when you come to me/
come to me with cake in your pocket/
come to me nicely with that soft kinda cake/
that's mostly icing/
come to me ready and rude/
bring me angel food/
angel food/
-angel food, Ani DiFranco
"Congratulations. You passed with flying colours."
"Pardon?"
"Dr Mercer sent me her assessment. She thinks that you two can continue to successfully work together without a considerable amount of risk. She believes that the bond you share as partners is very different than the bond you share as a couple and you are both very capable of separating those titles." Elliot and Olivia released their relief in unison. They turned to each other and he hugged her tightly. Cragen groaned, "Okay, okay. Just because you're out of the woods for now does not mean you can turn into a couple of lovesick puppies. Keep the mushy crap out of the squadroom and don't go pissing people off either. We don't want anymore attention on you than we already have. Also, Olivia, you need to hand in your request for maternity leave soon. You're permitted to take more time because it's twins... Elliot is also welcome to take some of your time if you want to return to work before the babies are ready to be left alone."
"You mean, we can split my mat leave?" Olivia questioned.
"If you want to."
Olivia turned to Elliot who was shaking his head, "No- no way. I don't have the breasts and the milk and the stuff to keep them alive and quiet. You do."
"It's called a breast pump El-"
"That's my cue to leave." Cragen stated before departing from his office.
"Olivia... No." Elliot crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.
"Come on El! This way it's fair! No one can question my dedication and assume I don't want to come back if I come back right away!"
"No... I can't."
"Why? Why can't you stay home with your own children for a couple of weeks?"
"A MONTH! It's a whole month, Olivia. I wont even take a day off when I've been shot!"
"Oh boo hoo! It's a month! You're not being forced out of here for the two months before the babies are born!"
Elliot continued to shake his head and Olivia stomped her foot in frustration, "Ugh! Elliot! Come on! This isn't the end of the world. It's a good thing!"
"Can I think about it?" Elliot asked and Olivia shook her head.
"No. No you can't. How would you feel if I asked you to let me think about taking mat leave? You'd have a fit. What if I said I wasn't taking mat leave? That I was going to hire a nanny? You'd blow a gasket. I don't know how Kathy worked things El, but you're going to be there for these babies. You're too good a father for you to not be."
Elliot stared at her in surprise but suddenly he started nodding, "You're right. I'm sorry."
Olivia's brow furrowed in confusion, "I am?"
"Yeah. I don't know why I'm fighting this... opportunity. I missed out on a lot with my other kids because I didn't take any time off. Now I'm actually being given the time and I'm resisting. It's stupid. I'm sorry."
Olivia was still confused and she looked around the room, "Am I being punk'd?"
Elliot laughed and pulled her into his embrace, "Nope. You're just watching a grown man grow a little bit more."
Olivia was sitting at her desk shuffling through the reports she had finished earlier in the day. It had been a long, exhausting day filled with pain and tears for a young woman who was attacked in the parking lot of her work. Olivia had done her best to help the girl through the identification
process as well as the traumatic experience of telling her incredibly hot headed parents of the event. All she could think of was getting home and taking a bath. Until she caught sight of two official looking people shaking hands with Elliot. She furrowed her brow and turned to look at Munch who was examining the scene with interest. Olivia threw her pen at him in order to catch his attention.
"Hey!" He protested but Olivia cut him off.
"Who are they?" She whispered. Munch shrugged as Elliot and the suited man and woman entered Cragen's office.
"My guess is your replacement." The anger that spilled onto Olivia's face caused John to backpedal, "Your temporary replacement."
"What? I'm not done yet!"
"Olivia, you're almost at the seven month mark! You have to leave in two weeks!"
Olivia frowned at the reality of Munch's statement, "They got him a woman?"
"Olivia, you've got nothing to worry about."
But Olivia was not convinced, "Why would they send another woman? We all know Elliot jumps the women he works with."
Munch laughed at the obvious jealousy pouring out of Olivia's mouth. He stood and walked over to Olivia's desk, "Elliot is a serial monogamist. He wont even think about this new girl. Besides, you don't even know if it's gunna be a woman."
Suddenly the door to Cragen's office opened. Elliot, Cragen and the mysterious duo exited, smiling. Olivia felt panic rise in her throat when she saw the four headed her way.
Olivia raised her head casually at the man and woman. Cragen smiled, "Olivia, John, this is Detective Lola Taylor and Detective Leo Smith." The four detectives shook hands with each other, "They're going to join our team for a while."
Olivia was trying to smile politely but even the new detectives could tell she was struggling, "So who's going to be working with El while I'm gone?" Olivia asked, unable to hide the jealousy in her voice.
"Both." Elliot stated. He could tell that Olivia was livid that there was another woman replacing her.
Both Munch and Olivia frowned, "What are you talking about?" Olivia asked.
"Detective Taylor is a new mother and Detective Smith and his wife are expecting their first child in a few months. After talking to their commanding officers we thought it might work putting the three of them together. That way there is less of a workload on each person and they will be able to spend more time with their partners and children. Then, after you return and Elliot leaves, you can still share the workload until Elliot returns. At which point we're hoping Detective's Taylor and Smith might be ready and willing for their own partnership here at SVU. This way they're being trained by the best detectives first hand, there's slack while it's needed and we eventually gain more man power."
Olivia felt a small pang of regret that she would no longer be the only woman in SVU. She had grown to enjoy the perks of being the favorite of the men surrounding her. But she knew this was for the best and she was grateful that Elliot's workload would be less, "This sounds great Captain." She could not help the eye up the new meat. Leo was a handsome young man. In his late twenties-early thirties if she had to guess. Green eyes with a dark, tan complexion. He had sandy brown hair that was neatly messy and a pleasant smile. Lola was tiny and blond with blue eyes. She had a sense of grace and perfection to her. Olivia immediately felt even more threatened.
"So, new mother? Any advice for those of us expecting?" Olivia asked, simply wanting to hear Lola's response.
Lola smiled a perfect smile, "It's the best." she responded, "Take it all in because they get big, fast."
"I'm terrified for the birth part." Leo pitched in, "I can't imagine a person actually being inside my wife and then suddenly appearing."
Lola nodded understandingly, "I didn't think my wife was going to be able to do it either-" Olivia's anxiety suddenly dropped to non-existent. She had nothing to worry about because Lola would not ever be interested in Elliot. "But it happened. It's crazy and terrifying but totally amazing." she explained.
"So, is this your first child?" Lola asked Olivia.
Olivia nodded and placed a hand on her stomach, "My first children. We're expecting twins." she explained which caused Leo and Lola to stare in surprise.
"Seriously? I can barely process having one." Leo laughed.
Olivia watched as Cragen silently left the crowd of detectives and motioned for Munch to follow him into his office. She knew he wanted to give the future partners bonding time with their mentors.
"What about you Elliot? Any kids?"
Elliot smiled broadly, "Five. They're amazing. And then I have these two on the way."
The expressions of shock and confusion spread on the faces of the new detectives. Olivia bit her lip, waiting for the backlash.
"You two are... together?" Leo asked. Elliot nodded, "Wow... I just thought you were both having kids but with different people..."
"They're letting you stay together in your partnership?" Lola was clearly confused.
"It took a lot of convincing and some pretty pointless psychological analysis' but we've been given permission to continue our partnership." Olivia explained, "So after I'm done my maternity leave, Elliot will start staying home with the babies." Olivia explained.
"I'm just shocked that OnePP is allowing this." Lola stated, "But I guess it's cool... I mean, you can't help who you fall in love with."
Olivia had reached the seven month mark. She was very pregnant. Her cravings for hamburgers with relish and extra mustard stuck with her but were quickly joined by cravings for honey dipped pickles and peanut butter cookies with chocolate ice cream and whipped cream. Munch and Fin were the dealers to her addictions. Every time they returned from a run, they would bring Olivia one of her cravings.
On her last day before maternity leave officially started the squad threw her a surprise baby shower. The colours had been green and yellow since the couple had decided against learning the genders of their babies. They received everything they needed. A diaper genie, double stroller, change tables and Cragen had bought the couple a pair of matching wooden cribs. They were beautiful and ornate. Hand carved like something our of Alice in Wonderland. The cribs were what inspired Olivia to decorate the nursery in the theme of Alice and her adventures. The nesting had begun the very first day she stayed home.
Elliot had gone through a long day when he returned home to find a very pregnant Olivia wearing an apron over her jeans and sweater. The winter was full blast and she was glad she was cooped up at home instead of trudging through the streets with Leo and Lola trying to find a perp or question a witness. But she still found herself bored. So this day, she decided to make a pie.
Elliot couldn't help the bemused smile that played across his lips, "What are you doing?"
Olivia was busy mixing chopped apples and cinammon into a bowl, "I'm making a pie." she stated non-chalantly.
"You're making a pie? Have you ever made a pie before?"
"No. But I figured I should try it."
"Do you know how hard making a pie can be?"
"It's not rocket science El." She then started to roll out the crust of the pie on the counter. She had not looked at Elliot since he arrived and he could tell something was wrong.
"Liv, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." she stated, obviously lying. She was silent while Elliot hung up his coat and kicked off his shoes. When he entered the kitchen he grabbed a bottle of water before sitting down at the table to watch Olivia make her pie. Elliot knew that if he waited she would break and tell him what was bothering her, "If Kathy can make a pie, I can make one too."
Elliot's brow furrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest, "What are you talking about Liv?" Olivia finally turned around and crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Elliot. He could barely contain his grin at the sight of her large stomach underneath the polka-dotted apron. Flour streaked her face and clothing. The only reason Elliot did not laugh at her was the tears that were in Olivia's eyes, "Olivia, what happened?"
"I saw Kathy today..."
"You what?"
"She was at the grocery store with Eli... She was buying ingredients for a pie... For Eli's birthday."
"She say something?"
"She apologized to me. Said that she was glad you were happy and she would always be in debt to me for saving her life, as well as Eli's."
"That doesn't seem so awful."
"She just seemed so sad. With every word of her apology, I could tell she hated me. She seemed so hurt. At the end she said that I better make sure I was worth your love. Then she left me standing there. I felt two inches tall."
Elliot stood from his seat and walked over to Olivia but she backed away from him, clearly still upset. Tears streaked down her cheeks, cutting paths in the flour that had settled on her skin, "Liv- you need to ignore anything and everything that comes out of Kathy's mouth. She's just jealous."
"And she's still in love with you! It's so obvious Elliot..."
"But I love you. I'm not in love with Kathy at all Liv." He stepped closer but Olivia stepped back again.
"I know- and I believe you. I really do. I just hate how I feel about her. I hate that I'm still jealous of her. I hate how she makes me feel every time I think about her or see her."
"Why? How do you feel?" Elliot was floundering. He didn't understand why Olivia was letting Kathy bother her so much.
"She-" Olivia was obviously struggling for words, "She's- she's your first love- she's the one that was so good that I was abandoned time and time again."
Elliot's eyes widened in surprise, "Liv, what are you talking about?"
Olivia sighed as tears dripped onto her expanded stomach, "Nothing." she whispered, defeated. She slowly untied her apron and climbed the stairs to their bedroom, "I'm going to sleep. I'll talk to you later."
Olivia frowned when a loud crash jolted her from the slumber she had fallen into. She groaned when she looked at the clock. It was midnight and Elliot had not come to bed yet. Olivia started to panic wondering "had he come home? had he caught a case? was something wrong?" when she remembered that he had come home and she had gone certifiable on him. She sighed and hauled her pregnant body out of bed and padded down the stairs. Her brow furrowed when she walked into the kitchen and saw flour and dishes everywhere. It wasn't until she had fully entered the kitchen that she saw the two beautiful, perfectly golden apple pies sitting right in the centre of their table. Tears filled her eyes when she realized that Elliot had no idea what to do about her feelings and insecurities so he responded by baking her the pies she never finished. Olivia smiled and felt her heart expand. He was making a statement. He would always be there to finish what she could not. Even if it was something as serious as taking down a perp or something as silly as baking a pie.
"El?" she called out. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her and rested their hands on her stomach. She smiled as Elliot pressed his body against hers, "You finished the pies." she happily stated. Her voices was filled with adoration and love. She rested her head on his chest as he kissed her hair.
"I wasn't really sure what else to do..."
"I didn't know you could bake a pie."
"Neither did I... I just followed the instructions." he was silent for a moment then he took in a deep breath, "Are you still mad at me?" he asked, like a small child who had been put on a time out and they were unsure if they were permitted to leave their bedroom.
Olivia frowned, "El. I'm not mad at you. I'm just, insecure about Kathy... And I need you to know that..."
"Liv, Kathy isn't in my life anymore. I haven't spoken to her in almost five months... The only updates I get are from the kids."
"I know... and I'm sure I sound crazy but it's how I feel and I need you to respect that..."
Elliot grinned, "Can I not understand it but respect it at the same time?"
Olivia smiled and nodded, "Sure."
"You like the name Zaneth?"
"You don't?"
"It sounds like an anti-depressant."
"Well, you like Togo."
"What's wrong with Togo?"
"It reminds me of a Pogo stick."
"I said I thought Togo was cute. I didn't say we were going to name a baby Togo."
"I'll get the book out."
"Elliot, if you pull that goddamn baby name book out again I will name the babies by myself."
"But the baby book is full of wisdom and answers."
"It's also for people who are too lazy to come up with a name that means something to them."
"I used a baby book to name all my kids except Dickie."
"You used a baby book for Elizabeth?" Olivia arched her eyebrows in surprise.
Elliot shrugged, "Kathy picked it... I got to pick Richard."
"Think of something that means something to us."
Elliot sighed as he tried to think of two names that would work for their babies. He and Olivia were laying across their bed, her head to his toes. They stared at the ceiling and Elliot had rested his hand on the home of his soon-to-arrive children.
"Well, if we have girls, what about our mothers names?"
"Bernadette and Serena?" Elliot could tell she had scrunched her face up in distaste, "They're too dated. What about boys?"
Elliot knew that naming their children after their fathers was out of the question, so he attempted to figure out another meaningful options, "We could name them after our friends..."
"We have two babies and three friends Elliot."
"Touche. No rhyming names."
"Agreed. But I want them to go well together. And no hoity-toity religious names."
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing cheesy like Hope or Faith."
Elliot laughed and shook his head, "I'm not Kelly Ripa."
"Really? You coulda fooled me."
Elliot grinned and sat up helped Olivia into a sitting position, "Now that we've figured out what not to name our children- what names are you thinking of?"
"I really want names that mean something to us." She sighed. Elliot frowned in frustration.
"We'll think of something."
"I hope so."
Do you see how nicely that worked out? I bribed you- you gave me what I wanted and I gave you what you wanted! Tada!
Lets see if we can do it again- click on that button with the word "Review" that's in such a lovely shade of green!