A/N: Hey SVU fans! I'm new to the FanFiction world but love the show and have some short stories written for both Barson and Bensler. Please let me know what you think of this piece and shoot me a PM if you have any prompt requests. I make no promises but I'd love to hear your ideas and reviews.
Olivia's phone rang as she was helping Noah pull his socks over his shin guards. She saw Elliot's name and face on her screen and hit the accept button before putting him on speaker and setting the phone next to where she sat on the coffee table. "Hey El! I'm just about to take Noah to soccer practice, can I call you back?"
"Yeah, sure, I just…" his voice is cut off by a loud wail coming through the speaker. "Could you come over after you drop Noah off?" Olivia registered the desperation in his voice as who she assumed was his grand-daughter continued to cry in the background.
"Of course! Is everything ok?" Olivia asked, concern lacing her tone. She knew Elliot was watching Maureen and Carl's daughter, Rory, this weekend while the couple took their first weekend away since their daughter's birth a few months ago.
"Everything is fine, just uh, just get here when you can," Elliot said between hushed whispers meant to soothe the crying child.
"Ok, I'll see you in about an hour. Love you," Olivia added as she ended the call.
"Was that Rory?" Noah asked as he looked at his mother with wide eyes.
Olivia picked up one of her son's cleats from the floor, unlacing the shoe before slipping it on Noah's foot. "I think so."
"Babies are loud," Noah remarked with a shake of his head before sliding his foot into the second cleat. Olivia laughed and agreed that yes, they can be.
"Alright, sweet boy. Let's get you to practice." Noah jumped off the couch and ran down the hall to his room to fetch his soccer bag. Olivia marveled for the thousandth time how much life had changed since Elliot's return.
It took a year after his return and Kathy's passing for the two of them to work through everything that had happened, admit their feelings for each other and go out on a date. Olivia insisted they go slow, for both Noah and Eli's sake. They started with dinner together once a week, which quickly turned into two or three times a week. Olivia and Noah became a frequent fixture in the Stabler apartment, as did Elliot and Eli in hers.
The ease at which Noah and Eli got along warmed Olivia's heart. Eli was so good with her little boy, despite the age difference, and the two could often be found working on homework together or playing xbox. Noah even decided he wanted to try out for soccer this spring so he could hold his own better when he played with Eli.
Olivia didn't see the older Stabler kids often. A weekend dinner here or there and holidays, but they had warmed to the idea of her and Elliot better than anticipated. A few months after Elliot and Olivia started dating, Maureen had announced she was expecting her first child with Carl. When Maureen went into labor in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner, Olivia had been surprised by Maureen's request to accompany them to the hospital.
"You were there for my mom when she gave birth to Eli," Maureen had said when Olivia asked if she was sure. "And if my mom can't be here with me today, then I'd really like for you to be." Olivia had simply nodded, on the verge of tears. And so, leaving Noah with the rest of the Stabler family, Olivia drove Maureen and Carl to the hospital and stood beside her through 10 hours of labor, offering ice chips, words of encouragement, and a hand to squeeze. When Aurora "Rory" Marie Wagner was born in the early hours of Friday morning, Olivia was the first person to hold the little girl second to her parents.
"I'm ready, mom!" Noah's voice broke through Olivia's trance and she smiled as she took her son's hand and led them out of the apartment.
After dropping Noah off at practice, Olivia made her way to Elliot's as promised. She used the key he'd given her to let herself into the apartment, cringing when she could hear crying coming from the back bedroom. Making her way towards the noise, she found Elliot pacing his bedroom with Rory in his arms, rubbing her back and murmuring hushes in the little girl's ear to no avail.
"Has she been crying since you called?" Olivia asked as she walked over to the pair. Elliot turned, the relief evident on his face at the sight of her.
"Thank god you're here. I don't know what to do, she's been inconsolable this afternoon. Maureen said she had a cold when they dropped her off yesterday and asked if I thought they should cancel. I assured her it would be fine, I had five kids after all, a little cold is nothing I can't handle. She was fine last night, a little cranky but nothing out of the norm. But then she didn't sleep much and she hasn't taken a nap since she woke up at 4am and she didn't take much of her bottle this morning. I took her to the pediatrician after lunch and they said to continue with the Tylenol for her fever and to monitor her wet diapers if she's not eating because if she gets to dehydrated I need to bring her back. And I can't call Maureen, she was already feeling guilty for leaving her for the first time when she's sick and I assured her I could do this but nothing I do seems to be calming her down and…"
Olivia broke off his ramblings with a hand on his shoulder. She had to hold back a smirk at the sight of him so flustered. "Elliot, take a breath." Elliot does as he's told and allows Olivia to take Rory from him.
"Shh, sweet girl. It's no fun being sick, I know, but your Papa and I are here," Olivia whispers as she cradles the infant against her shoulder. Rory quiets briefly at the change in individual before fussing again, flailing in Olivia's arms. Un-phased, Olivia rocks her gently, humming a tune she used to sing to Noah as she makes her way to the master bathroom.
Reaching into the shower, she turns the water on hot and then steps back out to Elliot's bedroom. She places Rory on the bed, stripping her down to just a diaper and removing her own top before picking the baby back up. Elliot follows her into the bathroom and watches as Olivia slips down the wall next to the shower, resting Rory against her chest.
"Can you get a warm wash cloth for me?" Elliot nods, immediately moving to retrieve one of the wash clothes Maureen packed, as well as a pacifier and the nasal aspirator. He ran the cloth under warm water before squeezing it out and handing it to Olivia, who promptly laid the cloth over Rory's back. As the bathroom slowly filled with steam, Rory's cries began to quiet.
A few minutes later, after Olivia used the aspirator to clear the snot that had begun to drip from Rory's nose, the cries stopped entirely and Rory's eyes began to flutter closed as Olivia rubbed soothing circles over her back and hummed a quiet tune.
"You're a miracle worker," Elliot remarked as he stood by, watching the woman he loved comfort and calm his grand-daughter.
Olivia smiled. "When Noah was little, he used to get several respiratory infections a year. This is one of the only things that helped."
They stayed in the bathroom for a few more minutes, until Olivia was sure the little girl in her arms was asleep. "Do you have her sleep sack?" Olivia asked quietly as she slowly, carefully stood back up.
"Yeah, right in here," Elliot tilted his head back toward the bedroom and grabbed the item from Rory's bag, laying it out on the bed. Olivia wrapped the infant up, slipping a pacifier between the girl's lips and watched as Rory immediately began to suckle. Lifting Rory from the bed, Olivia crossed the room to the pack n play Elliot had set up in the corner, laying the girl down.
Elliot slipped up behind her and wrapped his arms around Olivia's waist, resting his head on her shoulder as they watched Rory sleep peacefully for the first time all day. After a few minutes, Olivia checked the time on her watch and sighed. "I need to go pick up Noah."
Elliot dropped his lips to her neck. "Will I get to see you again this weekend?" He asked as he traced his lips down her neck to her still bare shoulder.
Olivia tilted her head to the side, granting him more access as she relished in the attention. "How about Noah and I bring dinner over tomorrow? I could pick Eli up on our way over so you don't have to leave the apartment with Rory." Eli had been away on a school trip to DC for the whole week. "Noah will be excited to see him, too. He missed him at dinner Tuesday night."
"That sounds great!" Elliot smiled, turning her in his arms so they were face to face and brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Have I told you how amazing you are lately?"
Olivia hummed, pretending to think for a moment. "Not in the last 24 hours," she finally answered.
"Too long, then," Elliot replied before leaning in and taking her mouth in a fiery kiss. Olivia moaned into the kiss, arching against him and hooking an arm around his neck. She let her tongue slide against his, indulging in the heady feeling his kisses produce.
Olivia is breathless when they part, gasping for air. "I really do have to go," she says regretfully, tracing her thumb over his lips.
"I know." He pecks the pad of her thumb and then her lips one more time before letting her go, watching as she slips her shirt back on and following her out of the bedroom towards the door. "See you tomorrow?" He confirms as she grabs her purse from the entryway table.
"See you tomorrow," Olivia nods. "And call me if you need anything."
"You know I will. I love you."
Olivia smiles. "I love you, too," she says, pecking his cheek before opening the door and disappearing down the hall.