They are sitting on her couch. Eli, Olivia, Kathleen, Liz and Noah. Somehow Kathleen and Liz convinced her to let them have a sleepover. They claimed to want to have one with Eli but considering the fact that Kathleen won't leave Liv alone she's starting to think that was a lie. They are laughing at a video on Kathleen's phone when someone knocks on the door. Noah jumps up and runs to the door. He grabs the stool next to the door and peaks out of the peephole.
"If it's dad, don't let him in." Kathleen says not looking up from her phone or really realizing what she had said. Noah opens to door to reveal a woman in her late 40's early 50's.
"Aunt tabby?" Liz asks look at the woman who could be her mother's twin. She's a little taller than Kathy was but other than that they are the spitting image of each other.
"Where is your father? I need him to sign some papers." She says looking around the house filled with boxes and taking note of how comfortable her nieces and nephew look with Olivia.
"Papers?" Olivia asks standing to take the stack of papers from the blonde woman.
"Yes, I am giving him my old apartment on 9th. Though I believe he's just fixing it and plans on selling it and staying living with you." She glared at Olivia.
"9th? Does it happen to cross with Wilder?" Eli asks walking to the kitchen to get a snack.
"Yes, why?" Tabby answers.
"Because we know someone who lives in that building." Olivia speaks as she's spiraling. His new apartment is in Angela Wheatley's building. Is that why he wants to sell it? She's sure it probably a nice apartment, big enough for him and Eli and all of the kids to come for Sunday dinner. Why did he want to sell it?
"Can I leave these here? No offense but my sister just died so standing in a room with the woman he's fucking isn't exactly what I would consider a good time." Tabby all but threw the papers at Olivia.
"Don't talk to Olivia like that." Liz said.
"Lizzie, it's fine. Thank you Tabby I will give them to Elliot." Olivia said motioning for the woman to leave. Tabby glared at her for a minute then left the apartment.
"Anyone think your dad will answer if I call?" Olivia asked the group of, in her eyes kids, as they all say back down on the couch.
"Liv it's you. Of course he'll answer." Kathleen said, pulling Noah in closer for some cuddles.
Olivia laughs as she walks back in her bedroom to call Elliot, hoping he'd be willing to come home and talk. Home she thought, your dad, these things just rolled off her tongue as if she has said them for 20 plus years. They're so normal, so domesticated. Even watching Noah with Kathleen it felt as if she is Noah's sister. He flocks to her when she's around, he has become obsessed with becoming just like Richard. Olivia has just gotten used to them always being around, family dinners, movie nights, even Maureen has spent the night twice because she claims to "Live too far away" after a shift at the hospital. She'll come over and the first night slept in bed with Noah after reading him a story. The next time she crawled into bed with Olivia, how that happened Olivia still isn't sure. One minute they're watching Jurassic Park in the living room the next she knows she's watching How to Train Your Dragon 3 with Marueen, Eli, and Noah in her bed. That night she couldn't sleep so she wandered out into the living room. Her and Elliot talked for 2 hours about the past. Their cases, their friendship, the kids, if it happened in their past they discussed it.
"Yeah, and when you decided to check on me. I thought Cragen was gonna kill us both. Me in my underwear, you in your black lace bra." He chuckled at her.
"You remember the color of my bra?" She asks unintentionally flirting with him.
"Vividly." He flirted back. Had her phone not rang, she was unsure of thof how the rest of the night would have gone.
Now she sits holding her phone dialing his number, the only one she knows by heart anymore.
"Liv?" He answers
"Hey." She spoke softly.
"Everything okay? The boys?"
"Tabby stopped by. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, I probably would have done worse."
"Come home El."
"Okay Liv."
When she hangs up she smiles, he didn't correct her when she said home. She walks back out to the living room to see Kathleen getting the boys ready to leave.
"Mom, Lizzie said that instead we are going to have a sleepover at her house! Isn't that cool!?" Noah says with excitement. His curls bouncing when he does.
"You are?" She questions Kathleen and Liz then the boys who are excited to go to Liz's studio across town.
"Well, we figured that you and dad have things to discuss. So why not go stay at Lizzie's." Kathleen says putting a hat on Noah.
"What does dad and M-" Eli pretends to cough. "Liv have to talk about? Court?" He finishes not looking at the rest of the room hoping no one caught his almost mistake.
"Yeah, we need a more sound plan going forward. You boys be good for," Olivia pauses, she's not sure if she should finish her sentence.
"Our sisters, we know mom, now let's go!" Noah finishes opening the door running down the hallway chased by Eli followed by Liz all laughing and happy.
"I love you Liv." Kathleen says as she runs after Liz. Olivia barely had a chance to respond.
"I love you!" She screams down the hallway after the kids, the kids. Their kids. She moves to sit on the couch as her phone dings with a text message. A video plays on her phone "We love you too!" The four kids shout in the car. Olivia smiles.
She is laying down watching the news, a bad habit she picked up from Elliot. She is just about to fall asleep when she hears keys in the door. She sits up and pretends as if she hasn't been wondering where he's been. When he walks in the door he has chinese food from the place across town that is Olivia's favorite.
"Orange chicken with vegetable lo mein and a shrimp egg roll with sweet and sour sauce. Hope you weren't falling asleep here at home." Elliot smiled. Olivia just stared in amazement at how easily he remembered her order. Then as she realized he brought up the whole home thing, she blushes.
"What should I call where you live?" Olivia flirted, she didn't know if she should but she decides to in this moment take a chance. She doesn't know if its the kids or how easy it is to talk to him now, but, she knows that whatever is happening between them minus the hiccup from today, she wants it.
"I guess, home." He smiles at her.
"I'm going to change before we eat." Olivia walks into her bedroom, she can see the couch from her bedroom door, which means he can see her. She knows she shouldn't. She knows that what she's about to do will change everything. Either he'll reciprocate or he'll reject her. She doesn't close her door, she grabs her pajamas and takes off her shirt. Every emotion from today, all of the pain from seeing him kiss Angela Wheatley to the heartache of thinking he slept with her. It all made her realize she doesn't want just domestication. She wants him. She stands in the doorway staring at Elliot. She is top less but not bra-less. She takes a deep breath.
"Elliot." She whispers.
He stands and turns to look at her.