Part 2 of our Finley storyline

I wasn't planning on updating until tomorrow but...I couldn't disappoint my EO TS Squad over on twitter !

Disclaimer - I own nothing - just like to play with the characters.

Outside, Elliot, Fin and John flew into the driveway, flanked by the other Queen's PD squad cars. As he got out of the car, Elliot heard Maureen's voice. He turned and saw the kids running towards him from the neighbors yard. "Dad! What's going on?"

Elliot quickly walked over to them, "Where were you?"

"Mom let us go to the McGuire's for a swim." Maureen said, "But Richie thought he saw the Colonel out front...but he said it looked like he was arguing with Mom. Mrs. McGuire went over but she said she didn't see Mom."

Elliot sighed, his heart was racing in his chest, "I want you to go back over there. I'll come get you soon, okay?"

"Dad?" Richie's voice broke through the tension, "Are Mommy and Noah in danger?"

Kneeling down in front of his oldest son he smiled, "No bud. I'm going to fix everything, okay? Do you trust me?"

Riche looked uncertain but he nodded slowly, "Yeah...yeah I trust you."

"Okay good." He kissed his son's head, and looked at his neighbor, "Can you please keep them over at your house? I'll be back as soon as I can."

She nodded and started to usher the kids back to her house, "Come on you guys. Your Dad's got everything under control."

Elliot turned to see Fin running over to him, "I have a visual on Liv and Noah. They're in the living room. Noah's in his play pen but he's clearly upset. Liv's just sitting on the couch...but I can't tell what Finley is doing."

"He has to be threatening her somehow. She wouldn't just sit there like that." John said."She would if she thought Noah was in danger." Elliot said with a sigh, "I have to get into the house. But if I just barge in the front door he could freak out.""Can we get you in another way without him noticing?" Fin asked. "I know he'd see you from the back door. But is there another way in?"

Elliot was quiet for a moment, "We may be able to break in through the bulkhead. I can go up through the basement and catch him off guard."

"Let's go." The three men turned and ran towards the back yard, all thinking the same thing.

If the Colonel hurt one hair on Olivia or Noah's head, he was a dead man…

As they rounded the corner of the yard, Elliot peeked in the windows to see if he could see what was going on. He wasn't sure what to expect but fear prickled at his nerves. He didn't know what he would do if he looked in and saw Finley hurting Olivia or Noah. But whatever it was, it wouldn't be good. He could only see Dick pacing in front of Olivia, he saw the back of Olivia's head. He could see her gaze pivoting between Dick and Noah each time he turned his back on her. He knew she was trying to figure out if she could get to their son. But then, the light caught something silver and his blood boiled.

"He has a knife." Elliot said through gritted teeth "That son of a bitch has a knife."

Fin was working on trying to pry the bulkhead open, "Explains why she isn't fighting back. She's trying to protect Noah."

Elliot tugged his suit jacket off and threw it on the ground, "I'm going to kill him."

"Elliot, before you go in there…" John grabbed his arm, "You need to breathe. You can't just barge in there and attack him. I know you want to and I don't blame you. But Noah is vulnerable...Liv can take care of herself but not Noah."

Elliot nodded, "I know. I know…"

"Come help me with this." Fin said to them both, "I think I almost got it but I don't want it to make a lot of noise and catch him by surprise."

Elliot and John knelt down beside him and slowly tried to pry off the bolts on the bulkhead. When they finally got it, there was a slight pop and they all froze.

"What was that noise?" Dick growled from his place in the living room.

Olivia's heart was racing, she heard it too and something told her that her husband was here, "I don't know."

Dick moved to go look out the window, "Did that-"

"Dick!" She yelled his name, and Noah started crying harder, she cringed, "I...I'm sorry about before. I'll do whatever it is you want. Okay? I promise I won't fight you. Just...promise me you won't hurt Noah and I'll do anything."

Dick turned back to her, he hadn't seen the squad cars out front, "I'm not sure I believe you."

"I can understand why you wouldn't." She said with a sigh, "But...Noah means the world to me. Elliot and I tried for a year before I got pregnant. All my kids mean the world to me. I'd do anything for them."

"Even if it meant sleeping with another man?" He said with a sneer.

Olivias shivered, "Even if it meant sleeping with another man."

"Elliot won't forgive you for this you know." He said with a smirk, "He's not the kind of man that likes to share. I haven't seen him in ten years but I know that much to be true. It's why Kathy and I never told him about our relationship."

Olivia's eyes went wide, "What?"

"I guess I wouldn't call it a relationship. But there were a few encounters...a few months after Maureen was born." He said with a sigh.

Olivia's mind was reeling, "Did you...did you force her?"

Dick snorted, "No Olivia. She was a willing participant."

"And Elliot never knew?" She asked quickly, "He...if he had known-"

"They weren't in love. He wouldn't have cared. Maybe they would have divorced sooner. Then he wouldn't have all these damn kids." He said with a laugh.

Olivia's hands were shaking, "Elliot loves his children. Despite everything that Kathy put him through, them through, they are his life."

"I never really saw the draw to children. They are so…" He looked over at Noah who was still crying, "Loud. Needy. Can't you make him shut up?"

"He's scared." Olivia whispered, "He may only be six months...but he knows something is wrong. He can tell. If you just let me get him out of the house-"

"Then you wouldn't come back in and where would that leave me?" Dick said with a sigh, "I guess I'll just have to drown him out. I was able to do it with Maureen when she cried. I'll be fine. Now...take off your shirt."

Elliot told Fin and John to split up on either side of the house and try to keep watch from the windows. John who was going to the front was told to keep the squad cars out of sight so that Dick wouldn't be tipped off. As quietly as he could, Elliot descended the bulky cement steps and walked through the basement and up the stairs. As quietly as possible, he pushed the basement door open and peeked through the crack. They were all right where he had seen them last, but Noah was screaming louder.

Olivia looked at him, "Dick...please don't do this. I thought you cared about Elliot."

"I did care about Elliot." Dick said with a shrug, "He was a good kid. I'm sure he's a good man now…"

"Then why are you doing this?" She asked, if she could keep him talking she felt like she would be able to get out of this unharmed, Noah too.

Dick sighed and turned to look at her again, "I'm the kind of man that gets what he wants Olivia. We could have made this easy the other night...but you just had to overreact."

She huffed, "Did you think I was going to screw you in the kitchen with my son watching and the rest of my family outside?"

"I suppose I forgot who I was dealing with. A sex Detective." He rolled his eyes, "Why Elliot chose that career I'll never know. I'm sure you picked it because you're a prude. Poor guy."

"I chose it to protect people from predators like you." She spat at him.

"So dramatic." He waved the knife in front of him, "Just take off your shirt already. I'm done talking."

Olivia's heart was racing, she felt like she was losing time. Suddenly, something behind Dick caught her attention. Elliot. He was walking as slowly as possible towards her with his gun drawn. His free hand lifted to his lips and he held his finger there. Years of working with him let her know exactly what he was thinking. She saw his eyes dart towards Noah, another signal to her. Standing up on shaky legs, Olivia walked towards Dick. "Okay. Fine. You win Dick."

He sighed and reached out to touch her cheek, "Finally...I promise you'll enjoy it okay? Who knows...maybe you'll realize you could do better than Stabler."

He leaned in and her heart was racing, her palms were sweating, just as his lips were about to touch her neck, they both heard the click of the gun, "Don't you dare touch her."

Elliot's voice came out in a low grumble, but there was no mistaking the anger in his tone. Dick froze, his lips were hovering just above the dip in Olivia's neck and she felt the knife in his hand press into her hip, "Elliot. This isn't what it looks like...Olivia wanted-"

"You don't talk." Elliot pressed the barrel of the gun into his back. He was trying to keep his arm steady but anger was taking over his body at the moment, "Don't you dare talk right now you son of a bitch. I swear to God I will kill you right here and now."

Olivia gasped when she felt the knife press harder into her hip, "El…"

"Drop the knife." Elliot hissed, "Drop it. You can't get out of this Dick. You hurt her and I'll kill you."

Noah started screaming louder and louder, "Make him shut up!" Dick yelled.

All three of them were still stock still and Olivia wanted to scream, "Dick...please just let me go to Noah...please." She went to move but the knife slipped under her shirt and sliced across her hip causing her to cry out.

Without thinking, Elliot lifted the gun and slammed the butt of it into the back of Dick's head. The older man stumbled forward and fell against Olivia. She threw him off of her and dashed towards Noah without stopping. Scooping him up, she pressed him to her chest and turned to look at her husband. "Liv go."

She was shaking and felt blood dripping from her side as Noah flailed in her arms, "Elliot-"

"Go!" He yelled as Dick started to pull himself off the couch, "Now!"

Looking down at their son, she knew there was no way to help Elliot without hurting Noah. But after so many years of fighting together, it felt strange to walk away from him now. Noah started screaming harder and she quickly ran towards the front door, bursting out into the driveway. Behind her, she could hear the fight ensuing and the crashing of furniture. A number of officers ran towards her and John was suddenly at her side, "Olivia! Are you okay?"

Olivia turned back to the house, "I need you to take Noah."

John put his hands out and took the baby from her, "Liv, you can't go back in there."

Shaking her head she turned towards the house, "I have too. He's going to kill him."

With one hand, John held Noah close and then grabbed her hand, "Olivia, you're bleeding."

"I'm fine. But I can't let him kill him." Olivia said in a shaky voice, "This is my fault."

John gripped her hand harder, "And Elliot will kill me if I let you go back in there."

"Ma'am, we need to look at your hip." A paramedic said walking up to her, "Come with me."

Olivia looked at John, her son and the paramedic. Her eyes went down to the blood dripping down her side. It wasn't a deep cut, she knew that. Yelling from the house pulled her from her thoughts. She looked up at John again, and she knew he knew what she was going to do. Yanking her hand away from him, she ran back into the house as fast as she could knowing he would never leave Noah alone.

Upon entering the living room, there were two cops standing with their guns pointed towards the scene unfolding. Elliot and Dick were wrestling on the floor, the coffee table had been crushed under the weight of them. Blood was pouring from Elliot's nose and now he had Dick by the throat on the floor. Dick still had the knife in his hands and had it pressed against Elliot's own neck but his strength was diminishing as Elliot's hold on his neck grew tighter and tighter. Elliot's gun was off to the side, clearly kicked aside during the struggle.

"Elliot!" Olivia screamed from her spot, but Elliot didn't move.

"You fucking piece of shit." Elliot growled, "I trusted you! How dare you!"

Dick's face was bright red as he tried to speak, "Shouldn't have married such a good looking woman if you didn't want other men to want her."

Elliot's hold tightened, "Don't you fucking talk about her like that."

"Elliot!" Olivia ran up to him, "Elliot, let him go."

Elliot was so focussed on Dick, he barely heard her. But when he felt her hands on his arm, tugging, his hold lessened, "Liv…"

"Let him go." She said through tears, "Just let him go."

Looking up at her, he saw fear in her eyes and it scared him, "He…"

"I know." She whispered, "I know...but killing him isn't going to solve this. Just let him go. He can't breathe."

Elliot's grip lessened and Olivia watched the knife against Elliot's knife press harder. She reached out and grabbed Dick's hand, twisting it as hard as she could. There was a loud crunch of bone and Dick shouted out in pain, "You bitch!"

Elliot turned as the knife fell between them, he pulled his hand back and slammed his fist against Dick's nose, "You're lucky she came back in here. You know that? You'd be dead if I had it my way."

Pulling himself off Dick he saw the man curl into himself, holding his broken hand and trying to stop the bleeding of his nose. He stumbled forward as Olivia pulled him from the wreckage of the coffee table. The other officers rushed forward and started to cuff Dick at the same time that Fin ran in with his own gun drawn. Elliot ignored them all and focussed solely on his wife, she was trying to reach for his hands but he lifted her shirt and saw the blood still dripping from her side. Olivia watched the way his hands started to shake again and she knew instantly he wasn't as calm as she had hoped. He turned on his heel and she grabbed him, but he was too strong. Luckily, Fin was at her side and began tugging Elliot back with her.

"Elliot, please." Olivia was fully crying now, "Please stop."

Fin saw the way his muscles were bulging, his veins popped out and his face was bright red, "Let me go! He's dead!"

"Elliot, he's in custody now." Fin said struggling to hold him back, but he knew he had to keep trying for Olivia's sake, "Your wife and your son need you right now. Just stop. I'll go with them to make sure he gets in the squad car. Okay? Just stop."

"El, I'm sorry. Please...please…" The begging in her voice was what made him go slack again and he stopped making Fin and Olivia stumble.

Fin looked at Olivia out of the corner of his eye, then back at Elliot to make sure that he was as calm as he thought. He could still see the anger there, but he also knew that he was going to do whatever Olivia asked of him. "You good?" Fin asked, Elliot's eyes never left Dick as the officers lifted him off the ground, "Okay. Breathe Elliot. I got it from here."

Elliot stumbled again under the broken pieces of wood below him. He watched as they dragged the man he had once considered the greatest man he had ever known out of his home. The man that he had looked up to, aspired to be. Now he was the one man he wanted to see dead. Images of his hands on Olivia filled his brain and he wondered if they would ever go away. If he had had thirty more seconds with this man, he was pretty sure he would have killed him after all. When he turned around, he saw Olivia watching him, her hands were shaking and tears were threatening to spill down her cheeks again. Her right cheek looked red and he knew without asking that he had hit her. "Olivia."

"I'm sorry." She reached for him again and the dam broke, "I'm so sorry."

He was confused by her apology, "Liv what-"

"I'm so sorry. I didn't want...I didn't want this. I'm so sorry." She stumbled forward and his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Jesus. Olivia. Stop." He held her as she shook, "Of course I know that."

She shook her head against him, "This wasn't supposed to happen. Dick means so much to you. I'm so sorry."

Now he understood. She was worried about the loss of the relationship of his mentor. As usual, she didn't understand just how damn much he loved her, "Olivia…"

The sound of a baby crying pulled her from hold on him, "Oh God. Noah. I need to get him."

She pulled away so quickly, Elliot didn't have time to pull her back. Stepping over the rubble in the living room, he followed her outside and saw her standing with John and taking Noah from his arms. Walking over to them, he scanned his son's body from head to toe and sighed with relief when he realized he wasn't hurt. He was about to say something when he felt small hands reaching for him and he knew the kids had been anxiously waiting to see their parents.

"Dad!" Maureen yelled, reaching for them, "Are you guys okay?" When Elliot looked at her she gasped, "Your nose…"

Elliot sighed and pushed her hand away, "We're fine. Everyone is fine."

"Mommy?" Lizzie asked tugging at her arm, "What happened?"

Olivia had Noah pressed against her chest and she kissed his head, "Just...a misunderstanding. It's okay. Everything is okay."

"Was that Colonel Finley?" Kathleen asked looking at the cop car that Dick was sitting in, "Did he do this?"

Elliot looked at John, "John, is there anyway you could take the kids to my Mom's tonight? I'll call her and fill her in."

"No." Richie said reaching for his Dad, "We're all going tomorrow. Aren't we?"

Elliot looked down at his son, "Mom and I will meet you there tomorrow. We need to...do something here. It's okay."

Olivia looked at her husband anxiously, "El…"

He shook his head and looked back at his friend, "John?"

"Of course. Let me call Cragen. Let me know when you want me to take them." He said before turning to walk away.

"Dad, we don't want to go." Kathleen said, "Please-"

"Kathleen, I need you guys to just...do this. Okay? I promise, Mom and I will be there tomorrow." He said quickly, "Please."

Maureen squeezed her sister's shoulder, "Everything is fine Kathleen. Come on. Let's...let's go back to the McGuire's."

Elliot gave his oldest daughter a thankful look and assured the rest of the kids before they went back to their neighbors. Once they were gone, Elliot turned to his wife again and watched as she rocked Noah back and forth, "I'm not leaving Noah." She said adamantly.

Elliot sighed, "Fine. He can stay here." He reached for her and she flinched, "Olivia…"

"We need to take your statements." An Officer from the Queen's PD said, "And you should both be looked at."

Olivia looked down at her son in her arms, "I'll go but my son is coming with me"

Once again, she walked away from him towards the ambulance, still clinging to their son. Fin walked up beside his friend and put a hand on his arm, "They are taking Finley down to the station."

Elliot looked up and saw the squad car pulling out of his driveway, "Okay."

Fin's eyes moved towards the ambulance where a paramedic was cleaning the cut on her hip, "She have any other injuries?"

"I don't think so." Elliot said, shaking his head, "But I don't know how long he was there. Noah seems okay…" Lifting his hand, he rubbed the back of his neck, "Fin how the hell did this happen? I trusted him. I never thought this would happen. Of all the things…"

"You know as well as I do that sometimes even people we thought we could trust have a dark side. I'm sorry." He put his hand on his arm, "What are you going to do?"

"If she had just told me about what happened the other night..." Elliot sighed.

"You can't blame this on her." Fin said quickly, "She thought she was protecting you. She didn't think he'd try anything again."

"Protecting me from what?" Elliot asked as he turned to him, "From Dick? I should have been protecting her from him!"

"I know you're upset. We all are. But just...put yourself in Olivia's shoes for a minute. I'm not saying that keeping it from you was right. But we can't change any of this now." He pointed out, "Go get yourself checked out and we'll go from there. John said he's taking the kids to your Mom's. You can talk to her then. Figure it out."

Elliot nodded slowly, 'Yeah...you're right." Fin went to walk away and he called out to him, "Fin...thank you for telling me. I know she asked you not to...but thank you."

Fin looked at Olivia again, "She's my partner. I should have told you last night."

After he walked away, Elliot was left alone with his thoughts running through his head. How was he going to make Olivia see just how important she was?

The kids had cried and protested leaving, but they eventually did as their Father had asked. Olivia hadn't left Noah's side and was currently upstairs in his room with him. Elliot was standing at the end of the driveway watching John pull down the road with the older four kids. Turning back to the house, he could see Olivia in the window walking back and forth with Noah in her arms. Taking a deep breath, he knew it was time to have a difficult conversation.

They had spent most of the afternoon talking to Queens PD and giving their statements. There had been little to no time to discuss anything together alone. Olvia had not needed stitches which was a blessing but his nose was definitely in worse shape then he had expected. He knew he had two black eyes again and the dull ache thudded in his head. But none of that mattered now.

Only Olivia mattered.

Walking back into the house, his eyes moved towards the living room. The remnants of the coffee table had been thrown out and someone had cleaned up the blood. The kids didn't know for sure what happened and he hoped to keep it that way. The memory of Olivai standing there with Finley about to kiss her neck made him shiver. What if he had not gotten here in time? He knew she would do anything to protect Noah...but the thought of what that anything could be made him sick to his stomach.

Walking up the stairs, he noticed something he hadn't before. Blood on the wall. He made a mental note to not only clean it later and to make sure to ask Olivia whose blood it was. He began to climb the stairs two at a time to make it to her faster. When he walked into Noah's room, he saw Olivia holding him close. His little eyes were beginning to droop he would be asleep soon. Her eyes lever left his face, he knew she didn't even realize he was standing there.

Not wanting to startle her, he said her name in a whisper, "Olivia."

Her eyes turned towards him but she hadn't stopped moving, "The kids okay?"

"They're fine. I told them to call when they got there if they wanted to. And that we'd be there early in the morning." He still didn't walk into the room, he could tell she needed some space. "John will make sure they are settled. My Mom will keep them distracted."

Her eyes glossed over and he knew she was trying not to cry, "Okay."

Looking down at his son, he saw that he in fact was asleep now, "Olivia...it's okay. Put him down in the crib. Come talk to me."

She shook her head and kissed his little head, "I need another minute."

Sighing, he walked further into the room and put his hand on her back. She didn't pull away; he took it as a good sign and leaned down to kiss Noah's head and then her's. "I'll be in our room. I love you. Both of you."

She didn't respond but he knew he had heard her. He smoothed his hand down her back again then turned to walk out of the room to give her a moment alone. When he was in the hallway, Olivia looked down at her son and frowned, "This wasn't supposed to happen little man. I'm so...so sorry."

Noah cooed in his sleep and snuggled into her embrace as he slept. She knew logically that he was okay. That Finley hadn't touched him. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something could have gone wrong. When she tried to run, he could have hurt him out of anger. She knew she could have taken Finley down in a matter of seconds but it wasn't worth the risk of something happening to Noah. She would have done whatever he asked if it meant keeping him safe. Her children would always come first.

Knowing she couldn't ignore her husband any longer, she walked slowly to the crib and began to lower Noah down. He shifted slightly as she transitioned him but he didn't wake up. Staring down at him for another moment, she thanked God that he was unharmed and too young to remember this day. Turning to walk out of the room, she flicked off the light and walked towards their bedroom. She found him sitting on the edge of the bed leaning forward, with his hands braced on his knees. She watched the steady rise and fall of his breathing and she knew he was trying to control himself. Trying to put herself in his mind, she wondered what it would be like to feel betrayed by someone she trusted so completely that way. Her heart ached for him and she wished that she had never run into Richard Finley in that coffee shop.

Before she could say anything, he lifted his head. He was watching her intently. It felt like he was looking straight through her. Tugging on the cardigan around her, she winced when the material rubbed against the raw spot on her hip. That didn't go unnoticed by Elliot. He was on his feet and walking towards her, she didn't try to stop him as he lifted her shirt to look at her injury. "It's not even that bad. Just stings. It's fine."

He sighed and looked up at her and she saw the frustration there, "You shouldn't be hurt at all Liv. This shouldn't have happened."

Reaching out, she touched his face and saw him pull away when her fingers barely traced along towards his swollen nose, "Neither should you."

"I'm going to ask you something and I want you to tell me the truth. Okay?" He saw her hesitate only slightly, but then she nodded slowly, "Whose blood is that on the stairwell?"

Her eyes went wide, it told him she hadn't seen it either, "It's not mine. I only…" She sighed and shook her head, "I tried to get away...I pushed him down the stairs. He must have...everything happened so fast I don't know what he hurt but-"

"Did he try to bring you up here? To our bedroom?" He asked, his face was red and when she nodded he cringed, "Jesus…"

"One of Richie's toys was on the top step. He tripped and I just pushed him...I didn't even look to see if he was hurt or not. I ran at Noah but he recovered quicker than I expected. I couldn't...El I tried but-"

"Shhh." He cradled her face in his hands and wiped at her tears, "Liv, it's okay."

"It's not okay." She whimpered, "It's not okay. Dick meant so much to you...you named your son after him. He's a huge part of your life and I ruined that. I'm sor-"

"Please, please stop. Olivia, stop." He was shaking now and he wanted to scream, "YOU did not ruin anything. You did nothing wrong. This is on Dick. Christ…" He pulled away and wiped a hand over his face, "Olivia, you really still don't understand this do you? Did you not hear what I said to you on our anniversary?"

She wiped her tears away and sighed, "El...I just-"

He turned back to her and put his hand up to stop her, "You are my world Olivia. The fact that you thought you couldn't tell me about what he did...that kills me. I would have kicked his ass that night. I would have killed him today if you hadn't come in there. God knows I wanted too."

"But I didn't want that for you." She whispered, "El...please."

"I need you to hear me once and for all. Okay? There is no one in this world that means more to me than you and our children. Nothing. Yes, Dick was a big part of my life back then. But now? Now he's nothing. And that isn't on you. That's on him. He made a choice and it's taking all my strength to not beat myself up over putting you in that situation."

"You didn't know he would...I mean how could you? But...but it wasn't. It was stupid. Maybe I did overthink it." Her head was spinning.

"Olivia, Fin said he had you against the sink. He pressed himself against you. That he put his hands down the back of your jeans...that he touched you. That's not overthinking. He was out of line. Way out of line." His fist clenched and unclenched. "You know that. You of all people know that."

"Fin told you?" Her face fell, "I made him promise he wouldn't, I-"

"No. Don't do that." He said, shaking his head in frustration, "Fin told me because he was worried about you and I'm glad he did. But you should have told me."

"I just didn't want to be the reason that you lost someone so important to you." She whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Olivia...I almost lost you today. I don't give a shit about Dick Finley. If I lost you...I wouldn't survive that. And I never would have forgiven myself. Please tell me you understand what I'm saying. Please."

Her face crumbled and she put her hands against her cheeks, her eyes shut tight, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Please stop apologizing." He pulled her against him again, "God Liv. Stop...it's okay."

She fell against him and nuzzled into his neck, "I was so scared he was going to hurt Noah. I just...I just wanted him to...I didn't care if…"

"Shhh." He held her close and kissed the side of her face, "It's over. You're both safe. You're both safe."

"How did you even know he was here?" She sniffed and pulled away slightly, "Did-"

"Richie saw something going on at the McGuire's. She called the cops. I was going to come home and see you and John heard on the scanner that there had been a 911 call in our neighborhood. I knew he had to have gone one step farther. Fucking prick. I don't know what he was trying to prove." He said with a sigh.

"He said he was worried I was going to tell you." Elliot gave her a look and she sighed, "I almost did...last tonight. I think I would have eventually."

He cringed, "You were going to tell me and then I talked about how I wanted to have a redo of dinner when we got back. Because I wanted you to get to know him. Liv, God, I'm sorry…"

"You didn't know. How would you have known?" She shrugged, "You trusted him."

"I did trust him." He frowned and looked at her carefully, "But I would have trusted you over him. You know that, right?"

Her hand slid down his chest and she remembered something from earlier today, "I need to tell you something else and you're...you're not going to like it."

Elliot huffed, "I'm not sure it can get worse than what he's already done but...what is it?"

Olivia bit her lip and whispered, "He told me...that he slept with Kathy when you were married. A few months after Maureen was born."

Elliot stepped back slightly, taken aback by what she was saying, "What?"

"He said he didn't force her...that it was a mutual thing. I don't know how long it lasted. Elliot…" She reached for him again.

"I accused her of having an affair after Maureen was born but she denied it. She had been acting strange. And then it just...stopped." He laughed and shook his head, "Right around the time that Dick took off and moved to California. You know what, they deserve each other."

"I'm sor-" He shot her a look before she could finish her thought, "Well I am...no matter what Kathy did...you didn't deserve that. From either of them."

He shook his head and reached for her again, "You know what? I don't even care about that. About them. Neither of them are important. All I care about is you and the family we have now."

"If anything had happened to Noah today…" She shivered, "I didn't know what to do. I wanted to...I could have...but Noah-"

"I know. I know. You did what you needed to do to protect our son. I loved you for that. But...the thought of what could have happened." He pulled her closer, "If he had...hurt you." He sighed and touched her cheek, "Did he hit you?"

"After I tried to run, yes." She leaned into his touch, "But nothing else happened. I swear."

"Even that is too much." He kissed her cheek twice, "If anything ever happens like this again, I don't care who it is, you tell me. Okay? You have to tell me."

She nodded slowly, "I know. I will."

"Promise me Liv. Promise me. Tell me you understand what I'm saying. No one is more important than you. No one. Okay? Promise me." He repeated.

"I promise. I hear you." She pulled away just enough to crash herself against him, "I hear you. It doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt...to know that you are hurting."

"I can survive that Liv. But I couldn't survive something happening to you." He pressed gentle kisses to the crown of her head, "Never."

"I love you." She mumbled against his neck.

He closed his eyes and squeezed her tight, thankful that she was here in his arms and nothing worse had happened. He'd live without Dick Finley no problem. But there was no world without Olivia. "I love you too."

Sometime in the middle of the night, Olivia woke up in their dark bedroom. They had made love more than once, Elliot had never been so tender with her. So emotional. Over and over he told her how important she was, how much he loved her. She still felt a sense of guilt but she knew that now, it wasn't going to help to try and argue with him over it. Her eyes tried to adjust to the light and she saw him standing with Noah by the open window.

"Elliot?" He heard her and turned to look at her and she saw Noah fast asleep against his bare chest, "Is he okay?"

Elliot smiled at her and nodded, "Yeah. He was just a little fussy...but he's asleep now."

Leaning against the headboard, she pulled the sheet up against her chest and reached for him, "Come here."

Elliot walked back to the bed and climbed up onto the bed carefully, still cradling Noah in his arms. The small boy fidgeted slightly but didn't wake. Curling against him, Olivia looked down at her son as Elliot held him against his strong forearms. Neither of them said anything as they watched Noah breathe softly as he slept. It was enough to be there, just the three of them at least for a few quiet minutes.

Finally, Elliot shifted Noah slightly and sighed, "He's...so little."

"Yes. He is." She pressed a kiss to his shoulder and sighed, looking up at him she frowned when she saw the sadness written on his face, "Are you okay?"

He heard the worry in her voice and his heart ached again, "I'm...upset that you two had to go through this today Liv."

Her fingers traced up and down his bicep and she kissed his shoulder again, "I know. But...he won't remember. He's too little."

Elliot nodded slowly and let out a little shaky breath, "He won't. But you will...and so will the other kids. We have to tell them what happened."

He heard her let out a sigh, "I know."

"How do I tell Richie that the man I named him after is a coward? A piece of shit?" He growled, "How do I tell him that?" He felt her pull away and he carefully moved his hand out to grab hold of her, "Don't. Don't pull away or blame yourself. This is on him Liv. Him and only him."

Glancing up at him she frowned, "I know…" He gave her a skeptical look and she nodded again, "I know El. I know…"

He searched her eyes for a moment, and when he was satisfied that he believed her, he leaned in and kissed her, "We'll tell them. Together."

"Together." Kissing him again, she looped one arm through his and reached out to touch Noah with her free hand.

Tomorrow they would face whatever came next. But tonight, they were right where they needed to be.

The following morning, they woke up early, packed up the rest of their things and Noah and drove to Bernie's beach house. As soon as they got into the driveway, the four older kids came running out to them. Elliot and Olivia embraced them all, knowing they had most likely spent most of the night worrying. Bernie met them outside and took Noah so that they could focus their attention on the four older kids. Elliot slipped his hand into Olivia's and they walked with the kids towards the sandy beach. Settling down on the ground, Lizzie crawled into Olivia's lap and Richie crawled into his Father's. The older girls were between them and they waited.

Elliot took a deep breath, "Uh...first of all, thank you for being so brave and coming here yesterday. I know it wasn't what you wanted to do. But we appreciated it."

Lizzie turned her head to look at her Mom, "Did Daddy's friend hurt you?"

Olivia sighed and gave her a squeeze, "Well...he made some bad choices. And he tried...to hurt me. But thankfully, your Dad got there in time. I'm okay."

Richie looked at his Father, "You got hurt."

Ellito shook his head, "It will heal...I've had worse injuries."

"I thought he was your friend." Kathleen said to her Father, "Why would he want to hurt you guys?"

Elliot reached out and squeezed her arm, "Unfortunately Kathleen, sometimes people we thought were our friends don't turn out to be the best people. The man I knew a long time ago...isn't the same man that did what he did to your Mom. I'm sorry that I brought him around all of you."

"You named me after him." Richie whispered, "Am I bad?"

"Richie...no." Elliot squeezed his son tight, "No. Not at all...I named you after him because at the time I looked up to him. Those years...are still important to me. They shaped me to be who I am. But...people change. Or maybe he was that way all along and I just didn't know. But you are not bad Richie. I'm sorry...if it bothers you."

Richie looked at his Mom, "Did he hurt Noah?"

"No…" Olivia whispered, "Noah is just fine honey. I promise."

"Well how are you supposed to know if people are good or bad?" Katheen asked.

"That's a tough question kiddo. Sometimes you just have to go with your instincts." He replied, "You know that little voice in your head that often tells you what to do?"

Maureen smirked, "Yeah. It sounds a lot like you Dad."

Elliot and Olivia laughed, "I'm sure it does. Mine sounded a lot like my Dad. As you get older, it will probably sound more like yourself though. Trust your instincts. And if something doesn't feel right...then talk to me or Mom."

"It sounds complicated." Richie said, "I mean...I like my friends. But sometimes they do mean things. Does that make them bad?"

"No." Olivia said, shaking her head, "Sometimes we all make mistakes or do things that can be mean. But there is a difference between making a few bad choices and doing something that can really hurt someone. Does that make any sense?"

"So what he wanted to do...or tried to do...was something that could really hurt you?" Lizzie asked.

Olivia rubbed her back, "Yes…"

"Well then I don't like him." She said, "We don't have to see him again, do we Daddy?"

Elliot shook his head, "No honey. You will never see him again, that I can assure you."

"Are you sad?" Richie's voice was low as he spoke, "You lost a friend…"

Elliot looked over at Olivia, she was holding Lizzie close and rocking her gently. Her head rested against the top of Lizzie's but her eyes were watching him intently. He knew despite their conversation yesterday, she still felt guilty about what had happened with Dick. While part of him might mourn the loss of what had been, there was nothing more important to me than this woman in front of him. "I did lose a friend. But...your Mom is my absolute best friend in the world. She's the only friend I need."

Olivia ducked her head slightly, not wanting the kids to see her eyes tearing up. "But Mommy is your wife. How can she be your best friend and your wife?" Lizzie asked.

Elliot smiled, "Lizzie, when you are old enough to get married. Which won't be for many, many, many, many years from now…"

"Daddy!" Lizzie said giggling, "I don't want to get married when I'm really old."

He growled at her, "Well too bad, because you're going to have to be. But when and if you do get engaged and I deem that person to be worthy of you. And I've done a full background check, interrogated them and ensured they can handle being married to you…"

"God he's never going to let me date, is he?" Maureen asked, leaning into her Mother.

Olivia laughed and shook her head, "Nope."

"When all of those things happen...and after I've had my heart attack over it." He continued to tease, "You'll hopefully realize that the person you want to marry is your best friend. That's what makes a good partner. That person you want to spend all your time with. Share everything with. The good and the bad."

Richie frowned, "But Mikey is my best friend and I really don't want to marry him."

Elliot laughed and squeezed him tight, "It'll be different...you'll see. Right now it won't make a lot of sense to you but it will."

"So Mommy is your best friend in the whole world?" Lizzie asked, "That's why you wanted to marry her?"

Elliot nodded, "Yes. She is my best friend in the whole world and that's why I wanted to marry her."

"Is Daddy your best friend?" Lizzie asked, tilting her head to look at her Mom.

Olivia leaned down and kissed her cheek, "Yes. He is."

"So you don't need the Colonel because you have your real best friend." Lizzie looked back at her Father, "Right?"

"Exactly." He answered, "And because she is my best friend, I will always protect her and put her first."

"Like you protected her yesterday?" Katheen asked, "You went in and protected Mom and Noah."

Elliot nodded, "I did. And I always will. Not just for the two of them...but all of you."

"How come people do such bad things though?" Lizzie asked, "I mean...you and Mommy go to work and deal with people who do bad things. Why can't everyone just be nice?"

"Unfortunately, that's just not how the world works honey. I wish it wasn't." Olivia whispered.

"So that means that more bad things could happen to us…" Kathleen whispered.

Elliot and Olivia both looked over at their daughter, Elliot sighed, "In life...bad things do happen kiddo. I wish I could say nothing bad will ever happen again but I can't."

"So what happens when bad things happen?" Richie asked, "Will we be okay?"

"No matter what happens...we'll always be a family. And we'll always make our way back to each other." Elliot said, "Okay?" All the kids gave him an anxious look, "I know...it's scary to think about things that could happen. But we also can't just sit around and wait for bad things to happen."

"Your Dad is right." Olivia whispered, "Yesterday was scary...but I'm okay. Noah's okay. Dad's okay. So we can move on. Alright?"

"Okay." They all answered together.

Elliot lifted Richie up and stood up, "Okay. Well...it's the Holiday weekend. Let's just have some fun. Starting with...a swim."

"But we don't have our bathing suits on." Lizzie said looking up at her Dad.

Elliot smiled and shook his head and started to run towards the water, "That's the fun part. Come on!"

The kids looked at Olivia and she smiled, lifting Lizzie up, "You heard the man. Let's go."

The six of them ran towards the water, for the time being, letting the ocean erase the pain of yesterday.

The following night, after the fireworks display on the beach, the four older kids were sitting with Bernie on the deck eating dessert. Noah had been afraid of the loud noises and was still quite fussy. Elliot was standing on the now empty beach rocking Noah gently. Olivia stood a few feet behind them, watching the way that Elliot spoke to their youngest son. Her heart thumped away in her chest and the love she had for them both grew by the second. Sensing he wasn't alone, Elliot turned and smiled when he saw his wife watching them, "Mommy is spying."

Olivia laughed and pulled her sweater tighter around her to ward off the chill in the air, "No. Mommy is not spying...she was coming to check on her boys."

Elliot leaned against her as she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder, "We're good. He's calming down I think."

Reaching out, she touched Noah's cheek, "Richie said he'll be writing a letter to the city because he thinks they should make the fireworks quieter. Doesn't like that his brother was disturbed."

Elliot chuckled and bounced Noah a little more, "Well I'd like to see that letter."

She pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades and sighed, "He also said he's writing a letter to the Colonel to tell him he doesn't like him anymore."

Elliot stopped bouncing and turned to look at his wife, "He did huh?"

She smiled sadly, "Made me wonder...what his Dad is going to do."

Elliot sighed and shook his head, "There's nothing for me to do Liv. He's been arrested. It's going to be a pretty open and shut case."

"Yeah. I know that." She whispered, "But I'm sure...there is something you'd like to say to him."

"Oh there is a lot I'd like to say to him." He chuckled, "I'd like to do most of the talking with my fists though."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Her hand trailed down his arm, "El, I need you to just...let this go. Just like you said to our kids. We have to move on from this."

"I know." He answered, "But it's...hard. Thinking about what could have happened…"

"But it didn't happen." She whispered, squeezing his arm, "It didn't. I'm here...with you. With our kids...I'm here. Okay?"

Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Okay."

Olivia gave him a little smile and then looked at her son, his eyes were now closed as he rested against Elliot's chest, "He's out. Want me to take him inside?"

Elliot shook his head and turned back towards the water, "No. Not yet. I'd like to stay out here with my best friend and our son for a little while longer if that's okay."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist again, "It's more than okay."