A/N: Thank you to all o fyou who left reviews for my last chapter. This chapter has a bit of a time jump but there are some cute moments in here that i thought it was about time for in our story.
Kassidygean - moving in is a big step for these two and i think there are a few more hurdles in the way for them before they reach that stage. But I do have a plan for that and when we reach that stage I think you're going to like it.
Now, please enjoy:)

13. Eve of 2 years old

They say time flies when you're having fun, but it also flies when you're busy. There had been so much happening in the past couple of weeks that Olivia barely had time for anything outside of school and taking care of Chloe. Thankfully, she'd still managed to organise her time enough for an afternoon run and a bit of exercise after school each day, even when it's been too cold to feel like running. Working in a public school was very different to when she'd been teaching at the academy. Students at the academy were of high social class most of the time or at least from upper class families, but where she worked now was very run down and limited in terms of supplies or resources to use. Olivia often had a hard time just getting her students to complete the tasks that she gave them and be at school for the whole day. Her class had a very high absence rate and the students within her class just seemed to be uninterested in learning. However, Olivia took everything she was thrown in her stride and she was determined that she would make a difference for these students, she wasn't just going to let them fall away.

They had 2 days left before Easter break which would give a week of school. But it was also Chloe's birthday this weekend and Olivia was feeling very underprepared for that. She couldn't quite believe that her little girl would be 2 soon, in some ways it felt like only yesterday she came into the world, whilst in other ways it felt like she was a teenager. The little girl definitely had a big personality when she wanted to which made things challenging at time for Olivia. But she wouldn't change any of it for the world, she was so grateful for Chloe and for the chance to be a mother.

Elliot had organised to take Olivia out to dinner for a date night on Friday night and then he and the twins would be spending the day with Olivia and Chloe on Saturday for Chloe's birthday. Don was coming into town for a long weekend on Thursday night, especially to celebrate Chloe's birthday. Olivia was so looking forward to seeing her father. Despite facetiming several times, a week and knowing that her father was always there if she needed him, it just wasn't the same as being in the same place together and she hadn't really seen him since Christmas/New Year holidays. This weekend would be a big celebration of sorts and Olivia felt it was something that she really needed at the moment.

Kathy on the other hand had been having some serious difficulties with being back in New York. Whilst she felt that her relationship with Richard was getting stronger by the day and he was more willing to let her into his life now, Elizabeth was another story. The more that Kathy seemed to want to be involved with Elizabeth, the more the little girl wanted to push her away, even with the additional issues that she seemed to be having at school at the moment. Thankfully, she had been able to secure an apartment not too far away from the hotel, so she was able to be around the twins as much as she like, but she still seemed to have added stresses with Elizabeth which Kathy really didn't understand. Kathy honestly thought that if she was to get rid of Olivia from the picture then Ellizabeth would be better, as the largest female influence in the little girl's life was out of the picture, however that just didn't seem to be the case. In fact, Kathy wasn't even sure whether Olivia was completely out of the picture now that she'd moved schools as there were numerous sources pointing to the fact that Elliot was still pursuing a relationship with her but in private.

Kathy had to put a complete stop to it, she knew she needed to do something more that would rid their lives of Olivia forever. If Olivia was properly out of the picture, then Kathy really believed she stood a good chance at being able to win Elliot over and get him to give them another chance. Kathy would be there to be able to build the pieces back together for Elliot, after his heart is broken by Olivia's departure. Kathy would be the one to be viewed as the saviour in the family and that would surely put her in good position with her children and Elliot. She simply needed to work out where Olivia was in Elliot's life and how to put a stop to that.

"I'm taking the twins for the day on Saturday, just so your aware" Elliot spoke up as he sat on the opposite side of the backseat of the car to Kathy.
"Oh? Really? I was kind of hoping that we could all spend the day together on Saturday, go to the park? Seeing as the weather is supposed to be really nice?" Kathy replied, she had been hoping that they would all spend time together over the weekend, as the kids were going to be finished with school for a week and they loved the park.
"We already have plans. So, sorry but the twins will need to come with me and we'll be out more of the day. But I'm sure you'll be plenty busy enough anyway" Elliot replied, knowing that it was important to inform Kathy of his actions this weekend, but without giving too much detail.
"Well, can I come then? We'll turn whatever these plans are into a family day out?" Kathy tried to suggest, desperate to know where Elliot was going on Saturday and why he needed the kids all day.
"You can't come, you're not invited and I'm sure you'll be perfectly able to entertain yourself without us for a day" Elliot refused.
"You're going to see her aren't you?" Kathy remarked and Elliot had to remind himself to breathe before flying off the handle into a rage at her, that was simply not the right action to do when he knew Kathy was simply trying to get a reaction from him.
"Who I see or where I go, is none of your business and I don't know why you seem to think that it is"
"Because I'm your wife! We should be going together!"
"You are my ex-wife…soon to be official with our divorce. Nothing you say or do is going to change that! For whatever reason, you can't seem to get it in your head that I've moved on, I've found an incredible woman whom I want to spend the rest of my life with and that the kids adore. But you're determined to ruin my life, or ruin my happiness" Elliot argued and he watched as Kathy raised her eyebrow at his accusation, preparing a response but Elliot wasn't finished.
"Yes, I know what you did with Miss Benson leaving school! I know how you had a role in that" Elliot continued, he hadn't initially seen it but he definitely knew now that Kathy was behind Olivia being transferred to another school, she had been the one who requested a meeting with the principal around the same time after all.
"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. I heard, Miss Benson received an opportunity elsewhere and decided to take it as it was good for her career. I'm not as evil or manipulating as you say I am" Kathy replied, refusing to believe the claims being made right now.
"If that's what you want to believe, then go right ahead but the main point is that I am taking the kids on Saturday, you are not coming and that is that" Elliot replied as he climbed out of the car outside the school, ready to collect the twins for the afternoon.

Elliot was a very determined man when it came to the people he loved and their happiness, this did not extend to Kathy and even less so after he had heard from Olivia, the types of things that Kathy had really done to get her dismissed at school. Elliot honestly didn't understand how Kathy viewed Olivia as such a threat, considering that Kathy had been the one to walk out of his life because she 'couldn't take it' when the twins were really young, leaving everyone behind without a word. Surely, she didn't just expect them to be waiting on tender hooks until she came back, if she came back. Elliot would have thought that Kathy would want Elliot and the twins to be happy, healthy and loved, which they had been with Olivia. Yet Kathy seemed to be doing everything in her power to make sure that Olivia is out of the picture and keeping everyone in her back pocket.

Elliot knew that Olivia wasn't happy in her current school, she was taking this as a new opportunity for her, but he could see the light in her eyes for teaching was starting to go out. Elliot also knew that Olivia was trying to make the best of the situation, but she was very limited in terms of things she could do to support her kids with the resources that she had. He wanted to help her out however he could, but she simply refused him doing so. She claimed that she didn't want to be seen receiving benefits for who she was in a relationship with. Elliot had tried to offer to give a donation to the school instead but Olivia continued to refuse his offer as she was concerned that it would backfire on her. But Elliot really hated seeing her struggle so much when he could clearly help out in someway with the current situation, if she just let him.
One day, Elliot hoped that Olivia would become his wife and then surely it wouldn't be so much of an issue for him to be helping her out where possible given that she would be his wife. But at the moment she simply seemed to be turning his every attempt down. Elliot knew that it was probably partially due to how things had been with leaving the academy and the circumstances around that, she didn't want a repeat or some kind of favouritism. But it just made him hate that she wouldn't help him help her out where he could.

By the time that Friday night rolled around, Olivia was more than ready for the weekend and the break from school. Whilst she knew there was lots of work she had to get done over the break, Olivia was really looking forward to having more time with those whom she loved, as well as celebrating Chloe's 2nd birthday. Olivia had come to grow really fond of her students, in the short time she had known them so far and she had high hopes that she could really make a difference in these kids' lives. But her dedication to her students had, at times made her feel like she wasn't as dedicated to her daughter, which was something she couldn't have. Not to mention, she had still been keeping Elliot at a bit of an arm's length because of everything that happened at her previous school. Tonight, would be different though, she was going to go out to dinner with Elliot and then they'd all spend time together tomorrow to celebrate Chloe's birthday. Now that Olivia was on holiday, her relationships were going to be at the front of her mind and she hoped to spend some time with Elliot and the twins again properly before another busy term at school.

Elliot came to the apartment when he arrived to pick up Olivia, he spent a few minutes entertaining Chloe whilst Olivia finished getting ready. He had a brief conversation with Don about his flight and how everything had been going at the farm. But Chloe commanded most of the attention during their time together. Elliot couldn't quite believe that Chloe would be 2 tomorrow, and she'd grown so much even in the short time he'd known her. He appreciated every moment that he got to spend with her and would always strive to be there for her when he could, just like he took every moment possible to spend with her mother.

"Now, miss Chloe. What's happening tomorrow?" Elliot asked as Chloe sat in his lap, playing with a toy.
"It's my bivday" Chloe replied, smiling up at him.
"Is it? No, surely it's not?" Elliot teased.
"It is!" Chloe attempted to convince him of this event tomorrow.
"Ok, so how old will be you be? 10?" Elliot continued to tease.
"No"
"12?"
"No! Daddy I 2" Chloe placed her hand on her hip and furrowed her eyebrows just like he'd seen Olivia do before.
"Wow, that's such a big girl!" Elliot encouraged her, showing he knew this but was just teasing.
"An daddy, you com paty?" Chloe continued to ask.
"You bet princess, I'll be there and I might be bringing some people with me" Elliot replied as Chloe just raised her eyebrows, as if she was questioning what he was saying. This little girl was so much like her mother sometimes, it made Elliot smile.
"Well, I think Lizzie and Dickie might want to come and celebrate too, do you think they can come to the party?" Elliot continued.
"Yeah!" Chloe squealed in response.
"Alright then, when I come back tomorrow, I'll make sure to bring Dickie and Lizzie with me as a special request from the birthday girl" Elliot smiled as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of the little girl's head. He would do anything for Chloe and especially on such a special day. If he didn't already know that Kathy would have an absolute field day if she didn't find him in the apartment in the morning, he would stay over tonight and be here with Olivia and Chloe in the morning. Birthdays are a really big deal to young children and Elliot loved to celebrate them in the biggest way possible where he could. He wanted all children to feel the love and celebration of birthdays.

Elliot had booked their favourite table at their favourite Italian restaurant. A table for 2, near the window which looked out to Central Park. Whilst Elliot really didn't care much for views in the city or particular spots in restaurants, he knew that Olivia did and so he would always strive for the best spot for them. He spent more time looking at her than the views anyway.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" Olivia asked self-consciously when she spotted Elliot watching her again, but he just smiled.
"No, I was just admiring how beautiful you are" Elliot replied as he watched the colour rise in her cheeks from his compliment.
"Besides, I haven't been able to admire such beauty in a couple of weeks, so I'm stealing every chance that I can get" Elliot added but Olivia just shook her head with a slight smile. This man was full of flattery when it came to her.
"How are the twins going? I miss seeing them every day at school" Olivia asked, wanting to change the conversation from herself to the kids.
"They miss you too, especially Elizabeth. She's really not a big fan of her new teacher and Elizabeth almost completely refused to go to school earlier this week. But I managed to convince her to go with a promise to see you soon" Elliot explained and Olivia felt guilty that her departure had caused so much distress to the little girl but that wasn't her fault. She had her mother to blame for that, not that Olivia would ever express that.
"Well, that's not good to hear. Change can be really hard to adjust to for young children and we both know she's had more than her fair share of change for her life" Olivia replied to which Elliot had to nod. He wished that he could have prevented his children having to experience quite so much change in their young lives but he would do anything to protect them from future change or heartache where he could help it.

"So, you're the mother of a 2-year-old tomorrow?" Elliot changed the topic of discussion after the couple had sat in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes.
"I know, I can't quite believe it. In some ways it feels like only yesterday she arrived in the world, and yet in others it feels like she's about to be a teenager" Olivia joked, when she thought back to everything that had happened since Chloe came into the world, she was amazed at how they had survived it all.
"I wouldn't change it for the world though" Olivia continued.
"You're a great mother, Chloe is a very lucky girl to have a mother like you and your students are just as lucky to have you as their teacher" Elliot replied, he honestly felt so lucky to know Olivia and he was so thankful that she had decided that she wanted to be with him, when he knew she could do so much better. Olivia didn't have a response to this, she just smiled at him sweetly as she held his hand over the table and took a sip from her wine.
"That really means a lot coming from you" Olivia finally replied putting her glass back on the table.
"It's true, I've seen how dedicated to your students you are. I mean, I can't name another teacher who has been so determined to support their students, that they will hunt down a 'mystery parent'. If you didn't have that dedication then I don't think we'd be here like this right now"
"I think there's more to us than just that though"
"True, but I still think fondly over our first meeting and how I knew from that moment that you were a teacher on a mission, and you still are" Elliot reached over and stroked the side of Olivia's face, he wasn't sure where all this affection was coming from to be the topic of discussion right now, but every word he was saying was true. Olivia placed her hand on top of his, on the side of her face.
"I don't know what has sparked all this sweet talk Mr Stabler, but whatever the intention you have, it's working" Olivia smiled.
"I'm not trying to do anything, just show my girl how much I really loved her and how proud I am of everything she does" Elliot replied.

The meal was fantastic, as it was every time they came to this restaurant. Olivia wasn't quite ready to just go home again after such a beautiful meal and the weather was beautiful out this evening, she quite fancied a walk. It was that weird time of year in New York where the weather wasn't snow and ice type miserable but it wasn't quite the uncomfortable heat of summer yet either. It was a pleasant temperature with just a little chill in the night air.
"Would you fancy a walk?" Olivia suggested as Elliot escorted her out of the restaurant.
"With you? Of course" Elliot replied.
"I'm just not quite ready to go home yet and I think I need to walk this meal down" Olivia felt like she had to explain her wishes.
"No complaints here" Elliot smiled, letting his driver know that they were going to go for a walk in the park and he would call again when they were ready to be picked up. The driver nodded and went back to scrolling his phone as he waited.

The couple walked into Central Park and picked a well-lit path for their stroll, heading in the direction that Olivia knew the large pond was. Whilst this wasn't the same park with a pond that she often brought Chloe to, it was a park which she had visited numerous times before. She had also heard stories about how dangerous Central Park could be after dark but Olivia felt perfectly safe with Elliot by her side. As the couple walked, Elliot told Olivia bout the updates to his pending divorce with Kathy, the lawyers were finalising her accounts with him and the papers which she would be sent. Hopefully, she would be willing to just sign them and they could get on with the whole divorce proceedings, but neither Elliot or Olivia thought that would be the case. Both just wanted to get this over with as quickly and as pleasantly as possible to stop too much disruption with the children. Divorce was never easy and whilst Kathy had been out of their lives for a while, there was a high likelihood of some discomfort brough tot the twins lives with this divorce and understanding why their parents had split up.

Olivia would just try to be there for Elliot where she could when that did eventually happen, she knew that despite all the pain which Kathy had brought to him previously, part of him would always care for her. She was the mother of his children and she had been one of his first loves. It wasn't going to be an easy process but Olivia would be there for them and she would support the family however she could. This was the man she loved more than anything and she needed to support him through whatever he went through, like he'd done for her.

A/N: I always love writing the interactions between Elliot and Chloe, i just think they make a really cute duo and Elliot is the right kind of father a girl like Chloe needs. So hopefully, there will be more in the upcoming chapters? Up next: Birthdays.
I think you'll get another chapter this week before you know it, ive been identified as a close contact for a COVID case and thus i'm stuck at home all week, which gives me plenty of time to edit the next chapter for you all. But in order to be motivated for that, leave me a review? let me know what you think about this chapter or what you think Chloe's birthday may be like?

Until next time ;)