Chapter 22
So this chapter is a little longer than normal. But I've had a good week. Not to mention that I have an interview tomorrow – so excited. The dresses that I put in this chapter, are from David's Bridal (.com) check them out. I thought the bridesmaids dress fit the three girls. The color was the color of the dress I wore at my best friend's wedding. The Bride's dress, I wanted to keep it classic, plain and simple because one, it was something I liked and second, I thought it fit Olivia's personality perfectly. Don't forget to review. The more reviews, the faster I get the next chapter posted.
Not even two hours later, and not one of them could agree on anything. Everything that they tried on, someone found something wrong with. Wrong style, wrong color. This doesn't look good on me; I don't like it, etc. At the rate they were going, it was looking like a wasted day or nothing.
"Why do you keep showing dresses in purple, Kathleen? Of all the colors and you have to pick purple. Not to mention, dad would kill us if we wore that style." Said Maureen.
"We're not five anymore, Maureen. He'll have a fit over anything that shows any part of us.'" Said Kathleen.
"She's got a point on that one, Mar." said Olivia. At the moment, she was rather glad that they couldn't come to an agreement. It kept them from dragging her and making her look for a dress. If they hadn't 'kidnapped' her, then they more than well that she wouldn't have worn anything white, let alone anything close to even a skirt.
Then it suddenly went off like a light bulb. How did they already know that their father had even asked? Son of a Bitch. He had asked rather probably told them before he actually asked. In a way, it meant more to her that she had their approval.
"Wait a minute. How did you guys know that there was even a wedding to begin with?" asked Olivia.
Lizzie answered.
"Dad told us. He asked us if we would care." Said Lizzie. There was the confirmation she needed. Payback was going to be a bitch.
"Don't kill each other while I make a phone call or two." Said Olivia, walking outside. She knew who to call first. Dickie. Better yet, John and Fin would help out on that too.
"Hello?" came Dickie's voice.
"Dickie, it's Olivia." Said Olivia.
"Hi. Is something wrong?" asked the eighteen year old.
"No nothing's wrong. But I do need your help with something." Said Olivia.
"Sure. If I can be of any." Said Dickie.
"I need you to 'kidnap' that stubborn, smartass of a father of yours." Said Olivia.
"What did dad do now? Let me guess, my sisters showed up and kidnapped you?" laughed Dickie.
"Yeah, that's what happened. So do you think that you could possibly help get even with your old man?" asked Olivia. She knew more than likely the teenager would help her. Especially when it came to his father. If she got stuck dress shopping, then he was going to get stuck trying on tuxes. It was only fair.
"Take Dad to look like a penguin? I can do that. But that means he'll probably stick it to me too." Laughed Dickie.
"Yeah, he probably will. And I apologize ahead of time for it. I owe you one, Dickie." Said Olivia.
"You don't owe me anything, Liv. I would do it anyway. It just means I get to take the camera and take pictures of him." Laughed Dickie.
"I'm going to ask Munch and Fin to help. Is that okay with you?" asked Olivia.
"Sweet. The more, the better the chance of him not strangleing me in public." Said Dickie.
"I don't think he would actually strangle you, Dickie." Replied Olivia.
"Given the chance he would. Did you and my sisters find anything yet?" asked Dickie.
"Your sisters are too busy arguing over colors and styles. I don't think there going to find anything anytime soon." Said Olivia.
"Which means they won't get to dress shopping with you, right?" laughed Dickie. He knew how his sisters worked. This wasn't a surprise to him.
She was going to respond when she heard her name being yelled.
"OLIVIA!" yelled Kathleen.
"That can't be good. And that's Kathleen yelling. I'll leave now to 'kidnap' dad." Said Dickie.
"Thank you, Dickie. If he asks if I had anything to do with..." started Olivia. But the teenager cut her off.
"That you had nothing and knew nothing about it." Said Dickie.
"I better go see what your sisters up too." Said Olivia and that was the end of that. Half hour later, and three phone calls later, that fiancée of hers was going to get a surprise of his own. And Dickie would have the pictures to prove it.
She walked back to where she had left the three girls. They were still arguing over colors and styles. That was until Kathleen came across apple long chiffon, strapless a-line with a pleated bust up against the wall (David's Bridal, style number: F13287).
"What about this one? It isn't purple or cut too low. I like it." Said Kathleen.
"That's a first. Kathleen is the one that usually picks out something black or grey. I like it too." Agreed Maureen.
"Lizzie?" asked Kathleen.
"I like it too." Smiled Lizzie.
"Sounds like the three of you finally found a dress that you could all agree on. That color would look good on the three of you." Said Olivia.
The three of them took the dresses in the fitting room and returned not ten minutes. Catching Olivia off guard. All three girls looked older and they looked absolutely beautiful in them.
"You three look so beautiful." Said Olivia.
"Good. Now that our dresses are taken care of. Now we can find a dress for Olivia." Smiled Lizzie.
"No really, Miss Priss?" joked Kathleen.
"Let's not start this again." Said Maureen.
Not thirty seconds later, her cell phone went off. Expecting it to be, Dickie, Munch or Fin, she was rather surprised when his number appeared on the screen.
"What do you want now, Stabler?' asked Olivia. She suspected why he was calling.
"You just had to make the score even, didn't you? That's a new time low, Liv." Said Elliot.
"Oh really? And telling your children about asking me to marry you before you even asked is any better?" replied Olivia.
Great. One of his girls blurted that secret right out of the water. Bets were, that it was Lizzie.
"Ok, fine you have a point. But did you have to get Dickie to 'kidnap' me with Munch and Fin? Munch in a tux is torture enough." Said Elliot.
"Payback's a bitch now isn't it? By the way, don't forget to smile for the camera." Laughed Olivia.
"What camera?" asked Elliot.
Obviously he hadn't paid any attention the camera his son brought with him. Only making it even funnier than it already was.
"Stabler, get your ass back in here. Your ass has to be in a tux just like the rest of us." Yelled Fin in the background.
"Aren't you the one that is supposed to be in there, with a penguin suit on? At least before the other two?" asked Olivia.
"Glad to know I'm not the only one that agrees it's a damn penguin suit." Said Elliot.
"If you had your way, you would be in a Hawaiian print shirt and khaki shorts, on the jersey shore." Said Olivia.
Out of now where, an older woman's voice was heard calling her name. It sounded an awful like… No it couldn't be, could it? Elliot immediately recognized the voice. And it made him laugh even more.
"Olivia? Sweetheart, where are you?' came Bernie's voice.
"I'm really praying that one of the girls called your mother and you didn't. I swear t god, if it was you, you'll be on the couch." Said Olivia. Actually, he did call his mother. And between the three girls, odds were that it was Lizzie that called her grandmother as well.
"I have to go. Don't hurt anyone while you're trying on tuxes. No surprises either. I have enough of them already for one day." Said Olivia.
"Would I do such a thing?" said Elliot.
"You would and you have, thank you." Said Olivia.
"Dad lets go. By the time you get off the phone, you'll be lucky to have half of the tux done." Yelled Dickie.
Both hung up their respective ends of the phone. Him returning to his tux fitting and her to her dress shopping.
"Bernie? Not that I'm not glad to see you, but I'm sorry that the girls called you." Said Olivia.
"We didn't call, Grandma. Dad probably did." Smiled Maureen. If the girls hadn't called their grandmother, then he had to have. Even after he told her himself that he hadn't. There was going to be hell to pay later.
"The girls didn't call me. My son did. After the girls left with you. He said what the girls were up to." Smiled Bernie.
All three girls soon split off into their own directions, leaving Olivia to look for herself. Lizzie was the first one with a dress in her hand. Not that it was a bad dress. It was just something that she would never wear herself. It just wasn't her style or her. But she certainly appreciated the thought that went into it.
"Lizzie, I appreciate the thought you put into finding the dress. I'm just not a Cinderella type of gown person. But it is pretty." Smile Olivia. Lizzie smiled and went to find another dress.
Kathleen was the next one to find a dress. This one was ivory, corset type backing, strapless, and a sweetheart neck line.
"What about this one, Liv?" asked Kathleen, handing her the next dress. Gratefully, she accepted it and tried it on.
"I'm not too find of the backing, sweetheart." Said Olivia. Again, Maureen handed her another dress and again, it didn't suit her. In truth, she really wasn't a dress wearing type of person. She never thought she would see herself in a wedding dress. Let alone getting married to the only person she ever loved. She never would have thought that she would be one day, marrying her partner of nearly a decade, the same person she considered her best friend.
This time it was all three women with one dress. Smiling, she slid into the dress and immediately found herself taken aback at the site in the mirror before her eyes. This was the one for her. Plain, simple and just enough that she would love wearing. This dress was a soft chiffon slim gown with a beaded bodice (David's Bridal style # SAS1220).
"Oh wow, Liv. That's perfect for you. It describes you and looks absolutely stunning and beautiful on you. You need to get it." Smiled Lizzie.
Still smiling, she answered Lizzie.
"For once, I agree. But I can't afford a dress like this. This is at least three months of pay." Said Olivia. Meanwhile, Bernie was smiling and getting an idea of her own. Because of Olivia, she had her son back and he was happy. More than he had ever been in the last twelve years. She felt that she owed her something in return.
Getting dress into her everyday clothes, Olivia, Lizzie, and Kathleen walked out of the bridal shop, and in the direction of the café for lunch. Bernie stopped her eldest granddaughter and pulled her aside.
"Maureen, this is between you, me and your sisters, is that understood? Don't say anything to Olivia, just yet." Smiled Bernie.
"Your going to buy the dress for her, aren't you grandma?" smiled Maureen.
"She's done so much for you kids and your father; I at least owe her for giving me back your dad." Smiled Bernie, paying for the dress. Maureen just smiled. Even if their grandmother had bought the dress, herself and her other two sisters would have found a way to pay for it.
"Maureen, you head for the café while I put this in my car. Remember, this is between you and me for now." Smiled Bernie.
Maureen did as she was told and made her way to the café where she met up with her sisters and Olivia.
"Where's grandma, Mar?' asked Lizzie.
"She's coming. She had to get something from her car. I thought Dad and Dickie were meeting up with us?" came Maureen.
"They are. Just when they get done." Said Olivia. Her phone beeped at her. She flipped her phone open to see that she had a new picture mail message and from Dickie.
She clicked it open. She couldn't help but let out a chuckle. He really did look like a penguin. Not even a minute later, she received another one. This time, Dickie, Munch and Fin were the ones in penguin suits. Now there was a site to behold. John Munch in a tux. Fin, she at least knew would look good in a tux. But John? She just couldn't picture in a tux. At least not until Dickie sent the picture. At least one of them would look like a penguin.
Bernie returned a few short minutes later and joined the rest of the group at the round both in the back. Now all that was missing were the guys.
"This will be awhile before they get here." Laughed Kathleen.
"You don't know that, Kat." Answered Lizzie.
"Yeah I do. It's Dad and Dickie we're talking about. You really think that they'll be here soon?" smiled Kathleen.
"You have a point there. But just the same, it is Dad and Dickie we're talking about. And when it comes to food, neither of them waste any time." Smiled Maureen.
"Agreed." Smiled Bernie.