Olivia's eyes flutter open at the smell of coffee and the feeling of his fingers gently stroking her cheek. She turns her face in to the warm touch and kisses the palm of his hand.

"Good morning, Love..." He whispers, lazily kissing her temple as he watches her over his chest, starting to stretch and wake up.

There's a soft smile on her face as she looks to the nightstand, knowing a cup of coffee in her favorite mug waits for her, as it does nearly every Saturday morning. She's surprised by the early hour as she glances at the clock. "Why so early?" She asks through a yawn, taking a sip of her coffee as she leans back into Elliot's embrace.

Elliot's quiet as he studies her face. The sun has barely started to come up and it's still dark outside, a heavy fog rolling through the city, giving the air a slight chill, which makes Olivia curl her body closer into his his. He watches her as she sips the coffee, a content smile on her face.

"Thought it might be nice to spend a little time together, talk before the kids get up..." He says, tucking a stray lock of hair behind Olivia's ear for her, using any and every excuse to touch her.

Olivia looks up at him, a hint of skepticism on her face as she tries to read him. The events of last night have come back to her and she remembers his anxiety and the conversation he had managed to put off. "This about that thing you mentioned last night?" She asks, a slight arch in her brow as she continues to watch him, looking for a hint of what's to come in his expression.

He sighs and looks down at the mug in his hands. He knows he has to tell her, he should've done it last night. But he knows the second he does he loses the regular Saturday morning he was so desperately hoping to have tucked away in his memories before he has to leave. He also knows that dancing around it with Olivia won't soften the blow.

"I have to go back undercover." Elliot says, "Ayanna thinks for awhile this time, longer than the last one."

Olivia's stomach sinks as she takes in his words. This is what she was afraid of. She knew that look on his face last night all too well, she was just hoping that she hadn't read it correctly.

"Long, like how long?" She asks, sitting up a little straighter in bed, the sleep gone from her eyes and the contented warmth she had felt moments ago disappearing from her body. If it was only a week or two he would've said that. She braces herself for what she knows is coming.

"They're thinking a month, maybe two." Elliot says, slipping his hand into hers.

"Wheatley knows who you are, how does going back undercover help anyone?" She asks, frustrated, pulling her hand from his.

"This isn't about Wheatley." He says, trying to keep his tone steady. The last thing he wants is for his concerns about this operation to become hers, although he knows all too well that she's probably ten steps ahead of him like she always is. "It's the Albanians, they think we have an in, and we need a man on the inside."

"What happened to no more undercovers ops?" She asks, a hint of anger beginning to come through her voice. "Do you know how long two months is going to feel to the kids?"

She's never been on this side of the conversation before. She listened to the other end of it thousands of times in the station house while Kathy had the exact same reaction she's having now. She's never felt more empathy for her. And she's never resented Elliot's job more than she does in this moment.

"Liv, you have to believe I tried to to get out of this. Moennig wouldn't take no for an answer, I don't have a choice here." Elliot says, "I don't want to do this anymore than you want me to. But I have to, it's the job.. You know that."

Olivia runs a hand through her messy hair and Elliot sits quietly, recognizing the self soothing motion all too well. She's exhausted, frustrated, and worst of all embarrassed to be reacting like every other wife in the world, despite the fact that she's lived Elliot's side of it.

"I told them when this op is over I need to be reassigned." He says seriously, "I don't have any interest in Emma growing up the way the kids did, but I can't get out of this one."

"They're not going to reassign you, Elliot." She says flatly, "You're contracted through the next year."

He doesn't say anything. He knows she's right. "You're mad." He says finally.

"No, Elliot, I'm not." She says, "I don't like it. There's too many things that could go wrong, I have my own case on the Albanians, it's too dangerous. And Emma..."

"I don't like it either." He says, putting an arm around her, relieved beyond belief when she leans into his chest, her head tucked up under his chin.

Olivia wipes a tear away quickly and closes her eyes to keep from crying. She feels Elliot's lips against her forehead and a few stray tears roll down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Liv." He says quietly.

"You don't need to be sorry..." She whispers, "It's the job."

Elliot goes quiet, amazed by the understanding she's showing him. He's going to leave her with a eleven year old and a baby for two months and she's comforting him. He holds her quietly, sure that there isn't anything to be said that would make either of them feel better.

Olivia forces herself to take a deep breath so she doesn't begin to cry again. She feels absolutely pathetic, curled up in Elliot's arms like a child. They can both count on two hands the number of times she's truly cried in front of him in all the years they've known each other, all for much bigger reasons than this. But she can't help herself. She's crushed.

The thought of being without him for that long and knowing he's in such grave danger is already took much for her and he's still safe and warm in their bed.

"I'll check in as often as I can." He mumbles against her hair, "I know it's not ideal but we'll make it work, Liv."

She nods her head against his chest, still biting her lip to keep from crying. "Will you be able to come home at all?" She asks, her voice small and afraid of the answer.

He knew it was coming and he also knows that the answer is more than likely no. He knows she knows that, but he can't bring himself to say it. It's a fact he's been wrestling with since he found out he has to leave. "I just don't know yet, Liv." He says with a deep sigh that tells her everything she needs to know, "I would never be able to live with myself if I put you or the kids in danger. But if I can, you know I will."

"When do you have to go?" She whispers.

"Tonight."

Olivia looks up at him, somehow unsurprised and shocked at the suddenness. She sees the sadness in his eyes and her heart breaks all over again. She tightens her grip on him ever so slightly and returns to her spot on his chest.

The look in his eyes is one she never saw in all their years of partnership. Elliot was always the first to volunteer for things like this despite how much it worried her and Kathy. His guilt about the time spent away from his kids always remained but it never stopped him.

The two lay silently in bed as the sun begins to rise, both dreading how fast the time is beginning to pass them by.

"What's the job?" Olivia asks finally.

"Liv..." Elliot says tiredly, a hint of protest in his tone.

"No, Elliot, I want to know." She says firmly, sitting up and pushing herself away from him. "I want to know how dangerous it is, I want to know what you're walking into."'

He watches her for a second, arms crossed and determination on her face and it's almost enough to make him smirk. There's no protecting Olivia from things like this. She knows too much and knows him too well for him to be able to hide things from her, even if it doing so might make things easier on both of them. "I'm meeting a mid level guy from the organization for an arson job." He says carefully, "I do well, hopefully they bring me in, have me do a couple more."

Olivia stares at him in disbelief for a moment. "Arson? Elliot, do you know how dangerous that is? How many things could go wrong?"

"Of course I do, Olivia." He says, a little bit harsher than he intended. "You think I want to do any of this?"

She narrows her eyes as she looks at him.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry." He says quickly. "I'm  not excited about it either, Olivia. But worrying about it doesn't change the assignment."

Displeased with his tone and his answer, Olivia digs her heels in. "So what? You run around, play arsonist or gangbanger for awhile and hope they trust you enough for you to get the information you need? And you think that'll only take a month or two?"

"Moenigg promised if we get to two months and we don't have what we need I'm out." Elliot says, hoping that will satisfy Olivia's need to tear holes in his plans until they're both left with more fear than they started with.

"I've met Moenigg, he says a lot of things." She says bitterly.

Elliot sighs. Right about now is when he'd pick a fight with Kathy and walk out with a comment about this being the job. He's embarrassed that that's his instinct, to make them both feel worse about a terrible situation when they both know that Olivia is the one who'll bear the burden of this particular issue. "We have to make the best of it, Liv." He says calmly, "If I had known how things were going to unfold when I came back I never would have signed a two year contract with them..."

Olivia sighs, the realization that they should be in this together making her feel badly for having picked at him about the assignment. "I don't need you to apologize for the decisions you made before you came back, Elliot." She says quietly, "I understand it, probably better than anyone. I just don't like it."

"I know." He says, pulling her into his arms, this time not giving her a choice. he settles into his arms quickly, letting him hold her. "How do you think Emma's going to take it?" He ask quietly

Olivia laughs halfheartedly, "Not well. Worse than me."

Elliot grimaces, that's what he was thinking but he was hoping he was wrong. "You think she and I'll be okay?"

"Of course, El..." Olivia says gently "She's going to hate it, but she's a kid. They're not exactly known  for being super cool when their parents have to work too much."

Elliot chuckles. "Yeah, you're right. I just hate that I feel like we've settled into a routine and now it's all ruined."

"We have, haven't we?" Olivia says with a soft smile, thinking about the last several months. Things have been good, more than good. It's the happiest either of them had ever been, and it's left her feeling as if things are too good to be true. Though the news of this undercover assignment had brought her straight back down to Earth.

Elliot smiles. "I like what we've got going on here... I don't want to do anything to mess it up."

"You'd have to do a whole lot worse to mess this up." Olivia say quietly, placing a gentle and reassuring his on his chest, "Just be safe, come back to us in one piece."

"I'll do my best." He says quietly.

They lay quietly in bed, and begin to drift back to sleep just as Noah begins to cry.  Olivia groans and Elliot laughs at her. "Let's see if he'll go back to sleep if he's with us.." He says, slipping out of bed to go get him from his crib. He comes back with Noah, who's still very tired and he snuggles him between them in the bed and the family falls asleep quickly.

When they wake up a few hours later, Emma's managed to sneak into bed, laying in between Elliot and Noah, curled up peacefully against Elliot's chest.

Elliot looks down at Emma sleepily and back to Olivia and Noah. He doesn't want to move. He knows that when she wakes up they have to break the news to her and this bound to be the last bit of truly peaceful time between them until he returns.

"I'll start breakfast..." Olivia whispers, leaning across the bed to kiss him before picking Noah up, careful not to wake Emma.

Elliot watches the little girl sleep, studying her features and making mental notes. Fully and pouty lips.. A perfect nose.. And warm olive toned skin just like her mom. His only claim to Emma are her piercing blue eyes, and with her eyes shut peacefully, he could swear that he's looking at Olivia thirty years ago.

The guilt he feels in his stomach and chest at the thought of leaving her is more intense than anything he's ever felt before. He feels an entirely different layer of guilt realizing that he never felt this way about the other children. But leaving Emma for this long feels unthinkable. He has no idea how he's supposed to walk out that door tonight.

Olivia putters around the kitchen, tending to breakfast and coffee, trying to keep herself busy so she doesn't think too hard about Elliot's assignment. But her resistance does little to calm her inner thoughts as she anxiously moves about the kitchen. She knows the reality of being a single parent again won't settle in until he's already gone, but the unknowns of his assignment are already eating at her. The Albanian's have tripled the murder rate in their part of town in the last year and the thought of Elliot walking into that is enough to make her nauseous.

By the time she's lifting waffles out of the iron, Emma and Elliot have wandered sleepily into the kitchen, one much more upset to be awake than the other.

Olivia sets a plate on the breakfast bar for Emma and smiles as she feels Elliot's hand around her waist. They both watch her eat breakfast, blissfully unaware of the fact that her dad's leaving.

Elliot's working hard not to let Olivia feel his nervousness about the upcoming assignment. It won't comfort her to know that he doesn't feel good about it either. The briefing they had yesterday and all the safety precautions they're taking are little consolation and Elliot finds himself trying to desperately to memorize every detail he possible can about this morning with his daughter and Olivia in case it's their last.

Olivia lets her Emma and watch a few cartoons snuggled up against her dad, clearly enjoying the extra attention. Elliot is beyond grateful that Emma's in the mood to curl up against him and relax for a bit. He's trying his best no to be morbid, but he likes knowing that if this is the last morning he gets to share with his daughter that she'll have this memory. He's all too easily talked into playing soccer at the park despite cold weather and threat of rain, much to Olivia's amusement.

Emma jumps off the couch to get ready to go to Central Park, seemingly hoping that if she gets ready quick enough Elliot won't change his mind about the cold.

Neither one of her parents want to be the one to tell her that Elliot's going undercover but they both know it's better to tell her now than leave it until it's time for Elliot to report back to the station tonight.

"Em, will you come here for a minute?" Olivia calls from the kitchen.

Emma groans as she walks down the hallway. "Elliot said we could go play soccer at the park, can I please do my chores later?"

"Your chores can wait.." Olivia says, "Just come here for a minute."

She walks into the kitchen and to see both of her parents waiting for her. Elliot sitting at the table, and Olivia standing behind him. She stops in front of them, trying to decipher whether or not she's in trouble. "What's going on..?" She asks cautiously.

"We have something we want to talk  to you about, Em." Elliot says gently, "Will you come sit?"

She sits across the table from Elliot and stares at her parents, unsure of what's happening, but fully aware it's nothing good. Olivia watches her closely, hoping that she sees where this is going so they aren't completely blindsiding her. Elliot looks up at Olivia, unsure of who's supposed to be speaking. Olivia gives his shoulder a light squeeze and he knows it's his job to break the news.

"Are you guys breaking up?" Emma asks, breaking the tense silence.

"No, Emma, of course not." Elliot says quickly, caught off guard by her question. "I had something come up at work and I'm gonna have to be gone for awhile. Your mom and I  wanted to tell you together."

"Oh." She says quietly, "Gone for awhile? How long is awhile?"

Elliot and Olivia exchange looks and she puts on her best fake smile for Emma. "We're not exactly sure yet, Honey." She says gently, "It could be a few months--"

"A few months?" She says, fearfully, cutting her mother off, "But that's so long."

"I know, Honey, and I'm so sorry." Elliot says, reaching across the table to hold her hand, "If I had a choice I'd pick staying with you guys in a heartbeat..."

"Will we get to see you at all?" She asks, teary eyed and refusing to make eye contact with either of them.

"I just don't know, Em." Elliot says softly, "I really hope so."

"You hope so?" She repeats, her bottom lip quivering as she looks up at Elliot.

Olivia's heart breaks for her daughter as she watches her try to suppress the same fear that she herself is still holding onto.

"I'm going to do my best to make it happen, Em." He says firmly.

Emma pulls her hand away from Elliot and wipes her tears away angrily before she throws her chair back and storms down the hallway, slamming her bedroom door. Elliot stands up immediately, to go comfort her but Olivia puts a hand on his chest, stopping him. She knows her daughter well enough to know that she needs time to cool off.

"Give her some space, El." She says tiredly.

He drops back into his chair and runs a hand down his face in exhaustion "I'm going to tell them I can't do it."

"Elliot..."

"No, I'm serious, Liv. You saw her face..." He says, beginning to grow frustrated, "I'm the only goddamn person in that unit with a wife and kids, it shouldn't be me. It's not fair to her or to you.

Olivia's slightly stunned to hear Elliot call her his wife but she makes a conscious choice not to focus on it. "Okay, fine, say you call Ayanna and Moenigg right now, tell them you're not gonna do it. How's that going to go?" She asks, frustration seeping into her tone as she crosses her arms.

Elliot grits his teeth as she stares at him.

"Exactly." She says, "Unless you're prepared to be a beat cop for the rest of your career, you're not getting out of this, Elliot."

Elliot's quiet, looking down at his hands. Olivia forces herself to take a deep breath as she leans against the counter.

"We'll make it through, El..." She says quietly, "We always do."

Elliot pushes his chair back and walks into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her. Olivia lets herself be pulled into his hug, overwhelmed with emotion as Elliot rubs her back gently, neither of them sure of what to say.

Olivia's eyes well up as she thinks about him leaving. She knows that this undercover assignment doesn't mean anything, not in the long term and this is what she forcibly repeats to herself in her head. But she can't help but feel like a rugs been pulled out from under her feet just as they were settling into a routine. One she's become particularly fond of.