#fall weddings

“A feeling you won’t get unless you get in your wedding dress,” Ella said making the two turn towards her.

Olivia couldn’t help but smile at her daughter as Ella handed her the dress bag. Her curled hair matched the color of the burgundy dress that she wore. It clung to her muscular arms but hung loosely around her hips dropping to the leaves on the ground. Even with heels and a hemmed dress, a pile had collected behind her. 

“You look beautiful baby,” Olivia smiled, “I can’t believe you are a senior this year.” “And I can’t believe I got Noah dressed and ready before you,” Ella laughed.

“What? How? That kid can’t sit still for two minutes,” Cragen asked cocking his brow.

“I may have bribed him with an extra ice cream scoop when we go to  Aunt Melinda and Aunt Casey’s tonight,” Ella shrugged.

“Ella! You know he can’t have that much ice cream.”

“We give him like an eighth of a scoop! One-fourth of a scoop won’t kill the boy. Now get dressed! I am going to check on Mom and by the time I get back you better be ready to go!”

“She is a little bossy,” Olivia laughed.

“I wonder where she got that from,” Cragen said giving Olivia a knowing look which only made her laugh more. 

Ella picked up her skirt hoping more leaves wouldn’t collect as she made her way inside a small cabin they had rented for the evening. Melinda and Casey were trying to keep three year old Noah out of trouble. They smiled at her and nodded their head towards the upstairs loft bedroom. When Noah noticed Ella come in the room he immediately ran up to her reaching his arms up in the air.

Ella leaned over to kiss his forehead, “I have to make sure Mom is ready. Then I’ll hold you during the whole ceremony.”

Noah nodded, “Aunties said we could watch Spiderman tonight!”

Ella bopped him on the nose and replied with how excited she was. Finally, she headed up the stairs and peeked through the open door.

“You know it’s not too late to run if you want,” Fin said handing Amanda her suit jacket. 

Amanda rolled her eyes pushing her arms through the sleeves, “You know you are talking about our boss right?”

“I’m just giving you an option.”

“I want to do this Fin. That is the love of my life waiting for me,” Amanda smiled as she flattened her jacket one more time, “How do I look?”

“Like the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” Ella grinned as she stepped into the room, “Well you are tied with Momma in her wedding outfit.”

“Do you think she will like it?” Amanda asked looking back at the mirror one final time making sure none of the gems had fallen off the corset.

“Yes, I am sure,” Ella responded as Fin excused himself from the room to get everyone into their seats.

Ella watched Amanda intently as she slipped on a pair of white high heels. Amanda took one final look in the mirror and then turned towards her soon-to-be daughter, “I think I am ready.”

Ella brushed her hand through her hair one final time as she ran down the mental checklist in her mind. If Olivia and Amanda were honest it had been Ella who had put the whole wedding together. They had been so busy with cases lately that Ella had been the one calling to get the flowers, cake, and venue organized. She had insisted that she wanted everything to be perfect for her two moms to get married. Now as she stood in front of Amanda she seemed nervous beginning to spin the ring that she always wore on her thumb.

Amanda reached out her hand stopping the action, “Hey, what is going on in that beautiful head of yours sweet girl?”

Ella bit down on her bottom lip before speaking, “Are you sure that you didn’t want your Mom or sister here? I know it’s a little late now but maybe I can convince Barba to Facetime them or something… so they can be included if you…”

“I didn’t change my mind,” Amanda cut her off giving Ella a kiss on the cheek, “Everyone here is my real family I don’t need anyone else here.” Ella hugged Amanda one final time, “Alright...it’s showtime Mom. You ready?”

Amanda nodded and laughed as Fin held out his arm for her. After he did a small bow she linked arms with him as Ella rushed down the stairs and out the door. Olivia struggled to stay on her feet as Ella hurled herself into a large hug. After a quick kiss on the forehead, Ella nodded towards Amaro who turned on the music. As guitar sounds filled the air Munch helped Noah down the aisle as his little hands threw rose petals in the air. The sounds of Casey snapping pictures could be heard as he  made his way to stand next to Cragen. The image of Cragen holding Noah’s little hand would stay imprinted in Olivia’s head forever as Ella extended her arm out.

When they began to walk down the aisle Olivia began to listen to the words that flowed from the speakers. She knew the words but the voice singing it sounded oddly familiar. She looked over at Ella, “Is this you singing?”

Ella nodded shyly, “I had to change the song lyrics a little bit to make sure it fit.”

Tears rolled down Olivia’s face as she heard the words to her favorite song: And we'll build this love from the ground up. Now 'til forever it's all of me, all of you. Just take my hand.And I'll be the woman that you hoped that I'd be. 

When Olivia was settled into her spot Noah scrambled to Ella’s side and she lifted him against her hip. Olivia wiped the tears away as she turned back towards the end of the aisle where Amanda was approaching. She looked out among the chairs smiling at the friends sitting before her. Melinda was wiping the tears out of her eyes with a handkerchief Barba had given her. Munch and Amaro sat on the other side and she could almost see the glimmer of a tear that Munch quickly wiped away. Next to them was an empty chair Olivia knew they had left for all of the people who couldn’t celebrate her day with her.

It was for Alex Cabot wherever in the world she was off to now. Megan who never got the chance to see the beauty of her pseudo-daughter in her old wedding dress. Serena who was robbed of the chance to see Olivia making something of herself. And Olivia would deny it if anyone asked but a little piece of her thought about Elliot Stabler. Would he have been proud of her? Jealous? Happy? Questions that would never get answered but as Olivia thought about it she just hoped that somewhere out there Elliot was okay and that he was in love.

Olivia was pulled from these thoughts as a small breeze started causing red, orange, and green leaves to fall through the air framing the small blonde perfectly. She was still holding tightly onto the arm of Fin’s dark red suit but when she saw Olivia waiting for her she immediately began to cry. There was her future wife waiting for her in the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. An off-white floor-length dress covered in intricate lace that hugged every curve of her body perfectly. Then as she made her way over the rose petals Noah had thrown she heard Ella’s voice.

This life will go by.In the blink of an eye. But I wouldn't wanna spend it without you by my side.The cloud are gonna roll. The earth's gonna shake. But I'll be your shelter through the wind and the rain.

And all that Amanda could think was that every single line of the song rang true. There was not a single moment for the rest of her life that she wanted to spend without the amazing Olivia Benson by her side. As she unlinked from Fin’s arm and he stood behind her she grabbed Olivia’s hands in hers.

“You look beautiful,” She whispered kissing the top of Olivia’s hand.

Olivia grinned back, “And you are the most handsome woman I have ever seen in my entire life.”

A blush grew on Amanda’s cheek as Cragen cleared his throat, “I heard that the brides have prepared their own vows tonight. Olivia, would you like to start?”

Olivia looked back at Ella who nodded at Noah’s small hand that contained a piece of paper. Olivia kissed his forehead before unfolding the paper and looking back at Amanda, “I remember the exact day that you introduced yourself to me. So full of life and the same fire and drive that I had when I first walked inside of those precinct doors. I will admit it openly: I was jealous…I had lost that fire. But knowing you…learning from the light that you radiated every time you walked into a room gave me everything I had lost plus more. You taught me how to be a better detective, a better friend, a better partner, a better person, and most importantly a better mother.  I can’t wait to spend every single morning waking up to your cute little snores… eating popcorn curled on the couch watching movies with our children. Mostly I can’t wait to end every night holding you close and calling you my wife.”

Amanda wiped away the tears rolling down her face before pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket. She looked at the paper for a moment, “I spent an insane amount of time trying to figure out what I would say but it came to me when I was watching you dance in the rain the other day. You had Noah dressed in rain boots, a heavy winter coat, and heavy pants. Ella was dressed in her clothes from work a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. You however were only in shorts, an oversize t-shirt, and bare feet. Your clothes were soaked through but you were splashing in every puddle singing along to the music that spilled from a speaker you had set up in our kitchen window. When you caught me standing in the doorway you pulled me out into the rain. And long after the children had gone inside we stayed out in the rain holding each other and dancing slowly. Your head was curled into my neck and you whispered Please never let this moment end. And I want to tell you that I will spend every single day making sure that moment never ends. I love you Olivia and I want to spend the rest of my life dancing with you.”

Olivia smiled and leaned in to kiss Amanda. Cragen cleared his throat and Olivia pulled away giggling, “Sorry I got a little excited.”

“Well let’s exchange rings so that we can get to the rest of the party started,” Cragen laughed.

They exchanged simple black bands and then Cragen finally said the words that Olivia wanted to hear the most: You may kiss the bride. Everyone around them began to clap as Amanda and Olivia exchanged what could only be explained as a kiss of a lifetime. The moment that Casey captured immediately after the kiss ended was a permanent fixture on both of their desks. Their foreheads were pressed together. A large smile etched on their face. The falling leaves perfectly framing the two women as they shared their love with everyone around them. 

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Taglist:  @caitlink26 // @ynsimagines​ //​