Chapter Text
It was a Sunday, and Elliot arose from a restful sleep. The morning sunbeams filtered through the curtains, casting their light on the bed. Next to him, Liv’s breathing was slow and steady, but slight tremors were shaking her eyelids—she would soon wake up.
It was almost one year, and he couldn’t get used to the sight of her body within reach. The days passed one after another, each one filling his life with new joy. Next to him, Liv’s eyelids lifted, but sweet dreams were still clouding her brain—she would soon smile.
Elliot ran a finger along her temple, caressing a strand of hair.
“Morning.” Her voice was hoarse.
His finger slowly trailed down her neck, and here came the smile. He gave it back and leaned in to kiss her forehead. “Good morning, my precious one.”
She scooted over to drape his bare chest with her arm and rest her head in the crook of his shoulder. The warmth of his skin radiated to her core.
Almost one year had gone by, and she got used to his heat. Ever since the day he laced their fingers together, their lips touched, his hands found her waist, she got used to the feeling of him. She got used to sharing a bed with him.
Sharing a home.
A life.
They lay there for a long time, listening to their beating hearts. Then Liv spoke, her voice low and tender, “How are you feeling?”
“It’s weird.”
“You have regrets?” She stopped her hand from mapping the line of his pecs, anxious to hear his answer.
Reassurance came from Elliot’s fingers squeezing the flesh of her waist. “Not at all. I’m done trading your bed for hospital ones.”
Yesterday was Elliot’s last day at Organized Crime.
He realized he was done the day he emerged from a coma, brought back to life by Liv’s voice whispering to him. The previous months, his body sustained too many new injuries—some of them leaving permanent scars—that Liv tended to with an upsetting look that he hated. He could no longer bear to see her so consumed by worry.
After she confessed her love to him, after they admitted that they could no longer ignore the desperate whimpers of longing that their souls were crying out for years, after their bodies made them discover for the first time in their lives what becoming one meant, she opened herself up to him completely. She would give him smiles he didn’t know she had in her possession, kisses that made him feel young again, and brushes of her little finger that grounded him.
To him, she was an open book, now. Which meant he could also see when he caused her pain, or distress. Too many times, she rushed to his bloody side, driven by fear. He was the only one to really see it. In front of the kids, she was reassuring, telling them he was going to be fine—that he always was.
Except perhaps one day he wouldn’t be.
He could no longer bear it.
So that day, he was freshly out of the coma when Sergeant Bell came to visit him. She braced herself. Like every previous time, she was ready to put up a fight to persuade him to take a few days off or at least stay on desk duty. He showed no sign of resistance. Her eyebrows had lifted, a flicker of relief in her gaze, that became astonishment when he said he was going to resign—as soon as she found a replacement for him, he would leave.
He loved his job, but it would kill him eventually. From his bed, through the open door, he could see Liv’s silhouette moving down the hallway. She was on the phone, probably working from there, being the awesome captain that she was, or maybe it was one of his kids. Anyway, it was worth living.
Her exhalation caressed his chest. “I’m proud of you.”
Elliot stroked her hair. He loved how soft it felt, even like this in the morning—tangled from sleep, and from his fingers clinging to it the night before, as he pulled her close and claimed her with a feral kiss. He really liked how they could go from being sweet, almost shy lovebirds at times, to wild, passionate lovers. He adored everything about her. About them.
Had they lost time? All those years spent circling each other, hiding their feelings, running away—had it all been a waste?
He didn’t think so. They each had their own journey to make to finally meet one another. To meet at a certain place, at a certain time, where and when it would be meaningful. As if they crossed paths over the years, but only for the end of those journeys to be the starting point of a new, sole one.
“For what?” he asked hesitantly, shy that she was proud of him.
“For taking the right decision.”
He poked at her side, making her squirm. “You’re only saying that because the BCI offices are closer to SVU than the OCCB’s were. Whenever I’m bored, I could come and bring you a coffee.”
She snorted. “You won’t get bored. I’m sure you will become attached to your charges as if they were your own children.”
Elliot decided to leave the dangers of Organized Crime, but he was nowhere ready to retire. Since he didn’t climb the ranks over the years, his options were limited, but he managed to secure a job at the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. His mission would be to train and mentor new detectives, and he had to admit that passing on his experience to younger generations was appealing to him. He would also occasionally help with inter-agencies coordination or be asked to oversee cases. It would be an adjustment to spend his days within four walls rather than running around everywhere—but hopefully he would come home in one piece.
Home.
He tightened his embrace so that Liv ended up on top of him. He loved looking into her eyes with her face so close. Their brown had subtle shades—gold, bronze, or so dark in some spots that her irises blended into her pupils.
“You know me too well,” he chuckled.
“And you’ll be home more—maybe you’ll find time to hang the shelves in Noah’s room.” Her tone suggested that ‘maybe’ was actually ‘you’d better do it’.
He pinched her nose. “Yes, I told you I would take care of it.”
“We moved in four months ago, El.”
Four months.
How time flew by. It scared him, sometimes.
“Well, I won’t be doing it today—we better get going with our day, Benson, or we’re gonna be late.”
He gently slapped her ass, but she didn’t react like he thought she would. Instead of getting up, she snuggled further into his embrace. His skin muffled a growl coming from her mouth tucked under his chin. “Hmmpf—can we stay here?”
“And miss brunch with the kids? I don’t think so. Kathleen’s bringing cinnamon rolls.”
Liv let out a quiet chuckle. “If you’re not careful, you’ll lose those abs with your new job behind a desk all day.” Her fingers ran through the tense muscles of his abdomen.
“If you keep tiring me out like last night, I’ll be fine.”
“Oh—that I have no intention of stopping.” She stretched her neck to kiss him properly. “It’s so good for our great, old bodies!”
This time Elliot got up, pulling Liv with him. He smirked. “Come on, Grandma, time to get up.”
“You do like calling me that, don’t you?”
Liv had to admit, she didn’t dislike it. The memory of Maureen’s twins’ birthday party a few weeks ago made her blink rapidly. ‘Liv’ no longer suited them, all of a sudden. They asked why she wasn’t ‘Grandma’, since she always was with Grandpa, now.
They arrived late, but only because they made a detour to pick up Ollie and underestimated traffic. In any case, they were earlier than Eli and Becky. Coming straight from cloud nine, the couple lost track of time.
Brunch was loud, full of friendly banter and well-aimed jokes. Sundays at Maureen’s quickly became Liv’s favorite. She never experienced large family gatherings before. The way the Stabler clan had welcomed her and Noah never ceased to amaze her.
And what to say of Ollie. She was so immensely proud of the girl. She was turning into an amazing young woman, so clever and well adjusted. It took a little while, but she made peace with her family history. Wisely, she understood that she could grow from what each person had to offer—it had been such a privilege for Liv to see her come out of her shell.
Not to mention that she and Elliot were like two peas in a pod. They were so funny together, El acted like a teenager. They shared the same sense of humor—sometimes questionable—which more than once made Noah roll his eyes. It was no surprise that the entire Stabler family embraced her, following the example of El and Eli.
Liv tried to strengthen her relationship with Tracy, for Ollie’s sake, but there was too much resentment. Little by little, their exchanges were reduced to a few text messages now and then about Ollie’s comings and goings.
Once their bellies were full, the family settled down in front of the television—at least those who were interested in the game. Maureen’s husband took the kids to the nearby playground, Noah led Lizzie into the garden to show her some dance moves, and Eli and Becky disappeared only God knew where.
For the first time in years, the Knicks had the opportunity to win the regular season.
“Liv! It’s about to start!” Ollie called when the commercials ended, just before the beginning of the game.
Liv came from the kitchen where she was happily helping Maureen and Kathleen with the dishes. She was honored that the Stabler girls included her, and with each passing day she cultivated a genuine relationship with each of them, regardless of their father.
Richard, Ollie, and Elliot were packed onto the couch, and Bernie—Elliot’s mother—was nodding off in an armchair, propped up by soft cushions. She couldn’t care less about basketball, but her happiness lay in watching her family together. Uncle Randall, for his part, was fast asleep in the other identical armchair, snoring more or less loudly through his half-open mouth.
Liv walked around the sofa and stopped next to Elliot, placing a hand on his shoulder. He took it and pulled her authoritatively, leaving her with no choice but to collapse onto his lap. “Oof—” she let out, a little surprised by the suddenness of the movement. Elliot’s arms wrapped around her, her body fitting against him like a puzzle piece finding its counterpart.
Everyone was having a good time. After a while, the children returned, and Maureen had to scold Liv and Ollie, who kept swearing every time their team lost a point. Elliot was taking hits every time Liv suddenly sat up, caught up in her enthusiasm—either from her elbows or from the way she pressed on his thighs. He didn’t complain when Richard left and she took his place, even though it was his fingers that suffered then, crushed by the captain’s grip.
They relaxed when the third quarter came around, as the lead was comfortable. The coach of the opposing team called a timeout, and the cameraman took advantage of this to entertain the audience with the famous kiss cam.
Ollie turned to Liv and Elliot, eyes glinting with unspoken secrets.
Liv’s little finger curled around Elliot’s as they leaned toward each other. An inch. Half an inch. A third of an inch.
A breath, then a kiss.
And finally, a smile.