a/n: wow, i totally forgotten i wrote this---is was that long ago! I just found it as i was cleaning up my documents!

"Elliot! No!" Olivia screamed from the other side of the room.

She had gotten up to go make herself a cup of tea, she should have known that Elliot would try and sneak over to her desk.

She bolted for her chair and they both landed on it at the same time. Well, she was a second to late and ended up on Elliot's lap. They both started laughing uncontrollably.

"Come on Liv, I just want to see it!' He said as they fought for control over her mouse.

"No Elliot, it's personal!" She exclaimed.

"Would you stop with the 'it's personal'. Please Liv, I'm your best friend, with us, everything is personal."

She glared at him for a minute, "Fine. It's PRIVATE, then!" She said trying to get the mouse from him again.

"Just let me see the email already!" He said tickling her sides.

"Ahh!" She screamed in laughter as Elliot continued to tickle her, his lips becoming dangerously close to the back of her neck.

He wanted to kiss her. Hell he has wanted to kiss her since the day he met her, but he has never been as close as he was right now, in this second.

She was sitting on his lap for God sake!

And just as temptation was about to set in, he heard a familiar, "Ahem!"

Kathy.

"Uh, Elliot? I need to speak with you now!" She said with a very angry undertone.

"Ah…yeah." Elliot said and Olivia slowly got off of him, guilt written all over her face.

Elliot led Kathy into one of the interrogation rooms, "What the fuck was that?" She screamed even before he even shut the door.

"Would you keep your voice down? I work here!" He shot back.

"Trust me Elliot, I know you work here. How the hell could I possibly forget? You fucking live here for Christ sake!"

"Is this why you came here? To fight?" He said getting more enraged with every passing second.

"I came ask you when you were moving back home? You said you would be all moved in two weekends ago Elliot!"

"Look Kath, I'm sorry, I've been busy with work--"

"Flirting with you partner…is that what they call working these days?"

"Please Kath--I was not flirting with Olivia!"

"Oh my God, are you fucking as blind as you are stupid? You guys were all over each other!"

"Keep your voice down!" Elliot spat, "You know it is not like that."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that Elliot!" She took a deep breath, "Look, I'm sorry Elliot, I know that there is nothing between you and Olivia, I just get so ---emotional these days, and she's funny and smart--"

"And beautiful." Elliot said with out even realizing what he did.

Kathy stood there almost in complete disbelief, "I want you home Elliot. I need you to quit acting like teenager and take responsibilities for your actions."

"Are you fucking kidding me? Take responsibility? What the hell do you think I have been doing for the past 23 years?" Elliot screamed at her.

"So now your family has become a responsibility?"

"What are you even talking about? You keep twisting everything around. Look Kath, you should go. Get some rest, and I'll call you in the morning." Elliot said and walked out of the room before she could even respond.

He walked right up to Olivia's desk, "Let's go." He said grabbing her spring Jacket and throwing it to her.

"We catch a case?" She asked standing up.

"Nope."

"Uh…ok. Then where are we going Elliot?"

"Dinner. I'm starving." He said with a smirk. She looked at him with an inquisitive look on her face but followed him out just the same.

EOEOEOEOEOEO

They sat in a booth at their favorite Pizza Parlor, "I need your help Liv." He said before he took a gigantic bite of pizza getting sauce all over his chin.

She smiled at his boyish ways, "Help with what?" She asked handing him a napkin.

"I can't make the same mistake twice." He said putting his slice down and taking a sip of his beer.

"Ok…" Olivia said not really sure what Elliot was getting at.

"I can't go back to her. Kathy. I just can't. I don't love her anymore Liv. I thought I did, but I just don't."

"So what exactly do you need my help with?" She asked her stomach doing flip flops.

"How do I tell Kathy that I'm not going to move back home?"

She looked at him in disbelief. She wanted to scream over the hill tops, do a thousand cart wheels---He wasn't going back to her!

"Uh…" She almost choked on her own saliva, "I ah…---"

"Yeah trying doing that for about two weeks and you will be where I am. There is no good way, is there?"

Olivia shook her head. She felt for the guy she really did.

"She's going to hate me." He said looking deep into Olivia's eyes.

"No El. She is not going to hate you. You are the father of her children for God sake! But she will be mad…of that I'm sure." She said with a little bit of a laugh.

"Do you think I'm a terrible person?" He asked her with innocent eyes.

"What? No, God no El. I think you are brave, and strong, and a wonderful father, not to mention the greatest Partner I have ever worked with, and the bestest friend I have ever had."

"Really?" He asked.

"Definitely." She said with big smile on her face.

"So, you going to tell me about that email or what? I mean I am your bestest friend." He said in a mocking tone.

"You can't just let it go, can you?" She said holding back a giggle.

"Just tell me who it was from…please?" He said sticking out his lower lip and giving her puppy dog eyes.

She laughed at him, "Fine. It was Porter. You happy now?"

"Porter? You're not going to go out with him are you?" Elliot asked defensively.

"Well---I don't know El. I haven't had a date in 4 months, so yeah, I think I might."

Elliot sat back, and tried to collect his thoughts. "You slept with him didn't you?"

"How is that any of your business Elliot?" Olivia asked and then downed the rest of her beer.

"It's not. But…but---"

"But what, Elliot? He's cute, smart, funny. We have a good time together. I mean he could be the love of my life! I can't just pass it up because you don't like him."

"First of all, I never said that I didn't like him." Olivia just rolled her eyes, like 'yeah ok.'

"And second of all, he is not the love of your life." He said looking deep into her eyes.

"And how would you know that?" She asked.

"Come on Liv. Let's just call a spade a spade."

"What the hell does that mean El?"

"It means Liv, that Porter can not be the love of your life because…because…I already am." He took a deep breath, and sat back. He couldn't believe he just said that.

She looked at him with a curious look on her face, "That is mighty cocky of you Stabler."

This made him smile, one of his shit eating grins, "You didn't deny it."

She took a deep breath and braced herself for what she was going to admit, "I never said it wasn't true, I just said it was cocky of you."

"You're the love of my life, Olivia." He said outstretching his hand to her.

She smiled and took his hand in hers, "I know."