A/N: First fic. I warn you now; it will more than likely have some grammatical errors in it.

Disclaimer: If you recognize it from the show, I don't own it.


Butterfly

She knew it from the moment she saw her.

Big brown eyes stared ahead blankly as everyone moved around the little figure sitting in the chair. A blanket was wrapped securely around the little girl, her tiny fingers tugging the edges closed in front of her.

Curly dark brown hair fell just below her shoulders and every once in awhile, she'd shake her head to clear them from her eyes.

Her skin was the color of coffee, just after adding cream. Her tiny teeth bit nervously on her bottom lip, a very familiar action.

The little girl was all of six-years-old, her birthday having just passed. When police arrived to the crime scene, a birthday cake was on the table, a few slices missing. The pink icing on the cake was no match for the bright red splatters across the room. And upstairs in a room filled with stuffed animals and flowered walls, a little girl hid frightened in a closet.

"Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?" a uniformed officer asked the small child. The little girl shook her head a little more firmly and shivered. "If you need anything, you let me know."

"Can I see my daddy now?" the child asked in a small shaky voice. "He's prob'ly looking for me. Nobody told him I'm here 'cause he would have picked me up already."

She watched as the officer lowered himself to the child's level and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She watched as those same tiny shoulders hitched a few times and a small hand wiped away tears.

Her heart pounded. Her breath quickened. She knew exactly why she'd been asked to come.

The officer stood and after patting the child's shoulder once more, walked in her direction. In his hand he held a small juice box.

"Uh, you must be Detective Benson," he said as he held out a hand. She shook it nervously. "I'm Officer Banning. I'm the one that called earlier."

She nodded.

"Why am I here?" She knew the answer.

He pulled out a small plastic bag from his pocket. Inside was a piece of paper smudged with blood. He handed it to her.

"This was found next to the, uh, the body."

'Olivia Benson' was written in shaky handwriting along with her number. She looked up, blinking a few times and trying to calm her breathing. Officer Banning looked away quickly to the juice box in his hand.

"At first, I didn't understand why we would need to call you. I know you work sex crimes and there wasn't anything like that in this case." He looked back to the little girl again. Her head rested on the desk in front of her. "But now I see…"

She shoved the plastic-covered paper back at him and he stopped talking. Crossing her arms, she tried as hard as she could to hide that shakiness she felt.

"What do you need me to do?" was all she could ask in a voice just above a whisper.

"I'll go handle all the paperwork. Could you sit with her? Maybe get her to eat something or drink this juice?" He handed the juice box to her. It was warm. "She seems kind of out of it but I guess that's understandable considering… you know."

She nodded.

"Is there an open interrogation room, somewhere she can wait so that she's not in the center of everything?"

Officer Banning took a sweeping glance around the room full of fellow law enforcement officers, alleged criminals and confusion, and then nodded, quickly telling her where to go. He walked away with a sad smile and all she wanted to do was toss the warm box of juice in his direction. It was a feeling unjustified but the endearing smile he continued to offer did nothing to calm the panic she currently felt.

Taking a few more breaths, she walked in the direction of the small child. She stopped just behind the chair and watched. She looked at the child as the child watched her surroundings with sleepy, sad eyes. As if feeling someone staring, the child sat upright and turned, looking directly at her.

"Hey there," she said in her calmest voice, the voice she used when encountering children during cases. This child was different. "My name is Olivia. What's your name?"

Brown eyes stared at her for a moment, just studying her. It made her heart flutter.

"Ayla," the child answered after awhile. "Ayla Spencer. I'm six. It was my birthday two days ago."

She knew.

"Wow, you must feel like a big girl now!" she said with a nervous smile. She had no idea what else she could say. So many thoughts ran through her head, so many feelings in her heart. All she could do is stare at the little girl who stared back at her.

The little girl shrugged and shook her head to clear her eyes of tiny curls.

"How about we go find a quiet place to sit? Would that be okay?"

The small child reached for a stuffed toy that sat abandoned on the desk before her and stood.

"Um…'Livia?" The child spoke softly. Olivia smiled. Her name sounded perfect in that voice. "I have to go potty."

She held out a hand and the little girl took it without hesitation. Together they went in search of a restroom before going to the empty room Officer Banning offered.


Olivia opened the juice for the child and watched as the little girl sipped slowly. She couldn't stop looking at her. Her skin was so soft. Her hair was full of gorgeous curls and her eyes were the most beautiful shade of brown she'd ever seen.

She was perfect.

The juice box made a hollow slurp sound as Ayla finished, placing the empty container on the table. Together they waited as Olivia tried to find something to say. She needed to think of something quickly before Officer Banning returned. She had to think of something that would explain what was happening to the child without overwhelming her.

How could she even begin to explain this? Of course she had thought about this. She thought about it every single day. What it would be like, how it could have been so different. But the choice was made with careful consideration. There was no other logical choice. And every single day she woke up with that very thought in her head and every single night she fell asleep thinking about it. Not one hour, one minute, went by without a thought to her decision. Every breath she took. Every move she made. Nothing could ever make her forget.

And here she was now, faced with the very decision she'd made all those years ago, breathing in its sweet strawberry-melon scent. She'd made the right choice. It had to have been this way. It was logical. It was best. Wasn't it?

She was lost in thought when she felt a small hand on her knee. She jumped slightly. She hadn't even noticed when Ayla stood in front of her.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?"

There she was, worrying that little lip again with little teeth. And a small frown formed between her brows.

"I know who you are, 'Livia. Daddy told me." Olivia's heart raced. Blood rushed to her head, pounding loudly in her ears. She felt breathless, lightheaded, as child leaned in and whispered. "You're my mommy."

The breath rushed from Olivia's lungs.

Ayla took a small step away from her and hugged the soft toy to her chest. A tiny hand reached up to push a curl behind her ear. She stared at Olivia with wide, almost sad eyes.

She was 'Mommy'. And now, her sweet baby girl stood in front of her with a look Olivia knew she would never ever forget.


A/N: Hope that wasn't too painful. I just had an idea and started typing. I didn't follow any specific timeline to the events of the show because they probably won't be consistent. I know I won't do the characters justice. I know they may not be as great as they are on the series. I can admit I'm bad at that. I just wrote it just to get it out of my head.

At this point, I'm not even sure if I'll continue. I promise I'm not saying that for people to beg me to or for more reviews. I just have an idea of how I'd love this story to go and I don't know if I'm the right person to write it.

I thank you for reading it regardless.