So ... this story needs another chapter before the season 17 finale hits us ...

...

Olivia had tried to explain to Noah they were meeting another boy he could play with but she wasn't sure if he knew what she had been telling him. It might have something to do with the fact that she was nervous. Again. Her first meeting with Elliot after all that time had gone well, she thought. A little strained, but that shouldn't surprise her. She had been extremely busy at work, and it had been a while since their talk at the bar. And now they were finally meeting up again, at a playground with the kids. It was a neutral place to meet, with enough distraction so it wouldn't have to be awkward. She wondered if it was wise to let Elliot back in her life, now that she was building something new with Noah. He had let her down before, and she still had difficulty accepting that he hadn't come to her when his world was falling apart. He had always leaned on her, and God knows she'd needed him to lean on a few times as well. She'd been so lonely that she'd even let Ed Tucker get closer to her. Ed Tucker of all people. What if she opened her heart for Elliot again, and he bailed out on her again?

Her thoughts were still a little jumbled when she arrived at the playground, Noah tugging on her hand impatiently. He couldn't wait to go and play and wasn't especially interested in the other boy they were meeting. Once they were close to the playground, Olivia let Noah go and he ran over to one of the seesaws right away.

"Mommy too, mommy too!" he shouted, trying to climb up on one end of the seesaw while looking back at her. She would have to push the seesaw down at the other end.

"Maybe Eli can help, little man," Olivia heard a very familiar voice rumble and she turned around to find Elliot and Eli standing directly behind her, both grinning at her.

"Sheesh, you startled me," she said, hoping that would explain away her flushed cheeks.

She quickly turned her attention from Elliot's bright blue eyes to Eli, amazed at how big he'd gotten.

"Hey Eli, I'm Olivia," she said, holding out her hand.

"I know," Eli said, and he shook her hand politely. "You were my dad's friend at work."

"That's right," she said with a smile but the smile was wiped off her face quickly when she heard Noah scream behind her.

"Maaaaa! Come!"

Elliot chuckled when she rushed over to her son quickly, and he walked to the other side of the seesaw with Eli.

"Let's do this together, Liv," he said, as he tilted the seesaw a little so Eli could climb on without launching little Noah.

Olivia held Noah while Eli hopped on the seesaw, and they played together for a while, the boys on the seesaw and the parents making sure nobody went up or down to fast. When Noah got tired of the seesaw, both boys found some other kids to play with, and Olivia and Elliot sat down on a nearby bench to watch them play.

"How have you been Liv?" Elliot asked her, draping his arm behind her on the backrest of the bench casually.

Olivia's eyes never left her son, and she tried to relax while chatting with Elliot about work and the kids. They had never done much idle chitchat and it felt strange to sit here with him like this. They used to either argue about huge issues or cases, or say nothing. How could she talk about the weather with him? Elliot was much too relaxed for her liking and she decided to prod a little.

"You seem awful pleased with yourself El," she remarked, glancing at his profile.

That short goatee did look good on him. Elliot chuckled and looked at her.

"Why wouldn't I be? It's a lovely day and I'm here with you."

Olivia looked away, suddenly very interested in a few small birds beneath another bench. She wasn't sure if she was ready for a more personal conversation. She knew she still loved him. She could never really get over him. But what if he wanted to be just friends, again? She did have a child to consider now. Maybe it would be for the best to just be friends. At least she'd have him in her life and if he walked out again, it wouldn't hurt so much.

She shook her head at her own foolish thoughts. Of course it would hurt so much, again. If she really wanted him in her life again, they would have to talk about it. Out loud. With actual words. She took a deep breath and checked her son once more before she looked at Elliot again.

"And how long are you planning on staying this time, Elliot?"

She hadn't meant to go on the offensive, but her words had sounded harsher than she was feeling. In fact, she was feeling quite vulnerable. She was admitting between the lines that she was afraid he'd walk out on her again. Elliot hung his head and retracted his arm, clasping his hands in his lap in stead and leaning forward. She suddenly missed his arm behind her but didn't know how to get it back there.

"I guess I deserve that," he said, not looking at her. "I know I should have talked to you back then and at least run my decisions by you but ... I was just afraid to face you."

"Afraid?"

Her voice had shot up much higher than she'd intended and Elliot glanced at her before nodding.

"Yeah. I didn't care what anyone else thought of me back then, but you ..."

She didn't want to feel it but there it was again. Hope. Hope that she might mean more to him after all. But he should have trusted her. He should have known she would have been able to handle it. She'd always been able to handle him. A warm feeling spread in her chest when Elliot sat up and put his arm behind her on the bench again.

"I'm just relieved that you called me and that we're talking again," he said softly, and the familiar, low timbre of his voice made her shiver.

"Me too El. I want us to be friends again."

Elliot looked at her intently now, and she looked away, finding Noah and Eli with her eyes.

"Friends?" Elliot asked. "I can do that."

She looked at him then, wondering why he suddenly sounded a little tense. Their eyes locked and she could see a whirlwind of emotions in his eyes. He'd always been so intense and it was what had always drawn her to him. He fueled her, made her feel alive. Made her feel like it really mattered what they were doing day in day out. He was making her feel it again. Like it mattered that she was there. Like she mattered. They kept staring into each others' eyes until Eli's voice broke the spell.

"Dad! Look!"

Eli was dangling upside down from a climbing rack, and Noah was attempting to climb up there as well. Both parents were on their feet in an instant, Olivia to stop Noah from trying to copy Eli's actions, and Elliot to make sure Eli would have a soft landing. The boy had managed to hang from just his feet and he might fall on his head if he lost control or let go.

"Nooo," Noah whined, when Olivia hoisted him up on her hip and he started squirming in her arms. "Noah too!"

She couldn't convince the little man that it was dangerous, and she was relieved when Elliot plucked Eli off the rack and set him to his feet.

"Son, try to distract Noah okay? He's too little to try what you just did," Elliot told his son softly, and Eli nodded, grinning at his father.

"I'm not little anymore huh dad?" he said softly and Elliot winked at him.

"No, you're not. Can you look after Noah for us?"

Eli nodded again and Olivia set her son down carefully. Before he could rush to the climbing rack again, Eli got his attention when he said,

"Hey Noah, you wanna go on the swing? I'll push you!"

Noah's eyes sparkled and he let Eli take his hand to go find a free swing together.

"Ewi push Noah," she heard her son repeat as they walked off together and Olivia smiled.

Elliot stood next to her and they watched their boys in silence. Maybe they had provided a little too much distraction, but it was nice to be together again. As friends.

...

When Ed asked her out for a drink again, she said yes. Why not? He was good company and she wasn't going to be hung up on one man all over again. They ordered something to eat at the café as well, and Olivia had some tea. She was finding that drinking tea was actually more relaxing than wine, at a lot healthier too. She glanced at the television behind the bar, where the host of some kind of dating show was making an overly enthusiastic announcement of todays episode of the show.

"I'm sorry, can you turn this off?" Olivia asked the bartender.

"Or just throw the TV out?" Ed chimed in and couldn't agree with him more.

"Who actually watches this show?" she asked, not knowing that the show would actually become her next case the next morning.

If it wasn't so tragic, it might actually have been fun to give the so-called reality dating show a reality check. In stead, the producers played Olivia and her team. Late on the next afternoon, Ed had just come in to ask Olivia out to dinner again. She said she wasn't really in the mood to go out, and wanted to spend some time with Noah.

"We can order in, have it ready by the time we get to your place," Ed suggested, surprising her by actually inviting himself over to her place.

"Sounds romantic," she grinned, picturing it already. Ed trying to lay out the table and Noah knocking everything over.

Just then, Carisi came into her office, asking her to come and see the broadcast from the Heart's Desire studio, which pictured the producers as the heroes and SVU as not quite competent to solve a rape case. They had fabricated a story by editing recorded bits so cleverly, that it looked like they had solved the case, and not SVU. And Lizzie, the on-set producer, was their scape goat. Olivia couldn't watch it and asked Carisi to turn the TV off. She'd lost her appetite too and told Ed she was sorry. He understood and asked for a raincheck. Olivia smiled. Why not?

...

Olivia had actually made it home in time to have dinner with Noah, and spend some quality time with him, then give him his bath and read him three stories before tucking him in for the night. It was the perfect end to a not so perfect two days and she flopped on the couch with a cup of hot tea. She didn't turn the TV on and just sat there quietly. She was content. The case wasn't over but they'd get there.

She sighed when her phone started ringing, praying it wasn't work related. When she picked it up from the table, she saw it was Elliot.

"Hey," she said, curling up on the couch again.

"Hey you, I saw you on TV tonight."

She laughed.

"Don't tell me you watch those stupid non-reality shows El. I think I'd lose my respect for you if you did."

She could practically hear him grin at the other end of the line.

"No, I assure you I don't," Elliot answered. "Liz called me, told me to switch to that channel immediately because you were on. Didn't know you were that desperate for a guy Liv. A dating show?"

Olivia laughed heartily, throwing her head back.

"Yeah well, the ones I like keep walking out on me so ..." she joked, but she regretted her words immediately, realizing they were hitting a little too close to home.

There was a brief silence between them and then Elliot spoke again.

"Have you ever had one come back to you Liv?"

...

A/N: Well, that seems like a good place to stop. I think I tucked those two little Tuckson scenes away very nicely here.
Since I have absolutely no idea what kind of curve ball they are going to throw at us in the finale, I'm just going to wait and see how this can continue ... Whatever happens, I'll try to give this story a nice ending though - or a nice break until season 18 ... whichever will seem more plausible after the finale! Feel free to share your thoughts. Thanks :)