What else does he have planned?
"C'mon, it's not that far of a walk." Elliot said.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Olivia asked. "Or just let me guess?"
He glanced at her, a smile on his face. "I can't tell you. That would ruin the surprise."
"I never did like surprises." Olivia mumbled.
"Oh, you going to like this one."
She rarely saw him this excited. In fact, he never really got like this. He must have something pretty amazing planned. Her stomach tightened in anticipation. She hadn't lied; she never did really like surprises. Somehow, though, she didn't quite mind what he was doing. She trusted him with her life, so why couldn't she trust him with a little surprise?
They walked down the sidewalk, arm in arm, as snowflakes began to fall.
"The kids are coming tomorrow around eleven." Elliot said as they walked. "Kathy's going to bring them over once they're done opening their gifts."
Olivia nodded. "You must be excited to see them."
He looked at her, and smiled as they continued to walk. "Right now I'm just happy to be spending time with you. With our case load… I feel lucky to even have tonight and tomorrow night off."
"The captain knows how much this holiday means to you. He wouldn't have kept you unless he absolutely needed you."
"This way." They turned onto a busy street, and Olivia stared at him. "Fifth Avenue?"
Elliot shrugged, a smile coming across his face. "What, you don't like window shopping? Besides, we have a couple of stops along here."
They walked along the beautifully decorated storefronts, stopping every so often to take a peak at an interesting display. Olivia even convinced him to enter a few of the stores, quite easily she might add. This surprised her; usually he didn't enjoy any aspect of going clothes shopping with her. But this time, he entered with no complaints, and even pointed out a few outfits she might like.
"Getting hungry?" He asked as they walked back out into the cold.
"I could eat something." Olivia answered. "Why, you have plans for that, too?"
Elliot checked his watch, and smiled widely. "Yes, actually. Our reservation is in ten minutes. C'mon."
He grabbed her hand, and they walked across the street.
"You didn't make reservations anywhere too expensive, did you?" Olivia asked, a sneaking suspicion creeping up on her. She was happy just to be with him; he could take her to a McDonald's for all she cared. She would feel guilty if he was planning on spending all sorts of money on her.
He turned, and pulled her close. "Don't worry about that, Liv. Just enjoy yourself and it'll be worth more than anything to me."
He took her to Il Gattopardo. They sat at a table in the corner, he ordered them a bottle of wine, and poured them each a glass.
"Merry Christmas, Liv. Here's to many more together." They clinked their glasses together lightly.
"Thank you for planning all of this, Elliot. I'm having an amazing time so far." She said, smiling.
"Good." He answered, smiling back. "Because I have more."
When the waiter came around, he ordered the rack of lamb, and she picked out the lemon and rosemary chicken. Their meals arrived a little later, they both dug in, taking their rare opportunity to go out to a fancy restaurant for all that it was worth. By the time their plates were clear, neither of them could fit even one more bite in. The bill came, and Olivia tried to take out her wallet, but the look that he gave her from across the table made it clear that even paying towards the tip would not be acceptable.
Elliot placed his credit card back in his wallet, and gulped down the last few sips of his wine, sighing contently. "Alright, what do you think? We have one more stop on the list, ready to go?"
What could he do to top what he's already done?
She couldn't think of a thing. But, to her surprise, there would be something.
They exited the restaurant together, and walked for a few blocks, their shoes crunching against the soft layer of snow that stuck to the sidewalk.
When they arrived at their destination, it took Olivia's breath away. They were in front of Rockefeller Center, looking straight up at the humungous Christmas tree. It was covered with more lights than she had ever seen, and the star on top was a brilliant, bright white. Below it, the ice skating rink was packed with families skating and spectating, and even more people just stood around, admiring the tree.
"Wow." Olivia said. The whole scene took her breath away. "You know, I've lived right here in Manhattan for almost my entire life and I've never actually come here and seen the tree."
"Well, we'll have to change that." He said, lifting her chin so he could look her in the eyes. The tenderness in his eyes almost brought tears to hers. "Let's get closer."
They maneuvered through the crowd of people, and found a small island of empty space near the tree. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she rested her head against him as they stared up.
"The kids and I used to come here every Christmastime." He said. "I can't imagine not coming around at least once during the season."
Her arm slid around his waist, and squeezed lightly. "Thank you, El. For including me in your tradition."
"I'd like it to be our tradition." He said, looking down at her.
"Me too." She answered softly, resting her hand on his cheek for a moment.
He grinned, and took a step away from her, reaching into his jacket pocket. "I got you something." His grin turned nervous as he held out a small, wrapped box.
"What did you do?" She asked, staring down at the small, wrapped box. She had a sneaking suspicion of what it might be, but… no, it couldn't be. There was no way. She took the box, and ripped the paper off, revealing a small black box.
This is… I must be dreaming.
"I-I've had this for a couple of weeks now." Elliot said, wrapping his hands around both her hands and the box, covering them. She sensed the apprehension in his voice. "I was just waiting for the right time to give it to you."
"What is it?" She whispered, looking at him. The apprehension in his voice was reflected in his eyes, but that wasn't the only thing there. She saw hope, and most importantly, she saw love.
His hands squeezed her gently. When she looked down at them, his larger ones still enveloped hers, preventing her from even looking at the box he'd given her.
"You're my best friend." Elliot said, leaning in closer so their foreheads were nearly touching. "You make me happy when I'm said, loved when I'm lonely, and calm when I'm about to explode. I-I've never felt for anyone what I feel for you. I do love you… but it feels like so much more than that. You're a part of me now, and…" He had to pause as tears formed in his eyes and a lump rose in his throat. He let his forehead drop against hers, his voice coming out as a whisper. "I don't want to spend another moment without you. Will you marry me?"
As he said the last line, Elliot took his hands off of hers, and opened the little black box. The ring inside was silver, with a large diamond and a smaller one on both sides.
Oh my God. He just… he just…
He wants to spend the rest of his life with me.
The life that they could have together flashed before her eyes. A wedding, not too big but not too small, children with his eyes, his generosity, his selflessness… retiring together and growing old. She wanted it. She wanted it all.
"Liv?" He asked. She hated the anxiety in his voice. How could he even doubt her answer?
"Yes." She whispered, and watched the emotion explode in his eyes. She saw awe, wonder, elation, bliss… and she knew that all of those were reflected in her own eyes.
He slipped her glove off, and slid the ring onto her finger. She didn't think the smile on his face could get any bigger. She grasped the back of his neck, and pulled him in for a kiss. She felt warm tears stream down his cheeks, and he held her tightly.
Olivia wiped his tears away with her thumbs, cupping his face in both of her hands. "Will you take me home now?" She whispered.
He smiled, and nodded. "I'll take you home."
When they arrived at the apartment, she pulled him into the bedroom, and began to undress him. He reached for the zipper on the back of her dress, but she slapped his hand away. "You planned this whole night for us. Think of this as a thank you."
Thank him she did.
A/N: Hope it lived up to your expectations! :) Review and let me know what you think!