"His face is all red." Olivia smiled at Lizzie's comment as the little girl ran a gentle finger across her newborn brother's cheek.
"That's because up until a few minutes ago, he was screaming his little lungs out."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Kathleen asked Olivia. She smiled.
"I'm sure."
"I want you guys to get a good look at your brother," Elliot told the kids. "He is living proof that the four of you get your senses of time management or lack thereof from your mother."
"How do you figure?" Maureen asked. Elliot smirked.
"Twenty-two hours," he said, pointing to his eldest. "Seventeen and a half," he added for Kathleen, "And I think the two of you were fighting over who got to go first 'cause you took twenty-four," he told the twins. "Your little brother, however, was only eight."
"We're going to have to discuss your definition of 'only'," Olivia told Elliot, "And considering how often you're late to work, I think all he proves is that he inherited my sense of time management." All the kids laughed.
"When do you get to come home?" Dickie asked.
"Tomorrow," Olivia told him. "I'll be there when you get home from school, okay?" He nodded.
"All right," Elliot said, pulling out the camera. "I want to get a picture of all five of you." Olivia carefully handed the baby to Maureen, and watched as the other kids crowded around for a picture.
"He needs a name," Elizabeth told Olivia as they rejoined her.
"We're still working on that," Elliot replied.
"Well, what are your ideas so far?" Kathleen asked. Elliot and Olivia looked at each other and laughed.
"I think every conversation we've had about names has turned ugly," Olivia told the kids with a smile. "We haven't gotten very far."
"What's his last name?" Dickie asked. "Is it going to be Stabler?"
"Yes," Olivia told him just as Elliot was about to tell his son that they weren't sure about that, either.
"Then I think I've got the perfect idea for a first name," Elliot told them, smiling at Olivia. "Ben. Then he's got both of our names."
"Ben Stabler," Maureen said. "I like it." Dickie smiled as Ben's hand reflexively closed around his finger.
"You and me have got to stick together," he told his little brother. "The house is already overrun with girls."
A little while later, Maureen rounded up her sisters and oldest brother and they all headed for the house. As they were going out the door, something made her look back, and she smiled as she saw Elliot and Olivia admiring the new baby. She took the camera back out and snapped a picture of the three of them without them even realizing it. It was another moment to be added to the scrapbook of moments they'd had that year.
Kathleen laughed as she watched her little sister. Ben, who was just over a month old, was asleep in his swing in the family room and Lizzie was determined to get the little tiny Santa hat she'd bought onto her brother's head without waking him up. Not that it required much effort – Ben could sleep through almost anything. However, from the amount of care Lizzie was taking, one would have thought that the baby was really a bomb.
"Who wants hot chocolate?" Olivia asked as she and Dickie came in the room, each carrying two mugs. Elliot followed them, carrying a mug for himself.
"Can we open a couple presents now?" Lizzie asked her father, having finally gotten the hat on Ben.
"You know we have to wait for your sister," Elliot told her.
"When's she going to get here already?" Kathleen asked him. "The smells from the kitchen have been spreading through the house all day. I'm hungry." Elliot smiled.
"I can appreciate your impatience. She oughta be here in a few minutes. Just sit tight. Why don't you guys go set the table so we can eat as soon as she gets here?" All three scampered off.
Christmas music was coming from the stereo, and Elliot smiled at Olivia. "Care to dance?" he asked her. She smiled, and joined him in the middle of the room. Arms wrapped around each other, they got lost in the music.
"Hey, Liv?"
"Mmm?"
"I've been meaning to talk to you – " At that moment, Ben woke up and started squawking. Olivia smiled as she retrieved him from his swing.
"Hope you don't mind sharing me," she told Elliot. He shook his head, so Olivia held Ben with one arm, Elliot took her other hand, and they kept dancing.
"Can you believe it's almost been a year?" he asked after a moment of silence. "A whole year of this insanity called my family."
"Our family," Olivia corrected him. He smiled.
"Our family."
"What were you trying to say before?"
"What?"
"What were you saying when bright eyes over here decided he didn't want to be left out?" Elliot smiled down at his son.
"Always have to be in the middle of everything, don't you, buddy?" Ben stared back, wide-eyed. "You get that from your mother." Olivia pulled her hand out of his in order to lightly smack his shoulder. However, they were both smiling.
"A year ago, I never would have imagined this," Olivia said. "This house, all the kids. You and me. Being so happy. Having a place to belong."
"I couldn't either," Elliot said. "Liv – " The doorbell rang, shattering the moment.
"She's here, she's here!" three voices shouted from the dining room, running for the front door. Elliot, Olivia, and Ben joined them in the foyer as they let Maureen in.
"Merry Christmas Eve," she said as she hugged them all. "Sorry I'm late. I got hung up."
"We've got dinner all ready," Dickie told his sister, dragging her into the dining room. They all sat down together to enjoy the meal.
It was a few hours before Elliot and Olivia were able to find a moment of peace. Finally, after they'd eaten and cleaned up, and after the kids had exchanged their presents for each other, Maureen was headed for home and the other four kids were headed for bed. Everyone was too old to believe in Santa – except Ben, who was too young – but Elliot had promised that their presents would be returned to the stores bright and early on the day after Christmas if they didn't all go to sleep.
After changing into a pair of sweats and a tee-shirt, Elliot went back downstairs to find Olivia checking the gifts under the tree.
"Hey, no peeking," Elliot told her. She smiled as she sat back on her heels.
"I wasn't. I was just making sure that all the presents for the kids were sorted." Elliot smiled at the sight of the stacks of presents for the four kids that lived under their roof.
"Jeez," he said. "Who needs Santa Claus when you've got the one-six?" Their fellow detectives had gone above and beyond this year.
"Yeah, well, they're good kids, and everyone at the station knows it. I miss seeing everyone everyday."
"You've only got another month before you come back."
"I know. And then I'm going to be missing Ben all day." Elliot smiled.
"We'll work it out." Olivia pushed play on the stereo, and made sure the volume was low.
"So, how about that dance that got interrupted?" she asked. Elliot smiled, taking her hand and wrapping his other arm around her waist.
"Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?"
"Flattery will not get you out of getting Ben for his three o'clock feeding." They both smiled.
"Liv? You are the best friend a guy could have. I truly do not know what I would do without you."
"You're not going to have to find out."
"If I've learned anything this year, it's that nothing is for certain…I've got something for you." He stepped away, over to the Christmas tree, and reached for one of the branches.
"An ornament?" Olivia asked as she watched him.
"Of sorts," Elliot replied as he pulled the object off of a branch and turned back to her. Her eyes widened when she saw that he was holding a diamond ring. "I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much. Will you marry me?" Olivia nodded, tears in her eyes, and he pulled her into his arms.
Neither one of them noticed the three smiling faces at the top of the stairs. A lot had changed that year, but it looked like it had changed for the better.
Finis. If you haven't already, lemme know what you thought, and if you have already sent a review, THANKS! :-) I'm debating working on a sequel, to be set a few years after the end of this story. Should I do it, or leave this as is?