It had been three weeks since that afternoon in her apartment. Things had been busy for both of them, so while they had made time for morning coffees and a couple of midday lunch dates, they hadn't been able to spend any significant time together.

Her phone rang as she was heading home for the evening. The screen lit up with his name and she smiled. "Hey," she said quietly as she stepped onto the elevator. "Hey. I know it's late notice, but do you have plans for dinner tomorrow night? Dickie has two tickets to the Knicks game tomorrow night, but his buddy can't go. He asked Eli if he wanted to tag along instead so I've got the evening free."

Dinner with Elliot sounded like the perfect end to a less than perfect week. "Let me talk to Noah and Lucy. I'll call you later tonight?"

"Looking forward to it," he replied before ending the call.

On the way home she thought about the possibility of seeing Elliot tomorrow night, but she also thought about her son. Noah was her number one priority, and she wouldn't put anything before him...not even love.

Love. They had only kissed once and she was thinking about love. To be fair though, her feelings for him began long before they had started dating. She climbed the stairs to her apartment, shaking away thoughts of the first man she had ever loved and smiling at the thought of the second waiting on the other side of the door.

"Mom! You're home early!" Noah exclaimed as he ran to meet her. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight, placing a kiss on the top of his head. Some days she still couldn't believe she got to be this sweet boy's mother. The journey had not been easy, but he was so worth it. "Hey, Lucy. Thank you again for staying late so many days this week." Lucy smiled. "No problem, Detective Benson. G'night!" Then turning to Noah, "G'night little man. See you Monday," she smiled, stopping to ruffle his curls on her way out the door.

"How was your day, sweetheart?" she asked him as she rummaged through the fridge, gathering ingredients for dinner. "Great!" he said as he dug in his backpack. Running back over to her, he handed her a folded piece of paper. "We got our report cards today, and I got straight As!" She stopped what she was doing and grabbing the piece of paper. "Noah?! That's AMAZING buddy!" She sat the paper down and picked him up in her arms. "I am so proud of you son," she added as she kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Mom," came his sweet reply.

As she lowered him back down, he looked up at her and smiled. No, it wasn't a smile as much as a smirk. "How proud are you?" he asked carefully. She glared at him, trying to read the look on his face. "Pretty proud...why?" she asked slowly. "Weeeellllll…" he drew the word out, "Logan got straight As too, and he was going to ask his mom if we could have a sleepover at his place tomorrow night to celebrate. Please, Mom? You know his parents, and you know Logan is my best friend and he's a nice kid and please can I?!" His well thought out argument devolved into an eight year old's plea and she couldn't help but laugh. She was secretly grateful this was working out so well, but that wouldn't stop her from using this to her advantage. "I'll tell you what. I will finish making dinner. If you promise to help clean up, it's a deal." "DEAL!" he exclaimed, and she chuckled to herself as she began to chop vegetables.

When she finally crawled into bed a few hours later, she grabbed her phone to return his call as promised. "Hi. I'm sorry it's so late. Noah and I sat down to watch a movie after dinner and time got away from me," she said. "I wasn't asleep," he replied, though he followed it up with a yawn. "So are we on for tomorrow night?" he asked tentatively. "Well, Noah brought home his report card today...straight As...and asked if he could spend tomorrow night with his best friend as a reward. So if you're sure you want to spend your Friday evening with me, I'm free." She held her breath, listening for his response. For several seconds there was nothing but silence, and then came the low rumble of his voice. "There is no one else I would rather spend the evening with. I'll pick you up at 7. 'Night, Liv."

"Goodnight, Elliot."

At 7:00 sharp she heard the doorbell. She opened the door and felt her breath catch in her chest. He was dressed in one of his tailored navy suits with a new blue tie that matched his eyes exactly. He smiled, causing her to blush at the realization that she had been staring. "Come in," she said quietly. "I just need to grab my purse and we can go." He entered the apartment and closed the door behind him. "No hurry," he said. "We've got time."

As she walked into the living room, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. God, she was absolutely stunning. The simple burgundy dress she wore hugged her body in all the right places, and he wasn't sure how it was possible that she was even sexier now than she had been the first day she walked into the squadroom.

"Ready?" he asked as he opened the door. "Ready," she said as she brushed past him. He pulled the door closed and quietly put his hand on the small of her back as they walked out into a beautiful New York evening. The feeling of his hand guiding her made her smile, and she missed the contact when he stepped forward to hail a cab.

"The restaurant is close...just around the corner," he said, setting his hand lightly on her knee. "How was your week?" "Busy," she said, "so this dinner is a welcome treat." As they pulled up in front of the restaurant, he lightly squeezed her knee before reaching for the door. He was flirting, and she had to admit she was enjoying it.

He took her hand as she climbed out of the cab, and once both feet were firmly on the ground she wrapped her arm around his. She had never been to this restaurant, but she was immediately impressed - by the atmosphere, the amazing smells drifting through the air, but mostly by the man at her side. As he pulled her chair out for her and she took her seat, she shook her head slightly. "What?" He asked as he took a seat across from her. "Nothing. It's just...this place is amazing. You didn't have to do this."

He reached across the table and took her hand. "Liv, when I told you that you deserve everything, I meant it." The way she smiled at him made him weak. "You look absolutely gorgeous, by the way," he said softly. It was so different seeing this side of him, but she liked it. "Thank you. You look quite dapper yourself, Detective." The way she called him detective did something to him that he couldn't explain. "Thanks. So," he said, clearing his throat and refocusing his attention on the menu, "what sounds good?"

They discussed the menu until the waitress arrived. Liv ordered the lobster ravioli, while Elliot opted for the chicken scarpariello and a bottle of wine for the two of them. The food was incredible, but her company was the best part of the meal. The conversation with them was always so easy.

"You said Noah got straight As on his report card, huh? Not surprised. Smart like his mom."

"Did Eli get the starting position on the soccer team that you mentioned last week?"

"Bell's son is such a cute little guy. He seems to like me, so now I just have to win Denise over."

"So Rollins said that Fin was chasing this perp...clotheslined the guy, right? Pulled him to his feet and started walking him to the car and ended up stepping in a pothole. Amanda said it was all she could do to get the guy into the car before she started laughing."

They volleyed topics back and forth with ease. All too soon dinner was over and they were exiting the restaurant, once more with her on his arm. Hoping to buy a little more time together, they opted to walk back to her apartment rather than take a cab. "Thank you again for dinner, El. It was delicious," she said as they strolled through the busy streets. "You're welcome, but you don't have to thank me. I should be thanking you for the company." She gently pulled him a little closer as they walked in comfortable silence.

Neither of them had mentioned the kiss since the day it happened, but the closer they got to her place, the more nervous he began to feel. With her clinging to his arm and her building in sight, he was struggling to think of anything other than the way her lips felt against his.

She felt it, too. Not a day had gone by since that rainy afternoon that she hadn't longed to feel that spark again. Remembering the way his mouth had moved against hers sent chills down her spine. No one had ever made her feel this way from one simple kiss. But then again, no one else was him.

"Can I walk you up?" he asked as they reached the front of her building. Looking up at his hopeful expression, she smiled and nodded. Silently they climbed the stairs and when they got to her apartment she unlocked the front door, turning then to face him again. She hesitated, caught between her need for self-preservation and the want she felt for him.

"Would you like to come in?" The words were spoken before she could stop herself. She wasn't sure what she was asking. All she knew was that she didn't want to say goodbye to him yet. He looked at her, studying her eyes carefully. "Are you sure?"

"No," she responded honestly, "but this evening has been perfect and I'm not ready for it to end." With that she opened the door and he followed her into the apartment. She sat her purse down on the kitchen counter and turned back toward him. He hadn't moved from the door, and it gave her comfort to know he was as unsure of how to navigate these waters as she was. She took two steps toward him and, when she was close enough, she reached out and touched his hand. He looked down at his fingers closing around hers, then back up. "You've been here dozens of times now. This doesn't have to be any different. I just wasn't ready to say goodnight yet."

He smiled, pulling her closer as he took a step toward her. "I know. I just...I was thinking about the last time I was here," he said, releasing her hand and placing both of his on her hips. "That kiss…" he started, but she read his thoughts. "...was perfect." She traced her hands up his chest, over his shoulders, where they met around his neck. He could feel her fingers dancing over the hair at the nape of his neck. He slid his hands back slightly so they were resting at the small of her back, pulling her body closer to his. "You really are breathtaking, Liv," he whispered in her ear. "Dance with me?"

She had known him for two decades, but occasionally he still surprised her. Calling for Alexa to play a slow song, she drew herself closer as he led them in time with the music. She closed her eyes, breathing in this moment along with the scent of him. They swayed back and forth with the melody, thankful for the excuse to hold each other so close. All too soon the song ended, and she found herself looking up at him once again. She ran a hand along his face before placing a kiss on his waiting lips.

She could still taste the wine as she swiped her tongue across his bottom lip, which he opened slightly. His hands began moving up her back, one splayed out along her spine while the other found itself tangled in her hair. His tongue dipped cautiously into her mouth and she whimpered slightly, encouraging him to deepen the kiss even more.

If their first kiss had been a drizzle, this one was a downpour. She traced kisses across his jaw while he explored her neck with his mouth. A gasp escaped her when his lips found a particularly sensitive spot under her ear. He smiled, sucking the skin there gently as she sighed and leaned further into him.

There was a line she was not ready to cross, but it was becoming blurry. Her hands had worked their way down to explore his chest before coming to rest on his abs. He was solid muscle and she was having a hard time denying her hands the pleasure of exploring what only her eyes had been able to appreciate for all these years. His mouth continued its advances, finding a spot to land on her collarbone before returning to her lips.

She kissed him once more before forcing herself to break away. Looking up at him, she saw an understanding in his eyes. Neither wanted to stop; both knew they should.

They stood there for what seemed like forever, just looking into each other's eyes. Finally he placed a soft kiss on her lips once more. "This was the perfect end to the perfect evening," he replied. Then, leaning in close so that his lips were almost touching her ear, "With the perfect woman." She felt herself blush again and silently thought that this man was sometimes too charming for his own good. "Pretty sure I was the one with the perfect date," she replied. He turned toward the door, but instead of turning the doorknob, he turned to face her.

"Liv? Thank you." There were so many things that he wanted to follow up those two simple words. Thank you for being here, for helping me put myself back together, for supporting my children any time they've needed you, for being so much stronger than me, for agreeing to this date…

for not leaving me the way I left you.

She watched the pain and guilt flicker across his blue eyes once more, a swell of emotion breaking over him. It still surprised her that after all this time apart, she could read the things he didn't say.

"You're welcome, El." She wanted to tell him that he didn't have to keep apologizing...that thank you wasn't necessary. But it seemed to be part of his healing process, and she knew well that sometimes the things we do to heal ourselves aren't always logical. She kissed him once more before opening the door for him.

"Text me when you get home, ok?"

"Will do, Captain."