A/N: To the guest reviewer that asked for the story to move to M rated – it's coming…I won't say too much but it's coming.
39. Telling the Twins
Elliot hadn't been sleeping well since the meeting with Lewis, Olivia's lawyer, a few days ago. He wasn't sure if it was because of the things that he'd learnt about the case or what could happen, but he was not sleeping well. He'd often woke numerous times throughout a night and last night, it had got so bad that he had to call her. He hated the fact that he'd woken her from sleeping, but Olivia had been the soothing force over the phone that allowed him to get back to sleep eventually. After this, he knew he needed to see her. He needed to have her near him and as the weather was crap, he'd volunteered to have everyone at his place for the day.
Elliot had been having vivid nightmares since their meeting with Lewis, or at least visions, in his dreams that he took as a nightmare, all about Brian. Elliot had never met nor seen Brian, so he didn't know what this man looked like. Yet in his dreams, Elliot could vividly see a man hurting Olivia or running his hands all over her in the worst way, and he couldn't take it. He loved Olivia, he had been falling more and more in love with her every day and with the more time he spent with her, he simply couldn't take the idea of another man touching her in anyway. Especially not in a romantic way, as that was exactly what he and only he wanted to do. Elliot's nightmares about Olivia being bloodied and bruised, with no way for him to get to her, were what he was struggling with most.
Elliot just had to admit, he was glad that Olivia would be with him for most of the day today, and maybe that would help him sleep better tonight. HE needed to get some better sleep before this business conference that he had to attend to over the next few days, and then it was going to be the court case and he needed to be at his best for Olivia then. So, it was a big relief that Olivia had agreed to come over today.
Olivia walked into the hotel lobby, carrying Chloe in her arms and a bag over her shoulder. When there is a toddler around, there is always a big bag of supplies needed to go anywhere. The weather outside had been simply miserable and Olivia was glad that they'd agreed to spend the afternoon/ evening with Elliot and the twins at his place. They originally had plans to go out to the park and maybe for a bit of a stroll together, but as the weather was horrible Elliot had offered for Olivia and Chloe to come to his instead, as there was more space than hers. Olivia wasn't going to refuse his lovely offer.
Elliot had called her late last night in quite the state, she almost wanted to come right over to him then because he'd been so worked up and audibly distressed, but with Chloe, that wouldn't of been possible. Elliot had been very distressed over the phone but Olivia managed to calm him down rather easily. She was glad though, to be seeing him today after that call as it had clearly been too long since they'd seen each other. They hadn't really had a moment together properly since Wednesday at Lewis's office. Then Elliot had to attend this business conference at the beginning of this week, so it really wouldn't be practical for them to be together during that, with the timing of everything. So, they wouldn't see each other till the court case, and they both really wanted to spend time together before that.
"Miss Benson! So lovely to see you again" Robbie greeted from behind the reception desk.
"Hi Robbie, It's lovely to see you too! How are you?" Olivia asked politely, she was grateful for this young man, he had been very welcoming to her from early on and was a huge support the day Dani attacked Olivia.
"Oh, you know, I'm alright. How are you though? I heard about the court case and everything that is happening with that wicked woman" Robbie asked, clearly digging for more information.
"Yeah. Look, it's not going to be easy but we'll get through it. I'm just heading up to Mr Stabler's penthouse" Olivia said, continuing to head towards the elevator. It wasn't that she didn't like chatting with Robbie, it was that her arms were getting tired and Chloe was heavy. Not to mention she knew that Elliot was expecting her, and she hated being late to things when people were expecting her.
"Have a good afternoon" Robbie farewelled, as Olivia walked into the elevator, heading up to Elliot's penthouse suite.
When the elevator finally arrived on the penthouse floor, Elizabeth was already standing by the elevator.
"Izzie!" Chloe squealed as she squirmed in her mother's arms to be placed on the floor so she could move.
"Hi Chloe! Hi Miss Benson" Elizabeth greeted, hugging Olivia before doing the same with Chloe.
"Hi Sweetheart. Where's your dad and brother?" Olivia asked as she knelt down to take off Chloe's coat and handed both hers and Chloe's to Bertie.
"Ummm Daddy is in the study with Nanny, Dickie is upstairs playing with lego. Daddy said that as you and Chloe come here, and Chloe is only little – it's not safe for Dickie to play with outside of his room as Chloe could choke and she don't go in there" Elizabeth tried to explain. Olivia could see that Elliot had already started training his children to be used to having Olivia and Chloe around, and making sure to play with toys that aren't safe for Chloe, out her reach.
"Well that is very true" Olivia agreed.
"Momma go pay?" Chloe tried to ask politely to which Olivia just smiled and nodded as Elizabeth guided Chloe over to the rug in the loungeroom.
"You can go find Elliot and Mr Stabler in the study if you wish, I can watch the little ones?" Bertie offered as Olivia stood and watched the girls play.
"I might…I'll leave them for a few moments though, I'm sure they'll come find us when they're done" Olivia dismissed before taking a seat on the couch with the girls playing in front of her.
Elliot and Bernie were currently in the study. They had come in here briefly to discuss the business – as Bernie wanted an update on how everything was going with the new buildings and location scouting. But Elliot had turned the conversation from business to what was happening today. He had Olivia and Chloe coming over and he really didn't want his mother causing any problems.
"You invited her over here, with her daughter, for the day?" Bernie remarked as Elliot explained what was happening for the day.
"Yes, we were supposed to be going out together with the children, but the weather is clearly not good, so we decided to hang out here instead" Elliot explained.
"I really don't understand why you have to hang out with this teacher all the time? I doubt she spends this much time with all the families of her other students" Bernie remarked, glancing at the pictures of Elliot, Kathy and the twins that he still had on his bookcase in his office. Elliot had been meaning to change those out for a while, keep the ones of the twins but get some new ones of him and Olivia, or him and the kids, or a mix of all.
"She doesn't…because she's not here as a teacher" Elliot started to explain. It was a now or never kind of situation and whilst he was sure that they'd discussed this before, he did pass a thought that maybe his mother was being ignorant or simply trying to get him to drop this fascination.
"Not here as a teacher? Are you two friends now?" Bernie asked, trying to understand what was going through her son's head.
"Yes mother, and we've been friends for a while, I've told you that before. But it's more than just friendship now too, we've…started something…and I won't stand for you making her time here uncomfortable" Elliot warned his mother.
"You're involved with this woman?" Bernie asked, shocked that this was the first time she was hearing of it.
"Yes…Olivia and I are in a relationship. I have fallen in love with her and don't you dare try ruin this. If you don't want to like her or be around her, then you can leave. I want you to get to know her though mom, I really do. I want you to grow to like her just as much as the twins and I do. I've never felt like this towards someone before, and I won't have you ruin what Olivia and I have…Because, like it or not, she's my future" Elliot confessed, he was speaking properly from the heart now.
"She really has gotten to you…But, alright. I won't fight you on this. If you want her here, then she can be here, and I will try to get to know her" Bernie agreed.
"That's all I'm asking mother" Elliot said as he pressed a kiss to his mother's head. He knew that Olivia and Chloe would have to be here by now and he needed to go and see them.
Elliot found the group in the living room, Richard was sitting next to Olivia, showing her something on his gaming device whilst Chloe and Elizabeth were doing a large wooden puzzle on the floor. He could tell that Chloe wasn't really interested in the puzzle but wanted to play with Lizzie, which Lizzie was loving.
"Daddy! Look who's here" Elizabeth called as she spotted her father entering the room.
"I can see that, hey Chloe" Elliot called as the little girl looked up at him and smiled, before making a move to try and get up to go to him.
"Morning beautiful" Elliot whispered as he passed the back of Olivia and placed his hands on her shoulder. He would kiss her, but they were with the kids and they hadn't told the kids yet. Once he'd rounded the couch though, he bent down as Chloe came over to him, before launching the little girl into the air and catching her, a couple of times. This caused shrieks of laughter from the little girl. "Gan, gan" Chloe called out.
"Well seeing as I know you" Elliot remarked before doing it again and the little girl laughed harder. Olivia watched on adoringly. Those two were clearly forming a close bond and she loved to see it. It was clear now, that Chloe was becoming increasingly comfortable with Elliot and Olivia loved to see it.
"Uhh Mr Stabler, I have set the travel cot up in the master bedroom if the little one wants a nap and Gusto says lunch is about half an hour away"
"Perfect, thanks Bertie" Elliot accepted as he placed Chloe on the ground again and took a seat next where Richard was sitting, next to Olivia.
"Everything ok?" Olivia asked.
"It is now" Elliot smiled, reaching for her from across the back of the couch, behind Richard. Olivia just smiled and grabbed his hand. The little boy between them was off in his own little world on his game and it meant that really it was just Elliot and Olivia paying attention in the room.
"I told my mother…about…you know" Elliot remarked as he gestured between the two of them. He saw Olivia flinch a little. He knew she wouldn't like this but he had to do it.
"She's going to come out in a while and I've told her to be on her best behaviour or she's out the door" Elliot continued.
"You can't kick her out" Olivia disagreed.
"I can, for you" Elliot remarked and he meant what he said. He would kick Bernie out before he would kick Olivia out. He didn't really want Olivia or Chloe to ever leave, but this was still way too soon in the relationship to have them staying over or moving in. Not to mention with kids around most of the time, things in their relationship have a different standard timeframe.
Later that afternoon, Elliot was playing a game with the twins and Chloe had gone down for an afternoon nap. Although she had put quite the fight on about going for a nap, tiredness got the better of the little girl and she ended up going down for a nap like a treat. Especially when Elliot had read her a story before the nap and promised her that they'd all still be here when she woke up. Olivia had found it cute that Chloe had mainly been fighting a nap as she didn't want to miss out on everything but Elliot had calmed those fears with ease.
However, with everyone spread out around the place, Olivia found herself alone in the living room with Bernadette Stabler. Olivia knew there were going to be some questions from the older woman that she'd be expected to answer, especially after Elliot had told her that he'd told his mother about them. Olivia just hoped that she would be able to answer correctly to what the woman wanted to know. She already knew that this woman wasn't her biggest fan and the last thing she needed to do was go about making things worse. Olivia knew it wasn't her place to start the conversation, that was something that needed to be left to Bernie and Olivia couldn't help but feel nervous about where things were going to go first.
"So, Olivia. It's wonderful that you could spend so much time with my son and grandchildren. Though surely, it's crossing some kind of professionalism boundaries?" Bernie started, going straight for the kill Olivia thought as she tried to come up with the best answer in this situation.
"There are no rules against seeing my students outside of the classroom, as long as it's appropriate" Olivia replied.
"But you spend a lot of time with them, surely that must raise a few eyebrows at school, not to mention a few red flags?" Bernie continued.
"There are and never have been any boundaries crossed. My life outside of school and in school don't mix" Olivia replied, trying to remain calm and polite even though she didn't know what Bernie was getting at.
"But if you and my son are involved like he says that you are, then how are you going to hide that from the school finding out, when you attend events with him. These events are very public, and you should know the papers will probably publish your photo" Bernie asked. Olivia hadn't thought about that.
"I-" Olivia started, unsure how to properly go on as this hadn't crossed her mind before. She knew that Elliot would have big events and she knew that his picture had to be publicized when he went to these events…but she had never thought how that would properly affect her.
"I would think that any girlfriend of his, would want to be right by his side at the gala he's hosting on Friday" Bernie continued, causing Olivia to feel a sense of panic rising in her stomach.
"Mother!" Elliot interrupted the conversation.
"What? If Olivia is going to be your significant other then she needs to be familiar with your lifestyle. If Olivia is set on being with you then she needs to be familiar with your events and publicity" Bernie defended herself.
"I…We hadn't discussed this just yet and mother, you have no place in telling anyone what they should and shouldn't do. Olivia and my relationship is nothing to do with you" Elliot continued to argue. Olivia's mind was running wild right now at the thought on what Elliot's mother was saying. She knew that if the relationship with Elliot was going to last, she would have to attend events and be in the spotlight with him. She just didn't think that would be quite so soon. She also didn't know that he was holding a big gala on Friday, she knew he had a conference a few days before that week but she didn't know there would be a big event after. However, maybe this was something that she needed, maybe this would be the opportunity to take the next step with Elliot. Maybe, she needed to make some kind of big gesture to him, in this way, after everything that he was going to be doing/ had already done for her.
"Are you at least going to tell the children? Or are you keeping everything under wraps from them too? I don't know quite how you can keep everything secret from them, when you two clearly spend a lot of time together" Bernie started on a different topic.
"Yes" Olivia answered on behalf of them both.
"When?" Bernie retaliated.
"When we see it as the right time to do so. Mother, there is a lot going on right now that you aren't aware of and I need you to back off, let us do things the way we want to" Elliot warned, as he took a seat next to Olivia. He was in full protection mode right now for her and he wasn't going to take much more of his mother's efforts to scare Olivia away, like she was clearly trying to do.
"I just don't want you to get hurt…I don't want my grandchildren to get hurt either, as it's very clear that they are fond of Olivia. Now, I think I'll take a walk" Bernie excused herself, leaving Olivia and Elliot for a moment alone. Elliot felt like he was fuming on the inside, Olivia just placed her hand on his knee and smiled, letting him know that she was ok and that his mother was simply being protective, not trying to hurt her. But she had made a point, they did need to take the step and tell the kids sooner rather than later.
Elliot and Olivia called the twins down from upstairs, Chloe was still asleep but with Bernie heading out for a while, now was the perfect time to be tell the twins. Olivia and Elliot had agreed that after his mother's remarks they would tell the twins today, they had just been waiting for the right moment to appear. They may not have thought clearly on what they were going to say but Olivia knew that whatever she said, she was sure it would be right.
"What's up daddy? Miss Benson?" Elizabeth asked as she took a seat next to Olivia whilst Richard took a seat between his sister and Elliot.
"We just wanted to talk to you" Elliot started off.
"About what?" Richard asked, Elliot could tell the boy was feeling like he may be in trouble.
"Nothing bad honey…We just wanted to talk because, things around here are changing a little and we wanted you to know about the change, so you're not scared as sometimes change can be scary" Olivia comforted. Adults glanced at each other and took a deep breath before moving on in the conversation.
"The first thing we wanted to ask is, how about when we're all together like this, instead of always calling me Miss Benson, you can use my first name, Olivia" Olivia started.
"Can I call you Livvy? I had a friend once called Livvy and she was really nice" Elizabeth asked to which Olivia just smiled. She didn't mind if they wanted to call her Livvy instead.
"Livvy is fine with me. But remember it's only when we're not at school. Do you think you can remember to call me Livvy away from school and Miss Benson at school?"
"Like now? When we're all together with Chloe and Daddy we can call you Olivia?" Richard piped up, looked like he was sticking with Olivia and Elizabeth would call Olivia, Livvy.
"Exactly right, whenever we're all together outside of school, and doing things like this, you can call her Livvy or Olivia but when you see her at school, you have to call her Miss Benson" Elliot concluded.
"Ok daddy" Elizabeth and Richard chorused in response. Olivia smiled at Elliot in encouragement as he'd been the one to say he'd tackle the big topic and she could tell he was a little nervous.
"Now the next thing we wanted to talk to you about is…Well, things have been changing a little bit between Olivia and me. We have a bit of a secret that we want to tell you, you just can't tell anyone else yet about it. Do you think you can keep a secret?" Elliot asked and the twins nodded.
"Well, sometimes when two adults become friends, and they see each other a lot…they start to feel things. They start to feel that the other person is more than just a friend to them and they really care about each other"
"Like a sister or brother?" Richard asked.
"Um, sort of with the caring but it's a bit more than that" Olivia encouraged.
"Yes, sometimes they develop feelings of love and trust with other person, to the point where they want to be with that other person all the time" Elliot continued to explain.
"Like how you were with mommy before she went away?" Lizzie asked and Olivia could tell the little girl was worried about what was going to happen next but she gave the girl a hug in encouragement that things would be ok. This wasn't a bad conversation it was a happy one.
"Yes, a little like that. You see, when I first met Olivia, we became really good friends. Then a lot of things happened, and we spent more time together, with you two and Chloe. Since we've spent lots of time together, I started to feel more for Olivia, like I love her and I want to spend lots of time with her, as well as with you guys" Elliot explained in the best way that he could to hopefully help the twins understand.
"Is she your girlfriend?" Richard asked, jumping straight to the point and putting his father to ease which made Olivia smile. Richard may have been asking a question but he didn't know how much he was helping his father right now.
"Yes, Olivia is my girlfriend" Elliot answered.
"So daddy is your boyfriend? And you love him too?" Elizabeth asked, almost seeking clarification from Olivia more than her father. This made Elliot smile in return as his children clearly weren't holding back right now.
"Yes, your daddy is my boyfriend and I do love him, very much. Just like I love you and Richard too" Olivia answered.
"Are you going to get married? And you'll be our new mommy?" Elizabeth proceeded to ask.
"Umm well…we don't know what is going to happen in the future but we wanted to make sure that this was ok with you if we continued to spend lots of time together? We don't want you two to be sad or not liking it" Elliot scratched the back of his neck, trying to keep things in words he knew the kids would understand.
"I am happy, I want you and Livvy together" Elizabeth answered.
"Me too" Richard replied which had made both Olivia and Elliot smile. They officially had the tick of approval from the twins. They didn't need to check with Chloe as Olivia already knew her little girl approved, even if she didn't understand. They had cleared one massive hurdle and the kids were on board with their relationship.
A/N: So I wanted to give you a long chapter to apologise for the delay between updates. School has gone back and I'm now working extra afternoon hours in a second job, so my spare time really is only limited to the weekends. I am still writing this story though and I am trying to get the time to sit down and edit before posting when I can. But please just be patient with me :)
Anyway, how did you like this chapter? Bernie still doesn't seem to be on board about Elliot and Olivia's relationship but the twins are? Next Chapter is a big one…we're going to court. I'll try and update again soon but leave me a review on what you thought of this chapter and anything else you'd like to tell me!
Until Next Time ;)
