They talk to each other as if no one else is in the room.
This is the thought that passes Kathleen's mind as she watches Elliot and Olivia from the kitchen. She and the rest of her family are over at Olivia's apartment for dinner, something that has been occurring more regularly since Finn's wedding.
It started when Elliot dropped by one afternoon to discuss work and (according to Eli), didn't come home until late that night. Then he was away the next evening. Apparently, Olivia's washing machine had broken and despite her protests, Elliot insisted on fixing it. Between ordering and waiting for new parts to arrive and taking lengthy breaks playing with Noah and catching up with his former partner, it took Elliot two weeks to repair the washing machine.
By then, Eli began dropping by, first to check in on his father, and then to play with Noah – catch, chess and cricket - not the first person in the Stabler family to adore Olivia's son. Soon, it became tradition for Olivia to have Elliot and Eli over every Saturday evening for dinner. Eli was guarded towards Olivia at first, the woman who seemed to have this unique ability to ease his father's tempers and draw out his deepest thoughts and feelings. Then Noah won over his heart, and he began to warm to Olivia, appreciating the tender care she showed towards him and his dad, treating them as if they were family. His care for her grew as his father told him about how Olivia saved his life and his mother's, the day he was born.
Tonight, Olivia had invited Kathleen over for dinner, encouraging her to bring her siblings too.
Now, Kathleen is supposed to be decorating the last few touches on a cake she made, but instead she's watching Olivia and Elliot who are sitting on the couch together, so close that their thighs are almost touching. Olivia's holding a glass of wine in one hand, her other hand lightly touching his arm. She's laughing at something he said. Kathleen watches the way he stares at her, as if he's lost in her eyes. Kathleen sees the way his cheeks lift into a rare smile when she speaks, warming his entire features.
It's like they're the only two planets in the solar system, orbiting each other's space.
Kathleen whirls her head around her, seeing her siblings just feet away from the couple, playing with Noah. Can no one else see this?
Kathleen brings the cake, plates and forks over and places it on the coffee table in front of Oliva and Elliot. The clang of the tray hitting the table alerts her siblings' attention, however
Elliot and Olivia still seemed to be wrapped up in their own conversation.
Kathleen interrupts. "Dessert's ready. It's a butterscotch layered cake."
Olivia lifts her head up, her eyes widening with delight at the fluffy layers dripping with caramel sauce. "It looks delicious Kathleen, thank you for making this."
Kathleen smiles and begins dishing out the plates as her siblings and Noah come over, taking their place around the coffee table. "It's soothing. It's helped to invest in these hobbies, you know? Since mom died." Kathleen turns to Elliot and says, "Dad, I tried to open the champagne you brought over but couldn't find the bottle opener."
"You shouldn't need the bottle opener. I'll grab it."
Kathleen waits for Elliot to leave before taking her place next to Olivia. "Thanks for having us over Liv."
Olivia smiles as she reaches for a plate, seeing Noah's eager eyes already devouring the cake, almost impatient for a piece. "Of course. We should have done this sooner. I've just been swamped with work…" Olivia cuts and hands Noah his slice of cake with a plastic fork, gently warning him, "Don't eat it all at once, remember what happened at Lachlan's birthday party."
"So has Dad, busy at work I mean," Kathleen continues. She glances at her father, who is holding the bottle with one hand and searching for new glasses with other. She almost rolls her eyes. It's a crime in his house to pour new wine into tainted glasses, just another habit he picked up from Italy. "I wanted to say that things have improved. Dad's been seeing someone, a trauma psychologist. Eli says he's not coming home late at night anymore and is eating and sleeping. He even calls me on his breaks every now and again to check in."
Olivia's smiles and she gently squeeze Kathleen's arm affectionately. "I'm glad. He told me he was seeing someone and making progress."
"I notice he's been a lot happier these past few weeks too, since he's been seeing you."
Olivia raises her eyes, taken back. Kathleen leans forward and continues. "You're good for him Liv. Just…things he can't share with us, he shares with you."
"You know I'll always be there to support your father."
"I know. It's not just that…" Kathleen pauses, unsure of how to say it. "I see the way he looks at you…that day after the intervention, when he told you he loves you," Kathleen doesn't miss the sharp intake of breath Olivia takes. "I asked him about it. He refused to talk about anything from that night. Eli thought it might have been a mistake, a comment he was directing to all of us. But I know he only meant it for you. He'll never admit it though."
Olivia swallows, feeling the weight of what she's saying. She sees the urgency in her eyes. Olivia takes a steady breath. "Kathleen, Elliot and I care about each other a lot. But that night, he was under a lot of pressure…and I honestly think that pursuing any sort of relationship is the last thing on his mind."
Kathleen shakes her head. "He meant it Liv. He's just too scared to say anything. Look, I'm not saying you need to do anything about it," Kathleen pauses, glancing at Elliot once more, who is pouring champagne into two glasses. "You deserve to be happy. You both do. And I know if mom could talk, she would say the same thing too."
Olivia's eyes bloom with surprise, sure she misheard her.
Kathleen reads her surprise look and squeezes her friend's hand. "I just don't want you to think that anything is standing in the way. Not from me, or anyone in this family."
Then Kathleen goes to settle in-between her brothers, absorbing herself in their conversations, just as Elliot returns.
Elliot hands her a glass of wine as he settles on the couch, his eyes shifting between Olivia and Kathleen. "That looked like a serious conversation."
Olivia blinks once, then twice, recomposing herself. She passes him a small smile. "Oh, it was nothing. She was just telling me about her holiday plans." Olivia lifts her glass up to her nose and breathes in the fruity aroma. She takes a sip and closes her eyes, letting out a blissful hum when she feels the smooth liquid run down her throat. "Borolo. Another favourite from Italy?"
"Yep. And judging from your smile, one of yours too?"
Olivia pinches her lips together and shrugs, a hint of a sparkle in her eye. "It's growing on me since you started coming over."
Elliot breathes out a laugh. "I'm not surprised. I checked your cupboard; you're still drinking ten-dollar wine."
Olivia scrunches her nose and casts him an irritated look. "Hey, just because I'm not a wine snob."
Elliot raises his hands defensively. "It's hard to go back to drinking American wine when you lived an hour away from one of the best wineries in Rome." Elliot pauses to take a sip, reminiscing. Then he turns to Olivia and says, "You would have loved the wine tasting their Liv."
Olivia sees a spark in his eye as he starts to talk about Italy, lifting her heart. A distant memory drifts into her mind when Elliot last tried to talk about Italy, "You would have loved Rome Liv…" before she cut him off.
Tonight, Olivia leans in closer and says, "Tell me about it."
Olivia nods and smiles as he talks, in awe at the beauty of Italy that he's painting for her. But another part of her mind is replaying the conversation she had with Kathleen and her recent moments with Elliot. I see the way he looks at you…
It's ludicrous, stupid for her to think that anything could ever happen. She shouldn't want anything to happen. It took her years to get over Elliot and the heart crushing pain he brought her. Anyway, what they have right now is good, perfect. He's back in her life, more settled than before. Olivia feels like she has a family. She doesn't want to gamble that away.
Yet Olivia can't help but wonder what would happen if she took a chance and risked it. Once again, she replays Kathleen's words.
I just don't want you to think that anything is standing in the way. Not from me, or anyone in this family…
…
"Did you see the way they were looking at each other?"
Eli rolls his eyes at his sister. They're back at his father's apartment and Elliot insisted that it's too late for her to drive home, and she spend the night at their guest room. She's sitting at the end of Eli's bed as he rummages through his closet, searching for his pyjamas.
"Not this again Kathleen. Did you spend the whole night watching them?"
Kathleen wants to chuck one of his dirty socks at her brother. "Doesn't this frustrate anyone else? They have feelings for each other but are too scared to act. And even you admitted that Dad's been better, happier since he's been seeing Liv more."
"So what?" Eli asks as he bundles his pyjamas together, turning to face his sister. "Yeah, they might like each other. And I'm glad she's helped him through his grief. But why do you care so much?"
Kathleen casts him a harden look. "You're going to college in a couple of years. Aren't you worried about how Dad might cope without you?"
Eli pauses, he hasn't considered this before.
Sensing him thinking, Kathleen quickly continues. "I'm not at home anymore, neither is Dickie. When mom was here, it might have been okay, Dad wouldn't be alone. But when you leave, he won't have anyone. Aren't you worried about how he'll cope?"
Eli's face darkens as he recalls all the evenings his dad would spend at work, overworking himself to forget about his grief and pain, focused only on finding his mother's killer. He remembers his exhaustion, irritability, sudden anger outbursts and the long periods he would go without sleep or food. Then he remembers the car crash.
Eli winces at the memories. "Okay, I get your point. But Dad won't be alone, he knows he can call me, us. He doesn't need another woman just because mom's not around anymore.
Kathleen studies her brother for a moment and can see his deep fury. Suddenly, she realises just how hard this must be for him, to see Olivia stepping into their father's life and possibly taking her mother's place. He doesn't know Olivia like they do, he just sees her as another woman.
"It's not just about Dad finding any partner," Kathleen says softly, grabbing his attention. She tries to gather the thoughts in her head and sighs softly. "Olivia's not just his partner, but his best friend. We all considered her to be family. You know she was there with mom during the car crash, the day you were born? She saved her life."
Eli's face darkens once more. "Yeah, dad told me."
"And there were times when mom couldn't get through to dad, when he was working too late, too caught up in his work…It was Liv she encouraged him to speak to, and Liv who reminded him to come home."
Eli shakes his head, his frustration growing. "Doesn't it bother you that dad could be moving on with someone else so soon?"
Kathleen nods slowly, understanding him. "It would if it was anyone else. But this is Liv, and she makes him happy, whole. I think they could both make each other really happy, and I know mom would want that too."
Eli gives his sister a hard look before sighing. His anger slowly diminishes as he exhales, understanding settling within him. "Didn't dad leave Olivia though and ignore her since we left New York?"
Kathleen hears his point. "You're right, and I don't think they've spoken about that yet, properly talked about it…" She lowers her eyes, thinking. "But they like each other, they just need a gentle nudge and the reassurance from us that we wouldn't discourage their relationship. I'm not saying we do anything extreme," she quickly adds, seeing the panic in his eyes. "I just know if we can just get them into the same room together to talk things through…."
Eli doesn't look convinced. "Have you spoken to Maureen about this?"
Kathleen shrugs. "I know I can get her on board. Dickie too. They just want Dad to be happy." She pauses, looking thoughtful, then casts her brother an eye glinting smile. "So, did you want to hear my plan?"
…
Thank you for reading! Please review and let me know your thoughts. The next chapter is basically written, I just need to proof read and I'll upload it soon! God, I wonder if Kathleen actually ships these two idiots for real on the show?
