AN: I want to say thank you to all the people that waited SO patiently for this update. I don't like to string them out, but I wanted to get this chapter just right. I hope you'll find it was worth the wait. Also, as you know, I've had each chapter represent one day at the lake. However, a little bit of this day will leak into the next chapter. It was just getting so long, and I didn't want to delay any longer. Plus it just seemed like a good spot to end it.

Also, I appreciate all the reviews. However, I've had quite a few guest reviews (which is fine), but please note that if you ask me a question, if you're signed in as a guest, I can't reply. So sorry. I'm not ignoring you!

Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter. I love your comments!

Day 6

Elliot tossed and turned when he woke in the morning, trying to fall back asleep. Thoughts of Olivia had kept him up most of the night, and he knew she'd be pretty pleased with herself if she knew. The way she slid down his body had made him want to chase after her.

He tried to shake those thoughts from his mind. There would be no way he'd get back to sleep if he couldn't stop thinking about it. About her. About the way her body felt pressed against his…

Elliot let out a grunt and lifted his head. He let out another groan when he heard rain pattering against the window. He dropped his head back on his pillow. This was perfect. It was their last day there and he wanted to be outside. But instead, he was going to be stuck inside with six grumbling teenagers. And Olivia.

He pushed himself up, knowing he wasn't going to get any more sleep this morning. He pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, and then grabbed his gray hoodie. He held it to his chest, remembering that the last person to wear it was Olivia. He held it up to his nose, and inhaled, loving the fact that it smelled like her. He pulled it on and zipped it up and headed out of his room.

The house was quiet, and dark without the sunlight streaming through the windows. He reached the bottom of the stairs, and turned on the lights over the island and the kitchen table. He walked over to the French doors and looked outside, and saw how gray and overcast the sky was. It wasn't raining hard, but it was steady, and it looked like one of those days where the rain never relented.

Elliot turned and looked back at Olivia's closed door. He wondered if she'd lain awake like he had, wanting him and wishing he'd taken what she was offering. She'd done her part to make sure he would spend a lot of time rethinking his choice. A part of him thought he was an absolute fucking idiot for turning her down the night before. But he knew it had been the right thing to do. If things progressed the way he hoped, he would be happy that their first time wasn't some impetuous quickie in the lake.

Elliot walked over and started making the coffee. Then he dug around and found some orange juice and a bagel in the refrigerator. He looked over at Olivia's door, and contemplated making breakfast in bed for her. But he knew he was just looking for an excuse to see her…to check to see how she was doing since she'd sashayed down the dock and back around the side of the house.

He wondered how she got into the house. He'd peeled off his underwear, and just redressed himself. But her wet underwear would be hard to hide under her dress. The image of her standing on the dock in that white lace came unbidden, and he closed his eyes, savoring the moment. He would never, ever forget it.

He was a fucking idiot.

The coffeemaker beeped, and it sounded loud in the quiet room. He poured himself a mug of coffee, stuffed the bagel in his mouth, and grabbed the juice with his other free hand. Elliot walked over to the sectional, set down the coffee and orange juice, and crashed down on the couch. He grabbed the bagel out of his mouth, took a bite, and lay back, stretching out his legs. The remote control was on the table next to him, and he surfed the channels until he landed on an old Dirty Harry movie. He'd always loved old Clint…Clint didn't take any shit from the bad guys.

Periodically, he kept looking over at Olivia's door, but she didn't emerge. He envied her if she was sleeping. He finished his bagel, and then his juice, and Clint was still cleaning up the city when he closed his eyes, feeling like he may be able to catch a few zzzz's.

Olivia woke up to the rain, and tried to go back to sleep. But it was no use; once she was awake, she rarely fell back to sleep. She climbed out of bed, and padded into the bathroom. She saw her wet underwear and bra hanging over the edge of the bathtub, and smiled at the memories they invoked. She had thought a lot about what had happened last night…or more specifically what hadn't happened…and despite the sexual frustration that kept her up half the night, she was glad nothing more had happened. This was all new for them, she didn't know where this was going…if it was going anywhere beyond the walls of this house on the lake. She didn't want to have any regrets. This was Elliot. Not some guy she never had to see again if she didn't want to.

There was a chill in the room. Olivia pulled on a pair of dark grey leggings and a white tank top and dug around in her bag for a sweatshirt. She remembered she didn't have one, but she found a black V-neck sweater that was loose and cozy, and she pulled that over her head. She walked over to the door and opened it a crack, wondering if anyone was up. But she saw the lights and smelled coffee, so she knew Elliot was up. She hesitated a moment, wondering if it was going to be awkward seeing Elliot this morning. She decided she wouldn't let it be. She would keep things light…and act like she hadn't thrown herself at him the night before.

As Olivia closed her bedroom door behind her, she realized the television was on. She saw Elliot sprawled out on the couch and she heard him snoring lightly. She studied him for a moment, happy to have a chance to see him this way. She'd had so many chances to see different aspects of his personality…his fun side, his romantic side, and as a doting father. It was refreshing. Not that she didn't appreciate the man with all the confidence in the world who took his role as father, officer of the law, and protector of all seriously. Spending this week had given him a depth she hadn't known existed.

Olivia smiled as Elliot grumbled something in his sleep. But he didn't wake up. Olivia saw there was some old movie on the TV. She went into the kitchen and poured herself a mug of coffee, and then sat down in the other portion of the sectional adjacent to where he was lying. She was sitting on the farthest end, where she could still see him. She tucked her legs beneath her, and grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch to cover herself.

She watched the movie for a couple of minutes, but then she grabbed the remote and started searching for something different to watch.

"Hey."

Olivia turned her head and saw Elliot looking at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." She said quietly.

"It's ok. I was just dozing." He cracked a smile.

"You were snoring."

Elliot smirked. "I didn't sleep very well last night."

"Bad dreams?" Olivia teased as tucked the blanket under her feet.

"Something like that." Elliot propped himself up on one elbow and looked back at the TV as it reverted to the movie.

"What are you watching?" Olivia asked.

"What am I watching?" Elliot asked incredulously. "Dirty Harry."

"Is that Clint Eastwood?"

"What?" Elliot said. "How can you not know who Clint Eastwood is?"

"I didn't say I didn't know who he was." Olivia said. "I'm just not a big fan."

Elliot adopted a look of shock. "Liv…that may be a deal breaker."

"A deal breaker?" Olivia raised an eyebrow at him, intrigued by his comment. "We've been friends for 7 years. It hasn't been an issue before."

Elliot pressed his lips together and nodded, wondering if she was telling him he'd been relegated to the friend zone. Maybe she was upset about last night. "True." He hesitated a second, and then decided to test things. "Tell you what. I'll let it slide, and I'll let you find something else to watch, in exchange for a kiss."

Olivia cocked her head slightly and looked back at him. She had already decided she was going to let Elliot set the tone today and this was a good sign. "I can pick anything I want?"

Elliot chuckled slightly. "Yes."

"And I don't have to hear any grumbling about it?" She was having fun watching the expression on his face, and she heard the exasperation in his sigh.

"I won't say a word."

"Deal." Olivia pulled the blanket back and stood up, skirting the coffee table as she moved to stand next to Elliot. She looked down and Elliot lay back against the pillow. Olivia leaned over, and kissed him very gently on the forehead. She stood up and gave him an angelic smile, and then turned to head back to her seat.

Elliot snagged her hand. "Hey."

Olivia turned back to look at him. "What?" She bit back a smile.

"I want a real kiss."

Olivia kept her expression neutral. "That was a real kiss."

"Olivia Benson. You're…"

Olivia leaned over and captured his lips before he could finish his sentence. She pulled his bottom lip between hers and sucked gently before she released it and recaptured both of his lips. Eliot cupped her head with his free hand, and deepened the kiss. Olivia felt Elliot tug her towards him, and she pulled away. "Satisfied now?" she asked as she stood up and tugged her hand from his.

"Not even close."

Olivia didn't have a response for that, especially since Elliot was the one that had shut things down last night. She just rolled her eyes and moved back to her spot on the couch. She grabbed the remote and starting searching, trying to find something that would drive Elliot crazy. She glanced over at him, and was surprised he had let it go as well. She saw that he his right arm bent and tucked beneath his head. He was watching the TV, presumably watching to see what she was going to choose. She hit exit, and Dirty Harry popped back on the screen. Olivia dropped the remote on the couch.

"Liv…watch what you want. You earned it."

"I earned it?" She asked. She wanted to laugh. She would have kissed him regardless.

"I just meant you kept your end of the deal, so I'm going to keep mine."

"It's fine. I mean…it seems like maybe I'm going to have to learn to like Clint Eastwood." She had a small smile on her face. "If it's potentially some kind of deal breaker."

Elliot looked over at her and saw a small smile on her face. "Liv." He said quietly, and saw her look back at him. "I had to admit this, but nothing's a deal breaker.

EOEOEOEO

They watched the movie in silence for the next twenty minutes or so, but Olivia felt a little unsettled. She kept stealing glances over at Elliot, but he was engrossed in the movie. He had a grin on his face, and she didn't know if he was just enjoying the movie, or if it was because he knew his comment had thrown her off. She assumed it was the latter.

"You gonna share that blanket with me?"

Olivia turned to look at him. "What?"

"I asked if you were going to share that blanket with me. It's a little cold in here."

"I don't think it's big enough." She lifted the edge of the blanket to show how short it was.

Elliot moved on to his side, and scooted his body backwards. He patted the empty spot next to him. "There's room for you right here. And then it would cover both of us."

Olivia looked towards the stairs, wondering when any of Elliot's kids were going to make an appearance.

"Don't worry. They won't be up for hours." Elliot patted the spot next to him again.

Olivia looked over at Elliot lying there with a big grin on his face. It was the kind of look that let her know that lying down next to him was going to be dangerous. Which was confusing, because he was the one that had put the brakes on the night before. "I don't think that's a good idea." Olivia said, picking up her mug of coffee and taking a sip.

"You scared of me?" Elliot asked with a chuckle.

"Scared? Of you?" Olivia shook her head. "Not a chance." She wanted to remind him certain events from the night before, but she left it alone. "I'm just…I'm going to make myself some breakfast." She pushed herself up off the couch, taking her coffee mug with her. When she had rounded the sectional, she looked back at Elliot. "Do you want something to eat?"

Elliot hesitated a second. He was disappointed that Olivia hadn't agreed to snuggle up with him on the couch. But she was being cautious this morning, and he guessed he couldn't blame her. He sat up. "I'll help you."

"You don't have to." Olivia said as she walked into the kitchen.

"I want to." Elliot followed her into the kitchen.

Olivia pulled the carton of eggs, a green pepper and some chives out of the refrigerator, and turned and put them on the island. She pulled a large knife out of the butcher block, and lay a cutting board on the counter. "Is an omelet okay?"

"Perfect." Elliot pulled himself up on the island, next to where she was starting to cut the chives. He took the gray sweatshirt off, and tossed it over on the sectional.

Olivia kept cutting, but she could see Elliot's legs dangling down. She shot him a sideways glance. "Is that your idea of helping?"

"I'm supervising." Elliot said with a grin. "It's my area of expertise."

Olivia rolled her eyes, and shoved the chives to the side. She grabbed the green pepper and started slicing it. "That's what you think. But everyone knows that I'm the one in charge."

Elliot let out a hearty laugh, and then quieted quickly, remembering the kids were still asleep. He hopped down from the counter and moved behind Olivia. He felt her tense up slightly as he slid his hands under her arms at her waist. Elliot rested his chin on her shoulder and pressed his body against hers slightly, forcing her forward until her body made contact with the edge of the counter. "Tell me how I can help then boss."

Olivia could feel every place Elliot's body touched hers. "You do realize I have a knife, right?"

Elliot placed a gentle kiss right below her ear. "I'm not scared of you." He whispered in her ear. He placed another kiss on top of the first, then trailed his lips lightly down her neck.

Olivia wanted to melt back against his body. "You should be."

Elliot heard the sass in her tone, but her words were in sharp contrast to her body's reaction. He could feel her relax against him slightly, even though he could tell she was still fighting it. He reached up and pulled her sweater away from her neck, leaving kisses along her collarbone as each inch of skin was revealed.

"Elliot." Olivia whispered as she dropped her head back against Elliot's shoulder. She set down the knife and gripped the edge of the counter lightly. She wanted to tell him to stop, but her traitorous body overrode all rational thought.

Elliot heard the plea in her voice, and he didn't know if she was begging him to stop, or pleading with him to continue. He dragged his tongue back up her neck and sucked gently beneath her ear, finding her pulse point. He felt her surrender then as she completely relaxed into him.

Olivia closed her eyes, and she couldn't think of anything except how Elliot's kisses were making her entire body tingle. She felt his hands at her hips as he toyed with the hem of her sweater and her mind was yelling at him to slide his hands up beneath, or better yet, take it off. Disappointment surged through her when he pulled his mouth and his hands off her completely, but then she felt him turning her around to face him.

Elliot saw the look of surprise on Olivia's face, accompanied by the flush of her skin, and he knew she was about to protest the change in direction. But he hadn't intended more than a kiss this morning; he wanted to move ahead cautiously because he knew that after last night, things would get out of control quickly.

Before Olivia could say anything, Elliot cupped her face with his hands and kissed her softly. "If I keep kissing you…" He leaned in and captured her lips again. "I'm not going to get any breakfast." He teased. He released her then, and saw the look of disbelief on her face.

"You're an ass." Olivia said indignantly. She was slightly surprised that he pulled away. His sweatpants didn't do much to hide his budding erection. But she also knew there was no way they were going to get away with much more in the kitchen, when his kids could make an appearance at any time. But all this extended foreplay this week was driving her insane. And she didn't even know if she could think of it as that, because he'd barely even touched her. Olivia pushed him back. "I think I only have enough to make one omelet."

Elliot laughed and grabbed her by her hips, pulling her back up against his body. He leaned down so his mouth was close to her ear. "I think maybe I'd better not let you near that knife again." He turned her around quickly, and before she knew what was happening, he lifted her up on the counter and deposited her in the same spot he'd been sitting in before. He winked at her. "I'll make breakfast and you can supervise."

Olivia pressed her lips together, trying to come up with some smug remark. But he picked up the knife and looked over at her with those twinkling blue eyes and that little smirk on his face and once again, she was at a loss for words.

She watched as Elliot finished cutting up the green pepper, and then as he grabbed a bowl and cracked the eggs inside. He was beating the eggs and she was watching the way the muscles in his arms rippled and moved. His arms would always be her weakness she decided…and she thought about the times she'd seen him working the weight bench or punching bag in the small gym at the precinct. She realized she was staring, and her eyes darted back up to his.

"You checking me out Benson?" Elliot asked with a chuckle.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "In your dreams."

"Every night." Elliot said with a wink.

Olivia just stared after him as he carried the bowl and all the ingredients over to the stove. The man continued to disarm her, and part of it was sexy as hell and part of it was frustrating the shit out of her. This had been the most wonderful and most confusing week of her life, and right now, but it was coming to an end, and that scared her because she didn't know what was going to happen once they left this place.

She had been determined to let Elliot take the lead today, but it was killing her. She was used to being in charge...especially when it came to her sex life. She knew that if she wanted to, she could bring Elliot to his knees. He clearly wanted her, and he had to know she was a willing participant. Maybe she should…

Olivia heard a door slam upstairs, interrupting her thoughts, and she looked sharply at Elliot. She felt guilty, even though they weren't doing anything, and she hopped off the counter. She turned just in time to see Dickie and Luke clambering down the stairs.

"Dad!" Dickie yelled, oblivious to anything going on in the kitchen. He slid across the floor until he slammed into the island, and Olivia saw Elliot turn to face him. "Did you see it's raining out?" He didn't wait for a response. "This is perfect fishing weather. Can we go?"

Elliot let out a laugh. "Slow down." He said. He lifted the spatula in his hand. "How about some breakfast?"

"Dad." Dickie begged. "C'mon. We're probably missing all the big ones."

Elliot looked over at Olivia. "It's our last day here bud. Maybe we should all stick together. I doubt the girls will want to go fishing."

"The girls aren't even up. They won't miss us."

"What about Olivia? She's one of the girls you know."

Dickie looked over at Olivia, and then he looked away quickly. "Yeah, I know."

Olivia saw a slight flush on his face. "El. Take the boys fishing. I don't care. I'm just going to curl up with a book."

"See?" Dickie said. "She doesn't care."

"Okay, okay." Elliot said. "But after breakfast."

Elliot added some more eggs and added some sausage and toast to the mix. All four of them sat down to eat, and the boys were arguing about who was going to catch the biggest fish.

Elliot was sitting at the head of the table, and Olivia was immediately to his right. She crossed her right leg over her left, and curled her toes around his calf. Elliot looked up at her sharply, but he didn't move. Olivia looked over at Elliot. "How come you guys have gone fishing several times this week, but you never bring home any fish?"

Dickie and Luke stopped arguing. "We catch a ton of fish." Dickie said, as if his honor was on the line.

"Take it down a notch." Elliot said, shooting Dickie a look. He looked back at Olivia as she rubbed her toes back and forth across his calf. "We release them back into the lake."

Olivia furrowed her brow. "So, what's the point then?"

"To see who can catch the biggest fish!" Luke said.

"To see who can catch the most fish." Dickie said. He shook his head and looked over at Elliot. "Girls."

Elliot moved his leg so he lost contact with Olivia. "If you only knew."

EOEOEOEO

The guys had been gone for almost two hours when the girls started to emerge one by one. Olivia had turned off the television, but was still curled up on the sectional with a blanket and a book. Olivia offered to make them breakfast, but Kathleen waved her off. She made breakfast for the girls, and Olivia could hear them talking softly at the table as they ate. She heard the word town, but she ignored their conversation. She didn't want to be caught eavesdropping.

A few minutes later, she let out a sound as Kathleen dropped on the sectional next to her, startling her. "Jeez." Olivia said as she held her hand to her heart.

"Sorry." Kathleen said. "Hey, next week is Jess' birthday. Since the weather is so crappy, we want to do some baking. Maybe make a birthday cake or something and have a little birthday party tonight."

"Sounds good." Olivia said. She was a little uneasy, wondering if Kathleen was going to dig for more information.

"So…how's it going?"

Olivia wanted to smile. She'd been right. She put her book down. "Fine."

"Did you have a good time at dinner last night?"

Olivia wondered what the girl knew, because there was a slight tease in her voice. The kind of tone that usually indicated someone knew something. "The lodge is very nice and dinner was good."

"Dad came in to see us last night, but he said you went right to bed." Kathleen said suspiciously. "Must have been tired."

"Kathleen. I don't know what you're trying to insinuate here..." Olivia really had no idea if any of the kids had witnessed anything that had happened on the dock. They had assumed no one was looking outside, but there had been a full moon…

Still, rule #1 is not to confess to anything unless proof is presented. "But there isn't anything going on…and if there was, I wouldn't be discussing it with you."

"Whatever you say Liv." Kathleen pushed herself off the couch. "But maybe you want to cover up that hickey on your neck."

Olivia clapped her hand to her neck, and she saw Kathleen smile.

"Busted."

EOEOEOEOEO

Olivia was in her bathroom, looking at the red mark on her neck. She was absolutely going to kill Elliot. First for marking her, and second for not telling her. Truthfully, it wasn't very dark, and she was surprised Kathleen had really noticed, but the fact that she had left her feeling mortified. It had taken all her willpower not to jump up off the couch the minute Kathleen had said something. She had waited until the girls had cleaned up breakfast and were starting to bake before she nonchalantly escaped to her room.

Now she was standing in her bathroom, trying to cover it up with make-up, and feeling like a teenaged girl…and not for the first time this week.

Olivia heard Elliot and the boys come banging into the house, but she wasn't done with her touch-up yet. No matter what she did, she felt like she could see it. It was probably all in her imagination, but she dabbed a little more make-up on the spot.

Olivia heard a knock at her door.

"Olivia?"

It was Elizabeth. "Yeah." Olivia yelled.

"We're going to play a game. Do you want to play?"

"Sure. I'll be out in a second." Olivia said. She took one last look in the mirror and then headed out of her room. When she walked into the main room, she saw the girls all sitting at the table. There was a pile of board games on the floor, but Kathleen was shuffling a deck of cards. There was a giant plate of cookies on one corner of the table, and Olivia snagged one as she sat down at the table.

"I thought I heard the guys."

"You did." Elliot answered as he walked into the main room. "We just had to get out of our wet gear." Elliot sat down at the head of the table, so Olivia was seated to his right, just as she had been at breakfast. It was only a minute later when both boys rushed into the room, and they each grabbed two cookies before they sat down.

Kathleen explained that they were going to play a game called BS, and she explained all the rules. Before long, the room was loud with the sound of laughing and talking and people calling BS on each other. At one point, Elliot got up and turned on some music, and the game was interrupted only by people retrieving drinks or taking bathroom breaks.

Elliot looked around the table at his kids and their friends, and at Olivia. Everyone was having such a good time, and he couldn't have been happier. When his marriage had ended, he'd felt like he'd lost his family. He never imagined he'd have times like this. And he was ecstatic that Olivia was a part of it.

The game of BS went on for quite a while, until someone suggested poker. Olivia raised an eyebrow at Elliot when he agreed, but then she saw Dickie dig out a tray of poker chips and start handing them out. Dickie and Luke turned out to be quite the card sharks, and it wasn't long before the piles in front of everyone else started to dwindle.

"Dad…" Kathleen started as another hand ended.

"Stop right there." Elliot said. "I can tell by the tone of your voice that whatever you're about to say is going to cost me money."

"Dad." Kathleen said, saying it as if the word had two syllables.

"Well, am I right?"

Kathleen launched into a long explanation about how it was Jess' birthday next week and how they all thought it would be a great idea to go to Weiden's to celebrate because they hadn't had a chance to go all week and that it wouldn't cost much because they wanted pizza and that wasn't very expensive. Olivia wanted to laugh because Kathleen barely took a breath. Then Dickie jumped in and talked about playing pool and other games at the arcade they had there and she saw Elliot put up his hands in a defensive gesture as the kids all jumped in. Olivia was wondering if Elliot was going to relent; she knew they kids were feeling pent-up due to the rain and he had to feel it too.

"I think it's a good idea." Olivia said, looking at the kids and not Elliot. "And I'll buy." She glanced over at Elliot, expecting him to object. But he just smiled at her.

Elliot pushed his chair back from the table. "You're in charge."

EOEOEOEOEO

Elliot heard a knock on his door, and for a second, he wondered if it was Olivia. "Come in."

Kathleen popped her head in, and then walked in the room, closing the door behind her. She plopped down on the bed as Elliot finished buttoning up his shirt. "I was thinking…"

Elliot raised an eyebrow, wondering what the hell his middle daughter was up to now. "Do I want to hear this?"

Kathleen didn't seem phased by his comment. "We're just going to get pizza and goof off in the game room. And they're going to show an outdoor movie if the rain stops…"

"And?" Elliot wasn't connecting the dots. He had heard about all their plans during the poker game.

"It's going to be pretty boring for you and Olivia."

Elliot chuckled. "You think so, huh?"

"Yeah. So why don't you and Olivia stay here. Have a nice dinner. And some time alone."

Elliot turned and looked in the mirror. "What makes you think Olivia and I need some time alone?" He asked as he straightened his collar.

Kathleen rolled her eyes. "Dad, I'm not stupid. I saw the hickey on Olivia's neck."

Elliot turned around quickly. "What?"

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." Kathleen stood up. "I can fit all of us in the minivan and it's not far." She walked towards the door, but stopped before she opened it. "I'll text you before we head back, so keep your phone nearby."

Kathleen left the room without another word, and Elliot stood and stared at the door. His daughter had basically just set him up for a romantic evening with Olivia…maybe more…and he should be embarrassed or outraged or…something. But instead, he only felt his heart rate accelerate at the thought of having Olivia all to himself for the next several hours.

EOEOEOEO

Elliot came back inside after seeing the kids off, and saw Olivia standing at the island cutting up vegetables. It was déjà vu from this morning, and he remembered Kathleen's comment about the hickey. He saw Olivia had showered and changed. She was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and some kind of long sleeved, hooded t-shirt. He could see the lace from her white tank top in the v of the t-shirt, and her familiar gold chains dangled on her neck. She had put some curl in her hair, and when she looked up at him, he could see that her eyes were darker and her lips were redder than usual.

Olivia looked up as Elliot walked into the room. He was wearing a pair of old faded jeans that had a rip across the thigh, and a polo shirt that matched the color of his eyes. He was staring at her, and she turned her attention back to the task at hand. She'd been very surprised when Elliot had told her they had the evening to themselves, and even though she didn't want to admit it, a little nervous. She'd been letting Elliot set the tone today, but she had no idea what was on his mind right now.

"The kids get off okay?" Olivia asked as she finished cutting up the green pepper

"Yeah." Elliot said, sitting down on a stool across from her.

"I have to say I'm a little surprised you let them go. I would have thought you would have wanted to have a big family dinner on your last night here." Olivia said, probing for information.

"They were going to drive us crazy if they stayed here all night. They wanted to get out."

"We could have gone with them though."

"They like to have some independence." Elliot said, debating if he should divulge more. "Plus, Kathleen thought we may want some time alone." He wasn't surprised when Olivia's head jerked up, nor when she dropped it back down quickly.

"Why would we need time alone?" Olivia asked. She kicked herself as soon as she asked the question, because she wasn't sure she wanted Elliot to answer. They'd done a great job of not talking about anything that was happening this week.

"I think it has something to do with that hickey on your neck."

Olivia looked up at Elliot again, and this time she held his gaze. "I meant to talk to you about that." With their busy afternoon, she'd forgotten to mention it. But after her shower this evening, she'd been reminded as she looked in the mirror. "What were you thinking?"

"I didn't mean to leave a mark." Elliot said.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at him, wondering if that was true. Because Elliot seemed like the kind of man that would want to leave his mark…brand her to let every other man know she was off-limits. "BS." She said, a reference back to the game they had played earlier.

Elliot shrugged his shoulders. "You don't have to believe me." From what he'd seen when Olivia let herself go, he imagined she'd leave marks of her own.

Olivia set the knife down on the counter. "Well I don't." She said. This conversation was going into territory she didn't want to explore, so she changed the subject. "Is it okay with you if we just have salads?"

"You mean alongside a steak?" Elliot asked, pushing himself off the stool and rounding the island.

Olivia turned around as he looked in the refrigerator. "No. Just a salad."

Elliot stood up holding a bundle wrapped in butcher's paper. "Man cannot live on salad alone." He said.

"Well, I can't eat a steak."

"I know, I know." Elliot said, closing the gap between them. "You're watching your figure." He said as he dropped the bundle on the counter. He let his eyes trail over her slowly, purposefully. "I told you…you've got nothing to worry about." He grinned at her, and leaned in to kiss her, but Olivia slipped around him.

"You grill your steak and I'll set the table." Olivia said, pulling down plates from the cupboard.

Elliot was surprised, but he let her go. He walked out and lit up the grill, waiting for it to get to the right temperature before he threw his steak on. When he walked back inside, he saw Olivia had opened a bottle of wine, and from the look of it, was almost through one glass herself. She looked up with an almost guilty expression, and refilled her glass.

"Do you want some?" she asked.

Elliot nodded and she poured him some. He walked over to where she was standing, but was still a few feet away from her. He picked up his glass, watching as she took another large drink. He was surprised, because Olivia never drank very much, and certainly not this quickly. "Liquid courage?"

Olivia furrowed her brows at him. "What?"

"The wine." Elliot gestured towards her glass. "I was just asking if you were feeling the need for some liquid courage." He could tell she'd been off since he'd told her about their evening alone. "Are you nervous about something?" He smiled, trying to lighten things up, but she pressed her lips together.

"What would I be nervous about?" Olivia asked.

Elliot moved a little closer. "I don't know. Maybe about being here alone with me?" He teased. The minute the words were out of his mouth, he could tell he had hit a little too close to home, and he saw Olivia take a step back.

"I spend almost every day with you." Olivia said, taking another drink. "Why would spending time with you make me nervous?" She avoided eye contact, staring at the dark red liquid in her glass and noticing her second glass was almost gone.

"I don't know." Elliot said. He wanted to tell her to forget he said anything, but a part of him wanted to push just a little more. It felt like they were on the edge of something. He put two fingers beneath her chin and lifted her head, so she had no choice but to look at him. He could see uncertainty in her eyes, and it shocked him a little. Olivia was strong…fearless…never one to back down. But right now, she looked almost scared, and he was the one off-center. "Talk to me." He said.

Olivia had no choice but to look into Elliot's eyes. She wanted to swat his hand away and tell him she was fine, but the wine had warmed her blood and taken the edge off, and a part of her needed to know. "What are we doing?" Olivia asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Elliot dropped his hand, surprised by the question. "We're…" Suddenly he was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure what she wanted to hear…what she was ready to hear.

"If we're just messing around…" Olivia filled in the silence quickly. Elliot's hesitation made her nervous and she wanted to beat him to the punch. "I mean, it's okay if things go back to normal when we get back to the city." She kept talking so Elliot couldn't. She wanted to let him know that he didn't owe her anything.

"Liv." Elliot tried to get a word in but she was on a rant now…barely breathing as the words tumbled out of her mouth.

Olivia turned to face the counter…away from his stare. "It's been fun to flirt and mess around, and if you want to have sex…I mean if that's why you sent the kids out…I'm okay with that. I mean, I've thought about it and I'm sure you have too and it's fine. I mean, it's more than fine." Olivia knew she was rambling, but the words weren't coming out right. She had learned in her life that happily ever after and white picket fences weren't meant for her, and if she could have just this week with Elliot, she'd take it. "I want to. You know I… It doesn't have to mean anything. I'm not expecting…" All her emotions that she'd kept at bay during the week were bubbling to the surface, and she bit down hard on the inside of her mouth to keep the tears at bay. She would not cry.

Elliot had heard enough, and he wrapped his hand around her arm and forced her to turn around. "Is that what you think of me?" His voice was louder than he wanted it to be, and even he could hear the anger in his tone. "That I would just have sex with you and then let things go back to normal next week?"

Olivia avoided his eyes. "I'm just saying that it's okay. It's just sex. It doesn't have to mean anything."

"Is that what you want?" Elliot asked. "Are you trying to tell me that all of the flirting and kissing and touching this week was all just a game? That there was no emotion behind it? No real feelings?" Olivia didn't answer him, and that angered him more. "So, if I marched you in the bedroom right now, told you to take your clothes off, fucked you, and left you laying there, you'd be ok with that? You think we could just show up at work on Monday morning like nothing happened?"

Olivia was shaking now, because she wanted to tell Elliot that she would never recover from that…that would be the end for her.

"Is that what you want?" Elliot was yelling now. Elliot took a deep breath. "Maybe that is what you want. No emotional commitment." he said. The anger was gone, and there was a chill in his voice. Olivia lived without any emotional attachments in her life, and she had certainly dated a lot of men. Maybe she preferred it that way. "Just fuck 'em and leave 'em. It's easier that way."

Olivia looked up at him then, his last words like a sucker punch to the gut. "You son-of-a-bitch." Before Olivia could even think, she hauled off and slapped him…hard. He dropped his wine glass and it shattered on the center island. "Don't you dare judge me. You have no idea what I want!" Olivia was the one yelling now. She could see a stunned Elliot rooted in place, and the red wine looked like blood as it dripped down from the edge of the counter.

Elliot was still stunned, and he saw the look of outrage on Olivia's face. He knew he had gone too far, but if it meant he could get her to talk to him, it would have been worth it. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. "Then tell me! Tell me what you want!" He saw the room was getting hazy, but it wasn't registering. All his attention was focused on Olivia. He saw tears brimming on her lower lashes. "Please…" He pleaded. "Why can't you just tell me?"

In the next second, he saw heavy smoke pour in through the window. "Goddamnit!" He dropped Olivia's arm and ran out on to the deck, and saw smoke billowing from the grill. He grabbed the smoke extinguisher that was sitting next to the grill and opened the hood. Flames billowed out and he sprayed the fire extinguisher until the flames died out. There was a brittle piece of charred steak sitting in the middle of the grill, and he stabbed at it with the fork. In a sudden fit of rage, he speared it and lifted his arm, launching it into the woods. This was not how he had expected this night to go, and he knew that when he walked back in that kitchen, Olivia wasn't going to be there.

Elliot sat down in one of the chairs on the deck, and stared out at the lake. The sun was on its' descent towards the horizon, and it was casting a soft, orange glow on the water. He found himself wishing Olivia was there, snuggled up against him and sharing this moment, and he realized he really was a son-of-a-bitch. He'd spent the last half hour trying to get her to tell him how she felt, when he knew how hard that was for her. When he knew all her insecurities, and her inability to ask for what she wanted…what she needed. He should have been telling her what he wanted. He should have been telling her why he'd been such a spineless wimp since his divorce, never telling her how he felt despite knowing (hoping?) she was waiting to hear it. He should be the one telling her that it was okay to want a future with him, because it was all he thought about.

Elliot pushed himself out of the lounge chair and rushed into the kitchen. The salad was still sitting on the counter, and the wine had pooled on the floor and on the counter, amidst the broken glass. Olivia was nowhere in sight, and he hoped to God she hadn't taken off on foot. He raced for the front door, but then saw her bedroom door was closed. He skated to a halt in his bare feet, and put an ear to the door. He could hear a muffled sound…crying…and his heart ached to know he was the cause of it.

He knocked very lightly. "Liv." He said softly. "Olivia." He said a little more loudly, so she could hear him over her tears. He didn't expect her to answer. He knew her well enough to know she wouldn't want him to see her like this. Hell, she probably never wanted to see him at all. He tested the door, and then remembered the doors didn't have locks. Lucky for him. He cracked the door open, feeling awful about invading her privacy. But he had to talk to her. He stepped into the room, dim with the setting sun. He could make out her form, lying on the bed, and she was facing away from him. He could tell the worst of the crying was over, or at the very least, she was doing a good job of masking it. "Liv."

Olivia could hear Elliot, and his tone was soft…pleading. She didn't want him here right now; she didn't want to hear his apology. Things were all fucked up now, and she had been laying here wishing she'd just kept her damned mouth shut. They could have been having a nice dinner. Flirting. Kissing. But no…she'd ruined it by becoming emotional. Exactly what she'd told herself not to do. She'd been managing to let it go all week…leave it to her to mess it up on the last day.

Elliot wasn't getting any response, but he knew she could hear him. The crying had stopped, except for a few residual sniffles, and she was laying unnaturally still. He wished she would turn to face him, but he thought maybe it was better this way. Sometimes truths were better spoken this way. Especially since he wasn't good at this either. But he had to fight for them. "I know you probably don't want me to be here, but I'm not leaving. And I don't want you to say anything. I just need you to listen." Elliot took a deep breath. "I said some pretty awful things to you…" Elliot took another deep breath. "And I want to tell you that I'm really sorry. I didn't mean that…I don't…" Elliot shook his head. The words were all a jumble in his head. "I was just trying to get you to tell me how you feel because…I never know. I think I know, but I'm never quite sure and that makes me question…" Elliot groaned. "This isn't coming out right." He pressed his lips together and started over. "I was just sitting outside and watching the sunset and I wished you were out there with me. And I realized that I'm an idiot because I've been fighting with you to get you to tell me how you're feeling, but I've been too scared to tell you how I was feeling. How can I expect you to tell me, when I can't do it myself? And I realized we've been playing this stupid game for the past year…past…" Elliot shook his head. "I don't know how many years…" he swallowed hard at his confession. "But what was the point of that? Because it just made us both miserable. And then I invited you up here and things seemed different and I flirted with you and you flirted back and I…I couldn't believe it. And then when I kissed you…I felt like the luckiest guy alive. This has been one of the best weeks of my life and I have no idea why I couldn't tell you that. I mean…really tell you that. Because I realized that maybe…just maybe…you're as crazy in love with me as I am with you."

Elliot was holding his breath. He had poured his heart out, but she wasn't responding, and it was scaring the hell out of him.

Olivia was still trying to process what Elliot was saying. Had he really just told her that he loved her?

"Olivia. You're scaring the shit out of me." Elliot said. "Did you hear what I said?"

Olivia rolled over on her back, and looked up at him. It was hard to see his face in the dim room, so she sat up. It was as if Elliot read her mind, and he sat down on the edge of the bed. "I heard you." She said, her voice ragged from crying. She stretched out her hand, and Elliot wrapped his hand around hers as it lay on the bed. Olivia looked down at the intertwined hands, and then she looked back up at Elliot. "Say it again." She said, looking back and forth between his eyes.

Elliot smiled, relief circulating through his system. "Olivia Benson. I love you. I've loved you for a long time."

Olivia's heart soared. She could see the earnestness in his eyes and the emotion in his voice. "You don't know how long I've wanted to hear you say that." She said, her voice a little breathless. She looked down at their hands. "I was too scared to tell you…that I…wanted this." She looked up at him. "I mean, I know you're not promising me anything…"

Elliot reached out and cupped her face with his left hand. "Olivia. Stop. Tell me that you love me, and I'll promise you the world."

Olivia could feel the tears forming again, but she didn't brush them away. "I love you."

"The world it is." Elliot said as he leaned in and captured her lips as if it was the first time.