A/N: Sorry for the delay with updates, personal life got really busy. But we're now officially in lockdown again and it's week 2 of lockdown. Working from home was rough last week, but writing was my escape so as a reward to my beautiful readers, this is part 1 of a 2 chapter update. But strap yourself in :)

6. The Mystery Arrival

Olivia wasn't at pick up duty, as she'd been busy in a meeting with the school principal for an interview for her promotion application. However, everyone was all a chatter about who they had seen at pick up, when Olivia passed by numerous teachers on the way back to her classroom. Apparently, not only was Elliot's mother back in town now, but there was a mysterious woman with them at pick up too. Some of the teachers were under the belief that this mystery woman was Elliot's new partner, though Olivia knew that wasn't the case. Other teachers had questioned whether that woman could be the twins mother. But Clara had told Olivia before she left and Olivia had a parent meeting, that Elizabeth had been quite hesitant to go over and wouldn't even acknowledge this mystery woman when she did. It definitely seemed like this woman was quite a mystery and today was not the afternoon to miss pick up.

Elliot had been waiting for her in the lobby of his hotel near reception when she walked inside. She'd told him when she was leaving school but wouldn't accept waiting for him or taking his car, instead she was insistent on just taking the subway as per usual.
"You know you don't have to wait down here for me" Olivia greeted as she walked over to Elliot and gave him a quick kiss.
"You wouldn't take the car and I needed to see that you got here safely. I also couldn't kiss you upstairs right now, so I wanted to meet you here" Elliot explained as they moved over to the elevator but Elliot hesitated in pressing the button. Olivia was confused by this remark about not kissing her upstairs as he'd never been hesitant before even with the twins around, so why now?
"Honey, you've never hesitated to kiss me around the twins before" Olivia teased but Elliot simply returned a look that told her right now, was about more than just the twins.
"I tried to stop them but my mother had other ideas, she says the only way the twins will adjust is if they are around her more" Elliot explained and Olivia was shocked, this meant that what she had heard at school must be true. Elliot's ex was back in town.

"So it IS true" Olivia stated as she pulled back from Elliot a little, taking her hand back and stepping away from him, leaving Elliot confused. He didn't say anything, simply raised an eyebrow in her direction, asking for clarification.
"Some of the other teachers at school this afternoon were debating who the other woman with you and your mother today was. Some thought that she was a new love interest in your life, but I'd like to think that I know that's not true. So, that has to mean that the other guess from the teachers is true – Kathy's back" Olivia explained, waiting for Elliot to catch up.
"She is" Elliot admitted as Olivia just scoffed and turned away from Elliot. He reached out to grab her arm and turn her back to face him.
"Kathy returned yesterday afternoon. But, I'm glad to hear that you already know you're the only woman for me, because you are" Elliot replied with a smile and tried to kiss Olivia but she pulled away. Now that she knew who was upstairs, there was no way that Olivia was going to go up there. Elliot's mother already hated her, and she really didn't feel like meeting Elliot's ex this afternoon.
"You know, we don't have to talk today. The twins really need you right now and this can wait" Olivia admitted as she pulled away again and went to start heading back towards the exit but Elliot wouldn't let her hand go, trying to pull her hand back towards him. He wasn't prepared to let Kathy ruin their time together or ruin them, he wanted to resolve what had happened after meeting with Tony yesterday and ensure they would be ok.
"No, it can't. The kids will be fine for a little while, I know Bertie is up there with them and controlling the situation for me. We, need to talk about yesterday and we agreed to talk this afternoon" Elliot explained.
"Well, I don't want to go upstairs if your mother and wife are there" Olivia replied to which Elliot had the perfect solution. He knew he'd already told the twins that he would only be gone for a minute, but he needed to clear the air with Olivia now and so they could wait.
"Then we won't go upstairs. But, will you go for a drink with me at least?" Elliot asked with the charming smile that he knew Olivia couldn't resist, to which she just nodded, and he guided her into the hotel bar. She would have a drink and have a talk before she went home. Thankfully, as she'd had to stay at school late, it was now an appropriate time for a drink and this wasn't a conversation to have without one.

"So, I think I need to start by saying I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what i said and did yesterday and especially for just pushing you away like that" Olivia started to apologise, once the pair had found a spot in the bar and ordered a drink.
"The news was a shock to both of us, I don't blame your reaction and I definitely don't need an apology because you did nothing wrong. But, I do want you to know that this changes nothing for how I feel about you or Chloe" Elliot explained, reaching across the table and taking Olivia's hand in his.
"If your wife is-" Olivia started
"She's my ex-wife and I'm already getting the divorce papers drawn up. Then, when I've resolved that, we can reapply for me to adopt Chloe and we won't have any issues" Elliot interrupted, Kathy wasn't his wife anymore and he was working to make that clear.
"You sure you really want to adopt Chloe? I mean I would-"
"Of course I do, don't you doubt that for a second. Baby, I want to legally be her father and for us to raise her together. I didn't just sign and submit those papers because you gave them to me. I did it because I really do want to legally adopt her"
"Well that's a relief, because I wasn't planning on trying to get Chloe to call you 'Elliot' again. You're the only 'daddy' I plan on her having"
"So, does this mean that we'll be ok? I really don't want my ex-wife's actions to be the reason we break. She is my past, you, Chloe and the twins are my present and hopefully my future" Elliot asked as he stroked the back of Olivia's hand with his thumb and looked her in the eyes.
"El, I love you so much it scares me but I am not going to let someone whom has caused you so much pain, break us up like this" Olivia encouraged as she gave Elliot's hand a squeeze and both released a breath neither knew they were holding. They would be ok.
"I love you…so, so much" Elliot replied as he leant over the table between them and sealed his remark with a passionate but tender kiss. They both knew they would make this work, they had already been through so much and this wouldn't break them.

As Elliot and Olivia were talking things through and working on how they could move forward together, despite their new challenges, neither noticed they had company. Neither of the pair even noticed that they were being watched from a distance, by none other than Kathy Stabler. Despite walking out of Elliot's life over 4 years ago, leaving the twins alone with Elliot and trying to get her life sorted out, she had never let go of her married name, as she had never properly let go of her marriage. Kathy was now very much aware of the woman whom she was going to have to deal with in order to save her marriage and get her family back together. She knew it was none other than Elizabeth's teacher and she knew exactly what the woman looked like, now she just needed a fan on how to fix this mess that Elliot had been causing, with this woman.

Elliot had told them that he was just heading downstairs briefly to deal with an issue that had arisen at reception. However he had been gone for well over half an hour rather than the couple of minutes he'd initially said, Kathy had been the one to volunteer to see what was happening and how long Elliot would be. She had volunteered as she knew that the twins were much more comfortable with Bernie at the moment, than they were with herself but she hoped that would change with the more time she gave the situation.

However, with the way that Elliot and this brunette lady, whom she was sure was 'Miss Benson' we acting, there had never been a problem down at reception in the first place. Elliot had simply come downstairs and used an issue as an excuse to meet with this woman and apparently, they were going for a drink. Kathy would be respectful, she wouldn't interrupt them now. She would let them have this moment together, she would handle the issue with Elliot upstairs when he eventually made it upstairs again. But in the meantime she would come up with a plan on how to handle this relationship between Elliot and Miss Benson. Kathy was pretty sure that teachers dating parents of children in their class, was against the rule, especially at such an elite school like the one her kids attended. She would have to discuss this with Bernie in detail and see if there was any known way, they could get rid of her. Kathy took one final glance over at the pair, Elliot was caressing his hand on Olivia's face, so it wasn't exactly like they were hiding their relationship. She turned and headed for the elevator, she would have her moment later.

The apartment air felt cold and dull as Elliot strolled back in from the elevator. He could tell that something was off and something had changed in the time he'd been gone. He may have lied to everyone about the brief issue that had happened at reception, but he had truly only been planning to go for a minute to get to Olivia. However, the plans had changed when Olivia wouldn't come upstairs, he didn't blame her though and he would never purposefully subject her to being in the same space as his mother and ex-wife if he could help it.

He had left his kids playing in the loungeroom, on their Nintendo Switch, under the close supervision of his mother and Kathy but by the time he came back, they weren't in the living room anymore, he couldn't even here them which confused him entirely. He had to take the time out this afternoon to fix things properly with Olivia, there was so much change going on with his life right now that he needed to make sure that she knew how much he loved her and that she was still a large part of his life. They had gone for a drink and made plans to spend time together this weekend, he was going to see if his mother would look after the twins over night and he was going to spend a night at Olivia's. But Olivia had also invited them all to go to the natural history museum with her and Chloe. Elliot already knew that the twins adored that museum, so he knew they would be on board with it. Elliot was even prepared to let Kathy stay the night here with his mother, if she would look after the twins for him. But he really needed to have a proper conversation about the changes with everyone about that first, and this was not the conversation for tonight. It was Wednesday night after all and they still needed to get things organised for work and school tomorrow.

"Hello? Where is everybody?" Elliot called out, trying to get some kind of attention or noise from somewhere to signal where everybody was.
"The twins are upstairs, getting changed and showered before dinner so they can go to bed afterwards and your mother is assisting them with that" Kathy spoke up and Elliot spotted her sitting in the living room, facing away from him.
"Ah, that explains the silence then" Elliot smiled as he walked around and took a seat on the lounge across from her.
"Did you manage to fix the problem at reception? You were gone a long time, must have been a big problem?" Kathy asked and Elliot knew she was digging as she'd clearly noticed his absence.
"Yes, sorry about that! It took longer than expected as there were a couple of upset customers that wanted to see me about a few things" Elliot lied
"Really? Well we all know how it is. You're the creator of the hotel and you must be at their beckoning. Although, I didn't think that Elizabeth's teacher was staying at the hotel?' Kathy asked and Elliot just looked at her.
"Excuse me? I…I don't believe she is either and I have no idea what you're trying to hint at right now"
"Don't lie to me Elliot, you were seen and I know that there wasn't a problem at reception at all" Kathy remarked, glaring at Elliot like it he was in the principals office and being told off. Elliot didn't understand where this was coming from and the real reason he'd been away so long was really none of her business.

"Kathy, I have no idea what you are talking about right now?" Elliot continued to lie, he was going to try and throw her off as long as he could.
"I came down to the lobby, to see what was taking you so long to come back up to us and was pointed in the direction of you, sitting with a 'Miss Benson' at a table in the bar. Your hand was on top of hers and it looked like the two of you were quite close. Of course I already knew that, from your papers when you tried to adopt her child" Kath sneered.
"Where I go or who I see is really none of your business Kathy. Thanks to your little actions in terms of the adoption papers, I had to set things right with Olivia and believe it or not, as you and I are getting a divorce, SHE comes before you" Elliot retaliated.
"No! There will be no divorce"
"Excuse me?"
"A divorce would look bad for business and I know that you and I can work things out, besides an affair with a school teacher, if it got out, would also look bad for business" Kathy smirked as she got up and walked over to the bar to grab herself another drink. Elliot knew that this was his moment, he had to put Kathy in her place right now, he would not stand for her to go anywhere near Olivia or anyone close to her for that matter.
"I know that's what you might think but honestly, I could not care less about you anymore. But you listen to this, if you EVER hurt Olivia or her daughter or anyone even remotely close to her, I will personally make sure you pay for it! Now I won't get in the way with you trying to make a relationship with your kids but I can promise you, you hurt or cause any pain to them or Olivia or anyone close to Olivia and you won't ever get to see the kids again" Elliot threatened as he got up and started to leave the room.
"You help me fix my relationship with the twins, and I'll leave your little slut alone – for now" Kathy demanded but Elliot just continued to walk out of the room. He would not be threated and forced into compliance by her. Elliot needed space and time to calm down right now. He needed to make sure he could get himself back under control if he had any hope of sitting down for dinner with everyone.

It had been years since they'd all had dinner together like this, the last time the Stabler family had all sat down at a family dinner, the twins were in booster seats at the table and had been going to preschool every day. Elliot had his seat at the head of the table, as he rightfully did every table and his mother was sitting at the other end of the table. The twins were seat on one side of the table, with Elizabeth next to him and Richard closer to Bernie, whilst Kathy was seated across from Richard. Gusto had prepared a fantastic pasta dish for dinner tonight and everyone around the table was enjoying the meal. Elliot knew this would be the perfect opportunity to discuss spending more time together and having Bernie and Kathy look after the twins for the night on Saturday.
"So Lizzie, I got an email from your teacher today and she told me how well you've been doing in maths lately, she's even moved you up a group in class! Well done honey!" Elliot congratulated the little girl, remembering the news that Olivia had told him not in an email but whilst they were having a drink together.
"Yeah, Miss Benson says I've been working better on my adding and taking away, so she thinks I can work with some harder stuff now" Elizabeth explained.
"And Dickie, I heard that you've been picked to play on the school basketball team! That's great buddy!" Elliot congratulated his son too.
"Yeah, Mr Johnson had try outs at lunch time this week and I made the team" Richard echoed with a huge smile, everyone could tell he was obviously very proud of himself, as he should be.
"Well when you have your first game, we'll all have to come as your cheer squad and see you play" Kathy remarked and both twins looked over at her inquisitively.
"You want to come?" Richard queried, unbelieving that she was really that interested.
"I'm your mother and of course I want to come. I know I haven't been around for a while, but your daddy and I are trying to work that out so we can become a real family again. That's why I've made plans for us to have the whole day all together on Saturday. We can do whatever you want to do" Kathy remarked which caused Elliot to instantly look up at her, this was news to him…he had plans on Saturday, they had plans on Saturday.

"I-" Elliot started to intervene.
"No Elliot, we need to have a day as a family, so if you have other plans or other business to do then you need to cancel them" Bernie stepped in, Elliot couldn't believe he was being turned upon like this.
"I have plans on Saturday and on Saturday night. Now, I will try and change the plans for the day Saturday but I'm not changing my plans for Saturday night. I was actually, wondering mom if you and Kathy wanted to come and stay the night to watch Lizzie and Dickie for me?" Elliot asked, if they were going to try and railroad him into plans for the whole family on Saturday then he would push back with his plans on Saturday night not changing. Elliot knew that Olivia would understand change in plans during the day and night if needed, but he was not giving up his Saturday night with her.
"Nanny have a sleep over with us?" Elizabeth queried to the group.
"I didn't see anything particular in your schedule for Saturday night? But you know I'd love to spend more time with my grandkids" Bernie replied as Kathy just sat and watched them.
"I was just hoping we would have a day together as a proper family on Saturday. Elliot you are going to have to cancel all your plans, we're a family and we need you here" Kathy retaliated but Elliot wasn't having that.
"I will spend the day with everyone on Saturday but the plans for Saturday night are non-negotiable Kathy and that's the way it is. You can spend the night here with the twins if you wish to do so but I am not going to be here" Elliot replied as he excused himself form the table to take a moment. Kathy was really pushing him tonight and he would not let it slip around the kids.

A/N: Leave me a review ;)