An: Hello! Thank you so much for your support and feedback! I personally love this chapter, and I hope you do too. I couldn't sleep and I'm the absolute worst when it comes to updating, so I decided to just add this one today also. Love y'all!

Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order SVU or the characters.

*3 Weeks Later*

"Elliot!" Olivia yelled from the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror, counting the new spots on her neck. Four. He made four new ones.

"Yeah?" He asked from the doorway.

"What did I say about giving me hickies?"

"To not" He mumbled. He tried not to smile at his marks. The last ones he had left were almost gone, but these ones were even darker. They were a deep purple and covered the skin at the meeting point of her neck and shoulder. A turtle neck would cover it, but he was pretty sure that their coworkers would start to notice her sudden love for the shirts.

"At least hide your pride next time" She advised, turning back to the mirror. He took in her appearance, thinking about how much she had relaxed within the last few weeks. If someone had told him months ago that he'd be sleeping with Olivia to get her pregnant, he would have called them delusional. Now here he stood, watching her apply makeup to the hickies he gave her, wearing only a bra and panties.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer" She teased. Even though she wasn't looking directly at him, she knew that he was checking her out.

"Is it okay if I hop in the shower?" He asked, already grabbing a towel out of her linen closet. They woke up late, leaving them with less than half of their normal time to get ready for work. She still needed the bathroom to do her makeup, so they would have to share.

"Just don't steam up the mirror. Oh, and don't use my soap. The guys would notice".

She left the bathroom for a moment to pick out her work clothes. Normally, she liked to pick them out the night before and iron them, but she had been a little preoccupied at the time. Once she found an acceptable outfit that would cover her bruises, she plugged in the iron. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Elliot's duffle bag sitting on the floor. His clothes were sure to be a wrinkled mess, but she didn't want to invade his space by going into his bag. At the same time, if she waited until he was out of the shower, it would be too late. Pushing the thought aside, she unzipped the bag and found his work clothes. She ironed their clothes as quickly as she could and hung them up on the handle of the bathroom door.

Elliot was out of the shower by the time she returned to the bathroom to finish her makeup. He had the towel tied around his waist and droplets of water racing down his chest. She didn't realize that she had licked her lips until she heard him chuckle.

"Come on, Liv. We're going to be late if you don't hurry it up" He coaxed. He saw his clothes hung up on the door handle and inwardly smiled. He wouldn't bring it up, he knew better. Whenever he mentioned something that made her uncomfortable, she would start to shut him out and it would take days to get her to open back up.

Five minutes later, they were both dressed for the day and carrying a coffee mug, although Olivia's was filled with cranberry juice instead. Elliot thought it was a little silly to cut out coffee already, considering she wasn't even pregnant yet, but she refused to do anything that would hurt a baby, just in case. In fact, she had pulled far less all-nighters since they started trying to get pregnant because of the toll it took on her health, and the healthier she is, the more likely she is to conceive. They had been trying for close to three weeks now. He'd be lying if he said that the last three weeks weren't some of the best in his life. He was given an opportunity that most men would die for, to be with the woman he loved. Although it was only two or three times a week, going to bed and waking up with her at his side was an amazing gift.

"Game face" Olivia whispered as the elevator opened. They were at work, one of the most challenging parts of the whole process. Their coworkers, much like Kathy, had suspected that something was going on between the two detectives for years. Hell, Elliot had even heard of a bet that some of the guys had made concerning when they'd get together. If someone found out that they were sleeping together, they would be separated at the very least, or lose their jobs for not disclosing and compromising the integrity of the NYPD. Besides, they weren't in an actual relationship, so technically, there was no need to disclose.

"Benson. Stabler, nice of you to join us" Cragen said as they reached their desks.

"Sorry, Cap. I was late picking Liv up" Elliot lied.

"It's alright. You two are needed at Mercy to interview a vic. Munch and Fin are at the crimescene".

Olivia grabbed the keys to the Sedan off of Elliot's desk, deciding that she was going to drive.

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*That Evening*

"So, what are your plans for tonight?" Olivia asked as she buckled up. Elliot was dropping her off at her apartment, but he had told her that he couldn't stay. She tried not to seem like she was being possessive, because she knew that she had no right to be, but she was still curious.

"Kids are coming over tonight. We're doing pizza and board games. You can come if you want" He offered, knowing that she would decline. Olivia was very confusing, but he had learned to expect it. Some nights she'd be very relaxed and open with him, but then others she would be tense and push him away, scared to let him get too close. He didn't want to push her, so he decided that taking everything one day at a time was his best and most effective plan.

"I'm good. I have some stuff I need to get done anyway".

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Stuff, Elliot". She crossed her arms indignantly and turned her head. She knew that Elliot was the best person at reading her, but she didn't want him to see that she was lying.

"Well, have fun with your stuff. Come on over if you change your mind".

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"So, then Becky told Leigha that Brad likes Lindsay, but he doesn't like Lindsay, he likes Leigha. Becky's just totally jealous because she likes Brad" His youngest daughter, Elizabeth explained. He couldn't believe how dramatic the life of a seventh grader could be. He loved that she wanted to tell him everything though. It wouldn't last, so he wanted to enjoy it while he could.

"Lizzie, please shut up. He doesn't care, no one cares" Dickie said from the couch. He was normally very kind and patient with his sister, but Elliot could tell that he had a crappy day. He wanted to talk to him, man to man, but he was struggling to juggle four different conversations and a infant.

"Don't listen to him, honey. I care. Could we possibly make this a little shorter though? I need to talk to your brother about something". Lizzie nodded, and jumped to the part where Brad and Leigha got together and were boyfriend and girlfriend for four whole days.

"I can take him for a few" Maureen offered. She carefully grabbed her youngest sibling and held him. Elliot got up and nudged his son's shoulder, asking him if they could talk in his bedroom. Dickie reluctantly agreed and followed his father down the hall. Elliot shut the door behind them, giving his son his undivided attention.

"Alright spill, what's this grumpy attitude all about?"

"Well, my friend likes this girl and he doesn't know what to do" Dickie started. He looked over at his father, who showed no signs of laughter. He was taking him seriously, making this a little easier on the both of them. "She's super cute, funny, and smart, but I-I mean he thinks she's way out of his league. What should he do?"

Elliot only let himself a tiny bit at Dickie's slip up. He knew that one day his son would come to him for advice on getting a girl, but he hadn't expected to be when he himself was struggling with the same thing. Olivia was beyond out of his league, but that didn't keep him from being head over heals for her.

"I think that your uh, friend should just be honest. Tell her how he feels. What's the worst that can happen? She doesn't feel the same way? At least he knows then. At least he doesn't have to live his entire life wishing he knew how she felt. He won't have to watch her go out and find someone else and get married, ruining his every hope and dream".

Dickie looked at his father like he was crazy. Where had he gone. "I don't think my friend's feelings are that intense, but he'll uh, he'll think about that. Thanks". Before Elliot could say anything else, Dickie was out of the room and back in the living room with his siblings.

"I'm an idiot" Elliot sighed. He got up and turned off the light, joining his kids in the living room for a round of UNO.

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Olivia sat on the floor of the nursery, going through all of the baby clothes that she had bought in preparation of Hudson. She had found the receipts in her purse and she was trying to see which ones she should return. Thankfully, most of the onesies and t-shirts she had picked out were gender neutral, so she could hang on to them. After much consideration, she decided that it would be okay to hang on to the little policeman outfit, mostly because it was too darn cute to let go of. She wasn't in the mood to actually go out to the store, but at least she had done something productive with her spare time.

Once that was done, she headed into the kitchen to make herself something to eat. Surprisingly, she managed to keep some food in her fridge and cook for herself instead of living off of takeout for the last month or so. Honestly, it was mostly because Elliot would complain about there being no food when he stayed the night. She smiled at the memory of the previous night. They had been up most the night, but not trying to conceive. They had been up talking about their high school proms because of a commercial they had seen while watching tv earlier that evening. She got to tell him about her very first night of drinking until she passed out, and the subsequent first hangover she had the next day.

She missed Elliot. They had only been apart for four hours, but she missed him. She had been very tempted to accept his offer to come and hangout with his kids, but the last thing she wanted was to make their arrangement more complicated by bringing them into the mix. She knew that he was going to have to tell them if she got pregnant, but she had no clue what he was going to say to them. They would cross that bridge when they got to it. Her mind wandered to the thought of all of them sitting around the table together, playing games, laughing, and just having a wonderful time. That's what she wanted.

"Stop it. Olivia" She told herself. "He's just a friend helping you out". She knew that she wanted him to be so much more than that, but that's just the way it was. Her phone buzzed, grabbing her attention. It was a text from Elliot.

Kids are leaving soon. Come over?

She wanted to say yes, but her fingers typed out no. It was for the best.

Elliot sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. He had wanted Olivia to come over and spend time with them. He wanted to show her how things could be.

"Hey, dad. Can I talk to you about something, alone?" Kathleen asked. He nodded and lead him down the hall and into his bedroom.

"What's up?" He asked, sitting down next to her.

"I just wanted to see how you've been doing. Isn't it weird going from a full house to a little apartment by yourself?"

Elliot nodded. "It was hard at first, but I'm getting used to it. I miss you kids like crazy, of course".

"Mom's already seeing someone" Kathleen blurted. "Isn't that crazy? The divorce isn't even finalized yet and she's been on like three dates with this guy".

"I know it seems weird, but trust me Kathleen, I'm glad she's seeing someone. Your mother is a wonderful woman and deserves to be happy. I just couldn't be the one to give her that happiness".

Kathleen narrowed her eyes at her father. That wasn't the reaction that she anticipated. She expected him to yell, or at least be slightly mad. It didn't make sense unless…

"Are you seeing someone?" She asked.

"No" He answered, technically telling the truth. He wasn't really seeing his partner. He was just trying to get her pregnant.

"You're lying. Who is she? Do I know her?" Kathleen inquired.

"Kathleen, I promise you, I'm not seeing anyone. As soon as I am, I will tell you".

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Olivia sat in bed, holding her phone in her hand. It was late and she couldn't fall asleep. Chances were that Elliot was still awake, but she didn't want to bother him. She had gotten so used to the warmth of his body next to her in bed, that without him she felt like she would never be warm again. Snow had been steadily falling for an hour now. It would be a bear for him to drive over. She sighed and set her phone on her night stand, giving up for the night.

"It's one night" She whispered to herself. "Suck it up". Her phone buzzed once again and she eagerly grabbed it. It was another text from Elliot.

Call me if you're awake.

She dialed his number and was surprised that he answered before it could even ring. "Hey, El".

"Hey, Liv. I couldn't sleep".

"Same".

"I uh...I just wanted to see how your stuff went tonight. It seemed pretty important" He stated, knowing very well that it wasn't important.

"Yeah…" She lied. "I handled it". For some reason, the silence that followed wasn't the least bit awkward. In fact, just hearing the sound of his breathing was soothing to her.

"Did you see the game?" Elliot asked after a while, mostly to see if she had fallen asleep.

"What game?"

"I don't know. It's just one of those questions that almost never fail".

Olivia laughed, making him laughing, filling him with pride and joy. "Alright, El. We have to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning?"

"I'll see you in the morning" He confirmed.

"Bye, El".

"Bye, Liv". He hung up the phone and set it next to him on the bed. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but he knew that over the phone was not an option. That, and she wasn't ready to hear it.

"At least he doesn't have to live his entire life wishing he knew how she felt".

An: Ahhhhhh!