A/N: My first multi-chapter fic! My goal is to update weekly, so hopefully I'll be able to stick to that. Also, the chapters will vary in length because I'm going to break them up based on the plot instead of the length. Please read and review! I'm very open to constructive criticism.

Chapter One

"Put your other shin guard on please, Noah" said Olivia calmly, trying to help the excited five year old get ready. It was eight o'clock on a cloudy Saturday morning and Noah had his first ever soccer game at nine. The team had been practicing for four weeks at the public soccer fields in Queens. There were a few soccer clubs in Manhattan, but they were too intense for Olivia's taste. She wanted Noah to play in a relaxed atmosphere, even if it meant driving him to Queens three times a week for a small summer league. Her promotion to Lieutenant allowed for a more regular schedule, which she thanked the Heavens for every day. She was able to spend more time with Noah now that she wasn't working the erratic hours of an SVU detective.

"I'm so excited Mom! Are you excited?" Noah was practically bouncing up and down in his seat at the kitchen table as Olivia tied his red cleats.

She nodded. "Yes baby, I'm very excited. Maybe we can get lunch with the team after."

"Alright Mom. Can we go to the game now?" Noah asked, standing up and walking over to the white door of their apartment.

"Yes we can. Let me grab my purse and we can get in the car."

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As they drove the thirty-five minutes from Manhattan to Queens, Olivia's thoughts slipped to Elliot Stabler. It had been seven years since she'd seen him or heard from her former partner. Every time she went into Queens, she pondered the possibility of running into him.

She'd eventually given up on trying to contact him after months of him not returning her calls. He and Kathy were divorced, she knew that much from the newspaper. It was bound to happen sometime, she thought, and immediately scolded herself for mentally making such a snarky comment.

There were so many questions he'd left unanswered. She wondered about his kids. Had Dickie ended up in the Army? Did he even go by "Dickie" anymore? Elliot's life was presumably much different than it was the last time she'd seen him. A lot had changed in her life, anyway. She knew that shooting Jenna was hard on him, but she always assumed that he would return to SVU. Nearly twenty years of being a detective, and he was able to just walk away. The thought baffled her.

She usually tried not to think of him, she really did. The first two years without him were the hardest. She was constantly angry; at him for just leaving her like that, at Nick Amaro for not being Elliot, and then at herself for being selfish. It took a lot for her to even pick up the phone and call him, because Olivia Benson was not the type to show that she needed people. When he didn't answer her calls, it made her a bit more furious each time until she gave up on trying to reach out to him.

The resentment was eventually replaced with mourning when it finally hit her that he wouldn't return to the squad. Then, for a few years, she didn't really allow herself to dwell on him. It felt wrong mulling over him while she was dating Brian, and then Lewis happened and her thoughts were everywhere. Next came Noah, bouncing into her life as an infant with such audacity that she literally didn't have time think about Elliot Stabler and why he abandoned her. She and Noah developed a routine, and life went on without her former best friend.

She had told Noah about Elliot, but not about the extent of their closeness. Noah only knew of him as "Mommy's old partner," nothing more.

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Olivia pulled her black SUV into an empty parking spot at the Queens Soccer Complex and shut the car off. Noah unbuckled himself and Olivia opened the car door for him. The boy's anticipation for his soccer game had multiplied during the short drive and he was practically shaking now.

"What if I score a goal Mom?" he asked, looking up at Olivia.

"That would be fantastic. But I'll be proud even if you don't score, Noah," said Olivia, hugging her son. Noah squirmed out of the embrace.

"Mom stop. I need to go warm up with my team," he whined.

"Okay champ. I love you."

"Love you too mom," replied Noah, before running off to join his teammates.

Olivia smiled as the team prepared for the game. Noah had made friends with some of the other boys and he seemed to genuinely enjoy soccer. Olivia adored the company of the other soccer moms, and had even befriended a few of them. Being a single mom, she didn't have a lot of time to socialize, so it was fun getting to know other women while their kids played soccer. She had missed out on this life for so many years and was ecstatic to be living it now. Olivia saw Laura, one of the soccer moms, walking over to her and waved. Laura's son Grant was one of Noah's best friends on the team and Olivia had bonded with Laura since their boys had had a few play dates together.

"Hey there Olivia! How are you?" exclaimed Laura when she noticed Olivia waving at her.

Olivia chuckled at Laura's excitement. "Hi Laura. I'm great, how are you?" asked Olivia.

"I'm doing well, thanks. How was your date last week?" Laura questioned.

"It was fine, but there won't be a second one," said Olivia with a sigh. "His kids are all in college, so he wasn't thrilled when I brought up Noah. I think I'm going to hold off on dating for a few months, at least until Noah starts Kindergarten."

"Sorry to hear that. I'm sure you'll find a keeper someday," offered Laura.

Olivia had started to thank her when she was interrupted by a whistle, signaling that the game had started.

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Roughly forty-five minutes later, the game had concluded. The league didn't keep score for the children's games, but Noah had scored a goal.

"Mom did you see that?" Noah exasperated. "I scored a goal!"

Olivia held up a hand for Noah to high-five. "You were fantastic, Noah. I'm so proud of you."

Noah smiled at her. "Thanks Mom. Are we getting lunch with the team?"

"No, a few of the boys have other plans. You and I can go out for ice cream though, okay bud?"

Olivia waited a second for Noah to respond and noticed that his eyes were following something behind her. Before she had a chance to turn around, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

Olivia froze. She didn't need to look to know who it was, but she looked anyway.

"Elliot?"