Sorry it took me so long to write this chapter, because life haha. Just a little update on the EO status. I hope it's not too dull.
As always, I don't own any of the SVU characters and appreciate your time and reviews.
Olivia felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, seeing Emma today reassured her that she had made the right choice all those years ago. Her heart still felt as if it was missing a piece and she couldn't help but imagine what life would be like if she had kept Emma as her mind began to wonder. Emma was conceived under the most ideal circumstances but it didn't mean Olivia didn't want her. She thought of how her mother must have felt when she found out she was pregnant with her after such a horrific attack and it made her stomach sink just thinking about it. Olivia never told her mother when she was pregnant with Emma, they didn't have that kind of relationship or support, once Olivia moved out of Serena's house at sixteen her mother never really reached out to her and they had minimal contact with each other. Serena would have never supported Olivia through her pregnancy or helped her with a new born. Hell, Olivia didn't even know what it was like to even have a proper mother and she didn't want her own daughter to ever feel the way she felt growing up - alone and lost.
Arriving home to Elliot waiting outside for her was exactly what she needed, he knew her too well.
Olivia had always been independent, strong and concerned about everybody else's wellbeing than her own, maybe it was time for her to let her guard down. She felt a sense of guilt for spending so much time lately with Elliot, like she way betraying her own independence and allowing herself to be setup for disappoint. But Elliot was her consistent, for years their relationship was questioned as being anything more than police partners but they had a bond like no other. It was Olivia's longest relationship with a man and the only man she had ever put her trust in, he was her stability.
"I'm happy for you, Liv." Elliot said as he kissed the top of her head. She looked up into his icy blue eyes and touch made her heart flutter. He truly only ever wanted to see her happy. He wanted to be the one that could make her happy.
Since Elliot's divorce from Kathy had been finalised he had found himself becoming closer to Olivia. Since day one when they were matched as partners they had always been in sync with each other having a bond that went further than just being professional partners, they could read each other by just one look, sense each others next move. Kathy had always been jealous of their relationship, the understanding they had of each other that Kathy was never able to achieve with Elliot. She knew it was apart of the job but always wished Elliot would just let her in. Their relationship was never built to last, they had love for each other but not passion, the kids were their only common factor left in the relationship before it ended. They were both amazing parents but it just wasn't enough to hold their marriage together.
He watched as Olivia lit up talking about her day and all about Emma, her eyes sparkled. Elliot was taking in every ounce of her presence, her smile, the way her olive skin was glistening in the heat of the summer afternoon and how her dark locks moved with the breeze. She was perfect in every way without even trying. He quickly snapped out of his train of thought and was brought back to reality as she continued to speak and and picked at the label on her bottle. The fact that Olivia was willing to share such a private part of her world with him was a big step for her. Over the past few months they had been spending more and more time together outside of work and learning new things about each other. Olivia wasn't ready to let her guard down or her walls, but letting Elliot in slowing was becoming easier. She couldn't help but wonder his complete opinion about her choice of placing Emma up for adoption, he had five children of his own and she knew that he would give his life for each and every one of them and coming for a religious background made her question what he really thought. He became a parent at a young age too but took a completely different road to her. The pair sat on the steps for a little longer as the sun went down and took in each others company comfortably.
"Wanna grab some dinner?" Elliot suggested as they took the last sips of their drinks, he wasn't in the mood to go home to an empty apartment.
"Yeah, i could eat" Olivia replied as she stood up and took their empty bottles to the trash.
"In the mood for anything particular?' Elliot asked as they started walking away from her building.
"Burgers sound good? And
"Okay, your call" he laughed as they headed towards one of Olivia's 'go to' diners near by.
The warm afternoon breeze caught Olivia's brown locks as they walked down the street, she ran her fingers through her hair to brush the pieces out of her face and took a deep breath. It had been an emotional day for her and she was still trying to process it all which hadn't gone unnoticed by Elliot as he kept glancing over at her as they walked in silenced for a while. He didn't want to push her talk because he didn't really know what to say himself, but for Olivia to even allow him into this part of her life wasn't something she had ever allowed any man to do and was a major boundary for him to cross. She was starting to let her walls down to him whether she liked it or not, she could trust Elliot beyond their partnership at work and it was starting to scare her.
They sat opposite each other at a small table at the diner as they had done many times before. Elliot couldn't help but want more than this for Olivia, he wanted to spoil her and show her what she truely meant to him, to take her somewhere glamorous and intimate. See her in a little black dress that sent him wild and clung to every inch of her body in just the right way. To get lost in her deep chocolate eyes and her sweet lips, but for now he was willing to take any opportunity he could to spend time alone with her. Olivia picked at the fries on her plate with Elliot's eyes fixated on her.
"Stabler. Will you stop" she said with slight annoyance in her tone. She knew he was starring and trying to read her like her usually could.
"Hey i'm just enjoying the view" he teased and she shot him a look. Their back and forth flirtation was becoming a regular occurrence lately and Elliot took every opportunity he could to play.
"Just eat your food" she snapped back trying to hide her blushed cheeks as he smirked at her. They fell into an easy conversation about no specific topic so effortlessly and just felt so right whenever they were together, seeing Olivia smile and play with her hair as they conversed with each other made him light up. They finished their food and Elliot paid the bill, they headed out of the diner and back towards Olivia's apartment. The sky was becoming darker as clouds rolled in but was still so humid. He knew that she would probably be exhausted from the days events but he was satisfied knowing that she had at least eaten a solid meal, she didn't have the best track record when it came to taken the best care of herself. They walked closely next to each other almost touching shoulders.
"Do you think I would have made a good mom?" Olivia asked softly breaking the silence between them. Her question caught Elliot off guard before the words sliced through him like a knife, he always knew how good she was with kids and wanted to be a mother one day but knowing that she had this secret bottled up inside for so long made the question so much harder to hear.
He put his arm around her waist and pulled her in close next to his body "Liv, of course you would have and you will be." Her body went stiff for moment from his touch but quickly softened as she glanced down at his arm resting on her hip, his touch radiated the protection her so desperately wanted to provide for Olivia. He wanted to protect her heart and soul from anymore hurt, be the one to provide her with comfort.
She took a deep breath after hearing his words. He was an amazing father to all five of his kids, they were his entire world and would give up anything for them. "I hope so" she whispered as tears brimmed at her lower lashes but she held them back. Elliot kissed the side of her forehead as he held his grip on her hip. Olivia deserved the world and he wanted to give it all to her.
They were a few blocks away from Olivia's apartment when drops of rain started to fall, their pace picked up slightly. The rain began to spill from the sky even heavier as everyone on the street ran for cover.
"C'mon" Elliot said as his hand left her hip and took Olivia's hand gripping it tightly as he pulled her making her feet move faster as they ran along the sidewalk behind him. By the time they got into the lobby of Olivia's building they were both completely drenched. As they tried to catch their breath Elliot couldn't help but notice Olivia's white t-shirt had become almost completely see through as it clung to her body and exposed her blush pink lace bra. Water was dripping from her wavy wet hair and onto her golden skin and down her chest, he felt a twinge in his abdomen. As she moved towards the elevator he realised that they were still holding hands and her fingers were still interlocked with his and was surprised she hadn't pulled away yet. They stepped into the elevator when she finally let his hand free and ran her fingers through her hair and out of her face, she caught a glance over at Elliot and could see the way his wet t-shirt clung to his muscular arms and chest - the man was fit. Olivia unlocked her door and walked in, she slipped off her wet sneakers and placed her keys on the bench. "Are you coming in?" she said as she turned to him as he was still standing in the hallway.
"If you insist" he replied with a smile.
"I'll grab you a towel" she called and returned moments later tossing him the towel. "I'm gonna go get changed. There's beer in the fridge, help yourself" Olivia said as she walked to her room closing the door. Elliot started to dry himself off, his clothes were completely soaked through so he removed his shirt and dried himself off as best he could. He walked over to the fridge and took out two beers while he waited for Olivia. Her bedroom door opened a few minutes later as she emerged wearing a grey tank top and black athletic shorts. She took one look at Elliot and was slightly taken back by him as he stood there shirtless in the middle of her apartment, she blushed when she realised she had taken a longer look as his body than she should have.
A smug smile appeared on Elliot's face as he saw her reaction to him. "My shirt was wet Liv" he said as he smirked and handed her the other beer.
Olivia rolled her eyes know damn well she had just given him an ego boost he didn't need. "Give it here, i'll put in the clothes dryer. You can keep your pants though" she teased. Elliot threw the wet shirt at her and rubbed his across his forehead with a cheesy grin on his face as she walked away.
Olivia returned and took the beer from his hand and moved towards the couch taking a set at one end and turned the tv on. Elliot followed he but decided to take a seat on the floor because his jeans were still went, he sat down next to Olivia's feet and rested his free arm over her thigh casually. To his surprise she didn't protest the move, they both knew she could kick his ass if she really wanted to. Olivia flicked through the channels and finally settled on reruns of Friends and the pair sat their quietly together but it was a comfortable. Olivia would laugh every so often to one of the terrible one-liners from the tv show and Elliot would glance a look at her. "I don't know how you find any of this funny" he said as he stood up and took the empty bottles to the trash.
"It's just lighthearted El" she responded leaning her head back over the couch looking up at ceiling.
"Still rubbish!" he teased back. He lingered in the kitchen for a moment as he watched her laying back on the couch. He knew she was exhausted and should probably leave soon, the part he hated the most. He hated leaving her alone and hated going home to an empty apartment. What he would to be able to curl up in bed with her and hold her close all night. He shook the thought and went to the dryer and grabbed his shirt, it was still damp but put it on anyway and walk back over to the couch.
Olivia kept her head tilted back resting it on the back of the couch and closed her eyes for a moment until she felt Elliot leaning over her and opened her eyes.
"Hi" he said with his signature smile as those familiar piercing blue eyes starred into hers.
"Hi" she said back with a smile as she propped herself back up on the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest. Elliot walked around and took a seat next her on the couch this time. "Your shirt is dry already?" she asked curiously.
"Pretty much. I thought i might head off soon, it's getting late." Olivia's eyes glanced over to the tv and then down to the ground, he could tell she was trying to keep it together but didn't want to push her too far and risk having her shut him out completely. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him resting her head on his chest. He felt her body relax against his.
"Thanks for being here today El" she said softly. He looked down at her and she seemed so small in the moment against his chest. She had always taken care of herself alone out in the world but truly thankful to have Elliot here holding her.
"I'll be here for whatever you need Liv" he spoke and kissed the top of her head and pulled her into him a little closer resting his hand on her lower hip. He knew how meaningful her words were, she was grateful he knew her well enough to know what she needed before she even knew. It wasn't long before her breathing evened out and Elliot realised she had fallen asleep, he didn't have the heart to wake her just yet so he left her a little longer. Not long after Elliot had closed his eyes and fell asleep still holding Olivia.