A/N: Underlined text is directly from the show.

Thank you so much for your kind reviews! Keep em coming! This chapter is probably my favorite so far. :)

"You're the longest relationship I've ever had with a man." She brought her eyes back to his.

"Damn right," he said, squeezing her hands.

"I'm not spending time with anyone else, either," Olivia admitted. "I want you to know that."

Elliot beamed. "I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that."

"I just need things to go slow, El. Okay?"

"Whatever speed you feel comfortable with. Even if it's slower than a snail," he teased.

"Maybe not that slow."

When Olivia heard that Callum Donovan had pushed Elliot off the roof, her stomach dropped. Last she knew he had been going over there to apologize. Cragen called her at home and said he was on his way to the hospital. He didn't know anything yet, other than that Elliot was conscious. Olivia had been just about to get in the shower but she grabbed her badge and keys and was out the door, headed for Mercy Hospital.

When she got there, she flashed her badge at one of the nurses to find out where Elliot was. He was laying flat on his back in a neck brace.

"Shit," she whispered.

"Liv," Elliot said, trying to sit up.

"Lay back down, you idiot. We don't need you screwing up your neck anymore than it already is." Elliot lowered himself down gently.

"You got it boss." At his joke, Olivia let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She walked over to his right side and slipped her hand into his. Their eyes met and he looked so happy to see her that she couldn't help her reaction. She bent down and placed a quick kiss on his forehead.

"Speaking of bosses, where's Cragen?" she asked, standing up straight again. Whatever was going on between her and Elliot was not something she wanted brought to her captain's attention any time soon.

"He went to go talk to my doctor. He called Paxton so I guess she'll be here any minute," he answered.

Outside the door they heard Cragen's voice getting closer and closer so they separated their hands, smiling at the little secret the two of them shared.

"So it's looks like you're going to be okay, Elliot, but you have to take it easy for at least the next two weeks. No unnecessary stress. I can't have one of my best detectives out of commission for too long, so you are going to do whatever the doctor says. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Cap." The harsh clicking of heels announced Sonya Paxton's arrival. She walked up to Elliot's left side.

"Does he do this often?" she snapped.

"What? Almost die in the line of duty?" Olivia answered, giving back as much attitude as she was getting.

"Take a nap halfway through his tour."

"I'm still alive. I can hear you ladies," Elliot said. He took a deep breath, which required more energy than he thought. "Any sign of Donovan?"

"Not yet, but we're gonna get him. Half the department's looking for him," Olivia assured.

"And the other half is drowning their sorrows," Cragen interjected.

"Okay," Elliot said, trying to sit up again.

"Shhh," Olivia soothed him, grabbing his arm and trying to lay him back down again.

"Whoa, whoa. You're not going anywhere," Cragen said, sternly.

"I'm a little banged up, I'm fine."

"Not until the docs run every test and the mayor gets here to shake your hand," he insisted.

"Yeah, before the parade of brass comes, I'm gonna take off. Let me know when you find Donovan." She started to walk away before turning to Olivia and pointing a finger at her, "And don't touch a hair on his head, okay? Otherwise I got problems." Olivia rolled her eyes and Elliot smiled proudly at his partner. Fin replaced Sonya in the hospital room with a lead on Donovan's whereabouts and he and Olivia took off.

The three days that Elliot spent in the hole were exactly as Donovan had described them: pure torture. He couldn't believe Sonya wouldn't offer him a deal. He had been found guilty and Donovan was headed right back to the tiny room he spent years in. Donovan had pushed him and he deserved to be punished, but having experienced what solitary could do to a man, Elliot felt sympathy for the man.

When he went to visit Donovan, he was pleasantly surprised to learn that he had gotten through to Sonya after all and she had spoken with the warden. Donovan would be returning to gen pop. It seemed strange that this was good news to him, but in his line of work he had come to accept the strange. He texted Olivia after leaving the prison and asked if she wanted to meet him for a cup of coffee. She agreed.

"Hey, El," she said when she sat down across from him in the booth at the back of the diner. He had already ordered two coffees and hers sat in front of her along with a small jug of milk. She mixed her coffee and he watched her. While he was in the hole he had a lot of time to think and one of the main thoughts that occupied his mind was just how much he cared for Olivia. He was by her side every day, but not in the way he truly wanted to be.

The idea of dating seemed so juvenile. He was in his forties, had been married for over twenty years, and had five kids. It would be so weird to ask someone on a date. But he wanted to be with Olivia and she deserved to be courted. He had said they'd take it slow and he was trying to navigate that. At least he didn't have to worry about anyone else. The thought of her with other men had always made him sick to his stomach. He knew he didn't have any rights to her, but still a part of him felt like he did. She was his partner. That had to mean something. Now that he was single, he was in a position to change things between them. He just hoped she wanted the same thing.

"So Paxton actually came through for once," he said, as he continued watching her stir her coffee. "Donovan isn't going back to the hole."

"That's great," she smiled.

"Yeah," he said. "I have Eli this weekend, so I'm looking forward to that."

"So good news all around," she lifted her mug to her soft, full lips and blew on the coffee before taking a tentative sip. "Any fun plans with the little guy?"

"I was thinking about taking him to Coney Island. Lizzie and her friends went down to the Jersey Shore last week and ever since then Eli has been running around saying, 'I go beach.'"

"That will be nice." Olivia looked wistful and he thought he had lost her to a daydream or a memory for a minute.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head as if to ward off the errant thoughts.

"Remember a few weeks ago when you told me I could tell you anything?" She nodded. "It goes both ways, Liv."

"Remember when you told me that you understood if I wasn't ready?" He thought he had her with that one, but she could always one up him. He normally enjoyed her ability to best him, but at times like this it made him want to shake her.

After over a decade together, Elliot knew his partner pretty well. If he had to guess, he would say she had been imagining herself playing on the beach with a beautiful little girl with dark, shiny hair and big, brown eyes, just like her mother. They never talked about the possibility of her becoming a mother after she told him she was rejected for adoption, but he knew it was her deepest desire. Against his better instinct, his mind conjured up an image of a pregnant Olivia, head tossed back in a laugh and hands cradling her stomach. If it was at all possible, he imagined pregnancy would enhance her beauty.

It went without saying that Olivia would be a wonderful mother. In fact, she already was. As long as he had known her, he had admired her maternal extinct. She was a mother; she just didn't have a baby. He knew Olivia had so much love in her to give and that any child of hers would be extremely lucky. Selfishly however, he didn't want anyone else to be the one to give that to her. Adoption he could handle, but her having another man's baby was something he didn't even want to think about.

"Come with us." He didn't realize the words had slipped from his mouth until he saw her reaction. It was a mix of fear and desire. Now that the words were out there, he was almost desperate to get her to agree. "You said yourself how nice it will be. And Eli loves you. Every time I see him he asks 'where Liv?'" She smiled at that. "Please come with us. I will need help carrying him and all our stuff after my fall anyway."

"You sure you're not just trying to see me in my bathing suit, Stabler," she teased as she tossed her stirrer across the table at him.

"I'm sure," he nodded. "Though I know you'll look absolutely stunning."

"I don't know, El," she hesitated.

"I really want you to, Olivia. And I think you want to as well. Don't be scared to want things." There was a chance she might not take that well but it had come out without him thinking about it once again.

"I'm not," she said, defensively.

"Then you'll come with us," he said. "We'll swing by your place to pick you up around 11. I'll bring snacks but we can eat lunch on the boardwalk."

"Sounds good," Olivia said.

At five to eleven, Olivia's phone beeped. Hey Liv. We're downstairs. Do you mind meeting us down here so I don't have to unbuckle and re-buckle Eli in his carseat? He's a little crazy this morning.

Coming, she responded. Olivia took one more look in the full-length mirror that hung from the back of her bedroom door. She had decided on a plain black bikini, just enough to entice Elliot but not too much that it seemed like she was trying to get his attention. She covered it up with an old NYPD t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts that she left unbuttoned with the top folded down. She grabbed her beach bag off the bed and made her way out.

The prospect of getting closer to Elliot equals parts terrified and thrilled Olivia. When they read each other's minds in interrogation and when they hunted perps completely in sync, it was like they were one. And for a long time now, Olivia had wanted to be one with Elliot in another way as well. His insanely muscular frame took up every inch of space in whatever room he was in and when he rolled up his sleeves to mid forearm she could practically feel her legs give out. Every part of her body ached to have him on top of her. To wrap her legs around his strong thighs. To feel his chest press against her breasts and his manhood push into her. The thought alone had kept her warm on many a cold night.

What scared Olivia was how much she needed Elliot in the way that had nothing to do with the physical. He was her partner, her best friend, her support system, her everything. For someone who considered herself independent, she really relied on Elliot. She feared that if they entered into a relationship, inevitably she would screw everything up and Elliot would want nothing to do with her. She couldn't live with herself if that happened, if she was responsible for losing the best thing in her life.

Even with these thoughts occupying her mind, she hoped the three of them could have a nice day. She would try not to read too much into Elliot's actions and focus on Eli. The little blonde boy would forever hold a place in her heart since she had helped him come into this world and was the first one to cradle him against her chest. In those moments, with his wet, sticky, body writhing against hers, she experienced a kind of love she had never known before. There was nothing she wouldn't do for the little guy.

As she approached the car she could hear Eli shouting "Liv! Liv! Daddy, Liv!" and a kind of peace settled over her. Everything was going to be okay.

It was easily one of the hottest days of the year. Elliot was glad he had thought to bring an umbrella. Of course they were all slathered up in sunscreen – Eli had giggled the whole time Olivia applied it to his soft, pale skin – but the extra protection from the hot sun was nice. Elliot sat under the umbrella as he watched his son and his partner play on the crowded beach.

Olivia had "taught" Eli had to make a sandcastle, which he destroyed as soon as she pulled the mold off, yelling, "Again, Liv! Again!" Right now, however, she was standing in the water, up to her waist, holding Eli against her right hip and dipping up and down every few seconds, bringing the little boy into and out of the water alternately. Eli was laughing and splashing and it warmed Elliot's heart.

Olivia stood up straight so the water just grazed the bottom of Eli's feet and she seemed to be talking to him. He reached his hand up and rubbed it on Olivia's face before leaning in and kissing her cheek. Olivia moved him off her hip, grabbing him with both hands and holding him up in the air. She blew a raspberry on his stomach and Elliot could see the unadulterated joy on his son's face.

He saw the two of them heading back to shore and he couldn't contain the radiant smile he wore as they approached the towels. "Looked like you guys were having a lot of fun out there," he said.

"Daddy, the waves!" Eli answered. "I splashing, Daddy!" Olivia bent with Eli still on her hip to grab his Power Rangers towel and she wrapped it around him, rubbing his arms and legs dry. Water dripped from the ends of her hair down her shoulders, over her collarbone, between her breasts and Elliot's eyes followed along the path. It wasn't fair how good Olivia looked in a bathing suit. She was all honey skin and long legs and luscious curves and Elliot wanted to run his mouth over every part of her body. He saw the other men checking her out and he didn't blame them, but he was smug in the knowledge that she was here with him, even if she wasn't really here with him.

Finally Olivia dropped down on the blanket next to him and placed Eli on the ground between her legs. She reached over for some of his toy trains and handed them to him. Once Eli was distracted she reached for her own towel, quickly dried the skin she could reach, and shook out the excess water from her hair. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Elliot staring. "What are you looking at, Stabler?"

"My partner," he said, earning himself a smile from her. "You know you are the most beautiful woman on this beach, right?"

Olivia's first instinct was to shrug off the compliment, but when Elliot reached for her hand she decided to accept it instead and offered up one of her own, "Yeah, well don't think I missed all those soccer moms staring at you."

"If they were staring, I didn't notice. I was too busy watching you two. The little guy was having the time of his life."

With her free hand, Olivia ruffled Eli's curls. "He's such a sweet boy. It's hard to believe he's your son," she teased.

"Hey!"

Their play-fight was interrupted by a loud grumble from Olivia's stomach. "I think I'm about ready for lunch," she laughed.

"Eli, you wanna get lunch?" Elliot asked the boy.

"Hot dog!" He cheered.

"Nathan's it is," Elliot said.

After a long day at the beach, Olivia decided to go back to Elliot's place to tuck Eli into bed, anything to get a few extra minutes with the boy. After he was bathed and laid down in his crib, the two partners each bent down to place a kiss on his small cheek. He looked up at them and announced, "You kiss!"

Before Olivia could explain that kisses were just for Eli, she felt one of Elliot's hands wrap around her waist and the other came to her cheek. He pressed his closed lips to hers and held them there for a few seconds. She was surprised how soft his lips were. They tasted salty from the ocean. Elliot then pulled away, making an exaggerated kissing sound for Eli's benefit. They walked out of the room and turned the light off behind them.

"I hope that wasn't too fast. I've just wanted to do that all day," Elliot said. "Actually, I've wanted to do that since the day I laid eyes on you so it was really pretty slow."

"El," she started.

He cut her off, "I really, really care about you, Olivia."

He looked so vulnerable in that moment and she knew that if she pushed him away, it would break his heart. So instead, she pecked his lips once more. "Me too, El."

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