This is something I wrote last month for SpecialFanficUnit's family fic challenge. Enjoy!
It's a cool spring afternoon when Elliot makes his way through the precinct with a large takeout bag, hoping he's in time to catch Olivia in her office and not out on a call. Their different schedules make it hard to meet up during the day, but once or twice a week they try to have lunch together, even if it's just takeout shared at her desk.
"Fin, is Liv in?"
"She is," Fin confirms. "Hope you brought me something good."
"You're outta luck," Elliot retorts as he heads for Olivia's office door. He knocks, opening it a moment later. "DoorDash," he introduces with a grin.
She laughs. "Do I still have to tip if I'm dating my delivery person?" she teases. "I didn't know you were coming."
Chuckling, Elliot takes a seat across from her and sets the takeout containers on her desk. "Thought you might be up for some lunch."
"You're a godsend." She puts her files aside and gladly accepts the container he offers her. Her smile widens when she realizes the boxes are from her favorite Chinese restaurant and he still knows her usual order. "You remembered."
"I remembered." Elliot opens his own takeout container and digs out a bite of chicken. "Do you and Noah have plans tonight?"
She shakes her head. "Not tonight. You?"
"Nope. I was thinking the three of us could go get dinner and see a movie," he suggests hopefully.
"Yeah?" She gives him a smile. "I think we'd both like that." Ever since she let him meet Noah weeks ago, Noah's been fascinated with Elliot and asks all the time if they can spend time together, and seeing them get along as well as they do makes her happier than she could have ever imagined.
Pleased, he grins widely. "I'll pick you up."
Companionable quiet falls between them as they eat their lunch. As they finish, Olivia's laughing at some corny joke he made when her phone rings. Sighing, she picks it up and furrows her brow when the name of Noah's school displays on the caller ID. "Hello?"
"Am I speaking with Olivia Benson?"
"You are," Olivia confirms, frowning a little. "And who am I speaking with?"
"This is Anna, the school nurse. I have Noah in my office. He got hurt on the playground and you'll need to come get him."
"He's hurt?"
Elliot watches as her expression shifts to one of panic, then mild relief, but the worry doesn't leave her eyes. When she hangs up and lets out a frustrated sigh, he speaks up. "Everything okay?"
"Rain check on our plans," she supplies apologetically. "Noah got hurt at school. The nurse thinks his arm is broken. I need to take him for an X-ray."
Understanding her worry, Elliot grabs his car keys. He's been through enough ER trips for his own kids when they were young to know how stressful the situation is, so he's not about to let her go through it alone.
"Don't worry about our plans. C'mon, I'll drive you."
She hesitates. "El, you don't have to-"
"I want to," he interrupts gently.
"Okay." Nodding softly, she gives him a small, grateful smile and walks with him out of her office. "Fin?" she calls out. "I have to go get Noah. Can you take over for the day?"
"Got it, Liv. Let me know if Noah's okay."
"Thank you, Fin." She follows Elliot outside to his waiting car, settling in the passenger seat when Elliot opens the door.
"What did the nurse say when she called you?"
"Just that he fell during recess and his arm was sore and swollen." Olivia lets out a worried sigh as Elliot pulls away from the curb. "I hope he's okay."
Hearing the anxiety in her voice, Elliot rests his hand on top of hers. "He's gonna be fine, Liv."
Somehow the touch grounds her, taking the edge off her worry. Her fingers lock with his as she grips his hand. "Thanks for the ride, El."
"Don't mention it." Elliot stops for a red light and lifts her hand to his lips, brushing a quick kiss against her knuckles.
Her expression softens at the little gesture. "I still appreciate it."
"Any time," he assures her. After missing ten years of her life, he wants to make sure she knows he's there for her now, any time she needs him, no matter what she needs.
He knows where Noah's school is and parks at the front. By the time he's turned the ignition off, Olivia's already out of the car. He quickly catches up to her, following her to the front entrance.
Olivia presses the buzzer. When the secretary lets her in, she heads straight for the office. "Olivia Benson. I'm here to pick up Noah."
"Right in there." The secretary points her toward the nurse's office. Olivia follows her direction and knocks on the door, opening it when the nurse calls her into the room.
Noah's sitting on a padded bench, his expression one of visible discomfort as he holds an ice pack on his left arm. "Mom!"
"Hey, honey." She hugs him gently, avoiding his hurt arm. As she looks him over, he looks otherwise unharmed and she lets herself sigh in relief. "Come on. We're gonna take you to get it checked out."
"Okay…" Noah lets her help him up and leans into her for a moment as she signs him out. Elliot leads them out to his car and unlocks it, watching as Olivia makes sure Noah gets buckled in.
"What happened, Noah?" Olivia asks once they're all settled in the car and Elliot merges into the street.
"I fell off the swing," he replies, and judging by the way he fidgets in his seat, it doesn't take much logic to know he's omitting some details.
"That's it?"
"I jumped off," he admits sheepishly. "I swung as high as I could and jumped to see if I could land."
"And you couldn't," she concludes, mild exasperation lacing her voice. "Why did you do that?"
Noah shrugs. "Someone dared me to," he explains as if that justifies the entire thing, and Olivia groans as she realizes that they're on the fast track to the pre-teen years of showing off for friends and that they're going to need to have a little chat about peer pressure soon.
Elliot bites his lip, trying not to show his amusement. "Did you do a cool flip?" he asks, earning a soft laugh from Noah and an annoyed eye roll from Olivia.
"No. I landed wrong."
At the simplicity of his response, Olivia resists the urge to roll her eyes. There's no point in reprimanding him for a playground stunt gone wrong since an ER trip should be consequence enough, so she turns forward in her seat again. "Please don't do anything like that again. You could get really hurt."
"I won't, Mom. I promise."
"Okay. I'm not angry. I just don't want you doing things that will get you hurt," she reassures him.
"I know."
Once they arrive at Mercy, Olivia leads Noah inside while Elliot parks. She stops at the front desk to check Noah in. "My son needs an X-ray on his arm. Noah Benson. He hurt it at school and we think it's fractured."
The receptionist types something into the computer and nods. "He's checked in. If you just take a seat, someone should be with you shortly."
"Thank you." She ushers Noah to the designated area and sits down with him. Noah leans against her, and she wraps an arm around him. "How bad does your arm hurt?" she asks, waving Elliot over when she sees him entering the lobby.
Noah shrugs, wincing a little. "It hurts," he murmurs into her shoulder. "It didn't hurt bad at first, but it does now."
"I'm sorry, baby." Nodding sympathetically, she kisses his head, and for once he doesn't try to duck away from it, a habit he's developed ever since he's grown into his too old for affection phase.
Elliot watches the interaction, a soft smile lifting his lips. "Hey, Noah, did I tell you about the time I broke my arm?"
"No." Noah shakes his head. "When did that happen?"
"Well, I've done it a couple of times. But once was when I was about your age."
"What happened?" Noah implores, watching him with interest. Olivia gives Elliot an encouraging smile, thankful for the distraction he's providing Noah.
"I tried to get on a skateboard," Elliot continues. "Turns out, I was pretty bad at it. I got it moving, but when it was time to turn, I fell off, landed right on my arm on a hard sidewalk. I broke it in two places. I was in a cast for a few weeks, but it got better. I never trusted myself on a skateboard again, though."
"Wise choice," Olivia teases, grinning at the thought of her partner as a reckless little boy. She hugs Noah a little closer. "Do you need anything?"
"No." He shakes his head against her shoulder. "My arm just hurts." Tears prick at his eyes and he stubbornly blinks them back.
Olivia notices and smooths her hand over his messy curls. "Honey, you don't have to act tough," she reminds him gently. "There's nothing wrong with being upset when something hurts."
"She's right," Elliot added. "Nobody's gonna judge you. I've cried before."
"Really?" Noah's eyes widen. He doesn't know as much about Elliot as he'd like to just yet, but he knows from the stories Mom tells him that Elliot's brave, and he has a hard time imagining Elliot crying.
"Sure. Plenty of times. One time I cried because your mom was hurt and I thought she was hurt worse than she really was. She was okay, but I cried because of how scared I was." Elliot doesn't give him the full story because he doesn't see the point in upsetting him with details he doesn't need to hear, and the reassuring nod Olivia gives him lets him know he's doing just fine with Noah.
"Wow…" Noah sniffles a little and scrubs his hand across his eyes, looking up at his mom. "Are they gonna have to do surgery?"
"Well, I don't think so, but we won't know anything until the doctor looks at it," Olivia begins carefully. "But if that happens, we'll get through it. Promise."
"Okay…" He nods and sighs, closing his eyes. He dozes off for a while and wakes up when his mom gently nudges him sometime later.
"Noah? The nurse is ready to take you back for your X-ray," she whispers, rubbing his back as he sits up straighter. He stands up and leans into her for a quick hug before he follows the nurse down the hall.
Olivia watches as the nurse escorts Noah out of the room. Once they're out of sight and earshot, she lets out a shaky breath and pinches the bridge of her nose.
"Hey…" Elliot scoots closer to her and rests his hand on her shoulder. "Noah's gonna be fine, Liv."
"I know he'll be okay. But it's hard to see him hurting, and being in the ER… it's a little terrifying, to be honest."
"I know." He nods in understanding and rubs her back. "It's scary, just sitting around waiting and knowing your kid's hurt."
Relaxing a bit, she glances over at him. "Did you go through this with your kids?"
"Sure did. Did I ever tell you about the first time I had to take one of them to the ER?"
"No."
"Maureen was a little over a year old. She'd just learned to walk and was all over the place. One night, I'm alone with her while Kathy's working. I turn my back for two seconds, and by the time I turn back around, Maureen's climbed onto the coffee table."
She cringes. "I feel like this ends badly."
"It does. I hurry over there to get her down, but I'm too late. She falls off and lands face-first on the floor, starts crying right away. I pick her up and see blood, so I'm about to have a heart attack at nineteen years old."
"What did you do?"
"I call Kathy, tell her what's going on. We take her to the ER, and turns out there's nothing broken, but she knocked out two teeth and swallowed them. The doctor just cleaned her up and told us to check her poop for a few days if we wanted the teeth back."
At that, she laughs softly. "Wow."
"Yeah. So it turned out not to be that bad, but it was still scary, especially since it was the first time. It gets a little easier, but that fear never completely goes away when your kids get hurt."
Olivia nods, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. "When Noah was a baby, he climbed onto the counter trying to reach the cookie jar. I caught him, but I was terrified he'd fall and get hurt. Then not too long after I started the adoption process, he went into the ER for respiratory distress. It… it was one of the scariest moments in my life."
"I get it. Kids will give you gray hair." He strokes her hand with his thumb, his chest clenching with guilt and regret that he hadn't been there for her then. "Anything I can do for you?"
"Just stay? Keep me company?"
"I will," Elliot promises.
Needing a distraction, she shifts a little in the uncomfortable chair so she can face him. "Did any of your other kids wind up in the ER?"
"Yep. Most recent was when Eli was about six. He was just getting used to riding without training wheels. But he decided he was ready to ride down a hill, lost control of the bike, and crashed. Broke his collarbone."
"I bet that was scary."
"It was." He nods. "We sat in the ER waiting room all day waiting for them to do X-rays. He was in a sling for a while, but everything healed and he was fine a few weeks later. We had to have a talk about not riding your bike down hills until you know what you're doing."
Olivia groans. "When do boys outgrow the risk-taking phase?"
"I wish I could say they did, but they don't." Elliot shakes his head. "We don't," he corrects since he can't really claim he's Mr. Cautious.
"Thanks," she snorts, but she has to smile at his attempt at a joke.
He has to chuckle. "Now don't tell me you never jumped off a swing when you were a kid."
Olivia can't hold back an amused smile. "Maybe."
"I'm sure little Liv was a fearless daredevil."
"You know I was," she agrees with a grin, her smile widening when he takes her hand into his larger one and squeezes it. "I'm glad you're here, El."
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." He glances around their surroundings. "Not saying we should come to the ER more often, but you know what I mean."
Laughing, she gives his hand another squeeze and leans over to give him a quick kiss. Elliot immediately leans into it, one hand settling on her cheek.
A knock on the door interrupts them a couple moments later. Olivia quickly straightens up as a doctor leads Noah into the room.
"I'm Dr. Robertson," she introduces. "You must be Noah's mother."
"I am." Olivia rises to her feet to speak with the attending, wrapping an arm around Noah when he leans into her.
"And are you Noah's father?" the doctor regards Elliot.
"I…" Elliot doesn't answer that, glancing at Olivia for her input. She opens her mouth to say something, but Noah beats her to it and answers the question himself with a response that's a little muffled by his face pressed into her arm, but just clear enough for them to make out what he's saying.
"Yeah," he murmurs, and she doesn't miss the goofy grin Elliot tries (and quite spectacularly fails) to hold back.
Olivia arches a brow in surprise but says nothing, instead returning her attention to Dr. Robertson. "How is Noah's arm?"
"It's fractured," Robertson confirms, indicating the fracture on the X-ray. "But the good news is he won't need surgery. It's a simple fracture and will heal on its own. We'll put him in a cast for a few weeks to protect it and re-evaluate when he comes in for a check-up."
She sighs in relief, smoothing her hand over Noah's messy curls. "Okay. Once you get the cast on, can we take him home?"
"Of course." Dr. Robertson opens a supply drawer. "What color cast would you like?"
"Blue," Noah decides. He sits on the exam bench and holds his arm out. He reaches his other hand toward Olivia and she takes it, squeezing it in comfort as the doctor wraps his arm in several layers, topping it off with the bright blue fiberglass tape he'd selected.
Once his arm is securely casted, the doctor hands Olivia Noah's discharge paperwork. "Just keep the cast dry. The pain should be manageable with ibuprofen, but let us know if it doesn't."
"Will do." Olivia signs the release forms and drapes Noah's jacket around his shoulders. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah. I wanna go home."
Olivia gives Elliot a teasing smile. "Hear that, chauffeur?"
"Loud and clear," he chuckles, his footsteps falling in sync with hers as they walk outside to his car.
The afternoon sky is fading as an evening breeze fans their faces. "I didn't realize how long we were there," Olivia muses.
Noah tugs on her hand. "Mom, I'm hungry."
"Okay, baby. We'll get something on the way home. Sound good?"
"Can Elliot stay for dinner?"
She smiles softly and turns her gaze toward Elliot. "If Elliot wants to, he absolutely can."
"I do," he confirms as he unlocks the car. "How about we grab some pizza and take it home? My treat."
"I like pizza," Noah agrees, grinning as he eases into the backseat. "And breadsticks."
"Can't forget the breadsticks." Once everyone's settled in the car, Elliot calls in a takeout order from a nearby pizza place. They stop to get their order on the way home, and when they arrive at the apartment, he follows Noah and Olivia inside.
"Can we watch a movie while we eat?" Noah asks as Olivia carefully helps him out of his jacket.
Olivia hands him the remote. "Sure, sweetheart. Pick one out and we'll watch it together."
Pleased, Noah turns on the TV and clicks through the streaming options until he settles on a movie. A minute later, Olivia hands him a plate with some pizza and breadsticks.
"What movie did you pick?"
"Star Wars," he replies, picking up a slice of pizza and taking a bite.
"Yeah? Which one?" Elliot chimes in.
"A New Hope."
"Good pick." Elliot grins at him and offers a fist bump that Noah happily returns with a wide smile of his own.
Olivia settles on the couch with her own plate and pats the empty space next to her. "Plenty of room, El."
He takes the seat, making himself comfortable next to her. "Maybe tomorrow night you two can come over. I'll even cook."
"You? Cooking? How can we turn down front-row seats to that show?" she quips teasingly, grinning at the thought.
"I picked up a few recipes. Some are actually pretty good. I can make some spaghetti that's not half bad."
Noah perks up and nudges his mom. "Can we go?"
"Of course."
Pleased, Elliot grins. "Can't wait."
The excitement in his eyes makes her return his happy grin. These nights are so new, so domestic that she had thought it would take months to get used to, but something about it feels perfectly natural, even if it's new territory they're exploring.
After the movie, Noah's close to falling asleep. Olivia makes sure he gets ready for bed and once he's asleep in his room, she returns to the living room and sits next to Elliot again, snuggling up to him and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Noah's really taken a liking to you," she murmurs contentedly.
Elliot wraps an arm around her and draws her into his side. "It's mutual. He's a great kid."
She smiles again, holding back a yawn. It warms her heart to see how well the two of them connect, but at the same time it doesn't surprise her at all. He's always been firmly supportive of her becoming a mother, and already he treats Noah like one of his own.
"He asks about you a lot."
"What do you tell him?"
She rests her hand on his chest, rubbing lightly as she speaks. "He likes to hear about when we were partners. I tell him the kid-friendly stories of our time on the job together. He likes that. I tell him we've always had each other's backs."
"Yeah?" Smiling fondly, he rubs her back. "I always knew you'd be a great mom, Liv."
"I'll take that compliment," she jokes, but her voice is sincere as she closes her eyes, taking in his ever-familiar warm scent.
"Good. You deserve it." He cups her chin in his hand and tilts her head back, pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. She melts into it, sighing peacefully.
Whether the little touches and stolen kisses lead to sex or not, she loves these moments to themselves, when they cna just enjoy each other and just be. When the kiss parts, she returns her head to his shoulder and closes her eyes, enjoying the warmth of his arms around her.
"Love you, El."
"Love you, Liv."
Review, please?
