Camo and Navy Blue [A Bensler Fan Fic]

Twenty-Five

Before the kids even got up, Olivia made it clear to Elliot that the girls wouldn't know what they had planned. Especially since the girls may take it the wrong way and decide that they weren't just helping each other, but were actually together again.

"Daddy, you didn't burn the turkey!" Kathleen giggled as her father brought the turkey out.

"I almost did, since Olivia and I got to chatting." Elliot smiled as he glanced over at Olivia. He watched as she put a bib on Lilly before sitting back down.

"What did you talk about?" Maureen asked, as she glanced between her father and Olivia.

"Mostly about what I missed while living in DC." Olivia replied, which was a lie. They had discussed everything she had missed the day she returned. 

"What did we miss then?" Elliot asked, and Olivia quickly shot him a look. She didn't want to discuss the process of searching for a sperm donor or everything else that had happened.

"You didn't miss a lot-"

"You had an entire baby, Liv! That is a lot to miss out on!" Maureen exclaimed, as Olivia blushed a deep red.

"Okay, well, I got transferred to DC and got a job with their city's department. I worked for about a year before deciding to have a baby. Uh, most of those details don't need to be disclosed at the moment... I had Lilly on New Year's Day of this year, finished my year in DC in October, moved here, then got into SVU. That is all you missed." Olivia spoke, as she breezed past the pain and suffering.

While Olivia was pregnant with Lilly, she got a call from her mother which throw her anxiety into full force. Or when Bell came down to have a meeting with her precinct, and they got into it. Let alone the few scares Olivia had when she was still early in her pregnancy. She had been certain that Lilly would not make it. Then that strong baby girl just pushed through.

Olivia stayed out of the conversation during dinner and didn't really speak much more until she was helping Elliot do the dishes.

"My mom called me in December of last year." Olivia breathed as she scrubbed a pan.

"What?" Elliot asked, as he glanced at Olivia. He noticed she had paled considerably, and he was worried about what the talk could have been about.

"She asked about you and the girls, how you three were doing. Then she asked me about how I was doing, and I didn't even feel safe enough to discuss Lilly, since she had killed my little boy." Olivia whispered. She didn't want the girls to hear what was being said, especially since they know Olivia's mother killed their mother.

"Liv-"

"I told her I didn't know how you three were doing and then told her she has no right to know about me. That no matter how much I wish she had been a good mother, that can never happen and she doesn't deserve to know what is happening in my life." Olivia replied quickly, as she turned to look at Elliot.

Elliot blinked away tears before pulling Olivia into a tight hug.

They really hadn't embraced like this in so long, but Olivia needed to be hugged. For the past three years, she had been alone. It was by choice, but it still sucked. She had been so close to calling Elliot when she went into labor, but she kept stopping herself because she didn't want someone who cheated on her to be there on the happiest day of her life.

"At least you know Lilly will never want you to be a good mother, since you already are one hell of a mom." Elliot breathed, before turning in and kissing Olivia's cheek softly.

///

Olivia and Elliot didn't talk much the weekend after Thanksgiving. Olivia was busy with Lillian and doing some Christmas shopping, while Elliot was dealing with Ashley and her added drama.

"Morning." Olivia spoke as she came into the squadroom with two cups of coffee.

"Hey." Elliot sighed, as he took one from Olivia before sitting down at his desk. They sat in silence for a while before Olivia looked at Elliot.

"What's wrong? I expected to hear from you sometime this weekend, but it was radio silence between us." Olivia asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry about that. Ashley contacted me on Saturday morning and was asking about her share of the money. We have separate bank accounts, but she was looking for more. She wanted me to pay for her hotel room." Elliot grumbled.

"She's just a bitch." Olivia huffed, and Elliot cracked a smile and nodded.

"Yeah, she is. But I made sure that when we got a divorce, she got her settlement and it was in a different account. I got full custody of Jacob and the house, and she got visitation. But that was only because she was homeless if she wasn't with me. But anyway, she just wants more and more from me, now that I picked my girls over her. That I picked you over her."

"You didn't pick me, El. Maureen and Kathleen don't have any other parent, so you had to pick them. In the end, Ashley needs to get over herself, and realize that if she wants anything to do with you and this family, that she needs to grow up and stop fighting with little girls." Olivia spoke quickly, her face contorted with anger.

Elliot hid his smile with his hand, because he didn't want to make Olivia angrier. This powerful, stubborn, and brave woman was on his side again. It made him so happy, and he was falling deeper in love with her.

"Elliot." Olivia spoke, and Elliot looked up at her and nodded.

"Yes?" Elliot asked as he forced his lips to stop smiling.

"Someone is breaking into your house. I just got a call about it. We should probably go."

///

Elliot drove with lights and sirens on as they headed out to Queens. Olivia didn't say a thing, because she knew he was upset and worried.

"Detective Stabler! We caught the suspect!" An uniformed officer exclaimed, as he saw Olivia and Elliot climb out of their sedan.

"Who?" Elliot demanded. Olivia grabbed his arm and stopped him before he could even get an answer.

"It looks like the bitter blonde you kicked out on Wednesday." Olivia whispered.