I had a difficult time writing this because I wanted to do the characters justice, and not have them just jump each other's bones right off the bat. Even so, I hope you like it. :)

The week seemed to crawl by with her anxious and nervous emotions growing with each passing day. She waited in agony for the day she could finally find out whether what she and Elliot had done really worked. She knew that it would either be nine months of blissful waiting or another attempt to conceive; she didn't know what she'd do if it was the latter.

But today was the day. She sat there in the bathroom, staring down at the test. It wasn't that she was afraid to take it; she was just afraid of the results. If she didn't take it soon, Elliot would think something was wrong. She just had to suck it up.

She pulled it out and threw away all of her fears, sitting down and doing exactly as they instructed. When she was finished, she carefully placed it on the counter, washed her hands and opened the door to step outside.

She came face to face with Elliot, who looked fidgety and unlike she'd ever seen him. She felt somewhat at ease, though, knowing that he was just as scared about this as she was. "I'm not going to ask how it went, because really, I know peeing on a stick isn't such a travesty."

She couldn't help but smile at him. "No, but just wait until ten minutes passes."

He studied her face, knowing what she was feeling. He was feeling it, too. She was leaning against the wall now, her head thrown back and her eyes closed. He placed a hand on her shoulder, making her eyes snap open. "Everything will be okay," he told her. "I promise."

"You can't make that promise, but thank you," she said. "I feel like my stomach is in my throat."

"Join the club," he sighed. "I just want to fast forward through this."

"Were you this scared with your other kids?"

"All of them," he said softly, surprised that he felt so attached to her ability to casually mention that it was another child for him. "The worry and the fear never goes away, no matter how hard you try."

She was quiet for a few moments, and he laughed at her; she was so out of her element that he couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh. "You're going to be a first time parent. It's natural to feel like you have no control."

"Really?" she said, looking up at him with anxious eyes.

"Yeah," he said, still smiling at her. "But once they're here, you forget about everything. All that matters is that tiny creature."

She glanced down at her watch. "It's time." she said, locking eyes with him. He stared back, gulping. This was it; the first step into the rest of their lives.

She reached out and extracted the test from the bathroom counter. He leaned over her shoulder, glancing down at the ocean blue pen shaped device in her hands. Specifically, he stared down at the tiny screen on it.

"We did it," she said, her voice barely a whisper as she pointed to the large plus sign on the test screen. "We really did it. I'm pregnant."

They stood there for what seemed like forever, committing the positive sign to memory. She sat there in shock, wanting to make sure this wasn't all surreal.

With his attention solely on the plus sign, Elliot nodded. "We're going to have a baby."

She turned her body, reversing her position and came face to face with him. Her eyes were wide, her jaw slackened. His expression all but matched hers. "We're going to have a baby." she repeated.

Olivia hadn't been sure how Elliot would react to the fact that they were on their way to becoming parents. She'd braced herself for anything from shouts of joy to a tear laced reckoning that they'd made it past the first step in ensuring she'd have a baby. Neither of those things happened.

All he did was grin.

It was a declaration of how proud he was, how insanely excited he was to know that there was a child growing inside of her. He couldn't contain how he was feeling, and neither could she.

"I'm floating," she admitted, trying to keep her voice steady. She failed miserably. "And the love is just unbelievable. I mean, I never thought it would feel like this. But the love is automatic. Volumes and volumes of love for this tiny baby that didn't even exist a week ago."

Olivia was surprised and more than a little embarrassed when tears threatened. She was babbling like a hormone infused idiot while Elliot just stood there with that broad smile. She blinked back the tears. "Okay, sorry about that. Gushing sessions is now over."

"My immense joy is a little tempered right now because I know this is just the beginning, but I feel it too. I feel the happiness and the floating."

She didn't expect him to do what he did next. He pulled her to him from behind, his lips only inches from her neck. He snaked his hand around her waist, pushing her shirt up slightly to touch naked abdomen. He rested his hand on her stomach, looking down to examine it. He felt all of the emotions and urges running through his mind that he'd developed for her over the course of their partnership unfurling. Up until now, he'd always felt brave and in control, but now he didn't know what to do. He was so afraid that if he let himself fall, she would quit and run, or worse, reject him.

She turned in his arms and studied him. She had never seen him look at anyone like that before. Gone were the usual restraints he inflicted upon himself and all that was left was a complete warmth of total trust and admiration. And maybe she was crazy, but she saw love in them as well.

"This is scaring you, isn't it?" he said in what she thought was a husky voice. Maybe she had imagined it; pregnant women were easily aroused. And she knew what he was referring to; this time it wasn't about the baby or anything else. Just them and the feelings they'd never been able to admit. The ones they'd been denying each other of for far too long.

But she couldn't sit there dwelling on it. He needed an answer.

"A... a little." Olivia stammered.

Elliot held back a shiver as her breath conjured up goose bumps on every inch of his exposed skin. He shifted and pressed his lips against her forehead, softly and innocently. "Do you want me to let go?" he asked, his heart in his throat.

His kiss reverberated through her entire frame. It was a kiss that was meant only to comfort her, but if a kiss like that was all it took to send her reeling, she wondered what he could do if his lips found their way to hers.

He realized then that he had never kissed her. An odd thought since they had already had sex and were going to be raising a child together in a matter of months. As much as it dawned on him that he wanted to, he knew he couldn't. He had made the mistake of screwing up with her too many times before, and a kiss would inevitably lead to more. He wanted to take things slow with her, to save her and him too a world of heartbreak. He wasn't ready to risk putting her through any more pain.

"No. Don't let go," she ordered in the softest voice he'd ever heard her use. She didn't want him to relinquish his hold on her yet. She felt too safe, as she always had when she was with him. It was clear to her that when she'd ever lost her balance, he was there to catch her because that's what he was to her; her safety net. Anyone would fall instinctively towards safety. Anyone would.

And the truth wasn't so blind to her anymore as he held her. He had been completely right when he had said that he was the longest relationship she'd ever had. Her job, her apartment, her life paled in comparison to him. She hadn't made anything for herself here. Except him.

He loosened his grip on her belly and ran his free hand through the honey colored strands of her hair. He stepped away, expecting her to pull free when she realized they were unconsciously holding hands, figuring it had slipped her notice in her need to be comforted by him. But rather than pulling back, she followed his move and tightened the grip he had on her hand with her own, stepping toward him again. He liked the idea that she was relaxed around him, not minding that they were in such close contact with each other and he smiled.

"Can you promise me something, Elliot?" she whispered, and when he nodded, she continued. "Please promise me you'll never leave."

"I won't leave you, Olivia." he ground out, his throat dry with each word that crackled. The utter sadness in her voice made him pull her close, ensuring he wasn't going anywhere. "And I want you to know something."

Her head lifted off of his muscular chest, towards his face. "What?"

"That I'm just as scared as you are," he said, tilting her chin upwards. His blue eyes danced as she looked into them. "But sometimes the scariest things in life are the ones worth chasing."

And that's when he knew. That his fears were irrational and the look in her eyes told him all he needed to know. She trusted him, she cared about him and more importantly, she was ready. Ready for what he had to give.

"You deserve so much better than you've been given, Liv," he breathed, resting his forehead on hers. "And I want to be the one to give it to you."

She knew by the dark, seductive look in his eyes that he was going to kiss her. She'd always thought it would scare her, but it didn't. His words and the genuine look in his eyes that conveyed sincerity were enough for her to be put at ease.

He splayed a hand across her back, holding her protectively. He caught her hesitating just a little, and he tilted his head to the side, encouraging her and letting her know that everything was okay.

His hand slid up her back to catch her neck, and he finally bowed his head and let his lips meet hers. He'd always thought kissing her would be good, but he found that it wasn't good at all; it was incredible.

Her lips were soft as she moved them across his in a gentle kiss, a tiny moan escaping her. He groaned against her mouth at the encouragement her moan had given him, returning the kiss with equal fervor. He ran his thumb across her cheek, cradling her head in his hands. He vaguely wondered why they hadn't tried this before. It felt like heaven and it felt right.

It had always felt right.