A/N: Little time hop to keep it moving.
One Year Later.
The Bensons and Stablers moved at a pace and settled in a routine that any family psychologist would beam with pride at.
They had their family meals and weekend sleepovers and, when the kids begged enough, midweek ones too.
Elliot still went to therapy with his kids every other week, and Liv joined once a month. They'd all agreed that they just wanted to make sure things were good, and stayed good.
The pace was set by his kids and led by Eli, the only one left at home.
He and Noah became instant best friends and he, much like his brother and father, was wrapped around Emma's finger.
He and Liv had gotten close too, but their new bond cemented on Kathy's anniversary.
"I wouldn't have survived this without you, Liv," he said to her late that night. She'd just got in from work and he couldn't sleep, so they sat at the counter and ate Oreos and milk.
While Eli and Liv bonded, Elliot slowly morphed into 'dad without the title' for the Benson kids.
It was a few months after, where our story continues, that that Eli walked into his dad's room on a night they were alone and looked at him seriously.
"I think we should move in with Liv and the kids."
El raised a brow, not expecting it. "….what?"
Eli rolled his eyes and sat next to him.
"I don't know man… it's getting shittier to be away from them all week… and having Liv around is just nice," he sighed, pausing, "familiar- you know? Dad I just think it'd be good for us. Plus, I don't know how much more I can take watching the kids hearts break when we leave."
Elliot couldn't help but smile. He leaned forward and hugged his son tightly. "I love you dude."
He hugged him back. "I love you too so is that a yes?"
He nodded. "I'll talk to Liv tomorrow night when we get back from therapy."
The six Stablers and Liv sat in their family therapists office the next day.
"I think we need to talk about the D-bomb." Maureen said cautiously.
Liv held her breath. She loved Elliot. Elliot loved her and her kids. But there was a part of her that was still afraid.
"Liv… you said when we were ok with it you'd tell Emma… we're okay with it and have been… what's the hold up?" She asked her gently.
Liv didn't know what to say. What was the hold up? The hold up was fear.
The fear of him leaving again.
The fear of not only having to clean up her own broken heart but her kids too.
The fear that Emma would grow up with daddy issues that would last her the rest of her life.
The fear that this little family they had created would crumble and she'd not just lose him, but his kids too.
Liv had been rather stoic in therapy over the course of the past year. It was for them, not for her. But today… today she felt her resolve starting to break.
Elliot read her like a book. He always did.
He got up and knelt between her legs as her breathing started to increase. He set his arms on her legs and grasped her hands.
"Olivia…. Look at me." She did, but her eyes were wide and her breath was fast. "Baby breathe..." he grasped her face and forced her to take deep breaths until it returned to normal.
"Baby… I'm not going anywhere. I don't want to. I want to be with you. Forever. And I want to be a real dad to your kids… not just Emma but Noah too."
She nodded as her tears began to fall. He gently brushed them away with his thumb.
She looked at the rest of the gang. "Y-you guys are ok with it?"
They all nodded quickly and said some variation of yes at the same time. Eli got up and went to sit beside her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Liv… you saved us. You're like a mom to us when you don't have to be and…" he sighed, "Em and Noh deserve to have a dad," he paused. "Especially when, to one of them, he kinda has to be."
Liv chuckled and hugged the younger Stabler. "You're incredible, kid."
"And…" he continued, "I asked dad and he was going to talk to you but… I think we should all move in together."
Liv started crying again, but these tears were different. Relaxed and happy.
"What ya think?" El whispered. She broke out into a huge smile and just hugged him.
Dickie spoke next. "This a good time to let everyone know that Noah accidentally called Dad "dad" to me the other day and then had a lil meltdown from embarrassment and told me to swear I wouldn't tell?"
Everyone laughed and Eli leaned back on the couch. "He tattles on himself. He came in and told me right after you dropped him off."
The laughter continued and El and Liv looked at each other.
Maybe they'd be alright after all.
After therapy, they picked the kids up from Amanda's and headed home. The big kids were meeting them there for their weekly dinner.
Emma was quiet and Eli gently prodded her in the back seat. "Talk to me?" He whispered and she shrugged. "I'm fine."
Liv glanced at El, slightly concerned.
When they got home, the big kids were already there and the young girl went straight to her room after waving a half hearted hello to them.
Eli and Dickie looked down at Noah who put his hands in the air in mock surrender. "She didn't tell me anything."
Dickie rolled his eyes. "She totally did- you two tell each other everything. What's wrong with her?"
"Yeah man it's a our job as her brothers to protect her and we can't do that unless we know what's going on," Eli chimed in.
Noah almost broke at the brother term, but held strong. "She asked me not to say anything." He said crossing his arms.
Liv and El glanced at each other, sharing a smile at the conversation and the boys in big brother mode, but feeling a tinge of concern.
Lizzie walked over putting her hands on Noah's shoulders. "He's doing the right thing. She asked him not to tell and he's respecting that. Unlike someone here." She glared at Dick, who rolled his eyes. "Oh my god Elizabeth we were 10 get over it!"
Everyone laughed and Katie bent down in front of Noah. "Is she in trouble or hurt?"
He shook his head. "Just sad about…" he trailed off. Dickie looked at him as if to say "about???".
Mo put her hand on her sisters shoulder. "How about we go talk to her… sounds like she just needs some big sister time."
The girls nodded and walked into Emma's room.
Noah looked at the remaining crew, confused. "I'm not complaining but did I miss something?" He asked with a brow raised.
They all laughed. "We'll talk after dinner… help me set the table?" El asked and Noah nodded.
The girls crawled into Emma's bed where she was laying without a word. She looked at them and tried to hide her smile.
"Talk." Mo said after a second.
Emma sighed. "Did Noah tell you?"
They all shook their heads. "Dick even tried to get him with the big bro play," Katie said smiling.
"Talk to us… you know that you can't lie to your big sisters right?"
Emma smiled small and leaned into Mo. "It's stupid," she said softly.
Mo gently played with her hair. "It's not stupid if it's making you sad…"
She sighed softly and was quiet for a minute longer.
"We have a daddy daughter dance coming up and… this girl was just being mean cause I don't have a dad and…" she trailed off as tears came to her eyes.
"Oh baby no…"
"Girls are jerks don't listen to them."
"Honey ask daddy!"
They all looked at Lizzie who tried to recover. "O-or Dickie… they both love you. And Dad is so much like your daddy already so you know he would say yes if you asked him, babe!"
She sniffled and nodded, looking down. "B-but what if he says no…" She asked as the tears started to fall.
"Oh baby he won't."
"He absolutely won't"
"He wouldn't dream of it- he loves you so much."
She sniffled and Mo wiped her tears away. "Just ask him…" she said softly.
She nodded and hugged the girls. "I love you guys… I'm really lucky to have you.." she whispered and the girls held her close.
They all emerged from her room and Liv eyed them nervously. "We all good?"
Emma nodded and walked over to her mom, hugging her tightly. Liv looked over her shoulder at the the girls who all nodded, giving a thumbs up.
After dinner, the the big kids left and the littles and Eli got ready for bed, Emma came to Elliot, nervously putting her hand on his.
"Um… El can you put me to bed tonight?" She asked nervously and he smiled small.
"Of course baby… come on." He took her hand and they went into her room. She climbed up into her bed and patted the spot beside her.
He laid down next to her and she rolled to look at him and took a deep breath.
"We um… we have a thing at school next month… it's a uh…" she looked so much like Liv when she got nervous and it made him smile.
"It's a daddy daughter dance…" she whispered after a moment. "A-And I know you're not my dad but you're kinda like my dad and I just… the girls said if I asked you'd say yes b-but…" she started getting flustered a little, a rare moment for the strong little girl.
He smiled and sat up, pulling her into him in a tight hug. "I would love to take you, baby."
She breathed out a sigh of relief and relaxed into him with a smile.
Liv and the boys had been listening outside the door and Eli walked in. "Ok. Can we just roll with the dad thing?" He looked between Elliot and Liv.
"I mean come on, dad. She's right you practically are their dad so let's rip off the bandaid."
He smiled at his son, wise beyond his years, and looked at Liv who took a deep breath before allowing a smile to break through.
"Noah… Emma… do you want me to be your dad?"
Emma just smiled as tears came to her eyes and Noah nodded. "I mean duh, I thought that was pretty obvious," he said with a smile, causing everyone to laugh.
Elliot grinned. "Well this is perfect, because I want to be your dad."
Noah tossed his arms in the air. "YESSS!" He said bouncing and jumping up on the bed to hug him.
Eli spoke up again. "Also cause mom and dad take forever to do anything, they also agreed to us moving in together."
Both adult's heads whipped to Eli as he casually called them mom and dad.
Noah couldn't contain his excitement and he jumped up from Elliot's arms. "REALLY!?" Emma looked up at him and smiled huge.
Liv laughed, sitting on the bed at Elliot's feet.
"Yes really…. But I think we need a bigger space?"
They all agreed and smiled.
"Wait…" Emma said, ever her mother's daughter, "are the big kids ok with this?"
Elliot smiled and kissed her head. "Yes baby they are." She breathed out a sigh of relief and cuddled into him.
Elliot and Olivia retreated into their room after saying goodnight to Eli and smiled at each other.
"Successful day," he whispered, dropping soft kisses to her lips.
Her arms wrapped around his waist and she smiled up at him. "I'd say so…"
"You're good right?" He asked cautiously.
She answered him with a kiss and he smiled. He was absolutely to deepen it when Emma knocked.
"Guys… can I come in?"
Elliot smiled and pulled the door open, but it soon faded when he saw she'd been crying.
"Hi baby what's wrong?"
She walked in, leaning into him and letting her tears fall. He frowned and picked her up, setting her down on the bed and climbing up beside her. She leaned into him crying softly and he held her as Liv played with her hair.
"Emma talk to us…" Liv said softly. "Baby what's wrong…"
She sniffled more and Elliot pulled her all the way in his lap, rocking her until she calmed down.
"Talk to us baby… you can tell us anything…" he whispered and she nodded.
"I-I… I just I'm so happy that you're here and want to be my daddy because I never really knew what it was like to have one before you… I… I just…" her tears started to fall again. "Why didn't my real daddy love me and mommy enough to st-stay…"
His breath caught in his throat and his world started spinning. He stopped rocking her and just squeezed her a little tighter as his tears started threatening to fall.
She sensed the change in his demeanor and looked up at him, squinting slightly through her watery eyes.
He looked down at her and took a deep breath.
"I… I… baby I didn't…" he trailed off and her face relaxed a little bit. Everything suddenly made sense and she looked down starting to breath heavily.
He gently took hold of her face and their matching blue eyes met as big tear drops fell.
"Baby I didn't know… I didn't know and I'm so sorry Emma…" he said just above a whisper.