For those who read the first three chapters in the 101 collection-New content starts at chapter 4!
No." She shook her head.
"But Mooooooom!" Noah whined.
"Why in the world would you want to go camping?" She literally couldn't fathom this. She grew up in this city. The closest her mother ever let her get to the 'great outdoors' was letting her and her friend sleep on the roof one time, and there was a distinct possibility her mom had been drinking when agreeing to that request.
"It's a science trip! We get to learn about plants and geology and stuff. I really want to get into that honors science class this fall because they do way cooler projects than the other science classes" he was doing his best to sell her on the idea. "And if I want to be in the class I have to do this camp out thing. You have to start this advanced life science notebook if you want to get into the class." His wide blue eyes were begging, and she hated when he did that. She was a sucker for blue eyes. "Please Mom?"
She wanted to say no. She should say no. The woods? Really? Didn't people create cities for a reason? She glanced down at her son who still had his begging face blaring with full force. She knew why he wanted to be in that class. Noah didn't have a lot of friends that were boys. He was a gentle kid who loved dance, and not many boys enjoyed the same things. Most of his friends were girls, which suited him fine, but he had struggled with bullies off and on. That stopped when he made friends with Jace and Colton.
The twins were new to Noah's school the previous year and befriended him in science class. They were good boys, not necessarily interested in dance, but they were smart, and excelled in school. They loved things like coding and graphic design, two things Noah enjoyed too. It was stupid, but now that he had friends that were boys, the bullies left him alone.
She knew this trip would be so fun for him and he would learn a lot. Noah had such a hard time connecting with kids his age and she really wanted to encourage healthy peer relationships.
It wouldn't hurt him to go, but she hesitated to let him go with unfamiliar adults. It was probably the cop in her, but overnights with unfamiliar adults made her nervous. She needed to think about it.
"Let me think about it, okay Noh?" He didn't look outright disappointed, but a little hopeful. "When do you need the permission slip in?"
"Friday. They need a kid count so they can get parent volunteers or whatever." He looked like he was going to ask something. "You could come Mom. They are gonna need parents, and…"
He didn't finish the thought, but he was her son and she knew he knew her hesitation had to do with the other adults. He was trying to find a way to do the camp out while still letting her be comfortable. Problem was, there was no way in hell she was camping. Literally all of her experiences with "the woods" included dead bodies. Probably not the best backdrop for a middle school trip. "I don't know Noah. I'm not exactly made for camping," she inadvertently grimaced. "Maybe I could see if Uncle Fin could go…"
His eyes lit up, "How about Elliot? He was a Marine right?" She tried to figure out how the hell he knew that…"He could come!"
That familiar anxiety filled her gut. She needed to put the brakes on this. "Woah Noah, wait a sec. Elliot's case load is crazy sometimes, and he's been on assignment for a while and he just got back." She threw every excuse she could think of. Elliot had gotten back from his extended assignment two days ago. They talked about meeting up, but they hadn't pinned anything down yet, and she was pretty sure they weren't to the point in their relationship where she could ask him to take her son on a camp out. Too much too soon.
"Moooommm. He would say yes I know it! And I know you trust Elliot especially since he picked me up. I would be totally safe and you wouldn't have to hover." He said the word with distaste.
He was right though. Elliot would keep her son safe. Any situation, serious or not, Elliot would die before he let anything happen to her boy. That made her feel lots of feelings she didn't want to analyze right now. She needed to end this conversation. "I'll talk to him okay, but don't get your hopes up. They are short handed at work and he's busy." She hoped she could let him down easy. There was a slim chance El would be available, especially on short notice, and she wasn't sure he would even like sleeping on the ground while entertaining preteens.
That promise settled Noah, and she sighed. She wanted the best for her boy, and that might mean a camping trip. Hopefully she could find him an a person she trusted to go with him because she wasn't sending him by himself, and she was not sleeping on the ground in the woods.
-000-
She pulled her text window up, and chickened out. She set her phone back down and shuffled some papers around her desk. She just needed to ask. He really was the only one she felt comfortable with. Fin laughed his ass off when she asked him. He told her there was a man on the other side of town who would happily take her son. She didn't even ask Carisi. Amanda was going to have that baby any day now, and he needed to stay close. She groaned and pulled the text window up again.
You have time for coffee? Gotta ask you something.
She stared at the text. Her thumb hovered over the send button. She just needed to send the damn thing, and get it over with. It wasn't a marriage proposal. She was just asking a favor from a close friend.
Her fingers closed around the compass that permanently hung around her neck. He was more than a close friend and everyone knew it. Even Noah seemed to know that her relationship was different with Elliot. Noah called all of her close friends Uncle/Aunt. They were their family, but for some reason Elliot had always been just Elliot. No label attached. Just Elliot.
Damn it. She needed to send the stupid thing. Her finger hovered over the send button for another moment before she closed her eyes and hit send.
It was done. It was out of her hands. She didn't expect a response for a while, but it took him less than a minute to reply.
Got time today? I'm pretty free today and tomorrow. You'll save me from filling out thousands of case summaries…
She smiled and leaned into the conversation for a bit.
O: Bell won't mind? I have a huge favor to ask. And you totally can say no.
E: Now I'm intrigued. When are you free today?
O: I have a call scheduled in twenty minutes. Meet me in an hour.
E: I'll be there.
She almost felt annoyed when her heart raced at the idea of meeting with Elliot. She felt like a goddamn teenager, and she had to resist the urge to back out. This was for Noah. She would do anything for him. Even ask her…whatever Elliot was.. for this big favor.
-000-
Her call dragged on and on. She glanced at the clock. Damn it. She was going to be late. Keeping her office phone tucked under her ear she texted Elliot.
Bronx SVU is a shit show. My call is going long. Reschedule?
Her call demanded her attention, and she left her phone face down on her desk.
-000-
He wasn't entirely surprised when she canceled. He had already cleared the rest of the day so they could talk. He stared at the text window for a moment and then dropped his phone into his pocket. He knew what she wanted to talk about. Noah already spilled the beans when he texted last night.
He glanced at his watch and made a plan. After grabbing his keys and jacket he gave Ayanna a wave before heading out to Olivia's favorite coffee cart.
-000-
Forty minutes later he stepped into the precinct. When he entered her squad room he noticed that she still had her phone stuck to her ear, a scowl etched across her face.
He strode past her detectives. He only remembered one detective's name. Most of her squad was new. He stopped at Fin's desk for a moment. "She still on the phone with the Bronx?"
"Yeah," Fin muttered, "We're still pickin up their overflow, but we are short handed without Muncy. She's tryin to light a fire under the Bronx unit's ass so we can get to our own cases."
Elliot nodded. She would be pissed and stressed when she finished the call which meant this visit could go well or fail epically. Time to roll the dice, he thought.
He wandered to her office door, knocking lightly before pushing it open. Her eyes widened when she registered his presence, but he thought he saw a smile teasing at the corner of her mouth.
She lifted a finger, indicating she wanted him to wait. She tersely continued what seemed a mind numbing conversation. He shuffled over to her desk, leaving the coffee cup there, then sat on the couch close to her desk.
He sipped his coffee and watched her work. She obviously looked stressed, but also beautiful and authoritative. He couldn't believe how much she grew in his absence. She had always been beautiful, and she had always been smart, but watching her in this capacity was almost breathtaking. She was born for this role.
She wrapped up the call and dropped the phone into its receiver, letting out an elongated sigh. She blinked her eyes exaggeratedly, allowing her mind to switch tracks before she turned to engage him.
"Hey," she sighed. She sounded exhausted.
It astounded him, her ability to compartmentalize every part of her life. There was a different Olivia for every occasion. The NYPD captain, the victim advocate, the friend, and the mother were all different facets of the beautifully complicated woman he loved. The Olivia that he always met was the carefully guarded one. The one who feared trust, and refused vulnerability. Funny thing was, he knew the real Olivia. The one under a stoic facade. The tender one. The one with the enormous pulsating heart. The one he loved.
He returned the simple greeting with his own. "Hey," he said, and sipped his coffee. To his surprise, she reached for her cup of coffee, stood, and settled in next to him on the couch.
Their outer thighs touched while she drank her coffee. Her dark eyes caught his and then dropped to her coffee cup. "I need to ask a huge favor," her eyes lifted again as she nervously added, "and you can say no. It's a big ask and I don't want you to feel like…" she was rambling.
He cut her off with a soft chuckle. "Just ask Liv."
She bit her lip nervously. "Noah is begging to do this science camp out thing with school. He has to do it if he wants to get into the advanced science class in the fall," she seemed more nervous as she got to the point, "I know I'm being overprotective, but I don't want to leave him overnight with adults I barely know." Her leg started to bounce nervously. "I'm sure you're aware that I don't camp…"
He laughed out loud. From her designer shoes to her perfectly manicured nails, Olivia was all city girl. Not that it compromised her abilities in her job. She was a kick ass cop, but not much of an outdoorswoman. "Yeah not so much."
"Remember you can say no, but Noah is begging to go and…"
He knew this was extremely uncomfortable for her, and she was powering through for the sake of her kid. That made him love her even more. "I'll take him, Liv." He spared her the actual act of asking.
"You will?" Her voice oozed with gratitude and relief.
"Of course," he grinned. "I'm not sure you even own a sleeping bag." He teased.
"I don't." She laughed. "Camping isn't exactly in my wheelhouse."
He bumped shoulders with her, "Don't worry, I got your back Benson." And he always would.
Be prepared...Pretty sure this will be a 3 parter. I'll try to keep my imagination under control. No promises.