Chapter Six

"Why on earth did I let you talk me into fixing spaghetti?" Olivia asked as she stood over Elliot's stove, stirring the pasta so it didn't stick together. "I mean who tells their kids that they got their partner pregnant over a plate of spaghetti?"

He laughed, turning away from where he was chopping up lettuce for a salad, so he could look at her, "Well one I don't think there are a whole lot of people that find themselves in this situation, so I honestly don't think it matters what we feed them. And two, spaghetti is one of the few meals that isn't making you sick right now."

Olivia stirred the sauces, one without meat as Kathleen, who was now beginning her freshman year of high school, had gone on a vegetarian kick as of two weeks ago. It had been a week since they had told Munch and Fin their news and because Elliot had the kids for the weekend and Maureen did not go back to Hudson until later that week, they had decided that this weekend was as good a time as any to tell them. She blew her bangs out of her face with a huff and saw Elliot smiling at her out if the corner of her eye.

"What are you smiling about Stabler?" She questioned, moving him out of the way so she could finish the job he had abandoned.

"I just realized how cute you look when you're nervous." He replied leaning against the opposite counter with a smirk.

She threw a glare at him over her shoulder, "Next time I'm feeling sick I think I might just aim for you and you can see how cute I am then."

He held up his hands in defense, "Sorry, sorry, just trying to lighten the mood."

"I swear if your son has the same twisted sense of humor as you when I'm not in the mood for it, I'm going to send him back." She said pointing at her stomach, which she'd recently discovered had a slight swell to it. "And you wouldn't want that now would you?"

Elliot chuckled lightly, it was the first time he had observed her talking to their unborn child, "Why do you keep calling it a him? Unless you're a psychic I'm pretty sure it's impossible for you to know that yet."

Olivia shrugged, "Just a feeling I guess."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door, "Show time."

"Not funny, El." She mumbled, dumping the pile of lettuce into a large serving bowl.

He gently turned her around so they were facing each other and gave her a quick hug and kiss to the temple, "In all seriousness Liv, I promise you everything is going to be okay. They may be a little shocked at first, but they'll come around."

"Promise?" She asked, still unconvinced.

"Promise." He squeezed her arm and left the room but came back only a few seconds later, "I just remembered another reason why we decided to make spaghetti."

"Yeah, what's that?" She asked, pulling the pan of garlic bread from the oven.

"It's one of the only things you actually know how to cook." He easily dodged the pot holder she threw at his head before walking down the hall to answer the door.

Dinner went smoothly, Elliot smugly grinning at her when the kids complimented the spaghetti. They were seated in the living room, since his dining room table was too small to fit all six of them; Elliot and Olivia sat on the couch, Maureen and Kathleen shared the love seat against the wall, and the twins sat Indian style on either end of the coffee table. Olivia had been shooting him nervous glances every so often and they didn't go unnoticed by his two eldest daughters.

"Daddy?" Maureen asked, getting his attention.

"Yeah?" He responded, noticing something different in her voice.

She briefly glanced at her younger sister before continuing, "You know, if you and Olivia are dating or something we would be totally fine with it, she's already like family."

He wasn't surprised by her assumption and the way they accepted it gave him hope that their actual news would be well received, "We'll I'm sure she appreciates that you feel that way about her, but we aren't dating Maur."

"Oh." She said, and he could swear he saw disappointment in her eyes. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Olivia said, smiling at her. "And he's right, I'm happy that you see me as family, I feel the same way about all of you."

There was a pause as everyone turned back to their food, but then Dickie looked up at both of them confused, "Then why are you here? You've never been over any other time Dad had us on the weekend."

"Dickie." Maureen and Kathleen said in unison.

"What? It was a simple question." He replied making a face at his older sisters.

"He's right." Olivia said glancing at Elliot who nodded for her to continue. "I haven't been here before and there is a specific reason why I'm here tonight."

Everyone had turned their attention from their dinners to her and she swallowed nervously, "Your Dad and I, well we-"

"She's pregnant." Elliot blurted out.

Olivia punched him in the arm, "Seriously?"

"What? I didn't know where you were going and I didn't think they needed some big explanation." He answered, while she fixed her hard gaze on him, clearly not amused.

"Um, it would be nice to have some sort of explanation." Kathleen said, and the other three nodded.

Olivia sighed, trying to figure out how to word it, "We've always been close, your Dad is my best friend, and one night we let things go a little too far. It screwed up our relationship and partnership for a couple months but when we found out that I was pregnant we talked and now we're back to being friends again."

They both watched as the information sunk in, none of them appeared to be angry with the news but both could tell there was still some confusion.

"So you're not dating, you're just best friends that are going to have a kid together?" Kathleen asked.

"Yes." Olivia answered, Elliot nodding in agreement.

"So we're going to have a little half brother or sister and you're going to be like our sort of stepmom?" Dickie asked.

Olivia laughed at his categorization of her, "I mean I guess so. You can call me whatever you want to call me, but I'll still be the same old Olivia that you've always known."

"Just with a kid that we are related to." Lizzie added with a smile.

"Yeah." She smiled, looking around the room at them. "So are you guys okay with this?"

"It wouldn't really matter if we weren't, but aside from being a little surprised we're happy for you." Maureen answered, smiling at her. "Congratulations."

There was a chorus of congratulations from Kathleen and the twins and then they slowly slipped back into normal conversation. Their easy acceptance of the situation surprised Olivia and she couldn't believe she'd gotten so worked up over this night only to have it go so smoothly. They passed the rest of the night talking and joking until about nine thirty when Olivia felt like she couldn't hold her eyes open any longer and started to say her goodbyes.

She hugged the twins and Kathleen on her way out of the living room and was surprised by a tight hug from Maureen when she got to the door.

She pulled back and looked at her a little puzzled, "What was that for?"

Maureen looked around making sure her father was still in the kitchen cleaning up, "I wanted to thank you for making up with him. When I came home from Hudson this summer he wasn't himself. I asked him a couple of times what was up, but he would always put on a fake smile and pretend like everything was fine. I know you weren't separated as partners or anything but I think on top of the divorce, being at odds with you made him feel lost for a while. He looked really good tonight, so thanks."

Olivia hugged her again, upset with herself for being so selfish not to realize that he must have felt completely abandoned these past two months, "Of course Maureen, I'm just sorry we couldn't have gotten over ourselves sooner."

Elliot walked in from the kitchen and they finished their goodbye before Maureen went back to the living room to discuss with the twins which movie they would be watching that night.

"That went well." Elliot commented grinning smugly.

She rolled her eyes at him, "I'm still mad at you for just blurting it out like that."

"Sure you are." He teased, giving her a hug.

"Hey, El?" She whispered resting her cheek against his.

He could feel his pulse quicken at her sudden closeness, "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for these past two months." She took a deep breath fighting to keep control of her emotions. "And now that we're going to be in each other's lives for a while, I think you should know that whatever happens, I love you. I will always love you."

His heart was beating a mile a minute and just as he thrown his plans of taking things slow to hell she kissed his cheek, waved goodbye, and walked out the door. He stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds before he felt a sharp jab to his side and looked over to find his oldest staring at him pointedly.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to go get her?" She asked, moving around him so she could open the door back up.

"You heard all that?" He asked as she leaned against the door frame.

"Nope, I have no clue what she just said to you, but by the look on your face it was something significant and I'm not going to let you lose her again." She gently pushed him into the hall, and with a smile added, "Good luck."

Elliot watched as she closed the door and when he heard the thud of the deadbolt being shifted into place he finally snapped out of the fog he had been in and sprinted down the hall. He took the stairs two at a time and was outside of his apartment building in a matter of seconds. He looked around frantically and when he finally saw her it was only the back of her head as a yellow taxi pulled away from the curb and merged into the busy NYC traffic.

Instead of wasting time getting angry Elliot ran around the building to the parking lot and jumped in his SUV, and against better judgment put on his lights and sirens. His chances of getting to her apartment before her were very slim, but he had to at least get there if not when, then right after she did. Thankful that he had chosen to move only ten minutes away, Elliot was there in five and he quickly parked on the curb, made sure it was locked, and then sprinted up the steps to her building.

He usually buzzed up to be polite, but he had the code and a spare key to her apartment so he went right in and ran up the four flights of stairs to her floor.
He was a little out of breath when he reached her landing, but it was worth it because when he got there she was just unlocking her door.

"Olivia." It was the only word he could manage, his chest was tight from the running and the nerves that had finally broke through his haze of adrenaline.

"Elliot? What are you doing here?" She asked quizzically as he walked towards her.

"I didn't want you to make the wrong assumption again." He breathed, moving close enough so there bodies almost touched and he was able to reach down and cup her cheek in his hand.

She looked into his blue irises with her chocolate brown ones, her gaze boring into his soul, "What are you saying, El?"

He smiled, leaning down so their lips were only a hairsbreadth apart, "I'm saying that I love you."

Elliot didn't wait for a response and covered her lips with his, remembering how much he'd missed her soft skin and the way their tongues moved together in rhythm, neither fighting for control, both equal in their hunger for one another. He pushed her up against the door only to have it swing open since she had already unlocked it. They fell to the floor inside her apartment, Elliot easily adjusting her so she fell on top of him, and as they continued to kiss he casually closed her front door with his foot.

When they finally broke for air she looked down at him, eyes sparkling with desire, "Do you really mean it?"

"There's not a doubt in my mind Liv." He answered, and when she smiled he claimed her lips again.

Neither was too keen on moving any further from where they already lay, and so they slowly began undressing each other, Elliot was still amazed at how beautiful she was and he made sure to show her exactly how he felt. He took pleasure in the sounds she emitted as he paid attention to both of her full breasts with his hands and mouth. She bucked into him more than once and he could feel her wet heat press against his thigh sending more blood rushing to his already extremely hard erection.

He flipped her onto her back and slowly traveled down her lean, tan form, planting kisses on every inch of skin he could see until he was before the entrance to one of the most beautiful parts of her body. He delved into her folds with his tongue; enjoying the moan his action elicited from her while he continued to explore her with his mouth as her fingers winded into his hair. After a few minutes of pleasuring her he felt her pulling at his shoulders.

"Close..." She gasped her breathing labored. "Want...need you in me."

He made his way back up her body, kissing her in the same manner as he had done on his way down and parted her legs further with his knees, lining himself up at her entrance. He slowly entered her, his eyes never leaving hers as they began to move together, gradually building up their measured movements until they were tangled in a frenzy of desire. Just before he reached his climax he captured her lips in a kiss as passionate as their love-making. They fell over the edge together; their cries swallowed in the others mouths as they rode out their orgasms, their bodies slowly turning to putty.

Elliot rested his forehead against hers briefly, before rolling them over, so she didn't feel crushed under his weight. After silently resting against him for a few minutes Olivia leaned up to grab the blanket that was draped over the back of her couch. He grunted in protest as he slipped from inside her, but she ignored him and with a small smile covered their naked forms with the blanket. She rested her head against his chest and he wrapped his arm around her waist, effectively holding her against his side.

Her breathing slowly returned back to normal, as did his, and she felt her eyes begin to droop, "Hey, El?"

"Yeah?" He responded kissing the top of her head.

"I don't think you'll ever know how much I love you." She whispered smiling against him as her eyes slid closed.

Elliot listened as her breathing slowly evened out, and smiled when she started to snore, "I don't know Liv, I think I might have some idea."

A/N: Well there was my first attempt at M and I hope it wasn't too horrible. Please give me some more feedback and I am grateful for everyone that is sticking with this story!

-Katie

Giselle: I'm glad you enjoyed it and I guess you can see how he showed her ;)

Jane: haha, I'm glad, thanks!

Kana117: Thanks, hope you liked this then!