Laughter fills his ears as soon as the door clicks open. He finds them there, giggling at some ridiculous cartoon movie with yellow Twinkies running around screaming onomatopoeias. Olivia and Eli were cuddled together under a blanket on the couch with Lacey lying on Olivia's feet. Elliot quickly looks around for his mother and hears heavy footsteps on the floor above and realizes she's taking a look around… or tap-dancing. He can't decide. He then approaches the couch, but Olivia and Eli are still in their own cuddled world. He isn't jealous or upset his presence has yet to be acknowledged, instead he pauses and stares at the two.

They have shared a special bound from the moment Eli came into the world. He can't lie. He regrets missing Eli's birth, but if he had to choose anyone to be his substitute, it would be Olivia Benson. That day, the moment he held Eli, the moment he hugged Olivia outside Kathy's room, he knew he had fell hard for Olivia Benson. And the only regret he had was never being honest with her or his own self.

Olivia had sensed his presence and had turned to look at him. He was deep in thought as she continued to stare. He was starting to worry her a bit. "El?" She calls and her voice instantly snaps him back to reality. He smiles brightly at her while releasing a heavy breath out of his nose. He quickly strides over to the couch and kisses Olivia while rubbing Eli's head. The young boy cheers a "hi, daddy" without tearing his eyes from the television screen.

"You ready to go?" Elliot asks Olivia who quickly throws the blanket off her lap and stands. She smiles at him and says a quiet thank you before pecking his lips. "Let me just go get your mother," Olivia says, but is quickly interrupted.

"No need. I'm right here." Bernie calls from the stairwell. "Elliot. I like what you've done with the place. She livens it up. A lot," Bernie quickly adds with a chuckle. "Go." She ushers them both to the door. "Go. Have fun. Enjoy your time. We'll be fine here. Go to lunch. See a movie. Something." Bernie says as she pushes Olivia and Elliot out the door. "Don't be surprised if the place looks different when you get back." Before the two can respond, Bernie slammed the door in their faces. Olivia with her hand out and mouth ready to respond starts to laugh when she hears the door click and Bernie's "Go!" being yelled once again. Elliot grabs her hand and starts to pull her towards the elevator. "Come on. We'll be in trouble if she yells again." He says. Olivia chuckles at his words and squeezes his hand tighter.

The car ride is easy and quiet. Their hands are still entwined. Traffic doesn't seem as hectic, the company being the reason. Elliot braves the silence and his words move out into the open air.

"Can you tell me more about this, uh, Baby Boy Doe?" Elliot asks and at his words he feels Olivia's grip release and instantly tighten. He had caught her off-guard. He hadn't meant to scare her, but she had to know he would be asking, wanting more information than the lax, "I rescued him on a case. He was a kidnapped baby. We have no leads on his birth parents," story she had always fed him. He wanted to know her story, her connection to this baby.

"There's not much more I haven't already told you." Olivia says while staring out the passenger side window. Elliot glances over at her and he can't see her face, at all. He knows she's trying hard not to let her emotions show and she's failing, which is why she's hiding from him.

"Liv, I meant…" Elliot starts, but stops when he realizes her fingers are no longer contracted around his fist and his are, instead, squeezing her fingers together. "Liv… hey? Will you look at me?" Elliot asks, but gets no response. He refuses to drop her hand, though, and he continues to push forward. "I want to know about you and this baby." Elliot says. That snapped her out of her trance. Her head immediately whipped around to face him and she stared with wide, almost horrified eyes. She was dumbfounded. No one, not even Dr. Lindstrom, had held her this accountable. She shouldn't be this surprised, really. This is Elliot we're talking about. He knows, better than anyone, how to push her buttons and get her talking and she grants him that same gift.

"Liv?" She hears him ask against. "Yeah?" She responds while readjusting her hold on his hand. "Just talk to me." She hears Elliot say. They're just words… words that shouldn't make her emotional, words that shouldn't knock her off-balance, but here she is sitting in the passenger seat of his Yukon and she's crying. She tries to stop the tears as soon as they come simply to keep Elliot from panicking. She feels the vehicle start to slow and Olivia looks out the front windshield and quickly corrects his actions. "No. No. I'm OK. Just keep going. I'm OK." She tells him and he adds pressure on the gas pedal and heads back to the courthouse.

"When I found him, I didn't expect to find him. He… that baby caught me off-guard, El." Olivia says. She looks to Elliot and takes a deep breath. Traffic is becoming more congested by the second and he can't pull his eyes from the road. He squeezes her hand and then asks, "Yeah? How so?" Olivia pauses to reflect. She sits in silence, trying to work up the courage to tell him. She hadn't been completely honest. Not with herself, Elliot, or Brian, or even Dr. Lindstrom. There had been one night. She was drunk off her ass, as was Brian, and he had assumed she hadn't been aware. No, truth was… she was very much aware, especially during the initial act.

She doesn't regret it. No. Brian's always been a pleasing lover. He's always been able to scratch the itch, but most of the time…. After having Elliot scratch her itch…. He has consistently failed to be enough. It was a life or death situation that brought Brian and Olivia together and their relationship was that of secrecy and adrenaline. Those are attributes that can be rewarding in a relationship, but in the case of Brian Cassidy versus Olivia Benson, they quickly submerged the relationship and she found it drowning long before Lewis had kidnapped and tortured her and certainly before she agreed to move in with Brian.

So, what does she not regret? Sleeping with Brian with a level of inebriation that would prevent her from passing a field sobriety test.

Getting started, the foreplay, the kissing and caressing, those were the easy tasks. Lewis's memories, the images she was forced to watch were slammed back into her consciousness when penetration occurred. She tried like hell to block the images out of her mind and focus on her body, but she couldn't stop what was already flooding at rapid levels. Brian hadn't noticed. She didn't want to stop. She didn't, but if she could do it all over again, she would've spoken up and communicated her discomfort. But, she let it happen.

Being completely honest with herself, she has to admit that Brian must've known something was off. She only, truly, allowed herself to imagine the sensations when she realized Brian's hand was traveling southwest, headed for the crux of their hips. When she felt him rub her agitated clitoris, she allowed herself to feel. To move with the motions and emotions of the setting. She came. She did. Only because Brian allowed manual manipulation to join their adventures. Brian came too. Soon following her. And she remembers back to the moment of realization; her eyes popped open in pure horror. Brian wasn't wearing a condom.

She can't be mad at Brian. He never brought it up, she expects in part of assuming she didn't remember and he didn't want to force regret onto her. She has to be thankful for that, but Brian shouldn't be so naïve. Aside from not uttering a word, she couldn't look him in the eye the days following the sex. In fact, she worked round the clock in an effort to avoid him. And then Brian began the same avoidance. Which lasted longer and prevailed farther than her actions ever thought going.

The only thing she regrets revolving her impaired meeting with Brian is, simply, that fact she was impaired. It came days after Lewis's convictions of the lesser charges and she found herself drinking in a more rabid succession in an attempt to quiet her fear, guilt, disbelief, grief, and hatred. She dealt with the court appearances and convictions in a fashion unlike Olivia Benson would and that is her regret.

Okay, maybe that's not her only regret.

"Liv?" Elliot's voice breaks her from her rambling thoughts. "What happened just now?" Elliot asks once her eyes click back to life and stare at him in question. She blinks twice before she takes a deep breath and looks around. She realizes then, they're parked outside the courthouse. They, she and Elliot, are moments from entering the courtroom to hear an update on Baby Boy Doe. Together. Her heart is warmed, yet completely heartbroken all the same. She looks back to Elliot, who is staring at her, that same heartbreak shining bright in his eyes. He knows she's hurting and he wants nothing more than to fix it. But, he can't without her complete trust. That's the heartbreaking fact… there's a tiny bit of her that refuses to trust him completely. "Just talk…." Elliot starts, but Olivia interrupts him.

Her lips are on his instantly. She's trying her hardest to relay her feelings of devotion, respect, love… and trust. And he feels every ounce of what she's sharing. He knows, in this moment, they are forever each other's. Olivia is the first to pull back. Smiling smugly at his satisfied look, Olivia speaks through her upturned lips. "Can we just go inside and I'll talk to you… tell you everything… once it's over?" Her eyes have since left Elliot's and she feels his hands grip her face to pull her head back up, forcing her to make eye contact. Elliot leans forward and kisses her forehead and whispers, "Yeah, of course. I'll be right here." The pair smile at each other and Elliot leans in once more to give her a gentle kiss before opening his door and rounding to Olivia's side and paying her the same favor.

The two step into the gallery, immediately taking a seat behind Pippa Cox, the Assistant District Attorney from Child and Family Services representing Baby Boy Doe's case. The judge was already hearing from Baby Boy Doe's Social Worker from the Administration of Child Services. While the conservation is continuing, Elliot glances to Olivia and notices her uncomfortable state. Listening, being on this end of any case is always rough, difficult, and completely unsettling. Elliot grabs Olivia's hand within his and holds it, bringing it firmly into his lap, hoping some stability and compassion can ease into her palms and become a calming factor. Elliot feels Olivia's delicate squeeze of his hand and he feels her scoot ever so slightly closer to him.

The baby was removed and returned to the ACS facility do in part to the arrest of his foster parents. It took everything in Olivia and Elliot not to audibly gasp in the courtroom gallery. Baby Boy Doe, as a cause of the illegal activities of his foster parents, is sick. And it's the hope that this new stay in the facility will help restore his health and, in that time, find the perfect and potentially permanent home for the baby. Elliot's head quickly jumps to Olivia when her grip on his hand becomes almost unbearable. He knows, he knew all along, she wants this baby. She fell in love with him from the moment she laid eyes on Baby Boy Doe and he will do everything in his power to help her take that baby boy home.

They hadn't a chance to speak with Pippa after the hearing. She rushed out of Courtroom 3 and headed towards Courtroom 7 at the end of the hall. Deciding to keep Olivia away from disappointment, Elliot grabbed her and pulled her up and out of the gallery and led her into the elevators. Once inside, Elliot draped his right arm over her shoulders, pulling her close to his side. "How about we go grab something to eat? We could head over to Burger Joint on 8th?" Elliot whispers lowly in Olivia's ear. She instantly relaxes and leans further into him. She smiles slowly and turns to look up at Elliot. "I'd like that," she replies. The Burger Joint on 8th Street, not unlike the restaurant at the Parker Meridian, had been one of the restaurants they visited that first weekend they spent together. It had become one of their favorite spots during their professional partnership. He just wanted to take Olivia some place comfortable before bringing up the displeasing details… the details, he knows, will crush her and make her want to run.

Elliot knows if she doesn't talk over food, she will open up to him in the middle of Washington Square Park. She certainly won't talk to him with Eli or his mother around.

They enter Burger Joint and the two are ushered to stools at the bar. Elliot calls for two Samuel Adams beers and an ice water with lime for Olivia. She had already decided on her burger as soon as he mentioned the idea of having lunch here and she pretended to overlook her menu to keep Elliot from feeling rushed. Elliot leans over and grabs the back of her stool and pulls her closer to him. Olivia, without looking up from her menu, smiles broadly at Elliot's move and her smile brightens when she feels him place two kisses to her right temple.

"You getting your usual?" Elliot asks. She simply nods and Elliot places their burger orders and then tells the waiter they'll share an order of fries. Olivia immediately gawks and Elliot gives her a side-glance and says, "Okay… So, maybe we won't share the fries. Make it two orders." Elliot finishes with a chuckle. As soon as the waiter retreats, Elliot turns to Olivia and engulfs her in an all-encompassing hug. Olivia physically relaxes in his hold and releases the deep sigh she had been holding since the court hearing. Kissing her temple once more, Elliot releases her and pulls back completely.

He takes a drag of his beer, as does Olivia, before he asks the question they both had been waiting to be uttered. "So, tell me how that baby boy caught you off-guard… and won your heart over in a matter of seconds?" Elliot asks. Olivia pulls another long drag of her beer before answering.

Looking at her hands grasping her beer, Olivia speaks. "I thought I was pregnant. Earlier that week. I had missed a period and I wasn't feeling well and just the stress of everything with Lewis…. I thought I was pregnant." Olivia says all at once. She immediately took a deep breath and started to take another drink of her beer, but Elliot's hand on hers stopped her actions. She couldn't look him in the eyes. The truth of it all… why her relationship with Brian had crashed and burned. She didn't want to tell Elliot. She didn't want to admit it out loud, but she knew she owed it to herself. And especially to Elliot.

"I thought… I thought you…. Hadn't sleep with him." Elliot slowly uttered. He had tried to keep his shock and fear down, but he failed. He even heard it in his voice. Olivia certainly detected the unwanted emotions. Elliot quietly cleared his throat and stopped himself from grabbing his beer and shot gunning the remaining ale.

Olivia looks to Elliot and immediately cancelled the eye contact and turned back to look at her beer. The waiter had delivered their burgers at the exact moment Olivia chose to open her mouth to respond. They both cut into their burgers in complete silence. Elliot refused to take a bite before he knew that Olivia was OK, but he began to eat when he saw her take a bite. Swallowing and taking a small sip of her water, Olivia finally answered Elliot's burning question.

"We were drunk." She said flatly, refusing to look at him. Elliot placed his left hand on her right thigh, but didn't squeeze. He just left it there, resting. "It just happened, ok? We were both drunk. I remember everything… although I would rather I didn't. I just…." Olivia stopped and looked up to Elliot. Taking a deep breath, Olivia refuses to break eye contact and asks, "Can we just talk about all that later? And I promise I'll tell you." Elliot replies with a simple kiss to her lips. Smiling a cheeky grin at her, Elliot turns back to his plate and begins eating one-handed refusing to remove his hand from her thigh.

Once they were finished, Elliot asked the bartender for their bill, but the tab had been picked up, much to their dismay. "Who paid it?" Elliot asked the bartender who immediately pointed to the back of the restaurant. Neither Elliot nor Olivia noticed anyone they recognized and they turned back to the server. "By the way," the server said leaning in close to Olivia and Elliot. "You two don't look like cops." Both sets of eyes on Olivia and Elliot's faces widened and Elliot asked, "How'd you know we were cops?"

"The chick that paid. She said that's why she wanted to grab your tab. Because you two were some of the greatest cops and her heroes." The server said making air quotes while speaking the last sentence. Elliot turned once again to the back of the restaurant and there he saw her sitting and smiling at him. Olivia leaned back to look over Elliot's shoulder and saw the young girl give a small wave to the pair and Elliot immediately dropped from his seat and grabbed Olivia's hand pulling her out of Burger Joint. "Let's go," he said while ushering her out.

"So…. Wait…. What? Say all that again." Olivia said to Elliot. After they had finished lunch, Olivia and Elliot found themselves strolling hand-in-hand through Washington Square Park. They made the short walk to Starbucks and decided the coffee shop was slightly too crowded for the conversation they both desired.

"Liv." Elliot says much as a warning. He rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath to repeat the entire story he had just completed. But, Olivia's soft chuckle stopped him and once he had whipped his head to her, she had broken out into full laughter. Elliot pulled her roughly to his side and hugged her tightly. "It's not funny, Liv." Elliot commanded. He pulled her to one of the benches lining the main walk and sat down, huddling Olivia close to his side.

Olivia cuddles to Elliot's side, trying to shield her body from the cold New York air. "The one that paid our bill, that was Hannah?" Elliot simply nods while taking a swig of his latte. "And you have her in a couple classes?" Elliot shrugged while taking another sip and then turned to clearly answer Olivia.

"She was in the intro class you came to speak to… she was in there for an elective. And, I guess…" It was Olivia's turn to interrupt Elliot. "Looks like she's changed her major." Elliot hummed a response and Olivia posed a question, "El, that was nearly two years ago. Surely she wouldn't remember me. I only spoke to her class for maybe 10 minutes before I was called out. I didn't even…" Olivia stopped mid-sentence and looked up to Elliot and a playful grin began to slowly appear on her face. "Hannah, huh?" Olivia asked and chuckled at Elliot's narrowing eyes. "So… that was the girl who's been trying to get in your pants?" Olivia asked while burrowing further into Elliot's side. Elliot jerked when he felt her fingers playfully, yet thoroughly digging in his side. He couldn't hold in the laughter for long and Olivia soon followed.

Elliot briefly kissed her forehead before pulling her up and heading for the park exit. "Seriously, Liv, she worries me. She's inappropriate. I'm old enough to be her father, fuck, she's the twins' age." Coming to the street, Elliot looks to Olivia. "You wanna grab a cab or take the M? It's an easy ride." Olivia agrees to the subway ride uptown and Elliot continues talking. "Liv, she shows up to field courses, that she can't participate in, mind you, and she'll sit in on master's courses. She's not even allowed in the class, but she'll make an excuse. I've just gotten to the point where I don't even acknowledge her." Elliot said, taking a deep breath. Elliot pays the MTA cashier and the two step onto the platform awaiting the train. He releases a puff of air and pulls Olivia to stand in front of him and he wraps his arms firmly around her waist. He speaks the next line deeply into her ear. "The part that concerns me the most," he says, "is when she asks about you. Or she when tries to get me to agree to you and I having dinner with her. I don't like it. There's something with her and I don't like not knowing." Elliot finishes.

Olivia, falling back into his hold and wrapping her arms around his, says, "If she's up to something, like you think she is, it'll be brought to the light. Just don't worry." Olivia turns her head to look back at him and once he looks down she kisses his lips and then says against his lips, "I can always be your bodyguard." Elliot's immediate growl makes Olivia release a hearty chuckle and Elliot grabs her tighter and sways them just a bit.

The train arrives and the two jump on, opting to stand at a pole instead of claiming the seats. Elliot with one arm still around her waist, whispers into Olivia's ear, "I know you want Baby Boy Doe. Why don't we talk to some people and see what it would take to get him." It wasn't a question. It was a statement… a statement Elliot Stabler had every intention of standing his ground on. In reality, while Olivia had took a bathroom break at Starbucks, he had already contacted some legal aids and he had every intention of adopting Baby Boy Doe, or at least fostering him, with Olivia. Judge Donnelly had been his first contact. She advised she would provide legal counsel, but said proof of stability through the means of an established home and family-life would give them both the best shot of adopting the baby boy. She gave him other names of attorneys, all of whom Olivia and Elliot were both familiar. He was ready. But, was Olivia?

The couple arrived back to the 73rd Street apartment and both audibly gasped when they entered the home. The furniture was a complete mixture of the things Olivia had gathered from her apartment with Brian. And, from the looks of it, Bernie had removed all her things from storage as well. Their home was perfectly decorated. They were greeted with a tennis ball launching out of the stairwell and roughly bouncing off walls before rolling into the living room where it was followed by and trotting boy and barking dog. Olivia was the first to giggle when she watched as Lacey failed to stop soon enough and slammed into the side of Elliot's recliner.

"Eli! What did I tell you about throwing that ball and running down the stairs?" They heard as Bernie Stabler came stomping out of the stairwell. Elliot gently closed the door behind him, making sure the locks were all latched and grabbed at Olivia's winter gear before hanging his with hers. Elliot gripped Olivia's shoulder before allowing his hand to slide down her to her backside and pushing her into the living room. All three occupants seemed to notice their presence as soon as Olivia took her first step. It was a race between Eli and Lacey to see who could reach Olivia first and at her squatting assistance it became a tie. She showered each with love, but paid a little extra attention to Eli, giving him pecks on his cheeks and temples. With Eli's arms around her neck, Olivia stood and started to have a look around.

"Most of your furniture is upstairs, Olivia," she heard Bernie say and she sat Eli down and they made the journey upstairs. The place was completely finished. Olivia was absolutely amazed. There was no way Bernie was capable of finishing all the necessary work. Olivia turned as she heard Bernie and Elliot enter the room and before Elliot could ask, Bernie answered. "I called the guys. When they understood it was me, they came right over and finished their job."

"You?" Olivia asked, questioning Bernie. "How do you think Elliot was able to afford both of these apartments, let alone one of them?" Bernie asked. Olivia found herself repeating her original question and before Bernie could properly respond, Elliot interrupted. But, the two began to talk over one another and all Olivia could make out was, "Don't listen to her," and "I sold him both these places for about 20% of the asking price." She snickered at the mother and son duo and held up both hands to get them both to stop. "OK! OK! Guys," Olivia yelled laughing. "I believe you both!" She added. She took a quick look around the bedrooms and the family room upstairs before hugging Bernie, offering her thanks and retreating into Elliot's office with Lacey following close behind. She was in search for a little solitude. Her subway conversation with Elliot had rattled her and she wasn't quite sure what to expect or how to feel.

Bernie, noticing something was wrong, called for Eli to assist her with dinner and her youngest grandchild jumped at the chance to help in the kitchen. Elliot quietly followed Olivia into his office and he stood frozen in the doorway watching as she curled up with Lacey on the couch, her old couch. She grabbed a throw pillow and without looking at Elliot she asked, "Are you gonna just stand there?" Elliot briskly walked over to them and gently eased down on one end of the couch. Olivia right away plopped the pillow onto his lap and laid her down. Lacey curled up between the bend of her knees and the back of the couch and almost immediately fell asleep. Elliot started strumming his fingers through Olivia's hair not willing to verbally disturb this time with her. He knew he had upset her. He hadn't expected her to react in such a fashion, but he was thankful Olivia hadn't completely shut him out. He was now with her in the peace and quiet, loving on her while she processed every thought and emotion swirling around inside her mind.

Olivia hadn't expected Elliot's sudden decision to get married. She knew he was proposing, so to say, in an effort for her to become a mom and more specifically to become a mom to Baby Boy Doe. It warmed her soul and added light to her heart just imagining getting married. She had always dreamt of her wedding day, wearing a flowing gown and flower blossoms flanking every corner of the chapel. But, with Elliot, thinking about getting married to him, she didn't have to have any of those things. She didn't want them. She didn't know if it was her age or the fact it was a life with Elliot that made her realize a dress and flowers had no lasting hold. It was the devotion, the sacrifice, the mutual love, respect, adoration, and support and it was all about that signed document acknowledging a fair and civil union. She wanted it. She couldn't lie to herself. She wanted to be married… to Elliot. She wanted to have a husband to support her and waiting for her to come home. She wanted a family. She wanted kids, whether her own or step. She just wanted it and it was a dream she refused to ever release. And her dream… the one she had always fantasized over… the one where she had Elliot and could cordially co-exist with Kathy in regards to her children….

Olivia abruptly sits up and positions to sitting on her knees beside Elliot. She's eye level now. Staring into his eyes she knows, she sees, that her dreams are coming true. The stars are all aligning. "Did you mean it?" Olivia whispers to Elliot. Elliot nods and utters a wispy, yet strong yes and in matter of seconds Olivia has attached her lips to his and manipulated her body to straddle his. "You really mean it?" she asked against his lips and the passion ignited at Elliot's confirmations. Their hands had slid up under each other's shirts, both worshipping each other's front side. Elliot broke the kiss to ask one simple question, to clarify they were both on the same page. "So does this mean a yes then?" Elliot asked chuckling.

But, sometimes, the things that are so easy and true are never as they appear.