A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! You guys rock! Also, thanks to my uncle for teaching me everything I know about boating and for assisting me in various technical questions I had.

Disclaimer: Okay, I will try to take this slowly, because I know it may come as a shock… but… I… don't… own… them… Everybody still alive? I know, it's truly stunning that I don't own the franchise I write fanfics for.

"Dominic, are you sure you are feeling up to this?" Olivia asked, eying him with concern as they stepped down the docks.

He looked over and grinned. "I have never felt better. Plus I am not going to be the one driving, right?" Olivia laughed and nodded, looking up to see another Coast Guard employee trotting over. "Hey Gianna, what's up?" Dom asked, pausing a moment.

Gianna glared at him. "We have so many papers to finish. I have been stuck with them and I'm getting sick of it. You better be doing some overtime soon."

"I will. Keep in mind Gianna, I am your boss, so let's try to keep this civil." Dom said, not missing a beat.

"I know you are my boss, Dominic. And by the way, your boat's ready."

"Thanks for getting that for me, doll. See you around. You aren't out on the water today, are you?" Gianna shook her head. "Good. Get some of the paperwork done. I will sign them when I get back." Gianna furiously stared at him and then stormed off.

Olivia gave Dom a playful shove, careful not to knock him off balance, and whispered, "I told you not to sleep with her."

"I know, I know. But that was like two months after my mother died and I was a little unstable. Plus I felt bad for her because her dog got hit by a car." Dominic replied, "I guess I didn't realize she was a total bitch. She was really disappointed she didn't get promoted afterwards and went and screwed my second in command at the time."

They reached the end of the docks where Dom's boat was tied off in no time. Dom carefully crawled in, settling down into a seat along the back of the boat. Elliot paused hesitantly and watched Olivia leap happily in. He sighed and followed, hurrying to find a seat as quickly as possible. "Okay Olivia, it's all yours. I just have to make sure you still know what you are doing." Dom said, leaning over and undoing the dock line. Olivia grinned and turned the key. The engine sputtered briefly before settling into an easy buzzing sound. She then pushed in the throttle slightly and spun the wheel, Dom and Elliot gently shoving the boat clear of the dock.

Elliot watched Olivia with an absolutely astonished gaze. She was perfectly guiding the large boat through the drills Dom had her do as well as answering correctly all his questions about various boating rules. After a while Dom seemed to find her completely satisfactory and began to fill out his paperwork. As he did so, he said, "So last night Natalie's dad calls me to make sure I was feeling okay. After I told him I was fine and was getting the surgery at the end of this week, he was so relieved. He said that I was doing him a favor by marrying his daughter, because no one else would. Hell, she's doing me a favor by marrying me. I mean, it's not her fault she can't have kids."

Olivia shook her head and looked over at Elliot, who was looking rather confused. "Natalie had a hysterectomy when she was fifteen for an infection she developed. That was the only way to effectively deal with it."

"Ya, and that's not her fault. First date she informs me of that. I think she thought that it would be a turn off or something." Dom said, grinning slightly, "It wasn't. Okay, Liv my dear, you are good to go. Ready Elliot?"

He hurried forward and stood by the wheel. "Alright, now just push the throttle forward with your trim all the way down. As soon as the boat planes out, pull the trim up to half." Dom said, and Elliot nodded slowly.

"Hey Dom, you can sit back down, I will help him out." Olivia offered, stepping over behind Elliot. She gently placed her hand over his, pushing the throttle forward. Elliot tensed slightly and immediately pulled it back. The boat lurched and Olivia had to grab the back of the chair to stay standing. Then she more firmly pushed the throttle and kept a tight hold on it. The bow of the boat rose as they jetted forward across the water and then slowly began to level. "Okay, see how the nose just went way down? Now you can pull the trim up to half. That way you go faster and use less gas." Elliot nodded and pushed the up button on the throttle, eying the gauge in front of him. Sure enough, as soon as the needle hit half, the boat lunged forward with renewed strength. Olivia kept her head peering over his shoulder, with one hand resting over his on the throttle, while the other she let rest gently on his stomach.

An hour later Elliot was jetting the boat across the water with ease, grinning all the while. Olivia sat in the co-captain's chair next to him but was turned around chatting with Dom, who was chewing on a toothpick. "Did I show you pictures of my new horse?" he suddenly asked, his eyes lighting up happily.

"You bought another horse?" Olivia asked in surprise.

"Yep. Here, I will show you." He said, reaching over into the side compartment. Olivia trotted over before he could get up and began glancing through them.

"Oh my God, she's so cute. When did you buy her?"

"Just before I got back from Florida. But the best part is…" he trailed off and grabbed another picture.

Olivia took it and exclaimed, "A baby?"

Dom grinned, "The mare was for sale because it was an accidental pregnancy the owner didn't want to deal with. She had the baby three days ago. I am going to give him to Natalie for a wedding gift. Don't tell her, she doesn't know about them yet."

"Of course not. I am so happy you are getting married." Olivia said, sitting down beside him. Dom wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug.

"You know Elliot, Olivia's the reason I am getting married at all."

Elliot turned around and asked, "Why's that?"

"After my mom died I started smoking- and let me tell you, like a god damn chimney. Natalie, being a firefighter, told me that she would die before marrying a smoker. Olivia got me to quit before I destroyed my lungs completely."

"The reason why you are getting married is because you deserve it and she loves you. Not because of me." Olivia said, patting his shoulder gently, "Be right back." Dom watched as she hurried down into the cabin of the boat and shut the door lightly. Then he stood and walked over to Elliot.

"Actually, she's not just the reason I am getting married. She's the reason I am not completely screwed up. Though, some would argue that I am a little bit off my rocker, but hey, could be worse, right?"

"You seem to be just fine." Elliot said, smiling back at the Coast Guard's usual grin.

Then Dom paused briefly. "Have you ever felt that you had lost everything and that nothing- and no one- could save you? And then, quite suddenly, someone comes along and drags you to your feet no matter how much you fight it?" Elliot looked over at him in surprise, but couldn't think of anything to say. Dom smiled again. "Anyway, I owe that to her too."

"What are you two discussing?" Olivia asked as she slid the door back, looking at them in interest.

"You of course." Dom said, happily bouncing over and helping her out of the cuddy.

Olivia rolled her eyes and said, "Sure."

"Well Elliot, guess what? You pass your boating exam." Dom said, and gestured for Elliot to stop the boat. They slowly glided to a stop and Dom continued, "Might as well hang out here for a while. My next pair doesn't get here for another hour."

Elliot watched as Dom and Olivia clambered onto the sundeck, crashing immediately onto their backs. He slowly followed them up. "Come on El." Olivia said with a smile, holding out her hand. He took it and laid down beside her, releasing her hand to slide it further up her arm. Dom glanced over at them, and Elliot saw the same blue eyes that Olivia's son had. Well, maybe not exactly the same, but eerily similar.

"What's up Elliot? Have I got something on my face?" Dom asked good naturedly, smiling at him.

"Nothing…" Elliot said, looking away.

"Hey Olivia, should we let Elliot in on my dirty little family secret?"

Olivia glanced over at him. "Why not?"

"Okay." Dom said, sitting up and looking quite excited. "You may be wondering why Daeman and I look similar, and I know that people very well could mistake me for his father. That's because Darby is my second cousin." Elliot stared at him and Dom winced. "I know, it really makes me want to kill myself. My family tree is just filled with wonderful people."

"Dominic Tristan!" Olivia exclaimed, slapping him in the side. "Don't say that."

"No, really. I met Darby when we were little. He, Daeman, and I were best friends. Then after Daeman died we couldn't stand each other. That was probably largely due to the fact that I became an absolute asshole, but Darby really hated me."

"What happened?" Elliot asked quietly.

Dominic shrugged, obviously trying to not seem so affected. "I got really sick with bronchitis and so stayed home from school. Daeman got hit by a drunk driver walking home. He was seven."

"I am so sorry." Elliot told him, his blue eyes sincere.

"That's okay. I came to terms with it." Dom said, "It helps that the guy is still in jail."

Olivia sat up and gave Dom a gentle pat on the stomach before climbing over to the very edge of the deck, dipping her hand in the cool water. Dom tiptoed up behind her and gave her a shove. She let out a shriek but fell forward and off the edge of the boat. Seconds later she reemerged, sputtering indignantly. "Dominic, I am wearing a white shirt! Why did you push me in?"

Dominic grinned and held out his hand. "I didn't push you. You fell. And as for the white shirt, I would have thought you knew better." Olivia shook her head while grabbing his hand, giving it a sharp yank. Dom looked very surprised as he tumbled headfirst into the water, and came up moments later, grabbing the back of the boat. "That was unfair. You realize I can only tread with one leg. I could have drowned." He scolded unconvincingly, as he was smiling broadly.

"I wouldn't have let you." Olivia replied, swimming over and taking the edge of the boat. She gently wrapped her arms around his neck and he placed one hand on her back.

"I know." Dom replied, "After all, what would you do if you didn't have me to go to Jimmy Buffett concerts with?"

Olivia laughed and clambered back up onto the deck, reaching down to pull Dom back up. "Let me tell you, that was the first thing that came to my mind when Darby said you got attacked."

"You know it." answered Dom, sliding back onto the boat. "Okay, well lets head on in."

Elliot handed Olivia a towel as Dom started the engines and whipped the boat around. She smiled at him and wrapped it around her before walking down into the cuddy. Dom looked after her and said, "Careful of your head, baby. The doorframe's low."

"I got it." Olivia said, smiling broadly and sliding the door shut. Dom watched after her for a moment, his gaze filled with a sort of affection that was both brotherly and paternal. It was then that Elliot wondered if he would ever be as close to her as Dominic was. He felt his gut twist slightly and he sat back down on the chair. It was as though there was a void between him and Olivia, a void that Dominic had successfully transgressed.

"Exactly how did you two meet?" Elliot asked suddenly, glancing over at Dominic.

Dominic turned slightly and replied, "She came with a couple other cops to my father's apartment after he killed my mother. I was just coming out the front door after they had arrested my father and was not thinking quite straight. As soon as she approached me I tackled her. I… pinned her wrists above her head and was using my weight to hold her down. And then as she started yelling to her colleagues to stay back I got a good look at her and realized that she was a lady cop. I let her go right away and sort of flopped onto my back. Olivia stayed next to me as I was screaming and yelling about my father and how I wished he would have just killed me rather than leave me alive with the knowledge of what he had done. And then she looks down at me and tells me that I will be alright, she made it through it." Dominic grinned slightly and then continued, "I, naturally, then asked her if she wanted to meet me for dinner in a week or two. She actually said yes. Weird I know. But that's pretty much how it went."

"Wait… she made it through what?" Elliot questioned, looking over as he heard the cuddy door slide open.

Dominic looked taken aback and paused before saying, "Olivia, did you not tell him?" Olivia, in a dry Coast Guard shirt, hesitated before shaking her head. "Oh. Oops." Dom said, turning slightly red and focusing on the steering wheel.

That evening Elliot and Olivia sat on her couch glancing through their profiles. "Okay, I am Elliot Williams from San Diego and head of a large shipping company. I went to Princeton and then married a woman named Lucia. We had two kids and then divorced. I met you three years ago. We got married after you got pregnant and have a two and a half year old son."

"Nice. I went to NYU and now work as a clothing model for various companies. That's really great." muttered Olivia, irritably flipping through her profile.

Elliot grinned. "So basically we are a wealthy couple having a good time boating."

"Ya. Pretty much." answered Olivia, tossing aside the file. Then she looked away slightly and said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my father. I guess it never really came up."

"Don't worry about it." Elliot responded, squeezing her hand gently. "But you turned out just perfect."

Olivia smiled at him and glanced over at her baby. "Thanks."

"So tomorrow we get to go undercover and figure out whose smuggling prescription drugs and raping women who get in the way. Piece of cake." Elliot said, laying down on his back.

Olivia shook her head and pinched his side gently, "Alice will be here in the morning early to look after Daeman while we're gone, so if you want to crash on the couch, you are welcome too."

"I think I will take you up on that, partner." Elliot said, "Thanks."

"See ya in the morning, Mr. Williams." Olivia answered, standing and scooping up Daeman. Daeman opened his eyes slightly as he clutched her shirt with one fist and looked over at Elliot. Elliot smiled widely and stood to give the baby a kiss on the forehead. As he pulled away he gave Olivia a slight hug. She rubbed his back lightly before stepping off.

Detective Lennie Briscoe yawned slightly as he finished filling out a report. He glanced up as he heard the door to the lieutenant's office open. Darby walked out with another person he hadn't seen before, both talking quietly. He stood slowly and walked over. "I almost finished this, do you want me to leave it on your desk?" Lennie asked, and Darby nodded swiftly. Then he glanced over at the other man, clad in standard Coast Guard issue clothing. "Do you work with Dominic Liechtenstein?"

The man also nodded and said, "Ya, he's my boss, but probably not for much longer."

"I worked his mother's homicide with SVU. Nice guy. Is he quitting the Coast Guard?"

"You could say that. He's having surgery on his knee tomorrow, and won't be back to work for at least a week. I get command of the marina for the time being."

"Oh. I heard about what happened. In fact, didn't you call Detective Benson about it, Lieutenant?" Lennie questioned, well aware that the two weren't appreciative of the intrusion.

"Yes I did."

Later that evening Lennie was sorting through some files, because something was really bothering him. The time of the attack had been at 7 am, but he vividly remembered Darby calling someone at 6:30, as he had been at work early. Who it was, he wasn't sure, but he had a feeling it was Olivia. He knew he would have to tread carefully, but he needed to find out how Darby knew that the Coast Guard would be attacked a half hour after he called- or if it was just a weird coincidence.

A/N #2: Okay, I know this is sort of a transition chapter, but the next will pick up the pace, I promise! R&R!