Chapter 16
Disclaimer: Well ... as much as I hate to admit this, the show's not mine (of course, you'd know if it was because Kathy would no longer be an issue...)
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10:03 am
He quietly closed the bedroom door behind him, walking through the hallway and into the living room. She wasn't anywhere to be seen, he assumed that she was still asleep and decided to let her remain so for the time being. He was sure that she could use the rest, apparently she hadn't slept any before she arrived at his apartment.
A shrill 'beep' stole his attention; one of their cell phones must have been left on. He quickly got off of the couch and started to search for the phone, in hopes of finding it before it woke Olivia. It beeped again, the noise came from his right, he turned around and his eyes fell on the device. It was Olivia's.
He picked it up and began to shut it off, until he noticed 'one missed call' flash across the screen. Thinking that it could have something to do with the girls he pressed the 'menu' button, scrolling down until he came to received calls, then selected it.
He was surprised to find that the call had come from Chris. According to Olivia he hadn't called her in nearly a month, so what did he want? Deciding that it was none of his business he turned the phone off, setting it back down where he found it.
Turning back around he found himself looking at Olivia. "Hey," he greeted, walking towards here. "When did you wake up?"
"A little while ago," she replied. "Did somebody call, or was my battery dead?"
"Both, but it was beeping so I turned it off. You don't mind," he asked, "do you?"
"Why would I?" She questioned, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Who called?"
He paused, wondering if he should tell her. "Well," he started; she did have the right to know. "It was Chris," he finally said, sitting down on the couch. "Has he been calling for a while ... or is this something new?"
She walked across the room, sat next to him on the couch, and sighed. "He calls every now and then, I let him talk to the girls sometimes, he may be a jackass, but he's still their father. No matter how much I'd like to I can't fill that void," her hands had suddenly become very interesting and she looked down to inspect them. "He wants to see them ... I think I might let him." She paused, glancing up at him to see his reaction; "Do you think I should?"
"It's not for me to say, Olivia."
"I know," she said, "but what you think matters to me." She shrugged half-way and looked back down at her hands, "He wants to see them because he's moving. He ... ah ... is dating a woman who lives in Pennsylvania; he's going to get a transfer to some hospital there. I guess he wants to say goodbye." Her voice suddenly grew angry, "I don't understand how he can just leave them like that, I know I haven't been the most cooperative person but I had every damn right not to. That doesn't mean he can just pick up and leave, they need him ... even if I don't, they do." She gritted her teeth, "If he think that I'm going to be the one to tell them then he's more of an idiot than I thought."
"I don't want to argue with you, Olivia ... but maybe him moving will be a good thing, for all of you. Let's face it, he's not the best father there ever was and with him out of the state they might be able to finally move on ... maybe you will too."
She looked up at him, her mouth slightly hanging open. "I ... Elliot ... you know I'm over Chris." Her head cocked to one side and she looked at him through confused eyes, "Right?"
"You may be over him, Olivia, but there's no way you could have fallen out of love with him so quickly."
"I never said I didn't love him anymore," she said nonchalantly. "I said that I was over him, they're not the same thing. I was married to him for seven years, Elliot; we dated for over a year before that, I think a part of me will always love him. He gave me two beautiful girls, if anything I'll always love him for that. But, Elliot, I'm not in love with him anymore, I love you." She smiled and reached over to caress his cheek, "You don't have anything to be worried about. I want to be with you."
A grin broke out across his face, "His loss, my gain."
"Oh, is that a line?" She said with a laugh, "Elliot Stabler, I never would have figured you the guy to use corny lines. This is a disappointment."
"You know you love it," he said pulling her close to him, capturing her lips with him own.
She smiled into the kiss and pulled back, "I do ... God help me for it, but I do."
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"Did they behave?" Olivia whispered to Heather, glancing at her youngest daughter asleep on the couch in the woman's living room.
Heather smiled, "They were angels, like always. I swear, I don't understand how they're so well behaved, mine are like hoodlums." When Olivia handed her some money she pushed it away, "You're a single mother now, Olivia. You need your money; we've got plenty. Keep it and bring the girls back anytime, Robbie loves Becca's company during the day and Cassie and Maia have so much fun together."
"I feel like I'm dumping them on you," Olivia said with a sigh. "I wish I had more time to spend with them, but with my work hours...." She smiled at Heather, "Thank you so much, I'll see you on Monday morning."
"Alright, drive safely."
Olivia gently picked Becca up from the couch; the two-year-old stirred but didn't wake and snuggled into her mother's chest. Olivia glanced over at Heather, "Is Cassie asleep in Maia's room?"
She nodded.
"I'll go get her," Elliot said, speaking for the first time. He disappeared down the hallway and then a few seconds later emerged with Cassie asleep in his arms. She mumbled something in her sleep and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. Olivia felt a smile forming and said goodbye to Heather, making her way out of the apartment and down the stairs as carefully as she could without waking the sleeping child in her arms. Elliot did the same and it took them a little longer to get down the stairs than it normally would.
Olivia placed Becca in her car seat and Elliot sat Cassie in her seat and put her seatbelt on for her, neither girl woke. Olivia drove Elliot home and shut off the car when she stopped in front of his apartment building. They both got out and he met her on the drivers' side of the car.
"You three could just stay here tonight," he whispered. "The guest bed is big enough for you all to fit."
She smiled at the offer, "It's ok, Elliot. Thanks anyway." She sighed and leaned back on the car, "I think I'm going to call Chris back tomorrow, set something up so he can say goodbye to the girls in person. I think he leaves in two weeks."
"If you think that's best for the girls then you should." He stepped forward and rested his hands on her hips, pulling her off of the car and closer to him. "Will you call me, too?"
She laughed quietly, "Of course." Kissing him she added, "I'll call you first, if it makes you feel better."
He nodded and kissed her, "It would make me feel much better." He kissed her again, this time more deeply than the first two times. Breaking away he smiled, "I love you."
"I love you, too." She replied, kissing him quickly. "I've gotta get these two youngins to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow, ok?"
"Alright, bye."
"Goodnight Elliot."
She moved to open the car door but he pulled her back to him, silencing her objections with his lips. She didn't protest and allowed the kiss to deepen, bringing her arms around his neck to keep her balance. When the broke for air she smiled at him, "What was that for?" she asked.
He shrugged, "No reason." He moved to kiss her again but she pulled back.
"I've got to get the girls home, Elliot."
He made a face, "Fine. Come by tomorrow?"
"I'll try," she promised. Stepping off the curb and opening her car door she glanced back at him with a smile, "Goodnight, again, Elliot."
"Night," he said walking backwards towards the apartment building. "I'll see you tomorrow."
She laughed, "Maybe."
"Wishful thinking," he said with a shrug. "Bye, Liv."
She shut the door and turned on the car, rolling the window down she said goodbye to him and drove off towards her home, Becca and Cassie still sleeping in the backseat.
She glanced in the mirror at them, to make sure that they hadn't waken. Sighing to herself she wondered how she was going to deal with seeing Chris again, and worse, how were the girls going to take the news that their father was leaving ... for good? XXXX
A/N: I know it was kind of short but ... yeah. Let me know what'cha think.