Mr and Mrs

Chapter Nine

Liv tucked in her shirt as she moved into the living room.
"You're ready?" Rita asked Elliot for the fifth time in the past hour.
"I'm ready. Please make her stop asking" Elliot begged Liv.
"I'm afraid I can't" Liv smiled, kissing Noah on the top of his head before he headed to the floor below to catch a ride with the neighbour.
"Are you ready to play the dutiful wife?" Liv nodded.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"By the look of your outing the two of you are very chummy" Rita spread the pictures that she had taken of the two of them on their day out. Elliot couldn't believe that Liv would have gone along with a publicity stunt and he was about to say as much when Liv spoke up.
"You had us followed!?" The outrage in her voice was clear, she didn't know that they were followed.
"I had to check that you two were keeping up the ruse but that kiss doesn't look fake" Rita held up one of the pictures, the one of them against the wall. Liv snatched it out of her hand, giving her a glare "Was it fake or real?" 
"Does it make any difference? It looks real" Liv's words were fake. He felt it when he kissed her, he felt her. They way she gripped onto him, the way she devoured his mouth with her own, the way she grinded against his knee- 
"El. It's time to go. Are you okay?" 
"Yeah sorry" He picked himself up and followed them to the door, sharing a quick smile with Liv before they headed out. 

El reached for Liv's hand outside the courthouse but she pulled it away. 
"Your kids. Eli already hates me, no reason to push my luck" El reached for her hand again and this time she let him take her hand in his. 
"I want you beside me Liv. I don't care what anyone else thinks" He smiled, kissing her briefly, earning a smile in response before they headed inside after Rita. 
"Hey dad" Eli smiled, it quickly fading as his eyes landed on their joined hands. 
"Are we all ready to go in?" El asked as he lifted their joined hands and placed a kiss to the back of Liv's. 
"Almost" Fin told him as court was called into session. They headed into the court room and took their seats but Elliot refused to drop Liv's hand. 
"I'll be okay" 
"Is that for my benefit or for yours?" She managed to tease. 
"Both" He chuckled. 
"You'll be fine" He nodded, releasing her hand so that she could take her seat beside Bernie. Elliot moved to take his seat at the table beside Rita. They all listened through the opening statements and the prosecution lay out the evidence against Elliot. 
"Miss Calhoun would you like to call your first witness?" The judge began. 
"I would like to call Detective Elliot Stabler to the stand" Elliot stood, giving Liv a quick glance before he moved to take the stand "Detective, the prosecution is here today to argue that you killed a young man in the prime of his life but I think this trial is nothing more than a personal vendetta where they attack your character, your marriage-" 
"Objection, is there a question in there somewhere?" Mr Jeffries argued. 
"Get to it Miss Calhoun" The judge ordered. 
"Detective, you recently married Captain Olivia Benson of the NYPD's special victims unit. Was that just a stunt to make yourself look good on the stand?" Elliot scoffed. 
"I married the woman that I've known for twenty five years. I married the woman that I love" Elliot took his eyes off the jury and look straight at Liv, meeting her eyes "I married her because I worship the ground that she walks on and any chance I can get to be close to her I will take it. I married you because I love you" Elliot let himself slip, earning a blush from Liv before he returned his eyes to the jury. 
"You've known her for a long time?" He nodded. 
"We worked together back when I was married to my first wife" 
"So why did you marry her last weekend? Spur of the moment?" 
"I didn't see the point in wasting anymore time away from her. I already wasted my chance once, I'm not going to waste it again" 
"You're a cop and you understand the importance of DNA evidence do you not?" 
"I do" 
"You're DNA was found on a coffee cup, not the body of the murdered boy but a coffee cup. In all your years of being a detective do you think that this is sufficient evidence?" 
"No I don't" Elliot answered before the prosecution could argue otherwise. 
"Thank you detective" Rita smiled before she retook her seat. Mr Jeffries stood and buttoned his jacket before he began. 
"Do you love your wife detective?" 
"I do" 
"And you know everything about her?" Elliot paused, glancing at Olivia for a moment. 
"There are a few difficult conversations to be had, but for the most part I know everything" 
"A few difficult conversations" Mr Jeffries nodded "So you know about William Lewis?" Liv felt her chest constrict around her lungs, she squeezed Bernie's hand tighter. Elliot didn't know what to say "You know how he tortured your wife?" Pictures of the scars appeared on the screen "You know how he beat her? How he tried to rape her?" The after reports and crime scene pictures flashed up on the screen. 
"We still have some difficult things to discuss but what I feel for her is real. I would wait another twenty five years to be able to be close to her but marriage she allowed me to have. I don't know everything because it hurts, her and me, and when we are both ready then we can talk about it, but until then I will take whatever she allows me to have" Elliot bit, casting a glance over to Liv, seeing the fresh tears falling from her eyes "This changes nothing. Please take it down, its an insult to my wife" He bit again before the pictures disappeared from the screen. 
"Thank you detective" Elliot stepped down from the stand and retook his seat, giving Liv a sorry look. 
"Judge, I think we should take a break. Captain Benson is next to take the stand and I don't want to overload her" The judge nodded. 
"Five minute recess" As soon as those words left his mouth Liv was up out of her seat and charging out of the room. Elliot followed after her, finding her out in the hallway, pacing with her eyes filled with tears. 
"Liv. It's okay. It's okay" He assured her, rushing to her, taking her face in his hands. 
"I'm sorry. I'm just so sorry" She cried, refusing to meet his eyes. 
"Hey, hey look at me" Liv lifted her eyes to meet his "I meant every words, this changes nothing, he changes nothing" Liv couldn't stop more tears from falling "I worship the ground you walk on, you're so much more beautiful than any art worth looking at. You're smart and kind and you make me crazy because all I want is to be close to you. I love you Liv" 
"I-" 
"You don't have to say it back. I know" He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. 
"Do you mean it?" He pulled away just enough to meet her eyes. 
"Every. Single. Word" He promised. Liv stepped up onto her tiptoes and pushed his lips against his, feeling just how much he meant his words and when they pulled away again he rested his forehead against hers. 
"I love you" He repeated, reaching for her hand he twisted her wedding ring around her finger. 
"He didn't rape me" She muttered. 
"Please tell me he's dead" 
"He is. Bastard shot himself in the head" 
"Okay. I can live with that" 
"It's time to head back in" Rita told them. 
"Walk away Liv" She shook her head. 
"Partners in this universe, remember?" She played with the cowboy necklace around her neck, earning a nod from Elliot. He took her hand and they headed back to the courtroom, Liv heard El mutter to himself "My girl is amazing"