A/N: Hope you enjoyed reading this story!

UNFORTUNATELY, I DO NOT OWN LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, LAW AND ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME, OR ITS CHARACTERS.

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Saturday, April 21, 2026

"When are you going to put a ring on Olivia's finger, Elliot? It's been almost three years!" Bernie throws her hands in the air exasperatedly.

Elliot's eyes widen and he switches his glances between Kathleen and his mother, "Mama!"

"Elliot-" Bernie looks over at Kathleen for help.

"She's right, you know?" Kathleen agrees with her grandmother.

Elliot leans back into his chair and rubs his hands over his face frustratedly. With a slow groan, he responds, "I'm working on it. Okay?"

"Working on it like within the next month, or year," his daughter tries to navigate his lack of words.

"Or decade?" Bernie rolls her eyes. She knows the complicated timeline between Olivia and Elliot, but she would like to be alive to see the day Olivia officially becomes a part of their family.

"Soon," he continues to give answers that lack detail.

"Please tell me you at least got her a ring," Bernie reaches her hand out. Placing her hand over his hand that is resting on the table, she notices his guttural sigh, "Elliot, I'm serious. You need to get that girl a ring."

"I already have it, Ma," he answers.

Kathleen squeals and jumps out of her chair, "Can we see it?"

Her quick motion startles Elliot. Moving slowly out of his chair, he agrees. Elliot drags his feet to his jacket hanging on the coat rack by the door. He pulls out a small velvet box from the front pocket of his jacket and makes his way back to the table. Bernie reaches out and snatches the box from his hand, "Let me see this-" Kathleen and Bernie gasp simultaneously. Kathleen looks at the ring, then at her father, then back at the ring. His mother speaks up once more, "This is-"

"Gorgeous," Kathleen breaks into a huge grin, "This is perfect. Liv is gonna love this."

Elliot looks at the floor trying not to make eye contact with the women. He says with a joking smile, "I try my best."

"How long have you had this?" Kathleen asks as she looks closely at the detailing on the ring.

"Too long," Elliot jokes. He looks up to see the women with their eyes widened. Elliot tries to lie his way out of it, "I'd say January."

"I raised you better than to lie straight to my face," Bernie scolds him.

"Valentine's Day…" he chuckles to himself, "Of 2025."

"Dad!" Kathleen looks at him, "You've had this for over a year?"

"I've had it all planned out for a long time," Elliot admits.

"So you know when, where, and how you're doing it?" Bernie asks for confirmation.

Standing up from his chair he nods his head, "I do." Leaning into his mother he kisses the top of her head, "I promise I'll let you know more."

Kathleen stands and wraps her arms around her father, "When will that be?"

"Soon," Elliot chuckles at his evasiveness. Waving at the woman, he swings his jacket over his shoulder, "Love you."

"Love you, Dad!" Kathleen exclaims.

As the door slams shut, Bernie turns to Kathleen, "I'm telling you, he is going to be the death of me." Kathleen smiles and lets out a small chuckle.

Friday, March 27, 2026

Swinging the door open, he sees the curly-haired teenager sitting on the couch with a video game controller. Noah sees Elliot but focuses on the game. Elliot plops himself beside the boy and asks, "Your mom home?"

"Not yet," he answers quickly.

Leaning back onto the couch he points to the TV, "You got someone on your left."

Before Noah could turn, 'ELIMINATED' flashed across the screen. Setting the controller on the table, Noah turns to Elliot and asks, "How do you always see them?"

He sits up and says, "The Marines will do that to you." Noah falls back into the couch cushions dramatically. Elliot shifts his body to face the boy, "Could I talk to you about something, Noah?"

"Sure," he answers blankly.

Elliot takes a breath before starting, "You know I care for your mom, right?" Noah nods. Elliot continues, "And that I love you like my own son?" Noah nods his head again. Elliot asks his final question, "How would you feel if I asked her to marry me?"

Noah furrows his brow and asks innocently, "Why are you asking me?"

"You matter a lot to your mom- and to me, and I want to make sure that it's okay with you."

"No, I get that part. I just don't get why you're asking at all. You're basically married already."

"What do you mean?"

"We live together. You pick me up from dance. We took a vacation together. And I didn't think old people had weddings."

Not knowing how to respond and feeling slightly insulted, Elliot sits silently. Noah climbs over the back of the couch and grabs a bag of potato chips. Elliot is finally able to form a sentence in his head, "Thank you for your input, Noah. I'm glad that it's okay with you."

As Elliot lifts himself off of the couch, Noah switches subjects, "You know when my mom is coming home?"

"She said around six. So, I'd say around eight."

"Sounds about right."

Sunday, March 29, 2026

"Hello?" Bernie's voice blares through the phone.

"Hey, Ma," Elliot says as he turns the volume down.

"Hello?" she repeats.

"Ma can you hear me?" he asks loudly.

Her voice gets quieter as she backs away from the phone, "Kathleen can you help me? I can't hear your father."

He hears some commotion on the other end of the phone. After a few seconds of a rustling noise, he hears his daughter, "Hello?"

"Kathleen, can you hear me?" Elliot asks.

"I can hear you. Grandma's volume was all the way down. I'll give you back to-" she is cut off by Elliot.

"Is it just you and her?" he asks, trying to gauge the crowd.

Kathleen looks around the room she is seated in, "It's just me and Grandma, but Lizzie is on her way over. We're going to have a girl's night."

"You can put me on speakerphone if you want," Elliot says.

Kathleen presses the speakerphone button and jokingly asks, "Alright, Dad, what's so important you needed to interrupt our girl's night?"

"Yeah!" Bernie agrees with Kathleen.

He chuckles to himself and begins, "I told you that when I had more information to give, I would let you know."

"Oh please tell me it's soon! I don't think I can wait any longer!" Bernie sits on the edge of her seat.

"Last night I asked for Noah's approval-" he is cut off by his daughter.

Kathleen is touched by the thought of her father asking Olivia's son for his blessing, but she is also aware of how moody fifteen-year-old boys can be, "How'd that go?"

"It went well," Elliot gets back on track, "With that done, I'm all set for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" Bernie and Kathleen yell into the phone's speaker.

"I told you I would tell you when you needed to know," he tries to explain.

Bernie mutters, "I have to bake a cake and get-"

"Ma, you don't need to do anything-"

"But-"

"Ma," Elliot stops the back and forth between him and Bernie. He takes a breath, "I'm calling as a courtesy."

"A courtesy?" Kathleen sounds offended.

"That was the wrong word," he backtracks, "I'm calling-"

"I get it, Dad," his daughter calmly voices, "Thank you for letting us know."

Getting the feeling she was kicking him off the call, he sighs, "Have a good girl's night."

"We will. Goodnight, Elliot," Bernie prematurely hangs up before Kathleen can say anything. She looks up at her granddaughter, "Sorry…"

"It's okay, Grandma. I'm sure we'll hear from him soon," Kathleen grins at the thought of her father proposing.

As Elliot shoves his phone into his pocket he takes his tray of coffee and enters the precinct. Fin is the first to see him, "Stabler!" He smiles and stands from his chair, "Been a long time since I've seen your sorry ass walking these halls." Fin can see him looking at Olivia's office and gets ahead of the question, "She's out."

Elliot nods his head in understanding, "It's all good. I came here for you anyway." He holds the tray of coffee out and allows Fin to take a cup. Fin sips his coffee as Elliot slowly explains, "I just wanted to come by and ask if you could make sure Olivia gets out by five tomorrow."

"You got special plans with your lady?" Fin asks, trying to dig deeper.

"You could call them special," he tries his best to evade the question.

Fin places his coffee on his desk and looks directly into Elliot's eyes, "Am I gonna have to put you in interrogation or are you gonna make this easy on me?"

Elliot glances around the room and lowers his volume, "I'm going to ask her to marry me…"

Fin throws his hands in the air and smiles brightly. Punching Elliot's shoulder he exclaims, "It's about damn time, man."

Elliot stumbles backward but recovers his footing. With a slight smile, he asks, "You can get her out of here by five?"

"If I put up enough of a fight, she'll be out of here by four," his smile still sits on his face. Fin lowers his body and sits in his chair. Turning to face Elliot, he drops his smile quickly and states in a very serious tone, "You hurt her, Stabler, and you're a dead man. You feel me?"

Elliot smiles, "I'm not gonna hurt her- but I feel you, Fin. I feel you."

"Good," Fin leans back in his chair, "I'm happy she's happy. She deserves it."

"Elliot," a familiar woman's voice hits his ears. The men turn to look at the woman walking towards them. Elliot can feel the pit in his stomach grow when he sees Olivia. She stands a professional distance from him, but rests her hand on his shoulder, "I just got back from a meeting with McGrath. I have time for lunch if you do."

The pit that had formed closed instantly when he heard her say, 'I just got back.' Elliot looked at his watch and sighed. He had only enough time to check in with Fin, but what was the worst Ayanna was going to do? Smiling brightly, Elliot answered, "My treat."

Monday, March 30, 2026

OLIVIA: Are you in the area?

ELLIOT: Depends on where you are.

OLIVIA: I'm back at the 1-6. I had a few meetings at 1PP, but I came back to chip away at the stack of paperwork that's been sitting on my desk for months now.

ELLIOT: I'm a block away picking up coffee. Do you want any?

OLIVIA: Always. Thank you.

"Make that two," Elliot looks up from his phone and at the barista. He slides his credit card through the machine and steps aside to wait for their coffee.

Fifteen minutes later, Olivia looks up from her desk to see Elliot in her doorway, "Hey there."

Smiling broadly, Elliot steps in, "How are things going here in the 1-6?"

"Things are definitely going," Olivia looks through her window to look at Fin's desk. She lowers her volume, "Fin has been pushing for me to leave early since I came in. Even Velasco said I need a break."

"Maybe they're right," Elliot hands Olivia her coffee cup, "You work too hard."

"Someone has to do it," she responds to his comment and takes a sip of her piping hot coffee.

Elliot walks around her desk and spins her chair to the side. He reaches slowly over her desk and shuts the open folder, "And that someone deserves a break." Olivia looks deeply into Elliot's eyes. Sending signals and messages through their long stare, Olivia knows that this battle is not worth fighting. With a heavy sigh, she rises from her chair. Elliot steals a quick peck from her before walking around the desk.

Helping Olivia with her coat, he moves his hand into her pocket and pulls out the car keys. Dangling them in front of her face he smiles devilishly. Olivia goes to object but is cut off by Elliot, "I need to make a pit stop on the way home."

"I am fully capable of making a pit stop," she goes to grab the keys from in front of her face, but Elliot swipes them away and stuffs them in his pocket.

He intertwines his fingers with hers and heads for the door. Olivia pauses by Fin's desk, "Have a good night, Fin. Call me if you need me."

"We won't need you, Liv. Have a great night," Fin manages to sneak a sly wink in Elliot's direction causing him to chuckle.

Elliot silently drives through the city. Olivia looks over at him with her eyes widened, "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"Nope," Elliot quickly answers.

"You're not even going to give me a clue," Olivia pleads, hoping he will catch her sparkling puppy dog eyes.

He shakes his head, "Nope."

"You plan on sitting in silence the whole way there?" Olivia arches her eyebrow.

"We're almost there."

"That's what you said ten minutes ago."

"Now we're actually almost there."

"How far away is 'almost there?'"

"You're worse than Noah, you know that right?"

"I don't like sitting in the car for too long," she tries to defend herself.

"Annnnnnddd, we're here," Elliot elongates his words as he pulls into an available spot.

Olivia looks around to get her bearings, "Central Park is your pit stop?

Getting out of the car Elliot points to the sign, "Shakespeare's Garden, if you want to be exact." Olivia furrows her brow but allows Elliot to lead the way. Entering the garden, she takes in the beautiful surroundings. Elliot guides her to sit next to him on a bench that faces the flower bed of tulips. He grasps her hand and squeezes it, "You know I used to come here a lot. I haven't been back since I left for Italy."

Olivia can feel his hand immediately turn cold. She jokes, "I didn't think you were the kind of guy to stop and smell the roses."

"I'm not," Elliot jokes back, "I stop and smell the tulips." Olivia rolls her eyes and looks out at the tulips. Elliot states, "It's been twenty years."

Turning her head to look at him, she asks, "Since what?"

"Since I didn't have your back."

"You have to be more specific than that, Elliot. I can't even remember what I had for breakfast today."

"You didn't have any…"

Olivia thinks back about this morning. She remembers making herself toast, grabbing her purse, and heading out the door, subsequently leaving her toast on the counter. How did he notice that? She smiles at the thought of him being so perceptive. Olivia tells Elliot directly, "You've always had my back, El."

He simply says in a low whisper, "Gitano."

The name throws Olivia for a loop. The blast from the past causes her to think back about that fateful case. She remembers, "He slashed my throat, and you-"

With a heavy sigh, he speaks over her, "I ran to you."

Olivia can tell that this case still weighed on him even after all this time. She leans into his side and whispers, "I wouldn't have taken the shot."

"I know," Elliot runs his hands through her soft hair, "I thought you would." He can feel the emotions bubbling up in his eyes. Taking a big breath he continues, "The first time I came here was after we talked. I just sat… Staring at the tulips."

"It's very beautiful, Elliot. I can see why you came here," Olivia tread lightly as she had no clue why she was there with him.

He wraps his arm around her side and pulls her closer, "Every time I look at these tulips I see you. I see our partnership. I see everything we've overcome."

"El…" Olivia certainly was not expecting his statement.

Taking his arm away from her, he looks deeply into her dark brown eyes. Elliot leans closer to her and pecks her lips. The kiss was short, but long enough for him to drop his knee off the bench and reach for the inside pocket of his jacket where the ring box sits. "Olivia-"

Olivia gasps, "Elliot-"

"Olivia…" he looks up and meets her gaze. With her silence he continues, "We have been through it all together. We've spent countless late nights together searching through files and working intense cases- like Gitano." He notices tears starting to line her eyes, but persists, "You are my rock, my best friend, my partner. We've been through so much together, and every step of the way you've shown me strength, kindness, and unwavering compassion. I can't imagine my life without you having my back." With a deep breath, he says his final piece, "Olivia Benson, will you marry me?"

Elliot stares at her longingly. Olivia silently stares back at him in shock. She quietly mumbles, "Yes."

With a smile, he brings his head closer to hers, "I didn't quite hear that. Could you say that again?"

Olivia exclaims, "Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!" She practically pulls Elliot up from the ground and into a passionate kiss. Elliot steadies himself against her, running his hands up and down her sides. Pulling apart gently, he slips the ring on her finger. Olivia gasps when she sees the ring, "Elliot!"

"What? Is it too big?" Elliot looks at Olivia with a concerned gaze.

"No. No! It's perfect," Olivia reassures him, "It's just… It's just perfect. It's beautiful, El. I love it." She looks up from the ring, "I love you."

"I love you," Elliot points to the ring on her finger, "I had it engraved."

Olivia slides the ring off her finger and reads the engraving, "Partners, for better or worse." Her eyes became teary once more, "El…"

"Always partners. For better or worse," Elliot smirks and leans in to kiss Olivia. He wraps his arms around her waist drawing her closer.

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A/N: I had a fun time writing this. It honestly made me cry a little, so I apologize if I made you cry. There is a special place in Hell for writers like me. See you next story.