Note: Ed and Olivia never broke up. Ed didn't retire, works for HNT, and didn't get sick. They have only been living together for a little over a year. They have been together in total since 2017, so 6 years.

Prompt #81: Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift

Champagne Problems

She turned 56 years old two days ago, another year closer to 60, and celebrated beside her son and a man who truly loves her, Ed. As she prepares for the birthday party, Ed insists on throwing it between her big day and Valentine's Day. She can't help but think of the one friend who was indeed NOT invited tonight, Elliot. She will be surrounded by friends from throughout decades and, most importantly, Ed's family, but not the second most important person in her life. Wait, did she admit that Elliot was only second to Noah? Where does that leave Ed, then?

She and Ed have been together for six years now. Have been living together for over a year, which hasn't always been the best. They both miss their individual spaces but agree it is nice to have someone to come home to after a hard day. This only solidifies her thoughts that, at least for her, this relationship is a comfort. Yes, she loves Ed but isn't in love with Ed. That's why she has a horrible feeling going into tonight's party, thinking he may be about to ask her to marry him. She knows she can't say yes.

It's been almost three years since Elliot's abrupt return to her life, leaving a trail of confusion and mixed feelings. So many years together but not together, then ten years apart after he left her. Kathy is gone, and she is with Ed. Today, like every day, she wears the compass he gave her around her neck. Hanging in front of her heart, guarding what they both know has rightfully belonged to him for the last 25 years.

The weeks after learning she would be getting the award for "Women in Police" and leading up to the event evening, she was a nervous wreck. The ceremony details were kept hush-hush, including who was on the guest speakers list. Fin had repeatedly dropped hints. "You never know who will show up." That was the understatement of the decade, quite literally. Fin did not tell her he was coming that night. Fin had also failed to tell Elliot she was now in a relationship with Ed Tucker. It came as a shock to everyone when she remained seated behind her desk as her boyfriend and ex-partner almost came to blows in her office following the explosion, which caused the injuries that would later take the life of Kathy Stabler.

~oOo~

Olivia is sitting behind her desk, Amanda is sitting on the couch in the office, and Fin, Ed, and Carisi are standing in her office discussing the suspect in the interrogation room and how to move forward. All hear the elevator ding, see a brooding Elliot Stabler exit, with him headed straight for her office. Fin turning towards the door to slow Elliot down, "Oh shit. This ain't gonna be good." Putting his arms out to stop Elliot, "Woah, Stabler man, we gotta—" but he's cut off, and Elliot shoves past into Olivia's office.

"Liv!"

Looking shocked to see Ed standing so close to her, "What the fuck is he doing here?"

Carisi and Amanda silently watch while Fin mutters, "Here we go."

"I could say the same for you, Stabler. What's it been, ten years? Did you get tired of fucking off around Rome with your look-alike Liv? Had to come back to see the real thing even though you left her behind, right?"

Elliot lunges for Ed, then grabs him by the collar of his shirt and holds him against the wall in Olivia's office. "You son of a bitch! You gave me no choice but to leave, and you know it. I couldn't contact her, but I doubt that's come up in any of your chats, huh?"

That causes Olivia to break out of shock and look between the men. "What?"

Choosing to ignore her for now, Ed breaks away from Elliot's hold. "Don't you have your own wife to be worried about instead of running to mine every chance you get?"

Elliot almost stops breathing, looking to Olivia for a clear answer to the question he can't voice. "Olivia."

Olivia breaks her stare from Elliot and turns to Ed with all fire. "I am NOT your wife. You will be lucky if we leave here tonight as anything more than a distant memory." Pointing to Elliot and rounding her desk, "You, come with me, Detective." Then, pointing at Amanda and Fin, "You two, wipe the smirks off your faces. Carisi, get them in that interrogation room, NOW!"

Once on the roof, pacing, she utters, "What you said to Ed…?"

"It was the truth."

"Ten years, Elliot. Not one word."

"I couldn't, Liv. God, I wanted to so many times. If I would have heard your voice..."

They're interrupted by Dickie letting them know Kathy is awake. How short-lived that would turn out to be.

~oOo~

The days, weeks, and months following are tough for everyone. Ed and Elliot will never get along, even if it is for her. She and Ed have fought a lot since Elliot has been back. Mostly because Ed is insecure, especially now that Kathy is gone. That seems odd, but even Ed realizes Kathy was the line she wouldn't dare cross in the preverbal sand. The boundary she wouldn't dare breach because she knew how vital Elliot's family and religion were and still are to him. He told her he loved her; that was a first. Ah, then he showed up in the middle of the night while she and Ed were in bed.

~oOo~

Drugged out of his mind and banging on their front door. Elliot had somehow managed to get past security and could now barely stand alone at her and Ed's front door. Stumbling from their bed, trying not to disturb Ed as she makes her way to their front door. Still disorientated from being woken abruptly, she places her hands on either side of the peephole to brace herself to look even though she knows the voice echoing through the 6 inches of material that separates them.

"Liv. Please Liv. Let me in."

Opening the door just in time to grasp his hand and keep him from falling over in the hallway, "Elliot, what happened."

"Drugged… I felt I had to come… We never talked…"

After helping him sit in the chair and getting him a glass of water, she says, "Elliot, we don't need to talk about Navaro."

"Not Navaro. Us… I didn't write the letter… Kathy wrote the letter."

Shocked and trying to swallow back the lump in her throat, "Kathy wrote the letter you told me you wrote?"

Finally managing to look at her, "Yes."

"That what we were to each other was never real and that we got in the way of each other being who and where we needed to be."

"Kathy."

"And if there was a man in my life, you hope he's the kind, faithful, devoted man that I deserved."

"Kathy."

With tears in her eyes, she said, "But in a parallel universe, it will always be you and I."

"That was me. I slipped it in before sealing the envelope."

Reaching for her and trying to set his glass on the table, Elliot says, "Liv."

Jumping from her position on the couch to catch him from falling, he is now resting in her arms, and she realizes his left hand is resting on her hip, and his right hand is slowly pushing the hair out of her face. He looks as if he is praising her, paying penance for the hurt he has caused her. God, she wants to heal the hurt in his eyes, to heal him, but he has to do that. She can't be that for him anymore, so she starts to pull away and call Ayanna when Ed, clearing his throat, catches her attention.

"Ed, he was drugged."

"So he shows up to what? Snuggle with you?"

Placing a mostly unconscious Elliot back in the chair, she says, "I am calling Ayanna to come get him."

Grabbing her arm as she tries to walk by, "That's not protocol, and you know it."

Yanking her arm away and giving him her Captain stare, she says, "I am aware of protocol. However, El is not under my command. Ayanna is his CO; therefore, I will let her handle it how she sees fit."

"Of course. Covering his ass like the old days. I am going back to bed. Feel free to join me after you deal with your partner."

~oOo~

She even had him go get Noah from Woodstock. She trusts him more than she ever will Ed when it comes to protecting her or her son. They almost kissed that night in her kitchen after Noah had fallen asleep and Ed was still tied up on a case.

~oOo~

He was so close she stepped into him, not even thinking of Ed. "What if things don't work out?"

"What if things do work out?"

And she's unsure which is more terrifying, so she backed away. "Elliot, I can't. I'm not ready for this."

~oOo~

Now, they have been back on partner status for some time. They literally shot a perp while aiming and firing his gun. He carried her out of that Ohio diner blind from bear spray. When she thinks back on the past couple of years, it's a lot, but their entire past, it's all too much. It's so genuinely them and truly only them that it causes an ache deep in her chest. The connection with him that she thought was forever severed when he left has returned, and so have all those deeply suppressed feelings of love, more than a partnership.

~oOo~

Answering Ed's questions once she returned from Ohio.

"So the perp came into the diner and just gassed everyone?"

"Except me. I saw him coming from around back earlier enough to dip my napkin in my water and cover my eyes."

"Smart thinking."

"I wasn't quick enough, apparently. I pulled my weapon as he shot me in the hip. I went down, taking Elliot with me. The fall caused me to drop my weapon. El was scrambling, saying he couldn't see but had his weapon drawn. I told him I could see, grabbed his wrist, aimed, and we pulled the trigger. Shot the perp in the head."

"Hold on! You're saying that you both aimed and fired his weapon, shooting the perp in the head?"

"Yes, then he carried me out. I had to guide him though 'cause he still couldn't see."

"Really, Liv?"

Noticing him starting to get angry, "Really, Ed. What are you getting so worked up about now?"

"It just sounds like a load of bullshit the two of you would have cooked up back in the day to keep Stabler out of trouble."

"Wow. I get birdshot to the hip, and this is where your focus is? None of it was made up then, and it sure as hell isn't now."

Trying to backtrack now, "I'm glad you're okay, Liv. It's just hard to believe."

~oOo~

Heading to the venue, she can sense Ed is unusually nervous, and Noah seems…melancholic, maybe. He has been asking about Elliot more here lately, which makes her wonder. Would Noah rather her be with Elliot? Would he be okay if she and Ed split up? Noah never took to calling Ed "Dad," even after they had been together for over six years. She has noticed her sweet boy becoming more distant and short-tempered in the past month. She's starting to think she knows why.

Everything is starting to come together in her head. Ed is going to propose in front of his whole family and almost all of their friends. That's why Noah is upset. Why Ed is nervous, has planned this huge party, and has been acting so strange. She needs to stop this. She should have stopped this as soon as Elliot handed her the compass. She knew at that moment her happiness was him. It always was and always would be.

Realizing they have arrived at the venue, she hesitantly steps out of the SUV, taking Ed's arm to the right and Noah's to the left as they walk through the door to greet their guests. Once inside, Noah makes a beeline for Billie and Jesse. Ed takes their coats, and she is immediately approached by Fin with a drink in hand for her.

"Hey Liv, this is for you. Figured you would need it by now."

"Thank God. You figured right."

"I take it you know his plan for tonight then?"

"Fin, how long have you known?"

"About a month. He asked me what I thought you'd say."

Cocking her brow, "And?"

"I told him he was a blind cocky bastard if he thought that you weren't still in love with Stabler."

Not even trying to deny it, "Well, he obviously didn't listen."

Slightly surprised at her response, "I guess not."

After her conversation with Fin, she tries to push her thoughts about Ed's plans for the night aside. Casual conversations, dinner, cake, birthday toasts, and presents seem to preoccupy her mind until they got to dancing.

Holding out his hand, "Care to join me?"

Hesitating slightly, "Of course, Ed."

Taking the dance floor, his right hand intertwined with her left hand. His left hand rested just above her ass while her right hand rested on his shoulder. It's not at all intimate. Indeed, it is not something you would expect to see of two people in love about to get engaged.

She's the first to speak. "Thank you for doing all this. You really didn't have to."

"I wanted to Liv. Everything... I want to give you everything."

"Ed."

"Olivia, we have been together for over six years. We have lived together for over a year. You know more about me than anyone ever has."

As the song ends, he drops to one knee, pulling out his mother's engagement ring. Grabbing her hand to continue his proposal, "Olivia Margaret Benson, will you marry me?"

She knows the answer, knew the answer before he asked the question, but when she looks up to see a different set of familiar blue eyes staring at her, she has never been more certain of anything in her life.

Saying his name like a breathy plea, "Elliot."

With tears in his eyes, "What's it going to be, Liv?"

Tears streaming down her face, she looks at Ed, who is now standing. Letting go of his hand and grasping the compass hanging around her neck, she says, "Ed, I am so sorry. I… can't…"

Because I dropped your hand while dancing
Left you out there standing
Crestfallen on the landing
Champagne problems"

"Olivia, don't do this."

"Ed, please. Listen, I may know more about you than anyone else ever has, but can you say the same?"

Your mom's ring in your pocket
My picture in your wallet
Your heart was glass, I dropped it
Champagne problems

She turns with a pointed stare at Elliot and then continues speaking to Ed. "Because he can. Even after ten years apart, we still know everything about each other. We accept and love each other for who and what we are. You can't do that with me. You were never my soulmate, Ed, because Elliot always was."

Placing a gentle kiss on his cheek, "I am sorry."

"I am, too."

You told your family for a reason
You couldn't keep it in

All the guests look on in shock, aside from Amanda and Fin. Ed's mother is sobbing in the arms of one of his sisters. Another one of his sisters is stumbling around with what's left in a bottle of Dom Perignon.

Your sister splashed out on the bottle
Now no one's celebrating

Dom Pérignon, you brought it
No crowd of friends applauded
Your hometown skeptics called it
Champagne problems

As everyone starts to leave, realizing the party is defiantly over, she heads toward Noah, who has gathered with Elliot and Fin and is excitedly bouncing.

"Hey, sweet boy."

"Momma! I was so afraid you would say yes. That's why I've been acting weird for weeks."

"Why didn't you just talk to me?"

"I didn't want to upset you if it was something you wanted."

"Oh, my sweet boy. I never want to do anything you don't want to do. Team Benson, remember?"

"I remember!" Noah looks at El. "But maybe we can make it back into Team Benson-Stabler again?"

With a huge smile, Liv looks to El, who has a giant smile and teary eyes. "Again, huh?"

"Yeah, that's how it was before me, right? It would be pretty cool to be a part of it now!"

Giving Noah a tight hug, "Let me see what I can do."

Standing to face the man she has loved for the last 25 years, she says, "What do you say, partner, Team Benson-Stabler?"

"Olivia Margaret Benson, are you proposing?"

After a full belly laugh, she says, "You wish, Stabler."

Smirking and pulling her close to him, "Don't worry, it won't take me long, and when I ask, it won't be in front of a bunch of people. I know you better than that."

Cupping his face in her hands, "Noah is staying with Fin."

Grabbing her hips tighter, he said, "And you are coming with me."

The author of this SVU - Love Leads You Home story will be revealed in March