A/N: Hi! Thanks for all of your reviews and feedback. I'm so incredibly lucky that I have people like you who read and enjoy my writing. Well here's the end of the Olivia/Roger situation. Enjoy!

Chapter 82

Win

The seventh inning stretch came and went, the Yankees leading the game 5-3. At the top of the ninth inning, the Red Sox tied the game with a two-run homerun. Roger jumped out of his seat, a lone Sox jersey stuck out in a sea of seated navy blue shirts. He watched as the ball soared over the right field fence, a smile beaming on his face.

"Comin' back, Liv!" He sat back down in his seat and playfully smacked Olivia on the leg. She smiled: he hadn't ever called her that nickname before, and it made her happy to hear him say it.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see." She looked toward him and exchanged a friendly smile, watching as he adjusted his hat and leaned forward in his seat. Both teams went into their dugouts as the top of the ninth inning came to a close. Roger turned toward Olivia and extended his arm around the back of her seat.

"So, have you gotten the ring yet?" He asked the question quietly, trying to act like he wasn't very interested, but Olivia could tell he was bluffing.

"Yeah," she paused, "Actually…I bought it a while ago." A shy smile crept across her face. She wasn't sure why she was embarrassed to admit this, but she was.

"Really?" Roger chuckled. "How long ago?"

"Pretty much right after I got shot. I just knew." She couldn't help the satisfied smile that pulled at her lips.

Olivia felt Roger's hand grip her shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Well, I'm glad. Have you figured out how you're going to propose?"

Roger watched as Olivia rubbed the back of her neck, wincing her eyes a bit as she furrowed her brow. "No, not really. I've had a few ideas, but nothing really stood out to me."

"I get it. It's important. But, Olivia…" he paused. "Alex isn't picky—you know that any way you decide to ask her, she will love it." Olivia nodded. "When I proposed to Caroline—oh man, I'll never forget that," he chuckled a bit, "I had this big idea to take her on a picnic to this beach where we first met. I packed a lunch, got some champagne…everything was great. But then it started raining right when we got to the beach." Olivia grimaced, and Roger pointed at her face. "Yes! Exactly! You know how much Alex hates the rain, and that came from her mother. So, needless to say, it literally rained on my parade. But, I decided to grab my umbrella and head for a tree by the beach. After all, it was only a light drizzle."

The players took the field to play to last half-inning of the game, and Olivia listened closely to Roger, who had entirely captivated her. "So I held the umbrella over the both of us and tucked her down under this huge tree on the outskirt of the beach. I laid out a blanket and pulled out the food, and we were almost completely sheltered from the rain. I remember her hair was sort of damp and tangled together in her face and I reached over and tucked it behind her ear." He was lost in the thought for a moment, a sad smile adorning his face. Olivia couldn't help but feel the emotion well in her heart as her throat tightened and tears rose in her eyes.

"She ate, I remember." He laughed out loud. "I was so nervous I couldn't even think about eating anything. I opened the champagne and poured it into two paper cups—I downed mine in one gulp." He paused and looked at Olivia. "You know, it doesn't really matter what you say—just like you told me earlier tonight. As long as you say what you feel, it will be perfect."

"Well, anyways, I was so nervous that when I pulled out the ring and went to get down on my knee, I dropped it. I remember watching as it rolled off the blanket and into the mix of sand and grass that was soaked from the rain. I reached down to pick up the ring and it was covered in sand and mud. I was so embarrassed, but, when I looked up at Caroline, I couldn't help but smile. She was sitting across from me and tears filled her eyes as she smiled down on my clumsiness."

The first batter entered the box, but neither of them watched—they were connected to each other and Olivia couldn't pull her attention away, even if she had wanted to. "I picked up the ring and wiped it off as best as I could. I asked her to marry me, and she said yes—she tried to hold back the tears, but she could barely get the word out before they started flowing. She kissed me and I felt so bad about the ring that I remember I took my shoes off, rolled up my pants, and waded into the water. I held the ring between both of my hands and let the water run through them." He put his hands together and laced his fingers loosely. "I remember when I pulled my hands out of the water I turned to look back toward Caroline, and all of the sudden, she was right there. I pulled her into the water with me and put that ring on her finger." He paused, taking a breath. "Oh, well! I guess what I'm saying is that it's a day you'll never forget." Roger patted Olivia on the back, smiling towards her.

Olivia was speechless: she was feeling so many emotions and she didn't know how to respond. Luckily, the Yankees made it so that she didn't have to. With one crack of the bat, everyone stood up and watched the fly ball soar over the center field fence—the Yankees had won the game on a walk-off homer.

Twenty minutes later, Roger and Olivia were walking down a city street when they passed a bar and Roger nodded toward the sign. "Let me buy you a congratulatory beer." They sat down and ordered two beers, Roger paying the waiter ahead of time. "Well, I guess I have to give it to you—it was a good game. Of course, I wish it would have turned out differently, but it is what it is." The waiter delivered their drinks and Roger took his into his hand, raising it up towards Olivia. "Well, here's to you and Alex."

Olivia nodded and clinked her bottle against his as they both drank. "Olivia, I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed spending some time with you tonight. And, as nice as it was to sit two rows back from the field at Yankee stadium, I appreciate even more that we could have the discussion that we did earlier."

"Well, thank you for coming with me. I'm glad we were able to do this, too. Uh, Roger…I…"Olivia wasn't sure how to approach this topic, but she knew she wanted to say something to him. She took a deep breath and peeled the corner of the label off her beer bottle as she tried to formulate her thought. "I don't really know how much Alex has told you about my life, but uh," she looked up and made eye contact with him, disregarding the label, "I didn't have a father growing up, and I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate how welcoming you've been and everything, but on top of that, I just wanted to thank you for raising the most wonderful person I've ever met." She smiled. "And, I guess I want to say thank you for kind of taking me under your wing lately, and supporting me in any way you can. You've done more for me than I think you know."

Roger was surprised at this comment, but quickly responded. "Thank you, Olivia." He reached across the table and patted her hand. "Don't ever be afraid to reach out to me for anything you need—I'll try to help in any way I can." The next few minutes passed in silence before Roger piped up.

"So, I guess I wouldn't be 'the dad' if I didn't ask you a few questions…?" He chuckled as he said this, but Olivia could tell he was genuinely interested in her answers. She waved her hand toward him, giving him a pass to ask anything he wanted. "It's odd because although I haven't known you for a long time, I feel like I understand you. So, I feel like I may know some of these answers, but just humor the old man, will ya?" Olivia nodded and became a little nervous as she waited for his questions.

"So what do you see in Alexandra that makes you think she would be a good wife?"

Olivia wasn't expecting this, but formulated an answer right away. "Well, I don't think it's necessarily what would make her a 'good wife,' but more what would make us into a good partnership." Roger nodded. "And, I think it's that we understand each other in almost every way, and we've both been through a lot of stuff in the past few years that we can share with each other." Olivia paused. "I can't think of anyone else that I have more fun with, or can make me laugh by just looking at me a certain way. I think we share the same values, and I just know that there's no one else in this world I'd rather be with."

"Good answer. You sure you didn't go to law school?" Roger smiled and continued. "Where do you see yourself in five years? Like you said earlier, you guys aren't necessarily young, but I'm just kind of interested in your priorities."

"In five years, I'd like to think Alex and I would be married and pursuing whatever career goals we each have. Truthfully, I'd like to continue to work at SVU, and I know that she may have some political interests, and I'll support her in whatever she chooses."

"What about children?"

"I'm up for whatever. I would love nothing more than to raise a child with Alex, if that's what she wanted. If that's something she hasn't decided, or she doesn't want to, I'm ok with that too…I guess when it comes down to it, I just want to make Alex happy, honestly."

"Another good answer. Ok, just one more and the cross examination can be over with." He winked at her and she smiled back, ready for the next question. "This is a difficult question, but I think it's important to vocalize this to someone other than yourself." He took a breath and Olivia was immediately anxious. "Coming from someone who was married for close to 45 years, I'll fill you in—as much as you think it's going to be all sunshine and rainbows and walking on cloud 9 every day, there will probably come a time when you have to deal with some disagreement, no matter what it is. How do you deal with conflict? And, would you be willing to seek counseling if that's what Alex said she needed to make things better?"

"One of the things that I've realized in the past few months—that Alex has actually helped me with a lot—is that in the past I haven't dealt with things in exactly the proper way. When things got difficult, I would remove myself—whether that was running from the situation or just leaving completely, it was my MO. And, now I can see that it didn't accomplish anything. It was Alex who sat me down and was basically like, 'listen, this hasn't worked for you for 40 years and it's not going to work here either.' And, that's when I started to understand it." Roger nodded along. "I understand what you're saying, and if we ever reached a point where Alex suggested that we meet with someone to work on things, I would absolutely be willing to do that." She paused. "I appreciate you asking me these questions, and I just want you to know that I love your daughter with everything I have, and I'll do anything and everything in my power to make sure that she is happy and loved every day that I can."

Roger noticed that Olivia was done with her beer and he took the last sip of his, sliding the bottle to the end of the table. He stood up and motioned toward the door and Olivia followed closely behind. When they exited the bar Roger pulled Olivia into a tight hug, and he couldn't help but smile as they broke apart. He took Olivia's shoulders into his hands as he looked into her eyes. "Thank you for loving Alex. I will never be able to tell you how happy it makes me that she has found you, and that she has found her strength in you." Olivia nodded as she felt tears well in her eyes. "Well, I should be getting home...and you should probably get home to Alex. I'm sure she's missed you." He looked at his watch as Olivia agreed. "I'll see you soon, Olivia. Let me know if you need anything, ok?" He stepped out into the street and hailed a cab. Olivia watched as he stepped inside. She waited for the cab to disappear around the corner before she took her phone out of her pocket, noticing a few text messages she had missed within the past few hours.

Liv! Let me know how everything goes. Kathy keeps asking me every five mins.

Olivia smiled as she located a cab for herself. She gave the cabbie the address and sat down in the back as she responded.

Hey El. It was great! He was so supportive and really made me feel good about the whole thing…And the Yankees won, so that's good.

She noticed that Alex had texted her back earlier and opened that message thread.

Ugh, fine. I guess I'll just have to wait for you here.

Also, now you can't claim that 17 year olds are the only people who get nudes.

Watching on TV.

Olivia felt her heart sink—what if she had seen them? They were only two rows back from the field. Surely the camera had caught them at some point while it was panning across the stadium.

Well, I'm reading a magazine. So not necessarily 'watching.' But, I know the score.

Yankees win! See you soon baby. I'll be waiting.

Olivia smiled and breathed a sigh of relief that she had dodged that bullet. She looked out the window and watched the familiar scenery pass outside, reliving the last few hours. A satisfied smile spread over her face as she replied to Alex.

Alex, I love you so much. I just wanted to tell you that. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I would be stupid to not wake up and tell you that every day. Just in the past few months, you've made me such a better person and I can never thank you enough for that. I don't know what I ever did to deserve you, but I can only hope I keep doing it for the rest of my life. Thank you for choosing me. I can't wait to get home to you, beautiful.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Olivia opened the door to the apartment and set her keys down on the table. She heard the faint sound of the sports commentators from the other room and saw Alex's slender body illuminated from the glow of the TV. Olivia's heart broke from the beauty: Alex was curled up on the couch, her magazine laying haphazardly over her midsection. Her glasses were askew on her face, and her light grey t-shirt rode up a little bit, her bare skin showing above her red flannel pants. Olivia thought about just leaving her there, allowing her to sleep soundly without any interruption, but when she stood over her, she couldn't imagine going to bed by herself that night.

Olivia turned off the light in the kitchen and made her way into the living room. She picked up the remote and turned the TV off before she delicately picked up Alex's most recent copy of Elle, placing it quietly on the table in front of the couch. She looked down upon Alex and was taken aback by her beauty. Before she could study her for too long, though, she bent down and scooped her arms under the blonde, picking her up off the couch.

As soon as her shoes touched the hallway, Alex stirred in her arms. "Hey sleepyhead." The blue eyes fluttered open and took in the sight above her.

"Hi." She smiled and burrowed her head into Olivia's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around the detective's neck. By the time she had situated herself they had reached the bedroom. Olivia walked toward the bed and set Alex down gently, pulling the covers over her as the blonde stirred a bit. "Good game, huh?" Alex mumbled this sentence out as Olivia smiled in the closet, removing her clothes. She quickly found some pajamas and made her way back to the blonde, who was in and out of sleep. She reached down and removed Alex's glasses, placing a delicate kiss on her cheek.

"Yeah, it was a good one." Olivia slinked over to her side of the bed and carefully pulled the covers back, sliding silently onto the mattress, nervous to completely wake up Alex.

"Liv?" The detective looked at Alex as the blonde opened her eyes.

"Yeah?" Olivia reached over and caressed Alex's face, delicately rubbing her cheek.

"Missed you." Olivia smiled as she heard this.

"I missed you too, Alexandra." She moved her hand from her lover's face to her side, tracing her small curves from her stomach to her hips. "Goodnight, baby." Olivia moved in and placed a soft kiss on Alex's cheek.

Olivia turned over and faced the window, a satisfied smile on her face. She felt the mattress move a bit and assumed Alex was settling into the bed, ready to resume her good night's sleep.

Before Olivia could completely relive her day, she felt Alex's hands snake around her body, pressing herself impossibly close to the detective. Olivia smiled and reached around to touch Alex. She was surprised when she touched soft naked skin pressed against her, and was delighted when she felt Alex's nipples harden against her back and through her shirt.

"You didn't think I was asleep for the night, did you?" As Alex said this, she slipped her hand underneath Olivia's shirt and cupped her breast, breathing hot air against her neck. Olivia smiled and turned to face Alex. When she did so, she saw that Alex was completely naked, and was ready for the detective. "I told you," kiss "I was going to," kiss "wait up for you."

Olivia couldn't help but smile as she responded. "I know babe, but you looked pretty tired on the couch."

"Mmm," Alex moaned as Olivia went to work on her neck, lightly sucking at a spot just below her ear. "I'm never too tired for this." She felt Olivia's lips pull away for a second and could tell she was smiling. "Besides, I didn't send you that picture for nothing." Olivia felt Alex's hands on her at once, and knew she was in for a good night.