The Wedding

"Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, Love gives us a fairytale"

A/N- Please let me know how you find this chapter, on here as a review or on Twitter. If you would like to add some extra atmosphere for the wedding (and imagine you're a guest- LOL) you can find on YouTube or Alexa to play 'Greensleeves- String Quartet' from the date subtitle until the line where it tells you the music changes- from there you can listen to Canon in D, Pachelbel' until the end of the ceremony.

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"Kiwi, you need to stop hogging the remote, I'm too tired for this today."

Noah's lazy attempts at trying to grab the remote from his sister's arms are withered; she's got too much energy for him at the moment and his lack of- results in her being quick off the mark to keep the control out of his grasp. "This channel, leave it on this."

She's been sat, cross-legged, practically on top of him leaving zero room for personal space, just clicking that up button on the remote over and over and over. "Evie!" he shouts holding his hand over his eyes, his tone quite clearly at the end of his tether. "Please…will you just pick a channel and leave it? You're driving me insane."

"But you said we could play on the PS together and you haven't, so now I have to do this because I'm sooooooo bored, and there's nothing to watch." She sighed dropping the remote control down onto his lap.

"Ow," he uttered before picking the remote up and landing the TV on some sports game. Adjusting his back, he lies into the sofa, closing his eyes for a few minutes.

"Argh noooo, I don't want to watch this," Evie hissed. "Play with me, play with me, play with me," she shouts, tugging repeatedly at the sleeve on Noah's grey hoodie.

Seconds from really losing control of his temper, the situation is saved as the latches on the front door begin to unlock, and the door swings open with a thud. Before they can see who's entering, Noah turns to Evie and uses to same question his mom always used to use on him. "You invite someone over?"

"No" she responds, wide-eyed with excitement. "Did you?"

"Nope," he laughs. Knowing exactly who it is that's about to walk through the door, he encourages Evie. "Go on then, see who it is."

Jumping from the couch with a loud bang, she starts running towards the doorway, shrieking in excitement when she sees his face. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" She dives into him, and thankfully he's used to this sort of welcome because he immediately catches her, pulling her up to rest on his hip. Slowly placing the softest of kisses against her dark hair, she chuckles in response and nuzzles her face into his chest. The smell of baby shampoo that Olivia still uses on her hair fills him with nostalgia.

"I missed you Kiwi," he soothed her, and after having her fill of cuddles, she looks up to him, her dark chocolate eyes meeting with his bright blues, wraps her arms around his neck, and starts kissing the top of his forehead over and over again.

"Mwah, mwah, mwah, mwah," she sang out with every landing kiss to his head.

"Ok Kiwi Kid, I missed you too," he laughs, placing her down on the floor, turning to behind him and picking up a very large bouquet of pink peonies, his overnight case, and a see-through bag that Evie is eyeing up suspiciously.

"Are those pretty flowers for Mommy?" she asks him, widening her eyes, playing with her pigtails, and dancing on the spot, a sweet angelic tone added to her voice. "Did you get anything for me, Daddy?"

"How about you let me get in first? Then I'll show you what's in the bag?" he reasons with his enlivened little one.

Hearing the familiar voice coming in has relinquished Noah's exhaustion, and his keenness to see his father figure has moved him from the couch to the doorway.

"Hey Dad, we really missed you," he professed. "Your kid is driving me crazy."

"Heyyyyy!" a huffy little voice rings out below them as they both laugh.

"He's kidding kid." The dad ruffles the top of Evie's hair before wrapping his arm around the neck of his son and pulling him tight. "Come here buddy, I missed you too."

Pulling himself away, Noah moves back to let his dad get further into the room and take out the semi-translucent carrier bag. Holding up the cutest of little dolls, he smiles as he recognizes the resemblances between this dolly and his daughter. "Here you go Kiwi, this is for you."

"I love her, thank you daddy!'' Evie cheered, snatching the doll from her father's hands and embracing her into her arms like a newborn. "I'm going to name her Watermelon."

Raising an eyebrow to Noah he skeptically aims for clarification. "Watermelon?"

"Yes, my wittle baby Watermelon," she playfully replies, kissing Watermelon's head.

"Still on with the same obsession I see?" Holding the palm of his hand up in the air, he looks between Evie and Noah.

"Ohhh you have no idea, you should see the new clothes and stuff mom bought her last week." Noah laughs cautiously, doubting whether or not he should have said anything. Evie quite often liked to parade her new clothes to everyone. Never mind.

"Here bud...catch this." Picking a square box out of the bag, he throws it over to Noah, watching him smoothly catch it.

Pulling the box up to get a better look, he gushed with excitement. "Aww no way, Dad. How did you get this game? Its pre-order only...man, thanks so much."

A delicate voice sounds out in the hallway leading from the bedrooms. "Hey, is it Christmas morning in here?"

Olivia walks out wearing her comfortable knitted lounge pants and white vest top, and she's left her hair to dry naturally in anticipation to get out and greet her man. She smiles affectionately over her kids; Noah who's intently reading the back of the game box and Evie who's continuously throwing a new doll up in the air, catching it again and shouting weeeeeeeeeeee.

"Remember when we used to do that to her?" he asks, nodding over towards Evie and wrapping his arm around Olivia's waist to pull her in tight. He breathes in the aromas from his wife's hair and leans into the familiar scent. "I missed you so much Liv," he delicately whispers.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leans in and places the softest of kisses against his lips, and they stay there motionless, wrapped up in the moment as if it's their first ever kiss all over again. Pulling back slightly, she wants to look into his eyes before burying her head into his chest.

"I missed you too El," she replies. Locking the outside world out for those brief flawless seconds of embrace, the sounds around them dull and fade, momentarily leaving only the rhythmic thump of their matching heartbeats to play out, and it was only then that everything started to come back into focus, each other's faces, the sounds of the kids, and the realization of life outside of this bubble.

"You guys make me wanna be sick," Noah grunts out in teenage disgust as he passes by, and they both consecutively laugh at the embarrassment they have caused their son.

"I'm going to play my game. Thanks again dad," he volunteered before closing his bedroom door behind him.

"Ok Kiwi. It's time for bed," Olivia informs her daughter, filling a plastic glass of water to place by her bedside.

"Mommy, can I take watermelon to bed?" Evie sweetly asks her mom.

"Watermelon?" Olivia looks over inquisitively to Elliot before registering the connection between her fruity obsession and the new doll.

"Liv, I'll put her to bed. You wanna get us some drinks and put your feet up? I'll come join you in a bit?" Elliot asks her before immediately assuming her answer. "Come on Kiwi kid, bring Watermelon," he says, and they both disappear down the hallway.

Placing the two glasses of wine on the table in front of the couch, she stretches herself out and rests her eyes for a few moments before reaching for her wine and looking up at the collage of photographs on the wall. Breaking her thought process, Elliot appears back into the room, lifts her legs slightly off the sofa, and maneuvers himself to sit comfortably down before putting her legs back on top of his lap.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" he asks curiously.

Her gaze still transfixed on the photographs, she replies, "Do you remember our wedding day?" …………..

*December 1st 2022

Dickie and Eli had picked him up far too early. Elliot had told his boys he didn't want to sit around and wait, not because he was demanding and impatient, but because he was apprehensive, overwhelmed and emotional. This day was one he had dreamt of for so long, he'd transgressed the idea long before he should have, and the thought stayed with him right through the years until...here he was sat just in front of the altar of a catholic church awaiting his bride.

Nervously looking around, he can feel the heat starting to rise throughout his body. This whole thing, this whole beautiful, awe-inspiring setup was all arranged by Olivia. Not only had she endured those lessons you have to attend set by the catholic church on the marriage preparation course, but she embraced them. Elliot used to laugh to himself, watching her eagerly trying to answer all of the questions and then being the one person keeping everyone back at the end to ask additional questions of her own. That was his Olivia. Elliot smiled to himself at the memory, and the tension eased slightly, allowing him to fully take in everything around him.

Dickie and Eli were dressed in the same dark grey checkered groomsmen suits as Elliot wore; the only exception was that Elliot's was slightly more tailored and the waistcoat underneath was plain grey. Each of them had a burgundy tie and matching pocket square, and attached to the outside jacket was a white and burgundy buttonhole. He hadn't paid attention to the colors previously, but looking around he could now see how perfectly contrasted they were to the white and oak furnishing of the church. Olivia had arranged for the whole place to be filled with simple but profoundly beautiful flowers, mainly whites, cream, and scatterings of burgundy with green. The archway at either end of the aisle was enclosed in these stunning arrangements, and the guests were all in admiration as they filled up their seats in the pews.

The prelude music, Greensleeves, was played elegantly by the string quartet, their instruments perfectly clean white matching the clothing of the musicians. A harpist accompanied them at the side of the altar, and Elliot remembered how he didn't see the necessity for all of these instruments to hold a place at the ceremony, but the look on Olivia's face at the moment when she heard them all playing together, well - it touched his heart.

Checking his watch, he hangs his torso over his knees and bows his head down. Any moment now and he's going to see her. A faint hand glides across his back and quickly looking up, he's welcomed by Dickie's comforting smile.

"It's going to be perfect Dad," he assures him.

Feeling a sense of comfort Elliot offers a prideful smile over to both of his sons, and with that, the musicians pause briefly before beginning the harmonious tune of the bridal entrance music.

As the quartet and harpist started ceremoniously playing Canon in D, all eyes looked to the back of the church in anticipation of the bridal party.

The first to walk down the aisle emitted a loud gasp of awws from the wedding guests, the noise chiming over the music. A just turned 10 year old Noah wearing a mini replica of Elliot's suit is slowly pacing himself down the aisle hand in hand with the very cute Jessie Rollins, her dress sleeveless and of ivory color, burgundy loose petals floating around the hem of the tulle skirt, with a burgundy bow round the middle. Her graceful footsteps left a tapping sound in their wake from the ivory satin, tiny heeled shoes she had on.

Following just slightly behind was her little sister Billie. Hand stretched out gripping onto her mother Amanda, the younger of the two siblings appeared to be quite intimidated by the abundance of adoring eyes on her, but a slightly tighter grip from her smiling mother gave her the reassurance to strut down the aisle behind her sister and Noah.

Amanda looked compressed with emotion, and Elliot met her unspoken reassurances with a smile. He hadn't noticed Amanda ever wear an occasion dress before, and glancing over to Sonny in the pews, he could see that probably neither had he. Amanda's dress matched perfectly with the other bridesmaid's burgundy in color to match the theme of the winter's day, simple solid chiffon, sleeveless, a-line maxi design with a double V neck that nipped in the material around the waist.

Keeping his eyes fixated to the front of the church, Elliot puffed out a loud breath of air as he locked eyes with his first born daughter Maureen. She was simply glowing as she waddled down the aisle, her bridesmaid bouquet barely covering the ready to 'pop' baby bump. Elliot wasn't sure whether the tears falling from her eyes were hormones or pure happiness for him, but either way, seeing her making her way down the aisle ahead of her sisters was gratifying. Maureen took her seat in the specified bridesmaid pews and looked over to her just about holding himself together father.

Kathleen was next and Elliot's gaze met hers, his face emitting the same pride it had with his eldest. But Kathleen was different, she had always been different, she wasn't walking down attempting to compose herself. She instead was beaming, a huge smile stretched across her face, waving to everyone she recognized as she passed by. The sight made Elliot release a small subtle chuckle. That's my Kathleen.

Lizzie, his little too wise for her years Lizzie, was fully grown up and striding down the aisle as gracefully as ever. Elizabeth had always been the 'easiest' of the Stabler Children; mature, self confident, independent, and not to mention incredibly smart. Catching her eye evoked a different response yet again, and as soon as she caught her father watching her, she blew an air kiss and giggled.

Looking over between the bridesmaid pews and his boys beside him, he readjusts his stance, a fulfilled, satisfied feeling flushing through him as he knows his children are just as excited for this as he is, and he takes his eyes to the floor below him and squeezes them tight to keep any stray tears at bay. Just as he does this, the tempo of the music changes, and he knows that this is it, this is the moment all of this is for. He's going to look up and see his Olivia waiting to walk down to him.

His chest feels like it's dropped to the pit of his stomach, and he holds onto the end of the pew to brace himself, not wanting his overwhelmed emotions to take away from this time. He lifts his head up, as it rises, she immediately looks to him before taking any steps. Her gaze renders him breathless, her beauty instantly captivating him. Olivia has always been beautiful. She's one of those women whose personalities shine out of their skin and enchants everyone around them, but today, especially today, there is something about her that is entirely indescribable by words.

He puts his fingers between the shirt collar and his neck, tugging at it slightly to allow air to pass through. There's a lump in his throat, and it's making it hard to contain the tears and to swallow, but something's gotta give, so he blinks his eyes together, and as they reopen he allows the tears to fall. Olivia is walking perfectly in sync with the music, and he doesn't care about his tough guy bravado, he doesn't care who sees him like this, all he cares about is this purely perfect moment with her.

When she reaches his side, he breathes out an exclamation of "wow," finally able to take in her appearance. The beautiful ivory wedding gown framed wonderfully just off her shoulders. She had chosen her dress perfectly. It flattered and accentuated her bust with an elegant fine line of diamantes, and it allowed a large focus on her slim waist whilst enhancing the curves of her hips with a tight figure hugging shape until the dress starts to pick up a greater volume towards the bottom and spreads out to a long trail behind her, adding a sense of grandeur and allurement.

It takes him a few seconds to steady himself, and as he feels the delicate touch of her hand brush against his, he confidently rights his position, rolls his shoulders back, and lets out a couple of manly sniffs before taking hold of the hand that's just brushed against his, and guides his bride until they are positioned in front of an eagerly awaiting Father Hogan.

Feeling her pinch his hand, he responds with concern and turns to see her face and rather pink emotion filled eyes.

"I love you Elliot Stabler," she almost blubbered

"I love you Olivia Benson….Stabler," he chokes out, coughing deeply and tapping his chest with his free hand in an additional attempt to regain composure.

"Oh god, El… don't. You're going to make me cry," she chuckles to him, fighting back her own tears.

Releasing a laugh and screwing his eyes shut, he looks between Father Hogan and Olivia. "Liv, you can't really say that in a catholic church." Exchanging a look of amusement with the Father, he laughs at a bashfully smiling Olivia. His Olivia.

Father Hogan carried out the ceremony delightfully. Olivia had requested a slight change to the traditional vows from I will love, honor and obey you to I will love and honor you. Elliot was more than happy, and he loved her even more for wanting to repeat the realistic truth in their life commitments.

After the exchange of vows, I do's, and I now declare you man and wife, a mass eruption of cheers roared out from the guests. The bells had chimed as they walked back up the aisle together hand in hand, and they were surrounded by the happy smiling faces of all of their family and friends.

The wedding reception took place at a nearby venue; it was a large room in a high rise, glass house overlooking the most amazing views of the city. The aesthetic decor was very similar to the setup of the church with the addition of the added centrepieces and table decor. The winter sun set earlier than it had in previous months, and as the guests ate the exquisite food, they appreciated overlooking the breathtaking panorama. The moment was made complete as the musicians carried on playing throughout. The top table had been positioned as a backdrop to the view, allowing them to look over their cheerful guests. They had chosen a non-traditional approach to the seating arrangements, leaving only themselves on the top table with all the Stabler children and their significant others on a circular one to their left, with Donald Cragen, his partner Eileen, Fin and Phoebe, Sonny, Amanda, Jessie, Billie and Noah on the opposing similar setup. Although the three children were more interested in running around, scrambling under the tables, and basically being anywhere other than sitting in their seats, Olivia and Elliot were thrilled to just look on and observe them enjoying themselves. Amanda and Sonny however, looked slightly uneasy attempting to herd the hyped up youngsters.

Former Captain Donald Cragen had read out a sentimental speech in the place of a father of the bride, for obvious reasons. What he read out was a perfect mix between memories, affection and humor. He took great pleasure in sharing stories of the past, specifically about all the trouble his two head strong detectives had caused him, and his speech ended with a note to how much he loved them both dearly before encouraging everyone to raise their glasses.

Maureen had personally asked Olivia if she could make a speech at the wedding, and a special request was that Elliot had to be kept in the dark until the time came. It was originally written with anecdotes from each of his children, both personally to their father and Olivia, memoirs of how they originally knew her, their dad's former partner. Her articulation was heartwarming, and the added mention of how the children all knew their mother would be pleased Elliot had found his way to Olivia left not a dry eye in the room.

The speeches took on a more lighthearted tone when Fin took the stand to offer a multitude of backhanded compliments towards Elliot, official compliments towards Olivia, and a tender but comical touch of praise for Noah putting up with Stabler.

After sweating through 48 minutes of anticipation waiting his turn to stand up and speak, Elliot cleared his throat, removed an envelope from his pocket, and began to address the room.

"So...roughly 3 years ago, I wrote Olivia a letter….I didn't have time to write anything else down now so... I'm just going to read that out."

Feeling a light slap from his bride and being reassured by the mixture of laughter from their guests, he smiles at her before carrying on. "Nah, nah I'm joking...to be honest there's so many wonderful things I could say about Olivia, but putting those things into words to make this speech is the most difficult thing I've had to do in my life. Trying to explain to all of you just how lucky I am to have her by my side, how she put up with my shit for- oops sorry."

He pauses to look at the kids, putting his hand over his mouth and shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah anyway, so let's just say, she put up with a lot from me and you know what? In all that time she never, ever put herself first, not once...she always had me, my family, her friends, her squad...everyone else at the forefront of her thoughts, but that's just who Olivia is, selfless, kind, caring, funny, insanely beautiful, and let's not forget an absolute ball breaker."

Another affectionate slap to the arm from Olivia and a roar of laughter, claps, and head nods from the guests confirms his hopes that his affectionate joke went down well. He takes a sip of his water and continues. "Olivia has made me a parent again, not that I didn't have enough experience already…but no seriously, she trusted me with her most important person and to welcome me into their lives...well it was one of the best things to ever happen to me. So to sum up, this moment, here with you Olivia, is a dream come true and I am one very lucky man."

A loud 'whoop' comes from one of the tables followed by a 'you know it,' and Elliot laughs towards the two offenders Carisi and Fin. About to raise a glass, he abruptly places it back on the table. "Not to forget I owe thanks to all of the amazing bridesmaids, sweet little flower girls, our handsome little man Noah, and finally all of you here today, everyone who came here to support us, share our moment, and to witness the start of our married life together. So if everyone would like to join me in raising a glass to my new wife Olivia Margaret Stabler."

The sounds of post drink gasps and chinks of crystal flutes are accompanied with applause, cheering and laughter.

The remainder of the afternoon was filled with copious amounts of champagne, mingling between friends, and exchanges of stories on the bride and groom.

As the evening was drawing to a close the lights of the room dimmed, emphasizing the dazzling illumination of the city lights through the glass wall, and a resonated voice stole the attentions of the crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemen...The bride and groom will now be taking their places on our dance floor for the first dance."

A harmonious sound from the saxophone elegantly playing the music of 'Somewhere' from the production West Side Story played out, as one by one the lanterns symmetrically placed round the ceiling of the dance floor began to take their warm glow.

Taking her by the hand he pulls her into a formal dance position. "You actually practiced?" she asks, her surprised tone encouraging a smile from him.

"Didn't you?" he replies before feeling her arms wraps tightly round around his shoulder.

"Not once" she whispers, placing a kiss to his cheek.

"Phew" he breathes out. "I was just gonna wing it." He laughs, dropping all formality and allowing her body to relax, her head resting peacefully against him as they sway to their sound in blissful contentment.

*Present Day

Picking up his glass of wine he leans over to her, kisses her rose tinted cheek, and reminds her, "Liv, it was the best day of my life……. I'd never forget a moment."