Prompt #45: Barba and Stabler both show up at the Squad's Thanksgiving dinner

Chosen Family

~oOo~

"Amanda," Olivia gasped as she looked around the Brooklyn townhouse that she had managed to snag parking just a block away from as she carried a bag with three bottles of wine in one hand and a pie plate in the other, "this place is amazing!" Once her hands were emptied, Carisi having come to grab the items from her, Olivia hugged Amanda tightly and then ushered Noah in the door with his Nintendo Switch in hand and backpack on his shoulders for the sleepover he had been promised with Jesse and Billie. "How are you feeling?" Olivia asked as she placed her peacoat on the coat rack and smoothed out her black silk shirt. She had dressed up a pair of dark skinny jeans and boots with the smooth pussybow top that she had treated herself to on a binge a few weeks prior.

The blonde shrugged and gave Olivia a smile as she adjusted her cane in her hand. "I've been better, but…y'know, I'm doin the work, I'm following all the rules. Not the first time I've been in recovery," the two women walked into the living room where there was a large, makeshift table set up to fit the large group of people who had been invited. "Gettin' shot sucks," she admitted.

Olivia laughed, thankfully she had only taken a few in the vest over the course of her career, but she didn't doubt that Amanda was telling her the truth. They both knew the truth, Amanda was lucky to be alive. She had put in her papers immediately after, that along with a tidy lawsuit settlement related to the shooting, Amanda and Sonny had been able to settle down in a beautiful 4 bedroom Brooklyn townhouse with plenty of room for Franny and the girls. "It's strange," Olivia admitted quietly, the silence between the two women settled and they both knew what she was trying to say. "But I'm glad you guys decided to do this."

"It was Carisi," Amanda laughed, breaking the seriousness that was hovering in the air between them. "Insisted after Covid and the last few months," Amanda had been shot in July and it had been chaotic to say the least, "we needed to do something fun." She looked around and saw Noah playing happily in the kitchen with the girls while Sonny worked on preparing dinner. "Speaking of fun," Amanda raised her eyebrow to her former captain, "where's Stabler? I thought you two were both coming?"

"Wine, Cap?" Sonny called from the kitchen and Olivia nodded as she watched him pour a glass.

"He was working, so he'll be here when he can. Might be after dinner…just had some things to wrap up. But uh," Olivia was twisting her hands in her lap like she did when she was nervous, "he'll be here." It was their first major holiday together. They were having dinner with the squad that night and the following day they would have dinner with his kids…it was a lot to take in even if everyone involved knew each other well.

"You two are good though?" Amanda asked before adding, "Solid?"

Olivia smiled, a genuine, wide grin that Amanda was sure she hadn't seen in the first few years she had known the then detective. "It's…he's everything," she admitted softly. "I couldn't…I wish that we would have more time, you know? That we had gotten here sooner…" Olivia noticed that her friend was staring at the kitchen, watching her own partner play with the three children and prepare a feast for all of them. The blonde nodded her head in agreement. "It's everything."

Amanda made a joke about the older woman going soft on her just as Sonny arrived with two glasses of Cabernet and the kids ran over, Jesse asking if they could all go upstairs and Olivia agreed as long as it was alright with Amanda. They both laughed, watching the three kids run up the stairs giggling, Billie trailing behind just a little bit as Carisi shouted for them to be careful on the stairs. The knock on the door brought the women out of their trance and while Olivia watched Sonny messing around in the kitchen, she told Amanda to sit down, she could easily answer the door. There was a chance after all that it was Elliot on the other side of the door, but it wasn't like it wasn't the rest of her family arriving even if it wasn't him.

Olivia had been right. She greeted Fin and Phoebe warmly, Velasco followed suit and then Olivia exhaled when she saw him. "Hi," she breathed, watching as he undid his coat and loosened the scarf around his neck.

"Hey, Liv," Rafael gave her half a smile. They hadn't seen each other in months. Not since that fateful night at Forlini's where he had made an ass of himself and they had both admitted that they missed each other but also acknowledged the damage that had been done. God, he had felt stupid. Rafael Barba had never been in love with Olivia Benson. He loved her, sure, she was a person he considered his best friend, but to suggest that he knew better when it came to her love life…well that had just been out of line and he knew it. But despite knowing it, he couldn't quite bring himself to reach out. Then when Amanda had been shot and he knew there was so much chaos in her life, he didn't want to add to it.

"Happy Thanksgiving," Olivia stepped forward first and hugged him. Inhaling the familiar scent of him, it hadn't changed in the years she had known him. He still smelled the same as he had when he stood in the office looking like he would be running off to captain a tug boat with his yellow coat on. "Noah'll be really thrilled to see you."

"I've missed him," Rafael admitted softly before he ventured further inside the house to greet Sonny and Amanda. He and Olivia needed to talk, he knew that, but that didn't change that he wasn't going to be an impolite houseguest. "The kids upstairs?" Rafael asked and Olivia nodded as she slowly moved back towards where Amanda was now sitting with Fin and Phoebe while Velasco was chatting with Carisi in the kitchen.

"He knows his way around," Olivia looked at Amanda pointedly. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Olivia knew that Amanda would've gone out of her way not to tell her about inviting Rafael, but to hear that Rafa knew his way around the new house and she hadn't even known that they were really talking…that hurt.

Amanda shifted somewhat uncomfortably and took a sip of her wine. "Look, Liv…I shoulda told you. After the…after everything, he was bringing food by to help…I know things with you and him have been…whatever lately. But he's my friend, and you know how Sonny feels about him."

She nodded her head, of course, Olivia knew that Amanda was right, maybe it was just that she would've appreciated a bit of a heads-up? Or maybe if she let herself really think about it, she still missed her friend as much in that moment as she had when she walked away from him at Forlini's. "I guess I should…" Her voice drifted off and she nodded to the stairway.

Amanda shrugged, this time a sly smile appearing on her face. "Up to you, Cap."

Olivia exhaled. She held the wine glass and walked up the wooden stairs, she appreciated the little creaks that sounded as she went, the proof of history that this house held, and then she followed the sound of children laughing. Not just children, it was her child laughing and of course, she knew just who was having that effect on him.

Olivia leaned against the doorway to what looked to be Jesse's room, she recognized some of the items from being in the older girl's space at the old apartment. She watched as Rafa read a book to the kids, Noah was happily engaging and reading along with the lawyer and Olivia's heart swelled at the image. She sipped her wine and watched. She watched even once she knew that he was aware of her presence watching them, the children completely unaware. Olivia hadn't expected the lump in her throat, the feeling of sadness in the pit of her stomach. How has it come to this? she wondered. How did he feel like a stranger a million miles away when they used to be so close.

"Guys," Olivia interrupted with a smile, "I think Uncle Fin brought you some stuff if you go down." Of course, it didn't take any more suggestion than that. Fin always brought them the good treats and before Rafa could finish the sentence of the book, the kids were gone. "Hi," she whispered, looking at him once again, "may I?" She gestured to the chair, Rafael had been sitting on the bed with the kids and he nodded, silently telling her they could talk, they could do this now. "I'm sorry," she looked at him, her brown eyes held his green and he gave her the reassuring smile he had been giving her for a decade now. The one he gave her during the hardest moments of the Lewis trial, the gentle reassurance he had given her when Noah was missing.

"I'm sorry too." It was simple. They both sat silently for another few minutes, half smiles and sighs lingering between the pair before he spoke again. "I should've listened to you. I shouldn't have taken the case…I really believed I was protecting you. But you were right Liv, that wasn't my call to make." He continued before she could interrupt, "and your…you and Stabler, I want you to be happy, Olivia. I got things twisted, I guess I didn't understand how you could be ok with us falling out or however you want to put it, but you could seemingly move on with him after everything."

"Raf—"

He cut her off before she could continue. "No, it wasn't my business, Olivia. Your relationship with him is different than our friendship and I needed to wrap my head around that. So please, just know that whether you can accept or not, I'm sorry and I want to be your friend and that means trusting that you know what is best for you."

Olivia stood. She let out a long sigh and sat down on the bed beside him, shoulder to shoulder, she nudged him. "I want to squabble with you, Rafa. Old and in wheelchairs and wrinkles and white hair."

"Till we're 85."

She put her head down on his shoulder and he kissed the crown of her head. "Hopefully a bit longer."

"We should go down," he told her after a moment like that. There was no shift in the universe, no big change once they seemingly resolved their issues. "Is Elliot here?"

It was the first time Rafael had called him Elliot to her and something about it just hit differently. "He'll be here soon," she nodded as she stood up. "Had to work."

"Crime never stops," there was a pause for a moment as they walked out of the room, down the narrow hall towards the stairs. "Noah likes him?"

"He's had five kids," Olivia chuckled, "he's good with Noah, patient…but Noah takes time to open up." She couldn't help but recall the first few times Rafael held Noah like he was a rotten fish or something and how it took time for the pair to become the pals they were now.

"Want me to talk to him?"

"And say what? In a really abstract way, Noah knows that Elliot was my partner, and he left and then he came back, and that things have been kind of chaotic for a while. I think…I think he needs to see that Elliot can bring some stability to my life." They were back in the living room now, chatting in the front window, Amanda and Fin were keeping an eye on them, relieved that there seemed to be a peace between the two.

"Say that sometimes change is good, and people deserve a chance, and if Elliot is good to you, and kind to Noah, that is all we want for the people we care about."

"You don't have to," she was giving him permission though. Another long sip of her wine and there was a crash in the kitchen that drew all eyes in that direction. Apparently, Carisi had decided to let the kids try their hand at using the hand mixer for the mashed potatoes and it hadn't gone well. "I should…" She nodded to the mess her son was involved in making.

He didn't need to be asked to come, he followed suit, walking into the kitchen and making a joke about Carisi's kitchen skills and reminding him that whenever they all baked with Uncle Rafa there wasn't this big a mess, certainly no potatoes on the wall. It only took a minute before the mess was cleaned up but now they were all invested in helping. Olivia had offered to mix the gravy (which she needed clear directions in order to complete), and Rafa was keeping the kids entertained. Wine was plentiful and maybe more of a relief was that so was the laughter. Stories of years earlier filled the air, Fin telling stories of when Olivia had been a single young detective coming in after having just left in the middle of a date. Moments like this made Olivia miss the old squad. Sure, she loved the squad she was with — they were her family, but she wished Munch were there, and Nick, Cragen… hell, the days of Cassidy and Jeffries were times she looked back on fondly. Olivia didn't hear it, the knock on the door. She was too busy re-telling the story of Rafa appearing in Cragen's office looking like he was about to captain a tugboat — an image that Noah found particularly funny.

She didn't notice the footsteps, but she certainly felt it as his arm wrapped around her gently and he placed a kiss on her cheek. "Sorry to interrupt," Elliot's voice was warm and his body was too, his chest against her back, she would be fine if they stayed like that forever.

"How was work?" Olivia smiled, turning around in his arms and greeting him with a hug. "I think you know everyone, except maybe," Olivia scanned the island until she was looking at two little blonde girls, "Jesse and Billie Rollins over here." Elliot smiled broadly and said hello to them and then to Noah. "Jesse, Billie, this is Elliot, he is my…" god she hated this, she hated calling him her boyfriend like she was 22 or something, "My partner." Of course, that could mean any number of things to the people in that room, but at the end of the day, that is who Elliot was to her. For better or worse.

"What can I get you to drink, Stabler?" Carisi eased any tension that existed in the space. He stepped out of the way as Amanda, Fin and Phoebe joined the group at the island and Amanda sat down on the stool he had been working from. "Beer? Wine? Whiskey?"

"Beer'd be great." Elliot nodded appreciatively.

"Elliot, you remember Rafael Barba?" Olivia looked between the two, she was making a point and they both knew what it was.

This was a fresh start. She needed this to be a fresh start between the two men. She could feel Elliot tense behind her for a moment but then he released it with a long exhale and a scrape of his palm over the stubble that had sprouted up. "Nice to see you, Rafael." Elliot extended his beer across the island in an effort to cheers with the man holding a scotch across from him. The glasses clinked and Elliot knew of course what this moment was for Olivia. She needed something from him, she needed him to figure out a way to be at peace with the man she cared for, the man who had been there when he wasn't. It wasn't a big ask, it wasn't an unreasonable one, so he needed to do it for her.

It wasn't long until it was time to eat. Olivia busied herself getting plates for the kids ready. Elliot had offered but Olivia had shooed him away and asked him to refill her glass. It was then that Rafael made his move, wandering over to the man who had stolen Olivia's heart before he had even met her. "Look, Elliot," Rafael began, "I owe you an apology."

"Look, I appreciate it, but we…we don't." He gestured between the two of them with the hand that wasn't holding a wine for Olivia.

"We do," Rafael interjected and nodded towards Olivia who was laughing with Noah about something, "she needs us to. So we need to be good. I understand," he cleared his throat awkwardly before sipping his scotch, "Noah is taking a bit of time to adjust?"

Elliot inhaled and his eyes went upwards, choosing his words carefully. "Kids are all different. I've got five, so it's gonna take some time…s'always been him and his mom…"

"People tend to leave Noah." Rafael chewed on the inside of his cheek, he was one of those people. "Nick moved away, John retired, I uh…I haven't been around as much as I used to be…hell, even Ed. So he's wary. He knows that you were gone for a period of time. Probably thinks he's protecting his mom. I told Liv though, I'll talk to him. Remind him that being happy is what matters."

"You two are tight." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Elliot had heard the little boy talking on the phone to his Uncle Rafa on more than one occasion. Hushed conversations that Elliot wasn't privy to.

"I let the situation with Olivia get in the way of that for a bit," he admitted.

"I uh…all I ever wanted was for Olivia to have the family that she wanted. She wanted to be a mother and I'm glad that she got that. She was meant to be a mother." His voice was hushed, they only had a minute, dinner was going to be served and it wasn't as if they could just carry on a conversation in the corner through Thanksgiving. "I wish I had been here for it, for more of it. I'm lucky I get to be here now, that she is willing to give this a try. I know, I know that you guys were her family, her people. Thank you for being there for her when I wasn't."

Rafael nodded. There was no response. He understood the way that Elliot was feeling. Maybe this was in fact it. The thing they had in common.

A shared love of Olivia.

A belief in justice.

A desire to protect her.

They were interrupted though, Fin barrelling through the space and taking the glass Elliot was holding. "You two gonna whip it out and measure or can we move along? Liv needs a wine. Carisi's gotta toast, and I wanna eat some turkey. Get movin'."

Rafael laughed, he walked to the table and sat beside Phoebe, ending up in the middle of the table, Fin eventually sat on the other side of her. Elliot took his place beside Olivia on the other side of the table. He sat down and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Whispering something in her ear that earned him a smile. She leaned in and Elliot draped his left arm around the chair, his fingers tangled loosely in her hair at the base of her neck.

"I uh, I gotta say," Carisi cleared his throat as he stood behind Amanda at the head of the table, his right hand hiding a wine glass and his left on her shoulder. "I never really imagined that I would be sittin' in a house in Brooklyn with my old boss and coworkers all sittin' here. But I'm glad. I'm glad we're all here, and I'm glad that through all of this, through all we see and we do, we still got each other. Y'know? It matters. So Happy Thanksgiving, and thank you all for comin'."

There was a round of clinking glasses and laughter, well wishes, and a reminder of the upcoming holidays. The kids all came over to participate in the toast and Elliot watched as Noah hugged his mother and offered a fist bump to him, he considered it a win given Noah's hesitancy towards him.

"I uh," he cleared his voice, "if I may?" He looked to Carisi who nodded. "One of the traditions that my family has," he looked at Olivia and Noah, Olivia was smiling at him, her head peered around Noah's body as he leaned against his mother, "is to say what we're thankful for. And I guess I want you all to know how thankful I am to you. For welcoming me into the fold, for embracing me, and I guess," he looked at Fin and then to Barba and the rest of the members of the squad who had been there when he wasn't, "thank you for being here when I wasn't. I owe you more than I will ever be able to explain and so today, I am thankful for all of you."

Note: The author of this SVU: Fall in Love story will be revealed in November