A/N: Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy. Please read and review for more.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything you recognize.


It was Zachary Stabler's first birthday and Olivia had her last exam before she would go to Angie's house for Zachary's birthday party. Only a small one with the people that he actually accepted in his life.

Waking up to the alarm clock, Olivia smiled to find herself in her husband's embrace as he continued to snore behind her. She turned off the alarm was sighed contently. She was content and comfotable and didn't want to move but the birthday boy had other ideas.

The baby monitor on the nightstand came to life with, "Mama! Mama!" A happy squeal from Zachary on the other end.

Olivia extraced herself from Elliot's arms and headed in to the nursery. Her little man was standing up in his crib, gripping the side rail. His little face lit up when he caught sight of his mommy entering the room in her pajamas.

"Mama!" he exclaimed happily.

"Good morning, birthday boy," she greeted him as she lifted him out of the crib. As soon as her nose picked up on the smell coming from his diaper, she crinkled her nose. "Whoa! Someone really needs a diaper change, huh?" she said and laid him down on the change table.

Zac did not like it at all and started to protest. "Mama! No!" he cried, fighting against her.

In response, Olivia unclipped his pajamas and blew a raspberry on his chubby baby belly, causing him to giggle happily and kick his legs. "Mama just needs to change you quickly, then it's time for breakfast, Zacy. Mama has her last exam today and then mama is finished high school but it will be off to college in a few months," she confided in her son, even though she doubted that he could understand what she was talking about.

Olivia quickly changed and dressed Zachary before standing him on the floor and taking his small hand in hers. "Let's hand in to the kitchen for breakfast, huh?" she said and guided him out of the nursery.

He could walk when holding someone's hand but he was still having a little trouble walking on his own.

"Look Zacy, dada snuck up and started cooking breakfast," she laughed, pointing Elliot out, who was now squatting down just in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Dada!" Zac squealed happily and giggled when his dada picked him up.

"Morning, birthday boy," Elliot greeted Zac and gave him a kiss on the head before turning to his wife and giving her a kiss on the lips. "Morning, beautiful."

"Morning, honey. How did you sleep?" she asked as Elliot sat Zachary in his high chair.

Heading back to the stove, Elliot laughed. "You mean before or after our midnight romp?"

Olivia blushed. "El, not in front of Zachary please."

"Sorry, babe. Yeah, I slept well. Did you?" He turned off the stove and grabbed out some bowls.

"Yeah," she replied, distantly and put Zac's bib on him.

"Liv? I thought you would be happy now that you've got time to go to the gym."

Olivia shook her head as Elliot placed a bowl of oatmeal down in front of her. "I'll talk later, I promise, okay? I need to eat this, have a shower and get to my exam, El." She sighed and picked up her spoon.

Elliot cupped her left cheek and kissed her on the lips. "You'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"

Olivia bit her bottom lip and nodded. "Of course... I have to eat this, time is not on my side this morning," she said and started on her breakfast.

Elliot just sighed and sat down beside Zachary to feed him.

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Sitting on the sofa at his mother's house, Elliot watched Zachary playing in his playpen while he waited for Olivia to get there after completing her exam.

"What's going on, son?" Angie asked, sitting down on the couch beside him.

He hadn't even heard his mother come in.

Elliot sighed and shook his head.

"Is something wrong with Olivia?"

"I think so but she won't talk to me about it... I don't know what to do to help her."

Angie rubbed Elliot's back. "She'll come around, El."

The front door opened and Olivia emerged, dumping her small backpack on the floor in the corner of the foyer. "I'm here! Where are my men?"

"In the living room, baby," Elliot called back.

"Hi, where is everyone?" Olivia asked and gave Elliot a kiss.

"Not here yet, darling," Angie replied.

Olivia nodded and headed over to the playpen. "Was Zacy a good boy?" she asked her husband as she picked up their son.

"Yes, he was," Elliot replied, "he took a couple of steps on his own before he fell on his bottom and giggled."

"Wow, big boy," Olivia exclaimed and gave Zachary a kiss. "You want to show mama you can walk on your own?" She stood Zac on the floor and looked up at Elliot, not losing her grip on Zachary's hands. "El, could you please walk behind him just in case?"

"Sure," Elliot replied and got up.

Once Elliot was beside her, Olivia gently got Zac to take his hands and she sat down on the couch.

"Zacy, walk to mama," Olivia said and patted the floor in front of her.

Elliot slowly let go of Zac's hands and Zac took one step... two... three... four...before he got wobbly... five... six... and he fell on his diapered bottom and giggled.

"Come on, Zac, you can do it, buddy, pick yourself up," Olivia coached and Zac picked himself up, using the table for support, to give it another go.

He finally reached his mother and reached up to her with a yawn. "Mama."

"Someone's due for their nap, huh?" Olivia said softly, picking Zachary up, just as the door bell rang.

Angie excused herself amnd went to answer the door.

Elliot had been to lost in watching his wife to even notice. Even as Olivia smiled and cooed to their son, he could still see the sadness in her eyes.

Something was really bothering her, something that was causing her great pain and wasn't obviously able to talk about it but he would try to coax it out of her when they got home.

Elliot was brought out of his reverie when he heard Olivia shushing her best friends, so they didn't wake Zac up, who had drifted off in her arms. His head resting on her breasts. He was content in his mama's embrace.

Alex and Casey placed the presents they had brought with them on to the coffee table.

"Earth to Elliot..." Alex said, waving her hand in front of his face. "You okay?"

Clearing his throat, Elliot shook his head. "Sure, yeah, I'm fine," he replied, distantly and walked over to Olivia. "I'll put Zac down." He picked Zac up, who stirred but didn't wake, instead starting to rest in his father's arms.

"El?"

Elliot sighed. "Talk to me when you're ready to talk to me about whatever is bothering you," he said softly and headed upstairs with Zachary.

Olivia sighed and looked at her friends. "Excuse me," she whispered and headed upstairs herself.

She found Elliot laying Zac in his crib, which was set up in his old bedroom. She'd spent quite a few nights sleeping in this bedroom while Elliot was gone. "El?" she whispered.

Elliot groaned and turned around to face her. Without a word. Elliot gently grabbed her arm and pulled her in to his brother's old bedroom, shutting the door behind them. "What is going on, Olivia? What are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing," Olivia replied, shaking her head. "Please stop asking me."

"Olivia?..."

"Elliot, please just drop it..."

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Small talk was being made between Angie, Emily, Alex and Casey in the kitchen, when they were startled by yelling upstairs, followed by Zachary crying.

"Oh God, they're arguing and it sounds bad," Emily groaned.

"Em, get Zac. Casey, Alex, stay down here just in case Olivia comes running down," she said and rushed up the stairs with Emily close behind.

Reaching the room, Angie opened the door. "That's enough!" she yelled over them, "give it up! Your son is crying!"

Olivia bit her bottom lip, holding back her threatening tears and rushed out.

She saw her sister in law holding her son. "Pass me my son please," she whispered.

Nodding, Emily quickly complied and passed Zachary to Olivia.

"Thanks." Olivia took him and rushed out of the house, grabbing the diaper bag and ignoring her friends calling for her on the way out.

Times like this she was glad that she finally had her license and had driven Elliot's car.

Olivia quickly opened the car, threw in the diaper bag and put Zac in his seat, buckling him in before closing the door and getting in the driver's seat.

As soon as she saw Elliot emerge from the house, Olivia started the engine and backed out of the drive way before speeding off.

"Liv! Liv, come back!" he yelled out.

Upon seeing her drive away, he yelled and punched the brick exterior wall of the house.

Angie sighed after watching the scene unfold in front of her. "El, why did you accuse your wife of doing something that you know she would never do?"

"Cause it all seemed to fit... Except she never denies me... hmmm," he stopped, realizing that he had jumped to conclusions.

Shaking her head, Angie said,"Go talk to Olivia. I doubt she's cheating on you, El." She grabbed her car keys and passed them to him. "Take my car. If something is going on, let Olivia explain. She loves you, Elliot. Something is happening to her and she is trying to protect you from the pain."

Elliot stilled and looked at his mother confused. "Has she told you something and not me?"

"Oh no, no, son. I just got to really know her while you were gone. She's still trying to deal with everything, especially her childhood. Something is going on but I don't think it is that."

Elliot sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. "I'm going to go to find her and ask her what's going on."

"Well don't start yelling at her again because she'll only run again and you don't want that. Remember, her mother used to always yell at her..." she finished and headed back inside the house, shutting the door behind her.

Elliot took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly as he headed over to his mother's car.

He was going to head home first to see if she went home with Zachary.

Pulling up at the apartment building, Elliot sighed in relief to see the car sitting there.

He pulled up in to an empty spot and went through all the motions of shutting off the engine and getting out of the car before he rushed in to the building and up to the apartment.

He entered the apartment and sighed in relief again when he found his wife and son on the couch. Olivia was watching television, crying silently with Zachary sound asleep in her arms, his head on her chest.

"Liv?"

Seeing Elliot enter, Olivia quickly swipped away her tears. "Elliot..."

Elliot sat down beside her and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry for yelling. And I'm sorry for accusing you of having an affair."

Olivia sniffled and shook her head.

"It's Zac's first birthday, baby, it's supposed to be a happy day. Come back to the house with me. They're all there for Zac."

Bitting her bottom lip, Olivia nodded. "Okay. Only because I want Zac to have a happy first birthday," she replied and very gently passed a sleeping Zac to Elliot before getting up.

"Liv?"

"And we'll talk later," she told him sternly. She was still hurt from his accusation of an affair.

"Liv please."

"I thought you wanted to go back to the house?"

Elliot sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry, let's go," he replied softly and guided Olivia out with Zac still asleep in his other arm.