Miracle

by ShrinkingViolet713

While running through the park, Olivia makes a discovery which will change both her and Elliot's lives forever. Will be EO. My first SVU fic! Please RR, no flames!

8. Chapter 8

The next day Olivia arrived at the roller rink with all three kids. Brian was almost vibrating with excitement over getting to play with Dickie again and Maggie had asked her at least ten times on the ride there if Lizzie and Kathleen and Maureen would be there. She paid for their skates, roller blades for Brian and skates for herself and Maggie, and led them inside.

"Hi Brian!" Dickie yelled, racing up to them and coming to a fast stop on his roller blades. "Come on, let's go get your skates!"

Brian took the ticket from Olivia and hurried off. Elliot walked up to them with a smile. "Hey," he whispered, running his hand down her arm.

"Hi," Olivia said, smiling back at him. "Dickie and Brian are off, ready to cause chaos. Brian's never skated before."

"He'll be fine. He's a natural athlete." Elliot crouched down. "Hi there, Maggie Mae. Are you ready to roller skate?"

Maggie nodded. "Is Lizzie an' Katie an' Reen here?"

Elliot laughed. "They sure are, they're out on the rink right now. As soon as you get ready, you can go out with them."

Olivia cleared her throat "I think I better go with her. Ready to get our skates, Maggie?"

"Uh-huh."

As they headed over to the rental desk, Elliot glanced at Olivia. "You're really going to skate, Liv?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I was planning on it. Why?"

"Well I was hoping that you could keep me company while the kids skated."

Olivia laughed. "I don't want to make the girls watch Maggie, but I have a feeling that she'll tire of skating pretty soon and until then, you can always have quality time with Jacob here. He's a little young for skates."

Elliot laughed too. "Very true."

Olivia smiled at the fifteen year old boy behind the counter. "Size 7 ½ please and one pair of children's skates, the adjustable ones, please."

The boy goggled and handed Olivia the skates. Maggie looked at the bright yellow plastic skates, then at Olivia's. "I want those," she said, pointing.

"Honey, they don't have skates like mine that are little enough for you. These are just your size," Olivia explained.

"Yours are prettier," Maggie argued.

"I know. But they're too big for you, you'd fall out of them," Olivia chuckled.

Maggie sighed, but let Olivia lead her to a bench and strap the skates to her feet. Elliot took Jacob from Olivia and let her fasten her own skates. Olivia stood up carefully and balanced before helping Maggie to her feet. Maggie's feet immediately went out from under her and Olivia caught her.

"Careful, honey."

"These are hard," Maggie said, holding onto Olivia for dear life. "Make them work right, Livvy."

Olivia laughed. "Let's try again." She turned Maggie around so they could both go forwards and held onto both of her hands. "Okay, take little baby steps. I've got your hands."

Elliot chuckled as Olivia and Maggie made slow progress towards the entrance to the rink. Brian and Dickie flew past the gate with Brian shouting "Hi Elliot!" over his shoulder.

Lizzie skidded to a stop against the wall. "Hi Olivia! Hi Maggie! Olivia, can I take Maggie around the rink?"

Maggie grinned. "Hi Lizzie! I'm skating!"

"I see that. Can I, Olivia?"

Olivia smiled. "I'm going to take her around a few times to help her get used to skating. But if she's doing okay, then you can."

"Okay. Can I skate with you guys?"

"Sure."

As they skated around the rink, Elliot stood against the wall and smiled. After one lap around, Olivia turned around and crouched down so she could skate backwards and hold onto both of Maggie's hands. "Wow, Olivia. You're really good," Lizzie said in awe.

Olivia smiled. "Thanks. I haven't done this in years."

"I can spin," Lizzie said. "Watch."

Olivia watched with a smile as Lizzie skated into the center of the rink, tucked her arms in tight to her body, and spun. "That was great," Olivia said as Lizzie skated back.

"Wow," Maggie said, awestruck. "I wanna spin, Livvy!"

Olivia laughed. "Not quite yet, Maggie Mae. You need to be a little steadier on your skates first."

"Can you spin, Olivia?" Lizzie asked as they resumed their lap.

"I was never very good at spinning, but I could do a few other tricks."

"Can I see?" Lizzie asked hopefully.

Olivia paused. "Uh…sure. But I haven't been on roller skates in awhile so I'm not sure how good I'll be."

"That's okay," Lizzie said. "Please?"

"Okay. Can you hold Maggie's hands?"

Lizzie crouched down and took Maggie's hands in her own. "Watch Livvy, Maggie," Lizzie coached.

"Livvy?" Maggie asked, watching her skate away. "Where's she goin'?"

"She's going to show us a trick. Watch."

Maggie and Lizzie watched, wide eyed, as Olivia skated to one end of the center, turned around, and skated quickly back towards the other end. A quarter of the way there, she slid down into the splits and coasted along the floor until she was almost at the end, where she stood back up. When she arrived back at Lizzie and Maggie, both girls were staring at her in awe.

"That was awesome!" Lizzie exclaimed. "That was so cool!"

Olivia blushed slightly. "Thanks. I haven't done that in years."

"Can you teach me to do that?" Lizzie asked as Maggie let go of her hands and took tiny steps towards Olivia, wrapping her arms around one of Olivia's legs.

"I can try," Olivia answered, gently untangling Maggie and holding onto her hands. "But can we take a few more laps with Maggie?"

"Sure." Lizzie grinned. "I have an idea." She skated forwards a few feet and held out her arms. "Come here, Maggie."

Olivia, figuring out Lizzie's plan, helped Maggie turn herself around. "Can you go get Lizzie, Mags? Go skate to her."

Maggie took two small steps forward, still clinging to Olivia's hand. Olivia slowly released her and Maggie skated the rest of the way Lizzie on her own. Once she was safely holding onto Lizzie's hands, Maggie looked at Olivia, amazed.

"I did it, Livvy! All by myself!"

Olivia beamed at her and skated over, crouching to hug her. "Yes you did! You did great, Maggie! I'm so proud of you!"

Maggie grinned and they started skating around the rink again, slowly. After a few more laps, Kathleen and Maureen skated up and Olivia let the girls take Maggie around the rink. She skated over to the exit and slid up next to Elliot.

"You're great out there," he said with a smile, resting a hand on her lower back.

Olivia blushed. "Thanks. Why don't you come out?"

Elliot laughed. "Because roller skating and me don't go together well."

"Oh come on," Olivia teased. "It can't be that bad."

"Worse, much worse. Besides, if I went out there, who would stay with Jacob?"

"I will!" Maureen piped up hopefully as she slid up. "Katie and Lizzie have Maggie under control and Brian and Dickie are racing around the rink. Go on, Daddy. Have fun."

Elliot sighed as Olivia dragged him over to the rental desk. Elliot was handed a pair of roller skates and he sat down, tying them to his feet. "This isn't going to be pretty, Liv," he warned.

"Come on, chicken," Olivia taunted, pulling her partner to his feet.

Elliot stood up shakily. He kept one hand linked tightly linked in hers as they skated slowly towards the rink. When they entered the rink and Elliot no longer had the benefit of carpet under his skates, his grip on Olivia's hand tightened. She laughed.

"I'm not going to let you fall," she assured him.

"If I do, I'm bringing you down with me, partner," he responded teasingly.

"I know."

They made a few slow laps around the rink, Olivia skating backwards and holding onto Elliot's hands. After several minutes, the DJ called for partner skate. The lights dimmed and "All By Myself" by Celine Dion started playing. Olivia laughed as she saw Brian and Dickie make a beeline for the exit. Lizzie and Maggie followed and Kathleen joined them. Olivia and Elliot skated towards the exit, only to find it blocked by Elliot's oldest daughters.

"You guys skate," Maureen said with a smile.

Olivia paused, trying to read the looks on the girls' faces. "Are you sure you guys are okay?"

"Yeah. Jacob's fine and we can entertain Maggie," Kathleen said with a smile.

"Okay. There's money in my purse, why don't you get everyone a snack?"

"Here," Elliot pulled out a $20 bill. "I'll get it."

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked. "You got pizza last night."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Give the change to the boys so they can play the video games, okay?"

"Got it," Maureen said with a smile. "Have fun you two!"

Olivia blushed. "Thanks. Oh, Brian and Maggie can't have soda. If that's all they have, then non-caffeinated, okay?"

"Yep."

Olivia and Elliot set out, skating slowly side by side, fingers linked. "I think your daughters suspect something," she said softly.

"They have good instincts," Elliot answered. "Wanna give them something to talk about?" he asked with a leer.

Olivia stumbled over her own feet, but caught herself. "Elliot," she gasped.

He gave her one of his shit-eating grins. "Is that a no?"

"The kids are watching us!"

"Later?"

She grinned. "If we can get five minutes alone."

"I'd prefer to have a whole night. Maureen and Katie could babysit…"

"Not just yet. I trust Maureen and Katie, but I'm not sure I could leave the kids yet."

"I know," Elliot stopped and pulled her gently in front of him. "When you are, I'll be here. And until then spending time with you and the kids is perfect."

Olivia smiled softly. "Thank you for being so wonderful."

"It's not a hardship," Elliot answered. He wanted, more than anything, to kiss her but settled for squeezing her hands. They started off again slowly until their skates tangled and both went down in a heap. When they began to fall, Elliot had wrapped his arms around Olivia and twisted so she landed on top of him, not on the ground.

"Oof," Olivia grunted slightly. "Sorry about that," she whispered, staring into Elliot's deep blue eyes.

"My fault," Elliot answered, his hands running gently up her back. "Are you okay?"

Olivia grinned. "Someone broke my fall. How about you?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Elliot leered. "Never been better." He reached up and brushed his lips over hers briefly.

"The kids," she objected weakly, even as her hands tightened on his biceps.

"They'll have to get used to it," Elliot answered.

"Not here though."

"Why not?" Elliot asked, eyebrows waggling.

"For one thing, we're in the middle of a roller skating rink and if we lay here for much longer we're going to get run over."

Elliot laughed. "Well I'd get up, except someone's holding me down."

Olivia laughed also and carefully climbed to her feet. She held her hand out to Elliot who looked at her distrustfully. "Yes?" Olivia asked.

"I don't think I can get up without falling again."

Olivia laughed again. "Of course you can. One foot at a time."

Elliot managed to climb to his feet, only to lose his balance and have to cling to Olivia. "I told you I couldn't skate."

"You're not doing so bad," Olivia said as they began skating again.

"Liv, I saw your trick with the split thing. You're amazing."

Olivia blushed. "It's an old trick."

"I'm amazed at least," Elliot said, squeezing her hand.

When the skating rink closed, Elliot glanced at Olivia who was busy bundling Jacob into his carrier and tucking blankets around him. "Do you want to go to dinner with us?"

"Where?" Brian asked, interest peaking.

"Brian," Olivia chided gently.

"Pasta Place," Elliot answered with a smile.

"That sounds great," Olivia said with a smile.

"I wanna ride with Dickie and Elliot!" Brian exclaimed.

"Then I get to ride with Olivia!" Liz said firmly, giving her sisters a look that dared them to argue with her.

Everyone piled into the cars and when they met up at Pasta Place, the kids immediately picked out a booth. Olivia looked at Elliot. "I've never been here. How does this work?"

"We place our order at the counter and they bring it to us. Technically, we're supposed to wait to grab a table until we order, but since there are so many of us sitting down now might be a good idea. Why don't you and I get the kids' orders?"

"That sounds smart." Jacob began to fuss so Olivia lifted him into her arms and began swaying back and forth. "Brian, what do you want, hon?" She grabbed a to go menu. "They have mac and cheese, buttered noodles and parmesan, and noodles with red sauce."

Brian paused thoughtfully. "What are you having, Dickie?"

"Adult sized buttered noodles and a roll."

"I want that too," Brian said.

"Okay," Olivia glanced down the menu. "Do you want meat on that?"

"What kind of meat?" Brian asked, interested.

"Um…chicken, beef, and shrimp."

"Do I like shrimp, Olivia?"

"I don't know. Have you had it before?"

Brian shrugged. "Dunno. Can I have chicken?"

"Sure. Maggie honey, what do you want?"

"Mac and cheese!"

"With chicken?"

Maggie nodded. "Can I have soda?"

"How about lemonade?"

"Okay."

Olivia and Elliot walked up to the counter, Olivia reading the menu. She ordered for the kids and then paused. "I don't know what I want," she said to Elliot, rolling her eyes. "It all looks good."

"You want to get two things and split them?"

"That sounds good."

"Okay, what looks good?"

"I'll choose one thing and you choose one?"

"Okay. For my choice, we'll have the Penne Pesto with beef." Olivia made a noise of discontent in her throat and Elliot glanced at her. "Chicken?"

Olivia nodded. "And a Greek salad with shrimp."

"Feta, Liv?" Elliot asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Can we get the feta on the side?" Olivia asked the girl behind the counter.

"Sure. Anything else? Dessert maybe?"

Elliot laughed. "Uh…not just yet."

They ordered drinks before sitting down at the table. Maggie was sandwiched between Lizzie and Kathleen on one side of the booth, with Maureen, Dickie and Brian on the other. Elliot glanced at Olivia. "We might have to get our own table."

"Yeah, I think we've been booted."

Elliot and Olivia settled themselves at a table across from the kids, Jacob sitting in his car seat on a chair between them. Olivia glanced over that the kids. "Do you think they'll be okay over there?"

"They'll be fine," Elliot assured her. "Maggie's being entertained by the girls," he glanced over. "And I think Dickie and Brian are plotting some kind of coup."

Olivia laughed. "Okay, I'm overprotective. I know it."

"It's a right of parenthood, hon," Elliot grinned. "So is everyone ready for school and daycare tomorrow?"

Olivia sighed. "Brian's excited. A little nervous but excited. But any time I mention daycare, Maggie just shakes her head and says she doesn't want to go."

"She'll be okay, Liv. That little girl over there's a lot stronger than she looks."

"What if she's not?" Olivia whispered, worry etched on her face.

"Then we'll figure out how to help her." Elliot looked up as the waitress arrived with their food. The waitress passed the food to the kids, then delivered Elliot and Olivia's food. Elliot stabbed a piece off pasta and mushroom and held it out to Olivia. "Here, try."

Olivia opened her mouth and smiled, nodding. "Good. Here." She held out a bite of salad.

When they were finished, Elliot grinned and leaned back in his seat. "You know, this was a good weekend."

"It really was," Olivia said with a smile.

Maggie tugged on Olivia's arm. "Livvy, I wanna cookie. Can I have one?"

"Aren't you full, honey?" Olivia asked, pulling Maggie into her lap. "Did you eat all of your mac and cheese?"

Maggie nodded. "I wanna cookie, please?"

"No sweetie, Elliot and I are talking. Why don't you go play with the other kids?"

Maggie pouted. "But I wanna cookie!"

"Maggie," Olivia said sternly. "Whining isn't the way to get what you want. Elliot and I were talking about getting ice cream for you kids, but only if you can be a big girl, okay?"

Maggie perked up slightly at the idea of ice cream. "Can I stay here with you?"

"Sure." Olivia settled Maggie into her lap and began rubbing her back gently as she and Elliot talked.

After a few minutes, Elliot looked at the other kids. "Should we go get ice cream?"

"I'm stuffed but the kids would probably love it. What do you think, Mags?" Olivia asked, glancing down, only to laugh. Maggie had fallen asleep.

"Looks like someone's exhausted," Elliot said, standing up and lifting Jacob's carrier. He helped Olivia to her feet and smiled at the table of their children. "You guys ready for ice cream?"

"Yeah!" Dickie and Brian exclaimed, hurrying out of the booth.

"Can we get Cold Stone?" Lizzie asked, following the boys.

"Whatever you guys want," Elliot said with a smile.

Kathleen glanced at Maggie, cradled in Olivia's arms. "What happened to Maggie?"

"It's been a busy day for a three-year-old," Olivia said, shifting the little girl slightly.

As she did, Maggie opened her eyes. "Livvy?" she mumbled. "Ice cream?"

Everyone laughed as Olivia nodded. "Yep, time for ice cream."

By the time they left the ice cream parlor, Jacob was awake and cooing again and Maggie was all but bouncing off the wall from the sugar.

"She's going to crash hard," Elliot said, watching Maggie chase Lizzie and Kathleen down the sidewalk.

"Hopefully not for another hour or so," Olivia answered. "Brian, don't climb on the flower pots," she added.

"Dickie, same goes," Elliot called. They arrived at the cars and began loading everyone in. Once the kids were settled, Elliot turned to his partner. "Thanks for coming with us today."

Olivia grinned. "We had fun. Thanks for inviting us."

"I'll call you when I drop the kids off?"

"Why don't you wait until Brian and Maggie are in bed? Then we can talk."

"Well I was hoping to wish the kids good luck tomorrow. Why don't I call again after they go to bed?"

"Okay." Olivia glanced at Elliot's lips and blushed. She wanted to kiss him so badly just then, but knew she couldn't in front of the kids. "I'll talk to you later."

"Have a safe drive," Elliot said with a smile.

"You too. I'll talk to you later."

Olivia waved goodbye to Elliot's kids one more time and climbed into her car. When she got home, she was too busy getting everything ready for the next day and getting the kids ready for bed to think too much about Elliot. He called to wish Brian and Maggie luck the next day and Olivia made sure to pack the kids' backpacks that night to avoid rushing in the morning. She made Brian and Maggie's lunches and stuck them in the fridge. When the kids had been bathed, stories read, and were tucked into bed, Olivia leaned back against the pillows, exhausted. When the phone rang, she picked it up tiredly.

"Hey there," she said softly. "You got the kids home okay?"

"Yep. They said to tell you bye and that they had fun this weekend. Katie especially. She wants to know when she can baby-sit."

Olivia laughed. "When I'm ready to call a sitter, she'll be first on my list. Actually, I might have to call her and Maureen, just to avoid a fight."

"True. Hey, are YOU ready for tomorrow?"

Olivia sighed. "I don't know, El. I'm worried about leaving them so soon. And for a whole day."

"Do you want me to come?" Elliot offered gently.

"No, no that's okay. You shouldn't have to come all the way downtown. I'm sure we'll be fine." She smiled softly. "Thank you though."

"No problem. If you decide you want me to come, call me."

"I will," Olivia promised. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yep. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Night, El."

*****

Olivia woke up early the next morning, butterflies dancing in her stomach. She showered quickly and got dressed before getting ready to wake the kids up. She walked into Brian's room and gently shook his shoulder.

"Hey buddy," she whispered. "Time to get up for school."

Brian blinked open his eyes. "Are you going to drop me off?"

Olivia nodded. "Yep. And I'll pick you up tonight."

"Promise?"

Olivia made an X over her heart. "Cross my heart. Can you get dressed while I wake Maggie up? Then we can have breakfast."

"Okay."

Olivia kissed the top of Brian's head and left the room to wake up Maggie. She sat on the edge of the little girl's bed and brushed her hair back from her face. "Wake up, Maggie," she whispered softly. "Time to get ready for daycare."

Maggie shook her head and buried her face in her pillow. "No daycare," she mumbled, voice muffled by the pillow.

Olivia sighed. "Come on sweetie, it's time to get up. You'll have so much fun at daycare and you'll meet lots of new friends and sing songs and play games. And before you know it, I'll come pick you up and we'll come home and make dinner and play. Okay?"

"No daycare," Maggie answered.

"But we have a pretty dress all picked out for you," Olivia tried. "And Brian and Jacob will be there with you."

"You too?" Maggie asked, turning her face to the side to look hopefully at Olivia.

"No sweetie. I have to go to work with Elliot. But I'll come pick you up when I'm done working. And we'll have dinner. Maybe Elliot will come over."

"Will he throw me?"

Olivia grinned. "I bet if you asked really nicely he would. Ready to get up now?"

"Can Livvy doll come with me?"

"Of course she can. And I bet your Livvy doll will have a lot of fun at daycare with you." Olivia helped Maggie out of bed and into the navy blue jumper with pink flowers, pink turtleneck, and white tights. As she brushed Maggie's hair into pigtails, Olivia watched their reflection in the mirror. "Are you ready, sweetie?"

Maggie shook her head and followed Olivia into her room where Olivia dressed Jacob for the day and double checked the diaper bag to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

After breakfast, Olivia loaded the kids into the car and drove them first to the elementary school. She walked around the front of the car and crouched in front of Brian. "You're going to do great, buddy. Your lunch is in your backpack and remember, you're going to daycare after school. I'll pick you up there after work, around 5:30, okay?"

Brian nodded, nerves clear in his eyes. "What if I get sick?"

"Then the school nurse will call me and I'll come get you."

"What if you forget me?" Brian asked softly.

Olivia reached out and drew Brian into a hug. "I won't forget you, Bri. I could never do that."

"I love you," Brian said, hugging her tightly for a second.

"I love you, too." Olivia released him and smiled. "I'll see you tonight, okay? You'll be fine."

Brian nodded and started walking towards the building. About halfway up the walk, he turned and waved once before hurrying up the steps.

Olivia waited until he was in the door before climbing back in the car. "Ready to go to daycare, Maggie?" she asked, glancing in the review mirror.

Maggie shook her head. "Wanna stay with you, Livvy."

Olivia smiled. "I wish you could, honey. But Elliot and I have to work and it's not a very fun place for little girls. You'll have much more fun at daycare, playing and meeting new friends."

Maggie didn't say anything, but didn't look convinced. When they arrived at the daycare, Olivia left Jacob in the infant room with a kiss and promised that she'd come get him in a few hours. She knew that Jacob was too little to understand but the promise made her feel better at least.

After dropping Jacob off, Maggie had lifted her arms to Olivia, wanting to be carried. Olivia picked her up and Maggie latched tightly onto her neck. When they entered the preschool room, the teacher walked up to them and smiled.

"Hi, Maggie. I'm Mrs. Johnson. I'm going to be your teacher. We're so excited to have you here."

Maggie responded by wrapping her legs tighter around Olivia's waist and burying her face in Olivia's shoulder. Olivia rubbed her back gently and handed Maggie's backpack to the teacher. "Her lunch is in here, so is her doll. I'll be back around 5:30 to pick them up."

"That's fine. We're going to have lots of fun today."

Olivia nodded and tried to pry Maggie from around her neck. "I have to go to work now, sweetie. I'll be back after nap time, okay? And we'll go home and you can tell me all about all the fun things you did today."

Maggie shook her head, tears wetting Olivia's shirt. "No. Don't wanna. Go with you, Livvy."

Olivia sighed. "Honey we've talked about this. You're going to stay here and play while I'm at work. And when you wake up from your nap, Brian will be here. Can you be a big girl and let go for me?"

Maggie shook her head again, holding on tighter. Olivia reached up and gently pried her hands apart with one hand, passing her to the teacher. "Be a good girl for Mrs. Johnson and I'll see you soon, okay?"

Mrs. Johnson took Maggie who began to cry harder. "NO! Livvy don't go!"

Olivia leaned over and kissed her gently. "I love you, Maggie and I'll be back before you know it."

"LIVVY! I WANNA GO TO!" Maggie started screaming as Olivia began walking towards the door, waving as she went.

"Bye Maggie! I love you!"

"LIVVY DON'T GO! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Maggie wailed. "LIVVY! NOOOOOOOOO!"

Olivia pushed her way out the front door, tears threatening to fall. She felt as if a weight was pressing on her chest and she couldn't breathe. The sounds of Maggie's screams kept echoing in her ears. As she walked quickly towards the car, her head bent to hide the tears that were getting harder and harder to hold back, she ran head on into someone in front of her.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled as she stumbled backwards.

"It's okay," a familiar voice said as hands came up to cup her arms, catching her.

Olivia looked up into familiar blue eyes which reflected worry. "What are you doing here?" she asked softly, trying to battle the tears which blurred her vision.

"I thought you might need a little emotional support," Elliot responded softly, pulling her into a hug. "How hard was it?"

"She was screaming, El. Screaming her little heart out for me. And poor Brian looked so brave but his eyes were so scared. I don't think I can do this. It's too soon for me to leave them. They've been through so much," Olivia whispered.

Elliot rocked slightly, rubbing his hands up and down her back. "They'll be fine, Liv. Brian's tough, he'll be fine. He'll love school."

"He asked me if I would forget him," she sniffed miserably. "And what would happen if he got sick."

"You're the first person who's ever taken care of him, Olivia. You're the first real mom he's had. He's still getting used to it."

"I can still hear Maggie screaming in my head. She sounded like she was being tortured! She just kept crying for me…"

"I know," Elliot whispered soothingly. "It's just a little separation anxiety. Wait, tonight you'll go to pick her up and she'll have had a great time."

"You didn't hear her. It's too soon to leave her, to leave any of them."

"I know it is. But eventually you would have to. And the sooner you can get them settled into a regular routine, the easier it'll be for everyone."

"But Jacob's so young. And Maggie needs me. I didn't expect it to be so hard."

Elliot smiled slightly and kissed the top of her head. "I know. Trust me, I know. Why don't we give Maggie a few hours, then call daycare and see how she's doing?"

"Can't I just go back in and get them for one more day?" Olivia asked hopefully, raising her brown eyes to meet Elliot's blue ones.

Elliot shook his head sorrowfully. "Even if you did, it would just make tomorrow that much harder." He shifted slightly, leading her towards her car. "Come on, Liv. Let's head to the office. The sooner we start work, the sooner you can come back and get them. It'll make time pass faster. I swear."

Olivia nodded and handed him the keys to her car, knowing she was too shaky to drive. Only then did she look around. "Where's your car though?"

Elliot unlocked the passenger side door and opened it for her. "I took a cab this morning." He smiled. "I had a feeling you might be too shaky for driving."

Olivia smiled and kissed him gently. "Thank you for being so wonderful."

"I promised I'd be here for you," Elliot smiled, kissing her back. "And I don't intend to break that promise."

Olivia blushed slightly with pleasure as Elliot helped her into the car. He shut her door and climbed into the driver's seat. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Are you propositioning me, Ms. Benson?"

Olivia laughed. "While I would love to…I was actually wondering if you'd want to come over for dinner. The kids would love to see you. And…and I kind of told Maggie you would."

Elliot grinned. "That sounds good. Do you want me to come with you to pick them up or meet you at your place?"

"You can come with me to pick them up, if you want."

"Sounds like a plan." After a few minutes, he reached over to link hands with her. "They'll be okay, Liv. You guys will get through this."

Olivia smiled thankfully at him and squeezed his hand.

When they arrived at the office, Munch looked up and smirked. "It's about time you decided to join us," he teased Olivia. "We thought you'd decided to become a stay at home mom."

Olivia laughed. "And miss all of this? Not a chance."

"How are the munchkins?" Munch asked.

"They're called children," Fin said, rolling his eyes. "Munchkins are what yours will be called. God forbid."

"They're good," Olivia said with a warm smile. "Brian's at school and Maggie and Jacob are at daycare."

"How did the meeting with the caseworker go?" Fin asked, propping his feet on his desk.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "He finally admitted that there was no reason the kids shouldn't stay with me. But he was a pompous prick. I have to call children's services a request a new caseworker. He was condescending and the kids hated him."

Fin nodded. "Okay," he said, nodding.

"You know, they do that on purpose," Munch said, leaning back in his chair.

Olivia looked up from the papers she was looking through on her desk, trying to find the number for DCFS. "Who do what on purpose?"

"DCFS. They hate cops, they think we get in their way, so…"

"Okay, thanks John, I'll keep that in mind," Olivia interrupted.

"You didn't hear my whole argument," Munch grumbled.

"I know and while I'd love to hear it, I just found the number and I have to get to work."

After securing a new caseworker and setting up a meeting with her the next week, Olivia and Elliot spent the morning on a rape case that had come in the night before. At 11:30, Olivia finally had time to call the daycare. Olivia took a deep breath to quell the nerves in her stomach before someone answered.

"Yes, this is Olivia Benson, Brian, Maggie, and Jacob Allen's foster mother. I'm calling to see how the kids are doing."

"Ah, first time away from them?" the woman asked and Olivia could hear the smile in her voice.

"Yeah."

"Well Jacob's fine. He's having lunch right now. He's a good little eater."

"Yes he is. How's Maggie?" The ball of fear in Olivia's stomach had only dissolved slightly. She'd had very little doubt that Jacob would do well. At two months, he was too little for separation anxiety.

The woman on the other end sighed. "She's napping right now."

Olivia blinked. "Napping? She usually doesn't nap until after lunch." At the worry in her voice, Elliot looked up, concern evident on his face.

"She cried herself to sleep about half an hour ago."

"Oh," Olivia said softly. "She's been crying this whole time?"

"Don't worry, Ms. Benson," the woman said soothingly. "We see this all the time with children their first day. I'm sure when she wakes up, she'll be fine."

"Okay. I'll call again this afternoon, maybe talk to her?"

"That wouldn't be such a good idea, Ms. Benson. Hearing you but not having you here would only make the transition more difficult. It's not unusual for children Maggie's age to have problems when their parents leave. I promise we'll call you if anything happens you should know about."

"Can I call to check up?" Olivia asked, not quite sure she was ready to let go completely.

"Of course. I wish all parents were as concerned as you."

When Olivia hung up the phone, she was met by the worried looks of not only her partner, but also Munch, Fin, and Cragen.

"Maggie okay?" Elliot asked gently.

"She cried herself to sleep half an hour ago."

Cragen smiled gently. "Why don't you and Elliot take off around 4:30 today? Go pick up the kids?"

"Me too, Cap?" Elliot asked, surprised.

"I thought you might want to see how the kids handled school and daycare."

Elliot grinned. "Thanks."

"No problem. But if you're leaving early, try to get somewhere with the Martin case. Okay?"

"Got it," Olivia said with a smile.

At 3:45, Olivia called the daycare again. Maggie had stopped crying after her nap but instead was sitting in a corner, holding her Cinderella doll, and refusing to interact with anyone. When she hung up, still upset, Cragen walked out of the office. "Benson, Stabler, a girl just came into St. Joseph's, raped. Be careful, the girl's only 12."

"Twelve?" Olivia asked as she grabbed her coat. "Schools just let out."

"She was raped in a bathroom," Cragen answered soberly. "Her name's Valerie Bowmen."

"Christ," Elliot cursed, grabbing his jacket and keys.

When they arrived at the hospital, Dr. DelAmico walked up to the detectives. "Detective Benson. How are the kids doing?"

Olivia smiled. "Good. They're in school today. Are you Valerie Bowmen's doctor?"

Anna nodded. "She's pretty fragile right now."

Elliot nodded. "Physically, how's she doing?"

"She has a broken hand and wrist, on the same side and a few bruises on her face. There's some trauma from the rape, of course." Anna paused. "From what she's told me, the sex bracelets started it."

"Excuse me?" Olivia asked, eyes narrowing. "Sex bracelets?"

Anna nodded. "Cheap rubber bracelets, like from the 80's. They sell like 20 for a dollar. Each color represents a different sex act, from kissing to sex and everything in between."

"And they represent how many a girl has done?" Elliot asked, surprised.

"Not exactly. A girl buys them and wears them. Then a guy comes up and breaks one off. Whatever color he breaks off, she has to do the act that the color represents."

Olivia and Elliot stared at Anna in shock. "How popular are these bracelets?" Olivia asked.

"Very. Since the fad started, we've seen an increase in STD's among 11 to 14 year olds of about 5%."

"Jeez," Elliot said softly, his mind going to Lizzie. "And it's in every school?"

"Pretty much. Public and private."

Olivia sighed. "We'd better get in there."

"Good luck," Anna answered.

Olivia knocked on the door and stuck her head in. "Valerie? My name's Olivia. I'm a detective. Can my partner and I come in and talk to you about what happened?"

The girl nodded and Olivia and Elliot entered. Valerie was sitting up in the hospital bed. She looked up shyly, her big brown eyes taking nervous survey of the detectives.

Olivia smiled comfortingly. "Valerie, this is my partner Elliot. Can you tell us what happened today?"

Valerie blushed and looked down at the blankets. "Are you going to call my parents?"

Olivia nodded. "Dr. DelAmico will take care of that."

"Do you have to?"

"I'm sorry honey," Olivia said gently. "But we have to. Now Elliot and I are going to do everything we can to find the person who hurt you. But first, you need to tell us everything you can."

Valerie looked nervously at Elliot. Olivia caught his eye and nodded. Elliot wandered to the corner of the room and Olivia smiled. "It's okay Valerie, you can tell me."

"It's my fault," Valerie said softly. "I didn't know what they meant. I just thought they were a new trend. When he broke it off, I just thought he was being mean."

"When did this happen?" Olivia asked gently.

Valerie took a deep breath and sighed. "After fifth period. The rule is, if a guy breaks one off, you have to do the thing by the end of the day. I tried to laugh it off and tell him that I didn't want to do that. He got really mad, said that I had to. I stayed away from him until study hall. It's at the end of the day, everyone has it at the same time. I had to go to the bathroom. When I was washing my hands, another girl came in. She said that I'd ruined the game and made everyone look bad. Then a bunch of guys came in. They locked the door and held me down. He pulled down my pants and then he," Valerie stopped, tears pouring down her face.

"Valerie, do you know the names of the girl and boys in the bathroom?" Olivia asked softly.

Valerie nodded. "But I don't want them to get in trouble. If I wasn't going to do it, then I shouldn't have worn the bracelet. I deserved it."

"Oh no, honey," Olivia reached out and covered Valerie's hand with her own. "Valerie, listen to me. What those kids did to you was very wrong. No one should force you to do something like that if you don't want to. And they need to be punished. What they did is a crime. They forced you to do something you didn't want to do."

Valerie paused. "Will they know I told you?"

Olivia nodded. "But you'll be safe. I promise."

Valerie sighed and gave her a list of five names. Olivia reached in her pocket and pulled out a card. "This is my business card. It has my work phone number, my pager number, and my home phone number on it. If you or your parents have any questions or need anything, call me, anytime, okay?"

Valerie nodded slowly. After talking to her parents and promising to do everything they could to help her, Elliot and Olivia went back to the precinct. They called Casey to meet them and Olivia glanced nervously at the clock. It was 5:00 already and she'd hoped to pick the kids up at 5:30. She didn't want to betray the kids' trust by being late.

Casey was already at the station when they got there. Briefing didn't take long and Casey wanted to wait until they had DNA results back from the rape kit before they brought the kids in for questioning. Not having anything else they could do on the case until the next day, Olivia and Elliot left for the day.

After the third time Elliot cut a turn close, Olivia glanced at her partner worriedly. "You okay, El?"

"Yeah," he said, then started swearing at a cab driver.

"Look, I know the kids get to you."

"She's only a year older than Lizzie is. Next year, Lizzie and Dickie will be in junior high with those sex bracelet things. How do kids come up with these things?"

"I don't know," Olivia answered honestly. "I remember wearing bracelets like those when they were first popular. But they didn't mean anything sexual. Don't worry about Lizzie. She's too independent and stubborn to get involved in something as stupid as sex bracelets."

"Valerie is a good kid, Liv. If she got involved in them…"

"You also have the advantage of knowing about them and what they mean. The only reason that kids get away with them is that their parents don't know, they think they're just bracelets."

Elliot nodded as they pulled into the daycare. "How do you think the kids did today?"

"The word 'disaster' comes to mind. At least for Maggie and maybe Brian."

Elliot squeezed her hand gently. "In that case, we'd better go spring them."

Elliot and Olivia stopped in the infant room to pick up Jacob. He cooed happily as Olivia cuddled him and nuzzled his neck. When they walked into the school-aged kids' room, Brian looked up and grinned.

"Hi, Olivia!" he exclaimed, racing over for a hug. "Hi, Elliot!"

"Hey, Brian," Olivia said, hugging him to her. "How was school?"

"It was okay."

"Are the kids in your class nice?"

Brian nodded. "Yeah. We had gym class today. Hey, is Elliot staying for dinner?"

"I sure am," Elliot said with a grin. "And Olivia and I can't wait to hear all about it. But let's get home, okay? Do you have much homework?"

"Math and social studies and reading."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Olivia said with a smile. "Let's go pick up Maggie and go home."

Olivia walked into the preschool room and looked around. She saw Maggie, curled up in a beanbag chair, holding her doll and staring at the floor, looking completely miserable and alone. Olivia felt her heart break, but smiled gently. "Maggie," she called softly.

Maggie's blonde head snapped up and she looked quickly around the room. As soon as she saw Olivia, her eyes grew wide and a huge smile broke out on her face. "LIVVY!" she shrieked joyfully as she leapt up and raced towards her.

Olivia squatted down and caught Maggie in her arms, standing and hugging her tightly. "Hi, little girl," she whispered.

"Misseded you, Livvy. Don't go." Maggie said as she clung to Olivia's neck.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetie. What did you do today?"

"Nothing," Maggie answered softly.

"Nothing?" Olivia asked, her eyebrows arching. "You didn't sing songs or do crafts or play with the other little girls?"

Maggie shook her head and Olivia raised her eyes to Mrs. Johnson. "Maggie honey, can you go to Elliot so Livvy can talk to Mrs. Johnson?" Olivia asked.

Maggie shook her head. "I want you, Livvy."

Olivia sighed. "Okay. Maybe Elliot and Brian can get your coat and backpack ready for us?"

Elliot nodded. "You sure you don't want to come with us, Maggie Mae?"

Maggie shook her head. "Wanna stay with Livvy."

Olivia walked over to the teacher and raised an eyebrow dangerously. "She didn't do anything all day?"

"Forcing children to participate usually only backfires. We'll try again tomorrow, right Maggie?"

Maggie shook her head, "No. I'm gonna stay with Livvy." She lifted her face enough to look at Olivia. "I'm hungry, Livvy."

"Didn't you have a snack, sweetheart?" Maggie shook her head. "So the last time you ate was lunch?"

Maggie shook her head again. "No lunch."

"Why didn't you eat lunch, baby?"

"I misseded you." Maggie answered simply.

"Maggie, even if you miss me, you need to eat lunch. If you don't, how can you grow up to be big and strong?" Maggie shrugged and Olivia sat down, Maggie on her lap, facing her. "Okay sweetie. You need to eat your lunch. How about if I call at lunch time and then you can eat your lunch, okay? Then it'll be like I'm here."

Maggie thought about that for a minute. "I don't wanna come back tomorrow, Livvy. I wanna stay with you an' Elliot."

"I know you want to stay with me. But remember what I told you about work being no fun for kids?" Maggie nodded. "It's also not always safe for kids. Sometimes, Elliot and I have to go chase down the bad guys and I don't want you to get hurt."

"You gonna get hurt, Livvy?" Maggie asked worriedly.

"I'm going to try very hard not to get hurt. And Elliot and I protect each other and keep each other safe."

"Me too," Maggie said, snuggling into Olivia's arms.

"That's right, Elliot and I are going to protect you and keep you safe too." Olivia stood up. What do you say to going home and making dinner?"

"Can I have a snack?" Maggie asked, hopefully.

"Sure. Let's get home." Olivia stood and took Maggie's coat from Elliot, wrapping it around the little girl's shoulders. Olivia carried Maggie to the car while Elliot carried Jacob. Brian bounced along between the adults, telling them all about his day at school.

When they arrived home, Maggie still refused to let go of Olivia's neck. Olivia managed to wiggle out of her coat, with Elliot's help, and looked down at Brian. "Okay, why don't you bring your homework and do it at the kitchen table? That way I'm right here if you need help."

"Okay," Brian said, dragging his backpack into the kitchen and pulling out his book.

By the time she finally got the kids into bed, and Maggie unglued from her side, Olivia was exhausted. She lifted Jacob into her arms and carried him into the kitchen. While she heated his bottle, Elliot wrapped his arms around her. "Finally," he whispered, kissing the back of her neck.

Olivia felt heat pool in her belly and her knees grow week as Elliot's hand slid under her shirt and stroked across her bare skin. She turned around, Jacob nestled in between them, and raised on her tiptoes to meet his lips with hers. Her right hand snaked up to stroke the back of his neck as his arms wrapped around her, sliding up her back. Olivia opened her mouth, allowing Elliot's tongue to enter and brush teasingly over hers before beginning to dance back and forth. Elliot pulled back slightly and rained kisses along her jaw line when Jacob let out an unhappy cry.

Olivia pulled back, face flushed. "I…uh…he's hungry."

Elliot leered at her. "He's not the only one."

Olivia blushed more. "Not with Jacob in the room. I…just couldn't."

"I know," Elliot said softly, turning off the burner as Olivia removed the bottle from the pan. "I wasn't asking you to." Elliot linked hands with her as they walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, Olivia leaning against his chest and his arms wrapped around her waist.

As Jacob began eating hungrily, Olivia looked up at Elliot and smiled. "Thank you for not pushing me. I don't want to ruin this by rushing it."

"I understand," Elliot said, kissing her cheek gently. "I don't mind taking it slow with you, Liv. I want to do this right with you. I want to take you on dates, woo you."

"You want to woo me?" Olivia asked, tilting her head back, a look of amusement on her face.

Elliot blushed. "Yeah. I want this to be a real relationship, not just sex."

"I want that too," she said, smiling shyly. "I've just never had anyone…woo me."

"That's their loss," Elliot said softly. "And my gain."

Olivia smiled. "It just so happens I consider myself pretty lucky to have you, too." They lapsed into silence until Olivia shifted Jacob to her shoulder to burp him. Elliot walked with her upstairs to put the baby down and smiled when he saw how natural Olivia looked laying Jacob down for bed and kissing him goodnight.

When they were back in the living room, Olivia nestled in his arms, she looked up at him. "Brian seems happy about school."

Elliot nodded. "I think he missed it. What are you going to do about Maggie?"

"I wish I knew," Olivia answered softly. "Maybe it'll just take her a few days to get used to it."

"I hope so. I think she's just afraid of new things."

Olivia smiled gently. "I'll figure something out. You wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure." Elliot put on HBO and halfway through Head of State, he looked down to see that Olivia was sound asleep against his chest. Smiling gently, he turned off the TV and stood, carefully scooping Olivia up in his arms.

He carried her into her room and laid her carefully on her bed. But once she was there, Elliot paused, unsure of himself. He slowly unzipped and removed her black boots, then looked around. He quickly found Olivia's pajamas, but wasn't sure what to do. On one hand, he could change her into her pajamas. It would be more comfortable for her to sleep that way and, to be honest, he would love to see her naked. But on the other hand, stripping her while she was asleep would be taking advantage of her, something he'd never wanted to do and refused to do. Plus, if she woke up while he was changing her, it was very likely that he would lose a very important body part. Elliot finally gave up and tucked her into bed, fully clothed.

He bent and kissed Jacob goodnight one last time before brushing a gentle kiss over Olivia's brow. In her sleep, she smiled softly and snuggled deeper into the blankets, sighing softly. Elliot tiptoed out of the room, leaving the door cracked open for Maggie. He stopped in Maggie's room, tucked her Livvy doll under her arm, pulled her blankets up around her shoulders, and kissed her gently. Finally, he walked into Brian's room and bit back a laugh. Brian was sprawled in his bed, blankets tossed off. Elliot untangled him, repositioned his left arm and leg that were hanging off the side of the bed, and tucked him back in. Before leaving the room, Elliot kissed Brian's forehead gently. He left the house quietly, locking the door behind him, and felt like he was leaving part of his heart behind.

*****

Olivia arrived at work the next morning looking emotionally drained and it was only 8:30. Elliot looked up from his desk as she sat down. "Daycare didn't go well, did it?"

Olivia shook her head. "Maggie started crying in the car this time. If anything, it was worse."

"Well you better have some coffee and regroup. Michael Pauly and his parents will be here in fifteen minutes."

Olivia sighed. "Great." She stood up and poured herself a mug of coffee. Before sitting down, she removed the file from Elliot's desk and began reading it over. "Pauly's the kid Valerie said broke the bracelet in the first place?"

Elliot nodded. "He's coming with both parents and a lawyer."

"Shit."

"Yep. Hopefully, we can get the other kids to implicate him in their interviews."

Twenty minutes later, Elliot and Olivia were sitting in the interrogation room, staring at a twelve year old boy. "Do you know why you're here?" Elliot asked.

Michael nodded. "Valerie's in the hospital."

"Can you tell us what happened yesterday?"

"You don't have to answer that," the lawyer said.

Elliot raised an eyebrow at the lawyer. "He's already been identified by the victim. What we want to know is his side."

The lawyer let out a dry laugh. "Right. So you can get a confession and get this one off your desk? I didn't graduate law school last week."

Olivia barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "We already have evidence. Valerie's identification is enough to get a warrant for a DNA test. We want to know how much of a part Michael played."

The lawyer looked at Michael and nodded. Michael took a breath, then spoke. "Valerie's really pretty. And built. I wanted to get with her. When she wore those bracelets, I figured it was a sign. So I broke the black one. Then she started saying that she didn't want to, she didn't know what they meant, stuff like that. Whatever, everyone knew what they meant. And if she didn't, then she shouldn't have worn them. If a guy breaks a bracelet it's like a promise. Valerie tried to break that promise."

"What happened in the bathroom?" Elliot asked.

"I told my friends what she did. First Melanie followed her into the girls' bathroom. She let us in. Then Frank, David, and Phil held her down and I took my payment. It's only fair."

Elliot leaned forward menacingly. "Do you know what rape is, Michael?" The boy nodded. "Do you understand that what you did is rape?"

Michael shook his head. "She was supposed to. It was her fault."

Olivia leaned forward, taking her good cop role from Elliot's bad cop. "Whose idea was it, Michael?"

"Kind of everyone's. Well not Melanie's. She's Frank's girlfriend. We needed a girl to go into the bathroom first, so we asked her. But we were talking about it at lunch and it just kind of…happened."

A knock on the window interrupted them and Elliot and Olivia stood up, leaving the room. Casey was waiting outside. "We've got enough to indict him between Valerie's statement and Michael's. After you finish interviewing the kids, we can start work on the indictment. I'd also like you to talk to Valerie one more time."

"Got it," Olivia said.

"Self-important little prick," Elliot grumbled.

The next student to come in was Melanie. The girl sat in the interrogation room, her parents on either side of her. She was dressed in jeans and a blue t-shirt, her dark hair falling in front of her face as she stared at the table. She was a sharp contrast to the Abercrombie clothes and upper-middle class feeling of the other students, clearly rougher around the edges than her classmates.

Elliot and Olivia walked into the room and sat across from her. Elliot leaned forward intensely. "Melanie, do you know why you're here?"

Melanie nodded. "Valerie's in the hospital."

"Are you and Valerie friends?"

Melanie shrugged. "I know her, she's in my homeroom and social studies and math classes. We're not really close though."

"Do you know why she's in the hospital?"

"The school counselor said she was raped."

"Do you know what that means?" Elliot asked gently.

Melanie shook her head.

"Do you know what sex is?" Elliot asked.

"Of course," Melanie said, a hint of frustration in her voice. "I've had sex ed every year since fifth grade."

"Rape," Olivia said harshly, "is when a guy forces a girl to have sex against her will."

"Oh," Melanie said softly, looking at the table again.

"Now, we've heard from two different people that you were involved. Do you want to tell us what happened yesterday?" Olivia asked.

Melanie looked guiltily at her parents, then back at the detectives. "Frank, my boyfriend, just asked me to knock on his homeroom door when she went to the bathroom and then to go in and make sure that there wasn't anyone else in there. Michael broke a sex bracelet off Valerie's arm and she wasn't going to do it. I thought they were just going to yell at her for breaking the rules, I swear. I didn't think they'd do that. I heard her yelling and banging and I went back to my homeroom."

"You knew a girl was in there alone with four boys, heard yelling and banging, and didn't go in to help?" Olivia asked incredulously.

"You don't understand," Melanie exclaimed. "If I didn't do it, Frank would have broken up with me! I'm lucky that he's with me, he's popular and hot! He's so sweet to me. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him."

"So you let a classmate be attacked and raped instead," Olivia sneered. "That's a much better choice than losing a junior high boyfriend."

"I didn't know they were going to do that!" Melanie shouted, tears running down her face. "I wouldn't have helped them if I did!"

On Thursday, Elliot and Olivia were in a sedan, driving to scope out a restaurant where a woman had been raped. Elliot glanced at Olivia and smiled. "Is 9:00 a good time for me to come by for dinner?"

"Dinner?" Olivia asked. "We usually eat earlier than 9:00, in case you haven't noticed. The kids are in bed by then."

Elliot laughed, reaching over to twine his fingers with hers. "That's kind of the point, Liv. Or have you forgotten about our date?"

She shook her head quickly. "Of course not! You haven't mentioned it though so I thought you'd changed your mind."

"Never," Elliot answered with a grin. "I just thought you had enough to worry about with the kids' first week of school and daycare. But are we still on?"

Olivia smiled and squeezed his hand. "Why don't we make it 9:30?"

"That sounds perfect. What do you want me to bring?"

"Bring?" Olivia asked, confused.

"That was part of the deal. You provide the house, I provide the food. That way you don't have to cook."

"I guess we haven't had Italian in awhile," Olivia said with a smile. "What do you think?"

"Sounds good."

*****

By the end of the week, Casey had indicted all five kids in Valerie's rape case. Brian had a great week at school and loved it. However, Maggie hadn't warmed up to daycare in the least. She still sobbed everyday when Olivia left and refused to play with any of the other kids. At night, when Olivia picked them up, Brian was bubbling over with excitement about what had happened at school that day, Jacob would coo contentedly when she cradled him to her, and Maggie attached herself to Olivia. As the week had progressed, Maggie had only become clingier. She refused to let Olivia out of her sight, wouldn't go to sleep unless Olivia was in the room, and had started crying when they got in the car every morning. Thursday night, Olivia had woken up at one point to find Maggie curled next to her in bed.

Elliot had joined them for dinner almost every night that week. He'd become ingrained in their nightly routine, working as a team with Olivia until Maggie and Brian were tucked into bed and Jacob was sleeping soundly, at least until his next feeding. Then he and Olivia would watch TV or talk until he went home and Olivia tucked herself into bed, wishing he was there with her.

When Olivia went to the daycare to pick up the kids on Friday, she found Jacob fussing in the infant room. "Hey big boy," she cooed, lifting him into her arms and nuzzling his neck. Jacob immediately quieted and she smiled. "That's my boy," she said, gathering his diaper bag and carrier into her arms.

Her next stop was the school children's room. She was surprised to find Brian sitting at a table, bent over his homework. He was usually playing with some of the other kids when she got there. "Hey, Bri," she said, walking up.

"Hi," he said, looking up with a smile.

"You ready to go home?"

"Yep," Brian said, hugging her before he started gathering his things.

"Why are you doing homework already?" Olivia asked as they left the elementary school room.

Brian shrugged. "I dunno."

"How was school?"

"Okay," he answered, but didn't volunteer any more information.

Olivia nodded, a bit confused by Brian's reticence. They walked into the preschool room and a little blonde blur came racing towards them, attaching herself to Olivia's leg.

"LIVVY!" Maggie squealed. "You came back!"

"Just like I always will," Olivia said, squatting to hug her tightly. "What did you do today?"

"Nothing," Maggie answered, just as she had everyday that week.

Olivia raised an eyebrow at the teacher who nodded. Olivia sighed and stroked a hand over Maggie's hair. "Let's go home, sweetie. You ready?"

Maggie nodded furiously. "Yeah. I wanna go home."

When they arrived home, Brian was still being far quieter than normal. Maggie clung to Olivia as she opened the door, juggling the little girl, Jacob, the diaper bag, and Maggie's backpack. Brian followed her in and toed off his shoes before taking his backpack upstairs. Olivia watched him go, a frown appearing on her face.

"Maggie, what do you say you play upstairs for a little bit while I talk to Brian?"

"I wanna come too," Maggie said, wrapping her arms and legs tighter around Olivia.

Olivia sighed and managed to put the diaper bag and back pack down. She carried Maggie and Jacob up the stairs, settling Jacob into the porta-crib to finish his nap before she walked into Maggie's room. "Mags, you have to let go, just for a little bit, honey. I'll be right in Brian's room, okay?"

Maggie shook her head. "You'll go away."

Olivia sighed. "No sweetheart. I'll be right in Brian's room, I promise. If you need me, I'll come right away. How about this, you bring some toys and you can wait outside Brian's room for me."

Maggie paused, then nodded. Once Olivia had gotten Maggie settled in the hallway, she knocked on Brian's door. "Brian? Honey, can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Olivia opened the door and found Brian sitting on the bed, staring into space. She sat down next to him and smiled. "What's going on?"

Brian sighed. "Alex invited me to come over next weekend and ride bikes."

Olivia smiled. "Well that sounds fun. Is Alex in your class?"

Brian nodded. "He's really nice. He said that you should call his mom to set it up."

"That's really exciting, Bri. What's wrong though?"

Brian looked at Olivia, then down at his bedspread. "I don't know how to ride a bike," he whispered.

Olivia sighed and wrapped an arm around Brian's shoulder, pulling him into a hug. "That's okay Brian. We'll teach you to ride a bike."

"In a week?" he asked doubtfully.

"Look how quickly you picked up roller blading," Olivia pointed out. "Tomorrow, you and Maggie and Jacob and I will go to the park and we'll teach you."

"Elliot too?" Brian asked hopefully.

"I'll have to ask him," Olivia answered.

"Do you know how to ride a bike?" Brian asked softly.

Olivia chuckled. "Well it's been a few years since I had to, but I used to."

Brian grinned and wrapped his arms around Olivia tightly. "Thanks, Olivia. Can you call Alex's mom? He gave me his phone number."

"I'll call while I'm making dinner, how's that?"

"That's good." Brian paused. "Do you have a bike that I can use?"

Olivia laughed. "No, honey. But we'll figure something out."

"Can we start tomorrow?"

"Bright and early," Olivia agreed. She took a deep breath. She hadn't mentioned anything to Brian or Maggie about her date with Elliot to avoid them either worrying about her being away for a night, or getting ideas about the relationship being more than it was. "Maggie, honey can you come in here?" she called.

Maggie hurried into the room and climbed into Olivia's lap. "You done, Livvy?"

Olivia nodded. "Kind of. I need to talk to you and Brian about something."

"What's wrong?" Brian asked, worriedly.

"Oh, nothing's wrong," Olivia assured him, wrapping an arm around the little boy and drawing him close. "Tonight, after you guys go to bed, what would you think about me having Elliot over for dinner?"

Brian sighed sadly. "That's okay. I'll take care of Maggie and Jacob."

"What?" Olivia asked, confused. "Oh no, honey, that's not what I meant. You guys will be sleeping."

"Why?" Maggie asked, cuddling closer and wrapping her arms around Olivia's neck.

"Well Elliot and I are very good friends and sometimes we like to have dinner together."

"That's okay," Brian said. "How come we can't have dinner with you and Elliot? Doesn't he like us anymore?"

"Of course he likes you Brian!" Olivia exclaimed, gathering him closer. "It's just, sometimes grownups like to have dinner by themselves."

"Okay," Brian said, snuggling closer. "We'll be good."

"I knew you would be," Olivia said, kissing the top of his head.

"Will it be like a date?" Brian asked, hopefully.

Olivia paused, not wanting to get Brian's hopes up. "Elliot and I have dinner a lot, honey. Let's just say it's two very good friends having dinner, okay?"

"Okay."

"What about you, Maggie Mae? Are you going to be okay?"

"No throwing?"

"Not tonight, no. But I bet Elliot will throw you sometime this weekend."

"Love you, Livvy," Maggie said softly.

"I love you too, sweetheart. Now why don't we go get dinner?"

"Are you eating with us, too?" Brian asked, looking up at Olivia.

"No, but I'll make dinner and sit with you guys."

"Okay," Brian said, then grinned. "Can we order pizza?"

"How about pizza tomorrow night? Chicken and pasta tonight."

That night, Olivia tucked Brian and Maggie into bed before she started to get ready. She jumped in the shower and dried and styled her hair as quickly as she could. After putting her make-up on, Olivia stood in her bra and panties in front of the closet, surveying the contents. What did one wear on a date with her partner? Especially an incredibly sexy partner who she'd had feelings for since the first day she met him and she's recently begun a relationship with.

When she finally found an outfit, after trying on almost everything she owned, Olivia finally managed to get dressed. As she was buckling her shoes, strappy black heels, Jacob let out an impatient cry. She smiled and lifted the baby into her arms. As she prepared his bottle, Olivia realized that getting spit up on her shirt would put her behind schedule. She laid a burp cloth over her shoulder and sat on the couch, Jacob nestled in her arms and eating hungrily.

As she lifted Jacob to her shoulder to burp, a knocked sounded on the door. She stood carefully and walked towards the door, patting Jacob's back gently. When he let out a loud burp, she laughed. "Oh you've definitely been spending too much time with Elliot."

She opened the door and froze, one hand patting Jacob's back. Her breath caught at the sight of Elliot standing in the doorway, wearing a dark blue shirt and tie with black pants, holding a bag of food in one hand and a bouquet of dark red tulips in the other. "Hi," she finally said softly, marveling at the butterflies which seemed to have invaded her stomach. No, she decided. Butterflies were nowhere near big enough. Eagles, yes, those wings might be big enough to describe how she felt.

"Hey," Elliot said with a grin. "You look great," he added. Great didn't even begin to cover it, he thought to himself.

"So do you," Olivia answered, stepping back to let him in.

Elliot smiled and held out the flowers. "These are for you."

"They're gorgeous." Olivia said, taking the tulips and sniffing them gently.

"Almost as gorgeous as you are," Elliot answered, walking forward and wrapping an arm around her, drawing her close. He kissed her gently and smiled. "How's everything here?"

"Brian and Maggie are in bed. Both were disappointed they were going to miss you, so don't be surprised if we have company at some point tonight. Jacob here is almost ready for bed."

"Great. I'll take the food into the kitchen, then we can go put him down."

Olivia nodded and followed him into the kitchen where she filled a vase with water and placed the tulips on them, in the center of the table with a smile. "These are perfect," she said, looking back at Elliot. "The table was missing something and I didn't know what."

"It looks great," Elliot assured her with a smile. The flowers were flanked by two white pillar candles and the kitchen lights had been dimmed. "Is the little one ready to go down?"

Olivia nodded and felt chills rush through her body, followed by a pooling of heat in her belly when Elliot rested a hand on her lower back as they walked, the same way he had a million times before. They walked together to her bedroom and Elliot bent to kiss Jacob goodnight before Olivia kissed him also and laid him in the portacrib. "Goodnight, Jay Baby. I love you."

They tiptoed out of the room and Elliot saw Olivia glance towards Brian and Maggie's rooms. "You want to check on them, don't you?"

"Do you mind?" Olivia asked.

"Of course not," Elliot smiled.

Olivia cracked the door to Maggie's room open more and stuck her head in. Maggie was sound asleep, curled on her side with her teddy bear and doll clutched in her arms. Olivia and Elliot walked to Brian's room and, finding him asleep also, walked downstairs. Once they were settled at the table, Olivia looked at Elliot, feeling awkward for the first time since she'd met him.

Sensing her nerves, Elliot smiled gently. "What are you thinking?" he asked softly.

"Nothing," Olivia whispered, pushing her eggplant parmesan around her plate.

"Don't lie to me, Olivia," he said firmly. "You suck at it."

"It's just…this," she said, motioning between them. "It's different."

"It's just us, there's nothing to worry about."

Olivia just stared at him for a second. "It's not 'just us,' Elliot. 'Just us' is partners and best friends. This is considerably more. This has expectations and consequences."

Elliot nodded. "You're forgetting something, Liv. This might have consequences, but it also has something else."

"What's that?"

"Potential. This has the potential to make us both very very happy."

"And if it was just me, I wouldn't be worried at all. But it's not just me anymore, Elliot. I have three children to think about. The last thing I can do is start a relationship that might hurt them."

Elliot stared at her in shock. "Do you honestly think I would do anything to hurt those kids? I love them too, Olivia. Just as much as you do." He took a deep breath. It might be a little soon, but Olivia deserved to know where he was heading. "I'm going to be here, for as long as you want me to be."

She smiled tentatively. "I need to warn you, relationships and I don't mix very well."

"I know, but we'll be different."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know the job, I know the hours, and, most importantly, I know you Liv. I know what's going on inside that beautiful head of yours. And I know we can make this work."

Olivia smiled as the butterflies, eagles, whatever, that had been beating against her stomach disappeared. "I want that too."

Elliot grinned. "Good. Now that that's out of the way, how are the kids? Are they looking forward to a weekend without daycare?"

"Maggie is. I'm a little worried that it will make it harder for her to go back on Monday. I might need to figure out something else."

"Why don't we wait until Monday and see?" Elliot suggested gently. "Then, if she still has problems, we'll figure something out. How's Brian liking school?"

Olivia beamed. "He loves it. Actually, he got asked to a friend's house to ride bikes next weekend."

"That sounds fun."

"Except that he's never learned to ride a bike."

"Oh," Elliot paused. "You gonna teach him?"

"I was going to tomorrow." She smiled. "Do you want to join us? I thought I could rent him a bike in Central Park."

"I'd love to help out. What time?"

"I'm not sure, I was going to wait and see what time the kids get up."

"Why don't you give me a call and I'll meet you there? I'll see if I can pick up a bike for Brian."

"Elliot!" Olivia gasped. "You are not going to buy him a bike!"

"I wasn't going to," Elliot laughed, adding a silent yet. "But I think I can borrow one from Dickie. He got a new one for Christmas and the old one is still sitting in the garage."

"If Dickie wouldn't mind, that would be great."

"No problem." Elliot grinned. "I'll even bring one of the tools I used to teach my kids to ride." At Olivia's raised eyebrows, he continued. "It's a broom handle. You attach it to the back of the bike and you can run or walk behind it, holding on. That way, you don't hurt your back bending over."

"Smart." Olivia looked at her plate, then at Elliot's. "You done too?"

Elliot nodded and stood up, gathering his plate, then hers. "Why don't you go into the living room and sit down, while I clean up? Do you want another glass of wine?"

"I'd love another glass of wine, but there's no way I'm letting you clean up everything yourself," Olivia said, standing also.

"I want this to be a real date, Liv."

"I know." Olivia set the bread basket she'd been carrying down on the counter and wrapped her arms around Elliot from behind, resting her cheek against his back. "But it's because of me that we can't have a regular first date."

Elliot turned around and wrapped his arms around Olivia, tipping her chin up so he could look her in the eye. "As far as I'm concerned, this is a perfect first date, Liv. It might not be traditional, but that's okay. You have kids now and they have to come first."

"You're not upset that I wasn't ready to leave them with a sitter yet?"

"Of course not!"

Olivia smiled and rose on her toes slightly to brush her lips across his. "Well I want this to be a regular date for you too. So I'll clean up later."

"I'm not leaving you with a mess, babe," Elliot said, shaking his head.

"Then I'm helping you." Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck, staring into his bright blue eyes. "If this is going to work, it's going to be a partnership. We're equals."

"Sounds just right to me," Elliot responded, bending to catch her lips with his.

When they broke apart, both began cleaning up the kitchen. Fifteen minutes later, they brought their glasses of wine into the living room. Elliot walked over to the stereo and put on a CD he'd brought. When Olivia would have sat down on the couch, Elliot caught her hand and pulled her to him, wrapping his right arm around her waist while his left held her hand tightly, their fingers intertwined.

"Dance with me, Olivia," he said softly.

"I'm not any good," she warned, though she wasn't even convincing herself.

"Don't worry about it, just follow my lead and move."

"This isn't a raid," Olivia laughed.

"Either way I've got your back," Elliot answered with a smile. "It's just literal this time."

Olivia blushed and rested her cheek on his shoulder, her nose nuzzling his neck as they swayed slowly back and forth. She smiled as she breathed in his scent and felt him slide a hand under her shirt, gently stroking the bare skin of her back. As the song ended, Olivia straightened and looked at Elliot. "We talked all about my kids, but how are yours?"

Elliot smiled warmly. "Thanks to you, Kathleen's still wearing normal make-up to school. And she's even integrating color into her wardrobe."

Olivia chuckled. "Good. I had a feeling it was just a teenage rebellion."

"Dickie and Lizzie are excited about getting out of elementary school and into middle school next year."

"I bet they're excited."

"The school is having a graduation ceremony and I'd like for you and the kids to be there. It would mean a lot to the twins. And to me."

"That sounds great." Olivia beamed as a warm feeling filled her belly.

The waltz slowed down and as the notes drifted off, Elliot dipped Olivia back, holding her close to him, and brushed his lips over hers. Olivia sighed happily and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. Neither of them saw the little boy watching them from the stairs, wondering if his dreams were going to come true.

An hour later, they finally decided to call it a night. Reluctantly, Elliot and Olivia walked to the door, neither wanting to leave, but both knowing it was too soon. As they walked in front of the stairs, they saw Brian curled up, sound asleep on the steps.

"I'll get him," Olivia whispered, walking forward and bending down.

Elliot rested a hand gently on her lower back, making her pause. "I've got him." He bent down and gathered the little boy into his arms. Olivia walked in front of him up the stairs and quietly opened Brian's door and smoothed back his covers so Elliot could lay her son down. Once he was on the bed, Olivia pulled the covers up around his thin shoulders and kissed him gently on the forehead.

"I love you sweetie," she whispered.

"I love you, Brian," Elliot whispered, kissing him also.

As they tiptoed out of the room, trying not to wake up, a small voice called out, "Love you, 'Livia an' Elliot."

Olivia smiled as she shut the door softly and turned to Elliot. "How much do you think he saw?"

Elliot shrugged. "Enough for him to fall asleep on the stairs. Why?"

"I just…he loves you so much Elliot, I don't want him to get his hopes up and then have them let down."

"Liv," he said softly, taking her hands in his and leading her down the stairs so they could talk without waking up the kids. "I'm not going to disappoint him. Or Maggie and Jacob." He paused. "Or you," he added softly. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I just don't know how you can be so certain about this," Olivia whispered.

"I'm not," Elliot said softly. "But I am certain that we're probably two of the most stubborn people alive, and if we make the decision to make this work, then it will."

Olivia smiled and nodded. "I trust you. I'm just not sure I trust myself."

"Well I trust you. And so do three kids who are sound asleep upstairs. It'll be okay Olivia."

"Okay," she said, leaning forward to catch Elliot's lips with hers. "We'll make it work."

*****

The next day Olivia jumped awake at 3:00 in the morning and raced over to Jacob's porta-crib. He hadn't woken up for a middle-of-the-night feeding yet, which was unusual. He'd woken Olivia up every night for the past week and a half at almost exactly 1:00. As she peered over the edge of the crib, Olivia reached a gentle hand down to rest on his tiny back. Feeling it rise up and down slowly, she let out a relieved breath and pressed a kiss to her fingers, then to his cheek.

The next time she woke up was to find Brian standing in her room, staring at her hopefully. "Morning," she mumbled, pushing herself up and running a hand through her hair. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked, glancing at the clock and noticing that it was a little after six.

"Can you teach me how to ride a bike now?" he asked hopefully.

Olivia chuckled. "Why don't you give me a little time to wake up, honey," she patted the bed next to her and smiled when Brian cuddled next to her. "Elliot said he'd come and help me teach you if you want him to."

Brian nodded and looked up at Olivia. "Are you and Elliot going to get married?"

She was only slightly surprised by the question. After finding Brian asleep on the stairs the night before, she'd expected something, just not so early in the morning. "What makes you ask that?" she asked, wondering just how much Brian had seen.

"Because you kissed him last night, and people kiss before they get married."

Olivia smiled at the over-simplified view of relationships. "Well yes, people do kiss before they get married, but people can kiss without getting married."

"So you and Elliot aren't getting married?" Brian sounded disappointed.

"No sweetie, Elliot and I are friends."

"Is it because of us that you're not getting married?" Brian asked softly, tracing patterns on Olivia's quilt.

"What?" Olivia gasped, sincerely shocked as she pulled the little boy into her lap and hugged him tightly. "Of course not honey! Elliot and I both love you very very much. Why do you keep asking about Elliot and I getting married?"

"Because if you got married, then he'll be my dad and we'll be a real family," he answered softly.

"Oh Brian," Olivia whispered as she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. She remembered all too clearly the desperate need for a traditional family. "Baby, we can be family without Elliot and I getting married."

Brian nodded slowly. "My mom said that no one would marry her because they didn't want to deal with another man's brats. Maybe Elliot won't marry you because me and Maggie and Jacob aren't his."

Olivia sighed, not entirely sure how to handle this. "Elliot loves you," she said slowly. "We both love you because of who you are, because you're a wonderful little boy who's smart and loving and is so incredibly strong. And nothing will ever change that." It was what she'd wanted to be told when she was a child and hoped that it would stay with Brian now, no matter what happened.

"I love you too," Brian said, hugging her tightly. "Can we go make breakfast now?"

Olivia laughed. "Sure. Let me grab my robe." She slid her legs out from under the covers as Brian scrambled off the bed. "What do you want today?"

"Can we have scrambled eggs?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure. Why don't you go wake Maggie up and I'll grab Jacob?"

"Okay!" Brian was off like a shot and Olivia laughed softly as she pulled on a robe and lifted Jacob out of the crib. The baby stirred in her arms and blinked his big brown eyes open, staring at her in wonder.

"I bet you're hungry," Olivia cooed softly as she stroked a finger over his cheek. "Well we'll just get you changed and downstairs and then we'll give you a bottle. Sound good?"

Jacob grabbed her finger and held on as she laid him down on the changing pad, cooing gently to him. She was just finishing up resnapping Jacob's onesie when Maggie wrapped an arm around her leg. "No daycare?" Maggie asked hopefully.

"Not today," Olivia answered. "Today we're going to the park with Elliot."

"Is Lizzie an' Dickie an' Reen an' Katie gonna be there?"

"No, not today sweetie. They're with their mommy this weekend. It's just us and Elliot today."

"Okay." Maggie held up her arms hopefully. "Carry me?"

"I can't carry you honey, because I have to carry Jacob." But Olivia crouched down and gathered the little girl into her arms for a hug. "How about you hold my hand? Then you can help me make breakfast when we get downstairs."

"Okay." Maggie held onto her hand and they walked slowly down the stairs to find that Brian had already started getting things out for breakfast.

Olivia helped Brian crack the eggs into a bowl and once he was beating them with a fork and Maggie was making toast, she sat down with Jacob in her arms sucking on a bottle and a phone balanced between her shoulder and ear. She called Elliot and confirmed that they'd meet at the park at 9:30, which would give her time to stop by a store and buy helmets for Brian and Maggie. She wasn't sure why he told her to buy one for Maggie, but he'd refused to tell her.

At 9:20, Olivia was waiting in the park, Brian and Maggie bouncing with excitement at her side while Jacob slept soundly in the carrier against her chest. "Olivia?" Brian asked, tugging gently on her arm. "What if I can't learn how to ride a bike?"

"It might take a little while, but I'm sure you'll be great at it," Olivia said, crouching down to his height. "You did great roller blading last week and you'd never done that before."

"Elliot!" Maggie shrieked excitedly, waving.

Elliot grinned broadly. He couldn't believe how quickly Maggie had warmed up to him. As he arrived at the group, Olivia stared at him in surprise, one hand rubbing Jacob's back unconsciously.

"Elliot, what did you do?" she gasped, staring at the two bikes Elliot had been steering. One was a blue and red mountain bike and the other was a tiny pink and purple bike with training wheels, a basket, and pink and purple streamers coming out of the handles. The mountain bike had a broom handle attached to the back.

"I told you I'd bring Brian a bike."

"Wow, is that for me?" Brian asked, excited.

"Yep. It used to belong to Dickie, but he said you said you could keep it."

"Really? Can I, Olivia?"

"Of course you can," Olivia said with a grin. She loved seeing Brian getting so excited. She glanced at Elliot as Brian studied his bike closely. "And what about the other bike?"

"Maggie needs something to do," he pointed out with a smile. "And I couldn't very well get something for Brian and not for her."

"I suppose I should be happy that you didn't get one for Jacob too," Olivia said with a smile.

"Well he is kind of little for a bike," Elliot answered, pulling a small bag out of his coat pocket. "But he's just about the right age for these."

"Elliot!" Olivia exclaimed, as she took the bag from him and opened it to find five little books.

"Fair is fair, Liv."

"Elliot?" Maggie asked, tugging on his arm. "Is that mine?" she asked, pointing at the little bike.

"It sure is, honey," Elliot said, crouching down to her height. "Do you think you can ride it?"

Maggie nodded slowly. "Can you help me?"

"Livvy and I will take turns helping you, okay?"

"Okay."

"Hey Elliot?" Brian asked. "What's this stick?"

"That's to help Olivia and me help you ride the bike."

Brian's brow furrowed. "Okay."

"You ready to get started?" Olivia asked, ruffling his hair, the placing the helmet on his head and fastening it.

"I guess." Brian climbed slowly onto the bike and stood straddling the bar, his feet resting on the ground. He looked nervously back at Olivia. "How do I get it started?"

She chuckled and took hold of the pole. "Put one foot on the top pedal and push down. Then pick up your other foot and put it on the pedal."

"But if both of my feet are on the pedals, I'm going to fall!"

Olivia bit the inside of her cheek to hold in the laugh. "No you won't I'll hold you up. And to keep from falling, you just need to keep pedaling."

Brian nodded and timidly pushed down on one pedal. He started off shakily, going slowly and wobbling.

"You're doing great," Olivia encouraged, using all of her strength to hold the bike upright. "Why don't we try to pick up a little speed?"

"Are you sure?" Brian called back, gripping the handle bars tightly.

"I'm positive. It'll be much easier to steer."

"Okay," he said, still not sounding completely sure. He tried pedaling faster and Olivia jogged slowly next to him.

"Livvy, lookit me!" Maggie squealed.

"Okay, Bri, let's turn around and head back towards Elliot and Maggie, okay?"

Brian nodded. "How do I stop?" he asked, panic rising in his throat.

"Squeeze the brakes honey, they're on the handle bars."

Brian came to a screeching halt and Olivia had to use both hands to keep him from falling over. "How was that?" he asked hopefully.

"That was great," Olivia said as they turned the bike around. "You did a lot better when you were going faster. And we'll work on stopping, okay?"

"Okay." Brian started pedaling back, picking up speed more quickly this time.

The bouncing caused Jacob to wake up and he let out an unhappy wail. Fortunately Brian stopped soon and Olivia lifted Jacob out of the carrier, cuddling him close as she swayed back and forth. "Sh, sh baby, you're okay. I know you weren't quite ready to wake up yet, were you?"

"Why don't we switch for a little, Liv? I'll take Jacob with me and Maggie?"

"I want Livvy to help me now," Maggie said, climbing off her bike and wrapping her arms around Olivia's legs.

"Bri, do you mind if I help Maggie for a little while?" Olivia asked, still comforting Jacob.

"I guess not. Can Elliot help me?"

"Sure." They switched positions and Olivia helped Maggie work on riding her little bike while Elliot worked with Brian. Olivia had to admit that helping Maggie was considerably easier than helping Brian. With the training wheels, all Olivia really had to do was follow behind Maggie and make sure she didn't tip over on the turns.

"Hey! Hey I'm doing it! Olivia, look at me!" Brian yelled excitedly after a few minutes.

Olivia looked up and let out a shout. "Great job, Bri!" she yelled, clapping her hands. Brian pedaled back towards her, with Elliot running behind, but not holding onto the stick.

"I did it! All by myself!" Brian yelled as he came to a rather shaky stop by Olivia and Maggie.

"You did great," Olivia answered, leaning over to hug him tightly. "I'm so proud of you, Brian!"

"Do you think I'll be good enough to ride bikes with Alex next weekend?"

"I think you'll do just fine. Especially if we make sure to practice every night."

"You're doing so well, Brian. I'm really proud of you," Elliot added as he reached over to take Jacob and his carrier from Olivia. "I'll take baby duty for awhile, babe."

"Thanks. You guys ready to take a break and have some lunch?" Olivia asked with a smile.

Brian nodded. "Yep. Are we gonna have McDonald's?"

"Maybe we can have McDonald's tomorrow, hon. Today I brought sandwiches for us to have a picnic. Let's head back, okay?"

"Okay."

As they headed back towards the car, they had to go down a short, rather steep hill. Brian had been getting used to his brakes and squeezed them slightly to avoid going too fast. But Maggie still didn't quite get the concept of pedaling backwards. As she started going down the hill, Olivia noticed she was going pretty fast.

"Maggie, slow down!" she called.

Maggie screamed. Unable to control the little bike, she began weaving more and more until she misbalanced and tipped over.

Olivia was already sprinting towards Maggie when she hit the ground and started screaming, with Elliot right on her heels. When she got to the little girl, Maggie was sobbing, holding her right knee tightly. Olivia scooped Maggie up in her arms, unhooking the helmet and letting it fall onto the ground.

"Where do you hurt, baby?" she asked, gently brushing the tears from Maggie's cheeks.

Maggie pointed to her knee and Olivia tried not to panic. The knee of Maggie's jeans was ripped and she'd skinned her knee, which was bleeding. "It hurts, Livvy," she wailed, clinging to Olivia and burying her face in her chest, sobbing.

"I know it does," Olivia whispered as she rubbed gentle circles on Maggie's back.

"How's she doing?" Elliot asked as he came up and crouched next to Olivia, stroking Maggie's hair.

"My knee hurts," Maggie whimpered.

"I bet it does, that's a pretty big owie you have there, Miss Maggie. What do you say we put a band-aid on it?"

"And kiss it to make it better?" Maggie sniffed.

"And kiss it to make it better," Elliot confirmed. He pulled a band-aid out of the diaper bag that Olivia had thrust at him before chasing after Maggie and placed it gently over the scrape. Then he bent and brushed a gentle kiss over the injury. "How does that feel, honey? All better?"

Maggie nodded, but clung to Olivia tightly. "I want uppie, Livvy."

"Okay honey," Olivia stood up, Maggie's legs wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Is Maggie okay?" Brian asked nervously as they caught up with him.

"She's fine, just a skinned knee, but those hurt plenty, don't they honey?" Olivia answered, nuzzling Maggie's neck.

Maggie nodded. "They hurt lots."

After stopping back at Olivia's car to grab the picnic basket, they found an area near the path to set up. Elliot laid the blanket on the ground while Olivia lifted Jacob out of the carrier and cuddled him against her. After eating, Brian and Maggie rode their bikes up and down the path in front of the adults. Elliot had fed Jacob while they were eating and now he laid on the blanket, his head pillowed on Olivia's thigh while Jacob lay on his chest. Olivia sighed happily as she reached down and ran her fingers through Elliot's hair. He hummed contentedly as her nails raked gently over his scalp.

"Thank you," Olivia whispered as she bent down to brush her lips over his.

"Thank you for what?" Elliot asked. He wasn't quibbling with the kiss but wasn't sure what he'd done.

"For today, being here."

"I'm here for as long as you'll have me," Elliot answered, reaching an arm up to draw her back down for another kiss, this one not quite as brief.

As she jogged along the path in Central Park, Casey Novak noticed a family having a picnic up ahead. As she watched the parents kiss, she couldn't help but smile. They were such a beautiful family and they looked so happy. The husband smiled lovingly up at his wife while one hand rubbed the baby's back. The wife looked up to call something to the older children who were riding their bikes back and forth in front of them and Casey almost tripped. That wasn't just any husband and wife! In fact it wasn't husband and wife at all! It was Elliot and Olivia! And they had been kissing!

She jogged over and waved. "Hey guys," she said, breathing slightly heavily.

Olivia jumped, guilt flashing over her face as she pushed Elliot's head off her lap. "Casey! Uh…hi. What are you doing here?"

"Trying to get in shape for softball season. How about you guys?"

"We were just teaching Brian and Maggie to ride bikes," Elliot answered as he sat up, cradling Jacob to him and resting a hand on Olivia's thigh gently.

"So these must be the kids I heard so much about a few weeks ago," Casey said, watching as Brian climbed off his bike and pulled Maggie to him protectively.

"Brian, can you come here?" Olivia asked gently.

Brian raced over and sat down close to Olivia as she tucked an arm around his shoulders. Maggie cuddled between Olivia and Elliot and watched Casey with wide blue eyes. "Who's that?" she whispered.

"This is our friend Casey," Olivia answered as she kissed the top of Maggie's head.

"Hi, you must be Brian and Maggie," Casey said with a smile as she crouched down. "I work with Olivia and Elliot."

"Are you a detective too?" Brian asked, eyeing her carefully.

"Not quite," Casey chuckled. "I'm a lawyer."

"What's that?"

"That means that after Olivia and Elliot arrest the bad guys, I make sure that they go to jail for a long time."

"Oh," Brian answered.

"How's bike riding coming?" Casey asked gently.

"Pretty good."

"I have a owie," Maggie said, pointing at her band-aid.

"Wow, that looks like it hurt. But I bet you were very brave," Casey smiled gently.

Brian grinned, looking like an 8-year-old boy for the first time since Casey had approached them. "Wanna race?"

Casey laughed. "Well that doesn't seem very fair, does it? You're on a bike but I'm running."

"I'm not very fast," Brian wheedled hopefully.

"Okay, okay, I give in," Casey agreed, standing up. "Maggie, do you want to race me too?"

Maggie shook her head and cuddled closer to Elliot and Olivia. Brian grabbed his bike and straddled it, grinning at Casey. "Ready?"

"Where are we racing to?" the ADA asked as she stretched slightly.

"How about to the fork in the path and back?" Elliot suggested, pointing to a spot about 50 yards away.

"Okay," Brian agreed. "Elliot, will you start us?"

"Sure. On your marks, get set, go!"

Olivia and Elliot watched with amused expressions as Casey jogged behind Brian, letting him win without it being obvious. Maggie looked up at Elliot hopefully. "I wanna sit with you, please."

Elliot laughed. "Okay, just let Livvy take your brother." He handed Jacob over to Olivia and lifted Maggie into his lap. A few minutes later, Brian arrived back at the picnic site, with Casey a few feet behind him.

"He's pretty fast," Casey said with a grin.

"Casey almost caught me when we turned around," Brian added. "It's easier to turn around when you're running."

"That's very true," Olivia agreed. "Casey, do you want to join us for a walk? That way the kids can get some more practice."

"Sure. Is this the baby?" she asked, watching the baby in Olivia's arms as they began walking, Maggie and Brian riding slightly ahead of them on their bikes. Elliot looked over and silently linked fingers with Olivia, squeezing gently.

"Yep, this is Jacob," Olivia turned the baby so Casey could see his face.

"Oh, he's precious!" Casey cooed softly.

"Thanks," Olivia answered proudly.

"You seem to be settling right into being a family," Casey said with a smile.

Olivia stopped dead in her tracks. "What?"

"Well, the kids are comfortable with you, you guys have seem to have a good relationship. It looks like things are working out really well."

"Thanks, they're great kids."

"How do you like being a mommy?" Casey asked, watching Brian turn around to wave at them.

"I love it," Olivia answered honestly, waving back. "We're getting along really well."

"Elliot seems to be really comfortable with them too. It must be nice to have him around to help out, since he's already been through this."

"Uh, yeah. He's been a huge help."

Casey paused. "Can I hold the baby?"

Olivia laughed. "Sure." She passed Jacob over and Casey accepted the baby, cuddling him close to her.

"Oh, he's just adorable, Olivia. Look at the duckies on this outfit!"

Olivia grinned. "I had fun at the mall last week."

"And Maggie looks like a little doll!"

"They're great kids," Olivia agreed. "Brian's a huge help and he's really doing well in school."

"He seems smart." Casey paused, looking at the kids. "You'd hardly know they've been through hell."

"We're lucky with them," Olivia answered.

Casey paused, noticing that she's referred to herself and Elliot as "we," but decided to drop it. "Yeah, you are."

That night, after pizza had been eaten and the kids were tucked into bed, Olivia was sitting on the couch, waiting for Elliot to get back from the bathroom.

Elliot walked into the living room, took one look at Olivia's face, and knew he was in trouble. "Hey," he said as he sat on the opposite end of the couch, facing her. He patted the couch in front of him. "Come sit with me."

"How could you do that, Elliot?"

"Do what?"

"In front of Casey today! You were acting like I'm your girlfriend!"

"Olivia," Elliot said softly. "You are my girlfriend."

Seeing the hurt on his face, Olivia felt her stomach drop. "I know. But you know as well as I do that if anyone from the office finds out, we're both up shit creek. We'll lose our jobs or at the very least be transferred! That includes Casey!"

"Liv, relax! Casey's a friend, she wants us to be happy."

"That doesn't mean she won't let it slip! I want this to work, but I can't lose my job over it!" Olivia hated how worked up she was getting, but they'd come so close to being found out and Elliot was acting like it was nothing.

"Olivia," Elliot spoke intensely and slid forward so he could rest his hands on her legs. "Listen to me. We're not going to lose our jobs."

"You know as well as I do that intersquad dating is forbidden."

"I know. But we're just starting this relationship. Let's give it some time and when it's right, we'll talk to Cragen. Maybe we can work something out, switch with Munch and Fin or something. If Cragen won't go for that then I'll transfer. I know how important SVU is to you."

"You're important too, El. I don't want to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me. If we can't be partners at work so we can be partners in life, isn't that worth it?"

"I don't want to see this all blow up in our faces before it even gets started," she said softly.

"Do you want to call Casey and talk about it? But remember, she didn't say anything about it today so she might not have noticed."

"If I knew for certain what she had seen, then yes. But since I don't know, then I don't want to tell her and have her feel obligated to tell Cragen."

"Do you want to wait until she says something?"

"I think that's best. But I mean it Elliot; you can't forget again, you can't act like we're having a relationship when we're at work. Or with people from work."

"I know. But this is the weekend, this is our time. And I wasn't ready to give that up. Even for an afternoon."

Smiling, Olivia crawled across the couch into Elliot's arms and sat, snuggled against his chest. "Today was great."

"It was, wasn't it?" Elliot asked with a grin as he pressed kisses to the nape of her neck.

Olivia sighed and sank further back into his embrace as Elliot kissed his way along to her ear, causing shivers to course through her body. Finally, his lips met hers in a soul searing kiss that sent waves all the way down to Olivia's toes and back up again. She twisted in his arms until she was laying against, him, her arms wrapped around his neck as her tongue explored the now familiar textures of Elliot's mouth. She moaned into his mouth as he drew her closer, fisting one hand in her dark hair while the other slid downward to cup her ass. She responded by sliding her hands down over his hard chest, loving the feel of hard muscle beneath the soft cotton of his shirt, then around to slide beneath him, squeezing his firm buttocks. Heat pooled between her legs at the combination of his arousal pressed against her belly and his rear cupped firmly in her hands.

They finally pulled apart, both panting slightly from desire. "I should go," Elliot said softly. "If I don't go now, then we're going to go farther than we're ready for."

"Stay," Olivia panted as she ground against him. She could feel his arousal pressing against her and knew he wanted it, just as badly as she did.

"Olivia," he said firmly, kissing her gently even as he sat up. "You said you wanted to take this slow and I don't want to do something you'd regret."

"I wouldn't regret this," she said stubbornly, then paused. "Unless you would?"

"God no Liv! I could never regret this. But I agreed when we said we needed to wait." He kissed her again. "So I'm going to go home and take a very long very cold shower. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Are you sure you don't want to take that shower here?"

"I want to. But I won't." Elliot stood up and pulled Olivia to her feet, kissing her one more time. "I'll see you in the morning, sleep tight."

"Oh, I'll be taking a long cold shower too." She kissed him again. "Goodnight, El."

"Night, Liv."

Olivia watched him drive away, then made a beeline upstairs. As she stood in a shower that more closely resembled an ice bath, she couldn't help but wonder how she'd fallen so hard for Elliot so fast.