Next Day
The beginnings of the summer heat swarms around Elliot as he makes his walk through the cemetery.
Elliot stood quietly in front of the weathered gravestone, the letters of his ex-wife's name etched in faded relief. The cemetery was bathed in the soft hues of dusk, a tranquil backdrop to the riot of emotions swirling within him. He hadn't visited Kathy's grave in months, not since he made the decision to move forward with the love of his life. But today, he needed to talk to her, to vent the frustrations and fears that had been gnawing at his heart since he received the unexpected news from Eli.
"Eli," Elliot began, his voice low and strained, "he's leaving college, Kathy. He's dropping out because his girlfriend, Becky, is pregnant."
The words hung heavy in the air, mingling with the faint scent of flowers and the gentle rustling of leaves overhead. Elliot's fingers traced the dates on the headstone, memories flooding back of a time when Kathy was alive, when things seemed easier when it came to their children.
"I don't understand," Elliot continued, his voice thick with emotion. "I always wanted better for him. I wanted him to have the opportunities I never had. And now... now he's throwing it all away."
Silence greeted him, broken only by the distant chirping of the birds above. Elliot took a deep breath, trying to steady his thoughts. He recalled the day Eli had left for college, full of hope and promise. They had hugged goodbye, Elliot's heart swelling with pride and anticipation. He had believed in his son, believed that Eli would carve out a future brimming with success and happiness.
"But now," Elliot muttered bitterly, "he's going to be a cop, just like me. Following in my footsteps because he thinks it's the right thing to do."
Tears pricked at Elliot's eyes as he wrestled with conflicting emotions—pride for Eli's sense of responsibility, but also disappointment and worry for the difficult road ahead. "He's only nineteen, Kathy," Elliot whispered, as if seeking solace in the quiet of the cemetery. "He's too young to understand the sacrifices, the dangers..."
Memories flooded back of his own days as a young recruit, eager to uphold justice and protect the innocent, eager to provide for his new family. The long hours, the sleepless nights, the moments of fear and uncertainty—it had shaped Elliot into the man he was today, but it had also exacted a toll on his relationships, on his family.
"I don't want him to make the same mistakes I did, the same ones we did," Elliot confessed, his voice trembling. "I don't want him to lose himself in this job, to lose sight of his dreams..."
The wind whispered through the trees, a gentle reminder of the passage of time. Elliot closed his eyes, picturing Eli's earnest face, the determination in his eyes as he spoke of wanting to provide for Becky and their unborn child.
"He's doing this out of duty," Elliot murmured, a note of resignation creeping into his voice. "Just like I did. But duty can't replace dreams, can't erase the regrets..."
Silence enveloped him once more, a solemn companion in the quiet of the cemetery. Elliot took a deep breath, finding a measure of peace amidst the turmoil of his thoughts.
"I'll support him, Kathy," Elliot said finally, his voice steady with resolve. "Just like I promised you I would, all those years ago. I'll stand by him, guide him as best I can."
As he turned to leave, Elliot felt a weight lift from his shoulders, replaced by a newfound sense of purpose. He knew the road ahead would be fraught with challenges, for Eli and for himself. But standing there, beneath the canopy of clouds that failed to shield the sun, Elliot found comfort in the bond he shared with his son—a bond forged in love, in loss, and in the shared journey of father and son.
And as he walked away from the grave, Elliot carried with him a renewed understanding—that sometimes, the greatest acts of courage come not from chasing dreams, but from embracing the responsibilities that shapes and defines you as fathers and as men.
Getting into the car, he felt his phone start to vibrate and his eyes lit up as he saw he was getting a call from the one person he truly needed at that moment. He could almost laugh at how the universe seems to work with them, always placing them with each other in times of need even when they couldn't sense it themselves.
Turning on the car, he felt the flow of the cool ac hit his face as he swiped his screen to answer the call of his day.
"Hey"
"Hey, how's it going over there"
"Oh usually , just finished the big case I was telling you about a few weeks ago. Well just finished the court hearings for it"
"Oh the Maddie Flynn case"
"Yeah" She said, somewhat shocked at his recognition. Going into the call she was thinking she would have to go over the case again, it being one that's been dragged on for months. "I'm shocked you remember actually."
"Well it was important to you, I try to make it my mission to remember the important things" and it was true.
"El I"
"Liv, I didn't say that to get a response" A soft chuckle escapes him. He couldn't help it honestly. It was funny to him that after all this time, she still got shocked at how much he loved and was devoted to her. She couldn't fathom just how interested he was in everything about her and he would spend the rest of his life proving to her she was worthy of that. "I said it because I meant it and that just something you are going to have to get use too. Understood captain?"
"Understood detective"
"So what happened with the case, good outcome" He leaned back into the driver seat letting his body succumb to its comfort.
"Well as you know, I got close with Maddie and her family. Probably closer than I have with any other case."
"I can understand that, I've had my fair share of those"
"Yeah well, she invited me to her birthday gathering, the big 16"
"That's nice"
"Well, during the party her mom pulled me aside to thank me and I" He heard the pause in her words and held his breath along with her, " You remember the gift you gave me?"
Taken back by the turn in conversation he hesitated with his response " The gift? You mean the compass?"
"Yeah, that gift. So the compass, I told you how I wore it but it's actually funny. I wore it every day" He laughs at that, knowing from conversations with Fin how much she wore the necklace " I saw it a couple times with and without the clothes" the compass was the final step in her night routine. She wore it until the very last second.
She couldn't help but blush at the last part of his statement, knowing the compass was something he loved to look at when they made love the first couple of times he came back. Thank God she cleaned it afterwards, poor Eileen if she hadn't. "I feel it has guided me to what you had wanted too, the compass and completed its course on my end and I gave it to Eileen, maddie's mother, in the hopes that she could find the same."
He just laughs as he makes his way down the road, "I understand and I'm happy, I did something right with the compass and that it could be passed on to a person you felt needed it."
He could practically see her smile through the phone "Thank you for understanding, really"
She could hear him sigh on the other end of the phone and couldn;t help but worry about how exhausted he sounded. "So how have you been since I saw you last?"
There was a moment as he let out another sigh. With the silence, she could hear the engine of the car and the ac flowing in the background.
"Yeah, I'm sitting alongside the road of the cemetery. Had visit well a life update of sorts"
He knew how open and supportive Liv had been towards kids especially himself with the loss of his late wife but it still felt foreign to him, bringing up the one person that kept them apart no matter how many times Liv said she was ok with it.
"Wanna talk about it?"
"With you, I can talk about anything" He says in a sing-song voice cutting a knife through the seriousness of the conversation.
"El, I'm serious" Her words being a contradiction to the giggle she lets out at his antics.
"Ok Ok serious Elliot," He playfully chides himself loving the sound of the small laugh she lets slip out. " Well Umm Eli came in for the dinner but said he would be staying indefinitely." He can hear her concern through the phone as she breathes out his name "it's more to the story but I would love to talk about that in person."
"Is everything alright? " she asks the questions that's been on the tip of her tongue.
"It will be, everyone is fine, it's just a lot to unpack over the phone in depth."
It was a second pause before he asked "Are you still at the precinct?"
"I'm just finishing up a few things before being done for the day."
"I can stop by and pick you up so that we can go out maybe grab a bite before having to get Noah from dance later."
"I drove and wouldn't want to go through the hassle of driving back to get my car afterwards. Plus Noah is being dropped off"
"Oh" was his short response, disappointment weaving through the two letter word no matter how much he tried to hide it.
Upon hearing his disappointment, she rushes out the rest of her thoughts before he could say much more, "but we could order something and go to my place before Noah arrives. From the sound of it, it might not be too many times we'll get to just be alone with one another, I could use a cuddle" She says pouting her lip to no one as she waits for him to cave.
It didn't take long for him to agree, ending the call as he pulled out of his parking spot and away from gloominess in his life into the light that was his partner.
On the other end, she was quickly stuffing files into her bag with her laptop, a few more quick signatures and another set of files stacked in her completed piled she made her way out her office set to meet her man.
—-
They had arrived at Liv's place and ordered the food, going ahead and ordering enough for Noah as it was already an hour wait and he would be home in an hour and thirty minutes.
Elliot sat in the living room of Olivia's apartment, bathed in the warm glow of light trickling in from the windows in the room. He knew it was only a matter of time before she brought up his early conversation and while he knew it was needed, the feelings of guilt and underlying anger that followed with it wasn't something he wanted.
Being in the presence of his partner, lover, and friend, made him want to forget the troubles of his family for just a moment. Forget the chaos that lay ahead for him to help sort out and just be Elliot. The Elliot that didn't live his life in the shadows of being the family fuck up but rather basked in the light that shined on his choices. But while that sounded like a blissful dream, he knew it wasn't something that could happen and as he was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of her voice, he knew those feelings were soon to surface, opening a door for discussion.
"I am going to go change, and while I do that, you can go into depth about what you mentioned over the phone"
"Oh yeah" He feigns ignorance only to follow right behind as she walks into her room and start to undress.
He ran a hand across his smooth head, his mind swirling with thoughts he hadn't dared to voice until now. He begins with "So eli is moving in with me," he sits on her bed as she moves to get her some leggings and a shirt.
"Yeah you said that on the phone"
"Well not only is he doing that but, he decided to join the police academy also." her movements halt at his words but she continues to undress.
"Yeah I know but I got that information out of him as soon as he came in. The shocker is what I found out after he came back from visiting mom. The reason behind all this."
Dressed in just an old shirt of his, Liv stops and walks over to him, ""El talk to me."
"His girlfriend, Becky, is pregnant and moving in too." It was almost as if the air had been sucked out of the room. "God Liv, he's following right in my footsteps."
"Are you serious"
"As a heart attack I knew something was up when he arrived and said he was staying, plus he doesn't know it but he's already protective of her. His hand was swaying towards her stomach the whole conversation."
Liv rests her head against his and he lets out a sigh as she comforts him.
Elliot continued, his words coming out in a rush. "Talk about repeating a cycle. But I never wanted this for him, Liv. I wanted him to have a different life, more opportunities..."
Elliot's voice trailed off, memories of his own youth mingling with the present reality.
"I know it's not what you had planned," she said softly. "But unlike the past, he has the most loving and supportive man I know as a father." Caressing his beard she says " He knows that and deep down I think you do too. Elliot you are not your father, the circumstances may be similar but the situation is not. "
Elliot sighed heavily, running a hand over his face as he tried to process Olivia's words. He knew she was right—that fatherhood, responsibility, and the desire to provide for loved ones were powerful motivators. But he couldn't shake the worry gnawing at his heart—the fear that Eli would face the same challenges and sacrifices he had encountered as a young officer.
"I just don't want him to lose himself in this job," Elliot confessed, his voice raw with emotion. "I've seen what it can do to a person, to a family..."
Olivia nodded in silent understanding, her gaze unwavering as she met Elliot's troubled eyes.
"You've been through a lot, Elliot," she said gently. "But you've also grown stronger because of it. Maybe Eli sees that strength in you, sees something worth emulating. Sees something in this path that resonates with him. Maybe he wants to be there for Becky and their baby, just like you were there for Kathy and your family."
She watches as a lone tear escapes his closed eyes, "Elliot look at me"
"You are a good man Elliot Stabler" She pressed a kiss to his lips transferring all the love she felt for him into that moment. Elliot could help but moan into the kisses feeling the all too familiar burn begin in his gut.
Just as the kiss started to grow deeper, a knock sounded throughout the apartment signaling the arrival of their food and they made their way out of her bedroom .
He sat at the counter after paying, nursing a beer and watching her in the domestic bliss that surrounds her. It was a glimpse of The Olivia Benson that only a few got to see and he was lucky to be within that select group, even luckier that he gets to call her his.
The thought of food long forgotten. Now his hunger was for something different. A hunger only she could take care of. He couldn't take his eyes away from her, the desire for her overrunning his brain. The very woman who had stolen his heart all those years ago and continues to do it till this day. The only person he knows that could take his guilt ridden heart and lace it with passion and love that has since gone vacant inside him. She was intoxicating, even more than that first day, and he couldn't bear to think of a life without her. Not again.
She was standing by the counter, swaying her hips as she unpacked the food from the bag, not knowing what she was doing to him.
As she leaned against the counter, his shirt rose up against her hips, exposing that ass that taunts him with every move. He sat on the other side, his hand wrapped around the cold bottle of beer in his hand, clenching desperate to be wrapped around her.
Not wanting to wait any longer he abandoned his beer bottle and walked around the counter into the main kitchen area. He knew she could feel him behind her, he noticed the slight falter in her hips, but she continued her hypnotizing movements.
It was like the energy from the guilt and flashes of anger he felt from life itself had converted into pure sexual desire. A weighted desire hot and heavy inside of him that only she could unlock.
He continued his walk into the room not stopping until he was inches behind her, the smell of her shampoo filling his nose in the most blissful way. Their height difference is noticeable in their intimate moments like this allowing him the vantage point in watching her chest rise and fall with every quick breath she releases.
"I need you…" He grunted, "I need to be in you. Now." he proves his statement with a thrust of his hips letting her feel just how hard his was. He was rock hard and he ached in his pants as he barely touched her soft skin.
He watched as she gave him a quick nod before trailing his hand down her side, stopping at the hem of her shorts before dipping beneath.
Olivia felt a jolt of electricity go straight to her core when his fingers came in contact with her bare skin. She clenched her thighs together as he moved his fingers over her hip around to her lower back, and slowly up her spine causing her to shiver.
Despite the shiver that ran through her, her body was on fire. She felt like she was going to combust. Her nipples were hard at the way he touched her, she had no doubt her thong was soaked by now with the way her clit throbbed.
Liv could feel him pressing against her ass while his hands roamed her body causing her to tingle all over. He palmed her breasts through the soft fabric of his shirt creating a nice friction when he pinched them. His kisses burned her skin, leaving a path of lightly redden skin in its wake before he sucked at the pulse point of her neck.
Liv moaned when his right hand found his way back down her body, squeezing her ass leaving an ache between her legs.
It only took a couple more minutes before Elliot hooked his fingers in the waistband of her shorts and pulled the material down to her knees, leaving her to kick them the rest of the way off.
Elliot stared at her, half naked, in front of him. His eyes never wavering as he stood up to push his sweats off, kicking his socks off in the process.
He repositioned himself between her legs and ran his finger through her folds, making her gasp and buck her hips. "You're so fucking wet baby," He said, as he dragged his finger up and down. He coated his finger in her arousal and brought it up to his mouth.
He continued to slowly swipe his fingers against her opening, loving the moans that spilled from her mouth with each motion. Wanting to feel her, he wrapped his arms around her and sharply pulled her ass back against his dick.
Her pussy was slick as it came in contact with him and he couldn't help but drag his dick through her swollen lips causing her to moan as he teased her. The tip of him parted her pussy and she sighed, her head falling back against his shoulder. He slowly pushed the head of his cock into her and pulled it back out, before he did it again.
He pulled almost the whole way out and pushed back into her slowly, stretching her while he watched from above.
She moaned as he stretched her, and he groaned himself, when he buried himself in her completely. Elliot held onto her waist as he pushed into her, her pussy gripping him like a glove.
With each thrust he was fighting back the urge to just slam into her, no matter how much that need was burning inside to fuck into her like his life depended on it.
Being connected as always, she could sense his hesitation knowing that right now what he needed was a release. "Fuck me Elliot." She almost begged, and he dug his fingers into her skin.
"You sure?" His question came out strangled as he was still trying to hold back on the fire he had inside.
"Let it out baby, it's ok baby I can take it" With a reassuring nod and glance back, he quickly slammed into her, filling her completely.
"Elliot…oh-oh my God." She had her hands on the counter in front of her and he put his hands on top of hers as he started to pump into her.
Liv pushed her ass back into him and bent forward, causing him to slip deeper into her. "Fuck El." She gasped, as he grabbed her hips. "So.. fucking.. good." She moaned out in between breaths as he slammed into her.
He smiled and leaned in, pressing his lips to hers, the corners of his lips curling up in a smile, "I love you."
Her eyes were closed tight, but his words spurred her on. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked back at him, her mouth falling open with a silent moan. Her hand fell down beside her gripping the edge of the counter to steady herself against his thrust. She leaned further into the kiss, "Mmm…I love you too. So much."
"Fuck El Right there" She said, causing him to growl and thrust harder.
"Is that what you want, baby? What you need?" His words are breathless as he sets a punishing pace, pistoning his hips inside of her tight walls harder with each question. "
Need me to fuck you harder?" Elliot asked, as he slammed his hips up into her again.
The sounds in the room grew louder as her moans mixed with the slapping of skin. "Do you hear that baby?" He asked, as he drove in and out of her. Not knowing exactly where he ended and she began.
"Do you hear how fucking wet you are?" He growled.
Liv's only response was her screaming as the pleasure filled her veins. her hard nipples scraped across the cool surface beneath every time he slammed into her.
He sighed, rocking her back and forth, sweat sliding down his back as he pounded into her relentlessly, only causing Liv to get louder. He was giving out his frustrations with everything going on so far and the dinner being in a day. Being relentless in his actions but knowing she was loving every minute of it.
He moved one of his hands from her hip and grabbed a handful of hair to pull her head back up. He gently tugged on her hair as he fucked her, and Liv moaned loudly.
"You like that baby?" He asked, as he pulled on her hair and slammed into her. She could only whine in return. Wanting to hear her lust fill voice his other hand briefly left her hip before coming down in a hard smack against her ass cheek, catching her by surprise.
"I said do you like that?"
"Yess" The words rumbled deep from her throat followed by a few incoherent slurs. "More" She begged, pushing her ass back into him giving a hint to what exactly she wanted more of.
Quickly he striked of one, two, three, more hits leaving a red handprint on her right ass cheek. She was moaning and he could feel her walls fluttering around him signaling her nearing release.
The slight buckle in his knees told him that he would be coming soon. He felt his balls tightening also and his thrusts were becoming more erratic as he slammed into her. She arched her back, pressing her soft slick body against his. Her legs shaking and her moans turned into quickened pants as the blush rushes across her skin, "Elliot. Oh, God."
He thrust forward once, twice, three times as her pussy, her entire body shuddered around him. She froze, her eyes rolling in the back of her head, no sound coming from her lips because she was so overwhelmed and consumed by him. She let out a satisfying whine before she went limp below him.
He gasped into her mouth as she bit his lip and he came hard, filling her, making her body tremble again. They both lay against each other and the counter, the only sound in the room being their soft pants.
She felt the rumble from his laughter on her back and couldn't help but let out a laugh of her own. "Olivia…Liv" His head bent, his forehead pressing into the crook of her neck as she tried to breathe, "Damn baby…"
Pulling out he watched as their aftermath dripped down her thigh, her lips still glistening from their actions. A moan slipped past his lips as he watched her clench her walls causing another wave of their arousal to glaze her lips.
Her stomach growling breaking the moment causes them to both chuckle just as her phone pinged in the living room.
"I bet that's Jessica letting me know she's on her way with Noah"
"Well how about you go clean yourself up, I'll clean up in here and then reheat the food. Sounds good?"
"Sounds wonderful, You really are a good man Elliot Stabler"
'Well if I'm a good man, then you're the greatest woman Olivia Benson" His lips find hers in the quickest sweetest kiss leaving a smile on his face. "Now go but Noah walks in" He slowly turns at her shoulders before swatting her naked ass, loving the way it bounced as she ran off.
He was placing their cum covered clothes in the wash room when he heard her call out too him. "Are you staying tonight?
"Umm I don't know, tomorrow is" He said, making his way back into the kitchen. He didn't know if he wanted to mention the dinner, hoping she would forget about his brother's invitation.
"Tomorrow is" She repeated his words, dragging them out as she returned back into the kitchen in a new pair of lounge shorts.
"Are you trying to avoid mentioning the dinner tomorrow, something Noah has failed to stop mentioning."
He felt the heat rise up to his cheeks at her acknowledgement of the family dinner let alone the young Benson's excitement towards the gathering.
Noticing the halt in his movements, she finishes placing the container in her hand in the microwave before turning to him. "Look I understand if you don't,"
He could see her being to draw back before she began her statement, and while he was hoping his brother wasn't pushy with his invitation, not inviting Olivia was the farthest thing from his mind. Well not something he wanted to become reality. "No, I do want you to be there." He said with a smile watching as a small one grazed her lips as well. "It's just my family is "
He stopped when he saw the small smile from before grow into a smirk. " Is the big bad detective nervous about me meeting his siblings?"
As if commanded, the blush on his face doubled causing Liv to laugh in front of him.
"Look they can be a lot, I just want you to know what you are getting into "
"Well lucky for you, I've been told handling a Stabler is like second nature to me, what's four more" He could help but laugh at her statement, one that was told to her many times during their partnership. "Now hurry up with the food, my son will be here any minute and we have a big day tomorrow" She says with a smile before walking back out of the room, leaving Elliot there to smile in wonder.
—-