A/N: Thank you all for the kind words after the previous chapter. I didn't mean to rush the hearing but I thought everything had been said that needed to be said at this stage. I have debated whether the judge needed to say a few stern words to Kathy about how she has been alienating the children from Elliot, but I will leave that up to your own imagination.
And so, a heavy weight has been lifted from Elliot and he is all but officially divorced now. What will be his next move? Since this is a single POV story, we don't know exactly what he's been thinking, and we will just have to wait and see what he does ...
...
27. Changes
It's mid afternoon but Olivia feels exhausted somehow. She could use a nap and is leaning towards giving in to that desire. It will also be a valid reason to create some distance between herself and her almost officially divorced partner. He may have said he was kidding at the bar, but that could have been for Casey's benefit. And it doesn't erase the advances he has made so far. Not by a long shot.
She watches his profile as they drive back home. He looks different now. Far more relaxed. Almost serene. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was a man who has his life completely in order, exactly the way he wants it to be. He isn't actually smiling but there is a light in his blue eyes.
She shouldn't be surprised. He got what he wanted after all. Joint custody of his children. Kathy and the kids are still going to cost him an arm and a leg, but he's told her on several occasions that he would never want to walk away from his responsibility. Kathy's raising his children and for now, she can't work full time because of it. He wouldn't even want her to, at least not until they're all in college. She has started working part time a while ago but the job isn't a goldmine just yet. And since the children will live with Kathy most of the time, he wants to pay his part. They have agreed that the alimony for Kathy will consist of him continuing to pay for their mortgage. That way, the family won't have to move out of the house. Casey has told him a few things need to change in the paperwork so there will be an end to the mortgage payments eventually, but he's leaving that up to her. He will pay child support until the twins are eighteen and they will both help the kids pay for their tuition. Elliot will continue to put funds aside for Kathleen and the twins for their education.
Olivia is grateful that Casey has been willing to help Elliot out. She isn't charging him a lot and they know she will look out for his best interests at all times. When all is said and done, there won't be very much left of Elliot's salary for a while yet, while Olivia's housing costs will actually go down a bit after the move. She knows Elliot will want to pay half of everything but that's not going to happen. There will be two of them soon against just one of him, so she will insist on paying more for groceries and everyday necessities. But that's a subject for another day.
Right now, Elliot is still basking contently in the outcome of the hearing.
"I'm so proud of Maureen," he muses. "I didn't want her to be involved but she really helped. And without disrespecting her mother."
"You both raised her well."
Elliot glances at Olivia and smiles.
"Kathy did most of the raising."
"Don't underestimate your own influence, El. There is a reason the kids love you so much."
"Dickie hates me."
Elliot's face doesn't betray any emotion but Olivia knows what he's feeling.
"He doesn't hate you, El. He's just upset about the situation. Kids are always caught in the middle in a divorce."
"I never meant for them to be caught in the middle. Ever."
"I know," she says quietly.
She knows this divorce isn't what he wanted. Maybe it hadn't been perfect, but he had never wanted out of his marriage before. You don't just throw away all those years, he's said to her several times. It will take some time for him to get used to this new reality.
"You okay? You look tired," Elliot says, watching her for a moment after parking the car in front of her building.
"I could use a nap," she admits.
They exit the car and Elliot locks it before asking her,
"Want me to tuck you in?"
Olivia raises an eyebrow but can't help grinning when she sees the playfulness in Elliot's eyes.
"Last day in this apartment," Elliot says with a shrug as he walks beside her towards the entrance.
"Yeah. So? You wanna go out with a bang?"
"Huh?"
Elliot seems shocked at her comment and Olivia suddenly realizes what she's said.
"That's not what I meant!" she exclaims, swatting at Elliot's chest.
"Alright. Interesting thought though," Elliot mumbles.
Olivia is at a loss for words. She can't deny that she likes Elliot's flirty side, but more often than not, she doesn't know how to respond these days. She shakes her head and pushes the button for the elevator. The ride up is silent and Olivia sighs when they are finally inside the apartment again.
"Go on. Take a nap," Elliot says, nudging her shoulder with his. "I'll hold the fort."
"Alright. Thanks."
It doesn't take her long to fall asleep. They have a busy day ahead tomorrow, but for now, all is well in the world.
…
"Rise and shine."
Olivia blinks against the light streaming into the bedroom through the window. How long has she been asleep?
"What time is it?" she mumbles, not even fully aware yet who she's talking to.
"It's nine thirty. The movers are going to be here in half an hour."
"Shit."
Olivia tries to sit up in bed but reminds herself she needs to sit up sideways these days.
"Liv. Relax. I finished packing last night. All you have to do is stuff your bedding in a bag and we're ready to go."
She can't believe she's slept in this late. Even the evening before, Elliot had to wake her up before dinner, and she only stayed awake long enough to eat and have a cup of herbal tea. Elliot had been a little concerned that she was so tired - weak even - but she'd brushed him off. It was just all the stress of the hearing and the move, plus of course her low blood pressure.
"We were going to finish packing early this morning," she pouts.
Elliot sits on the edge of her bed and smiles at her. She swears she can see tenderness as well as amusement in his eyes and she looks down at her hands in her lap.
"You needed the extra sleep, Liv. Remember, you're growing a whole new person inside you. It's only logical that it's taking a toll on you."
"Doesn't mean I couldn't have helped," she says, and she's aware that she's whining a bit.
"It's alright," Elliot says kindly, and the low timbre of his voice makes her shiver unconsciously.
"I can start unpacking at the new place as soon as they bring the boxes in," Olivia says.
"There you go. Now make sure you're decent before the movers get here?"
Elliot pats her knee over the covers and stands up before telling her,
"There's some breakfast in the kitchen for you."
Olivia sighs and closes her eyes for a moment after Elliot has left the room. She tells herself not to get used to this. She'll be strong again soon, and she can take care of herself. This is just temporary. As soon as they're settled in at the new place, she will start pulling her weight again.
…
Olivia is standing at the new dining table that had been delivered a few days earlier, opening several boxes labeled 'kitchen', when Maureen arrives. Both women hug and Olivia tells the younger woman,
"Thank you so much for what you did for your father yesterday Maureen. It means the world to him."
Maureen shrugs lightly.
"I just don't want our family to fall apart."
"I understand. Thank you for believing me."
"I'm just sorry I believed mom at first, Olivia. I should have known better."
Olivia assures Maureen that nobody is blaming her. Just about everyone she knows has asked her if Elliot is the father, so how can she hold that against his own daughter? She doesn't tell Maureen this, of course. No need to add to all the suspicions people have been having about her and Elliot.
They set about unpacking all the boxes and putting things away in the kitchen as well as the bathroom, while Elliot makes sure the movers put the all the boxes and remaining furniture in the right rooms. In the end, they didn't have to move a lot of big things. They have purchased a new dining set, two new King size beds with nightstands for their bedrooms as well as a bunk bed for Elliot's kids, and all the new furniture had been delivered at the new apartment. The apartment has a lot of built-in closet space so all that was left was to pack up Olivia's place. Her old Queen size bed will be put in the storage unit Olivia was already renting, which still holds some of her mother's things as well.
It's not even 1 PM when the movers leave and suddenly, all their belongings are inside the apartment on 10th Avenue. They are only going to go back to the old place to clean it, and then once more for a walk-through inspection with the supervisor when Olivia officially hands in her keys. It still feels a little unreal.
Olivia is sitting at the dining table, looking around the new living annex dining room and the open kitchen. Now that her couch, armchair and coffee table are in the room, she's getting a better idea of where she will want everything to go. The dining area will be closest to the kitchen while the sitting area will be closest to the bedrooms.
Elliot comes out of one of the bedrooms, the one that will be his, and smiles at the two women. Maureen has been flattening all the moving boxes they have managed to empty and wipes her forehead with the back of her hand after setting down the last one on the pile.
"Ladies, please sit down and allow me to make you some lunch," Elliot says.
"I hope we put everything in logical places in the kitchen," Maureen grins.
"Only one way to find out. What'll it be ladies?"
…
Maureen leaves around three, telling Olivia and Elliot that she has some studying to do. Elliot hugs his daughter and Olivia smiles at the sight. Maureen is just the first of his kids to visit the new place and it will be great to have them over. None of the beds have been made yet and all the baby things haven't even been unpacked, but Olivia can already picture how it will be. She knows she's going to miss her small apartment a little, but looking around the room once more, she's glad they took this step. This apartment will be enough for all of them for a long time.
Elliot closes the door behind his daughter and Olivia hears him heave a sigh. She watches him as he leans against the door with both hands, his head down, and she wonders if all the stress of the past few months is finally catching up with him.
She stands up and walks over to her partner.
"Everything okay?" she asks him.
Elliot straightens up and drops his arms.
"Yeah. It's just … well, a lot of changes."
"It will take time to adjust now that your divorce is being finalized. I understand."
Elliot gives her a small smile.
"It's going to be different, yes. But I also meant this move. You know that moving house has a high ranking on the scales of stress-inducing life events, right?"
"So does divorce," Olivia knows.
"And pregnancy," Elliot adds.
"Have you been googling this?" Olivia says with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.
Elliot shrugs lightly.
"Maybe. I just want us to be okay and it's just … a lot."
"I know."
Olivia wants to reach out and rub Elliot's arm but she hesitates. They've been living under the same roof for months, but somehow it feels different now. This is their place. It's not her place where he's just crashing temporarily. They will both live here from now on. They have committed to living together long term and suddenly the reality of that hits her. She has to tell herself to keep breathing regularly, and Elliot seems to pick up on her mood shift.
"Hey. We're going to be okay Liv," he says softly, and Olivia nods automatically.
"It's us, remember? Benson and Stabler. Together, we can take on the whole world."
She smiles then and finally puts a hand on his arm.
"That's what we thought when we became cops, didn't we?"
"Hey, I still believe that!" Elliot says emphatically, and she can see that he's shaking off his fatigue and sombre thoughts. There is a smile in his eyes again.
"So," he says, moving closer to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Nap time?"
"Oh, I wish," Olivia sighs. "But my bed hasn't been made yet."
"Why don't I help you with that and you can get some rest while I check out the Deli down the block for some snacks and fresh fruits."
While a nap sounds appealing, Olivia isn't sure she feels comfortable making the bed together, but before she can say anything, Elliot's already on his way to her bedroom.
"I think I spotted the box with your clean bedding in here," he calls out to her, and Olivia quickly follows him.
Elliot had spent two evenings at the new place assembling the beds, so all they have to do now is put the bedding on. Olivia takes a deep breath and tells herself that it's completely normal to do some chores together, now that they are living together.
Well, kind of.
Living together but not sleeping together.
Yet.
What?
No.
Sometimes she gets so tired of her own jumpiness whenever she thinks of something beyond friendship blossoming between her and Elliot. It's not like they don't know each other. She knows quite well what she'd be getting into. Maybe that's her problem. She knows what they have now, but what if it doesn't work? What if they ruined this amazing friendship by thinking it could be more?
"You want this one?" Elliot asks, pulling a duvet cover out of one of the boxes in her bedroom.
"Uh, sure," she says quickly.
Elliot hands the cover to her and pulls the duvet from its bag.
"Why don't you get it in there and I'll put the sheet on."
He's being very practical and it helps Olivia to focus on the task at hand as well. After a while, the bed is made and Olivia sits down on it with a content sigh.
"We did a good job," Elliot says.
"We did," she agrees.
"So hop in and try it out."
Olivia dutifully slips out of her shoes. She does feel tired and a nap sounds like heaven. She scoots into bed fully clothed and Elliot sits next to her. He's actually tucking her in this time and she grins at him.
"Gotta take care of my girl," he says softly and her grin turns into a shy smile. "Get some rest, and I'll take you out to dinner later."
Her face lights up.
"Oh, you wanna go to that Italian place down the block?"
"Sounds like a plan to me. I'll swing by and make reservations."
"I think I'm going to like living here," Olivia says, her eyes already closing.
She hears Elliot shift and assumes he's getting up to leave the room. Her eyes pop open when she suddenly feels his breath on her forehead, just before he presses his lips to her skin.
"Me too," he whispers against her forehead.
He kisses her lightly again and repeats,
"Me too."
…
Aww. This was getting a bit long so I decided to stop here. More fluffy moments to come, now that the hearing is over and they've finally moved into the new place. Please leave your thoughts in the review box below!