The morning sun was peeking through the heavy curtains adorning the window. Olivia's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she began to stir, when she felt a weight on her hip. She glanced behind her to see Elliot not quite close enough to be spooning her, but close enough to have hand resting on her side. Even though nothing sexual happened between them, she was grateful when Elliot agreed to spend the night. They stayed up talking until the wee hours, and after a lot of tears were shed, they both collapsed from exhaustion. They felt it was best for Elliot to stay in her room so Noah wouldn't see him sleeping in the living room in the morning. Olivia relished in the comfort of Elliot's touch, and was hopeful that they would be able to work through all of this. He's here. He's touching me. Maybe he doesn't hate me after all.

She heard Noah's door open, and heard him slip into the hallway bathroom. As much as she wanted to roll over and snuggle into Elliot's chest, she figured it was best to go and get Noah ready and out the door. "Going to get Noah off to school?" Olivia stopped at her bedroom door, and turned to Elliot. "Yeah. Let me get him ready for Helen. She normally takes him to school on the mornings I have to work. I didn't tell her that I called out today. Are you going to call Bell?"

Elliot let Olivia know that he already let Bell know he wouldn't be in today, and that he was going to try and get his kids together this afternoon to let them know about Ella. Olivia smiled gently and nodded her head in approval. "Try to get some sleep. I'll be back in a little bit."

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After Noah was off to school, Olivia slipped back into her bedroom with two mugs of coffee. She stopped to stare at Elliot who was stretched out across her bed. They had so far to go to repair all of this, but she was just grateful that Elliot was here and willing to be present with her. Olivia set both coffee mugs on her bedside table, and slipped gently back under the covers. She tried her best to not disturb Elliot, although she knew he would wake up soon. She turned on her side to face Elliot, and a pang of regret pulled at her heart. She loved him with her entire being, and she wanted to do everything in her power to right this ship. Olivia closed her eyes and tried to relish in the calmness of the morning. A few moments later, she felt Elliot's hand once again come to rest on her hip. A simple gesture that caused her heart to skip a beat, and it gave her the confidence to reach out. Olivia placed her hand on Elliot's, and unexpectedly, Elliot flipped his hand over, and intertwined their fingers. "Do I smell coffee?" Olivia giggled…Elliot was a bigger coffee addict than she was. He turned to face her, keeping their hands intertwined.

Olivia stared softly at Elliot. "Do you want your mug?" Elliot shook his head, "In a bit. Let's just stay like this for a little while." The former partners comfortably laid in silence before either spoke. "Are you really going to tell your kids today?" Elliot nodded. "Yeah…I really think I need to do this sooner than later. When will you tell Noah?"

Olivia contemplated the question, and told Elliot that she wanted to do it soon so that Ella and Noah could meet before she headed back to Salem. "That would be really great, Liv, and Noah will be thrilled. He'll have a big sister to pick on." They gently laughed at the thought, and both sighed, returning them to the comfortable silence.

Elliot pulled his hand away, sat up, and requested his coffee. Olivia let out a little whimper when their hands separated, eliciting a shy smile from Elliot. They both sipped their coffees, and continued talking about Ella. "I hope we can meet her parents…her adoptive parents. From what Ella told me, I want to shake Thomas' hand for everything he did to provide for her. Father to father."

"El…I know I keep saying it, but I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you." Elliot took Olivia's hand, and intertwined their fingers again. "Liv…I know. I'm still hurt, and a little angry. But, meeting Ella, and seeing how wonderful she is, love is starting to rise above the anger." Tears began to well up in Olivia's eyes at Elliot's words. She finally felt hopeful again. Hopeful for them.

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Surprisingly, all five of Elliot's kids were available to meet later that afternoon. He was nervous, but he truly wanted to bring all his kids together as soon as he could. Characteristically, Maureen was the first to arrive. "Hi dad! Why are we all getting together on such short notice.?" Elliot told her to hang tight, and once everyone arrived, they would talk. Maureen joined her father in the kitchen to assist with preparing appetizers for everyone to enjoy.

Elizabeth was next to arrive, followed closely by Kathleen. All three girls were bustling around the kitchen, laughing and enjoying hanging with each other. Times like this were few and far between, and Elliot just stood and watched his girls, with a nervous grin on his face. He loved them all so much, and he was beginning to question whether or not it was too soon to burst their little bubble. "Daddy? Everything okay?" Elliot softened his grin, and nodded to Elizabeth. Leave it to Liz to be so in tune with me.

And truly in character, Dickie was the last to arrive, with Eli in tow. Dickie had picked up Eli after school, per Elliot's request. Elliot hugged his sons, and relished in watching all his kids interact with each other. Despite the tragedies and obstacles they had lived through, he knew he was truly blessed. They were a close, supportive family, and he said a silent prayer that his kids would welcome Ella with open arms.

Amidst all the laughter and teasing, Elliot decided it was time. "Hey everybody, can we head to the living room?" Grabbing the prepared food, and the drinks they had already started to enjoy, the siblings followed their father into the next room. After everyone was settled, Elliot sat on the edge of his chair, and took a deep breath before starting.

"Mo, Katie, Liz, Dickie…do you all remember when you were little, that your mother and I separated & divorced for a couple of years?" The oldest five nodded, but with inquisitive looks on their faces. "Yeah dad. We remember. Why are you bringing that up?" Elliot smiled at Katie, and continued. I don't think you ever really knew that during that time, Olivia and I started seeing each other." The kids looked at each other in complete amazement, but none of them were truly shocked. "Dad…I think we suspected something like that had happened." Dickie was always a straight-shooter, and Elliot had begun to appreciate his candor as he got older.

"As you know, your mother and I eventually got back together, and Eli was born. We were happy, and spent the next 14 years together as a loving family. I always loved your mother, and I miss her every day, with my whole being. You kids are everything to me, and I love you all more than life itself. Nothing will ever change that." The kids were now laser focused on their father, trying to figure out what he was building up to. Maureen spoke for all the siblings. "We know dad. And we all love you."

Clearing his throat, Elliot continued on. "A few days ago, Olivia told me something that is going to change all of our lives." He looked at the faces of his loving children, and knew it was best to just get it out. "Olivia let me know that towards the end of our relationship, she found out she was pregnant." Elliot looked at all of their faces, and tried to gauge what they were feeling. Mo and Katie had slight smiles on their faces, while Liz and Dickie still looked confused. Eli sat with no emotion on his face. Despite his early connection, during his birth, with Olivia, Eli didn't really know her very well. Nor was he really familiar with her history with their father.

"While she was undercover in Oregon many years ago, Olivia gave birth to our child. A daughter, and later gave her up for adoption. She never told me." Dickie stood up, and let his feelings be known. "That is some bullshit! What the hell…she's a cold-hearted bitch!" Elliot stood to meet his son's outburst. "Dickie! Watch your language! And you will not speak about Olivia that way. She has always been there for us. All of us! Now sit down, and let me finish!" Liz grabbed Dickie's hand, and pulled him back down next to her.

"A few days ago, Ella…that's her name…showed up at the 1-6, and met with Olivia. I was told the next day…after Olivia had verified she was indeed our daughter. And then yesterday, I met with her." Elliot scanned his kids' faces, trying to take in their range of emotions. "Daddy…her name is Ella? Ella what?" Elliott smiled at Katie, knowing she was the most inquisitive.

"Her name is Ella Humphreys. She's 17 years old, and lives in Salem Oregon with her adoptive parents. She's wonderful, and she reminds me of all of you. The best parts of all of you." Elliot could see tears welling up in everyone's eyes except Eli. "Daddy…tell us more about her." Katie was more excited than all of them to learn more about her new sister. "She was raised by lovely parents, and she is active in school activities, and sports. She's here for the rest of the week, and I would really love for all of you to meet her." Elliot waited anxiously to see how they would respond. Mo and Katie were overly excited to meet Ella. Liz was excited, and was encouraging Dickie to try to accept everything. Elliot looked at Eli with concern. "Hey Eli…you okay?"

Eli sat with his arms crossed, and stoically said, "Why were you never told you had another kid? Is anyone else wondering about that?" His words were sharp and angry. He didn't really know Olivia, but he did know that she was a part of his dad's life that hurt his mother deeply. "Eli…come one. We have a sister. Let's focus on that!" Katie took a seat next to her baby brother, and tried to comfort him. "Daddy…do you know why you were never told?"

Elliot exhaled a deep breath, trying to keep any residual anger at Olivia at bay. "By the time Ella was born, your mother and I had gotten back together, and Eli was on the way. Liv didn't think she could take care of a child on her own, and she had to make some tough choices. You all have every right to be angry with her, as do I…and trust me, I'm still processing all of this. Including my feelings towards Olivia right now. She and I have been working on trust, and this has set us back a bit. But, she has explained to me her reasoning, and I can honestly say that I am starting to understand. The most important thing you need to know is that Olivia made decisions based on what was best for your mother and me, and all of us. She truly believed that returning to New York with a child would have destroyed my relationship with your mother…and with all of you. She really wanted to do what was best for our family. Please try to understand that. She loves all of us so much, that she puts her happiness behind everyone else's."

Mo, Katie, and Liz all swarmed their father when they saw tears beginning to creep down his cheeks. He encircled the three of them in his arms. "We love you daddy. We can't wait to meet her!" Dickie sat with his younger brother on the couch, and wrapped his arm around Eli's shoulder. Elliot looked at his sons, and accepted they would need a little more time.