Jake had left about half an hour before Olivia heard a knock on the door. She answered the door, thinking it was probably Jake again but, was very shocked to see Elliot standing there.
She opened her mouth to say something but, couldn't talk.
"Can I come in?" he asked. When she didn't move to let him in he pleaded, "Please, just give me a few minutes."
She opened the door wider and let him in. They both sat down on the couch and Elliot prayed that she would give him another chance.
He took a deep breath and started, "I know you have every right to be upset with me and I'm sorry for everything I put you through. My head was all messed up and I just couldn't even talk to anyone about it-"
"Not even me?" she whispered.
"Especially not you, Liv. You have to understand how scared I was to talk to you. I didn't want you to hate me after what I did to that girl-"
"Elliot, you did what you had to do to save everyone else's lives. You saved my life. How could I ever hate you for that?" she explained.
"I should've talked to you ok? If I could go back and change everything, I would do it in a heartbeat. I wish I never left you and I wish I came to you but, at the time I just couldn't face you. I couldn't face you because I knew you'd talk me out of quitting and I just…I just needed an out. Everything was so screwed up at that point and it just wasn't worth the fight anymore."
"I really wish everything was different at this point but, it's not Elliot. After twelve years together, you didn't even bother calling me or sending a quick text to tell me you were okay-"
"I wasn't okay, Liv. I haven't been okay since the day I left."
She sighed and looked away to hide the tears in her eyes. After a minute of silence, she got up and walked into her bedroom. She couldn't handle this right now; she was too hurt to keep her emotions in check. She sat on her bed when Elliot walked in and sat next to her.
He took her in a hug as she let out the sobs she's been holding in. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered. "You don't deserve this. You deserve so much more, Liv."
He just held her as she cried. He didn't know what else to do to make this better but, he was going to do everything in his power to make this right. She meant the world to him and he pushed her aside like she was nothing.
The next morning…
Olivia woke up and found herself lying in bed in Elliot's arms. She looked over at him and saw that he was awake.
"Hey," he whispered.
She removed his arms from around her and sat up. "Morning."
He sat up next to her and rubbed the stained tears on her face. "How are you feeling?" he asked, concerned.
She shrugged. "Sorry about last night."
He held her hand. "You have no reason to apologize, at all. I'm the one who's sorry, Liv."
She nodded then stood up. "I'm going to take a shower."
"Ok. Can I give you a ride to work?" he asked. He wasn't ready to leave, especially with how things were left off after last night.
She nodded. "Ok."
Olivia went to take a shower while Elliot went to the other bathroom to freshen up. He looked in her closet and found some old clothes he had left there. He used to spend the night in her guestroom when he and Kathy would fight. It kind of became their little nightly routine. He would knock on her door in the middle of the night and she would have the guestroom ready for him.
She came out fifteen minutes later dressed and ready for work. She walked into the living room to see Elliot in different clothes. "I see you found your old clothes."
"Yeah, I knew I left some here when I would spend the night. I didn't want to show up to work in the same outfit as last night; people would talk." He smiled.
She nodded and stayed quiet.
He stood up and led her to the couch. "We have another half hour before we have to leave so let's catch up. How are things with you and Jake?"
She was happy that he was trying to get back to their old relationship. Even though she was still hurt, she needed him back in her life. "We actually broke up last night."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
She shrugged. "I saw it coming. We both felt it was for the best."
He nodded. After a minute he spoke up, "did it have anything to do with me?"
She was shocked that he would ask that because it had everything to do with that. "Not entirely. It didn't help that you were here."
"So I managed to screw up another one of your relationships," he said, hating that they broke up because of him.
She smiled. "I still care about him but, not in that way anymore."
He sighed and decided to tell her about the divorce. "Kathy and I are officially divorced."
"I heard. About a month now?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Sorry."
"Don't be."
"Did the divorce have anything to do with me?" she asked, surprising him as well as herself.
He looked down and nodded. "Not entirely. Kathy and I just weren't in love like a married couple should be. When I left SVU, I was a completely different person and she couldn't handle that anymore. She begged me to call you and talk to you because she knew that hearing your voice would instantly fix me. One day, she got tired of it and she left."
She didn't know what to say. She was surprised that she asked him that question and she was surprised by his response. Everything between them suddenly felt different. They felt that they needed to reveal the truth that's been hidden for so long. Well hidden between the two of them; it wasn't hidden to everyone else.
"She still lets me see my children whenever I want and there's no bitterness between us so I'm glad that we went through with it. You want to know what she told me before she left?"
She looked up at him. "What?"
He held her hand. "Tell her. Tell Olivia before it's too late."
Her heart started racing. "Tell me what?" She looked down, not believing what was happening.
He gently grabbed her face and made her look at him. "I love you, Olivia. I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. I made the mistake by leaving and I made the mistake by not telling you how I feel until now."
She had tears in her eyes. "Really?"
He smiled. "Really, Liv. I love you so much."
She smiled and wiped her tears. "I love you too, El. I love you so much."
He leaned in to kiss her when she pulled back. "What's wrong?" he asked, confused.
"I've been waiting for this for years; I want it to be good," she joked.
He laughed. "Believe me, I've been waiting a long time for this and I intend to make it worth your while."
He leaned in and captured her lips with his. She opened her mouth to let his tongue entrance. Things were getting hot when Elliot was on top of her on the couch devouring her in kisses.
Ring. Ring.
They both groaned. "You've got to be kidding me," Elliot sighed. He got off of her and grabbed his phone.
"Stabler," he barked. "I'll pick her up and we'll be right there." He hung up and looked over at her.
She smiled. "Time for work. We'll continue this later." She grabbed his hand and led him out the door.