AN: Hey all! So, I've been really busy since my spring semester started but the snow days have given me some time to write so here's a massive update for you. A lot of drama coming your way and critical turning point in Rae and Olivia's relationship. Just a fore warning, I am planning to end this story soon, but fret not, there will be a sequel. I hope you enjoy and as always, please leave your reviews!
Chapter 49: It's Christmas
Rae and Olivia spent the next few days spending time together, just the two of them, to make up for the time they'd lost over the last couple weeks of barely seeing each other. They went out for breakfast, and to the movies, and the arcade, or for walks in the park. They talked and laughed and played games and cooked and cleaned and made love and everything was perfect. On Christmas Eve night, they stayed in, made hot chocolate and cuddled up on the couch to watch Christmas movies. They stayed up til the early hours of the morning until finally exhaustion won out and they went to bed. Olivia woke up on Christmas morning to Rae peppering kisses on her shoulder, up her neck and across her face, finally reaching her lips.
"Wake up, sleepy head" she whispered in her ear. Olivia smiled and turned over on her back. She opened her eyes and looked up at Rae. Olivia could tell that she'd showered because she was already dressed and her hair was curly and still a little damp. "Hey" she said smiling down at her. Olivia sat up and pulled her into a kiss.
"Hey" she said softly. She looked over and saw a tray on the night stand.
"I made you breakfast" Rae said following her gaze. She picked up the tray and sat it in Olivia's lap. Rae made her an egg white omelet with ham, cheese and grilled veggies, a bowl of mixed fruit, a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee. "I didn't know if you'd want juice or coffee so...I just brought both" she said. Olivia smiled as she looked over her breakfast tray. She looked at Rae to see her smiling back at her. "Is there ham in this?" she asked. She sliced into the omelette and could see all of her favorite ingredients inside. "Yes there is. I thought, you know, you amend your cooking for me all the time so the least I could do was make your favorite for Christmas". She leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips, "Thank you."
"You're welcome". She got up from the bed and walked out of the bedroom. While Olivia ate her breakfast, Rae went to clean the kitchen. She heard the shower start in the bathroom and went in the bedroom to get the breakfast tray. She washed the last of the dishes, wiped down the counters and stove, and swept and swifered the floor. Once the kitchen was clean, she went over and cleaned up the living room, putting away their games and folding their blankets, returning them to the closet. She dusted the tv and shelves, swept and swifered the floor and vacuumed the rugs. After the living room, she went to the bedroom. She put their clean clothes away and their dirty clothes in the hamper and made the bed, then vacuumed the carpet. Olivia had showered, blow dried her hair, and finally came out of the bathroom to put some clothes on. When she was done getting dressed she came out to find the entire apartment had been cleaned and Rae was gone. A moment later, Rae came through the door with bags of groceries to see Olivia standing in the middle of the living room.
"Hey" she said getting her attention, "what's wrong?" She walked over to kitchen to put the groceries away and listened for an answer from Liv.
"You cleaned my apartment" she said. She didn't know why that surprised her but it did. "Yeah, so?" Rae was amused with Olivia's reaction to her cleaning for her. Olivia walked over to the kitchen and started to help Rae put the food away. "Thank you" she said smiling. "You're welcome" Rae said with a light laugh. "Where'd you find a store that was open on Christmas?" Olivia asked. "Oh, there's a little shop owned by a Muslim family not far from here. They don't celebrate Christmas so they're open today" she explained. She put away the last of the groceries, folded the paper bags, and put them on top of the frig to be reused next time they went shopping. They walked out of the kitchen together and went to sit on the couch. They started talking about what was to come for them. Olivia was still working on getting her suspension lifted and Rae had Fordham, maybe a job, the band, Jimmy going to rehab, telling Charles that Jimmy was going to rehab and whatever came up along the way. And of course they both had each other. They also had the New Years party that Rae's mom was throwing for everyone. Rae could see it already. The house was going to be a zoo. She took this opportunity to ask Liv about Christmas.
"Do you celebrate Christmas?" she asked abruptly. "I mean, I know you buy gifts and everything but what else do you do to celebrate?"
"Ummm...if by celebrate you mean going to church or mass or whatever then nothing. I did go to mass once with Elliot and Kathy and the kids but it wasn't my thing" she explained. "So, you're an atheist?" she asked curiously. "Uhh...I..." Olivia stuttered trying to think of an answer. "I don't know. I guess I just never really thought about it" she said.
"Oh, ok. We don't celebrate by exchanging gifts or otherwise at my house so...I just want you to know that if you do celebrate then I want to celebrate too. So if you, for some reason, decide you want to go to church or something I'll go with you. My father always said that it's important to understand and accept that people may not believe the way that we do but that doesn't make them wrong. It just makes us different" she said slightly rambling.
"Sounds like your father was a very smart, very kind man" she said. Rae smiled, "He was" she said sadly. "Hey, while we're on the topic of family" she said getting an idea, "why don't you call your brother and invite him up for New Years? I'd love to meet him and his wife and kids." Olivia looked down at the couch and shrugged her shoulders. "Liv, they're your family. You should reach out to them more, spend more time with them, especially the kids. I mean, you love kids."
"Simon is..." she searched for the right words to use, "troubled. He can be really immature. Every time he comes here he causes problems. I just...I don't know" she said. "Well maybe he's different now. You said you haven't seen him in years. Maybe he's grown up. You'll never know if you don't call him." Olivia looked at Rae and sighed, "Ok, I'll call him." Rae smiled, "Good" she said simply.
"Now I have a question for you" Olivia said. "Did you do something to have the parking spot next to yours reserved for me?" Rae opened and closed her mouth before looking down at the couch, "Why would you think I did that?" she asked scratching her head. The fact that she didn't answer the question told Liv that she had done something to get the spot for her. "Rae, I don't want you doing things like that for me. I already get enough as it is from being with you: free coffees, free dinners, free movies at that theatre we went to because the ticket guy has a crush on you, free..."
"Ok, ok" Rae said cutting her off, "I get it. I'll talk to Danny" she said. "Thank you" she said. "You're welcome. So, what do you want to do today?"
"Well I usually have dinner at Elliot's but that's definitely not happening this year" she said. Rae could tell that it made Olivia sad that she and Elliot weren't on good terms. She had gone with her to buy gifts for his kids and his wife. And even though she was mad at him, so bought a gift for Elliot too. "You should go over there" Rae said. Olivia's head snapped up and she looked at Rae like she'd just suggested they rob a bank. "What?"
"Why would you even suggest that?" Olivia asked. "He doesn't even like us and he's the reason I'm suspended from work" she said angrily. "That's not true. He loves you and he doesn't even know me but I'm sure he likes me just fine. What he doesn't like is the fact that we're together but so what. We can't let him ruin a great Christmas tradition. You love Kathy and the kids and you bought awesome gifts for them. You should go over there so you can see their faces when they open them. I can stay here and wait for you". Olivia shook her head, "No, it's our first Christmas together. I'm not going anywhere without you" she said firmly. "Ok, fine then I'll go with you. Whatever Elliot has to say, I can handle it. His negativity doesn't matter to me". Olivia loved Rae and her attitude about the entire situation. As much as she didn't like Elliot's behavior and how it was affecting Olivia she wouldn't let it get her down. "So, what do you say?" she asked taking Olivia's hand in her own. "He won't want us there" she said trying to think of reasons they shouldn't go. Rae looked at her sideways, "So what. He's just one person. I'm sure Kathy and Maureen and the rest of the kids would love for you to be there." she said. She reached over to the coffee table and grabbed her phone. "Call Kathy and talk to her", she said handing her phone to Liv. Olivia took the phone from Rae and dialed Kathy's number. After a few rings, she answered the phone.
"Hi, Kathy. It's Liv" she said politely. "I'm good. I've just been home, you know, just...home" she said. Rae smiled at how nervous Olivia seemed. "Oh, no. You don't have anything to be sorry about. It wasn't your fault" she said into the speaker. She listened to Kathy speak and then laughed, "Yeah, I do" she said pausing to listen to Kathy again. "Yeah, actually that's why I'm calling. With everything that's going on, I didn't know whether it'd be okay if I still came to dinner as usual" she said nervously. Kathy's voice got really loud and Olivia moved the phone away from her ear. "Ok, great" she said with a laugh. "Oh, and is it okay that Rae comes with me? I don't want to cause any..." Rae assumed that Kathy had cut in on Olivia because she stopped talking and listened, nodding her head as if Kathy could see her. "Ok. Yeah, I understand. I'll give him a call. Ok. I'll see you later. Bye". She hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm guessing she said that it's fine if we go over there tonight?" Rae asked. Olivia nodded and smiled. "Told ya" Rae said sticking her tongue out. Olivia laughed, "Yeah, I guess you did" she said softly. "Oh, Kathy wants me to call Fin and try to convince him to go tonight. She invited everyone. Cragen and John both said they'd be there. So did Alex and you'll get to meet Melinda, our medical examiner, and George, he's a psychiatrist with the FBI. She said Fin's the only one who said he wouldn't come. He's still pretty pissed at Elliot, I guess." Rae nodded her understanding. "Give me the phone" she said holding her hand out. Olivia handed it to her and she dialed a number and waited for an answer. After four rings, she heard a familiar voice on the other end, "Hey Fin, it's Rae" she said smiling. "Yeah. I'm good. How are you?" she asked. Olivia looked curiously at Rae while she talked to Fin. She had no idea that she had his number, let alone that they were so friendly. "That's cool. Listen, I'm calling about the dinner that's happening tonight at the Stabler's..." she listened as Fin started going off about what an asshole Elliot was being and that he didn't even feel like being in the same room as him. "I know that...yeah, he is...but everyone's gonna be there. You don't even have to talk to him...Liv and I are going...yeah, we'll be there so you better be there too" she said as if he didn't have an option. "Ok, great. Yeah, I'll see you tonight. Bye". She hung up the phone and set it back on the coffee table. "What?" she asked when she saw Olivia staring at her.
"I didn't know you two were so friendly" she said jealously. Rae noticed and decided that instead of getting angry, she'd tease her about it. She leaned forward on her knees and crawled over to Olivia on the other end of the couch, "Aw, is somebody jealous" she said kissing her on the cheek. Olivia rolled her eyes, "No, I'm not jealous. I just...I". She couldn't find any other words because it was true, she a little jealous. Rae kissed her on the cheek again and moved down her jaw to her neck. She found Olivia's pulse point with her mouth and sucked lightly drawing a moan from her. She applied soothing licks and moved her kisses back up stopping at her ear, "Don't be jealous, baby" she whispered. She put her hand on the side of Olivia's face and forced her to look at her, "I don't want anyone but you". She leaned in and brought their lips together. Their kiss started out sweet but grew more and more passionate. Olivia shifted her position so that she could stand and she carried Rae to the bedroom. They made love all afternoon and then fell asleep in each others' arms.
Rae's phone ringing in the living room woke her up from her peaceful sleep. Olivia was still sleeping with her arm around her waist. She slowly moved out of her grasp, threw on her shirt and shorts, and went in the living room, closing the bedroom door behind her, to answer her phone. "Hey, Ash. What's up?" she answered recognizing the assigned ringtone. "Yeah? Wow, that's really nice" she said. Ashley was raving about the Christmas present Scott had gotten for her. She decided to take some art classes at community college in the spring but wait until next fall to apply for universities. Scott, in an effort to be supportive, rented her a small space to work on her art projects. "Uh, nothing, I don't think. If she did then she hasn't given it to me yet" she said answering whether Olivia had gotten her anything. "No, I haven't. We haven't exchanged any gifts. I wasn't even sure if I should get her anything but I did and I will give it to her tonight". She listened to Ashley as she told her everything else she'd gotten for Christmas. Olivia came out of the bedroom and saw Rae on the phone. Rae smiled at her and patted the cushion behind her, telling her to come sit down. She came over and sat with her back against the armrest and Rae leaned back against her, resting her head on her chest. "Yeah, Liv and I going, too" she said when Ashley mentioned the Stablers' Christmas dinner. Rae laughed, "No. It'll be fine...yeah, ok. I'll see ya later. Bye" she hung up the phone and turned onto her stomach, laying between Olivia's legs.
"Who was that?" Olivia asked playing with Rae's hair. "Ashley. She called to tell me about the present Scott got her. She's coming to dinner tonight too" she said sleepily. Olivia moved her hair back to see that her eyes were closed and she falling back to sleep. "Hey, you have to get up. It's five thirty and we have to be there for dinner at seven. Come on, we have to start getting ready" she said rubbing Rae's back. Rae just groaned obviously not ready to move from comfortable position. Olivia laughed, "Araeyah, you don't wanna be late do you?" she asked. She knew Rae hated being late for things. She groaned again, "Fine, I'm up" she said slowly sitting up on the couch. They got up and went into the bedroom to get ready for dinner together.
An hour later, they were making the drive over to the Stablers' house. They parked on the street in front of the house and made their way up to the front door. Rae rang the bell and they waited for someone to come open the door. Rae was bouncing up and down trying to fight off the cold. Finally, the door opened and a smiling Maureen greeted them. She stepped back, letting them walk past her into the house. It was seven on the nose and everyone except Fin had already arrived. Olivia took Rae's coat for her and hung it in the closet along with her own. Maureen grabbed Rae's hand a pulled her upstairs telling Olivia she needed to "borrow her" for a minute. Olivia put the presents she'd gotten for Elliot, Kathy and their kids by the tree and walked over to say hello to everyone. Maureen took Rae into her room and shut the door.
"Oh my god, I can't believe you're here" she said pulling Rae down next to her on the bed. "And you're here with Olivia which is just like a big f off to my dad". Rae opened her mouth to tell Maureen it wasn't like that but she didn't let her talk. "Oh, don't worry. I lost it with him about how he was talking about the two of you. So did my mom. It's only gotten worse since she found out Olivia was suspended from work. She's making my dad sleep on the couch until he does something to fix it" she said laughing. Rae shook her head, "I knew he wouldn't like it but I didn't think he'd do all of this. I mean throwing Liv under the bus like that...I just...I didn't think he was that type of person" she said sadly. "You're not the only one. I couldn't believe how was talking about her, like she was some random woman he didn't know anything about. I mean, it's Olivia. They've been partners and friends for like ten years. I can't believe he's doing this" Maureen said. "Yeah, well Liv and I have agreed not to let it bring us down. We're just gonna continue on like we have been so far because it's working. We're happy and we're not going let people on the outside ruin what we have" she said. Maureen smiled, "Look, I know I wasn't very supportive in the beginning but I want you to know that I'm really happy for you and Liv. You two are great together, there's no denying it. And I'm really proud of you for standing up for what you have together". Rae smiled and gave her friend a big hug, "Thanks" she said softly. They spent a few more minutes upstairs so Maureen could show Rae what she'd gotten for Christmas then joined everyone downstairs again.
Rae went around the room, saying hello to everyone. She talked to John for awhile and engaged in a conversation about government conspiracy. Everyone watched as she seriously debated with him and were amused and impressed that she made valid points and understood "the Munch logic". She talked to Kathy who continued to apologize for her husband but Rae assured her that there was no need. Then she talked to Kathleen and the twins about what they'd gotten for Christmas and what they were doing for New Years. She had her first real conversation with Alex and she could tell that they would get along just fine, despite their awkward first meet. Olivia came and got Rae to introduce her to Melinda and George. She picked their brains about medical school and asked for advice on schools and volunteer programs, anything that could give a jump start towards her goal. A couple minutes later, Ashley came over and started vying for Rae's attention. Elliot watched as Rae moved around the room with style and grace, easily engaging in conversation with his peers as if they were her own. After awhile, she noticed that Fin hadn't gotten there yet. She excused herself and stepped over by the stairs to call him when there was a knock at the door. She looked through the peephole and saw that it was just the guy she was looking for. She opened the door and greeted him with a big smile. He stepped inside and pulled her into hug, slightly lifting her off the floor.
"You're late" she said as he set her back down on her feet.
"Yeah, yeah. Just be glad I showed up. I almost didn't come but then I decided that I wanted to be here to support you and Liv" he said. He hung up his coat and walked over with Rae to the living room where everyone had gathered. Rae sat next to Olivia on the couch and felt that she was more tense than she had been a moment ago. She thought back to her earlier jealousy of her talking to Fin on the phone and how she'd greeted him just now. She put her hand on her back and leaned over to her, "Don't even go there. Come on, babe. It's Fin" she whispered in her ear. Olivia turned to look at her, "I only want you" she reminded her. Olivia smiled and relaxed into her touch and turned her attention back to the group's conversation. Rae, Olivia, and Fin avoided Elliot and he avoided them. Nobody wanted to cause any problems tonight.
Kathy called for everyone to take their seats at the table for dinner. Rae and Olivia sat across from Fin and all three of them sat on the opposite end of the table from Elliot. Everything was going smoothly so far. Everyone was eating, drinking, talking, laughing and having a good time. Rae and Liv would occasionally share a side conversation between just the two of them. Rae looked down at Elliot a few times and caught him staring at them. She just held her smile and looked away. At one point during dinner, Rae got up and went to the kitchen to get her and Olivia more to drink. On her way back out, she bumped into Ashley who was coming into the kitchen, also to get another drink. The collision made Rae drop one of the glasses and it shattered all over the floor, getting everyone's attention.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry" she said looking at Kathy.
"Oh, honey it's fine. It's just a glass" she said getting up from the table. Rae bent down to try to clean it up but Kathy stopped her, not wanting her cut her hands. She told her that she'd take care of it and sent her back to the table. Elliot got up from the table and walked over to help his wife clean up the mess. Rae had hesitated to leave the mess she'd made but started to head back to the table when she saw Elliot coming over. "Sorry about that, Rae" he said, "I know you're use to having more space at your house". Rae stopped a step away from her seat when she heard what he said. She was about to turn around and say something when she felt Olivia reach out and touch her arm. She shook her head from side to side, telling her to just let it go. Rae took a deep breath and sat back down in her seat. Everyone could tell that Rae's mood had just taken a turn in the wrong direction. Once the spill was cleaned up, Elliot returned to his seat and Kathy brought Rae another glass. "Thanks" she said softly. Kathy just smiled, "Who wants dessert?" she asked. Almost everyone said they'd have some, so Kathy cleared the dinner plates and brought out smaller plates for dessert. The tension caused from Elliot's snide remark about Rae's house had eased. Everyone talked about what gifts they'd gotten for Christmas, except Rae.
"What about you, Rae? What did you're family get you for Christmas?" Elliot asked. She was really trying to remain civil but the way he was acting was reminding her a lot of Charles and it was making her blood boil.
"We don't celebrate Christmas" she said simply. She hoped that he wouldn't continue trying to talk to her. He was trying to make it seem like he was being friendly but really he was being a condescending ass. "What do you celebrate, then? Hanukkah, Kwanza, what?"
"We don't celebrate anything" she said clearly annoyed by him. "We're not religious" she explained. Kathy glared across the table at her husband, clearly seeing through his fake friendly act. He refrained from asking her anymore questions. Once everyone was done with dinner, they all went back to the living room and took the seats they'd had prior to dinner. Olivia went over and grabbed the bag of gifts she'd bought for everyone and handed them out one by one. She paused when she got to Elliot, then slowly handed him the gift she'd gotten him before going over and taking her seat by Rae. He looked shocked that she'd gotten him anything, and suddenly he felt like an ass for how he was acting. He still didn't like that she was with Rae but he was starting to acknowledge within himself that he'd gone about this all the wrong way. Nobody knew it but it was him who made sure that wind of Liv's relationship with Rae got back to the chief of d's. He knew he was a conservative man and that he also cared about the politics of things. It just didn't look good for a detective under his command to be sleeping with a teenager. Never in a million years would he think that Liv would put her job on the line for Rae, but he'd been wrong. Even after all he'd said and how he'd been treating her since he found out about them, she still bought him a gift for Christmas, reminding him of the type of person she truly is. He thought that maybe he was wrong after all. He knew everything that John and Fin had said in the captain's office was right. He only thought of Rae as a teenager, naive and vulnerable and incapable of making sound decisions, and he hadn't given a thought to trying to get to know her. More than that, he absolutely knew his partner, his friend, and she would never involve herself with anyone who wasn't mature and capable enough to engage in an equal partnership with her. He decided then that he had to apologize and make things right. He was about to walk over to them, when he saw Olivia hand Rae a small box and decided he'd wait for a better time.
Rae took the box from Olivia and smiled. She looked at her, "I didn't bring your present with me" she said apologetically. "It's ok. Give it to me later". Rae nodded her head and fiddled nervously with the box in her hand. "Well open it" Olivia said with a laugh. Rae was the only one who still hadn't opened her gift so all eyes were on her. She slowly opened the box to find a golden locket necklace laying inside. She took it out and opened it. Inside on one side was a picture of her and her father, the last picture she'd taken with him before he died and the other side was inscribed with her favorite verse from the Qur'an and her and her father's names. She told Olivia about one specific verse that she thought fit her father perfectly, summed up everything he was about and in turn everything she was about. She breathed deeply, working to control her emotions. The longer she was with Olivia the harder it was becoming to control herself when she did something amazing like this. She blinked back tears and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and looked at Olivia again.
"It's beautiful. It's..." she paused as another wave of emotion came over her. Everyone could tell she was trying hard not to cry. "It's perfect. Thank you" she said. She was trying to whisper but everyone still heard what she said. "You're welcome". Olivia was glad that Rae loved the gift she'd gotten for her. She had thought long and hard about what to get when she remembered that Rae told her once that she was starting to forget what her father looked like and how he sounded and how he was everyday. She decided that she'd get her something that she could take with her wherever she went, to remind her whenever she needed. Rae wrapped her arms around Olivia's waist and hugged her tight, burying her face in her neck. Suddenly, everyone felt like they were intruding on a private moment. They parted a moment later and laughed when they noticed everyone was staring at them. Olivia helped Rae put her necklace on and Ashley and Maureen came over to get a closer look at it. Everyone started talking again about their plans for New Years and Kathy asked Rae and Ashley about starting college in the spring and whether they'd be walking at graduation in May. Rae invited Alex, Melinda, and George to her parent's house for New Years and they happily accepted. It was getting late and everyone was deciding to call it a night. Rae and Olivia went to the closet to get their coats and turned to say their final goodbyes. They were standing right in the doorway, not noticing that they were under the mistletoe.
"Hey, look up" Ashley said from her seat on the couch. Rae and Olivia looked above their heads and saw the mistletoe hanging there. Olivia recognized it immediately and knew what it meant but Rae was unfamiliar with the tradition. "What is it?" she asked. Olivia leaned down and whispered her explanation. Rae rolled her eyes, "You Americans and your weird traditions?" she said.
"Said an American" Maureen said getting everyone to laugh. "Whatever" Rae said dismissively.
"Ok, come on" Ashley said, "You have to kiss". Rae shifted uncomfortably next to Olivia. There was something so voyeuristic and creepy about placing a plant randomly in an opening or doorway and watching two people who ended up under it kiss. "You have to do it. You ended up under it fair and square. Now you have to kiss."
"Yeah, come on. Kiss her already" Fin said. Rae glared at him, "You're supposed to be on my side" she said pretending to be hurt. "It's Christmas" he said matter of factly. Rae shook her head and turned around to face Olivia who was standing behind her lightly blushing. "Well, you heard them. Kiss me already" she whispered. Olivia moved a strand of Rae's hair out her face and placed a hand on her cheek. She leaned down a let her lips land softly on Araeyah's. As soon as Olivia's lips touched her own she forgot about everyone else in the room watching them. Her body relaxed into Olivia's and she put her arms around her waist. Her tongue lightly traced Olivia's bottom lip and slipped into her mouth when she parted her lips. Their kiss was soft and sweet and full of love and everyone, including Elliot, could see it. Ashley cleared her throat bringing Rae and Olivia out of their private moment.
"Hi, yeah, we're still here" she teased. They both blushed and everyone laughed at how embarrassed they were. "Yeah, ok, so we're gonna go now" Rae said quickly opening the screen door to leave. They said their last goodbyes and stepped out of the house, Olivia shutting the door behind them. Everyone sat quietly for a moment processing what they'd just witnessed in their heads when Melinda finally broke the silence.
"Those two are really in love, aren't they?" she asked in awe of them together. Everyone nodded and smiled in unison. "Yeah, they are" Elliot whispered. Everyone turned to look at him in shock. He'd just acknowledged Rae and Liv's relationship for the first time without any hint of sarcasm or disapproval in his voice. Kathy smiled and kissed him on the cheek and he stood up and faced everyone.
"I guess I should use this opportunity to apologize to everyone. I...I was wrong" he said sadly. "I was wrong about Olivia and Araeyah and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for how I've been acting, for not being a supportive teammate and friend" he said sincerely. "We're not the ones you should be apologizing to" Fin said. "I know. I'm gonna talk to Liv and Rae and apologize to them and I'm gonna go to bat for Liv with the chief so that she can come back to work. If anyone deserves to be reprimanded for causing problems within the team it's me. I'm gonna do whatever I can to fix this".
"That's great, Elliot" Munch said. He stood up and went over, shook Elliot's hand and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "And with that, it's way past my curfew" he said going over to the closet to get his coat. Everyone agreed and started to gather their things to leave. Melinda and Alex tried to help Kathy clean up but she told them that she had it under control. After everyone had gone, Kathy and Elliot cleaned the kitchen while the kids tackled the dining and living rooms. Once they were done, the kids went off to bed and Elliot and Kathy went to their bedroom together. They got in bed and Kathy scooted in close to her husband and laid her head on his chest, "What changed your mind?" she asked referring to his sudden change in attitude about Rae and Olivia being together. "They did" he said simply. He reached over and turned off the lamp on the night stand and went to sleep.