"You take the stroller," Elliot told Olivia. "Us men will probably hang around and do manly things."
"Manny things!" Andrew cried.
Olivia tried not to giggle at her son. "Okay." She bent down and kissed Andrew's head. "Be good for Daddy and Dickie okay?"
"Manny things!"
Olivia nodded, smothering another giggle. "Yes, honey. Manly things." She turned to Elliot and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "I'll see you later."
Elliot tugged her closer, deepening the kiss. She leaned against him, kissing him back.
"Wow. That was a goodbye kiss alright," Olivia smirked when they pulled apart. She walked over to Dickie. "You keep an eye on these two, okay?"
Dickie grinned. "Yeah, I'll keep them in line."
Holding Caroline by one hand and taking the fold-up stroller with the other, Olivia headed for the door. Before she could leave, she felt Elliot's hand on her arm. She turned to face him, question in her eyes.
Elliot turned to the toddler beside her. "Hey, Caro, can you go and watch TV with Dickie and Andrew for a minute?"
The little girl nodded and headed into the living room. Olivia turned to Elliot. "I'm going to be late. We'll have to make out later," she teased.
Worry clouded her eyes when she realized he wasn't saying anything. Her hand reached up and caressed his cheek. "El?"
"Don't say goodbye anymore, okay?"
"Well, if I'm going out…"
"Just don't."
Olivia paused. "What's the matter, Elliot?"
"I'm not losing you or the twins again. Just don't say it, alright?"
"Okay," she replied quietly. "I'm not leaving you."
Elliot's lips crashed down on hers and she moaned, pressing her body against his. When they pulled apart, she smiled softly at him.
"I know it sounds weird and sappy," Elliot admitted. "But it's just the way I feel okay?"She nodded. "I know. And it doesn't sound weird and sappy. It makes sense. And I understand." Olivia leant up and kissed him gently. "Now I'm definitely going, because Maureen will make all kinds of lewd comments about why I'm late if I don't."
Elliot grinned. "I'll get Caroline."
"So, what did you guys want to shop for?" Olivia asked.
"Anything and everything," Maureen said lavishly.
"I want to get some stuff to take back to Miami for my friends," Lizzie said.
"What about you Kathleen?"
"Maybe some clothes. I'm not sure yet."
"What about you, Liv?" Maureen asked.
"Me? Well, Caroline and Andrew need some new pajamas."
Maureen just looked at her.
"What?"
"That's the twins. Not you."
Olivia smiled. "I don't really need anything new."
"Oh please. You're a woman out on a girl's day shopping. Let's do some shopping," Maureen told her.
Andrew had become bored with the ball game that Elliot and Dickie were watching, so now he was busy constructing towers with his Lego.
"Yankees are winning, Andrew," Dickie told his little brother.
Andrew looked up and smiled at the excitement. "Yay!"
Elliot and Dickie turned to face each other.
"We'll make a baseball fan out of him yet," Elliot decided.
Caroline played contentedly with her doll as she sat in the stroller. Kathleen and Olivia sat beside each other, waiting for Maureen and Lizzie, who were in the change rooms.
Kathleen watched the little girl with a smile. Then she turned to Olivia.
"You're in love with my dad, aren't you?"
Olivia turned to face the girl. "Yes."
"Were you in love with him when you slept together?"
"Yes."
"Before?"
Olivia sighed. "Yes."
Kathleen bit her lip. "But you never did anything about it until that night."
"No."
"Why didn't you tell him you were pregnant?"
"I was scared. And I knew how important his family was to him. And I was ashamed."
Kathleen looked up sharply. "Ashamed?"
"I did something I swore I'd never do. I slept with a married man."
"So you regret it?"
"No. I could never regret it. The circumstances surrounding it, maybe. But I will never regret it." She turned back to face Kathleen. "I'm sorry if that upsets you."
Kathleen shrugged. "It doesn't."
During the break for the ballgame, Dickie followed his father into the kitchen, where he was making a snack for Andrew.
"Dad?"
Elliot looked up. "Yeah?"
"Are you and Olivia going to get married?"Elliot took a deep breath. "Wow. That question already, huh?"
Dickie shrugged. "It's just a question."
His father nodded. "Yeah, I know. Sorry. I…we haven't really talked a lot about it yet."
"You love her though, right?"
Elliot nodded again. "Yes, very much."
"Okay." Dickie looked at the snack Elliot was making Andrew. "Any chance there's one of those for me too?"
Elliot grinned. "I'll see what I can do."
Olivia couldn't remember the last time she had been shopping for herself, let alone with only one twin. Caroline had fallen asleep in the stroller, and Olivia was taking the time to look through some dresses that were on the rack.
Maureen sidled up behind her. "Planning a special night out?"
Olivia sent her a look. "You're a terror."
"Nope. I just like seeing you and dad happy for a change."
Olivia smiled softly. "I like being happy."
"I can tell. It suits you."
"Where are Kathleen and Lizzie?"
"Kathleen's in the book department. I think Lizzie went to the souvenir section."
"We should catch up with them. I don't want to lose any of you."
Maureen narrowed her eyes. "Remember, Caroline and Andrew are the toddlers. We've done most of our growing up already."
Olivia smirked. "Not if your father has anything to say about it."
Olivia arrived back at her apartment, Maureen and Caroline in tow. Pleading exhaustion, Lizzie and Kathleen had gone back to Elliot's.
"We're home!" Maureen called out.
Elliot came out, Andrew in his arms. Dickie followed behind.
"Geez! How much do women buy!?" Dickie wondered.
"You don't ever want the answer to that question," Elliot promised him.
Olivia stuck her tongue out at him.
"Women," Dickie said, shaking his head and heading back to the living room.
Maureen chuckled and took Caroline's hand. Elliot lifted Andrew down and Maureen took the twins to annoy Dickie.
"Hi," Elliot smiled at Olivia.
"Hi." Her fingers curled around some fabric from his shirt. "How was your day?""We introduced Andrew to the love of baseball."
"And how did that go?"
"He liked his blocks better."
Olivia laughed. "That doesn't surprise me."
"It's okay, we'll make a baseball fan out of him yet."
She looked at him mock-seriously. "Yes."
"Where are Kathleen and Lizzie?"
"At your place." She regretfully let go. "Which is where you should go."
"You kicking me out?" Elliot pouted, tracing her lips with his finger.
"Yes, before I make you stay."
"You wouldn't have to make me."
Olivia smiled at him. "You have to spend time with your kids." She leaned up and kissed him. "Come on say bye to the twins."
Elliot grasped onto her arm. "Liv?"
She turned around to look at him. "Hmm?"
He kissed her again, his hands going around her waist and pressing her against him. "Love you."
"Love you back," she replied. She hugged him tightly. "Go on. And make sure you make something NICE for dinner. Not one of those microwave meals."
Elliot's eyes widened. "How did you…?"
Olivia sent him a teasing smile.
He groaned. "Maureen!"
Olivia rolled over in her bed, noticing that it felt strangely empty without Elliot in it.
It was slightly unnerving to know that after just one night she was missing his presence. She thought about everything that was now happening in her life. She was going to have a house. And their children. And their relationship.
Work suddenly started to seem a picnic.
"Mommy?"
Olivia smiled as she stared at the ceiling. "Come in."
Andrew toddled in, his toy gorilla in his arms. He clambered up on the bed, with Olivia's help.
"Hi, handsome," Olivia smiled at him.
Andrew grinned and hugged his mother good morning, after pressing a sloppy kiss to her cheek. "Hi."
"Is your sister awake yet?"
"Yep."
"What is she doing?"
Andrew shrugged.
Before Olivia could get up to go investigate, Caroline poked her head around the door.
Olivia grinned at her little girl. "Hello there. We were just talking about you."
Caroline grinned back, and dragging her elephant in one hand and her tiger in the other, she made her way up onto the bed. Her arms wrapped around her mother, kissing her.
"Where Daddy?" Caroline asked.
"He's at his house, with Kathleen, Lizzie and Dickie," Olivia explained.
"Why?" came the question.
Olivia sighed. This was rapidly becoming the twins' favorite word. "Because Daddy can't stay here all the time at the moment."
"Why?" Andrew asked.
"Sometimes that's just the way things have to be."
"Stoopid," Caroline decided.
Olivia smiled as she hugged the twins. "You know what? Sometimes I agree with you."
"A house?" Maureen said. "Dad, that's great!"
Elliot glanced at his daughter. "Really?"
"Is that what you want?"
Elliot nodded.
"Then of course it's great. When can we start house-hunting?"
"What makes you think you'll get to live there?" Elliot teased.
"I will," Maureen decided. "Particularly after everything I did to get you two to stop being so stupid."
"You talk too much, Maureen," Dickie pronounced.
Elliot turned to his other children. "What do you guys think?"
"I think it's a great idea," Lizzie announced. "You need somewhere better than this dingy apartment."
Dickie looked around. "It's not that bad. But it probably would be a good idea to move out before the ceiling in the bathroom collapses."
Elliot glanced at Kathleen. "What do you think?"
"Are Olivia and the twins going to live there with you?"
Elliot nodded. "That's the idea. We want a place big enough to fit all of you."
Kathleen nodded back. "Okay then."
"The kids are happy?"
"Absolutely."
Olivia bit her lip. "Kathleen's doing okay?"
"Yes, Liv," Elliot answered. "I miss you."
Olivia twirled the phone cord in her finger. "I miss you too."
"I missed waking up next to you this morning."
"I missed you holding me. And your breakfast."
Elliot grinned. "I promise, the first morning we spend in our new house, I'll cook pancakes for breakfast."
"And the first night?" Olivia teased.
"How about making love to you until neither of us can move?"
Olivia closed her eyes momentarily. "I won't argue with that."
"Liv, I want to put in for a transfer."
"Now?""We're buying a house together. It's pretty serious."
"I know."
Elliot paused. "You're not changing your mind, are you?"
"No!" Olivia said quickly. "No. I just…I don't know. I just miss you."
"Want me to come over?"
"No," Olivia replied. "Definitely not. We should be able to last two nights without being near each other."
He narrowed his eyes. "Is this some kind of test?"
She laughed. "No. But Kathleen and the twins will be going home soon. Caroline, Andrew and I aren't going anywhere."
"I'd hunt you down."
Olivia arched an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
"I'm not going to lose you or the twins again."
She heard the subtle mix of desperation and determination in his voice. "You won't, Elliot. I promise."