Olivia had just sat down on the sofa with a glass of wine when she heard a knock on the door. She groaned, having just settled into a comfortable position under a throw blanket, but got up nonetheless. Noah had left for a sleepover with Kathleen and Eli a few minutes prior and she assumed they had forgotten something, but a glance through her peephole revealed someone else entirely.
"Elliot," she breathed out as she opened the door.
"Hey, Liv," he smiled shyly. It was the first time she'd seen his face in the almost two months since he stopped by her apartment to tell her he was going undercover.
Two months earlier:
They'd been getting closer ever since Fin's wedding, or rather, not wedding. Coffee together before work in the morning, dinners a few times a month. They'd even introduced Eli and Noah to each other, the four of them meeting for outings at the park together.
Slowly but surely Olivia and Elliot began to address all that had happened in their lives for the past 10 years. Olivia had told Elliot about her relationships with Cassidy and Tucker, neither of which thrilled him but he respected the fact that they made her happy at the time. Talks of Cassidy and Tucker let them to reminisce about more pleasant times in their early partnership, lightening the mood for the rest of that evening.
The night she told him about Lewis didn't go quite as smooth. She'd kept her composure for the most part. Reliving her trauma was never easy but it didn't crush her soul as much as it used to, time and therapy had helped that. Olivia could tell Elliot was trying to keep himself calm for her sake but knew him well enough to see the anger simmering just under the surface. Elliot excused himself, heading to a boxing gym he frequented down the street, and took his rage out on a punching bag, knowing he needed to deal with his hatred and self-loathing before he could do Olivia any good. When he returned an hour later, he apologized profusely before pulling her into his arms and holding her tight. The two of them sat together for a long time, soaking in the comfort of each other's presence. That was the first, and thus far only, night they slept together. It wasn't romantic, they didn't even kiss, yet that night was another big leap in mending the broken pieces of their partnership.
Two weeks later, he showed up at her doorstep without notice. She knew somehow, the moment she saw his face, why he was there. He was going undercover.
He broke several rules in the procedural handbook by telling her, but he couldn't leave again without letting her know. "I tried to say no," he'd told her. Even Bell had come to his defense, tried to get him out of it, but ultimately the decision was over both of their heads.
"It's ok," Olivia had told him, hand on his face and thumb rubbing over his cheekbone. It wasn't ok, it hurt, but she believed him when he said he didn't have a choice. He asked her to look in on his kids, to make sure Eli especially was ok. The kid had been through so much in such a short period of time, so many changes. It had taken weeks, months even, after Kathy's death for Elliot to be a good dad again, to get his own shit under control enough to really be there for his kids, and now he was leaving.
"I will," Olivia promised. "Just be safe. For them. For me," she added quietly.
He'd kissed her then, couldn't help it. It wasn't the electric first kiss Olivia had always imagined, but it held over 20 years worth of emotion.
"I love you," Elliot had murmured as they pulled apart, resting his forehead against hers.
"I know, I… I," Olivia couldn't voice the words.
"Shh," Elliot placed a finger over her lips. "It's ok. You don't have to say it, I just need you to know."
This time it was Olivia who initiated a kiss, pouring all the emotion, all the words she couldn't say, into it.
"Come back to me," she whispered between them, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"I'll do my best," he had replied, and Olivia knew that was the best she was going to get. Elliot knew better than to make promises he couldn't keep.
Present Day:
Olivia stood there staring for what felt like hours, taking in the sight of the man before her. He was in a sleeveless hoodie and jeans, looking more casual than she could ever remember seeing him. His head was shaved but his beard was full and he had a cut above his left eye that made her wonder what scuffle he'd gotten into. He looked stronger, his biceps visibly more toned then before he went undercover, and she could only imagine the physique hiding beneath the rest of his clothes.
"Are you going to let me in?" Elliot's voice brings her back to the present and Olivia looks up to meet his eyes. The smirk on his face telling her she's been caught checking him out.
"Of course," she nods, stepping aside to let him in the apartment and closing the door behind him. "So, it's over?"
Elliot nods. "It's over," he confirms.
"Good," Olivia reaches out a hand and grasps the front of his sweatshirt, pulling him closer and wrapping her arms around him. "I missed you," she says, burying her face into the crook of his neck.
"I missed you, too," Elliot sighs, wrapping his arms tightly around her in response.
Olivia leads him to the living room when they part, pointing him to the couch while she goes to retrieve a couple beers from the fridge. She watches him from the kitchen as she pops off the bottle caps, notices the way he sinks into the couch and rubs a hand over his face. He looks exhausted.
"When was the last time you got a good night sleep?" She asks as she returns to the living room, taking a seat beside him and handing him a beer.
Elliot lets out a half chuckle and shakes his head. "Not since before I went undercover," he admits.
Olivia hums, unsurprised. "Do your kids know you're back?"
"I stopped by Maureen's to see Eli. She told me that he was with Kathleen and that they were were picking Noah up for a sleepover. I gotta admit, I liked hearing that your kid was hanging out with my kids," he grins.
"Eli is Noah's new favorite person. An older boy to talk school, sports and video games with beats Lucy and I any day. Plus, he bakes cookies or some other sweet every time he's with Mo or Kathleen that they were sure to win him over," Olivia chuckled. "Noah even wants to try out for soccer now. We went to one of Eli's games a couple weeks ago and he's been obsessed ever since."
"Football," Elliot corrects jokingly, anticipating the groan Olivia lets out in response. It's a conversation they've had before, both father and son having adopted the European title for the sport during their years overseas.
Olivia's groan turns into a chuckle. Shaking her head she tells him, "I hate to admit it but Eli's convinced Noah to start calling it that now, too."
The grin that breaks out on Elliot's face in response is unsurprising, nor is the yawn it turns into. Olivia lifts a hand to cup his cheek, rubbing her thumb against the dark bags under his eyes. "You're exhausted, El. We should get you to bed." Her voice is quiet now, exuding love and care.
"I don't want to go home yet," Elliot confesses.
"Who said you have to?" Olivia stands from the couch, reaching for his hand and leads him down the hallway. When they get to her bedroom, she releases his hand, moving to pull an oversized t-shirt from her dresser. "Here," she says as she turns back towards him, handing him the shirt.
"Are you sure?" Elliots asks as he takes the offered garment.
"I think it'll fit and I hardly ever wear it anymore," Olivia responds.
"That's not what I…"
"I know," she acknowledges. "But you're tired and you need sleep. Anything else can wait until morning, ok?" Elliot nods. "Good. There are some spare toothbrushes under the sink. I'm going to go do a quick clean up and then I'll be in." She finishes her sentence with a peck on his lips, one that lingers, before leaving him to get ready for bed.
Olivia clears their drinks from the coffee table, dumping the remnants down the sink and recycling the bottles. She double checks that the front door is locked, the alarm set, and then turns off all the lights before making her way back to the bedroom. She finds Elliot already in bed and smiles at the fact he'd picked the right side, having noted her things on the left bedside table.
Olivia settles in beside him and they both turn on their sides to face each other. "I'm really glad you're back and you're safe," she says as she clasps her hand with his between them.
"Me too," Elliot replies, sleep evident in his voice.
"Get some rest, El. I'll be right here when you wake up," Olivia promises.
####
It's dark when she wakes, still drowsy and eyes blurred from sleep. Olivia moves to check the time on her phone and feels Elliot shift behind her. They've repositioned in their sleep, Elliot now spooned behind her, his arm wrapped tightly around her middle. She can feel him hard against her backside and can't help her mind from imaging all the wildly delicious things they could do.
She knows the moment he wakes, feels him shift backward and pull his morning wood away from her. "Sorry," she hears him mumble, his voice still husky from sleep. She turns, appreciates the apology but doesn't need it. Doesn't want it. She wants him.
"You don't have to apologize," Olivia says as she takes in the sight of him, fresh from sleep.
"Olivia," his voice deepens at the implication of what she means but she knows he's unsure. She's been the hesitant one since the day he returned. Hesitant to trust again, to let him in, but she's ready now and she tell shim as much.
"I'm ready, El. I love you," she smiles.
He pounces then. The declaration meaning more to him than words could express. Their lips meet in a fiery frenzy, all tongue and teeth, hands exploring each other's bodies. Olivia runs her palms up the toned plains of his chest and abdomen, lifting his shirt as she goes until he finally just takes it off. Elliot's hands slide down her back, cupping her ass and pulling her against him, slipping a thigh between her legs. Olivia immediately grinds down on him, appreciating the friction he provides.
Elliot works his lips down the column of Olivia's neck before rucking her shirt up and pulling it off. He slides down on the bed slightly, cupping her breast and raising the nipple to his mouth to suck. Olivia tosses her head back, reveling in the sensation of his lips on her body. Before she knows it, his lips are trailing lower down her abdomen, his fingers hooking in the waist band of her sleep shorts.
"Can I?" He asks before moving any further.
"Please," Olivia breathes out because she doesn't think she can wait any longer. She's dreamed of this more times than she cares to admit.
Elliot pulls down her short, drags her lacy boy shorts down with them and bends her knees further apart so that he can fit in the apex of her thighs. Olivia props herself up on her elbows to look at him and meets his eyes. "God, you're so beautiful," he says before dipping his tongue into her folds. Olivia moans, the sight of him between her legs, the feel of his tongue on her most sensitive part, it all has her riding the edge of orgasm in record breaking time. Elliot adds one finger to the mix, then another, and Olivia reaches down to stroke the velvet smooth skin on his head as he strokes the velvet walls inside her.
Her head lolls back against the pillow when she comes, eyes shut tight and hands gripping the sheets. Elliot continues to lap at her, prolonging the waves of ecstasy until she moves her hips away, too sensitive to continue. She opens her eyes then, in time to see him wipe his beard with the back of his hand and fuck, she just had one of the best orgasms of her life but the sight of his beard glistening with her juices sends another jolt of desire to her core.
She pulls him down for a kiss, can taste herself on his lips, and before he knows what's happening she flips them over and has him pinned to the mattress. She breaks the kiss, sits up and straddles his hips. "My turn," she grins.
"God, help me," she hears Elliot groan as she slides down his body, pulling his boxers down with her as she goes. They've waited twenty three years for this, so yes, she thinks, god help them both.