The Black Market Baby Scandal
(Chapter Eighteen: One)
Olivia was sitting at her desk when it arrived. The first class stamped envelope she had been waiting so long for. She signed the clip board and tipped the delivery guy then sat it on her desk and just looked at it for a moment. A few minutes later Elliot arrived back from court to see her staring down at the envelope.
"You get a delivery?"
"Yes." She shifted her eyes up to look at him. "Elliot, it came."
"It?"
She looked at him and nodded her head.
"Oh, it. Okay. Are you gonna open it?" He asked.
"Yes. I guess I'm just a little nervous. I have waited so long for this. What if…"
"Just open it," Elliot cut her off.
"You're right." Olivia picked up the envelope and slid her finger under the fold at the top ripping the envelope open. She pulled out the legal documents inside and unfolded them as she began to read. "Oh my God!"
"What? Is it good news or bad news?"
"I'll let you decide that for yourself," she said handing him the judge signed copy of Sarah Stabler's adoption papers.
She watched as a smile spread across Elliot's face. "We were approved."
"Both of us," Olivia said pointing to the line where the judge stated her legal guardians as Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler.
"She is ours. Forever," Elliot laughed with a large grin on his face.
"Forever," Olivia repeated with tears in her eyes.
"We have to celebrate," Elliot said pulling his cell phone from his side.
"What are you doing?"
"Calling the kids. All of the kids. I want us all to get together for dinner tonight to make the announcement and celebrate. This is the most amazing news. Our little girl is home to stay."
Olivia smiled. "I think I am going to talk to Cragen and take the afternoon off. I want to pick up Sarah from school early and take her to lunch. You should come. I just want some time with her before the other kids find out. We should take her to lunch, both of us. And tell her there."
"Sounds good. I have some time. And we aren't really busy here. I am on call though. I was also thinking maybe we could invite everyone out to dinner one night this weekend to celebrate. Tell Casey and Cragen and everyone."
Olivia smiled. "I think that is a great idea."
"Good," Elliot said leaning down to kiss her. "I have a little paperwork to finish up here. Why don't you go ahead and pick Sarah up? Find out where she wants to eat. Anywhere she wants to go. Then I will meet you guys there. I should be done in about twenty minutes."
"Okay," Olivia said as she picked up her jacket and tossed it over her arm heading for Cragen's office.
An hour later the three of them sat at a table in a nice Italian place across town. They had taken Sarah there once many months ago when she had first started her visitations with Olivia. They placed their orders and the waitress brought their drinks.
"So what is going on?" Sarah asked picking up a bread stick form the basket in the center of the table. "Olivia said there was an emergency and you guys needed o talk to me. Then we left school and came out for lunch. Not that I am complaining. I got out of school early and I don't have to eat Salisbury steak in the cafeteria. Yuck! That stuff is the worst!"
Elliot laughed as Olivia sat her tea glass down on the table.
"I said it was important, not an emergency."
"Well," Sarah said staring at Olivia, "what is so important?"
"This," Olivia said laying the adoption papers down in front of her on the table.
Sarah picked up the papers and read through them, then looked up at Olivia. "Does this mean what I think it means?" She asked as she began to smile.
"This," Olivia said pointing to the papers in Sarah's hand, "means that you will never be taken away from us again. Elliot and I are your parents, your mother and your father, from now on. Forever."
"Really?" Sarah squealed in excitement. "The adoption went through?"
"The adoption went through," Elliot answered his daughter.
Sarah smiled and laughed and almost cried. "I was hoping this would happen. But I was so afraid it wouldn't.
"It finally did baby," Olivia said as Sarah ran to hug her.
"And tonight your brothers and sisters are meeting us for a big family dinner. We can make the announcement and celebrate. The whole family, together."
"I have brothers and sisters," Sarah said with a smile. "And my mom and my dad." She hugged Elliot tight. "I love you guys so much."
"We love you too honey," Elliot answered.
After lunch they took Sarah to see a movie and bought her some new clothes for dinner that night. They spent the day together, the three of them, bonding as a family.
That night they met the kids for dinner at a fancy restaurant. Everyone was excited when Elliot and Olivia let Sarah make the announcement to her new brothers and sisters.
At dinner they also opened the discussion with the kids about them purchasing a place together. A loft that they had looked at in the same neighborhood that would provide much more room and bring the entire family together for their weekends and holidays.
"So, if you guys get this place will you be living together, living together?" Kathleen asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"We would live together. All of us. But seeing as we have only been actually dating for a few weeks, Olivia and I would keep our own separate bedrooms."
"Would we get our own rooms, dad?" Elizabeth asked.
"There are five bedrooms. Mine and Olivia's. The boys would share one. Maureen and Kathleen would share and Sarah and Elizabeth would share."
"Cool," Elizabeth said looking at Sarah.
"Do I have to change schools again?" Sarah asked looking at Elliot.
"No, honey. That was one of the main things we looked at when looking for a place. We wanted to keep you near your school."
"Well, seeing as Maureen and I only stay around the holidays, why don't the girls just have their own rooms?"
"We might do something like that. Then they could just stay in the same room when you older girls come to visit. We will work it all out. But what do you guys think about all of us living together?"
"I think it is a good idea dad," Dickie said. "Sarah is our sister now. Brothers and sisters should live together. Even if it is just every other weekend."
"What about you girls?" Olivia asked.
"I think it's a great idea," Kathleen said.
"Yeah," Maureen agreed.
"If we life together then we wont have to spend the night so much," Elizabeth said smiling at Sarah.
"I figured you two would be up for it," Elliot said smiling at the thought of their daughters being such good friends.
"It is settled then. Once we decide for sure on a place, we are going to sell the two apartments and buy a place together."
"Dad?" Elizabeth said with a smile.
"Yes, dear?"
"Do you think you and Olivia will ever have any kids together?"
Elliot looked at Olivia and they both smiled.
"You don't think that six kids is enough?" Elliot asked her.
"I think it would be really cool if you and Liv had a baby."
He looked up at the faces of the Stabler brood around him as they all nodded their heads and agreed with her.
"Maybe someday," Olivia answered. "But for right now, we are just trying to focus on getting this family together. And getting all of you kids under one roof. We will have to wait and see where this leads," she said motioning between she and Elliot, "before we decide if it is a good idea to bring another baby into the mix. Besides, we aren't even married."
"Maybe you should get married," Sarah said with a smile.
"Okay, slow down guys. I think people should date a little longer than three weeks before they start talking about getting married. I think we should all just wait and see how things work out. But one thing is for certain, you can all count on both of us. Always. That will never change. Your father and I are going to be here for all of you. We are all a family."
"You are right Liv," Kathleen said with a smile. "We are all a family. One. All together as one family. We just think that you should be a Stabler, too. You should so marry our dad."
"It is very sweet of you to say so, honey. Maybe someday. But right now we are still getting used to being a couple."
After dinner Maureen drove the other kids back to their mother's as Elliot and Olivia headed back to Olivia's house with Sarah. Olivia looked at Sarah in the rearview mirror listening to music on her MP3 player. She took a deep breath and smiled as she looked over at Elliot.
"That went better than I thought it would," Olivia said looking at Elliot as he drove.
"You didn't think they would take it well?"
"Oh, the part about Sarah I knew they would. But the part about us getting a place together, I figured there would at least be a little protest."
"My kids love you, Olivia."
She smiled. "Still, I figured at least one of the five…"
"I bet I can guess which one," Elliot joked. "I think they are just glad to see dad happy again."
"I am too," she said placing her hand against his shoulder. "But I honestly didn't think we would sit at dinner tonight and have six children trying to talk us into getting married."
"Like I said, they love you."
"I am crazy about them, Elliot. They are amazing kids. And I would love for us all to be a family someday."
"We already are," he said slipping his hand into hers. "Look Liv, it is no secret that I am in love with you. Or that someday I would love to marry you and settle down with you and yes, if you want more kids, I would even love for us to have a baby together. But I am not in any hurry. Things have been so rushed lately with life in general, it is kind of nice to be able to kind of kick back and enjoy us for a while."
"Us?"
"You and me. Or family together with the kids. I think we are exactly on track and right where we need to be. I think that unless you decide you want to move things along a little faster, this pace is perfect. For now at least. The kids are just excited at the thought of having a real family again. I don't want you to feel rushed or to think that we have to jump into something we are not ready for."
"Oh, I don't. I am perfectly content with where we are right now. Someday, I would love to have more. The marriage and a baby. I would love to have it with you, Elliot. But not after just three weeks of dating. That is insane. I think what we are doing is good."
"So you are happy?"
"I have never been happier," Olivia said with a smile.
"Good," Elliot said leaning in to kiss her lips.