A/N: So this chapter is mostly fluff... Anyway, I think this was needed. :)

Chapter 10

About two hours later, Olivia opened her front door and quickly locked it behind her. She had to be back into the precinct by seven am and that was approaching in just over nine hours. She hadn't eaten, she desperately needed a shower, and Elliot was still in the apartment somewhere. Quietly removing her shoes, she moved down the hallway and into the living room. There she found Elliot and Noah asleep on the couch; Sports Center was on the television, with the volume down a little low. Olivia cracked a smile at how peaceful they both looked; Noah sleeping on Elliot's chest underneath his little blanket. She hated to wake them but Elliot needed to get back to his place so he could get to his job on time in the morning.

Carefully, she scooped Noah, up blanket and all, and carried him to his room where the crib was waiting for him. Giving him a kiss goodnight, Olivia laid him down and covered him up. Then just as quiet and careful as she had done before, she slipped out of the room and closed the door, leaving it open only a crack. Back out in the living room, she gently shook Elliot awake. He mumbled something incoherently and then realized that Noah was no longer on his chest. Elliot sprang up and immediately conked his head into Olivia's. She tumbled backwards onto the floor, landing on top of some of Noah's toys. Letting out a yelp, she quickly clamped her hands over her mouth. The last thing they needed was for Noah to wake up.

"Oh Liv," Elliot was off the couch in a flash, helping her up off the floor. He checked her head for any signs of injury and looked at her in the eyes. Olivia stared into those blue eyes and went a little weak at the knees. It had been a long time since they had gotten that close to one another and it was like she was a teenager all over again. Elliot saw her waver and he scooped her up and moved her to the couch. Olivia immediately blushed, embarrassed at her behavior.

"I knew my head was hard but I didn't think we'd have to take you to the doctor's," Elliot joked, checking her again to make sure she didn't have a concussion.

"Well I haven't eaten since lunch…" she started.

"Liv! I brought you food!" She could tell he was upset but he popped up off the couch and headed for the refrigerator. When he opened it, he laughed.

"Some things never change. No adult food in here," he chuckled.

"I was going to go shopping for myself but then the case kind of had a mind of its own," Olivia admitted.

"How is it that the fridge is full of baby food then?" Elliot gave her a questioning look.

"They were having a sale at the store last weekend and I stocked up," she said.

"Well Social Services won't be happy if they see this. You have to take care of you and Noah, not just Noah," he said, closing the fridge and moving back to the couch.

"I know," Olivia heaved a sigh.

"Hey, there is no shame if you need help. I can run to the store for you…" Elliot started.

"You've already done so much. I can't ask you for that. I need to figure this out. For me. For Noah. It's just me and him and only one of us can count and speak in complete sentences, so I need to be the one to do what is necessary," she told him as he sat down. He frowned slightly and Olivia worried that she had somehow offended him.

"Liv… I…" he started and then stopped. A look that she hadn't seen in a long time crossed his face. There was something he wanted to say but he wasn't sure how to say it. Usually that was not Elliot. He was blunt and rarely ever minced words but the look she was getting now was the look she had seen when he and Kathy had split for a little while.

"El…" this time she started and stopped. There was a lot to say and somehow they were both still emotionally constipated; unable to say what they wanted to.

"I had better get going," he said suddenly, standing up. Olivia quickly stood up and blocked his path.

"We need to talk about this," she said, not sure she'd heard the words correctly, even though she said them. She was definitely tired but she wasn't going to let him escape before she confronted him.

"Talk about…" she didn't let him finish.

"You said something to me not long ago and I want to know if you meant it," the sentence was vague but she wanted to know if it had been a slip of the tongue or if he'd picked up on what she meant. That old Benson/Stabler connection was getting back into a rhythm as of late and this would prove to her one way or the other.

There was a pause. Almost immediately, Olivia resigned herself to the truth. It had been a slip of the tongue. She could feel her heart break in two. Her chest was tight and her breathing became shallow. She was about to scream when suddenly she found her mouth occupied by his and she froze.

He felt her stiffen and he quickly pulled away. It had been a mistake to kiss her. They were still working through their demons. He should have known better. Then just as he was about to move away, she grabbed him and pulled him to her. Their lips met again and this time neither one held back. In that heated moment, the tension that had been building just increased and the feeling in the pit of Olivia's stomach told her that she didn't want to stop.

Suddenly they were on the couch and Elliot was on top of her. Neither one objected to the move despite how fast they were moving until they needed to come up for air. Then Elliot put the brakes on as he leaned on his hands, mere inches from her face.

"Liv… I…" Once again she cut him off.

"It took me a long time to get over the fact that you just cut and run. I thought I had moved on but the truth is – I never did. I was comparing every man I went out with to you," she admitted.

"So how does Cassidy fit into the equation?" He was confused. It wasn't what he wanted to talk about but he couldn't help himself.

"He almost died. I couldn't lose you both. At first, we both really had something and for a while, I was happy. Then Noah came along and we weren't happy. It wasn't fair to Brian but I couldn't let Noah go back into the system. It looked like my chance at being a mom was back and I jumped at it. I can make a difference in Noah's life and I wanted that more than I wanted Brian," the words all just tumbled out. She'd never said that out loud to anyone before but once again she found she could not hide anything from her former partner. Elliot was just smiling and he leaned down, his hands moving beneath her back, so he could pull her up into the sitting position as he leaned back on his heels.

"I meant what I said. I love you. I love Noah," he admitted.

"I love you too," there she had said it. It was like the wind had knocked her breath away but the truth was now out in the open. Elliot's lips soon found hers in a gentle kiss. What they were both feeling however was no longer gentle and certainly not slow moving. Elliot climbed off of her and couch before scooping her up.

"What are you doing?" She asked; he knew she could walk, as he started to make his way to her bedroom.

"What I should have done years ago," he smirked before he kissed her, this time hard, the need for something more making itself evident as he set her down before closing the door. They knew that they needed to be quiet for Noah's sake despite the fact that Elliot was willing to do anything to get her out of her clothes and onto the bed.

"I… I'moutofpractice," it all rushed out at once and she blushed as Elliot then remembered her ordeal that was not in the so distant past.

"We'll go as far as you want. You say "no" and we stop. I've waited almost seventeen years. I can wait a little while longer," he smiled.

To Be Continued…