A/N Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favourited and followed this story. Olivia and Elliot are the same as they were in season 7 which means (I think?) Liv is around 40 and El is about 42. If I'm wrong please let me know and like I said before I'm happy to fix any mistakes. Please read and review, I love to read what people think about my work...:) x
When Olivia woke up the next morning, she was surprised to find Elliot Stable, her partner, in the visitors chair beside the hospital bed on which she and Maria spent the night.
"El?" She whispered with squinted eyes, she didn't want to wake the girl in her arms, even if the arm that was underneath the little body had lost its feeling some time during the night.
"Morning, Liv." Elliot whispered back. "Sleep well?" He asked chuckling when Olivia groaned in pain when she stretched as best she could without waking Maria.
"I can never understand why they give the sick such uncomfortable beds." Olivia mumbled before letting out a yawn. Elliot inwardly smiled at how cute she looked with her face scrunched up the way it was. "When did you get here? It's unsettling to know you was watching us without me knowing. You could have been a pervert."
"Then it's lucky that I'm now, isn't it?" He chuckled as he moved to sit down beside Olivia on the bed, making sure to be careful. "And to answer your question, I got here a little after 1am. As soon as I heard, I had to make sure you were both ok." Was it weird that he cared about his partner's foster daughter before he even met the little girl?
"Oh, El, you didn't have to do that." Olivia sighed. Why did her have to be so sweet?
"I wanted to." Elliot insisted with a shug. "Last night had to have been difficult for the both of you. You both deserved to have someone with you to make sure you're safe."
"I'm a cop too, Elliot." His partner replied. She got annoyed when the other detectives on her squad, who conveniently happened to be men, treated her as if she was a fragile china doll. The main culprits were obvious Don and Elliot.
"Well you didn't here me come in. I could have been a pervert, remember?" Elliot quipped and Olivia glared. They both new they were just joking. "So how are you both?" He asked now turning completely serious.
"I'm fine. It's Maria you should be more worried about." Olivia insisted and Elliot raised his eyebrow and looked at her as if to say, 'You have got to be kidding me.'
The two held eye contact for a few minutes until Olivia finally looked away. "El, seriously, I'm alright." She insisted but her partner knew her too well. He could hear the slight waver in her voice as she spoke, a clear sign that she was about to cry.
He tenderly reached out and rested his hand on her forearm comfortingly. "You don't have to hide the truth from me, Liv." He whispered softly.
When his partner looked up again he silently reprimanded himself for bringing up the sensitive topic when he saw the glistening of tears in her eyes. "He raped her, Elliot." She said before letting out a quiet sob.
Elliot sighed and closed his eyes but they snapped open again when he heard a scared, "Livy?" slip out of the tiny figure laying on the bed beside Olivia. "Why are you crying?" Maria asked scared when she saw the fresh tear tracks on her foster mother's face.
"Oh." Olivia managed to get out as she wiped her face dry with the sleeve of her shirt. "I'm alright, Baby." She lied as she pulled the girl into her protectectively.
Maria looked over at Elliot and cut her eyes at him. "You made my Livy cry! I'm telling Grtandpa Don!" She told him and Elliot's eyes widened in shock. He definitely wasn't expecting that. He was expecting a frightened little girl but right now he was seeing the opposite.
"Maria!" Olivia scolded in shock. She obviously wasn't expecting that reaction either, Elliot summarised. "Apologise to Elliot right now. That was very rude of you."
Maria looked at Olivia after hearing the reprimand as tears filled her eyes and her lip began to quiver. She hadn't meant to make Livy angry, she was just trying to protect her. "I'm sorry, Livy." She whispered as she hid her face in Olivia's side.
"Don't apologise to me. It's Elliot who you yelled at, Honey." Olivia told her firmly but instead of complying to her order, the girl buried herself further into her and shook her little head. "Maria." The woman spoke the five year old's name in a warning tone.
"He made you cry! I won't say sorry! I won't." Her voice was muffled but Olivia got the message.
Olivia looked up at Elliot apologetically and pried herself away from Maria who whimpered and curled herself into a tight, protectiv ball. The slightly miffed woman knelt down beside the bed and placed her hand on the girld back. That was a mistake. Maria only flinched and curled herself into a smaller, tigher ball. Olivia sighed and retracted her hand, the girl was obviously expecting to be hit, she concluded much to her dismay. "Maria?" No response. "Maria, look at me." Olivia added firmly, though at the same time trying not the scare her.
Deciding it was in her best interests to comply, Maria lifted her head and looked Olivia in the eye. "I'm sorry." She repeated with a timid voice.
"Don't tell me, tell Elliot." Olivia repeated looking to her partner. When the girl still didn't say anything, she began to get frustrated. "Maria! I told you to do something. Now-"
"Liv, just leave it. It's fine." Elliot insisted relising how terrified Maria was.
"Don't tell me how to deal with my child, Elliot." His partner snipped at him. "Do as you're told, Maria." She continued to say.
Elliot watched as the two of them entered into a silent staring competition against one another. Maria silently begging Olivia not to make her do what she wanted her to do and Olivia daring Maria to disobey her.
Maria must have realised Olivia wasn't playing because the next thing she said was, "I'm sorry, Elliot."
Olivia nodded once and looked up at Elliot from her position on the floor. "That's ok, Maria." He told the little girl.
"Do I get a good morning hug now, Sweetheart?" Olivia asked, hoping that the way she had dealt with Maria wouldn't have scarred her for life.
Brown eyes met brown as Maria carefully looked up to Olivia with fresh tears still in her eyes. "You aren't mad?" She whispered as her lip trembled.
"Not anymore because you said sorry." Liv told her. These must have been the right words because the next thing she knew, she had her arms filled with the little girl. Maria's body shook with sobs as she buried her tear soaked face into Olivia neck. "Shhh, I got you, Maria. Calm down, it's ok." The woman reassured as she adjusted herself so she was now sat on the bed beside Elliot with Maria in her lap. "You ready to meet Elliot now, Honey?" She asked looking down at Maria who let out a sniff or hiccup every now and then
The little girl peeked over at Elliot who smiled and held out his bulky hand. "Hello, Maria. My name is Elliot Stabler. I'm a detective just like Livy so I would never do anything to make you or her cry, ok?" He greeted as well as reassured the little girl.
Maria tentatively reached out and shook Elliot's hand. Her's was so tiny compared to his adult sized hand. "I'm Maria. I'm going to live with Livy now." She told him straight up causing both Olivia and Elliot to chuckle at her child like way of explaining the situation.
"I know you are, Princess and you're going to have so much fun living with Livy." Elliot assured her and the five year-old beamed from ear to ear. "You can smile!" He exclaimed pretending to be shocked and Maria let out a sweet giggle, putting Olivia into a state of real shock. Even she hadn't managed to make the girl laugh. Elliot had only known her for just under 10 minutes or so and already he was able to make her laugh. This only made her love her partner more that she did before. Because she did, she did love him more that she shoul but she couldn't tell him that. Especially not now considering her had only just recently divorced his wife of ten years mere six months ago.
Unknown to her Elliot felt the same way.
However, he also felt he couldn't admit his feelings. Especially not now. She would have her mind focused on herlping Maria recover from her ordeal. That meanth there was no time for a relationship with a guy. Besides, besides, relationships between members of their unit was frowned upon. It was thought that in-office relations would cloud the detective's judgements whilst they were out on the field.
"Elliot!" The male detective was ripped from his thoughts by Olivia calling out his name. How long had she been calling on him?
"Huh? What?" Elliot shook his head and looked at Olivia with a dumbfounded expression upon his face.
"I asked if you wanted to come down to the cafeteria with us. Maria's hungry." She repeated giving him a strange look. Why had he just spaced out as if he was in a trance? And why was he just looking at her? Olivia realised he was still staring and sighed. "Elliot!" She called out again, finally managing to get his full attention. "You coming to get breakfast?"
"Oh sure." Elliot eventually answered, feeling guilty. He shouldn't be thinking about Olivia in that way.
"Are you alright, El? You seem distracted." Olivia commented as she stood up with Maria attached to her hip, the girl had suddenly become a little clingy but Olivia didn't mind. She wasn't as heavy as a five year olf should be and that worried Olivia slightly.
"Honestly, I'm fine, Liv. Let's go get some food then." Elliot her as he followed her lead and stood up.
...
"What would you like, Maria?" Olivia asked the little girl who was still in her arms. Maria had wound her arms around Liv's necks tightly and Olivia guessed it was because of the loud hustle and bustle of the hospital.
They were now stoood in the line in the cafeteria, Olivia and Elliot had a tray each and they were sliding them along the metal counter. Maria carefully reached out and pointed to a plate of pancakes so Olivia picked up a plate and put it onto her tray. She also added a few pieces of fruit onto the tray, that would be enough for her. Of course, Elliot wasn't happy with her decision. "You can't just have that." He insisted as he tried to add a second plate of pancakes onto his partner's tray.
Olivia tsked and swatted his hand away. "I'm not that hungry, El. Not everyone is like you, you know?" She said looking at his tray in disgust. It was already full with a plate of bacon and eggs as well as his own plate of pancakes. The two plates were accompanied by a plate piled with toast. "Are you seriously going to eat all of that?" She asked in disbelief with a raised eyebrow. He could be such a pig sometimes, she thought to herself silently.
"Uh...of course. Ellioy said, looking at her as if to say, 'Duh!'
His best friend tsked again and looked at Maria. "Tell him he's a pig, Sweetie." She joked and the little girl giggled.
After waiting in line for a few minutes, the small group finally got to the front. "Aww...what a lovely family." The young woman behind the counter cooed when she saw Maria hide her face in Olivia's neck. "She's a cutie...what's her name?" She added, looking between the two people she believed to be the girls parents.
Elliot and Olivia looked at each other stunned. People were always mistaking them for a couple but never had they been called a family. No matter how strange it soundeed to the pair, it still felt and sounded oddly...good.
Realising they hadn't yet responded, Olivia blushed and faced the woman. "Maria. Her name's Maria." She told her, not bothering to correct her on her assumptions.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful little girl. Must take after her Mommy and Daddy." The cashier commented off handedly as she cashed up the price of their breakfasts. Once she had entered their order into the till she looked up at Liv and Elliot. "That will be $8.75 please."
Olivia was about to reach into the back pocket of her jeans to get the money out but Elliot, ever the gentleman, stopped her. "I've got this, Babe." He winked and inwardly laughed at her when her jaw dropped to the floor. Oh, how he loved messing with her. Olivia didn't say anything and instead allowed him to pay as she smiled at the woman who was serving them whilst she collected her's and Maria's food. Elliot could tell she was still shocked and confused by what had just happened.
Elliot handed over the cash and told the cafeteria worker to keep the change before he followed Olivia's path towards a quiet table in the corner of the room. When he reached the table he couldn't help but chuckle at the glare Olivia sent him.
"It's not funny, El!" She snapped which cause Elliot to immediately stop laughing.
"Lic, it was just a joke." He told her with a frown as he sat down opposite her.
"Well it wasn't very funny." Olivia responded as she set Maria's plate down in front of her. Once she was sure the girl was settled, she turned to face her partner. "Do you actually realise how confused this little girl is right now?" She hissed as she gesture towards Maria.
"Of course I go, Liv. I-" Elliot tried to say before he was interrupted.
"Because I really don't think you do understand, El. She's just had to get her head around the fact that she's going to be living with me. She doesn't need some man she's just met pretend to be her father." Olivia continued her rant. Even though she was only whispered, the look in her eyes was to scare the crap out of Elliot.
"Jeez, lighten up, Olivia. I just thought-"
"Well you thought wrong." She responded quickly as she began to take the peel off her tangerene. Elliot could still tell she was angry and he knew that meant that she didn't want to be around him for the time being so he picked up two sliced of his toast and stoof up, leaving the rest of his food on the table.
"I better get to work. I heard a new case came in late last night." He lied and Olivia just ignore him. "I'll see you...whenever." He couldn't believe the way she was acting. It was like her had murdered her puppy or something. "I'll see you soon, Maria." He looked over at the child who looked up at him at the sound of her name.
"Bye, Elliot!" She grinned complete unaware of the tension between the man and her foster mother. Elliot smiled at her innocence and left without another word.
"Why's he going away, Livy?" Maria now turned to Olivia who was watching her best friend walk out.
"He's got to go to work, Honey." Olivia told her and Maria nodded and went back to concentrating on her food. Liv went back to staring at the doorway from which Elliot had exited. She knew he was only messing around when he called her 'Babe' and pretended to be her husband and Maria's father but the main reason why she got angry was because it felt good to be claimed as Elliot's. However, she knew nothing could happen between them because she knew that if something did happen and for some reason they broke up, she knew that it would ruin their friendship for good. That and the fact that Olivia now had Maria to think about. She was afraid that her starting a relationship with Elliot would ruin her chances of keeping Maria and she couldn't risk that. Nor for anything or anyone.
Thanks for reading please leave a review and I'm sorry if Olivia or Elliot seemed to be out of character, I'm trying to keep everything as realistic as possible. :) x