Note: Another long chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: We don't own SVU or P!nk's song.

Warning: Cancer, eventual character death. Some smut in this chapter but nothing overly graphic.

After a day of observation, Elliot was allowed to take Olivia home. She had not regained her vision and Elliot asked Carisi to hold off on bringing Noah home until dinner time so he could get Olivia settled.

He kept a gentle grip on her arm as he led her into the apartment. "Do you want to lie down?"

"Not right now." She inhaled softly and tried to picture her apartment in her mind.

"Alright." He helped her to the couch. "Are you hungry?"

"No, not really." She patted the empty space beside her. "Sit down with me?"

Elliot sat next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders when she leaned into his side. His hand rubbed her arm comfortingly. "Liv?"

She leaned into him readily, enjoying the closeness. "It's only going to get worse from here, El."

"I know..." He held her tighter.

Her hand came up and found his cheek, stroking it gently. "I have to finish my will..."

He gave her hand a soft squeeze. "I'll help with anything you need."

She nodded. "All I care about is making sure Noah is taken care of." And it was the truth. Her apartment was paid off, she had some investments...It all needed to go toward making sure Noah was provided for.

"He will be. I promise."

Reassured, she closed her eyes. Elliot didn't break his promises.

His hand continued to rub her arm. "Carisi said he'd bring Noah home by dinner time so you have some time to settle in."

"That's good...I want to tuck him in tonight."

"He'll enjoy that. I'll make dinner."

"That sounds good. Maybe meatloaf? Noah loves that."

"I can do that."

"Thanks." She let her head rest in the crook of Elliot's neck.

"Just rest for now. I'll get dinner started later."

"Mm... okay." She didn't protest as he turned the tv on and put his feet up, allowing her to curl closer to him.

"Love you."

"I love you too, El," she murmured as he kissed her head.

She drifted in and out of sleep until Carisi arrived with Noah. The lanky man helped Noah take off his backpack and shoes. "Alright, kiddo, you're good to go."

Noah hugged him. "Thank you."

"Ah, you're welcome, kiddo." Carisi returned the hug and ruffled his hair.

He left a minute later and Elliot greeted Noah when he joined him in the kitchen.

"Hi, Elliot." Noah stood beside him, smelling the meatloaf. "Meatloaf!"

"Mm hmm. Your mom should be up soon."

Noah peered up at him with solemn eyes. "Is my mom gonna be able to see again soon?"

Elliot knelt in front of him. "We... we don't know," he admitted cautiously. "Her doctor said it might change, but we don't know for sure if she'll be able to see again or not."

Feeling his eyes well up with tears, Noah threw himself into Elliot's arms. Elliot hugged him tightly and ran a hand through his messy curls.

His little arms came around Elliot's neck, clinging to him. "I'm scared..."

"I know..." His heart ached for the little boy and he slowly rocked him back and forth.

"What...what if Mom goes away?" Noah whimpered, clearly having thought about this.

"Well... she's been thinking about it, and I know she already talked to your uncles Fin and Sonny about taking care of you if something happens to her. She talked to me, too."

Noah wiped his eyes and hugged Elliot tighter. "Really?"

"Yep. I promised her that no matter what happens, I'll look out for you."

Relaxing a little, Noah closed his eyes and sighed in relief.

Elliot squeezed his shoulder and held him for several moments before releasing him. "Why don't we go see if she's ready to eat dinner?"

Nodding, Noah grabbed his hand and pulled him into the living room. "Mom?"

Olivia was lying on her side, her arm tucked under her head as she slept.

When she stirred, Elliot reached down and touched her cheek. "Dinner's ready."

"Mm..." She sighed and let him help her sit up. "Noah?"

The boy perked up and patted her leg. "Hi, Mommy!"

Elliot helped her up and rested a guiding hand on her back. He led her into the kitchen, then set out three plates of meatloaf.

Olivia settled in her chair and inhaled softly. "This smells delicious, El."

"It's my favorite, Mom! Meatloaf!" Noah said enthusiastically, grabbing his fork.

Elliot chuckled and sat down. "I hope it's good."

Olivia carefully felt for her fork and picked it up. "You always were a good cook."

"I try." He picked up his own fork and started eating.

Still unsure of herself without her vision, Olivia took her time getting bites on her fork and bringing it to her mouth.

"Liv, let me know if you need anything."

"I will," she assured him before taking another bite.

Noah was thrilled with the food and made a bit of a mess as he cleared his plate. "Can I have more, Elliot?"

"Eat as much as you want."

Noah grinned as Elliot served him more meatloaf, and after dinner, Elliot helped Olivia put the small boy to bed. Once he was sleeping, Olivia held onto Elliot's arm and walked with him to her bedroom.

He led her to the bed and helped her sit down. "Do you need me to get anything for you?"

"No, I'm fine." She gripped Elliot's hand tightly. "You did a great job putting him to bed."

He returned the squeeze. "I think he was glad to see you home."

"He was. I can't... I can't believe I have to leave him..."

Elliot joined her on the bed and put his arm around her shoulders. "He... he was asking me about that earlier."

She leaned into him, letting him hug her closer. "What did he say?"

"He asked what we would do if something happens to you. I told him that no matter what happens, he'll be taken care of."

Olivia let out a relieved breath. "Thank you, El..."

When they settled comfortably under the covers, he wrapped his arms around her. Her head rested against his chest. Elliot lightly nuzzled his head against her hair. "Love you."

"I love you, too."

As the weeks passed, Olivia's condition slowly worsened. Her eyesight never returned, she progressively grew weaker, and finally she put in her two weeks notice once Fin was unofficially approved to take over the squad.

After the night Noah called him, Elliot didn't spend a night away. With every day that passed, he became more frighteningly aware of how fast time was slipping by. Her oncologist warned them that it would be a matter of months before she couldn't get out of bed, let alone walk or care for herself. Talk turned to palliative care. Elliot had shut it down immediately. She wasn't at that point yet, and he refused to hear it.

One evening when Olivia was resting, Elliot pulled Noah aside. "Noah, I want to talk to you about something."

The boy's eyes widened. "What?"

Elliot lowered his voice to a whisper. "I want to marry your mom."

"Marry Mom?" He tugged his fingers through his messy hair. "But...does that mean you're my dad?"

"Well... is that what you want?"

The boy bit his lip, tearing up a bit. "Yeah..."

"Then that's what I'll be," Elliot assured him.

Sobbing softly, Noah flung himself into Elliot's arms.

Elliot hugged him tightly and rubbed his back. "I want to propose to her soon."

Noah clung to him and buried his face in Elliot's shoulder. "Okay..."

"Can you keep it a secret for now? It'll be a surprise."

"Yeah," he snuffled against Elliot's neck. "I won't tell."

Elliot ruffled his hair. "You may even be able to help me."

"Really? How?"

"I'm not sure yet, but we'll come up with something special."

Nodding, Noah hugged Elliot tighter. "Yeah..."

Elliot held him for several long seconds before he released him and smiled. "She should be waking up right about now. We can go check on her."

Nodding, Noah slipped his hand into Elliot's and walked with him into his mom's room.

Olivia was just starting to wake up and Elliot smoothed his hand over her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

She sighed and pressed into his hand. "I'm fine..."

The tremor in her voice just barely broke through. He didn't need to ask to know that she had a headache. "Do you feel up to eating? We ordered Chinese."

"I'm not really hungry." Her voice was soft and raspy.

"Alright, sweetheart. Do you want anything else right now?"

"Maybe some water?"

"Okay." He left the room, returning a minute later with a chilled bottle of water.

Noah had crawled into the bed and snuggled into his mom, and Olivia gratefully took the water when Elliot pressed it into her hand. "Thanks, El."

He sat on the edge of the bed. "You're welcome."

She sipped at her water, her free hand stroking Noah's back.

Elliot rested his hand on her head and brushed aside a stray strand of hair, the motion gentle and comforting. Olivia smiled softly, but she would have given anything to see their faces.

"Need anything else?"

"No, I'm fine..." She stroked Noah's hair. "Noah, do you want to watch a movie?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah!"

"Pick one out," Elliot urged, handing him the remote.

Grinning, Noah sat up a bit and began scrolling through the movies. He finally settled on Monsters Inc. and he gave the remote back to Elliot before curling up with his mom again.

Dinner arrived a half hour later and Elliot impulsively suggested they eat dinner in bed. Olivia laughed but finally allowed him to coax her into eating a few bites.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to satisfy him. After they ate, he cleaned up and rejoined them in the bedroom to finish the movie. When it ended and the credits rolled, Noah yawned. "Mom, can you tuck me in?"

"Sure, baby..." Olivia let Elliot help her sit up.

Noah slipped his hand into hers and led the way to his room, Elliot following closely behind.

Smiling, Olivia helped Noah change into his pajamas. After he crawled into bed, she tucked him in and kissed his head. "Do you want a story, sweet boy?"

"Yeah."

She sat down on the edge of his bed, just as she had done so many times before. "Once upon a time..."

Halfway through the story, he dozed off. Once Olivia finished tucking Noah in, Elliot took her hand and led her out of the room.

She held tightly to his hand as he led her back to their bedroom. "I love you, El."

His fingers laced through hers and squeezed. "I love you, too."

When they reached the bedroom, he helped her lie down and joined her on the bed before pulling the covers up. Immediately she curled into his side and strong arms encircled her. Her lips found his and Elliot returned the kiss softly.

The kiss deepened and Olivia emitted a heady sigh as Elliot's hand slipped under her shirt to cup her breast. She gladly surrendered to him, needing him closer and closer.

After, she curled up on his chest and closed her eyes. "I love you, El."

"Love you." His arms tightened around her.

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, warm and safe in his arms.

Two weeks after his conversation with Noah, Elliot set his plans in action. He didn't want to overwhelm Olivia with something too elaborate, so he kept things simple, opting for a nice dinner at home. He instructed Noah to keep her distracted elsewhere while he prepared everything.

Noah, feeling very important and trusted with such a big job, snuggled with his mom on the couch. Olivia was content to cuddle with her boy and watch Disney movies with him.

Soon the welcoming scent of warm spices enveloped the apartment and Elliot called out to them. "It's ready."

Noah launched himself off of the couch and grabbed his mom's hand. "C'mon, Mom! It's dinner time."

Laughing, Olivia stood up and let Noah lead her to the table. "It smells amazing, El."

"I hope it tastes as good as it smells." Elliot pulled out a chair for her and set a plate in front of her.

"It always does," she said with an airy laugh. She picked up her fork and tried a bite of her dinner. "Oh...that's delicious!"

He smiled and took a bite of his own. "I can't say I disagree."

Noah grabbed a piece of bread and gnawed on it, and Olivia smiled when she realized Elliot had poured her a glass of her favorite wine. "Are you trying to spoil me?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Good point." She sipped at her wine before having more of her dinner.

He reached across the table and gave her hand a light squeeze before he resumed eating.

By the end of dinner, Olivia felt better than she had in weeks. She was full and pleasantly buzzed, and she leaned over to steal a kiss from Elliot.

He returned the kiss, moving his hand to cup her cheek. His thumb brushed her jaw when she parted her lips to welcome his. "Are you feeling up to a bit of a surprise?"

"Absolutely," she murmured against his lips. "What kind of surprise?"

"Just something we've been talking about for a couple of weeks."

"Oh?" She kissed him again, unable to keep from smiling. "What's that?"

When their lips parted, Elliot took her hand into his. With his other hand he reached into his pocket and withdrew the small velvet box.

"Liv..." he started, his thumb rubbing her knuckles. "I know I haven't been back long, and I'll always wish I'd come back sooner. Whatever time we have left... I want to make the most of it." He pressed the box into her hand.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "El?" she breathed.

"I don't want to waste any more time. Liv, you mean the world to me. Will you marry me?" He guided her fingers to the ring inside the box.

Before he could finish his sentence, she was nodding frantically. She let Elliot slide the ring onto her finger. "Yes, Elliot. Yes."

Noah bounced in his chair. "Yay!"

Elliot chuckled, touching his forehead to Olivia's. "Noah helped."

"Yeah?" She laughed tearfully as she stroked Elliot's cheek. "I thought he was acting a little strange."

"I helped pick the ring!" Noah supplied excitedly.

"You did?" She touched the ring with her fingertips. "I love it, Noah."

"We picked it out one afternoon when I picked him up from school." Elliot's hand cupped the back of her neck, gently pulling her close for another kiss.

She gladly melted into the kiss, needing to be close to him. "I love you..."

"I love you, too." His thumb stroked little circles on her cheek. "So much..."

They kissed again and she laid her head on his shoulder. "Do your kids know?"

He nodded, rubbing her side and leaning his head against hers. "I told them a couple weeks ago."

"Are they...are they okay with this?"

"They are," he assured her.

Relieved, she pressed closer to him. A sudden knock at the door interrupted them, and Noah hopped out of his chair. "Uncle Sonny's here!" he yelled as he grabbed his backpack.

Elliot pressed a kiss to Olivia's head while Noah rushed to open the door.

"Hey, No!" Sonny exclaimed when the boy opened the door. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah!" He gave his backpack to Sonny, then ran back to hug his mom. "Love you, Mommy!"

She let Elliot go and hugged Noah tight. "I love you too, sweet boy."

Noah hugged her again and then hugged Elliot before he left with Carisi. Elliot kissed Olivia again, his hand rubbing her side.

Feeling that she could let her guard down with Noah safely with Sonny, she kissed Elliot softly. "That was...that was amazing, El."

He leaned into her, deepening the kiss for several moments. "I knew you'd rather have something simple instead of going out. I'm glad you liked it."

"It was the best proposal I could have hoped for," she assured him, her eyes watering.

"Good..." he kissed her again.

She melted into the kiss, tugging at his shirt until he got the idea and pulled it off. Then she grabbed his shoulders and swung a leg over his, straddling his lap.

Elliot's arms looped around her waist, drawing her even nearer. This close, he could feel her heart beat and he felt a longing tremor go through him. He slipped his hands under her shirt, slipping it over her head.

Smiling, she stole another kiss as he unfastened her bra, exposing her to his greedy eyes. "I need you, Elliot..."

His hands explored her body and he moved his lips to her neck, nipping gently.

Needing him closer, she finally slipped from his lap and grabbed his hand. "Bed," she murmured, squeezing his hand tightly.

Elliot led her to the bedroom. Immediately he tugged her close, sliding his hands under the waistband of her underwear and sliding them down her legs.

Olivia laughed as they fell onto the bed together, but it quickly became a needy moan as he slipped his hand between her legs. "Yes..."

"Hmm..." He silenced her with another kiss and rolled over, tugging her on top of him.

It was all so familiar, so achingly perfect as their bodies melded. She hadn't been able to see for over a month but she knew where to touch him, where to kiss him.

His hands were greedy and knowing as he touched her, quickly bringing her to the edge. Her head fell back as she came, and he was right behind her, thrusting up into her with wild abandon.

"Olivia!"

She collapsed into his arms, her skin damp as she rested on his chest.

Elliot tucked her head under his chin and combed his fingers through her hair. "You're incredible."

"So are you," she breathed, running her fingers over his shoulder. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too." His other hand found hers and brought it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles lightly and curled closer to her.

Slowly her breathing evened and she fell asleep listening to the soothing beat of his heart. Elliot wasn't long behind her, staying awake just until he knew she was asleep.

Tonight, even if it didn't last, they could put their fears aside.

Note: This (and the next chapter) are a little more bittersweet, but there's still some major heartache ahead. Review!