A/N: Idea came up in a twitter conversation about the episode 'Swing' in season 10. This will be short but I had to share my EO feels :) Also, Elliot and Kathy are divorced in this story.

Disclaimer: If I owned SVU, Bensler would have realized they were meant to be together and the events of this one-shot and other stories on this site would be real.

She looks at the photo album Elliot's mother pulled out to show her. Grinning from ear to ear at how adorable and innocent and sweet her partner looked. Before the stress of the job wore him down.

"I think this is the youngest picture I've seen of Elliot besides his academy photo." She says in reference to a high school photo of her best friend and partner of 10 years who recently became something more. She giggles at the next one of him in a carrot costume.

"Wh-when was this?"

"This was for a play he did in 3rd grade."

"Oh my gosh, can you imagine if he knew I was looking at this."

"It would be a fun story to tell at your wedding," Bernie replied knowingly and Olivia pauses for a moment. Despite how their relationship had grown, they hadn't discussed marriage. Olivia wasn't sure she was ready. She loved him, God did she love him. There was no doubt about that. She also knew without a doubt that he loved her, but when it came to her, accepting love from anyone took some getting used to. There were also his kids to factor in; she didn't know if they'd be ready to accept her as a stepmom yet. When she flipped towards the back she noticed a picture of them together the first year they became partners.

"He gave you this?"

"I asked for a copy. I had to know who this beautiful partner of his was that had stolen his heart and scared the pants off Kathy." Olivia laughed nervously, feeling slightly insecure as she often did towards compliments.

"He said that?"

"I think it was obvious. But you know my boy, he has trouble expressing those feelings." until recently Olivia thought in her head and smiled; remembering him shouting that he loved her in a fit of frustration after a fight on the roof of the precinct and then kissing her in a way that she thought she'd melt. She cleared her throat and turned back to Bernie.

"Shall we sit?"

Bernie's mood changes to regretful when she sits down across from her son's partner.

"Sometimes I wish I could go back and fix all the mistakes I made. I wish I'd been a better mother. One he wanted to see you know? I'll never forgive myself for letting that sweet boy down."

"You did the best you could Bernie."

"But he grew up with so much pain, he's got so much baggage that he carries around because of his childhood."

"Because of his father."

"If it was just because of his father then why would he tell you I was dead. Why is she ashamed of me." Olivia's heart clenches at the tears in Bernie's eyes.

"I don't have the answer to that. I wish I did. But, what I do know is that he feels just as guilty. I do know that as angry as he gets sometimes that he loves you. I also know that that man feels love deeper than anyone else I know and that when he loves someone, it's unshakable.

"But how would you know? How would you know if he never talks about his childhood?" Olivia feels tears of her own prick in her eyes.

"I know because I was damaged too, but he makes me feel whole. I know because I don't fall in love easily, and I fell in love with the man you raised the first year I met him. Elliot is a good man. He's an amazing man."

"Sometimes I feel like I failed him. Like I should have saved him."

"The man you raised is the only man that I've ever truly trusted to love me unconditionally and keep me safe. I love him more than I can put into words and I know with all my heart that he didn't get that way from his father. He's the incredible man he is because he had you as his mother."

"He has always been a good man, I do know that. I just-that's why I can't go to the court and tell them I'm crazy. How would I have raised him to be who he is if I was crazy?"

"But would you do it for your granddaughter." This finally gets through to Bernie, and both women smile at each other.

"Olivia, take care of my boy. I know you make him happy."

"Well he makes me very happy Bernie; I thank you for him."

"And I thank you for giving my son the happiness and stability he deserves. You'll be my daughter in law one day, I know it."

Olivia smiles to herself at that. Wondering if maybe tonight would be the night he finally asked her. And knowing that the reverse of his mother's words were true. He was the one one who gave her stability.

She also knew as she snuggled up to him that night before drifting off to sleep in his embrace that there was nowhere she would rather be. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer. The words "I love you." spoken sweetly between them before going to sleep as always. And her final thought was to thank Bernie again, for the man who had given her the happiness and love she had always dreamed of but never thought she could have. There are a lot of swings in life, things change and obstacles threaten to take them down. But she knew that the one thing that would never change on the swing called life was the love they had for each other, and as long as they had that, it didn't matter how many hardships they had to face along the way.

Their love would get them through it.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed :) chapter 5 of Father of Mine will be up soon. Thanks for reading!