17. Are we good?

Easter break wasn't at all like Olivia had intended it to be, she couldn't bear the fact that there were people now who would be keeping an 'invested interest' on her, especially to see if she was out of the house with Elliot. She avoided the hotel at all costs and kept him at an arm's length. She knew that it wasn't his fault for the headlines and the paparazzi focus, she knew that due to him being in the spotlight through his business, there was a high chance that she would end up in the spotlight too by being with him. In fact, Olivia knew she had previously been in them before based on searches she'd done online. There had been pictures of her with his twins when they went ice-skating and when they'd been in the coffee shop after she'd had to transfer schools. There were lots of photos online of her and Elliot or the kids on different occasions which she'd not been aware of before now. But this was different, she was now labelled in the public eye as a 'mistress' and her 2-year-old daughter was a 'love child' which was what broke Olivia the most. Olivia figured it was best to just lie low for a while over break and wait till school went back to see if there were more repercussions. She didn't want to lose this job too and she couldn't really afford to anyway. If she lost this job then it would be even harder to get another job now that her name was all over the gossip sites as a home wrecker and a 'mistress'. Her reputation was ruined and with a career in teaching, reputation is really everything.

There was a positive side to the gossip and celebrity sites which she'd been mentioned on, she now used them to give her updates on what Elliot was up to at different times. She knew that over the Easter weekend, it appeared that Kathy and the twins went to some family gathering out of state but Elliot didn't go with them. Olivia wondered if that had anything to with her, but she just assumed that it was work that kept him back. Olivia also found out that the week school went back, Elliot was in Mexico. Apparently, there had been issues with his hotel down there which he had to attend to after there was reported guest dissatisfaction. Olivia knew that with how dedicated Elliot is to his hotels, he would of jumped on that right away.

Olivia knew that she really shouldn't keep freezing Elliot out like this and she needed to talk to him, to talk all of this through. But right at the moment, she just didn't know what to say or what she even really wanted anymore. She loves Elliot and she is sure she wants to spend the rest of her life with him if she has the chance, but she just isn't sure whether she can handle spending the rest of her life with Kathy in the picture too. Elliot was committed to his children and whilst he kept saying that he was going to get the divorce and be done with Kathy, Olivia knew that he didn't want to bring pain to his kids or risk losing them in custody battles. Divorce was not a pretty process at the best of times and Olivia knew that Elliot's hesitancy was due to his children. But Kathy seemed determined to get her to leave or disappear from the face of the earth and at the moment, she was getting her wish. It wasn't like even when the divorce was finalised between Kathy and Elliot, Kathy would just disappear, she would always be around as she is the mother of Elliot's twins and she would always be around.

But Olivia had never been so embarrassed, like she was at the aquarium. Olivia didn't know if she continued to be with Elliot, what else Kathy was going to do and how that would impact her. Olivia also couldn't handle constantly being referred to in the media as 'the mistress' amongst other things, which she would be if she continued the relationship with Elliot. But was she really prepared to end it and break both their hearts, when this man did make her the happiest she's ever been?

The past 3 weeks had felt like torture to Elliot, Olivia had completely shut him out. He had no idea where they stood. Since Don had come to see him, Elliot had made some serious changes to the way things were done but he hadn't heard a sound from Olivia. He figured that she needed time and space, so he threw himself into work and his children whilst he waited for her to be ready to reach out to him. He wasn't going to rush her and he would wait as long as she needed. Elliot had set boundaries in terms of Kathy's behaviour and refused to even interact with her unless absolutely necessary. He revoked her access to the penthouse suite so she would never be able to come in and out of the penthouse without invitation and he wasn't going to invite her. He had also taken steps to 'lay down the law' with his mother in regard to her behaviour towards Olivia or she would be facing the same restrictions as Kathy. Elliot would not even travel in the same car or to the same venue as Kathy where he could avoid it as he simply could not stand to be around and to be polite to her. He had never stopped her from seeing the children and he never would as even though he had issues with his mother, his children still needed connection to their grandmother. When Kathy was with the children, Elliot refused to be around and either spent time at the office or away from the hotel completely. He also independently spoke with every media outlet that he could and expressed very clearly, that if they continued to badmouth his family or close friends then there would be trouble and he would file lawsuits against them for defamation. Every company but 2 had since actually published retractions from their articles and expressed they would only now publish in regards to Elliot or anyone close to him, when it was public information already or they were at an event.

The silence from Olivia was concerning but not unexpected with what Don had said and how she wasn't coping with everything Kathy was seemingly throwing at her. But Elliot stood by his word that he could not let Kathy hurt Olivia or Chloe anymore, he was prepared to be the one to fight her on everything and if needed, press charges towards her for her actions, to protect them. Kathy was his past and Elliot hoped that Olivia and Chloe were his future.

However, in terms of Kathy and the divorce, things had hit a stand still. Whilst Kathy had now begrudgingly signed the papers which his lawyers had created, but there were still other elements of the divorce like assets and custody agreements with the twins. So, the divorce would likely still take a while to be finalised and official with their day in court. Whilst Kathy seemed very pleased with this news, Elliot was frustrated as this was yet another delay and the custody of the twins would be a whole second battle. Elliot was prepared to split custody evenly but Kathy wanted to have full custody of the twins, claiming that with Elliot's sexual affairs, it was unlikely that the twins would rightly get the love and attention they needed – a complete lie but she was adamant she was right. Elliot didn't want to lose his children and his lawyer was pretty certain that he wouldn't but Elliot was still anxious over it. So, maybe it was a good thing that Olivia was clearly keeping her distance from the family right now.

Kathy hadn't been quite able to believe her luck, her actions at the aquarium had scared Olivia off and Kathy was more than sure she would break up with Elliot. This was exactly what she had been hoping for. Whilst Elliot was clearly frustrated and annoyed with her right now, he would come around and she would get her man back. She knew that with all the extra legal proceedings, she was throwing Elliot's way was right now, it would be a while before the proceedings even got sorted. Kathy was sure that by the time everything had been sorted out, the divorce would have been called off and they would be on the road to recovery for her relationship with Elliot. Kathy's family would be back together.
Based on the discussions that she'd had at the Stabler family gathering over easter, most of Elliot's family was on board with this idea well. In fact, there were really only a couple of people who even wanted to meet this 'Olivia', everyone else didn't see why Kathy and Elliot couldn't make this thing work. So, Kathy was quite glad that she had decided to attend the family gathering with the kids, though she had to admit she was disappointed that Elliot refused to go and then ended up on a trip to Mexico instead.

But that was really only a minor problem in the grand scheme of things and Kathy had already been approved to attend the charity gala next week with Elliot before accompanying him on his trip back to Toronto to view the new hotel. Elliot wasn't even aware of this but Kathy was more than ready. Once she got him to see that unlike Olivia, she was actually committed to him and helping him with his business, Kathy was more than sure Elliot would come around to the idea of fixing their relationship. She knew that Olivia had been keeping him at arm's length and a man like Elliot didn't deserve that, he should be kept close and appreciated, which is exactly what she was trying to do. She just had to keep patient and everything would fall into place, she was sure of it.

Spring happened to be one of Olivia's favourite seasons, she had to admit. The flowers were in bloom, new life was springing up everywhere and the weather was no beginning to warm up. Even the ducks at the park had new baby ducklings which just melted Olivia's heart whenever she had the chance to see them. Chloe was quite intrigued by these new little babies as well. The warmer and nicer weather meant more frequent trips to the park for Chloe either with her mother or with Lucy. Today though, they were at the park because of a social meeting with other children from Chloe's day care. Chloe's best friend, Sophie and a few of her other little friends were there as well. Everything at school had been so busy this past week that Olivia cherished the moment to socialise with others and completely focus on her daughter.

But, they weren't the only ones at the park this fine morning. Elliot and Dickie had also chosen this as the perfect spot to be able to work on his t-ball skills as the basketball season was coming to the end and T-ball was starting up. Dickie loved sports and jumped at the chance to play when Elliot had suggested it. Of course, Elliot noticed Olivia and Chloe at the playground at the park before they noticed him, but when Chloe did, she instantly took off running towards him without even telling her mother.
"DADDY!" Chloe squealed as she took off across the grass to him, leaving Olivia running up behind her, calling her name with no result.
"Chloe?" Elliot asked, acting like he definitely hadn't been watching her already from his spot on the field with Dickie. He watched Olivia running after her daughter in a summery dress and sunhat. Still as beautiful as ever Elliot thought to himself as he bent down to catch the little girl who was running towards him.
"Daddy! I mist you!" Chloe hugged him close, Elliot focused on soaking in the feeling of the little girl's hug and how much he had missed moments like this.
"I missed you too honey, but wow, I think you've grown since we last saw you! Who said that was allowed?" Elliot teased as he ticked her causing squeals of laughter from the little girl whilst Olivia approached.
"Chloe Benson! You do not just run off like that!" Olivia reprimanded the little girl's actions.
"But mommy! Is daddy!" Chloe argued.
"I could have lost you" Olivia continued, clearly avoiding eye contact with Elliot in the process.
"Chloe, I know that you wanted to see me and I'm so glad that you did. But, you can't just run off from your mother like that, you could get really hurt and then how would you feel?" Elliot asked, trying to help Olivia out in this situation and teach Chloe why they weren't happy with her.
"Sorry daddy" Chloe replied as she rested her head on Elliot's shoulder.
"No, I think you need to say sorry to mommy" Elliot corrected her.
"Sorry mommy" Chloe replied, looking up at Olivia but still holding on to Elliot with a tight grip, almost like she never wanted to let go. The group sunk into an uncomfortable silence, neither adult wanting to speak first.

"Alright Chloe, come on we've got to get back to your friends, I know they are waiting for you" Olivia encouraged, extending her hand out for Chloe.
"Olivia, wait!" Elliot spoke up as Olivia just paused to look at him.
"It's nice to see you, you look well" Elliot started conversation.
"You too" Olivia replied.
"I've been meaning to call and catch up, but I wanted to give you some space"
"I had been meaning to call you too, look can we not doo this here? I'm really trying to enjoy a day out with my daughter and her friends" Olivia asked, she did want to talk to Elliot but she really didn't think the conversation they needed to have, was best done at the park when her focus today was supposed to be Chloe.
"Of course, but I would like to talk? When you have a chance?" Elliot asked, wanting to make sure that they did talk later rather than just let the issues continue or the silence.
"How about you come around later? After dinner tonight and we'll talk then?" Olivia suggested, trying to show that she did want to talk too and keep communication open between her and Elliot.
"After dinner tonight, I'll see you then" Elliot agreed.
"Alright, come on Chloe. Say goodbye" Olivia agreed as Chloe gave Elliot one last hug and then took her mother's hand and the pair set off back towards the playground. Elliot would see them again tonight.

Elliot could feel the butterflies in his stomach as he approached Olivia's front door. She had buzzed him into the building but hadn't been waiting at the door for him with Chloe like she did previously. He was in uncharted waters and he didn't know what was coming next, but he hoped that it would be good. He hoped that they would be able to work this out and move forward together. Elliot made sure to grab the best bottle of wine out of his wine rack before he left the apartment, unsure if he really needed to bring anything, but he couldn't turn up empty handed. He knocked on the door and waited patiently, whilst he did have a key, he didn't think it was really appropriate to just let himself into the apartment right now. He wasn't sure about a lot of things anymore. Olivia answered a few seconds later and let him into the apartment, excusing herself for a moment just to check on Chloe. Elliot took in the surroundings of the apartment and the pictures on the cabinet by the television, Olivia still had the photo of the two of them which he'd seen last time he was here, on display. So that had to be a good sign. If she was about to break off their relationship then surely, she wouldn't still have pictures of them around like this.
"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure she was asleep" Olivia apologised as she re-entered the living room.
"You don't have to apologise. Uh, I brought wine as I...I didn't want to turn up empty handed" Elliot explained.
"Would you like some?" Olivia suggested.
"Only if you're going to have some?" Elliot suggested in return, he didn't like to really drink alone if he could help it and never in someone else's house. He stood and watched as Olivia grabbed two glasses out of the cupboard and he approached with the bottle. There was such a weird feeling in the atmosphere between the two of them at the moment, not like it used to be and it was very uncomfortable. Neither of the pair were the quickest to speak up, unsure of where to start this conversation and not wanting to speak over the other.

"So, did your dad get off ok? I know he was heading back home a few weeks ago?" Elliot spoke up after her dad enough of just existing in silence.
"Yes, thank you, he told me about how he went to see you in the afternoon before he left" Olivia agreed.
"He did and we had words"
"I'm sorry if he spoke out of line, he has a habit of doing that when it comes to Chloe and I"
"He's protective and he didn't speak out of line. He actually made me put a lot of things into perspective" Elliot defended Don, he hadn't been upset after the meeting, he valued the discussion they'd had.
"I see" Olivia agreed, that was not the impression she got from what her father had said but she'd take it.
"I'm sorry for the way things happened at the aquarium and afterwards. I need you to understand though that being in the spotlight with my business, the media does pay me a certain amount of attention" Elliot apologised.
"I know that, I've seen the previous headlines. But Chloe's 2 and the things which are being said online about her are not what any child should have said about them"
"I know and I approached every media outlet that has posted about you or about her and spoken with them about their actions. 2 companies are even printing retractions to the articles, apologising for the harmful tone and commited to not doing it again. I have warned them all, if they continue to harrass or post inappropriate articles about you or Chloe then I will be pursuing legal action" Elliot explained and Olivia just watched him, was he really prepared to go to court in lawsuits over her and Chloe?

"I don't expect you-" Olivia started.
"I know you don't, I'm doing it to keep you two safe, that is my main priority. I will do anything to keep you and Chloe happy, safe and loved" Elliot explained.
"You should tell that to Kathy" Olivia remarked, Elliot could sense her disbelief in his words, in her voice.
"I'm trying, I've revoked her access to the hotel penthouse, and she's only allowed up there with an invitation. I won't be around her unless I absolutely have to be, even then it's only for the shortest time possible. The divorce proceedings have hit a wall because now there is custody and asset issues, but I promise you we're working through it" Elliot continue to explain.
"Custody? She's not going to take the kids from you?" Olivia asked, she would not be the reason that Elliot lost his children, she wouldn't allow it. Elliot adored his children and Olivia knew he was a fantastic father, their relationship was not worth losing his children over.
"She's trying to. I've offered to split it 50/50 but she wants full custody, so that's an added battle. I was trying to get things sorted before I tried to fix this, trying to make sure there was some normalcy in my life again before I tried to win you back" Elliot expressed and Olivia just placed her hand over his, she was still his, he hadn't lost her but they had just been a bit distant.
"You didn't lose me"
"Really? Because it feels like I have? It's been weeks since we were last together and when you walked away from me at the aquarium you called me 'extra baggage"
"I was scared and afraid, I was working in autopilot at that moment. I didn't know how my father would react to all of this and mostly I didn't know how much more I could cope with in that moment. Your ex-wife is throwing everything at me and I won't lie, I had spent time thinking about breaking it off completely. But I don't think I'd cope with that because I love you too much to lose you" Olivia defended herself.
"I love you too and I always will" Elliot replied as he looked at Olivia, a silent conversation happening simply in eye glances.
"So, are we good?" Elliot asked after a couple of minutes silence.
"We are still together, we'll work on good" Olivia stated as she moved closer and kissed him softly. She had missed this in the past few weeks, she'd missed him. But she was glad they weren't over.

A/N: Well, they cleared the air and made it through this. So, everything is good now, right? Surely nothing else will come their way? I personally loved writing the moment between Chloe and Elliot at the park.
I love reading your reviews and am excited to read more of your reviews/thoughts.
Hopefully I'll have another update for you soon.
Until Next Time ;)