Hi readers! Thanks for all of the reviews. I really love hearing from everyone. Please cut me a little slack on this chapter. I'm not sure of what all the policies of the NYPD are, so I may take some liberties. Thanks again! I'm trying to update as quickly as possible!
EOEOEOEOEO
It was a mad rush, but Olivia worked hard to get everything she could unpacked in the new apartment prior to the big move. She had broken down and stacked so many boxes and carried them to the recycling bin at the complex that she thought she'd probably walked 30 miles over the course of the past few days.
It was Saturday morning and she was waiting for Elliot to show up with the truck. He had offered to pay Dick and a few of his friends with a mix of cash and pizza, and she hoped it was enough to get them out of bed early enough to actually be able to help. Elise was sitting in her room with the pile of toys, books and stuffed animals that had already made the trip, trying to decide where they would go. Olivia had purchased some new toy bins and a new bookshelf and had offered to help Elise get organized. Elise had flatly refused, reminding her mother that this was her room and that she got to decide where things went. Olivia knew that she should probably remind her strong-willed daughter that the apartment belonged to her mother and father but she honestly had enough to do, so she let it slide.
Olivia looked around the apartment and smiled. She was really happy with the work that Elliot had done. The fresh paint on the walls looked great, and gave it the feeling of being new. He had also cleaned out the fireplace and cleaned up the bricks around it, and she could picture them snuggled in front of the fire on a cold winter day.
She walked down the hall, and entered the small room that was going to be the nursery. Elliot had painted the walls a soft gray color, and she was anxious to get the room decorated for the baby. Setting up the nursery had been one of her favorite things when she was pregnant with Elise, and she was happy that this time, Elliot would be here with her. She rested her hand on her stomach, and even though she didn't even have a baby bump yet, she imagined the small life inside of her. She had found an old rocker at an estate sale and had refinished it, and it was one of the few pieces of furniture she hadn't left at the house in Connecticut. She was going to rock this new baby to sleep in it, just as she had Elise.
She heard the front door bang open and it was such a stark contrast to the quiet moment she'd been having that she let out a loud gasp.
"Anyone home?" she heard someone yell, and she could tell it was Dick.
She hurried down the hall towards the living room, and arrived just in time to see Dick and a friend hauling boxes into the room, practically stumbling in their haste.
"Slow down." She said.
"OK if we just dump everything in here?" he asked.
"No! Everything is labeled." Olivia said. "Please put it in the right room so I don't have to move all these boxes again." She spent a lot of time organizing as they packed, since she couldn't be hauling boxes around on her own. At least if they ended up in the right room, she could just unpack them.
Dick looked at the box. "Elise's room." He said. He looked up at Olivia, but before he could ask, she told him it was the first door on the right. They took off down the hall, and Olivia heard Elise protest as they barged into her room. But she didn't have time to interfere as a couple more guys came in, quickly followed by Elliot and another kid carrying a living room chair.
Olivia spent the next hour directing traffic, as load after load came into the apartment. She was starting to wonder if they'd have enough room for everything, when another face popped into the doorway.
"Is it safe to come in?"
She smiled when she saw Fin standing there and she ushered him in.
"I think you missed most of the work." She said.
"Good. Then I'm right on time." He said, sauntering into the apartment.
"Elliot didn't tell me that you were stopping by today." She said, giving him a big smile. Next to Elliot, she missed Fin the most.
"Yeah, well I was…what d'ya call it? Non-committal." He said with a smirk. "Never know what's going to come up."
"What's her name?" Olivia teased, but as usual Fin was a perfect poker face. He just shrugged and looked around the place.
"Looks good Liv." He said. "Definitely a step up from Stabler's place."
"Well, technically, this is still half Elliot's." she said, laughing.
"Don't remind me."
Olivia rolled her eyes. She always enjoyed this game with Fin.
"So where's the little Liv?" he asked.
"Little Liv?" Olivia asked. "I haven't heard that before."
"That girl's the spittin' image of her Mama." Fin said. "I'm glad she doesn't look like Stabler."
Olivia wanted to roll her eyes again, but she just shook her head. "You make me laugh. I miss that." She said. She nodded down the hall. "First door on the right."
"I'm gonna check this place out." He said as he started walking down the hall. "See what kind of digs Stabler got going for my girl here."
Fin had never been demonstrative towards her, or anyone else she'd seen for that matter, but she knew that he loved her, and she felt the same about him. It's what made her think of these guys as her family.
"Let me know if it passes inspection." She teased. Her attention was refocused as Elliot came in with her rocking chair. He set it down in the living room and fell into the nearest chair.
"That damn thing is heavy." He said.
Olivia laughed. "Are you becoming an old man? What happened to those big muscles?" She leaned over to squeeze his bicep, and he grabbed her around her waist and pulled her into his lap.
"Old man? Those are fighting words." He threaded one hand through her hair and pulled her in for a kiss. She pushed against him laughing, but ultimately gave in, pressing her hands lightly against his chest as she kissed him.
"Aw man. I don't need to see that shit."
Olivia pulled back from the kiss and laughed, but Elliot kept his hands on her hips and peered around her. "When did you get here?" Elliot asked as he saw Fin walking back into the living room.
"Just a few minutes ago." He sat down on the couch. "Seriously man." He motioned towards them. "You do that with all these kids around?"
Olivia rolled her eyes and climbed off Elliot's lap. "We weren't doing anything." She said with a smirk.
Elliot slapped her lightly on the ass as she moved away from him. "But we could if you left." He joked.
Olivia shot him a look over her shoulder and then turned back to Fin. She saw the look on his face and she laughed again. Elliot knew how to push his buttons. "Ignore him." She said. "I'm glad you're here."
At that particular moment, Dick and one of his friends struggled through the hall with a coffee table, and Elliot pushed himself up to help them.
Olivia looked around. "How much more is down there? It can't be much."
Dick set down his end of the coffee table. "I think if everyone takes one more load, the truck will be empty." He said. "When's the pizza coming?" he asked, looking at Olivia. "We're starving."
Olivia looked at her watch. "Should be here any minute."
"No pizza until the truck is empty." Elliot said, nodding towards the door and Olivia laughed as the boys hustled out the door.
Ten minutes later, the truck was empty and five hungry boys were settled around the table, wolfing down three large pizzas. Olivia had situated at the coffee table, and the adults all got settled on the furniture around her.
Olivia grabbed a slice of pizza and was about to take a bite when they heard a knock on the door. She dropped the pizza and got up to get the door, when it swung open. She she saw Cragen and Munch let themselves in. She smiled as she reached them, trying to think if she'd ever seen either one of them in such casual clothing. She noticed Cragen had a plant in the crook of his arm, and he looked a little uncomfortable as he handed it to her.
"I didn't know what to get you." He said. He gave her another awkward smile and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"I love it." She said.
Elise jumped up and rushed over, grabbing Cragen around the legs and then jumping up and down, trying to get attention. She grabbed his hand, clamoring for him to come with her to see her room.
"You just sentenced that plant to death." Elliot said, knowing Olivia did not have a green thumb. "She'll never remember to water it."
Olivia gave him a dirty look. "I've manage to remember to feed Elise, so I think I can manage to keep a plant alive." She said drily as she set the plant on the fireplace mantel.
"Papa Don. Papa Don. Papa Don. Come see my room." Elise repeated, the volume of her voice escalating when she realized he wasn't paying attention to her.
Elliot shook his head. "We'll see." He turned his attention back to Cragen and Munch. "You guys all have impeccable timing. Too late to help unload but just in time to eat."
"Our devious plan worked." Munch said to Cragen. He looked at Fin. "Don't tell me you were here in time to actually help."
"Nah." He said. "Just supervising the last load."
"Why aren't you listening to me?" Elise yelled.
Dick leaned back in his chair. "Stop with the screaming!" He yelled back at her, a grin on his face. He turned back to the guys, shaking his head. "Sisters."
Olivia grabbed Elise under her arms and pulled her away from Cragen. "Elise, quiet down. You're being rude."
"I'll come look at your room in a few minutes." Cragen said.
Elise pulled out of Olivia's grasp and ran down the hall, apparently appeased by his promise.
Olivia sat back down on the couch. She looked at her watch and saw it was a little after 4, and she was exhausted already. The chaos in the apartment wasn't helping. From the boxes sitting everywhere to the haphazard furniture placed around the room to the six teenagers laughing and talking at the table with cans of soda and paper plates littered over the surface, it was overwhelming. She appreciated everyone's help, but it was going to be nice when she could have some peace and quiet, they could get everything in its place and they would finally be settled.
As if reading her mind, Dick stood up. "Hey Dad. We're going to get going." He held out his hand. "Can we get that money you promised?"
Elliot stood up and pulled out his wallet. He counted out the money and started to hand it to his son, but then he hesitated. "You guys are going right back to Queens, right?"
Dick nodded. "Of course."
"I don't want you hanging out in the city and getting in trouble." He said, handing the cash over. "I'm serious. I can track the GPS on your phone. Don't think I won't." He could just see these guys thinking it would be fun to cruise around the city, especially now that they had some cash in their pockets.
Dick rolled his eyes. "We're going back. We're going to hit the pool."
One of Dick's friends bumped his shoulder. "Yeah, someone named Rachel is going to be there." He teased.
Dick pushed his friend back, and shot him a dirty look. "Let's go."
Elliot laughed. He didn't even want to know. He remembered his days as a teenager, going to the pool or the beach and watching all the girls.
The boys left in a rush, and the volume in the apartment decreased by an astonishing amount. Elliot grabbed two of the chairs from the table and pulled them over nearer the couch. He motioned for Cragen and Munch to sit down and then disappeared around the counter into the kitchen area. Olivia heard the refrigerator open and then heard Elliot yell.
"Whaddya guys want? I got beer, water, and more beer." He came back in the room with several of each, and set them on the coffee table. He plopped down in the chair with a beer in his hand. "Damn kids drank all the soda. Sorry."
Munch and Fin grabbed a beer, and Cragen and Olivia each grabbed a water. Olivia looked around at the group assembled, and smiled. It reminded her of days, and nights, spent sitting around the squad room. Brainstorming, throwing ideas out and having the others critique them, and reading reports and arrest records of their suspects.
"This looks like a nice place." Cragen said. He looked over at Olivia. "How are you adjusting to living back in the city?"
Olivia let out a small laugh. "I can't believe you're asking me that. You were the one that asked me how I was possibly going to live in the suburbs when I moved to Connecticut." As soon as she said it, she looked over at Elliot, realizing she had inadvertently brought up a sore subject. Her move, and Cragen's involvement in the deception.
Elliot didn't seem phased by it. "She's a city girl through and through." He said. "This is where she belongs."
Olivia raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes, but we may move back to my house in Connecticut at some point." She'd been serious when they had discussed it. It was one of the main reasons they didn't sell it.
Elliot waved a hand at her. "Yeah. At some point." He winked at her. "But for now, this is home."
"Now that y'all gettin' settled, it's time for Liv to go back to work." Said Fin. "When you comin' back to SVU?"
Olivia's breath caught. She had told both Fin and Munch that she was going to be looking for a job once they were settled, but she hadn't specifically mentioned coming back to SVU. She looked over at Cragen, but he wasn't looking at her, and she was reasonably certain he wouldn't have told Fin about their conversation. She didn't want to look over at Elliot. She had been surprised the comment about her leaving to go to Connecticut hadn't sparked a reaction, but even though that hadn't, she knew this would.
She tried to laugh it off. "I never said I was coming back to SVU." She said, picking a piece of non-existent lint from her leggings. She could feel Elliot's eyes boring into her from where he was sitting across from her.
"Cap'n got approval to hire another head." Munch offered and Olivia lifted her head to look at him, surprised by his comment.
She wondered if Cragen had gone to bat to get another detective because he thought she wanted to come back.
"We're just swamped and the caseload is getting unmanageable. We've been paying so much overtime…" Cragen said. "It just makes sense to hire someone."
"Liv's not interested in chasing suspects. She wants to work with victims." Elliot said, practically interrupting Cragen. "Maybe doing something like she did before. You know, helping them wade through the legal hassle, getting them connected with counseling. That kind of thing."
Olivia looked up as he spoke, but he wasn't looking at her; he was focused on Cragen. Olivia could swear he was almost telling Cragen that she wasn't coming back. As if he was speaking for her. "Actually, I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet." She said, looking squarely at Elliot. When he heard her, he swung his eyes to hers. "I'm looking at all my options."
"Looks like maybe one option's already been crossed off the list." Munch quipped and Olivia shot him a dirty look, bridling at the implication.
"Nothing's been crossed off the list." She said pointedly, staring Elliot directly in the eyes. "Like I said, I'm looking at all my options."
Fin seemed oblivious to the tension, or he didn't care. "I'd love to have you back. I'm tired of looking at all these ugly mugs. Seeing you every day would brighten up the place."
Cragen stood up. "So… can I get a tour of the place?" he said, obviously trying to break the tension and change the subject. "I promised a certain someone she could show me her room."
Elliot and Olivia held their stare for a moment longer, but Olivia finally relented, not wanting to make a scene in front of their friends, even though they'd been witnesses to plenty of fights between them before. She stood up. "Sure, I'll show you around." She headed down the hall, and Cragen followed her.
Elliot watched them go, hoping that was the end of the conversation.
"Why you gotta be such a hardass?" Fin asked. "Should be up to Liv if she wants to come back."
"It's none of your business." Elliot said, trying to give Fin a warning to back off. He wasn't going to discuss this with him.
"I'm just sayin'." He said. "She's a good detective. We could use her help."
Elliot sighed, since it was clear he wasn't going to drop it. He looked down the hall to see if Olivia was on her way back, but he could hear them talking to Elise. "I don't want her back on the street. We can't be partners anymore, and I can't stand the thought of her out there. It's too dangerous."
"You don't think we'd cover her?" Munch said. "That's bullshit."
"She's pregnant." Elliot said.
"Yeah, so she'd be on desk duty for a while. Good way to ease into it." Fin said.
"I can't believe the Olivia I know would let you make the decision for her." Munch said, disappointment in his voice.
"I'm not making the decision for her." Elliot said, trying to defend himself, even though the words didn't ring true as they came out of his mouth.
"Sure sounded like you were." Munch said.
"I never said she couldn't come back." Elliot said. "I just said she wanted to do something with victims."
Fin shook his head. "Never thought I'd see the day when Badass Benson would let someone else tell her what to do." He shook his head, showing Elliot once again that Fin's support was most definitely for Olivia.
"I'm not." Olivia said, and all heads turned to look. No one realized that she and Cragen had walked back into the room, and they all looked guilty, knowing they'd been talking about her behind her back. "And I'm so glad you all feel free to talk about what I should do."
"Hey." Said Fin. He stood up and held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "We were just trying to tell your boyfriend here that you're a big girl…"
Olivia cut him off. "Let's just drop it." She said, disappointed that this first day in their new apartment was turning out to be so contentious.
"Maybe we should just get going and let you two get unpacked." Cragen said, motioned towards the door.
Munch stood up. "Good idea."
"You don't have to leave." Said Olivia. "You just got here." She really didn't want them to leave. Primarily because she really enjoyed having them here, despite the turn in conversation. But also because she didn't want to finish this conversation with Elliot.
"It's late. I got a date." Fin said. He started heading towards the door. "Just wanted to see the place."
"A date huh?" She wasn't sure she believed him, because Fin never revealed much about his personal life. And she was more than a little pissed off. He came in, stirred up the pot, and then decided to bail. She was definitely going to give him shit the next time she had a moment alone. But there wasn't really anything she could do to keep him from going.
She followed him to the door, and turned to see Munch and Cragen right behind him. "Well, thanks for stopping by." She said, without much sincerity in her voice.
Fin and Munch headed out the door, but Cragen stopped in the doorway. "Say good-bye to Elise for me." He said. He hesitated for a moment longer, and Olivia could tell he was trying to think of something else to say. To ease the awkward ending to their visit.
Olivia took mercy on him. "When we get unpacked, we'll have everyone over for dinner."
Cragen sighed with relief, and gave her a quick smile, and then they were gone. Olivia closed the door behind them, and leaned with her back to it. She avoided looking at Elliot, and let out her breath slowly, trying to keep her calm.
Elliot stood up and walked towards her. He was ticked off about the entire conversation with Fin and Munch. Angry that they even brought up the subject. He had been looking forward to getting everything unpacked, putting Elise to bed, and curling up with Olivia. Maybe christening at least one room in the apartment…
She held up a hand. "Don't."
"Liv." He reached for her, but she evaded him and walked around him into the living room. "I'm going to check on Elise."
