AN: Okay, so I know I really have no business starting a new story, but I got an idea and I just had to run with it. Just for a little background, this story is an AU speculating on what may have happened if Olivia had married the boy that proposed to her at 16. This story all takes place in the early 2000s so, I'm imagining season 4 hair for Olivia. I don't want to tell too much, but this is an eventual Elliot and Olivia pairing (of course). I know it's going to take a while to develop, so hopefully, I can stick with it and write something you guys enjoy. We're starting with a short prologue, so, read on and leave reviews, please!

Prologue

January 2nd, 2001

It was only 6 am, but the Rhodes house was already bustling with activity. Olivia Benson-Rhodes's mind was whirling with the things she needed to complete and what she needed to buy for dinner and the homework her son had been assigned last night. She stood at the stove, carefully tending to a couple of sunny side up eggs. She narrows her eyes as she notices the edges getting too brown on one egg. Exhaling slowly, she discards the eggs she's been working on for the last couple of minutes, and cracks two new ones, starting over. Her son's nanny sits at the kitchen island, listening as Olivia rattles off a few instructions.

"It's the first day back at school, so Luke may not wake up on time," Olivia says, moving the eggs a little in the pan. Her voice dies out as she focuses her energy on the eggs and keeping them from burning. After a couple of minutes, she moves them off the heat and slides them onto a plate. After this, she lies two thick strips of bacon in the pan and turns the heat up a notch before turning to the toaster and putting in two slices of bread. When this is done, she continues. "If he's not downstairs in 10 minutes, you can go wake him up. There's math tutoring tonight, so you won't have to pick him up until three. He asked if Dickie could come over, so I think you'll be picking them both up, but I can call Kathy or Elliot to confirm; I'm not really sure who he's staying with this week."

The toast pops up in the toaster and Olivia removes the slices, cutting them in half and buttering each piece carefully. She adds the bacon from the stove to the plate she's prepared before turning and setting it down at the head of the kitchen table, next to a glass and silverware. She glances at the time on her watch and walks over to the fridge to grab a pitcher of orange juice. The quick movement sends a sharp pain through her ribcage that forces her to stop and take a moment to breathe.

But the moment passes, and Olivia pulls out the pitcher, also setting it on the table. She runs her eyes over the place setting, mentally checking everything she'd needed to set up before looking at the clock once more and returning to the stove to clean up. The pan goes in the dishwasher, the stove is wiped down, the cabinets are shut. Exhaling slowly, she leans against the counter and counts down.

3, 2,1…

The front door swings open. Enter Jonathan Rhodes, Olivia's husband. He's an attractive man, and he has been since the day she met him when she was sixteen. He has blonde cherub curls and warm hazel eyes that pair nicely with his tan skin. He is the kind of man that people instantly warm up to, and even now, slightly sweaty from his morning job, he is easily one of the most handsome men in New York.

He flashes a smile at Patrice, their nanny, before stepping into the kitchen. He slides an arm around Olivia's waist and pulls her in to press a kiss to her temple. Olivia offers a small, tight-lipped smile and tries her hardest to ignore the way his touch makes her skin bristle.

"Good morning, doll," Jonathan says, letting Olivia go. He goes to the fridge and grabs a water bottle, opening it with one of his strong hands. "Are you getting ready to leave for work?"

"Yes," Olivia says, grabbing the lunch she'd packed for herself. "I made your breakfast though. Luke should be down soon."

Jonathan glances at the table as Olivia mentions breakfast. He quickly flicks his eyes over the plate before shaking his head and taking another sip of water.

"No thanks," he says, and Olivia's heart sinks. "I'm in more of an oatmeal mood."

"Oh."

Jonathan steps over to Olivia, who's standing at the sink, cheeks red for a reason that she can't describe. He places his hand on the small of her back and she jumps.

"Hey, I appreciate the effort," he says, with that deep, honey voice. Olivia closes her eyes and takes a breath before nodding.

"Okay."

She steps away from him, not looking at him because she doesn't want to see his eyes narrow. She hears him take another sip of water, but aside from the crinkle of the water bottle, the kitchen is quiet. At the island, Patrice coughs.

"I'll go wake up, Luke," she says, flicking her eyes between Olivia and Jonathan. She stands and moves to walk up the stairs. As soon as she's out of earshot, Jonathan clears his throat, getting Olivia to turn and meet his eyes. He stares at her for a moment, making Olivia's stomach flip.

"I'm sorry about last night," he finally says, his voice resigned.

"I know," Olivia says, leaning against the counter. She can't keep up the eye contact, and so she lets her gaze fall to the floor, staring very intently at a red mark that contrasts intensely with the otherwise spotless blue and white tile.

"You're right," Jonathan continues. "About the drinking. I'm going to cut back."

"Okay."

"You know I love you. And Luke. And baby number two."

Olivia freezes, her eyes closing again. She thinks about the unborn child inside her now, about what they will be born into. Thinks about what she's gotten herself and her son into.

"Livvie."

Internally, Olivia groans. She does not like that nickname. When it comes off of her husband's tongue, it sounds sickly sweet and repulsive. It doesn't fit her. She doesn't want to respond to it, but she does not know how not to.

"I know," she says, opening her eyes and looking back at Jonathan. He looks so sincerely, his golden eyes meeting hers, his jaw locked with determination. She almost begins to believe him. He knows how she feels about alcohol, and how It makes people act. He's going to stop drinking. She smiles at him. He smiles back.

"I'll take Luke to school," he says, patting her arm gently and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You go ahead and get to work."

At that, Olivia leaves. She does not look back.

Olivia doesn't get a chance to call Kathy or Elliot until 11. She'd had to make an excuse to get a chance to slip into her office, but as she reaches her door, her coworker, Jean stops her.

"I hear you're up for program manager," she says, sounding only a little jealous. "Congrats."

"Thanks," Olivia murmurs, heading into her office. She lets out a sigh of relief as she sits in her well-worn desk chair and pulls the phone towards her.

She tries Kathy first but gets no response. So next, she dials Elliot at work. He answers on the second ring.

"Stabler," he says. Olivia grins at his gruff voice. He certainly sounds like a cop.

"Hello, Detective," she says. "This is Olivia Benson-Rhodes, the mother of a troublemaker named Luke Rhodes. I believe he's cahoots with your son, Dickie Stabler, who asked to come over to our house this afternoon."

"Olivia," Elliot says, his voice immediately warming. "You don't have to say your whole name, you know. We're friends."

"Oh?"

"Well sure. Any mother of my son's best friend is a friend of mine."

Olivia chuckles a little, cradling the phone as she relaxed back into her chair.

"I didn't get you at a bad time, did I? I know you're a bigtime cop, do you have a suspect on the other line or anything?" It's Elliot's turn to laugh now.

"Well for starters, we don't usually interrogate suspects over the phone," he says. "And secondly, today is a paperwork day. So far, this phone call has been the most interesting part of my day."

"Well that's sad," Olivia says, trying to suppress a laugh. Elliot chuckles.

"I know it is," he says. "So, what's up? Dickie wants to come over?"

"Yes, Luke said he asked if he could spend the night. It's definitely fine with Jonathan and me, but I just wanted to call and double-check with you, so you wouldn't arrest my nanny for abducting your son from school." Elliot laughs again, the noise is deep and warm; a sound that develops in his chest and rolls its way up.

"That's fine with me," Elliot says when he's done laughing. "I can pick him up tomorrow morning. Kathy's going out of town this weekend, so I'll have all the kids."

"How are you two?" Olivia asks tentatively.

"Still separated," Elliot says, chuckling mirthlessly. "I signed the divorce papers a little while ago, so soon, it'll be official."

"I'm sorry," Olivia says, her voice lowered. She can almost see Elliot shrugging it off. "Let me know if I can do anything."

"Buy me a drink once this whole thing's over?"

Olivia smiles.

"I'm married," she says, and Elliot snorts.

"As a friend."

"I also don't drink," she continues. "How about nachos?"

"That actually sounds great right now," Elliot says, groaning slightly. "Cheese, beef, extra sour cream…"

Olivia's phone beeps, a signal that she has another call.

"Hey, Elliot, I've got a call on the other line."

"Let it ring. I don't want to go back to paperwork yet."

"Elliot…"

"And I like talking to you. Your voice is so soothing. Anyone ever tell you that you'd make a good cop?" Olivia makes a sound closer to a giggle now, trying to ignore the slight flutter she feels in her belly.

"You know, I used to want to be a cop," she says.

"Oh yeah? It's not too late."

The phone beeps again and Olivia sighs.

"Okay, I really have to go, Elliot. Patrice will pick up the boys after school, and I'll make sure she tells Dickie to call when they get to the house."

"Thanks for watching him," Elliot says. "Bye."

"Bye."

Olivia presses the buttons to switch lines after this. She does not know it, but this button switch represents a sharp turn in the course of her life. She doesn't know it when the man on the other line asks if this is the number for Olivia Benson-Rhodes. She doesn't know it when he suggests that she be sitting down, or even when he states that she is the emergency contact for Jonathan Matthew Rhodes. But finally, when the words, "There's been an accident" come floating across the telephones lines and meet her in her Manhattan office, she knows that things will never be the same as they were only two minutes ago. This knowledge is both saddening and liberating at the same time, and so when these feeling both hit her at once, she does not know what to say, or what to do, or even how she's supposed to feel. So, with shaking hands, she will listen to the man on the phone, and then she will hang up. She will stand and put her bag on her shoulder and she will walk at a steady, but brisk pace, out of her office without looking back. She'll get in her car and let go of a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and then she'll put her key in the ignition and go to pick her son up from school.

And after her son gets in the car, asking, "What's going on? Why are you here so early? Are you okay?" she'll look in the rearview mirror at the boy with hazel eyes just like his dad's; the boy who is her whole world and try to figure out how on earth she's supposed to tell him that his father has died.

Olivia feels both free and sad. It will take her a long time to figure out why.