Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the SVU characters, props, settings, etc.

** This is my first fanfic story to publish, so pleeeease review! I'll appreciate any good or bad reviews :)

"What the hell?" Olivia almost yelled, sitting up in her bed. She glanced over at the clock, hearing the banging noise again. "Who the hell is beating on my door at three a.m.?" she mumbled, getting up. She had just fallen asleep, having been working for four days straight. She was looking forward to sleeping, considering Cragen had given them the weekend off, but there goes that idea.

She slipped a hoody on over her tank top and trotted to the door in her NYPD shorts. She looked out the peep-hole in her door and sighed, opening up immediately. In her doorway was a man with swollen red eyes and a tie hanging loosely around his neck. "What's going on, El?" she asked, putting her hands in her sweatshirt pocket. He looked up at her, fighting the tears, and shook his head.

"Can I sleep on your couch?" he asked, softly. Olivia nodded.

"Of course…" she said, motioning for him to come into her apartment. 'That's not all you can sleep on, Stabler,' she thought to herself and smirked behind his back. Elliot walked to the living room and sat on the couch as Olivia got some sheets and a blanket out of the linen closet. She sat on the couch beside him, and stared at her partner.

After a couple awkward minutes passing by in silence, Olivia broke the silence. "So…are ya gonna tell me why you're sleeping on my couch tonight?" Elliot's heart broke again and she could see it in his face. "Why don't you change into some pajamas and I'll make some coffee, huh?" she suggested. He nodded and got up, walking to her bathroom, as if he were a zombie. He had kept clothes at her apartment for a couple years. They kind of just accumulated.

Olivia heard the bathroom door open about the time the coffee pot beeped saying it was finished. She poured two cups and walked to the couch, sitting one down in front of Elliot. She sat closer to him than before, but still keeping distance. "So what's going on?" she asked sweetly, turning towards him. Elliot sighed, opening his mouth, but no words would come out. Instead, a tear fell down his cheek.

It broke Olivia's heart to see him cry, and she knew that if he cried, something was majorly wrong. Without any words, Olivia leaned over and pulled him into a hug. He sank into her shoulder and sobbed quietly. She ran her hand over his back until he sat up, drying his eyes. "I caught her," he said softly.

"What?" Olivia had barely heard him speak. Elliot looked at the ceiling and closed his eyes. "God isn't here, El. Especially not in my ceiling. Talk to me…" He smirked. Her lack of religion was the last thing on his mind.

"Kathy…I caught her…in bed with another guy." Olivia's eyes narrowed. She had been looking for an excuse to kill the bitch.

Olivia started getting up off the couch, shouting, "I should KILL her! You just don't fuck around and cheat on the most amazing guy that has ever walked the planet! That stupid ass BITCH! Fucking hell!" Elliot grabbed her hand and pulled her back down to him. Olivia didn't realize she was rambling until she saw Elliot smirk through his puffy eyes.

Her eyes widened, realizing what she had said, as a hand snapped up to her open mouth. 'Oh, God…' she thought.

"I need you, Liv. Don't leave me," Elliot's voice cracked. Olivia smiled at him, her warm chocolate eyes meeting his breathtaking blue ones.

"I'll never leave you, El. And you know that," she informed him. Elliot nodded, knowing that she would never break a promise to him. She sank back into the couch next to him, her heart fluttering every time their arms touched. "What's the whole story?" she asked.

Elliot took a deep breath and said, "After we left the station tonight, I drove home. And we've been working four straight days, so she didn't expect me to be home at two in the morning. I walked into the house, quietly, trying not to wake everybody up." He stopped and closed his eyes. "I walked up the stairs and pushed the bedroom door open. And there they were." Olivia took his hand in hers and looked deep into his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, El," she told him softly. She hated it when he was hurting and she didn't know what to do to fix it.

"I mean, I know our marriage was a complete mess. And has been for…" he stopped to think.

"A while," she finished his sentence.

"It's been a wreck for ten years, Liv. Ever since you came into my life, it's been going downhill with me and her." Both Olivia's head and heart sank. Had she caused this? Elliot reached out a hand and lifted her chin up to look at him. "It's not your fault, Liv."

"You just said that your marriage started screwing up when we met." Elliot shook his head.

"That's not what I meant, Liv. The past ten years, I've been reevaluating everything in my life. You always bring out the best in me, Liv. Always. You made me realize that there's no point to doing something if you aren't happy doing it." Olivia's eyes filled with tears. "If anything, you saved me from my dying marriage." He wiped a tear that was rolling down her cheek with his thumb, his other hand still clutching hers.

"So what does this mean? Will you get a divorce now?" she asked, hopeful. She wanted Elliot all to herself, and had for…oh…ten years. Elliot's eyes drooped.

"Kathy's pregnant, Liv. She told me tonight when I was on the way out the door." Olivia's heart broke yet again.

"Shit," she mumbled. Elliot smiled at her. "You're happy about this?" He chuckled.

"Yes. Thrilled." Olivia was so confused, and Elliot could tell by the look on her face that he had better start explaining things and quick. "It's not mine, Liv. It can't be." Her eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I haven't slept with Kathy in over a year." Olivia's eyes suddenly filled with joy, realizing what he was saying.

"Wait…you haven't slept with your wife in over a year? I didn't think that was possible for men," she smirked. Elliot rolled his eyes.

"I couldn't, Liv. Every time I even tried, I always bombed out."

"They make pills for that," she joked. Elliot cocked an eyebrow at her.

"They don't make pills for loving someone that's not your wife, Liv." For a third time that night, Olivia's heart broke…this time worse than the last two times.

"I didn't know you were seeing anybody," she said softly, looking down at their hands. The way he held her hand was like he was going to break her. He knew that obviously wasn't the case, considering she could easily take him and kick his ass. But the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

"Yeah, I've seen her every day for while. It started out slow, but increased rapidly." Elliot knew that she was squirming in her mind, trying to figure out who exactly he was talking about.

"Well, uh…I need to meet this woman. We need to have a talk." She had quickly decided that she had to kill this new mystery woman along with Kathy.

"You've already met her, Liv."

"Who?" she asked, thinking. Her eyes widened. "Alex?" she yelled, backing away from him. Elliot's eyes got big as he shook his head.

"No, no, no! Not Alex."

"CASEY?" she screamed even louder, her eyes as big as saucers, jumping up off the couch. He chuckled and pulled her back down to him, almost in his lap.

"No, Liv. Think about it. My marriage has been complete hell for ten years. I met you ten years ago. I see this woman every day. I think about her constantly. She has saved my life several times." Olivia's face was blank. For such an intelligent detective, she really sucked when it came to her own life. "Liv…" his face was serious and loving, "I'm in love with you."

Olivia's heart started racing. "What?" she asked as she blinked several times, making sure she had heard him right. Elliot ran a thumb across her hand.

"I've been in love with you, Liv, for ten years. THAT's why my marriage is in shambles and Kathy's baby isn't mine. I haven't touched her because every time I even tried, all I could think of was you." Olivia's heart was running a marathon and she wasn't sure how the end was going to turn out. Elliot's heart was running the same marathon, and little did they know, they were going to tie.

The brown in Olivia's eyes had gone from a dark brown to more of a clear brown. "I…I…" she stuttered.

"You, what?" he asked. Her eyes finally found his and locked.

"I…love you, too," she said softly. They both grinned, unknowingly, like third-graders holding hands for the first time.

"Tell me what to do, Liv," he asked.

"What do you mean?" Elliot pulled her into his arms. She fit perfectly. The butterflies in their stomachs were almost overwhelming.

"I need to know what to do. What should I do, Liv? Should I leave Kathy? Or should I stick around for the kids' sakes?" Olivia loved how it felt to be in his arms.

"I can't tell you want to do, El." He rested his forehead against hers, staring her in the eyes.

"I want you, Liv."

"You already have me," she whispered back to him. After a few long seconds of moving their lips towards each other, they collided. A symphony of color danced in their heads as sparks flew around the room. If they had been standing up, Olivia's knees would have given out. As the kiss ended, Olivia's head was spinning.

"Holy..." Elliot started to mumble. Olivia was speechless, praying for it to happen again.

After regaining her ability to speak, she broke the silence. "So…what does this mean?" she asked softly.

"I think it means I'm filing for divorce Monday morning," he told her and started grinning without noticing.

"What about your kids, El?" she asked.

"Kids? What kids?" he joked. Olivia playfully hit his arm.

"You know, the four kids that are half you? You can't miss 'em," she informed him.

"Oh…those kids…" Olivia laughed. "You already know that they love you, Liv. You've been more of a mother to them than Kathy the past several years. She just sits in front of the TV until it's time for her to go to work. You're the one that Maureen called when her boyfriend broke up with her, and when Kathleen was suspended for kicking that girl's ass in school." Olivia chuckled.

"Kathleen is definitely your child." Elliot smirked.

"And they've all made quiet remarks about me and you getting together," he admitted. Olivia's eyes narrowed.

"Such as…" He ran a hand through her wavy brown hair.

"Like 'Why don't you and Liv just get married already?' and 'You and mom hate each other, go tell Liv you love her,' type things." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Your kids told you those things?" Elliot nodded. Olivia rested her head against his chest as her eyes were fluttering open and closed. After a few minutes of Elliot running his hand across her back, she was almost asleep.

"Liv…" he whispered.

"Hmm?" she asked, almost too soft for him to hear. He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you." His words were soft but strong. Other men had told her this before, but she never believed them. Elliot, on the other hand, had never lied to her or intentionally hurt her. And that's what scared her the most.

"Love you, too, El," she replied in a soft voice, dozing off soon after. Elliot pulled a blanket over them and stretched out on the couch. Olivia was asleep on top of him, but he didn't mind one bit. How this was going to work, neither of them had a clue. All they knew was that it had to work out.