A/N: This chapter marks the start of a new plot in this story. I've had this planned for a while and I hope that I haven't portrayed anyone too out of character. Some of the thoughts and actions of the character's may be a bit irrational or out of the ordinary but I still hope you all continue to enjoy the product of my imagination. Review if you can as I love to hear what you all think. Thanks again for your continued support! xxx
Fortunately for the Stabler family, Don was kind enough to grant both Olivia and Elliot some leave when she had returned home. Liv had a feeling that he would insist she take some time off in order to settle back into her normal everyday life but she and her husband were also surprised that he allowed Elliot some emergency leave after the adoption was finalised. The two weeks they had together as a family were amazing and was filled with wonderful memories. Olivia was also grateful that her husband had been around for a while whilst they adjusted to becoming parents to two young children.
Unfortunately, 'all good things must come to an end' was the perfect phrase to describe the day when Elliot had to return to work. The happy couple just wished they could live in their happy little bubble forever and were a little disheartened when reality came knocking on the metaphorical door. Olivia definitely was sort of looking forward to going back to work but the end of own time off was slowly creeping up on her. She guessed she would just have to make the best of every moment she got to spend with her girls. It was a win/lose kind of situation. She would eventually get back to the one aspect of her life that had been a constant thing for a more than a decade but on the other hand, she would be missing out on certain aspects of her children's lives.
"But why does Daddy have to go to work?" Maria whined as herself, her sister and mother watched Elliot walk down the steps of the house and towards the car. Her question was sufficient enough to draw her mother out of her bittersweet thoughts.
Olivia sighed and rested a hand on the child's shoulder. "We have to have money to buy food and everything we need. That's why." She explained for what felt like the fifth time that morning. Liv then turned her attention to her younger daughter who was attached to her hip. "Can you wave 'bye bye' to Daddy?" Zoe raised her little hand and waved in the general direction where Elliot was giving them all one last wave. Whilst Zoe was still somewhat shy around them, the child was constantly seeking comfort from her new family. Olivia was hoping that it wouldn't be long until Zoe got used to the idea of her and Elliot being her new parents and she used every opportunity to refer to herself and her husband as 'Mommy' and 'Daddy'.
Once Elliot had driven off, she took the little girls back inside and closed the front door. Liv lowered Zoe to the floor and looked between the two girls. "So, what do you both want for breakfast?"
After breakfast, Olivia got the girls ready for a day out at the local community centre. She had read about a crafts session they were hosting that morning and thought it would be a good idea to take Maria and Zoe along. Her older daughter was pretty creative and she hoped the activities would also stimulate Zoe's mind. She could see a lot of educational activities in her future as her and Elliot had decided to wait until after Christmas to enrol the three year old into the local preschool. She didn't think that the three year old had experienced much in the academic department and was trying to figure our ways of trying to keep her little brain active.
"Ok, so what do you girlies wanna do first? It looks like they've got some finger painting going on over there or I think they might be making some pretty paper flowers over at that table." Liv was secretly hoping they would choose the paper flower option. She observed the pandemonium over at the painting table and cringed when she saw most, if not all, of the other kids covered in paint.
Of course, Maria never really shied away from an opportunity to get dirty and began dragging her mother and sister towards the crowded table. "I want to paint a picture for Daddy!" She insisted as she plopped herself down in one of the child-sized chairs.
Olivia withheld a sigh but couldn't help bur roll her eyes as she sat on the chair beside her daughter, Zoe climbed up in her lap and looked around wearily. She clearly wasn't used to socialising in public for long periods of time – that was something Zoe would have to gradually be introduced to. Liv wrapped an arm around her loosely and leant over the table to drag a piece of construction paper towards them. "Want to make a pretty picture, Baby?"
Zoe seemed to consider her mother's suggestion and then tilted her head back to look up at Olivia. "Together?"
Liv had to pause briefly before responding to the one worded question but then she cottoned on quickly to what the girl was trying to ask. "You want to paint a picture with me?" She questioned just to make sure her assumption was correct. Sure, she had participated in arts and crafts with Maria before but her older daughter was usually determined to work on her own project whilst Olivia created something separate. Zoe looked at her sister who was already covered in paint. Maria was happily chatting away with the other kids as she used her fingers to make a rainbow. Olivia followed the blonde's gaze before looking back at her and that's when it clicked. Zoe looked somewhat scared. "The paint won't hurt you, Sweetie." The mother assured only to receive an unsure look.
Olivia sighed and rubbed Zoe's back reassuringly. "Ok, I'll show you." She then turned her attention on a tray filled with green paint. Liv hadn't planned on getting dirty herself but didn't want her child to be afraid of getting stuck in when it came to play time. "Watch me." She pointed towards the paint filled tray before submerging her palm in the cold substance before lifting it and placing her hand on the piece of construction paper, her hand print making an impression on the white material. She lifted her hand and showed it to Zoe. "See. It doesn't hurt. It's just a bit cold."
That was all Zoe needed to see and without hesitation, her attention was on a tray of pink paint. She went to reach out to it and Olivia was quick to pull the sleeve of her shirt up to her tiny elbow. Liv helped her guide her hand onto the paper and waited a few seconds before lifting it off the page.
"Wow. Good job." Olivia praised and Zoe beamed somewhat proudly.
"You're hand is really big, Livy!" The three year old pointed out as she looked between Olivia's hand print and her own. Olivia chuckled at her statement and grabbed clumps of tissue from the roll in the middle of the table and used it to wipe off the excess paint that remained on their hands.
Olivia took a sideways glance at Maria who was now sprinkling gold glitter over her creation before looking back at the art piece in front of her. "Hmmmm. I think our picture is pretty neat but I think we should add more to it, don't you think?" Her older child clearly wasn't ready to leave the table so she wanted to keep Zoe entertained for as long as possible. She was aware how children of Zoe's age group generally possessed short attention spans.
Zoe shrugged and then nodded. "Ok."
"We could write our names under our handprints - that way when people see our picture they will know whose hands are." Olivia suggested. Zoe seemed happy with that idea and picked up a blue crayon. "Need some help writing your name?" She took her daughter's silence as a 'yes' and wrapped her hand around Zoe's smaller on. Liv sounded out the letters as they slowly jotted each one down. 'Zoe' went under the pink hand print whilst 'Olivia' was jotted underneath Liv's larger one.
The trio spent a couple more hours at the community centre until the girls grew hungry. Trouble brewed when Olivia asked what they wanted for lunch. Whilst Zoe seemed happy to go with the flow, Maria had no problems demanding her food of choice.
"McDonalds!" Olivia knew this was coming and cringed. Ever since her stint undercover with the environmentalist group, she had adopted some of the organisations ideologies – she had become slightly more environmentally friendly. Not only that but she had learned a lot more about what went into their supermarket produce and fast food. Sure, she knew greasy burgers and chicken nuggets weren't the best before she went undercover but her time away had only solidified her opinions. She was determined that her family would no longer eat that kind of junk. If her children wanted to destroy their bodies when they became adults that was up to them but she wasn't going to encourage it whilst they were both still so young and impressionable.
"No more McDonalds." Liv hoped her tone made it clear that it wasn't even a debate. She took a hod of each child's hands and made her way towards the exit. Just as they were about to leave the building, Maria stopped dead in her tracks which made Olivia and Zoe jerk backwards slightly. Liv looked over her shoulder when her hand was dropped and rubbed her hands over her face when she saw that Maria's arms were crossed over her chest, her eyebrows were turned down in a frown and her lips pouted petulantly. "Maria, it's lunch time. You and Zoe need to eat – I do too. We're leaving."
Maria stomped her foot and shook her head in the negative. "I want McDonalds." She demanded, refusing to move from the spot she was stood in.
Olivia walked the few steps towards her and crouched down in front of her defiant daughter. "And I said no to McDonald's. I'm not buying it any more. It's not healthy." She insisted. Liv looked to her side briefly when she felt Zoe huddle closer to her a little fearfully. The little girl could clearly sense the tension between Olivia and the older child.
"Bur I want McDonalds!" There was a sudden hush in the community hall when the six year old's exclamation echoed around the room. Olivia glanced around the room and saw that most of the occupant's eyes were on them. She felt her cheeks flush slightly in embarrassment when she saw some of the snooty parents give them disapproving looks and shaking their heads.
"We're leaving. Right now." Olivia spoke lowly and hoped that Maria realised she was no longer playing. She stood up and began walking, practically dragging her older daughter behind her.
They were out on the pavement when Maria spoke again. "Dani will buy me McDonald's." She claimed, referring to Olivia's temporary replacement at SVU.
Liv found herself rolling her eyes at the comment. She was starting to get a little more pissed off every time the woman's name was mentioned. Olivia had never met the lady but she really didn't think she would like her. Ever since she had come back from Oregon, there wasn't a day that didn't go by when she didn't hear the name 'Dani'. Both Maria and Elliot had brought her up in conversation on numerous occasions – it was either 'Dani said this' or 'Dani did that'. To be honest Olivia was quite sick of it.
"Well...I'm not Dani." Olivia couldn't help but spit out the name. Her tone of voice was a little harsher than she intended it to be but with Maria's sudden fit and the fact that she really was hungry had made her reach her boiling point. "I'm you mother. I decid what you can and can't eat. Is that understood?"
Maria looked slightly worried at the look on her mother's face but by now, she knew neither of her parents wouldn't ever physically hurt her. Seeing the expression on her daughter's face made Olivia feel slightly guilty so she made sure to put a smile on her face before she spoke next. "You have two options. We either go home for lunch or we find a nice place to eat."
Maria was quick to come out of her funk after the little 'showdown' between her and Olivia. They, more so Olivia, decided on dining at a little cafe not far from the precinct. Her older daughter recognised the area and had asked if they could stop by the station house on their way home to see Elliot and Dani. Liv thought about refusing her request but then soon came to the conclusion that she wasn't about to deny her children the opportunity to see their father because of her ill feelings towards her husbands temporary partner.
That's how Olivia found herself at the precinct not long after lunch. They had just stepped into the squad room when Maria squealed and ran towards her father. Liv couldn't help but frown when she saw her own desk decked out in stuff that most certainly weren't hers.
"Hi, Dani!" Olivia tore her gaze away from her familiar designated workspace and looked up to see her child in the arms of another woman. There was a tightness in her chest as she saw Beck interact with not just Maria but Olivia's own husband. All three had wide smiles as they laughed at something Elliot had just said.
Liv lifted Zoe into her arms and made her way over to Elliot's desk but the little gathering before her didn't seem to notice.
"What's my little munchkin doing here?" Dani cooed as she tickled Maria's belly causing her to burst into a fit of giggles.
A vein protruded from Olivia's forehead as she heard the way in which Dani referred to her daughter. Maria wasn't her anything. Somewhere deep within her mind, Olivia knew that she shouldn't be feeling so jealous as she knew that Maria loved and respected her but something about the woman sent alarm bells ringing. Whether those metaphorical 'alarm bells' were justified or not, Olivia didn't particular care at that moment in time.
"We were in the area for lunch and thought we'd stop by to say 'hi'." Olivia purposefully spoke in a louder tone than necessary which achieved her goal in making her presence known.
Elliot smiled at his wife and planted a quick kiss on her lips before stooping down slightly to greet their younger daughter who had her head rested on Olivia's shoulder. "Maria was just telling us about the activity day at the community centre. It's sounds like you've had a good day so far." He commented as his attention was now solely on his wife.
Olivia shrugged and smiled softly. "It was ok. The girls made you pictures. I'll show them to you when you get home tonight." She told him.
"Mommy, I changed my mind. I want to give my picture to Dani." Maria piped up suddenly from her position on Beck's hip. "Can I give it to her now?"
Another burst of resentment made an appearance within Olivia upon Maria's words but she made sure to keep her facial expression neutral. "Are you sure? I thought you said it was for Daddy." Liv asked lightly.
Maria looked between Dani and Olivia and nodded as if she had just made a very important decision. "I can make another one just like it at home. Dani said she's going to be leaving soon now that you're back so I want to give her a present – that way she will always remember me." The six year old wiggled as a sign that she wanted to be put down and once she was back on solid ground, she was digging through the canvas bag Olivia had hanging off her shoulder. She finally located her project and held it up to Dani proudly with a "Here it is!".
Dani took a few seconds to gush over the artwork before looking up and smiling in Olivia's direction. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I feel so rude." She chuckled light heartedly as she held out her spare hand for Liv to shake. "You must be the famous Liv-"
"It's Olivia." Liv spoke without thinking but she ignored the look she received from Elliot and shook the offered hand politely. Only her friends, husband and close work colleagues called her 'Liv'. Everyone else, with the exception of her children, called her either 'Olivia' or 'Detective Benson'.
Beck either didn't notice her cold demeanour or chose to ignore it and continued to smile. "Elliot's told me all about you. Maria too. I feel like I'm meeting some sort of VIP."
Olivia inwardly rolled her eyes and couldn't help but feel like the woman was being overly friendly just to please. "Nice to meet you." She decided to play along with Dani's little facade. Liv then turned towards her husband. "Think you will be home in time for dinner tonight?"
Elliot heaved a sigh and shook his head. "I have a load of paperwork to get through. It looks like I won't be leaving until around eight."
"Oh, don't forget we organised a few drinks tonight so it will probably be a bit later than that." Dani pointed out.
El rubbed the back of his head and winced slightly, taking a sideways glance at Olivia. "I completely forgot about that." He said and then a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, why don't you give Abbie a call and see if she will watch the girls. That way you can join us."
Olivia looked at her daughter's and then shook her head. "No. the whole point of me having time off is to be there for the girls." She stated. Not only that but she didn't really fancy spending a night socialising with the woman who caused her so much concern. "Maybe another time. I better get going. Zoe's exhausted and it's almost time for her nap."
After the group said their farewells, Olivia left with her two young daughters. She couldn't help but feel like the little scene was a warning of what was to come.