I know some of you don't believe Eli is Elliot's but I needed him to be his in this story. Now let's continue.

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74. Mommy's got you

Elliot cried from sheer relief. While knowing he would have loved Eli regardless of blood ties, something broke inside him when he read the confirmation that Eli was indeed his biological son. They hadn't lived a lie where his boy was concerned and he hadn't know how much the results meant to him until now. If Kathy had lied about this child, even more years would have been stolen from him and Olivia, and the one person that had continued to love him unconditionally - aside from Bernie maybe - would have been ripped from his hands. Another father would have come into play. But now, he would finally be able to look at the future with Olivia, and not look back anymore. He sobbed softly, leaning sideways against Olivia, whose arms weres wrapped firmly around his shoulders. His body was hurting but he didn't care. He just needed to let his emotions out, that he hadn't even know he had bottled up ever since he had started remembering things. And even before that.

Before that.

The thought suddenly hit him that he'd bottled this up before ...

Elliot wiped his nose and lifted his head to look at Olivia. A thought hit him, and then another one. Memories. His head was hurting but he kept staring into Olivia's brown eyes, as if he could read in them what he needed to understand.

"An accident," he said, his voice still shaky from crying. "There was an accident."

Noah was walking up to them, a worried look on his face, and Olivia reached for her son, pulling him between her knees. Then, she looked at Elliot again.

"Which accident do you mean?" she asked him softly while rubbing Noah's back.

"With Eli. When ... when Eli was born ..."

Elliot closed his eyes, willing himself to make sense of the fragmented memories that were flashing before his eyes.

"Ewwie Ot no cry," Noah said with a sad voice and he opened his eyes, knowing he should reassure the little boy.

But he could only think of another little boy right now. And a father who had just found out his son wasn't his son at all. He glanced at Olivia, hoping she would deal with Noah because he couldn't right now.

Seeing his helplessness, Olivia turned towards her son and spoke softly with him, telling him that Elliot was crying happy tears and that he was okay. Noah didn't seem convinced, not used to combining tears with happiness, but he did accept his mother's comfort.

"There was this man," Elliot said, leaning his head in his hands. "I was with him ... so far away when ... it happened."

Olivia realized that Elliot was remembering parts of the day of Eli's birth and she was torn between needing to help Elliot make sense of the memories and making sure Noah wouldn't get upset. Her son was watching Elliot intently and she knew he had to be confused. Much to her surprise, Noah suddenly moved away from her and stood in front of Elliot, placing his little hand on Elliot's knee.

"'s Okay Ewwie," Noah said in a soothing tone and Olivia smiled despite her own concern for Elliot.

Elliot looked up at the little boy in front of him and couldn't help smiling too. Noah was pulling him back to the present. He placed his hand over Noah's on his knee.

"Thank you Noah," he said softly.

"Ewwie Ot okay. Mommy's got you," Noah said confidently and Olivia heard her own words repeated back to them by her son. Mommy's got you.

She swallowed a fresh lump in her throat. She didn't know if Noah really knew the meaning of the words, but to him, they were the ultimate reassurance. Mommy's got you. And he was right. He couldn't have been more right under the circumstances and Elliot knew it too.

"I know, little man. Your mommy's got me."

He looked up at Olivia and smiled, despite fresh tears welling up in his eyes.

"Mommy's got both of us."

Olivia moved her hand from his back to his neck to help him relax. She rubbed his neck gently while asking him,

"Do you need help making sense of these new memories?"

"Please," he said, sitting up a little straighter.

He looked at Noah and smiled at him again.

"Noah cookie?" the child suddenly asked them happily, holding up his empty sippy cup.

Olivia chuckled and got up to get her son the cookie she'd promised him. Elliot took a deep breath and tried to relax. Olivia would help him reconstruct the memories he was having of the day Eli was born, and his headache subsided a little at this reassuring thought. Mommy's got you. She did indeed, and he should thank her properly as soon as he was able.

...

"You were all in that car crash!"

Elliot was horrified.

"And you saved them."

Olivia nodded. She had described the day to Elliot as best she could and he had listened patiently until she told him what had happened at the hospital, and that Eli had come out completely unscathed, and Kathy with just minor injuries. She smiled when the shock in his eyes was replaced by admiration and gratitude.

"Anyone would have done what I did," she deflected.

Elliot shook his head.

"But you did it. Thank you, Liv."

"You're welcome," she said softly, for once just accepting his gratitude.

She truly felt that she had only done what anyone would have done, but the truth was, she would have gone to the ends of the earth and back for him then. She still would. It still amazed her how far they had finally come in such a short period of time, after keeping their distance for years and years.

"I remember holding you at the hospital. That makes sense now," Elliot said.

It had been the first time he'd ever hugged her and it had shaken her deeply. As always, she had quickly shaken off all the feelings that had bubbled to the surface, but those few seconds she'd been in his arms, she'd closed her eyes and had allowed herself to really feel him. Just this once. To revel in his warmth, the feeling of his arms around her and his cheek brushing hers. She knew it wouldn't last and she'd felt happy and sad simultaneously. On top of that, the events of the day had begun to catch up with her. But she wouldn't let him see her cry so she'd blinked away the beginnings of tears and had asked him if he and Kathy had picked a name yet for the new baby.

She blinked again when she felt Elliot's hand on her back and she looked at him, slowly leaving the sadness behind her that she'd felt at the hospital over eight years ago.

"I wanted to say so much to you then Liv," he told her softly. "I just hoped that holding you would tell you all that I couldn't say out loud at the time."

Olivia pursed her lips and nodded. She hadn't dared to assume that that one hug had been as meaningful for him as it had been for her, but she had felt something pass between them. It had almost felt like a goodbye. Goodbye to any future they might have envisioned for the two of them, that wasn't going to happen now. Not with the new baby. Elliot had to be there for his family. He didn't have a choice. He didn't have it in him to walk away from this new responsibility. It was just a huge relief to know now that Eli had indeed been his responsibility.

"I understand," she replied softly. "And I understood then."

Elliot pulled her closer to him on the couch and she moved into his arm willingly. Noah was playing happily with his toys somewhere behind the couch so she allowed herself to let her guard down for a minute.

"I never wanted to let you go then," Elliot said softly near her ear and Olivia wrapped her arms around him.

Elliot's movements were limited but she enjoyed having one of his arms around her.

"I'm never letting you go again," he added before kissing her temple.

Olivia lifted her head and smiled at him.

"Neither am I."

Elliot tilted his head and kissed her softly. Too softly, she thought, and Olivia turned a little further into him to deepen the kiss. She wanted to forget how much she'd wanted him when she couldn't have him. He was here now, and he was hers. His headache was all but gone and he was relaxed now, happy that he remembered more of his youngest son and Olivia just needed to feel close to him. She knew she couldn't get as close as she wanted to, but it was difficult to keep her distance sometimes. Remembering that hug at the hospital had only made her long for him more. When Elliot groaned she wasn't sure if it was excitement or pain and if she was completely honest with herself, she didn't care. She just needed him and decided to climb into his lap, straddling him. Elliot grinned and she guessed it had been excitement and not pain that had caused him to groan. They had been here before.

"Changing your mind?" he asked her and she was tempted to say that yes, she had changed her mind about testing the waters, as Elliot had called it.

He was willing to see how much his body could take and when he moved his hands from her back to her chest, she wanted to say yes. He cupped her breasts through her clothes and Olivia closed her eyes, throwing her head back. She moaned softly when Elliot moved one hand down to her butt and pulled her into him. He wasn't going to make it easy for her to say no.

"C'mon baby," Elliot said softly, squeezing her softly in two places, making her bite her lip so hard that she almost drew blood.

They heard a chuckle coming from behind the couch and Olivia's eyes flew open.

"Mommy no baby!"

Noah's happy voice made them both snap out of their daze and Olivia wanted to climb off of Elliot, but he stopped her. Noah was still sitting on the floor behind the couch and couldn't see them, but Olivia knew they couldn't take things further while he was so close to them. She moved her mouth close to Elliot's ear and whispered,

"Not now El. And not here."

"So when, and where?" he asked her immediately and she dropped her forehead to his shoulder.

"Later," she whispered.

It wasn't much of an answer but it would have to do. She climbed out of his lap and this time, he let her go. His frustrated sigh resonated with her. She felt the same way.

...

Please don't hate me. I'm not dragging things out on purpose. I just need Elliot to remember a few more things, and this was Eli's turn. Also, I needed to revisit that hug! Review? Thanks!