Nine

Time, as it always must, moved on. June soon turned into July, raising the temperature and bringing summer fully to the city. One morning soon after the Fourth of July, Olivia found herself walking up the to the front door of an unfamiliar house with Noah in her arms and his diaper bag slung over one shoulder. She came to the front door and looked at her son. "You wanna ring the doorbell?" she asked, pointing to it.

Noah said, "Eyah," and reached for it. Olivia smiled and brought him close to the doorbell and helped him push it with the right amount of pressure. She took a step back when she heard someone approach the door. It was then opened by a smiling Maureen. "Welcome, you two!" she said, stepping aside for them to come in.

They shared a hug when Maureen had shut the door. "Thank you so much for this, Maureen," said Olivia. "I had hoped I wouldn't be called to testify today, but –"

"It's no problem, Olivia," said Maureen, pulling away and ruffling Noah's hair. "I know Rosie will be happy to see her buddy again, and Eli is looking forward to meeting you both."

"You look beautiful, by the way," said Olivia. "How are you feeling?"

Maureen grinned and rubbed her five-month-pregnant belly. "Good so far. This one's a bit easier than Rosie was, but that could be because it's not my first time. Karl's getting used to stocking our pantry with my insane cravings."

Olivia laughed and followed Maureen down her hall and into a room that looked like a cross between a lounge and a playroom. Rosie was seated on the carpet playing with large, colorful blocks. A man in his thirties with dark-blond hair and glasses was seated beside his daughter on the floor. Spotting the blocks, Noah immediately reached out to them. Smiling, Olivia set him down beside Rosie and kissed the top of their heads before straightening up again.

The man who must be Maureen's husband stood up and held out his hand to Olivia with a grin. "Hello, Lieutenant Benson," he greeted. "I've heard nothing but wonderful things."

"Likewise, and please call me Olivia," said Olivia, shaking his hand and please with his firm grip and direct eye contact. This was the first time meeting Maureen's husband.

Since meeting Lizzie for lunch, Olivia had seen Maureen and Rosie several times at various playgrounds, where they had caught up with each other while their children played together. She'd also met Kathleen for several lunches, her heart bursting with pride at how far she had come. Richard had come to one of them, and she was equally proud of him too (and relieved that he appeared to hold no more resentment for her). Lizzie she'd seen less of, but that was due to her now being busy with rehearsals, but they'd had a few phone calls.

But today was the first time she would be seeing Eli again. On the phone to set up this last-minute play date, Maureen had told her that Eli would be here because he'd spent the night and would be picked up by Kathy later.

At that moment, that very child came barreling into the room and accidentally bumped into Olivia with an 'oof!' Turning and looking down, she saw a seven-year-old boy with Kathy's facial features and Elliot's brown hair.

"Eli, what has Mom told you about running inside?" asked Maureen, in a tone that clearly showed this was not the first time asking this question.

"Sorry, Mo," said Eli. He then looked up at Olivia. "I'm sorry."

"That's ok, no harm done," said Olivia, grinning. "You must be Eli."

He nodded, then his eyes widened in recognition. "Are you my aunt Olivia?"

Olivia's heart stirred upon hearing that term. That was how Elliot and Kathy addressed her in front of Eli when he'd been a baby and toddler before Elliot had left. She knelt down before the little boy. "Yes, I am, Eli, and it is wonderful to see you again. You've grown so much!"

"I don't remember you, but I've seen pictures of you," said Eli. "Mom and Dad said you were there the day I was born. You saved my mom from a car wreck. That's so cool!"

Olivia had to laugh at that. Eli's simple but enthusiastic description of the day he was born contrasted sharply with Olivia's traumatic memories of that day. But all's well that ends well, so she simply said as she ruffled his hair, "I'm just glad I was there to help you both." She then gently turned Eli around so that he faced the two little ones playing with blocks. "This is my son, Noah. I hope you don't mind that I brought him with me."

Eli grinned and approached them, sitting down beside Noah and joining in with the blocks. "Hi, Noah! Want to build a tower?"

Olivia smiled at the children's easy interactions with each other, wishing that she could stay and watch. But she sighed and stood up, facing Maureen and setting down the diaper bag by the sofa. "I'll call when I'm leaving the courthouse. Hopefully they won't make me wait all day. I've packed everything Noah needs, so you should be fine."

"Don't worry about anything," said Maureen, rubbing her arm.

"Yep, we're becoming fast experts at herding wild little animals for long stretches at a time," said Karl wryly.

Olivia chuckled and gave Maureen another hug. "Thanks again, Maureen," she said and then looked at Karl. "It was great to meet you."

"You too," said Karl warmly.

Olivia then knelt back down by Noah and kissed his head. "Have fun with Eli and Rosie, sweet boy."

Maureen then walked her to the door.

Several hours later found Maureen washing up the lunch dishes in the kitchen. Karl was outside with the children, playing with a blue soccer ball. Eli was trying to teach Noah and Rosie to kick it, but the little ones were much more interested in holding it and hugging it.

When Maureen heard her front door open by means of a key, she stayed calm, knowing that it was her mother come to pick up Eli to take him to his soccer practice. She was a bit early, but that wasn't surprising; Kathy always loved to have a few minutes cuddling with her granddaughter.

However, the voice she heard call down the hall was definitely not her mother's voice. "Hello!"

"Dad?!" she called back, hearing his footsteps approach.

Sure enough, Elliot soon entered the kitchen, dressed casually and smiling. He gave his oldest daughter a warm hug before gently placing his hand on her baby bump. "How are you and my second grandchild doing?"

"We're both just fine," said Maureen. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, Dad, but what brings you by?"

"Kathy called me," said Elliot. "There was a bus crash near the hospital and both she and Andrew are staying on to help. So I'm here to take Eli to soccer practice."

"Oh, alright then," said Maureen. "The kids are in the backyard with Karl."

"Awesome," said Elliot, his face splitting into a grin at the thought of seeing his granddaughter. He then headed towards the back door and opened it, Maureen right behind him.

"Hey, Elliot!" said Karl, waving.

"Hi, Dad!" called Eli.

"Gampy!" called Rosie with glee, flapping her arms in excitement.

Elliot, for his part, immediately rushed to her and scooped her up in his arms. "Hello, sweetheart!" he said, playfully giving her an eskimo kiss and making her giggle. "What are you guys up to?"

"Playing soccer!" said Eli.

"Or a version of it," said Karl good-naturedly.

Eli then gently kicked the soccer ball to Noah. It stopped at his feet and he picked it up.

Elliot finally noticed the fourth person in the game and set Rosie down so that he could kneel at the little ones' eye level. "And who's this? A friend of Rosie's from daycare?"

"Um, Dad…" said Maureen, realizing that this could very possibly be a very significant moment for her dad to look back on. "This is Noah Benson."

The smile on Elliot's face slowly melted away to one of shock and awe. He turned his head to look at Maureen, who nodded in confirmation that this was indeed who Elliot thought it was.

Elliot then turned his head back to look at Noah. The little boy had taken a few steps towards Elliot, curious about this new person. He still held the soccer ball tightly, hiding some of his face behind it shyly.

"Hey, little man," said Elliot gently in a voice rich with emotion. "It's an honor to meet you, Noah."

Hearing his voice and feeling no threat, Noah lowered the soccer ball until it dropped from his hands. Elliot picked it up and said, "Hey, watch this." He then spun the soccer ball on his finger as if it were a basketball, a trick that the boys at the youth shelter had taught him to do. Noah watched in fascination, and a smile lit up his face. Elliot grinned back and did it again.

"Cool, Dad!" said Eli in admiration. "Can you teach me that?"

"Sure. Think fast!" With one hand, Elliot threw the soccer ball at Eli, who then kicked it towards the west-facing fence of the backyard.

Noah watched this and then began to run towards where the soccer ball had bounced. However, he tripped and fell over one of Rosie's toys that was partially hidden in the grass. As a high-pitched wail began to escape from his mouth, Elliot immediately went to Noah and scooped him up. He held the nineteen-month-old to his chest and soothed him by rubbing his back and murmuring to him.

"Hey, hey, you're ok, Noah. You're alright, little guy. I know, it's scary to fall, but you can always get back up. Shhh, shhh…"

Noah's wails gradually softened. Soon, he had cuddled against Elliot, clutching the collar of his shirt and burying his face against his shoulder. As he let out his last little whimpers, Elliot kissed his head a few times.

The other people in the backyard watched this interaction in silence. Karl, after discreetly picking up the offending toy, had scooped up his daughter so that she would not get upset as a reaction to Noah's fall and subsequent crying. Eli just stood there watching in worry and curiosity. Maureen, who more than anyone there knew how much this moment mattered, discreetly pulled out her phone and snapped a photo.

When Noah had gone quiet, contentedly snuggled on Elliot's chest, Eli approached them. "He's not hurt, is he, Dad?"

"No, no, buddy," said Elliot, looking down at his youngest son. "Noah's not hurt, just startled."

Eli nodded and then rushed to retrieve his soccer ball. Maureen then remembered why Elliot had come in the first place. "Eli!" she called as he picked up the ball. "Come inside and make sure you have everything packed and ready to go, please."

"Ok, Mo!" he said, rushing past everyone into the house.

After Karl had taken Rosie inside, Elliot faced Maureen while still holding Noah, a new worry filling his eyes. "Maureen, what's…is Liv ok? Why is Noah here?"

"She's fine, Dad, I promise," said Maureen as they went inside. "She had to go to court at the last minute, and her regular sitter had plans. It's certainly not the first time that he and Rosie have played together, and Eli loved him right away." She smiled warmly at her dad. "And clearly, so do you."

Elliot couldn't help but blush a little bit. Noah, meanwhile, had lifted his head and was watching Elliot almost solemnly. He then raised a small hand and patted Elliot's cheek, prompting Elliot to look at him, a mock-serious look on his face. He then tickled Noah, causing the little boy to giggle and Elliot to grin.

Eli then came into the room with his duffel bag. "All ready!" he said happily.

"Ok, buddy," said Elliot. For a moment, he stood still and looked at Noah, clearly reluctant to put him down. But he did with infinite gentleness after giving him one last kiss to his forehead. "I'm so glad I got to meet you, little man," he said softly.

Then Eli put down his duffel bag, walked to Noah, and gave him a hug. "Bye, Noah," he said. "Let's play together again soon."

Both Maureen and Elliot watched this interaction with full hearts; Maureen would have sworn that her father got tears in his eyes. But he blinked them away when Eli stepped back. He then gave Maureen a hug before taking Eli's hand and leading him out of the house.

After they were gone, Maureen let out a deep breath and looked down at Noah, who was looking up at her as if to say, 'Now what?'

She smiled and took his hand, saying, "Come on, Noah, let's see what Karl and Rosie are up to."

Elliot called Olivia that night, after he was sure Noah was in bed.

"Hi, Elliot."

"Hi, Liv." He was pacing already and he fought to keep his anxiousness on a low level. "Listen, I'm sure Maureen already told you, but I met Noah today when I was picking up Eli."

"Yeah, she told me." At least she didn't sound furious.

"Liv, please believe me when I say I had no idea Noah would be there. Kathy was supposed to pick him up but she got held up at the hospital. You have to know that I would never go behind your back like that."

"I know, Elliot, I know. And I'm not angry, really. I'll be honest, though; Noah being the age he is now plays a big part in it. That and knowing you didn't plan this. If Noah were of an age where he could speak to you properly and really remember you…" She sighed. "Look, Elliot, I'm very careful about whom I let into Noah's life. Once, you were the last person I would peg to just walk out of our lives…"

She didn't have to continue her sentence for him to understand what she meant. His heart broke every day knowing how much he'd wrecked what they had, especially her trust in him. "I get it, Liv," he said, choking back a sob. "But I'm not going anywhere. I will keep trying to prove myself to you, and do whatever you want me to do to fix this."

He spoke with all of the conviction he had in his heart. Since their first phone conversation, they'd spoken every day, but most of the time it was through a few texts each day. The few real conversations they'd had were all initiated by Olivia. If it were up to Elliot alone, he would be with her right now holding her as tightly as he could. But he wasn't in charge now; like Fin said, Liv was the boss.

And since Olivia wasn't ready to take that leap of faith yet, she only said, "Ok, El."

Wanting to make her smile, Elliot said, "He's such a good kid, Liv."

Though he couldn't see her, Elliot could sense the smile on her face. "The best…I don't know how I got so lucky…I'm so blessed to have him."

"And he's blessed to have the best mother in the world," said Elliot. "Eli adored him, too. I think he sees Noah as a great future soccer buddy, especially since he has the chance to teach him the game in the future."

He heard her breath hitch at his mention of the future, and Elliot hoped he hadn't overstepped or scared her. But she didn't hang up. Instead, she said, "Well, it was amazing to see Eli again. He's gotten so big, and such a ball of energy."

Elliot laughed. "Yep. Kathy likes to joke that some of the adrenaline you both were feeling the day he was born must have seeped into him and made him into such an active kid. He loved meeting you, too. As far as he's concerned, you're Wonder Woman."

She chuckled ruefully. "Well, he certainly got his energy from you, too. I could see how much he was like you even in the few minutes I was with him."

"And is that a good thing or a bad thing?" His tone was light, almost joking, but both knew that he desperately needed a serious answer.

She didn't speak for a minute, and his anxiety was rising. But then her answer floored him in the best way:

"The best thing, El."

It was in that moment that Elliot let his hope fully rise in his chest that things between the two of them would get better.

A/N: The sight of Elliot with baby Noah is something I will always wish we could have seen onscreen, so this chapter was me indulging that wish.