Law And Order: SVU One Shots

Stuck With You

She padded down the stairs and stopped at the bottom when she heard it. There was the distinct sound of crying, and her heart tightened as all the what-ifs flooded her mind.

"Elliot?" Olivia asked softly as she moved into the kitchen. Elliot swallowed hard and quickly flicked tears from his cheeks before turning to look at his wife.

"Hey, baby. What are you doing up?" Elliot asked as he tried to play everything off as perfectly fine.

"I heard you get home, but you didn't come up. Are you okay?" Olivia asked gently, as she bridged the distance between them.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just been a long day." Elliot lied.

"I have been married to you for ten years, El. I know when things are wrong and when you aren't okay. This is one of those times. So please, let me in. Tell me." Olivia replied, as she ran her hands over Elliot's chest as her husband looped his arms around her waist. Elliot rested his head against Olivia's shoulder before letting out a weak sigh.

"I'm getting laid off. The whole plant is closing down, and since they fired me from the NYPD, I don't have a place to land. I can't bring home money, and we are going to lose the house." Elliot rambled as he fought off tears.

All he could think about were the three tiny humans upstairs that would lose everything. Olivia was still a detective, but she didn't make nearly enough to support her family.

"We will not lose our home, El. We can figure this out." Olivia smiled gently, even though she was scared too.

"Baby, where else can I go? I can't work with the NYPD. I don't want to re-enlist, and I can't stop thinking about picking up three jobs that won't even make ends meet." Elliot whispered.

"Like I said, El. We can figure this out. I promise. Now, join me in bed. Before our babies decide they want to sleep with us." Olivia smiled before placing a soft kiss to Elliot's lips.

///

Elliot barely slept that night, and when the triplets came in to join them, he got up and went downstairs. Elliot got the newspaper as soon as it was delivered, and he got to business. He searched through as many adds as he could read, before settling down at the computer and looking for any job that could pay him enough to support his family.

"Daddy, whatcha doing?" A sweet voice asked. Elliot turned away from the computer and smiled when he saw Alexa standing there. She was the youngest of the triplets, and had stolen Elliot's heart from the moment she was born. She was sickly at first, but grew into such a strong baby in a matter of weeks.

"I could ask you the same thing, Lexa." Elliot smiled. He reached out and pulled Alexa onto his lap before giving her a tight hug.

"Mama was snoring, Daddy." Alexa giggled.

"Oh, I bet she was."

Elliot turned the chair back towards the computer, and he allowed Alexa to help him with his search.

"Why do you need a new job?" Alexa questioned. Elliot let out a sigh before he leaned down and kissed the messy brown curls that covered his child's head.

"The factory is closing down, monkey. There is nothing I can do about it, so I need to move forward." Elliot replied bravely. He was scared, but he didn't want his children to know that.

Landon, Gavin, and Alexa didn't need to wonder where their next meal may come from, or if they'd always have a warm bed to sleep in.

"Daddy, that isn't nice. Can't you stop them?" The small girl asked, and Elliot chuckled and shook his head.

"No, I can't... but thanks for believing in me enough to think I can."

///

Elliot went months without finding a job. It's like everywhere he applied was hiring, but just not someone like him. He tried to be hopeful and not let his anxiety and anger affect his family, but he wasn't great at hiding.

"A divorce?" Olivia whimpered as tears burned her eyes. Elliot had come to her after he put the kids down, and his idea was far from what Olivia had expected.

"If we got a divorce, I could still try to support you and the kids. But you wouldn't have to pay for me at all."

"Elliot, I don't want a divorce! I don't care how expensive your ass is, I still love it!" Olivia exclaimed. Elliot sighed softly as he spun his wedding band around on his finger.

"Liv, don't you want to stay above the water? I don't want you drowning because you gotta support not only yourself, the triplets, and me. I am dead weight, and I hate the idea of you having to do all the work!" Elliot exclaimed. 

Olivia swallowed hard as she wiped her hands off on a towel. She moved to where her husband stood before grabbing him by his hips and pulling him close.

"Almost eleven years ago, I married you. I said my vows, and I meant every single one of those. In sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, till death do us part. So unless you plan on dying on me anytime soon, I will not sign divorce papers. Do you understand me?"

"Liv, everything is so rocky right now. I feel bad." Elliot whispered, as he leaned back slightly and looked into Olivia's eyes.

"We do very well when things aren't straightforward. When things get rocky, it just makes us stronger."

"That isn't true." Elliot sighed.

"Oh really? Uh, what about when I got pregnant with triplets on our first try? What about when our sons were born healthy, but our daughter wasn't? We spent weeks in the NICU, and we didn't let that break us up. What about-"

"Okay. I get what you are saying. Yet this is different. If we get a divorce-"

"Let me tell you this one more time, Elliot Stabler. You are stuck with me, no matter what you may try. I am not leaving you, so you better get used to that."