other about Kathy's new dark 'do.
"I know it's your wedding night, so I won't stay long. I just wanted to ask a few questions," Kathy said. "About court. I mean, how rough is this gonna be? Will he be in the room?"
Olivia sighed. "Yes, he'll be there. You'll have to tell your story, the whole thing, in vivid detail. You have to make sure they all understand exactly what happened to you."
"You know, isn't that enough?" Kathy asked, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I mean, couldn't you just…"
"Kathy, we have trail prep all this week," Olivia said. "And we've gone over what is expected of you, you know they can't convict…"
"I wish I had your balls, Liv," Kathy said, shaking her head with a smile. "You would tell them everything, and you'd do it with fire in your eyes." She tilted her head and said, "But you're not…you're not stupid enough to let anyone rape you, you'd fight them off, you'd get away and make them sorry they even thought about it."
Olivia sat next to Kathy. "This is not your fault, you know that. I wouldn't…fighting is the worst thing you can do, if the attacker has a weapon, Kathy. Not fighting is what kept you alive."
Kathy sniffled, keeping the tears away. She shook her head and said, "No, you…you wouldn't have just let it happen. You would have…"
"She's a lot stronger than you," Elliot interrupted. "Physically, I mean. Not to mention she carries her gun wherever she goes, and when you piss her off enough she could take down Hulk Hogan."
Kathy nodded. "That's what I mean, Elliot." She blinked, fighting the urge to cry. "She's…she's so much…I just wish I…"
"Breathe," Olivia said. "Breathe, Kathy.'
Kathy nodded. She got off of the couch and said, "I'm gonna go wash my face. I…I'll be out of your hair in a few minutes."
Elliot nodded, and as soon as Kathy was in the bathroom with the closed door, he looked at Olivia. "Honey, I think you've got a fan."
Olivia slapped him in the thigh, since he was standing. "This is not what we need right now," she said. "She…her hair…I…"
"She admires you," Elliot said, brushing her back with his hand. "I can't blame her. I know a lot of people who chose you as their idol, three of them are upstairs."
She laughed and got to her feet. She let him pull her into a hug and she nuzzled into his chest. "You're too good to me. And I love that you're acting like you're not creeped out right now."
"My ex-wife cut and dyed her hair to look like my current wife," he said, looking at her. "It's fucking creepy."
She chuckled as she kissed him, and when the kids came down the stairs, she said, "Tell Kathy I said goodbye. I'm gonna go change." She ran a hand through her own hair as she moved toward the bedroom, biting her lip.
She made sure she closed the door behind her, fished around in her drawer, and pulled out the pill bottle. She sighed and closed her eyes as she opened it, and she inhaled sharply as she dropped one into her hands. She tossed it back and instantly felt guilty.
She changed quickly, threw the pills back into the drawer, and walked back out into the living room. She promised him she would stop taking them, but after the shock of seeing Kathy, knowing what it all meant, and finding herself suddenly married made her heart rate quicken. She had to stop it before it started, she didn't want to have a panic attack, not tonight.
She walked back toward Elliot with a small smile on her face, and she was relieved to find out Kathy had left. She kissed him, and promised herself she'd get rid of the pills tomorrow.
She wouldn't have to, though, since someone in the house would beat her to it.
A/N: Kathy's trial. The return of Sandoval, and he's not happy. A visit from one of Munch's ex-wives, who gives Olivia some advice, and Cragen makes a really important decision. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212