Disclaimer: I own Jess, Allen, and Steve. Dick owns Olivia, Alex, Casey, and the entire SVU squad. It's very sad, and extremely unfortunate, I know, but that's the way life goes sometimes.

I have finals this week. Y'all are lucky you're getting this update :)

After this week though, I won't be too busy, so I should be able to update at least once a week, and probably more than that. I miss writing like I used to. Stupid school keeping me busy all the time…

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"So, you've been living with the Novaks for almost four weeks now," Robyn spoke softly as Julia tried to get comfortable on the couch. "How have things been going?"

Julia shrugged. "They're going okay."

"Just okay?"

"The Novaks are really nice," she admitted softly.

"But?"

"Nothing," Julia said as she looked down to her lap. "They're just really nice, that's all."

Robyn smiled warmly and leaned forward so she could meet Julia's eyes. She'd met a lot of kids who had been through unspeakable horrors, and Julia was by far one of the most determined young girls she'd ever seen. It was incredible to witness a child who had been through so much finally trying to take a stand and move on with her life. "What kinds of things do you do together?"

"Casey takes me bowling every Friday night."

"That sounds like a lot of fun."

Julia smiled excitedly. "We won our last two games – we're in a league. She was really bad when we first started, but she's gotten a lot better now. She really likes bowling now that she knows what she's doing."

"Yeah? What else do you do with them?"

"Casey cooks me breakfast every morning and helps me study for school," she said, sighing and biting her lower lip. "Nobody's ever really done this kind of stuff for me before."

"Sounds like she really cares about you."

"I guess so."

"Do you care about her?"

"She's nice."

"You've already told me that," Robyn said softly, offering Julia a small smile. "Now tell me how you really feel about her. Tell me how you really feel about living with the Novaks."

Julia rolled her eyes. "I did!" she yelled. "She's really nice and they both treat me really well and I like living there. What else do you want me to tell you?"

"I want to know how you really feel about living with them," Robyn answered, her voice softening. She smiled and gave Julia an encouraging nod. "Talk about how you really feel."

Julia took a deep breath and held it for several seconds. She had to talk. She had to open up and let herself go. Otherwise, she wasn't going to get any better, and she certainly wasn't going to be happy. She looked over at Robyn and sighed. "I really like Casey. She's the only person who's ever really cared about me. She…she treats me like I'm her own daughter, not like some worthless foster kid."

"How does that make you feel?"

Julia looked down to her lap and closed her eyes. "Like…like maybe – maybe someone really does care about me, like it's possible for someone to love me. She makes me feel important." She looked up and sighed. "She's the only one I've ever met who doesn't get mad when I wake up screaming in the middle of the night either. That makes me feel like…I don't know. It's not something I've ever felt before, but I like it."

Robyn nodded encouragingly. "And what about Steve?"

Julia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She folded her hands into her lap and nervously tapped her foot. "He's really nice too," she managed to force out. "It's just hard. After Mr. Jennings and Mr. Warren…I mean, Steve promises he'll never hurt me like they did, and I want to believe him, but…I'm scared. I know Casey would never let him hurt me, and I think I'm pretty sure he's safe, but I'm still scared to be alone with him."

Robyn let out a quiet sigh of relief. In only one month of therapy, Julia was already opening up and beginning to heal. She smiled warmly and stood up. "Well how about we try something this week? How about you try to spend some time with Steve – even if you need Casey there with you during that time? Try to talk to him a little every day, and see where you can go from there." She walked Julia to the door and placed a gentle hand on her back. "You did great today. Keep up the good work. I'll see you next week."

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Casey sat down across from Robyn and held her breath. "How's she doing?" she asked nervously. It had been discussed and agreed upon that after Julia's sessions, Casey would come in and talk to Robyn. She promised Julia she wouldn't talk about the specifics or anything, and that she just wanted to make sure everything was okay. "She seems a little happier," Casey said optimistically.

"She is," Robyn agreed. She looked over her notes for several seconds before looking back up to Casey. "She's doing amazingly well for someone in her position. I don't think I've ever seen a child go through what she's been through. The fact that she's still able to smile and talk about life and the goodness in it is amazing."

"Even since she's moved in with us I've seen a change. It's…she still waits to be invited downstairs for meals and she doesn't do anything without asking us first." Casey gave a slight laugh. "I mean, usually that's a good thing, but sometimes she even asks if she can go to the bathroom. I want so badly to just wrap her in my arms and convince her that everything's going to be okay, but I can't."

"That's something she's going to have to learn from her environment." Robyn smiled as she locked eyes with Casey. "What I can tell you, however, is that Julia really cares about you. Whatever it is you're doing with her, keep doing it."

Casey shook her head in protest. "I'm not doing anything really! I'm just treating her like my own daughter."

Robyn smiled. "That's probably more love than she's ever seen, too. You took her in at a time when nobody else would. You showed her love at a time when she only saw hate. You gave her a place to call home. Don't sell yourself short, Ms. Novak. You're doing an amazing thing here."

"She's still terrified of spending time with Steve. I mean, she's usually okay if I'm in the room and chatting as well, but she doesn't really talk to him, and she absolutely refuses to be alone with him. If we're in the living room watching a movie or playing a game or something and I leave to go to the bathroom, she follows me into the hallway and stands right outside the bathroom door. How do I help her with this?"

"You keep doing what you're doing. Encourage her to talk to him while you're around and whatever you do, do not force her to do anything. She'll move at whatever pace she's comfortable with and you're just going to have to move with her."

"That doesn't seem like enough. I feel like there should be more that I should be doing."

"You're doing more for her than anyone else ever has. Remember that when you're tucking her into bed tonight. Remember where she was before she met you, and look at where she is now. Then look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that she is where she is because of you."

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"Do you have everything you need?" Alex asked softly as Olivia zipped up her suitcase. "I talked with the doctors and made all the necessary arrangements. You've got your own room for three days. That should be plenty of time to recuperate."

Olivia closed her eyes and sat down on the bed. "This is really it, huh? It's really time."

Alex sat down next to her and held her hand gently. "Yeah, baby, it's time." She sat there, holding Olivia's hand, for what felt like forever. She hated to see the woman she loved in so much pain. I would do anything to take this away from you baby, she thought to herself. Slowly, she stood up and gently pulled Olivia with her. "I took the whole week off, and I'll be right by your side the entire time, I promise."

"This is going to be pretty expensive, isn't it? I mean, I know I've got decent coverage working at the station for so long and everything, but three days in the hospital just for a mastectomy? They never do that. How much did you spend, Alex?"

"Don't even go there, Liv," Alex warned softly as they slowly made their way towards the door. "Yes I had to pull a few strings and spend a good deal of money, but you're more than worth it. There was no way in hell I'd let them just kick you out right after the surgery." She wrapped her arm around Olivia's shoulders and walked her out to the car. "You're worth it, Liv. Don't question this and don't fight it. Just let it be."

Olivia took a deep breath as she climbed into the car. She couldn't remember a time in her life that she had been more scared than she was at this moment. Her entire body was shaking and she tried to wrap her arms around herself in order to get it to stop. She smiled in embarrassment as Alex climbed into the car. "I don't want to do this."

Alex pulled out of the driveway and gently squeezed Olivia's hand. "I know, baby. I don't want you to have to do it, but it's the only way to get you better. It's the only way we can spend forever with each other." She wiped away a few tears and took her eyes off the road long enough to smile lovingly into Olivia's eyes. "I love you, and I am not going to stop loving you. I want to grow old with you, Olivia. Please, baby, please don't worry too much about this surgery. I know it's hard, and I can't imagine what you're going through right now, but please know that nothing is going to change between us. You're still going to be the most beautiful woman in the world."

Olivia returned the gentle squeeze and wiped away her tears. "Thank you," she whispered. "There's no way I would have been able to get through this alone." She managed a weak smile and nodded slowly. "I really want to have this surgery so I can get better and we can get on with our lives. I guess I just…I'm still a little scared about how everyone's going to react and everything."

Alex smiled warmly. "Nobody's going to feel any differently, Liv. Take a look around at the people in our lives. We have got to be two of the luckiest women in the world to be surrounded by the friends we have. We all love you, Liv, and we're all going to love you just the same when you wake up."

"You're right," Olivia whispered, sighing as she looked out the window. She took several deep breaths and smiled. "You're absolutely right. I need to do this, and I need to go in there ready." She paused for several seconds and squeezed Alex's hand. "Thank you. I really needed a little talk like this one."

"You're more than welcome, baby. I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

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"How about we have a night out?" Steve asked excitedly as they climbed into the car after Julia's therapy session. "I'm thinking maybe dinner and then bowling. It's always fun later at night. They turn out the main lights and light up colorful ones. What do you two say?"

Julia looked nervously at Casey, who in turn gave her an encouraging nod and nudged her playfully. She took a deep breath and looked straight at Steve. "That, um, that sounds like a good idea. Where should we eat?"

Steve raised his eyebrows in surprise, but quickly hid it and smiled. "I think that's entirely up to you, Julia. As of tomorrow, you'll have lived with us for one full month. I think that's reason to celebrate. Your choice, Julia. Where would you like to eat?"

She looked down to the ground and shifted her feet uncomfortably. Talk to him a little bit everyday, Robyn had said only a few hours earlier. "I was thinking maybe…Hard Rock Café? I've never been there before."

"Then the Hard Rock it is," he said happily.

"Hey, Steve?"

"Yeah, Julia?"

Julia smiled weakly and looked into his eyes. The love she saw in them warmed her heart. She'd never seen a man look at her the way he was looking at her. His eyes were telling her he would never hurt her – she was safe. She took a slight step back, away from him and towards Casey, and held her breath. "Thank you."

He cocked his head to the side and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "For what?"

"For being patient," she said, nervously grabbing Casey's hand, praying she wasn't making a complete fool out of herself. She felt Casey give her a firm squeeze and she shook her head. "I know I haven't really done much with you and everything. I just…thanks for not getting upset. I, um…I know you won't hurt me. I just, I need some time to figure things out and convince myself that you're safe."

For a second, Steve thought he was dreaming. The words coming out of Julia's mouth couldn't have been real. She had barely said two sentences since she'd moved in, and now she was thanking him? He met her eyes and smiled lovingly. "You're an amazing young girl, Julia. You've come a long way since you moved in with Casey and I. Take all the time you need to figure everything out." He smiled and took Casey's hand, his smile growing even wider when he felt Julia hesitantly take his other one. He gave it a very gentle, comforting squeeze, and started walking towards the car. "Right now, how about we go get something to eat and play a few rounds of bowling?"

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"Ms. Benson," the doctor said softly as he stood by her bed. "I'm going to stick this needle in your arm and you're going to fall asleep shortly. Just tell me when you're ready, okay?"

Olivia nodded and turned towards Alex, who was sitting in a chair next to the bed, her hands gently holding Olivia's. "Thanks for being here," she whispered, squeezing Alex's hands. She looked back over to the doctor and nodded. "I'm ready. Stick that needle in my arm, doc."

Alex squeezed Olivia's hands and leaned in to kiss her softly. She cupped Olivia's face and rested her forehead against Olivia's. "I'm right here, baby," she whispered, tracing Olivia's cheekbones with her thumbs. She wiped away a few tears falling down Olivia's cheeks and smiled. "You're going to do great. You're going to make it through this surgery and you're going to be cancer-free. You're going to have a fast recovery and we're going to live happily ever after." She wiped away a few of her own tears as the doctor gently pushed the needle into Olivia's arm. "I love you. Close your eyes and sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up. I love you so much, Olivia. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Alex," Olivia whispered, the medication already starting to take effect. With a bit of effort, she managed to pull Alex's hands off her face and laced their fingers together. "Please don't leave me," she said groggily, finally closing her eyes and falling asleep.

"Never," Alex said firmly, leaning down and kissing her softly. "The doctors are going to take good care of you and I'll be right here when you wake up baby. You just rest and let the doctors do their work. When you wake up, you'll see me, and I'll be right here, holding you close and loving you more than you could possibly imagine."

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"This place is really neat," Julia exclaimed as they all sat down at the table. She looked around at all the memorabilia and smiled. "I never knew they collected stuff like this. There's so much history here!" She took a deep breath and looked at both of them. "Are you sure it's okay that we're out celebrating right now? I mean, your friend's having her surgery tonight isn't she?"

"It's okay," Steve said softly. "Yes, she's having her surgery, and Casey is planning on visiting her as soon as she feels up to visitors. Right now though, we're celebrating your one month anniversary of moving in with us."

"Really? That's okay?"

"It's what she would want us to do," Casey told her. "Liv's not the kind of person who would want us to just sit around and wait for her. She'd be pretty upset if she found out we didn't go out tonight. She knows how important you are to us, and she'd do everything she could to make sure we celebrated every milestone we reach."

"She sounds like a good friend."

"She is."

Julia nodded, accepting Casey and Steve's explanation and began looking over the menu. The music in the background was a little distracting, but she didn't mind. In fact, she kind of liked it. "They play some pretty good songs here," she said after a few minutes.

Casey laughed and shook her head. "Their food's pretty good, too. I, for one, love their burgers. That plus they play great music all the time. I love singing along while we're waiting for our food."

"You sing along while you're waiting?"

"Sometimes."

"And nobody gets mad at you?"

"Well, I don't sing loudly," Casey said modestly. "Just loud enough that I can hear myself. I know I would hate it if I heard someone singing at the top of their lungs, so I keep it pretty quiet. I'm not disrupting anybody –"

"Except me," Steve interrupted playfully. He smiled and looked over at Julia. "Casey loves to sing, but she's completely tone deaf. Sometimes it's better to just sing along with her rather than listening to it."

Casey laughed and smacked his chest. "I'm not that bad," she said, smiling as he raised his eyebrows in protest. "Okay, maybe I am, but at least I have fun while I'm doing it, right?"

He leaned over and kissed her. "Right. Want to start singing along?"

Casey cocked her head so she could hear what was playing. "Walk the line, huh?" she asked playfully. She looked over at Julia and could tell the child didn't know the song at all. She was about to decline Steve's offer when Julia smiled.

"Go ahead," Julia encouraged. "Enjoy yourselves. This dinner isn't just about me, you know. You two need to have a good time, too. If singing along to whatever song this is will make for an enjoyable evening, then sing along. I don't mind."

Steve and Casey locked eyes and thought for a minute, then smiled and eagerly began singing along. They laughed through the verses where they messed up the lyrics, and stared lovingly into each other's eyes as they sang the verses they did know. By the time was over, they were nearly in hysterics.

"We need to do karaoke one of these days," Casey said.

"We should."

"You guys should pick a song you actually know though," Julia chimed in, a sly smile on her face. All of a sudden, her face lit up as she cocked her head and listened to the next song. "I know this song!" she exclaimed excitedly. She grabbed Casey's hand and shook it. "Come on, sing it with me. I don't want to look like a complete idiot."

Casey and Steve looked at Julia and shook their heads in surprise. She really was starting to live life and move on with everything. They nodded and quickly joined her, singing along to Sweet Child of Mine as they waited for their food to arrive. It was incredible to witness Julia completely let herself go and just belt out the lyrics to the song. Steve reached under the table and gently squeezed Casey's hand. She looked over at him and squeezed back, giving him a sly wink before she returned her gaze to Julia and continued singing. It was quickly turning into a night they would remember forever.

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"I hope Liv and Alex are okay," Jess said, snuggling close to Allen as he climbed into bed next to her. "This has got to be so hard for the two of them. I can't even imagine what they must be feeling right now."

"I'm sure they're fine," Allen whispered, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "They have each other and they're going to be just fine. Alex'll make sure Olivia doesn't let this bother her too much. What do you say we go pay them a visit when Liv's feeling up to it?"

She smiled weakly and turned to face him. "I'd like that. We're going to need to bring over all the food we cooked them anyways. Alex said Liv was going to stay in the hospital for three days so she could recover. I guess we'll bring it over once they get back home."

"Sounds like a plan to me." He kissed her forehead and smiled as he placed his hand on her stomach. "You'll be seven months pregnant in two days. We're getting so close. I'm so excited."

She grinned and placed her hand over his. "I am, too. I can't wait to have these two in my arms…even if they're screaming. I just want to hold them and love them."

He sighed happily and closed his eyes. "You're going to make a wonderful mother, Jess. These kids are going to be so lucky."

She smiled, but just as she was about to close her eyes, she felt a sharp pain shooting through her side. She winced a little, then felt it again. "Ouch," she whispered softly, feeling it intensify.

"What?" Allen asked. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, I –" she stopped, the pain moving towards her stomach and nearly taking the breath out of her. It felt like she was being stabbed repeatedly. "I need to go to the bathroom. Help me up."

He was a little concerned, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions, so he helped her out of bed and walked her to the bathroom, frowning as she closed the door in his face. "Honey? You okay?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she walked over to the toilet and pulled down her pants. She nearly screamed when she saw the blood running down her legs. Panic quickly overtook her and she sunk to the ground. "ALLEN!" she screamed. "Call the doctor! Something's wrong!"

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Okay, yes, it's a cliffhanger. Y'all should know by now that I'm horribly good at leaving you with nasty ones. I've got my finals to attend to now, so it'll be probably five or six days before I can update again.

Wish me luck!