He laid low the rest of the day. Until, like clockwork, he showed up at her door that night. She swung the door open ready to pounce, but he already had his hands raised in surrender. Her mouth was open, ready to launch a verbal assault, but she switched her approach when she saw him. "Let me guess. Work in progress?"

"How'd you know?" he said with a meek smile.

"Look I really don't want to ... can't do this tonight," she nearly pleaded. "It'll go better for both of us if we just take a couple of days."

"Fair enough," he surrendered. "I just wanted to bring you something."

He slowly lowered one of his raised hands – much like a perp carefully surrendering a weapon – reached into his leather jacket and pulled out something from the inside pocket. She did a double take, convincing herself that he was really standing there holding – could it be - a roll of toilet paper.

She looked at him with wide eyes and a questioning gaze. There simply weren't words for his offering. "Really?"

"I figured you might need it," he said, stifling back a grin. "If you're gonna hang around an asshole like me."

She tried to hold back the laugh. She really did. But it slipped through her knitted lips as she took the roll from his hand. As soon as she did, he turned away and walked back down the hallway, glancing over his shoulder just once to punctuate his brief apology with a little smile.

Olivia rolled her eyes and retreated back into her apartment, placing the curious object on the side table where she kept her keys. She chuckled at it – still in disbelief – then went about her business.

Four days passed. It took everything in Elliot not to call, text or show up again. He forced himself to abstain, knowing he had a better chance of seeing her again if he let her set the pace.

The squad was overrun with a pair of complicated cases that week, and Olivia was hard-pressed to spend sufficient time with Noah, much less pursue whatever was developing with Elliot. On the fourth day, after putting in 15 excruciating hours and resisting the urge to put Ed Tucker from IAB through her office wall, she finally made it home. Noah was already asleep in his crib, and Lucy wasn't far behind on the sofa.

"Hey," Olivia spoke softly as she set down her wares inside the front door. "Thanks so much for staying. I owe you one. In fact, I owe you many."

"No worries, Liv," the young nanny responded. "I was able to get some reading done for class."

Olivia reached into the breast pocket of her coat and pulled out an envelope, passing it off to Lucy. "I put a little something extra in for your time."

"I appreciate it," Lucy said, gathering her backpack. "See you tomorrow."

As Olivia took off her coat and followed Lucy's movements toward the door, her eyes fell on the lonely roll of toilet paper that was clearly out of place on her end table. "About tomorrow … I'm gonna work from home. But could you come in the evening for a few hours?"

Lucy thought a moment then answered. "That'll work."

"Great," Olivia sighed with relief. "I wanna spend some time with Noah during the day and maybe see a friend for dinner."

They agreed upon 7 p.m. and Lucy left. Olivia moved quietly toward the bedroom to shed her work clothes. She kissed two of her fingertips and pressed them softly to Noah's sleeping face. Once she was changed, she heated up some leftovers and settled into the sofa to unwind.

She silently questioned herself as to whether she was inviting more drama into her life if she went through with the phone call she felt compelled to make. Although she was learning to think more with her head than her heart these days, she acted on the impulse and dialed Elliot's cell.

"Hey Liv." He was out of breath when he answered. She was curious what he'd been doing but refrained from asking. In reality he'd rushed from one end of his apartment to the other to answer the phone before missing the call.

"You done acting like a caveman yet?" she asked.

He snickered a bit. "Just about."

"Good because I'm gonna let you take me out," she announced.

"You are, huh?" he said through a smile on the other end of the phone.

"And I don't just want dinner," she said firmly. "I want a movie too."

"Is that right?" he asked as his smile widened.

"And I don't mean cops or guns or sports or superheroes," she carried on. "It's got to be something thought-provoking."

"Well now you're just being mean," Elliot retorted. "So when is this da … I mean outing happening?"

"I can fit you in tomorrow night," she said teasingly.

"I'll have to check my schedule but …"

"Elliot."

"I wouldn't miss it Liv. You pick the movie, I've got the restaurant, and I'll be there by 7."

"Well alright then," she said, echoing words that had previously passed between them.

"Alright then," he said. "And Liv?"

"Uh-huh."

"Thanks for giving me another shot."

"Yeah well," she said, mocking irritation with him. "Don't screw up this time."

Olivia spent a wonderful day with Noah doing nothing of any significance. They bought groceries, went to the park and hung out at home. It was exactly what she needed to shake the strain of recent weeks and put her in the right frame of mind to try again with Elliot. He showed up on time – although she'd never know he'd been stalling downstairs so not to seem overeager.

Lucy had Noah in her arms when she answered the door. Olivia emerged from the bedroom, fastening the second of her earrings. Elliot scooped up Noah and lifted him high in the air, as he spoke in a cartoon voice to him. The toddler giggled, and shoved two pudgy fingers into Elliot's mouth. Elliot pecked at the fingers and then lowered the boy so his eyes could travel across the room to his take in his mother's appearance.

"Hey Li," he offered through a crackling voice. "I mean Liv. You look great."

"Sweet talk will get you everywhere," she said, smiling as she approached him. She greeted him with a chaste kiss on the cheek, retrieved her purse, nibbled Noah's cheeks and said her goodbyes to Lucy. In mere moments they were out the door and at the car. This time Elliot made the monumental step of opening her door for her. He flashed her an innocent expression, hoping it would buffer any anger on her part for his assumptions. Much to his surprise she offered none.

He'd chosen Italian since, well, everyone likes Italian. He splurged on a bottle of wine and savored the sight of her by candlelight. He hoped like hell that the restaurant wasn't over the top. He wanted to take her someplace nice, but not so romantic that she'd be uncomfortable with his choice.

"Is this okay?" he asked, subtly waving a hand around the room.

She finished the sip of wine she was taking and lowered her glass to the table as she answered. "It's nice, El. Thank you."

The imaginary scoreboard in Elliot's head registered a point for him.

"After the way I behaved the other day, I wanted to make it up to you," he offered.

"Like I said it's nice. I haven't been out like this in … I don't even know how long." She gave him a soft smile and took another sip of wine while she studied his face.

"But since you brought it up, we need to get a few things straight," she said, sitting back in her chair and adjusting the cloth napkin on her lap.

Just when he'd been out of the woods, Elliot feared where the conversation might be headed. He gave her his full attention.

"Are you listening?" she asked firmly.

He set down his own wine glass, crossed his arms in front of him on the table and nodded that he was ready to hear whatever she had to say. He didn't expect what came out of her mouth.

"I'm not sleeping with Trevor Langan," she began. "I'm not sleeping with anyone. In fact if you haven't noticed, I'm not even sleeping with you."

Elliot couldn't resist. "I did notice that, yeah."

She skipped right over his comment and continued letting him have it. "You don't own me," she said, counting off one finger with each item on her list. "My son comes first. And you," she said jutting a finger across the table and into his left peck, "have a habit of doing really well and then completely screwing up. If I didn't know better I'd think you were sabotaging this. Whatever this is."

She hadn't really raised her voice to an inappropriate level but there was no doubt from her tone that this was his final warning.

"Are you done now?" he said, well aware he was risking life and limb by taunting her.

"For now."

"Okay then, my turn?"

She simply nodded, letting him know he had the floor.

"I know I don't own you, although I have, many times over the years, behaved as if I do."

She hadn't expected his admission, so she couldn't withhold the surprise that crept onto her face.

He continued. "I really have no right to know who you're sleeping with. But I will tell you that someday I'd really like it to be me."

There was no holding back the surprise now. She swallowed hard at his confession and sat there speechless.

"But I'm gonna screw up, Liv," he admitted. "Sometimes I can't help it. And I really am working on getting better at a few things."

"Okay," she said softly.

"So if you think you can keep that in mind and give me some room for error, I really like this not to be the first and last time I take you out."

"You know I'm busy, I can't always drop everything," she explained. "God, all the dates I canceled over the years as a detective. It's only worse in the big office."

"You don't think I know that? Christ Liv, I know the job," he said. "I watched you cancel all those dates." Then he was quiet a minute before adding. "And felt like a bastard each time I was happy you did."

For the third time, she offered him a surprised expression, this time her eyes even wider. She didn't mean to make him feel self-conscious about his words, but she couldn't help the jolt that went through her when he said them.

"Elliot, I …"

"Look, don't try to pick apart what I just said. There's no hidden meaning. It is what it is, and it's the truth. Hate me for it if you want, but it's the damned truth." Then he abruptly tossed his napkin onto the table and stood. "I gotta … I'm just gonna get some air."

She watched him walk away from the table and felt like she was frozen in place. It wasn't lost on her that he'd reached deep down into himself for the courage to say what he did. She blinked back a tear from her eye and composed herself. She signaled the waiter and ordered a piece of tiramisu with two forks. He came back to the table before the dessert did, walking tentatively toward her, unsure as to whether he would find her angry or find her there at all.

"Hey," she said softly, looking up at him. "Glad you're back. I ordered us dessert."

He accepted her change of subject and her peace offering, returning the smile before settling back into his chair. They talked about anything but their evolving relationship as they split the tiramisu and waited for the waiter to take the check. "So what's this movie you're dragging me to," he teased. "Woman in Gold sounds like it could be a superhero movie to me."

"Not even close," she said. "And don't even think about wiggling out of it."

While there were no car chases or shootouts, Elliot didn't think the movie was half bad. He enjoyed the view to his right even more, stealing glances at her from time to time and feeling his stomach jump when he reached for her hand and she willfully curled her fingers into his. His scoreboard lit up again.

"See, I told you you'd like it," she said, playfully slapping his shoulder as they returned to the car.

"It was alright," he said trying to downplay his appreciation for the film. "Next time I pick." He looked up at her hopefully as he unlocked the door.

"Next time, huh?" she quipped. "Yeah. I'm thinking there will be a next time." She smiled almost seductively and slid into the passenger seat.

He walked around to his side of the car, throwing his eyes to the heavens in thanks for his good fortune. At the same time, the voice in his head mumbled to him, "Don't fuck this up."

In his opinion, the drive back to her place was way too short. He was again reluctant to let her go. He pushed the gear shift into park, but didn't kill the engine. He turned to her to see her smiling at him. It was that smile that gave him the courage to ask, "So do I get to kiss you goodnight?"

She may not have been aware that her eyes traveled the length of his body from his belt buckle to his eyes before she replied, "Only if you walk me up."

He caught the wanton look in her eye as he killed the engine and came around the car to let her out. She'd let him treat her like a lady all night.

Her apartment was quiet when they entered. Olivia knew Lucy was likely in the bedroom soothing Noah. She hoped to grab a few minutes with him before her dedicated babysitter emerged.

She tossed her wrap over the sofa and turned back to him. As he closed the door behind him, she turned to him, stepped close and wrapped her wrists around his neck. He was pleasantly surprised by her maneuver and wasted no time in bringing his palms to her hips. He looked at her a minute before he moved.

"So you gonna kiss me goodnight or what?" she asked with that same seductive smile on her face.

He didn't answer. He simply grumbled as he lowered his face to hers and captured her lips. She succumbed to the kiss immediately, using the tilts and turns of her head and the parting of her lips to deepen the encounter. He pressed his lips more firmly against hers and tested the tip of her tongue with his own. He could have sworn he heard her moan and couldn't repress the smile that crept onto his lips and pressed against hers. Finally he pulled away from her – a break taken for his own sake – and smiled at her. "Well goodnight then."

She smiled back. "Goodnight then," she echoed as she used her linked forearms to tug his neck back down to her and kiss him again. He tightened his grip on her hips and nudged her into the wall behind the door. After exploring her mouth, he ran his lips along her jaw and kissed along her pulse point.

She silently chided herself for lifting her chin, tossing her head back and baring the skin of her neck to him. She hadn't meant to send him such a strong message, but her body was doing the talking now.

As he moved along her neck his hands crept up her midsection until the tips of his thumbs where gliding along the underside of her breasts. She gasped at the sensation and he smiled into her neck.

"Stop, El," she said weakly. "Just … stop."

He pressed two more kisses to her neck then pulled away to see her flushed features. She wanted him. It was written all over her face. But she was applying the brakes again.

"But I wasn't done saying goodnight," he said, flashing a pouty lip at her.

"You keep that up and you'll be saying 'good morning,'" she told him.

When he waggled his eyebrows at her, she chuckled softly at him. "Seriously though, Lucy's still here so …"

Well now he felt better about it. He'd forgotten about Lucy. If she was the reason Olivia was shutting it down and not him, he was slightly more okay with that.

She moved toward the door and opened it, desperate to send him on his way so she could maintain some semblance of self control. He backed away from her, a flirtatious smile on his lips the whole way. He was driving a hard bargain, and she was weakening quickly.

"Out," she playfully shooed him. "Go."

Finally he was safely in the hallway. He couldn't get to her there, right?

"Liv?" he said, drawing out the simple syllable of her nickname.

"Hmmm." She hoped like hell that didn't come out as a moan.

"I did spring for dinner and a movie," he teased.

She outright laughed at his humor. "Get out of here, you ass." She peeked around the door until she couldn't see him anymore. She still had laughter on her lips when she turned back toward her sofa and saw Lucy standing in the hallway. She felt silly for feeling like a schoolgirl who'd just been caught kissing on the porch by her overbearing father.

With a wisdom beyond her years, Lucy sensed Olivia's discomfort and spoke first. "Noah's asleep. He had a good night," she said, scooping up her backpack and moving toward Olivia and the door. She placed an affectionate hand on Olivia's forearm before slipping out the door and simply said, "It's nice to see you smile."