#Olivia and Elliot and Kathy

[wily-one24]

Ficlet: Two's company, Three's a crowd, (Seven is a circus).

@eoangstlover56, coming in strong with the first prompt, I see.

Title: Two's Company, Three's a Crowd, (Seven is a Circus).

O/K/E, if you like it that way and squint a little.

~~~~

"Sorry." Kathy gives a brave smile, all teeth. "It's not usually like this."

Olivia blinks as a young child screeches.

"What are you talking about, Mom?" Maureen sits up straight and pretends she doesn't know the tribe that surrounds her, rolling her eyes in a none-too-subtle comaraderie with the non-relative and therefore Only Interesting Adult at the table. "It's always like this."

All Olivia can do is keep her answering grin to a minimum as Dickie continues to wave his hands in front of his sister's plate.

"Mo-oo-ooo-oom!" Lizzie wails. "He's touching my food. With boy hands!"

"They're the only hands I have, Goober!"

"Moo-oom!"

"Children." She is smiling, but Kathy's voice is not. "We have company."

"What company?" Elliot pipes up as he points a fork her way. "That's Olivia."

"It's fine." Is what she manages to say to that as Kathy smacks her husband in the shoulder. "It's... it's nice. I never had a big family dinner."

"You didn't?" Kathleen looks almost wistful as she sits across the table. "How many brothers and sisters did you have?"

Olivia swallows.

"None, I was an only child." The table falls silent for the first time all night. "It was just my mother and me."

"Cooooool." Dickie whispers.

All she can do is shrug.

"I guess."

"See?" Maureen's elegant facade crumbles a little as she turns to confront her parents. "I bet Olivia had her own room!"

Kathy ruffles her shoulders and meets her daughter's eyes head on.

"I bet Olivia had manners and was grateful. She probably did all her homework as well."

"Ugh."

"Homework?" Elliot's ears prick up. "I thought you finished your homework?"

"Oh my god." Maureen stands up, picking up her plate with a huff. "I'm out of here."

"Maureen..."

His voice holds a threat that she is more than familiar with at work.

"Let her go, El." Kathy's voice is a sigh. "It's not worth it."

"So." Olivia says into the quickly falling mood. "How's school, Kathleen?"

Somebody snickers.

"Fine." Is the response she gets.

"What's your favourite subject?"

For her part, Kathleen looks like she'd be more likely to talk about her oncoming puberty.

"Lunch." Dickie whispers.

"So she can flirt with Braaaad." Lizzie finishes.

They giggle hysterically, all germy handed drama forgotten, as Kathleen turns a bright red.

"So." Elliot claps his hands. "If that's dinner finished, I guess there's a bunch of dishes to do..."

"I have homework, too!"

Kathleen stands up quickly and her plate vanishes to the kitchen.

"Not me!" Declares Lizzie as she jumps out of her chair. "I have to shave a guinea pig."

She runs out of the room, Dickie hot on her heels.

"You leave Buster alone!"

And then there were three.

It's definitely quieter with all the kids having disappeared into their hiding places. The conversation flows a lot easier. They talk about Kathy's day and the upcoming summer holiday plans for the kids, and a few (relatively tame) work stories.

It's easy, it's comfortable, and they drift from the table to the kitchen, carrying plates and dishes as they go.

Her and Elliot are partners, they have a routine at work, they're naturally in sync and it should come as no surprise that it's the same outside of work. What does come as a surprise is how easily it translates to Kathy as well.

Kathy washes, Olivia dries, and Elliot puts the dishes away.

They chatter and laugh a little and it's easy, it's comfortable, it's almost like the imaginary family nights she used to picture as a kid.

"Well." Kathy says, face bright and happy as Elliot is putting the last dish away. "Three sets of hands really do make light work!"

"That they do."

Elliot agrees as he leans in to kiss his wife's cheek.

Olivia looks down, busying herself by folding the tea towel in her hands.

She doesn't notice how close they all are until Elliot leans over and she feels his lips brush her cheek as well.

"Woah."

Her whole brain freezes and she watches his eyes widen in the very next second.

"Oh! No! I... uh! I didn't!"

But Kathy merely laughs and points to her chest.

"Home wife." She says deliberately, then points to Olivia. "Work wife."

[specialvalentinesunit]

[rahleeyah]

you really didn't talk for ten years?

[bubblesbenson]

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A post shared by Criminalminds (@the_criminalminds)

I know this is a beating a dead horse, but this is still correct.

Why couldn’t have they gotten together before Will made his first appearance in “Jones”? If that were the case, maybe none of us would be against Reid and JJ being together.

Also, I heard Josh Stewart isn’t coming back to the reboot for the next season. I really hope that won’t be the reason why Spencer Reid might come back to Criminal Minds: Evolution. He went through enough in the original series.

Heteronormativity really ruins certain shows. That’s why I’ve been avoiding Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Law and Order: Organized Crime because I know that Olivia and Elliot are probably together now. What was the point of Stabler being married in the beginning of his debut appearance if the writers knew that he never loved Kathy, or fell out of love with Kathy as soon as Elliot met Olivia?

Also, again, I haven’t seen NCIS in a long time, but I find it so disrespectful to Jimmy Palmer’s character for him to jump into a relationship after his wife passed away from COVID. That just doesn’t seem right, especially since Breena was Jimmy’s soulmate, like how Maeve was Reid’s soulmate.

This is just a bunch of rambling, but I wanted to talk about this again.

@nerys2 @tumbleweed-palmer @artcake @only-one-brain-cell @spencer-reids-adventures @writingatdusk

[st3ddie-starchas3r]

Realizing Elliot Olivia and Kathy should have just been in a poly relationship on Law and Order svu.

[ohlookmypeach]

Alright fuck it.. Kathy and Olivia should’ve hooked up.. I’m shipping them.

I mean let’s face it.. Kathy was jealous of Olivia and Olivia was jealous of Kathy.. let’s make Elliot pissed off and jealous cause he can’t have either one now.

[live-and-die-in-la]

Omgomgomgomg look at Kathy haunting these emotionally stunted idiots.

[mayamilch]

I don't know you wants to hear this maybe benslers. But I never wanted Elliot and Olivia to get together. I just think they would've been more miserable together. And in season 11 episode 8 were Dickie was in the intetrogation room with Olivia, he asked if she slept with his da stop which she replied never. Obviously his kids probably thought she did. And that's for the most part that Elliot would've always choosen his wife and his family like in the last episode of season 12 when that shooting happened Elliot decided to leave like instantly, Kathy probably didn't even know about the shooting and was probably really confused why Elliot left SVU. And in season 12 it went more into Elliot’s life like how he met his wife in a college bar when they were probably 17. It was clearly shown that Elliot most definitely loved his wife and his family.

And that Elliot said I love you to Olivia front of his kids was a bit embarrassing for me personally.

[snapeysister]

Not Kathy calling Olivia "your office wife" when telling Elliot that Liv's on the phone (S12 E 23) 😭🤣🤭

[alien-slushie]

Kathy: This is my husband, Elliot, and this is Elliot's work wife Olivia.

Kathy's Friend: Hey! Oh, wait I'm sorry. What's the situation?

Kathy: What do you mean?

Kathy's Friend: How does this work?

Kathy: Elliot is married to me, but Olivia is Elliot's partner, and Olivia is in love with Elliot, and I happen to like Olivia.

Olivia: Its not that complicated.

[whoever-the-heck]

This episode is even better than I remember. A case that hits too close to home. An intense 12-minute scene after a car accident. Whew. My heart was in my throat the whole time. Wonderfully acted. Every micro expression perfectly encapsulating the characters' states of mind.

With the benefit of having watched chronologically since the pilot, I feel like I have more insight into their characters... and their relationships. I don't know if it's the choice of Mariska to play her this way, but Olivia is very clearly in love with Elliot. The way she looks at him throughout that hospital scene with tears in her eyes... especially her expression when he hugged her...

S9E9 "Paternity"

[georgetownsweatshirt]

RIP Kathy Stabler, you would have loved Heather by Conan Gray

[specialvalentinesunit]

[thena0315]

Mornings in Bed

[bubblesbenson]

I’m sorry, but I want to confirm:

If you haven’t caught on, I am not a Bensler supporter.

If Stabler really was lusting for Olivia the whole time he was married to Kathy, then that is a special level of scum, and it shows Stabler never loved Kathy or the kids.

Maybe he should have stayed divorced, but even then that would be scummy because Olivia would basically be a rebound woman.

Just…I hate heteronormativity.

[ragingstillness]

Joe Jr.: uh Elliot are you aware your wife is cheating on you with Olivia?

Elliot: yup. It’s ok because I’m cheating on her with Olivia too

Joe Jr.: huh?

Elliot: and Kathy and I are cheating on Olivia with each other

Joe Jr.: huh?!

Randall, sighing: please put him out of his misery and tell him what polyamory is

Elliot: why? This is more fun