Prompt #19: EO visit a Christmas Tree Farm

Prompt #97: Hot Cocoa

Traditions

~oOo~

2023

Noah was excited to see all the Stabler siblings again and help find a Christmas tree with them. After spending the last eight months being immersed in the chaos and love of the Stabler family while Elliot was UC, Noah has been thriving with the attention. She always wanted to give her sweet boy a big family and not just be Team Benson.

Being part of this new version of Team Benson-Stabler, Liv was happy to see it grow and change with the additions of Noah and Maureen's twin boys Seamus and Kieran.

Olivia was relearning the adult versions of the kids she loved for so long and missed dearly. While reconnecting with Bernie when she could.

Eli's very hot and cold attitude towards her at the beginning was painful. He finally came around to her being part of the family and he was always kind and protective of Noah. But having Mo's twins call her Livvy after not hearing that name since Eli was a young child himself, warmed her heart with a bittersweet joy.

The Christmas tree farm that they all agreed to meet up at is familiar to Olivia. Having gone with Elliot, the twins, and young Eli as his godmother. Those added to her very few treasured Christmas memories before Noah came along.

"Mom, can we try the hot chocolate when we get there? Kieran said that last year the tree farm served hot cocoa with marshmallows," Noah asked while wiggling with excitement in the backseat.

"Sure, sweets. From what I can remember they had some good hot cocoa the last time I was there. Not as good as Gran Rosie's cocoa but still good.

~oOo~

2010

The first thing Olivia sees after walking through the arch to enter the tree farm that Elliot told her of, was a somewhat running Eli.

"Daddy, Livvy here, Livvy. Me here, Livvy," Eli yelled while jumping up and down in the Stitch jacket that she got for him on his birthday a few weeks ago.

Elliot looked over at the sound of Eli's yells, only to smile at Olivia once he saw her. El, she could see, was in the line a couple yards away from them, waiting to get some hot cocoa.

Lizzie and Dickie, the two who invited her here tonight, she could see, were on their way with Eli to a set of picnic tables before Eli spotted her.

With a smile, Olivia walked towards the young Stabler children before being slammed into with a hug by the excited Eli.

"Hi, sweet boy, ready to find a Christmas tree?" Liv asked while picking up the young child that was wrapped around her leg and placing him on her hip.

"I'm ready but I missed you Livvy on Turkey Day." Eli pouted while putting his arms around Olivia's neck for a hug and smashing his face onto her cheek.

"I missed you also, sweets, but I bet you had fun seeing Grandma and Auntie Christina," Liv said while giving a one-armed hug to each of the twins.

No matter what Liv felt about Kathy's relatives after the way they treated her on Eli's third birthday, she always wanted Elliot's kids to have good family ties, so she tried to avoid any family holiday invites from Elliot but could never deny his kids when they did ask her to come over for their birthdays.

"Hi, Liv, thanks for coming. Sorry for the short notice the other day but Dad always picks the worst tree and Eli will copy Dad if you're not here to help," Lizzie said while receiving a warm hug from Olivia.

"Yeah, we need a tiebreaker slash judge for who picks the best tree," Dickie replied as he got his own hug.

Olivia was glad Dickie had found some peace with his feeling about the mutual closeness that she shared with his father in the past year after the whole Shane case.

"Don't worry. I'm aware that your dad can't shop on his own," Olivia said as they all walked to a picnic table.

Elliot was being handed a tray with five hot chocolates on it when Eli made himself at home on Liv's lap.

"Liv, I see that your shadow has found you once again," Elliot said with a soft smile as he handed out the hot chocolate to everyone at the table.

It was well known in the Stabler household that if Olivia was in the room, Eli would not be more than five feet from her if he could help it. Elliot loved not just the connection Eli had with his godmother, but the connection Liv had with all his children. Something that Kathy's sister and mother always have something to say about if Olivia was ever brought up by the kids.

"Hi, El, yes he found me right away. Thanks for the cocoa. I don't think I've had this since I was a bit older than Eli here," she said as Eli giggled at her when she used a napkin to clean the bit of whipped cream off his nose from the drink he was enjoying in her lap.

She picked up her own cup and took a drink of the hot beverage.

"Mmm, this is good. It reminds me of my Grandmother Rosemary. She loved winter and the holidays," Olivia said with her eyes closed as she took in the taste of the chocolatey drink that reminded her of decorating cookies with her Gran Rosie.

"I didn't know you were close with your Grandma, Liv," Dickie questioned with a head tilt.

"Yeah, I spent a lot of school breaks with her while my mother was…busy with other things. She passed before I turned seven." Olivia gave Eli a hug as memories of Gran Rosie came to the front of her mind.

Olivia quietly said as she was looking at the twins and Eli, "She would have loved you kids." She avoided making eye contact with Elliot as she finished her hot cocoa.

"Okay, so who is ready to show me how to hunt down a Christmas tree?"

"Me! Me! Help Livvy!"

"I'll help, Liv."

"No, I will help find a better tree than you, little sis."

~oOo~

2023

"...'om, Mom, I think you have to turn here."

Olivia shook her head as Noah's voice got through her trip down memory lane.

"Oh you're right, Noah, thanks," she answered quickly while turning on her blinker to follow the big signs that advertised the cut-your-own Christmas Joy Tree Farm.

Parking next to Katie's new car, she turned to Noah before he could open the car door.

"Wait a minute, Noah. We have some ground rules to go over before exiting the car."

Noah quickly pulled his hands away from the door and looked at his mom.

"Number one, you will stay within sight of me or Elliot's family. Two, do not touch any of the axes or saws around unless an adult is helping you. And three, we are not getting a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. So don't listen when Lizzie says the little trees need homes also. You understand all the rules, sweets."

"Yes, Mom, can I go now? I see Eli and Seamus up front."

"You can wait for me in the front of the car, then we can go meet everyone together."

"Okay." Noah had already unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the SUV.

Olivia took a deep breath before joining her son.

~oOo~

Olivia was chatting with Katie about the dog shelter she volunteers at when she was not on call as a social worker, as Carl, Noah, and Lizzie got everyone some hot cocoa.

"He's so sweet, Liv. I would adopt him but it just wouldn't be fair for him with my hours to have him in a kennel all day while I'm working."

"Oh, don't speak too loud. Noah is determined to wear me down into getting him a pet. But maybe having him volunteer at an animal shelter will stop that mission."

"I could pick…" Kathleen was interrupted as Noah rushed over with their hot cocoa.

"Here, Mom. Here, Katie. It's almost as good as Great Gran Rosie's recipe, Mom, you have to try some," Noah insisted as he handed out the cups on his tray.

"Thanks, sweets." Olivia thanked him while grabbing a napkin from his tray to get the bit of whipped cream that was on the tip of his nose.

"Mooom, stop it," Noah complained while he turned red with embarrassment and took a step away from his mother.

Olivia laughed before taking a drink of the hot cocoa. "You're right, Noah, it's almost as good as Gran Rosie's recipe."

~oOo~

After everyone was done with their hot treat, they broke off into teams of households.

The Stablers teams were Maureen, Carl, and their boys, then Lizzie and her girlfriend Ashley, then Dickie and his fiancée Rebecca, and finally Bernie, Kathleen, and Eli.

Leaving the two Bensons as their own team.

The rules to picking a tree were simple: find the one you want, then wrap a branch with the plastic colored ribbon you have and hang your ornament on it. If the others of your household agree with that pick, they will add their ribbon and ornament to that tree. If not, they add it to their own pick.

After everyone was handed out their ribbon and ornament, they all headed into the tree farm forest.

Noah quickly went off with Eli to hunt down a tree while Olivia continued her conversation with Katie along with Bernie.

A few minutes later, Olivia's conversation with Katie was interrupted once again by Noah who had a big smile on his face.

"Mom, Mom I found the perfect one for our apartment, come see," Noah said, pointing down a row of trees.

"I'll be back in a minute, ladies," Olivia said with a smile, not noticing as all the Stablers stopped and smiled after Noah called out for his mom.

Meeting Noah by the row of trees and not seeing the ribbon or ornament at first glance, she looked at her son. "Which one is your pick, Noah? I don't see your ribbon or ornament."

"It's further down. You'll see it when you get there, Mom," Noah explained as he pulled his mother further down the row of trees.

Olivia stopped at once when she noticed a blue ribbon in one of the trees. She turned to look at her son before the familiar but missed presence of Elliot Stabler walked out behind the tree.

"Hi, Liv. I think your boy here picked a pretty great tree. What do you say?" Elliot asked as he pulled the red familiar Liv Laugh Love ornament out of his pocket.

After giving her son's hand a squeeze and letting go of it, she walked her way towards Elliot. Taking the ornament from his hand she softly said, "You kept it."

"I told you I would treasure it. It helped to guide me back home. Did the compass guide you to happiness?"

She touched the compass as she slowly added the red ornament to the tree.

"It helped to remind me of my home—which brings all the happiness I need and had missed for a long time," Olivia said before wrapping her arms around Elliot's neck and pulling down for a kiss.

Both did not care about or notice the loud cheers that could be heard at the other end of the trees.

The next year, the Benson household will be the Benson-Stabler household as they drink hot cocoa and hunt for their next family Christmas tree.

The author of this SVU - Heart for the Holidays story will be revealed in January