Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out! I haven't been feeling well the last few weeks, and I couldn't get the last little bit of this finished.

I've had a few ideas come up for this, so I don't think we'll be stopping at just four chapters (You're welcome, Abbie).

Thanks for all of the love! I'm so glad y'all are enjoying this!

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Olivia closed her eyes, unsure she could handle seeing the look on Elliot's face as she answered him. This was hard, harder than she'd ever imagined it would be.

"Liv, Liv look at me," Elliot said, his voice rising nervously. "I need an answer. Please, Olivia."

Olivia's eyes opened, and the fear and anxiousness in Elliot's eyes nearly broke her. Reluctantly, she gave him a small nod.

"Oh." Elliot gasped, collapsing to his knees in front of her, covering his face with his hands as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that he had another child, a nine year old son, with Olivia Benson.

Olivia wiped at the tears that were falling harder down her own face as she listened to Elliot's sobs. This wasn't how she ever expected to have this conversation with him, not after he'd just buried his wife. He was grieving that loss, and she hated that she was adding a different kind of grief to his life, grief over losing the first nine years of his son's life.

She watched his shoulders as they shook with every breath, every sob, and though she blamed him for so many things, his cries cut her deeply.

Finally, Elliot looked up at her, and the look of anguish on his face shattered her all over again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You knew before I left," he stated, no question in his voice, certain there was no way she couldn't have known.

"Yes."

"And you deliberately chose not to tell me," he said, his voice cracking through his tears.

Olivia sighed, unsure where to even begin. "I didn't know for a few weeks. When I found out, I wanted to go to the doctor first, just to get everything confirmed. Then I just…needed time to figure out how to do this."

She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. "Elliot, I knew when I told you, it would change everything. Our partnership would be over, and I worried that it would end your marriage. I also…I worried you'd be upset with me. I was on the pill, but I…obviously something went wrong."

Elliot rose to his feet, pacing in front of her, shaking his head, and Olivia didn't miss the flash of rage in his eyes. "I wouldn't have been mad at you then, but I sure am right now."

"Elliot."

"How could you do this? How could you keep this from me? For ten years?" he angrily asked, his voice rising with each question as he loomed over her.

Olivia stood up, nearly nose-to-nose with him, refusing to take the blame for their decade apart. "Seriously?"

"No!" he yelled, cutting her off before she could continue. "This isn't fair! I missed everything, Liv! How could you do this to me? And to Noah?!"

Before Olivia could even think, her open palm connected with Elliot's cheek, knocking him back into the chair behind him.

"How dare you?" she shouted furiously. "I called you every day for months, Elliot! You refused to answer the phone or call me back! You moved without telling anyone where you were going! Cragen and I both tried! He even went to your house to find you! No one knew where you were!"

Olivia paced around the room, her anger and frustration spilling out of her unfiltered. "You have no idea what I went through, especially that first year. My pregnancy was so hard, knowing and trying to accept that I'd be doing this all alone. The squad was there for me, and I'm so grateful, because I know I wouldn't have survived the first year of Noah's life without their help."

She continued trying to fight the battle against her tears, but she continued to be unsuccessful.

"When I was in labor, Nick, my partner at the time, he was a rock for me. He has a daughter, so he'd been through labor and delivery with his wife, and he volunteered to be there for me. I remember sobbing because I wanted you there so bad, and then when I saw Noah for the first time, I ached because you weren't there. When Noah opened his eyes for the first time and I saw yours looking back at me…I could barely breathe because of how much I wanted you."

Elliot wiped at his own tears, understanding and agreeing with Olivia, that he was truly the person at fault in this situation. He was the one who walked away. He was the one that abandoned her without a word. Now, he was the one who missed out on his son's life.

After a few moments of taking in her words, Elliot whispered regretfully, "I'm sorry, Liv. I shouldn't have said that. This…it's my fault, completely my fault. I just…I'm so sorry." He sat back down, resting his elbows on his knees as his hands cradled his head. "I'm sorry that I missed everything, and I'm sorry you had to do this alone. I'm sorry he hasn't had a father. If I had known…"

"You would've been here," Olivia finished for him, returning to her own chair. She'd always been confident that Elliot would've taken responsibility, and regardless of their relationship status, he would've loved Noah and fought to be in his life. "I know you would've been here, and you would've been an incredible father to him."

Elliot looked up at her. "Does he know about me? Does anyone know about me?"

"I'm sure Fin suspects, but Cragen is the only person other than Noah who knows for sure," she answered. "He figured it out minutes after I told him I was pregnant, so I admitted everything to him. He's been a rock for Noah and for me."

Olivia glanced back down at her phone, her eyes needing to see her son's face again, needing to ground herself as they continued this complicated conversation.

"Noah asked about you for the first time about a year ago, so I told him about you. He doesn't know the circumstances, but he knows your name and that we worked together. I told him that you didn't know about him, and I…when I told him everything, I showed him a picture of us, so now he keeps it beside his bed."

"Wow," Elliot said, wiping at fresh tears rolling down his face. "Can I…can I meet him? Please? I don't deserve it, but please, I want to meet him."

Olivia looked away as she tried to decide how to answer. Of course she'd dreamed of her son meeting his father, but she wasn't sure any of them were ready for that just yet. Elliot's entire world had just been turned upside down with his return to New York and the death of his wife, and Olivia worried that now wasn't the time to further complicate his life.

But was it fair to Noah to deny him a meeting with the father he'd missed his entire life?

Turning back to Elliot, she responded cautiously. "I'd like that, but I think I need to leave it up to Noah. Let me talk to him, and then when you get settled and things calm down, we'll get together, if he's ready."

Elliot frantically shook his head. "I don't want to wait. I've missed ten years."

"I know," Olivia said. "You've missed ten years, so you can wait a few more days."

"Please, Liv. Please," Elliot begged, unsure he could go another day, even take another breath without getting to meet his child.

"I have to talk to him first, Elliot," she said firmly. "I can't just show up with you and say "meet your dad". Let me talk to him, and then I'll call you, ok?"

Elliot finally nodded, reluctantly accepting that both he and Olivia needed to take a breath, take the time to figure out the best way to introduce him to Noah without disrupting their son's life even more than it already would.

"Ok," he conceded softly. "Let me know when he's ready, and I'll be there." He rose and cautiously made his way over to Olivia, both of his hands reaching for hers as he knelt on the ground in front of her.

"We have a son," he whispered.

Tears returned to Olivia's eyes. "We have a son."

One of Elliot's hands shakily migrated to her cheek. "Thank you, for having him, for telling me about him, and for letting me meet him, if he's ready. I'm sorry I haven't been here."

"You're here now," Olivia said. "We're going to figure all of this out, and we're going to be just fine."

Elliot nodded, and he leaned forward, gently pressing his lips against her forehead.

Olivia wasn't sure she believed her own words, but she hoped they'd be true.

"I need to go, Elliot. You need to…to process all of this, and I need to get to Rollins's place to pick up my…our son."

"Ok," Elliot whispered. Olivia grasped his hand and pulled him with her to the door. "Please talk to him, soon," Elliot pleaded as he stopped Olivia before she could leave.

Before she could even think, Olivia pulled Elliot into a hug, and as his arms surrounded her, she allowed herself to melt into his embrace. "I'll talk to him soon," she whispered against his shoulder. "I promise."

When she finally pulled away, Elliot's hand cradled her face one last time. As his thumb brushed against her cheek, he tearfully said again, "I'm so sorry Olivia."

She nodded as her hand rose to cover his. "Me too, Elliot. But we'll get this all figured out."

Elliot brushed his thumb against her cheek again before finally releasing her. Olivia offered him a small smile before stepping into the hall.

As she walked to her car, her mind replayed every moment since Elliot asked about her son. This was far from the way she imagined him finding out about Noah, but it was done, and now it was time to move forward. They had a lot to figure out, but she hoped they'd find some resolution that was best for Noah, allowing Elliot to be the father she knew he'd want to be while still maintaining stability in their son's life.

It would be a challenge, but somehow they'd figure it out. Together.

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When Olivia arrived at Amanda's apartment, Noah met her at the door, throwing his arms around her waist. Olivia closed her eyes tight as she held him, determined she wouldn't cry in front of her son or her detective.

"Did you have fun with Aunt Amanda and the girls?" Olivia asked.

Noah bounced up and down in front of her. "We had lots of fun! But can we pick up pizza for dinner, pleeeeeeease Mom?"

Olivia laughed, her son's excitement calming her nerves and lightening her mood. "I guess we could get some pizza. Go hug the girls and tell Aunt Amanda thank you."

While Noah was saying goodbye to Jessie and Billie, Olivia thanked Amanda for taking care of her son for the afternoon.

"He's welcome here any time, Liv. But…" Amanda stopped, and then she lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. "Are you ok? What happened?"

Olivia dismissed her with a wave of her hand. "Nothing, I'm fine. It's just…sad to see my…him in so much pain."

Amanda looked at her with an expression that Olivia knew indicated her friend didn't believe a word she said. Amanda had been around since shortly after Elliot left, and Olivia knew she had her suspicions about the Benson Stabler partnership.

"Really, Amanda, I'm fine," Olivia insisted.

They said their goodbyes, and after picking up dinner, Olivia and Noah settled onto their couch with pizzas and a movie.

Olivia spent most of the movie watching her son, his laughter warming her heart, and for the first time all day, she felt a little bit of peace.

As the years went by, as much as Olivia longed to have Elliot in their lives, a part of her worried what would happen, how things would change if she had to share her son with his father. It had always just been the two of them, from the very beginning, and although she'd had several relationships since Elliot left, Noah remained her priority, and she'd promised him from the day he was born that she'd always be there for him, no matter how their lives changed.

But now things were different. His father was back and wanted a place in his son's life. Noah deserved to have a relationship with Elliot, if that's what he wanted, so it meant Olivia would have to begin sharing her son with someone else, and that was hard to think about.

When the movie was over, Olivia decided it was time to have a talk with Noah, unable to hold back her news any longer. After they'd cleaned up from dinner, and after Noah was changed for bed, Olivia took a breath and prepared to completely shake up her son's life.

"Noah, sweetie, I need to talk to you about something. Come sit with me," Olivia said, gesturing to the empty space on the couch next to her.

"What's up?" Noah asked, plopping down beside her.

Olivia slipped her arm across the back of the couch, turning toward her son and hoping he'd understand the seriousness of the conversation. "I need to talk to you about your father."

"Elliot?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. About him. He...he is back here in the city. He's been back for a few days, and I've seen him several times. While you were at Aunt Amanda's, I went to talk to him, and I told him about you."

Noah looked up at her, his eyes wide in surprise, shocked by the news that the man who'd only existed in a photo beside his bed was now in the same city and finally, ten years later, had learned of his existence.

"What did he say? Was he happy? Does he want to meet me?" Noah asked, rapidly firing questions at her.

Olivia held up her hands in an effort to calm her son as she fought back tears.

"Slow down, honey. I told him about you and showed him your picture. He was very happy to know about you, and if you're ok with it, he would really like to meet you."

"Yes! Please Mom, please! I want to meet him!" Noah begged.

"Ok," Olivia quietly agreed, wiping at a few errant tears rolling down her face.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, concerned by her display of emotions.

Olivia pulled Noah close, kissing the curls on top of his head. "I'm just feeling a lot of things, Noah. I'm glad you're going to get to meet him, because I know how much you've wanted to know him. But it's just been Team You and Me all these years, so it's a little scary to think about bringing someone else into our lives."

Noah slipped his arms around her waist, hugging her tight. "It's ok, Mom. It doesn't mean anything is going to change. It's still Team You and Me! It's just...maybe we get to add someone else to the team. But you're always my number one."

Olivia tearfully laughed. "You're my number one too, sweet boy."

"When do I get to meet him?"

Olivia thought for a moment. "I'll call him tonight, and we'll see when he might be available."

"Can we have spaghetti?" he asked hopefully.

"Whatever you want," Olivia answered.

Noah threw his arms tight around his mother's neck. "Thank you Mom. I love you."

She held her boy tight, feeling relieved that he wanted to meet Elliot, but also feeling nervous about adding another person into their dynamic, a person who should technically have a say in Noah's life. "I love you too Noah."

Later that night, after her son was fast asleep, Olivia reclined on her bed with a glass of wine and another picture of her and Elliot she'd dug out of her closet. Along with that photo, she held one of her and Noah. Laying the pictures out on the bed in front of her, she arranged them until all three of them were side by side, giving herself a tiny visual glimpse into what could have been if Elliot had never walked away from them.

Sometime in the not-too-distant future, they'd all be in the same room. Her son would finally meet his father, the man Olivia had loved for over twenty years.

Olivia wasn't sure she was really ready, but there was no delaying the inevitable.

It was time.

She reached for her phone and nervously dialed Elliot's number.

"Elliot, it's me," she said when he answered.

"Hey Liv," Elliot replied, and Olivia immediately could tell Elliot was struggling to even speak, undoubtedly still overwhelmed by the news she'd shared earlier.

"Um…I'm just on my way to bed so I won't keep you. I talked to Noah tonight, and he'd like to meet you, and he's requested spaghetti, so whenever you're available to come for dinner, I'll make it happen." Olivia spoke quickly, barely taking a breath, afraid she'd lose her nerve if she didn't blurt it all out at once.

After a few moments of silence, she heard Elliot's quiet "Wow."

His hesitance to respond scared her. Surely in the few hours she'd been gone, he hadn't changed his mind, had he?

"Is this still something you still want, Elliot? Because I just involved Noah in all of this, and if you're going to run again, this is over, now. If you hurt my son…I will never forgive you."

"No no, of course I want to meet him, Liv! I'm sorry, I just…wasn't expecting to hear from you so quickly," he said, his voice shaking as he fought back fresh tears.

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry I jumped on you. I'm just…"

"Protective, I get it," he finished for her. "I wouldn't expect anything less. So…I guess it really depends on you. I can be available at any time, and if something comes up, I'll rearrange. Noah is the priority here, Liv. I want to meet him as soon as I can."

After a brief pause, Olivia offered, "How about Tuesday night?"

"Perfect," Elliot answered.

"Great," Olivia said. "I'll…uh, check in with you on Tuesday morning to confirm everything."

"Thank you Olivia," he said tearfully. "I can't wait to meet him."

"Goodnight Elliot. See you soon."

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Tuesday arrived, and Olivia woke that morning to a wave of nausea threatening to overtake her. Today was the day Elliot and Noah would finally meet. A part of her was excited, a part of her was terrified, and both feelings culminated in the nervousness in her stomach. After dropping Noah at school and texting Elliot to confirm their evening, she made her way to the precinct.

When she stepped into the squad room, she was suddenly overcome with flashes of memories the past. Elliot had only spent a small portion of their partnership in the current squad room, and even though there had been renovations since then, the walls still held plenty of memories, both good and bad, to stop her in her tracks.

Olivia glanced toward one of the interrogation room, remembering vaguely falling into his arms after announcing that she wasn't the one who stabbed the captain with a pickle.

They'd stood together near their desks when he held her after Calvin was ripped from her arms, another one of the most difficult days of her life.

Her office – once belonging to Cragen – was a place they spent hours talking about case theories. She loved how hard he worked to solve a case, loved hearing the thoughts racing through his mind, loved how determined he was to bring justice to survivors.

Perhaps the most significant moment between them in this squad room occurred on the morning after their night together. Knowing she was overcome with guilt, before beginning their work day, Elliot pulled up a chair next to her and covered her hand with one of his. Gently squeezing it, he whispered, "We're going to be ok, Liv. I promise."

He'd given her a small smile, and for a moment, she'd believed him, that they'd really survive this moment of weakness.

A few weeks later, they'd share the last moments of their partnership in this same squad room. Her eyes finally landed on the floor, bouncing between the place she knelt over Sister Peg's body and the place Elliot knelt beside Jenna Fox's. It was the last day they spent as partners, and it hurt, deeply, that their partnership ended so abruptly and so traumatically.

"You ok Liv?"

She jumped, startled by the voice behind her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, Fin, I'm fine," she answered, forcing a smile while she attempted to fight back her tears.

Unconvinced, Fin followed her into her office. After watching her remove her coat and drop her bag, Fin closed the door behind him.

Olivia looked up at him when she heard the door close. "What's going on?" she asked, sitting down at her desk.

Fin sighed before beginning his explanation. "I'm not trying to get all in your business, but you've been different the last couple of days, and just now, you were in another world. I know Stabler coming back really caught you off guard, but as your friend, I just want to make sure you're ok."

"Thank you," Olivia said softly. She appreciated Fin checking on her. It was rare that he ever questioned anything about her personal life, so when he asked, she knew it was out of deep concern. His friendship and loyalty meant so much to her.

After a brief hesitation, Olivia decided to open up to Fin and inform him of the events of the last couple of days and what was planned for the evening. She knew he had his suspicions about Noah's paternity, and she felt that after so much time, he deserved the truth, and she knew he'd keep her news to himself until she was ready for the world to know.

"Fin, I need to tell you something, but I need you to keep it to yourself until I'm ready for everyone else to know." After Fin quickly agreed, Olivia dropped her news bomb on him.

"I spent some time with Elliot on Sunday afternoon, and he…Fin, Elliot is Noah's father."

A smirk crossed Fin's face. "I knew it," he said with a chuckle. "I suspected when you told us you were pregnant, but when he came out with those Stabler blue eyes, I knew for sure."

Olivia rolled her eyes, smiling at her friend. "You were right. I'm sorry I didn't tell you until now. I just…couldn't."

Fin held up his hands, trying to stop her apology. "I understand. Things were complicated back then and got even more complicated after he left. You did what you had to do."

Shaking her head, Olivia said, "It wasn't an affair, Fin. It was just once, that's all."

"Come on, Liv. I know you and Elliot better than that. You have too much respect for each other and too much respect for his marriage to carry on some long-term secret affair, but I know you had feelings, so it's not surprising that you crossed a line once. It doesn't change how I look at either of you, so don't worry about that, ok?"

Olivia felt tears form in her eyes, and she blew out a breath, trying to hold the tears in. "Thank you," she whispered.

Fin smiled at her again. "I bet he lost his mind when you told him, huh?"

"He did. It was a really hard conversation, but ultimately, he was happy. I talked to Noah that night, and Elliot is actually coming over to meet him tonight."

Fin surprised her when his expression turned very serious. "Just be careful with that, Liv. It's quick to be involving him with your kid, and Elliot is going through a lot right now, and I don't want to see Noah get hurt, or you."

Olivia nodded. "I'll be careful, Fin. I promise."

"I'm here for you, whatever you need, Liv." Fin stood up, reaching across her desk to put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

Olivia covered Fin's hand with hers, so appreciative of the care he was showing her. "Thank you."

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After a difficult day, Olivia managed to get home in enough time to shower, change, and start dinner. She'd allowed Noah a little bit of screen time to keep him occupied while she got things ready, and he was quietly playing games in his room.

A knock on the door pulled Olivia from her thoughts. Slowly walking to Noah's room, she let him know Elliot had arrived before making her way to the front door. She looked through the peephole to verify it was him, and when she saw his face, she closed her eyes, briefly resting her forehead against the door as she gathered strength to open it.

The door opened, and Olivia was met with tear-filled blue eyes, identical to her son's, and the emotions in them almost sent her to her knees.

"Hi," Elliot whispered.

"Hi," she whispered back. "Are you ok?"

Elliot shrugged nervously. "I'm scared out of my mind, but I'm anxious to meet him."

"He's very excited to meet you. Come on in." Olivia opened the door further, stepping aside to let him in.

Elliot quickly glanced around the room, taking in the apartment, so much different from the last one he was in. There were pictures of Noah everywhere, along with signs of a home, a family. Finally, his eyes rested on the blue-eyed, curly-haired boy standing at the edge of the hallway. He couldn't help the giant smile that spread across his face or the few tears that escaped.

"You must be Noah."

"Hi," Noah said shyly.

"Come on over, baby," Olivia said, holding out her hand to her son. She was desperately fighting back her own tears, overwhelmed at this moment she'd dreamt of for so long. Noah rushed over and took Olivia's hand. "Noah, this is Elliot."

Elliot held out his hand, and Noah hesitantly took it, giving it a small shake.

"It's very nice to meet you Noah."

Noah offered a small smile. "Nice to meet you too. I-I wanted to meet you for a long time."

Olivia closed her eyes, no longer able to stop the flow of tears down her face. Elliot finally tore his eyes from Noah, and upon seeing Olivia's tears, he released Noah's hand and placed his on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

She pulled away, quickly wiping her tears and said, "Why don't you two have a seat and get to know each other while I go work on dinner?"

Noah skipped over to the couch while Olivia went to the kitchen. Elliot was torn, wanting to talk to his son but also aching to check on Olivia. He knelt down in front of Noah and said, "Give me just a second to talk to Mom, ok?" Noah nodded, and Elliot quickly rushed to the kitchen.

Olivia was leaning over the back counter, tears rolling down her face as she desperately tried to get herself under control. She felt the warmth of a hand on her back, and before she knew it, Elliot had pulled her into his arms, cradling her against him as she cried into his chest.

"It's ok. It's ok," Elliot whispered into her ear. "I'm here now, and it's all going to be ok."

He was here. Finally.

Olivia allowed herself to sink into his embrace, allowed herself to accept the comfort Elliot was offering her. For so many years, it was all she'd wanted, to fall into his arms and let all of her feelings spill out of her in the safest place she'd ever known. But for so many years, it had been forbidden, the gold band on his finger a glaring reminder of everything she'd never have, until the night she'd ignored the ring and taken what she wanted, what a part of her felt like she deserved, even if only for that one night.

She finally pulled away, frantically trying to compose herself. Elliot took her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing her tears away.

"Why don't you go to your room and take a minute? Noah and I will be fine out here."

"Ok," Olivia whispered, and Elliot couldn't stop himself from pressing his lips against her forehead.

"He's perfect, Liv."

She closed her eyes, nodding against his lips as fresh tears fell down her face.

Elliot released her and whispered, "Go," as he made his way back to the living room.

In the privacy of her bedroom, Olivia gave herself a couple of minutes to rid herself of her tears before touching up her makeup. She could hear both Elliot and Noah's laughter coming from the living room, and she couldn't wait to get back to them so she could witness their first conversations.

When she felt she was sufficiently composed, she quietly slipped back into the kitchen, smiling as she listened to Noah and Elliot's attempt to get to know each other.

A few minutes later, dinner was ready, and the trio was seated at the table together for the first time, as a family.

"This spaghetti is great, Liv. I'm impressed," Elliot said.

Olivia smiled at him. "Thanks Elliot."

He looked at her with a smirk before turning his attention to Noah. "You know, Noah, when I worked with your mom, the only thing she knew how to cook was takeout."

Olivia rolled her eyes as Elliot and Noah laughed. It was true, but since Noah came into her life, she had definitely changed her ways.

"Mom is a really good cook now, but she had help with the spaghetti sauce from Uncle Sonny's mom," Noah informed him.

Elliot cut his eyes to Olivia. "Uncle Sonny?" he asked.

"Carisi, our ADA, his mother makes sauce and when she found out how much Noah loves spaghetti, she taught me now to make it," Olivia replied.

"Your ADA's mother," Elliot said quietly, trying to make sense of that level of closeness between an SVU captain and SVU's ADA.

Olivia smiled, knowing Elliot didn't understand the history she shared with the attorney. "Carisi used to be one of my detectives. My squad is close, Elliot, a family."

"That's great," he said sincerely, truly happy to hear that Olivia had formed a family in his absence. Leaving her without a large part of the people she considered family had been one of the hardest parts of walking away from her. "I'm glad you've had people looking out for you, for both of you."

"We've been ok, Elliot. I won't say it was easy, because that would be a lie, but we've got a great support system that really cares about us, and we've been happy."

Elliot couldn't stop himself, and he reached across the table, gently placing one of his hands on top of hers. "Good," he whispered, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"So," Elliot began, needing to take the conversation in a different, lighter direction. "Noah, do you play any sports? My son Eli is a big soccer player."

Noah shook his head. "I used to play baseball, but not anymore."

"Why not?" Elliot asked.

"It was fun, but when Peter left, it wasn't really very fun anymore," he said with a sigh.

"Peter?" Elliot asked, again cutting his eyes to Olivia.

"Stone, Ben Stone's son," Olivia answered. "He was a major league player before he became an attorney, and he was our ADA before Carisi. He played ball with Noah a lot until he had to leave."

"He didn't have to leave if you would've just loved him back," Noah mumbled under his breath with a frown.

Olivia choked on her wine, shocked and somewhat horrified at her son's statement. "Noah!" she said when she composed herself. "Who told you that?"

"That's what I heard Aunt Amanda tell Uncle Fin!" Noah insisted.

"Wow," she said softly, shaking her head. "Sweetie, we can talk more about this later, but Peter left because he wanted to move back to Chicago."

Noah shrugged his shoulders, clearly not believing her. "Whatever. People always leave. At least Peter said goodbye before he left." Noah looked up at Elliot. "Why did you leave without telling Mom goodbye?"

Elliot's eyes immediately flitted over to Olivia's, silently asking for a clue how to answer Noah's question. Olivia simply took a sip of her wine, offering no assistance and leaving Elliot to figure out an appropriate response on his own. He deserved it; he was entirely responsible for the situation they were in, and it was up to him to explain himself to their son.

"Noah, I…" he started, so unsure of how to explain himself. "Sometimes we make decisions that we think are the right ones that turn out to be very, very wrong. There was…an incident at work, and I reacted really badly, and I left. I didn't say goodbye to anyone. I thought it would be easier if I just walked away, but it wasn't. It was the wrong decision, and I regret it. I hurt a lot of people, including you and your mom, and I'm sorry, Noah. I'm very sorry that I haven't been here for you."

"I'm glad you're here now, Elliot."

Elliot couldn't stop himself, and he slipped an arm around Noah, pulling him close against his chest. "Me too, buddy."

The rest of their dinner consisted of lighter conversation with Elliot and Noah continuing to learn more about each other. Noah told Elliot all about school and dance, and Elliot shared stories about his other kids and his time in Rome. Olivia enjoyed watching their interactions, somehow even better than she'd ever imagined their first meeting would go. It was almost as if they'd known each other forever, and they fell into an easy friendship very quickly.

When it was time for Noah to head to bed, he asked if Elliot could come with them and help Olivia tuck him into bed.

Elliot stood in the doorway of Noah's room, watching their bedtime routine. When Noah was finally in bed, Elliot leaned over, gently kissing the boy on the forehead. "This was a great night, Noah. I'm glad you're my son, and I'm very happy we got to meet each other. I'll see you again soon, ok?"

Noah nodded. "Goodnight Elliot. I'm glad you're my dad."

Elliot squeezed Olivia's shoulder before excusing himself, leaving the mother and son to say goodnight privately.

Olivia tucked the covers around Noah before pressing a kiss onto his forehead. "Did you have a good night?"

A huge sleepy smile crossed Noah's face. "The best night, probably of my whole life."

Tears pooled in her eyes. "You think so?"

Noah nodded through his yawn. "Because I got to spend it with my mom and my dad."

Olivia kissed Noah's head again, trying to stifle her tears. She didn't want her son going to sleep seeing his mother was cry. "I'm so happy you had a good night, sweet boy."

"Can Elliot come back tomorrow?"

She shrugged. "We'll see. He has his other kids, and he has work, so I don't know that we'll get to see him every day. But I know he'll come back as soon as he can."

After a moment, Noah asked, "Mom, do I…do I have to call him dad now?"

Olivia was surprised by his question, and while she felt it might be too early, she wanted to let Noah decide what he felt was right for him. "It's your decision, Noah. If you want to call him dad, I'm sure he'd love it. But you don't have to call him that until you're ready, whenever that is. There's no reason for you to rush anything."

"Ok. I'll think about it. I love you Mom," Noah said, his eyes fluttering shut.

Olivia kissed his head one more time. "I love you too, Noah. Goodnight, my love."

She stood in the doorway for a few minutes, watching her son sleep. In these moments of slumber, he always seemed to look so much smaller, so much younger than his almost ten years. It was hard not to wish that this reunion had come much earlier, but she was thankful it was happening now instead of years down the road.

"Is he asleep?" Elliot asked when Olivia returned to the living room.

"He's close," she said, sitting down next to him. "He's so happy, Elliot. He told me today was probably the best day of his whole life because he got to spend it with both of his parents," she said as fresh tears began rolling down her face.

Elliot pulled her into his arms, holding her tight and rubbing her back as she cried against him once again. He closed his eyes and allowed a few tears to roll down his own face.

"Liv, it was one of the best days of my life too. He's an incredible kid." He tangled his hand in her hair, gently lifting her head to make her look at him. "I just...can't believe we made him. I always wondered what our child would look like or be like, and he's even more amazing than I could've imagined."

Olivia nodded, unable to speak due to the tears. Elliot brushed them away and pulled her to lean against him again.

"I don't want to leave," Elliot said softly. "I don't want to miss another moment with him. I've missed so much already."

She sighed, resting her head against him again. "Elliot, I want you to be here and be involved in Noah's life, but we don't have to figure everything out right now. You've got a lot going on right now, but we'll figure out a way to make this work. He wants to know you, and he deserves to get to have you in his life. Just don't up and leave again, ok? He wouldn't survive it. I...I wouldn't survive it."

Elliot nodded. "I can't thank you enough for letting me be here. You could've just kept him to yourself, and I would've understood. I left you to do all of this alone. I...left you."

"You didn't know, Elliot," she insisted. "You wouldn't have left if you knew. I wish I hadn't waited so long to tell you. I just...didn't want to mess up your family. I hope the kids aren't going to hate me too much for this."

"Let me worry about them," Elliot said. "I'll make sure they understand that the only person at fault here is me."

Olivia hesitantly asked, "Do you think they'll want to meet Noah?"

Elliot considered her question for a moment. "I think they'll be upset, and they'll be angry, especially with losing their mother so recently. It's going to hurt, and there's really no way around that. But I think when they've had time to think about everything, they'll welcome him into the family. He's a Stabler, just like them."

"He's not, Elliot. He has my last name."

Elliot shrugged, unbothered. He'd assumed with no one knowing he was Noah's father, most likely she'd used Benson as his last name. "We can change that whenever you're ready, whenever he's ready."

"Ok, slow down." Olivia sat up, holding up her hands to stop him from continuing. "You just met tonight, Elliot. Let's just slow this all down."

"I'm not asking for everything right now," Elliot said gently. "But someday I'd like to have my son share my last name, share his siblings' last name."

"And I might want him to continue to have my last name," Olivia pressed.

Elliot leaned over, his hands covering his face as he tried to fight the anger beginning to bubble to the surface. He really didn't want a fight, not tonight.

"Liv, we don't have to decide anything tonight. Please, let's not argue. I don't want to lose the high I'm on right now. Tonight couldn't have gone better."

"You're right," Olivia agreed. "It was a great night. He's wanted this for so long, and I have too."

Elliot turned back to her. "I know it's not easy to add someone else to your lives, but I appreciate the effort you're making. I know we have a lot to talk about, but I'm glad you're pushing that to the side for now and letting me get to know our son."

"We do have a lot we need to talk about, Elliot. There are some conversations we need to have, sooner rather than later, if we're going to figure out how to include you in Noah's life."

He reached for her hand. "Whenever you're ready. I know I have a lot of explaining to do, but I'm ready when you are."

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Can I see Noah again tomorrow? Or a phone call or something?" Elliot hesitantly asked.

Olivia understood his need to spend as much time with Noah as possible, but she also wanted to check in with Noah before bringing Elliot back around. While the evening had gone incredibly well, she needed to check in with her son in the morning, after he'd had time to think about everything.

"Can I let you know tomorrow? I just want to talk to Noah again first."

"Of course," Elliot answered. "Liv, I don't want to overstep or overwhelm either of you. But I want…I need to know him."

Tears formed in Olivia's eyes, completely understanding and completely agreeing with him. "I know."

Elliot squeezed her hand again before rising from the couch. "It's late, and I should go."

Olivia followed him to the door. "I'll call you tomorrow, ok?"

Elliot nodded before pulling her into his arms again. "Thank you for tonight, Liv. It means…everything to me."

"Thank you for being here for him," she whispered tearfully. "It means a lot to me too."

Elliot quickly pressed his lips against the side of her head before releasing her. "Goodnight Liv."

"Goodnight Elliot."

Olivia stood in the doorway until he was out of sight. After locking the door, she went to her room, curled up on her bed, and cried into her pillow.

It had been an amazing night. Throughout the years, she'd imagined a thousand different scenarios of Elliot and Noah finally meeting, but nothing could have prepared her for the feelings of watching her son meet his father, the best man she'd ever known, for the first time. It was a very special sight to witness, and she was grateful for the beauty of their meeting.

Despite it all, there was still a lot they needed to discuss, a lot of painful conversations they needed to have before a plan could be established. Elliot had a lot of explaining to do, and Olivia had a lot of feelings she needed to unload on him.

It needed to happen sooner rather than later. There was too much that he needed to know, too much she couldn't hold in anymore or she would burst.

Tomorrow.

Olivia decided right then that she'd put Fin in charge for the day, and she'd ask Elliot to come over, and she'd make him explain himself, and she'd tell him everything, the good, the bad, all of it.

After that, Olivia would try to figure out the best way to include Elliot in Noah's life. It was quick, and Elliot was grieving, so she knew they had to move at a slow pace, had to allow time for him to help his other children through the death of their mother, and had to let him process the death of his wife.

Olivia planned to insist on Elliot getting professional help, someone who could help guide him through the trauma he'd experienced and help him learn how to move forward. Until then, she'd proceed cautiously, keeping Noah's best interests the number one priority.

Today had been a good day, by far the best since Elliot's return to her life. Olivia knew there were many more obstacles ahead, inevitably difficult days to come, but tonight, she'd fall asleep with a little bit of peace, because finally, ten years later, she got a glimpse of what they could've been.

A family.