Chapter 1

Elliott looked across his desk at his partner seated opposite him. She was absorbed in some paperwork, leaning on her elbow and tapping a pen on her lips. When Olivia was absorbed in whatever she was doing, she really let her guard down, dropping the tough exterior. Often, a smile would play across her lips, which he found so damn endearing. She was a beautiful woman, but when she smiled…he lived for that smile. And that's why he found himself staring at her.

It was late Friday afternoon, and they were both trying to get their DD5's completed so they could get out of the office at a reasonable time and start their weekend. It had been a while since they had a weekend off, and they both needed the break. Elliott was picking up the kids tomorrow to spend two days with them and he was looking forward to that. He hadn't spent any time with them in almost a month, and missed them a lot. But he didn't have any plans for tonight.

At that moment, Olivia looked up at him, and caught him staring at her. She smiled and said "What?"

Elliott was busted. He wasn't embarrassed at being caught any more, as she often caught him staring at her. He couldn't help it. He would look over at her sitting there, and his mind would start to wander.

"I was just thinking about tonight. Do you have any plans? Going out on a date?" Elliott asked. He was REALLY hoping that she would NOT have a date.

"No. No plans. We have been working so much lately, I just need a quiet night. I think I am going to go home, take a hot shower, and cozy up with a glass of wine and a movie".

"What would you think of doing that with me? I would even throw in dinner." Elliott proposed.

"Stabler, are you telling me that if I shower with you that you will buy me dinner?" Olivia smiled devilishly and gave him a sultry look.

A slight blush colored Elliott's cheeks. "No! That's not what I meant!" Elliott insisted.

"What? You wouldn't want to take a shower with me? Now I am offended." Olivia put on her best pouty face.

Fin and Munch were sitting one aisle over and were listening to the banter back and forth. They laughed at Elliott's discomfort.

"Smooth Stabler." said Fin. He loved to give Elliott crap when it came to Olivia.

"El, I am just messing with you. I know what you meant. Sounds like fun, depending on the movie." said Olivia, laughing lightly. "Do you think we can find something we can agree on?"

Elliott knew what that meant. It meant he would be watching some kind of romantic comedy. But he didn't care. As long as he could spend time with Olivia, he didn't care what they watched.

He had been thinking about their relationship a lot lately. Olivia was his partner and his best friend, but he couldn't deny there was always an undercurrent of sexual attraction between them. They had an amazing chemistry, which is what made them such great partners and friends for the past eight years. Twenty years of marriage and 4 children had kept him from ever acting on it; as well as the fear of ruining their partnership. But now he was divorced; had been divorced for months. And he had been thinking about his relationship with Olivia more and more. Their relationship had had its' ups and downs over the past year, as he struggled with his marriage, and they both struggled with how much they cared for each other. At times, it impacted their job, and SVU had considered splitting them up. But ultimately the suits had decided against it, as they were still one of the best teams in the NYPD.

Olivia had gone undercover for a couple of months and it had nearly killed Elliott. It was his job to protect her, and he had no idea where she was or if she was safe. And it was then that he decided he couldn't live without her. That he loved her. And he swore if he ever got another chance, he would tell her. But since she had been back, it had been awkward and they had to figure out a new relationship with each other. She was more cautious of being open with him, and when she found out he was divorced, she had acted strangely. He had hoped that she would see this as the opportunity for them to voice their feelings, but instead, she seemed to maintain a distance from him. It was almost as if she was afraid to get too close again. They were finally just getting back to where they had left off. The easiness between them had started to return. Even the joking that was going back and forth today was evidence of that.

"El!" Olivia said in a loud voice. "Are you paying attention to anything I just said?"

Elliot startled and looked back at her. "What? No, I'm sorry. I was just thinking about something. I didn't hear you. What did you say?"

"I said that I was going to take off and that I would be over about 7. Did you want me to pick up something on the way, or are we just going to order in?" Olivia stood, grabbing her jacket.

"Um, I haven't really thought about it. Let's just order in. Is that OK?" Elliott asked.

"Story of my life" said Olivia with a smile. She grabbed her bag off her desk. "Have a good weekend John, Fin. I hope I don't hear from you ALL weekend!" she said with a smile.

Elliott watched as she walked out of the squad room.

"Stabler" said Fin. "Quit looking at her ass."

Chapter 2

Elliott left the squad room a little after Olivia and headed for his car. He had decided that he would make a home cooked meal for her instead of just ordering in. Every time he was at her apartment, she never had any food. So he knew she ordered in all the time, or picked something up on her way home. A hot, home-made meal would be a nice surprise.

When Elliott arrived home, he jumped in the shower. He put on some clean jeans and t-shirt and then started prepping dinner. He was just going to make some pasta; nothing fancy. He opened up a bottle of red wine and poured himself a glass.

A little before 7, there was a knock at the door.

"Come on in. The door is open" Elliott yelled from the kitchen.

Olivia walked in the apartment and Elliot came out of the small kitchen to greet her as she came through the door. She was carrying a bottle of wine and had a sweatshirt thrown over her arm. She was wearing faded jeans, and a short sleeve t-shirt, both fitting her curves perfectly. Elliott thought she looked amazing; but then she always did. He felt a small flip-flop in his stomach, and tried not to stare. She had gained a little weight when she was in Oregon, and had filled out a little in the breasts and hips, but it only made her sexier.

"What are you staring at Stabler?" Olivia asked. She looked down at what she was wearing. "Was I supposed to dress up? Is this too casual for movie night?" she smiled.

"No. I just…I mean… you look fine. You look great." Elliott stumbled over his words. What WAS his problem? He felt like he was in high school. "I was just wondering." He said, trying to recover and redirect the conversation. "Is that my NYPD sweatshirt? I was wondering what happened to it."

"I'm busted." said Olivia with a smile. "I borrowed it a while back and now it's one of my favorite sweatshirts. I guess I kind of forgot it even belonged to you!" She lied. She knew it was Elliott's and she treasured it. Every time she wore it, she thought of him.

"Here, I brought some wine" she said, taking her turn to change the subject. She handed the bottle over to him. "Something smells wonderful. Are you cooking!?"

Elliott grabbed the bottle of wine from her hand and walked back into the kitchen.

"Yes, I decided that you probably hadn't had a good meal in months, so I thought I would cook. I don't want you to get too skinny." said Elliott.

Olivia laughed. "I'm not worried about getting too skinny! I didn't have the chance to work out much in Oregon, and have been having trouble getting back in the habit since I have been back. I can't imagine EVER being skinny. I have plenty of curves, if you haven't noticed."

"Oh, I noticed." said Elliott with a little bit too much emphasis, and then he felt stupid for saying it. He kept his back to her but there was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Then he said "Hey, can you set the table?" He turned and nodded towards some plates and silverware piled on the counter.

Olivia smiled a little and grabbed the dishes. Why was Elliott so nervous tonight? Something was definitely up with him. She wanted to ask, but didn't want to put him on the spot. She assumed it would come out when he was ready.

She set the table and grabbed the wineglasses and the bottle of wine, and everything was all set when dinner was ready. They sat down to eat, and Elliott said grace. As they dug in, they talked about the kids and what they were up to, and he talked about his plans with them for the weekend.

"I am picking up the kids tomorrow and we're going to go pick up some pumpkins and go out for lunch. Then we'll head back here to carve them and hang out. I guess I just have Dick and Liz because Maureen and Kathleen already have some plans. So it's going to be a little quiet. I guess I have to get used to that as the kids get older."

Olivia could tell he was not happy with this new reality. Elliott was really close to his kids, and when he didn't get to see them, it was hard for him.

"Elliott. I know it's hard, but you know, even if you and Kathy were still together, you wouldn't see them either! Teenagers are never home. I know I was NEVER home. Once I turned 14, I was gone all the time". Olivia tried to put him at ease.

"It doesn't mean I don't miss them" said Elliott stubbornly.

"I know. I am not saying that. Just enjoy the time you have with Dick and Liz. It's nice to have some more personal time with them, and then maybe you can meet up with Kathleen and Maureen one on one. It's nice for the kids to have some one on one time with you too. It's more personal." encouraged Olivia. She didn't want him to stew about this all night.

"You're right." said Elliott. "Now let's talk about something else. What movie are you going to make me watch tonight?"

Olivia laughed. "I didn't bring a movie along so we're at the mercy of whatever's on TV. Hopefully we can find something."

They had finished eating, so they cleaned up the dishes, put them in the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen. They had already worked through one bottle of wine, so Olivia opened up the bottle she had brought along and carried it into the living room.

They plopped down on the couch, sitting on opposite ends. Olivia curled her legs up underneath her, sitting kind of sideways, partially facing Elliott. Elliott grabbed the remote control and started channel surfing.

Chapter 3

Elliott and Olivia had finally agreed on a movie, and settled in. They finished off the bottle of wine, and didn't talk much during the movie. At one point, Olivia stretched out on the couch, putting her feet in Elliott's lap. Elliott raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything. He started rubbing her feet.

"I will give you an hour to stop that." Olivia groaned. "That feels wonderful".

The combination of wine and the foot massage was making Olivia sleepy. She slowly started to nod off. Elliott grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and covered her up with it. She snuggled in with the blanket and closed her eyes. In 5 minutes, she was sound asleep.

Elliott watched her sleep. Now, he could stare openly at her without fear of getting caught. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever met, on the outside and the inside. Sometimes he couldn't believe she hadn't found someone to be with, but he also knew that many times, she simply didn't let people in. Olivia had a lot of baggage from her past, and it took a lot to get to know the real Olivia Benson. Sometimes he wondered how much was his fault. He was hard on anyone she dated; letting her know his displeasure with every guy that came around. He didn't say it out loud, at least not directly, but she knew. And it fact, sometimes it made him physically ill to think of her with another man. He knew it wasn't fair, but he couldn't help himself. But at the root of it all, he thought maybe the reason she didn't commit to anyone else was that she felt the same way about him as he felt about her. Maybe she sabotaged her own chances; running away before things could get too serious.

And now he was a free man. He had been for months. But he couldn't decide what to do. There was a lot at stake; mostly their jobs. Kathy had accused him numerous times over their marriage of cheating on her with Olivia and he had been adamant that he hadn't. He told Kathy that they were only partners and friends. But hadn't he cheated? Even though it was never physical, wasn't he emotionally involved with Olivia all these years? And hadn't he wanted her physically? Had that kept her from a serious relationship with any other man? He knew that only his sense of family and God had kept him from crossing that line. And he would never want Olivia to be 'the other woman'. She deserved more than that.

But now he was free. Free to act out on his desires. So what was he afraid of?

He was afraid that Kathy and the kids would not believe he had always been faithful. But more than that, he was afraid of messing up what he had with Olivia. What if he couldn't be the man she needed? What if he couldn't love her how she deserved to be loved? What would it mean for their jobs? He couldn't imagine not working in SVU, and he knew it would kill Olivia to leave. Could they stay in SVU and just switch partners? Would he trust anyone else to watch her back? It was all these thoughts that swirled around in his mind and made it impossible to decide what to do. But in his heart, he knew what he wanted. And what he wanted was Olivia Benson.

Chapter 4

Elliott looked down at her sleeping peacefully on the couch and let out a heavy sigh. He knew the first move would have to be his; that she would never be the one to cross the line after all the barriers they had carefully constructed. He lifted her feet gently off his lap and stood up, laying her feet back on the couch. He knelt down next to her and gently reached over and moved a stray chunk of hair off her forehead. She stirred slightly at his touch, and smiled in her sleep. He took his left hand and gently stroked her left cheek until she stirred. She opened her eyes slowly, as if from a dream.

"El" she said softly. Almost as if she expected to see him there, leaning over her.

"Liv" Elliott continued to stroke her cheek. Then he leaned over and kissed her very gently on the lips. Just a light kiss, and then he pulled back and looked into her eyes. He saw surprise there, but not alarm. He started to lean in again for another kiss, and watched her eyes to see if he could see any sign that she wanted him to stop. She didn't say anything. She didn't move. She was holding her breath. Elliott leaned in for another kiss, kissing her with more urgency than the first kiss. And then she was kissing him back. She put her arms up around his neck and pulled him closer. He teased her lips with his tongue until she granted him access. The kisses were deep, urgent and filled with longing. Olivia moaned low in her throat and her whole body was trembling slightly. He hadn't expected this kind of intense reaction; he had only hoped for a kiss. A start of something with a promise of more. But feeling her tremble and hearing her moan fueled his passion and suddenly, he couldn't get close enough to her.

He climbed next to her on the couch, and then rolled on his back and pulled her on top of him. He tangled one hand in her hair as he kissed her deeply. His other hand ran down her back and grabbed her ass and pulled her tightly against him. She could feel how hard he was and she repositioned herself so that his length was lined up with her core and she pushed down with her hips. Elliott broke the kiss and groaned loudly. He ran both hands up her back, under her t-shirt and splayed his hands against the smooth skin of her lower back. She was grinding her hips into him, and kissing him along his neck and then she was pulling up his t-shirt and kissing him on the chest and working her way down to his abdomen and he thought he was going to die from desire. He looked down and couldn't believe this was Olivia; that she was kissing him and had her hands all over his body. She started to work her way back up and looked up at him with a sultry expression. Elliott felt himself get even harder, if that was even possible. Damn, she was so fucking sexy. He had never seen this side of her but the thought that ran through is mind as she looked up at him with a seductive smile was that this side of Olivia Benson was pure sin.

As Olivia eased her way back up his body, Elliott grabbed her arms. "Stop."

Olivia stopped. Elliott started to sit up, pulling her up with him.

Olivia had a confused look on her face, but she didn't say anything.

"Liv" Elliott started. "I want nothing more than to pick you up, and take you into my bedroom and make mad, passionate love to you. I have thought about this so many times. But I have been waiting for this for a long time and I don't want to rush it. I want to enjoy every single second. And I don't want to push you into something you're not ready for. I just wanted to kiss you…and I didn't invite you over expecting anything. I want you to understand that."

"El, do you know how many times I have thought about making love to you? Dreamed about this? Too many to count. But it was always so complicated and I was never going to be the one to cross the line. But if you're in, I'm in. You're not rushing me into anything. I am a grown woman, and I know exactly what I'm doing. And baby, we are NOT going to rush…I am going to make you feel soooo good."

Elliott groaned out loud. Olivia stood up and grabbed Elliott's hand. She led him into the bedroom and made him sit on the edge of the bed. Then she backed up a few feet and slowly started to lift up the edge of her t-shirt. She teased him by slowly lifting it up over her stomach, swaying her hips slightly back and forth. Elliott reached over and put a hand on her stomach and she slapped it away. "No touching" she said playfully. "At least not yet".

She pulled the t-shirt up and over her head and dropped it to the floor. She was wearing a lacy black bra that accentuated her cleavage. Elliott groaned as she ran her hands back and forth over her hips and her stomach, and then moved them up to cup her breasts. Then she reached down and slowly started to unbutton her jeans. She slowly undid the zipper and pulled the jeans back, revealing more skin and the very top of some black lace panties. She turned around and very slowly started to ease her jeans down, revealing the top of a black lace thong. She worked her jeans all the way down, revealing her toned and tan ass, and dropped her jeans to the ground. Elliott thought he might actually cum right then and there. She was such a tease. She kicked her jeans away and slowly turned around. She took her hands and ran them up her sides, massaging her hips, stomach and breasts along the way, and then up through her hair.

"Olivia, you look amazing. You are absolutely beautiful." Elliott stared at her, appraising her from head to toe, taking her all in. Her skin was dark and smooth, and she had a sultry look on her face that made him weak in the knees. He had looked at her every day for the past 8 years, and he knew she was beautiful. He had allowed his imagination to wander sinfully, wondering what she might look like naked. But his imagination paled in comparison to the beautiful woman standing in front of him.

Olivia watched Elliot looking at her, his eyes roving over her body. She laughed, walked over to him and pushed him down on his back. She climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. She gently rocked from side to side, rubbing against him and driving him crazy. She pinned his arms down and leaned over and gave him a long, luxurious kiss.

She pushed his t-shirt up and ran her hands up and down his chest. Elliot had an amazing body and she knew he worked out a lot. And it showed. And now she was touching him, running her hands over what had always been forbidden before. She almost wanted to pinch herself to make sure this was real.

Elliott put his hands around her waist and swung her over onto the bed, so she was on her back.

"You always have to be in charge." said Elliott. "But not this time."

He straddled her and slowly started kissing her, letting the kisses get deeper and deeper. His lips left hers and he started kissing her on her neck. He found a particular spot behind her ear that seemed to set her off, because she let out a loud, deep moan. He kept kissing and sucking her on that spot until her hips started bucking upwards and he knew she was coming undone. He started moving lower with his mouth, kissing and sucking and teasing until he got to her breasts. He lifted her up gently, reaching back to release the clasp on her bra. He let out a groan when he saw her beautiful breasts. He had imagined this so many times, but reality was so much better.

"God Liv. You really are fucking gorgeous." He said. He pulled her bra off and threw it to the floor. He started massaging her left breast with his hand. Olivia moaned again in that deep, dusky tone of hers and it drove him mad. He put his mouth on her right breast and sucked and teased her as she was writhing beneath him.

"Elliott. You're driving me crazy". She moaned. She was running her hands up his back and tried to pull his shirt up. He pulled the shirt up and over his head, and then went back to sucking and fondling her breasts. She pushed her hips up into his and reached down to stroke him through his pants. He pushed her hand away, not sure if he could hold himself back if she touched him

"I can't stand this anymore. I want you inside me" she said, with a pleading tone in her voice.

"Be patient Detective." Elliott said playfully. He un-straddled her and moved to the side, taking in the full length of her with his eyes. He couldn't believe he was lying here, looking at Olivia in his bed. "You are so fucking beautiful." He ran his hand down her flat stomach and caught his thumb on the edge of her black, lace panties. Her breath caught in her throat. He ran his thumb back and forth under the edge of her underwear. "Breathe Olivia." said Elliott. He stopped what he was doing, and stood up next to the bed. He quickly pulled off his jeans and his boxers.

Olivia raised herself up on her elbows to watch his as he undressed. She eyed him, raised an eyebrow and smiled wickedly. "Impressive. But I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less." She said, eyeing his large erection. "Now that's what I need Stabler. Get over here." Olivia held out her hand, pulling him back onto the bed.

"Didn't I tell you that you aren't in charge?" Elliott said playfully. He leaned in and kissed her, while he slowly ran his hand down over her panties and down to her core. He slid his finger under the lace. She was so wet and he smiled knowing he had made her that way. He slid his fingers up and found her clit, and when he stroked his fingers over it, her entire body jolted and she let out a loud moan. Leaving his thumb rubbing her clit gently, he slid one finger into her. Olivia lifted her hips up into his hand. He slid a second finger in. She was so tight. Olivia raked her fingers up and down his back and growled at him. He moved his fingers slowly in and out, her hips thrusting up to meet him.

"El. Please. I can't…please. I need you inside me." She reached down, pushed his hand out and away from her. She reached down and put her hand around him, stroking gently. It was almost more than he could bear. He pushed her hand away and hooked his fingers inside her panties and pulled them off. Then he climbed over her, spreading her legs with his knees.

He looked up at Olivia's face. She had her head back with eyes closed and she was panting lightly.

"Olivia. Look at me." Elliott said, reaching down and touching her cheek.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. In her eyes, he saw so much. Desire, longing, trust, love.

"Liv. Are you sure about this? There's no going back." Elliott said.

"We're already past the point of no return."

"No, we're not. We can stop. If you're not sure…" Elliott said.

"El, you're killing me. Does it seem like I'm not sure? Do I have to sign something? Please…I can't stand it any longer. I want you."

Elliott leaned down and kissed her, and slowly entered her. She gasped and he stopped, looking at her.

"It's OK. Just go slowly." She said, running her hands over his ass. He gave her time to adjust and then pushed in a little deeper. He stopped again. He didn't want to hurt her, and so he kept kissing and massaging and going deeper and deeper until he heard a loud groan escape her lips.

"Oh God, Elliott. Oh my God." She started moving slowly underneath him, and he took that as his sign to go ahead. He thrust slowly at first, and then started gaining momentum. She was so tight; he wasn't going to last very long. But from the way she was moaning and panting, he didn't think she was going to last much longer either.

"Come on baby. Cum with me." Elliott said. He reached down and rubbed her clit. After a few seconds he had driven her over the edge and she screamed his name, grabbing his back and her entire body spasmed. He let himself go and came with her, spilling himself inside of her. "Oh Liv." He moaned. He kept moving his body with hers until he was spent, and he collapsed over her, barely able to keep himself from crushing her. He slid out from between her legs and rolled over on his side. He threw one arm over his head.

"Holy Shit!" Elliott said as they both lay panting next to each other. "Holy shit."

Olivia was quiet and Elliott rolled over on his side, facing her. She had her eyes closed and was breathing deeply.

"You ok?" Elliott asked. He reached up and caressed her cheek with his hand.

Olivia opened her eyes and looked at him. "I think OK is an understatement." She smiled and lifted her head up and kissed him.

"I just wanted to make sure that I didn't hurt you. You were so…" he hesitated. Even after what had just happened, it still felt very strange to talk this openly and intimately with Olivia. Sex and deep personal stuff had always been off-limits.

"So what?" she asked. She could tell he was uncomfortable, which is why she wanted to push it. "So what, El?" she said with a sweet smile.

He looked at her and knew she wasn't going to let him off the hook.

"So tight." He said, almost in a whisper.

She laughed. "Well, I haven't pushed any kids out and…it's been a while since I had sex." she admitted.

"Good." Elliott said.

She gave him a puzzled look. "What?"

Elliott smiled. "It's good that you haven't had sex in a while. Then I don't fail by comparison. Plus…it drives me crazy to think about you having sex with other men. It always has." Elliott confessed.

"El. You don't have to worry about comparisons…eight years of pent-up frustration made for some pretty amazing sex." Olivia smiled and reached up and touched Elliott's cheek.

"Really? I felt like I was in high school. I didn't last very long". Elliott said.

"Neither of us did. Eight years…that's a long time to wait for each other."

"Yes…too long" said Elliott, placing his hand on her stomach and massaging the soft skin there. "But hopefully I'll get another shot."

"Maybe." Olivia said with a smile. She started to sit up and Elliott moved his hand to her shoulder.

"Where are you going? " he asked. "I don't think I'm done with you yet."

"To the bathroom. And don't get too bossy Stabler. I said MAYBE." she said with a big smile on her face. She climbed off the bed, and swayed her hips seductively as she walked into the bathroom.

Elliott fell back on the bed and groaned. This sexy side of Olivia was new to him, but he could see how much trouble he was in. He wanted to make love to her over and over again. He had always been addicted to her but now he was really hooked. He could now see the playful side of Olivia; and saw that she could be a temptress, with that body and those throaty moans and that seductive look. Pure sin.

Chapter 5

Elliott kept looking at the bathroom door, but Olivia didn't come out. She had been in there for about ten minutes and he wondered what she was doing in there. Was she hiding form him; kicking herself for sleeping with him? Pretty soon he heard the toilet flush and then he heard the shower.

Unbidden images flooded into his mind. He pictured her naked in the shower. He saw water running over that amazing body. He thought about soaping her body; about pushing her up against the tiles and …

He got up off the bed and started walking towards the bathroom. He stopped midway. Did she want him to come into the bathroom? She hadn't invited him to follow her. He didn't know what to do. He had his relationship carefully worked out with Olivia for 8 years, but this was new territory. He didn't want to assume anything.

He veered off to the closet and grabbed some clean towels. He went back to the bathroom door and knocked. "Liv. I have some clean towels here. Can I come in?"

"Yes. It's your bathroom." Olivia yelled out from the shower.

Elliott opened the door and peeked in. That wasn't necessarily an invitation, so he wasn't certain what to do. He could see her outline through the marbled glass door of the shower.

He walked into the bathroom and set the towels on the counter. "OK. I just put them on the counter. Do you need anything else?"

Olivia opened the shower door a crack. "I could use someone to wash my back." She smiled seductively. "Do you know anyone that may be interested?"

Elliott felt himself harden.

Olivia looked him up and down. "I see someone is interested". Elliott walked over to the shower and stepped in. She was definitely going to be the death of him.

When he stepped in the shower, she handed him the body wash. She turned her back to him. He started kissing her shoulders. He lifted her hair from the nape of her neck and started kissing her neck. Olivia braced herself against the tiles with her arms and arched her back. Elliott ran his hands down her sides and over her hips. He slowly turned her around so she was facing him and kissed her.

She kissed him back passionately and ran her hands over his back and down his ass. She pulled his body closer. He reached around and moved one arm around the back of her thighs. He lifted her up and pushed her against the shower wall. She wrapped her long legs around his waist as he thrust himself into her. Olivia let out a yelp and he realized he thrust in too quickly. He stopped moving and looked up at her. She nodded and said "I'm OK". He moved more slowly then; Olivia running her hands over Elliott's body, kissing him passionately. He adjusted himself slightly, and hit a sweet spot, eliciting a moan from Olivia. He pushed in a little deeper, increasing his speed while she moaned in his ear. His arms were beginning to shake from holding them in this position, but he couldn't stop now.

"Oh El. So close. Don't stop." Olivia groaned. Then she started to tremble and he knew she was close. He lifted up and thrust harder, pushing her and him over the edge. Olivia reached out, bracing her hands backwards against the shower wall. She threw her head back, panting hard as they kept moving in time with each other.

Finally spent, Elliott pulled out of her and Olivia lowered her legs so she was once again standing on the shower floor. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She laid her head on his shoulder, feeling so warm and protected in his embrace.

"Olivia Benson, what did I do to deserve you? I love you so much." Elliott whispered into her ear.

Olivia lifted her head from his shoulder. She looked up at him, her beautiful brown eyes searching his. She bit her bottom lip. "I love you Elliott. I always have".

Chapter 6

They stepped out of the shower, and Olivia wrapped herself in a towel. She wrapped another towel around her hair and walked back into the bedroom. Elliott was close behind her, with a towel wrapped around his waist.

Olivia sat on the edge of the bed. "Stabler, you wore me out. I am exhausted. I need to get home and get some sleep." She looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was 1AM. She couldn't believe it. She would have thought it was 5AM, with all that had happened since she got here.

Elliott walked over to his dresser and pulled out some sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"I was kind of hoping you would stay here. With me." Elliott said as he handed them to her.

Olivia wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Most of the time, she preferred that the guys she slept with went home. She was independent, and wanted to just be able to have her space and her routine. But this was different. For one, she was at Elliott's, so she would have to be the one to leave. And secondly, she wasn't sure she wanted to leave. But she didn't really know how he was really feeling. Did he really want her to stay? Or did he feel obligated to ask her?

Elliott noticed her hesitation. "If you don't want to, that's fine." He didn't want to push her.

"Do you really want me to stay?" she looked up at him.

"Yes. I really want you to stay. Really. Please don't run out on me Liv." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

He turned around, grabbed another pair of sweats and a t-shirt, went into the bathroom and closed the door. He was hoping she didn't leave, but he didn't want to push her more than he already had. Her natural tendency was to run if things got too intense. And you couldn't get more intense then the past few hours.

Elliott got dressed, brushed his teeth and splashed cold water on his face. He leaned on the counter and looked in the mirror. He took a deep breath and exhaled. He was in deep now. There was no going back, and he wasn't sure where the future would lead. But for tonight, he was just going to be happy. They could worry about tomorrow…tomorrow.

He opened up the bathroom door, and was pleased to see that she had put on his sweats and t-shirt, and was lying on the bed. She was on her side, facing him. She had her head propped up on her hand and her other arm was resting on her side. She was drowning in his sweatpants and t-shirt, but she still looked beautiful.

"You decided to stay" Elliott said with a smile. Inside, his heart soared. He walked over to the bed.

"Maybe I was just too tired to go home." Olivia teased.

"I really don't care what the reason is, I am just happy that you stayed." He pulled back the covers, pulling them out from under Olivia too. He crawled into bed, and pulled the covers over the two of them. He lay down and pulled Olivia close. Her body fit perfectly in the crook of his arm. She laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He reached out and turned off the light.

He closed his eyes and relished the fact that he was holding Olivia in his arms. If there was a heaven, it must be something like this. He caressed her back with his hand, and she ran her hand up and down his arm. Her hand stopped, and her breathing had slowed, but he couldn't tell if she was asleep or not.

"Liv." He whispered.

"Hmm." She mumbled.

"I could stay like this forever." But she didn't respond. She was already asleep.

Chapter 7

Sunlight streamed through the curtains over the bedroom window when Elliott woke up. Olivia was lying on her side, facing him. She had the blankets pulled up to her chin and was still sleeping soundly. She looked so peaceful. The sunlight played with the highlights in her hair and he couldn't stop staring at her. He felt overwhelmed by his emotions. Everything they had been through together over the past eight years came rushing back. He suddenly wanted to make up for any pain and sadness he had caused; he wanted her to be happy. To feel the love she had been waiting for, and that she deserved. He would make up for all of the heartache she had endured.

Her eyes fluttered open.

"Morning" Elliott said, reaching over to stroke her cheek.

"Elliott, how come every time I look at you, you're staring at me?" Olivia teased him.

"Because you're so damn beautiful" Elliott said forcefully. His answer surprised her and she smiled. She had expected a smartass comment back. But things had shifted in their relationship now. They were treading on new ground.

"OK." She said simply, accepting his answer.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Elliott.

"Like a baby. I was exhausted. Someone wore me out." Olivia put her hand over Elliott's, which was still caressing her cheek. "I am really glad I stayed."

"Me too."

Olivia rolled over on her back and stretched. She slowly sat up in bed. Elliott put his hand on her lower back, slowly moving his hand under the t-shirt and rubbing her lower back. His sweatpants were too big on her and they had slipped down on her hips. He slipped his hand a little lower, down to the swell of her hips.

Olivia looked over at him and smiled. "Not so fast Stabler. I need coffee."

"What? I wasn't doing anything." He said innocently.

"Yeah, right." She reached behind her and grabbed his hand, flinging it back over towards him. "Coffee."

She got out of bed and started for the bathroom, moving slowly and stretching as she walked.

"Are you OK? Is something wrong?" said Elliott with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm just a little sore. I'm fine. And I'm not kidding about the coffee" she said as she shut the bathroom door.

Elliott smiled and rolled out of bed and made his way into the kitchen. He knew Olivia wasn't a morning person and wasn't kidding about needing coffee. He scooped grounds into the coffeemaker, poured water in the machine and hit the start button. Soon, the aroma of coffee permeated the apartment.

Olivia came out of the bedroom, hitching up the oversized sweatpants. "That smells amazing. You know, I rarely got coffee when I was in Oregon and it's one of the things I missed the most. I am NEVER giving up coffee."

She walked into the kitchen and lifted herself up onto the counter, her feet dangling down.

Elliott got a couple of mugs down from the cupboard and set them by the coffeemaker.

"I don't want to get between you and your coffee." joked Elliott. "I'm making it as fast as I can."

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. It was almost as if they didn't know what to say to each other. They knew they had to talk about what had happened, about the change in their relationship, but neither knew how to start. Their carefully constructed world had crumbled and they were on uneven footing.

The coffeemaker beeped and Elliott filled one of the mugs. He walked over to where Olivia was sitting on the counter and handed it to her.

"Your coffee Madam."

Olivia took a sip while Elliott went back over to the coffeemaker and poured himself a cup. He turned around and leaned back against the counter where he was standing, looking over at Olivia.

"So." he said.

"So." said Olivia, looking at him, and then looking back down at her cup.

"El." started Olivia. With that one word, Elliott's heart started to ache, as he was certain she was going to say that this was all a mistake and that it shouldn't have happened and couldn't happen again.

"I am not very good at this." she continued, but then she paused. She had all of these things she wanted to say, but wasn't sure how to say them. She looked up at him. He was staring at her intently, hanging on every word. And she realized then that he was just as scared as she was. And that gave her the conviction to move ahead.

"I'm scared." she said. Elliott started to interrupt but she waved him off. "Please, just let me finish or I won't be able to get this out."

"Elliott, I have been falling in love with you a little more every day for the past 8 years. And despite how much I have tried to talk myself out of it, have tried to find someone else to fall in love with, I haven't been able to. The heart wants what the heart wants. I dreamed about this, but I never expected this to actually happen. And now that it has, I am scared to death. Scared that I can't be the woman you want me to be or that I am not the woman you think I am. Scared that I can't actually commit to anything despite how much I want it, and that I will hurt you. Scared about our career, our friends, your family. It's a long list. But when I woke up this morning, and saw you looking at me, it just felt right.

So I don't know what's going to happen, and just for a little while, I don't want to think about it. I just want to be happy with what is. Can we just be happy for a little while, before we let all the rest of the world in?" tears had gathered, threatening to spill out over her lashes.

Elliott walked over to her and put his body between her legs. He looked up at her, and gently brushed the gathering tears from her eyes.

"Olivia, you just said all of the things that have been swirling through my mind all morning. I don't want to analyze this to death. Even though I know there are lots of things to think about. I just want to relish what we have right now, and the rest will work itself out."

He let out a big sigh. "I was so worried that you were going to tell me that this was a mistake; that you changed your mind about us."

Olivia put her arms over Elliott's shoulders and her legs around his waist, pulling him close.

"Elliott. I finally got you right where I want you. And I am NEVER going to give you back!" she leaned in for a kiss and Elliott was more than happy to oblige.

Chapter 8

As their kisses deepened, they heard the ring of a cell phone from the living room.

Olivia pulled back. "Is that yours or mine?"

Elliott disentangled himself from her embrace and walked into the living room. He picked up the offending cell phone from the coffee table.

"It's yours. It's Alex." Elliott said, reading the caller ID. He walked back into the kitchen and handed her the phone.

Olivia answered it quickly. "Hi Alex." Alex asked what she was doing and Olivia said "not much." She smiled over at Elliott. Elliott couldn't hear any more of the conversation from Alex's end, but it sounded like Alex was giving Olivia hell for not answering or texting her back. Olivia ended the call after a couple of minutes and said "What time is it anyway?"

Elliott looked at the clock on the coffeemaker. "It's a little after 10. Shit, I have to pick the kids up in less than an hour." He looked at her and sighed. "This isn't how I expected this morning to go. I wanted to talk a little more."

"It's OK Elliott. I have to go too. I am meeting Alex for lunch and then we're going to do some shopping."

"Do you maybe want to come over and have dinner with the kids and me later on?" Elliott asked.

"You know, I think it's better if you just spend the day with your kids Elliott. If last night hadn't happened, would you be inviting me over?" Olivia asked. "If we're going to keep this between us for a while, then we need to act as if nothing has changed around everyone else."

"Does that mean you're not going to tell Alex? You two share everything, I swear." Elliott said, shaking his head.

Olivia hopped down from the counter and walked over to Elliott. She took his face in her hands and said "Elliott. This is between you and me, and until we see where this goes, it stays between us. OK?"

"OK". Elliott leaned in and kissed her. Then Olivia pulled away.

"I have to get going. I am going put my jeans back on, but OK if I borrow this t-shirt?" Olivia started walking back towards the bedroom to gather her things.

"Sure. If you want, I can drop you off at your apartment on my way to pick up the kids." Elliott said as he followed her into the bedroom. "I am just going to jump in the shower."

"Too bad we don't have time or I would join you" Olivia said he a deep, throaty voice, giving him that sexy look she had.

"Olivia Benson. You are going to be the death of me. And I love it." said Elliott, sighing and going into the bathroom, alone.

Elliott dropped Olivia at her apartment, kissing her goodbye as she got ready to get out of the car.

"Have fun with Alex." he said.

"Have fun with the kids. Tell them I say hi." said Olivia, shutting the car door.

Elliott opened his door and jumped out of the car. "Liv." He said, looking over the top of the car.

She stopped and looked back at him, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

Elliott didn't know what he was going to say. He just didn't want their time together to end. He felt like he needed to say something, to make sure she didn't rethink what had happened and didn't change her mind.

He obviously hesitated longer than he thought because she turned around to face him and said "Elliott. What?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to say thanks." Elliott kicked himself. That wasn't what he wanted to say.

She made a funny face. "You're thanking me for sleeping with you?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean…" Elliott felt like an idiot.

"Elliott. It's OK. I know." And with that, she turned around and walked towards her apartment building. Elliott watched her walk in and disappear from sight. As he climbed back in the car, he smiled. She knew him. She knew there was so much he wanted to say and that he just didn't have the words. She felt the same way.