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Olivia pulled up to the curb outside of the Bed Bath and Beyond store that she, Elliot and the boys nearly cleaned out — who knew they’d need so much for their new place? When she realized just how much they were buying she gave Elliot her credit card — pointless, he won’t use it — and told him she would get the car and meet them outside. After putting the car in park, she looked out of her passenger window for them and when she didn’t see him or the boys, she assumed they were still inside and reached into her bag for her phone. Before she had a chance to call Elliot, her screen illuminated with an incoming call — McGrath .
Closing her eyes briefly, she groaned before answering the call. “Benson.”
“I don’t think she sees us,” Noah stated the obvious.
“Told you we should have stayed on that side,” Eli told his father.
Knowing where they’d parked, Elliot expected Olivia to come from the opposite direction and decided they would cross over and wait for her there. “Why didn’t she listen to me? I told her we’d meet her on this side,” he mused out loud.
Noah looked up at him, brows furrowed. “Are you sure you told her? Or did you think it and forget to say it? Mom does that all the time.”
“Of course I told her,” Elliot replied as he waved his arm trying to get Olivia’s attention. “If she would just look this way,” he said as he held his arm up.
Eli smirked as Noah began to jump up and down in an attempt to get Olivia’s attention. “You guys keep doing that. I’m going to use this handy thing called a phone,” he told them, shaking his head as he hit the call button.
“Yes, Chief, I hear you. I just don’t think you’re hearing me. We just—“ Olivia looked at her phone to see that Eli was calling and curled her fist in frustration when McGrath once again talked over her.
“She looks mad,” Noah observed.
“Maybe we should just go over there, she didn’t answer,” Eli suggested.
Elliot shook his head. “It was hard enough getting over here with all these bags, she can just make a u-turn. It’s probably her asshole boss on the phone.” He winced when he heard Noah gasp softly. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to swear.”
“Don’t apologize to me. That’s between you and the jar,” he told him, referring to their new swear jar that he insisted on, much to Olivia and Elliot’s dismay.
“Yeah, yeah,” he murmured as he looked over at the snow on top of the car beside them. “Well,” he started as he pointed it out to the boys. “That's one way to get her attention.”
“Yes, yesterday. We moved yesterday.” Olivia struggled to maintain her composure as her anger rose. “I took this week off for this very reason. I need to get my family settled.” She was sweating and lowered the window for a blast of cold air. “Fin is perfectly capable of handling things like this in my—“
THUMP .
Before she could investigate the cause of that sound, a snowball flew by her face into her car and smashed into the passenger door while another hit her headrest, exploding onto the side of her face. She turned to her left, her jaw dropping at the sight of Elliot, Eli and Noah wearing similar looks of shock and fear.
“Chief, I have to go,” she said before hanging up and throwing her phone back into her bag.
Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck , was all that went through Elliot’s mind as he watched Olivia make the u-turn and pull up in front of them. Instead of launching into yelling at them, she sat in silence, and opened the trunk.
“Do you think she’s mad?” Eli asked in a hushed tone. “She didn’t yell. She’s just…quiet.”
“That’s worse,” Elliot and Noah answered in unison.
When they were done loading the car, the boys climbed into the back while Elliot closed the trunk before heading to the passenger side.
“Sorry, Mom,” Noah whispered.
Silence .
“Yeah, Liv. I’m really sorry. We didn’t know the window was open.”
No response .
The passenger door opened and Elliot knocked the remnants of snow leftover from the first hit off of the seat. Noticing how wet the seat was, he searched his pockets before looking at her and asking “Do you have a napkin? It’s really w—“ he stopped abruptly when she turned to glare at him. “Never mind, it’s not that bad. It’s fine,” he assured as he climbed in. Olivia turned to make sure the boys were buckled in before driving off.
They drove in complete silence other than Elliot’s horrible attempt at apologizing — I’m really sorry. Wasn’t trying to hit you. Didn’t hit you actually. Why didn’t you just meet us on the other side like I said? — that last one caused her to stop short, nearly sending him through the windshield, to glare at him again.
When the car was parked, Elliot and the boys jumped out as she opened the trunk and exited the SUV, slamming her door behind her. “Don’t worry babe, we’ll bring everything in,” Elliot told her as she stepped up behind him. He really wasn’t trying to be an ass.
Olivia scoffed and turned to walk away before she lost it in front of Eli and Noah. She stopped in front of a pile of untouched snow. Payback is a bitch , she thought to herself as she gathered a good amount in her hands and formed it into a ball before launching it at Elliot, hitting him right in the back of his bald head.
She gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. “Oh my god.”
Everyone froze as Elliot rubbed the back of his head before turning to her with a smirk on his face. “ I deserved that.”
Hard as she tried, she couldn’t contain her laughter. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you in your head.” She said between her laughter as the boys joined in.
“You got a damn good arm there, Benson.”
Turning her attention to the boys, “What are you two laughing at?” Olivia asked as she started to gather up more snow.
Eli and Noah dropped what they held and ran around the car out of her reach.
“No! I said I was sorry, mom!” Noah squealed.
“Dad was the one that hit you! We missed!“ Eli laughed as he ran.
“Hey!” Elliot yelled and joined Olivia in what turned into a snowball war against their kids, everyone laughing until their sides hurt and Olivia herded them inside when it started to snow again.