Olivia leaned back in her chair, running a graceful hand through her cropped hair and listening to the vertebrae in her neck pop. She dropped the case file onto her desk, allowing it to fall closed.

"This is going nowhere fast, Elliot. Can we get a search warrant for the Michaels house? Call Casey, would you?"

Elliot returned the exhausted look his partner sent him and got Casey on the phone without argument, "Hey Case? We need a warrant...for the Michaels case? We have DNA inside the vic...yes...no...Case, come on. Please? Alright, thank you," a click and then an exasperated sigh, "She'll work on it."

"Fantastic. Meanwhile, Michaels can go right on ahead with his perverted little escapade and we'll just take notes. What else do we have?"

"You have at least a few hours to go get some sleep, that's what you have," Cragen announced, walking up to their joined desks, "You guys have been on this for almost 20 hours. Get some sleep. Crash in the crib or go home, I don't care, but take some time to catch a nap."

Elliot nodded his thanks, grabbing his keys and heading for the door without question. Olivia stood up too, thanking Cragen and heading for the crib. It seemed to be the only time she got true uninterrupted rest, maybe because her body was trained to sleep without Alex there or maybe because the crib held no personal memories of the blonde ADA the way Olivia's bedroom did. Either way, she was glad for the reprieve and headed eagerly for the creaky bunks.

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Dear Mama,
I am 35 weeks old in mommy' s belly today. Dr. Harrison says I am growing well and soon I will be ready to come out and join the world. Mommy is excited to meet me and she wishes you could be there when she does. My name is Adia Grace Benson Isaacs, which mommy says is a mouthful. The pictures on this page are my newest pictures. Dr Harrison says this is a 3D picture and mommy says you can see my pretty face very well. Mommy has gained so far 24 pounds with me. She says she doesn't remember what her feet look like anymore, but she says that she is glad that you aren't supposed to dye your hair when you are pregnant. She let it go back to blonde and cut all the red hair off. Mommy reads to me every night and she tells me stories about you. Even though I've never met you, you are important and mommy wants to make sure I know you for when I do meet you. I hope it's soon. I love you, Mama.

Love,
Adia Grace

Alex fitted the last of the ultrasound pictures in a circle around Adia's letter to Olivia. She set the timer on the camera, standing sideways against the tan wall of the living room so Olivia could see how big she had gotten. She'd nervously asked Dr. Harrison if she was sure Adia wasn't twins and had only been slightly offended when Dr. Harrison had laughed.

She hoped Olivia would like Adia's name, would like the meaning Alex had intended. She wondered what color hair Adia was going to have, what color eyes. She'd counted fingers on the ultrasound screen, but was mostly relying on Dr. Harrison's assurance that there were ten. Adia looked perfect, the doctor had assured her. The last picture Alex pasted into the book had Adia's profile, with one hand raised as if in greeting. It was Alex's favorite picture and she knew Olivia would love it too.

She slid her hands almost unconsciously over her stomach, wishing that Olivia were there to share this experience with her. she will be with you for the next one she thought suddenly. If she thought otherwise, if she thought that maybe, she would never see Olivia again and that Emily really was all that she had left, she didn't think she would make it. she had to think in terms of "home" and "witness protection" because if she merged the two, she would lose herself.

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Dear Alex,
Today marks the 32nd week of life without you. I hope you are safe, wherever you are and I hope you are happy. Did they ask you where you wanted to go, or did they just pick whatever place they thought safe? Where do you live? Do you finally have a house or did they stick you in an apartment? I miss you every day. I used to laugh at those stupid harlequin romance novels where all the man can think about is the beautiful woman who he wants more than life itself. I never thought my life would imitate that particular genre of literature. I wonder every day if you are safe and I worry that one day, I will wake up and you will have moved on with your life.

If the insemination worked, you will be 34 weeks pregnant. Are you? Did you keep it? Is it a boy or a girl, or nothing but a figment of my overactive imagination? I wish I knew...I wish I knew some way to find you. I would, you know. I would give up my badge and my gun to be with you again. You always told me that SVU is in my blood, but you never told me you were in my heart and that you would always win over my blood.

I love you, Alex.

Olivia

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Alex gasped sharply, slamming on the breaks and pulling over to the side of the road as another contraction hit. They hadn't talked about this in any of her "what to expect" books. What do single parents do when they go into labor? They mop up the amniotic fluid off the kitchen floor, grab their overnight bag and drive themselves to the hospital.

Sure, Alex reasoned, she could have called Martin, but Martin would have wanted to stay and hold her hand and feed her ice chips and quite frankly, Alex didn't want anyone but Olivia taking over those specific tasks, and if Olivia couldn't do it, Alex would fend for herself.

As she rounded the corner and pulled into the parking lot, Alex grabbed her overnight bag and turned off her car in one smooth swoop before running to the doors as fast as her swollen feet would carry her.