Elliot was beginning to adjust to the cool air against his skin at night. No matter what he did, Olivia always managed to get the covers all to herself. They really needed to buy another thick blanket for him, even though he doubted that he would be able to keep that one either. Being chilly at night was a small price to pay for the ability to sleep right next to the woman he loved every night. When he woke, he found Olivia curled up in a ball next to him shaking, despite the fact that she had the blanket fully wrapped around her slim frame. Upon closer inspection, he saw beads of sweat on her forehead. He gently placed his hand on her forehead, trying to check her temperature.

"You're burning up pumpkin" He sighed. He slid his hand into her hair, massaging her scalp. She groaned in her sleep, trying to push against his hand. He couldn't tell if he was helping or hurting her at this point. A coughing fit shook her whole body, waking her in the process.

"What time is it?" She groaned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Early. The alarm doesn't go off for another half hour. You don't sound good".

"I'm okay. I just need a drink".

"Liv, you have a fever and your throat hurts. You have the flu".

She shook her head. "No I don't".

Elliot couldn't help laughing. "Yes, you do. I think you should take the day off".

"And be sick and miserable all by myself? No thanks". She started to cough again, groaning at the burning feeling in her throat.

"I'll ask if I can have the day off too. I'll give very few details".

He felt her forehead again, as if it was going to feel any cooler after three minutes. "Do you have any flu medicine?"

"No. I have DayQuil though".

"I'll get it. Then I'm calling Cragen".

"No" Olivia whined, kicking the blanket off of her. "I'm not sick, I promise. Look, I'll take the medicine and then we'll go to work. If I start feeling worse, I'll tell you. I'll go home early. I just want to do my job".

Elliot knew that letting her go in was a bad idea. She had a fever and her throat already sounded hoarse. He didn't know what to do. They agreed to be more open with each other, but that didn't mean that he could take over and tell her what to do. The key to their success was to compromise as often as possible. If that meant Olivia went into work sick, then so be it.

The had arrived at the precinct twenty minutes early, enjoying the last bit of quiet before the hustle and bustle began. Olivia smirked at the picture on her desk, loving the fact that Fin and John hadn't noticed it yet. The best place to hide something was in plain sight. She had the one where Elliot was holding her bridal style as they kissed. He had one of the pictures that Liam had posed them for. They were sitting next to each other, looking into each other's eyes. Both perfectly expressed the love they felt.

"El, come here" She ordered.

He obediently approached her, sitting on the edge of her desk. "Ready to go home?"

"What? No. I just wanted a kiss before the guys get here" She explained. She leaned towards him, but he backed away the slightest bit.

"You're sick" He defended.

"I am not" She insisted. "My throat feels fine". She leaned in again and Elliot leaned back again, almost falling off of her desk. Olivia giggled, gently shoving him. "That's what you get for being mean".

"Fine". He placed his hands on her hips, coaxing her to stand so that he could kiss her properly. "If you get me sick" He mumbled before kissing her softly. He scrunched up his face, quickly pulling back.

"You didn't brush your teeth after taking that DayQuil".

She shook her head, laughing at the disgust on his face.

"Sorry, babe, I forgot".

"Babe?" He question with an amused smile,

"You call me pumpkin".

She stepped away from him as soon as she heard the sound of footsteps, trying to act natural. They definitely weren't trying to hide their relationship, but revealing it would ruin some of the fun.

Two hours later, Elliot could definitely see the struggle on Olivia's face. Her cough had come back, but she was trying to keep it quiet, which was only worse for her throat. Then the sneezing started. Munch had playfully tossed her a box of tissues, but she wound up actually needing them. Of course, she hadn't made a peep about not feeling well. Elliot knew that she would be angry at him later, but right now he needed to intervene. He stood and walked over to her desk, placing his hand on her forehead.

"Elliot, would you please-"

"You're burning up. You feel warmer than earlier, you're coughing, and you're sneezing. We're leaving" He ordered. He silently went to Cragen's office, leaving the guys to stare at Olivia. She simply shrugged.

"He's always been overprotective" She explained. She retrieved her purse, badge, and gun before locking her desk drawers. Elliot grabbed her hand, leading them out of the squad room.

"Gross, man. Liv left all her used tissues on her desk" Fin said as he grabbed a clean tissue to throw the others out. A new picture on her desk caught his eye as he cleaned up the mess. "Munch, Liv and Elliot are engaged!"

"Good job Fin, very observant".

"You knew?"

John nodded. "I saw the ring on Liv's finger the other day. Elliot would never let another man get that far with her".

00000000000000000000000000000000

"Okay, so we have tea, fever reducers, cough drops, and tissues. Anything else I can get you?" Elliot asked as he placed each of the items on her bedside table.

Olivia was already changed into pajamas and propped up in bed, letting Elliot take care of her. She agreed to rest, but she couldn't just sit around and do nothing all day.

"Can you do me one more favor and grab the basket of magazines out of my closet?"

He did as he was asked, setting the basket down next to her on the bed. "Are these all bridal magazines?"

She blushed, making him chuckle. "I told you that I had a lot of time to think about this before I asked you".

He settled in next to her, taking half of the magazines with him. He noticed that there was an item or two circled in each one.

"There used to be more. These are all the magazines that had ideas that I liked. The rest were thrown out" Olivia admitted.

"Wow. Let's just hope you don't go all Bridezilla on me".