I just wanted to say thanks for all of the reviews. I love them, the good and bad ones!

Also, I wanted to make it clear that this isn't becoming a Calvin and Olivia centered story. I've put Olivia through a lot of shit, and there's more shit that she's going to go through, so personally, for me, I needed her to have something happy. Calvin is her happy. There may be scenes with Calvin here and there, but eventually, he's going to be a background person while the story still focuses on Olivia and her love interests.

Thank you for still reading.

The knocking on Olivia's door was consistent and slightly loud.

As her eyes focused in on the red numbers on the clock, she could see that it was nearing two-thirty in the morning. She grabbed her gun as she made her way to the door.

Looking through the peephole, Olivia saw Elliot's tired form.

"Hey…" she said softly as she opened the door after unlocking the deadbolt.

The detective was dressed in her striped blue sleep pants accompanied with her long sleeve white shirt, and a bra that she'd bought especially for sleeping in. Olivia had really done it out of respect for Calvin. She couldn't walk around in booty sleep shorts and a tank top anymore, nor did she want her nipples making a strong appearance through her shirt if she had to suddenly get up at night for some reason.

The boy had already been through so much personal and sexual trauma with his mother at a young age, so much so, that normal things that parents might wear around their daughters or even sons, she couldn't and wouldn't.

"Sorry…" He said once he looked down and saw the gun in her hand.

Olivia shook her head absently.

"It's just a habit." She replied, shrugging and opening the door wider for him to enter.

Elliot gazed around the apartment, taking in the layout and colors that he wasn't accustomed to. It was different. The door opened to a small space before the walkway led to the large living room. The kitchen was on the far side and bigger than her last.

He saw a hallway lit up by the night light she had plugged in.

"I shouldn't have come… you weren't answering your phone. I'm sure you didn't want to be woken up in the middle of the night on your day off." Elliot told her apologetically, looking back at her.

She shrugged. Taking a few days off for the move had done wonders for her. There were still a few boxes around the apartment here and there, but for the most part, she'd finished unpacking and seemed at home.

"It's alright." Olivia replied. "I'm actually not sure where my phone is…" She said, glancing around the living room as they entered, to see if she could locate it anywhere.

Olivia set her glock down on the small table under her flat screen tv.

"Nice place." Elliot stated, gesturing at her new apartment.

She smiled in return.

"Calvin's room." Olivia said, pointing to a door leading down a small hallway by the living room. "Bathroom, and guest room." She continued, pointing to a door beside Calvin's room, then to a door across the hall from the boy's room.

"Master bedroom and bathroom, all mine…" She said with a big smile as she pointed down the longer hallway on the other side of the room that ran past the kitchen. "And there's a laundry room down there somewhere…" Olivia said with a shrug, as if she hadn't really used it but they both knew it was a joke.

Elliot smiled at her, realizing just how in love she was with her new home.

"I hope I didn't wake him…" He said, suddenly biting his lip and wondering if he'd disturbed his partner's newest family member.

"Doubt it…" She said as she walked over to Calvin's door and lightly knocked on it.

As she opened the door slowly, she widened it so that Elliot could see Calvin passed out in bed with neon green noise cancelling headphones on.

Elliot raised his eyebrows in question.

"He's been having nightmares ever since Vivian came back… they were getting bad and the therapist suggested listening to soothing music to fall asleep, and to even have it playing throughout the night… something about sleep therapy and how the sounds will keep his mind focused on one thing without drifting off to another and ending up dreaming about bad thoughts, fears, or memories…" Olivia explained as she shut Calvin's door. "Trevor got him the headphones, but he also has one of those sleep sound machines you can turn on that plays the sounds of waves, rain, thunderstorms, and things like that." She continued as they walked towards the couch.

Elliot gave her an impressed look and nodded his head in understanding.

"Speaking of Trevor…" She said, deciding against sitting on the couch. "Let's take this to my room. He's in the guest room sleeping and I don't wanna wake him, he has work in the morning." Olivia explained as she side-stepped the couch and walked across the room to retrieve her gun from the tiny table.

She didn't need to look at Elliot to know he was confused.

Olivia started walking to her room and glanced at him, jerking her head towards her room at the very end of the longer hallway.

She waited until he was inside before she shut the door quietly and went to put her gun away in the top drawer of her night stand.

Elliot gazed around her new bedroom. It was much bigger than her previous one and while he couldn't see inside the bathroom, he could already tell that it was bigger too. A TV was mounted on the wall in front of her bed and he could see she still had a pile of dirty clothes in the corner, a pile that always seemed to be somewhere in her apartment no matter where she lived.

"You and Trevor having problems?" He asked lightly, wondering if he was crossing a line but also knowing that if he was, she'd put him in his place.

Olivia snorted.

"You'd like that, huh?" She asked, staring at him with humor as she made her way to the large bed and sat down, tucking her right leg up under herself.

Elliot shook his head slightly with a smirk and shrugged.

"A guy can dream, can't he?" He replied in a joking manner.

She returned the smile and gestured for him to accompany her on the bed. So, Elliot slipped his shoes off and crawled over to what used to be his side of the bed but kept his distance from her form.

Olivia took a deep breath.

"Vivian did a lot of fucked up things to Cal when he was younger…" She started, and the smile fell from Elliot's face. "When he was growing up, she used to make him hide in the closet or in the corner when she'd get high and have men over to fuck… he's seen a lot, knows a lot… Elliot, he nearly knew more about sex than I did…" Olivia confessed as sadness covered her face for the young pre-teen that was now her child.

Elliot swallowed hard.

"I fucking hate that woman…" He mumbled, taking his eyes off of Olivia to glance around her bedroom and maintain his anger.

She nodded in agreement.

"I don't know how long it went on exactly, but I know it was at least for a couple of years and he remembers a significant amount. He's only told me some details, and I have him in therapy for that amongst other things…" She explained.

Elliot stayed silent as his eyes connected with hers. He was overcome with the urge to move towards her. Whether it was to comfort her or himself, he didn't know.

Olivia looked down as she continued to speak, picking at one of her toenails that was painted red.

"One night when Trevor was here, we'd watched a movie…" She said softly. "Calvin got up and tried to leave after it was over because he thought Trevor and I were going to have sex… and he said he really liked me and didn't want to… see me like that." Olivia told him, looking back up.

"Jesus." Elliot whispered.

"Yeah…" She nodded at him. "It was… I hadn't realized the full extent of his abuse until that moment. And I swore to him that Trevor and I would never do ANYTHING to make him uncomfortable… that we wouldn't even hold hands in front of him, and of course Trevor didn't stay the night for the first… four or five months I'd had Calvin living with me."

"That's understandable." Elliot commented as he sat up straighter and crossed his legs Indian style after he'd turned to face her more. "But I bet it's hell on your sex life…" He couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his face, which caused Olivia to roll her eyes.

"It was rough for a bit but Cal… he's been working with me and his therapist. I've talked to the therapist some and Calvin told us he'd be comfortable with Trevor staying the night every now and then… but we're taking it slowly…" She explained, looking in the direction of the other bedrooms.

Elliot nodded slightly.

"He's sleeping in the guest room when he stays the night… for now." Olivia said, looking back at Elliot.

"I take it you aren't… intimate while Calvin is here?" He asked, probably crossing another boundary that he shouldn't.

She had to fight the urge to roll her eyes again.

"No, no we're not… but Trevor got him the noise cancelling headphones that he thinks is just for his soothing, sleeping sounds, and Trevor has also set it up to where Calvin's door creaks every time it's opened." Olivia said, explaining how the not-so-real couple were planning to be intimate in the future. "It's not extremely loud to Calvin but to a cop's ear…"

"It can be heard a mile away…" Elliot finished her thought for her.

"Exactly."

He was quiet for a few beats and bit his bottom lip before speaking again, looking at her and wondering just how in the world he ended up with such an amazing woman and friend.

"Langan gonna be mad I'm here?" Elliot asked cautiously.

"No." She replied. "He knows we're partners and that sometimes that entails middle of the night calls and visits…" She explained, but also briefly wondered what Kathy would do if Olivia showed up at Elliot's house in the middle of the night.

"I mean here…" He said, gesturing to her bedroom and the large bed that they were currently sitting on.

Olivia had to bite the inside of her lip to fight the urge to smile. It was funny because in the morning, Olivia would tell Trevor about this encounter and he'd making some off-handed joke about how she should have fucked Elliot when she had the bedroom to herself or something to that effect.

She shook her head.

"He won't care. He trusts me." Olivia said. It was true, Trevor did trust her. He trusted her to be honest with him about what she and Elliot did, just like she trusted him to be honest with her about the brunette that he met at a bar and now, saw from time-to-time.

Olivia didn't really mind that he was having sex with another woman occasionally, especially since they'd originally agreed to go into this 'thing' just for sex and hadn't been able to have a regular sex life the past few months on the count of Calvin coming into the picture.

Elliot dodged her eye and scratched the back of his head.

"Speaking of…" She said. "Why are you here, El?" Olivia asked.

She could tell he was off kilter. Something was up, and he clearly needed to talk, vent, or a shoulder to cry on… something.

He shrugged her question off at first, not wanting to talk about the current case he was working with Fin in her absence but once again, she was like a mind reader.

"Is it the case?" Olivia asked. She could see the flicker in his eyes telling her yes, but she remained quiet until he nodded.

"Yeah… yeah, it's the case." Elliot confirmed.

She didn't bother asking why he came to her instead of Kathy. Technically, he couldn't talk about a case with anyone other then the squad and his captain, and Olivia knew he'd use that excuse not to talk about her, even though he could talk to his wife about his emotions and feelings without having to go into detail about what was going on at work.

Olivia already knew a bit about it. She'd been kept informed by him and Fin. They'd been investigating the death of a teenage boy and it'd led back to a gambling ring of fighting teenagers.

Nicky was the accused and confirmed murderer, but he wasn't being charged due to the fact that he'd been forced to fight by his step father, Hank, who was not only physically abusive to Nicky but also to Sandra, Nicky's pregnant mother.

Sandra and Nicky had been granted an order of protection against Hank.

"About five hours ago, Hank violated the protection order and went back to Sandra's…" Olivia's face showed concern, but not shock or surprise. There was only so much a piece of paper could do and unless Sandra was willing to press charges and stick up for herself and her son, the situation would most likely remain the same. She did fear for whatever had happened tonight that'd had Elliot struggling.

"He beat Sandra to a pulp… Nicky shot Hank." Elliot told her quietly.

"Shit." She stated, using her thumb and pointer finger to outline her lips as she thought about the young teen killing his abuser.

Elliot swallowed, then spoke again.

"It gets worse… we don't know if Sandra's baby is okay yet, they're still running tests, but we do know that Hand wasn't beating Sandra when Nicky shot him… he… he was kneeling on the floor, most likely begging for mercy…"

"Oh, god." Olivia said as she looked at Elliot with wide eyes. She knew what that meant.

"Hardwicke saw Nicky speak to me afterwards and I couldn't lie. He said he's glad Hank is dead…" He said in a whisper.

"Elliot…" She called to him softly, but he wouldn't look at her. Instead, he got up and walked to the window to gaze out at Olivia's new view of the city.

"Hardwicke told me to arrest him for murder in the second… but I refused."

Olivia closed her eyes tightly for a moment before getting up and walking closer to where he was standing.

"Cragen know you disobeyed a direct order?" She asked him.

"Don't think Hardwicke's had a chance to tell him but she probably will in the morning…" He said, still not looking at her. "I just… I can't do it, Liv." He whispered.

Olivia nodded her head and walked over to stand directly beside him, but instead of facing the window, she turned to her right to face him.

"It's bringing up memories of Joe." She acknowledged in a small voice.

"I fought with my father." Elliot told her, even though she already knew. "I fought hard. And when I was a teenager and started working out like crazy, just to be able to fight back… it's when it all stopped… He knew I could fight and when. And I did. So many times, that he had no choice to give up and stop the abuse…" He explained, his voice nearing a whisper again as tears pooled in his eyes.

Olivia took a deep breathe.

"You remember the case several years ago with Carrie… Carrie ummm…" She said in thought. "Carrie Eldridge?"

He looked over at her, catching her eyes.

"She murdered her abusive, alcoholic, controlling mother in a rage. Simone Bryce represented her?" Olivia said in an effort to jog his memory. She remembered the case probably better than he had but only because she could relate to it more. Olivia remembered going to the apartment and fishing out all of the hidden bottles of alcohol that Carrie's mother had kept around for when she needed a drink.

"Yeah… yeah, I think I remember." He said.

"Casey got pissed at me because I called Simone Bryce to represent Carrie." Olivia said shrugging slightly. "I knew Simone because when I was sixteen, I accepted a marriage proposal… I feel like I've told you this. Have I told you this?" She asked.

Elliot shook his head.

"No… I'm pretty sure I'd remember you telling me you were engaged at one point…" He said, turning towards her now and giving her his full attention.

She let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, well…. He was older, too old. And he was one of her students. She was drunk when I told her, and she broke a bottle and came after me with some of the glass. I kicked her so hard, she went flying across the room…" Olivia explained.

Elliot looked surprised.

"Were you okay, did she hurt you?" He asked immediately, his voice full of concern.

Olivia smiled and cocked her head to the side.

"Shouldn't you be asking if she was okay?" She asked.

"No." Elliot denied. "I care about you, not her." He explained passionately. Elliot still held some resentment about what Serena had done to Olivia and the abuse that his partner had suffered at the hands of her mother.

"Physically, I was fine. Legally, I was in trouble… I called Simone then and I called her for Carrie a few years ago." She said, not willing to give him anymore information about that particular story from her past.

Elliot nodded in understanding.

"I think I can speak for both of us when I say… I know what it's like to want to kill a parent." Olivia explained. She backed up slightly and gazed around her new bedroom as she began to pace the floor and crossed her arms over her chest in a subconscious, protective motion. "It wasn't smart what I did but I was a child who'd been abused. The bond that normal kids have with parents that act like actual parents… it wasn't there for me and my mom, and I know it wasn't there for you and your parents either." Olivia said, walking over to the bed and sitting down as she looked at Elliot.

"I'm pretty sure it's the same with Nicky." She concluded. "And I think it might be the same with Calvin too…" Olivia said as she realized Nicky was only a few years older than her newly adopted son.

She shook her head, bringing herself out of her thoughts.

"You know," Olivia started as Elliot looked at her and made his way to sit on the side of the bed beside her. "I look at Calvin and I think I loved him from the moment I met him, from the very first time I saw him bouncing his basketball on the sidewalk at Vivian's mother's house…" She said, describing the first time she'd met Calvin.

"It's not hard to love him unconditionally. He's been through so much shit… and so have I. And so have you… I can see how much you care about him too…" She told Elliot. He grinned a smile that reached his eyes. "But I can't help but wonder where I'd be, or where you'd be, if someone like one of us had helped you and I when we were his age…" Olivia said, half asking for an answer, half stating an observation.

Elliot raised his hand to her cheek. She let her eyes fall closed as he caressed her face with d right hand.

"You'd still be the strong, beautiful, badass detective that you are right now…" He said, smiling. "You might have taken a different route to get here, had to go through less therapy, but you'd be here with me… kicking ass and taking names."

Elliot's last sentence caused her to open her eyes and begin laughing. She leaned into his hand and turned her head to kiss his palm.

"Fight fire with fire." Olivia told him as she pulled away gently and he removed his hand. "Simone is retired but I know the woman that took her place. I know she'll represent Nicky pro bono."

He nodded. "Good… good." Then used his right hand to rub his face. It was the middle of the night and he was so tired.

The lines in his face were becoming more and more prominent like he wasn't getting enough rest and was stressing way too much. Olivia knew it was probably true. Until Calvin, she rarely got a full night's sleep or a moment of happiness but now, all that was changing for her and she wanted it to change for Elliot too. She knew he wasn't happy in his home life, he couldn't be.

Olivia took a deep breath and scooted over on the bed.

She patted the side behind him.

"Come on…" She said. "Lay down and get some rest."

Elliot shook his head and stood up, walking away from the bed.

"Nah… not like this, Liv." He said. "I'm a lot of things… I'm a cheat, I'll admit it but…" Elliot stated, throwing up his hands in a tired, swift motion. "I'm not doing this with you now… not now while they're a few rooms away…" He said, giving Olivia a sad look as he used his right hand to once again rub his face from exhaustion.

A small grin graced her face as she looked at him and spoke.

"I wasn't offering anything inappropriate…" She started. "I just think you'd get better sleep here than in the cribs… and I know that's where you're headed after you leave here." Olivia explained, giving him a knowing look.

"You know that, huh?"

"Yeah, I know you pretty well and you'd rather go back to the station than wake up the wife and kid coming in late at night…"

"I probably won't sleep much anyways…" He said, shrugging lightly.

Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Lay down." She commanded easily with the ghost of a smile playing at her lips. She was tired and now sleep deprived thanks to Elliot. All she really wanted to do was go back to bed and she wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep knowing that he was on some half-assed bed at the station, tossing and turning.

Elliot huffed but did as he was told. He was too tired to fight her.

After stripping down to his boxers and tank top, he laid down on the far side of the bed, facing the door and Olivia crawled in next to him, under the covers.

"All I'm offering is sleep and a little cuddling…" She gently reminded him as he snuggled up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her hair as the covers bunched up at their waists.

"We need to set an alarm, so I can leave before they wake up…" He mumbled with his eyes closed.

"It'll be fine…" She promised him as she placed her hand over his on her stomach. "Trevor's taking Cal to breakfast and school in the morning. They'll be up and gone pretty early…"

…

"Liv…" She heard whispered just before a hand swiftly graced her cheek. Olivia let out a small gasp and startled as her eyes shot open.

"Calvin?!" She said rather loudly but when her eyes finally focused in on the figure leaning over the bed, she saw that it was Trevor. Olivia was instantly filled with relief.

While nothing had happened between her and Elliot, and they were both fully clothed, she didn't know how Calvin would feel if he saw them cuddled up in bed asleep. She'd only let him stay over and sleep in her bed because she knew Trevor wouldn't care and Calvin knew to knock and wait for a reply before entering her room.

"He's fine… just wanted me to see if you were awake so he could tell you goodbye this morning…" Trevor whispered softly.

It was sweet. She loved that Calvin cared about her and wanted to tell her goodbye. Some days he did and some days he didn't, but this morning, he wanted to, and she wouldn't deny him.

Olivia tried to get up but soon realized that Elliot's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, confining her to the bed.

"Oh…" She said, seemingly realizing that Trevor was currently looking at her and her partner in bed. Olivia gently grabbed Elliot's arm and removed it.

He let out a small grumble that she couldn't make out and he rolled over on the opposite side, facing away from both adults.

Olivia removed herself from the bed and she followed Trevor out the bedroom door, then shut it as quietly as she could.

"I'm sorry…" She said, looking at him. "The case got rough and he came over last night… I didn't want him to have to go back and sleep in the cribs and-"

"It's alright." Trevor cut her off with a small smile.

"We didn't do anything."

Trevor nodded. "Okay." He replied. He wasn't going to tell her that she didn't need to defend herself or tell him what they did or didn't do because she did to an extent. It was their arrangement. She was to be honest every time something happened with Elliot just as he was to be honest about the other brunette.

"Good morning!" Olivia said with a big smile as Calvin came into view once she and Trevor had made it to the kitchen.

They spoke for a few minutes, she assured him that they hadn't woken her up and that she'd wanted to say goodbye to him too, even though she hadn't been planning on it. Olivia walked them to the door and kissed both guys goodbye, then locked the deadbolt and made her way back to her room after putting a pot of coffee on.

When she opened her door, she found Elliot laying awake in her bed, staring at her as she entered. She walked over and put her phone on the night stand – she'd located it in the kitchen.

"How much trouble you in?" He asked as calmly as possible.

"None." She replied confidently. "I told you, he trusts me."

But Elliot shook his head in disbelief.

She ignored him and shed her pants, shirt, and bra, then got back under the covers and snuggled into his side.

"Oh boy…" Elliot muttered under his breath, realizing the weight of the situation.

Olivia Benson had turned into a new woman. A confident, empowered, mother who was apparently very bold now.

"Wanna fool around?" She whispered, looking into his eyes as she drew circled on top of his tank top covered chest.

He shook his head lightly, turning it so that he was looking at her more.

"You're insane." Elliot told her.

"I'm horny." She replied, causing him to laugh.

"You said we needed to stop." He argued lightly, trying to figure out just where her head was at now.

"I also said I didn't want to stop." Olivia reminded him as she slipped her left leg between his two legs.

Elliot gently put his hand on her upper thigh to stop her movements. He pushed her leg away as he sat up, reading himself to get out of bed. This wasn't what he wanted. He didn't to corrupt her new-found home life and family.

"El?" She questioned lightly, sitting up and holding the covers to her chest as she watched him get out of bed and start to shrug on his pants from the night before.

He took a deep breath and gave her a sad look as he zipped up and buttoned his work pants.

"You know…" Elliot started, and Olivia sat up further, pressing her back against the headboard and making herself comfortable because she knew he was about to speak seriously about something. "From the moment Kathy and I split and signed divorce papers the first time, I knew it was over… I knew it when I signed on the dotted line, when she kissed me goodbye after I moved out the first time, when I slept with you… I knew it was done." He said, then leaned down to pick his shirt off the floor, putting his arms through the holes he began to button up the front of it.

Olivia swallowed hard. She didn't particularly like where this was going.

"No matter if I stay with Kath or not, my marriage will always be a shit show." He continued. "I cheated on her, several times… and I'm not proud of it. I took vows… I promised to always be faithful to her and I haven't been but… god, you deserve better, and so does Kathy for that matter." Elliot told her.

She couldn't tell if he was just overly tired from the short few hours he'd managed to sleep or if he was getting emotional on her.

"I won't let you fuck up your life, your family like I've managed to fuck up mine." He explained as he sat down on the corner of the bed. "I care about you, and I want you to be happy, Liv." Elliot gently grabbed her foot that was closest to him and gave it a light squeeze. "You're not just some piece of ass, you're better than that and…" He took a deep breath. "You remember the first night we slept together? You told me you never thought you'd be the other woman, that you never wanted to be that woman… and now, that's who I've turned you into." Olivia could see his internal struggle, the struggle of wanting to keep her but wanting to let her go. "I… I won't let you fuck this up. You have a good guy and I honestly think he could be the real deal for you… I hated him for years, I'll admit it…" He said, flashing her a smile. "But… he's changed. I don't know if you did that to him or if he did it for himself but… you two are good together. You could actually have something here, Liv. A kid, a husband, a real family like you've always wanted."

She didn't think she'd ever seen him look so sad, and she was nearly in tears herself as her eyes watered at his words.

Olivia shook her head quickly and moved to lean over the side of the bed to retrieve her shirt. She slipped it on quickly and crawled towards him, taking no time to straddle him and hold his face in her hands.

"I love… that you care about me and love me enough to let me go, because you think that's the only way I'll be happy." She said and leaned in to peck his lips before she continued talking. "But it's not what you think…"

She had to tell him, she needed to. He deserved to know more than anyone.

Elliot pulled back slightly and looked at her in confusion.

"Trevor and I aren't really together…" She said, biting her bottom lip.

He shook his head.

"I knew something was up because he was sleeping in the guest room…" Elliot concluded, seemingly giving his detective skills more credit than they deserved.

"No, no…" Olivia denied. She let her hands drop from his face and his arms encircled her waist, probably to encourage her to keep going. "We've never actually been together." She told him.

"What do you mean?" He asked, still very confused.

"It's stupid." She said, now embarrassed about what she and Trevor had been doing behind everyone's backs.

"Hey." Elliot soothed. "It's not, just tell me."

"Trevor wasn't mad about you being in my bed this morning because he knows about us…" She explained, glancing around the room nervously.

Elliot nodded.

"Yeah, you told me about the conversation with him and Kathy at the house."

"No," Olivia denied again. "He knows, El. About us, about everything. Every time you and I have been together since I've supposedly been seeing him, he knows about all of that."

"H-how?" Elliot wondered out loud, looking like he was maybe about to begin panicking.

"I told him." She said in a small voice.

"Why?" He asked softly.

"Because it was part of our deal." She tried to explain.

"Your deal?" Elliot asked, looking at her with serious, concerned eyes.

"Yeah…" She said. "We started out as friends with benefits, fuck buddies. But we were getting together so often that it was hard to hide. Then we just because really good friends. He's probably one of the best friends I've ever had… aside from you." Olivia stated. "I… we agreed to tell people we were dating because it was easier that way, but we agreed we could see other people too as long as we were honest with each other…"

"So, you two are just… fuck buddies?" He said in disbelief.

Olivia reached over to grab her phone off the night stand. She continued to sit on his lap as she thumbed through her contact list until Trevor's contact info was on her screen. She took a deep breath as she hit send and put the call on speaker phone.

If she'd calculated the time right, he should have just dropped Calvin off at school. They'd gotten a late start, so their breakfast would have been a bit rushed.

"Hello?" Trevor answered after the third ring.

"Hey…" She said softly, trying her best to hide her emotions but she never could hide them well from Trevor or Elliot.

"You okay?" He asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm good. I just… I need you to do me a favor." Olivia told him. He waited patiently to hear her request. "I need you to tell Elliot the truth about our relationship…"

The line was silent for a few beats.

"You mean… about the friends with benefits part?" He asked lightly, still seemingly trying to assess if she was okay or not.

"Yeah, you're on speaker phone and Elliot is still here." She explained, then buried her face in Elliot's shoulder, probably from embarrassment. The other detective was understanding and began rubbing her back as she slightly started to shake. Olivia held the phone up with her right hand, so they could both hear Trevor speak clearly.

"Stabler?" He called out.

"Yeah, I'm here." Elliot answered in a hoarse voice.

"It's true." Trevor said.

They could hear traffic in the background of the phone call and Olivia guessed that he was headed into work.

"Our relationship is just that, good sex and a trusting friendship." The attorney confirmed. "She deserves better, I know. But it's what we both wanted, and we agreed. Her heart lies with someone else, so there's not much I can do aside from support her and care for her." He said.

"Alright, Trev." Olivia said, cutting him off before he could say something about her that she didn't like. "Have a good day at work."

"Liv," He started. "You call me if you need anything, ANYTHING. You hear me?" Trevor said, trying to comfort her the best he could without knowing the full weight of the situation or what was going on.

"I will." And with that, she hung up, leaned over to place her phone on the night stand, then re-situated herself in Elliot's lap.

He remained silent for a while as he took in the woman on his lap. She was still in just her long sleeve shirt and underwear, so he ran his hands up her thighs, all the way to her ass and back down again.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, looking her in the eyes.

Olivia swallowed hard and gazed around the bedroom. This wasn't the conversation she'd planned to have this morning.

"I just… I needed to be out of the equation, so you could fix your marriage." She said. "I thought if you saw that I was happy and serious with another man, then you'd realize how much you loved her, how much she really meant to you, and just how much you needed her…" Olivia explained with tears in her eyes once she'd looked at him again.

He leaned forward gently, putting his forehead against hers.

There was no use in correcting her about her thought process. Olivia could be stubborn.

"I guess I'm a pretty shitty detective, huh?" Elliot said, letting out a watery laugh. She laughed with him even though a stray tear fell from her eye.

Olivia remained silent.

"Kathy and I will never have a decent marriage. She'll never be who she used to be, and neither will I…" Elliot stated quietly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck once more as their foreheads stayed together and she felt him tighten his grip on her.

Olivia was fully aware that she was sitting half naked in the lap of a married man.

"El?" She whispered, looking down at her lap.

"Hmm?" He questioned.

She took a deep breath. She swore she'd never ask him, she swore she'd never be with him if he divorced Kathy on his feelings based on his partner. But she was a new woman. One who was now confident and stood up for herself, for what she believed in, and for her own happiness.

"I promised I wouldn't do this. I told myself I never would… and I almost hate myself for it, but… I just…" She stumbled on her words, but she felt Elliot's hands back on her thighs, massaging the words out of her.

She looked up and leaned back slightly so she could fully see his face.

Then she took another deep breath.

She closed her eyes briefly, readying herself for the blow back if there was one, for the rejection if it should happen.

Then she spoke the words.

"I want you to sign the divorce papers…"

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