Another Reason

by Last.one.02

This story follows Elliot's and Olivia's life together from their first kiss to becoming a family. Even they will have some troubles along the way. I'll rely on the storylines, but I do like playing with them a little. Starts with season six after Elliot's separation. E/O all the way, but other characters are also involved.

26. 8,16 Philadelphia

AN: When I said in June, that I'll take time off, I didn't think it would take this long to write the next chapter, but here we are. And the most disappointing thing is, that I never really had time to relax... Apparently finishing uni means now I have to look for a job and being inexperienced doesn't help my case. So I spent most of the time writing motivational letters and I'm gonna keep doing that. Unless someone thinks I'm good enough I might not be writing much in next few months either. So let's hope I'll find a job soon.

Yet again the chapter is twice as long as most, also I hit 20,000 word mark for the first time. And it is one of my fav episodes and I believe many EO and SVU fans agree with me, so I hope you like the spin I put to it, let me know what you think and enjoy.

***SVU***

8.16 Philadelphia

"Liv, we need to talk about it," Elliot said confidently.

"There is nothing to talk about," she argued back.

Olivia stood from the couch and moved to the kitchen area. She took a glass, filled it with water and drank it.

"Olivia, this is huge. I know you want to search further, but we need to think it through," he said. Elliot followed her to the kitchen, leaned on a table and crossed his hands on his chest.

"This doesn't concern you, so drop it. I will figure a way to deal with the matter," Olivia stated and turned to face him.

"I'm not letting you do that, you should know that by now," he stated.

She stared him down, but he didn't bulge, so Olivia set her water glass in down and raised her hands in defeat. "Fine," she said and left the kitchen area.

"Fine, what?" he asked harshly as he followed her.

Olivia didn't answer, she didn't turn around either, instead continued to walk towards the bedroom. Elliot grabbed her hand and forced her to turn around and look at him.

"Fine, what?" he asked again, this time his voice was soft.

"I don't know. I'm not gonna do anything now, it's late and I'm tired. I don't wanna think about it right now," she said seriously, silently begging him to drop the subject.

Elliot nodded.

"But whatever I'm gonna do about it is none of your business. This is family," she said firmly.

"I'm not gonna let you throw your career away. I get it, you found you have a brother and you are probably closest to finding the man, who hurt your mother and that might cloud your judgement. I know you are going to track him down and I'm not gonna stop you, but I don't want to see you get hurt in the way," he was serious.

"I'm not gonna do anything tonight, so can we just drop it?" Olivia asked.

He sensed that the conversation was not going anywhere, so he nodded and decided to drop the subject for now. It would surely come up again sometime, hopefully when she has had some time to take in the news and think about it.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

Olivia looked at him and crossed her hands, in the process Elliot released her. She looked like she was ready to strangle him.

"Now," he clarified after realizing the uncertainty in his question, "What do you want to do now? We could watch TV or something."

"I'm gonna take a shower and then we can watch a movie," she decided.

With that she turned around and entered the bedroom, while Elliot stayed in the hallway looking towards the bedroom, where she had disappeared moments before.

Elliot returned to the kitchen, took the same glass she used before and found a bottle of bourbon on top shelf, where he knew it'd be. Despite the fact that Olivia told him once – almost two years ago – that she didn't like alcohol, he was well aware of the bottle on top shelf, which emptied with time, sometimes disappeared and full bottle appeared on the shelf. Even she needed that drink after hard day at work. He hoped that she wouldn't mind him having a glass, perhaps she'd need it too after her shower.

With a glass of bourbon in hand, Elliot sat on the couch and turned on the TV, where he flipped channels until he found a baseball game and started watching it, or at least he believed that he was watching the TV. At that moment it became certain, that Olivia would probably want to track down her brother – Simon Marsden. And once she has found him, she'd probably want to make contact, and that was the part that worried him the most. He wasn't sure if he was more scared that Marsden would welcome her with open arms or push her away, or choose the third option and only use her, when he needs and disappears later. Either way it's up to her, what to do and Elliot promised himself to do her best and keep his distance, but he'd never stop watching her back.

Olivia appeared, when he was still harboring his glass of whiskey, while his mind was somewhere far. Elliot looked up, when she stood in front of him and casted a shade over him.

"How was your shower?" he asked.

"Refreshing," she replied.

Elliot sat straight, placed the glass of bourbon on the table and focused on her. He approved the way she had dressed – shorts and his t-shirt. Her long wet hair fell onto her t-shirt, making it wet from where her hair made contact with the cotton of her shirt.

Olivia took a seat beside him, Elliot stretched his hand and wrapped it around her casually. She scooted closer into his embrace and leaned onto him. Elliot shifted so he was comfortable with Olivia on his side and he could feel warm water from her hair dripping onto his shirt and skin, but he also felt the smell of her conditioner he has always liked.

"You make me wet," he commented.

Olivia pulled away from him and raised her eyebrows. "Shouldn't it be me, who's getting wet?" she asked in all seriousness.

"That too, but this time it's me, who's wet," he said and received a puzzled face from Olivia. "Your hair," he explained and pointed to his chest, where a wet spot had formed.

"Oh, sorry about that. I told you I should cut them down," Olivia tried. She took the elastic band from her hand and put her hair in a casual ponytail to limit the exposure.

"Don't cut it. I like your long hair. So just come back here and stop this nonsense," Elliot replied and wrapped his arm around her, gently pulling her towards him. She came back willingly.

"I'm guessing you're not much of a baseball fan," he commented.

Olivia didn't say anything, instead she shook her head. "But I don't mind if you want to watch, I'm good here."

"I'm not a big fan either," Elliot whispered, "But I am not watching another episode of Grey's Anatomy."

Olivia laughed.

"I'm not that big fan of Grey's Anatomy. I watch it when I have time, but I usually don't. Though Casey keeps me up to date," she confessed. "Though even Casey doesn't always watch it," she added.

"So you're not a fan of McDreamy?" Elliot asked with silent victory.

"Oh no, he is very dreamy and I am part of his fan club," Olivia was blunt.

Elliot pouted.

"I am part of your fan club too," she added quickly.

Elliot lost the pout and grinned proudly. "And I'm in yours," he said sheepishly. "In fact I am the president of your fan club and the most passionate member too," he added. "Therefore I have privileges only the president has and always will have, like having you here with your wet hair against my chest."

"I love you," she replied quietly, unable to say anything else and besides nothing else would be as right as those three words. The fact, that he didn't return it, didn't bother her slightest, because the kiss he dropped in her hair and the way he tightened his hold said it the way words couldn't.

They had entered the phase in their relationship, where those 3 words were not said as often since both of felt content in the relationship, knowing they were loved and hearing those words didn't do more than confirm it. Though it felt good to hear those words from time to time, it couldn't get old, but it wasn't necessary to strengthen the relationship further at the moment.

They watched silently the TV, but neither of them focused on the game.

"Elliot?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna look my brother up, but that doesn't mean that I'll go looking for him," she said quietly, but seriously.

Elliot opened his mouth to say something, but Olivia cut him off. "I have to do this and you know it. So just turn a blind eye and it'll be okay. Don't try to stop me or talk me out of it, because I have to do this. And I don't want to fight about it anymore," Olivia continued talking in a quiet voice.

Elliot swallowed hard and nodded.

"Okay," he voiced his answer, "I don't like it, but I won't stand in the way."

"Thank you," she said. "He's family you know. I've always been alone and this is my chance to be part of a family. But more than that I need to find closure for my mother," Olivia explained.

"Your mother's dead," he said roughly.

"I know. Doesn't mean that her case closed the moment she fell down those stairs all those years ago and her body was buried. Even more, she started drinking, because of that man and the results his actions had. She might have fallen down the stairs without help, but he's to blame just as much the alcohol in her veins," Olivia continued.

"Your brother had nothing to do with that," Elliot said firmly

"Maybe. That's why I need to do this and find some closure," Olivia said. She pulled away from his hold and sat beside him with her legs crossed, with that she managed to create some space between them. "And I need to do this alone," she said heavily.

"But I don't wanna hurt you or worse lose you in the process," she added.

"Liv, you started this alone, when you decided to give your DNA to Warner. You didn't tell me about it nor asked for my opinion. Would you have told me if Warner had given the results straight to you and I wasn't nearby?" he asked bitterly.

Olivia stared straight ahead and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe. Probably yes," she said.

"You know what, do whatever you think is right. Tell me or don't tell me, I don't care. Just do whatever you want so you can get this out of your system," he said roughly and took the discarded glass of whiskey from the table, emptied it and put the glass back with a loud noise.

"El?" Olivia asked with her eyes wide, she didn't expect such rough reply.

"No, listen to me now. I don't like the idea and I don't wanna see you get hurt. As I am obviously against tracking him down, so I'm gonna stay away until you're done. And don't think that I'm doing this to hurt you, because I'm trying to protect you. I'm gonna keep my distance, so we won't fight about it and say stupid things to each other," Elliot explained, his voice much louder than it had been before. She could tell that he was angry and he had right to be, but that didn't mean that she liked it.

"Okay," she replied.

Olivia yawned and closed her eyes briefly, then she opened them again and saw Elliot eyeing her curiously.

"What?" she asked.

Elliot shook his head and focused on the screen in front of him. He gave a dirty look to the now empty glass on the table and decided against filling it.

Olivia sat straight on the couch, but kept her distance from him and didn't lean against him again. Elliot was silently thankful for that, because he needed his distance from her.

"I'm tired, so I'm gonna go to bed," Olivia said finally.

She got up and made it to the bedroom door, when she realized that the TV was still on and Elliot wasn't following her. "Are you coming?" she asked and turned around.

"No," Elliot said firmly.

Olivia was taken aback, but she didn't voice it. She stared at Elliot's back for a moment longer in case he wanted to give her an explanation.

Instead Elliot turned off the TV and got up from the couch. He did something Olivia didn't expect at all – he grabbed his jacket and pulled it on, then put on his shoes and made sure he had his cell and keys in the pockets.

"I'm gonna stay in my apartment for tonight, probably for a few nights," he announced.

Even though Olivia didn't blame him for wanting to leave, it still hurt, but she hid her disappointment well, because she had really gotten used to his warm body on the other side of the bed or most nights pressed tightly against her.

"Okay," she replied. She turned her side towards Elliot so her back was against the wall and leaned against it heavily. She closed her eyes and pushed her head back so it collided with the wall. Olivia ran her right hand through her hair like she often did, when she was in a difficult situation.

"Good night," he said and turned to leave. He had opened the door, when Olivia's voice stopped him.

"No, it's not okay," she said firmly.

Elliot froze, closed the door and turned around.

"What?" he asked.

"We can't just ignore it," she said and sighed heavily.

Elliot took a few steps closer to her and leaned against the wall.

"We're not ignoring it," he said easily.

"But we are," she argued back. "You said that you'll keep away so we wouldn't fight. So we just ignore the fact that I have a brother. And what happens if I find him and maybe spend some time with him? You just ignore me for a day in a week?"

Elliot shook his head and walked to her. He stood in front of her and took her hands in his, then lifted their hands and held them against his ribcage. "What if you go there with high hopes and he doesn't want to have anything to do with you?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," she said weakly and opened her eyes. "I didn't think that far ahead. I just gave my DNA along with some other cases and I got a hit. I quite honestly expected to come up empty. But now I know that I have a brother and all I can think about is learning more about him."

"And I don't wanna see you get hurt. That's why I don't want you to rush into anything," Elliot said softly.

"I won't," she promised.

Elliot raised his eyebrows, but stayed quiet. He lifted her hands which were still pressed against his chest and kissed the back of her hand, then let them drop by her side. He wrapped one arm around her middle and hugged Olivia.

"Olivia, I know that you've been alone for most of your life and I'm one of the longest relationships you've had, and therefore you seem to think that you have to do everything on your own. But you don't, not anymore. I'm not angry that you want to find your brother and I'm not gonna stop you, but I am pissed because you didn't bother to tell me about it," Elliot said to her ear, his voice calm but firm.

"I know," she whispered.

Elliot pulled away and chuckled. "And it feels like we've had the same conversation too many times."

"El, it's personal. It's family. And it doesn't involve you. It's like you and Kathy discuss your kids without my present and I don't usually ask about it either, because it doesn't involve me," Olivia tried.

"You knew what you were getting yourself into from the start. You knew about my marriage and kids," Elliot defended himself.

"And you knew my mother was raped and I've been working on the case for almost 10 years. There was always a chance that I might get a lead and find my paternal relatives," Olivia replied.

"I don't wanna fight with you," she said after a momentary pause, which fell over the quiet apartment. Shyly she reached for him and placed her hand on his hip, wary of his reaction, but nothing came – he didn't step away nor reach for her. His lack of rejection gave her more courage and she placed her other hand on his hip as well and stepped closer, so their bodies were close, but not yet touching.

Elliot took a deep breath. "I don't wanna fight either," he finally said, closed the distance and leaned onto her. Olivia locked her hands on his back, when his body came to contact with hers and she felt his familiar breath on her neck.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about giving Warner my DNA," she said quietly, lifted her head and kissed his cheek

Elliot didn't say anything, instead wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "I know," he whispered. He reached up and cupped her head, then pressed it against his neck and touched her hair with his lips. "But I'm still pissed at you." Olivia shifted slightly and ran her fingers over his vertebrae, reaching his bottom and then moving back up to his shoulder blade.

"I think I shouldn't leave, this is not who we are," he said firmly.

Olivia's lips curled into a small smile and she pressed her eyes shut. His scent filled her nostrils, "Don't go," she whispered. Her hand stilled on his back and settled against his shoulder, while she dropped open mouthed kisses on his neck, he groaned at her. "Come to bed with me," she whispered seductively between kisses and pressed her hips tightly against his and then withdrew to make it harder for him to stay away from her.

Elliot gripped her shirt and threw his head back. "Like I could say no to you now," he said through his teeth and pressed his hips back against hers, his blood slowly going from his brain to his other head.

Olivia gripped his shirt, lifted her eyes and watched for his reaction while she licked her lips. In a swift movement, which surprised her, he kissed her on the mouth with full force of his body behind it and lifted her from the ground. Her legs went around his waist in practiced manner and Elliot placed his hands on her bottom, using the excuse to hold onto her ass, and squeezed her cheeks.

Olivia rocked herself, so she brushed against his member and distracted him in the process, even though the touch was brief she could feel his hardness, which was a match for her body's reaction. He broke the kiss and walked to the bedroom with her. "You devilish woman," he said with lust in his voice.

"Says the devil himself," she replied with a wink.

Elliot went straight for the bed, first dropped Olivia on it and then followed himself by climbing on top of her. Yet again he couldn't get the clothes off of her quick enough, but even more he was much too overdressed for the occasion which caused more struggle for the both of them. Despite the argument earlier and disagreement between them, their rhythm was as perfect as always and the problems from before were long forgotten by the time she was screaming his name preceding her own name being called in pleasure.

***SVU***

Olivia had noticed that Elliot was keeping a close eye on her the next day at work. She was prepared to have him somewhat more close to her, but she wasn't prepared for how he acted. Even though they had multiple open cases, most of the day was spend with paperwork, and Elliot needed her "assistance" a lot more than he usually did, he also used every excuse to come over to her table and read or point out some aspects in her report. He also made more coffee trips, refilled her cup of tea and of course he always kept an eye on her computer screen to see what she was doing. But Olivia was focused on work and Elliot confirmed that every time he came over to her desk.

In fact, she had spent her morning looking for Simon Marsden and making a call to Huang in order to gain access to his sealed juvenile record, as Elliot was in court at the time.

The dim light outside indicated nightfall over the city, Fin and Munch had left already and only Cragen was in the office besides Olivia and Elliot.

"I can't believe I have so much paperwork," Elliot complained.

Olivia looked up from her case file, vaguely noticing the address she had written down and which hang on her computer screen and where she had every intention to go that night, smiled at him and dropped the pen. "Lucky for me I'm down my last one and it's almost done," she smirked.

"I hate you," he claimed.

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "I don't, really," he corrected his statement and tilted his head.

"I believe that," she said.

Elliot stood up and grabbed his empty cup of coffee, he walked past Olivia and poured coffee for himself.

"If you keep that up, you won't get any sleep tonight," she commented.

He walked back and stopped at her desk, leaned down to his mouth was right by her ear. "That's the plan," she whispered seductively. "You want some?"

Olivia playfully smacked his chest and rolled her eyes. "No, I plan on actually sleeping tonight," she replied.

"We'll see that," he said and walked back to his desk.

Olivia dropped her pen on the table and got up with the last case file in her hands. She walked straight into Cragen's office and dropped it on the Captain's desk.

"I'm all done now," she announced.

"Good work, you can go home now," Cragen said to her. "Unless we have another white van in the Central Park," he added.

Olivia nodded and left the office, closing the door behind her. He stopped at Elliot's desk and sat on the edge of it, so she had a clear view toward Cragen's office.

"I'm all done. Cragen let me go home," she said.

"I can finish these on Monday and come with you," Elliot suggested.

Olivia shook her head. "No, don't. I'm just gonna drop by someplace, get some take-out and call it a night. Maybe you should finish here and then go to your apartment, because I haven't had time to do laundry and you don't have clean clothes at my place anymore," she said in all seriousness, hoping he wouldn't see through her intentions.

"Or I can drop by tomorrow," Elliot said.

"You have kids tomorrow," she reminded him.

"I know," he replied.

Olivia took his hand in hers and looked over at Cragen's office curiously, which caused Elliot to raise his eyebrow and turn his head to see what caught her attention. Before he could figure it out, Olivia bent over slightly, placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed him softly. He returned the kiss and held onto her, his hand resting on her thigh while he moved his chair closer to her.

"Good night," she whispered after breaking the kiss.

"Night," Elliot replied, his eyes still closed. Blindly he reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers. It came as a surprise, when he felt her lips on his once again, but he didn't hesitate and pushed his tongue into her mouth, where it could pick up the usual dance with hers.

"El?" she asked. Elliot opened his eyes and looked up at her, she didn't look like he'd just given her good kiss, instead she seemed uneasy. "What is it?" he asked with slight worry.

Olivia took a deep breath and squeezed his fingers. "Just remember this, no matter what happens I will always love you, okay?" she said.

Elliot nodded. "I'll love you too," he replied and stared her down in case she'd elaborate on the reasons behind this sudden declaration of love.

Olivia jumped off the desk and released his hand. "Guess I'll be off then. See you on Monday or something," she said as she retreated to her desk.

"I'll call," he promised.

Olivia sent him a half smile, grabbed her jacket and left. Elliot noticed the squad car's keys in her hand along with her home keys, but it was after she had left, when he realized where she was really going and he realized that that's where he has to go.

He quickly grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the squad room and entered the parking lot. To his luck he noticed familiar car just driving out, so he got into the car Fin and Munch usually used, but due to reasons he'd long forgotten he had the keys. Even though he knew it was wrong at some level, he followed her car, though he made sure to keep his distance so she wouldn't notice him.

They drove to Jersey City, where she took them to a residential area. Elliot stopped a few houses from her, turned off the car and watched her parked car in the distance while rain started to fall. Elliot cursed himself quietly, because he knew it was wrong to spy on her, but then again he had promised to watch her back and he is her partner after all.

Elliot thought about calling her multiple times, but he decided against it. Mostly because he didn't want to force her into lying to him about her whereabouts or make her to admit that she's stalking her half-brother. But that would also mean that Elliot would have to tell the truth and say that he followed her and now is stalking her. Yeah, that's not an option. Even though Elliot was angry at her for not telling him about her mission, he stayed stubbornly in his car watching at hers.

They passed an hour sitting in the car, Olivia keeping an eye on the house and Elliot on her. It was after a man exited the building she had been watching, when she exited her car. Elliot assumed that she'd want to make contact, so he kept a close eye on her, but what happened next he couldn't have anticipated.

The moment Olivia left the car, a tall black man with leather jacket came towards her and grabbed her, she tried to back away, but straight into a white guy with black hair also wearing a black leather jacket. That's when Elliot got out of his car and raced towards his partner. By the time Olivia managed to draw her gun the guys had drawn their guys too and Elliot raced towards them with his gun drawn.

"New York Police! Drop it!" Elliot yelled as he approached.

"We're the police, you drop it!" the white guy with black hair shouted at Elliot as his gun was pointed towards him.

"Drop it!" The other man yelled and held his gun pointed at Olivia.

Several looks were exchanged between them, mostly shocked Olivia looking at Elliot as to ask what he was doing there and what the hell just happened.

"Who the freaking hell are you?" the first man asked Elliot.

"Manhattan SVU," Elliot replied.

"Folkner and Joyce, Riverpark PD," the black cop shouted.

Elliot didn't lower his gun just yet, but he took his badge from his belt and held it up. "All right. That's detective Benson, I'm detective Stabler," he said calmly. He saw Olivia lowering her gun and holding her hand up as a sign of peace. "Let's everyone just calm down, okay? Just calm down," Elliot continued. To his luck Faulk and Joyce lowered their guns.

"What's NYPD doing in Jersey?" Folkner asked, though much more calmly than before.

"We're working a case," Olivia explained.

"What case?" Folkner asked again.

Olivia exchanged a serious look with her partner, but Elliot was not willing to step up at the moment, so she went on with her gut. "I'm not at liberty to say," she said.

"Fine," Joyce said, "Then you're not at liberty to return to Manhattan. You gonna get in the car or do we have to arrest you?"

Olivia nodded at the request, she could already imagine Cragen's face, when he'd hear about it and it wasn't only her getting into trouble – Elliot was there also.

Olivia and Elliot got into the back seat of a car, while Riverpark detectives stayed outside to discuss their plan. Elliot gazed out of the window to make sure they were not listening in on their conversation.

"What are you doing here?" Olivia demanded.

"Trying to stop you from doing something stupid. And to cover your back," Elliot replied. "You find your brother and now you gotta stalk him?" he provoked and looked at her.

"This is none of your business," she snapped turned her head at him for a moment and then settled back on looking through the window. "I thought we agreed upon that last night," she added quietly.

"Yeah, of course it is. We're partners," he said.

"Not on this. This is personal," she argued.

Elliot shrugged his shoulders, "Still partners," he replied and took her hand in his. Before she could say anything the detectives entered the car.

"Are you gonna tell us why you're here, or are we going to headquarters?" Folkner asked.

"Drive," Olivia replied and removed her hand from his.

They were lucky that Cragen covered for them and so Captain Millfield had to let them return. Even so they had missed another rape in Manhattan and peaceful weekend plans were cancelled and both of them were under Cragen's line of fire, specially Olivia. Elliot grunted at the idea of working over the weekend, because he had looked forward spending Saturday with his kids.

Elliot barely saw Olivia the next day since she got a phone call as soon as they got to the precinct and she was gone the whole day. Even though he had good idea, where Olivia was, he kept his thoughts to himself. While Cragen, Munch and Fin were working on their Central Park rapist, who targeted men and used vans, Elliot kept on looking over his desk at Olivia's and the doorway in case she comes back. But she didn't. By the end of the day Cragen was no longer subtle about Olivia's absence, even he could sense that there was something else on her mind.

It was late at night, when Elliot, Munch and Fin had decided to cover the drives to Central Park and hope to find their perp before he hits again. Though Cragen was the only one to voice his concern for Olivia's absence, the other felt it too, but Elliot assured them that she'll be there.

He was right. As soon as he made her the call, she responded and headed back. They met near Central Park, where Elliot was parked. Olivia joined him in his car.

"We set up?" she asked as she got in.

"Yeah," Elliot said easily. "You got anything?" he asked her. Olivia gave her a look, which told him to drop it, yet he was not doing that. "I know, it's none of my business," he said.

Olivia kept on looking out of the window ahead, her face letting him know that something happened and that was the moment he knew it was a bad idea, but also that he needs to be there. "Liv, what is it?" he asked again. "Tell me," he coaxed.

"My long-lost brother Simon Marsden," Olivia said finally and turned to look at him. "He might be a rapist," she said and watched him take in the news. To her surprise his reaction to the news was not what she had expected – she has expected him to be I told you so or I knew it was a bad idea, but he stayed silent and waited for her to go on. "Like father like son," she said and turned away from him.

"Maybe there's a mistake," he prompted.

"He's stalking women, Elliot. That's why the cops are looking at him, just a matter before he hits," Olivia explained.

Elliot's face hardened. "Did you see Marsden?" he asked.

"I talked to his girlfriend. She's scared. She stonewalled me," Olivia replied, but she still avoided looking at him. Elliot knew that she was trying to keep herself together, keeping her distance from him as much as possible.

"Well, look, maybe you should go talk to him," Elliot suggested.

Olivia's eyes widened. "I thought you didn't want me near this guy," she said. Elliot shrugged his shoulders – he didn't want her near him, but he had realized that she needed to do this. "And say what?" Olivia asked. "Hi, I'm Olivia. Your dad raped my mom? And Oh, I found you 'cause I illegally ran my DNA?" she mimicked. Olivia turned away again and shook her head. "I wish I never went looking," she stated.

"You had to find out Liv," he said and placed his hand on her shoulder to give her some comfort.

Olivia chuckled. "Why can't you ever agree with me?" she asked.

"What?" Elliot asked.

"Two nights ago you were pissed because I went looking and now you say I had to do it. Make a decision, dude," she said nervously.

"I never said I was pissed about the fact that you went looking. I was pissed because you didn't tell me," Elliot said easily.

Olivia leaned onto his touch and breathed out heavily. Elliot closed the distance and kissed her on the lips, then he sat up straight.

"Last night, watching him in that window playing with that little boy… I wanted to be part of a family so much," Olivia rambled. "I've been alone my whole life, except those two years with you, but even then we've had our differences. Sometimes I keep on wondering how long this will last, when you'll go back to your family so you can spend more time with your kids. I know you miss it, anyone would."

"I'm sorry, I'm whining," she added before he could say anything.

"You're not. And I'm not leaving. I love you Olivia Benson with all of my heart and you are part of my family. I can talk to Kathy and have kids over more often, because they are part of your family too now," Elliot said, he removed his hand from her shoulder and grabbed her head with both of his, forcing her to look at him. His action caught her off guard.

"I'm here with you. It's where I want to be," he said slowly and pressed his lips to hers once again.

Fin's voice over the radio made them pull apart. "I got something," he said.

"Go," Elliot said and grabbed the radio.

Fin informed them of a white van that had passed him and Munch multiple times and was reported stolen that morning. Elliot took the lead and assigned everyone a route to make sure one of them could stop it.

Olivia exited the car and ran towards hers, while her phone rang. It was Simon's girlfriend Lucy, who wanted to arrange a meet, which was a good news for Olivia, only the timing was way off. Olivia tried to listen to radio for Elliot, but her focus was on the phone call with Lucy which ended in her missing an instruction from Elliot, the van escaping and another victim.

This was on her. And Elliot made sure she knew it.

They barely exchanged any words during the rest of the night, only that Elliot was going to spend the night at his place, again. In a way she was grateful that he didn't ask because that would've ended in an argument despite the conversation they shared in the car earlier.

The next morning Elliot was at the precinct before Olivia, but they settled down behind their desks, where they were soon joined by Munch and Fin. Because they were having hard time catching those guys, Cragen called Huang in on Sunday.

Elliot, Olivia, Munch and Fin were discussing different theories, when they heard Cragen and Huang enter the squad room. Olivia quickly descended from the plasma in order to be invisible – she knew Cragen was pissed at her, as were the others but not as much. That was confirmed, when Cragen ordered Olivia to check out ex-cons, who reported being raped and most of them don't report, so the task was a long shot and Cragen knew it.

The culmination came after Fin and Munch got back to work, but Cragen stopped Olivia and Elliot.

"Olivia. Elliot," Cragen called.

Elliot stopped on his tracks and stood beside her, Olivia hiding slightly behind his back.

"What happened last night?" Cragen asked.

The silence was loud as ever, when both detectives were figuring out what to say. Elliot finally broke it. "I think the perps realized they were being followed and changed direction," he explained, but everybody knew it was just diplomatic answer far from the truth.

"You had 4 cars. Somebody should have stayed on their tail," Cragen argued.

Both detectives spoke at the same time.

"Capten, I…" Olivia started.

"I gave Olivia unclear direction," Elliot gave his explanation.

"Is that true?" Cragen asked Olivia.

"It was my fault, I misheard Elliot," Olivia replied.

Cragen gave a hard look at both of them and he knew he was not getting the full story, but he was determined to find it out. "That's all," he said to his detectives and left. He had every intention to get to the bottom of things, because his detectives were off their game.

"Thank you," Olivia said, when Cragen had left.

"Look, we should've caught the perps last night. Every attack that happens now including last night is on us. We should've done better. Liv, focus on the case, you can deal with your family once it's closed," he said seriously and sat behind his desk.

Olivia did the same and the familiar heavy silence filled the room once again.

***SVU***

It was almost 9 o'clock that night, when Olivia stepped into Joe's lounge and ordered a tea. She was nervous. She didn't get nervous, when she was about to interrogate a perp or went to pick up their suspect. She was always calm, but meeting Lucy made her more nervous than she had been lately. So she panicked over a cup of tea. In that moment all the dreams of meeting his brother went through her head, all the possibilities and yet she was only meeting his girlfriend. That made her even more nervous.

She checked the time, it was already quarter past nine, yet Lucy had yet to show up.

"I'm sorry, Lucy couldn't make it. But I just had to come and see this old friend of mine," Simon said roughly and took a seat.

Olivia was surprised, when her brother took a seat across from her and his tone was anything but friendly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. This is so embarrassing," Olivia said once she had recovered from the shock and laughed. "You, I… I thought you were somebody else. I'm very sorry to waste your time," she said and made a move to stand up, but Simon stopped her.

"Oh, no, Olivia, you're not wasting my time. Or you know, should I call you detective?" Simon continued attacking her.

"What are you talking about?" Olivia asked – she hadn't told Lucy she was a detective and she doubted Captain Millfield would do that either.

"Well, after I got your note, I did some research on the net," Simon said while flipping the articles he had printed out of Olivia. She quickly gazed at them but didn't turn much attention – some cases got more attention and occasionally her name came up in a paper. "And it seems that you are quite the crime fighter, huh?"

Olivia gazed at him with surprise, not knowing what to say or do. Should she also say that she is his sister?

"What? What's wrong?" Simon asked mockingly.

"Nothing," Olivia replied. "This was a mistake." She tried to stand up again, but Simon stopped her once more.

"Don't lie. I know you're with them," Simon accused her.

"With who?" Olivia asked with confusion.

"Those idiot cops, who keep accusing me of stuff that I haven't done, who hang out around my work and my house, making my life miserable," Simon explained.

"Yeah, why would they do that?" Olivia asked seriously.

"You're the cop, why don't you tell me?" Simon asked, paused and got even more serious. "What do you want from my girlfriend?"

Olivia was taken back by his accusations, but he was not going to argue back or defend Riverpark PD. It was not her spot. "Don't hurt her," she replied calmly.

"I have never hurt a woman in my life. Just tell me what this is about. Why me?" he asked.

Olivia stayed quiet and leaned backwards. She couldn't say anything now. There was a timeframe in the beginning of the conversation, where she could've told her intentions, but not anymore.

"Have we met?" Simon asked, his tone much calmer and friendlier. Even so Olivia couldn't do it. She just couldn't. She shouldn't have come looking for him in the first place.

"No, I thought you were somebody else," Olivia said finally, stood up and left Joe's lounge.

It was a mistake. At least she can stop dreaming about meeting her brother, though in her mind the meeting was something very different from what happened there. It was done and now she was free to go on with the case and everything else. She doesn't need this guy in her life.

Looking for him had been a mistake.

Olivia drove almost on autopilot to her apartment building. She stopped the car and looked at the dark windows of her home. Suddenly it wasn't the place she wanted to go, or maybe it was if there was someone waiting for her. Even though they were having sort of a fight, Olivia needed to see Elliot. She wanted him tonight and she could only hope the feeling was mutual, or at least he wouldn't show her the door.

She parked in front of his building, got out of the car and took out her phone. She thought about calling him, but then decided against it. She saw the lights on the window, so he was awake. Olivia entered the hallway and ended up behind his door, to her great surprise she hesitated. Still she found the courage to knock.

As her last meeting went very wrong, she started to think that maybe this one will go just as badly. Luckily she didn't have much time to dwell on it, because Elliot came to the door.

"Hey," she said warily.

"Olivia," he said with surprise.

"Waiting for someone else? Should I leave so your mistress can come by?" she tried to make a joke, but realized soon that it was not the right time.

"No," Elliot said and held the door open for her.

She went straight to the couch and sat down on it. Elliot locked the door and came to stand in front of the couch.

"What happened?" he asked.

Olivia shook her head and placed her hands on her knees, leaning her forehead on her palms.

"You saw him, didn't you?" he asked, after realizing what must've happened.

"Yeah," Olivia replied.

"Speak to him?" he asked.

"It was a mistake. He's trouble," Olivia replied and lifted her head.

Elliot closed the distance and kneeled in front of her. He put his palms on her thighs to comfort her. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"Don't be. It was a mistake," Olivia repeated. She leaned onto him, her hands falling over his shoulders and grabbing his short hair.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked.

Olivia shook her head and the first tears fell down her cheek. Elliot accepted that and chose not to push her further. He moved his hands and forced her knees apart so he could get in between, then undid the belt and buttons on her coat.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Removing your coat," he said calmly. True to his word, he lifted her hands so he could take off the beige coat she was wearing, but he made no movements to remove other items of clothing. He got up and sat beside her, then not as much as pulled her towards him than she fell into his arms. Olivia buried her face on his shoulder and continued to cry.

He traced circles on her back and kept on whispering reassurances to calm her down.

"Liv, it's his loss. You are amazing and only a fool would try to push you away," he said and kissed the side of her head.

Olivia finally lifted her head and looked at him through her puffy eyes, her mascara all messed up. Elliot used his thumb to dry the leftover tears from her cheeks and under her eyes. "I'm sorry it didn't go as you wished," he said sincerely.

"Me too," she replied.

"Do you want anything to eat? Or a drink?" Elliot asked and turned his head towards the kitchen, where would be something edible if she wanted.

She didn't reply so he turned back to her. He opened his mouth to ask something else, but she stopped him by launching herself at him and pressing her lips to his. He fell slightly backwards at the force she attacked him with, but he managed to catch her and stay in sitting position, though not for long, because Olivia pressed on and he gave in so he ended up on her back and Olivia on top of him.

Olivia controlled the game – she had him between herself and the couch, while her lips moved across his neck and jaw, occasionally getting lost on his lips and then going back to trailing kisses all over his neck the way she knew would make him crazy.

"Liv, you sure about this?" Elliot asked seriously, when he sensed that soon there will be no going back as he could feel the tightness in his pants. Generally, he was not against sex, quite the opposite to be exact, but he wasn't big fan of being used as a tool to work through difficult emotions. But then again he was a male and being used for sex was not that bad either.

Olivia stopped the kisses, pulled away a little, removed her cardigan and unbuttoned the shirt she wore underneath, then kissed his lips again. "No talking," she ordered.

Elliot didn't protest against her, but he lifted his upper body from the couch so he could remove his shirt and Olivia went straight to undoing his belt and removing his jeans. He did the same and with some struggle got her jeans off. He didn't mind her taking control, on the contrary he was loving the way she moved her tongue over his chest and abdomen, the way her fingers traced his skin, but most of all he loved the way his body reacted to her touch. Even though Olivia had all the control, Elliot managed to unclasp her bra and throw the item on the floor, so he could feel her bare round breasts on his body and give his hands something to play with since she kept slapping his hands away every time he tried to touch her, but this time she didn't. She barely registered the loss of a bra except occasional moans she let out. Olivia touched his length through the boxers, she ran her hand up and down on the bulge while keeping an eye on his reactions, which were just what she expected.

Finally, they removed each other underwear, leaving them naked on the couch with Olivia still on top of him. She took him in her hands, stroking his already hard member and guided him towards her opening.

"Are you ready?" he asked, but she only smiled and sank onto his member. Olivia groaned and Elliot threw his head back at the movement. Elliot could've sword she wasn't this tight the last time they slept together, but it might be just his head playing tricks. She leaned forward and planted an open mouthed kiss on his lips and started moving her hips. He grabbed her ass and encouraged the movements, or at least it gave him a change to pretend that he had some control over the situation, when in reality he lost it the moment she kissed him. But he didn't mind.

She didn't say a word, but her moans spoke more clearly and Elliot could tell when she nearing her release. Olivia bit his shoulder to muffle her scream of pleasure and her body stilled, but Elliot continued thrusting into her chasing her climax, which arrived moments later.

It was only when he released her cheeks,that he realized how tightly he had been gripping her, but she didn't complain and he was positive that, when she didn't want his hands on her butt, she would've said so.

They stayed together in silence until their breathing and heart rate normalized, then Olivia was first to move. Elliot tried to stop her, but he was close to dosing off and reacted too late. To his great surprise she started looking for her clothes with every intention to get dressed. Elliot stared at her and sat straight.

"And what are you doing now?" he asked.

"Getting dressed," Olivia said as it was the only acceptable thing to do. She had managed to find her bra and clasped it close on her back, then pulled on her panties and took her jeans.

"Why are you getting dressed again?" he asked and raised his eyebrow.

"I'm not gonna go home naked, am I?" Olivia replied.

Elliot bolted up and raced to her. He took the jeans from her hands and threw them on the couch. "Why would you think about leaving?" he asked and took her hands.

"I got what I came here for, so it seems logical to leave," she replied.

Elliot shook his head and kissed her lazily. "Nope, I'm not the booty call, who you can ditch after sleeping with. I'm the boyfriend and I need the cuddling too," he said.

"Too bad," she said simply and continued her search for clothes.

Elliot smiled and followed her. He casually wrapped his arms around her from behind. Olivia jumped at that, but leaned onto him.

"How about that cuddle time now?" he demanded.

"I thought I made it clear, that I'm going home?" she asked.

Elliot nodded against her shoulder. "And I still need some quality cuddle time before falling asleep," he said.

Olivia smiled and turned herself around in his arms. "You thought I was really gonna leave?" she asked with a wicked smile.

"It seemed odd, I admit that," he said. Elliot gave one look to her bra and unclasped it. Olivia breathed out in relief. "God, this thing is really uncomfortable," she whined.

"I can give you a massage if it helps," Elliot offered and stared at her breasts.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Of course you perv," she snapped.

Elliot ignored her comment and guided Olivia to bedroom. There they got under the covers and Elliot spooned her from the back. "I'm glad you're in a better mood than before," he commented.

"Oh, you'd be a surprised what a good fuck does," she blurted out.

"I'm flattered," he replied.

Olivia elbowed him.

"Go to sleep," she ordered.

Elliot closed his eyes, but soon after opened them again and released her. She rolled over to her back to see why he released her, when he had been the one to insist on spooning even when she kept on rolling away from him. She looked up through groggy eyes.

"You wanted to know what we are," Elliot stated victoriously.

"What?" Olivia asked.

"Before. You were pretending to leave, so I'd say that I'm your boyfriend or let you leave. You just wanted to ask where are we," he elaborated.

"Nice theory," she commented.

Elliot had that smile on his lips as he turned to his back and continued to put pieces together. Olivia rolled over and placed her head on his chest, he welcomed it and wrapped an arm around her. "Good night," she whispered and closed her eyes. "Boyfriend," she added. She could sense Elliot's wide smile and for this once she let him have it. He had been partially right after all. She had tried to get him to admit something, but she was more testing if they're still on hot waters, because if they had been, he'd let her leave. He made her stay, which meant that they were okay and together.

***SVU***

The next day they got their perps, but none of the victims agreed to testify or even identify their attackers. Cragen wasn't too happy about that and when he ordered Olivia and Elliot home that night, emotions were running wild.

Olivia and Elliot got out of the precinct wordlessly, they reached the parking lot, where he's car was parked, when the silence was broken.

"Your place or mine?" Olivia asked.

"As much as I like my apartment, it's still half-packed and your sheets are much more comfortable than mine," Elliot said.

"Fine by me," she replied.

"There is one but, though," Elliot started. Olivia had a puzzled look on her face. "I don't have clean clothes at your place," he said. "Unless you did laundry," he added.

Olivia shook her head and leaned against his car.

"So we have a problem," she said. "Because I don't have clean clothes at your place either."

Elliot leaned over and kissed her.

"I'm gonna go by my place, grab a change of clothes for a couple of days in case I'll end up there more often, then grab a pizza from the place by my apartment and come to you. I'll be quick, I promise. You can have the shower you've been dreaming of all day while you wait," Elliot suggested.

"You should take jeans, they make your ass look even better and you more irresistible," Olivia requested.

"Oh, I most definitely will now. And afterwards I can take your sexy as hell jeans off, which also make you look hot," Elliot replied.

"Hmm… I like the way you think, detective," Olivia said seductively and ran her tongue over her lips.

"And now you wanna make me come straight to your place and do unspeakable things to you," Elliot whined.

Olivia smiled victoriously.

Elliot pushed her against his truck and wiped the smile off her face by pressing his lips against hers. His hands moved lower to cup her ass, but she broke the kiss at the movement and pushed him away.

"What?" Elliot asked.

"You did enough damage yesterday and I'm not interested in getting another bruise on my ass," she explained. He opened his mouth to reply, but Olivia pressed her fingers against his mouth before any words could escape his lips. "Don't you dare apologize and I expect tonight to be just as good as last night," she said.

Elliot kissed her fingers and then removed them from his lips. "I was gonna say that I have matching bite mark on my shoulder," he said. Olivia opened her mouth, but Elliot was faster, "And don't you dare to apologize either."

Olivia laughed and Elliot joined in.

"I'm gonna go now, I'll see you later," she said and gave him a quick kiss.

"I could drop you off," Elliot proposed.

Olivia shook her head. "I like to walk, you know," she said and left the parking lot.

Elliot looked after her and then got into his truck. He drove to his place, parked and got into his apartment. He found his gym bag and went straight to his closet. He grabbed a pair of clean jeans, a couple of t-shirts and bottom-ups, then looked for clean boxers and took almost all of them. He finished packing with throwing socks into the bag. He didn't see anything else he might need, besides he has had a toothbrush and shaving gel there for a long time.

True to his word, he dropped by a pizza place close to his apartment and got her favorite, then drove back to the other side of Manhattan, where her apartment is. He parked, got his things along with pizza and locked the car. He looked up to her window and noticed the light on as expected. Elliot smiled and let himself in the hallway and then climbed the stairs to her door and unlocked it.

"Honey I'm home," he announced as he entered.

He didn't expect the sight that opened in front of him. Olivia was sitting on the couch with another unknown man sitting opposite to her. There were two glasses of whiskey on the table and Olivia seemed comfortable around the guy. He could only assume it was her half-brother, because he had never seen the man and he knew most of Olivia's friends, who were mostly from work.

"Hey, El," Olivia greeted.

"You were expecting me, weren't you?" Elliot asked and stared at the man on her couch.

Olivia nod.

She got up and walked to Elliot to greet him with a peck on the cheek. She took the pizza from him and dropped it on her coffee table in front of TV. Then grabbed his bag.

Simon got up as well, he looked rather uncomfortable in the presence of another male in the room, especially because he had yet to find out who it was.

"El, this is Simon Marsden," Olivia tried to sound casual. "Simon, it's my… This is Elliot," Olivia stumbled to introduce Elliot, she wasn't sure if she should introduce him as her partner or boyfriend.

Olivia left the men alone for a moment to drop Elliot's bag in the bedroom.

"I'm Elliot, the boyfriend," Elliot said roughly and held his arm out. Simon didn't hesitate before taking it. "I'm Simon, Olivia's half-brother," Simon said.

After breaking the hand shake Simon noticed the gun on Elliot's hip. "I see you're a police officer too," he commented.

"Yeah, I'm a detective actually," Elliot said.

"He's my partner," Olivia added as she returned to the living room.

Olivia took the lead and sat down on the couch, Simon resumed his previous position by her side and Elliot took a seat on the armchair. He opened the box of pizza and took a slice, Olivia followed his lead. Simon was hesitant and chose to take a drink instead.

"So how did you find where Olivia lives?" Elliot asked with suspicion.

"I, uh, followed her home from the precinct," Simon said shyly and looked at Olivia, who wore neutral expression.

"You are good at following women," Elliot commented roughly.

Simon looked at Olivia again, "It's funny, because Olivia said the same thing," Simon tried to lighten the mood and smiled. He looked from Olivia to Elliot and back at Olivia, who encouraged him with her warm expression of half-smile, but Elliot continued to stare at him with suspicion.

The silence filled the room, along with tension, which arrived with Elliot.

"Don't let me interrupt your bonding or whatever you were doing before my arrival," Elliot said and leaned back.

Olivia looked puzzled, but Elliot gave her a nod. He got up to grab a glass for himself as well and poured some whiskey into it.

She used the time, when he was in the kitchen area, to get back to her conversation with Simon, besides she realized, that Elliot made the other man feel uncomfortable. "I asked about your father," Olivia prompted.

"Right. He was a normal guy. He loved my mom, he loved me. True, he had his problems with alcohol and work, but he was always good to me until he died," Simon talked about his father. "That's why I can't believe he… did what he did," he trailed off.

"But here you are," Simon added. "My sister."

"Here I am," Olivia repeated.

Elliot returned to his seat. He had dropped his badge and gun in the bedroom along with his jacket. He flipped one leg over the other and observed Olivia's interaction with her brother, while eating pizza.

"You said, you found me by chance?" Simon asked.

"Yeah," Olivia confirmed her lie, but she felt Elliot's stare on her, though she refused to look at him. "It was just something my mom said," Olivia elaborated.

"Where is your mom?" Simon asked and looked around for any sign of older woman, all he could see was a picture of older woman by her TV.

"She's dead," Olivia replied heavily.

Simon didn't ask anything else about her mother, because he realized that this might not be the easiest subject and there was always a chance his – their – father's actions had something to do with it.

"So you're on your own now?" Simon asked, then he remembered Elliot and quickly corrected himself before Olivia could reply. "Besides Elliot I mean."

Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "Pretty much. My mother was an only child and my grandparents are long dead," she replied. "But I have Elliot and his family now," she added quickly and turned her eyes towards her partner. Simon did the same.

"I have kids from previous marriage," Elliot clarified.

Simon looked at the couple, "Are you two married?" he asked hesitantly, though he didn't notice a ring on Olivia's finger.

"No," Olivia replied quickly.

"Not yet," Elliot said at the same time.

Elliot winked at Olivia, who replied by raising her eyebrows and then smiling. Marriage was not a topic they had discussed and quite honestly she hadn't even thought about it as she didn't feel the need to get a ring around her finger, Elliot hadn't brought up the topic either and marriage was certainly more important to him because of his religion.

"Oh," Simon replied.

"For now we see how this thing works, but someday I plan on making an honest woman out of your sister," Elliot summed it up, emphasizing the last word.

Simon gained courage from Elliot's calm expression, so he decided to take the topic further. "So I get to be the overprotective brother, who tells you not to hurt Olivia and make sure you're good enough for her," Simon said.

Elliot uncrossed his leg and placed his glass on the table. "You are gonna be judging if I'm good enough for Liv?" Elliot asked in disbelief.

Simon realized, that he must have said something wrong, but he wasn't exactly sure what, so he stayed silent.

"You didn't know Liv until yesterday and even then you managed to drive her away. So you've known her for whole 24 hours and after sharing stories of your prick father, you're suddenly her savior?" Elliot asked.

"El," Olivia begged silently and shook her head.

"No, he's right," Simon protected Elliot.

"Of course I am. I've known Olivia for about a decade and I've been here and seen every up and down. And let me tell you one thing – if anyone is gonna be judging anyone, then it will be me deciding if you are good enough to be in Olivia's life," Elliot continued with anger.

"I am and I'm gonna prove it. I'm not my father," Simon defended himself.

"You'd better be, because I will not stand aside and let you tornado her life to disappear, when you get bored or whatever," Elliot threatened Simon.

"El, I'm perfectly capable of standing up for myself," Olivia commented.

"I know, but that's what I'm here for," Elliot said with much calmer voice than before.

"I like him. He's a keeper," Simon said to Olivia.

Olivia smiled again, "Yes, he is," she agreed with Simon.

Simon looked at her watch and surprised how late it was. "Look, I'd love to get to know you better, but I have to go, I promised Lucy to get back at decent time," Simon said. "Maybe we can meet again tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow sounds good," Olivia replied.

Simon stood up and got to kitchen, where he had noticed Olivia's pad and pen by the counter. He opened it and wrote down my number, then got back to living room and handed it to Olivia.

"Here's my number. I am not working tomorrow, so call me when you get off," Simon said.

"I will, Simon," Olivia promised.

Simon nod. "It was nice meeting you. Both of you," he said his goodbye.

"Nice meeting you too," Elliot replied.

"See you tomorrow," Olivia said.

Simon turned to leave, but he noticed the picture of Olivia he had found in his father's things on the counter. He took and hesitated for a moment.

"Do you wanna have it?" he asked and turned around.

Elliot walked to him and took the photo in his hands, looked at it with amazement and then back at Olivia.

"Long curly hair fits you," he commented.

"You know what? Keep it," Simon said.

Elliot accepted the photo and held his hand out for Simon, who took it. The men shook hands and then Simon left the apartment. Elliot locked the door after him and then turned back to Olivia.

"So this is your brother?" he asked.

Olivia nod heavily. "Seems like you don't like him very much," she commented.

Elliot shook his head.

"I like him, at least I have no reason not to," Elliot said easily. Olivia opened her mouth to protest against his actions. "But I don't trust him," he added.

"Give him a chance, El," Olivia said seriously, though her voice was calm.

Elliot nod and closed the distance. He locked his hands on her back and smiled at his girlfriend, the picture Simon left of her still in his hands.

"So tell me where did he get a picture of you in college?" Elliot asked.

"High school, junior year," Olivia corrected him.

"Okay. Why does he have it?" Elliot asked again.

"He found it in his father's things," Olivia replied, "He kept track of me or at least tried to. Which means he knew about my existence."

"Yet he never tried to contact you?" Elliot asked.

Olivia shook her head. "Not that I know of. He didn't seem familiar either," she said.

Elliot brought one hand with her picture to her head and he compared the Olivia from high school with the Olivia of present.

"You look still as gorgeous as in high school," he complimented.

Olivia leaned up and kissed his lips.

"On second thought time has been good to you and you look now even better than you did back then," he said and dropped the picture on the table.

"Thank you. But when do I get to see a picture of you in high school?" she asked with a smirk.

"Someday," he replied.

Elliot reached for her hair and pulled the elastic band to let them fall loosely behind her back. He wrapped one hand in her hair and kissed her, he slipped his tongue in her mouth and there was no longer a question about what they'd be doing that night.

Olivia grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it upwards until Elliot released her and held his arms up, so she could remove his t-shirt. They broke the kiss for a moment, and Elliot used it as well, when he pulled her vest off.

The moment her vest ended up on floor, she attacked his neck with her lips. Olivia kissed her way on her neck, using her tongue to trail her lips; she did it just the way he likes. Elliot responded by unclasping her bra and throwing it away. Olivia groaned slightly at the relief it brought, but her groan turned into a moan quickly as he massaged her breasts gently.

Olivia ran her fingers over his broad shoulders, but came to stop, when she felt a bite mark under her fingertips. She pulled away and looked at his left shoulder and kissed the mark gently.

Elliot came to halt as well and kissed her passionately. With his hands on her back he pushed her body against his, while her hands wandered to his bottom and into his jeans pockets. She pinched his firm bottom and pressed his lower body against hers. She felt his hardened length against her abdomen and she knew he was just as ready as she was.

Olivia pulled away from the kiss and tried to undo his belt, but Elliot stilled her hands.

"You had all the control yesterday, today is my turn," he said.

"Okay," Olivia replied and held her hands up as in defeat.

Elliot smiled, kissed her cheek and picked her up in bridal style. Olivia shrieked in surprise, but didn't waste any time before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek and jaw.

"And I want to show you just how much I love you in the bedroom, girlfriend," he whispered.

"And I love the way you love me, boyfriend," she replied absentmindedly, already thinking about what he was going to do with her and he knew even before he could do anything that she'll be enjoying every minute of it.

***SVU***

It was noon the next day, when a cordially pissed Cragen opened his office door with a bang, that made everybody in the squad room look at him.

"Benson," he yelled.

Olivia looked up.

Cragen went back to his office and Olivia knew she had to follow him and she also had a feeling that Captain Millfield had called her CO. And by the looks of it, Cragen was not too happy with it.

"Do you think he knows about your midnight visit to Riverpark?" Elliot asked.

"Probably," Olivia said numbly and stood up.

"Good luck," Elliot whispered.

She passed her desk without answering and ignoring the looks she was getting from everyone in the room. Olivia closed the door behind her and faced Cragen with strength, ready to accept whatever Cragen was about to give her.

"I got a phone call from Riverpark PD, again," Cragen said with calmness, that surprised Olivia.

"I assumed that," Olivia replied carefully.

"Captain Millfield seems to think that you questioned her methods for catching a rapist. She is also under impression that you are having sexual relationship with her suspect and try to protect him as well as give him a false alibi. I might have managed to talk her out of charging you with obstruction of justice charge," Cragen said. "I almost thought that she was talking about some other detective Benson, but you're the only detective Benson in NYPD, I checked."

Cragen sat on the edge of his desk and looked at his detective seriously. "Do you have anything to say in your defense?" he asked softly. "Because I don't want to believe, that you're capable of the things she is accusing you of."

"She has been focused on Marsden since the beginning and I doubt she even considered other suspects. So I just pointed out that the victim might know her suspect from somewhere else and she'd better have airtight forensics on this case," Olivia explained.

"So you did question her? Doubted her methods and the guilt of the suspect?" Cragen asked to clarify, his voice no longer calm. He stood up and stared Olivia down.

"I just hope she has airtight case," Olivia said.

"Was she also right about you giving fake alibi to Marsden and having sexual relationship with him?" Cragen asked.

"Simon Marsden was in my apartment last night, he left about 3 hours before the rape. But I am not having a sexual relationship with him," Olivia explained.

"Does Elliot know about it?" Cragen asked and looked over her shoulder into the squad room, where Elliot was working behind his desk.

"Yes, he was there too," she said easily.

"I'm ordering you to stay away from New Jersey and I don't ever wanna get another call from a Captain from another precinct, who claims that you're trying to sabotage their case," Cragen replied with all seriousness, after confirming and rejecting some unnerving statements Captain Millfield made.

"No problem there," Olivia replied.

Cragen turned her back to Olivia and walked behind his desk. Olivia wondered if she could leave, but didn't dare to ask.

"What's your connection to Marsden anyway?" Cragen asked.

Olivia took a moment to think about the answer. She could lie about him being an old friend or something, but finally decided to go with the truth – Cragen deserved as much. "He's my brother," she replied.

"How did you find him?" Cragen asked.

Now she regretted telling the truth, because she couldn't confess to Cragen about illegally running her DNA through the system. She shook her head while wondering what to say, but then chose to go with the same lie she told Marsden. "Coincidence."

"Nothing to do with those cold case DNA samples that Doc Warner ran for you?" Cragen asked, already suspecting then that one of those DNA samples was from her. She became obsessed with kinship DNA after it helped them solve a case of missing baby and his paternity.

Olivia shook her head. "I can't say," she replied as it was the safest option.

Cragen was pissed and she could say, even though he tried to hide it. Truthfully she'd be pissed as well, but telling the truth wasn't an option, because then Cragen would be forced to take action against her and despite everything Olivia liked her job.

"What does your partner know about this?" Cragen asked. Olivia's reaction told him, that he hit a nerve there. So he chose not to wait for her answer, which would probably be untrue as well, and walked past her to the door. "Nothing," Olivia replied and turned around. He could see fear in her eyes.

Cragen ignored her and opened his office door. He called for Elliot, much calmer than he had called Olivia before, and invited him to his office as well.

"Well, if he knows nothing, why was he with you in New Jersey 4 nights ago?" Cragen asked Olivia before Elliot got in the office. Olivia felt more and more like she was being interrogated and she knew that she was moments from being found guilty. All of the cards were in Cragen's hands now and her fate depended on Elliot. It's like the two men were starting to play a game about her future and she couldn't do anything to stop it or even to interrupt it as much as to give directions to Elliot.

Elliot entered and saw the look on Olivia's face, which told him it was nothing good. He stood beside her and Cragen closed the office door.

"Your partner just told me her good news. Now she's got a baby brother, but you already knew about it," Cragen said with the smallest of smiles.

Elliot didn't say anything. He heard Olivia's quickened breathing by his side and he knew that Cragen was onto her.

"How did she find him?" Cragen asked.

"I think that's for Liv to say," Elliot said, which obviously wasn't anything Cragen expected. Cragen stepped closed to the pair. "I've put my head on the block dozens of times for you tow and you're gonna hit me with this thin blue line crap?" Cragen said seriously, anger obvious in his voice.

"Do you really expect me to believe that you share a bed, but when Olivia shows up with a brother, then you don't ask and she won't say?" he asked, but didn't expect a reply. "You've already compromised one case, maybe others," he continued and let him words settle for a moment.

"Why should I keep you together?" he asked his detectives and noticed how both of then tensed up and the fear was back in Olivia's eyes, while Elliot expressed anger. "Why should I keep you at all?" Cragen went a step further and asked.

Before Olivia or Elliot could argue against their Captain, the office door opened and Munch appeared, Cragen turned himself toward him. "Hey, Captain. You remember our man-on-man rapist, Bobby Trapido?" Munch asked and held the file up, so Cragen could see the man. "We got two of his Attica boyfriends on tape," Munch informed Cragen. He noticed the serious and even fearful faces of Olivia and Elliot and realized he must have interrupted something important, so he closed the door and left.

Cragen looked after Munch even after he was gone. He was debating on his actions concerning Olivia and Elliot. They had been causing him constant trouble over the past months ever since Olivia came back from Oregon, but when before they were at each other throat then now they're ignoring the law and protecting each other, going as far as to cutting him off completely and that's not the loyalty he expected from his detectives. It was only then that he realized how much problems their loyalty and affection for each other caused. But he didn't have time to deal with them on that moment.

"Just go home, some time alone would do good for both of you," Cragen said and glanced back at them, then left the office, leaving the door wide open.

Olivia turned her head towards Elliot, as he turned to her. Without saying a word to her, Elliot left Cragen's office, she followed her a bit later. Casey, Munch and Fin looked after them from the screen, where two prisoners talked about the latest suspect. Cragen was the only one, who didn't even seem to notice the detectives collecting their personal things, turning off their computers and leaving in complete silence.

"I'm gonna go see my kids," Elliot announced after the elevator doors closed with them inside.

"It'll do you some good," Olivia agreed.

Elliot shrugged his shoulders. "You can come too, if you want to," he said casually.

"No, I think I'm gonna go home and take a nap, didn't get much sleep last few nights," Olivia rejected his invite.

Elliot nod.

They got out of the elevator and walked out of the precinct. He barely waved at her for goodbye and she returned the lazy hand gesture, when they departed with no plans on meeting later that day.

***SVU***

Later that day, after Casey, Fin and Huang got confession out of Bobby, Cragen allowed his thoughts to return to his detectives. He was listening in on an interrogation and after Huang came out from the room, Cragen got an idea. He turned town the interrogation room intercom and turned to Huang.

"I'd like your advice on something, doc," Cragen asked.

Huang nod his head.

"Benson and Stabler," Cragen clarified.

Huang nod again. "What about them?"

"Let's go to my office," Cragen suggested.

Both men left the observation room and entered Cragen's office. Cragen took a seat behind his chair and motioned to Huang to do the same.

"So, what about Olivia and Elliot?" Huang asked.

"I'm not sure if keeping them together is a good idea anymore," Cragen said heavily.

Huang looked surprised. "Did something happen between them? They seem to work well together and I haven't noticed much of a change after they became romantically involved. Though I have to admit, things have been a little strained since Olivia did some work for the FBI," Huang wondered.

"They're not fighting as much as I can tell, but I'm starting to wonder if their loyalty to each other and the need to protect each other is stopping them from doing their job. This case was particularly good example, because we could've had Bobby on Saturday night before the last crime was committed, but Olivia seemed distracted and Elliot kept on covering for her," Cragen explained.

"I'm thinking it has something to do with Olivia's half-brother," Huang commented.

Cragen nod. "Neither of them are telling me anything about it, though I have a pretty good idea how she found him."

"I find it natural for Olivia to want to know more about this guy. What would you do if you found that you have a sibling out there? Nobody wants to be alone and I guess she just wants to know more about her brother and also about her father, the man, who raped her mother. It's family and family makes everybody do questionable things," Huang explained.

"Her long lost brother is in custody as a suspect in multiple stalking and rape case," Cragen said.

Huang smiled. "And how is Olivia taking it?" he asked.

"Questioning the officers and captain, who investigated the case," Cragen replied dimly. "Captain Millfield was ready to charge Olivia with obstruction of justice."

"She wouldn't do it, because I'm sure she looked up Olivia the moment they met and she'd realize that Olivia's jacket is clean. She is an outstanding detective and I doubt she'd have any problem finding people to talk about her commitment and work ethics. That would bring more heat on the case and make it weaker," Huang explained.

Cragen took a deep breath, because he was scared that Millfield might actually do it, even though he thought he managed to talk her down.

"But there is still the problem with their working relationship. The way they're acting makes me want to separate, suspend or even fire them. I'm just not sure it is the right thing to do," Cragen said.

Huang thought for a moment and looked at the wall behind Cragen.

"You can try rotating partners for some time, see if it helps, if they work together with Fin and Munch for short time," Huang suggested. "But that plan might backfire rather quickly," he added.

"So you think I should split them up permanently or even ship one of them out of SVU?" Cragen asked.

Huang shook his head. "No, you don't want to do that," Huang replied. "There are plenty of other choices, that are not as radical and that give you the opportunity to get to the bottom of the problem. But there is always a chance, that they are acting like this, because it's personal to one of them and our primary instinct is to protect the loved ones. Have they acted like this before?"

"Not that I know of," Cragen replied.

Huang nod and continued: "But do you think Elliot would've come to you about Olivia's actions if they weren't together?"

Cragen thought for a long time, trying to think about the dynamic between those two before they became involved and he couldn't remember a time, when they weren't loyal to each other. "I'm not sure," he said finally. "I wouldn't have been surprised if Elliot would've acted the same way even then."

"I might be wrong, but I don't think their involvement has changed the way they work together. True, in some instances they might make decisions based on emotions, but I don't think that is the problem here. I think what has happened is inevitable. Olivia and Elliot have been partnered together for how long?"

"Over 9 years."

"It's actually a bit longer than average American marriage. I'd be surprised if they didn't share a strong bond with each other, because they probably spend more time with each other than without each other, even before their relationship status changed. It's noted that many police officers trust their partner more than their significant other and that causes the high divorce rate amongst them," Huang went on.

"So I should divorce them by separating them?" Cragen asked.

"No, I think we're not there yet," Huang said fast. "My suggestion would be independent psychological assessment. I could talk to them myself and give you my assessment, but I've worked with them a lot and therefore I am biased towards them as they are towards me. I'd suggest you find someone they either already trust or someone they have never met before. I think you should do that before thinking about switching partners or taking their shields," Huang concluded.

"You have any recommendations?" Cragen asked and leaned back on his chair.

Huang thought for some time. "They have worked with Dr. Rebecca Hendrix and I believe she has won Stabler's trust? What about Benson?"

"They worked together on several cases and Benson goes way back with her," Cragen replied.

"Maybe you could call her and see if she'd agree. If she doesn't call me and I'll give you a list of trusted colleagues," Huang said.

"Thank you," Cragen said.

"But I recommend waiting for some days, when the thing with Marsden blows over. Give Riverpark PD a day or two to solve the case, that way Olivia's emotions won't be in the wrong place," Huang suggested.

"I'll keep that in mind. I will make the call tomorrow and see if I can get someone to talk to them in a few days. Anything else?" Cragen asked.

"Captain, go home and get some sleep. This case and your problematic detectives are taking a toll on you. As a doctor I suggest a good night sleep and some relaxation. Your case is closed and your detectives are not running anywhere," Huang said to the older man.

Cragen nodded, seriously thinking about taking that advise for this once. Huang accepted the response and left Cragen's office to call it a night and go home. Cragen watched after the FBI agent, then grabbed his coat, turned off the lights and left the office.

***SVU***

Olivia had Marsden's things all over the coffee table and she was between wanting to read everything and throwing it all out, when there was a knock on her door. She looked at the time and wondered who it'd be. She unlocked the door and opened it.

Elliot looked back at her. He offered her a smile. "Thought you could use some company," he said. Olivia smiled and held the door open for him. Elliot didn't walk past her, instead he flung one hand around her neck and kissed her. He closed and locked the door with his free hand behind his back, then brought his other hand up and placed it on her back.

Olivia placed her hands on his back and enjoyed the way his tongue moved along with hers, which made her momentarily forget everything else going on in her life. It came flooding back, when he pulled away. He looked at her with half smile, half concern with some amounts of want in his eyes.

"El, there's not gonna be sex tonight," Olivia said.

He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. "I didn't come for sex. And I think we established that you're not my booty call," he said.

"Good. Because we've been having too much sex lately as it is," Olivia commented.

"There's no such thing," he whispered.

Elliot looked over her shoulder at the living room and noticed a mess of papers and pictures on her coffee table. He turned her around and led her to the couch.

"What's this stuff?" he asked.

"Simon Marsden sent it over to me, so I could get to know him better," Olivia explained. She sat down on the couch, but Elliot moved around the table until he picked up Marsden's yearbook and sat down in the armchair.

"Get to know him better?" Elliot asked and looked over at Olivia, who looked down. "Think he's guilty?" he asked to change the subject somehow.

"My head says: yeah, he's guilty, and my heart says… How could he be? He's my brother," Olivia replied honestly and looked at him for judgement – knowing it will come, hoping it wouldn't. Elliot looked at her and then turned back to the yearbook, so Olivia continued explaining her opinion. "But there's things about this case that I don't like. Like, a good lawyer could get that lineup thrown out in a heartbeat. And captain Millfield has focused on Marsden since the beginning, at the exclusion of all others."

"What was the name, the captain's?" Elliot asked suddenly.

"Millfield, Julia Millfield. Why?" Olivia asked. It seemed odd, that Elliot would choose to pick out the name of the captain and not her attempt to put doubt it Marsden's guilt.

Elliot gave Olivia the yearbook he had been looking through. "Carrie Millfield," he said. "Sister?"

Olivia took the book and looked at a photo of Carrie Millfield. She looked a lot like Julia Millfield – maybe they were sisters, that would explain almost everything… "They sure look alike, so possibly," she said.

"Captain Millfield's sister went to school with your brother? Did Marsden say anything?" Elliot asked, suddenly a doubt was cast over the case and Marsden's guilt.

"I don't think he ever met her. I mean, how many our perps meet Cragen?" Olivia said, she thought about her contact with the Captain and it made even more sense. "And the one time that I suggested that we talk to him together, she refused."

"There's one way to find out if they've met and if Millfield could hold a grudge against your brother," Elliot said.

"We need to go see him," Olivia said and dropped the yearbook on the table on top of Simon's high school diploma and picture of his father – her father.

Elliot moved to sit beside her on the couch. "You okay with that?" he asked, knowing the last meet between the two after he was arrested didn't go that well. He ran his thumb over her thigh and had his palm on her shoulder blade.

"Yeah, I need to know what's going on in here. I need to know if he's a rapist like he's father or is he framed," Olivia said.

"Is he still in jail or out on bail?" Elliot asked.

"He's home," Olivia said, Simon had left her a message on her cell.

"Let's go then," he said.

Both Elliot and Olivia got up from the couch. She grabbed her jacket and both of them left the apartment. The ride to Jersey City was rather quiet, except for the radio. Olivia and Elliot barely exchanged any words. Olivia called Fin on the way to check Julia Millfield's employment file, and comes out Simon's DNA was entered into the system, when she was investigating a murder. There had to be a connection.

When Elliot parked his car in front of Marsden's house, he turned to Olivia and took her hand.

"Do you want me to stay in the car?" he asked uncomfortably, hoping she won't give him affirmative answer.

"No, I need you in there with me," she replied and squeezed his fingers around hers. "But let me do the talking."

"Okay, then let's go," he said.

Elliot took the keys from the ignition and exited the car, Olivia did the same. He locked the doors and met her on the half way. He took her hand again and led her to Simon's door. He held his hand up to knock, but she stopped him. Elliot looked down at her and was met with her lips crashing onto hers. He placed his free hand on her lower back and kissed her back.

"Now I'm ready," she said, when her lips released his.

Elliot smiled and knocked on the door. Olivia released his hand moments before Simon opened the door.

"Do you believe me now?" Simon asked from the door.

"Maybe," Olivia said coldly.

"We have some questions about the case. So can we come in?" Elliot asked.

Simon nod and held the door open. Olivia, Elliot and Simon moved to the living room, where Simon went to the further side of the room, but Olivia and Elliot stayed by the door.

Olivia questioned him about Julia Millfield and their past, while Elliot stayed quiet behind her. He only moved closer and opened his mouth, when Simon seemed reluctant to talk and Olivia didn't seem to know what to ask next.

As Simon talked about his date with Julia Millfield's sister Carrie, which sounded a lot like the beginning of sex crime and Olivia stopped being the concerned sister and turned into detective Benson in interrogation, Elliot moved even closer and gently placed his palm on her lower back.

"Why don't you just admit it? You're a rapist like your father," she said roughly, even though he realized it came hard for her.

"No, I am not like my father. I swear to you Olivia," Simon replied fast. "You know me."

"How can I know you?" Olivia replied.

It seemed to Elliot like she was starting to repeat what he has been telling her since she found out she had a brother.

Simon went on to continue reasoning that he's not to blame and that he's Olivia's brother. Even Elliot smelled something fishy about this case, and the more Olivia seemed to be convinced of his fault, Elliot became to wonder if he's innocent.

"I could never lie to my big sister," Simon said finally and sat down on the couch. "Never."

He was close to tears.

Olivia took a deep breath and walked over to the couch, sat down and wrapped her hands around Marsden to offer some comfort to her brother.

Elliot looked at the pair intensely. Both Simon and Olivia looked at him for answers.

"It doesn't prove his innocence," Elliot said roughly, but he knew it was not what they were expecting.

In any other situation Elliot would've been reluctant to get in the middle of the investigation, but the pain in Olivia's eyes did the trick. He would've said yes to anything at the moment, if that would mean taking away the hurt.

"Look, we can go captain Millfield in the morning and confront her. Let's see what she'll say and if she admits to knowing Simon. We'll go on from there," he offered.

"Thank you," Simon said.

"I'm not doing this for you," Elliot replied. "And it doesn't prove your innocence. If it comes out you have been lying to Olivia the whole time, then the prison won't be the scariest thing, because I'll be coming after you."

"El," Olivia said quietly.

Elliot kept quiet and leaned against the wall.

Olivia stood from the couch and released Simon. She looked at her watch and saw how late it was.

"It's late, we'll go see Millfield tomorrow," Olivia decided.

She walked over to Elliot and stood by his side. She leaned onto him gently.

"Look we should go now, because we have work in the morning, but we'll go see Julia Millfield and see what she says about you. I'll let you know, but until then don't do anything stupid," Olivia said.

Simon nod.

"Take care," Elliot said.

They turned around and left the house. Olivia grabbed his hand and held on tight. "Thank you," she said.

"You know I'm not here for him. I'm here for you," he said honestly.

"You're here nevertheless. And I love you for it," she said with appreciation.

Elliot slipped his hand out of her hold and around her middle, then kissed the side of her head. "There's no place I'd rather be," he said sincerely. "Or maybe I'd rather be in bed than here."

Olivia raised her eyebrow. "You can still get to bed, when we get back and I might as well make it up to you."

"Yes, please."

Olivia smiled.

They got the car and Elliot drove back to her place. Once again radio killed the silence in the car. When Elliot pulled up in front of her home and killed the ignition, he looked over and was met with a sign of Olivia sleeping against the window.

"So much for making it up to me," he grunted.

Elliot didn't have the heart to wake her up, so he got out and opened the passenger's door. He held his hand out to catch her head, when the stable ground was removed from under it. Elliot leaned over her to unbuckle the seatbelt. Gently he slipped one of his hands under her knees and the other around her back. With ease he lifted her out of the car, locked the car doors and headed towards the house.

She moved slightly and wrapped her arms around his neck, her head fell to his shoulder, but she didn't wake up.

Elliot had some trouble with balancing her and entering the code at the front door, as well as unlocking the apartment door. He seriously considered flipping her over her shoulder like potato bag, but decided against her as that would surely wake her up.

Olivia opened her eyes nevertheless right after he had opened the door and entered her apartment.

"I don't remember getting married," she commented.

"Neither do I, so I surely hope you didn't," he replied with confusion.

"Yet isn't carrying the bride over threshold some tradition?" she explained.

"It's also a nice way to treat the girlfriend, who falls asleep in car. I don't think it's warm to sleep there," he said casually and pushed the door close with his hip.

"You could've woken me," Olivia said and yawned.

"There's no fun in that. Besides now I have a good reason to ask for something pleasurable," he smirked and walked through the living room area into the bedroom.

"So it's all about sex with you guys?" she asked and raised her eyebrows.

Elliot dropped her on the bed and climbed over her. "We're simple like that," he whispered.

"Wouldn't have guessed," she said sarcastically.

Olivia smiled. She lifted her head so she could kiss him. He responded eagerly and started undressing her through the kiss, she did the same.

"I promised to make it up to you," she smirked and moved on to kiss his neck the way that made him crazy.

Elliot smiled and moved his hands to her thighs, then guided them around his waist and rolled them over. He slipped his hands to her back and unclasped her bra, to remove the last item of clothing from her, which left them both naked on the bed. Olivia sat on his lower abdomen and used one hand behind her to hold his member.

"And by making it up to me, you mean you'll let me sleep with you?" he asked to clarify her intentions.

She shrugged. Then she released his member and climbed off of him and lied flat on her side.

"I could probably come up with something better, but it'll take some more time, so good night," Olivia said. She rolled over with her back towards him.

"The hell you are," he grunted beside her. He pulled her shoulder and she rolled back over. He climbed on top of her and held her head between her palms.

Olivia looked at him with mischievous smirk.

"You don't get to work me all up and then roll away. It's not nice and you won't make it worth my while like that," he protested.

Olivia smiled. "Then go ahead, rock my world," she demanded.

"Oh, I will," he promised and attached his lips against hers, his hands moving on her body, rediscovering and claiming in process.

And all Olivia could do was enjoy his magic for dragging him into the mess with her brother. From where she was, it seemed like a win-win situation, the added bonus being Elliot thinking that he won.

***SVU***

The next day Olivia and Elliot went to see Julia Millfield just as they said. Millfield denying knowing Simon is the same guy, who allegedly raped her sister. Still she was convinced, that Simon Marsden is the rapist and she had DNA to prove it. That put a doubt in the former idea of Simon Marsden being innocent, but didn't destroy it completely.

They stopped by Simon's house to warn him off and forbade him from doing something stupid. Olivia assured him, that they were not giving up yet and if he was innocent, then they'd find that out.

Olivia and Elliot interviewed some witnesses for another case, then got back to the precinct, where Cragen asked them to wait. He had a meeting that night, but he wanted to talk with the detectives, so they stayed behind their desks even after they were supposed to be off. Olivia used the time to go over her case, which was going to court the next week and Elliot continued doing her case reports which he was supposed to turn in before the mess with Marsden started.

"What do you think Cragen wants?" Elliot asked over his desk. He tilted his head so he could see her on the other side of computer screens.

"I don't know. But I have a feeling like we're not gonna like it," Olivia said.

Elliot agreed with a nod.

"We haven't screwed up that badly lately," Elliot mused.

"Maybe you haven't, but the mess with Marsden is still hanging over me and it's not over. Don't think he was too pleased about that," Olivia said.

Elliot laughed. "No, he wasn't," he agreed.

"My guess is that he's gonna suspend us or send us to some stupid lecture or maybe he just wants to have a serious conversation with us," Olivia offered.

"I hope he just wants to talk," Elliot said.

"Me too," Olivia replied.

Elliot's landline rang and pulled his attention. Olivia turned back to the file in front of her and Elliot picked up the phone.

"Stabler, Manhattan Special Victims Unit," he said to the phone.

He spent a long time in silence, his eyes looking in Olivia's direction even though he couldn't actually see her.

"Thanks for calling," he said finally, dropped the receiver and got up from his seat. Elliot looked around as he walked towards Olivia's desk and sat on the edge. He looked around once more, but they were alone in the bullpen. He crossed his arms on his chest.

Olivia looked up from the file in front of her and waited for him to share the piece of information.

"Riverpark PD went to pick up Marsden," he started, then took a deep breath. "He jumped bail."

Olivia shifted in her seat. "Does the girlfriend know anything?" she asked.

"No, do you?" Elliot asked and stared her with the intensity and sympathy he reserved for interrogation or her daughters, when he really needed to get the information the other might be reluctant to give away.

Olivia widened her eyes and played with the pen in her hand. "What are you saying, Elliot?" she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "You're family, aren't you?" he asked.

Olivia looked away from him and continued to play with the pen, then dropped it on the table and stood up. She came closer to him. "I would never interfere with an investigation," she said seriously. "Never," she added to emphasize the part and leaned in even closer. And Elliot believed her now. He knew she might be lying, but for some weird reason he believed her – she might investigate and doubt, but interference was not her style.

Elliot nod and offered her a smile.

Olivia looked to leave, then turned back. "And screw you for saying that," she said quietly. Then she turned her back to Elliot and walked away. Only she didn't get very far, because Elliot grabbed her hand and got up from her desk.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry, but I had to ask," he said apologetically.

Olivia knew that, and she was not holding a grudge.

"Thanks for waiting," Cragen said as he exited his office and headed towards Olivia and Elliot. Elliot thanked the captain for picking a right moment to interrupt them. He turned around so he was standing in front of Olivia and facing Cragen. Both detectives became serious and even fearful within instant – they're future might depend on what Cragen has to say.

"I discussed your situation with George Huang, and at his recommendation I want you to undergo an independent psychological assessment," Cragen said.

Olivia's mouth fell open and her head dropped. "Why?" Elliot asked, as surprised as she was.

"So I can decide if it's appropriate for you to continue working together," Cragen explained.

"And if we refuse?" Olivia asked and took a step closer, but she stayed behind Elliot. She placed her hand on his back and waited.

"You make my decision easy," Cragen said roughly.

He let the news sink in and walked away.

Elliot slipped his hand around her waist and turned to look at her. Their eyes met, but no words came out. Both of them were scared and million different ideas went through their minds.

"Well, at least he's not sending one of us away," Elliot offered.

"Yet," Olivia added. "He's not sending one of us away, yet."

Elliot pulled her closer and hugged Olivia, even though she didn't respond. "Let's go home. There's nothing we can do about it, just show up and tell whatever the psychologist wants to hear. And I believe that he won't separate us. But whatever comes, comes either way," he said softly.

"So, let's go home, well by home I mean your place, and forget work for the night," he said.

Olivia nod against his shoulder.

"I don't want to work with another partner or be shipped out. I like it here," Olivia said.

Elliot ran circles on her back to soothe the worry, but he knew it wasn't as simple.

"But you're right, we should go home," she agreed and pulled away.

Both of them closed their computers and files on their tables, grabbed their coats and walked out of the precinct. There was no question where they were going, because Olivia's place was closer than his and ever since the trouble with Simon, they have been even more reluctant to spend a night apart, but yet they were not talking about moving in together yet.

They grabbed a pizza on their way to her place, enjoyed their meal in front of TV and then showered together, which lead them falling into her bed.

Olivia's eyes fell shut the moment her head touched the pillow. Elliot scooted closer to her and placed his next to hers, his eyes closing as he rolled to his side so he was facing her.

"You remember how you said we were having too much sex?" Elliot asked without opening his eyes.

Olivia made a sound.

"I think you were right," he said.

"So we could just sleep tonight?" Olivia asked.

"Gladly," he replied.

"Thank god," Olivia said.

Olivia rolled over to her side, slipped her hand over his side and placed her head on his chest just below his jaw. Elliot wrapped his arm around her and he knew that sleep would come instantly.

***SVU***

Few days later both Olivia and Elliot were assigned to appear in their evaluation. Elliot was supposed to go in first in the morning and Olivia right after that. They learned, that they had to talk to doctor Rebecca Hendrix.

Elliot sat down behind the desk, connected his hands on the table and stared the woman down.

"Everything you say will be confidential," Rebecca assured him and set up the microphone.

"But you can still use it against me and Olivia," Elliot grunted.

"I am not against either of you. I am making a recommendation. That's all. And for your information I have been read in on your situation," Rebecca said easily.

She turned on the microphone and started.

"So tell me about Olivia Benson," Rebecca asked.

Elliot stayed quiet and suddenly he reminded being in therapy with Kathy and being asked to talk about her. Even though it seemed oddly familiar, he didn't think that would be appropriate or help his case in any way. "What do you want to know?" he asked to clarify.

"What is she like as a police officer?" Rebecca asked.

"She's experienced, professional, good with the victims. People trust her, they let her get close. She has empathy for the victims and ways to get the truth from our suspect. She's good at what she does," Elliot answered.

"Does she become emotionally involved?"

Elliot knew the right answer in light of Simon Marsden, but then again the only reason she did that was because she was family. But over the years there have been cases, but even then she stays late in the precinct, but he hasn't seen her taking her job home. "She does her job and when it's done, she goes home," he finally decided.

"Has detective Benson been under stress?"

Elliot laughed.

"Stress is part of the job, you know that," Elliot replied.

"I mean recent stress," Rebecca clarified.

"Nothing she can't handle," Elliot replied with confidence. "Some cases just hit harder than others, but when they are closed and the trial is done, then all of it comes undone. So even if her stress levels have been higher lately, she'll know how to handle it until it goes away. We have each other's back."

"How does she deal with the stress and hard cases?"

"She goes home, turns on the TV and eats something unhealthy. Occasionally it's a good book she relies on. Olivia doesn't live on the outside, so she tries to shut it off. During the years we have gone out for drinks or spent a night talking about the cases, which helped both of us," Elliot replied.

"And do you deal with it?"

"I go home. I see my kids, my loved ones. I look at them and then everything seems better. It helps having someone around, who understands the world and with whom I can talk about the cases without forcing them into this world. I've always had Olivia for that, because I couldn't tell Kathy about my job, but Olivia has been there and has seen it all. Maybe that's why work together so well. I trust her completely, I can tell her anything and when things get hard, I can lean on her as she can lean on me," Elliot replied.

"Are you and Benson good partners?" Rebecca asked.

Elliot glared at the woman sitting opposite to him. "We've been together for a decade. I have few things that she doesn't know. We have long learned and accepted each other the way we are. I know the way she works and I can offer her the best backup like that. So yeah, we're good partners. I wouldn't want a new one," Elliot replied.

"So you're saying you're dependent on her as your partner?"

Elliot shook his head. "I recently had a temporary partner while Benson was working with the FBI. There was no problem and I did my job as always. It's just much easier, when you have someone you completely trust by your side," he replied.

Rebecca nod and made some notes. "Describe your relationship with detective Benson," Rebecca said.

"Professional relationship I assume," Elliot clarified. Rebecca nod approvingly.

"As I said we're good partners. We work together well. I trust her to cover my back and she knows that I'm watching hers. I can figure out her next move and offer support, when I know she needs it," Elliot explained, though he though he already covered that.

"What makes her different from all of your other partners?" Rebecca asked.

"Besides the fact that I love her?" Elliot asked without thinking.

Rebecca nod with a slight smile.

"9 years of partnership. All of my other partners didn't last that long. But even so I think it was just a good match. With her I feel at ease, like I could tell her anything. During the first years of our partnership I confided in her a lot, because she didn't judge me and instead of lecture offered support. Liv's a warm person and she's easily likeable. I'm sure if you ask anyone else from the squad they'll tell you the same thing," Elliot said.

"And sometime during your partnership you fell in love," Rebecca stated.

Elliot nod and swallowed heavily.

"When did the nature of your relationship change?" she asked.

"Bit over two years ago," Elliot answered.

"So after you've been partnered together for about seven years?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah, about seven," Elliot agreed.

"What prompted the change in your relationship with detective Benson?"

Elliot shifted and stared at the table, but didn't say a word. He intertwined his fingers and subconsciously looked at his empty ring finger, where was still a barely noticeable tan line.

"Elliot?" Rebecca asked.

He looked at the psychiatrist intensely. "I don't know. It just happened. I was separated from my now ex-wife, so I wasn't bound by that, though the separation had nothing to do with Olivia, my relationship was over long before Olivia came into the picture. Why's our personal relationship under focus here?" Elliot asked, suddenly uncomfortable about talking his personal relationship.

"It's not. I just needed to define, when and why the change occurred to give a recommendation. I don't need details of your personal life," Rebecca explained.

"Okay," he said and nod to let her know he understood.

"How do you separate your personal and professional lives?" she asked.

"When I put on my suit, badge and gun, I'm a detective. At work I act professionally and the job comes first. When I remove my badge, then I'm a civilian and I can act accordingly. We have a strict rule to keep those lives separate and so far, it seems to work. You can ask almost anyone in the squad," Elliot replied.

"So during work hours Olivia is simply a colleague like detectives Tutuola or Munch?"

"Yeah, except she's my partner. But pretty much yeah," he agreed.

"How far does your loyalty to your partner go?" she asked.

"I don't understand the question," Elliot said.

"I'll put it another way. Say you had to choose between saving a member of the public..." Rebecca started, but Elliot interrupted.

"I already faced that situation," he said quickly, thinking back of the damned case with Gitano.

"And?" Rebecca asked.

"I saved my partner, a boy died," Elliot said heavily. He casually left out the part where Olivia didn't actually need him, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing her.

"Do you think it was the right call?"

Elliot stared at Rebecca intensely. "Of course. We can enter the land of what could have happened, but that's not gonna change a thing," he said roughly, raising his voice for the first time during the interview, but thinking about Gitano also rose many long buried memories and feelings. Elliot avoided going there at any cost.

"What would detective Benson do?" Rebecca asked.

"I don't know. You'll have to ask her," Elliot replied calmly.

"Okay. Do you have anything else to add?" Rebecca asked and dropped her pen on the table.

Elliot shook his head.

Rebecca turned off the microphone and pointed towards the door. Elliot stood up and left with great relief, but also with the uneasiness of the situation. He knew Olivia was supposed to come in after him, so he wasn't surprised to see him waiting outside the room.

"How was it?" she asked and stood from the chair the moment he entered the hallway.

"Just like any time someone wants to analyze part of your life and your brain. Nothing special," Elliot said with well-defined sarcasm.

Before Olivia could reply, Rebecca appeared on the door. "Detective Benson," she called. Olivia looked at the blonde, then back at Elliot who had started to walk towards the exit, while Olivia took the opposite direction and entered the room.

She took a seat on a chair, where Elliot was moments ago. Olivia crossed her hands under the table and waited for dr. Rebecca Hendrix to start.

"Do you know why you're here, Olivia?" she asked.

"Yes. Doesn't mean that I agree with it," Olivia replied coldly. Rebecca realized that Olivia's attitude was going to be a much bigger problem than with Elliot, but he turned on the microphone and started.

"Tell me about detective Stabler?" she asked.

"He's the best. Smart, brave, dedicated. He's done this longer than I have, so he's experienced in the field. I've learned a lot from him," Olivia replied.

"Do you trust him?" Rebecca asked.

"He's straight with me. I'm straight with him. I could tell him anything," Olivia said with ease. "I've been putting my life in his hands for nine years and I'm still here, so I trust him to watch my back."

"Does he become personally invested in certain cases?"

Olivia shook her head. "He's invested in solving every case, despite their different nature. They're all gruesome and heinous."

"How does he deal with the stress?"

"He goes home, spends time with his kids and focuses on his life outside SVU. It's the best any of us can do," Olivia replied.

"Has he been under more stress recently?"

Olivia shook her head and pushed a loose strand of hair from her eyes.

"How do you deal with difficult cases and the violence you meet every day at work? Is there someone you can talk to about it?"

"I do my best to leave work behind every night. Having someone to go home to helps, made me realize that there's more to life than SVU. And lucky for me, I can talk about everything with Elliot, especially about hard cases. It's not weird with him and he understands it even without saying anything," Olivia said honestly.

"Are you and Stabler good partners?" Rebecca asked.

"We've worked together for a long time. I can anticipate what he's thinking, what he's gonna do, how he wants to play a certain situation. I have no problem following his lead and leading at times," Olivia said, but almost instantly regretting talking too much. "Yeah, we have a great rapport," she concluded.

"How's your partnership different compared to your former partners?" Rebecca asked.

"I have never had a partner for that long. I guess the difference is that we know each other well and have a good working relationship," Olivia replied.

Rebecca made a few notes, but also spent a moment reading through the notes she made of Elliot.

"How do you solve your differences?"

"Compromise," Olivia said instantly.

"How about your personal problems? How do you deal with them at work?" she asked with curiosity.

Olivia shifted in her seat and stared at the wall behind Rebecca's head. "We leave our problems at home and deal with them there. Professional differences are usually solved through compromise or sometimes the issue disappears before we can get to it," she said, trying to remember their fights and how they solved them.

"What caused the sudden change of nature in your relationship with Stabler?" Rebecca asked.

"I don't know. It just happened. I guess our feeling for each other changed during our partnership and at some point we acted on them," Olivia tried to explain.

"How do you separate your professional and personal relationship?" Rebecca asked with curiosity – so far she has gotten pretty identical answers from both Olivia and Elliot.

Olivia sighed heavily. "At work he's my partner and we act as we always have, but most of the time we're concerned with doing our job and not how we're supposed to act with each other. When we take off our badge, then we can be whoever we want to be," Olivia replied.

Rebecca smiled and scribbled on her paper, which made Olivia uncomfortable.

"Do you think Cragen should separate the two of you?" Rebecca asked bluntly.

"He seems to think that way," Olivia answered. "But I don't see a reason other than he's suddenly lost confidence in us."

"Why would he lose confidence in you?" Rebecca asked.

Olivia sighed again – she was sure Rebecca knew about the situation with Marsden so she might as well go ahead and open that can of worms. "Because I found my brother recently and he's a suspect in rape, though it's not out case. Me and Elliot have met him and I've been somewhat involved with it. Cragen thinks our personal feelings are getting in the way of work, because as a result we didn't catch our perp, when we had an opportunity," she explained.

"So your personal feelings were affecting your job?" Rebecca asked.

"Maybe. Probably at some level, but that had nothing to do with my personal life," Olivia said firmly.

Rebecca made more notes on the paper. Then looked between it and Olivia.

"If you had to choose between saving your partner and saving a member of public, which would you do?" she asked finally, remembering how Elliot responded to that.

Olivia stared at her for a long time, then looked down.

"Olivia?" Rebecca asked.

Olivia turned her attention back to her. "Yeah," she said and stood up from her seat. "I'm done," Olivia said to Rebecca, and walked out of the room without looking back.

Rebecca dropped her pen and turned off the microphone. She went through her notes and finally made the call to captain Cragen. The older man arrived shortly and took the same seat Olivia and Elliot had been occupying before.

"So what's the verdict, doc?" he asked with worry all over his face.

"In my opinion, detectives Benson and Stabler have a degree of mutual reliance and emotional dependence that compromises their effectiveness as police officers," Rebecca said with heavy heart.

"In other words?" Cragen asked, hoping that would mean something else. Even though he threatened to break them apart, he didn't want to do it. In that moment he suddenly regretted going through with the assessment, because when he got a professional opinion, that he should split Benson and Stabler, then he should go through with it.

"They're too close," Rebecca Hendrix said.

"You recommend I split them up?" Cragen asked to clarify the situation, while desperately hoping that she wouldn't give him affirmative answer.

"If you want to lose two of your best detectives," Rebecca said seriously.

Cragen looked at her with dumb, but serious look. Sudden wave of relief filled him, but that was soon replaced with feeling of helplessness. He wanted a solution to the problem, but there seemed to be just one – keep them together and hope that they'll do their job better in the future and keep their personal feelings outside the precinct.

"Their reliance on each other is part of who they are. I don't think their personal relationship is the problem here. In my opinion they have coped by having the other around and nine years is a very long time, especially for a SVU detective. I think splitting them up will weaken their abilities and resilience, because their comfort is having the other around. They have unconditional trust for each other, but they have become dependent on each other as well, which created the perfect setting for a romantic relationship," she elaborated.

Cragen breathed out through his mouth, looked intensely at the younger woman, cleared his throat and then stood up. "Thank you doc, for the assessment," he said politely and walked out of the room. He put his hands in his pants pockets and lowered his head. Guess he'll have to deal with Benson and Stabler as they are, as they have always been.