Liv jolted awake to a crying Ethan over the baby monitor. Elliot stirred next to her, mumbling that he'd get it. She shushed him and told him to go back to sleep. Ethan was crying large tears when Liv walked in. She picked him up and started rocking him. He must have had a nightmare. 

"It's okay, baby. Mommy's here." She started humming while walking around the living room. Eli was lucky not to wake up when Ethan started crying. Liv ran a finger across Ethan's forehead and down his nose to his chin. His cries started faltering into small whimpers. 

Maureen and Kathleen took one of the rooms farthest from Elliot and Liv, a little angry at them still, but nevertheless grateful for the protection. Lizzie was the only one other than Eli that seemed to not mind the whole scenario that Elliot caused with the secret child and Liv. Dickie, as soon as he got here, went to one of the rooms and hadn't come out since. Elliot tried to talk to him, but Dickie sent him away. 

Eli seemed to be super happy to have a little brother. He begged to share the nursery with Ethan, even though there was more rooms available. Elliot and Liv didn't seem to have any problems as long as Eli didn't keep Ethan awake at night. 

"Liv." Liv turned to see Maureen at the hallway entrance. She was twisting her fingers, nervous. 

"Maureen, what's wrong?" Liv asked, glancing at Ethan. He was still fighting sleep, so she continued to bounce him and patting his bottom gently. 

She went to sit on the couch, looking down at her hands. "I feel like all this is my fault. If I'd have stayed away from Tyler, then Dickie wouldn't have been raped and we wouldn't be in trouble."

Liv sighed. "Maureen, it isn't your fault. Tyler used you to get to your dad for fathering Ethan with his girlfriend. Its not your fault."

She started crying, and Liv went to sit beside her, taking one hand off Ethan to comfort her as best she could. Liv knew most of these kids since they were in diapers. She felt like a third parent to them up until Kathy started filling the kids heads with cheating accusations between her and their father. She didn't blame Kathy that much though. Elliot was a great man and many women wanted to be with him. 

"But if I hadn't told Dickie what Tyler told me, then Dickie wouldn't have gotten raped," Maureen cried. 

"Dickie still might have been raped if you didn't. We were on the case and was looking at him anyway," Liv countered. "Look, its not your fault, but you need to talk to a shrink."

It took an hour to convince Maureen to talk to a shrink and be calm enough to head back to bed. As soon as she knew Maureen was okay, she put a sleeping Ethan back in bed and went back to bed herself. 

"Is Maureen okay?" Elliot muttered with closed eyes as Liv snuggled next to him. She didn't expect him to be awake. 

"She's fine, didn't mean to wake you," Liv whispered, trying to sooth him too for some reason. 

He chuckled, "You don't have to soothe me, Liv." 

She let out a small laugh. "Sorry, I just spent the last hour and a half comforting two kids," she looked at him laying on his back, bare chest gleaming in the moonlight. "But yeah, she will be okay, she has your hatred of psychologists. Took me the entire hour to convince her to see one."

He smiled sleepily, "That's my girl," he laughed loudly as Liv hit his chest lightly. "I heard you say that Dickie could have been raped even if she kept her mouth shut."

Liv laid her head on his chest, "Yeah."

Elliot kissed the top of her head. "We'll get those bastard that hurt our family," he whispered more to himself than to her. 

Our family. It had a nice ring to it. She smiled as Elliot's sleepy hand drew comforting circles on her back as she fell back asleep. She would need to tell him she was ready to add to their family now. After everything was over. 

"Daddy, Livie," the sound of a pair of five year old feet running through the apartment to the sleeping couple's bedroom woke the pair in a panic. They both feared they were naked when they realized they didn't have sex last night. Elliot's older kids were still getting used to Liv being in their lives more than just their father's work partner. They didn't need to hear Elliot and Liv having sex. 

"Yeah, buddy, what's up?" Elliot asked sitting up. Liv pulled the covers around her chest without thinking, forgetting she had on Elliot's NYPD shirt with her boy shorts. He gave her the covers and got up, grabbing Eli before he could jump on the bed and bother Liv further. 

Eli looked past his dad to Liv. "Isn't Livie gonna eat breakfast with us?"

Elliot loved the fact that his son had a special bond with Liv. After all, Liv was the one who saved his and his mother's life five  years ago. "Tell you what, how about we surprise Liv with breakfast in bed," he suggested. 

Eli's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yeah, pancakes!"

Elliot started making pancakes while Eli played with Ethan in the floor with the TV on his cartoons. Bob the builder was on and Eli was torn between helping Ethan play and staring at the TV. Maureen and Kathleen were at the counter doing their homework from college, and Lizzie was still trying to coax Dickie out of the bedroom. 

Cragen gave Liv and Elliot today off so Elliot could keep his eyes on his kids at all times today while the rest of the squad went after the Waterfront Dragons. "Liz, Dickie will come out when he wants too." 

Lizzie sighed and walked away from the door, glancing back every now and then. She went to sit on the couch, watching Eli and Ethan play. "Morning guys," Liv greeted. 

Elliot's shoulders dropped. "I was hoping you'd sleep longer so we'd surprise you with breakfast in bed." Elliot greeted flipping the last pancake. 

She shrugged as she walked over to him and gave him a kiss. She was about to walk to get a coffee cup when he pulled her away. He placed a hand on her face and kissed her deeply. "Go sit down, I'll bring the coffee and pancakes to you," he said, kissing her nose and shoving her lightly to the couch to sit beside Lizzie. 

Maureen and Kathleen looked at each other quickly with a face that didn't go unnoticed by Elliot. In a low tone that only the three of them could hear, he said, "Drop the looks. This is our place and we will kiss wherever we wish. You two are old enough to respect us, that includes the side looks."

"Sorry, dad its just odd to see you kiss someone other than mom." Kathleen said, tapping her pencil. 

Elliot understood. He did. At the same time though, he wanted his kids to understand his view. "Look, I understand. Over twenty years of marriage down the drain and I'm in another relationship right away. But believe me when I say, I love Olivia, and she's here to stay. Please, see this from my view."

Maureen put her pen down. "The view of you cheating on mom with a stranger, or the view that you fell out of love with mom years before and just came back to us because you had a one night stand with mom when you were separated before Eli?"

He shook his head, trying to stay calm. "The view that this is our life now. I've loved Olivia for years and never did anything about it because I respected your mother. I know you all would have rather I cheated on your mom with Liv than a stranger, but I loved Liv too much to do that to her. Liv deserved more than just a one night stand."

"We understand dad, but its just so  quick," Kathleen stated. 

"Well get used to it," Elliot simply stated before pouring Liv her coffee and taking a stack of pancakes over to the small group on the couch. Luckily enough, his kids loved dry pancakes, he made them sweet and moist enough that no one wanted syrup. 

He decided to take a small stack to Dickie in his room. Make sure his son was okay. "Dickie," he knocked on the door. 

No answer. Testing the doorknob, he thanked God that it wasn't locked. Dickie was on his bed, staring at the wall. "Brought you pancakes," Elliot said, placing them on the nightstand. 

Dickie didn't respond. His arms were crossed, a knife on his lap. He looked angry with himself. Elliot picked up the knife. "What are you doing with this?" He asked softly, knowing the answer. 

"Too chicken to cut myself," he said in a shaky voice. 

Elliot placed the knife on the nightstand and put his hand on his son's shoulder. Dickie didn't respond to the notion. "Dickie you are not chicken for not cutting yourself."

"I was raped, dad. I'm dirty. People will think I'm gay now," Dickie said, crying. Elliot didn't know what to do. He wasn't a shrink. 

"Do you feel gay?" Elliot dared to asked. 

Dickie looked at his dad confused. He shook his head. "No."

Elliot shrugged. "Then you're not gay, but even if you were, I'd love you the same."

"Maureen's going to a psychiatrist tomorrow. Maybe you can tag along." Liv was at the door, leaning against it. 

Dickie looked at her. "She's going?" Liv nodded with a smile. He thought about it for a moment, then started nodding to himself. "Okay, I'll go."

Elliot and Liv left Dickie alone after that, Elliot making sure to take the knife with him. In the hallway, Elliot stopped Liv, twirling the knife in his hand. "You okay," Liv placed a hand on his chest. 

Not knowing how to say it. He simply blurted it out. "I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

Liv looked shocked. "You asking me to marry you?"

"Not yet, but I want a child with you, I want to wake up every day and kiss you good morning. I want to grow old with you. Have arguments with you. You and my kids are my life."