She was going to tell him tonight.

Cragen already knew. He had brought the topic up to her after they had closed the fertility clinic case last month. Their discussion had been overall positive but Olivia knew that though he was supportive, Cragen was worried about her raising a child on her own.

Elliot, however, had not brought the topic up again, which was fine by her. With her first appointment looming however, she knew that as her partner, he needed to know why she wouldn't be out in the field as much over the next few weeks. Cragen insisted she take it easy to give her body the rest it needed and increase her chances of getting pregnant.

Their current case was exhausting the pair of detectives. They had been after a serial rapist with a penchant for duct tape, box cutters, and young blondes for the past four days with only sporadic naps in the cribs. The exhaustion was starting to settle in.

Sitting at her desk, Olivia nervously chewed her pen cap; a habit she had picked up recently and one that did not go unnoticed by her partner.

From where he sat at the desk opposite her, he could tell she was anxious. To anyone else, she was difficult to read. Hell, even Munch rarely had any idea what she was thinking from one moment to the next, but Elliot had studied her. From the moment they met, Elliot had made it his mission to figure her out; to peel away the layers one by one and figure out what makes her tick.

Elliot had always been fascinated by his strikingly beautiful yet oh so complicated partner. He often found himself replaying conversations while he was trying to fall asleep at night or watching her while she worked as if he were trying to memorize her every facet. He had never been so wonderfully perplexed or so inextricably drawn to another person before. He felt a pull to stand closer, to touch unexpectedly, and to linger in her presence just a little longer than socially acceptable.

He loved her. Of that he was painfully and wonderfully aware. Just being her work partner would never satisfy him but he would never, ever break his marriage vows. If Elliot was anything, he was loyal and though he and Kathy had their disagreements, things with them were loving enough when he was home. His life Kathy was safe, comfortable, normal and routine. Olivia did not fit into that routine and he accepted that. Always had, always would.

Cragen barreled out of his office suddenly and snapped Elliot from his musings. He had been very focused on the spot just above her collar bone where he could see her muscles flex every time she hummed to herself or spoke or moved. Now, he shook his head, squeezed his cerulean eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to refocus himself.

"Go home." Cragen stated bluntly. "All of you. I don't want to see you until Monday morning."

Fin and Munch were on their feet instantly, shuffling files on their desks and trying to put things in their proper places while putting on their winter coats at the same time. They each looked at Olivia and Elliot expectantly but neither had moved.

Liv was focused on completing her DD5 and Elliot was rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. Looking back towards one another, Munch and Fin, shrugged and called their goodbyes over their shoulders while making their way to the elevator.

"Feel like grabbing a bite? Elliot asked, standing, stretching his arms above her head and reaching for his coat and scarf. "We haven't had a good meal in days. Might do us both some good."

"Yeah, just let me finish this last form." Olivia responded mid-yawn.

Olivia sighed internally. She had momentarily contemplated waiting a few more days to break the news to Elliot that she would be trying to start a family soon but maybe this wasn't going to be as hard as she anticipated. After all, it was Elliot who kept reassuring her that she would be a good mom so he shouldn't have any problem with her pursuing it, right? Even if it was through a sperm donor?

"And why do I need his approval anyway?" She asked herself, trying to build up her internal protective walls as she buttoned her pea coat. She knew why. It was a silly question. He was the only person she had ever relied on. But still, she didn't want to talk about why she was choosing a sperm donation instead of trying a little harder in the dating game. She didn't want to tell him that no matter who she met, they would never, ever compare to him. And she certainly didn't want him to ask how she really felt about having to pick out men from files instead of walking down the aisle towards the man of her dreams. She just wanted to tell him what her decision was and end the discussion.

"Yeah, that'll happen." She thought, chastising herself silently.

When she had told Cragen, he was nothing but encouraging. His only advice was that she should tell Elliot sooner rather than after she had gotten pregnant. She wasn't sure why but assumed that Cragen was just trying to prevent the inevitable fight when he found out she had hid something this important from him. So Olivia relented even though she much preferred to keep these kinds of things to herself for the sake of the rest of the squad.

Interrupting Olivia's thoughts, Elliot stood up and tossed the keys to the sedan towards her.

"Can you drive? I'm starting to see double."

"Sure." She swiped the keys as the slid towards her on the desk. "Have any place in mind?"

"Not really. Italian sounds good though."

"Mmkay. How about Gerogio's?"

"Perfect" Elliot replied as he tied the dark brown scarf around his neck that Olivia had bought him for Christmas. She loved when he wore it because his eyes looked so much more intense when contrasted with the brown. She shivered slightly when his arm brushed hers as they walked to the elevator and when he put his hand on the small of her back as he held open the door, she felt her chest tighten. This was going to be a long night.