AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you guys for being so patient with me on these updates. I have had a lot going on in my personal life lately and have not had much time to focus on my writing. Today I just decided this was what I was doing with my day off and took a break from the world shifting everything else to the back burner for a change. And I realized something that I have actually known for quite some time, for me, writing is the best therapy ever. You all have twisted flick to thank for this update, for all of the threatening private messages (he he) and encouragement. I will try to get updates out for some other stories soon.

~Detective Olivia Stabler ~

Do Over

(Chapter Six: Here For You)

Olivia moved around the apartment tossing random clothes and baby toys into a large duffel bag on the bed. She paused for a moment before stepping back into the nursery to check on her sleeping son. Smiling she kissed him gently and tucked his favorite blanket around him, then returned to her bedroom to finish packing.

She tilted her head to stare across the room as her phone beeped signaling a new text message had just been delivered.

"I have a restraining order, asshole. Can't you take a hint?" she mumbled to herself deleting the message from her soon to be ex-husband asking her to let him come home and talk things through before she left.

Just then the doorbell rang.

"Shit," she said half startled as she moved quickly down the stairs to answer the door before Jackson woke up.

She opened the front door and stared into the face of a tall dark haired stranger with a fohawk and large brown eyes.

"I have a delivery for Mrs. Olivia….Porter," he said reading the name off the card as he handed her a vase with the largest bouquet of long stem roses she had ever seen.

She pulled the card from the envelope to read the words 'To my one and only love. I will love you forever. Please forgive me.'

"Wait," she called to the young man as he opened his car door to leave. "I don't want them."

"Ma'am, someone spent a lot of money on those flowers."

"Please, take them away," she said choking back tears.

"Ma'am, I am sorry, I can't do that. The gentleman paid me a lot of money to make sure that you got these."

"How much?" Elliot asked from behind the kid.

"What?" the young man asked looking confused.

"How much did he pay you?" Elliot asked again and Olivia watched unsure of what he was up to.

"He gave me a hundred bucks just to deliver them. He said to make sure that she got them, that I handed them to her in person and didn't just leave them."

"I'll double it."

Olivia gulped and raised her eyes to watch Elliot count out a handful of twenty dollar bills and hand them to the kid.

"Two hundred dollars," Elliot explained. "All you have to do is take the flowers away and explain that the lady wasn't at home."

"What are you, her boyfriend?" the kid said with a smile.

"Her brother, not that it is any of your business," he clarified his eyes meeting hers as she smiled. "Do we have a deal?"

Elliot watched as the kid looked at Olivia and realized how upset she was. "I got a kid sister," he said softly with a nod. "I'll take care of these. You keep your money," he said with a smile as he returned to his car with the flowers.

"My brother?" She asked with a smile.

"Would you rather I be your boyfriend?"

Olivia smiled a shy smile trying not to blush.

"Better than my husband," she replied forcing a serious face as she shifted her attention to the card in her hand and ripped it in half tossing it into the garbage can on the curb.

"You alright?" Elliot asked as he climbed the steps to her town home.

"Yea, he is just freaking me out."

"Dean doesn't give up easily, does he?"

"No he does not. Between the texting and the flowers, I am really glad I am leaving town. I don't understand it. He doesn't want me, he says he doesn't love me and getting divorced is the best thing. Then he texts me begging for forgiveness and sends beautiful flowers. What does he want from me, Elliot?"

"He knows it isn't right, that you don't belong together. But he also knows he has a good thing with you. Playing the family man is really good for appearances. And he may not want you, but he doesn't want anyone else to have you either. He's territorial. like a damn dog."

"That's all I have ever been to him, a piece of property. He treats us like belongings, but he doesn't own us. And I will not let him treat my son this way anymore. I am his mother, I have to stand up for him. I have to make sure that he grows to be a better man than his father is."

Elliot smiled.

"You are so good."

"I want to be. I try to be," she said as Elliot hugged her.

"I know how hard this is on you. Well, I don't know. I can only imagine. But I am always here for you."

Olivia smiled.

"I know. And I thank God for that. I don't know where I would be without you."

Elliot cleared his throat, feeling himself getting choked up.

"I got the moving truck."

"I just got Jack down for his nap. That should buy us about an hour or so. There isn't a whole lot that I care to take, so it shouldn't take too long to load it up."

"Let's take the big stuff first, while the baby's asleep. We can load boxes and clothes after he's awake if we need to. Where do you want to start."

Olivia exhaled and looked around the living room.

"I honestly don't want any of it."

"Olivia, you are going to need furniture. And buying it all at once can be expensive. Dean can easily replace this stuff."

"I guess you are right," she replied biting her lip. "Start with the sofa, I guess."

An hour later they had pretty much emptied the biggest part of the furniture from the house. Olivia climbed the staircase to get the bedspread from her bedroom to wrap the television in.

"Alright," Elliot said from behind her. "We got the armoire and the dresser from in here. All that is left is the bed and then the crib and chest of drawers from the nursery."

"Not the bed," she corrected him looking ashamed.

She stared at it for a moment. This was her new start. And she was not about to allow this bed and the memory of everything that had ever happened in it to hold her back in any way.

"Not the bed," Elliot agreed.

"That I will buy brand new, for my brand new life," she replied forcing a smile as she pulled the duffle bag strap over her shoulder and followed Elliot out of the room closing the door behind her. "We should go ahead and try to load the stuff from Jack's room. We can grab the other furniture first, take the crib last. He has been asleep long enough, if we wake him now it's alright."

"Lucky for you I have become quite a pro at assembling and disassembling cribs," he laughed. "I can have this apart and in the truck in fifteen minutes. Maybe you should sit down and take a little break while I work on this. You've been through a lot."

"I am fine, El. I just want to get the hell out of this town."

"You are still recovering," he whispered. "You should probably be taking it easy today, not partaking in all of this strenuous physical activity."

"You couldn't move all of this stuff by yourself. I'm alright, I promise. We will be back in New York soon, I will take it easy then."

"At least sit down for a few minutes while I take the crib apart," he suggested as she pulled the sleepy toddler from the bed and cradled him in her arms. "Hey pal," Elliot cooed to the little boy as he fussed a bit and rubbed his eyes.

"I think maybe someone wasn't quite finished with his nap," Olivia said with a soft smile as she kissed the pouty face of her baby boy. "Maybe we will lay down in my room for a few more minutes while Uncle Elliot takes your bed apart. But then it is time to wake up little man."

"This won't take very long," he said as she handed him a screwdriver. "We can be on the road within the hour."

Olivia laid Jackson down on the bed and changed his diaper. She smiled as she watched him stretch and his heavy little eyes closed once more. She pulled the pillow from what was once her side of the bed and laid down beside him.

"Mommy loves you angel," she whispered softly as she kissed him once more.

Half an hour later Elliot stood in her bedroom doorway. He smiled as he watched her sleep next to her beautiful little boy.

He knelt beside the bed and studied the shape of the baby's little nose, then shifted his eyes to see the soft curve of Olivia's. The child looked so much like his mother.

Elliot watched her for a moment as she slept, one arm draped protectively over her child. He raised his hand and used his fingertip to brush a bit of dark hair from her face as her eyes fluttered open.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"You needed the rest."

"How long was I out?" she asked with a yawn.

"About thirty minutes. I got the crib and the last of the boxes loaded into the truck."

She sat up and stretched as she scratched her head.

"I packed some extra diapers, toddler friendly snacks, bottles and juice boxes in the diaper bag. And I have a few of his books and favorite toys in my bag, so hopefully he will be content."

"I know four hours cooped up in a car seat will be rough on the little guy. So I figured we could stop about half way and get a late lunch to eat. Walk around and stretch our legs. We will be back in the city in time for dinner."

The first hour or so of the car ride in the large moving truck was rough on Jackson. Elliot had fastened his car seat into the space between the driver and the passenger areas of the bench seat and the cab was pretty crowded. At first he got a kick out of the bright eyed wonder of the little boy as he pointed in delight with "oohs and aahs" at everything they passed.

After a fifteen minute struggle, the child finally managed to remove one of his shoes, leaning over to watch as he kicked it into the dark and mysterious abyss, aka the floorboard below his feet and had given up hope of removing the other. He stirred restlessly in his seat and Elliot chuckled as he found the goldfish cracker he had lost half an hour earlier, picking it up in his chubby little fingers to study it for a moment before popping it into his mouth and grinning in satisfaction.

The little boy yawned and stared at Elliot, watching as he turned the steering wheel and shifted the truck from gear to gear. Olivia had pulled her Kindle from the bag between her feet and was now nose deep in some crime novel, no doubt. Jackson laughed and clapped his hands in excitement as a fire truck and two police cars blew past them with their lights flashing and sirens blaring.

"Looks like you've got a future second generation NYPD Detective here," Elliot replied smiling in amusement as Olivia looked up and laughed.

"Of all the things to inherit from your parents son, you choose the dangerous career path?"

"It's exciting, mama. Fighting crime is a noble and honorable career. You and Dean both have careers in Criminal Justice, did you honestly think your son would go any other way."

"I guess I kind of dreamed the dream every other mother dreams for their son. That he'd be a doctor or a lawyer or something more practical. He's barely over a year old and already an adrenaline junkie."

"He gets that from his mother," Elliot pointed out and she gave him a smirk. "Besides, the lights are pretty. Tell you what, Buddy," Elliot said leaning over and smiling at the child, "when we get back to Manhattan uncle Elliot will take you to work with me and let you look at the police cars and fire trucks there. I'll even let you play with the buttons that turn on the lights and sirens."

Olivia smiled.

"He'll get a kick out of that," she replied pulling a container of cereal puffs from the bag and twisting the top off to hand Jack a few.

Elliot noticed Jackson watching carefully as Olivia took the lid off the container, then twisted it carefully back on.

"Do you want to play with it?" Olivia asked sweetly handing it to the little boy.

Jackson giggled in excitement bouncing in his seat and shaking the can. He tipped it and studied the lid for a moment, then placed his little hand on top of it. He grunted as he wrapped his tiny fingers around it and twisted, just the way he had seen his mother do. Much to their surprise, the lid popped off and little flower shaped cereal puffs flew all over the truck.

"Jack," Olivia sighed attempting to clean up the mess. "I'm sorry. I didn't think he could get the lid off."

Elliot laughed as Jackson grinned in accomplishment and handed the lid to his mother.

"He is so smart. He just watched you do twist the lid off and figured it out that quick. The kid obviously got his brains from his mother, instead of his father."

"Be nice," she said hitting Elliot's shoulder playfully as she chuckled. "He is smart," Olivia agreed. "A little too smart for his own good. Keeps mommy on her toes, don't you baby?" she asked softly combing her fingertips through his dark hair and kissing him tenderly.

"He is such a content and happy little boy. I had forgotten how much fun they are when they are his age. Finding wonder and excitement in the simplest of things. This is a great stage."

"Compared to…?"

"Kids are great, don't get me wrong. And I wouldn't trade mine from anything."

Olivia smirked and stared at him.

"Teenagers…" Elliot began, "all they do is bicker and fight and eat…they will eat you out of house and home. Especially the boys," he warned pointing to Jackson. "Then they fight some more. She's wearing my shirt, he's teasing me, you're ruining my life!"

"Ruining my life?" Olivia asked worried.

"Yes! The planet of teenage girl is a very dramatic place."

Olivia smiled.

"You are making me oh so happy that I have a son."

"Kids are amazing, Olivia. But they grow up so fast. Cherish this," he said with tears rising in his eyes as he looked down at her beautiful little boy seated between them. "Take in every single moment and remember it, the good and the bad. Cause when it's gone, you can't get it back. They are babies one day, then you blink….and just like that they are all grown up and they don't need you anymore," he said forcing a smile. "Well, they will always need you, but they don't think they do. They don't need you to read them bedtime stories anymore or check under the bed for monsters. You are no longer invited to tea parties, because they have been replaced with dates….with boys….teenaged boys! Boys who really only have one thing on their mind and it isn't treating your daughter like the princess she is. But you will be just fine, sir," Elliot said as Jackson smiled up at him. "Uncle Elliot is going to make sure that you know how to treat a lady. Always treat her with respect and compassion. Be her friend and listen when she talks. Really listen, not just pretend to listen. Open car doors, pull out chairs and always, always ask permission before you kiss her goodnight. And be a relationship man, don't just go after women for sex. That's just nasty."

Olivia chuckled.

"Always carry a condom. Do not expect to use it, but be prepared. Be punctual, fashionably late only works for women. Umm, be honest. Honesty really is the best policy. But the most important lesson I could ever teach you….and this is a BIG one….is always keep your word. Don't just be a man, Jackson, be a gentleman. Treat every woman the way you would want a guy to treat your mother. And if you ever need to talk man to man, I am always here for you."

Elliot roughed up the child's hair with his fingertips as Jackson giggled and smiled. He patted the little boy on the top of the head and raised his eyes to meet Olivia's as she smiled at him with tears in her eyes.

"What do you say we find a place to stop for some lunch. We should get him some real food. We can't just keep pumping this kid full of crackers in the shape of fish and bears and those little cereal things."

"Lunch sounds like a great idea," she agreed with a smile.