Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction.

There was something different about the noise filtering into room. No sirens, no gunshots, no yelling. His waking ears were greeted with chirping birds and rustling leaves. He smiled and took a deep breath; instead of the smell of leather and dust, a fresh, fragrant scent filled his lungs. His smile widened. It was her. He squeezed, feeling her still wrapped in his arms, and he shifted only slightly more onto his side. He puckered up and kissed whatever part of her his lips were closest to, and he sighed contently as he snuggled closer to her.

He could wake up like this every day, and it only just struck him now how badly he wanted to do just that. He kissed her forehead again, and as he let out another deep sigh, he heard her voice.

"Perfect morning," she mumbled groggily. She turned her head up, opened one eye, and smiled. "Isn't it?"

"Oh, hell yes," he chuckled, his eyes still closed. "We don't have to get out of this bed. We can go right back to..."

Her lips stopped his words. The kiss was short, sudden, quick but meaningful. She backed away and watched carefully, ready for his reaction, hoping it wasn't a horrified one. She held her breath, waiting.

Both of his eyes opened as soon as she pulled away from him, he was shocked, but happy, and he licked his lips. "No, now it's the perfect morning." He ran his hands up and down her body in random patterns, staring into her eyes. He was quiet, trying to gauge the possibility of her hitting him if he kissed her again. "What...what was that..."

"I really wanted to kiss you," she said, a sheepish smile on her face. Her fingers were at the bend of his back hovering just above his perfect ass, toying with the waistband of his flannel pants. "There's...a lot I want to..." she paused, stopping herself from verbalizing the rest of that thought. She looked up at him again, into his eyes, and behind the love and joy that were now so clear, so evident, there was a sadness she couldn't ignore. "I'm sorry, I know...it's not the right time. Maybe we shouldn't even...I just, waking up in your arms like that, despite the fucked up situation we're in, it felt..."

"Right," he finished for her. "I know, it's perfect. So right, and so fucking perfect," he repeated. "I love that you feel it, too. That you're not trying to run from this," He squinted. "Well, not like you can, right now, but you know..."

"I know what you meant," she laughed. "And I know...I know how hard this is for you. You're going through a divorce, you miss the kids as it is, and now we're stuck out here, so you can't even really explain to them what's..."

"They know," he sighed. He rubbed his eyes and then dropped his hand back where it was, on her hip. His thumb traced tiny circles in her skin and he smiled at the look on her face. "They understand. It's hard...I thought...God, when I woke up yesterday, I grabbed those papers, and I thought my life was going to change." He gave her a sad laugh and said, "This wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

She sighed and tried to sit up, but he held her tighter. She laughed, but sunk into him, submitting to him yet again. He was, and always would be, her weakness and it was now, more than ever, that she felt it shoot to her core. "What's the matter? Be honest with me."

"I'm always honest with you," he said, kissing her between the eyes. "I'm...not scared...but I'm..." he gave up and shook his head. "Five more minutes with you like this, then I'll get up and make us breakfast." He pressed her head into the crook of his neck and closed his eyes again, raveling in the comfort coursing through him. It was as if he could feel every part of her pressed against every part of him, fitting together like puzzle pieces, two halves of one whole.

Her leg curled around both of his, as if she was locking them together. If she was being honest, that's exactly what she was doing. "Fine with me," she said with a low lilt in her voice. She was almost asleep, her head buried in him, when a shrill cell phone ringtone hit her ears. "Not...happening..." she whined, refusing to let go of him.

Laughing, he said, "You don't have to move." He reached out one arm, his fingers straining to grab his phone off of the end-table. "Stabler," he spat, rolling his eyes as he answered. "Oh, uh, no...no, we...we're awake." He slapped her in the arm lightly but quickly, springing her into action. "How long?" He looked at Olivia, wide-eyed, and held up his hand, telling her they had five minutes until Tucker showed up.

She ran around, searching for clothes, but then remembered they didn't have any. "El," she hissed, "Ask him if..."

"You are? Great, thanks," he have Olivia a thumbs up. "Yeah, see ya soon." He hung up and got out of the bed, and then walked over to Olivia. He wrapped her in his arms, kissed her softly, and said, "That was cute."

"What?" she bit her lip and played with the hem of his shirt. She knew exactly what he was going to say.

"That momentary panic, how you leaped off of me like we were about to be caught doing something wrong." He wagged his eyebrows, gave her a smirk, and kissed her again.

She licked her lips as he pulled away from her. "We were," she teased, a glimmer in her eyes.

He saw it, and he grinned like a fox, moving closer to her. He was about to give her another kiss when the doorbell rang. He looked at her, and together, they walked toward the door. He looked through the peep hole before opening it. "Hi, Ed," he said, though it didn't sound cordial.

Tucker pushed into the house carrying several duffel bags. He tossed the luggage onto the floor near the couch. "I don't know how much longer you're gonna be here, but I will try to make sure you're comfortable."

Olivia looked at Elliot with one raised brow. "Thanks," she said. If Tucker was being this nice, their situation must have not yet improved. "I'm guessing you haven't found the guy?"

Tucker sighed. "No," he said, "But, um, there has been a...development."

Olivia noticed, then, that Tucker didn't look well. He was pale and nervous-looking. "What happened? Is anyone hurt? Elliot's kids..."

"Are fine," Tucker told them, raising both hands. "Haven just...tried to..."

"What? He tried to hurt my kids?" Elliot almost shouted, his heart climbing into his throat.

"No, no," Tucker attempted to calm him down. "No one went near your kids, Stabler." He took a breath and exhaled slowly, and then looked at Olivia. "He broke into your apartment. He ransacked the place. He left...he left a message." With a slightly shaky hand, he pulled a folded piece of paper out of paper. He glanced at Olivia, but handed it over to Elliot.

"Shit," he hissed, closing his eyes and tossing his head in defeat. He thrust the note at Olivia.

She looked down, her eyes narrowing before they widened. She stared at the folded photocopied picture, the house they were in up until last night. In bright red marker, two words were scrawled over the face of the house.

"Welcome home."

Peace and Love

Jo

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