Dear mom

4. old habits

Stabler Residence

Friday, October 3

6:47 pm

"Maybe we should just cancel?" Olivia watches Elliot from the doorway of the bathroom while he finished shaving his face.

Today they were having dinner with Serena, and Elliot would be meeting her for the first time. He'd only seen one picture of her that Olivia reluctantly revealed to him from when she was just a little girl, and he still barely knew anything about her. Those bits of her childhood she revealed to him a month ago was the last time she really spoke about Serena, but he understood. Olivia and Serena had been meeting for lunch or a late breakfast frequently since their first encounter, taking baby steps towards getting to know each other really all over again.

"And why is that?" he pauses to look at her in the mirror before returning to dragging the razor along his neck.

"I don't know...I'm just so nervous," she walks over to him and tries lifting herself onto the counter next to him. He chuckles and helps her up, earning a kiss to his nose.

"Everything will be okay. You said she's sober, she's got a clear mind. Things are going to be different," he wipes his face with a warm towel. Olivia reaches over and grabs his after shave, pouring it into her hand and massaging it into his face for him. Once she finishes, he takes a hold of her knees and pulls her closer to the edge of the counter, standing between her legs. His hands rested on her thighs and she grips her hands on his hips where his sweats hang low from.

"If you don't want to do this tonight, we don't have to," he says softly, running the pads of his thumbs along her bare thigh. Her eyes are glossy and he can tell she is trying her best not to let the tears that threaten to fall and escape from where they brimmed at her lashes.

"No no, this needs to happen," she shakes her head and bites down on her bottom lip, her mind obviously in deep thought. Two worlds that she had tried so hard to keep apart are suddenly colliding. "Jesus christ," she scoffs and slaps her hands on her thighs. Elliot was right. Her mother wasn't a drunken mess rambling on about how miserable Olivia made her. Things were different now. They were becoming close to obtaining a "normal" mother-daughter relationship, and still was in denial.

"Relax," he pulls her body even closer to his, enveloping her in his arms and she buries her face in the crook of his neck. He'd never seen her so nervous and terrified at the same time, and gives her a reassuring kiss to her forehead when he pulled back. "We'll have a quick dinner and once we get back home I'll run you a hot bath, massage your back.." his voice drops a few octaves, and begins to place light kisses to her jawline. Another effort to coax her body to soften. It works.

"Promise me one thing," he pauses and looks down at her. "You'll join me for that bath," they both share a laugh and he steals a kiss from her.

"There's my girl."

Per Se Restaurant

Friday, October 3

7:58 pm

Twenty torturous minutes had gone by. Twenty minutes for Olivia to immerse her mind in her self destructing thoughts that were screaming at her to tell Elliot to turn the car around. Olivia knew Serena had changed dramatically over the past 20 years, but the fear of her mother completely ruining things still haunted the back of her mind. When they pull into the parking lot of the restaurant, Elliot pulls Olivia's hand and laces his fingers between hers, placing a kiss to the back of it. He gives her a few extra seconds before going to the other side of the jeep wrangler and assisting her in getting out of the suv. His arm wraps itself around her waist, giving her emotional and physical support as they make their way into the restaurant.