AN: Hi everyone! I'm back. I had so much fun writing Holiday, and I was itching to write another fun romp, away from the cases and the squad and everything else. melonian4life and kukrae suggested this story line, and I decided to go for it. This is the first time I've ever written anything after Elliot left (post Season 12), and I was a little nervous to write it. Hopefully, you like it. FYI, to get to the fun, we have to have a little build-up, so bear with me. Let me know your thoughts! Thanks.

EOEOEOEO

Olivia walked back into the living room, picking up Noah's toys from the floor along the way.

She looked up when she detected motion in her peripheral vision, and saw Elliot pushing himself off the couch. Seeing him in her apartment still surprised her sometimes. Even though he'd been back in her life for almost six months, she had only seen him a handful of time in the first four. She'd only started letting him come to her place in the past couple of weeks, and this was the first time he'd met Noah.

"Need some help?" Elliot asked.

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she'd managed just fine on her own for quite a while now…six years to be exact…but she was trying to quiet those thoughts in her mind. "No. I'm used to it." She said keeping her tone neutral.

Elliot took the toys gently from her hands. "I want to help." He said quietly.

Olivia watched as he put the toys in the colorful bins she had stacked in the corner, and as he scooped up others still on the floor. In the passing months, she had noticed a new gentleness in him…a calmness she'd never seen before. The rage and anger had been replaced…or at least minimized…in the years since she'd seen him. She noticed it in the way he moved and the way he spoke, and she was still getting used to it.

When he turned to face her, Olivia gave him a small smile. "Thank you." Her voice was just as quiet as his had been, and she didn't know if it was because Noah was asleep (finally), or if it was because of the unease she still felt at having him here…at having him meet Noah. It was a big step. One she hadn't been sure she was ready to take.

Elliot stood rooted in place, unsure if Olivia wanted him to leave, or if she was going to ask him to stay for a while. She had been on edge all evening. "Olivia." He saw her look up at him. "Thank you for letting me meet Noah." He took a couple steps forward, and he saw Olivia watching him. "He's a great kid."

Olivia nodded. She hated that after all these years, he still seemed to know what she was thinking. "He is."

Elliot took a few more steps in her direction, until he was only a few feet away. "You're a great mom." Elliot smiled. "I knew you would be." He was so incredibly happy for her, and even though circumstances meant she had waited a long time, he was ecstatic that it had finally happened for her.

Olivia watched as Elliot moved closer, and she saw his smile. It lit up his face, and the sincerity of his words washed over her. For some reason, his approval meant a lot to her, and she felt the sting of fresh tears behind her eyes.

"He's lucky to have you." Elliot said, watching as she struggled not to cry. Her vulnerability still surprised him, but he knew that motherhood and all that had happened in his absence had affected her deeply.

Olivia shook her head. "No. I'm the lucky one." She said, a tear escaping from her lower lashes. "He saved me." Her voice was no more than a quiet whisper, and she swiped angrily at her eyes. She hadn't cried the entire time since Elliot made a surprising return into her life. At least not in front of him. She wasn't going to start now. She took in a deep breath, wondering how they had waded into such emotional territory so quickly. "I'm sorry I didn't get around to dinner…" Olivia said as she headed towards the kitchen. "But we can order something."

Elliot smiled inwardly as he watched her rally, stuffing all the emotion someplace deep inside of her. He knew he'd hurt her badly…but up to now…she hadn't been able to (or ready to?) share that with him. When he'd finally had the courage to face her again after all those years, he hadn't known what to expect. But instead of raging and rejection…instead of crying and breaking down…there had been a wary acceptance of his return. A cautious…quiet…acquiescence. As if she had known his return was inevitable; an unscheduled event that would happen at some point in her life.

She hadn't wanted explanations…excuses…and she had accepted him back into her life in bits and pieces…keeping him at arm's length. He didn't push. He didn't ask questions. He let her drive things. It was the least he could do. He knew it a time would come when they'd have to talk about it. But for now, they were just cautiously moving forward.

"Really, it's fine." Elliot said.

"I invited you over for dinner…" Olivia said as she sorted through the menus in her hand. "And the only person that got to eat was Noah."

"It gave us more time to play." Elliot said with a shrug. "It was fun." He ran a hand over his belly. "Besides, I could stand to miss a meal or two."

Olivia rolled her eyes. The man was in ridiculous shape. He looked better than when he'd left, and not for the first time, she wondered what he'd been doing the past six years that caused this transformation in his physique and his demeanor. "Well, I'm hungry. So, I'm going to order something. Speak up or you're going to be stuck with what I want."

"I'm happy with whatever you decide." Elliot said as he sat down on the couch.

Olivia wasn't sure if she liked this new, accommodating Elliot. But she appreciated the way he had made things easy for her since his return. He didn't seem to have any expectations…he was happy with whatever she'd give him. And that hadn't been much at first. But things had changed slightly over the past two months. She had relaxed a little when she saw the change in him wasn't fleeting. That he really was willing to wait…to be patient and give her the time and space she needed to decide what they were going to be to each other. If they could repair their friendship.

"Thai food ok?" Olivia asked.

Elliot wrinkled his nose. "Since when do you like Thai food?"

Olivia laughed. "Things change."

Elliot didn't have a response for that. He knew he hadn't uncovered even a small fraction of the things that had changed. Or understood how they had impacted her. He just hoped that at some point, she would feel like she could share them with him. "Yeah." He said with a sigh. "But honestly Liv. Thai food?"

Olivia saw a smirk on his face, and she tossed the Thai menu back into the drawer. "How about Chinese?"

EOEOEOEO

Two weeks had passed, and Olivia had finally broken down and invited Elliot back over to her apartment. Noah had been asking for him practically every day since the first time he'd met Elliot, and it was driving her insane.

Noah tore for the door when Elliot knocked, and Olivia intercepted him before he could reach it, even though he couldn't open it himself. She held him at her hip, with her arm wrapped around his waist, as she opened the door. Noah held out his arms when he saw Elliot, and yelled out an approximation of his name.

Olivia relinquished him to Elliot. It wasn't as if she could have held him anyway. "He's been waiting for you." She moved back so Elliot could walk into the apartment. "It seems you made a good impression last time."

Elliot gave her one of his disarming smirks as he turned Noah upside down, eliciting a shriek of joy from the toddler. "It kind of pisses you off, doesn't it?"

"A little." Olivia admitted with a small laugh. Maybe there had been a part of her that had hoped Noah would be immune to Elliot's charm. That she'd have an excuse to keep him from working his way back into her life. Their lives. She watched as Elliot flipped Noah upright, and she heard his squeals of delight.

"He's a good judge of character." Elliot said as he dropped Noah lightly on to the couch and started tickling him. He looked over at Olivia as she walked towards the kitchen. "Something smells good."

Olivia swung her head to look at him as she turned into the kitchen. "I actually cooked this time." One of the benefits of inviting him over on a Saturday. And of having a reliable second in command.

Dinner was reliably chaotic, as is usual with a three-year-old. Olivia had an apology on the tip of her tongue, when she remembered that Elliot was used to it. She had asked very little about Kathy and the kids. She had avoided it because it was part of before. They had pretty much successfully navigated these past six plus months focused on the future…avoiding the past. Now, sitting here with Noah, she felt badly about it. "So…Eli is what? 9 now?"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah. They grow up so quickly."

"I always thought…" Eli held a special place in her heart, and she had always expected she'd be a part of his life somehow. "I'd like to see him sometime."

"That can be arranged." Elliot said as he put some more pasta on Noah's plate. He didn't look at Olivia as he said it, not wanting to ruin this small opening she had given him. "The kids ask about you. All the time." He turned to look at her. "They think I'm an idiot."

"So…nothing's changed." Olivia couldn't help it, and she let out a laugh.

"It's good to hear you laugh." Elliot said. He reached over and placed his hand over hers. It was the first time he'd really touched her since he'd walked back into her life, and he was grateful that she didn't pull away. He glanced down at their hands and then back up at her. "I think it's one of the things I missed the most."

EOEOEOEOEO

As the last weeks of winter gave way to spring, they fell into a routine. Elliot had been coming to her apartment every Saturday for the past six weeks, and went from spending a few hours those first weeks to spending most of the day with them. Elliot was happy to see that Olivia seemed more at ease…she didn't seem like she was going to jump out of her skin…nervously anticipating every question or comment. They had reached some kind of unspoken agreement of what subjects were off-limits, and that made their days together relatively conflict free. They still weren't anywhere near to the level of familiarity…compatibility…almost intimacy they'd been at that last year of their partnership. Hell, he hadn't even gotten so much as a simple hug from her. But at least he could see a path that might let them get there…and he knew she could see it too.

"What are you feeding this kid?" Elliot remarked as he carried Noah's dead weight up the stairs to Olivia's apartment. They had spent the day at the Central Park Zoo, and Noah had fallen asleep in the car. Any attempt to rouse him had failed, and Elliot had volunteered to carry him up.

"I know. I can barely carry him anymore when he's asleep." Olivia said as she unlocked the door.

"One more reason to keep me around." Elliot winked at her as she held the door open for him.

"Well, at least there's one." Olivia fired back, smiling as she watched him carry Noah into his room. She had found that she couldn't stop smiling today…or for the past several weeks. She had often wondered over the past six years how she'd react if Elliot ever came back into her life, and in her mind, it had been a toss-up between slapping him in the face and throwing him out, or hugging him and never letting go. She hadn't expected she'd react like this, and she knew he hadn't either. But they were figuring it out, and as she told Dr. Lindstrom in a scheduled visit a couple of weeks ago, she was happy. Life was better with Elliot in it. She didn't dwell on the other things Lindstrom said…about dealing with the past…talking through it. She knew they'd have to, but for now, it could wait.

Elliot emerged from Noah's room as Olivia pulled two beers out of the refrigerator. "I think he's going to sleep through the night." He asked as he took the beer from her hand. "He is out." Elliot walked over and fell onto the couch. "That kid has a lot of energy." He chuckled. "I've forgotten."

"It hasn't been that long." Olivia said, sitting on the other end of the couch and stretching her legs out in the space between them. "But yeah. He wears me out sometimes."

"Well, you are getting pretty old." Elliot teased.

Olivia dug her toes into his thighs. "Watch it old man. Remember, you're older than me."

"Yes, but I don't look my age." He quipped. As soon as he said it, he realized it didn't sound like he'd intended, and he looked back at Olivia with what he was sure was a shocked expression on his face. "I didn't mean…I don't mean that you look your age. You're not old…you don't look old."

Olivia wanted to laugh, watching him struggle and fumble with his words. "Relax El. I know what you meant." She smiled at him and saw the relief on his face. "Do you worry that if you say the wrong thing, I'm going to kick you out on your ass?" She would have thought he'd be over that by now. But then again, he had been on his best behavior. He'd kept the jokes, teasing and innuendo to himself for the most part.

"Maybe." Elliot said honestly. They'd been so careful around each other, and he had been cautious about saying or doing anything that might jeopardize things.

"You never worried about giving me a hard time before." Olivia started. "So…"

Elliot cut her off. "The magic word is before. Like you said, things change. People change. You're a different person than you were, and so am I."

"Sometimes change is good." Olivia said.

"I didn't say it wasn't. I just don't feel as confident as I did before. At least where you're concerned." He looked away. "But I know that's my fault."

Olivia didn't want to have this conversation right now. "El…"

Elliot turned to look at her.

"Do you feel like you're on some kind of probation?" Olivia said with a small laugh, but she let it fade as she saw the look on his face.

"Maybe." Elliot said with a small shrug.

Olivia moved a little closer and put her hand on his arm. "Well, you shouldn't. We're in a good place right now. At least I feel like we are."

"I think we are too. I guess I'm just…" Elliot sighed, trying to find the right words. "I'm a little scared that one day you're going to wake up and decide this isn't worth the effort. That you did just fine without me in your life and you don't need this." He moved his hand back and forth between them.

Olivia considered his words. She squeezed his arm. "Just because things ended up the way they are today doesn't mean it was easy, or that I didn't miss you." She saw the pain in his face, and she knew him well enough to know that it was emotion he was feeling on her behalf; that causing her pain was one of the worst things he could imagine. It was the reason she still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he had left her in the first place. But that was a conversation for another day.

Olivia inhaled deeply. "When you showed up that day, what did you think was going to happen?"

Elliot thought about her question. He had been tracking her, trying to figure out her routine, for over two months. If he was honest, it probably bordered on stalking. He knew she was now a Lieutenant…he knew about Noah…and he knew it was going to be a challenge to get her alone. He had already decided that their meeting had to be face-to-face. If he called her, he had no doubt she would hang up on him. Plus, he wanted to see her…to hear her voice. Even if it was to tell him to go to hell.

It was his assumption that she would reject him that kept him from reaching out. He must have waited almost two months, knowing his indecision let him believe that she would be happy to see him for just a little longer.

In the end, he had been pacing outside the precinct one night…a night he knew she was working late. He had ended up leaning against her sedan, trying to decide if tonight was the night, when she had walked out and spotted him there. He had watched as she stopped in her tracks, and he remembered wondering if she'd simply turn and go back into the precinct or if she'd send some uniforms out to run him off. But she had surprised him by walking over to where he was standing.

Elliot smirked. "Honestly, I had no idea. A dozen scenarios ran through my mind." Elliot let out a sigh. "I hoped you'd throw yourself in my arms and let me hug you and tell you how much I had missed you." He chuckled. "But I knew that wasn't likely. I figured in reality, you'd slap me and tell me to go to hell. Or worse."

Elliot's words mirrored her earlier thoughts; Olivia knew she shouldn't have been surprised. They had always been of like mind. "In that moment, I felt like doing both." Olivia shook her head. "Mostly, I was just shocked to see you standing there."

"Your indecision saved me. It bought me a few minutes. I just wanted to see you before you told me off."

Olivia shifted slightly; they were diving into emotional territory again, and she needed to keep things light. "So, I guess you were pretty sure at that point that you weren't going to get that hug, huh?" She laughed quietly as she pulled her hand out from beneath his and stood up. She headed towards the kitchen.

"A man can hope, can't he?" Elliot said as he pushed himself off the couch and he saw Olivia glance back at him as he followed her and leaned against the counter. He watched as she opened the refrigerator; looking for what, he didn't know. He felt brave in that moment…when she wasn't looking at him. "You know…I would take that hug now." He watched as Olivia froze, and his stomach plummeted. But then she turned to face him, the merest hint of smile on her face.

"Oh really?" She said…a slight tease in her voice. She was a little surprised he'd suggested it, but she was glad he had. They were still a little cautious around each other, and even though hugging Elliot wasn't something she planned on doing every day, she knew it would be a step forward for them. In the past few months, as he'd spent more time with them, it felt like they needed to do something to reduce the awkwardness that lingered.

Elliot pushed himself off the counter and closed the gap between them. "Really." He didn't wait for permission. He wrapped his hands around her arms and pulled her into his body, and he let out a sigh of relief…of pure happiness…as Olivia slipped her arms around his waist and lay her head on his chest. He tightened his arms around her, and buried his face in her hair. He breathed in deeply, unable to believe this was real.

Olivia melted into Elliot's body, and the solid planes of his chest and the strength of his arms as he held her close reminded her of how safe she'd always felt with him. She had taken it for granted…she hadn't imagined a time when he wouldn't be at her side…and she felt a sob threatening to escape at the memory. She clenched her teeth together, and hugged him more tightly. "I missed you."

Elliot was at a loss for words…emotions threatening to spill…words he wanted to say. But he held it in, and placed a gentle kiss on top of her head. He never wanted to let go.

EOEOEOEO

"Fin. Can I see you in my office?" Olivia asked as she walked through the squad room. She heard Carisi and Rollins giving him shit, but she ignored them as she made a beeline for her desk and started unpacking the files from her bag. She looked up as Fin walked in, and he closed the door behind him.

"What's up?" Fin asked as he loitered by the door.

Olivia knew he was still adjusting to his role as second in command, and he wasn't excited about being in charge during her upcoming vacation, but right now, he looked really worried about what she was going to say. He had no idea…

Olivia sat down hard in her chair and let out a sigh. Fin had never been a fan of Elliot's, and even though he had been supportive after Elliot's abrupt departure, she couldn't imagine his opinion of Elliot had changed for the better.

"So…" Olivia moved some files on her desk, focusing her attention on them instead of on Fin. She could feel his eyes on her.

"Liv." Fin said impatiently. "Just spit it out."

Olivia sighed as she looked up at him standing there with his arms folded across his chest. She and Fin had worked together too long; he knew she was stalling. She forged ahead, looking back down at her desk. "Someone is coming to have lunch with me today…someone you know. That you knew. And I didn't want you to be surprised…"

"Oh shit. Don't tell me it's Cassidy." Fin dropped his arms as Olivia looked back up at him. "I thought we were done with that asshat. Christ…"

"Fin!" Olivia said loudly, trying to interrupt his rambling. "It's not Cassidy." If he had this reaction to Brian, she couldn't imagine what his reaction to Elliot was going to be.

"Thank God for small favors." Fin said. "Wait. It's not that fuck Porter…"

"It's not Porter." Olivia couldn't waste her morning playing guessing games with Fin. "It's Elliot." She blurted out, pressing her lips together as she looked back to gauge Fin's reaction. He was simply staring at her.

After a few beats, he seemed to recover. "Stabler?"

Olivia nodded.

"Why? What does he want with you?" Fin looked annoyed, which was precisely why Olivia had wanted to tell him ahead of time.

"I've been seeing him." Olivia said and she saw the deep lines on Fin's face. "Not seeing him." She stood up. "We've reconnected." This sounded stupid, even in her own mind.

"Humph." Fin said, non-commitally. "Reconnected. What does that mean?"

"It means that we're talking."

"And?" Fin asked.

"And nothing." Olivia said, narrowing her eyes at him. "I just wanted to let you know so that you weren't surprised when he walked into the squad room."

"That would have been one hell of a surprise." Fin shook his head. "Can't believe the man had the balls to show up after all this time."

"It was hard for him to come back."

"I can't believe you're still defending him." Fin said. "But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I never understood the two of you."

"Well, there's nothing to understand." Olivia said firmly. "We're talking. We've been spending some time together the past several months…"

"This has been going on for months, and you didn't tell me?" Fin asked.

"It doesn't involve you." Olivia said. "And I'm telling you now."

There was a knock on the door, and Olivia had never been more grateful for an interruption. "OK?" She asked pointedly.

Fin didn't say a word. He just gave her a short nod as he opened the door and walked out, brushing by Amanda as he left.

Amanda walked into the office, looking back at Fin and then turning back to Olivia. "Everything ok?"

Olivia slumped down into her chair. "Everything's just wonderful." She sighed.

EOEOEOEO

Olivia slipped into the booth at the diner and Elliot slid in across from her.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as we imagined." Elliot said. They had both been dreading his return for different reasons. He hadn't set foot in the squad room since that fateful day of the shooting, and he wasn't sure how he'd react. But the layout was different. The people were different. It seemed like enough time had passed, even though he did have a momentary flashback to that day.

"That was only because Fin wasn't there." As luck would have it, he'd still been out following up on some witness statements when Elliot had arrived. "But he may be there when you get back." She said, rolling her eyes.

"He wasn't excited to see me?"

Olivia laughed. "Not exactly. But Amanda was." She noticed the way the younger woman had let her eyes roam over his body as Olivia was making introductions. She'd felt an overwhelming urge to pull him away…to stand between them…but she really couldn't blame her. No man his age should look like Elliot, and she knew Amanda and Carisi probably had an interest in the legendary Detective Stabler. There was a lot of mystery and rumors floating around to this day.

"Jealous?" Elliot said with a twinkle in his eye.

"In your dreams." Olivia said as she grabbed a menu. It was nice that they'd gotten to this point. They were definitely on more solid ground now, and it felt good.

"Every night." Elliot shot back, and was happy to see Olivia laugh.

"I don't think I want to know what you dream about." She said, and she could see he was thinking about how to respond. "I mean it." She said with a small laugh. "I don't want to know."

Elliot leaned back in the booth, a wide grin on his face. The last few weeks had been fantastic. Ever since that hug in the kitchen…something had loosened up between them. She still set boundaries, but she greeted him with a hug every time she saw him, and she didn't shy away if he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they watched a movie or watched Noah playing on the floor in front of them. It was romantic…it was friendship. And he would take that for now.

"Nice to see you sitting in the big office." Elliot said with a grin, and he could see his comment made her smile.

"I thought it might be kind of strange for you." Olivia said.

Elliot shrugged. "Maybe a little. But I knew you had it in you. The way you were always bossing me around." That earned him another eye roll and he leaned forward. "Really though…I'm proud of you."

Olivia beamed. His faith in her had never wavered, even when she hadn't had any faith in herself.

Elliot leaned back again. "So…you mentioned on the way over that you wanted to talk to me about something." He chuckled. "I have to tell you, no matter how hard you beg, I'm not coming back."

"You need to get over yourself." Olivia said, distracted by her thoughts. She'd been thinking about it for weeks, but had finally decided to go for it last night. Now she wondered about the wisdom of making decisions when lying in bed late at night…

Elliot laughed at her comment, but he could see she was nervous about something. He had no idea what was on her mind; if he had, he would have tried to make it easier on her. He hoped to God she wasn't about to tell him that this was a mistake. That she didn't have time for him in her life. He had told himself from the very beginning that he'd take whatever she offered. And if she didn't want him back in her life, he'd honor her wishes. But things had been going so well…so if she had changed her mind, it would be devastating. "C'mon Liv." He said gently. "Whatever it is…just say it. I'm a big boy."

Olivia had been looking down at the table, but now her eyes connected with his. "So, you know that I'm taking Noah to Paris in two weeks…" Olivia started.

"Yeah." Elliot said. Olivia had told him about her plans just a little over two months ago. Ten days in Paris…just her and Noah.

"I was wondering…I mean…I thought it might be fun…" This was a hell of a lot more awkward than she thought it would be. "I have a two-bedroom apartment and Noah could sleep with me instead of in the second room…I mean…I don't know if you can get time off…"

Elliot started to laugh as he realized what she was saying. He reached across the table and grasped her hands in his. "Are you asking me to come to Paris with you and Noah?"

Olivia pulled her hands from his, offended by his reaction. "I know. It's a stupid idea."

Elliot saw the hurt expression on her face, and he grabbed her hands again. "No! It's not a stupid idea. I just thought…" He laughed again. "I thought you were going to tell me that this whole thing wasn't working for you. That you didn't have time for me with everything you had going on. So, when you started talking…" He grinned. "It was such a complete 180 from what I thought you were going to say."

Olivia relaxed then. She had mentioned how she wasn't getting anything done because he was there all the time, but she'd never meant for him to feel like he was in the way. But still, she knew it was a big step for them. "I just thought it might be fun to have a friend along. Another adult." She started to falter then. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. "But maybe it's not a good idea…"

Elliot grinned as he squeezed her hands. "I think it's an excellent idea. And I feel honored that of the people you could have asked, you asked me."

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, you're still my best friend." Olivia said.

Elliot smiled broadly, surprised by the shy expression on her face. He laced his fingers with hers. "I can't imagine anyone I'd rather see Paris with."