A Slightly Broken Gingerbread House
~oOo~
Part 2
It had taken a lot of willpower not to call his mother every five seconds. Elliot had worried about leaving Bernie with Noah. It was an irrational fear, but this was Olivia's son.
Her Noah.
Part of him always worried about his mother.
They'd had a magical day out in the city. A light dusting of snow had only added to it. Elliot had lost himself in the wonder of being on a date with Olivia. His Olivia. They'd always belonged to each other—even when they weren't able to admit it.
They'd finally arrived back home to find his mother and Noah finishing up a gingerbread village. The entire place was warm and cozy, smelling strongly of all the best holiday spices. The lights on the tree sparkled in the corner while one of his ma's favorite cheesy holiday playlists was on in the background.
"You've been busy." Olivia shrugged off her coat, smiling back at Elliot when he took it from her. She made her way over to inspect the cluster of gingerbread houses. She drew Noah into a hug. "You did all this? They're perfect."
"Grandma Bernie's really good with gingerbread." Noah dragged her over to inspect the houses more carefully. "This one's crooked, but she said that's okay. It's perfect because we made it with love."
Elliot joined them at the little table. He plucked a gumdrop off the top of the crooked house and popped it into his mouth. "And things made with love usually taste better."
With their encouragement, Noah happily pointed out every detail of the gingerbread village. Elliot noticed his mom smiling happily from the kitchen. She sipped her tea and watched mother and son.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" Elliot leaned against the counter beside his mom. He accepted the mug of coffee she handed to him. "You made enough gingerbread to feed the Stabler army."
"We got carried away. Did you enjoy your date?"
"We did." Elliot couldn't help smiling as he watched Olivia and Noah.
Bernie reached out to pat his hand. "Think this is going to be the end of your peace and quiet."
"That's okay. I'm just happy to have my family with me for the holidays." Elliot was looking forward to all of his kids coming over later. It would be absolute chaos, but worth it. "The whole family."
"With our new additions." Bernie nodded toward Noah and Olivia. "When are you going to give her the little box hidden in your sock drawer?"
"Ma," Elliot hissed.
"I did your laundry." She laughed when he groaned loudly. "It's beautiful. And she'll be thrilled. Your whole family coming together after all this time."
"Ma."
"I'll keep your secret until you're ready." She leaned up to kiss his cheek. "It's good to see you happy."
"I am happy. So very happy." Elliot smiled at Olivia when she glanced over her shoulder towards him. "Don't think I've ever been happier."
The author of this SVU - Heart for the Holidays story will be revealed in January