A/N: Since I'm not a big fan of Novak, in my story Alex never left, so
Novak never had to appear.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Christmas Eve-4months
Olivia and Elliot were home getting ready for the precinct Christmas Party. Maureen was with her mother and siblings. Elliot and Kathy had agreed that Kathy would have the Christmas Eve and they would come to Elliot and Olivia's for Christmas night.
As Olivia dressed she realized she was getting bigger and bigger. She wasn't upset at the fact she was bigger, but more at the fact that nothing she had fit anymore. She couldn't even wear a sweatshirt anymore without her stomach protruding. Elliot would always tell her how sexy he thought she looked pregnant and that made her feel better.
"You ready?" Elliot called from the living room.
"Give me a minute."
Olivia finished putting on her earrings and checked herself one more time in the mirror. She walked out of the bedroom to the living room.
"Wow," Elliot said.
"You act like you've never seen me dressed up before."
"Now I can saw 'wow' out loud," Elliot said as he walked up to Olivia and kissed her forehead.
"You don't look half bad yourself."
"It's all for you."
They walked out of the apartment and headed to the restaurant to meet up with everyone else. When they walked in they saw Cragen already sitting a table with Munch. Fin hadn't arrived yet.
"Long time, no see," Elliot said as he and Olivia walked up to the table.
"Yeah, I barely recognized you," Munch joked.
Elliot took a seat next to Cragen and Olivia sat on the other side of him. Fin arrived shortly after Elliot and Olivia. Alex also joined them for the evening. They enjoyed dinner and talked about other things than cases for once. They exchanged gifts with Elliot and Olivia mostly getting things for the baby. Alex gave them a beautiful scrapbook that they could put pictures in and write little descriptions to go along with them. Munch and Fin teamed up for their gift, giving Elliot and Olivia a weekend at the Jersey Shore for the summer. Cragen gave everyone the same gift. He had framed an article from the New York Times that featured all of them during a high profile case they were working a couple of months back. Olivia really liked the gift because she had gotten emotionally involved in the case. The group enjoyed some more conversation after eating, but then decided it was getting late. They said their good-byes and headed home.
"I'm going to get changed," Olivia said as they entered the apartment.
"I'll be out here."
Olivia disappeared into the bedroom and Elliot immediately went to the closet. He had hidden several presents in there. He wanted to put them under the tree with the rest of the presents for the kids, except these were for Olivia. After putting the presents under the tree Elliot sat down on the couch and waited for Olivia.
She reappeared several minutes later dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a tank top, her pregnant stomach in full view. She sat down next to Elliot and immediately rested her head on his shoulder.
"Tired?" Elliot asked.
"Yeah, this pregnancy thing is wearing me out."
"It'll all be worth it when you hold the baby in your arms for the first time."
"That's what I hear."
They sat in silence for several minutes before Elliot spoke again.
"Since we'll have the kids tomorrow, I figured I'd give you your presents now," he said as he started getting up.
"Why can't we open them with the kids?"
"I guess we can," Elliot said as he sat back down on the couch next to Olivia.
"But I do have a present for you that wouldn't be proper to open in front of the children," Olivia said as she shifted on the couch and began kissing Elliot's temple.
"I like that sound of that."
"To get the most out of it, it should be opened in the bedroom," Olivia said as she took Elliot's hand and got up from the couch.
Elliot followed her without hesitation.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Olivia woke up and rolled over to find the other side of the bed empty. She didn't worry about where Elliot had gone, she knew he was probably up making breakfast for her. As if on cue, he walked into the bedroom carrying a tray.
"Good, you're awake," he said.
"How did I know you were making breakfast?"
"Because we know each other inside and out," Elliot said as he leaned over and gave her a kiss.
"What did you make?"
"Hungry?"
"Hey, I'm eating for two now."
"We have pancakes, eggs, bacon with orange juice."
"My favorite."
"I know."
Elliot sat down on the bed and enjoyed breakfast with Olivia. They talked about how Olivia was feeling and what it would be like to have a new baby. Olivia was still nervous since she hadn't done this before. Elliot kept reassuring her that she will be a great mother.
"What time are the kids coming?" Olivia asked.
"3:00."
"We'll I better shower and start working on dinner."
"I wish you would let me help you."
"Elliot, it's just dinner. I think I can handle it. Plus I want to do this."
"I know, I'll clean breakfast up."
Olivia went to take a shower as Elliot cleaned up his breakfast mess. When Olivia was done showering, Elliot jumped in. Olivia went to the kitchen to start dinner. They had planned on eating about 5:00, so that gave her five hours to get everything perfect. She had a turkey that she estimated needed to be cooked for 5 hours, so she got that ready and put it in the oven. At that point there was nothing else that needed to be started, so she just organized everything else and made sure all the ingredients were ready.
3:00 came quicker than Olivia had expected. There was a knock at the door, which Elliot got up from the couch to answer. It was his four kids, right on time. Olivia came from the kitchen to greet them. Maureen was first in, giving her father a hug then giving Olivia one. Elizabeth and Dickie both immediately ran to their father and hugged him. Then they went to Olivia and hugged her. Kathleen was the last in, hugging her father, but just saying 'Merry Christmas' to Olivia. She said it nicely, so Olivia just passed it off as her not being a hugging person. They all sat in the living room and talked. Elizabeth and Dickie wanted to open the presents, but Elliot told them to wait until after dinner. Olivia had to excuse herself from the living room to work on dinner. Shortly after Olivia went to the kitchen, Kathleen got up and did the same.
"Want some help?" Kathleen asked from the doorway.
"Sure. I could use the extra hands."
"What do you need me to do?"
"You want to make the stuffing?"
"I'm on it."
Kathleen walked over to the boxes of stuffing and began reading the directions. Olivia watched her out of the corner of her eye. Out of all of Elliot's kids, she was most concerned with Kathleen and how she was handling this whole situation. She was cordial to Olivia whenever they were together, but to Olivia it seemed like one step back from where they were before Kathy and Elliot were divorced.
"Olivia, can I ask you something?" Kathleen asked.
"Sure. What's up?"
"It's about you and my dad."
"You can ask me anything you want Kathleen."
"Is it true what Maureen said, that you and my dad were never more than friends until after my mom gave him the divorce papers?"
"Come here and sit down," Olivia said, motioning to the kitchen table.
"That is the truth Kathleen. Your dad and I were best friends, but nothing more."
"Because my mom blames you for everything."
"I know she does, but there isn't anything I can do about that. Your dad has tried to explain it to her, but she doesn't believe it."
"She said that you used the divorce papers as the green light."
"Kathleen, when your father came into the office the morning after your mom gave him the divorce papers, he was devastated. He wouldn't even talk to me and we talk about everything. It took me a week to get him to tell me what was bothering him."
"But how did you wind up pregnant?"
"I think you may be a little young to understand this, but I'll try to explain it anyway. Your dad and I have worked together for 5 years, in that time we became best friends, talking about things we would never talk about with anyone else. You have a best friend right?"
"Yeah, Samantha."
"You and Samantha talk about a lot of things right?"
Kathleen shook her head.
"You care about Samantha and would do anything for her right?"
Again, Kathleen shook her head.
"It's hard to find somebody like Samantha, for you, or your father, for me, that you trust completely. When you get older and start dating, you'll want a guy just like Samantha, someone you can talk to about anything."
Olivia paused for a moment, thinking back to the night Elliot came to her apartment to talk.
"When best friends are a man and a woman things get a little more complicated. Your dad was lucky enough to find that twice, first with your mother, then with me. When your mother gave him the divorce papers, he lost that friend. And before when I said when you start dating, you'll be looking for a best friend, your father and I crossed that line because he no longer had that connection with your mother. It was neither of our intentions for me to get pregnant, but it did and now your father and I are dealing with it."
Kathleen didn't say anything.
"Do you understand?" Olivia asked.
"I think so. You love him?"
"Yeah, I do. He's a great guy."
"I'm glad he picked you," Kathleen said as she got up and hugged Olivia. Olivia had to wipe a tear off her cheek that had escaped.
"Come on, we have dinner to finish," Kathleen said as she pulled back from Olivia with a smile.
They finished dinner together and called everyone else to eat once everything was done. The kids offered to clear the table while Olivia and Elliot relaxed in the living room. Once everything was clean Elizabeth and Dickie came running out wanting presents. Elliot told them to sit down and began passing out the presents. The youngest began tearing into the wrapping before they even left Elliot's hand. Finally everything had been handed out and everyone began opening. Elizabeth and Dickie got mostly action figures and dolls. Kathleen and Maureen got a lot of gift certificates. Elliot and Olivia figured that was the safest way to go, instead of picking things out for them.
"We all have something for both of you," Maureen said once all the kids were done opening the presents. She handed Elliot and Olivia each a box.
"Open them," Kathleen said.
Elliot looked to Olivia and then unwrapped the box. They both opened the boxes at the same time. On top was a picture of all four of the children. As they picked up the picture, there were pictures of each of the children by themselves and letters underneath. Olivia picked up the first letter that was there.
Olivia,
We know that this hasn't been easy for you, us either really, but you have made it easier for us. We wanted to tell you, in our own words, how much we appreciate you and are glad you are in our lives.
Maureen, Kathleen, Elizabeth and Dickie
Elliot was aware Olivia was reading a letter and saw one lying in his box. He picked it up and unfolded it.
Dad,
We're sorry we don't get to spend more time with you, but we understand why. We promise to be around more, visiting whenever we can. We just wanted to make sure you knew how each of us felt about you.
Maureen, Kathleen, Elizabeth and Dickie
Elliot looked back to Olivia who had another tear rolling down her cheek. He wondered what her letter said. Maureen, noting that their gifts were appreciated, suggested that all the kids go to bed. They all gave Elliot and Olivia hugs before they went off into Maureen's room to sleep.
"What did your letter say?" Elliot asked Olivia.
"It said that I've made this all easier on them and they wanted to tell me how much they appreciate me," Olivia said, with tears threatening to fall again.
"They really like you."
"I know. Today has been the best day."
"I'm glad you liked the letters."
"Not just that, Kathleen and I talked before and she said that she was glad you chose me."
"Kathleen said that?"
"Yeah. I was just so worried that your kids would blame me, but they don't."
"They're good kids."
"They had a good role model."
Elliot leaned over and kissed Olivia. She was so overwhelmed that Elliot's kids actually accepted her that she almost forgot to give Elliot his present.
"Here," she said, reaching behind the couch.
"What's this?"
"Your present, open it."
Elliot did as Olivia said and unwrapped the box. When he opened it he found four picture frames. Each from had the first sonogram picture of each of his children. They also had a caption stating which child it was, the day they were born and how much they weighed. The one for his and Olivia's baby was still blank.
"Maureen helped me get the pictures," Olivia said.
"Liv, I don't know what to say. Thank you," he said as he turned and kissed her.
"I know how important your kids are to you, so I figured that was a way for you to have them around all the time."
"Thank you. It means a lot to me that you care about my kids so much."
"As if they were my own Elliot."
"I know."
"Merry Christmas," Olivia said as she kissed him.
"Merry Christmas."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Comments and suggestions are always welcomed! (and encouraged)
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Christmas Eve-4months
Olivia and Elliot were home getting ready for the precinct Christmas Party. Maureen was with her mother and siblings. Elliot and Kathy had agreed that Kathy would have the Christmas Eve and they would come to Elliot and Olivia's for Christmas night.
As Olivia dressed she realized she was getting bigger and bigger. She wasn't upset at the fact she was bigger, but more at the fact that nothing she had fit anymore. She couldn't even wear a sweatshirt anymore without her stomach protruding. Elliot would always tell her how sexy he thought she looked pregnant and that made her feel better.
"You ready?" Elliot called from the living room.
"Give me a minute."
Olivia finished putting on her earrings and checked herself one more time in the mirror. She walked out of the bedroom to the living room.
"Wow," Elliot said.
"You act like you've never seen me dressed up before."
"Now I can saw 'wow' out loud," Elliot said as he walked up to Olivia and kissed her forehead.
"You don't look half bad yourself."
"It's all for you."
They walked out of the apartment and headed to the restaurant to meet up with everyone else. When they walked in they saw Cragen already sitting a table with Munch. Fin hadn't arrived yet.
"Long time, no see," Elliot said as he and Olivia walked up to the table.
"Yeah, I barely recognized you," Munch joked.
Elliot took a seat next to Cragen and Olivia sat on the other side of him. Fin arrived shortly after Elliot and Olivia. Alex also joined them for the evening. They enjoyed dinner and talked about other things than cases for once. They exchanged gifts with Elliot and Olivia mostly getting things for the baby. Alex gave them a beautiful scrapbook that they could put pictures in and write little descriptions to go along with them. Munch and Fin teamed up for their gift, giving Elliot and Olivia a weekend at the Jersey Shore for the summer. Cragen gave everyone the same gift. He had framed an article from the New York Times that featured all of them during a high profile case they were working a couple of months back. Olivia really liked the gift because she had gotten emotionally involved in the case. The group enjoyed some more conversation after eating, but then decided it was getting late. They said their good-byes and headed home.
"I'm going to get changed," Olivia said as they entered the apartment.
"I'll be out here."
Olivia disappeared into the bedroom and Elliot immediately went to the closet. He had hidden several presents in there. He wanted to put them under the tree with the rest of the presents for the kids, except these were for Olivia. After putting the presents under the tree Elliot sat down on the couch and waited for Olivia.
She reappeared several minutes later dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a tank top, her pregnant stomach in full view. She sat down next to Elliot and immediately rested her head on his shoulder.
"Tired?" Elliot asked.
"Yeah, this pregnancy thing is wearing me out."
"It'll all be worth it when you hold the baby in your arms for the first time."
"That's what I hear."
They sat in silence for several minutes before Elliot spoke again.
"Since we'll have the kids tomorrow, I figured I'd give you your presents now," he said as he started getting up.
"Why can't we open them with the kids?"
"I guess we can," Elliot said as he sat back down on the couch next to Olivia.
"But I do have a present for you that wouldn't be proper to open in front of the children," Olivia said as she shifted on the couch and began kissing Elliot's temple.
"I like that sound of that."
"To get the most out of it, it should be opened in the bedroom," Olivia said as she took Elliot's hand and got up from the couch.
Elliot followed her without hesitation.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Olivia woke up and rolled over to find the other side of the bed empty. She didn't worry about where Elliot had gone, she knew he was probably up making breakfast for her. As if on cue, he walked into the bedroom carrying a tray.
"Good, you're awake," he said.
"How did I know you were making breakfast?"
"Because we know each other inside and out," Elliot said as he leaned over and gave her a kiss.
"What did you make?"
"Hungry?"
"Hey, I'm eating for two now."
"We have pancakes, eggs, bacon with orange juice."
"My favorite."
"I know."
Elliot sat down on the bed and enjoyed breakfast with Olivia. They talked about how Olivia was feeling and what it would be like to have a new baby. Olivia was still nervous since she hadn't done this before. Elliot kept reassuring her that she will be a great mother.
"What time are the kids coming?" Olivia asked.
"3:00."
"We'll I better shower and start working on dinner."
"I wish you would let me help you."
"Elliot, it's just dinner. I think I can handle it. Plus I want to do this."
"I know, I'll clean breakfast up."
Olivia went to take a shower as Elliot cleaned up his breakfast mess. When Olivia was done showering, Elliot jumped in. Olivia went to the kitchen to start dinner. They had planned on eating about 5:00, so that gave her five hours to get everything perfect. She had a turkey that she estimated needed to be cooked for 5 hours, so she got that ready and put it in the oven. At that point there was nothing else that needed to be started, so she just organized everything else and made sure all the ingredients were ready.
3:00 came quicker than Olivia had expected. There was a knock at the door, which Elliot got up from the couch to answer. It was his four kids, right on time. Olivia came from the kitchen to greet them. Maureen was first in, giving her father a hug then giving Olivia one. Elizabeth and Dickie both immediately ran to their father and hugged him. Then they went to Olivia and hugged her. Kathleen was the last in, hugging her father, but just saying 'Merry Christmas' to Olivia. She said it nicely, so Olivia just passed it off as her not being a hugging person. They all sat in the living room and talked. Elizabeth and Dickie wanted to open the presents, but Elliot told them to wait until after dinner. Olivia had to excuse herself from the living room to work on dinner. Shortly after Olivia went to the kitchen, Kathleen got up and did the same.
"Want some help?" Kathleen asked from the doorway.
"Sure. I could use the extra hands."
"What do you need me to do?"
"You want to make the stuffing?"
"I'm on it."
Kathleen walked over to the boxes of stuffing and began reading the directions. Olivia watched her out of the corner of her eye. Out of all of Elliot's kids, she was most concerned with Kathleen and how she was handling this whole situation. She was cordial to Olivia whenever they were together, but to Olivia it seemed like one step back from where they were before Kathy and Elliot were divorced.
"Olivia, can I ask you something?" Kathleen asked.
"Sure. What's up?"
"It's about you and my dad."
"You can ask me anything you want Kathleen."
"Is it true what Maureen said, that you and my dad were never more than friends until after my mom gave him the divorce papers?"
"Come here and sit down," Olivia said, motioning to the kitchen table.
"That is the truth Kathleen. Your dad and I were best friends, but nothing more."
"Because my mom blames you for everything."
"I know she does, but there isn't anything I can do about that. Your dad has tried to explain it to her, but she doesn't believe it."
"She said that you used the divorce papers as the green light."
"Kathleen, when your father came into the office the morning after your mom gave him the divorce papers, he was devastated. He wouldn't even talk to me and we talk about everything. It took me a week to get him to tell me what was bothering him."
"But how did you wind up pregnant?"
"I think you may be a little young to understand this, but I'll try to explain it anyway. Your dad and I have worked together for 5 years, in that time we became best friends, talking about things we would never talk about with anyone else. You have a best friend right?"
"Yeah, Samantha."
"You and Samantha talk about a lot of things right?"
Kathleen shook her head.
"You care about Samantha and would do anything for her right?"
Again, Kathleen shook her head.
"It's hard to find somebody like Samantha, for you, or your father, for me, that you trust completely. When you get older and start dating, you'll want a guy just like Samantha, someone you can talk to about anything."
Olivia paused for a moment, thinking back to the night Elliot came to her apartment to talk.
"When best friends are a man and a woman things get a little more complicated. Your dad was lucky enough to find that twice, first with your mother, then with me. When your mother gave him the divorce papers, he lost that friend. And before when I said when you start dating, you'll be looking for a best friend, your father and I crossed that line because he no longer had that connection with your mother. It was neither of our intentions for me to get pregnant, but it did and now your father and I are dealing with it."
Kathleen didn't say anything.
"Do you understand?" Olivia asked.
"I think so. You love him?"
"Yeah, I do. He's a great guy."
"I'm glad he picked you," Kathleen said as she got up and hugged Olivia. Olivia had to wipe a tear off her cheek that had escaped.
"Come on, we have dinner to finish," Kathleen said as she pulled back from Olivia with a smile.
They finished dinner together and called everyone else to eat once everything was done. The kids offered to clear the table while Olivia and Elliot relaxed in the living room. Once everything was clean Elizabeth and Dickie came running out wanting presents. Elliot told them to sit down and began passing out the presents. The youngest began tearing into the wrapping before they even left Elliot's hand. Finally everything had been handed out and everyone began opening. Elizabeth and Dickie got mostly action figures and dolls. Kathleen and Maureen got a lot of gift certificates. Elliot and Olivia figured that was the safest way to go, instead of picking things out for them.
"We all have something for both of you," Maureen said once all the kids were done opening the presents. She handed Elliot and Olivia each a box.
"Open them," Kathleen said.
Elliot looked to Olivia and then unwrapped the box. They both opened the boxes at the same time. On top was a picture of all four of the children. As they picked up the picture, there were pictures of each of the children by themselves and letters underneath. Olivia picked up the first letter that was there.
Olivia,
We know that this hasn't been easy for you, us either really, but you have made it easier for us. We wanted to tell you, in our own words, how much we appreciate you and are glad you are in our lives.
Maureen, Kathleen, Elizabeth and Dickie
Elliot was aware Olivia was reading a letter and saw one lying in his box. He picked it up and unfolded it.
Dad,
We're sorry we don't get to spend more time with you, but we understand why. We promise to be around more, visiting whenever we can. We just wanted to make sure you knew how each of us felt about you.
Maureen, Kathleen, Elizabeth and Dickie
Elliot looked back to Olivia who had another tear rolling down her cheek. He wondered what her letter said. Maureen, noting that their gifts were appreciated, suggested that all the kids go to bed. They all gave Elliot and Olivia hugs before they went off into Maureen's room to sleep.
"What did your letter say?" Elliot asked Olivia.
"It said that I've made this all easier on them and they wanted to tell me how much they appreciate me," Olivia said, with tears threatening to fall again.
"They really like you."
"I know. Today has been the best day."
"I'm glad you liked the letters."
"Not just that, Kathleen and I talked before and she said that she was glad you chose me."
"Kathleen said that?"
"Yeah. I was just so worried that your kids would blame me, but they don't."
"They're good kids."
"They had a good role model."
Elliot leaned over and kissed Olivia. She was so overwhelmed that Elliot's kids actually accepted her that she almost forgot to give Elliot his present.
"Here," she said, reaching behind the couch.
"What's this?"
"Your present, open it."
Elliot did as Olivia said and unwrapped the box. When he opened it he found four picture frames. Each from had the first sonogram picture of each of his children. They also had a caption stating which child it was, the day they were born and how much they weighed. The one for his and Olivia's baby was still blank.
"Maureen helped me get the pictures," Olivia said.
"Liv, I don't know what to say. Thank you," he said as he turned and kissed her.
"I know how important your kids are to you, so I figured that was a way for you to have them around all the time."
"Thank you. It means a lot to me that you care about my kids so much."
"As if they were my own Elliot."
"I know."
"Merry Christmas," Olivia said as she kissed him.
"Merry Christmas."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Comments and suggestions are always welcomed! (and encouraged)