Author Note – set about a month after chapter seventeen. I know I said I wasn't going to add anything so quickly but some people 'encouraged' me to add something. I hope you all enjoy and this is more satisfying for everyone…this really is the end.

References – epilogue

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time."
― Laura Ingalls Wilder

"Is your dad dating Olivia?" Zara asked Eli as they sat in Don's living room playing checkers.

"I don't know," Eli shrugged his shoulders as he placed one finger on the piece he wanted to move. He frowned at the board then realised it was his only choice and he moved it over two of Zara's. He picked them up and put them to the side. "I keep asking but they don't answer me properly. They just say they're working things out. I saw Dad kiss Olivia when we put up the tree up for her and Noah, they thought I was sleeping," he added conspiratorially.

Nick smiled, filing away that little piece of information for a later time. He watched his daughter perched on the chair opposite the young boy, both of them swinging their legs as they waited for turn to sit on 'Santa's' knee. Elliot came to stand beside him.

"Is everything okay?" He asked handing the younger man a beer.

"Yeah, thanks," Nick replied accepting the bottle. "I was just thinking that in ten years I'm going to have to keep an eye on your son," he laughs but there is part of him which is seriously considering it if Elliot is going to be a part of their lives.

Elliot considers the scene before shrugging his shoulders, smiling proudly. "Fair enough."

"So you and Liv huh?" Nick asked and Elliot turned to face him instantly on guard. Nick stubbornly matches his stance, more than willing to stand up to Elliot with regard to the woman they both considered to be their partner. It's weird for Nick to think of the other man as Liv's partner, he'd never seen a picture but he'd always wondered about the man who disappeared out of Liv's life after thirteen years of working together. He had been reluctant to meet him, annoyed with Elliot over the way he had treated Olivia when their partnership ended. But Olivia had asked him to give Elliot a chance and he'd agreed.

Once Elliot realised Nick wasn't starting an argument, Elliot's expression softened and shifted to look at the woman in question, a slight flush creeping up his neck as he stared at Olivia and for a moment Nick thought Elliot forgot all about him. He had to admit the sight was an enticing one and he knew that Elliot wanted to be over there with Olivia as she coaxed Noah to sit on Don's lap. Noah didn't look convinced by whatever Olivia was saying because he didn't recognise Don under the red hood and white beard. They watched Noah curl shyly into Olivia side as she crouched beside Don. She scooped her arm under the toddlers' knees and lifted him on Don's lap. Noah frowned up at the retired captain, his face scrunching. Don started to bounce his knee in a bid to avert the little boy's tears, but Noah didn't cry. His hands lifted hesitantly to the fake beard as Don spoke reassuringly to him. Noah relaxed visibly as he explored the beard, lifting it to look under it at Don's chin. Noah started to giggle as he lifted it up and down, playing peek-a-boo with the man who dressed up as Santa for him.

Nick watched a smile adorn Olivia's face as Noah began to enjoy sitting on 'Santa's' lap. He wasn't the only one entranced by her smile. Nick saw the quick over the shoulder glance she threw at Elliot. The former partners held each other's eyes for a long moment and Olivia's face softened as they shared a silent conversation.

She was happy.

Nick's sigh went unheard as they focused on each other. She should have had this life years ago and Nick was glad she was finally content. And if Elliot was part of her life which made her happy, then Nick was happy with Elliot. He just wouldn't let Elliot off that easily.

"We're taking this slowly," Elliot said surprising Nick.

Nick glanced at Elliot out of the corner of his eye and saw his attention was still focused on Olivia and Nick doubted that focus would shift.

"I know you don't trust me and I know you think I'm an asshole," Elliot said quietly. "Most of the time I am."

"You have no idea what I'm thinking," Nick said just as quietly, reassured Olivia was over the other side of the room and couldn't hear what they were saying. For a long time Nick had thought that, but a short time in the man's presence, the haunted look in his eyes, the unwavering attention he directed at Olivia, Eli and Noah, made Nick reconsider his opinion of Elliot.

"Yeah I do, because I would think the same," Elliot asserts meeting Nick's gaze. "I don't have any right to ask but I need you to keep thinking like that."

Nick nods. "If they're happy, I'm happy," he explained.

Elliot looks relieved and Nick feels as though they should shake on the agreement they've just made but he knows they won't, nothing so obvious. Clinking bottles is out of the question too as it would gain them unwanted attention from the woman they're discussing. So they both sip their beers, silently toasting her instead.

Their silence doesn't last long as Munch, Fin and Amanda enter Don's house from the garden.

"I thought this was just going to be dinner to welcome the Cap back to the city," Fin said as he placed the bag of drinks and snacks they had brought on the counter.

"He wanted to include the kids," Elliot explained.

"What I find impressive is that Cragen managed to get hold of a Santa costume in the week before Christmas," Munch added as he saw Noah sat on Don's lap. "He's going to snap the beard."

Elliot looked over at his former colleague. "He's curious," he defended with a small puff of his chest.

Nick smirked at the defensiveness in the other man's voice, how fatherly it sounded, but kept his thoughts to himself. He watched Elliot watch Olivia take photos of the moment between her son and their former captain, his focus still not moving even with other distractions. Nick wonders if it was like this when they worked together, if it was always this intense between them, if some of the rumours he'd heard were true. Part of him is disappointed about not being able to witness it first hand on the job. Nick never understood why Olivia missed someone who walked away from her without a word and he knows that a few hours in their combined company wouldn't give him a complete insight, all he knows is that he hasn't seen Olivia as relaxed as she has been with Elliot back in her life.

"I'll give you that he's naturally inquisitive, but Noah has form with elastic," Munch said stroking the underside of his bottom jaw thoughtfully. When neither of them laughs at his joke, Munch looks between Elliot and Nick, sensing the atmosphere his hand stills at the tip of his chin and he lowers it slowly. "The original and the replacement," he deadpanned looking between them, lifting his chin as he waited for one of them to challenge his remark. He hears a tell-tale snap and his gaze shifts when Noah giggles.

"No Noah," Olivia says but can't help but smile as her son's laughs.

She moves to lift him from Don's lap but the older man, fake beard dangling around his neck, waves Olivia away as he laughs with Noah and pulls the toddler closer. Noah settles into Don's side directing a cheeky smile at his mother. She lifts her phone to take a quick photo before turning to the other two children who had halted their checkers game to laugh at the small boys antics.

"Come and sit with Noah and Don," she tells them. They drop down from their sofa and make their way to where they're sitting.

"Dad, Noah pulled the beard off of Santa," Zara says over her shoulder. "But we know that Don is just pretending to be Santa."

"Noah's too young to realise who Santa is," Nick replied as he walked over to his daughter, leaving Elliot and Munch alone to talk.

"Really?" Zara asked incredulously, her eyes wide and her jaw dropping. Nick nodded with a loving smile before hooking an arm around her shoulder and guiding her to stand beside Don's other knee leaning on it lightly as he stood behind her.

"Besides the real Santa is really busy this time of year," Eli added as he stood next to Noah and placed an arm around him. The group smiled at Olivia as she took the photo with the now beardless Santa.

Elliot and Munch sipped from their beers as they watched Olivia lift Noah from Don's lap so the other children could have their turn and she snapped photos of them while Noah became fascinated with her phone.

"Why'd you do it?" Elliot asks quietly.

Munch doesn't ask him what he's asking about, he doesn't need to. "Maybe we should talk outside, I'm too conscious of prying ears."

They go out through the door Munch recently came through and stand on Don's back porch side by side looking out over the garden.

"Why'd you do it?" Elliot repeats.

Munch is silent for a moment, pondering his answer. "Do you regret that I did? I'm not the one who wrote your contact information on the letter."

"I didn't think the judge would show her the letter," Elliot replies.

"Liv needed confidence to do this, the judge wanted to show Liv she had people supporting her even when she didn't think she did. I couldn't think of anyone who has as much confidence in her as you do."

Elliot glances at Munch, his eyes filled with gratitude and regret. "I thought she would be too angry to call, to listen to what I had to say."

"She wouldn't be angry if she didn't care." Munch pauses. "But you break her heart again and there won't be a third chance."

Elliot nods thoughtfully, taking the warning on board. He looks over Munch's shoulder and something in the house holds his attention for a long second. Munch's curiosity gets the better of him and he follows his line of sight to find Olivia holding Noah who has his head on her shoulder while he plays with a strand of her hair as she kisses the crown of his head.

"I take it things are progressing," Munch prods and he is surprised when Elliot answers him.

"I have no idea what she sees in me and I know that I'm not good enough for her."

"No you're not," Munch agrees. "But you're part of what she wants, can't fathom why. You can be a stubborn b-"

"Liv and I already went over that," Elliot cuts him off. He swallows loudly. "When you told me she was fostering, planning on adopting Noah, I wanted to do something to make up for walking away the way I did, make up for the way I held her back from having the family she's always wanted." He breathed deeply, uncomfortably.

Munch stays silent. It feels strange to be having this conversation. Though they have never really confided in one another they have known each other the longest, apart from Don, so it feels fitting to be talking about this. Being the instigator in the chain of events which led to this moment Munch feels compelled to listen to Elliot even though it seems like he is talking out loud rather than confessing to him.

"I didn't want a new family," Elliot admits gruffly. "I always wanted her to have children, she's always wanted them. I thought I would just be able to drop off the present for Noah…But I'm selfish and after seeing them, I can't let her, or Noah, go again."

Elliot stops and Munch takes as a cue to respond. "Neither of you could let go," he tells him seriously. "That's why I came to you, knew there would be too much temptation to keep you from walking away." Elliot raises an eyebrow at him and Munch shrugs. "I've had four wives, I'm a hopeless romantic."

"I don't think they would see it that way," Elliot jokes.

"They don't," Munch agreed. He breathes out slowly. "They didn't understand how I could do the job, how I could see what we did every day. That's why it's difficult to keep be someone who's looking from the outside in, they don't understand."

"Is this your way of telling me about you and Fin?"

Munch looks at him from over the rim of his glasses. "No, but it's similar. Look at us; no one would believe we would work together for as long as we did. I didn't think we'd make it through the first case together. We come from different places, but he's my best friend and he's like a brother to me. I would do anything for him. And you would do anything for Olivia."

"I would," Elliot agrees.

"Liv needs someone who understands, who wants the same as her," Munch pushes and Elliot nods.

"The judge is bringing forward the adoption. Liv isn't ready for my name to go on it and truthfully neither am I; we're not in that place yet. But one day we will be."

"Even though you weren't born to us, you grew in our hearts. We will be forever connected because love is what makes a family."
― Deanna Kahler