A/N: WHEN ARE THE ALERTS GOING TO BE FIXED?! Seriously. This is getting old. I think I've done like 8 chapters with no alerts and it irritates me. I have 44 FRIGGING people on the alert list for this story and I KNOW y'all aren't getting them. Take note: IT IS NOT JUST YOU. PLEASE (I'm begging) check the main SVU page (make sure you check the M rated page!) and you will find this story updated NEARLY every day (barring unforeseen circumstances!!), plus a songfic, oneshot, or smutty chapter of Need every so often. CHECK IT! READ THEM! LOVE THEM! REVIEW THEM! Ok. I'm done ranting. I'm glad you guys all liked chapter twelve! Yay! I was thinking about it the other day and I seriously have NO plan for this story – well. Not much of one anyway. So we're just kinda flying by the seats of our pants here ladies. Thanks for hangin' in for the ride!! Love you all – R&R it up for me! XO, Kins
Dedication: This one is for MHFever who R&R'd like a MADWOMAN today! You rock sister friend!!
Disclaimer: Only my overactive imagination is mine – and the cutie of course (no, I'm not talking about Elliot. DAMMIT!!).
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Today's the day. Saturday. D-Day. Or, more appropriately, Chuck E. Day. We're meeting Maureen and Kathleen at Chuck E. Cheese this afternoon. I glance at my watch. In about an hour. I swipe on some mascara and lip gloss and rub my lips together. I run my fingers through my curly hair for the thirty zillionth time and smile at Elliot in the mirror as he enters the room.
"You look far too beautiful for pizza and air hockey," Elliot says, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.
"You're sweet. But shut up," I say with a nervous smile. "And what is with this air hockey obsession?"
"The Stabler kids dominate at air hockey," he shrugs. "It's just a fact," he smiles at the pained expression still on my face. "Olivia, relax. It's going to be fine. You've had dinner with my girls a million times."
"But how many times when I've introduced them to their baby sister?"
"Well there is that."
"My point exactly."
Elliot smiles at me in the mirror. "Relax, honey. They missed you. They're excited. They're going to love Kelli." I tip my head back for a kiss and he complies.
"Yum. Is that the mango pineapple coconut stuff?" he asks.
I laugh. "Tropical passion. And I can't believe you remember."
"I remember every tube of lip junk in your arsenal," he laughs and kisses me again. I pull away and smooth my hands over my hips and down my sides.
"Do I look okay?" I ask.
"Beautiful as always," he replies.
"You're biased," I remind him.
"Oh okay. Let's ask some random man on the street if he thinks you're good looking. And then when he answers, I'll clock him."
I laugh and feel myself start to relax a little. I lean back against his chest and he wraps his arms tighter around my waist. Kelli comes sprinting into the room and I scoop her up off the floor.
"Are we going yet? I wanna meet my sisters!" she squeals.
"In a minute, baby," I smile at her, looking at the reflection of our family in the mirror. I've always told Kelli how her eyes match her dad's, and looking at them together in the mirror… I'm right. Her hair is right between his and mine for color, kind of a medium brown with blonde and red highlights. Her mouth is just like mine, but she has his square jaw.
"Whatcha lookin' at, Mommy?" she asks.
"My family," I answer. No matter how broken the road was to get here… and no matter how much farther we have to go… we are a family.
"Ready?" Elliot asks softly, busting into my reverie.
I nod my head and he releases me from his embrace, kissing my cheek softly and taking Kelli from my arms. He swings her onto his shoulders and I grab my purse off the chair on the way to the door. He gets to the doorway and says "Duck, duck!" to the six-year-old on his shoulders.
"GOOSE!" she squeals, bending down to get through the doorway and kissing the top of his head. I laugh and roll my eyes at the rituals they're already establishing.
--
We pull up to the restaurant in the Touareg and Elliot points to a black Lincoln Navigator. "Looks like Ree's already here," he says. I let out a low whistle.
"She is a doctor, isn't she?" I ask with a grin.
He nods and smiles. "The one splurge she's made," he says. He holds the door and Kelli and I walk past him, her clinging to my hand. He comes in behind us and wraps his arm around my waist, his hand at the small of my back. I can feel the warmth radiating through my black sleeveless sweater. He doesn't say anything, but I know it's a gesture of protection. He's always been my knight in shining armor. I glance around the restaurant, looking for Maureen's shiny blonde hair. I spot her, said hair pulled up in a curly ponytail on the back of her head. Her eyes land on her dad and her whole face lights up. Elliot's girls love him more than anything. No matter who they marry, how many boys they give birth to, he will always be the first man who held their hearts.
"Hey Daddy!" she calls across the crowded restaurant, waving us over to where she's sitting. Kelli drags her feet a little, suddenly bashful. Elliot notices and scoops her up into his arms where she proceeds to bury her head in his neck.
"Kelli, why are you being so bashful?" he asks gently.
"I want them to like me," she whispers. My heart shatters into a million pieces for my baby.
"They will," I whisper back, trying not to let her see the tears welling in my eyes.
"Hey guys!" Kathleen comes up behind us and saves the moment.
"Hi Kathleen," I say, unsure of how this is going to go down. Kathleen's relationship with her dad hasn't ever been as good as Maureen's, and I'm a little worried how she's going to react to me and Kelli.
"Hi, Liv," she smiles warmly and hugs me.
I relax a little and wrap my arms around her.
"It's so good to see you!" she says. "Hey Daddy," she continues, standing up on her toes to kiss Elliot's cheek.
"Hey kiddo," he replies.
"This must be the fourth Stabler sister," Kathleen says quietly, almost in awe of her baby sister.
"What's a Stabler sister?" Kelli asks, her interest piqued.
"It's a special club," Kathleen explains. "You can only be in it if Dad is your Daddy," she says.
I smile. And Lizzie's the one who's supposed to be great with kids?
"Really?" Kelli asks incredulously.
"Hey, you can ask Maureen if you don't believe me," she says with a grin and a shrug.
"Kelli, honey, this is your big sister Kathleen," Elliot explains.
"But you can call me Katie," Kathleen explains.
"Okay," Kelli says.
"Do you think I could have a hug?" Kathleen asks.
Kelli looks at me for reassurance. "It's okay, baby," I say.
She holds out her arms to Kathleen who takes her from their dad. "Do you want to meet Maureen?" Kathleen asks.
Kelli nods her head and looks around excitedly and asks, "Is she here?"
"She's right over there," I say, pointing Maureen out. We make our way across the restaurant to the booth Maureen has secured.
"Hi, Liv," she says, giving me a hug.
"Hi, Ree."
"It's so good to see you," she says. "Hi, Kelli," she smiles. "I'm your big sister Maureen."
"Hi," Kelli says excitedly.
"Ree, you should tell Kelli about the Stabler sister club," Kathleen suggests.
"Oh, yeah! It's a pretty big deal, Kelli. Did Katie tell you that you can only be in it if our dad is your daddy?"
Kelli nods excitedly. "Who's in it?!" she asks incredulously, as if there must be millions of girls clambering to be Elliot's daughters.
Elliot and the girls laugh and I smile gently. "Just us four," Kathleen explains. "You, me, Maureen, and Lizzie."
"What do we do?" Kelli asks, very excited about this new exclusive club she's gotten into.
"We just… be sisters." Maureen shrugs. "And we hang out. And talk on the phone. And eat dinner together sometimes. And have slumber parties when we can," Maureen explains. "It's pretty special," she continues.
"Can we COLOR and watch DORA?!" Kelli asks incredulously.
Maureen and Kathleen both grin. "Totally," Kathleen agrees.
"MOM! This is the coolest club EVER!"
I smile at my daughter and mouth thank you to her sisters. "I know, babe. That's really cool."
"So c'mon, Kelli. Maureen and I are going to teach you how to play air hockey," Kathleen says, her sister still balanced carefully on her hip.
"I get to play the winner," Elliot claims.
"Ready to get beat, old man?" Kathleen asks.
Elliot laughs. "Dream on, young lady."
"Liv, you still drink iced tea?" Maureen asks.
I nod. "Why?"
She shrugs. "I ordered you one," she said with a smile. I can't help but smile back.
"Thanks, Ree," I say.
"No problem," she shrugs. And with that, she's off to teach Kelli the finer points of air hockey.
"They grew up," I say to Elliot as we slide into the booth.
He nods. "Yeah. Yeah they did," he says proudly.
"I just wish Lizzie could be here for this inaugural meeting of the 'Stabler sister club,'" I say.
"This isn't inaugural," Elliot grins. "There really is a club," he says.
"They didn't just make that up?" I ask.
"Nope. They had a fort and everything. If Richard went within ten feet of it he'd damn near get his head taken off," Elliot grins. He reaches over and takes my hand. "My girls have always taken care of each other," he says. "They'll take care of their sister. Don't worry," he says.
I look over at the girls playing air hockey, Kelli held up on Maureen's knee at one end of the table, Katie coaching from the other end. Maureen's hand is over Kelli's smaller one as she shows her how to hit the little plastic disc to make it sail into the goal. Maureen removes her hand to give Kelli a chance to try it all by herself and she slaps the puck when it comes near her. It bounces off the side, Katie ready to protect the goal. She scrambles to block the shot and the puck goes sliding by, straight into the goal. I smile to myself as the girls all squeal with delight and Maureen wraps Kelli into a hug.
I turn my attention back to Elliot. "I know they will."
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A/N: FLUFF-O-RAMA! What'd you think?