Énouement: (n) The bittersweetness of having arrived in the future, seeing how things turn out, but not being able to tell your past self. (I'd give anything to be able to go back in time and tell my 20-year old self that the man I pined for does love me, and save myself such intense heartache. The énouement is excruciatingly deep.)

Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction.

The way he looked at her, every time their eyes met, made her heart stop. The smile on his face, one that reached his eyes, filled her with warmth. In her mind, she replayed the events of the day, a similar smile now gracing her own lips. Her fingers toyed with a few waves of hair as she leaned back in her seat. Crossing her legs, she remembered the hectic morning, how challenging it was to get three teens and a seven year old fed, dressed, and ready for school.

It was easier than she'd expected, though, and she mentally made a list of things to do to make the next morning even simpler. She got up and moved slowly toward the archway near the kitchen, her smile growing as her mind wandered. She leaned against the wall and let her head fall against it as she crossed her arms.

She thought back to the way Eli had hugged her tightly before running for his bus. With a sigh, she recalled the moment the boy was born, how it had been her that had brought him into the world and held him as he took his first breath. That's a bond that doesn't break, and she thanked her lucky stars for it.

She looked across the room at Elliot again, grinning at the befuddled expression on his face as he attempted to help his oldest son with his math homework. She folded her arms and the gears in her head turned again. If someone would have told her, years ago, that her future would drop her off where she is now, living with Elliot and his children, loving them, she'd have punched them in the face.

She'd never have believed them, and her first instinct would have been to make them suffer severely for lying to her about something so important to her. She watched Elliot's head spin, watched him smile at her again, and she gave him a small nod before she turned and walked into the kitchen. Her hands skimmed through her hair again as she moved toward the stove. Lifting the wooden spoon off the counter, she shook her head and laughed at her present situation, acknowledging that it was so much better than any future she'd imagined. She stirred the red sauce bubbling in a pot on the front burner, humming to herself.

"Smells so good," his voice rang from behind her.

She moaned and dropped her head backward as she felt him press against her. "You made it," she laughed. "I'm just stirring it."

He kissed the crown of her head and wrapped his arms around her. "You did more than me," he countered. He pulled gently on her hips, spinning her around. "I was thinking..." he paused, his eye narrowed as he looked into hers. "I knew. Part of me anyway. I knew we would...be here...like this." He leaned into her and captured her lips in a soft but deep kiss.

She moaned against his mouth, her hands trailing up his arms to loop around his neck. "Did you?" she asked teasingly, but part of her wanted to roll her eyes at him.

He nodded, kissing her again. "A long time ago, I guess...yeah, when I felt myself falling for you, I prayed...harder than I ever have. For answers, for guidance, for strength...and for you."

"Me?" Her eyes widened a bit and her hands gripped his shoulder blades.

He chuckled, again he kissed her, and he said, "More for you than anything. And I just knew, without a doubt, that my prayers would be answered, and we'd end up here, like this." He dropped his head a bit and kissed her neck, loving the soft moans he heard her let out. "There was never any question, baby."

She smoothed her hands down his back, up again, back down, and settled them in the small curve just above his ass. She moved her head to look into his eyes and held his gaze, intense and emotion-filled, for a long moment before moving and kissing him.

He smiled and pulled her closer, his tongue milling about with hers, his hands groping the toned muscles of her body.

"Wow," a voice from the doorway broke them apart. Dick laughed at the frozen faces of his father and Olivia. "You should see the looks on your...never mind, okay, uh...phone for you, Dad." He held out his father's cell phone and shook his head, laughing again as he walked out of the kitchen.

Elliot shrugged off the mild embarrassment as he lifted his phone to his ear. He slapped Olivia lightly on the ass, watching her turn her attention back to the stove. He listened to the caller as he handed Olivia a box of pasta. He gave her hair a light, playful tug as he watched her drop the contents into a pot of boiling water. "Yeah," he sighed, closing his eyes. "No, we will, it's...it's fine."

Olivia let out a harsh breath and turned sharply. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

He shook his head at her as he said into the phone, "Give us about twenty minutes. We'll meet Warner there." He made a face at the phone before dropping it into his pocket and he rubbed the wrinkles that had formed on his forehead. "Fucking hell."

She eyed him for a moment, disappointment etched onto her face. "I thought Fin and Munch..."

"This is big," Elliot interrupted. "The brass wants us on it. Cragen mumbled something about us being too damn good for our own good before he hung up on me." He chuckled, kissed her again, and sighed. "I'll go tell the kids we gotta go, ask them to save some of this for us." He pressed his lips to her forehead and walked out of the room.

She slammed the palm of her hand against the counter and then turned off the burners on the stove. She let out an unhappy breath as she moved toward the door, but was stopped when a tiny body slammed into her. She laughed and looked down. "Hi, sweetheart."

"Hi," the small boy said, looking up. "I love you." He gave her legs a good squeeze. "I wanted you to know."

She looked down at him again, brushing his hair back. "Oh, Eli, honey." She knelt down and kissed his cheeks. "I love you, too."

He smiled and turned around, scuttling back into the living room.

She stood up again and she saw Elliot, standing in the doorway, staring with tears in his eyes. "I told you...you belong here."

She wiped away her own falling tears, though few, and nodded. "Let's get this over with. I want to come...I want to come home as soon as possible."

He held his arms open for her as when she wandered willingly into them, he led her to the front door. "We'll call!" he shouted, and as he listened to his kids shout back, he walked with Olivia, out of the house and toward the car. He opened the door for her, made sure she was settled, and made his way around to the driver's side.

He stopped short of getting in, turning to look at the house. He smiled, the last dregs of fear and guilt melting away. He couldn't explain it, he'd get a headache if he even tried, but he felt as though his life was truly as it was always meant to be, the missing pieces all now where they belonged.

With a deep breath, he sat in the seat and slammed the door. He hooked his safety belt and started the car, but then looked at Olivia. "You okay?" he asked her, his eyes falling into a squint.

She turned her head, smiled at him, and nodded. "Never better." She reached over and ran her hand through his hair, and it was as if every thought in his head was transmitted to hers. "Yeah," she said with a light laugh. "I can't explain it either."

He blew her a playful kiss as he turned the wheel and headed out to their destination. He grabbed her hand and squeezed gently, then brought her fingers to his lips. He kissed her hand and whispered, "I love you," not knowing how long it would be before he'd be able to say it again.

"I love you, too," she replied with a brightness that made his heart swell.

"How much?" he asked, grinning as he turned the wheel with one hand. He shot her a goofy grin and tilted his head.

"Oh," she chuckled with a roll of her eyes. "More than words could possibly explain." She ran her thumb along the side of his hand and smiled at him.

The rest of their car ride was spent in comfortable silence, because they knew, at the moment, what they were feeling, and thinking, about their life, their jobs, and each other, was utterly ineffable.

Thank you for reading.

Reviews are always welcome, and encouraging.

Peace and Love.

Jo.

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