AN: I think a lot of people thought this story was over after the last chapter, but don't worry, I'll let you know when it's over. It'll be pretty soon, but not quite yet. Thanks for reading and for your reviews!

EOEOEOEO

Elliot groaned when he heard Olivia's cell phone ringing on the nightstand. It seemed like they had just crawled into bed after their tryst on the couch, and he was still exhausted. "Don't answer that." He grumbled, pulling Olivia back against his body as she rolled away to grab it off the small table.

"It might be important." Olivia pulled away again and snagged the phone, rolling back to lie next to Elliot as she answered. "Olivia Benson."

"Olivia?"

Oh shit. She recognized the voice. After years of taking messages, how could she forget?

"It's Kathy." She said with that annoying hint of a whine she always seems to have in her voice.

Olivia turned her head towards Elliot, wondering if he could hear Kathy on the other end of the line. Elliot propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at her with a look of concern on his face. He had heard.

Olivia rubbed her hand across her eyes, trying to wake up. "Yeah." She said. "Hi."

"Did I wake you?" Kathy asked. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I need to get up anyway." She couldn't believe she was making chitchat with Kathy while Elliot was lying right beside her.

Kathy forged ahead. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I've tried calling Elliot's cell and he's not answering."

Oh shit. Oh shit. Olivia shot a glance over at Elliot but his expression was unreadable.

"Do you know where he is?" Kathy asked.

Lying in bed with me. Those words popped into her head, but she definitely was not going to say that.

"What does she want?" Elliot whispered and Olivia waved her hand at him, needing him to shut up.

"He was supposed to meet me here at Dickie's game an hour ago." Olivia glanced over at the clock and saw it was almost 1, and she felt the mattress bow as Elliot climbed out of bed.

"Kathy…I…" Olivia didn't know whether to lie and say he wasn't with her or to pretend he was with her on a call.

No. She couldn't say they were working…she had confessed to being asleep. Olivia looked over at Elliot as he scrounged around on the floor for his jeans. "I don't know where he is." She felt bad about lying but she didn't know what else to do.

Elliot was obviously surprised at her lie, as he jerked his head up as he snagged his jeans off the floor. He stood up quickly, but caught his elbow on the nightstand. "Fuck!" He yelled out before he could stop himself, and he quickly realized how loud he had been and froze, staring at Olivia.

"Elliot?" Olivia heard Kathy say his name in her ear, and she looked back at Elliot with a look of panic on her face. She was usually quick on her feet, but her mind was absolutely blank. "Olivia, is Elliot there with you?" Kathy asked. Olivia didn't answer…she just stared as Elliot stared back at her, and before she knew what she was doing, she thrust the phone towards him.

"Take it." She hissed, and Elliot took it from her, putting the phone to his ear.

"Kath?" he said, his eyes trained on Olivia. "Sorry I'm running late. I'm on my way." He hung up the phone before she could say anything.

"Oh my God." Olivia moaned as she threw her arm over her eyes. "I didn't know what to say." She was usually cool in an emergency, but her mind had been blank. Guilt washed over her. She lifted her arm and looked over at Elliot. "I'm sorry."

Elliot shook his head. "Nothing to be sorry about." He picked his t-shirt up off the floor.

"But…" She sat up and scooted back on the bed until she was leaning against the headboard, pulling the sheet up to cover her breasts.

"Liv." Elliot said, pulling his t-shirt over his head. "We're not doing anything wrong. I'm not married to Kathy anymore."

She thought about what he said for a few seconds, but she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt. For years, Elliot had been married to Kathy…he had been completely off-limits…emotionally…mentally…and most certainly physically. She couldn't just forget about that and pretend this was normal.

"Olivia." Elliot said, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"I know…but…is this really how you want her to find out that we're…" She shook her head. She couldn't imagine the conversation Elliot was going to have with Kathy.

"Involved?"

Olivia pressed her lips together and nodded slightly.

Elliot let out a breath. "Honestly? Not really." He said, and he saw Olivia look away from him. He reached over and gripped her chin lightly in with his hand, turning her head so she was looking at him again. "I wanted to wait to tell her…and to tell anyone else…until you're ready. Until we're ready." They really hadn't had a chance to talk about next steps. They had been so happy wrapped up in their own little world. "But it's going to be OK." He let his hand slide down her neck and across her shoulder. He ran his thumb back and forth across her skin. "It's going to be OK."

EOEOEOEO

Elliot rushed out of Olivia's apartment and down the stairs. He didn't know if he had done much to make Olivia feel better…he hoped so. The truth was, he really wasn't very happy about being forced to talk to Kathy already. He had a feeling that once he told Kathy, then word would get out, and they'd be forced to tell Cragen and everyone else. Not that it wouldn't come out eventually, but he was being selfish…he wanted things to stay how they were for now.

The minute he got in the car, his cell phone started to ring again. He grabbed it and looked at the caller ID, but when he saw it was Kathy, he let it drop in the center console. He let out a heavy sigh and headed towards Queens.

He arrived at the ball field and found Kathy in the bleachers. She was clapping and he turned and saw one of Dickie's teammates rounding 2nd base. He decided not to climb up into the bleachers with her…he didn't want to get into an argument in front of the other parents. He walked up to the chain link backstop and put his hands up, wrapping his fingers around the metal and leaning into it, watching the game.

The game was almost over when Elliot heard footsteps in the gravel next to him.

"Nice of you to show up." Kathy said. "You missed half the game."

Elliot could hear a slight edge in her voice…not full-fledged anger…but it was there, ready to explode. He was surprised she had waited to approach him until the game was over.

"They're playing well." Elliot said, choosing not to take the bait. The game ended at that moment, and Elliot dropped his hands from the fence and turned to look at her. "I'm going to talk to Dickie." He walked past her and headed towards the group of boys that were high-fiving each other. He heard Kathy's shoes crunching on the gravel behind him, but he ignored her, and saw Dickie break from the group and walk over towards them.

"You made it!" he said, with a smile on his face. "We won!"

Elliot talked with him for a few minutes and then Dickie told him that he was going for pizza with the guys. Elliot nodded and they said they're goodbyes. He watched the boys as they talked and laughed as they walked off as a team, and he smiled…remembering those days.

"Elliot, what the hell is going on?" Kathy asked, and he was brought back to the present. He sighed, and turned to face her, getting pissed off by the righteous tone in her voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I already told you that I was sorry I was late." He said, brushing past her. He knew he needed they needed to talk, but with the mood she was in, it was only going to end in an argument.

"Elliot." She said, quietly, but in a demanding tone, trying to get his attention. "You miss half of Dickie's game, and I was calling and calling you…"

Elliot kept walking and he knew she was following him, probably looking around to make sure no one was listening.

"I heard that you got in a fight with Jerry last night."

Elliot stopped and Kathy bumped into him. She took a step back and he turned to face her.

"You hit him? What the hell were you thinking?"

Elliot looked past her, and saw that all the parents were out of range…walking towards their car since they game were over.

He could see the outrage etched in her features, but she was trying not to make scene. "You really want to talk about this?" Elliot asked. "Here?"

"I want to know what's going on!" she said, the volume of her voice escalating as she said it. She took a deep breath. "Why were you at Olivia's?"

"Olivia's my partner." He said. Kathy was obviously not going to let this drop but he was intent on being vague unless she pushed him.

Kathy jutted her chin out. "If she was only your partner, then you wouldn't be there while she's sleeping."

"In case you've forgotten, we're not married anymore." Elliot said.

"So, you are sleeping with her." Kathy said, a sound of distaste in her voice.

Elliot hated the way she made it sound, like it was some tawdry affair. "It's not like that."

"How long?" Kathy said.

Elliot shook his head. He knew what she was asking. "I never cheated on you Kathy. You know I wouldn't do that."

Kathy let out a sound of disgust. "I wish I could believe that. I knew I should have demanded you get a new partner."

"I don't owe you an explanation…but Olivia and I didn't get involved until just a few weeks ago."

Kathy let out a strangled laugh. "Who are you kidding? You two have been involved for years."

"Kathy, you can believe what you want to believe…but Olivia had nothing to do with us…or why we broke up."

"How can you stand there and say that with a straight face? You fell in love with another woman."

Elliot pressed his lips together. Despite all his best efforts, he knew he couldn't unequivocally say that his feelings for Olivia hadn't impacted his desire to fix things in his failing marriage, but he couldn't regret anything. He loved Olivia…in an all-consuming way that he had never felt for Kathy.

His anger left him then…and his shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry Kath…I really am. I did the best I could." Elliot saw Kathy's face change…the fight leaving her at the change in his tone. "I loved you. I still do. But we were so young and we've both changed so much. Whether I'd met or Olivia or not…I still think we'd be in the same place."

Kathy was shaking her head slightly, and Elliot saw tears brimming on her lower lashes. He felt like an asshole, and he knew it was partly for his failure to make things works…his failure to keep his vows and support his family…but it was also because he had moved on. He was happy…he had found someone to make a future with, and Kathy hadn't.

He reached out tentatively, and placed his hands on her upper arms, expecting her to push him away. When she didn't, he tugged her towards him and she allowed him to pull he against him. He rested a hand on the back of her hair, and she cried into his shoulder. "I'm sorry." He whispered a few times.

A few minutes later, she seemed to collect herself and she pulled away. Kathy swiped at her face, and Elliot could see by the set of her jaw that some of the anger had returned. "Well, I hope you're not too busy with your new girlfriend to make time for your children." She snapped. "And I don't want that…"

Elliot narrowed his eyes in warning…he could tell she was going to use some disparaging remark and he wouldn't tolerate it.

"I don't want her around the kids." She took a few steps backwards, distancing herself from him.

"Kath…"

"I have to go." She said abruptly.

"We need to talk some more." Elliot said.

"I can't talk to you right now." Kathy said. She turned and walked away, and he let her go. They would need to talk again, but he knew now wasn't the time. He watched as she got into her car and drove away, and then walked over to the bleachers and sat down.

Guilt weighed on him heavily, but as he and Olivia had discussed so much over the past three weeks, this was the hand they were dealt. They both had to live with how they'd gotten to this place, and they both deserved to be happy. There was no point in denying in each other…he wasn't going back to Kathy and Olivia wasn't going to find someone else to take his place.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and thumbed open the phone app. He hit Olivia's name and heard the phone ringing.

"Hey." Olivia answered, and Elliot heard concern and relief all rolled into the tone of her voice and that one little word.

"Hey." Elliot said.

"You OK?"

"I will be." Elliot said. "Liv?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." Elliot said.

"Come home El."

Elliot smiled. "I'm on my way."