Elliot washes the last of the dishes, rinses his hands and dries them off on Olivia's cream dish towel. Since she left the hospital four days ago, he's been there by her side. Each day she's gotten stronger and abandoned the arm sling full time after day two. It's been a challenge to keep her from overdoing it but he would expect nothing less. The stubbornness and the determination. That's Olivia.
The woman he is and forever will be in love with.
Over the past few days he's also noticed a change in Noah. The precocious toddler has been at his mother's side constantly since she set foot through the front door. Elliot had made her breakfast earlier that morning and Noah was insistent on helping, even carrying the tray into the room. Despite understanding that she would be alright, he stayed close. Noah brought half of the toys in the living room to her room so he could play and not leave her side for those first two days. A few times he joined them at her insistence but he wanted to give her this time, knowing that it didn't happen as often as she would like.
His children have been in and out of the apartment as well in an attempt to make Olivia as comfortable with their lingering presence as possible. They've made it clear in no uncertain terms that they will be there to help for anything she needs while their father is away. Her squad undoubtedly will step up to assist along with Lucy, but he feels a strong sense of pride at the thought that his family will be there to help take care of her. There is a shift since she left the hospital. The normal pushback isn't there and he feels an ease between them that never existed before. There were times he caught her staring and when he lifted his eyebrow to silently call her on it, she gave him one of her best shy smiles. The smile that made his heart flutter and break all at the same time because he couldn't imagine having to go a couple of months without seeing it.
"Hey," Olivia says emerging from the bedroom dressed casually in a purple v-neck shirt and jeans that hug her in all the right places. Damn he was really going to miss her.
"Hey." He walks over and kisses her on the forehead gently, still overly cautious about not touching her shoulder or arm.
Olivia rolls her eyes playfully and brings him closer. "I'm not made of glass Elliot, the shoulder is fine. C'mere."
With her hand steady on the nape of his neck, she pulls him in, separating his lips with her tongue to deepen the kiss. Elliot lets out a pained groan and can feel her smiling against him. "You are an evil woman. Don't tempt a starving man with a buffet."
Her hand drops down his back and he tenses immediately. "It doesn't have to be temptation. You could come into the back room with me."
She kisses him again and the feeling goes straight to his groin. "Nope. Thankfully I have to go. I'm going to pick Eli up from school and he and I are going to practice his soccer moves a little bit."
It was one of his many attempts to make it up to his son that he told before that he wouldn't be leaving for work. Eli was disappointed at first but soon bounced back and he was grateful. The extra time that Elliot had been putting in with him while balancing taking care of Olivia helped with that as well.
"Do you mind dropping me off at Dr. Lindstrom's office? I don't feel up to driving."
Elliot stops moving, completely caught off guard by her question. She hadn't mentioned her therapist in a while and he immediately begins to worry.
"I can just take a cab, I just didn't want to drive while I'm still taking the painkillers," she offers misreading his silence for not wanting to take her.
"No no." Shaking his head, he gathers his thoughts. "Of course I can take you. You shouldn't be driving anyway."
She rolls her eyes.
"What time is your appointment?"
"In an hour. There's a little playroom for Noah there so he can come with me."
Before she can answer, Noah runs by full speed with one of his plastic red tubs presumably to fill it up with toys that she will have to fight with him to pick up later. "Well on second thought, he does seem to have plenty of energy to run off."
Twenty minutes later they are pulling up in front of Dr. Lindstrom's office and Elliot watches as she gives Noah directions about being a good boy and to listen. He's silently searching for any sign of discord. Anything that's off. Deep down he knows it's a good thing that she's kept up with her therapy. There was a time that he had a deep aversion to sitting on a plush couch and telling a shrink his feelings and even when he began to see it as a positive thing, he would blow it off sometimes when things were going well in his life. It's something that they both need and he realizes he needs to schedule an appointment for himself. It's been too long. There are demons that both of them harbor but he doesn't want that to ruin them. He wants to be able to continue to talk to her, to open up and not feel a sense of panic when he's away from her for long periods of time.
"Hey, did you hear me?" Olivia's eyebrow is arched, looking at him quizzically.
He kills the engine and smirks. "Yeah of course."
Not believing him she repeats herself. "The appointment should be an hour or so but don't rush with picking me up. You guys take your time. There's a coffee shop next door and I'll just hang out there until you all are done."
"You mean check work emails."
Rolling her eyes at obviously being busted she reaches in her bag and holds up a book. "I don't get a ton of quiet time these days to read so I'll just settle in with this." Elliot looks at the book, smiles and gives her a quick kiss before she leaves.
"Oh yeah and maybe I will check an email or two."
"I knew it," he yells out as the car door slams. He doesn't pull off right away and waits as she makes her way towards the entrance. She tosses her head, shaking her hair out of her face, clutching her bag close to her side. Her stride is different than the one he remembers walking side by side with him when they were partners. Fighting the urge to ask her what's wrong is difficult for him. If there was anything nagging at her before he left he wanted to address it, but he had to give her space and time to deal with it in her own way. Just as she has done for him.
In the park later, his heart is full watching Eli show Noah how to handle the ball and the little boy's giggles fill the air. He's always loved Central Park, but like many things in his life he never stopped to enjoy it. This time he does. The clear sky, trees, families having picnics, dogs catching frisbies and Noah's attention. A park free of the evil that he was used to associating with it. He's appreciating it all and having Olivia in his life has finally made everything come full circle for him.
His phone vibrates nonstop thanks to the group chat he has set up with the kids wanting to go to dinner tomorrow at their favorite pizza place. He's all too willing to oblige. Whatever they want, whatever they need. He's going to miss them. There's a good chance that everything was going to be okay on this trip. Danger was a part of what he did for a living for years, this time was no exception. But everything can change in an instant. So he's taking the time to smell the roses, see the trees, hear his kids' laughter.
He will most likely return but he doesn't want to have any regrets. There was a time that he left someone he loved and didn't say goodbye, didn't cherish those moments. That will never happen again. He was a lucky son of a bitch because he got something that most people never get...a second chance. And he would get it right from now on.
"Dad what are you doing over there?" Eli asks him curiously. "C'mon over here so I can beat you."
"Yeah come see Elli-yah," Noah adds almost tripping over the soccer ball that's too big for his little feet. "Look what I can do."
Elliot smiles and puts the phone deep in his pocket. "Alright boys. Let the old man show you how it's done."
{-}
The coffee shop is full of people going in and out, mindless chatter, girlfriends laughing. It's almost distracting but the normalcy of it all is music to her ears. Of course she couldn't help herself and had to check in with Fin to see how everything is going. The answers are brief and to the point which was typical Fin, but she has a sneaky suspicion that Elliot had something to do with this.
Adjusting her reading glasses, she relaxes into the lounger and attempts to read a little more. It's been an hour and she hasn't gotten past page 20 of "The Alchemist", a book that her mother loved to teach and read countless times over the years, because her mind continues to wander. Elliot sends her a few pictures of the boys playing and the smile on her son's face is enough to alleviate any weight on her heart. He is happy. Despite her time away from work, being hurt and his concern, he's happy. She does what she can as a mother and it's not perfect, but it's enough.
The shooting shook her up more than she let on. It gives her a heightened sense of mortality that she in the past had ignored. It's a minor injury but there is some lingering anxiety and her first thought was to see Dr. Lindstrom. She needed to get some things off her chest. He asked her a question that she was finally ready to talk about.
When you were a little girl, who took care of you?
At the time she found the question invasive and didn't want to feel sorry for herself about her less than stellar childhood. It was also an opening for them to discuss the lack of having someone to take care of her as an adult while she was caught up in her own savior complex. She'd fought relationships in her life tooth and nail. Trusting and investing all seemed like too much work when she could just take care of herself. It would've been easy to have that in companionship. There would be no passion but a comfortable adoration that she could exist in. But she didn't want to just exist. She wanted to live. For the first time in a relationship she was living.
Later at home, she's tucking in a drained Noah who didn't make it through the first page of his bedtime story before he was sleeping. As she raises the blanket over him, his sleepy eyes flutter open. "Your arm still hurt?"
She smiles and palms his cheek. "It's almost as good as new."
"Ok." Within a second he's sleeping and she turns out the light.
She had no idea how exhausted she was until she's awakened by Elliot's soft voice. She didn't remember falling asleep.
"Hey baby, you fell asleep in your clothes," he says caressing her arms. "Otherwise I would've let you sleep."
"I must've been more tired than I thought." Checking her watch, she realizes she's been out for a little more than an hour. Standing, she waves off Elliot's attempts to help her undress.
He takes off his clothes and heads into the bathroom to shower while she rummages through her drawers for something to sleep in. Her arm is feeling well enough that she doesn't need to take her pain medication and her exhaustion takes a permanent hiatus when she catches a glimpse of Elliot's naked body through the shower curtain. For a second, she considers joining him but shower sex with her shoulder would be too much and Elliot was still handling her with kid gloves. She would have to change her approach. He wouldn't feel comfortable putting his weight on top of her but she could ride him. Just the thought of him on top of her is enough to send shivers down her spine. It has almost been a week and she misses him. She needed to feel him inside of her, to have that intimacy before he leaves.
Shedding her clothes, she moves over to the bed turning off the bedside lamp and cloaking the room in darkness.
When she hears the water stop running, her body shivers in anticipation. The seconds seem like minutes until Elliot appears at the door in nothing more than a towel with rivulets of water dripping down his body. He stops for a second taking her in, the dim light from the bathroom just enough for him to see that she's awake.
He visibly swallows, noticing her naked shoulders, the blanket falling just under neck. "Thought you were sleeping."
Olivia stretches dramatically allowing the blanket to fall to her waist, her full breasts and hard nipples on complete display. "Turns out I'm not that tired."
"You need to be sleeping," he groans, his growing erection visible through the towel. Moaning, she leans back into her pillow to get more comfortable. "Sure you don't wanna join me?"
His hands flex at his sides and she knows he's weakening. God, she's going to miss this. The playful push and pull, the banter and having him with her almost every night. His right hand scrubs across his face as his Adam's apple bobs up and down. She's got him almost where she wants him. Kicking off the covers, she reveals her completely nude body and a strained sigh leaves Elliot's throat.
"Come here."
The words no sooner leave her lips before he's on her. Their lips collide and the warm water from his shower against her bare skin heightens her senses. Tearing her mouth from his, she licks up the spare drops from his skin and tastes the mixture of water and body wash. His arm wraps around her waist, fingers digging into her hip and she loses control. Moving too quickly her shoulder hits his and she cries out.
"Shit, Liv let's stop. Let's just go to bed."
Immediately protesting the loss of him, she pulls him closer. "Please." Their eyes lock and she sees him struggling with the decision. "We can be gentle. I just need you." She closes her eyes, willing him to stop being overprotective for once and give her this. Her teeth sinks into her bottom lip and she pulls at the loose knot of his towel. It takes a minute, but she feels his fingers weaken and let her pull it away.
His forehead touches hers and she breathes him in. "We can be gentle," she repeats.
"I'm going to try like hell to." His hands cups her breasts, his thumb circling her pebbled nipples. Adjusting his position on the bed, he spreads her legs a little wider, allowing himself to fit in between. While positioning himself, the hard ridge of the tip of his dick glides along her inner thigh. The pace is torturously slow and her answering moan is a mix of pleasure and frustration. She's aching for him to penetrate her, suck her breasts, taste her. He kisses a trail down her neck, chest and finally takes her nipple in his mouth.
Fuck. How long has it been?
The feeling shoots straight between her legs and she doesn't think she can wait. They should take this slow. Between her injury and his impending absence she should take the time to savor every inch of him, absorb every feeling. But she can't.
"El," she breathes. Sitting up, she sees his eyebrows furrow in confusion as she pushes him onto his back. Quickly, he catches the hint and lays back, helping her to straddle him. It's a challenge to move and keep her shoulder still but she's determined. There will be no pain tonight. Physical or otherwise.
Only pleasure.
With her legs astride his, she places her left arm on his chest for leverage. Her core hovers right above where she wants him the most. Even though she's aching for his touch, she wants to savor him. Slowly she drops kisses to his neck, his chest, her tongue tracing the contours of his body. His muscles tense beneath her lips. Reticent before, she can sense the urge building inside him.
"I'm going to miss these," Olivia whispers peppering kisses along his nipples and down his abs. She scoots back as she kisses him, finally grazing his rock hard length.
Elliot's back arches and even lost in a haze of desire, he's firmly holding her making sure she doesn't overextend her shoulder. Smiling, she takes him in her mouth. One long lick along the underside of his dick, before engulfing him completely.
"Fuck," he moans lightly gripping her hair. "Oh no. You're not getting me with that again. Not this time. Get up here."
With a sexy chuckle, she maneuvers back up the length of him balancing with one arm.
"Stay right here. Don't move," he tells her.
Elliot slides down the bed until his face is right beneath her heat. As she opens her mouth to protest, he licks the full length of her sex and it propels her forward, landing with her weight on her left hand gripping the headboard.
He pulls away for a second. "Careful, baby." His hand strokes her back to help her relax as he teases her engorged clit, quickly bringing her to orgasm. A blush covers her skin, illuminated with a damp sheen as she whispers his name over and over. Only he can do this. Bring her to the brink in record time, touching her inside and out.
Placing a quick kiss on her mound, he slides back up to the headboard and slips himself inside of her effortlessly. He moves slowly beneath her, each stroke careful, calculated. Every push into her body, pulls a tear closer and closer to the surface. Olivia meets him thrust for thrust driven by her need to show him what he already knows. That she loves him more than anything. They've come through it all, will go through more both individually and together but will always find their way back to each other.
Stride by stride.
Perfectly in sync.
"I'm going to miss you."
Elliot sits up, circling her legs around his waist. "I'm going to miss you too." He kisses her shoulder, rubbing his hands through her hair. "So much." He shifts inside her at the same time taking her nipple into his mouth and she's lost. Flying over the edge as her hips move automatically racing to bring him to nirvana. His teeth sink into her neck as he holds on trying to prolong the inevitable. She gives and he takes, absorbing the delirious feeling of her walls closing in on him.
She's close. So close. Again.
"You feel so good," he whispers in her ear tightening his hands around her waist. Leaning her back just enough, he hits the magic spot along the front of her wall and she explodes. This time he comes as well, her left arm wrapping around his neck not leaving an inch between them. She holds him close as the familiar warmth spreads inside her. His orgasm is endless, her walls contracting to pull as much of him in as possible.
"I got a little....carried away," he says rubbing her shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?"
For once she doesn't answer on instinct. Her fingers draw patterns along his back, gliding along the beads of sweat. The moisture slides beneath her fingertips as she grins lazily into his neck. She can feel him smile against her shoulder and he knows even if she doesn't say anything. He always has.
This has been the essence of them. No amount of therapy, life experiences or time in SVU would ever make it all make sense to her. And that was okay too. Somehow through it all, their imperfect pasts had set up a perfect future. A pair of sick mothers and bastard fathers named Joe had created two people who despite their pasts were able to love unconditionally. Both each other and their children.
She had the family she always wanted. With her job she had the purpose she desired. And with the acceptance of her complicated journey and where it still had yet to lead her, she had everything she needed. It was her version of having it all.
So for once she didn't have to lie when she answers his question. It's the absolute truth.
"I'm fine."
{-}
Author's Note: There will be an Epilogue to this up later this week. Thanks to all of you that have hung in with this story. It will be a year old on Wednesday and it's been quite a ride. I hope you all enjoyed Elliot and Olivia's journey, it was truly a pleasure to write. Thanks again and please let me know your thoughts about this chapter or the story overall in a Review. I love to hear from you all.
Until next time :)