This so far is a one shot depending on the amount of reviews I get I have no problem continuing as an Olivia & Nick story. We begin after the episode Undercover Blues airs. Olivia makes some big changes in her life after the aftermath of the trial. There's tension between Benson and Amaro stemming from Nick's interference into her relationship with Brian but it's visible by them.

It's Saturday morning, the third day of April. It's early, barely eight. Her apartment is full of boxes some filled ready to be taped up and labeled, others empty waiting for items to fill them up. With her bedroom done Olivia's next feat is to pack up the kitchen. A few knocks at the front door turns her head in the direction of the light tapping. She puts down the 4x4 box a little annoyed. It can't be a neighbor she barely even knows who lives next door let alone who lives across the hall. Olivia is hardly ever home, her home away from home is the precinct. It's not her landlord because she's not turning in the keys until the middle of the month. Olivia's facial expression says it all when she discovers who it is on the opposite side of threshold. A soft silent but annoyed expression of why are you here is written all over face.

"Nick now is not a good time, sorry." She closes the door but his hand prevents it from closing in his face.

"Liv I'm just here with a peace offering." Nick held up a small white bag and two cups of coffee nestled in a cup carrier.

"Really?" She doesn't believe him and moves over to let him in. He's surprised at all the cardboard boxes around.

"Going somewhere?" Nick was actually stunned to see that she would just quit the force like that over a little disturbance between them.

"Uh…usually when someone packs up their place it means they're moving." Her eyes darted quickly away from him. She was not interested in making eye contact. At work they were careful not to let on they were merely speaking unless it involved a case. They both came to the conclusion after having words in the crib concerning Olivia's love life they would not ask for a partner switch. Amanda seems to be content working with Fin and vice versa although Olivia did entertain the idea of working with her sergeant, John Munch who she rarely gets to team up with. When Nick offered the trade to her she was adamant that they didn't need to do the partner do-si-do again.

Flashback to two weeks ago, the trial was over and Brian was convicted of rape. Nick was in the crib skyping with his daughter Zara when Olivia walked in unaware he was engaged in a private conversation. She waited at the entryway with her hand on the handle propping the door open. His back was to her. After a few seconds Nick knew the person behind him wasn't leaving, not affording him the privacy to chat with his daughter.

"Hey sweetie daddy's gotta go and I can't wait to see you this weekend. Be a good girl for your mom ok and I'll bring you something special when I see you. I love you piquita."

"You will, what is it daddy?" The apparent smile on his face was over his daughter's inquisitiveness. His mother always told him Zara definitely favored him in the personality department. She also told him on more than one occasion not even a heat wave would melt Maria's personality of an ice cube.

"Well honey that's why it's called a surprise. Let me talk to mommy ok?"

"Ok daddy I love you."

"Love you too baby bye bye."

"Bye daddy." Maria came into view on his screen.

"Why do you always think you can buy her affection with something?"

"I'm not buying her affection remember you're the one who left and took my daughter and you always seem to conveniently cancel when it's my weekend to have her so don't you lecture me on what I can and can't buy my daughter!"

"She's taking this separation hard; you giving her gifts don't help matters."

"Look Maria if you don't have anything constructive to say I'm going because I have work that's keeping me."

"Fine! Goodbye." Nick ended his conversation with her then stood up facing Olivia now.

"Sorry about that did you want something?" he asked setting his iPad on the cot. Olivia closed the door.

"You know you have one hell of a nerve!" She spoke with a vengeance in her voice yet careful not to raise her voice too many octaves where her coworkers were in ear shot. Nick jolted from the bed and came within inches of her his teeth gritted.

"I have one hell of a nerve? Who are you kidding shacking up with the enemy?"

"Like you didn't sleep with that prostitute!" she scoffed. Nick couldn't believe his ears. He was shocked; this was supposed to be his partner who had sided with him when he was being grilled under cross examination about sleeping with one of Bart Ganzler's escorts and now all of sudden she has a change of heart. This was personal with her.

"I never slept with her. I respect the sanctimony of my marriage even in the current state it's in right now and I didn't sleep with that whore!" Olivia had never seen her partner expel such anger before. Maybe his actions were in support of his innocence.

"Right," Olivia said rolling her eyes.

"You're out of line!" He shouted.

"No you're out of line. What the hell did you and Munch think you were doing? Hoping to catch us rolling in the hay?" His gaze was hard and cold. He walked away from her with his hands on his hips. He took a breath before turning around and walking back into her personal space.

"You know Liv I get that you prefer to keep your private life private but I never thought for once you would take up with someone like Cassidy. You warn your victims about men like him."

"Cassidy is none of your business nor is my relationship with him. I had a partner who at times meddled in my private life and now I'm getting the same treatment from you?" They stood in what seemed like a stare down. He frowned at her-looking down.

You're right he's not he's in jail where he belongs!" Nick walked past her without giving it a second thought. Olivia was fuming, her mouth slightly ajar. He had struck a nerve. Deep down she knew he was right. Being undercover for so long it turns you to that side. The temptation was too great to avoid and not even Olivia could turn him back to the sweet innocent man she worked with thirteen years ago.

"So this is it you're just packing up and leaving?" She eyed the bag he had.

"I'm not leaving what gave you that impression?"

"I…I just assumed with all these boxes. You mean you're not going?" There was a bit of joy in his voice. Nick walked into her kitchen and placed the coffee tray and bag down. She was starring when he turned back around. His denim jeans always seem to fit him so well and his gray hoodie and converse sneakers made him look even that much younger. She quickly caught herself and averted her attention back to the disarray of her living room.

"Donuts-blueberry-your favorite."

"Oh so now you eat donuts? Sorry I can't take a break right now I need to get this stuffed packed."

"Need any help?"

"No, I'm fine I actually have a plan," she said snidely.

"Liv I'm sorry about what happened, I was onl-"

"Nick save it ok. It's over so let's just move forward ok?"

"I don't want to keep going on like this."

"Like what?"

"Like this, barely speaking except for work." Olivia crossed into the kitchen with a box brushing his arm as she entered.

"Nick I'm really busy here as you can see so please can you just go. Will talk soon I promise." He hadn't worked with his partner long enough to know when she's peeved about something it takes longer than two weeks for her to get over it. His face was impassive. He lifted his head up at her nodding as he walked by her and out the door.

Work went on as usual, the coolness between Nick and Olivia had subsided some. She was thrilled to be finally done with the transaction of buying her first home. Three and half grueling months of routine paper work her loan officer kept telling her. No one warned her how tedious it was to buy a foreclosed home but the three bedroom two bath with a big back yard was finally hers. Olivia now lived in Brooklyn New York. She had been seriously pondering giving up living in the city she grew up in and the whole idea of putting money into someone else's pocket with renting year after year. The fact that she was getting older and the hopes of having a family were growing smaller and smaller with each passing year. Her new year's resolution this year was to put a plan into action and there were still plenty of foreclosures available. She invested the money wisely her mother left her upon her death which allowed her to put a sizable down payment on her new home. Olivia moved into a lovely neighborhood with two parks a stone's throw away from one another. It had only been two weeks now that she was in her new home and already a problem arose.

"You charge ninety five dollars an hour just to walk through my door and look at a pipe?" She rolled her eyes at this information. Nick shook his head waving a finger at her mouthing no way.

"Ok thank you," she said throwing her head back against the head rest. Nick whistled with disgust at the fee Olivia was just quoted.

"Liv I can recommend the plumber who did work in our house if you want."

"Does he charge ninety five an hour?"

"Nah he was pretty reasonable I'll give him a shout."

"Thanks." Nick placed the call as they exited the cruiser and headed into the precinct.

"He can't get to you until next week."

"What's another week of cold showers."

"What exactly is wrong with the pipes? Doesn't it fall under your home owners insurance?"

"The shower in the master bedroom leaks and the hot water turns cold in a matter of seconds and I'm tired of taking cold showers and no only if I have a flood. It's a maintenance problem not an insurance problem. Great policies these companies sell today," she said in one long breath.

"I can look at it. We had a leak and I fixed us saving us a ton of money."

"No offense but you're not a licensed plumber and if anything goes wrong I wouldn't want to ask you to sign over your next paycheck."

"I'll just take a look so that way you'll be able to let the guy know when he comes next week." Olivia thought for a minute.

"Ok."

"Great I'll drop you off home later." They locked eyes before Nick left to get a drink from the refrigerator.

They pulled up her to her place. The neighborhood kids played outside while parents sat on porches or worked in the yard. Lawn mowers buzzed and the smell of barbeque grills cooking the evening dinner smelled heavenly. Sets of eyes watched her walk up her sidewalk retrieving her mail from the box with a dark haired man in tow. Her neighbors waved as she waved back.

"This is nice place you have here Liv." "Thanks." There were still boxes that had not been unpacked. Nick laid his suit coat over the arm of her couch, loosened his tie lifting it over his head then rolled up his sleeves.

"I like it." She showed him to the bedroom. "Bathroom is right there." Ten minutes later Nick came into the living room. When he passed by the spare bedroom he noticed she had furniture covered in white sheets but noticed a wooden runner belonging to a rocking chair poking out from the sheet. His first thought was a nursery. Liv's pregnant with Brian's baby. All of a sudden he looked dejected.

"Basement?" She pointed to the door leading downstairs. He returned in a few minutes.

"I think I fixed your problem."

"Really?"

"Come see." She stepped into the tub shower combination. "See look, the threads are stripped on the valve and this plastic O-ring is worn out. Twenty bucks will buy you a new a valve and O-ring at your local hardware store and the reason why the water turns cold after a few minutes is because your thermostat is old. Probably fifty dollars and your problems are solved."

"How do you know this without taking one journey class?"

"I'm a man we just know." She scoffed at his dry sense of humor.

"Thank you Nick." She smiled. The first smile he's seen from her in a while.

"No problem I'll send you my bill." He rolled down his sleeves as they walked back out to the living room. He picked up his tie and put it around his loosely opened collar.

"You want to stay for dinner?" She had a few take out menus in her hand looking hopeful. Nick hesitated looking around.

"Sure."

"Chinese, Italian, pizza?" She tilted her head as he looked over the menus.

"Chinese," he said. Olivia ordered the food and surprisingly it arrived quickly. Nick was holding his stomach an hour later yielding to the feeling of being stuffed.

"Dinner was great. It's getting late so I better get going. I'll be back to pick you up in the morning."

"That's ok I'll catch the bus and now I have the other cruiser. He wanted to say a woman in your condition shouldn't be riding a bus or a train or taking a plane. This reminded him of when Maria was pregnant with Zara and how protective he was of her. "What?"she said looking at him. Nick stared to long at her.

"I saw the room with the furniture covered up there's a rocker in there. Is this why you moved because you're pregnant with his baby?"

"What? How dare you insinuate that! Nick just go, get out"

"Olivia do you really know the reason I was upset to learn of your involvement with Cassidy,"

"No I don't." She was shaken up at his accusation. She crossed her arms looking away. She didn't want to tell anyone of her plans until it was time. Nick moved closer to her.

"No please just go."

"Olivia I'll go but not without telling you this first." When she made eye contact with him her eyes were wet and glassy. He stood looking at her wanting to take her into his arms and never let go.

"I wished I was him. I wanted you to feel about me me the way you feel about him." Olivia was stunned and speechless to hear his declaration. When we hugged before you left on your trip to the Bahamas I felt something then." Olivia wasn't sure if she wanted to faint or vomit. She was overwhelmed with what had just transpired. She needed water at this point. Her mouth all of a sudden became dry and there was a huge lump in her throat. She got a glass down from the cupboard and quickly filled it with tap water. Nick knew by watching her behavior he was taking a risk declaring his feelings for her. Why the hell not? His estranged marriage was going nowhere.

"You can't just com-" Her words got hitched in her throat causing her to take a bigger gulp of her water. She wiped the droplet of water from her chin.

"Nick," She shook her head, her voice shook with nervousness. "You can't do this to me." He inched closer and Olivia turned her back on him.

"I'm sorry Liv but it's how I feel." He stepped closer; Olivia gripped the counter top anticipating what was to come. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She felt his breath on the back of her neck. "Liv look at me." She did but she didn't want to face him knowing what was going to be. Olivia didn't know what to do, her mind was fighting the urge but her heart was the bigger decider. She felt as if life had been sucked from her when Brian was convicted of rape. Olivia had invested so much into this relationship but in the end it was like all of her past relationships…failures.

"No."

"Please." She wanted to turn around and throw her arms around her partner.

"I can't." He heard that from her lips but he didn't hear the inaudible, if I do we both know what's going to happen. Gone was his hand, slowly pulling away from her skin. Olivia shuddered and it became so cold now. She heard his shoes make their pivot and his footsteps leading away were deafening to her heart. The skin on her hands tightened, her fingertips becoming bright red. By the number of footsteps it takes to get to her front door she knew he was almost there.

"Wait." Like a whisper escaping from her throat Olivia turned. Now she was facing his back now. He rotated and she saw his sweet smile. Their gaze was intense, their feet in the same cadence towards one another. Nick's lips slowly clamped down onto hers. Olivia's arms went around his neck. His hands securely fastened at her waist as they engaged into some heated kissing. Separated by air their hearts beats accelerated"

"I'm gonna go now," Nick said trying to expel what little breath he had left. Her hand slowly slipped from his grasp.

"Nick." He put on his coat looking worried seeing her expression. Olivia stood with her arms crossed.

"I'm not pregnant and what I'm about to tell you stays between you and me got it?"

"Sure."

"I'm going through an agency in Connecticut to have a lady be a surrogate for me. What you saw was a nursery soon to be this November."

"Olivia that's wonderful, my god you're going to be a momma!" She couldn't hold back the emotion any longer. As one tear fell down her cheek another one was quick to follow. He pulled her into a hug.

"Yeah," she whispered resting on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed, a small smile appearing on her lips.