AN: Hey again! As you all may have noticed, I had been avoiding Kathleen in previous chapters, just because I feel like she'd be the hardest Stabler for Olivia to win over (aside from Kathy maybe), but to make up for that, this chapter is centered on her and Olivia's developing relationship. I also wanted to tell you guys thank you for your reviews; seeing you all's blatant disregard for Brian really makes me laugh, and I promise he won't be around for too much longer. Alright, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter (it's another shorter one), read and review, please!
Chapter 8 – Olivia and Kathleen
The walk to Olivia's car is quiet. Kathleen trudges along behind her on the sidewalk, leaving Olivia to glance back at her every now and then. It had not always been like this. Back when Luke and Dickie had first met, Kathleen had been at the same school, and she used to go over to Olivia's house with her younger siblings at the end of the day. Olivia had always been a cool mom, and one of the ones who didn't have to try to get kids to like her. Maybe it was how she never yelled, or how she insisted on being called by her first name, or just how she made everyone she talked to seem like the most important person in the world, child or adult. And it was funny, because, at work, she was sometimes called the "office bitch" because of the way she pushed people, and because of the lack of patience she had for those who gave little effort, but to all of Luke's friends and the other kids that knew her, Olivia was one of the best moms in the world.
Kathleen had been no exception. She liked Olivia, confided in her when she was confused about boys or worried about a test grade. She liked how when Olivia visited for the twins' birthday parties, she bought gifts for Kathleen and Maureen as well ("so they don't feel left out" she'd whispered to Kathleen's dad). Kathleen had liked how she was treated like an adult at the Rhodes household and it was Olivia who taught her how to make brownies and even how to French braid. But then she had moved to middle school, and then her parents had split. Kathleen had always taken more to her mother, and Olivia was a part of her dad's life, so she'd distanced herself from Olivia first, out of loyalty, and then she'd distanced herself from everyone else as she began to grow into a sullen and moody teenager. But Olivia remembered, the fourth-grade girl that had reminded her brother to wipe his mouth after eating, who had fixed her sister's hair bows, and who had loved to crack eggs for the brownie mix. She knew that Kathleen had grown up a little, had changed a little, but deep down inside, she was the same person. Olivia was sure of that.
Olivia unlocks her car as they walk up to it in the parking lot. Kathleen climbs in on the passenger's side and Olivia gets in on the driver's side, starting the car and turning the radio on. She doesn't say anything immediately and as she pulls out of the garage, the car is soundless except for Alanis Morrissett's voice in the background. Eventually, Olivia glances over, ready to speak up, but Kathleen beats her to it.
"You didn't have to take me back," she says shortly. Olivia's eyebrows raise, but she figures that she should have expected this, and so she tries not to take the harshness in Kathleen's voice personally.
"I know," she says. "I was trying to save you from your dad."
Kathleen hesitates after Olivia says this, as if she's trying to gauge Olivia's intentions. Eventually, she shrugs her shoulders slightly.
"He's not that bad," she says. "He's just annoyed because my grades are already low, and I'm not going to get into prep school unless I can finish this year with all As."
"Do you want to go to prep school?" Olivia asks. Kathleen shrugs again, still not looking at Olivia.
"Dunno," she says. "It doesn't matter. I have a C- in gym."
"Is that what you're skipping?" Olivia asks. No response. She's surprised by the level-headedness that Kathleen had displayed so far, though. She knew that she needed to go school to keep her grades up. She was a smart kid. It didn't make sense for her to risk getting in trouble with her dad for something so thoughtless. "Kathleen?"
"It doesn't matter," the younger girl says, shaking her head and turning to the window, apparently done with the conversation. Olivia glances at her, pursing her lips and then at looking around at her surroundings. She knew that Kathleen had more to say, she was just going to have to get it out of her.
"You didn't eat lunch, did you?" she asks, changing the subject. Kathleen looks over for the first time, eventually shaking her head. "Are you hungry?"
"Kind of," Kathleen says slowly. Olivia nods and changes lanes, making a turn and spotting a McDonald's.
"Ah," she says. "Perfect."
"Aren't you supposed to be taking me back to school?" Kathleen asks, a little wary now. Olivia nods as she finds a place to park on the street.
"I will," she says. "But I can't send you back hungry. C'mon."
She turns the car off and gets out, and after a second, Kathleen steps out onto the sidewalk, following Olivia into the restaurant.
•
"That's all you want to eat?" Olivia asks, nodding at the salad in front of Kathleen. They were sitting in a booth in the upstairs area. The store was full of people eating lunch, and they had been lucky to nab a seat. Kathleen shrugs a little, picking at a cherry tomato.
"Fast food isn't good for you," she says, taking a small bite of her food. She glances up at Olivia, motioning to her lack of food. "You're not eating it."
"Well, I just had lunch with your dad," Olivia says. "I might get a milkshake before we leave. You're right though. It's not great to eat fast food all the time, but it's okay every once in a while. I never take Luke to McDonald's, he'd be livid if he found out we were here now."
Kathleen chews, considering this. Eventually, she shrugs.
"Mom takes them sometimes. Luke and the twins," she says. "I think he keeps that a secret from you." Olivia laughs, surprised to hear this. Kathleen offers a half-smile.
"Wow," she says. "Well, I'd like to think that I'm not that harsh about it; maybe I should loosen up a little."
"Maybe," Kathleen says quietly, continuing to eat. Olivia pauses for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to initiate a conversation about Kathleen missing school. Eventually, she decides to use a less than direct way in.
"So," she says, making Kathleen look back up at her. "Who was that boy you were with earlier?"
Kathleen's cheeks turn red. She shakes her head briefly, chewing on her bottom lip as she debates whether to speak up or not. She hadn't talked to mom about any of this yet, but only because she knew her mom would tell her to go for it, to ask him out. She wasn't quite sure she was ready for that. She glances up at Olivia, sees her curious gaze, and decides that maybe, she is the right person to tell.
"His name is David," she says slowly, pushing her salad around. "He's in my math class. I think he likes me, but I'm not sure."
"It looked like he did," Olivia says, tilting her head. "So, is that why you skipped gym?" She's making a guess at this point, about gym being the class that Kathleen had missed.
"No, I didn't even know he was coming until we were leaving already," Kathleen says. "I mean, I didn't want to go to gym anyway…" She pauses here, realizing she had been tricked. Olivia's eyebrows raise, prodding her to continue, but she doesn't know if she should. She hadn't confided in either one of her parents in a long time, although that wasn't necessarily their fault. They were both working now, and when Kathleen did get a minute to sit down with them, after a long day at school, she didn't always feel like talking. But the thing about never talking to anyone, especially as a teenager, was that you needed advice sometimes. And she had been confused, and sometimes sad, and other times angry, and holding all that in was hard. It was getting to the point that it made her feel like she was going to burst. So, looking at Olivia in front of her, she felt the need to share. It wasn't like Olivia would tell her parents anything she said, either. She wasn't that type.
"We're doing gymnastics in gym," Kathleen finally says. "I'm horrible. I can't do rolls, or cartwheels, or the rings, or the rope climb, or even walk on the balance beam without falling. Last week, I fell in the middle of climbing the rope and everyone saw. It was the most embarrassing thing in the world."
"Oh Kathleen," Olivia says, tilting her head. "It's okay to not be good at something. This unit won't last forever."
"It feels like it," Kathleen says sullenly. "All of my friends got the hang of it and they love it. They already know how to do cartwheels from cheerleading. They'll probably be on the high school team."
"Did you talk to your mom?" Olivia says, trying to think back to what Elliot had told her about their high school experience. "She was a cheerleader, right? If it's really bothering you, I'm sure she could help you practice."
"She was a cheerleader," Kathleen says. "And so was Maureen. And Dickie is going to play football as soon as he gets to middle school, just like dad. Lizzie swims and will probably be a cheerleader too. I was on the soccer team last year, but I got cut this fall. I'm the only one in the family who's a total klutz."
"Different people are good at different things," Olivia says. "You still like art, don't you? Drawing and painting and all?"
"Yeah," Kathleen says, nodding a bit.
"So that's something you're good at that no one else is," Olivia says. "I know for a fact that your father is just about the worst artist in the world. And he doesn't care if you don't enjoy gym class. He brags about you just as much as he brags about your brother and sisters."
"No way," Kathleen says, but Olivia shakes her head.
"I promise," she says. "And in terms of gym class, it's not worth the hassle of skipping. Every eighth-grader is so worried about what everyone else thinks of them that they don't even have time to remember what embarrassing thing someone else did. I mean, has anyone else ever fallen in your class?"
"Um," Kathleen says, thinking back. "I think Ashley fell in the middle of her cartwheel once."
"And how often do you think about that?" Olivia asks gently. Kathleen shrugs and then shakes her head.
"I forgot it happened," she admits. She's quiet for a moment after this, pushing her salad around. "Maybe you're right."
"Maybe," Olivia muses. "Hey, Kathleen?"
"Yeah?"
"You should talk to your parents," she says. Kathleen sighs. "Really. About gym class, and about everything else. I mean, that's what they're there for. To help you out with all this stuff. It's not like you can grow up alone."
"I guess," Kathleen says. She pushes her salad to the side and Olivia smiles a little.
"Are you done?" she asks. Kathleen nods and they stand.
"Alright," she says. "I'm gonna order that shake, I think. Then we can go."
"Uh, Olivia?" Kathleen asks, throwing her trash away and then following Olivia downstairs.
"Hm?" Olivia says, going to stand in line. Kathleen's cheeks flush a little.
"Do you think I could get a milkshake too?"
Olivia's smile widens, and she nods, nudging Kathleen.
"Of course."
•
Two milkshakes and a short drive later, Olivia pulls up in front of Kathleen's middle school and parks, looking at car radio display.
"Well, you have about an hour and 30 minutes left in the day," Olivia says, chuckling and shaking her head. "Your dad is going to kill me."
"I won't tell," Kathleen says, smiling. "Besides, he's going to be too busy yelling at me to go after you."
"No," Olivia says, shaking her head. "Wanna hear a secret? The best way to get out of an argument with your dad is to be honest with him."
"What do you mean?" Kathleen asks.
"Well, you know you were wrong to skip school, right?" Olivia says. Kathleen nods. "Tell him that. And tell him you're sorry, but only if you really are. Then there'll be nothing left to argue about."
"I am sorry," Kathleen says. She rolls this idea over in her mind before nodding. "I'll try it."
"Good," Olivia says, smiling. Kathleen lingers in the car for a moment, like she has more to say. Olivia looks over at her expectantly, and eventually, she speaks up.
"My dad…" she says slowly. "You're friends with him, right?"
"I am," Olivia says. She feels her cheeks warming, but she can't pinpoint why. "Why?"
"Do you think he and my mom are ever going to get back together?" Kathleen asks, looking back over Olivia. This catches Olivia off guard. She doesn't know how to answer this question for Kathleen. She thinks deep down that the answer is no, but there's no way she's going to say that to Elliot's daughter. Eventually, she just shakes her head slightly.
"I don't know," she says softly. "You've got to ask them about that."
"I thought that's what you'd say," Kathleen says, not sounding too upset. She's quiet for a moment, searching for the right words. "I thought they would after they broke up. And I wanted them to. But it seems like they're happier not being married."
Olivia doesn't know what to say to this. Kathleen understands. She smiles a little at Olivia and nods at the clock.
"An hour and 20 minutes left," she says. Olivia scoffs and shakes her head.
"I can't believe I just got outsmarted by a 13-year-old," she says, making Kathleen laugh. "Go, before the bell rings."
"Thanks, Olivia," she says, smiling before hopping out of the car. Olivia chuckles to herself, shaking her head as she watches the blonde head into school.
•
Olivia isn't expecting to hear from Elliot again that day, and so when she gets a call at eleven that night, she panics for just a moment. She sits up in bed and blinks at her alarm clock, having been half-asleep, before grabbing the phone.
"Hello?" she says groggily.
"Hey," comes Elliot's voice. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"
"Uh, no, it's okay," Olivia says, yawning immediately after. "Is Kathleen okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, she's great," Elliot says slowly. "That's why I'm calling actually. What did you say to her, exactly?"
"What do you mean?" Olivia asks, turning her lamp on and sitting up in bed.
"I went over to Kathy's after work so that we could both talk to her about it," Elliot begins. "And as soon as I stepped into the house before I could even say anything, she goes 'I'm sorry that I skipped dad, I know it was wrong, and I won't do it again.' Now, what was I supposed to say to that?"
Olivia chuckles, running a hand through her hair. She smiles to herself and cradles the phone between her shoulder and ear.
"I don't know," she says. "What did you do?"
"Well, I asked why she skipped. And she told me and Kathy about how she was having trouble in gym class, and that turned into how she's worried about fitting in, and then we talked about her plans for next year. You know, she doesn't even want to go to prep school? All her friends are going to public school, and she doesn't want to have to start all over."
"Well, that makes sense," Olivia says.
"I know," Elliot says. "And I didn't even think about that. I haven't had more than a 100-word conversation with Kathleen in the past six months, and she spends one afternoon with you and then she's willing to spill her guts. So, what did you do?"
"I mean, nothing really," Olivia says. "I took her to get some lunch and then back to school."
"I thought she was too old to be bribed," Elliot huffs. Olivia chuckles.
"It wasn't a bribe," she said. "She hadn't eaten. And I haven't gotten to spend any time with her for a long time."
"You all did use to be close," Elliot says. "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to call to say thank you."
"It's really no problem," Olivia says. "If she talked to you, it's because she wanted to, not because of anything I said."
"Maybe," Elliot says. "But she's always been closer to Kathy. Maybe that's my fault for overreacting about situations like this."
"You didn't," Olivia assures. "Don't beat yourself up. You're a great dad."
"And yet, I'm constantly being outparented by you," Elliot says. Olivia's about to disagree, but then he chuckles, and she rolls her eyes. "Really, though, thank you. You're amazing, honestly. I owe you another lunch."
"You're welcome," Olivia says, chuckling and trying to ignore the heat that's risen to her face. "But you know, if you keep dropping by my office, people are going to talk."
"Let them talk," Elliot says. Olivia can hear the smile in his voice. "And you know, if you're ever looking for a career change, you'd make a great cop. I mean, you'd set records in getting confessions, I'm sure."
"Okay, okay," Olivia says. "You're really laying it on thick, Stabler, what's the catch?"
"I'm just appreciative," Elliot says, chuckling. "You constantly amaze me, you know."
"Elliot," Olivia says, her voice more of a whine now. Elliot chuckles, but then his voice gets quiet. Olivia waits for him to continue.
"You know what else Kathleen asked?"
"What?" Olivia says.
"If Kathy and I were going to get back together," Elliot says. Olivia's breath hitches. "We both were taken so off-guard, we had no idea what to say."
"Well, what did you end up telling her?" Olivia asks. She's nervous now, for some reason, twisting the sheets between her free hand.
"I mean, we told her no, of course," Elliot says. "We know we're better off just being friends. But I didn't want to have to break it to Kathleen like that."
"Oh," Olivia says, finally able to breathe. "Well, I'm sorry about that."
"It's alright. It was just a little awkward," Elliot says. "It's good that she knows now though. I don't want her to be confused if we start seeing other people."
"Have you thought about that?" Olivia asks tentatively. "Seeing other people?"
"Well, of course," Elliot says. "I don't want to be alone forever, it's just that right now..."
His voice trails off and Olivia waits, still worrying the sheet in her hand.
"I don't know," Elliot says eventually. "I guess, maybe the timing hasn't been right yet."
"Yeah?" Olivia asks, wondering what he means by that. "Well, I'm sure things will work out."
"I really hope they do," Elliot says, his voice quiet. He and Olivia are both silent for a moment, sitting and listening to each other's breathing. This is as close as she's been to him since she'd stayed over at his house, Olivia feels. In the dark, he might as well have been right next to her. Something about this idea comforts her.
"Alright," Elliot eventually says. "I'll let you get back to sleep. Sorry for waking you."
"It's alright," Olivia says, a little sad that she'd have to hang up. "Goodnight, El."
"Night, Liv," Elliot says. She hangs up after this, but the small smile on her face that had appeared at some point during the conversation doesn't leave; even as she lays back down and shuts her eyes.