The last few weeks had been… chaotic for Olivia, to put it mildly. After the news of Mark's arrest broke another five women came forward to accuse him of sexual assault. Alex was able to swing remand so he was rotting in Rikers until the trial, where he belonged. She was convinced he'd go away for a long time. Stacy and two other victims had his DNA on their underwear, and the hotels all had surveillance footage that put him there for every assault. From what Alex gathered, he thought being married to an SVU detective would put him in the clear, but when he realized Olivia was more interested in the job than him, he became worried she wouldn't protect him if there were ever accusations. Hence his complete objectivity to her time in the unit.
She'd been working with Langen to get the divorce and custody paperwork settled. Mark had been obstinate about it and Trevor went up to Rikers himself to talk to him. He came back with everything signed and she wasn't quite sure she wanted to know what it took to get his stubborn ass to do that. Now they were working on getting the lease for the apartment transferred into her name, but it was harder because Mark wasn't dead, he was just in jail. But Olivia had been looking for another place anyway and she bought a new bed the day Elliot went home to tell his other kids about their new sister. Just like that, it was time for her and Chelsea to get a fresh start in a new building.
Now they just waited. Waited for an apartment listing to pop. Waited for Mark's trial. Waited for the court to clear the divorce and suspension of parental rights paperwork. She didn't know why everything had to be so difficult, but that seemed to be Olivia's luck.
Chelsea's birthday was fast approaching and Olivia felt like she was dropping the ball on everything. She hadn't planned a party yet, hadn't bought gifts. It wasn't like she didn't have time, but with everything else going on it just wasn't at the forefront of her mind, and it made her feel like a bad mom. It was in moments like these that she remembered why she married Mark in the first place. To avoid being a single mother and turning out anything like her own, who preferred to down booze and sulk on Olivia's birthday rather than make her a cake, assuming she acknowledged it at all.
Things with Elliot had been a little strange too. He'd called her after he told the kids and explained Maureen's concerns. They broke Olivia's heart and she had half a mind to take it all back. But one look at Chelsea and how she chattered on and on about all the things she and Daddy were going to do, she could never take it all back, no matter how much she adored Maureen. She and Chelsea had met him to eat a few times, and gone to the park, but he hadn't been back to the apartment since.
It was just as well, because there was extreme sexual tension between her and Elliot too. In the bullpen. In the car. She was surprised Munch hadn't pulled out the fire extinguisher and hosed them down already. They were fighting more and more over cases, and snapping at each other for little things like forgetting to take coffee cups out of the cruiser or put the caps back on pens. She knew it was because they were both stressed and desperately wanted to connect on that physical level again, but she was sticking to her guns that until everything was finalized they weren't going to try a relationship. She didn't want to give Maureen or anyone else reason to believe they'd blown everything up on purpose.
Elliot's and Kathy's divorce was supposed to be final on Friday. Their process went a lot more smoothly and amicably than hers and Mark's. Easy settlement for joint custody. Kathy got the house. They'd settled on a reasonable payment for child support.
Olivia had to say she was a little annoyed with it, mostly because her divorce seemed to be hitting roadblocks because Mark was intentionally trying to be difficult. At the rate they were going, the Stablers were going to be divorced before Elliot even moved out of the house. Every time he tried to snag an apartment someone else always seemed to get to it first and he was still sleeping on the couch in Queens.
Today was a miserably hot day in August and Elliot was driving them to interview a person of interest in one of the cases. He said he couldn't remember which case, he just had the address. It was taking forever and she couldn't understand why they were going to Queens for an interview. Things got weirder when Elliot turned onto his own street and passed Kathy's house.
"Our rape suspect is your neighbor?" Olivia asked as they stopped in front of a house two blocks from Kathy's.
"Not exactly," Elliot said. "Now, please don't flip out, but I think I found a place to live and I want you to check it out with me. I needed a second opinion."
"Why not just say that," Olivia said. "Instead of telling me this was work related."
"Didn't want John trying to tag along to tell me everything that was wrong with the place or how susceptible it was to spy surveillance or whatever," Elliot said.
"Fine," Olivia said, getting out of the car.
She had to admit, on the outside the house was nice. A cute two story with a wraparound porch. A two car garage. Just the right amount of front yard and a fenced-in backyard with a swing set already installed. There wasn't a for sale sign in the front yard though.
Elliot was already at the front door, fitting a key into the lock before she even made it to the walkway. He held the door open for her and the inside was just as incredible as the outside. It had an old time feel with just the right amount of modern touches. The entryway and staircase were wooden, but the living room and dining room had carpet.
"Go take a walkthrough and tell me what you think," Elliot said.
He didn't have to ask her twice. Olivia was always fascinated with houses. She never lived in one. The sheer thought of staircases and hidden nooks secretly thrilled her. So did the prospect of never having to hear someone singing Madonna off key in the shower next door at four in the morning ever again.
The kitchen was all wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances. The den off the kitchen had built-in bookshelves and would make a perfect office. She climbed the stairs to find four bedrooms, a bathroom, and a master suite with its own bathroom. Poking her head in the master she saw more built-in bookshelves and a bay window with a window seat that overlooked the backyard and had a view of the top of the city skyline on a clear day like today. There was a big shed out back with what looked like a little apartment on its upper floor, like something Fonzie might live in.
Olivia wandered back downstairs and stumbled upon the half bathroom on the main level and the stairs to the finished basement with another half bath and a finished laundry room. The garage had a workbench area and plenty of storage.
When she made it back up to the main level, Elliot was in the entryway, bouncing from foot to foot.
"Well?" Elliot asked.
"It's absolutely amazing," Olivia said. "And so close to Kathy's the kids could walk down here in good weather."
"That's what I thought too," Elliot said.
"Plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms," she said and he nodded. "But this place has to cost a fortune. Can you afford it?"
"It's actually not on the market yet," Elliot said. "Friend of mine growing up, it was his parents' place. They're moving to a retirement community in Florida and they want the house to go to a nice family. They're willing to sell it to me for probably half the market value."
"Then what the heck did you bring me out here for and why haven't you signed the papers yet?" Olivia asked. "Call them now before they change their minds."
"But that's the thing, Liv," Elliot said. "It's not quite a done deal yet. They want it to go to a family."
"You have a family," Olivia said, stressing the word the same way he did. Geeze, this guy and his parents were supposed to be friends of Elliot's. They should know that.
"That's what I told them when they said it was too big of a house for a bachelor," he said. "But I told them I still had to do some convincing to get the family to move in with me."
"The kids are going to love being able to pick out and decorate second rooms," Olivia said. "That shouldn't take too much convincing."
Elliot smiled and rolled his eyes before stepping closer to her.
"For a detective, you're really slow," he said. "Come upstairs with me for a minute."
Olivia followed him up to the master suite and he sat on the window seat and motioned for her to sit next to him.
"Look around this room and picture it filled with furniture," Elliot said. "Dressers over there, bed over here. Now look out the window and pretend it's snowing. Pretend the kids are out back there playing in the yard, all five of them, building a snowman and having a snowball fight."
It was a nice picture. She could see why he wanted to live here.
"Now picture you and I sitting up here, together, just like this, watching them," Elliot said. "Maybe a sixth baby on the way, talking about how we're going to pull off some sort of epic Christmas surprise."
Then it all sort of clicked.
"El," Olivia said. "You're not asking what I think you're asking, are you?"
"Olivia Benson, will you and Chelsea move in with me?" he asked.
"But the divorces," Olivia said.
"Mine will be final on Friday," Elliot said. "And this gives you an out from trying to get the lease switched. With Mark in jail they can terminate it."
"We're not even dating yet," Olivia said. "We've been sniping at each other for weeks."
"We've been sniping at each other because we've been trying too damn hard to stay away from one another," Elliot said. "I don't want to be away from you any longer. Maureen is coming around. The divorce is almost final. My mother is just itching to get in and decorate that apartment above the shed. There's room for all of us here. This could be our home."
Home. It was a word that never meant much to Olivia. She had places to sleep. She had apartments. But she never really had a home where she could put down roots, do whatever she wanted, fill it with the kind of love and joy she always wanted to give and receive. It was crazy. It was impulsive. But crazy and impulsive seemed to work out pretty well for them the first time.
"A sixth kid, huh?" Olivia said with a smirk. "Getting a little ahead of yourself aren't you?"
"Well, I figure we'll have to christen the new bedroom one or two hundred times," Elliot said. "It's bound to happen at some point. Only took one shot last time."
"Uh, if I remember correctly there were eight shots in one night," she said.
"Details, details," he said.
"I've gotten pretty good at signing on the dotted line these last few months," Olivia said. "Where do I sign?"
"Is that a yes?" Elliot asked.
"It's a yes," Olivia said. "Team El and Liv right?"
"Hell yeah, baby," he said.
"Pet names," she growled.
"Tough luck," Elliot said, sliding his hand behind her neck and pulling her in for a kiss.
She'd said she hadn't wanted to do this again until both divorces were final, but she didn't care anymore. Sometimes you couldn't just keep waiting around for everything in life to be perfect. Sometimes you just have to take the shot when it comes your way.
"Chelsea was fascinated by Kathy's house when we came for the party," Olivia said. "She might die when she sees all the built-in bookshelves in this one."
"Definitely thought of her and you with all of those," Elliot said. "And your mother. I'm sure she would have been stocking them with all her favorites, trying to force me to read or something."
Olivia bit her cheek, not expecting to be so emotional at him mentioning her mother. They'd never met, and Serena had been wary of all the men in Olivia's life. She couldn't be sure, but she thought Elliot would have passed her tests, eventually.
"You know, if we move in together I think we finally need to disclose to IAB," Olivia said.
"Oh, please," Elliot said. "Let me be the one to tell Tucker so I can see just how far back in his head his eyes roll."
"Maybe we start with Cragen," Olivia said.
"Uh, yeah, I think he already knows because I told him I was bringing you to look at the house today," Elliot said.
"Well, Fin and Munch then," Olivia said. "I wonder who's going to owe who money."
"Last I heard it was Fin if we got together by Christmas," Elliot said. "But John got double or nothing if you slapped me the first time I asked you out."
"I hate them, but I also love them," Olivia said.
"So I'm really good to call and set up the closing?" Elliot asked.
"Let's do it, Stabler," Olivia said. "Somewhere with you is where I want to be. But if somewhere includes a bay window and a window seat, that's just a bonus."
"The number is written on the paperwork and I left it down in the kitchen," Elliot said. "I'm going to call from down there. Come down whenever you're ready."
Elliot disappeared out of the bedroom and Olivia looked around one more time. She could see them here. Something felt right. This place was going to be her home, even though she'd call a cardboard box home as long as she had Chelsea and Elliot to share it with her.
A/N: Two more! Maybe this took a bit of a left turn with its little time jump? IDK. I just want our characters to be happy dang it. And happy they will be because if you can't be happy in a parallel universe, why write one at all? Love your reviews! Glad everybody is enjoying the other side of the mountain here.
I think it was Mary who commented about Elliot and Kathy having an amicable divorce... I feel like if they would have actually gone through with the divorce back when it was introduced and they didn't have Eli, well, maybe it could have gone like this (or you know... something like it). I think canon Kathy back then kind of realized it'd hit the fan and Elliot was the obstinate one who didn't want to lose his family. I mean she went to Olivia to get him to sign the divorce papers. So in our little parallel universe where I'm determined to give them their happy ending, amicable is what we have lol!
