Prompt #163: Father of the Bride Part II (in which "Steve Martin" is about to become a father and a grandfather at the same time)

~oOo~

All In The Family

Chapter 1

~oOo~

Five years ago, life, as Elliot Stabler knew it, changed forever. His wife at the time, Kathy Stabler, came to visit him in the squad room and found herself in the middle of a hostile situation. Teenaged Jenna Fox had opened fire in the squad room to avenge the murder of her mother.

When Kathy walked in, it startled Jenna who immediately spun on the blonde. Elliot got a shot off, which killed the girl, but it was too late. Kathy died in Elliot's arms.

Along with Kathy, a nun who was a witness in an open case was also killed by Jenna. The guilt, both from killing a teenage girl near the age of his daughter, and from Kathy getting killed when she was visiting him, proved to be too much for Elliot. After he finished the mandatory meeting with IAB, he walked out of the squad room, and no one other than Captain Cragen saw him again for several months other than at Kathy's funeral. Cragen only saw him once after the funeral when he came to turn in his badge and credentials.

Olivia kept trying to get through to her former partner, but he dodged her calls. She still kept in touch with the Stabler children. Eli was staying with his oldest sister until his dad could get himself together. Olivia was doing everything she could to support them. Finally, about eight months after the funeral, Olivia was decompressing from a stressful day at work by watching TV on her sofa when there was a loud knock on her door.

"Liv, it's me. Let me in!" a raspy voice called out. Olivia quickly jumped up and answered the door.

"Elliot?!"

The man in question stumbled into the apartment. Olivia helped him to the couch and eased him onto it.

With glassy tears in his eyes, Elliot looked at the woman beside him.

"I can't do it, Liv."

"Do what, El?" she asked softly.

"I can't get over the guilt. I killed a kid. A teenage girl. And my wife was killed because that kid opened fire in the squad room. I missed the signs. Jenna got a gun inside the station and no one saw it coming. Kathy would still be alive today if only…"

"No, Elliot. This was in no way you're fault. You shot a person who killed innocent people. She would have killed more if you hadn't stopped her. You need to let go of this guilt. You've shut out the people who love you. Your kids need you to be there for them. I've been doing the best I can, but I'm not their father. They need you."

"Everyone is better off without me. My kids probably hate me. I'm the one that got their mother killed," Elliot all but whispered.

Olivia was horrified and scared for her former partner.

"Elliot Stabler! Your kids love you. They are worried about you. They've been trying to talk to you but you are dodging them just as you are dodging me. Kathleen came over the other day and begged me to find you and talk to you. Get you to come back to them. It broke my heart to tell her you've been dodging me too and I still had no clue how to reach you. Please, Elliot. You need to come home! Stop pushing us away. You don't have to do this alone. In fact, you shouldn't be alone!"

Elliot was silent for a few moments, looking at his hands. When he looked back up at Olivia, tears were streaming down his face.

"I— I'm no good to anyone anymore! I can't fix it! I— I need help, Liv!"

"El…" Olivia breathed out, as she pulled the sobbing man into her arms, holding him tightly. They rocked back and forth for a long time, her tears mingling with his.

"I'll help you, El. I'll do whatever it takes. We'll get you into therapy. I promise, you won't do this alone," Olivia said, trying unsuccessfully to hold back her own sobs.

It hurt her to see her once strong partner so broken. Eventually, Elliot fell into an emotionally exhausted and alcohol-induced sleep. Olivia got up and covered him with a blanket before calling his four adult kids.

The next day, Elliot was admitted to an inpatient counseling facility.

Elliot actually did the work to get better while in the facility, and Olivia and his kids visited him every chance they got. Olivia got permission to tell Fin, Munch, and Cragen where Elliot was and they visited him fairly often as well. Elliot quickly found out that he had more friends than he thought and that they would never leave him alone to deal with his pain.

After six months, Elliot checked out of the hospital, but he didn't return to SVU. He found a great job in private security and he and Eli moved into a bigger house not too far from Maureen's place. Olivia spent a lot of time with the Stablers, and she and Elliot grew closer and closer.

She never tried to replace Kathy in the kids' lives, but she became a second mother to all of them. When Maureen met a wonderful man named Carl, Olivia helped plan the wedding. Elliot didn't take his first little girl's announcement about her engagement very well at all, but he eventually came around and even started to like Carl.

About three months after Maureen got married, Elliot and Liv had a small ceremony at the courthouse with Elliot's kids, Amaro, Fin, Rollins, Munch, and Cragen as witnesses. Olivia, with encouragement from both Cragen and Elliot, took the Sergeant's exam and replaced Cragen when he retired three months after the wedding. A year later, Elliot and Olivia adopted a little boy Olivia had found on a case. Noah Benson Stabler was loved by the entire family, both immediate and chosen.

~oOo~

Recently, Maureen had been feeling sick for a while. The whole family was very concerned. Carl and Elliot and Olivia finally talked her into going to the doctor.

The evening after she had gone in for tests, she called and asked the entire family to meet over at Elliot and Olivia's place.

"What's going on? What did the doctor say? Are you ok?" Elliot demanded to know as soon as everyone was seated.

"Well, he did find something. Dad, Mama Liv, everyone, I'm pregnant," Maureen told the group.

There was dead silence for a few moments, then squeals from Kathleen, Lizzie, and even Olivia who all jumped up to hug her and Carl. Richard and Eli and Noah joined in the hugs, too, as well as Grandma Bernie. Elliot, for his part, was completely frozen.

Finally, Maureen urged, "Well, dad? Say something, please."

Elliot finally seemed to find his voice. Hugging his daughter close, he said,

"Congratulations, Honey."

Maureen let out a squeal and said, "You, too! Grandpa!"

Elliot's eyes widened and he suddenly felt sick, but he forced himself to enjoy the rest of the evening.

Later in the bedroom, however, he vented to Olivia.

"Mo's too young to be a mother!"

"Really, El? She's twenty-eight. I'm pretty sure you were much younger when you had her," Olivia retorted.

Elliot had an expression on his face that could only be referred to as a pout. "That was different. And it was tough for Kathy and me. I wouldn't trade my kids for the world but I regret getting Kathy pregnant so young. Kids cost money. It's tough to raise them, especially in these times. In this economy."

Olivia huffed. "Elliot, Maureen's strong and she makes more money now than you did then. She and Carl have got this. You know they are both going to be amazing parents. Aren't you the least bit excited about being a grandpa?"

"No, Grandma! I am not! We are way too young to be grandparents!" Elliot grumbled.

"Actually, we really aren't, Elliot. And you can't tell me that you aren't gonna spoil that little one rotten when he or she arrives," Olivia pointed out.

Before Elliot could respond, there was a knock on their bedroom door.

"Come in," he called.

"Dad, Mamma Livvie, I just thought of something," Eli said as he came in to sit on the bed.

"What's that, Sweetheart?" asked Olivia.

Eli cocked his head thoughtfully. "Well, I'm in the third grade. I haven't even lost all my baby teeth yet. Noah's two and still in diapers. And we're going to be uncles. Is there something weird about that?"

Elliot threw up his hands. "Finally, someone who's on my side!"

Olivia snorted and rolled her eyes. "Right. An eight-year-old."

After Eli went back to his own room, Olivia took out her phone and started texting.

"What are you doing?" demanded Elliot.

Olivia smiled. "I'm texting Fin and Amanda to tell them the great news."

Elliot just huffed and rolled over to go to sleep.

~oOo~

Over the next few weeks, Elliot started acting really goofy. It was like he was trying to prove he wasn't old. He did everything from extreme workouts in the gym to buying a hairpiece. It drove Olivia crazy, but she did enjoy it when she came home one day to find a romantic dinner prepared and candles lit.

"Where are the kids?" she asked.

"Amanda has them tonight. Eli loves playing with her and Noah just adores his Aunt Amanda. I thought you and I could have a romantic night in."

With that, he pushed her against the cabinet, and his lips slammed into hers.

She kissed him back, but broke the kiss a few moments later to speak to him.

"Elliot, I want you as badly as you want me. Before we get started, though, do me a favor."

"What's that?" he inquired.

"Lose the toupee," Olivia ordered with a smirk.

"Seriously? You don't like it?" Elliot replied.

Olivia made a face and shook her head.

"You are much sexier without it. You don't need to prove how young you are to me or anyone else. Please, just go back to being my El. I love you just the way you are."

"Ok. I'll take it off," Elliot agreed, removing the toupee from his head. Then he and Olivia got back to what they had been doing.

~oOo~

Over the next few weeks, Olivia was very busy helping Maureen prepare for the baby as well as managing her squad. She started feeling sick and she missed a period. She also began feeling more and more tired every day. She thought it was just the stress of balancing family and work, but when she wasn't feeling any better after several weeks, she finally decided to make an appointment with her gynecologist. Elliot went with her because she was suddenly feeling very nervous about what the doctor might find.

When the results came back, the doctor came in to talk to Elliot and Olivia.

"Well, the results do show us something."

Olivia anxiously reached for Elliot's hand.

"What's going on, Doc?"

"Is it something serious?" added Elliot.

The doctor shook her head. "It's not anything serious. Nothing that won't clear up in about seven months."

Olivia's eyes widened in shock as the doctor confirmed,

"Kids, you're going to have a baby."

Olivia had a wide grin on her face, but it disappeared as she heard a loud thud next to her.

She turned, and her expression changed to horror as she saw her husband passed out on the floor. The walls of the exam room echoed with her scream.

"ELLIOT!"