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Chapter 8

"We're never doing this again," Elliot huffed as they made it to the top of the lighthouse. His legs felt like jelly and he thought he might fall over at any moment. He looked at Olivia to see if she was as tired as he was, and it looked like she hadn't even broken a sweat. She stepped up on the last step and grinned at him.

"Tired already?" Olivia teased. "You're getting old, Stabler."

"Hey, watch it, Benson," he said, stepping aside so she could step out onto the observation deck first. When she did, he heard her gasp.

The view was stunning. They could see up and down the beach for miles and there was nothing but the ocean stretched out in front of them. The morning sun reflected off the water, temporarily blinding Elliot before he slipped on his sunglasses. "What do you think?" He asked Olivia as he leaned forward and rested his arms on the railing in front of him.

"This is gorgeous," she said as she stared out over the water. "It's nothing like the views we have in the city." She looked down to the ground and nudged Elliot. "There are the kids."

Elliot looked down to see his children looking up at them and waving. Elliot waved back and pulled out his phone. "We should get a picture up here," he said. He looked around and the only other people still on the deck were an older couple with graying hair and large sunglasses that covered their regular glasses. "Excuse me?" He said, approaching them.

"Yes, dear?" The woman asked in a thick southern accent.

"Could you take our picture?"

The woman looked at Elliot and then to Olivia and smiled. "Of course, hun. Give me your camera."

"I just have my phone."

"Oh, one of those new-fangled touch screen phones. My grandkids have been teaching me to use mine. Let's see if I can figure it out."

"You just hit the camera button then the other button, Grace," the man with the woman said, looking over her shoulder at the phone Elliot just handed her.

"I know, I know George," she said, waving him away. "Go stand by your wife, hun. I'll get you with the ocean in the background. I'm Grace, by the way, and this is my husband, George."

"Oh we're not-"Olivia began.

"Sure, thanks for doing this. I'm Elliot and this is Olivia," Elliot said, cutting Olivia off and smiling at her. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"You're such a sweet couple," Grace said, pointing the phone at them. "Got it. Let me take a couple more just to be sure."

"Just hit the button, Gracey," George said.

"Oh, will you quit. I might be old, but I'm not technologically incapable yet." After a few more seconds she lowered the phone and handed it back to Elliot. "There you go."

"Thank you, again," Elliot said.

"You're welcome, dear. I hope you two enjoy your time here. This is a place truly for lovers," Grace said, glancing up to her husband and smiling before looking back to them. "Ya'll have a good day."

"Thank you," Olivia said, watching them descend back down the lighthouse.

"What do you think," Elliot said, showing her the photos Grace just took.

"I think you should send me those," Olivia said, admiring the photos. They looked so natural together like they truly were a married couple, even soulmates.

The concept of soulmates wasn't something she used to believe in. She never understood how someone could ever just be bound to one person, but her thoughts changed over the time she spent with Elliot since the start of their partnership. It wasn't just being bound to someone. It was about being equal in all ways. It was the ability to disagree but still trust and respect them. It was about having a love so strong, and so deep that even the most ferocious storm couldn't shake them. It had taken her years, but she understood what soulmates were now and when she looked at Elliot, she knew he was her soulmate.

"Come on, let's get back down to the kids," Elliot said. "And we'll spend the rest of the day at the beach."

She decided to wear the bikini again and knew Elliot had yet to take his eyes off her while they sat under the beach umbrella that afternoon. He finally stopped trailing his eyes over her body when Eli wanted to go into the water. She watched him pick up his son and wade into the calm surf. He turned towards the beach and held Eli tightly as he let a wave break against his back. He caught her eye and waved and said something to Eli. Eli smiled and waved at her. Olivia smiled and waved back at them. She watched them for another minute before emerging from under the umbrella and into the sun. She approached the water and slowly stepped into the sea to join them.

"Livia!" Eli squealed when he saw her. "Ocean fun!"

"I know," Olivia responded as Elliot held out his hand to her. She took it and held on tightly, focusing on him rather than the murky water she was standing in.

"Surprised you came out here," Elliot said.

"Guess I was feeling lonely," Olivia she shrugged as a gentle wave broke at her knees.

"So the kids had an idea?" Elliot said as spotted something in the water, causing him to pause his train of thought. He reached down and pulled up a large seashell. "Look at that one, Eli."

"Big!" Eli said grabbing the shell from his father.

"What's the idea?" Olivia asked.

"They said we should go out to dinner tonight. Lizzie promised to watch Eli if we order them a pizza for dinner."

"Dinner sounds nice," Olivia said.

Elliot as he set Eli down and told him to go see Kathleen. He made sure the toddler made it to his siblings before turning back to Olivia. "Want to go out a little further?"

Olivia bit her lip and looked out over the ocean. The idea of going out into deeper water still scared her. She knew Elliot wouldn't let anything happen to her though. What could it hurt? She turned back to him and nodded. "Just don't let go of me," she said.

"I won't. Promise." Still holding her hand, he began to lead her out into deeper water. "Just brace yourself for the waves. We might have to dive under them."

"I'd rather not go under, thanks," Olivia answered dryly.

"We'll try to avoid that then," Elliot said, pulling her into his side as a wave broke against their chests.

The force of the water nearly knocked her off her feet, but Elliot held onto her. When they got past where the majority of the waves formed and broke, they were up to their shoulders. Olivia was thankful she could still feel ground under her until the beginnings of a wave lifted her off the ground and tried to pull her back towards the shore and away from Elliot.

He gripped her hand tightly and pulled her back to him, wrapping an arm around her waist. They bobbed up and down in the sea, drifting ever so slightly parallel to the shore. There was something freeing about floating out in the open water beyond the waves with Elliot. She forgot her fears as she focused on him and the feeling of his arm around her. It was as if the world melted away and it was just them, floating off into nothingness together.

Elliot looked back to shore to check on his children before looking out to sea. Olivia watched his eyes widen for a moment and a grin appear on his face. "Liv, look," he said, pointing off into the distance.

She followed his gaze and saw the tops of curved dorsal fins peeking out of the water before disappearing. She then saw the nose of a dolphin break the surface as another jumped gracefully out of the water and dove back in. She could hear excited shouting coming from the people on the shore as she watched the dolphins swim by them.

Elliot pressed his lips to her temple. "Let's get back to shore," Elliot said once the dolphins disappeared under the water and out of sight. "We have a dinner to get ready for."