A/N: Well I didn't think I'd have another chapter edited and ready for you in 3 days but...this chapter just edited itself – sort of.
HeartStory; Elliot and Olivia are very different personalities but I think that's what makes it work so well, they are the types of personalities that works with the other. But your right, they do agree with their romance and the care of their children, even if Olivia had to give Elliot a little bit of a push at first ;). In terms of their ages, I've never explicitly stated it other than the beginning chapter for Olivia, but Olivia is 28 (almost 29) and I have Elliot as 31 (I don't think I've mentioned it anywhere explicitly in the story though). Some would say they are very mature but if you look at what they've both been through you can kind of see why.
Hope you all enjoy this chapter :)

48. Meeting Family

4 days away. 4 days where it was mainly just the pair of them and neither Elliot nor Olivia could wait. They were going to leave straight after school on Friday afternoon and no return till late afternoon/evening on Monday. Olivia knew that she shouldn't take any other time off from work, but this was something she and Elliot needed and one more day would hopefully work out alright. Elliot had a little cabin in the forest, a couple of hours north from the city, that they had planned to spend their time away at. However, they were first going to spend a night in Long Island visiting with his brother and his wife. This would be the first time Olivia had met some of Elliot's family, outside his mother and if she was honest, she felt nervous. Elliot had already tried to assure her that she had nothing to be nervous about as this was his twin brother, Edward who was already a huge fan of her. But she still felt nervous, she still felt like his family doesn't like her after how cold her mother is towards her.

"So, we're staying overnight in Long Island and then we'll go to the cabin in the morning?" Olivia asked as she looked out the window whilst Elliot drove them through the last few streets out of New York City, heading towards Long Island.
"Yes, I thought it would be safer than driving up to the cabin in the dark tonight, especially as I imagine it might be late when we're done with dinner with Edward" Elliot replied, as he focused on the road but still ensuring to hold Olivia's hand over the middle section of the car. It had been a while since they'd been in the car just the two of them with him driving, but Elliot had to admit he was already loving the freedom again. He loved that it would be just him and her over the next few days.
"But, are we staying at your brother's place tonight?" Olivia asked, she was trying to get her head around everything.
"Nope, I've booked a room at one of the hotels nearby for us. I honestly wasn't sure what you wanted to do and I didn't want to impose on Edward" Elliot replied. If he was honest, he'd booked the hotel because he didn't want to stay with Elliot and his wife. He was on a romantic long weekend with Olivia and he wanted space for just the two of them. It was going to be a weekend that really was just for the two for them and it was something they'd been waiting for, for a long time or at least Elliot had.

The bed and breakfast was beautiful. It was in the perfect spot, right down by the water and the room had a stunning view. Elliot certainly had great taste in terms of hotel and although they weren't staying here the entire time, Olivia was really starting to like the idea of being alone with him for the next couple of days.
"You certainly know how to pick hotels" Olivia remarked as she stood by the window in their room, overlooking the water.
"That's probably a good thing, considering my line of work" Elliot teased as he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing a soft kiss on her neck.
"Yeah, I guess it'd be a real shame if you ran a hotel empire like you do but didn't know what a good hotel was" Olivia smiled as she turned in his arms and faced him.
"We don't have to be at the restaurant till 6:30…" Elliot said as he brushed Olivia's hair properly off her neck and pressed soft kisses in the sensitive spot he knew she had. He heard her moan at his touch and felt his pants getting tighter.
"If you start that, then we'll never want to stop and I don't think standing your brother up, is a good first impression to be making just because you wanted to get me into bed" Olivia teased, she didn't want to stop Elliot with what he was trying to start but she knew they couldn't miss the dinner reservations with his brother. Elliot just really had a way of making her body feel like it was on fire and his touch left a tingly feeling on her skin.
"You have no idea how much I hate my brother right now" Elliot groaned as he took a step back from Olivia, he was going to be in need of a definite cold shower now to control himself for dinner.
"Believe me, I am both frustrated by our reservation and excited to meet your brother. But we just have to get through dinner and spending time with your family and then it's us alone together, the whole weekend" Olivia said as she pressed a soft kiss on his cheek before pulling away and walking over to the bags they had brought from the car. She wasn't one who could quickly get ready for a dinner, especially not this one and she needed all the extra time she could get right now.

Elliot escorted Olivia inside the restaurant, spotting his brother and wife seated at a table before the hostess had even managed to greet them. This was something that both Edward and Elliot had been able to do since a very young age, spot each other within a crowd or a setting, with absolute ease. Everyone just put it down to being a 'twin thing'.
"Elliot!" Edward called as he stood up when Elliot and Olivia got closer.
"Eddy! Great to see you! Liv, this is my brother Edward and his wife Maria. Eddy, Maria, this is my beautiful girlfriend, Olivia" Elliot introduced everyone.
"Olivia, its so lovely to finally meet you and I'm sorry, but in this family we're huggers" Edward greeted as he insisted on giving Olivia a hug before Maria did the same.
"It's lovely to meet both of you too" Olivia replied as she sat down on the chair Elliot was holding for her and he pushed her in like a true gentleman before taking a seat next to her.
"So, I don't know what this one has told you about me already. But I'm just going to put it out there to start us off, I'm the older one" Edward remarked.
"By 2 whole minutes" Elliot rejected his remark.
"Some would say that makes me the more attractive one" Edward teased.
"Yet, not as wise?" Elliot could hold his own and the women could tell they had plenty of practice with this.
"Alright, alright you two, knock it off. We're in public and this is not an ego contest. You're going to scare Olivia off before we've even had a chance to get to know her" Maria stepped in like a referee which caused the group to laugh. Elliot and Edward were never trying to be rude to each other but this was just the way that they were around each other.

"It's true though, I am the better looking one" Edward continued to tease.
"They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and comes down to opinion" Elliot remarked which again caused laughter from the group.
"But neither of you need any bigger heads than you've already got, so we'll call it a tie and leave it at that" Maria concluded the discussion. Olivia enjoyed watching the banter between this group, coming from a family with no siblings it was a new environment but she could tell how close the brothers were already.

The conversations continued after the waitress had taken the drink and meal orders for the group. The table agreed to share a bottle of wine between them and Olivia ordered a risotto dish whilst Elliot went for the carbonara. Maria and Edward just agreed that they would share a pizza. Everyone was having a great evening together, Olivia felt that special kind of tug on her heart with Elliot wanting to introduce her to members of his family. Tonight, was also proving that not everyone in the Stabler family was against their relationship either.

Whilst they were waiting for the food, Edward and Elliot decided they would get a beer and have some brotherly time whilst leaving the ladies to talk.
"Olivia, it really is so lovely to finally be able to meet you, especially after the way Lizzie had spoken about you at thanksgiving" Maria started, as she poured both herself and Olivia another glass of wine.
"She's a special little girl" Olivia replied, she honestly did think very highly of Elizabeth and simply adored the time they spent together.
"I understand you're her teacher at school too?" Maria asked.
"Yeah, I teach 2nd grade and Lizzie is in my class. She's made such huge improvements with her learning this year but especially in reading" Olivia gushed about the little girl, it's funny how much of a turnaround she had made once Elliot had become involved.
"That's fantastic! I think both of Elliot's children are very bright when they want to be as Elliot is quite intelligent. But, if you don't mind me asking, how did you and Elliot become a thing?" Maria asked, clearly, she was digging for more information and Olivia wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to confess and what she wanted to keep private.
"Well, I got to know Elliot from when I called him in to my classroom for a meeting one afternoon and we continued to talk after that on and off again. He really took an interest in trying to help Elizabeth with her education and there is nothing I love more than a parent who cares about their child's education so, I would give him every assistance I could. Then I'm sure you heard/saw about the attack at his hotel...and after that, well things just kinda happened" Olivia said, not confiding too much in Maria about her and Elliot but not completely holding back either.
"Well, I can definitely say you won him over. He was like a lost puppy without you there at thanksgiving and Edward wasn't prepared to have that, so he took on their mother about her actions towards you" Maria explained and Olivia hated that Elliot had been so unhappy without her but she appreciated Edward's actions.
"So I heard, but if I'm completely honest, I'm just as crazy about him too" Olivia replied, glancing over to the window, where she could see the men standing outside overlooking the water. It was freezing outside, and yet they had been so determined to take their beers outside, she hoped neither of them ended up sick because of it.

Elliot and Edward were standing outside on the deck, it was absolutely freezing but Edward had wanted to talk with his brother somewhere other than the bar, and decided that outside was their only option, so he went with it. He had a coat on but even then he was still cold and didn't understand how his brother wasn't.
"So, how are things between Mom and Olivia now?" Edward asked as he took a sip of his beer.
"I wouldn't know, Mom didn't come back from the lake house with us...I believe she was staying a few extra days with David after thanksgiving and then I don't remember where she said she was going" Elliot replied.
"I know she came to see us for a while and be close to New York around the trial with that previous nanny of yours incase you needed her. But then she went back to the lake house I believe" Edward filled in a couple of the missing gaps of their mother's movements since thanksgiving. Elliot couldn't quite believe that his mother could be so cruel and yet she wanted to be around New York incase he needed her. That was a nice thought but he was perfectly fine without her.
"Well thankfully the trial was a success and over rather quickly, so that was a bonus. Dani is not allowed within 100 feet from any of us and is doing 3 years in jail for the abuse she caused not only to Olivia but to my kids too. I think that is quite the victory"
"Wow, you must be pleased with that?"
"Yeah I am and this weekend, is kind of a celebration about it for Olivia and I. I told Olivia after the custody case that she went through that I wanted to take her away for a couple of days and she wanted to wait till after we'd got through the case with Dani. So I promised that after that case was done we'd go away and we arranged for it to be this weekend. So I made sure my house up north was ready for us and we're heading up there tomorrow through till Monday" Elliot explained.
"Wow, that's quite the romantic love nest for you two? I don't think you've ever taken any girl up there" Edward remarked, he knew about the house but he didn't think Elliot had ever taken Kathy up there when they were together, he only ever went there by himself.
"Well, when you have 3 kids around, you don't get too many opportunities to be alone and I didn't want to go somewhere that was in the same city or close to the kids, as then we're not really getting away. So, seeing as Olivia's father is in town for a while, he's looking after her daughter and my housemaid volunteered to look after my twins for a few days. I left my work phone at home, and brought my personal cell phone only in case of emergencies. I'm off the grid" Elliot explained to which his brother just smiled, this was a pretty big move for Elliot and he'd never been 'off the grid' before now.
"Now that's impressive. I never thought you could completely walk away from work for a number of days like this. You didn't even do that for my wedding" Edward teased. Olivia was really changing him and Edward had to admit he was very proud of his brother for these steps he was taking and the new focus he had on his relationships.
"What can I say, I'm a different man now" Elliot remarked as he raised his beer in hand.

"So, what are you going to do about christmas?" Edward asked after a couple of minutes of silence. Elliot was really starting to feel the chill from being outside run through him but he wouldn't admit defeat to his brother like that.
"Have it at my place probably, with Olivia and her loved ones as well as my kids" Elliot remarked, this was something he'd been thinking about a lot lately
"So, you're definitely not coming to the house? With everybody?" Edward clarified.
"Nope, mom has made no moves to make amends with Olivia and besides, now her family is in town for the holidays, she's not going to want to go out there and I don't want to spend the holidays apart again"
"Mom said she was going to play nice..."
"Her playing nice is the avoidance tactic. Sorry Eddy but Olivia, her daughter and my kids are my priority now, not falling into line with what mom wants"
"You don't have to apologise as I completely get it. If mom hadn't been so happy with Maria when we got together then I think I'd be the same. But, do you think, there would be an invitation for Maria, Arthur and I to spend Christmas with you guys?" Edward asked which completely shocked Elliot, he wouldn't have thought his brother would blow off his mother for Christmas.
"Of course, if your family wants to come to Christmas with us and not mom then beware, you might live to regret it but I'll always have space for you guys. Now, I don't want to admit defeat or ruin the moment but I'm freezing. Can we go back inside with our beautiful women?" Elliot asked and Edward just laughed before leading the way back inside, both men with their beers in hand.

Dinner was absolutely loved with Edward and Maria, Olivia had really enjoyed getting to know Elliot's brother and his wife. They seemed like such lovely people and honestly the first in Elliot's family that really seemed to accept her and their relationship. Olivia hoped that there would be a chance to see them again soon and meet others in Elliot's family. When Elliot and Olivia got back to the hotel, both were rather worn out from their long day and just ready for bed. Whilst Olivia was sure that it wasn't exactly what Elliot had in mind for when they got back to the hotel, bedtime was really all she had energy left for. She was the first one of the pair to change into her pyjamas. She had packed 2 sets of pyjamas incase they were required and so she had options if she thought one was the wrong kind of set. For example, she knew that if she put on the silk nightie tonight that she had brought with her, which was incredibly short and stopped at her upper thigh. She would likely send Elliot the signal that she wanted something more tonight, when she was too tired for that and he'd end up hurt. So instead, she opted for the simple pants and a shirt she'd brought instead. Even though Elliot had seen Olivia naked a couple of times before, she still felt the need to change in the bathroom rather than in front of him. By the time Olivia emerged from the bathroom once more, Elliot had already stripped down to his shorts and climbed into bed. He smiled at her and moved the covers down as she approached the bed so, so she could join him.

"I really enjoyed tonight, it was nice getting to know Ed and Maria" Olivia remarked as she made herself comfortable, leaning against him and the headboard.
"I'm glad, they certainly loved meeting you too" Elliot replied.
"I can tell you and Ed are twins though. If I hadn't been able to tell from the looks, your personality is the same" Olivia stated, thinking about how very much alike Elliot and Edward are.
"But, I'm better, right?" Elliot asked and Olivia considered her options in terms of a response. He had a big enough ego as it is and she knew she could have a little fun with this.
"Ehhh can I get back to you? The jury is still out on that" Olivia teased as she looked at Elliot with a wicked smile on her face. Elliot knew exactly where all her ticklish spots were, even when she claimed she wasn't ticklish. Elliot instantly moved his hands to one of them and started to tickle, causing Olivia to squirm and try get away but laughing hysterically at the same time. Elliot really did love her laugh, it was a sound he wanted to hear over and over again and he loved that he was the cause for it. The tickling ceased when Olivia was on her back with Elliot leaning over her and she surrendered in defeat. They had become lost in a moment between just the two of them, no words were said but Olivia had her hand caressing Elliot's cheek and there was a whole conversation going on through glances. Olivia moved her hand from Elliot's cheek to pull him down to her, kissing him softly but full of passion. It wasn't a kiss to give permission for any kind of bedroom antics tonight but one that was simply expression love and commitment to him.
"I love you" Olivia replied as they broke apart.
"I love you too, more than you could ever know" Elliot replied before he snuggled down again next to Olivia and turned off the bedside lamp. He wrapped his arm over Olivia's waist as he lay on his side and Olivia moved right up against him, laying her arms over where his was on her waist. The couple fell almost straight to sleep, exhausted from the events of the day but happy to be alone together and away from the city.

Olivia had thought the hotel overlooking the water in Long Island was beautiful but that was nothing compared to how beautiful Elliot's cabin was and the location in the forest. It was almost like something out of the movies, with plenty of space but being ever so cozy at the same time. It had a lovely wooden fireplace in the living room and plenty of stunning views through the windows. Elliot enjoyed watching Olivia take in the place whilst he brought in their bags from the car. He knew this cabin was really going to become a sort of love nest for them and he couldn't see himself properly coming up here again with anyone else but her. He was glad that they had the next couple of days here, completely alone and uninterrupted.
"I can't believe you own something like this" Olivia exclaimed as he came over to where she was admiring the view out the kitchen window.
"Well, you better believe it because I do. You also better believe that I had an architect exclusively design this to meet what I wanted" Elliot explained.
"It's just stunning, look at the view you have" Olivia gushed as she pointed out the window. Elliot had never known her to be one for views but that would explain why she often admired the world outside his penthouse windows.
"I much prefer the view I've got right here" Elliot remarked which made Olivia blush, she could always count on him with the compliments and flirtation.
"I can just imagine, how magical the nights will be to spend cuddled up in front of the fire with you...I think I could die a happy woman"
"Please don't die" Elliot continued which Olivia just smiled at. She was trying to be romantic and he was cracking jokes or funny remarks. But she loved him all the same for it.
"I love this place and it's all ours for the next few days" Olivia gushed as she admired all aspects of the kitchen.
"Well, it's really ours whenever we want it, but the next few days is a great start"
"That kitchen, looks like absolute heaven to cook in, and it's more stocked than any kitchen I've ever been in"
"Well baby, you can cook in it till your heart's content this weekend if you like – as long as you let me help" Elliot remarked as he walked up and wrapped his arms around her, nestling his chin on her shoulder.
"As long as you do actually help, not just try undress me and take me to bed whilst I try to make lunch" Olivia teased as she turned to press a kiss on his cheek. Elliot just rolled his eyes, he would definitely be taking use of the bedroom with here or anywhere else in the house when he had the chance. The next few days were definitely going to be memorable and special for the two love birds.

TBC

A/N: Now you didn't really think I would make Elliot's brother and his wife not like Olivia did you? But they love her so much they want to come to Christmas? Hmmm that's a surprise. Also, sex isn't something that a couple needs every night to be romantic, these two just need each other and so don't come for me because I don't have these two ending with sex every time they are alone. These two can be equally romantic with each other without always ending up in bed and I don't want to write that all the time. I mean, I personally love writing the kind of banter these two have with their relationship and try to show how comfortable they are with each other, through my writing. Next chapter: More time in this romantic cabin in the woods, Olivia and Elliot learn more about each other and discussions are had about Christmas. Let me know what you thought of the chapter and anything else about the story in a review!
Until next time ;)