Hey guys!

So I'm here...with a two-shot this time. Or maybe it'll end up being a short little three part story; not sure yet. But anyway, it's a different take on Paternity (S09E09). A more emotional take. The accident is still in here, but the aftermath is different.

Enjoy xoxo

Keeping Promises

Part 01

Her vision was blurry, her head was pounding, her hearing was muffled, and all she could smell was a mixture of gasoline and burnt rubber and metal.

She blinked a couple times and opened her eyes properly, and that's when she realized what happened.

Accident. She'd been in an accident. They'd been in an accident.

They...Kathy...shit!

She looked to the side of her; Kathy's head was resting against her arm as she was unconscious. Olivia took a deep breath and muttered some pleas to God as she carefully grabbed hold of Kathy's head, moving so that her head was now resting against the back of the passenger seat. She scanned the woman for injuries right away as the scent of blood began to fill her nostrils; blood from a gash on Kathy's forehead, blood that was pooling from her legs.

Fuck. They needed to get out of here.

She swallowed and felt around the floor until she grasped the radio that she kept on her when she was still on duty. She flicked the switch and took a deep breath before speaking;

"SVU portable to central!"

Beep. "Go ahead SVU portable."

Olivia took another deep breath; she had to keep herself calm for the sake of Kathy, who was still unconscious in the passenger seat; "The victim is the pregnant wife of an MOS; rush a bus..."

She swallowed when she noticed that Kathy's legs were pinned beneath the crushed interior of the vehicle. She blinked back her tears and swallowed before speaking again;

"Advise fire department that the victim is pinned."

She heard something along the lines of "copy that" and "EMS is en route", but she was barely registering. Her focus was on Kathy, whom was still unconscious and continuing to lose blood. She removed her seatbelt and felt for a pulse, a fresh wave of panic washing over her for a brief second when she thought there wasn't one. She took a breath when she managed to find one, and a couple tears slipped down her cheeks in pure relief.

She moved her hands to her door handle, only to whine to herself when she realized it was stuck. She then repeatedly hit the window with the radio in her hand until it finally shattered, and after clearing the glass a bit so that she wouldn't get cut, she climbed out through the window. She almost cried in relief when she spotted the ambulances and fire department pulling up.

"Please hurry!"

One of the paramedics stopped her, holding her arm; "We need to check you out!"

"I'm not hurt!"

"You could have a spinal injury."

Olivia shook her head, practically pushing the paramedic towards the crushed car; "No...really I'm fine."

"You need to go to the hospital."

"No don't worry about me," Olivia nudged her along; "Please help her!" She didn't care about herself; if there was something wrong with her, she could worry about it later. All she was worried about was Kathy and that unborn baby; she needed them to be okay for Elliot.

Elliot...oh God.

A feeling of guilt came over her. She had promised to get Kathy to her doctor's appointment safely due to Elliot being further upstate for reasons relating to a case they were working. Now, she was a hundred percent sure that Elliot was going to hate her for this. She felt so guilty. Maybe if she had seen the drunk driver it could've been avoided. She kept telling herself that it really wasn't her fault but still, she felt guilty.

The next few minutes were chaotic. The airbag was disabled, and the tires were flattened, and the back windshield was broken. Olivia was desperate for them to help Kathy, and eventually climbed back into the car through the window. The paramedic talked her through things as she held Kathy's head steady and waited for him to grab the neck brace. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she has been holding when Kathy suddenly started moaning and groaning, and she informed the medic that she was waking up before focusing her attention on the scared woman.

"Kathy, honey...Kathy, try not to move." She kept her voice calm, trying not to show how scared she was herself. She watched as Kathy's eyes fluttered open, and she looked confused and scared.

"Olivia?" she whimpered, her eyes scanning the interior of the car.

"Try not to move, okay?" Olivia continued to keep her voice calm; "Try not to move."

"What happened?" A couple tears had slipped down Kathy's cheeks and Olivia could feel her shaking.

"We were in an accident, but everything's okay and we're going to get you out of here, I promise." She told her. Kathy swallowed nervously and let out a moan of pain before continuing;

"Hurry – my water just broke."

Olivia felt like her heart had just dropped to her stomach. She took a deep breath; she swallowed the panic that had risen within her and managed to consume the role of detective and hero or whatever just to keep herself together.

The medic walked her through the next few steps; she carefully fit the brace around Kathy's neck whilst managing to keep her voice calm as Kathy moaned and whimpered through contractions and pain from her injuries. She encouraged her along and told her that she was doing great while keeping her hands on the side of her face to keep her steady.

And just when she thought things were okay, the panic crept in again when Kathy's eyes fluttered shut and she suddenly stopped responding to commands. Olivia tapped the sides of her face and said her name a few times while blinking back the tears that had formed in her eyes. 'No God…no no no please...fucking no!'

Her eyes scanned over and went wide when she saw the blood from underneath Kathy's skirt. She alerted the paramedic, who once again talked her through attaching the IV tube and bag to give Kathy some fluids. After a few squeezes, Kathy's eyes slowly opened once again, and she let out a quiet moan, but Olivia could see that she wasn't completely together right now and that frightened her.

"Kath, I'm here; it's okay," she whispered, keeping one arm around her while she held the bag with the other hand; "It's gonna be okay; I'm right here." Kathy simply nodded as she reached a shaky hand up to curl around Olivia's wrist. Olivia leaned her chin on her shoulder, giving the woman a little bit more comfort.

There had always been an unspoken competition between the two as they were the two most important women in Elliot's life. There were times in the past where Kathy was sure her husband preferred his brunette beauty of a partner over her, there were times in the past where Olivia was sure that the striking blonde wife of her partner hated her guts. They would never be the friends that would go out and shop and have a great time, but at least at this moment, the were leaning on each other for strength. The past struggles and unspoken words and curt nods and short responses were out of the window; all that mattered was sticking together and making it out of this mess in one piece.

The next minutes were like some chaotic blur. Olivia and Kathy were covered by fire resistant blankets to avoid the sparks that would fly as the metal of the car was cut, which allowed the roof of the vehicle to be taken off. Olivia stayed with Kathy the whole time; she held the phone in her hand that her captain had brought over, allowing Kathy to talk to Elliot on the phone as he was on his way. She listened at the words of love between the pair – a far cry from how things had been a year ago – and she grew even more determined to get them out of this in one piece. She didn't care what happened to her; she needed to save Kathy and the baby.

But she also couldn't ignore how Kathy's motor skills were a little off and her eyes had a strange look in them. Something was very wrong, and Olivia needed them to figure things out fast and get her to a hospital. She just needed Kathy and the baby to be okay for Elliot.

Shortly after they finished freeing Kathy's legs, Olivia was told to exit the vehicle so that they would be able to get Kathy out of the car. Kathy heard this and immediately shook her head, grabbing Olivia's hands as she cried;

"No…Olivia, don't leave me!"

Olivia placed a delicate kiss onto her temple before replying; "Sweetheart I'm gonna be right here, right next to you; I promise."

She gave her another squeeze before reluctantly letting go and climbing out of the crushed vehicle. She watched helplessly from the sides as the medics managed to get Kathy out of the car and loaded onto a stretcher, but she couldn't help the wave of panic that washed over her as she caught sight of the blood that dripped from the long board. She rushed over and grabbed Kathy's hand straight away, whispering that things would be okay as they loaded her into the ambulance. She climbed in as well, refusing to leave her side at this point as she had promised.

The medic instructed Olivia to get behind Kathy and to allow her to lean against her, which she did. Kathy's head was now against her shoulder, and Olivia could feel that she was struggling to hold herself up now. She could see that Kathy was still losing a lot of blood, and her skin was starting to feel a little clammy.

But still, she pushed. She found the strength in herself to push like a trooper, and a few moments later, the cries of a newborn infant filled the air – a little boy. Olivia and Kathy were both crying as the little boy was slipped into Kathy's waiting arms; she clutched him and kissed his forehead as she continued to lean against Olivia.

She then tilted her head up a bit, and Olivia could see that she was starting to go pale and her skin was feeling clammier than it already had been.

"Olivia, I don't feel so good." She whispered. Olivia moved a bit so that she could lay down properly, and she could see the panic stricken look on the medic's face. She swallowed her fear once again then looked back at Kathy, whom was looking up at her with watery eyes as she held the baby against her chest.

"Kathy, don't worry; we're almost at the hospital." Olivia told her. Kathy slowly shook her head, then nodding towards the squirming infant in her arms.

"Take him."

Olivia gave her a confused look, but Kathy insisted; "Please, just take him."

Olivia swallowed nervously and lifted the little boy into her arms, wrapping him in her jacket to keep him warm. Kathy's eyes were staying shut a few seconds longer with each blink, and Olivia could feel the overwhelming sense of panic starting to rush over her again.

"Kathy…Kathy what's wrong?"

"Olivia," Kathy whispered, her voice sounding rather shaky as she spoke; "Just please, take care of the kids and Elliot."

And the tears that she had been holding in finally slipped down her cheeks. She kept hold of the baby with one arm, while using her other hand to hold Kathy's. She knew she had lost a lot of blood and fluids, she knew the injuries were severe and the stress of giving birth had probably taken its toll, but this was not at all what she expected to hear from the woman.

This was not going to happen.

"Kathy you're going to be okay, we're almost at the hospital – just hold on," she kept her voice calm and tranquil as she rubbed her hand with her thumb; "You're going to be fine; you gotta be strong for Elliot and the kids, especially this little guy, right? You're going to be okay."

Kathy gave her a small smile, shaking her head as she whispered; "I'm forever grateful to you, Olivia; you always took care of Elliot in the field, and you looked out for me and the kids all the time – forever grateful; please take care of them."

"Kathy don't talk like that, you're going to be okay," Olivia told her, sniffling slightly, "Hey, you're stronger than this; just hold on a little bit longer."

Kathy blinked and looked up at her, a glossy look in her blue eyes as she looked up at her; "Liv, please promise me?"

Olivia swallowed, not knowing what else to say. She pursed her lips and nodded; "I…I promise," she took a moment to compose herself; "But you're gonna be okay, and…Kathy…Kathy!"

Kathy had lost consciousness, and Olivia was ready to break down completely. She looked up at the paramedic; "What's happening?! What's wrong with her?! Save her!"

"Her BP is crashing; she needs O2 and more fluids," he shouted for his partner; "Call it in!"

Olivia was holding the baby boy close to her and crying to herself as she watched the medic work on Kathy, all the while the beep from the monitor and the words from the radio continued to ring in her head;

"…proceed with full code protocol."

Kathy was coding.

And Olivia wished that it was her instead.

An internal bleed.

Hemorrhaging from birth.

Something about the impact of the accident had caused an internal bleed, plus the stress of giving birth and all the blood had led to the current situation; Kathy being in emergency surgery while Olivia sat in the waiting room, still holding the baby as she stared blankly at the floor.

The baby boy had been checked over and was absolutely fine and was now wrapped in a blanket with a little blue hat on and was resting in the arms of Olivia. Every time she looked down at him and saw those beautiful blue eyes that kept looking into hers, all she could do was think of Kathy and her words in the ambulance. It was as if the woman had been convinced she was going to die and had actually made peace with it, and that unnerved Olivia.

She didn't want her to die. She refused to believe she would. She kept looking into the little baby boy's eyes and with each look, she prayed some more; Kathy had to make it for her children and for Elliot.

"Miss Benson."

She looked up; the doctor was making his way towards her. She stood up, keeping the baby boy close to her as she listened to the doctor's words. With each word that tumbled from his lips, she felt the tears slipped down her cheeks and she felt like her lungs were being squeezed as it suddenly became harder to breathe. She could barely register everything that had been told to her or the details; she could just hear the bits and pieces;

"…bleeding was too severe."

"…did everything we could."

"…coded again and couldn't be revived."

She nodded at the doctor, who squeezed her arm before walking away. She swallowed and took a moment to compose herself, holding the baby close to her chest as she stood there for a moment. He had drifted off again without a care or understanding of the impact of this day. His life had changed dramatically, and it broke her heart.

How would she ever tell him about his mother? How would she tell the other children that their mother was gone?

"Olivia!"

She froze for a second; Elliot. How was she meant to tell him that his wife – the woman he'd spent pretty much half his life with – was gone?

"Liv, are you okay? Where's Kathy? Is that my baby?" he ran over up to her, holding her arms and checking her over as his eyes scanned her appearance Olivia swallowed hard, shaking slightly as she spoke;

"You…you have a son."

Elliot scanned her again, then peered between them at the little boy who was sleeping in her arms. He took him into his arms and smiled softly, kissing his head;

"Hey little man; I'm your daddy." He stroked his hand over the tiny fist of the baby boy, who was still sleeping soundly.

"Looks just like me," he sniffled a bit before looking up; "Where's Kathy?"

Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat before placing her hand on his bicep; "Elliot, I think you need to sit down."

Elliot noticed the look in her eyes and immediately became consumed with worried; "Olivia, you're scaring me…" he sat down on one of the chairs, holding his son close to him; "Where's Kath?"

Olivia took a deep breath and managed to gather up some strength, before she finally explained;

"The doctors did everything they could…"

Elliot's eyes went wide and filled with tears straight away; "Are you saying…my wife…is she…?"

The silence and the tears that fell from Olivia's eyes spoke volumes and the realization hit him quick.

Kathy was gone.

The woman he'd spent half his life with, the mother of his children, and the woman he'd been falling in love with all over again, was gone.

He glanced down at the sleeping bundle on his chest; all that was left of the woman he'd loved was the four miracles they already had, and this little one that was sleeping without a care in the world.

He held the little boy close to him as he collapsed into tears, his body shaking as the sobs wracked his body. Olivia shuffled closer and pulled him close to her, allowing him to rest his head on her shoulder as she stroked the back of his head. She whispered a soft 'shh' in his ear as she comforted him while her own tears continued to fall down her face. Her best friend's whole world had pretty much just shattered into pieces, and she knew that he needed someone now – and she was going to be that someone. They were two peas in a pod; the best of friends with a bond like no other. She was going to hold him until he was done crying, and she would stick with him as long as she could.

They sat there together for a while; Elliot eventually told her that he was sticking with the name he and Kathy had decided on - Elliot Joseph Stabler Jr, or Eli for short. The older children had arrived and after their father told them what was going on, they sat with their father and Olivia, crying together as well. They were allowed to see Kathy's lifeless body one final time before it was taken to the morgue, and so after the children kissed her goodbye and whispered words of love, they all returned to the waiting room together. Elliot stood up to go, but looked back at Olivia, silently asking for some support. Olivia nodded and told the children she would be right back, before leaving out of the waiting room with Elliot.

They went into the quiet hospital room; Kathy's body was laying on a bed, her face void of all color, her hair was fanned out on the pillow like a blonde, glowing halo. Her body was covered with a sheet for the most part apart from her face, and the cuts and bruises had been cleaned up. Olivia was holding baby Eli in her arms while Elliot spoke quietly to his late wife. He told her that he loved her and always would, thanked her for giving him five wonderful children, thanked her for the years together, and promised her that he would make sure the kids were taken care of. He placed a delicate kiss onto her cheek before standing up, wiping his hand over his face as he did so.

Olivia asked for a few moments to talk to Kathy as well, to which Elliot nodded and took Eli into his arms. He stepped out of the room, leaving Olivia in the quiet room on her own. She sat down and simply eyed the lifeless body of the woman; she had seen enough dead bodies over the years but this; this was hitting her hard.

She felt a chill run down her spine, and for some reason, she got the sense that it was Kathy, letting her know that she was alright. She simply nodded to herself before whispering;

"I promise I'll take care of them Kathy; you don't have to worry."

She felt another chill and shuddered; Kathy had heard her.

She squeezed Kathy's cold hand, before then leaving the room. Elliot was waiting for her in the hallway and gave her a small yet tired smile when he saw her. She nodded back, taking a deep breath before pulling him into a hug again. He wrapped an arm around her and hugged her tightly, whispering to her that he was glad that she was alright, and that they would get through all of this together.

And she nodded against his shoulder, whispering that she was going to be there for him and his kids.

She wasn't leaving them; she never would leave them.

She was going to keep her promise to Kathy and make sure that Elliot and the kids were alright.

Okaaaay guys! So I definitely have to write a second part to this - right?

In the meantime, leave some comments and all that! Let me know if this should end up being two parts or three!

Thank you for your support always! Until next time xoxo