Chapter Summary: Elliot joins Noah and Olivia for a movie and stays the night. Noah sees them sharing a bed and has questions.

Author's Note: This chapter follows in time after chapters 1 and 2, but you don't have to read them to enjoy this chapter.

Also, I don't have kids, so if Noah isn't acting like a 10-year-old child, just roll with it (it is fiction after-all).

/

Olivia knew that she needed to officially tell Noah about Elliot - about the change in her and Elliot's relationship. Noah had already met Elliot and Elliot's family, but he only knew Elliot as his mom's friend. Elliot and Olivia had been dating for a few months now, though - not that they'd actually call it that.

Only recently, within the last month, did they admit to themselves and each other that they were dating. But were happy that they had finally admitted it because now they were enjoying typical after-date activities.

Before, they'd relied on Lucy for childcare when they wanted to go on a not-date. But in the last three weeks Noah had stayed with Amanda and her kids, twice, and crashed at Maureen and Karl's after a play date with the twins. All so Olivia could stay at Elliot's. But it wasn't fair to Noah to keep him out of the apartment on Friday nights. It wasn't fair to Olivia to deprive her of time with Noah, and it wasn't fair to Elliot because he really wanted to spend time with Olivia and Noah together.

Olivia finally decided that this Friday was the night. She invited Elliot to join her and Noah for a movie night, to stay over, and have breakfast with them in the morning - as long as Noah approved. Which he did, enthusiastically and he had been looking forward to Friday night since his mom and Elliot told him the plan.

The Wednesday before the Friday, Olivia had sat down and patted the couch cushion next to her, "Noah, sit down sweet boy, I have something to tell you." Elliot, who had stopped by for moral support, took a seat a nearby chair.

"What is it? Did Mrs. Smith call? Because I promise I…." Noah starts to ramble with a hint of panic in his voice.

"No honey, Mrs. Smith didn't call." She chuckles a bit and pulls Noah into her side. "We will get back to that in a moment. But, what I wanted to tell you is that" just say it, he likes Elliot, he needs to know, just say it, "Elliot and I are dating, we are in a relationship."

Noah's eyes widened at his mother and then he snapped his head to Elliot who just nodded in confirmation. "I knew it!"

"What? What did you know?"

"When I was at Kieran and Seamus' house, I asked their mom," -

"-Maureen-" Olivia supplies.

"Yea, Maureen," he continued, "I asked her if Elliot was your boyfriend. She asked me why I thought that, well first she nearly choked on her drink – she spit water out all over the table," he takes a breath, excited to tell his story, "I told her that one night, when we were leaving Elliot's and I was walking to the car, I turned around and I saw him kiss you at the door, then I ran to the car and pretended to fall asleep so you didn't know that I saw you."

"Oh, well…" She's not sure what to say. She can't really argue with his logic though she'd thought they had been hiding it pretty well.

"Looks like you have a young detective on your hands Liv." Elliot's smiling, not at all embarrassed at being caught, but he's not as reserved as Olivia and has more experience handling kids in situations like this.

"Anyway, Noah, Elliot is going to join us for movie night this Friday and then stay over - if that is okay with you?"

"Ya! That's okay with me!" Noah hops off the couch and runs over to their small Blu-ray collection; most of the movies they've purchased in the last couple of years have been digital, but some of his favorites were on the shelf.

"Noah, we don't have to decide on the movie tonight. You and I can pick it out tomorrow and decide on food, okay."

"Okay! I want pizza!" He pulls back from the shelf and runs over to Elliot, "Are you going to come to my practice too? It's at 5:00 and goes to 6:00, but sometimes 6:30 if the routine is really hard." Excitement is thrumming through him, he's almost shouting at Elliot.

A bit taken aback by Noah's enthusiasm, he's a little slow to answer, "I…"

"Inside voice Noah, and Elliot has to work. He may not be able to get off in time to come to your practice."

"Oh," his shoulder's shrug in dejection, "but you will be here for the movie, right?"

"I can't promise that I'll make it, but I'll try to come to your practice. I will definitely be here for dinner and a movie though," he glances up to Olivia, bouncing his brows, and mouths "and a sleepover."

She blushes.

Friday morning Elliot let Olivia know that he wasn't able to make it to Noah's practice.

I can't make it to practice

Tell Noah I am so sorry.

I thought I would be able to leave

Damnit!

It's okay El, he'll be just as excited to see you after.

Really wanted to see him dance

He's gonna be disappointed

I want him to like me

He does like you. And he has a recital next month.

I'll make sure you get an invite.

Thx

Miss you

See you tonight

For our sleepover

Elliot finally knocks on the front door at 6:48 carrying both a duffle bag and a shopping bag in his hands. I need to ask to her about a drawer, I can't be a grown man with a duffle bag.

Noah meets him at the door, his excitement clearly not subsiding since Wednesday, "Elliot! You made it!"

"Sure did, bud!" Elliot greets, trying to match the boy's enthusiasm.

Eyeing the shopping bag, "What do you have in there?"

"Noah, let him get in the door." Olivia says as comes around the corner of the kitchen.

"Sorry Elliot."

"You're fine." Elliot makes his way into the apartment and sets the shopping bag on the counter between the kitchen and living room. "No peeking," he directs at Noah with a smile, and then turns to Olivia "Where do you want me to put this?" Asking as he lifts his duffle.

"My room," she points "straight back and to the right." He knows where her room is but hasn't spent any time in it, all their prior sleepovers were at his apartment.

He drops his bag on a chair in the corner and takes a moment to look around the room. It's lit by a small bedside lamp. His eyes roam over the soft blankets and throw pillows on the bed; a humidifier and a small, but unlit, candle on her dresser; and iPad charging on the nightstand. I wonder what she keeps in that drawer? Maybe just a peek?

He's stepping towards the nightstand when he hears Olivia tell Noah, "He said not to look in the bag, he'll be back out in just a second."

Returning to the kitchen he sees Noah's grin and questioning eyes.

Elliot grabs the bag, "Your mom told me that you really wanted to watch Harry Potter tonight, so I brought," he dumps the contents, "Chocolate Frogs!" Several candy packets scatter across the counter.

"Cool! I love those."

"You've had them before?" He asks disappointedly.

"Of course, but not in like forevvvveeerrrrr."

Elliot sees Olivia trying to cover her laughter and shakes his head.

After a dinner of chopped salad and pizza (as Noah requested), all three sat on the couch to watch. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Noah sat between Elliot and Olivia.

"-fanks 'gain Elliot," Noah mumbles through a mouthful of Chocolate Frog, his eyes never leaving the screen as Harry takes off on an old broom to catch a winged key. Elliot smiles at Noah and then up at Olivia, reaching his hand across the back of the couch to play with her hair, then tickles the back of her neck.

"Stop it," she mouths, but her grin tells him to keep it up, so he does.

When the credits roll Olivia instructs Noah to brush his teeth "set the timer, you've had a lot of candy tonight," and begins clearing the remains of their movie night snacks.

Elliot helps, but after making sure that Noah was in the bathroom, he gently pushes her against the counter and kisses her. He tilts his head and swipes his tongue in her mouth a couple of times before pulling back "Damn, I've been waiting all night to do that."

"Mmmmm hmmm," she nods and pulls his head back "the timer only goes for 90 seconds, make it worth it," she mumbles against his lips. They kiss, as if they've been away from each other for months, rather than a couple of days, deeply and thoroughly. Though, at the beginning of a new relationship, days without contact feel like months. They both pull back when they hear the bathroom door open and Noah calls, "All fresh and clean Mom."

"Good, I'll meet you in your room in just a second." She presses a final quick peck to Elliot's lips before sliding out between him and the counter, he turns just in time to playfully smack her ass on the way by. She just ducks her head and bites her lip.

"Did you have a good night?" She asks Noah as she reaches down and tucks him in. Noah's getting to be too old for the full nighttime routine of stories and kisses and cuddles, but he still lets her rearrange his blankets and kiss his cheek.

"Yep! I love that movie and I'm happy that Elliot watched it with us."

"Me too."

"He's still gonna be here in the morning, right?"

"Yes, as long as you are okay with that."

"Oh yea! I want to make French toast for him, can we?"

"I think so. And if you need me, you can still come into my room, okay?"

"Moooooom, I'm fine." He whines a bit, annoyed at her babying. "Can I start the second movie in here?"

"Yea, but set the timer for 20 minutes. You can finish it tomorrow night."

"K," already reaching for the remote, "night."

"Good night sweet boy." She shuts his door as she leaves, giving one last glance as Noah.

Elliot's still in the kitchen when she returns. "I wasn't sure what you wanted to do next."

"Let's have a drink before we turn in. He's going to be awake for another 10 minutes at least."

He pours two glasses of wine, "Here," handing her one.

"Thank you."

They make their way to the couch. He sits back in the corner and she leans back against him, stretching her legs out across the cushions and pulling the throw blanket over her feet. This is her favorite: the end of the evening when they settle into each other on a couch and enjoy each other's presence in silence. So much of their days are loud and fast, full of stress, and they have to go several days at a time without seeing each other. She just wants to freeze these end-of-the-night moments.

"That went well." Elliot kisses the top of her head.

"I think so." She's fiddling with the edge of the blanket as she lifts her glass to her lips.

"Are you still nervous?" He asks before he takes another sip.

She thinks on his question for a moment. "A little, but I don't know why. He's so excited that you are here. He wants to make you French toast for breakfast."

"Well, that's because French toast is amazing," adding a teasing "moooom," whispered in her ear.

She shivers a bit, not anticipating the contact or his warm breath.

"What was that, Liv?" His voice was still low and right at her ear, but she could hear his nighttime gravely tone starting to creep in.

"Nothing."

"Uh huh, sure, nothing," he whispers again, adding a soft nip to her earlobe.

"Stop," she mutters, unconvincingly, "he's still awake."

"I'm not doing anything," he taunts, nipping once more. But then he pulls away, drains his glass, and sets it on the end table.

A comfortable silence overtakes them and he uses his hands to softly rub over her arms until she's yawning.

"Come on," he taps her thigh, "we should go to bed."

"Yea, I guess we should." She tosses the blanket over the far arm of the couch, stands, and holds her hands out to him.

He takes them, pulling himself up, "Olivia, I can still go home," sensing her hesitation, he wraps his arms tightly around her, hugging her to him, "I'm going to be upset if you want to wait and try this again another night."

"No, no," she mumbles into his sweater, "I want you to stay. And Noah wants you to stay."

"Okay then," he pulls back and leads her down the hall, "off to bed we go."

The next morning Noah wakes at his usual time and heads to the living room. He turns on his favorite cartoon channel and starts towards the kitchen to pour a bowl of cereal. But he redirects to the hall when he remembers his mom's promise of French toast for Elliot. He puts his ear to the door, and hearing nothing, he quietly pushes it open and walks in.

He knew Elliot was staying over, and that he would be sleeping in his mom's bed, but he didn't really know what that would look like. His mom had never had a man stay over before, at least not as he could remember. He knew his mom dated "Tuck" when he was little, but only from the photos. He had a few friends at school who told them about their parents dating, but those conversations were more about the toys and treats that the new person brought and changes in the family. His friends never talked about the new boyfriend or girlfriend having sleepovers.

He stops just inside the door at the sight. His mom is laying on her side, facing him with her eyes closed. He notices that Elliot is close to his mom, really close, but he doesn't really have a good view from the side of the bed.

Noah tiptoes his way around the bed to get a better view, trying not to wake them. He sees that Elliot's front is pressed right against his mom's back, his head on her pillow, and his nose and most of his face is hidden in her hair. How can he breath? The blanket hits them about their armpits so he can see that his mom has on her normal button-up pajamas and Elliot is wearing a white tank top. I didn't know Elliot had another tattoo, he thinks as he sees Elliot's uncovered shoulder.

He steps away from the bed to take in the entire room. Elliot's belt, wallet, and watch are on his mom's dresser; his phone is charging on the far bedside table; and duffle is on a chair in the corner. It looks to be unzipped but Noah can't quite tell because Elliot's pants and sweater are laid over the top. What's in his bag? He takes a step closer to the chair but jumps when Elliot lets out a soft snore and moves his head out of Olivia's hair.

Noah makes his way back over to wake his mom only to see that her eyes are already open. He grins at her and she puts her finger up to her lip and mouths "shhh" and then points to the door. Noah nods, agreeing to meet her in the kitchen.

Olivia had sensed Noah's presence in the room immediately, having well-honed mom-senses, but she keeps her eyes closed and waits on him. She can tell that he's moving about the room and taking it all in, this must be weird for him, I hope he's still okay with it, and when she finally cracks her eyes open she sees him rounding the corner of the bed.

After she silently gets Noah to leave, she pulls the blankets down. Phew! he's as hot as a furnace, I need to get a lighter blanket or just a sheet next time he stays. It's difficult from her angle to unwrap Elliot's arm from her waist without waking him. He was practically glued to her backside and his arm was wrapped so tightly around her that his fingers was actually tucked under her hip.

But he's dead to the world. She got out of bed and moved to the door, looking back only to see him roll over to his back and flop his arms down on the bed, spread wide. Humph, men.

Noah already has the bread, eggs, and milk on the counter and has his head in a lower cabinet digging for a mixing bowl, when Olivia finally joins him.

"Morning Noah."

"Morning," he pops up, "we are still doing French toast, right?"

"Looks like it," she waves at the supplies on the counter and he just grins.

They are about five slices into their breakfast preparation when Noah starts, "Mom, can I ask you a question without you getting mad?"

"Why would I get mad at your question?" She turns the burner off before turning to face him. He sounds nervous, this will probably take a second.

"Well, it's a private question," he emphasizes the word 'private,' as if that single word holds all the answers.

And it does, really, when your kid is ten years old and just saw you sharing a bed with a man for the first time. Crap, this can only be one thing. I should have expected this.

"Noah, I've told you this before," she looks directly in his eyes, "you can always ask, and I will try to answer as honestly and fully as I can. There is some stuff that you are too young to hear. But I will never, ever get mad at the question."

"Okay," he nods, he's heard that spiel before, and his mom has told him at least once before "you are too young for a full answer, but…" before going on to answer his questions, even ones on this subject.

He looks away, and then down to the counter noticing a single Chocolate Frog left over from the night before, "Did you and Elliot have sex?"

And there it is. She feels her neck and face get warm. I hope he can't see me blush. Pull yourself together, you've had these talks with him before. Remember the rules: Keep your answers short, direct, clear, age-appropriate, and don't jump to conclusions.

She exhales and waits for him to look at her, she can see that he's a little embarrassed by his own question. He's young enough that he doesn't quite understand all the implications of his question, but old enough to know that it's a private matter and he might not get an answer, or a complete answer, until he's older. Olivia - as a lifelong SVU detective - has always been open and frank with Noah, in an age appropriate manner, about health and body parts, using the correct names and trying to avoid all shame on the topic. But last spring after his class had the official biology lesson, they had a more detailed and informative discussion, and she'd told him that they'd continue to discuss it when he got older.

"No, Elliot and I did not have sex last night." Olivia was nervous enough having Elliot over that sex was out of the question. But his pouting was too cute to ignore, so they did enjoy a little old-fashioned making out and heavy petting. The pink in her cheeks getting darker as she remembers.

He nods, and prods, "But you have, you know, before?"

Short, direct, clear, age-appropriate, and don't jump to conclusions. "Noah, why do you want to know?"

He looks down again, grabs the candy, and fiddles with the wrapper. "Well, last year, you said that that's how babies are made."

She nods, "I did."

"Are you and Elliot going to have a baby?"

A baby? That is not where I thought he was going to go.

Not getting an immediate response from his mom, he lifts his head and continues, "Because when Sammy's mom got a boyfriend and he started staying over at Sammy's house" he's in a rush now, unknowingly trying to over explain his curiosity, "and Sammy's mom got pregnant and had a new baby. Sammy says the baby cries all the time and spits up and …."

Of course, he's ten. To him, sex equals babies and babies are loud and smelly.

"Noah, stop," she moved next to him while he rattled off about Sammy's mom and new sibling, and wrapped her arms around him, "Elliot and I are not going to have a baby, we are too old."

"Too old?" He's shocked. Being too old was not covered in last year's biology lesson.

"Yes, too old." She hugs him again before she lets go.

"I didn't know you could be too old to have kids."

"Yup it's possible to be too old," Olivia returns to the stove, twists the knob back to medium heat, and grabs another slice of bread, "it's a long explanation, too much for breakfast time, but we can talk about it some other time." Phew, crisis averted.

"Ok. I mean, I always thought a little brother would be cool, but Sammy hates the new baby and they have to share a room with the baby. It's horrible!"

Olivia laughs at this. "You don't have to worry about sharing your room with a baby. And you play with Eli, Seamus, and Kieran all the time. I know they aren't your brothers, but they are still fun, right?" She asks as she adds the milk and egg-soaked bread to the pan.

"Right! And Eli has all the cool video games, the ones you won't get me…whoops!" He grimaces, "I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"It's okay Noah," chuckling again, "we can worry about the video games later."

For a couple minutes only the sizzle of the pan and Noah's swinging feet knocking against the underside of the counter can be heard.

"Mom."

"Yea?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"What question? I told you that I'm not going to have a baby."

"But, you and Elliot…you've had sex before, right?"

Damn, I thought we made it past this. Short, direct, clear, … "Yes, we've had sex before."

"Why?" He sounds genuinely curious now. "I mean, if you are too old to have a baby, why do it? It sounds gross." Oh, sweet Noah, please stay this innocent forever.

"We've talked about this before, people have sex for a lot of reasons, like expressing how much they care and love one another. And it's not gross when you do it with someone you love and care about."

"If you say so, it sounds disgusting." He hops off the stool and opens the fridge, grabbing juice. "Is breakfast almost done? I want to wake up Elliot."

"Yes, but …." starting to warn him not to ask Elliot any private questions.

"I'm already awake," Elliot says groggily as he walks into the kitchen.

"Good morning Elliot! We made French toast!"

He ruffles Noah's hair, "Sounds great, I love French toast. Do you have powdered sugar?"

"I don't know," turning to his mom, "Mom, do we have powdered sugar?"

"Yup," she grins at Elliot, all sleep rumpled and stifling a yawn, "go wash your hands and set the table," she directs at Noah.

Once he's out of the room, Elliot walks up behind Olivia, wraps his arms around her waist from behind and presses kisses to her neck and cheek "Morning, I love and care about you, too."