TITLE: The Christmas Blues
AUTHOR: Liv
RATING: Ah.PG I'd guess.there could be some language
CLASSIFICATION: Olivia/Elliot friendship
SPOILERS: None
DISTRUBUTION STATEMENT: If anyone is so inclined to post this anywhere, let me know about it first.I promised you'll get the green light.and I'll be flattered
SUMMARY: I think the title says it all.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is my first SVU fic.well, that I'm willing to let anyone read ;o). Also, Elizabeth and Dickie are younger in this story than on the show.I am portraying them as 10 year-olds.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters on SVU, I'm only playing with them for the time being and will return them in one piece.I promise.
***********************************************************************
16th Precinct
December 24, 2003
6:15pm
Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler had spent the majority of their day staring at their respective computer screens. Catching up on paperwork was one of the necessary evils of the job, but knowing that did not make either of them any happier about it. Olivia noticed that Elliot had been uncharacteristically quiet all day. Even when they had gone out for lunch it was like pulling teeth to get him to talk to her. Looking up from her computer, she sighed and folded her arms across her chest.
"Alright, I give up. What's bothering you Stabler?" She paused for a moment, "And don't say nothing-you know better than that," she added, narrowing her eyes for emphasis.
He stopped typing and looked up at her. "Tomorrow is my problem, 'Liv."
She nodded with understanding. Tomorrow would be his first Christmas without Kathy. She still couldn't believe that Kathy had filed for divorce- the day after Thanksgiving no less. She had been sure that Elliot's marriage was the type to live up to the "'til death do us part" portion of the vows. She couldn't have been more wrong.
"Well, it's after six already, why don't we grab some coffee and talk, cause I'm not letting you go home with that look on your face. Once I'm satisfied you've told me what's bothering you, I'll let you can go home and tuck in your kids," Olivia suggested with a smile.
"Yeah, I could use some real coffee-not that sludge Munch made," Elliot said straightening up his desk.
Fifteen minutes later, the two detectives were walking down the snowy sidewalk toward the Starbucks on the next corner. After getting their coffees, the two found a booth in the corner of the small shop.
"Now that we've got some decent coffee, spill it," Olivia said, wrapping her hands around her cup to warm them.
"I'm just worried about the kids and tomorrow. It will be their first Christmas without Kathy and I'm not sure I'll be able to pull it off myself," Elliot explained, stirring his coffee.
"El, if anyone can do it, it's you. Just make sure you don't pretend that nothing is different and do the best you can. Watch them open their presents, make them breakfast and be there to comfort them when they need you. That's all any parent really can do."
"I just can't believe that she's not even coming to visit. She called me a few days ago and *informed* me that she was going to Italy for the holidays with her fiancé," Elliot said, anger evident in his voice.
"She engaged!?! Do the kids know?"
"I haven't told them yet. I thought it would be better to wait until after the holidays," he explained.
"God, Elliot, I'm so sorry. You could have told me before now.you know that I'm always here for you," she said, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it reassuringly.
"I know 'Liv, I just couldn't bring myself to believe it was actually happening. I guess, on some level, I thought I could make it go away," he said. He took a sip of his coffee and looked into Olivia's chestnut colored eyes.
"I never thought I'd be worrying about what my first Christmas without my wife would be like, even though I know our marriage was over a long time ago," he said barely above a whisper.
"Well, at least you'll fit in with everyone else. Aside from being the 'most wonderful time of the year,' it's also the most depressing," Olivia replied looking away from him and down at the coffee in her hands.
"I forgot that you spend every Christmas alone," Elliot said.
"We all have our own problems, Elliot. My problems are just that-my problems and shouldn't concern you. You have enough to worry about without my dragging you down," Olivia responding, fidgeting slightly in her seat.
Elliot was quiet for a few moments, appearing to be deep in thought. Then, he began to speak, "Come to my house for Christmas."
"What? No, Elliot I can't. You should be with your kids-they need you," Olivia responded, obviously taken aback by his invitation.
"The kids won't mind, I'm sure they'd love to see you. Lizzie will beg you to play dolls with her, but if you can stand that, everything will be great," he said.
She sat quietly, contemplating his offer. Before she could answer, Elliot started talking again. "Olivia," she looked up at the use of her full name. "It would mean a lot to me to have you there. It would make the day bearable."
The corners of her mouth turned up into a slight smile at his words. "Okay, you've convinced me. I'll come share Christmas with the Stablers."
PART 2
After finishing their coffee, Olivia and Elliot bundled up and headed back to the precinct. As they stepped out of Starbucks they realized it had begun to snow. The tiny flakes shimmered in the street lamps' light and stuck in their hair and on their coats. They arrived back at the stationhouse and went directly to the parking garage.
"Let me give you a ride home," Elliot suggested.
"That would be great. Just let me run up to the office real quick. I forgot something," she called over her shoulder, purposely not giving him time to follow.
Olivia took the elevator to the main floor and walked toward her desk. She opened up the bottom right-hand drawer and pulled out a beautifully wrapped package and hid it in the messenger bag she'd brought to work with her. She headed back to the parking garage, got into Elliot's car and fastened hear seatbelt.
"Sorry about that, I wouldn't have been able to function without my make-up case," she said trying to justify her peculiar behavior. Elliot let out a small laugh and responded, "Typical woman."
Olivia smacked his shoulder and laughed. "Just drive, Stabler."
They sat and listened to Christmas carols on the way to Olivia's apartment. Elliot smiled when he realized that Olivia was quietly humming along with the radio, but did not say anything about it. He realized that this was the first time she had genuinely looked happy since the holiday season had began. Before tonight, he had never thought about what it would be like to be in her place year after year. To spend every Christmas alone and, knowing her, probably working. Elliot was jarred from his thoughts by Olivia, "Earth to Elliot-you just passed my building."
"Shit. Sorry about that."
After a bit of finagling, the car came to a stop in front of her building. "Thanks for the lift. What time did you want me tomorrow?" she asked getting ready to exit the car.
"How about 10? You'll be just in time for breakfast," he suggested.
"Sounds good-I'll be there."
She got out of the car and headed up to her apartment. After getting settled, Olivia decided to take a hot bath to try to relax. She filled the tub with hot water, added some bubble bath and watched the bubbles grow. When the tub was full, she walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of white wine. On her way back to the bathroom, she pulled a magazine out of the mail pile and grabbed her phone. Upon entering the bathroom, she put all of her bath time necessities on the small table next to the tub. Olivia toed off her socks and peeled off the rest of her clothes. She sunk down into the tub, allowing herself to be enveloped in the sensation and sighed contently. After taking a sip of her wine, she closed her eyes and began to unwind. As if on cue, a few moments later, her phone rang.
"Ugh," she groaned. "You have *got* to be kidding me." She reached over and grabbed the phone. "Benson," she said as she inadvertently sloshed the water around loudly.
"Sorry to bother you 'Liv," Elliot started.
"But." she interjected.
"I forgot to tell you something before you got out of the car."
"Oh? And what was that?" She asked, blowing bubbles off her free hand.
"Thank you," he replied simply.
"For what?"
"Being here for me and not letting me go home looking like crap only to ruin the kids' Christmas spirit," he said, twirling the cord of his phone around his fingers.
"You're welcome, Elliot, but you really don't have to thank me."
"I know. I just wanted to."
She smiled at his words. "Well, not to be rude, but now that you've thanked me, can I get back to soaking in the tub?"
"I'm sorry 'Liv. I didn't mean to interrupt your bath." It wasn't until after the words left his mouth that realized what he said.
"It's okay. I'll see you tomorrow, El. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas."
As Elliot hung up the phone, he struggled to get the unpartnerly thoughts that were filing his head to go away. Later that night, after all the presents were under the tree, Elliot lay awake in bed once again trying to get those unpartnerly thoughts out of his head.
Olivia arrived at the Stabler house at 10:03 and knocked on the door. It was opened few moments later by Maureen.
"Hi Olivia, Merry Christmas! Come in," she said holding the door open for her. Olivia managed to squeeze through the door, even with the two shopping bags she was carrying. Elliot appeared down the hallway and walked toward her.
"'Liv, what's all this? You didn't have to bring gifts," he said wiping his hands on the apron he was wearing.
Stifling a laugh, she moved toward him and held out one of the bags. "Take this please," she pleaded.
He took the bag and carried it into the living room. He put it down by the tree and she followed his lead.
"Breakfast is just about ready. Let's eat first," he suggested.
"Okay. What can I do to help?" Olivia asked, removing her coat.
Elliot held up a hand at her question. "I've got it all under control."
She and Maureen looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.
"Maureen, go get your sisters and brother please," Elliot said. He began walking toward the kitchen. Olivia followed and sat down on one of the stools at the counter.
"You're sure the kids are okay with me being here?" She asked.
"Yeah. I told them last night. You know, Kathleen even asked me if we were going out."
"Did she really? Did she seem upset at the idea of you dating someone?" Olivia asked, choosing her words carefully.
Elliot turned and walked over to the stove and picked up the pan that had been sizzling. He moved over to the table and started filling each plate with ham and eggs.
"Actually, when she thought it was you, there was no problem. When I told her we weren't dating, she suddenly got upset with the whole idea," he explained, placing the dirty pan in the sink.
Olivia was at a loss for words. His kids wouldn't object to him dating, as long as he was dating her? Strange. She would have thought the exact opposite would have been the case. Then again, she'd been wrong a lot lately when it came to the Stabler family.
Elliot walked over to the bottom of the staircase and yelled up the stairs. "Kids! Come on, breakfast is getting cold!"
They could hear the sound of eight feet scrambling about them. Kathleen and Dickie were the first downstairs. Elizabeth was next, followed by Maureen. After greeting Olivia, the four kids milled around the table and took the respective seats. Unsure of where she was supposed to sit, Olivia hesitated for a moment. Sensing her dilemma, Elliot pointed to one of the empty chairs. He was the last to reach the table carrying a pitch of orange juice in one hand and a pot of coffee in the other. Before he sat down, he poured each child a glass of orange juice and Olivia and himself coffee.
"Okay, let's eat," he said as he grabbed the fork to his left.
Breakfast was eaten quickly and the dishes forgotten about even faster. Maureen had told the other kids that there were more presents for after breakfast and none of them could wait to tear into them.
Soon, the four kids were gathered around the tree. Olivia and Elliot were sitting on the couch, she with the two shopping bags at her feet. In the bags, there were two presents for each child and the one she'd picked up from the office yesterday, for Elliot. She distributed all of the gifts, except for his. The kids were very happy with their presents. Maureen couldn't wait to spend her gift certificate to the mall or try out her new make-up, which Elliot had frowned at and Kathleen was already reading one of the books she'd gotten. Dickie was playing with his remote controlled Hummer and track, and Elizabeth had already made Olivia promise to play with her and her new doll and its accessories. Olivia was pleased with the choices she had made for the kids' gifts. She turned to Elliot and handed him his present, "Merry Christmas, El."
He accepted it, then leaned over the couch and picked up a presented and handed it to her. "Merry Christmas to you too 'Liv," he said as he kissed her on the cheek.
The two opened their presents with just as much enthusiasm as the kids had. When Elliot opened his box, he found a Knicks jersey with a pair of tickets attached.
"How did you get these? They're half court seats! They've been sold out for *months*!"
"I have connections," she replied with a smile.
She opened her box to find a framed photo of the two of then taken at last year's Christmas party. There was second frame that had a picture of the whole unit at the same party. She was intrigued by the first picture. Even though she remembered the event, she had no recollection of that picture being taken. They were on the dance floor and she was flashing a 1000-watt smile that she was positive no one had seen since.
"These are beautiful, Elliot. Thank you so much," she said carefully placing them back in the box.
Olivia reached across the couch and hugged him tightly.
"You're welcome," he said, hugging her back. They broke apart and Elizabeth ran over to the couch, her new dolls in hand.
"Can we play now?" She asked, dropping a doll with long, wavy brown hair into Olivia's lap.
"Sure, what's her name?" Olivia asked picking up the doll.
"Her name is Samantha Parkington and this," Elizabeth said picking up her own doll, "is Kit Kittredge. They are American Girls and best friends."
Elizabeth grabbed her hand and let her onto the floor next to the Christmas tree where all of her doll accessories were neatly laid out. Olivia and Elizabeth spent the rest of the afternoon playing with their dolls, while Elliot set to work preparing Christmas dinner. At 5 o'clock, Elliot called everyone into the dining room for dinner.
"You're just full of surprises aren't you?" Olivia said to Elliot as she entered the dining room to see the table set, candles lit and a beautiful feast waiting to be eaten. After everyone was seated, Elliot began carving the turkey he'd prepared. Everyone began filling their plates and before long, most of the food was gone. Olivia helped Elliot clean up the dining room and wash the dishes. The kids had all run upstairs the second cleaning up was mentioned. After the mess was cleaned, they went back into the now quiet living room. Elliot started a fire in the fireplace and sat on the couch next to Olivia. He slipped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. Surprised by his actions, she didn't react immediately. After a moment, she wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled into his shoulder.
"Thanks for coming today 'Liv," he said, looking down at her in his arms.
"No, thank you for inviting me. I had a really great time today. Your kids are wonderful."
"You really didn't have to get them anything, but I know they appreciate it," paused before continuing. "And I'm not sure how you managed to get those tickets, but I can't wait to take you to see the Knicks," he replied giving her a squeeze.
"Me? I thought you would want to take Dickie," she said pulling out of his embrace.
"Dickie? No, he likes the Lakers-sometimes I'm not sure where that boy gets his taste in sports," Elliot said with a laugh.
"This is the first Christmas I've enjoyed in a long time. I'd almost forgotten how great the holidays can actually be," Olivia said looking into his azure eyes.
"You made this Christmas bearable for me 'Liv. Your being here made what I thought was going to be the worst day of the year, the best."
With that, he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss went on for what seemed like ages. When they parted, Olivia looked up at her partner with desire in her eyes and smiled that same 1000-watt smile from the picture.
"I've been waiting a long time to do that, you know," she said, lazily drawing small circles on his chest.
"Me too. Ever since the first time I laid eyes on you when you strode into the unit with all of that confidence and enthusiasm-and not to mention a great body," he said with a smile.
"Well, then let's do it again," she replied capturing his mouth with hers.
This was sure to be a Christmas that neither one of them would soon forget. :o)
AUTHOR: Liv
RATING: Ah.PG I'd guess.there could be some language
CLASSIFICATION: Olivia/Elliot friendship
SPOILERS: None
DISTRUBUTION STATEMENT: If anyone is so inclined to post this anywhere, let me know about it first.I promised you'll get the green light.and I'll be flattered
SUMMARY: I think the title says it all.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is my first SVU fic.well, that I'm willing to let anyone read ;o). Also, Elizabeth and Dickie are younger in this story than on the show.I am portraying them as 10 year-olds.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters on SVU, I'm only playing with them for the time being and will return them in one piece.I promise.
***********************************************************************
16th Precinct
December 24, 2003
6:15pm
Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler had spent the majority of their day staring at their respective computer screens. Catching up on paperwork was one of the necessary evils of the job, but knowing that did not make either of them any happier about it. Olivia noticed that Elliot had been uncharacteristically quiet all day. Even when they had gone out for lunch it was like pulling teeth to get him to talk to her. Looking up from her computer, she sighed and folded her arms across her chest.
"Alright, I give up. What's bothering you Stabler?" She paused for a moment, "And don't say nothing-you know better than that," she added, narrowing her eyes for emphasis.
He stopped typing and looked up at her. "Tomorrow is my problem, 'Liv."
She nodded with understanding. Tomorrow would be his first Christmas without Kathy. She still couldn't believe that Kathy had filed for divorce- the day after Thanksgiving no less. She had been sure that Elliot's marriage was the type to live up to the "'til death do us part" portion of the vows. She couldn't have been more wrong.
"Well, it's after six already, why don't we grab some coffee and talk, cause I'm not letting you go home with that look on your face. Once I'm satisfied you've told me what's bothering you, I'll let you can go home and tuck in your kids," Olivia suggested with a smile.
"Yeah, I could use some real coffee-not that sludge Munch made," Elliot said straightening up his desk.
Fifteen minutes later, the two detectives were walking down the snowy sidewalk toward the Starbucks on the next corner. After getting their coffees, the two found a booth in the corner of the small shop.
"Now that we've got some decent coffee, spill it," Olivia said, wrapping her hands around her cup to warm them.
"I'm just worried about the kids and tomorrow. It will be their first Christmas without Kathy and I'm not sure I'll be able to pull it off myself," Elliot explained, stirring his coffee.
"El, if anyone can do it, it's you. Just make sure you don't pretend that nothing is different and do the best you can. Watch them open their presents, make them breakfast and be there to comfort them when they need you. That's all any parent really can do."
"I just can't believe that she's not even coming to visit. She called me a few days ago and *informed* me that she was going to Italy for the holidays with her fiancé," Elliot said, anger evident in his voice.
"She engaged!?! Do the kids know?"
"I haven't told them yet. I thought it would be better to wait until after the holidays," he explained.
"God, Elliot, I'm so sorry. You could have told me before now.you know that I'm always here for you," she said, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it reassuringly.
"I know 'Liv, I just couldn't bring myself to believe it was actually happening. I guess, on some level, I thought I could make it go away," he said. He took a sip of his coffee and looked into Olivia's chestnut colored eyes.
"I never thought I'd be worrying about what my first Christmas without my wife would be like, even though I know our marriage was over a long time ago," he said barely above a whisper.
"Well, at least you'll fit in with everyone else. Aside from being the 'most wonderful time of the year,' it's also the most depressing," Olivia replied looking away from him and down at the coffee in her hands.
"I forgot that you spend every Christmas alone," Elliot said.
"We all have our own problems, Elliot. My problems are just that-my problems and shouldn't concern you. You have enough to worry about without my dragging you down," Olivia responding, fidgeting slightly in her seat.
Elliot was quiet for a few moments, appearing to be deep in thought. Then, he began to speak, "Come to my house for Christmas."
"What? No, Elliot I can't. You should be with your kids-they need you," Olivia responded, obviously taken aback by his invitation.
"The kids won't mind, I'm sure they'd love to see you. Lizzie will beg you to play dolls with her, but if you can stand that, everything will be great," he said.
She sat quietly, contemplating his offer. Before she could answer, Elliot started talking again. "Olivia," she looked up at the use of her full name. "It would mean a lot to me to have you there. It would make the day bearable."
The corners of her mouth turned up into a slight smile at his words. "Okay, you've convinced me. I'll come share Christmas with the Stablers."
PART 2
After finishing their coffee, Olivia and Elliot bundled up and headed back to the precinct. As they stepped out of Starbucks they realized it had begun to snow. The tiny flakes shimmered in the street lamps' light and stuck in their hair and on their coats. They arrived back at the stationhouse and went directly to the parking garage.
"Let me give you a ride home," Elliot suggested.
"That would be great. Just let me run up to the office real quick. I forgot something," she called over her shoulder, purposely not giving him time to follow.
Olivia took the elevator to the main floor and walked toward her desk. She opened up the bottom right-hand drawer and pulled out a beautifully wrapped package and hid it in the messenger bag she'd brought to work with her. She headed back to the parking garage, got into Elliot's car and fastened hear seatbelt.
"Sorry about that, I wouldn't have been able to function without my make-up case," she said trying to justify her peculiar behavior. Elliot let out a small laugh and responded, "Typical woman."
Olivia smacked his shoulder and laughed. "Just drive, Stabler."
They sat and listened to Christmas carols on the way to Olivia's apartment. Elliot smiled when he realized that Olivia was quietly humming along with the radio, but did not say anything about it. He realized that this was the first time she had genuinely looked happy since the holiday season had began. Before tonight, he had never thought about what it would be like to be in her place year after year. To spend every Christmas alone and, knowing her, probably working. Elliot was jarred from his thoughts by Olivia, "Earth to Elliot-you just passed my building."
"Shit. Sorry about that."
After a bit of finagling, the car came to a stop in front of her building. "Thanks for the lift. What time did you want me tomorrow?" she asked getting ready to exit the car.
"How about 10? You'll be just in time for breakfast," he suggested.
"Sounds good-I'll be there."
She got out of the car and headed up to her apartment. After getting settled, Olivia decided to take a hot bath to try to relax. She filled the tub with hot water, added some bubble bath and watched the bubbles grow. When the tub was full, she walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of white wine. On her way back to the bathroom, she pulled a magazine out of the mail pile and grabbed her phone. Upon entering the bathroom, she put all of her bath time necessities on the small table next to the tub. Olivia toed off her socks and peeled off the rest of her clothes. She sunk down into the tub, allowing herself to be enveloped in the sensation and sighed contently. After taking a sip of her wine, she closed her eyes and began to unwind. As if on cue, a few moments later, her phone rang.
"Ugh," she groaned. "You have *got* to be kidding me." She reached over and grabbed the phone. "Benson," she said as she inadvertently sloshed the water around loudly.
"Sorry to bother you 'Liv," Elliot started.
"But." she interjected.
"I forgot to tell you something before you got out of the car."
"Oh? And what was that?" She asked, blowing bubbles off her free hand.
"Thank you," he replied simply.
"For what?"
"Being here for me and not letting me go home looking like crap only to ruin the kids' Christmas spirit," he said, twirling the cord of his phone around his fingers.
"You're welcome, Elliot, but you really don't have to thank me."
"I know. I just wanted to."
She smiled at his words. "Well, not to be rude, but now that you've thanked me, can I get back to soaking in the tub?"
"I'm sorry 'Liv. I didn't mean to interrupt your bath." It wasn't until after the words left his mouth that realized what he said.
"It's okay. I'll see you tomorrow, El. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas."
As Elliot hung up the phone, he struggled to get the unpartnerly thoughts that were filing his head to go away. Later that night, after all the presents were under the tree, Elliot lay awake in bed once again trying to get those unpartnerly thoughts out of his head.
Olivia arrived at the Stabler house at 10:03 and knocked on the door. It was opened few moments later by Maureen.
"Hi Olivia, Merry Christmas! Come in," she said holding the door open for her. Olivia managed to squeeze through the door, even with the two shopping bags she was carrying. Elliot appeared down the hallway and walked toward her.
"'Liv, what's all this? You didn't have to bring gifts," he said wiping his hands on the apron he was wearing.
Stifling a laugh, she moved toward him and held out one of the bags. "Take this please," she pleaded.
He took the bag and carried it into the living room. He put it down by the tree and she followed his lead.
"Breakfast is just about ready. Let's eat first," he suggested.
"Okay. What can I do to help?" Olivia asked, removing her coat.
Elliot held up a hand at her question. "I've got it all under control."
She and Maureen looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.
"Maureen, go get your sisters and brother please," Elliot said. He began walking toward the kitchen. Olivia followed and sat down on one of the stools at the counter.
"You're sure the kids are okay with me being here?" She asked.
"Yeah. I told them last night. You know, Kathleen even asked me if we were going out."
"Did she really? Did she seem upset at the idea of you dating someone?" Olivia asked, choosing her words carefully.
Elliot turned and walked over to the stove and picked up the pan that had been sizzling. He moved over to the table and started filling each plate with ham and eggs.
"Actually, when she thought it was you, there was no problem. When I told her we weren't dating, she suddenly got upset with the whole idea," he explained, placing the dirty pan in the sink.
Olivia was at a loss for words. His kids wouldn't object to him dating, as long as he was dating her? Strange. She would have thought the exact opposite would have been the case. Then again, she'd been wrong a lot lately when it came to the Stabler family.
Elliot walked over to the bottom of the staircase and yelled up the stairs. "Kids! Come on, breakfast is getting cold!"
They could hear the sound of eight feet scrambling about them. Kathleen and Dickie were the first downstairs. Elizabeth was next, followed by Maureen. After greeting Olivia, the four kids milled around the table and took the respective seats. Unsure of where she was supposed to sit, Olivia hesitated for a moment. Sensing her dilemma, Elliot pointed to one of the empty chairs. He was the last to reach the table carrying a pitch of orange juice in one hand and a pot of coffee in the other. Before he sat down, he poured each child a glass of orange juice and Olivia and himself coffee.
"Okay, let's eat," he said as he grabbed the fork to his left.
Breakfast was eaten quickly and the dishes forgotten about even faster. Maureen had told the other kids that there were more presents for after breakfast and none of them could wait to tear into them.
Soon, the four kids were gathered around the tree. Olivia and Elliot were sitting on the couch, she with the two shopping bags at her feet. In the bags, there were two presents for each child and the one she'd picked up from the office yesterday, for Elliot. She distributed all of the gifts, except for his. The kids were very happy with their presents. Maureen couldn't wait to spend her gift certificate to the mall or try out her new make-up, which Elliot had frowned at and Kathleen was already reading one of the books she'd gotten. Dickie was playing with his remote controlled Hummer and track, and Elizabeth had already made Olivia promise to play with her and her new doll and its accessories. Olivia was pleased with the choices she had made for the kids' gifts. She turned to Elliot and handed him his present, "Merry Christmas, El."
He accepted it, then leaned over the couch and picked up a presented and handed it to her. "Merry Christmas to you too 'Liv," he said as he kissed her on the cheek.
The two opened their presents with just as much enthusiasm as the kids had. When Elliot opened his box, he found a Knicks jersey with a pair of tickets attached.
"How did you get these? They're half court seats! They've been sold out for *months*!"
"I have connections," she replied with a smile.
She opened her box to find a framed photo of the two of then taken at last year's Christmas party. There was second frame that had a picture of the whole unit at the same party. She was intrigued by the first picture. Even though she remembered the event, she had no recollection of that picture being taken. They were on the dance floor and she was flashing a 1000-watt smile that she was positive no one had seen since.
"These are beautiful, Elliot. Thank you so much," she said carefully placing them back in the box.
Olivia reached across the couch and hugged him tightly.
"You're welcome," he said, hugging her back. They broke apart and Elizabeth ran over to the couch, her new dolls in hand.
"Can we play now?" She asked, dropping a doll with long, wavy brown hair into Olivia's lap.
"Sure, what's her name?" Olivia asked picking up the doll.
"Her name is Samantha Parkington and this," Elizabeth said picking up her own doll, "is Kit Kittredge. They are American Girls and best friends."
Elizabeth grabbed her hand and let her onto the floor next to the Christmas tree where all of her doll accessories were neatly laid out. Olivia and Elizabeth spent the rest of the afternoon playing with their dolls, while Elliot set to work preparing Christmas dinner. At 5 o'clock, Elliot called everyone into the dining room for dinner.
"You're just full of surprises aren't you?" Olivia said to Elliot as she entered the dining room to see the table set, candles lit and a beautiful feast waiting to be eaten. After everyone was seated, Elliot began carving the turkey he'd prepared. Everyone began filling their plates and before long, most of the food was gone. Olivia helped Elliot clean up the dining room and wash the dishes. The kids had all run upstairs the second cleaning up was mentioned. After the mess was cleaned, they went back into the now quiet living room. Elliot started a fire in the fireplace and sat on the couch next to Olivia. He slipped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. Surprised by his actions, she didn't react immediately. After a moment, she wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled into his shoulder.
"Thanks for coming today 'Liv," he said, looking down at her in his arms.
"No, thank you for inviting me. I had a really great time today. Your kids are wonderful."
"You really didn't have to get them anything, but I know they appreciate it," paused before continuing. "And I'm not sure how you managed to get those tickets, but I can't wait to take you to see the Knicks," he replied giving her a squeeze.
"Me? I thought you would want to take Dickie," she said pulling out of his embrace.
"Dickie? No, he likes the Lakers-sometimes I'm not sure where that boy gets his taste in sports," Elliot said with a laugh.
"This is the first Christmas I've enjoyed in a long time. I'd almost forgotten how great the holidays can actually be," Olivia said looking into his azure eyes.
"You made this Christmas bearable for me 'Liv. Your being here made what I thought was going to be the worst day of the year, the best."
With that, he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss went on for what seemed like ages. When they parted, Olivia looked up at her partner with desire in her eyes and smiled that same 1000-watt smile from the picture.
"I've been waiting a long time to do that, you know," she said, lazily drawing small circles on his chest.
"Me too. Ever since the first time I laid eyes on you when you strode into the unit with all of that confidence and enthusiasm-and not to mention a great body," he said with a smile.
"Well, then let's do it again," she replied capturing his mouth with hers.
This was sure to be a Christmas that neither one of them would soon forget. :o)