After the year they've had Olivia doesn't hesitate taking her four weeks holiday. She doesn't separate them and scatter around to cover appointments and other obligations but promises her son a vacation which consists of her not going anywhere near work - a real one.
It just doesn't turn out that way not when she's obligated to testify in an upcoming trial that takes two days from her vacation which isn't bad but sanctions her to not being able to leave the state nevermind stray too far from the city. So much for a tropical vacation she tells her son who is disappointed but not surprised but it doesn't save her from the quiet treatment he gives her.
So she researches on her last week at work trips and plans day trips for them. The art gallery one day, paint ball on another, a theme park on the long weekend coming up and on Saturday she lets Noah pick. It's his time to kick off the vacation he proclaims when he gets her up at 6:30 to get started.
A day of shopping and eating and whatever he wants be declares as he makes her wait in line for two hours on thankfully what is a perfectly sunny and mild Saturday morning for sneakers. Once he's in line and grabs the size and colours he wants long gone is the grumpy attitude about not being able to go away thankfully. While she feels misplaced, lost and ancient for not knowing the significance in any of this but sees other parents just as lost so she happily gives up her credit card. A small although hefty price to pay for him which is nothing when he goes on and on about the importance of this specific sneaker he holds in his hands.
They make their way from Brooklyn over to take the train to the city to go to Noah's favourite place for breakfast but spot the grounds gathering in blue jerseys in a sea of white, red and green flags, cars, painted faces. Soccer season.
It's then she sees a fan she didn't expect to see : Eli the youngest Stabler bumps into them quite directly as they turn the corner in-front of a small shop that's broadcasting loud soccer highlights from tiny television screens attached to speakers dangling from the metal awning.
"Eli!" Olivia can't believe she's seeing him out front of him. While the city is a lot smaller than anyone could imagine it's never really been small enough where she's ever ran into Elliot or any of his family since he's returned. They ran in separate circles, their kids not quite the same age and lived worlds apart from each other outside the confinement's of their job. Now outside the job is all they have, there is no professional obligation that links them together.
Eli waves and nods up at Noah before telling Olivia that his dad just headed into the store before Elliot comes out.
Before Eli can even tell them he just went to grab change and some drinks out comes Elliot in an Italian soccer jersey and matching beat up backwards hat.
"Liv.." He smiles huge at her and points surprised a hello over at Noah.
"Hey I'd ask you what you were up to today but it's pretty clear," she smiles back at him watching the gang of fans flock to the streets.
"You guys should come watch the game. Noah, you wanna come?" Eli asks before checking in with either of their parents.
Noah nods without any of his own parents approval before walking alongside Eli infront of them.
"Noah Benson, I thought we were going out today…I'm not sure we should be…" she's hesitant and he isn't sure why but knows it's more than likely because of him and how spontaneous this all is. He knows the new Olivia isn't spontaneous at all. She's a mom and very calculated and guarded. He respects it and gets it but even she has a boss she answers to now.
"Yeah let's go, you said we were going to go home and watch Netflix" Noah says finalizing it, or so he thinks as they walk ahead of their parents not waiting for any sort of rebuttals.
"You were going to watch a movie I was going to clean the house,"
"And no one wants to do either...c'mon mom please"
She looks at Elliot and he seems just as happy to see her and to have them join them so she walks with him as they make their way to the subway.
He can't help but take in how beautiful she is. Now more than ever. In all the years he knew her it doesn't add up or come close to how she impacts him now.
The memories of her and the reality of her reflection in the subway glass stirs a warmth in him. The way she is wearing a light floral peach coloured summer dress that barely hits her ankles revealing white leather sneakers isn't anything his mind has ever been able to dream up.
How simple and pretty and soft she looks.
The wavy golden hair and warm sunkissed skin, her lips full and pink with gloss. But it's the curves accentuated by the way the loose dress flows over her body. The rise of her ass and the fullness of her thighs is what has him wishing they were alone if just for a moment and not about to crowd together with a bunch of strangers.
He knows he shouldn't be thinking that but he also knows that she is fully aware he is in love with her so it makes a lot of things okay now, or at least to him.
"Have we ever taken the subway together?" He whispers into her ear as she goes to take out her metro card.
In all the years they worked together and lived together in this city they had never done something so standard. So normal as to riding the subway together. Nope never.
Now they are close up against each other side by side wedged in the space in front of the closed doors across from their sons.
His hand holds the bar behind her back and his knuckles are brushed up against her lower back. It's now her turn to be taken back by him physically. How big he feels next to her, how protective and fatherly he seems talking to her son and his. Holding out a newspaper from his back pocket and showing them stats he couldn't wait to show Eli.
She had no idea he likes soccer or was like this outside of work. She doesn't know if this was him all along or the new him and it excites her to be in this moment with him no matter how small.
They get to bar he goes to order food and drinks, the boys play fooze ball while they wait for game to start.
He talks to her about the game and how Eli every year would get to go to one game. Amazing seats behind the net if his grades were up and he really studied his Italian. He did and he became a huge fan and great player. His smile spreads far enough to reach her cheeks, she can't help but smile when she seems so happy talking about him.
It's not all bad or sad hearing about this or thinking of him in Italy when it had left a sinking hole in her chest in the past. She can't change what happened but thinks of all that was reborn after the storm and they had. She thinks about Eli and his entire childhood being there and the culture he was exposed to and brought back with him. How that innocent baby was born under circumstances unknown to him and the effect it had on so many but the beautiful outcome of seeing him now. A well poised young man. One that's being kind and includes her son in on a cherished tradition to him and his father.
She can't help but wonder what life would be like if she knew that little boy growing up as a baby. A toddler running around when her own son was being cradled as an infant in her arms.
"Not a day went by there where I didn't think about you, Liv. I know you don't want to hear about over there but...you were with me every single day... every day."
So much has changed but the feelings are so the same. The respect the admiration and worry but now there's love. It's in the open now. It's out there. It's not a secret.
*all clear the doors*
She thinks of her own son and what a good boy he is and how she wouldn't change what happened due to Elliot's absence not for a second. It had to happen for them to oddly end up here. A mom with a great son and impressive career. It hasn't all been hurt.
But now they are light years away from where they started out and also even further from the hurt where they left off. Now they are side by side squeezed into a tight rammed packed bar after trying not to touch arms too much on the train and now they are on Mulberry street. Day drinking with Elliot after brunch with her kid and his less than two tables away at 11:30am.
"It's a new team...same legacy just new era.." he smiles at her before getting snapped back to the action on the screen.
"Cmon Bonucci was wide open waiting...you just gave it away..."
"Stunad!" Eli yells
"Eli!"
Noah laughs and then asks what it means and he bursts out laughing. Olivia doesn't want to ask what the Italian word meant.
"Don't.."
"Trust me I won't"
"Throw in to the open mid…watch him...Eli watch the feet..there's no drag it's all in the pull.." Elliot is nearly out of his chair and screams when his player ends up scoring the winning goal.
He nearly pulls Olivia up with him when he starts clapping and pulls her in for a hug before slapping hands with Noah and Eli.
The bar erupts.
She watches as Elliot takes his hat off on puts it on her sons head and they all scream and cheer with Noah and Eli included as they grab flags off the table and run out into the street.
Elliot and his son are over the moon and by proximity it seems like the same can be said for her son who is celebrating with them who up until now had never watched soccer or been in a bar.
They sit on the bench outside and watch their kids join the overzealous crowd of Italian fans flooding the streets. The two boys find a bench to stand on wave their flags.
"Remind me again that letting our children not only go into a bar but tailgating after for a soccer game is a good idea.."
It comes out of her too easy . He catches it and smiles.
Our children.
He lets it slide but cant stop smiling. He refuses to hold back that. His words he chooses carefully but his face gives it all away.
"Our children are happy. Well fed off eating pizza and wings all afternoon and this isn't actually tailgating, soccer..well football there is no tailgating just one big huge party whether we win or lose, plus they learned a lot today..."
"Like how to dance with a full beer in hand without spilling..look" Olivia laughs looking at the old man infront of her in head to toe white with an Italian flag towel around his neck dancing wildly with drink in hand.
"You still owe me a dance you know" he smiles and looks ahead watching the old man dance.
"One like that? I might have to pass" she smirks from behind her sunglasses as she looks ahead to the old man that somehow hasn't managed to spill a drop of wine.
"I didn't forget at Fin's wedding you had to take a call and we never got that dance.." he knocks his knees together so they push hers together, swaying softly like they did many years ago on his stoop in another life.
She blushes and looks down at the bottle of orangina in her hand having switched off of the beer and sangria hours ago. She can't really blame the warmth spreading inside of her on the alcohol at this point not when his honesty and flirting is doing it for her like this.
"Next match is on Sunday, if my team wins we have that dance..." he takes the small glass bottle of juice from jer and takes a swig before he hands it back.
Noah and Eli have made their way to sharing a street lamp post to stand on to see the crowds. Olivia's eyes have never left the kids in the crowd even if she is all ears listening to everything Elliot is saying. He loves seeing her like this. Her natural element as a mother and totally outside who he sees in a workplace setting, it's a joy and a turn on too.
"And if they don't have the same luck as today?" Shes grinning behind the oversized sunglasses she has on now. Her hair looks curly in the heat, she's never been more beautiful in his eyes. The freckles and light spots of sunshine on her cheekbones and nose. She's having fun with this and seems intrigued so he counts that as the real win of the day.
"Lucky? No such thing for the greatest team in the world..." He's confident and happy and this is a side of him she's never seen. Fun and playful.
"If they lose and run out of luck?"
She loves being playful with him, it's so rare and something they just don't do ever and haven't ever done. She also likes making him work for it too. Long gone are the days when silence and wordless heavy glances filled the void. He says what he feels even when it seems out of place and reckless to her.
"Then I'll drop the idea of ever dancing with you.."
"Wait so this is something you actually want to do and not just some random drunk thought that came into your head?"
He's squinting at the sun and laughing at her, his knee rests up against her leg and his arm draped over the back of the bench touching her shoulder.
"I've given it some thought...I've given a lot of things with you some thought..." he says seriously, quietly and quickly as he looks ahead at the street party unfolding infront of them.
It really makes her blush and feel warm all over.
"Is that so? Like what, Detective?" She is poking the bear and wants him to bite back. She wants to see where this all goes in a big game of chicken that she knows could come back to backfire on her. She isn't sure how truthful they can go after a day spent together like this.
"Me taking you to dinner, maybe we can dance then, some drinks…"
"A date," She whispers under her breath.
"I think that's what it's called"
He says as he nudged her playfully with his shoulder as they walk behind the boys.
"Today was really nice but.."
"No but, why does there have to be a but? Unless it's your butt…" she has to stop herself from letting her jaw hang open, she feels warm and shy at his very obvious flirting attempt.
"I think you had too much Peroni this afternoon"
"Is that why you are red now too much sangria?" he winks and she fails to hold back a smile and shakes her head Her eyes darting back over to their kids.
"Noah did you have fun today?" Elliot yells out not giving a shot thsy much is evident
He turns around abruptly and both of their sons look at him questioning him but Noah nods fast then goes back to talking g to Eli
"So have fun with me…" he says smiling, she's surprised he has the balls. He's been on his best behaviour and treading lightly since the entire thing with Wheatley.
"El,"
She warns with one look that turns into a smile that she's not joking but isn't ruling it out either.
He goes to reach for her hand and holds it when they make their way through the crowd and doesn't let go when the crowd thins out and moves away. She lets him and curls her fingers around his, smoothing out the rough skin of his knuckles. Today they win too she thinks to herself as her son looks back and smiles at her before running off with his son.