It had been almost three weeks since their last call. Olivia knew that this time, it wasn't because the case got wired. Elliot had called Eli and then his mom during that time. She felt a mix of relief and frustration. She had hoped that his request of her going through his family to make him call her was said in the heat of their argument, as she didn't want to do that. As much as she longed to talk to him now, she felt guilty about her outburst and stubbornly wouldn't get a message to him through his family.

Today, Olivia was starting her weekend by going to lunch with Kathleen. They had started these lunches last summer, in an attempt to reconnect with the Stablers. As they took the first bites of their sandwiches, Kathleen's cellphone rang, and Olivia's heart dropped when she saw the Unknown Caller on the screen.

"Oh, it's my father!" Kathleen exclaimed excitedly, keeping her voice relatively low. "He's gonna be happy to know we're together!"

"Hey, Dad!" Kathleen answered the call, and Olivia put on a smile, trying to appear unaffected.

Benson nibbled at her sandwich, half-listening to Kathleen's conversation, already anticipating the inevitable.

"You won't believe who I'm with right now. Olivia!" Kathleen's face fell as she listened to her father's response, sensing his hesitation.

"What's wrong?" she asked her father, her eyes shifting to Olivia.

Benson focused on her lunch, trying not to say too much, feeling uncomfortable being the subject of their conversation.

"Well, if nothing's wrong, then Olivia is making the face your voice sounds like…if that makes any sense." Kathleen stated, disappointed. "What did you do?" she asked her father, and Olivia's head snapped up,

"Kathleen, he didn't-" Olivia tried to intervene.

Elliot's daughter scoffed at both of their responses.

"You two..." she shook her head. "It was nice speaking with you, Dad."

Kathleen silently handed the phone over the table.

"I'm going to the bathroom." She stated, not so innocently.

Olivia looked at her, surprised and unsure, but she took the phone and waited for Kathleen to walk away from the table before putting it to her ear.

"Hi." She tried to clear her voice before speaking, but it still came out a bit wavery.

"Hey, sorry I barged in on your lunch." Elliot's voice sounded tentative but hopeful.

"With your daughter, El," she reminded him, smiling despite herself. "It's fine, you couldn't have known we were together."

"...how are you?" he asked, tentatively.

"I'm good. Looking forward to the weekend. Noah and I are spending it together."

"That's great," he replied, sounding genuinely pleased for her.

A moment of hesitation settled between them. Olivia felt the need to apologize for her anger during their last call.

"El-" Olivia started.

"Liv, it's okay…" he interrupted softly, showing his understanding.

"No, I'm sorry," she continued, shame coming through her voice. "The things I said last time we talked...they were unfair."

"They weren't," he argued gently. "I understand that this is hard for you, not being able to call me and only be on the receiving end. It's not fair to you. But I don't want to spend these two minutes on that."

Olivia felt relieved hearing his understanding. She wanted to spend their time on other things as well.

"What do you want to spend these two minutes on then?" she asked, a hint of teasing in her voice.

Elliot let out a small laugh, and she knew they were good now.

"How's Noah?" he asked, changing the topic.

They engaged in a light conversation about her son and other simple things. The two minutes were coming to an end, and Olivia felt sad knowing they would have to say goodbye soon.

"Do you want me to get Kathleen again before the call disconnects?" Olivia offered.

"There's not enough time for that, but tell her I'll call soon," he replied.

"Okay. Please be safe."

"I will."

Before he could say goodbye, she took advantage of the last few seconds.

"...El?"

"Yeah?"

"...You can call next time..." she tried, but attempted a second time. "Please call whenever you can."

He didn't need to wonder if she wanted him to reach out to her; she did. She always would, despite their argument last time. It was Elliot's turn to sigh in relief.

"Okay. You'll be my next call." he promised, just before the line disconnected.

As Olivia hung up the phone, she took a deep breath, trying to compose herself before Kathleen returned to the table. Kathleen walked back with a curious expression on her face, her eyes lingering on Olivia's face for a moment before she spoke.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," she replied, mustering a small smile to reassure Kathleen. "Thanks for letting me have a portion of your call. I know five minutes isn't a lot to talk to your father."

Kathleen shrugged nonchalantly.

"You two needed it more."

Olivia appreciated Kathleen's understanding. She knew how much those short conversations with her father meant to her. Kathleen chewed on her meal, but her eyes flickered hesitantly between her plate and Olivia a couple of time before she spoke.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Olivia replied warmly.

Kathleen seemed to choose her words carefully.

"Where do you two stand?"

Olivia's eyebrow raised in surprise. How could she even begin to answer that question? The states of her relationship with Elliot was hard enough to put into words in her own mind, let alone speak of it out in the open.

"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to be evasive.

Kathleen smiled knowingly, clearly not fooled.

"You know...there was always something between you two..."

"Kathleen-" Olivia started to protest.

"No, I know you two never...not while mom was there. I know that," Kathleen said, acknowledging the unspoken boundaries. "But now?"

Olivia swallowed hard, feeling her heart race. She wasn't prepared to have this conversation, especially not with Elliot's daughter. But Kathleen's excitement made it difficult to avoid.

"Now?" she repeated, stalling for time.

"Olivia, come on!" Kathleen giggled. "For the record, all five of us approve. You know that, right?"

Olivia's eyes widened in surprise, and she almost choked on her food. She hadn't expected such an open admission from Kathleen, and her cheeks flushed.

"Approve?" Olivia managed to ask, her throat now dry.

Kathleen's eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Approve of whatever is going on between you and my dad. We can all see how much you mean to each other."

"I..."

Benson was at a loss for words, feeling both touched and embarrassed. Back in the day, she would have tried to deny it. But today, after so much had happened, she couldn't. Elliot and her were working on moving into something, and the kids were old enough not to be lied to.

Still, Olivia couldn't find her words. How could she possibly put into words the complexity of her relationship with Elliot? How could she convey to Kathleen that the trauma of her father's departure and his decade-long absence had impacted her trust in him so deeply that she couldn't let it go just yet? Or how she never thought she could have happiness in her life?

Seeing her inner turmoil, Kathleen reached across the table to squeeze Olivia's hand reassuringly.

"Just know that we all want to see both of you happy."

Olivia managed a teary small smile, feeling grateful for Kathleen's acceptance and support. She wanted to find the courage to be happy, to embrace the love that was right in front of her, but it was a daunting journey.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

Kathleen winked playfully.

"No need to thank me. Just make sure you two figure things out soon. Life's too short to waste any more time."

Olivia chuckled, appreciating Kathleen's straightforwardness.

"I'll keep that in mind." She replied, leaving out the frustration about Elliot's field work of the last few months and their countdowned talks.

Kathleen took a big bite of her sandwich, and despite her mouth being full, she managed to speak her next words with playful curiosity.

"At least, I know Dad's making moves." She said, her eyes darting to Olivia's chest. "I mean, you're wearing the necklace he got you, so you two must be moving in the right direction..?"

Olivia's hand went to the compass hanging around her neck.

"You know about this?"

"We harassed dad for hours into telling us what he got you for Mother's day." Kathleen giggled at the memory.

"Mother's Day?" Olivia asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Yeah…he didn't give it to you then?"

"No…" Benson replied, still shocked.

But then, she thought about where she actually was on Mother's Day: on an urgent care bed getting pieces of bullets removed from her hip. Not exactly the right moment for Elliot to give her such an intimate gift. Plus, she supposed he hadn't brought the necklace with him in Ohio, since they left so abruptly. Kathleen sighed, oblivious to those facts, shaking her head in exasperation.

"I swear sometimes he's the biggest idiot…" she muttered, leaving Olivia even more perplexed.

Deciding to shift the conversation away from the necklace, Kathleen smiled and returned to her hippy-self.

"Anyway," she said cheerfully, taking another bite of her sandwich. "I'm glad you two patched things up."

Relieved to move on from the topic, Olivia steered the conversation towards Kathleen's life. As they chatted amicably, Benson listened intently about the young girl's plans for the summer and felt grateful for the bond they were developing. In the back of her mind, though, she took a mental note: she knew exactly what her next 5-minute conversation with Elliot would be about.