Olivia couldn't remember the last time she'd slept so soundly. The feeling of her body against Elliot's had sent her in a serene, peaceful bliss.

Unfortunately, they were startled by the sound of Olivia's alarm going off.

Elliot groaned. "Turn it off."

"Fin's brunch is in an hour and a half," she mumbled, hazily grabbing her iPhone and snoozing her alarm. "We have to get ready."

He squeezed her waist and pressed a kiss to shoulder. "Now?" he asked.

"I'll make it worth your while if you meet me in the shower," she said.

He laughed. "Deal."

She was still in a dream-like state as they entered the bathroom together, quickly turning the faucet to their desired temperature. Olivia could barely take a breath before Elliot's mouth was on hers.

"Shit, we need to be careful," Olivia mused. "I sure as hell don't want to slip in this damn shower."

"I've got you, Liv," he said as he moved himself behind her.

She felt his hard dick against her as he held her close. He pressed open mouth kisses against her cheek, neck, and shoulder while loosely holding onto her waist with his left hand. He used his right hand to cup and tease her breasts.

She was already breathless by his touch. A moan escaped her lips as she felt another surge of wetness drip between her legs.

Not wanting to waste any time, and knowing she'd be aroused, he moved his hand from her breast to her clit. Even his gentle movements sent shockwaves across her body. She gripped his left arm as he increased the pressure and speed of thumb against her sex.

"I'm so close," she gasped.

He pumped two fingers inside of her, reveling in the way her walls pulsed against him. The stimulation sent her over the edge. He squeezed her waist tighter to hold her up as she came on his fingers, her body limp and sated from pleasure.

The rush she'd gotten from his touch was unlike anything she'd experienced. She tried to catch her breath as Elliot kissed her hair.

Olivia turned around to face him, knowing he could see the stars in her eyes and the flush on her cheeks.

"Holy shit," she gasped.

He gave a wicked grin. "Who says you can't have great sex in your fifties?"

She raised an eyebrow. "God, you sound like an AARP article headline. And you, in your fifties? Who are you trying to fool, El?"

She immediately broke out in a fit of laughter, with Elliot soon joining in. She leaned her forehead against his to calm herself. She'd never felt so overwhelmed from joy before. It was incredible, yet terrifying; effortless, yet foreign.

Elliot was suddenly aware of the time that had passed, turned off the shower, and checked his watch. "We have an hour," he said before pressing a chaste kiss against her forehead.

"I think we're going to have to shower separately if we want to make this brunch," she said.

"You're right," he replied. "I'm not going to be able to take my hands off of you if you're still naked in front of me."

"Believe me, I'll make it up to you later," she said sultrily. "Can you shower first? I know you'll be faster."

"Sure," he replied, instantly missing her presence as she grabbed a towel and left the bathroom. He was glad he'd grabbed his suitcase from his hotel room while Olivia was sleeping.

They fell into an easy rhythm as they started their respective morning routines. It didn't take him long to get ready and dressed in black pants and a light blue button down. He couldn't keep his eyes off of Olivia; even the sight of something as simple as her blow drying her hair was breathtaking.

After settling on wearing dark jeans and a flowy top, and applying light makeup, she was ready to go.

Wordlessly, they left the hotel room. Once they realized the hallway was empty, Elliot grabbed Olivia's hand as they leisurely walked to the elevator. The second the elevator door closed, Elliot pulled her into a deep kiss.

"Kissing on elevators?" she said breathlessly. "Who are you, McDreamy?"

He laughed. "No, I don't have enough hair for that."

As the elevator door opened, Elliot and Olivia removed their hands from each other. They'd been so engrossed with one another that they'd forgotten the reality of the brunch. Both knew that they were far from ready to tell the group about what happened.

"Good morning," Olivia said as she sat into the chair next to her current and former co-workers.

"Morning," Elliot greeted. Immediately, the conversation progressed into small talk.

"I'll be right back, I'm going to grab something at the buffet," she said.

She'd been acting like she hadn't been in love with Elliot for 22 years. Yet now that they'd taken the next step in their relationship, the barriers she'd forced herself to put up felt even more consuming and restrictive.

Elliot hadn't realized how long he'd been staring at Olivia across the room until he heard Munch ask if he was listening.

"Sorry, can you repeat that?" he asked, hoping he wasn't being too obvious.

Olivia smiled as she held her plate and sat back down next to Elliot. He gave her a brief look that only the two would understand. Or so they thought.

"...Did something happen between you two last night?" Amanda asked, breaking the ice.

"Excuse me?" Olivia tried to keep her voice firm, but the blush in her cheeks gave it away. God, she was fifty seven years old and she was blushing as if she was a teenager.

"You know who you're speaking to, right, Liv? We're all trained to pick up on the most miniscule of body language and facial expressions. We also saw you two leave together last night. I'm sorry, I know you're my superior and this is completely inappropriate, but we're all dying to know."

"Before you say anything, you can blame it on me. They asked questions, I had answers. You two used to dominate the NYPD gossip bubble," Munch said. "If I didn't already know you both, I would've enjoyed the conspiracy theories behind it."

"We are not having this conversation," Olivia said.

"I'm going to take that as a yes," Barba quipped.

"Shit, Fin called it. And I never lose a bet," Munch said.

"...You bet on our relationship," Olivia deadpanned.

Elliot couldn't hold back his laughter. Olivia shot him a glare.

"I'm changing the subject," she commanded.

The rest of the brunch had gone relatively smoothly; they could tell they'd hit a nerve with Olivia and didn't want to push it any further.

"I'm so embarrassed," Olivia said immediately as the elevator doors closed.

"Liv - think of everything we've been through over the past twenty two years. It's about time the two of us had concrete joy in our lives," he said.

She didn't know how to respond with words. Instead, Olivia wrapped her arms around Elliot, and nuzzled her head into his shoulder.

She knew this was just the beginning, and that there were conversations on the horizon to help navigate their new reality. But for now, she held onto the sacredness in front of her.