Chapter 2

xoxo

Saturday - 8:45 pm

Destin, FL

Elliot.

He walks toward her in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a gray hoodie. Same great body.

"Take a walk with me?" he asks.

She gives a nod and they fall into step; Elliot closest to the water's edge. "So, you following me now, Stabler?" she teases.

"Guilty. Actually, I was just out getting some exercise. After dinner, I indulged in a slice of key lime pie for dessert. It's famous down here."

"Sounds delicious. I'll have to try some."

He turns his head toward her and grins. "Oh, and… I heard one bit of good news since I got back to the states. Congratulations, Captain! Although I shouldn't be surprised."

"That's okay, I still am. It's recent."

Her eyes drift from the surf to the waves crashing on shore, to the beach and boardwalk, and over to Elliot.

She's on a beach. In Florida. With Elliot Stabler.

It's still sinking in.

"What brings you out here tonight?" he asks. "And where's Noah?"

"Oh, I'm escaping a hotel room full of excited dance kids and their parents. Wanted to check out the beach for a minute. Noah's up with there with his friends."

Elliot chuckles, thinking about his kids at the same age and their events. "I get it. So, tell me about Noah?"

"He's great. Best kid in the world."

"Of course," Elliot grins. "And he's about 8 or 9?"

"Eight." She tells him about Noah's adoption, also mentioning Ellie Porter and Johnny Drake.

"Glad he has you. Lucky kid."

"Thanks. So, umm… How are Kathy and the kids?"

"Kids are doing well. Kathy and I divorced. She's in Italy with her boyfriend Josh."

"What?" She almost stops walking when she hears it. "Oh… El, I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

A larger wave crashes at the shore, catching their attention for a moment. Then Elliot looks back at her and continues. "Just didn't work out. She found her own interests."

"Oh."

"Yeah. As usual, I spent most of my time on the job. Bad habit that never ended after SVU."

Olivia nods. She wants to say 'sorry' again, because from his tone, he seems like he's carrying the blame. Whether Kathy cheated because he's a chronic workaholic, or just moved on after they separated, is none of her business anyway.

"When did you…?"

"…divorce?" he finishes her question. "About a year ago. We've been separated for two years."

"So, tell me… What did you do after SVU?" she asks.

"Um, let's see. I worked private security for a few years. Then, I was the NYPD liaison detective in Italy. Took Kathy and Eli and moved overseas. I worked task force with the Italian authorities. Mafia crimes and sex trafficking."

"Italy… wow."

"Yeah, Rome. It's beautiful. If you ever get the chance to go, you should."

She nods and smiles. "Noah and I went to Paris."

"Really? Wow! That sounds nice. Just the two of you?"

"Uh… No," she responds.

There's a smile in her tone. Elliot looks over at her. "Oh, I see."

"Yeah, it was a great trip."

"So, is this Paris guy still in the picture?"

She looks over at him. A little jealousy and she's not sorry about it. "No. We split. Good relationship. But like you and Kathy, we wanted different things."

Elliot's grin gets a little bigger for a moment, probably wondering if she's single now, but he doesn't ask.

"Anyway, I finished up a job out there. The marriage was over and I missed New York. The kids are here. Got back a few weeks ago. NYPD sent me to Destin. I'm looking into a potential lead in a human trafficking ring." He shrugs a shoulder. "I think it's a dead-end and will wrap up in a week or two. Since I got back to New York, I've been staying with Maureen's family while looking for a place and waiting to hear about work. Felt a little cramped with the grandkids. Love them, but you know. I guess this assignment gave us all a break."

Olivia smiles. "Maureen has kids now, wow. Time flies. Give her my best, will you?"

"Absolutely."

They stop walking while Elliot retrieves his phone and scrolls through the pictures to show them to her. It's one of himself with the two boys.

"Kiernan and Seamus. They're great kids."

"Adorable," she says while looking at the picture. Then lifts her eyes back to Elliot. "You too, Grandpa."

He meets her eyes and grins. "Thanks."

He's sending vibes, but he's also getting a few back from her.

Good.

Elliot tucks his phone back into his pocket.

They resume walking. Up ahead, another 200 feet is a dune and a pier. They'd have to take the stairs up to a pier to cross it and get back to the beach.

She figures they've probably walked long enough and she should get back to Noah.

He notices her hands tucked into her pockets. She's holding her arms close to her body.

"You're cold?"

"Yeah, a little. It's beautiful outside. Just these wind gusts," she remarks.

He shrugs out of his hoodie jacket and hands it to her. "Here."

She takes it and puts it on. "Thanks."

"Sure. How have you been, Liv?"

"Doing well. The job is still a high priority, but Noah is first."

"Of course."

They walk in silence for a moment.

Ahead of them, a couple that had been sitting on the beach stand up. The man shakes their beach blanket, sending more sand into the air. The woman with him shields her eyes and fusses at him to shake the blanket elsewhere. She snatches the blanket from him and playfully swats at him with it. They both laugh, and the man chases after her until she reaches the edge of the surf. She tosses the blanket back onto the sand, and he scoops her up, prompting a mixture of shrieks and laughter from her. After setting her down, they embrace and share a kiss.

Watching the moment prompts a smile and a glance between Elliot and Olivia.

An older couple walks hand-in-hand with their dog along the pier. The two stop and look out at the water. The dog looks back at them, eager to continue the walk.

As Olivia and Elliot reach the dune, they slow to a stop. Olivia is about to tell him she wants to head back when he speaks first.

"I always meant to call you, Liv."

"Why didn't you?"

He shakes his head. "The more time that got away, the harder it became."

She looks back in the direction they came. "I should get back to Noah."

Elliot nods, and they turn back toward the hotel.

She wants to tell him how frustrated and let down she felt because he hadn't returned her calls or texts. Since this reunion was totally unexpected, and she doesn't know what'll happen when they get back to the city or what his intentions are about staying in touch, she stays quiet.

"Well, you still could have," she replies to his last comment. "You know how to get ahold of me."

"I know. It's on me."

There are other things she could bring up about their time apart, but for the same reasons, she doesn't.

They walk in silence for a while. Olivia gazes ahead, her eyes still drifting over the beach, the water, and the waves.

Clouds started filling in overhead, blocking the streams of moonlight she saw before.

"I've missed you, Liv."

"I've missed you too."

She hopes the conversation on their abrupt split eight years ago ends here for now.

In the next few days, they'll both be busy; him with his assignment, her with Noah's dance competition.

Olivia tries to ease the tension that built up in the last few minutes by changing the topic to the new detectives who have joined since he left, and Munch and Cragen leaving. It seems to work.

They soon reach the pier that leads back to the hotel while she finishes telling him about Detective Carisi becoming an ADA and how his and Detective Rollins' partnership and their occasional clashes in the squad room probably drove her as crazy as hers and Elliot's did for Cragen.

When they're at the steps that lead up to the pier, Elliot stops her with a touch on her arm.

"I had a good time tonight, Liv."

"I did too."

Her heart rate picks up. She senses where this is going, but still needs a little time to process seeing him again.

"How about lunch tomorrow? You, me and Noah."

"Maybe."

Meanwhile, they're standing close. Olivia tells herself to step back because the temptation is pulling her toward him.

But she doesn't.

Despite the ache she feels because he abruptly walked out of her life, just being out here with him tonight reminds her of how much she treasured what they had.

Her heart wants everything they once had, plus all the feelings they could have had but never explored.

And he's sending similar vibes back to her.

Suddenly Elliot's hand is on her shoulder. And then her cheek. He tilts his head and leans in closer.

She wants to. She really, really wants to…

Then her guard comes up.

Olivia moves back. "Umm… El, I should…get back… Noah."

Elliot nods and steps aside. Too soon. He gets it.

They both turn and walk up the steps to the pier. Olivia slips her shoes back on, and they return to the hotel in silence.

xoxo

"Mind if I come up and visit for a little while?" he asks as they step back inside. "Keep you and Noah company?"

He's thinking they could talk some more. Might not resolve whatever reservations she has, but just some way to smooth things over. End tonight on a good note.

She notices a clock on the wall that reads '9:57.' It's later than she planned and she needs to get Noah to bed. He's revved up from all the excitement today and it's past his bedtime.

"Elliot… I…"

While she's finding her words, they notice a crowd of hotel employees and some guests gathered around a big-screen TV in the lobby area that had been running ads for jet skis, vacation rentals, and other deals around town.

Now there's a news station on and a TV announcer. The headline at the bottom reads 'Hurricane Lora changes course.'

The crowd gets louder, and distressed looks pass from person to person, which prompts Elliot and Olivia to walk over and see what's going on.

They watch the screen together.

xx

"Repeating… In the last hour, the National Hurricane Center reports that Hurricane Lora has shifted its track and is now projected to make landfall overnight near Pensacola, FL. This is a strong category three hurricane with sustained winds in excess of 125 mph…"

xx

Elliot and Olivia exchange a glance. "That's an hour west of here," says Elliot.

xoxoxo