Prompt #32: Elliot and Olivia sleep in his bed
Part of the Family
~oOo~
When he asks them to come over for Christmas, her immediate reaction is no.
She doesn't know why, they've been dating for a couple months now. They'd celebrated Thanksgiving at her place, her apartment filled with the numerous Stabler brood and Bernie. Hearts and stomachs full as they'd reminisced together.
Hell, this won't even be the first Christmas she and Noah spend with him and his family.
But this time he wants her to spend the night, wants them both to spend the night. And to say it makes her nervous would be an understatement. Not only for herself, but for Noah as well.
They've only slept over twice now, once by accident, Noah falling asleep in Eli's bed and Olivia falling asleep on Elliot's shoulder on the couch.
This however is a holiday. A major event in their lives and it means bringing Noah's presents over to his place, having to wrap them there, having to probably wrap Eli's presents, trying to explain to Noah how Santa will know where he'll be because this is probably his last year believing and—
"Liv." She looks at him wildly and he's giving her those eyes. The ones that make her want to shake him because damn him he knows her too well.
"Just think about it alright? We can always plan something for late morning if you don't want to." She finds herself nodding then and he takes her hand in his, twining their fingers together as they continue walking towards the precinct after their lunch together.
It sits with her all day that feeling, the uneasiness in her gut that makes her feel off-kilter.
But that night when she and Noah settle on the couch and get ready to watch a Christmas movie together, she gets her answer.
"What are we doing for Christmas?" he asks as the McAllisters get ready to leave for the airport. She looks down at him cuddled against her and narrows her eyes.
"Well, I was planning on the usual." She watches him carefully, waits to see if he gives her any hints on what he's thinking but he doesn't, still contently resting against her as he takes in the movie. "Why? You thinking of something else?"
He hesitates for a moment before slowly nodding his head and she continues to watch him.
"What about Elliot and Eli? What are we doing with them? I mean, you and Elliot are dating so we must be spending Christmas with them, right?" She swallows roughly and squeezes him tighter against her.
"It's whatever you wanna do, bub." He finally pulls away from her and settles on the backs of his legs as he stares at her in confusion.
He crosses his arms. "What do you mean? It's Christmas. We should be with family. Aren't Elliot and Eli and Kathleen and Grandma Bernie all part of our family?" She tears up then as he continues to stare at her, the confusion getting ready to turn into anger.
"Of course they are, love." She watches the fury die as quickly as it formed and he slumps forward.
He crawls back into her arms and settles his head against her chest. "So why aren't we spending Christmas at Elliot's?" Her heart cracks a little then and she sighs before pulling him closer to her.
"Well, Elliot asked me if we wanted to. But I wanted to ask you first," she soothes as she runs her hand over his head. He nods against her and sighs and a small smile graces her face.
It's quiet for a minute before he finally whispers, "Santa will find me there, right?" Olivia nods and sets her chin on his head.
"Santa's magical, he'll find you anywhere." Noah nods beneath her, his head sharp against her jaw.
"I wanna stay with Eli and Grandma Bernie. Maybe they can help me bake the cookies for Santa." His arms wrap tighter around her.
Her smile grows and she pulls him closer to her, Noah resting on her lap now. "I think that sounds like a great plan."
He pulls away then and stares in wonder at her, his eyes widening in excitement.
"I gotta wrap Eli's present." He clamors off of her before running to his room, leaving her shaking her head and chuckling as he slams his door.
~oOo~
A week later, they end up outside Elliot's door early afternoon on Christmas Eve. She'd managed to sneak all of Noah's presents into her SUV, hiding them under a blanket under the guise of there being work things underneath it.
She'd felt guilty for a minute at the small lie she'd told him, but the thought of the joy she'll get to watch for one more year as he opens the gifts from Santa, well that overrides everything.
Noah's got a bag full of the ingredients for his cookies, a pure mess of a recipe, all combining to make towering trees stuffed with frosting and sprinkles and she's got wine and their bags in her arms.
When he opens the door he's already looking down to greet Noah and her heart swells at the sight even though it's what he's always done when he knows it's them on the other side.
Noah bolts in immediately, Elliot barely able to ruffle his hair before he's calling for Eli and Bernie, the bag tossed against the island in the kitchen.
She's shaking her head at it all as he gently takes her by the arm and pulls her in, softly kissing her as he takes the wine bottle from her.
"Hi," he whispers as they pull away and she smiles.
"Hi," they smile at each other for a moment before a shout pulls them back to the present, a groan immediately following.
"I swear, you cheat kid!" Eli cries out and Olivia shakes her head once again as they walk further into the apartment.
She tucks Noah's bag into Eli's room, smiling at them playing some kind of game on Eli's Switch before turning to follow Elliot to his bedroom.
Once her bag is tucked against his dresser he wraps his arms around her waist, his lips finding her neck.
She moans softly as she wraps her arms around his and tilts her head so he can get better access.
This time, a yell from Bernie announcing her arrival back home interrupts them and he groans before letting his cheek come to rest on her shoulder. She chuckles before raising a hand to rest on his other cheek, letting them both stand there for a moment.
Bernie's voice floats towards them, her rambling about the trip to the grocery store and he sighs before kissing her shoulder and standing up.
"Swear I'm never gonna be able to get a moment in my own damn house," he mumbles under his breath and she rolls her eyes at him before turning around to put a hand on either cheek and pull him in for a kiss.
They let themselves fall deeper into the kiss until suddenly there's a voice being cleared behind them.
"I mean I can watch the boys for a bit if you need a minute."
They pull apart with a sigh and Elliot rests his forehead against hers and she watches as he closes his eyes tightly.
"If we pretend she's not there, she'll disappear."
Bernie scoffs. "And if I pretend I didn't see you two kissing like a couple of teenagers, you would've scared your children." Elliot inhales sharply and picks up his head to look at her.
"And just like that, the moment's over." He pecks her lips before turning around.
"Hi Mama," he greets as he reaches back for Liv's hand to pull her behind him towards the kitchen where Bernie continues to put away her haul.
They end up helping Bernie put away the rest of their groceries and the boys come out right as they finish.
When Noah sees Bernie, he lights up and runs to her to hug her.
"Grandma Bernie!" Bernie lights up as she wraps her arms around him and curls around him.
"Ah my Nouie," she says fondly. Noah pulls back to look at her with a large smile.
"Grandma Bernie, I brought the stuff to make my cookies for Santa." He looks back at Eli. "You guys are gonna help me make 'em right?" Eli glances over at Liv questioningly and she feels her stomach drop when she realizes that Eli didn't know that Noah thinks Santa is still real.
Suddenly though Eli relaxes and he turns to Noah with a smile. "Of course, little dude, you'll have to show me and Grandma how to make 'em though. They're little trees aren't they?"
They launch into baking then, Eli and Bernie flitting around the kitchen gathering the tools to start baking as Noah hauls the bag onto the island.
It allows Olivia and Elliot to settle onto the stools on the opposite side and watch the scene in front of them unfold. It makes Olivia's heart ache, Noah so warmly starting his own tradition with the people that he considers family. But it also warms her, something she's reminded of when Elliot's hand lands on her thigh and squeezes gently.
She turns to smile at him and he's watching her carefully as if gauging her reaction to the scene in front of them. She sets a hand on top of his and squeezes back, letting her hand rest on his before continuing to watch the trio start to bake.
When it's all said and done, Noah is covered in flour, Eli has a chocolate smear across his face and Bernie is clean as a whistle.
However there are four little trees, a thick coat of green frosting covering each of them and a heavy amount of sprinkles that cover them so much, you can barely see the frosting.
They eat spaghetti for dinner that night, a favorite among the boys and they settle into the couch to watch a movie, The Santa Clause, Eli's favorite that has quickly become Noah's.
It's quiet as they watch the movie, Noah climbing off the couch that he, Eli, and Bernie sit on to squeeze next to Olivia on the love seat, pressing tightly between her and the arm.
He wraps his arms around her shoulders and Olivia smirks as Noah sighs against her, snuggling close to her.
"Tired baby?" she whispers and he nods against her arm.
Eli must hear them because he stands up then, all gangly limbs and still too tall for fifteen, and walks over to them.
"Say g'night to your mom, No, and I'll take you to bed." She doesn't even get a chance to interject before Noah is kissing her cheek and whispering, "Night mom," and he's in Eli's arms, eyes closed as his arms wind around his neck, his legs wrapped around Eli's torso.
The door clicks quietly shut behind them and it leaves the three of them in the living room, Scott Calvin staring at the mirror as his beard reappears.
Bernie takes the moment to stand and stretch carefully before letting out a yawn.
"Well, I'll let you two get to the magic-making. See you in the morning." She shuffled her way to the bedroom tucked next to Elliot's and they wait until her own door clicks shut before they turn to each other.
"Presents in the car?"
She sighs before nodding, a smile suddenly appearing. "Yep."
He stands up quickly, heading for her jacket and snagging her car keys.
"I'll bring them in through the patio. Quieter that way." He gestures towards the door. "I've got Eli's in the boxes at the bottom of my closet. Wanna snag 'em for me?"
He's gone out the door before she can nod and she rolls her eyes at his eagerness, pushing herself off the couch in search of the vague boxes he'd requested.
Four trips to her car, two trips to his closet, and one frantic search for tape later, they end up sprawled on his bedroom floor wrapping their boys' presents. They make sure to use different wrapping paper for each boy, and with both of them chipping away at it, they finally finish wrapping all the presents and tucking them under the tree four hours later.
They stand in admiration for a minute, the soft light of the tree filling his living room and he wraps his arms around her upper chest before settling his chin on her shoulder.
She brings her hands up to rest against his arms that are wrapped around her and leans back into him, smiling when he presses a kiss to her temple.
"Think they'll be happy?" she whispers and she feels his chest shudder behind her as he chuckles.
"Our boys would tell us they'd be happy with empty boxes, Liv. I don't think we've got anything to worry about."
She smiles and shakes her head, even though she knows he's right.
They're quiet for another moment before she sighs.
"I think this is his last year believing," quietly escapes her and he sighs with her.
He's silent as he formulates a response and she feels the tears swell in her eyes.
"The last year is always the best year… just sometimes you never know which one will be the last. So just… enjoy it, Liv. Watch him love the magic of Santa and if it's his last, well you'll have the memories and if it's not, then you've got next year to watch too."
She inhaled sharply before turning in his arms and wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Sometimes I hate that you've done this so many times."
He rolls his eyes before pecking her lips. "Gotta be nice to get the insight though, right?"
She shakes her head before settling it on his chest, her ear resting against his heart. "Never gonna admit it though."
He lets out a loud laugh then and they both stiffen, hoping that no one will wake up at the sudden noise.
When the apartment stays quiet, they silently decide to head to bed then.
It's quiet as they change, Elliot sliding on an old tank top and a raggedy old pair of sweatpants as she slides on an oversized t-shirt and sets aside a pair of pajama bottoms near the edge of the bed.
When he gives her a look before climbing into bed, she rolls her eyes.
"Gotta have pants for the morning. Can't exactly walk around with just this shirt on," she rebuts and he pulls her into his arms as she settles into the bed.
She huffs at the sudden movement and he smiles as they come nose to nose.
"I don't know, I sure know I'd get my Christmas wish if you walked around with no pants."
She rolls her eyes before wrapping her arms around his torso once more, letting her legs intertwine with his as they settle deeper into the mattress. "Uh huh, sure your mother and son would love that."
He chooses to capture her lips with his then, letting them slowly deepen the kiss as she loosens further and further in his arms.
It isn't until he starts to snake a hand up her shirt that she pulls away and grabs his elbow.
"Noah's an early riser. Like, five am early riser." She picks her head up to strain to look at the clock on his bedside table. "And it's already one-thirty."
As if on cue, he yawns then, causing a small chuckle to escape her.
"Alright, but I'm taking a rain check."
She pecks his lips before he rolls to his back, allowing Olivia to better curl into his side, her hand grabbing a bunch of his shirt as their legs continue to knot together.
"Love you, Liv. Merry Christmas." He presses a kiss to the top of her head and she smiles.
"Love you too. And Merry Christmas."
~oOo~
When she wakes up, she hears the soft sound of music floating from outside the bedroom door, sees the light from the Christmas tree softly filling parts of their room.
She smiles when she hears low voices and knows that the boys must be up, that Eli must have convinced Noah to leave them to sleep just a little longer when Elliot's arm ends up around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
"Merry Christmas," he whispers roughly in her ear as he fights his way back to consciousness and she smiles before leaning heavier into him, squeezing her arm around his own.
"Merry Christmas." She turns around in his arms then to face his tired eyes and she grins as he yawns.
"I can't believe you did that by yourself for years."
She chuckles as she snakes her arms around his torso and pulls him closer, their noses almost touching as he yawns once more. "Nice to have some help for once."
It's quiet as he looks into her eyes and she shivers at the warmth his gaze fills her with.
It's still unexpected, this part of loving him.
How one look makes her melt even further into him, never needing the words to convey just how much they mean to one another.
His head bows down so he can capture her lips with his and it's slow how he consumes her. As his tongue begins to dance with hers, they hear a small knock at the door.
"Mom, are you up?" They hear whispered through the door and Elliot groans quietly as he pulls away and settles his forehead on her collarbone. She chuckles quietly as her hand comes to rest on the back of his head, scratching gently at his scalp.
"Do you think we can hold them off a little longer?" She murmurs into his ear and a loud sigh comes from the other side of the door.
"Moom," he whines. "I can hear you guys."
Elliot groans once again as he rolls off her, making sure to wrap his arms around her waist to pull her against him once again.
"We'll be out in a second, baby. We gotta wait for Grandma Bernie to wake up too."
"I'll wake her up!" comes through the door and before she can react, his footsteps fade away.
They let themselves relish in the moment a little longer before Olivia turns towards him with a heavy sigh.
She kisses him once more, letting him pull her bottom lip between his teeth before pulling back.
"Before he comes barging in here," she swats at his butt, "come on." He groans as she rolls away from him and out of bed easily, reaching for her pajama bottoms to slide them on quickly before standing to face him.
She staring at him with annoyance in her face, and he can tell she wants to cross her arms at him.
"Are you sure you don't wanna get back in bed?" he tries once more, and she shakes her head before turning to the door.
"Noah," she calls, "someone doesn't wanna get out of bed!" She throws open the door and leans against it, watching him with a smirk on her face as Noah comes barreling in.
Elliot barely has time to register the boy before he's climbing on top of him, hands pressing hard against his chest as Noah plops down on him.
"Hey kid," he strains out and Noah crosses his arms, so Liv that it hurts.
"It's time to get up," he demands and Elliot nods.
"I hear ya, I hear ya. Can't really sit up with you sitting on me though, huh?" He debates for a second before nodding and as he lifts himself off, Elliot takes the opportunity to throw him over his shoulder, Noah squealing as Elliot stands up.
"Eli, I think I found fresh meat. Around nine years old, acts just like his mother," he winks at Liv as he passes her at his bedroom door and Noah starts to giggle now. "Likes to wake people up by sitting on them."
Eli eyes them carefully before smiling and shaking his head, walking slowly so he can be at Elliot's back.
"See, now I wish I didn't know that, but someone decided that four-thirty was the best wake-up time." Eli tickles Noah then and Elliot decides to slide him over his shoulder and onto the island as the boys continue to chatter amongst themselves.
She's stuck at the bedroom door still, her heart swelled with love and pure joy and just happiness. If you had told her three years ago that she would've been spending Christmas with the love of her life, watching as he and their boys chuckled together while breakfast was being started she would have thought you were insane.
But it's real, and it's here and it's happening and sometimes she still pinches herself to remember it.
After breakfast has been cooked, Bernie awoken and food devoured, they migrate to the living room once more.
They take the loveseat once again, the boys scattered across the living room as she and Elliot still nurse their coffees.
The boys start unwrapping then and she's never felt more at peace in her life. That is until he presses his lips against her temple, then she knows that this is peace.