It's now all the nice things he does for her that shock her.
They've seen a lot of sides of each other one the years but this reuniting between them has opened the floodgates to new feelings and experiences. Otherwise shared emotions that they would have gone by silently or just never ever explored in their past life.
Joy, surprise, honesty and hope.
Its all there after they work their way out of the anger, the pain, the sadness and then the forgiveness. They carve out a new way of being and its all built on not being able to look back anymore.
Not when there is so much involved in their futures independently and now collectively. Kids and grandkids and new units and leading her own while she envisions for the first time ever a life totally outside of work.
A retirement filled with time with her son, herself and for his family too. She has so many people to fight for and love. And now, for once in his life he is following the lead of someone else and not charging forward like a bull.
He needs her and hopes that she is even the slightest bit aware that he appreciates all she has done and the forgiveness he has been awarded for reasons that surpass his understanding.
He's dancing delicately in his life in a lot of aspects. As a caring father that has to be the role of two parents now; one that attends therapy and wants his kids to not bottle it up either and one that has to lead by example.
He is trying to be a partner to Olivia in ways that exceed work.
Someone to help lighten her load for once, someone that has no problem proving over and over how to regain her trust. He's willing to go there and keep trying and he's so glad it's finally him doing that. Life has dealt them a hard hand but finally they are dealing with it together.
He wants to be a friend to her now and he thinks she's getting to that point of warming up to that idea.
The texts with photo attachments including a joke that Melinda sent to her on Instagram that make him smile when he's heading into court.
The random pop in visits to her office long after he's been done for the day when he stops to talk to her squad with take out in plastic bags in hand before surprising her with Thai food during a late night of working.
It makes her smile and feel so warm all over when she thinks of these random instances or most recently when she came across an email from Noah's principal about Noah volunteering the two of them to come in for career day.
"I'm not sure I'm show and tell material.." he texts her after getting the screenshot of the email asking for her and her partner's availability.
"I'd beg to differ, Detective" she responds back fast, not giving her time to be self conscious or to doubt her flirting.
"Whenever you need me.." he erases that and starts again, she watches the dots at the bottom of her text screen dissolve.
"I'm there.." he sends and leaves his phone on his bed before getting up to start his day. He knows now more than ever in his absence he made Olivia starkly independent. When she normally was already a lone wolf as is since childhood, this had made her walls teflon tough and he has to earn entrance into all that she keeps guarded up so tight.
He knows his word means little and his actions are everything so that's what he focuses on. Doing things to make her smile and feel good. Things that make her son happy and feel just as important because he is. Just like the love she had always shown his children.
It's a cool summer morning and he surprises her with the highly coveted and sold out tickets to see a play Noah has been talking about for months.
She doesn't even want to know where he got the tickets from after he shrugs and tells her not to worry about it the first few times and she melts asking him. She knows this must have cost a fortune or he had to ask for some sort of favour.
It just floors her that he looked into it and knowing how much that's not his thing amazes her. It fills her with joy knowing he went to all this effort to see her son happy.
Elliot Stabler watching a musical and asking Noah questions as he sits in-between him and his mother which was her sons request.
She watches them talk in the shadows as Noah holds his hand to Elliot's ear as he enthusiastically answers his questions and then some.
He has no idea what any of this is about but is showing an interest for her and her son and it makes her feel so giddy.
She hopes she's hiding it well because she's never been more in love as she watches him and Noah laugh at god knows what.
Noah is on cloud nine after the show and runs ahead of them to look at the blown up playbills that line the building in gold casing on the brick.
"You know I'm going to make a move on you right?" He waits for the exact second he knows her son is out of earshot before continuing.
"With my kid here?" She smirks back at him just as fast.
"Just hold my hand and shut up" he whispers as he reaches for her hand in broad day light after the Saturday matinee.