Olivia managed to get eight hours of sleep felt like a miracle to her these days. Olivia loved her son more than life itself, but not being woken at 6:00 am on a Saturday is a special kind of treat. Getting up and putting on leggings and a T-shirt, she mentally created a list of what needed to be cleaned and washed this morning before Amanda arrived.

Grabbing her headphones and getting to work, she methodically went through the apartment, stripping beds, grabbing towels to start the washing. Remaking the beds and putting out fresh towels was her starting place before moving on to tidying and cleaning. Once everything was in its space, cleaned and vacuumed into an inch of its life. She made her way to the bathroom to clean that while thinking about what she would wear to Elliotts with his kids tonight.

Getting dressed for Amanda's arrival seemed to be a better place to start, and she kept pulling up a blank about tonight. Deciding to ask Amanda to help her would ease some of the pressure.

The knock on the door came around. Olivia answered it to Amanda's smiling face while she held up a bag and just said, "I felt like Dumplings, so that is what we are having". "Sounds great thanks for grabbing it. Come in," Olivia said, stepping out of the way so the blonde could walk into the apartment.

"You have been busy; this place is immaculate. Trying to work out some frustration, are we?" Amanda said as she made her way into the kitchen. Amanda grabbed out plates and chopsticks as she made her way around the kitchen. Pulling the takeaway containers from the bag, she started serving for the two of them.

Olivia's stomach growled upon smelling the food while sitting at the counter. "I haven't eaten yet. I wanted to get everything done, I slept in, so sleep won over food". Eating what was in front of them, the food was terrific. "Where did you get these from". Olivia asked so she could take note and take Elliott there to grab dumplings one night. Why is that the first place that her head went?

"It is a place that Carisi knows I will send you the address. So … what happened when you guys went out the front last night, you came back it, and it was almost like you couldn't catch up to yourself". Amanda asked straight to the point as always.

"Cassidy was a dick and told El about the two of us. El came over as you saw and just said he wants to head out the front to clarify some things. When we were out there, it got a bit heated. I pretty much told him that he had no right to my story, including the kidnapping, which he did not know. I know I don't owe him an explanation about anything that happened over the last ten years or about the men I have dated. Including Cassidy and Tucker". Olivia saw how far Amanda's brows shot up at the mention of Tucker. "I know I don't even know why I said it. I think it was to piss him off for acting like a child about Cassidy".

"I don't know where to start with everything. El walked out on me, just never came back to work. I had to hear from Cragen that he had put in his papers. How do I now let him back into my life after that? I understand why or why he says that he did it, and to a degree, I get it. Yes, we were too close. It was never a sexual thing between us". Olivia thought about it for a second before continuing. "I would open up about the job, how it made me feel, and he would do the same. I knew it wasn't something that he would talk to Kathy about because she wouldn't get it, and I did. We would talk about everything back then".

"I know I should not be happy about that, but did we cross a line physically. No. Did we cross a line emotionally? Yes, I would have to say yes. But at the end of it, he chose her and their kids. I can not be angry about that. That is just who he is".

"Have you spoken to Eliott about this"? Amanda asked. "We started to talk about it last night, and I didn't say I thought we passed a line that we shouldn't have, but I did say that I don't know where we stand now with the line that we put in the ground now gone. He hurt me more than anyone else ever had, and I don't know how to let him in, especially now that I have Noah. Then to top that all off, I kissed him when the cab dropped us off last night".

"That is the bit that you should have lead with". Amanda's face said a lot more than her words did at that moment. "That isn't the half of it. I came in for the night, and there was a knock on the door a couple of minutes later. When I answered the door, El was there, and he kissed me, and I mean, make your toes curl and make you forget your name kissed me. After he left, he messaged when he got home to invite me over tonight for games night with his kids. We are going to set some ground rules and talk about a few things tonight. I know it won't be everything, but is it wrong that I want to let him back into my life. I loved him for years if I was honest with myself. It was a difficult situation that we were in, and that isn't just the two of us that also included his Kathy".

"Do you want to be with him? Do you want to start a relationship with Elliott". Amanda asks as straight as she can. "Yes, I do". Olivia replies to her friend. "Then that is the whole game. What has happened can not be changed. All of the relationships in the last ten years got you to this point, just like your relationship taught you to stand on your own two feet to grab what you want. The way you would view a relationship with his now would be different to Olivia from ten years ago. Had something happened, then do you honestly think it would have lasted".

Thinking Amanda's words over. "No, I don't think it would. I think it would have been great sex for a while, but I would have still been in his shadow to some point. Where now, I know who I am, what I can and can not live with. I think now we would have a chance of something lasting".

"Do you trust him not to walk out on you and Noah"? Amanda asked with a look of seriousness on her face. "I trust that he would not do anything to hurt either of us. Even when he left, I don't think El ever intended to hurt me the way that he did". Olivia said.

"Then nothing else matters. Everything else can be discussed, agreed upon or agreed never to be spoken of again. You also don't owe any explanation about what happened while he was gone. But if you are going to move forward with this, you will need to talk about the kidnapping, if only to let him know your trigger points. He needs to know those. Do what is going to make you happy, Liv you deserve it". Olivia was so grateful for having a friend like Amanda. She knows that she would always get a straight response from her.

They discussed a few more things before Amanda left, and Olivia started to get ready. He had messaged her earlier to let her know to be there around 5:00 pm. Heading into her room to get ready, she put in more effort than usual by straightening her hair instead of leaving it in its regular soft curly, applying natural makeup while contemplating what to wear. Did she think anything was going to happen tonight? She asked herself and said no. However, did she change her underwear to be a simple pale pink lace bra with matching bikini-cut briefs? Yes, yes, she did. She also was not crazy and did not want to get caught with granny panties.

Making a mental note that she would have to go shopping at some stage to be better prepared for what may or may not happen moving forward. Olivia pulled out her favourite dark blue skinny jeans that had s few slight rips in the thigh, a v-neck white t-shirt that always showed a level of cleavage that sat too low to be professional but not low enough to give the wrong idea. If she bent over in it the right way, she was more than able to provide an eyeful. She was grabbing her grey tweed blazer and flat caramel ankle boots to finish off the outfit.

She took out her essential items from her work bag to transfer them into a matching handbag then went to leave. At the last minute, she walked back to the fridge she grabbed a bottle of red to take with her. Putting the bottle in her handbag, she left the apartment to walk to Elliotts. Olivia's phone vibrated in her pocket. Pulling her phone out, she read the text from Elliott.

El: So, you know, the kids came early to discuss our kiss last night.

Liv: Is that good or bad? I am just leaving my place now. Should I stroll so you all have more time to talk to them or not come at all?

El: Nothing like that, which are all "very open and receptive to the idea of us" words they all used. They have all said they are happy for me to see you.

El: I think the winner was from Richard, and I quote, "I am glad you are not trying to bang 25-year-olds. You are too old to date women below 40. Olivia is age-appropriate and has always been hot". Sometimes I fucking wonder why I had kids.

Liv: I don't know what to do with that.

The walk to Elliott's place is only about 15 minutes at a leisurely pace, and it was a beautiful afternoon out. She knows it would be one of the last few times she would be able to do the walk before the cold started to settle in. Olivia pressed the buzzer for his new apartment and fumbled around in her bag to pull out the bottle of wine. one of the girls answered the intercom to let her up. Taking the elevator, she tried to centre herself and calm her nerves. The last time Olivia had seen all of the kids had been at the intervention. Let us hope tonight goes better, she thought as the elevator doors opened.

There was laughter down the hallway as she turned the corner towards the apartment, and Olivia could see Kathleen standing in the doorway waiting to let her into the apartment. "No, you won't keep score Dickie, you always cheat, and you are not even good at it". Kathleen called back into the apartment. "We can start with bullshit. Eli has not played that with all of us". Kathleen looked up to see Olivia making her way down the hall towards her. Stepping away from the door, she ran the meet her enveloping her in a hug that was so filled with warmth and love it hit Olivia that Kathleen was happy that she had come. "Dickie is trying to convince everyone that he should be points scorer tonight, but he is the biggest cheater that there is". Katheleen hooked her arm through Olivia's as they made their way to the front door.

Walking behind Kathleen, Olivia was meet with shouting about Dickie not being able to be point scorer. Which ended with Mo pulling rank with, "No fucking way are you doing it Dickie last time you ended up over 100 points ahead. You don't even know how to cheat well". Everyone laughed at it. With Carl saying, "You have done it now Dick, you made sober Mo swear", her husband said to the table, and they all cracked up. "You can fuck off too, Carl". Came Mo's eloquent response. "Hi, Liv", Mo greeted as she made her way to Olivia and gave her an equally welcoming hug as Kathleen did.

After everyone said their greetings and hugged, the kids made their way back towards the dining table as Eliott stepped into the kitchen. "I could not come empty-handed, so here". Elliott smiled at the sweet gesture, grabbing the wine and placing it into the fridge. He could see that she was nervous, so he took her hand and gently squeezed it to reassure Olivia that it really would be alright. "What can I get you to drink," he asked her. While also shouting out to everyone else, "Who wants a drink while I am here".

A range of requests of soft drink or beer shouts came as he started to pull them from the fridge. "What do you want, Liv". He asked. "Beer would be good, but so would six tequila shot at this stage" her reply came along with a burst of laughter from Eliott. "Beer, I can do tequila, not so much. I still remember the last time I drank it with you was almost 20 years ago, and I have not touched it since".

They both grabbed four drinks each and heading to the dining room table. "What have you not touched in 20 years," Eli asked, picking up on their conversation. "That would be tequila". Olivia could not help herself and laughing at the memory. "Oh, I remember that night. You managed to be able to get yourself home. Fin had some random hook up collect him, for what I am sure would have been a disappointing night, and I had to get Munch home and into bed on my own. Have you ever been to Munch's apartment? Each wall has newspaper clipping about conspiracy theories plastered to it. You were still drunk the next day, Fin was hungover, and Much called in sick. I was a champ and was not even hungover". She shared with pride taking a seat at the table between Eliott and Lizzie.