"Brian, do you have your helmet?" Olivia asked as they prepared to walk out the door to take Brian to his friend's house to ride bikes.

"Yep!"

"And your bike's in the car," Olivia said, more to herself than out loud. "Do you have my cell phone number?"

"It's in my pocket," Brian answered as he bounced excitedly in front of the door. "Can we go now?"

"Just let me grab Jacob," Olivia answered. She felt guilty for dawdling, but she was also fairly sure that she was more nervous than Brian. As Olivia lifted the baby into her arms and began ushering Maggie towards the door, her cell phone rang. Sighing, she grabbed the phone from her hip and juggled it with Jacob until she had it balanced between her chin and her shoulder. "Benson," she huffed out, irritated at being interrupted.

"Olivia, can you swing by the office?" Cragen asked on his end.

"Captain, I have the kids," she objected.

"I know but a new witness just came forward in the Braun case. Elliot's on his way but it may take awhile."

Olivia sighed. "Okay. I have to drop Brian off at a friend's house and I'll be on my way."

"Thanks, Olivia. You'll be here in about twenty minutes?"

"Better give me forty-five. See you then."

Olivia hung up and looked down to see four wide blue eyes staring at her.

"Can I still go to Alex's?" Brian asked hopefully.

Olivia smiled, despite her frustration at being dragged into work on a weekend. "Yes, you can still go to Alex's. But Maggie and Jacob are going to have to come with me to the office."

Brian's eyes lit up. "Can Alex and I come too? Is Elliot and Dickie going to be there?"

Olivia laughed. "Yes, Elliot's going to be there, I don't know if Dickie will or not, and no, you and Alex may not come."

"But why?" Brian whined.

"Because you and he will have much more fun playing at his house than hanging around the station."

"But Maggie and Jacob get to go," Brian tried, following Olivia to her room.

"Maggie and Jacob have to go and I'm actually going to call Maureen to see if she can come pick them up," Olivia answered as she laid Jacob on her bed, surrounded him with pillows, and reached into her closet for her gun.

Brian sighed. "Can I come to the station this week?"

"I don't know yet sweetheart, I don't know what this week will hold. But I'll promise you that, as soon as possible, you can come to the station. Okay?"

Brian grinned and nodded. "Okay."

Olivia slid her holster onto her belt and scooped Jacob into her arms again, nuzzling his neck. "Let's go." They were halfway to the street where she'd parked her car when Olivia looked down at Brian's arms. "Brian, where's your helmet?"

"Uh…I left it inside?"

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I look like a dork in it and Alex will laugh at me!" Brian exclaimed.

"Alex will not laugh at you and if you're planning on riding your bike, you will wear a helmet, young man," Olivia stated firmly as she marched back up the sidewalk to open the door, Maggie trotting behind her and Brian trudging after them.

Ten minutes later, Olivia pulled up to Alex's house and climbed out of the car. She opened the curbside door and let Brian hurry out before helping Maggie follow, then gathering Jacob out of his car seat. She popped the trunk and withdrew Brian's bike, then walked with him to the front door. Brian rang the door and a small, dark haired woman answered the door.

"Hi, you must be Brian," she smiled.

When Brian only nodded, Olivia nudged him gently in the back. He jumped, then held out his right hand. "Yes ma'am," he answered.

"Well I'm Mrs. Guza, Alex's mom. Alex is in the back yard, straight through the kitchen if you want to go find him. You can leave your bike on the lawn."

"Thanks!" Brian exclaimed, dropped his bike, and hurried through the house.

Olivia rolled her eyes as the other mother laughed. "Don't worry about it, I have three kids. Their friends are always running in and out of the house. I'm Caroline Guza by the way."

Olivia smiled and took her hand. "Olivia Benson, Brian's mother, well, foster mother." Olivia watched Caroline's eyes go wide and her mouth gape slightly. "I know some people are uncomfortable around foster families," she began.

Caroline shook her head. "No, no it's not that. It's, well, you have a gun."

Olivia blinked, then looked at her hip and laughed. "I'm a detective. I'm not usually armed when I'm just with the kids but I have to run to the station for a few minutes."

"Oh," Caroline said softly.

"Here's my card," Olivia continued, handing out the piece of paper. "It has my direct line and my cell phone on it in case anything happens."

Caroline smiled. "Everything will be fine. I might not be a cop, but I'm protective of my kids. If I'm not with them, they play in the yard. I was thinking of taking them to the park down the street for a picnic."

Olivia nodded. "Sounds good. Call if you need anything, if you need me to pick him up early, anything."

"No problem. It's only 11:00 now, why don't you pick Brian up around 3:30? My daughter has gymnastics at 4:00."

"No problem, we'll see you then."

As they climbed back in the car, Maggie stared at Olivia. "Why's Bwian here?"

"He's going to stay with his friend, honey," Olivia grinned in the mirror. "And you and Jacob get to come to the station with me."

"Elliot gonna be there?" Maggie grinned hopefully. "An' Cap'in Cwagen? An' Unca John an' Unca Fin?"

"Elliot will be there, and Captain Cragen will be there. But I don't know about Uncle John and Uncle Fin. But sweetheart, I need you to be a very big girl for me and sit quietly at my desk and color or read to yourself, okay?"

Maggie nodded seriously. "Okay. I be good."

Olivia grinned. "I know you will be. How would you like me to call Maureen when we get there to see if maybe she can come play with you?"

Maggie nodded, beaming. "Yeah, wanna pway wif Reen, Livvy."

When they pulled into the station, Olivia lifted the stroller out of the trunk of the car, stuck the diaper bag in the basket underneath, then loaded Jacob and Maggie into the seats. She pushed them into the station house and found Cragen waiting for her.

"Elliot'll be here in about five minutes so you might as well wait for him to get started. Huang's here already."

Olivia nodded and looked down at Maggie who was waving desperately at Cragen. "Why don't I call Maureen to come down, then you can tell me all about it. Yes, Maggie?"

"Hi Cap'in Cwagen," she said, still waving shyly.

Cragen, despite the worry on his face, crouched down and smiled. "Hi Miss Maggie. How would you like to go upstairs to the crib and color?"

Maggie shook her head. "Color at Livvy's desk, pwease."

Cragen chuckled. "Okay."

Olivia glanced at the kids, then at her captain. "Can you watch them for a few minutes?"

"No problem." Cragen looked at Jacob, who was sound asleep, and Maggie who was staring at him with huge eyes. "How about we get you out of that stroller, Maggie Mae?"

Maggie nodded and held her arms up. "Wead pwease."

Cragen settled Maggie on his lap with a book he'd pulled out of the diaper bag. "Lilo and Stitch," he began.

Olivia made sure that Cragen was settled with the kids before stepping into the hall to make her call. "Hi, Maureen?" she asked when the teenager answered.

"Yeah. Olivia? What's up?"

"Your dad and I have had something come up at the office. We have a witness to a case that we really need to interview, but I have the kids with me. Could you come down here and either take them to a park or something or play with them here?"

Maureen sighed. "I'd love to, but I have a huge psychology test Monday and my discussion group is meeting in 20 minutes. I'm sorry, Olivia."

"Don't worry about it, I'll find something to do with them. Good luck and study hard!"

"I will, thanks. And I really am sorry. I'd love to get to play with them again."

"I know. Next weekend, I promise."

"Great! Bye." Maureen hung up and Olivia sighed as she slid her phone into her pocket. She was about to walk back into the station when the elevator doors slid open and Elliot walked out, Kathleen with him.

"Kathleen!" Olivia exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Dad thought you might need someone to watch Maggie and Jacob since Maureen has a big test next week."

Olivia turned to Elliot and beamed. "Thank you," she said softly.

"No problem. Katie can take them to the park and we'll call her when we're done."

"What about Dickie and Liz?" Olivia asked, now worried.

"They're okay staying home for a few hours. Are the kids inside?"

"Yep, Cragen has them."

They walked in to find Maggie shaking her little head. "No Cap'in Cwagen. Jumba sounds dif'rent. Like Unca Munch does."

Cragen raised an eyebrow at Elliot, Olivia, and Kathleen. "Jumba is snarky, cynical, and sarcastic?"

Olivia laughed. "No, he has a Russian accent. But when John was reading to her the other day, he was doing a Russian accent."

"Ah, got it. I'll try to do better next time Maggie."

Maggie didn't answer. Instead she squirmed off Cragen's lap and raced towards Elliot. "Elliot, throw me!"

Elliot laughed and caught Maggie, tossed her in the air, tipped her upside down, and settled her on his hip, kissing her cheek. "Hey there baby girl. Look who I brought to play with you." Elliot shifted so she could see Kathleen.

"Katie!" Maggie squealed, reaching out her arms.

Kathleen smiled and took Maggie. "Hey kid. How would you like me to take you and Jacob to the park to play while your…er…Livvy and my dad work?"

Maggie looked around, then back at Olivia. "No Reen?"

"Nope, Maureen's studying so you can play with Katie instead. That okay?" Olivia asked.

Maggie nodded. "I wanna swing Katie!"

"I think I can handle that. What time should I bring them back?" Katie asked Olivia as she settled Maggie back into the stroller.

"Why don't you give us three hours or so? If we finish up before then, we'll call your cell phone."

Kathleen nodded. "Got it."

"And here's $20 in case you or Maggie get hungry. Jacob has a bottle and a couple clean diapers in the bag, and a clean outfit in case he needs it."

Kathleen grinned. "We'll be fine. Won't we, Maggie?"

Maggie nodded from the stroller. "Yep!"

Olivia crouched down to hug Maggie good-bye and kiss her cheek, then reached back to kiss Jacob on the forehead. "Okay you guys, have fun! Maggie, be good for Katie."

"Okay, Livvy." Maggie looked up at Elliot then and held out her arms. "Hug, Elliot?"

Elliot almost melted as he bent down and gathered her close. "Bye sweetie. Livvy and I will see you soon." He stood up and kissed Kathleen's cheek. "Have fun and try not to lord this over your sister too much, huh?"

"Aw, Dad," Kathleen pretended to groan. "We'll see you guys in three hours! Bye!"

As Kathleen started pushing the stroller towards the elevator, Maggie leaned over the side and waved back at the three adults. "Bye, Elliot! Bye Livvy! Love you!"

Both Elliot and Olivia waved back. "I love you too, Maggie!" Olivia called. Once Kathleen had gotten the kids loaded into the elevator, Olivia sighed, smiled, and turned back to Cragen and Elliot. "Okay, let's get down to business."

Two hours later, they emerged from the interrogation room. The woman who had come forward had seen the victim, Anna Braun, walking along the street with a man at 2:30 in the morning, half an hour after the bars closed. She recognized Anna from a few classes, but hadn't been able to place the man until recently. But, unfortunately, the new information didn't help them much. The name Veronica Salk gave them was listed in the campus roster, but there was no address or phone number. In fact, the only information they had on the guy was an e-mail address.

"This is ridiculous," Olivia moaned as she sank into her chair. "What did this Kyle Chavez do, just appear out of nowhere? How can they not have contact information for a student?"

"They have an e-mail," Elliot answered sarcastically.

"Great, we'll just send him an e-mail and ask him to turn himself in."

"Elliot, Olivia, head out," Cragen said with a sigh. "We'll call the campus registrar on Monday and see if we can get something from his application. But there's nothing more we can do today."

Olivia sighed as she grabbed a light jacket and slipped it on. "Do you want to call Kathleen and have her meet us with the kids?"

"We could. Or we could walk for awhile," Elliot suggested as they walked towards the elevator.

The door closed and Olivia let Elliot slide his arms around her waist. "This pisses me off, Elliot," she sighed in frustration. "How the hell is he slipping away like this?"

"I don't know. But we'll catch him Livia." Elliot rand his hands up and down her arms gently. "On Monday we'll figure out what's going on down at the registrar and we'll track him down."

"That gives him two more days to rape another girl."

"I know babe. But right now, as much as I hate to say it, there's nothing else we can do until Monday. We caught a break today and we need to focus on that. We have a name now and that's more than we had yesterday, or than we've had all week."

Olivia sighed and nodded, turning in Elliot's arms so she faced him. "How do you do it?" she asked softly. "How do you shut off all the cases and go home to your kids?"

"I talk to you," Elliot answered with a small smile. "You're the one who's kept me sane for the last seven years."

"You've kept me sane too. But what about now?"

"What do you mean?" Elliot asked as the door opened and they walked outside.

"Elliot, if we're dating then how are we going to keep from bringing it all home to the kids? You can't leave work at the station because I'll be at home, too."

"And having you there will be wonderful. We can do this. We'll still have each other to talk to; we just have to leave it at the station. But having you at home and at work, knowing that you know everything that's going on both places, that you're feeling it too? That'll be amazing."

"I don't want to bring this home with me."

"Then we won't," Elliot answered. "We'll go to the gym, we'll run, we'll shout it out, hell we'll hit the heavy bags for awhile. But we won't bring it home."

"But how do I shut it off today? They'll know how wound up I am, Elliot. Brian's intuitive."

"I know." Elliot looked around, then pulled Olivia into an alley. "This isn't my favorite method of stress relief," he said softly. "I'd much prefer to be romantic when I kiss you, but I think this will work for some stress relief." Elliot bent and captured her lips with his. She responded hungrily, hand reaching up behind him to grasp the back of his head, holding his head towards hers as she plundered his mouth desperately.

He pressed her back against the wall, grasping her waist with both hands and crushing her body to his. It was hot and rough, a release of tension and frustration for both of them. Finally Elliot pulled back as they both gasped for breath.

"That was…wow," Olivia said softly. "A very creative way of relieving stress."

"Feeling better?" Elliot asked, stroking his thumb over her cheekbone.

"Yeah," Olivia whispered, leaning against him. Her knees were still weak from the passion that swamped her.

"Think you can go back to the kids now?"

"Well, I probably could but after that display, I'm not sure. Maybe you and I could sneak off for an hour or so?"

"Romance, honey. I'm going to give you romance."

"You know, blind passion and need work too, El."

Elliot chuckled. "I know. And trust me, there'll be plenty of times when both of those things take over. But for this first time, romance is the way to go." He leaned in again, brushing his lips gently over hers, showing gentleness and love where minutes before had only been need.

A vibrating and ringing between them had the detectives jumping apart somewhat guiltily. Elliot grabbed his cell phone from its hip holster and tried to sound normal, despite the fact that desire had lowered his voice about an octave. "Stabler," he answered as Olivia ran her fingers through her hair. "Oh, hi honey. Yes, Olivia and I are done. No, we just finished up. Have you guys had lunch yet? Okay, how about dessert? Well why don't Liv and I meet you guys for an ice cream? Okay sounds good. We'll see you in a few."

Olivia looked at Elliot expectantly as he hung up the phone. "Everything okay with Kathleen and the kids?"

Elliot grinned, drawing her close again, hands stroking up her back. "Everything's fine, Mama. Katie was calling to see if we're done yet so we're going to meet them around the corner for ice cream."

"Have they had lunch?"

"Yep." Elliot laughed. "Olivia we're going to see them in ten minutes and you can grill Katie about everything that they did."

"I know I'm over protective and I worry…"

"And that's what makes you a great mommy. Think of it this way. How many first time mothers have you known who are comfortable leaving their children right away?"

"None," Olivia answered immediately. "Most new mothers usually wait at least a month or so."

"Exactly. And right now, you're a new mother. But you've had to leave your babies at daycare and with babysitters after only a week. The fact that you're handling it so well is amazing, Liv."

"Maggie and Brian aren't babies, El."

"I know that. But regardless of how old they are, you're still a new mother who worries just as much as any other new mother."

"So I am paranoid."

"No, you're not paranoid. You love them. There is a difference." Elliot brushed his lips over hers gently. "You ready to go see our kids?"

Olivia nodded, then looked down at Elliot's pants and laughed. "Uh El? You have, well, you're pitching a tent."

Elliot raised an eyebrow at Olivia. "Believe me, I noticed without you pointing it out. But this is what happens when I kiss you, Liv. Hell, it happens when I'm standing next to you, when I hear you, when I smell your perfume, and when I think about you."

"Oh," she said softly. "Well, uh, do you want me to take care of it?"

Elliot groaned. "Liv, you're killing me. Yes, I would love for you to help me with this particular problem but not here and not now."

"What are you going to do? We can't meet up with your daughter, who is old enough to know what's going on, with you in that condition."

"I know," Elliot sighed. He reached down and readjusted himself with a groan. "Okay, this is as good as it's gonna get, so let's go."

As she slid her hand through his, Olivia looked up at Elliot with a teasing grin. "Do I really do that to you all the time?"

"Just you wait, lady," Elliot teased back. "You'll get yours."

They arrived at the store as Kathleen approached from the other direction, pushing the stroller.

"Where's Maggie?" Olivia wondered.

"Oh Kathleen probably lost her," Elliot said casually. She tends to do that."

Olivia elbowed him in the ribs as Kathleen waved and bent down behind the stroller. Maggie poked her head out from behind the stroller and let out a squeal. "Livvy! Elliot!" She darted out from where she was helping push and raced down the sidewalk.

Olivia grinned as she crouched down and caught Maggie up in her arms, hugging her tightly. "Hi baby," she grinned as she stood up. "Did you have fun with Katie?"

"Yep. We pwayed swings an' slided," Maggie said excitedly as she reached her arms out to Elliot for a hug.

"Wow, that sounds like lots of fun," Elliot said as Kathleen and Jacob came up to them. "Hi sweetie," he said as he hugged Kathleen and Olivia lifted Jacob into her arms. "Are you guys ready for ice cream?"

"Yeah!" Maggie yelled, bouncing in Elliot's arms.

"Dad, that's perhaps the dumbest question you could have asked," Kathleen laughed.

"True." Elliot grinned at Olivia who was holding Jacob close, her eyes closed as she breathed in the sweet baby scent of her son. Her face, rather than showing the strain of the day and the job, reflected peace and happiness. "You ready for ice cream, Liv?"

Olivia opened her eyes and smiled. "Yeah. Let's go."

As Kathleen maneuvered the stroller into the restaurant, Elliot rested a hand on Olivia's lower back and leaned over. "This is how you put it behind you," he whispered.

Olivia smiled and nearly kissed him. Just in time she realized that Kathleen and Maggie were both watching them. She blushed and looked at Maggie. "What did Katie get you for lunch, sweetie?"

"Sandwich an' fruit an' milk."

"Really?" Olivia asked, impressed. "That sounds very healthy."

Kathleen laughed. "Maggie actually wanted the fruit. And the milk. She's only kid I've ever known to like healthy stuff. The twins beg for soda and junk as soon as Mom leaves the house."

"What about when your dad leaves?" Olivia asked, laughing.

"Nah, he's a soft touch and they know it. Just wait until Brian and Maggie figure it out, too."

"Hey, be nice to the man who's buying your ice cream," Elliot threatened teasingly.

"I'm just telling the truth, Daddy," Kathleen said with a smile.

Elliot sighed. "I can't win this, can I?"

"Nope." Kathleen placed her order for mint chocolate chip ice cream, then moved off to the side so Elliot and Olivia could order too.

"What do you want, Miss Maggie?" Elliot asked.

"Like Katie?"

"Okay, one scoop of mint chocolate chip for Maggie. Liv, wanna share a banana split?"

"With chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce?"

"That's the only way to eat them," Elliot grinned as he paid the cashier. They collected their treats and found a table.

As they ate, Kathleen told Olivia everything she'd done with the kids that day, most of which included playing at the park, then going for lunch. "Jacob slept a little after his bottle at lunch, but Maggie's been going pretty strong."

Elliot glanced at the little girl in his lap who was quickly fading. "Not for much longer. I think someone's about to fall asleep."

"How was the interview?" Kathleen asked softly.

Olivia sighed and shook her head. "You don't want to know."

"I'm sixteen, you guys. You can't hide the job from me forever."

Elliot sighed. "Just give us a few more years, Katie Bug. Olivia and I see things which give us nightmares. We don't want you to have those things in your head."

"I can handle it, Daddy. Olivia? Please?"

"No Kathleen. Maybe you can handle it, but your dad and I can't handle knowing that you're not the little girl we're used to."

Kathleen sighed. "How long until you two realize that I'm an adult? Or at least, almost one."

"Sweetheart, you'll be fifty and still be my baby girl," Elliot said with a smile.

Kathleen buried her face dramatically in her arms. "That's what I was afraid of," she moaned teasingly.

Olivia laughed, then glanced at her watch. "Augh! I have to go pick Brian up from Alex's house!"

Elliot laughed. "Why don't you go pick Brian up and we'll meet back at my place?"

Olivia glanced at the sleepy child in Elliot's lap. "Someone needs a n-a-p before we hit the batting cages, El."

He looked down and saw that Maggie was asleep, one hand still clutching the spoon that was stuck in her ice cream. He bent and kissed the top of the little girl's head gently. "Let's head back to the station. How long do you think she'll sleep?"

"I'd like to get an hour and a half, maybe two out of her. But realistically? I'm looking at maybe an hour."

Elliot chuckled as he stood up, cradling Maggie to his chest. "Why don't you call when she wakes up?" he suggested. "We'll hang out at home, maybe hit the basketball court until then. Would Brian want to join us?"

"Probably. But I think I want him to rest a little and get some homework done. Otherwise we'll be doing it tomorrow night late and that's not good."

"You do have a point." Elliot placed a hand on her lower back as they walked towards the station.

"Olivia?" Kathleen asked at the corner. "Can I carry Jacob?"

"Two hours of baby duty isn't enough for you?" Olivia teased, even as she passed the baby into Kathleen's waiting arms.

"Nope," Kathleen murmured as she nuzzled Jacob's neck. "And I don't think I ever will. He is such a sweetheart, Olivia."

"Thank you. We like him."

"Should I be worried?" Elliot whispered.

"There's nothing wrong with her wanting to play mommy, just as long as she does it with my baby and doesn't try for one of her own," Olivia whispered back.

A block from the station, Olivia stepped away from Elliot's hand. She hated losing the contact but she also didn't want anyone they knew to see them. It was a good thing she did too because as they walked into the parking garage, a voice called out.

"Olivia, Elliot!"

They turned to see Cragen walking out of the stairwell towards them. "Hi Captain," Olivia answered with a nervous smile.

"What are you guys still doing here?" he asked, lowering his voice as he noticed Maggie sleeping in Elliot's arms.

"We met up with Katie and the kids for ice cream before heading home," Elliot answered with a grin.

"That sounds fun. How's school going, Kathleen?"

"Pretty good, Grandpa Don. Midterms are coming up and soccer's really taking up a lot of time."

"How's the season shaping up?"

"Pretty good actually. We're 5-0 right now and we're playing our big rivals on Thursday."

"Well good luck with that. Have a good weekend, guys."

They waved goodbye and once Cragen was gone, Olivia turned to Elliot pointedly. "That was close."

"It would have been okay, Liv. We'll work it out."

Olivia opened the door to her car and took Jacob from Kathleen, settling him into the car seat as Elliot placed Maggie in her booster chair. After shutting the doors, Kathleen wandered off for a few moments to let her father and Olivia have some privacy.

Olivia smiled as Elliot came around the car and, mindful of where they were, leaned against the side, his eyes telling her plainly how much he wanted to kiss her. "Call when you're ready to head out?"

"Yeah. Meet you there?"

"Sure. Dinner afterwards?"

Olivia nodded and smiled, hoping he knew that she wanted to kiss him too. After a few minutes, Olivia reached over and squeezed his hand before she climbed in her car and headed across town to Alex's house.

Twenty minutes later Olivia pulled up to Alex's house. A glance into the backseat showed that both Maggie and Jacob were sound asleep. She decided to leave the little ones in the car and hurried up the walk. When she rang the bell, Alex's mom Caroline answered the door.

"Hi, how was your work thing?" she asked with a friendly smile, stepping back to invite Olivia in.

"Slightly helpful. I can't come in, the little ones are sleeping in the car. Is Brian ready to go?"

"Yep. Brian," Caroline called up the stairs. "Alex, come on down! Brian's mom is here!"

Olivia blushed at the mistake but didn't correct her. "Was Brian good?"

"Excellent. We had lunch in the park then played around the neighborhood. Brian's a sweetheart, he was more than willing to help out."

Olivia beamed proudly. "I'm glad. He was so excited about today." She paused when Brian raced down the stairs. "Hey buddy. Did you have fun?"

Brian nodded violently with a grin. "Yeah. Can Alex come over this week?"

"Um, I don't know how work will shape up this week Bri. How about next weekend?"

"Okay. Cool!"

"Brian, what do you say to Mrs. Guza for having you over?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Guza. I had a lot of fun today."

"So did we and you're welcome here anytime Brian."

Olivia grabbed Brian's bike while he carried his helmet and they loaded everything into the car before driving home. Once they arrived, Olivia carried the still sleeping Maggie into the house and tucked her into bed while Brian carried Jacob's carrier. After getting Maggie and Jacob tucked in, Olivia helped Brian with his math homework and a book report that was due the next week.

An hour later, Maggie toddled down the stairs, clutching her teddy bear. "Livvy? I done sweepin'."

Olivia lifted Maggie into her arms and cuddled her close. "Did you have a good nap? You must have played hard with Katie because you took a long nap today."

Maggie nodded. "Katie's fun."

"Katie was there?" Brian asked enviously. "Were Dickie and Lizzie?"

"Nope. Katie came to watch Maggie and Jacob. Dickie and Lizzie stayed home."

"Oh. Okay. Hey Olivia, did you and Elliot catch the bad guy?"

Olivia smiled sadly as she draped an arm around Brian's shoulders, drawing him close. "Not yet hon. But we're getting closer."

"Oh. What'd he do, steal something? Kill someone?"

Olivia paused. "No, he hurt a girl very badly."

"Oh." Brian hugged her tightly. "You and Elliot will catch him. You guys are the best cops ever."

"Thank you, Brian," Olivia whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "That means a lot to me."

Brian grinned. "When are we going to Elliot's? Are we still going to the batting cages?"

"Just let me get Maggie dressed and feed Jacob and we can head over there. Okay? Is your homework all done now?"

Brian sighed. "No. Almost, though!"

"Okay, you have to do it before anything else tomorrow. Got it?"

"Yep! I'm gonna go get ready!" Brian raced up the stairs to find his shoes and Olivia laughed.

"We'd better get you dressed, sweetie or your brother will drive to Elliot's house himself and we'll have to walk."

Maggie giggled. "Bwian don't drive, Livvy."

"So then we'd better hurry, huh?"

Maggie nodded. "Hurry fast, Livvy. I wanna pway wif Lizzie!"

Olivia laughed. "You got it."

On Monday, Olivia arrived at the office a few minutes early. She grabbed a mug of coffee and was on the phone with Columbia's campus registrar trying to get an address for Kyle Chavez.

Elliot sat down a few minutes later and raised his eyebrows. "You're here early," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, with Maggie actually liking daycare, she pretty much drags us out the door every morning."

"At least she's having fun. Learned anything about our disappearing man?"

Olivia sighed. "According to the registrar, his letter of acceptance was mailed to a PO Box in Dellwood, New Jersey. But the person who rented the box died in 2000."

Elliot's sigh echoed his partner's. "Of course. Because to have an actual address would be too easy. How about a phone number?"

"Nope. Claimed they didn't have a phone."

"Okay. Veronica didn't remember where she knew him from, did she?"

"Nope. Knew his name, but not where from."

"Okay Liv, when you were in college and went to bars, did you get the first and last name of any guys you danced with?"

"El, half the time I didn't get first and last names of the guys I made out with."

His brow furrowed. "Exactly my point. So maybe she met him in class?"

"Probably. Why don't we head down and look at the application? Maybe there are some prints we can use."

"Getting antsy, Liv?"

"This bastard interrupted our weekends with our kids. I want to nail his ass before he hurts someone else."

"Then let's go," Elliot grinned.

Three hours later, Olivia sighed and buried her head in her arms. "This is ridiculous. His application had more prints on it than a taxi door. None of his classes are the same as the witness's, and all of his mail goes to a PO Box, with a name but no other contact info."

"Obviously, we're not going to get anything here. It's amazing they get anything done with records like this."

Olivia pushed the papers away and stood up. "Okay, we're wasting our time. Maybe the post office can help us out with seeing who empties the box."

Elliot nodded as he stood and rested a hand on his partner's back. It was a gesture he'd made a million times before but this time, Olivia looked back at him and smiled warmly. His fingers stroked her back gently as she sighed and stepped slightly closer to him. He felt her sigh under his hand. "What's up?" he asked.

"You know what really pisses me off?" she asked, being careful to keep her voice low.

"Hm?"

"We could walk right past this guy and never even know it. It's infuriating."

"We'll get him. Somewhere, he's made a mistake. And that'll be his downfall."

Olivia smiled ruefully up at him. "How can you be so optimistic about this?"

"Because more times than not, we find him. We fight harder when we have a personal reason to go after the guy and interrupting our weekend definitely counts."

When the visited the post office, they were told that they needed a warrant to get into the box, but no one remembered anyone picking up mail from there in over a year. The post master also said that they'd need a warrant to get the security tapes.

They arrived back at the station house, both irritated. Cragen watched two of his best detectives storm around the station for half an hour before he rolled his eyes. "Stabler! Benson! Go home. Casey won't have the warrant until tomorrow and you're both driving me crazy."

"Cap," Olivia started to object, then sighed. "Wanna hit the gym, Stabler? I don't have to pick up the kids for another hour."

Elliot grinned. Working out with Olivia as always interesting, to say the least. "Sure. Call if you get the warrant early, Captain?"

"Of course. I'll see you two bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir," Olivia said with a grin. She grabbed her purse and gym bag from her locker. "Let's go."

They walked into the gym, swiped their passes, and headed for the locker rooms. When they met up ten minutes later, Elliot had to work to keep his tongue from rolling out of his mouth. Olivia wore a pair of short shorts with the letters "NYPD" across the butt and a tight tank top that more closely resembled a long sports bra.

"So, uh, what do you want to do first, cardio or weights?" he asked finally finding he voice.

Olivia forced herself to focus. Elliot looked too good in the sleeveless white top and shorts for his own good. "Let's do weights, then we can hit the pool. You do have a swimsuit, right?"

"Yep. Legs or arms first?"

Olivia shrugged. "I need to stretch out first." A slow smile bloomed on her face, the kind of smile that would have alerted Elliot that she had a plan if he hadn't still been distracted by the long legs emerging from her shorts. "How about we make this interesting?"

"Interesting?" Elliot repeated, watching as his partner sat on the floor in a straddle and began leaning over her legs.

"Whoever wins makes dinner tonight."

Elliot chuckled as he leaned against the wall, stretching his calves. "Okay, what are we competing in?"

"Everything. Number of reps here, then racing in the pool?"

"You're on," Elliot grinned. He was fairly confident he could beat her, after all he lifted several times a week and ran.

Olivia crossed her legs and began twisting at the torso. "Sit ups first?"

"You're on Benson." Elliot moved to grasp her ankles and waited for her to lay down. Once she had, he took advantage of his position to run his hand up and down her calf. Feeling the muscles clench, he chuckled.

"Oh you're going down Stabler," she threatened. "Three minutes, whoever does the most wins."

"Got it. Holder counts?"

"Yeah. But I'll be keeping count myself so don't try lying about it."

"On your mark, get set, go," Elliot answered.

Olivia started, counting in her head as she did. After three minutes, her stomach muscles were trembling slightly. Elliot told her to stop and squeezed her ankles to reinforce it. She stopped and shifted so she was lying on her stomach. Elliot watched in appreciation as she pressed her hands into the ground and arched her back.

"214," he said with a grin. "Not bad."

"Bet you can't do better," she challenged.

"Oh I can," Elliot shot back. "And I will."

Olivia finished stretching and took Elliot's ankles. The second she did, Elliot realized it was a mistake. When he came up, he had a perfect view of her breasts. "Ready, set, go," she grinned. As Elliot came up, she was overcome with the urge to kiss him. The sight of him all hot and sweaty was an amazing turn on.

"Damn," he gasped when his three minutes were up. "How the hell did you do that?"

"You didn't to too badly," she said with a smile. "197 isn't anything to sneeze at, El. It's more than one a second."

"But how did you get 214?"

Olivia grinned as she shifted to push up position. "I've had to cram my workouts in at home lately in between everything with the kids. I've gotten pretty fast."

"That's not fair, you have an unfair advantage."

"Yeah yeah. Three minutes again?"

"Yep. Go."

By the time they got to the pool, they were tied. Elliot beat Olivia in push ups but she creamed him in leg lifts. He'd won again with the bench press and they'd tied in pull ups. Olivia walked out of the locker room, having already showered, wearing a jade green two piece suit. She was holding a towel and a pair of goggles. When Elliot emerged from his locker room in black swim trunks, Olivia had to remind herself not to drool. His sculpted abs showed perfectly and suddenly she just wanted to wrap herself around him.

"Ready?" He asked with a grin, tossing his towel over a peg.

"Yep. Four laps? That's a mile."

"Freestyle?"

Olivia nodded. She jumped into the pool, positioned her goggles, and got ready to push off. Elliot followed and glanced at his partner. "On your mark."

"Get set," Olivia continued.

"Go!" they exclaimed together, pushing off the wall in tandem. The first length they paced each other. As they pushed off the far wall, Olivia pulled slightly ahead. She was pacing herself somewhat, knowing that Elliot could beat her in a sprint but hoping her endurance would make her win the distance.

They went back and forth, battling for the lead until the last 50 feet of the pool. When they surfaced, both were grinning.

"What are you smiling about?" Elliot asked as he wiped the water from his face.

"I won," Olivia answered simply, pushing her goggles onto the top of her head. "You're making dinner tonight."

"Uh Liv, I think you've got it backwards. I beat you, you're making dinner."

Olivia's eyes narrowed dangerously. "No way Stabler. I beat you by a good three seconds."

"You're imagining things, I beat you good."

Olivia scowled as she pushed herself out of the pool and began toweling off. "I won Elliot, I beat you fair and square."

"No you didn't I won." Elliot followed her, still arguing, until he realized that he had almost walked into the women's locker room. Sure, he'd chased her into the ladies' room at the station on more than one occasion, but that was different. "We'll settle this when you get out!" he yelled through the door.

Twenty minutes later they were headed towards daycare, still arguing over who had won the bet. They collected the kids, taking a bit longer than usual in the preschool room because Maggie didn't want to leave her friends, and headed out the door.

After listening to the bickering for over half of the ride home, Brian spoke up softly. "Olivia? Are you and Elliot going to break up?"

She twisted around in her seat, shock on her face. "What? Honey why would you ask that?"

"Well, when Mom had boyfriends and they started fighting, the boyfriends left." Tears filled his eyes. "I don't want you and Elliot to break up."

"Elliot going 'way?" Maggie asked softly.

Olivia sighed. "No, Elliot's not going anywhere. We might fight sometimes, but Elliot and I are best friends and partners. But no amount of arguing will change that."

"Really?" Brian asked hopefully.

Elliot smiled at him in the review mirror. "Really. Why are you trying to get rid of me?"

Brian shook his head quickly. "No!"

"Good, because I'm not planning on going anywhere."

"Yay!" Maggie squealed. "Elliot's stayin'!"

Both adults chuckled. Elliot reached over and linked fingers with Olivia, then brought her fingers to his lips. "If you want me to make dinner tonight I will, babe."

Olivia smiled. "We'll both cook."

That night, Elliot groaned slightly as he entered his apartment. He'd pushed himself that day working out against Olivia. But he always did that and if he had to guess, he'd say that she was hurting too. It was the competitiveness that got to both of them. Before he could crash into bed, there was a phone call he had to make.

He lay down on his bed, indulging in a moan before grabbing his cell phone from the hip holster and dialing the memorized number.

"Hey Daddy," Maureen grinned. "What's up?"

"I can't call my first born just to chat?" Elliot asked, feigning hurt.

Maureen laughed. "Sure you can. How are Olivia and the kids?" she asked with a grin.

"Just fine, how are your classes?"

"They're okay. I think I did really well on my test today, but I probably won't know for sure for another week or so. Did you guys catch him yet?"

"Who?"

"The guy who you were looking for on Saturday?"

"No, not yet. But we're getting close. What are you doing this Friday, hon?"

"Uh, nothing yet. I have a date on Saturday, but Friday's wide open. Why?"

"Date? With who? How long have you known him?"

"Relax Daddy," Maureen laughed with a roll of her eyes. "His name is Ken and I met him in my Abnormal Psych class."

"You're dating a guy you met in Abnormal Psych?"

"He's a student Daddy, not a patient. Anyway, what's up on Friday?"

"Right, Friday. How would you like to babysit?"

"That's fine, but isn't it Dickie and Liz's weekend with Mom?"

"Yes it is, but you'd be babysitting for Olivia's kids, not your siblings."

"You sure about that?" Maureen mumbled.

"What was that honey?"

"Nothing, babysitting sounds great. What time?"

"How about 7?"

"Sure. I'll head over to Olivia's place then. Or am I sitting for the kids here?"

"No, you'll be at Liv's."

"Cool. How late are you guys gonna be?"

"Uh, well I'm not sure about that."

Maureen laughed. "Got it. I'll bring pajamas then. See you Friday. And I can stay all night if you need me to."

"Thanks sweetie. This means a lot to Olivia and I."

"No problem, I can't wait to play with the kids. They're really sweet. Oh, Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Do we need to have a talk about being safe and using protection?" she teased. "After all, we don't want something to happen that you and Olivia aren't ready for."

"Thank you young lady," Elliot sighed at his daughter's cheek. "But Olivia and I are adults and you don't need to worry about that. We'll be safe."

"Sure Daddy. Just remember, the only thing that's 100% effective is abstinence. You already learned that the hard way once."

"And I'm thankful for that everyday, baby girl. Now you go study some more, your old man is feeling his age and needs to sleep."

"Okay," Maureen laughed. "I'll see you on Friday."

"Right. Thanks again."

"No problem. Bye, Daddy. Love you."

"I love you too, Maureen." Elliot hung up the phone and drifted off to sleep, hoping he didn't hurt too badly the next morning.