18 months later

Elliot

Elliot heard them talking in the other room.

"I still think it's ridiculous for a 55 year old woman to wear a white dress," Olivia stated.

"Nonsense!" Kathleen countered, "it's your wedding day, no matter what your age is. You look beautiful!"

Elliot smiled. Olivia and Kathleen have a special bond. The older Stabler kids were very accepting of his relationship with Olivia, even though he was sure that they knew he'd been in love with her far more than the last 2 years. Eli wasn't quite as forgiving. He was rude to Olivia at first, screaming at her even, that she couldn't replace his mom. She assured him that she wasn't trying to, and Elliot assured him of the same, while scolding him for his rudeness. But Olivia persisted in trying to forge a relationship with the youngest Stabler. Unlike his older brother and sisters, Olivia was a stranger to him. Eli came around slowly. Elliot knew few people who she couldn't win over. When Elliot and Olivia nervously told Eli they were getting married, he had surprised them both with big hugs. They both breathed a sigh of relief.

Elliot was pleasantly surprised by how amenable Eli was to having an 8 - now 10 - year old boy following him around. Noah adored having an older - soon to be official - stepbrother. For his part, Elliot thought Eli enjoyed being a big brother even if many years had passed since he'd asked for one. One day, a few months ago, Noah had proclaimed he wanted a little brother. He and Olivia sat down with the boy to let him down easy. If Elliot was honest with himself, there were many times during his partnership with Olivia that he'd imagined what it would've been like for them to have a child together. He'd been glad to learn Noah was adopted. When Fin first told him that Olivia had a child, all he could think is that he wished he'd been the one to give her the gift of motherhood.

Elliot looked around Eli's bedroom, where he'd been relegated while Kathleen helped Olivia get ready. He was sure Olivia was quite capable of this on her own, but humored her giddy soon to be stepdaughter. The thought made him smile. Kathy had been a good woman, a very good woman, but Olivia was the best woman he'd ever met and not just due to her beauty (though it certainly didn't hurt). She was truly his soulmate.

"Dad?" Eli questioned, trying to cue his father into the moment.

"Yeah, sorry, was just thinking. You look handsome, so much like your mother. You have my hair though, you must've stolen it," Elliot said with a laugh, drawing him in for a hug. Just then, Noah burst into the room wearing an old suit of Eli's that Kathy had kept for some reason.

"You're gonna steal the show, little man," Eli joked before leaving the room again.

"Noah, I know it's always just been you abs your mom - well, until six months ago. I promise to take good are of you and your mom. Your mom has been taking care of me for a long time," Elliot said with a smile.

"I know I'm not your dad in the traditional sense of the word, but I'd be honored to be called "Dad" - if you feel comfortable with that."

Noah shrugged, "Sure...Dad."

Even if he wasn't her biological child, he saw Olivia in Noah's smile. He ruffled his hair.

"I think it's about time for us to go out to the backyard," Elliot stated while guiding Noah to the back door of their brownstone. Six months ago, after Olivia and Noah had informally moved into the Stabler apartment, they decided it was time for them to own something together. They'd found a brownstone that he was slowly rehabbing in the East Village. Elliot had tried to talk Olivia into moving out of Manhattan, where it was less expensive, but she wouldn't have it. The brownstone was large enough to accommodate he and Olivia, Eli, and Bernie.

Elliot had wanted a church wedding, but acquiesced to Olivia's idea of a small backyard wedding in late Spring. They'd gotten beautiful weather, hardly a cloud in the sky. Olivia didn't want a "big fuss", no bridal party or anything of the sort. So as to not choose between his sons, Elliot had dubbed Noah the unofficial best man, while Amanda, who had warmed up to him eventually, was to act as maid of honor.

Olivia

"Oh you look beautiful, dear" Bernie gushed.

"You really do, Liv. Being in love looks good on you," Amanda concurred.

Olivia laughed. She'd been in love with Elliot for so long, it was hard to remember how it first started. It wasn't long after they first met that she found herself wishing that her partner wasn't a married man.

Olivia looked in the full length mirror in the master bedroom. Her hair was swept up in a chignon, and her dress was a satin ivory dress with flutter sleeves, a faux wrap bodice, and a cascading ruffle that hugged her curves in all the right places. Kathleen had helped her pick it out. Olivia smiled, thinking that Kathleen might be more excited about her wedding than she was. For her, it felt a bit like a formality, but Elliot said she deserved a real wedding - her first, after all.

"I think it's show time, Cap," Amanda said.

Olivia nodded, straightening the skirt of her dress when she heard the harpist begin to play Mendelssohn's wedding march. Amanda preceded her down the aisle. When she reached the make shift altar, Olivia slowly walked up the aisle, turning to smile at her guests, before meeting her groom's brilliant blue eyes. Elliot smiled broadly, reaching for her hands. Standing across from him and handing Amanda her pastel rose bouquet, Olivia gripped both of hands in hers.

She nodded to Carisi, who nodded in return, and began, "Friends and family, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Olivia Margaret Benson and Elliot Joseph Stabler. Elliot was Olivia's first partner at SVU over two decades ago, and a partnership is a lot like a marriage. You fight... And you make up... But at the end of the day, you always have each other's backs, and if you had to, you'd take a bullet for each other. And a bond like that...that never goes away."

Elliot and Olivia smiled at each other knowingly. That bond - their bond - had withstood a decade of separation and so much more.

"Olivia and Elliot will exchange vows they've written to each other," Carisi continued, giving Elliot a nod.

Elliot cleared his throat, "I knew Olivia was special from the minute I met her 25 years ago, and with each passing day since then, she has shown me just how special- how amazing she is."

Elliot squeezed her hands. "You've devoted your life to caring for others. I know you can take care of yourself," he said with a laugh, "but it's about time someone took care of YOU. I promise to be that person to take care of you - and Noah - until I draw my last breath."

"I have already missed out on too much of your life," he continued, "when I left, there was a gaping hole in my life where you once were. Nothing could fill that void. I vow to always be by your side from this day forward - through sickness and health and everything else life throws at us."

A tear slid down Olivia's cheek, and she saw that Elliot was also fighting back tears.

Olivia took a deep breath. She'd spent hours trying to write her vows to Elliot, still having difficulty believing that this was all real - their relationship, their impending marriage, his adoption of Noah. It was literally a dream come true. When she used to imagine what her wedding might be like (back when she thought about such things), Elliot was smiling, sitting in the front row, happy for her. Never in a million years had she imagined she'd walk down the aisle to HIM.

"Elliot, when we first met I didn't understand what it meant to love unconditionally, to be loved as such in return. Only two people in my life have ever loved me unconditionally - Noah and you. For twelve years, you had my back in every sense of the phrase. I once joked that ours was the longest relationship I've ever had with a man, and that's still true today. Our relationship has transcended time and distance. Fate brought us together, and I vow to always have your back, be your harbor in the tempest of life and to love you unconditionally as I have for over two decades."

Olivia smiled and gave a slight nod to Carisi to indicate she was done. Carisi proceeded with the ceremony, asking Noah for the rings. After Elliot and Olivia slid complimentary platinum bands on one another's fingers, Carisi proudly introduced the newly weds.

"You may kiss the bride!" he exclaimed to the boisterous crowd.

Elliot placed his hand lovingly on Olivia's cheek, using his other arm to bring her closer and pressed a kiss to her lips. With cheers heard in the background, he whispered, "I love Olivia Benson."

Olivia blinked away tears, "I love you too, Elliot Stabler."

--

A/N: Sorry for the delay in finishing this up. I hope you enjoyed this fluffy ending. Two more days until the crossover!