AN: I know that it has been way too long since I've updated this story, but I felt like I had lost touch with it. I'm hoping that if I crank out a few chapters, I can get back into the groove of things. Thank you all for your continued support, and I'd love to hear from you. Love y'all!

Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order SVU or the characters.

"El, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did" Elliot teased with a certain glimmer in his eyes. She hadn't seen that twinkle in his eyes very much lately, and she knew exactly what caused it. His kids were due to arrive within the next ten minutes and he was excited. "Seriously, go ahead".

"What are we telling the kids?" She asked, sitting down on his lap. Her fingers toyed with the neckline of his shirt and her eyes locked on the skin of his neck. It was tempting, but she knew better than to distract him when they needed to discuss something. "They're going to know that something's up".

"Is that a bad thing?" He countered. She shrugged, confusing him. What was that supposed to mean? Was she doubting them? That's what it seemed like.

"Of course not, Elliot. It's just that they haven't seen you in a long time and I don't want them to think that you didn't need them because you had me or something" Olivia explained, feeling insecure.

"Do I look okay?" He asked, changing the subject for a moment. She looked him over, making sure to really take her time. Her eyes stopped on his chest, making him chuckle.

"You look great" She said with a smirk.

"The kids aren't going to check me out like you just did. Should I change?"

She shook her head. "It's only games and dinner, El. Your jeans and t-shirt are perfect".

She reached out and cupped his jaw. Her thumb gently stroked his cheek and then his upper lip.

"Maybe you should get rid of the stubble".

"But I know someone that likes the stubble".

Olivia stood up and raised a brow, pretending that she didn't know who he was talking about. He stood up too before speaking.

"There's this woman that I've been trying to woo and she's beautiful. Rumor is that she likes guys with a lot of issues, oh, and beards".

His arms wrapped around her as she laughed. His lips found hers, quickly turning her chuckle into a moan. Her arms slowly wrapped around his neck, hold him even closer to her.

"Hey dad, hey-Oh my God!"

Olivia didn't even hesitate when she pushed Elliot off of her.

"Why didn't you knock?" Elliot asked Kathleen, choosing to ignore her knowing smile.

"We did, but someone must have been too busy to notice" Lizzie answered for her sister.

Olivia was blushing furiously now. Elliot offered her a reassuring smile.

"I knew that you were together" Kathleen bragged. Eli peaked out from behind his sisters, wondering what was going on.

"Is this a good thing?" Eli asked Kathleen.

"I was wondering the same thing" Olivia thought.

"Yes, Eli. It's a good thing".

Olivia smiled when the young boy opened his arms, waiting for her to hug him. She bent down and took him into her arms.

"I still can't believe how tall you are!" Olivia exclaimed as she let go of him.

"Well you're tall for a girl".

"I try".

"Where's Dickie?" Elliot questioned as he lifted his youngest up.

"He said that he rather eat dirt and die than come here" Eli quipped.

"I'm sorry" Olivia mouthed, not wanting the girls to hear it.

"How about we go pick out a game for us to play after dinner?" Olivia offered to Eli.

He nodded, taking her hand in his as they made their way into the bedroom, where Elliot had stored the new games.

Once they were out of earshot, Lizzie opened her mouth to speak, but his raised hand silenced her.

"It's okay. I don't want to let this ruin our evening, but I have to talk to him. Do you think he'd answer if I called?"

Kathleen and Lizzie looked at each other, silently coming to an agreement.

"No. He'd probably block your number".

Elliot sighed but nodded. His son had every right to be mad at him.

"Alright. Dinner's ready if you want to sit at the table. I'll go get Olivia and Eli".

"Daddy! You have my favorite games! How did you know?"

Truthfully, Elliot had called Kathy a few hours ago to double check, but he had a feeling that Sorry and Uno would be good choices.

"Can we play both?" Eli asked with a pout, which Olivia mimicked.

"How can I say no to those faces? Alright, we better get to eating if we want to have time for two games".

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After dinner, Elliot kept a watchful eye on Olivia. She was clearly exhausted, but she insisted on her and Eli being a team for the games. The young boy had been thrilled that she asked to play with him, and she was happy because he would be doing a majority of the work. Elliot was no fool though, he knew that Olivia wasn't playing because she wanted to keep an eye on him. She wanted to make sure that he was okay after his daughters dropped the bomb about Dickie. Truth be told, he wasn't. It hurt to know that his son hated him that deeply. The worst part was that it wasn't undeserved. Right now he was going to enjoy game night with the others. He could be sad once they were gone.

"Dad, you have to draw four" Eli said, bringing him back to the present moment.

"You know Eli, we make a pretty good team" Olivia bragged, earning a laugh from the table.

"Yeah Dad, Eli and Liv might be better partners than you two were" Lizzie teased.

"Alright, alright" He cut them off. "Just wait until I kick your butts at Sorry".

Olivia stifled a yawn, covering her mouth with her hand. Eli leaned back, resting against her chest.

"I'm tired, too" He confessed. "Can we play Sorry soon?"

Kathleen put her last card down, winning the game.

"Yeah bud, we'll play Sorry now".

Approximately a half hour later, Elliot had indeed crushed them. Kathleen and Lizzie happily talked with Elliot, while Olivia fought to keep her eyes open. Eventually, she had to give in.

"I'm sorry guys, I'm falling asleep over here, so I'm going to head to bed".

Eli scooted off of her lap, rubbing his own eyes. The girls wished Olivia goodnight, and Elliot kissed her cheek. Eli held on to her legs, feeling how tired he was.

"Liv, can I lay down with you until Katie and Lizzie are ready to go?"

Olivia looked to Elliot, almost as if she was seeking his approval. He smiled, silently telling her that it was her choice.

"Sure, buddy".

"We won't be too long. We just need to talk to Dad for a bit" Kathleen insisted.

Olivia lead him to the bedroom, watching as he climbed into bed. She grabbed some pj's and went to the bathroom to change. When she returned, Eli had already settled under the covers on his father's side of the bed. She plopped down next to him, making the young boy laugh.

"Olivia, can I ask you a question?"

She propped herself up on her arm so she could see him better. "Shoot".

"Is my dad sick? Mom said that he had to go away because he was sick. Too sick to take care of us…".

Olivia sat up, smiling a bit when Eli shifted so that his head rested in her lap.

"Your dad...your dad is a different kind of sick. He's been getting help. He wants to be able to take care of you guys".

"Like he takes care of you?"

She ran her fingers through his dirty blond curls, feeling Eli relax more and more.

"Kind of".

"I have a picture of you and my dad in my dresser" Eli admitted. "Katie gave it to me and told me that you helped my mommy to have me".

She sighed, unsure of what to say. "We can talk about that later. You have school in the morning, so let's get some sleep".

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"So where exactly is your brother?" Elliot asked, looking back and forth between his daughters.

Lizzie awkwardly played with her bracelet, leaving Kathleen to answer.

"I don't want to upset you" Kathleen began. "But he's been really sneaky lately. He's out all the time, and he doesn't even come home to shower anymore. All of us have tried talking to him about it, but he just winds up screaming and storming out".

"What do you think he's been up to?"

"Did you not see how bloodshot his eyes were?" Lizzie interjected.

"I snuck into his room one day...He had a lot of empty bottles in there" Kathleen said carefully.

"He pretty much cut all of us out of his life when you moved out. He's always angry. I'm worried about him" Lizzie confessed.

"Me too" Elliot sighed.

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*30 Minutes Later*

Elliot closed the back door to Kathleen's car after he buckled a still sleeping Eli.

"Bye" Lizzie said one more time as they drove away.

He stood on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets, looking up at the window of his light was still out, which meant that Olivia was still asleep. He checked the time. It was only 10:30. He decided to go for a walk and clear his head.

*2:19 am*

Olivia awoke with a start, gasping as she brought herself back to reality. Her body was covered in sweat and her hair was a mess from tossing and turning. She looked over, noticing that Eli was no longer in bed with her, but Elliot wasn't there either. The alarm clock read 2:19 am. Elliot was probably watching tv. She tossed the blanket aside, getting up to check on Elliot. The floor felt cold against her bare feet, but her body appreciated the time to cool off. No noise was coming from the living room. She looked around the living room and kitchen, but Elliot wasn't there. Her heart began to speed up, panic rising in her chest. He was okay. He probably couldn't sleep and went for a walk or something. She grabbed her phone and blanket out of the bedroom, setting up camp on the couch. Elliot would be back soon, so she was going to wait up.