Sweet Relief

The Stabler Family

10 Years Later

Olivia runs through the mental list of things that needed to be done before everyone shows up today and she can't help but feel as though she's forgetting something important. She stands in their closet, arms crossed, biting her thumb nail, brows furrowed, as she tries to remember what she forgot and tries to decide what to wear. She feels Elliot's arms wrap around her from behind and she smiles.

"Everything is fine, Liv." He whispers against her skin, "Stop worrying." She's been going round and round all day, trying to make sure the apartment and the children look perfect in an attempt to control everything in preparation for their night.

"I just feel like I'm forgetting something..." She says with a sigh.

"Forgetting to breathe? Yeah, it seems like it." He says with a half smile.

She rolls her eyes at him, mildly irritated by how relaxed he seems to be. "It's been three years since we've all spent a Christmas together, forgive me if I want it to be a nice night."

"Honey, it will be a nice night." He says, kissing the back of her neck before he lets her go, "It doesn't need to be perfect."

Olivia shoots him a look and he grins. He pulls a black dress from her side of the closet and hands it to her. "Can't go wrong." He says, kissing her temple before he walks out.

She shakes her head at him, but truthfully he's right. Not everything has to be perfect, she, and everyone else will survive the evening if things are a bit messy. She's nervous to host all of the kids and grandkids, as well as Kathy and her new husband. It's been years since she's seen Kathy and even though things are friendly and the tension has been gone between them for a very long time, she still gets a bit nervous to see her.

She looks at the dress in her hands and smiles, of course he picked this, it's his favorite. She hangs the dress on the doorframe and selects a matching pair of heels before she lets her hair fall out of the claw clip and she finishes getting ready. She puts the finishing touches on her hair with her curling iron and smiles to herself as she hears the kids laughing from the next room.

She'll pour herself a glass of wine and the awkwardness will dissipate after a few minutes. And it's been many years since she's needed Elliot to save her in conversations with their family. The older kids love her dearly and Eli has come around in the last ten years. They may not be close but she relishes in the times he confides in her.

She pulls the dress over her head and as she reaches up to zip the back, she sees Elliot in the mirror, leaning against the bathroom wall with a smirk on his face. He walks towards her and takes the zipper from her, pulling it up. He kisses the back of her neck and she melts a little bit.

"Elliot..." She warns.

"Have I ever told you just how much I like this dress, Mrs. Stabler?" He whispers against her skin.

She smiles and he grins, pulling her backwards into himself. "We don't have time..." She says, making no efforts to separate herself from him.

"Oh come on, Liv... We could be fast..." He says, one hand reaching down for the hem of her dress.

The door bell rings and Olivia laughs just as Elliot groans.

"Told you..." She says, patting his chest and pulling her dress back down.

She steps into her shoes and starts to walk out towards the living room, stopping to look back when she realizes Elliot isn't following.

"You coming?" She asks, an eyebrow raised at him.

"Yeah, yeah, I just need a minute." He says.

Olivia looks down at the bulge in his pants and laughs. "You take all the time you need." She says, still laughing.