Author's Notes:

Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter. Much appreciated. An extra thank you for those of you who also reviews. Also much appreciated. Just in case of any issues you can now find me over at Archive Our Own . org. My penname is Marish_06. The story name is the same and everything. I will update both sites on the same day so fear not! I've got you covered!

Also… He's baaaaack!

"So what does this mean for us?" Lizzie asks with her arms crossed defensively over her chest.

"What do you mean?" Elliot asks, Olivia's hand held firmly in his. After the first doctor's appointment and an official due date, Elliot and Olivia decided that it was time to let the kids know that they would be expecting a new sibling.

"Do we have to move back in with Mom?"

"No. You guys are welcomed to stay here with us for as long as you would like." Olivia answers.

"But where are you going to put it? There's no more room."

"Well, the baby will probably just sleep in our room for awhile, and then when he or she is old enough the baby can share a room with Kayla. Nothing is going to change for you guys."

Lizzie rolls her eyes. "That's a lie and you know it." She stands and holds out a hand for Kayla. "C'mon squirt, let's go play."

Kayla slides off her mother's lap and follows her sister upstairs. The two parents stare at the boy sitting before them. "What about you Rick?" Elliot asks.

Rick shrugs. "As long as I get to keep my room I'm cool." He stands and heads to his room, leaving Elliot and Olivia alone.

"That went well?" she asks him.

"About as well as it was going to go."

"What're we going to do, El?"

"She'll come around."

"That's what you said about her and Kayla."

"And look at them now."

"That's guilt El. She still feels bad about what happened."

He sighs. "Well, we have another seven to eight months to make her ok with it. At this point that's the best that we can do."

Olivia stares back at him, worriedly.

xXx

The scent of marinara wafts through the air and Olivia feels her stomach flip. She swallows hard multiple times, trying in vain to keep the dry toast she has managed to keep down for the past hour in her stomach, but it doesn't seem to be working.

"Liv, you're not going to try some of my world famous sauce?"

"World famous? Please Dad, it's not even famous in this borough," Lizzie teases from her seat around the dinner table.

"Can it," he responds and Rick grins from his seat.

"Isn't that where you got it from?"

Elliot eyes him and Rick whispers something in his twin's ear causing both of them to snicker. He twirls some spaghetti from Olivia's plate onto his fork. "Here Liv, you gotta eat something," he waves the fork in front of her face and that's it. It's enough to send her racing up the stairs. Elliot is quickly on her heels but is stopped when the door to their bathroom slams in his face. He stands idly by and listens as she retches into the toilet. He hates this. He knows that this is a natural part of pregnancy, but he also knows that it sucks and that there is nothing that he can do to help her. "Liv," he calls. She doesn't answer. "Liv," he tries again. When there is once again no response, he decides to go in. "Baby I'm coming in." He turns the knob slowly, giving her a chance to protest his intrusion, but she makes no sound or movement to stop him. He enters to find her slumped on the toilet seat, her face buried in her arm.

"Liv?" he tries again.

"Put spaghetti and meatballs on the list of things that I can't have."

"Baby, we don't have a list."

"Then start one," she says glaring at him with blurry eyes.

"Ok. Can I get you some water or something?" He asks and rubs her back gently.

"No. I don't want anything right now."

"Liv, you have to eat and you have to stay hydrated."

"Can you get me some toast or something?"

"Liv, you're eating for two. You're going to need something more substantial than that."

"Elliot, I can't barely keep my own saliva down. Consider me on the BRAT diet until further notice."

"Liv…"

"Elliot, if you want to help, then do as I've asked. Otherwise leave me the fuck alone." She grimaces when she realizes the harshness of her words. "Sorry. I know you're trying to help, but I need you to not force me into things. Especially right now. Until I get better at keeping my meals down I'd just prefer the basics for right now."

"Alright. I'm going to head to the store and grab some things. You gonna be ok?"

"Yes. Thank you. I love you."

"Love you too. I'll be right back." He races down the stairs and grabs his keys on the kitchen counter, but pauses at the dinner table. Kayla is covered in spaghetti sauce and is in desperate need of a shower. She smiles up at him.

"I come too Daddy?"

"Not this time baby. C'mon. You need a shower."

"Where were you going?" Lizzie asks as he lifts Kayla from her booster seat.

"I was going to pick some things up for Olivia, but I'll go a little later."

"I can get her cleaned up if that helps."

"Really?"

"Sure, it'll only cost you $20," she smirks.

"Deal!" he says and hands Kayla to her sister.

"I should have asked for more money," Lizzie grumbles holding her sister away from her in an effort to keep herself from getting covered in sauce.

"Yea you should have," Elliot teases. "Rick since your sister is busy, that means the dishes are yours ok?"

"Yes Sir," Rick nods and heads towards the kitchen to get started.

Elliot picks up his keys and checks that he has his wallet before he is out the door.

xXx

Hours later he returns with the goods. Their home is dark and as he checks each room he sees that his children are all sleeping. What had initially started as a quick trip to the store for food that Olivia would be able to keep down quickly turned into one of those nights where he wished he wasn't a cop. He loves his job, and it helps him sleep easier at night knowing that he is doing something to help protect his children, but there are times that he wishes he could protect them by simply being with them. He wishes that there were more dinners like tonight where he's able to sit around the table and hear about his kids' days. Where he can pick his son up from school and help him prepare to try out for the football team. Where he can pretend to be interested in the things his daughter is learning even if they are way above his head. Where he can sit and watch the news with his wife's feet in his lap and not think about every gruesome detail that isn't being reported in their story. Where he can be a family man and husband and nothing more. But he knows that will never happen. As long as he's working sex crimes there will always be nights like tonight where he has to skip out on being the father and husband his family needs him to be, and instead be the detective that the city of New York needs him to be. Something has got to change.

He opens the door to their bedroom to find his wife asleep and he smiles. She had been waiting up for him. The book she had been reading remains lightly clutched in her hand and the lamp beside her is still on. He places the saltines and ginger ale he brought up for her on the night stand beside her side of the bed and simply looks at her. He admires the peaceful look on her beautiful face. He watches the rise and fall of her chest as she takes each deep breath. The hand clutching the book now rests on her chest, the other rests against the sliver of skin left visible by the old T-shirt she wears. It covers her abdomen, protecting the child it holds within. Their child. He leans over and kisses her tentatively on the lips. When she doesn't move he kisses her again, and this time her lips come alive and she kisses him back.

He traces her lips with his tongue and when she parts them he enters her mouth. He pulls the covers away from her waist and takes his time kissing her, loving her. Slowly he slides his body over to cover her and her legs part so that he is able to settle easily into the cradle of her body. His hands slide up underneath her shirt and she raises her arms to aid him in removing it. Her bare chest now stares back at him and he takes a sensitive nipple into his mouth while his other hand caresses her breast. She moans and hisses above him, reveling in the pleasure-pain of his touch. Elliot continues down her body until he reaches her stomach and he leaves a reverent kiss there as her fingers thread through his hair. He continues his downward journey drawing her shorts and underwear down her long elegant legs. He kisses his way up the inside of her thigh stopping to taste her momentarily and already she's soaking wet for him. He takes his time kissing his way back up her body. He reaches her mouth once again and her kiss is already waiting for him. Her fingers grip the hem of his T-shirt, and he aids her in removing it from his body. She grins up at him as she slowly draws her fingers down his bare chest. Her lips capture his once again while her fingers make quick work of the belt around his waist. She undoes the button and zipper to his jeans and she only pushes them down low enough for her feet to do the rest of the work. Once his erection is free he wastes no time entering her and pushes gently inside of her. Her sigh is music to his ears, and the fingers of both hands entwine as he begins to make love to her. His thrusts are firm and full of purpose, yet gentle and loving. She's so tight around him and it's as if her body is a live wire, and this is something that he's missed. Something he never got to experience the first time she was pregnant with his child. He never got to experience the changes in her body, he never got to discover the newfound sensitivity of her skin, nerves, and every synapse. Never got to know what it was like to make love to her while she was pregnant with his child. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her close to him, wanting to be as close as possible to her. She holds him back. He whispers his love and adoration for her over her lips before his mouth makes love to her as his body moves inside hers. He feels her grip him as he continues to move and he can sense the desperation in her kiss. She comes easily without warning, and he follows right behind her, but when they're done he doesn't move. He simply lays connected with her and holds her, and she holds him back. Neither say a word; words need not be spoken in a moment as precious and profound as this. Their silence says enough.

xXx

Days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months and their love seems stronger than ever. Elliot watches the nightly news in their bedroom when her phone buzzes beside him. He glances down briefly then turns his attention back to the news when something suddenly clicks. He picks up the phone and sure enough he did see correctly the first time.

Peter Noll:

Congratulations on the baby! Can't wait to see you.

Peter.

He enters in the code to her phone and scrolls through the messages. Each one makes his blood boil just a little bit more. He scrolls through her call history and her email and the more he finds the angrier he becomes. He hears her shower turn off and he quickly tosses the phone back into its previous spot and waits.

She comes out toweling her hair dry, another wrapped low around her waist leaving her growing abdomen and breast exposed.

"I think my boobs are already as big as they were when I was pregnant with Kayla. If they keep growing at this rate they might get twice as big as they were last time."

"Hmm," he replies, and pretends the weather forecast for the upcoming week is more interesting.

"I also think I've already developed a bump. Wanna feel?" she asks and comes to stand before him.

"Maybe later," he responds.

She stops toweling her hair dry and stares at him. Her left eyebrow arches and he knows that she knows something's up. She walks over to her dresser and pulls on some clean underwear.

"So you going to tell me what your problem is, or are you just going sit there and brood all night?"

"How long have you been talking to Peter?"

She looks at him quizzically for a moment then it clicks. "You've been going through my phone?" She marches over and swipes her phone up off the bed.

"I was sitting here and you got a message and I saw it. Now answer the question."

"I can't believe you would violate my privacy-"

"We're married. There's no such thing as privacy."

"Clearly."

"You know what's funny? Why aren't you defending yourself? Why aren't you telling me that I have nothing to worry about? Instead you're sitting there trying to blame me like this is my fault."

"Fine, Elliot, what do you want to know."

"How long have you been talking to him?"

She looks away ashamedly. "We never stopped."

"What? Olivia, you swore-"

"I know I did, but when I talked to him to explain the situation like I said I was going to do, he asked if we could remain friends. I didn't see the harm in that." She grabs his old USMC T-shirt from the night before and pulls it over her head then slips into a pair of pajama bottoms.

"See the harm? Olivia, you slept with him. You were sleeping with him. While we were still married."

"That doesn't mean I'm going to do it again. Why can't you trust me? I trust you with Kathy."

"Barely. You still won't even allow her in our house. And how am I supposed to trust you when you've been lying to me this whole time?!"

"I haven't been lying. I just didn't tell you that we were still friends."

"You told me you were going to stop talking to him, and you didn't. That's a lie. What else have you been keeping from me?"

"Nothing!" she yells throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"I don't believe you."

"What don't you believe? What do you want to know? Ask me anything and I will tell you."

"Have you been seeing him?"

She sits on her side of the bed and looks him in the eye. "We've met for lunch a few times."

"How many?"

"I don't know."

"Has he been around Kayla?"

She looks away. "That one day when she got sick at daycare and they asked for one of us to pick her up."

"So you took our sick child with you on your date?"

"It wasn't a date, and she wasn't sick. She must have eaten something bad or gotten dizzy or something because she was fine when I picked her up. Playing and everything. I didn't see the harm in bringing her with me to meet with him."

"You didn't see the harm in bringing our child to meet with the man you cheated on me with?"

"That's not fair. We were in a very bad place when I got with him."

"And that's supposed to excuse it? How long have you been seeing him?"

"Not long. Just these past few months." He simply stares at her and the rage has been replaced by something else she can't quite put her finger on. Something she doesn't like. "What?"

"Just these past few months."

"Yes."

"So around the time you got pregnant."

She eyes him skeptically, because he can't be saying what she thinks he's saying. "What are you trying to imply?"

"Is that baby you're carrying even mine?"

She draws in a deep breath as the pain from his words immediately assaults her heart. She looks away then stands and heads for the door.

"So you're not even going to deny it?"

She says nothing and continues out the doorway down the hallway and then down the stairs.

"Olivia!" he calls. He's up off the bed and he reaches the end of the stairway to see the door close behind her.

xXx

Rain pours down in heavy waves, drenching her in the time it takes her to run from her parked car to the building. She's lucky because she approaches just as someone is leaving, and slips in with ease. She takes the elevator and walks down the hall to the apartment of the friend she seems to need the most right now. After a couple knocks the door opens and the person on the other side smiles.

"Olivia? What are you doing here?"

Olivia tries to smile. Tries to quip back something smart or sarcastic, but just isn't in her. Instead tears fill her eyes and her lower lip quivers. "Peter," she manages to get out and she falls into his waiting arms.

I know! I'm evil. Peter was too fun of a character to give up, so yes he's back and ready to have some fun! Thank you all for reading!