Part 12
The next morning, Elliot checked on Andrew. The little boy hadn't slept a lot of the previous night, but now he was sound asleep. He'd heard Olivia up several times with Caroline, and he padded out to the kitchen, deciding to make her some coffee.
Being as quiet as he could, he made sure he could listen out if Andrew woke up and needed anything.
"Morning," came Olivia's soft voice.
He turned around and smiled at her. "Hey. How's Caroline this morning?"
"Sound asleep," Olivia replied. "Andrew?"
Elliot smirked at her. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that you didn't go in there to check?"
Olivia colored slightly. "Okay, fine, I did. He's still asleep."
Elliot smiled at her. "How are you this morning?"
"I'm good. You?" Olivia watched carefully as Elliot walked towards her.
"I'm good too." His hands rested on her hips. "I want to kiss you again."
Olivia nodded. "Me too."
He smiled at her for a moment before bending down and capturing her lips with his. Olivia let out a low moan and wrapped her arms around his neck, urging him closer. He backed her against the fridge, pressing her against it as they kissed deeply.
His hands slipped up under her shirt to caress the skin of her stomach, and she gasped, her hands tightening around his neck.
"Mommy?"
They broke apart; Olivia pulled her shirt back down to cover her stomach. "What is it, honey?"
"I'm hungy," Caroline announced, looking at her mother. She looked at Elliot, then back at Olivia. "Whatcha doin?"
Olivia bit her lip. "Daddy and I were just…discussing something." Trying to change the subject, Olivia went to the fridge. "How about I make you some toast?"
"Kay."
Olivia busied herself making some toast, while Elliot went in to check on Andrew. The little boy was still fast asleep, so Elliot returned to the kitchen.
"Still out like a light."
Olivia nodded and placed the toast in front of her daughter. "Here you go sweetheart." She put her hand on Caroline's forehead. "You're not too warm this morning."
"Lizzie comes over?"
"No, they all have school and work today," Elliot told her. "Maybe another day."
"Kay." Caroline yawned and nibbled on her toast.
Olivia kept an eye on her daughter, making sure she was eating.
Elliot finished making the coffee and handed Olivia a mug. She smiled gratefully and took a sip, sitting down opposite Caroline. Elliot poured himself a mug and sat down next to Caroline.
"Daddy wan' some?" Caroline asked, holding up her toast.
"No thank you," Elliot smiled. "You eat it all up."
"Mommy wan' some?" the little girl asked Olivia.
"No honey," Olivia told her. "We want you to eat it so you can get better quickly."
Caroline finished the rest of her toast and pushed back her plate. "Done, Mommy."
"Good girl," Olivia said, taking the plate and putting it in the sink. "How are you feeling now?"
"Bankie."
"Daddy will get your blankie," Elliot said, disappearing from the room.
Olivia lifted her daughter up and went to cuddle with her on the sofa. Elliot returned with the blanket and Caroline took it, sticking her thumb in her mouth and cuddling up to her mother.
"I've got to get ready for work," Elliot said, kissing Caroline on the forehead.
Olivia's eyes widened. "Geez! I should have…"
"Taken care of," Elliot smiled. "I called Cragen last night. Said the twins were really sick. So unless there's a crisis, you can stay here with them."
Olivia held her daughter closer, stroking her hair. "Thanks."
Elliot grinned and bent down to kiss her gently. "I love you, Liv."
She let her fingers linger on his cheek for a moment. "I love you too."
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Olivia jerked awake as she heard the phone ring. She was careful to disentangle herself from the twins, who had both crawled into her bed while she had been taking a nap.
"Benson."
"I hate to wake you…"
"Elliot?"
"The Captain asked me to call you. We need you down here, Liv. I'm really sorry but…"
"No, it's okay. Just let me call Maureen to watch the twins and I'll be there," she replied, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"I can come get you."
"No, it's okay," Olivia assured him. "Give me fifteen, twenty minutes tops."
When they'd finished she dialed Maureen's room, giving her children a wistful look. She loved being curled up in bed with them, and god knows she was exhausted.
"Hello?"
"Can I speak to Maureen, please?"
"She's in a class."
"Oh."
"Can I give her a message, Olivia?"
Olivia paused. She had been half asleep so she hadn't noticed the girl's voice on the other side of the phone. "Is that you Kathleen?"
"Yeah. I thought I'd bunk with Maureen for a night because Dad wasn't home."
Olivia bit her lip. "That's nice."
"So, what's the message?"
"Nothing really. I was just called in to work and I was going to see if Maureen could watch the twins."
There was silence for a moment, and Olivia wondered what she should say next to the girl. Apologize for being in love with Elliot, for having his children, for…
"I could watch them, I guess."
Olivia froze. "The twins."
"Yeah. I used to baby-sit for Dickie and Lizzie. I could watch them. At least until Maureen finishes class."
Olivia thought for a moment. "Um, sure. It shouldn't be for too long."
"Fine. I'll be there soon."
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Elliot looked up and smiled as Olivia walked through. "Hey. Maureen with the twins?"
"She was in a class. Kathleen is with them."
Elliot's eyes widened. "What?"
"She was staying with Maureen. She offered."
"This could be…interesting. Does she have all the emergency numbers?"
Olivia nodded. "I think they'll be okay. Maureen will go there as soon as she finishes class."
"Okay. Then everything is under control." Elliot tried to calm himself. It was all going to be fine.
############################################
Kathleen looked into Andrew's room. The twins were still asleep in Olivia's bed. Olivia had suggested they just leave them there, and let them sleep.
Her eyes roamed the décor of the room, seeing how Olivia had chosen to decorate it. What was clear from both of the twins' rooms was that Olivia loved her children very much.
She just didn't understand why they had to be her dad's kids as well.
With a sigh she headed down the hall and looked in on the twins. Both were still fast asleep, and Kathleen walked into the room, looking around.
The walls had various pictures on them. Some were Olivia with the twins, some were things the twins had drawn themselves. She went to the dressing table, and was looking at some of the things when a picture she saw in the mirror caught her eye. It was on the bedside table, so she moved over there as quietly as she could. Picking up the picture, she frowned. It was the photo that Maureen had taken of her father and Olivia when they had taken the twins to the zoo. They looked so happy together.
With a sigh, she went out to the living room and sat down on the couch, flicking through the channels.
"Mommy?"
Kathleen looked up and saw Andrew coming out, a blue blankie in his hand. "Hi, Andrew."
"Where's Mommy?"
"She had to go to work," Kathleen explained. "I'm going to watch you for awhile and then Maureen is coming."
"Yike Mauween."
"Yeah, she's okay." Kathleen looked at the little boy. "Um, do you want to sit up here with me?"
Andrew nodded and crawled up beside her. Kathleen was surprised and unprepared when he snuggled up to her.
"Okay. That's good." Kathleen patted his head. "Is Caroline still asleep?"
Andrew nodded.
"Okay. Let's watch some TV together then."
"Muppets!" Andrew demanded.
"Um…I don't know if they're on the TV at the moment."
Andrew pointed at the video cabinet.
"Oh, right. Sure. Just let me get one." She saw all the home videos, marked with what was on them. Ignoring them, she grabbed a Muppet movie. "Okay. Here we go."
"Yay!" Andrew cried excitedly.
Kathleen smiled and settled back in the chair as the video came on.
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"Stop looking so worried," Elliot said, without looking up from his paperwork.
Olivia looked up, her eyes wide. "What?"
"Kathleen wouldn't hurt them."
"I didn't think that!" Olivia protested.
Elliot just looked at her.
Olivia stared back.
Finally, Elliot spoke. "Maureen will be there soon anyway. Besides, maybe this is a chance for Kathleen to get closer to the twins. She might start accepting our relationship."
Olivia smiled slightly. "I hope so."
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Maureen unlocked the door to Olivia's apartment, and walked in.
"Mommy?" came Caroline's voice, as the little girl padded to the door.
"Sorry honey, how about me instead?"
"'Kay," Caroline replied, letting Maureen pick her up.
"Where are Andy and Kathleen?"
Caroline pointed to the living room, so Maureen took her in there.
"Hey, guys."
Andrew looked up and smiled. "Mauween!"
"Hey there little guy. How are you feeling?"
"Muppets," Andrew said, pointing to the TV.
"Yeah, I can see that." Maureen turned to her sister. "Hi, Kathleen."
"Hi."
"Thanks for watching them for me."
"That's okay. They weren't any trouble."
"They're cute, aren't they?" Maureen smiled, setting Caroline on the floor.
Kathleen stood up. "Sure. I'm going to grab something to eat."
After she settled the twins on the couch, Maureen went into the kitchen, where she could talk to her sister and still keep an eye on the twins.
"Kathleen…"
"You did all those videos?"
Maureen looked confused for a moment until she realized what Kathleen was talking about. "Yeah, I did."
"You should have told Mom and Dad. And us!"
"I couldn't," Maureen replied. "Everything got so messed up."
"Everything still is messed up," Kathleen growled. "Dad is sleeping with Olivia and all of a sudden we've got two extra kids in the family."
"They're not sleeping together," Maureen told her. "They sleep in separate beds."
Kathleen arched an eyebrow. "You're monitoring them?"
"No. I just know."
"You and Olivia have become awful chummy."
"She took care of me when you guys moved to Miami," Maureen said. "I was lonely, and she treated me like a sister."
"You have a sister. Two of them in fact."
"And you were in Miami."
"You could have come out."
"I had school, Kathleen," Maureen replied. "And I didn't want to move."
"Neither did we!" Kathleen said. "But we got used to it. And we like it there. And I don't want everything to change again. Dad should just come back out to Miami."
"It's not going to happen," Maureen told her. "Mom and Dad are never going to get back together. Dad's going to stay here and work. And maybe he and Olivia will be together."
"Well of course that's how it's going to be now!" Kathleen said. "There are two kids now."
"Dad loves Olivia," Maureen tried to explain. "And sure, things are going to be hard and different for all of us. But this is how it's going to be."
"I don't want it to be like this." Kathleen stared at her sister. "Don't you want mom and dad back together?"
"You mean with all the arguing, the slamming doors and the silence?" Maureen shrugged. "I used to. But they're both happier now. Sometimes people fall out of love, Kathleen. It doesn't mean they love us any less."
"I don't need the lecture."
"I think you do." Maureen sighed. "I miss mom. And I miss you guys too. But everything has to change. And if you give it a chance…if you give Olivia and the twins a chance, things might be okay."
Andrew and Caroline came in at that moment. Andrew tugged on Maureen's hand.
"Play!"
"You must be feeling better," Maureen grinned.
Caroline slipped her small hand into Kathleen's. "Come too?" she asked.
Maureen looked at her sister for a moment, wondering what the decision would be.
Kathleen looked down at the little girl. She smiled slightly. "Sure."
TBC