Chapter 17
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, whatever. They, in no way, belong to me.
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It was almost ten o'clock in the morning, the girls were still sleeping, and she had been awake for nearly three hours, yet she still hadn't gathered the courage to pick up the phone and call him. She mentally berated herself, it shouldn't be so hard to call him, she had been married to him for years, how could this be so complicated? Once again she pressed the 'on' button and dialed the first five numbers, before nervousness consumed her and she ended the call. At least she was doing better than the last time, she had only gotten the first three numbers then ... she was making progress, at this rate she would call him by noon.
The clock read five till ten; the girls would be waking up soon. Sighing to herself she remembered her promise to Elliot, she would call him first. She dialed his number and waited for him to pick up, he did so on the second ring.
"Stabler," came his voice, nonchalant, from the other end.
"Hey," she greeted with a sigh. "So ... I called."
"I can see that," he replied. "Did the girls get to sleep alright?"
"Yeah, they're still sleeping right now. Lucky things." Another sigh, "Elliot, this is going to be a lot harder than I thought it would."
"Talking to Chris?" He asked.
"Uh-huh, I don't know how I'm going to do it. All I know is that the last thing that I want to do right now is talk to him, or have my girls talk to him." She confessed, "I just want him to leave and never have to see him again ... it would be so much easier that way."
"How do you think that would make the girls feel?" Elliot asked her, trying his best to understand a situation that he had no experience with. "How would their father just up and leaving effect them?"
Olivia sighed into the phone, "You're right ... and I know that, but I still don't want to do this." She fell quiet momentarily, "Am I being terribly selfish?"
"I think you've got the right too," he assured her. "Nobody expects for this to be easy on you, Olivia."
"...I don't want to be alone, Elliot."
"I could come with you, if it would make you feel any better." He offered.
"I would," she said with a sigh of relief. "It would make me feel a lot better, thank you."
"Just call me and let me know when this is happening, alright?"
She nodded, though she knew he couldn't see her do so. "I will ... bye, El."
"I'll talk to you later," he said before hanging up.
10:02, the clock said. Seven minutes had passed since she had last looked at it. Seven less minutes that she had to gain the courage to dial the seven-digit number. This was not going so well. She held the phone in her hands, staring down at the buttons, it wasn't that hard of a number three fives, two fours, one, then another four. That was it, 555-4414, how was it that such a simple number caused such a big ordeal?
555-441.... She hung the phone up, a curse escaping her lips as she did so. God, how could such a mundane task be so frustrating? She tried again ... 555-44..., even less than the previous try. Not good ... this was not good.
10:06. Four more minutes gone. She began to pace in the living room. Pass the coffee table and to the TV, then turn around, walk past the coffee table again and then to the end of the living room, repeat. The next time she looked at the clock it was 10:11; five minutes had passed. She hurled the phone at the couch and held in a scream; the girls were still asleep, she didn't want to wake them up. Staring across the room at the phone on the couch she realized how silly she was being, it was only a phone call, it wasn't as hard as she was making it out to be.
She walked across the room and picked the phone back; determined to make the call. With shaking hands she dialed the number, 555-4414. It started to ring, one time, two times, three times. The phone clicked, somebody had answered. She held her breath and waited.
"Hello?" A woman's voice; unfamiliar. It must be Chris' new girlfriend, but the voice sounded so young.
She must have been silent for a long time because the next time the woman spoke her voice was harsh and agitated. "Hello? Is anybody there?"
Olivia couldn't think of anything to say; her words were fleeting. She opened her mouth in an attempt to speak but before she could get a word out the woman spoke again.
"Listen, if you're not going to say anyth-" She spat out coldly, Olivia cut her off before she could finish her sentence.
"Put Chris on the phone," she demanded with a meek voice, her hands started to shake again.
The woman was quiet for a moment, then she replied. "Who is this?"
Olivia was taken off guard by the sudden change of tone in her voice. "This is Olivia," she finally managed. "I need to speak with Chris."
"Chris!" She heard the woman's muffled voice call out, "Telephone!"
There was a pause, then Olivia heard Chris ask who was on the line. "It's your wife," the woman replied. "She said that she needs to talk to you, it sounds important."
There was a grunt, the sound of the phone being passed from one person to the other, and then he spoke. "What is it?"
"When do you leave?" She asked, sitting down on the couch once more.
"Two days," he spat out bitterly. "Why do you care?" Olivia bit her tongue, considering hanging up on him and letting him go without saying goodbye to the girls. The way he had treated her and the way he was acting now, he didn't deserve the chance.
"I don't," she sneered, just as bitterly. "I just thought that maybe you might want to tell your children goodbye. You remember them right? Or, do you not care about them anymore, either?"
He snorted, "See my kids? I'm sure that's what you've got planned. Listen, Olivia, I know the terms of that damn restraining order you put on me, I can't come within 200 feet of my girls. If I believe you and go to say goodbye what's to stop your hot-headed boyfriend from arresting me and taking my place as their father? He's already screwing my wife ... he might as well have the kids too."
"Elliot and I aren't sleeping together, Chris." Olivia said with disbelief, "And you should be ashamed at that piss-poor excuse you just gave me. Why the hell would I throw you in jail for seeing the girls if it's the last time you can before leaving for another state?"
"Because you can," he said nonchalantly.
"Fine." Olivia was beyond his shit, if he didn't want to see them then he didn't have to. "I'll just tell the girls that they won't be seeing daddy after all." She was about to slam down the receiver when he called out.
"Alright! Fine, I believe you. Don't hang up, I want to see them."
Sighing she brought the phone back to her ear, "Ok. Is today ok? Around 1 o'clock ... where we used to bring them?"
"That's fine, I'll be there."
"Yeah, sure." She hung up the phone and let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing the nape of her neck and working out the kinks and sore muscles. Glancing behind her she looked at the time, it was 10:21, she had roughly two and a half hours to get the girls ready to say goodbye to their father ... one last time.
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12:23 p.m.
She pulled in front of his apartment building and turned around in her seat, checking on the girls. Becca was sleeping and Cassie was busy reading one of her schoolbooks. Sighing to herself she pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number, he answered on the third beep.
"This is Elliot."
"Hey," she greeted. "We're outside your apartment."
"What?" he asked with a laugh, "You couldn't walk up?"
"For your information, no. Becca is sleeping, I didn't want to wake her."
"Right, I'm on my way down then." He hung up the phone and a few minutes later the passengers' side door opened and he climbed into her Toyota. He leaned over to kiss her but movement in the backseat caught his eye and instead he only gave her a peck on the cheek, then turned around and smiled at Cassie. "Hey kiddo, what'cha doing?"
"Reading," she replied without looking up at him. Elliot smiled and turned back around, looking at Olivia.
"So..." he asked, "He agreed to coming?"
She snorted, but didn't take her eyes off of the road. "Accused me of trying to set him up at first, but yeah, he agreed to come. Bastard tried to make me look like the bad one in all of this," she shook her head in disbelief. "I don't understand how I ever loved that man." It was more of a statement than a direct comment, so there was no reply.
They continued the drive in silence; the park was a good ten minutes away from Elliot's apartment and by the time they arrived Cassie was sleeping as well. Elliot was hesitant to carry her out to find Chris, but Olivia assured him that it would be fine, if Chris had a problem with it he would have to get use to it, because Elliot wasn't going anywhere, he was. The eight-year-old grumbled incoherently when he pulled her out of her seat, wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on one of his shoulders, blinking sleepily before closing her eyes and falling back asleep. They still had nearly half an hour before one; it was likely that Chris hadn't even arrived yet.
Olivia picked Becca up and the two-year-olds reaction was very similar to that of her sisters. They carried the two girls to a bench by the swings and sat down, allowing them to sleep for a few extra minutes. At fifteen minutes until one Chris came strolling up to the bench, giving Elliot an evil look. Elliot ignored the glare and gently shook Cassie, to wake her. Her eyes blinked open and she smiled sleepily at him. "Morning," she said with a yawn, wiggling out of his arms and sitting sideways on his lap.
"Afternoon," he corrected with a smile.
Olivia did the same with Becca, the younger girl tried to ignore her mother and continue sleeping, but when Olivia informed her that her father was there her eyes shot open and she looked around. She didn't say anything when she saw him, instead wrapped her arms tightly around her mothers neck, as if to protect herself.
"Honey?" Olivia asked, pulling back to look at her. "What's wrong?"
Cassie slid off of Elliot's lap and walked up to her father, staring up at him. "You hurt mommy," she told him plain as day.
He nodded, "Yeah, honey ... I did. I'm real sorry about it though." He crouched down in front of her so that they were eye level, "How about giving your daddy a hug?"
Cassie looked at him hesitantly for a moment, then glanced over her shoulder at her mother. Upon receiving a nod of approval she stepped forward and gave him a weak hug. When she pulled away her eyes darted around the area, until they fell on Elliot. She looked at her father before stepping back and out of his reach. "You and mommy broke up."
"We did," he said with another nod. "We just didn't love each other anymore, honey. That happens sometimes."
"Momma luv Ellie," Becca pointed out from her position on her mother's lap.
Chris looked at Olivia, then at Elliot, then back at Olivia. "Good for her," he said. "She deserves somebody better than I was."
Olivia turned away from Chris to look at Elliot, he smiled at her and she returned the smile. Becca's arms loosened from her neck and she slid out of her lap, climbing into Elliot's. She looked at her father and smiled, "We ok, daddy."
Chris stood up; "I can see that, Rebecca. I'm glad that you are." He ruffled Cassie's hair and looked at Olivia, "I'm leaving in a couple of days, I won't be coming back."
Cassie looked up at him, "Why?"
"Because, sweetie, I got a new job, and it's going to be easier for you guys with me out of the picture. You'll understand when you're older, I promise." He bent down again and hugged her, "I sure am going to miss you though."
"Will you call?"
"Of course I will," he looked over at Becca who was still settled into Elliot's lap. "I'll understand if you hate me, Becca. I'd hate myself, too."
Becca slid out of Elliot's lap and walked over to her father, "Bye, daddy." She said, hugging him. "I no hate you."
Chris laughed and hugged her tightly, "That's good to hear."
He set her back down and she clung tightly to her sister, smiling up at her father. Chris waved goodbye to them and walked over, glancing over his shoulder as he did so. Then, a few seconds later, he was gone.
"You two can go play," Olivia told the girls. "I'll call you when we leave."
They both nodded and ran off, the conversation with their father pushed into the back of their minds. Olivia, however, couldn't get over how surprisingly easy it had been. She looked over at Elliot and let out a sigh of relief, "Well ... that went well."
XXXX Authors Note contains Spoilers for Doubt!!!
A/N: Sorry it took so long to get out, It's been a real hectic week. Anyway, for those of you who watched tonight's episode (11/23/04) ... what did you think? I seriously couldn't decide if I thought he was guilty or innocent, but I'm leaning more towards guilty so I'm about to go vote that thought. But ... aside from that confusing story line ... they're separated! I seriously am shell-shocked, I never thought Dick Wolf would do something like that, but it does make sense. Now, I'm not one of those who's going 'heck yeah, now Olivia and Elliot can get together on the show' because I really don't think that's going to happen anytime soon, if ever. I really feel sorry for Elliot; he looked like he was about to cry. That stupid woman, what an idiot. Ah! I hope I didn't ruin anything for those who haven't seen it or anything. It just caught me off guard, but so did the entire episode. That was one of the most confusing (and one of the best) episodes I've ever seen. Just wanted to say something about it. Anyway, please reveiw!