Author's note: This is a story that I have up on another site, but have been meaning to bring over here for years. I hope you like it. This takes place when Nick is still in the picture, Carisi is new, and Noah is yet in Olivia's care as a foster child. I started it years ago, so that's why things maybe a little outdated. I also wasn't as good at writing SVU fics yet. This takes place after the Padre Sandunguero episode.

Disclaimer: I only own what I make up.

Residence of Olivia Benson
Manhattan
Wednesday, January 21

Olivia was exhausted. At least the mess with Nick's family had been sorted.

Now... All Olivia wanted was to stay in this moment with Noah and cuddling with him until he fell asleep, hear is soft baby breath in her ear. It was very comforting.

The way Olivia saw it, her family would only ever be her and Noah. True they were still in the fostering period, but the boy was on the right track to becoming a Benson for good. Olivia just didn't know if she had any prospects for herself. As in... A person in her life she would consider spouse material.

So here they were.

Olivia and Noah, Noah and Olivia. That's the way it was. And they were happy.

DING DONG!

Mother and son were startled out of their bonding time. Who could be calling?

Olivia rose and sat Noah on her hip as they headed to the front door. "Why don't we see who's here?"

Noah just yawned and laid his head on Olivia's shoulder. He was ready for sleep.

Olivia laughed at Noah's action as she opened the door, but when the realized who was on the other side, her eyes widened in shock.

None other than Alex Cabot was before her.

Alex Cabot, whom she'd known and had cared about for more than twelve years now.

Alex Cabot, whom she hadn't seen in over a year.

Alex Cabot, who was looking scared and like she'd just taken a recent beating.

Alex Cabot, who... had a baby girl on her hip? What?

"Alex, come and sit down!" Olivia stepped aside and let her enter. "I'm happy to see you, but what's going on? Who's your little hitchhiker?"

Alex just took a few noisy breaths, so Olivia shut the door behind her friend and relieved her of the bag on her shoulder before helping her to sit on the couch.

Thoughtfully, Olivia gave their guests water to drink, and when they'd both had their fill, she put their cups to the side.

Alex finally gained the courage to speak at this point. "I'm sorry it's been so long, but I didn't have a choice."

"Whoever did this to you," Olivia gently cupped Alex's face in her hand as she examined the varying red, purple, and yellowing bruises on it. "Is a bad guy."

"It was my fiancé, Jude."

Olivia was taken aback by her friend's bombshell. "You're getting married?"

Alex wrenched her engagement ring off her finger and stuffed it in Olivia's pocket. "Not anymore. I can't marry a monster."

Trying to lighten the mood as best as she could, Olivia inquired again about Alex's companion.

"Who's the little one you've got with you?" she touched a hand to Noah's back as he tried to stay awake. "This is Noah. I'm his foster mother."

Alex kissed her little one on the top of her head, smiling when she snuggled closer in her sleep. "This is Beverly. She's a year old now, and she's mine."

Beverly looked like a miniature version of her mother, down to the hair color. She was even wearing a pair of purple toddler-sized glasses. They matched her pajamas. Olivia was instantly smitten.

"She's gorgeous, Alex." Olivia told her friend.

"Thank y—oh, that's weird..."

Olivia immediately went on high alert. "What's the matter? Are you going to be ill?"

All of a sudden, Alex's body had become very cold. She also felt dizzy but couldn't place why. Even her controlled tactic wasn't working well.

"T-take her." she mumbled.

Olivia promptly relocated the children to the far end of the couch. Out of harm's way. She turned back to Alex just in time to lower her to the floor as her body began seizing.

The next thing Olivia knew, Alex was out cold and unresponsive. But at least she had a pulse.

Olivia pulled out her phone and dialed for help.

"911 operator." came a cool, collected tone. "What is your emergency?"

"This is Sergeant Olivia Benson, badge number 01139! I need an ambulance to 203 West 89th Street, apartment A5; we have an ADA who has just had a seizure, and—oh!"

"Sergeant?"

While Olivia had been on the line with the operator, she had removed Alex's jacket and undone the buttons on her shirt. The surprise came when Alex's middle was exposed. Why? She was met by a sight she hadn't been expecting.

"Sergeant?" The operator prompted Olivia a little harder this time.

"I have Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Jade Cabot here, and she's pregnant!"

"Do you know how far along she is?"

"No!"

From there, the operator implored Olivia to do everything she could to get Alex conscious, and stayed on the phone with her until the proper help arrived to take over.

Noah and Beverly were both freaked out by the sudden commotion. This was understandable. Olivia scooped them both up in her arms, grabbed two blankets from Noah's crib, and flagged down a passing uniform to drop them off at the hospital that Alex was being taken to.

Everyone was in for a long night.

Saint Vincent's Hospital
8:47 PM

By the time Olivia had finished giving her complete statement of the events as they had been so far, she was emotionally drained. All she wanted was to sleep until morning.

But she couldn't. Two babies, confused and whimpering, sat on her lap. And one of them... She knew nothing about.

How she wished for help. From anyone.

"Liv?"

The sergeant looked up at the sound of her name. But for the second in an hour, she received a surprise. Nick, Amanda, Fin, Carisi, and even Melinda were standing around her in a semicircle. What was this night?

Olivia voiced her puzzlement. "How in the world did all of you get here?"

Nick said quickly, "One of the nurses recognized you and called me. I called Amanda and Fin. They called Carisi and Melinda."

"Okay..."

Amanda sat next to Olivia, taking Noah into her lap when he crawled into it.

"What's going on?" Amanda asked her superior. "None of us know. All of us dropped everything immediately."

"It's about Alex." Olivia said.

Fin and Melinda both knew exactly why Olivia was this concerned about the ADA.

Melinda voiced the question first. "Olivia, was she shot again?"

Melinda and Fin both held their breath as they waited for an answer, while Nick, Amanda, and Carisi all bore genuine 'what the fuck?' expressions on their faces. Yet all of them remained quiet.

Olivia shook her head. "No, thank God, but—"

"Olivia?"

This time, Olivia's heart bottomed out in shock when she saw who was hurrying towards her now.

"C-Casey?"

Olivia's favorite redhead had somehow appeared. Just as she hadn't seen much of Alex lately, the same could also be said of this woman.

And... Was it her imagination, or was Casey sporting a baby bump?

"Just breathe." Casey sat with Olivia and rubbed her back. "Fin called us. We hurried straight over."

Olivia spoke in actual confusion. "Pardon? Who is the extra person in your 'we' and 'us'?"

"Rafael 'Slowpoke' Barba, and he'll be appearing in three, two, one..."

Right on cue, Barba rounded the corner that Casey had just used.

"Casey, I resent that 'slowpoke' remark."

Barba stopped short when he saw exactly who was gathered in the corner of the waiting room. Casey just smirked, rubbing her distended middle while everyone else could only stare in surprise.

"What?" Barba protested. "Casey and I are friends! Deal with it!"

Nick chose to be the mature one.

He knelt in front of Olivia. "We're all here to help. Just talk to us. When was the last time you saw Alex?"

"Not for more than a year. She just showed up at my door about forty-five minutes ago," Olivia touched a cheek to the top of her little charge's head in indication. "With her her daughter Beverly in tow. Alex also looks like she had the stuffing beaten out of her."

Casey wrinkled her nose. "Was it Jude?"

"That's what Alex told me. Why? Do you know him?"

"Just by reputation: he is the Henshall at Henshall & Langan." Casey admitted.

Olivia hung her head in defeat. "Let's just keep rubbing salt in the wound."

Henshall & Langan was the law firm that their 'enemy' and part-time ally, Trevor Langan, worked for.

"Family of Alex Cabot?" came a new voice.

Olivia and her friends all turned towards a doctor who had just come out from behind the double doors to their left.

"Here we are." Olivia rose and secured Beverly in her arms. "Is Alex okay?"

The doctor came closer. "You are Sergeant Olivia Benson, the one who called the paramedics about this in the first place?"

"Yes. My associates are here with me. I'm holding Alex's daughter. Please—is Alex okay?"

"Right this way."

The doctor guided Olivia and Beverly to the hallway just off the Intensive Care Unit.

"What's the damage?" Olivia asked.

The doctor chose her words carefully. It was plain that Beverly was watching the situation. She was trying to figure out it all out for herself.

"Aside from the fresh marks on the councilor's face, there are also quite a variety on her arms and shins."

Olivia winced. "Are any of those ones fresh?"

The doctor nodded. "All of the marks on her arms and wrists are about an hour-and-a-half-old, but they are consistent with defensive wounds."

"Was she...?"

The doctor shook her head quickly. "No, not at all. There is one thing in particular that surprises me about the wounds on her arms and legs, though."

Olivia grew even more concerned. "What would that be?"

"Miss Cabot is in wrist braces right now. She just wouldn't be walking if it was any worse. And she would be in actual plaster casts."

Olivia blanched at the thought. Looking through the room window to see Alex. She was dressed in a hospital gown and hooked up to various wires. Bandages covered the wounds that the casts didn't. The best thing was that she was awake.

A uniformed officer from the 16th precinct was at her bedside, taking her statement.

"If she's awake and talking," Olivia looked back to the doctor. "Then that means that the seizure wasn't a very bad one."

"Yes." the doctor confirmed. "Miss Cabot had a myoclonic seizure; do you know what type that is?"

Olivia gave it some thought. "I think those are the kind where the body goes through a series of twitches and jerks, but only for a minute or so. Right?"

"That's two for two. As for Miss Cabot's baby, it's in perfect health," (Olivia breathed a heavy sigh of relief at this) "But from what she told me about how her health has been recently, it sounds like the seizure was brought on by stress and lack of food in her system. Do you know if she is in an abusive relationship?"

"To be honest," Olivia shuffled her feet. "I haven't seen Alex in over a year until tonight, but she did say that she's engaged."

"And how many years have you known Miss Cabot?"

"Fifteen." Olivia realized with a jolt. "I've known Alex Cabot for fifteen years."

"Sergeant?"

Finished taking the statement from Alex, the officer had exited. Now he was before them.

"Yes, Velasquez?" Olivia said to him.

"Miss Cabot is done and asking for you and her daughter now." the young man reported.

Olivia turned to the doctor. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Not now, no."

"Alright. Thank you."

Olivia finally entered the room. "Allie?"

The younger woman looked up at the sound of her nickname—there was only one person left who called her that. "Olivia..."

She sat with her. "I brought Beverly back, too."

Alex reached for Beverly. Her heart turned to butter when Beverly reached back.

Alex took her daughter into her arms. "Good evening, baby bird. Mama loves you so much."

Beverly let out a contented sigh and fell asleep immediately, sucking her thumb as she rested her head on Alex's chest.

Watching it all made Olivia's heart melt.

She was the only one who had always know that Alex wanted to be a mother, but it had never been the right time. Or person.

But then time had marched on. Which was inevitable.

And even though Alex's world had turned upside down tonight, seeing her as a mother now just made sense.

It was a moment before the ADA spoke to Olivia again. "I am so, so sorry I never told you about Beverly. Even Casey doesn't know. And I see her all the time."

"It's all okay." Olivia said gently. "And Casey does know about Beverly now."

Alex furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "How?"

Olivia didn't miss a beat. "Because she's out in the waiting area."

"Really?"

"Mhm." Olivia nodded. "Casey, Barba, Melinda, Nick, Fin, Amanda, and even our new guy, Carisi, are all out there. They dropped everything when they heard what was going on."

Alex's bottom lip trembled. It had been far too long since she'd been shown sincerity or affection from an adult and believed it. Those feelings at this hour was a little overwhelming. Jude was a control freak. And very mean. In a word, he was abusive.

The ADA gave a hiss of pain when she wiped the tears falling down her face. "Damn—I can't even wipe my own tears without hurting myself."

Olivia did it for her. "I've got you now. You're okay."

"I—oh, that'll take some getting used to again."

Alex's hands fell to her middle. It was clear that she could feel her little one squirming around.

Olivia asked her, "How far along are you?"

"Pushing ten weeks now. Feel."

Alex cradled Beverly in one arm while with her free hand, she put Olivia's palm directly on her exposed midsection—right on the bulge—where the skin was the most taut.

"There isn't anything to feel from the outside yet." Alex look Olivia square in the eyes. "But you're the only person I'd really let touch me like this because you're good and kind."

Olivia's heart skipped a beat. "I'm honored you think so highly of me. I missed you."

And in a move that was out of pure affection because of the length and depth of their bond, Olivia kissed Alex on the forehead.

"I've missed you." Alex whispered, wishing Olivia could have kissed her on the lips. "Can I tell you something?"

"You can tell me anything." Olivia said honestly.

"Jude hurts me. A lot. The only good things that have come from being with him are Beverly and the baby."

"Children are a blessing." Olivia reflected. "Have you ever loved Jude?"

"No. I haven't ever." Alex let out a shaky breath. "I love you, Liv."

Olivia's heart did jumping jacks when she heard this.

Before she could say anything, she noticed Alex pale as she looked towards the door. When she followed Alex's gaze, she saw a grim-faced Casey in the doorway. Alex instinctively pulled Beverly closer to her.

"Cassandra," (this was Casey's full name) "What's the matter with you?"

"Alexandra, you need to give Beverly to Olivia." the redhead said slowly.

"Why?" she said sharply.

Neither Alex nor Olivia liked the sound of Casey's tone: it was very calm and controlled. She seemed to be trying not to freak the hell out.

Casey's dread only grew. "Please just do it."

Alex gave her daughter one last kiss, and the movement woke Beverly.

"Mama?"

Alex's hand shook slightly as caressed her daughter's cheek. "Mama loves you, baby bird. You have to go with Livvie now."

Beverly understood the undertones of her mother's words and whimpered, "Birdy go?"

Alex nodded and gave Beverly one last kiss. "Yes, and I'm sorry. Be good."

Beverly erupted into noisy sobs as Casey called out "Alex!" in a warning tone.

Crying hot tears of her own, Alex wordlessly deposited her firstborn in Olivia's arms. Her heart grew heavy as she watched Olivia back away. The sergeant looked as confused as she felt.

"What's going on?" Alex asked Casey.

"I am so sorry, Alex."

That was all Casey could manage before the one and only Sergeant Ed Tucker from the Internal Affairs Bureau and two of his cronies entered. He even had his handcuffs at the ready.

"Ed Tucker from IAB?" Alex exclaimed. "What in the holy he—"

"Alexandra Cabot, I suggest you stop talking right now." Tucker's words were cold.

Ever the rebel, Alex toed the line. "Why?"

"Because," he said as he closed one of the cuff plates around Alex's wrist and the other around the bedrail next to her. "You are under arrest for the murder of Jude Henshall."

Just a reminder: I wasn't good at SVU fics when I started this one a few years back. That's why some things maybe a little unusual.

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