Disclaimer/Author's Note: When Dick Wolf puts the rights to his characters on eBay, I will outbid you all. However, that day is not today, so I still don't own them. And I don't own the lyrics to "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing. I just grew up on that soundtrack, and I've therefore had that song picked out from day one. And obviously, seeing as it is still the end of March, I don't actually know what the weather is going to be like in New York on their wedding day. If I was that psychic, I would predict the winning lottery numbers for the power ball and give the money to Dick Wolf and get the characters that way. Sigh. Enjoy.
Chapter Nineteen
April 2, 2006
It was finally here. Elliot and Olivia had been waiting a month and a half for this date to come, and it was finally here. Their wedding day. The circumstances could not be any better. The weather was nice. The temperature would be in the mid to upper sixties that afternoon. The wedding hall was ready. The chairs were white and soft. There were large bows at the end of each row in the middle. They had the reception hall to the hotel decorated perfectly. The tablecloths were white with a gold trim at the bottom. Large and tall vases were placed in the middle of each of the circular tables. They were tall enough that the flowers in them would not be in the way of the plates or cups. The caterers were busy preparing the food in the kitchen. Everything was perfect.
Olivia and the rest of the bridesmaids were in one of the hotel rooms on the second floor. It was a large room, and it was perfect for getting her ready. She had her dress picked out, and Casey was searching through her make-up to decide what would be perfect. All of the make-up she thought could work was spread out on the bed in front of her.
Olivia was in the bathroom putting her dress and pantyhose on. She had already showered and dried her hair. She was trying to make every last detail with her dress and jewelry perfect before she exited.
Alex gave a short knock on the main door to the hotel room. She was dressed in the light blue bridesmaid dress. It was simple. The sleeves came a few inches below her shoulders, and the dress went almost down to the floor.
Within a few seconds, the door opened. Alex could not tell who it was at first, but as soon as she entered she realized it was Warner. Warner was dressed in the same dress, and it looked equally as nice on her. "Flowers are here," Alex announced as she placed the box of flowers down on the coffee table in the hotel room. She then started separating them into bundles for them to carry.
"Hey, Alex, what shade of lipstick are you wearing?" Casey called over to the other bridesmaid. She kept scanning her own selection of make-up. She was thinking about a light pink shade, but she did not know how natural of a tone everyone else was wearing.
Alex looked up as she handed one bouquet of flowers to Warner. "Actually I'm just wearing this new lip gloss I got," she responded. She then handed the next bouquet to Warner.
Warner wrapped the bouquet together with a gold ribbon. "I can help you pick out a shade," she offered as she wrapped the last bridesmaid bouquet. Before she could cross the room over to the bed, the bathroom door opened.
Olivia looked absolutely gorgeous. She emerged from the bathroom with her hands by her side. The light from the bathroom reflected off of her, giving her a more heavenly look. Her dress was lovely. There were no sleeves on it. The neckline was a V-neck/ maternity style one. White sequins formed flower patterns down the V. The dress did not hide her pregnancy, but it did not emphasize it either. It came down to the floor. She had one-carat diamond stud earrings in her ears. A silver necklace with a heart was around her neck. Her hair was curled slightly and left down. She smiled. "What do you think?" she asked.
"You've never looked happier," Warner said sincerely.
"Liv, you look great," Alex added. "This is your day, and you look like you're going to enjoy it."
Olivia smiled as she walked over towards the bed where Casey had laid out all of the make-up. She picked up a light pink shade of lipstick and handed it to her friend. "This is what you want," she said. She then took some mascara and walked over towards the mirror behind the door. She drew in a deep breath before applying it.
"You ready?" Casey asked. She finished applying the lipstick. She then smiled and walked over towards Olivia. "You really do look beautiful."
Olivia smiled again. "I feel it," she said happily. "Dress, shoes, hair, make-up, flowers, jewelry," she recited. Panic was starting to fill in her body. She had that vague feeling she was missing something. She did not like it. "Is there anything else?" she asked frantically. She quickly turned to Casey. "What is it?"
"Shh," Casey assured her friend. "You're not forgetting anything."
"Yes, she is," Warner interrupted as she walked over towards her purse.
"Melinda!" Casey scolded. She knew how particular Olivia was about this. Everything had to be perfect. Olivia was getting married in about forty-five minutes. She did not have time to panic.
"Relax," Warner said soothingly. She opened her purse and pulled out a white garter. "I've got your something borrowed," she said as she handed it to Olivia.
Olivia smiled. "Thank you, Melinda."
"Out of curiosity, what is your something old?" Alex asked as she tilted her head in Olivia's direction. "Not that I'm trying to scare you…"
Olivia shrugged. "It's fine, Alex," she said. "I have something. Elliot wanted me to get married in his grandmother's wedding veil. I'm just waiting for Kathleen to bring it up."
As soon as she said that, there was another knocking at the door. "It's Kathleen," the person called.
Warner walked over and opened the door. She took the box from Kathleen and thanked her.
Kathleen smiled as she walked in slightly. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of Olivia. "Wow," she said. "Olivia, you look gorgeous. And you make my dad happy. I can tell." She smiled and walked towards Olivia. Once she was there, she embraced her lightly. "Congratulations."
"Thank you, Kathleen," Olivia responded as she returned Kathleen's hug. It felt good that Kathleen supported the marriage. After all, in less than an hour, Olivia would be Kathleen's stepmother. "It means a lot to me that you're here."
"Of course," Kathleen said. "I'm gonna go back downstairs. Y'know, help the guests."
Olivia nodded as she opened the box and placed the veil on her head. She could hear the door closing as she did such. She walked back towards the mirror.
"You're perfect," Alex stated with a smile.
Elliot was waiting in the hallway between the wedding hall and the reception hall. He recognized nearly everyone that was there. The guests were taking their place cards and saving themselves a seat in the reception hall. From there, they were either saving seats in the wedding hall or gathering in the hallway talking. However, Elliot was just standing there. He was too excited to make small talk right now. The wedding was in about twenty minutes, and he could not wait.
Cragen walked up to Elliot. "You're a really lucky man, Elliot," he said. "I see the two of you together, and I know. Nowadays, it's hard to find someone. But you and Olivia have it."
"I want to see her," Elliot said.
"You will soon enough," Cragen assured him. He saw one of Elliot's daughters walking towards them. He took that as his cue to leave. Besides, he was giving Olivia away. He should go be with her right now. There were less than twenty minutes until the wedding.
Maureen walked up to Elliot and hugged him tightly. "You look great, Dad," she whispered as she pulled away from him. "I can't believe this is happening."
"You mean that in a good way, right?" Elliot asked her.
Maureen nodded. "We're all proud of you," she said. "Even Mom." She sighed. "And I know you can't possibly wait fifteen minutes. The guests are all here, and the minister's ready. I sent Kathleen to get Olivia, so now I'll sit with the twins." She smiled and kissed Elliot's cheek. "Congratulations."
"Thanks," Elliot said as he watched her go through the crowd of people. Once she was in the wedding hall, he walked through in search of his groomsmen. He finally decided on Munch to be his best man. Of all the people he knows and sees regularly, he has known Munch the longest.
"Hey," Fin said as he approached Elliot. Munch was right behind him, and Elliot's friend Mike from the marines was behind him. The three of them were serving as groomsmen. "You ready?" he asked.
Elliot nodded as he and Munch walked down towards the altar. The minister was there already. Everything was finally going the way he wanted it to go. He was at the hotel. He was minutes away from marrying the girl of his dreams. He smiled.
"Ready, Olivia?" Casey asked as she, Olivia, Alex, Warner, and Cragen shared an elevator ride down. "'Cause you only have about two minutes to back out of this," she teased.
"I'm ready," Olivia said as the elevator doors opened. The bridesmaids were the first ones to exit.
Cragen held the elevator door open and allowed her to exit before he did. He then smiled as he followed her. "You are ready, Olivia," he told her. "And you look beautiful. Your mother would have loved to see this. I know she'd be proud, just like I am."
Olivia smiled back at him. "Thanks, Captain," she said as the two of them turned the corner and started heading for the wedding hall. It was perfect. She glanced outside. The sun was shining. It was perfect. She hugged Cragen slightly before she stopped at the back of the wedding hall.
Alex was first in the line with Elliot's friend Mike right beside her. Warner and Fin followed behind them, and Casey followed them. Olivia's heart skipped a beat as she heard the music start playing. The band was perfect. The violins were a nice touch. She saw her and Elliot's friends walking down the aisle. Then she could see Elliot. Her refuge, her best friend. In a few minutes, he would be her husband.
Casey was up at the altar. The rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen were sitting in the front row, either on her side or Elliot's. There was not much of a distinction. It was more wherever guests could find room. Most of the guests were both of theirs anyway.
All the guests rose. Cragen slipped his arm around Olivia's. The music continued as Olivia and Cragen started walking down the aisle. Olivia's happiness could not be contained in just one smile.
Neither could Elliot's. He looked down the aisle at his Olivia. She was radiant. He loved her, and he knew he was marrying her. She approached the end of the aisle. Cragen kissed her cheek and let her walk up to Elliot. The two of them embraced and then the ceremony could start.
It was a lovely ceremony. Very romantic, but not too long. Dickie Stabler thought it was "too mushy", but all of Elliot's other children thought it was perfect. The photographer was getting his last couple of official pictures in. Most of the guests were already in the reception hall.
As the photographer finished, the bridesmaids and groomsmen re-entered the wedding hall. Elliot wrapped his arm around Olivia.
"Congratulations, again," Casey said as she hugged the two of them. "It was a lovely ceremony."
"Yeah, and now everyone in there wants to see the happy couple," Fin said. "And I warn you that lots of them are grabbing those disposable cameras. You'll be inundated with flashes."
"I don't care," Elliot said as he grabbed Olivia's hand. "We're married now. Nothing can go wrong."
"Ok," Alex said. "I'll go tell the band that you're about to come in." With that, she disappeared towards the reception hall. Casey, Munch, and Fin were right behind her.
Elliot smiled as he turned to Olivia. "You ok?" he asked her as they slowly started walking towards the back of the wedding hall.
"I'm more than ok," Olivia said. She smiled up at Elliot. "Thank you," she told him. "For everything. I love you, and I'm so glad I have you."
Elliot kissed her forehead. The two of them reached the entrance to the reception hall. Elliot saw the leader of the band. The music was hooked up for the first song. In seconds they would be introduced.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Munch said as he saw Elliot and Olivia standing just behind the doorway. "For those of you who don't know me, well, shame on you. I'm Detective John Munch, and I'm the best man. I have known both Olivia and Elliot for more than seven years now, and I have not seen a couple more in love then these two right now. I know that the love we're celebrating today will avoid the normally inevitable doom. And now, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Elliot Stabler."
The guests started clapping. Elliot smiled as he and Olivia stepped through the entrance and towards the dance floor. As soon as their feet touched it, the music started playing. The song was Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes' duet "(I've had) The Time of My Life" from the movie Dirty Dancing. Elliot's smile has not been wider. He grabbed Olivia and started dancing with her.
Olivia was shocked at how good of a dancer he was. She smiled back at him as she wrapped her arms around him. This moment was perfect. She knew that all of the eyes in the room were on the two of them. She did not care. Nothing could interrupt her happiness. The song was perfect. It depicted everything that she was feeling. She smiled up at Elliot as she started singing along. "I've never felt this way before," she mouthed.
Elliot pulled her closer to him. She could hear his singing as well. It was perfect.
"Look at them," Casey whispered to Alex. "Aren't the something? I want something like that," she admitted. "You know?"
Alex nodded. "They're perfect for each other. I'm happy for them. It's good."
"Not at all jealous," Casey said as she kept her gaze on them. They were the living proof that marriage could still work.
"Of course not," Alex said. She looked back at Olivia and Elliot. The two of them were dancing and singing. She had not seen them happier. They truly were having the time of their lives. It was perfect.
Olivia knew the song was ending. Since she had been engaged, she had heard it a million times. "And I owe it all to you," she finished as she hugged Elliot tightly.
Elliot smiled at her as he kissed her lips. "I love you, Liv." As the next song started playing, the two of them motioned for all of the other couples to join them. Bobby Goren and Alex Eames from the Major Case Squad were the first people on the floor with them. Alex's happiness could almost match Olivia's. Slowly, other couples made their way to the floor. Warner had grabbed her husband. Elliot's friend Mark grabbed his wife.
"Ninety-seven percent happy, only three percent jealous," Casey said as she leaned against the wall.
"Right," Alex agreed. "Besides, I need more time to focus on my career right now. The D.A.'s office hired a bunch of people while I was in Witness Protection."
"And there's always rapists with sneakier defense attorneys," Casey added. "That's why I can be ninety-six percent happy for them and four percent jealous of them."
"Of course," Alex said.
Seven more romantic songs plus a line dance style song played before the first course was being served. Elliot smiled as he walked over towards the first table. Olivia was right behind him. The two of them sat down. Elliot was on Olivia's right, and Casey was on her left. Munch was on the other side of Elliot. The rest of the wedding party was at the first table along with any dates or spouses they brought. There was a table towards the back for all the children under fifteen. Maureen and Kathleen were originally seated at the first table, but Kathleen had convinced someone to switch with her so she could spend all the time with one of the other cop's sons who was about a year older than her.
Casey smiled down at Olivia before she stood up completely. Several people started clanking their silverware against their wine glasses. She smiled once she got everyone's attention. "Good evening, everyone," she said. "I'm Casey Novak, Olivia's maid of honor," she introduced herself. "I've known Olivia for about two and half years now. Our line of work is not always the best. In fact, during the first case we worked together, Olivia told me how hard it was to find love while doing what we do. She told me that most men are either completely turned off by it or they're sick and way too interested in hearing the details. I have to admit that her statement there scared me a little. But then I look at her and Elliot. They don't make it seem that hard. It comes natural with them. It's perfect. They're my hope. They're proof that love exists." She raised her wine glass. "To Olivia and Elliot."
Olivia and Elliot turned to each other and locked their lips. The guests clapped.
Once the clapping had stopped, Fin stood up. Again, people tapped their wine glasses. "Hey, I'm Fin Tutuola," Fin started. "I've known Olivia and Elliot for about six and a half years or so. I don't really have anything romantic to say except that I would love to see them kiss again."
Olivia rolled her eyes at him, but she leaned closer to Elliot. She ran her fingers through his hair as their lips met. She was alive. She loved the moments like this. She felt Elliot's hands running down her back. It was heaven.
After the first and second courses were served and eaten, Olivia and Elliot were back on the dance floor. The usual couples from earlier were with them. The band was taking a break, so they were just dancing to songs from various people's CD collections. The current one was "Take My Breath Away". It was another one of the songs that Olivia has been listening to a lot recently. The two of them were mouthing the lyrics to each other.
Alex sighed as she walked over to Casey. "Are they cutting the cake soon?" she asked.
Casey shrugged. "Judging by how often that baby eats, I'm surprised they haven't already," she responded.
Fin walked up to the two of them. "Hey, you two. You're lonely and not dancing. Munch and I are lonely and not dancing," he said. He shrugged. "Do you want to be lonely and not dancing together?" he offered as Munch approached from behind him.
Casey chuckled. "I'm fine with the together part, but this is the time to be dancing," she argued. "It doesn't mean anything, but let's get out there," she said as she took Munch's hand. She dragged him out to the dance floor and started dancing with him. She was much more coordinated than he was. That combined with the large age difference between them made the two of them quite a sight.
"Why me?" Munch asked curiously. "I mean, if it doesn't mean anything, then why not Fin? Unless Alex likes Fin…"
Casey shrugged. "I don't really know how Alex feels about Fin," she said. "But you're just a good person, Munch. This is just my way of paying you back for how nice you were to me when you thought I was pregnant a couple months ago," she explained.
Munch sighed. "So are you ever actually going to pay me back?" he asked.
"Don't worry," Casey started. "I never cashed or deposited the check."
The song was ending. Olivia rested her head against Elliot's shoulder. "Hey, El," she began. "Can we cut the cake soon? The combination of dancing and being pregnant is making me tired," she said.
Elliot nodded as he picked her up and took her over towards the cake. The crowd followed. Olivia cut a slice of the cake then handed the knife to Elliot. He did the same. The two of them smiled at each other as they fed each other the slice of cake. Elliot then pulled her into a hug. They handed the knife back to the caterers who proceeded to cut the rest of the cake.
Elliot smiled as he walked over towards their table. He glanced at Olivia. "I'm truly the luckiest man alive. It's all because of you," he told her.
"Ew," Dickie commented as he turned back to face his father. "Dad, I can hear you, y'know. Save the mushy stuff for when you're having sex."
Elliot rolled his eyes at his son. "Just go have some cake, ok?" he asked. "The reception's almost over, and then Maureen will drive you home."
About an hour later, Olivia was officially ready to get back home. She was happy, but she could barely keep her eyes open. Elliot knew this. He wrapped his hand around her waist and walked over towards Munch and Casey. "Liv's exhausted," he said. "We're going to head off. Can you guys take care of the gifts and cameras and whatnot?"
"Of course," Casey said. "Do you want us to get you a room here?"
Elliot shook his head. "We're not that far," he admitted. "Besides, we don't have anything to change into here." He smiled as he picked Olivia up in his arms. He carried her towards the car. Munch was behind them with the keys. He opened the passenger door so Elliot could place Olivia in the car. Elliot kissed her forehead. "I love you," he whispered for the millionth time that evening.
He thanked Munch and then walked back to the other side of the car. He started the ignition and drove through the parking lot. It did not take long for him to merge into traffic upon leaving the parking lot. It would not take that long to eat home. Besides, he had the energy. He was fairly certain that Olivia was already asleep. If not, she was about to fall asleep.
He was truly the luckiest man alive. He loved Olivia. After all these years of wanting to be with her, his dream was true. In a little over seven weeks, Olivia would give birth to that darling baby. He could not wait to spend the rest of his life with her.
He stopped at the red light. What he did not expect was for the car behind him to want to keep going. He felt his stomach jump as the car rear-ended them. The jolt had awoken Olivia. He could hear her breathing heavily. He had to calm her down. He had to remain calm. He did not feel any pain. The car barely moved forward, so he did not think too much damage was done. He sighed with slight relief as he turned to Olivia. "You ok?" he asked her.
Olivia's hands were over her stomach. She quickly shook her head. "Elliot, something hurts."
((Author's Note: All right. I know exactly what is going to happen for the rest of the story. I know exactly what to say. The only trouble is going to be time. This week is Tech Week for the Drama Club, so I won't be getting home until 6:30. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Until then, read and review. You're the best.))