The rest of the dinner passed without incident. Kathleen and Liz cleared the table. Olivia stood to help, but the girls promptly ushered her to the couch while insisting she was their guest and didn't need to clean up. She complied, but hated sitting there while everyone else was working. Elliot got elected to dishwashing duty, so he stayed in the kitchen after the rest was tidied up.

"Liv! Lizzie brought this new card game she bought the other day. Wanna play?" She glanced over to Elliot who was still diligently washing pans.

"Okay." She agreed. She settled in a chair next to Kathleen and across from Dickie. She observed quietly as Liz started flipping through the deck of cards, pulling out all the skip cards. That piqued her interest. "Should I ask why you're taking all the skips out?"

The girls burst into laughter. "Yeah Dickie, why do we have to take the skips out?"

"Shut up," he complained. "It's not like you haven't freaked out when getting skipped too!"

What can of worms did she just open…

Katie finally explained. "So. Most of us have a short fuse, as I'm sure you know."

Olivia laughed. "Yeah I'm very aware."

"Well, when we play with the skips in the deck things get a little…"

"Brutal." Liz finished.

"Exactly," Kathleen laughed. "One time Dickie didn't talk to me for a week after I skipped him twice in a row during the game."

"How old were you guys when that happened?" Olivia asked, thinking it happened when they were children.

"Oh this was like a month ago." Kathleen accentuated, "One. month. Ago." Olivia couldn't help, but laugh, and Dickie's face flushed red.

"Okay okay, let's just start the game already!" Dickie desperately tried to change the subject.

Kathleen quickly wrapped up, "So, for the sake of our family unity we no longer play with skips."

"Okay. No skips then."

Liz dealt the cards and explained the rules of the game. Olivia tried to focus on the rules, but she had more fun watching the kids interact. Dinner had been a disaster, but they all let it go and moved on.

A few rounds in she played badly enough to lose. They all gave her crap about it, but she enjoyed them more than the game.

She looked around, noticing Elliot had finished the dishes and moved somewhere else. She looked over the edge of the couch and found him soundly asleep. A content smile crossed her face, and she shuffled around the couch to sit by him. She sat, but lifted his head and rested it in her lap. He rolled onto his side, and was asleep in seconds. She rested her hand on his bicep and let her fingers trace the length of his upper arm.

Boisterous laughter from the table made her jump. She looked behind her and realized Liz bumped Dickie out of the game. He threw his cards down, but it was an exaggerated gesture and all in good fun. The girls continued to play, but he wandered over and sat in the chair adjacent to the couch. There was a period of awkward silence, but eventually Dickie broke the ice.

"I'm sorry," he began.

The apology took Olivia by surprise. "For what?"

"Screwing up dinner, being an ass. You know, the usual." She thought he might be joking, but his face was dead serious.

"Don't worry about it. It's really okay."

"But it's not." He leaned back into the chair and draped his laced fingers on his chest. "I don't know why I say the crap I do. Hell, I don't know why I do the crap I do."

She wanted to reassure him. She wanted to tell him it was okay, but it seemed like it was time for some honesty, and a firm reality check. "Well," she started, "you Stablers aren't exactly known for your long suffering patience…"

He laughed, "Yeah, not so much."

"I honestly can't tell you why you do the things you do. That's something you have to figure out for yourself." She hesitated before making her next suggestion, "Have you done any therapy since your mom died?"

Dickie seemed genuinely surprised at the suggestion, like it had never crossed his mind. "No, I never really thought about it really."

"Maybe you should. Losing your mom was hard on all of you, and the way you lost her was just…" no words could describe how horrific Kathy's death was.

"Horrible." He finished for her.

"Yeah." She glanced down at Elliot who appeared to be deep in sleep. "Your dad and I have seen some pretty gruesome stuff on the job," she lifted her eyes to Dickie's, "and for years we both resisted counseling."

"No surprise there. Well, at least for him." He tilted his head towards Elliot.

"Yeah he isn't exactly an open person."

"Not so much," Dickie chuckled.

"But eventually life got tough enough, and losing your mom became too much so he started seeing someone."

"He did?"

"I'm not sure if he still is, but I know he worked through some things. My point is, sometimes working things out with a person with an outside perspective can be helpful. Your dad and siblings mean well, but…"

"They don't mind letting their opinions be heard."

""Yes," she laughed lightly. "But working through things with someone who's life isn't intertwined with yours can be helpful. If you don't like the choices you're making, then something needs to change. Find a good therapist and see if they can help you make those changes."

Dickie stared at the ceiling, but he let her suggestion sink in. He tilted his head up and looked back at Olivia. "Do you have someone to suggest for me? I don't know where to start."

She smiled warmly. "I know a couple people, I can text you their info if you'd like."

"Could you? I wanna think about it a little more, but I'm tired of feeling like I screw up every part of my life."

"I understand the feeling," she admitted.

"What? You? I'm pretty sure the world thinks you're perfect." She couldn't decide if he was being honest or sarcastic, but knowing Dickie, it was both.

"Oh believe me, my mom made sure I knew exactly how screwed up I was. It was an everyday ritual for her."

"Damn. That really sucks. I'm sorry."

Olivia waved it off. "I still struggle with it a lot, and it creeps into random parts of my life, but I have gotten to the point where it doesn't own me anymore."

"I get that."

"I think you're pretty perfect," a mumbled voice came from her lap. They laughed and she rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.

"How long have you been awake?" Olivia asked.

"Uh, the part where Dickie wanted to stop being a screw up. Which I think is a great plan."

"Gee thanks dad," he said with sarcasm.

"Hey just callin it as I see it."

"Sure, but you'd think some of Olivia's tact would have rubbed off on you by now.

"Ha! I gave up on that notion a long time ago." Olivia teased.

"I'm not that bad."

"Oh yeah you are." Dickie affirmed.

Elliot grumbled. "I'm just gonna go back to sleep."

"Good plan El," she grinned and dropped a kiss to his forehead.

-000-

Olivia was sitting on Elliot's bed rubbing lotion on her legs when Elliot dropped on the bed next to her. He stared at her, smiling. "What?" She laughed, feeling a little disconcerted by his stare.

"Nothing." He scooted closer and kissed her cheek. "You're just amazing."

She blushed at the complement. She rubbed in her lotion and set the bottle on the nightstand before laying next to him. "I'm not perfect," she reminded him.

"Oh I know," he teased. She smacked his shoulder in response, but then his eyes turned more serious. "But seriously," he found her hand and toyed with her fingers. "You were amazing with the kids. All the kids," he emphasized.

"You think?" She asked nervously. "I'm constantly worried that I will overstep. They don't need a mom, they had a mom, but it's tricky figuring out where I fit in all this."

"You did perfect today. You stopped all the nonsense, spent time with them, and gave them some support when they needed it." He kissed her fingers. "I think they need you as much as I do."

"I wouldn't go that far," she said seriously, "but it was a good day…eventually. I really enjoyed spending time getting to know them as adults."

His eyes rested in hers with that familiar adoring intensity. He lifted his hand to her cheek and brushed his thumb across her lips. "You know I love you right?"

She rested her hand over his and leaned into his touch. "I know," she said softly. She leaned into him and dropped a kiss on his lips. "I love you too." A wry smile crept across her lips. "How much do you love me?"

He immediately caught her meaning and tugged on her arm, pulling her on top of him. "Do I need to show you how much?" His voice held a rich husky quality,

She brought her lips close to his. "I think you do," she said seductively.

"Mmm," I can definitely do that.