Lucky Day

She never thought she'd see the day. Olivia Benson was finally getting a dog. Ever since she was a little girl, she dreamed of having a dog. They're better than friends, they won't leave you, she thought. She couldn't hide her excitement as she drove to the pound.

Once she got there and saw all of the abandoned puppies and full grown dogs. She thought they were all adorable and she had trouble picking one. Until she saw a golden retriever; the name tag on the cage said "Lucky." Why is that? She asked herself.

"Would you like to pet him?" The cheery employee asked, breaking Olivia from her thoughts.

"Sure." Olivia replied, smiling. She watched at the woman unlatched the lock on the cage and she stepped inside. Lucky immediately ran to her and started licking her face as she laughed. She couldn't believe how loving this dog was after just meeting him. "I'll take him." She said, smiling up at the employee. She watched as the woman disappeared and came back a moment later with the paperwork to take Lucky home. She finished the paperwork and they were on their way out.

She decided to take Lucky for a walk in the park. She finally sat down in the grass with Lucky laying next to her, just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful day. She was petting him and laughing at the way he rolled over and panted at her when all of a sudden, a frisbee landed next to them. She looked up and found a young boy, around eight years old with blonde hair and the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. Except for one other set of blue eyes that she hadn't seen in five years.

"'Livia?" The boy asked with a big smile on his face.

Her eyes widened when she realized who it was. "Eli?" She asked, shocked.

He nodded excitedly. Then he looked up as a man came closer to them. "Daddy, look who I found!" Eli said excitedly.

Olivia stood up as she looked at the man who looked just as shocked as she did. "Hi." She said, not knowing what else to say.

"Hi." Elliot replied. He looked down when he heard his son laughing. He smiled when he saw Lucky licking Eli's face and hands. Olivia smiled too and her heart melted. "I think Lucky likes you, Eli."

Elliot handed Eli the frisbee and said, "Hey, buddy, why don't you take Lucky over there and play with him? If it's okay with 'Livia. Stay close, though." He said as he looked at Olivia.

Olivia nodded and said, "Fine with me."

Eli walked a few feet away and Olivia and Elliot sat on a bench. "So, you got a dog." He said with a slight chuckle.

Olivia smiled flatly. "Yep." She said simply.

Elliot sighed and started talking before she could. "I can't tell you how sorry I am for leaving the way I did. There were so many times I picked up the phone to call you but then I figured you didn't wanna talk to me so I hung up. Liv, you have to know I didn't intend to leave like that. I just couldn't stay there after shooting Jenna and dealing with the rapists and child molesters for twenty years. I just couldn't take it anymore. I didn't mean to leave you like that. I'm so sorry." He bit his lip to keep his emotions in check as he looked over to check on Eli and Lucky. He laughed softly when he saw Eli rolling around in the grass as Lucky was licking his face again.

Olivia was watching them and trying to keep her emotions in check as well. "Well, how am I supposed to yell at you when you say all of that?" She said with a slight chuckle. She sniffled as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I just thought you'd say a better goodbye than a post it note on your badge that said 'Semper Fi- El.' I mean, after twelve years, don't you think I deserved a better goodbye than that?" Her bottom lip quivered and she looked away before he could see it.

His heart shattered into pieces. He hated to see her cry and to know that he caused it, made him feel even worse. He gently grabbed her hand and when she turned her head to look at him, he hugged her tightly before she could say anything. They cried together. After a few moments, they pulled away from the hug and wiped their eyes.

Just then, Eli and Lucky came over, both covered in grass and panting. Elliot and Olivia laughed as they looked at the pair and Eli sat on Elliot's lap as Lucky laid his head on Olivia's lap. Eli bent over to pet him again and smiled.

"Well, I guess today was my lucky day." Olivia said as she smiled at the dog then Elliot.

Elliot smiled as he watched Eli continue to pet Lucky. "Why is that?" He asked, curious.

"In a way, Lucky brought us back together." She said, still smiling.

"I guess he did." Elliot said, still smiling back at her.

Olivia laid her head on Elliot's shoulder and he gently kissed her head as he wrapped his arm around her. He kept his other arm around Eli who had fallen asleep with his hand on top of Lucky's head.

"Liv?" Elliot asked softly.

"Yeah?" Olivia responded, looking up at him.

"Can we get some coffee tomorrow? We can come back here so Eli can play with Lucky if that's okay." Elliot suggested, sounding slightly nervous.

"Please?" Eli asked, as he woke up. He had a big smile on his face and hope in his eyes.

Olivia smiled and ruffled Eli's hair as he giggled softly. "Sure." She said, finally answering Elliot as she smiled at him.

"I can't wait." Elliot replied, smiling back. They watched as Eli got down on the ground and started playing with Lucky again, smiles never leaving their faces.

It really was their lucky day.