A/N: Hey so here is the next instalment. It basically wraps up this portion of the story which I'm kind of relieved about. I finished Season 21 the other day which I'm quite sad about :(. I've started to binge watch from all the way back to Season 1. I love 'Baby Benson' and I have lots of EO feels at the moment. I actually cannot wait to see them reunited on screen. Thanks for sticking with this story and I hope you will be glad to know that I have plenty more in store for these characters...who I don't own. xxx
It was now the Sunday after the week before and Olivia was relieved that Maria's behaviour had drastically improved. The morning after Maria was suspended from school, Liv woke up to a totally different child.
A Few Days Earlier
Olivia was awakened by the distinct feeling of being watched. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up in bed, expecting to have to fight off an intruder. However, her trepidation was uncalled for as she saw her daughter standing beside her bed, a sweet smile on her face. Liv breathed out a sigh and looked at the clock. It was only six am.
"Maria, it's too early to get up. Go back to sleep." Olivia said as she ran a hand down her face. She knew that she wouldn't be able to fall back into a slumber – she was used to waking up early when she was on call – but that didn't mean she couldn't have a couple of hours to herself and attempt to work herself up for the day.
"But, Mama. I'm not tired. I want to snuggle with you." It was the most Maria had spoken since they had left the school the previous day.
Olivia raised her eyebrow as if to say 'are you kidding me?'. "Mama's tired and wants to sleep a little longer. Go back to bed." She said to her. However, her resolve broke when the five year old bowed her head slightly before looking at her mother with puppy dog eyes. Liv sighed and pulled back the covers, nodding as if to say 'climb in'. She was hoping that the girl would fall back asleep if she gave her what she wanted. Although she was still confused over Maria's sudden change in demeanour.
Maria smiled wide and jumped into the bed by Olivia as the older brunette laid back down and wrapped her arms around the girl. Maria buried herself into her mom's body and began rubbing Olivia's night shirt between her thumb and forefinger.
Olivia knew that she shouldn't indulge her daughter after he behaviour the day before but she couldn't help but run her fingers through Maria's bed head. She very rarely had time to have morning cuddles with her child and she wasn't about to deny herself the opportunity.
"Does this mean you're ready to talk to me about what happened yesterday at school?" Liv finally broke the silence that had settled in the room. Maybe now she was in an early morning fog, Maria would be more open to discussing the events from the day before.
Olivia felt Maria stiffen just slightly before the girl shrugged her shoulders. The tired mother sighed and tilted her daughter's head so she could gain eye contact. "You know that your behaviour yesterday not only upset your teachers, right? I was very disappointed in you. I know there's something wrong but I can't help if you don't talk to me."
Maria sighed before she realised Olivia wouldn't talk to her about anything else unless she gave her some sort of answer. "I didn't want to do gym."
Olivia frowned, having a feeling that her daughter wasn't being completely honest. "Maria, that isn't a good enough excuse to act out and it definitely doesn't give you a free pass to swear at your teacher or anyone else for that matter. Where did you even hear those horrible words?"
The five year old shrugged in a blasé fashion. "I heard it on the TV." On this occasion she was telling the truth. One night she had woken up to ask her mommy for some water. Olivia was still up watching a movie and heard a man in it use the words she had yelled at Miss Holly.
Liv decided to leave the subject of the cursing and moved onto the next. "So why didn't you want to do gym?"
"I had a tummy ache and I just wanted you." Maria whined and tried to scoot closer to Olivia than she already was.
"Why didn't you just tell Miss Holly that you weren't feeling well?"
Maria sighed. She just wanted to cuddle with her mom in silence. She didn't want to talk about anything. "I didn't think they would call you just because I had a tummy ache. Kyle Miller got sent home last week because he was bad so I knew that if I was too, they would call you to come and get me."
'I will never get over the logic of children.' Olivia thought to herself. "Ok, listen to me. The way you behaved yesterday is never acceptable, no matter what. Do you understand?" Liv spoke sternly. She hated lecturing her child but she knew that it was important to do so in this instance. Maria nodded sadly to show she understood. "I've decided that you're going write a letter of apology to your principal and Miss Holly during your suspension and you will hand it in on Monday. For the next three days, there will be no TV or playing with your toys or games. There will be lots of reading for you to do and I will print out some math and and English worksheets for you to do. Does that sound fair? I will have to think about what you can and can't do at the weekend, the outcome will depend on your behaviour for the rest of the week."
"Ok, Mama. I'm sorry I disappointed you."
Olivia held onto her daughter a little tighter. "We've talked about it so it's all over now. I forgive you and I still love you. Now, it's only six thirty. Let's try and get some more sleep before we start our day."
Olivia waited for Maria to fall into a deep sleep before she got up out of bed. There was no way she would be able to drop off again. She had to print off those work sheets she had mentioned but her first priority was to get some much needed coffee into her system.
Olivia was brought back to the present day by Maria calling out to her.
"What is it, Sweetie?" Liv questioned when she saw that her child had a look of sadness on her face.
"Do you have to go to work today?" The five year old whined as she sat herself on Olivia's lap. She really didn't want her mom to leave her. Maria had enjoyed the time they had spent together over the past few days, even if she was being punished. She had heard Liv on the phone to Lauren the night before and knew that the teenager had agreed to babysit whilst Olivia went to work. The little girl knew that meant one thing was certain.
Clay was going to be there.
Olivia took a deep breath. "Yeah, Honey. I do have to go to work. I will be in big trouble with your Grandpa if I don't." She told her child.
"But...I feel sick." Maria didn't really feel unwell, she just hoped that if Olivia thought she was sick then she wouldn't leave her.
Liv gave her a look of concern and felt the kid's forehead with the back of her hand. "You don't have a fever. Is it your tummy again?" She asked when she was sure that her daughter didn't have a temperature. Liv rubbed Maria's stomach soothingly just in case it was giving her problems.
Maria shook her head and held her hand to her neck. "No. My throat really hurts. My ear too." She lied.
"Well maybe you should just rest in bed today. You're due back at school tomorrow and we need you to be good and healthy." Olivia suggested.
"Does this mean that you won't be going to work after all?!" Liv thought it was strange that Maria had suddenly perked up despite the fact that she was sick.
"No, Baby. I still have to go but don't worry. Lauren is going to be here any minute and she's going to take very good care of you, ok? If you need to talk to me just get her to call me and I will answer straight away." Olivia felt disheartened that she couldn't stay with her child whilst she was feeling poorly but she really did need to go into work. Besides, it would only be for a few hours.
Maria was about to protest again but closed her mouth when there was a knock on the apartment door. Olivia placed the little girl on the floor and got up off of the sofa. As she made her way over to the door, she felt Maria close behind her the whole time.
"Hey, Lauren. I'm so sorry to ruin your Sunday but I have no one else. Another case came up last night and it's all hands on deck-"
"Liv, it's fine, honestly." Lauren assured her as she stepped into the apartment only to reveal Clay was with her.
"Hey, Clay," Maria looked up sharply at Olivia's second greeting and froze when she saw that the teenaged boy - who had been terrorising her for weeks - stood in front of her. "No baseball practice today?" Liv questioned.
Clay shrugged and shook his head. "Nah. Half the team caught the flu so coach cancelled today's practice." He explained his presence. He then turned to Maria and bent over so he became eye level with her. "Hey, Squirt. We're going to have lots of fun today." The wink he shot her sent shivers down her spine.
Maria clung onto Olivia's leg and hid her face in her mother's thigh. She felt Liv place a hand on her head comfortingly. "Sorry. It seems that the flu is travelling fast. Maria isn't feeling very well today. She gets a bit clingy when she's poorly."
"Oh no. That's not good. I guess it will be a duvet day then." Lauren cooed and Maria gave her the tiniest of smiles.
Olivia looked at her watch and gasped. "Oh shoot! I'm going to be late." She extracted Maria's arms from around her leg and crouched down to her level. "Mommy really has to go now but Lauren and Clay are going to take good care of you, ok?" Maria nodded sadly and wrapped her arms around her mama who, without fail, returned the embrace. The two separated, much to the child's dismay, and Olivia stood up after she placed a kiss to her forehead. "Be a good girl today. I love you."
"Love you too, Mama." Maria whispered and watched sadly as Olivia collected her gun, badge and keys and left the apartment with a quick 'bye guys!' over her shoulder.
"Hey, Maria. Your mom will be back before you know it. How about we get you tucked into bed so you can get some more rest?" Lauren caught her charges attention, hoping to distract her from her mother's departure.
Maria silently nodded and took a hold of Lauren's offered hand, allowing the babysitter to lead her towards her room.
"Hey, I'm just going to take this snack to Maria and then we can start on our math homework. It's due tomorrow." Lauren told her boyfriend who was sat on the couch in Olivia's apartment.
Clay stood and took the plate of crackers Lauren held in her hand. "How about I take this to her and you can set up our study session?" He said before planting a kiss on her lips. The teenager went to deepen the kiss but was pushed away gently by his girlfriend.
"Clay!" The blonde girl giggled in a way only a teenage girl could. "Not here. How many times do I have to tell you?" She admonished, although she was only being somewhat serious.
"I just can't help myself. I'm sorry, Babe." Clay held up his spare hand apologetically. "Well, I guess we can't have the squirt going hungry and we do need to do that shitty math stuff." With that, he turned on the spot and made his way to Maria's room – a devilish smirk was plastered on his face.
Meanwhile in Maria's room, the girl had been on edge all morning. She knew it was only a matter of time before Clay found an excuse to be in her room. By now, she already recognised the sound of his heavy foot steps but she still wasn't prepared when she heard them approaching. She was aware that there was nothing she could do to stop the inevitable from happening. However, if there was one thing she had picked up from Olivia, it was the detective's strong willed personality. She decided today would be the day she would stand up to her abuser.
Clay walked into the room without knocking to see Maria stood in the middle of the room. He sighed and shook his head in mock disappointment. "Now, Maria. You know the drill. On the bed." His tone was patronising to say the least.
"No." Maria protested and lifted her head a little higher.
The sixteen year old laughed darkly and gave her an inquisitive look. "Excuse me?" He asked rhetorically, his tone threatening.
"I said no. You aren't going to hurt me any more." The five year old stated although she took a step back when Clay moved towards her dangerously.
"Oh yeah? And who's going to stop me? You? Please, don't make me laugh." He chuckled without humour.
"My mama will! She's a police officer and when I tell her what you did she's going to put you in jail!" Maria's voice began to get louder and Clay knew that if he didn't intervene, Lauren will catch him in his devious act.
Clay was fuming as he crabbed the girl before him by the shoulders and threw her onto the bed roughly. Just like the first time he had done this, he closed his hand over her mouth. He didn't care if he left any bruises or fingernail marks. He would figure out a way to explain the injuries to Lauren and the kids cop mother.
"Listen here, you little bitch," Clay seethed, "you're not going to tell anyone anything. Do you know why? Because if you do, I will break into this apartment in the middle of the night and kill your mommy whilst she's fast asleep. You don't want that do you?"
Maria shook her head and took in a deep breath when he took his palm away from her mouth. Tears rolled down her cheeks as the boy on top of her began to undo his belt buckle. However before he could carry out his plan, the sound of the door swinging open made him freeze.
"Clay – Oh my god! Get the fuck away from her!" Lauren screeched as she saw the horrendous scene before her. She grabbed the heaviest thing she could find, a lamp, and quickly smashed it over her now ex boyfriend's head which caused him to fall off the bed. She had only come to bring Maria her juice to wash down her crackers...she did not expect to walk in on such a disgusting sight. "Get the fuck out! I'm calling the cops!"
Clay scrambled to his feet and began buckling his belt. "Lauren, I-"
"Get out of here! You make me sick! She's five years old you bastard!" Adrenaline was coursing through the babysitter's veins as she breathed heavily. She held up the glass of juice threatening to throw it if he made even one more step towards her. Without waiting another second, Clay was off and out of the apart as fast as his legs would take him.
"Lauren! I want my mommy!" Lauren turned at the sudden cry of Maria who was now openly sobbing. The sixteen year old rushed over to the bed and gathered her charge in her arms.
"Shhh. It's ok, Maria. He's gone now. He's not coming back. Shhhh. I'll get your mama." The blonde girl tried to sooth the child with rocking motions as she got her cell phone from her pocket. She was grateful to the fact that she had Olivia's number on speed dial.
At the precinct, Olivia and Elliot were sat at their desks filling out DD5s for their latest case when Liv's cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID intent on ignoring the call – she wanted to get back to her daughter as soon as possible which meant she had to get her paperwork in order – but decided against it when she saw it was Lauren who was calling. "Hey, Lauren. Is everything ok-"
"Olivia?! Liv, you need to come home. Now." Was the panicked response she received. It was, indeed Lauren but what worried Olivia was the fact hat she was crying and that she could hear Maria sobbing in the background.
Liv stood up from her chair and grabbed her coat and keys. Elliot looked up at her questioningly. The only indication that Olivia saw his look was that she held up a finger as if to say 'hold on'. "Lauren? What's going on? You need to breathe." She could hear the girls shaky breaths and she was worried that she would pass out at any moment if she didn't take in enough oxygen.
"He- He...Maria...Olivia please hurry! She won't stop crying...I- oh my god, I can't believe-"
"Ok, Lauren. Try and stay calm. I'm on my way. Just breathe, Honey. I'll be there right away." Olivia didn't waste any time in hanging up. She focused her attention on Elliot. "I need to go home now. Something's happened. Lauren and Maria are both in hysterics." Olivia looked down at her hands and realised that they were shaking.
Elliot also noticed her trembling hands and decided he better go with his partner. She was in no state to drive. "I'm coming with you." He told her before the two of them raced off to Liv's apartment. They didn't even make time to notify their captain that they were leaving.
"Maria! Lauren!" Olivia called out as she rushed into her apartment, Elliot right behind her.
"In here!" Lauren called out over Maria's crying.
Olivia and Elliot gave each other a quick look before they both carried on to Maria's room. They were met by the sight of an inconsolable Maria being held in the arms of her worse for wear babysitter. "Oh my god, what happened? Maria?!" Liv asked as she hurried over to the bed where the young girls were huddled together.
The five year old dove into her mother's arms and continued to sob, clinging onto Olivia as if her life depended on it. Lauren got off the bed and was spun around by Elliot. "Lauren? What the hell happened?" He questioned her when he saw that there were also tears streaming down the teenagers face.
Lauren looked between the two expectant detectives whilst stuttering as she attempted to explain what she had seen. "I-I...Clay, he-"
"Clay, what? What did he do? Answer me!" Elliot shook the girl a little too roughly in order to get her attention.
"Elliot!" Olivia admonished. She still held her daughter in her arms but split her gaze between Maria and the other two people in the room. Lauren looked at Liv when she called out El's name only to receive a pleading look. "Please, Lauren. Whatever he did...just tell us. I won't be mad at you." Liv could tell that Lauren didn't want her to be disappointed or angry.
The girl loved working for Olivia and she just knew that she would get fired over this. Lauren took a deep breath before gathering her thoughts. "I came in here to give me Maria some juice and I...I saw Clay on top of her. He was...he was undressing himself and oh god, I think I'm going to be sick!" The blonde rushed out before retching and doubling over. Elliot grabbed the trash can that was in the corner of the room and held it out to her whilst he rubbed her back. The retching sounds continued but nothing came up.
Olivia remained quiet until Lauren's words finally sank in. "Clay, he...he hurt my baby? No. No! This can't be happening. Not again. This is just a bad dream. Not my baby. Please, God, no." Liv began to ramble as she clutched Maria tighter towards her as if she was trying to shield the child from the ugly world around them.
Elliot was furious. He looked between his girls on the bed and the blonde girl who was still doubled over as if she were in pain. Blood rushed through his face and his face flushed red in rage. "Son of a bitch!" He swore prompting the three girls in the room to jump and look at him in shock. "He's going to pay for this. Where is he?" El looked around the room as if the teenaged predator was about to burst out of the closet. His eyes landed on Lauren and he once again grabbed her by the shoulders, this time a lot softer. "Where would he have gone? What's his address?"
Lauren fought back a sob and bit her bottom lip before she told him where Clay lived. Elliot released her from his hold and went to leave the room but was stopped by Olivia who called out to him in a panic stricken tone. "Elliot?! Where are you going?!" She didn't take her eyes off him as she kept one arm wrapped around the little girl in her lap and the other around the teenager who sat down beside her.
Elliot paused in the door way and once again looked at the three figures that were perched on the bed. "I'm going to find that sick freak and I'm going to kill him." He seethed before storming off, ignoring Olivia's cries of 'wait!' and 'come back!'.
As soon as he was out of the apartment, he took out his cell phone and dialled a familiar number. His phone call was answered within a couple of rings. El didn't even bother with a proper greeting. All he said was, "Fin, meet me at this address I'm about to send over to you. I'll explain when we get there. Ok. Thanks. Bye." He returned the phone to his suit jacket pocket and carried on out to his car.
'No one hurts my family and gets away with it.' He thought to himself darkly, a deadly look in his eyes.
A few hours later and Olivia and Lauren were sat at the dining table nursing a hot beverage, Olivia a strong black coffee and Lauren a green tea. Liv had finally managed to settle Maria enough for her to fall asleep. Although she didn't want her child out of her sight she knew she had to talk with the teenager who she had come to care about. She knew the kid was feeling guilty. Heck, Olivia herself felt guilty. She let that monster into her home, she could have said no but she didn't.
"Liv, I'm sorry. I wouldn't blame you or be angry if you fired me. I know how much you must hate me, I hate myself-"
Olivia sighed and shook her head. "I don't hate you, Lauren and I don't blame you. The only one who is at fault in all of this is that boy. He deceived us all. I should have known better. I'm a cop. You're just a young girl – a teenager who thought she was in love. I don't want you blaming yourself for this, do you understand?" Lauren evaded eye contact so Liv took it upon herself to reach out and take a hold of the girl's free hand. "Look at me, Sweetheart." The elder of the two women waited until the younger slowly raised her head before speaking again. "We're going to get through this together. I've said it before and I will say it again – you're a part of this family. Family doesn't turn each other away." Liv reached out and grabbed onto the girl's hand that wasn't holding onto the mug in front of her.
Lauren shot Olivia a miniscule smile and squeezed her hand as if to confirm that she believed what Liv had said. "You're mom's gone to visit your grandma this week, right?" Olivia asked. Anna had mentioned it in passing to Liv one morning and the detective had assured her neighbour that she would look out for Lauren whilst she was away.
"Yeah, why?" Lauren responded.
"I don't think you should be alone tonight. How about I set up the couch for you to sleep on? You can join us for dinner." Liv suggested. She was well aware that Lauren lived just next door but she didn't want the young woman to be on her own in the cold and lonely apartment. At least if she stayed the night she would have someone to talk to.
Lauren was about to decline the kind offer but couldn't get the words out on time. Their attention was caught by the sound of the apartment door being unlocked. The brunette and the blonde followed Elliot with their eyes as he walked into the apartment and sat himself on the couch, not saying a word.
"El?" Olivia called out across the open plan space only to be ignored. Her arms roamed over his tense body only for her eyes to land on his hand that was placed on the armrest. His knuckles were cracked and bleeding as if he had just gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. Hoping the girl sat at the table with her didn't notice, Liv quickly averted her gaze and turned her attention back on Lauren. "Sweetheart, why don't you stop back at your apartment and grab some things you might need. I'll make up the couch while you're gone." She didn't want to talk about Clay in front of Lauren, knowing that it would only make her more emotional. Lauren, understanding that Liv needed to speak to Elliot alone, got up from the table and left the apartment without speaking.
Once Olivia was sure the girl was out of ear shot, she got up from the table and went over to the bathroom. She wet a wash cloth before going back to her partner who sat with a dark look on his face. Without commenting, Liv took Elliot's damaged hand into her own and tenderly dabbed at the cuts on his knuckles. He didn't even flinch when she went over a particularly deep abrasion. When she was satisfied that the wounds were clean, she lifted his hand to her face and kissed each knuckle individually.
Elliot slowly came out of his revere and looked up at his girlfriend who was giving him an expectant look. Still not giving up any information, he patted his thigh. Olivia, understanding the gesture, made herself comfortable on his lap and wrapped his arms around his neck. She began to play with the hair at the nape of his neck out of habit.
"He confessed, Liv." Elliot whispered as he wrapped his muscular arms around her slender waist. "He's going to plead guilty upon his lawyer's advice. No one will have to testify."
Olivia sighed in relief. One of the many things that had been on her mind since earlier that day had been Maria having to go through the traumatic experience of having to testify once again. She was glad that her daughter wouldn't have to see Clay again. Although there was now one less thing to worry about, there was still plenty more to think about.
"What happened, El?" Olivia whispered as she turned his face towards her. "Your hand..."
"I couldn't help it. We got to the house and he was just there right in front of me. All I could think about was what he had done. I didn't see a teenaged kid, all I saw was the monster who had hurt someone that I loved. I just lost it. Next thing I know, Fin's pulling me off of him. His nose was bloody and he was curled up in the corner like a pathetic animal." Olivia knew the way El spat out the word 'his' that he was referring to Clay.
"Did Cragen get you to hand in your gun and badge?" Liv asked worriedly. There was no way that her partner could get away with this without some sort of punishment.
Elliot chuckled darkly and shook his head. "Fin told him that Clay accidentally walked into a lamp post a few times. Cap didn't believe him of course, but once he found out what the sick fuck had done, he let it drop and said he would sort it with the Chief of D's and IAB." He suddenly looked around the room as if remembering something. "Where's Maria?" He asked when he got back round to looking at his partner.
"She's asleep. That's the best thing for her at the moment. I'll wake her when it's time for dinner." Liv explained. She sighed and clung onto her boyfriend a little bit tighter. "She's going to need therapy again." The words were whispered sadly into El's neck and were slightly muffled.
"You're probably right but she's going to have us every step of the way. She'll get through this. That little girl is strong...just like her amazing mother." Elliot reassured Liv. He hooked a finger under her chin and placed a loving kiss on her plump lips. "Stop beating yourself up." El told her as he had been looking into her eyes for a few moments and saw the dark shadows of guilt swimming within them.
"I can't help it, El. All the signs were there. The acting out, mood swings...they're all classic symptoms and I just chalked it up to a stupid fucking phase. I punished her when all she was doing was crying out for help." Olivia began to cry silently as she once again tucked her face into the crook of Elliot's neck.
"Shhh. It's ok. It's no ones fault but his. Maria's ok, she's safe now. You both are." Elliot soothed as he ran his fingers through her brown locks. It took a while but Olivia was able to compose herself. She decided there was no point in fretting over something that couldn't be changed. She just had to move on and be there for her child. She had done it before, she could do it again.
Liv placed another kiss to El's lips and rose from where she was sitting on his lap. Wiping at her eyes and taking a breath, she spoke, "I told Lauren she's sleeping here tonight. I need to get the spare pillows and blankets and set up the couch for her. I thought we could have a pizza and movie night."
Elliot lifted himself off the couch and stretched. "I'll order the pizza whilst you do that. Pepperoni ok?" He asked and Olivia nodded and smiled softly before making her way to gather the supplies for Lauren's temporary bed.
Later on that night, Olivia and Elliot were in bed silently contemplating the days events. The darkness in the room diminished slightly when the door swung open to reveal Maria stood in the doorway, tears running down her cheeks.
"Mommy?" She called out, unsure if her mother was still awake due to the dim lighting.
Liv and El both sat up in bed and stared at the girl who remained still in the spot. "Maria? Come here, Sweetie." Olivia called over in a soft whisper.
Maria padded over to Olivia's side of the bed only to be picked up and placed onto it in the middle of the two adults. Liv wiped the tear tracks before placing a kiss on her daughters forehead. "Did you have a bad dream?" She asked sadly to which the five year old nodded. Elliot and Olivia shared a look over the top of her head. "Me and Elliot couldn't sleep either. Do you think it would be ok if you stayed with us tonight? Cuddles with you always helps when I can't sleep."
"You aren't mad with me?" Maria asked as she finally looked up at her mom.
"Why would I be mad, Baby?" Olivia asked confused as she flattened a piece of the child's hair.
The little girl shrugged. "Because I didn't tell you what was happening."
"Oh, Honey. I'm not mad." Liv reassured her before pulling Maria into a hug and laying back down into the mattress, Elliot following suit.
"I'm scared. He said if I told he would kill you. I don't want you to die. Ever." Maria's voice was muffled as her face was buried in Liv's torso.
Elliot turned onto his side so that he was facing his two girls and tapped Maria on the shoulder softy. She turned slightly and looked at her mother's partner. "No one's ever going to hurt you or your mom ever again. I'm going to protect you both. That mean boy," There was now a silent agreement that no one was to ever mention Clay's name in front of the child again, "he's going to jail for a very long time."
"Did you arrest him?" Maria asked.
Elliot nodded in response and smiled softly. "I did." He told her and almost had the wind knocked out of him when Maria dove out of Olivia's arms and into his own.
"I love you, Elliot." She whispered.
For a moment, El was too shocked to respond but after one look between Liv and the child in his arms, he hugged her closer to his chest and rubbed the back of her head in a paternal fashion. "I love you too, Angel Face." He replied, his voice cracking with emotion he didn't even know he possessed.
It only took a few moments, but eventually Maria was lulled to sleep by the sound of Elliot's beating heart and his soft murmurings that everything would be ok. Elliot turned his head to look at Olivia who wrapped one of her arms around the two loves of her life.
"You're so good with her. You make her feel safe. You make us both feel safe." She whispered to him. Liv paused for a moment before she decided to bring up a subject that had been on her mind a lot lately. "El, I think you should move in with us." She rushed out. There was no point beating around the bush.
Elliot gaped at her, unsure if she was being serious or if she was just saying that because of the emotional day they had all endured. "Liv...I don't know what to say-"
"Just say yes. Say you will move in. You're here practically half of the week anyway. It wouldn't take you long to pack up your apartment. A lot of your clothes are here and I know your apartment is practically bare. Unless...you don't want to live with us. You're not ready, I get it." Olivia began her rambling enthusiastically but trailed off when she started to become unsure. Had she read too much into their relationship?
Before Olivia could get lost in her own troublesome thoughts, El stepped in. "It's nothing like that, Liv. I love you and I would love to live here permanently. I want nothing more than to come home to this sweet girl in my arms everyday."
"Why do I hear a 'but' coming?" Olivia mumbled as she went to extract her arm from around her boyfriend. Clearly they were both at different points in their romance.
Elliot held onto her arm firmly but not hard enough to hurt. "The only ones who know about us is the people in this apartment and Cragen. People will start getting suspicious if we turn up to work at the same time everyday."
"We'll go to work in our own cars. You can go straight to work in the mornings whilst I drop Maria off at school or vice versa. You're worrying over nothing." Olivia retorted thinking he was making up excuses to avoid making such a big commitment.
"What about Maria?" Elliot asked.
"What about her? El, she loves you. When you're not here she's always asking where you are and when you will be home. She already sees this apartment a your home. I see this place as your home. But it's ok I get it. You aren't prepared to give up your man cave." Her tone was bitter by the end of her small speech.
"That's not true, Liv-"
Olivia turned the other way so her back was to Elliot. "Just go to sleep, El. We'll forget this whole conversation ever happened." She mumbled into her pillow.
Elliot sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep, not now that his partner in life and in work was mad at him. He thought back on their conversation and upon reflection, he winced to himself and groaned quietly. "Ok." Was all he said.
Olivia tsked and looked over her shoulder in annoyance. "What?"
"Ok. I'll move in. We can make it work. I know we can. I'm sorry-" He was interrupted by Liv who squealed loudly and pounced on him, forgetting about the little girl he held in his arms. They were in the middle of a tender kiss when Maria began to squirm and groan in her sleep. The two lovers pulled apart and remained still for a few seconds and sighed in relief when Maria showed no further signs of waking up.
"I love you, Detective Stabler." Olivia whispered into his ear before giving him another kiss, this time being careful not to make any sudden movements.
They separated and smiled at each, knowing that if Maria wasn't in the room, they would have done a lot more than just kiss. "I love you too, Detective Benson." El replied. The two lay there in blissful silence before eventually drifting off to the land of nod.
A/N: So Elliot's moving in! Tell me what you think? Was the timing right for it? Or was it too soon? xxx