A/N: The beginning of this chapter briefly touches on Season 8 Episode 6 'Infiltrated'. The girl mentioned in this chapter (Britney) is the victim Benson helped track down during that episode whilst she was still undercover in Oregon. x

Another two weeks passed until Olivia was finally taken off the FBI investigation due to her cover being blown. She was currently sat in the passengers seat of Agent Dean Porter's car on the way to the airport to catch her flight. Now that Britney had been found safe and was returned to her parents, Liv was able to sleep which is what she was doing in that precise moment.

Unfortunately, her slumber was anything but peaceful as she dreamed of nothing but her husband and her life back in New York. Her head tossed from side to side as if she was trying to rid her mind of her troubling thoughts. "Elliot...Elliot..." She groaned.

"Olivia!"

Liv's eyes snapped open when she heard her name being called. Somewhere in the depths of her mind, she thought it might have been El's voice she could hear. However, she was disappointed when she turned and saw Porter smirking at her. The detective released a tired sigh and rubbed at her eyes before leaning against the passenger window.

Olivia looked away from the federal agent when he continued to smirk as if he was trying to withhold a laugh. "What?" She spat at him, a little annoyed that he had disturbed her nap just to laugh at her.

"Who's Elliot?" Porter asked slyly as his eyes returned to the road ahead. Liv looked away from him and out the window, refusing to answer his question. During the case they worked together, they hadn't discussed personal business and she wasn't about to offer up any information about her life now. "Oh, come on. He must be pretty special. 'Elliot...oh Elliot-'" His taunting was cut off by Olivia who blushed and slapped his arm a little harder than she had intended.

"Shut up!" She hissed. Porter gave her another smirk, not bothered by the whack he had just received, and she rolled her eyes knowing he wasn't about to drop the subject. "He's my partner back in New York." Liv hoped her response to his question was sufficient enough to shut up.. Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky.

"Ah...and does he find you as annoying as I do?" Porter raised an eyebrow as he continued to look out of the wind shield. His tone was somewhat obnoxious and was that a hint of flirtation she could detect?

"He also happens to be my husband." Liv added as if to make it clear that she was unavailable just in case he was trying to flirt.

Porter's expression changed to one of sympathy. "I'm sorry. You must miss him." He stated rather than asked.

"I do. We've never spent this much time a part. Not even before we were married." Olivia admitted, a hint of sadness in her tone. "He's going to pissed about me doing a disappearing act." She added as an afterthought more to herself than the other occupant in the car.

"I'm sure they've told him you're working for the feds. Don't stress so much." Porter tried to assure her.

"I wouldn't be so worried if we didn't have a six year old child. We're in the middle of adopting a second." Olivia didn't know why she was offering so much information. She guessed it had something to do with her not being able to discuss her family for so long. Guilt filled her veins when images of her husband and children flashed in her head. She just wanted to get home and see her family.

Elliot had just settled himself on the couch to watch a rerun of some sort of comedy show. He had just got Maria settled into bed for the evening and just wanted to have some downtime himself before he retired for the night. It had been a long few weeks. He was constantly worrying about everything that was going on in his life. It was just a few days ago when he walked into the squad room to see Fin on the phone to his wife. His colleague had handed the receiver to him but just as El spoke, she hung up on him. At least he knew she was still alive but that offered him little comfort. Especially when Maria was constantly asking when her mama was coming home.

El was just about to take a sip of his beer when there was a quiet knock on the front door. He sighed and placed the bottle on the coffee table before turning off the television. He didn't know who it was but nothing good could come out of a visit at nine o'clock at night.

The blue eyed detective pulled the door open slightly apprehensively and froze in shock when he saw none other than his missing wife stood on the doorstep. Before he could even say one word, Olivia dove into his arms and wrapped her own around him. Elliot swung the door closed but not hard enough so that it made a loud noise. He then wordlessly, wrapped an arm around the woman who was buried into his chest.

Olivia felt tears in her eyes as she lifted her head and looked up into his eyes. She sensed a little hostility in them and leaned in to kiss him. His cold demeanour was confirmed when he refused to kiss her back.

"El?" Liv asked a little worried when Elliot still refused to say anything. Olivia extracted her arms from around his neck and took him by the hand so she could lead him over to the stairs. "Elliot, please talk to me. Where's Maria? Is she ok?"

Worry bubbled up inside her when he didn't offer up a response. She dropped his hand and raced up the stairs and towards her daughter's room. Olivia sighed in relief when she saw Maria sleeping soundly in her bed. The mother went to step into the room but a stern voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't wake her."

Olivia turned and gaped at her husband. "El, I just want to hold my daughter. I haven't been able to do that in a month-"

"And whose fault is that?" Elliot spat rather harshly but he didn't raise his voice.

"She's my daughter, Elliot. If I want to hold her then I will hold her." Now it was Olivia's turn to be firm.

"You didn't seem too worried about that when you were off playing Secret Agent with the FBI!" Liv scoffed at his words and went to take another step into the little girl's room but a tight grip on her arm prevented her from doing so. Elliot pulled her closer towards him and closed the bedroom door. "I said don't wake her."

"Let me go, Elliot." Olivia gritted out. She couldn't believe he was behaving like this. Sure, she knew he was going to be angry but not angry enough to keep her away from her own child.

Elliot looked into her eyes before releasing his hold on her arm. He then stormed off in the direction of their bedroom only to be followed by his furious wife. Olivia watched him pace the length of their bedroom until she decided to break the tense silence.

"I can't believe you!" She exclaimed but not so loud that it would wake the child in the next room.

Elliot stopped abruptly and went over to her so that their faces were inches apart. If he had been looming over anyone else other than Liv, they would have been intimidated but Olivia had known him for years and she knew that he would never physically hurt a woman. It was just the way he was raised.

"You can't believe me?!" He asked rhetorically. "Do you know how many times our daughter has woken up screaming in the middle of the night? Do you know how hard it was for me to tell her that I didn't know when or if Mommy would be coming home? Did you ever even think about us, our family, whilst you were gone?"

"Of course I did!" Liv insisted. "Everything just moved so quickly. One minute Dana was releasing me from federal lock up and the next I was on a plane! I didn't want to go but they practically forced me!" Elliot scoffed and shook his head as he took a step back from her. "It's true. I wanted to get justice for Haley and the only way I could do that was to track down the scumbags who basically brainwashed her. It's my job, Elliot."

Elliot once again whirled on her. "Your NYPD not FBI. You should of left that job to the feds. I warned you, Cragen warned you but what does that matter? Olivia Benson had to be the hero once again! Never mind the fact that she was leaving two children and a husband behind. Don't you realise that your life doesn't revolve around yourself any more? You risked everything for one case."

"I didn't risk anything. I made sure that you were told everything you needed to know." Olivia retorted heatedly.

"What about the adoption? Did you ever stop and think about that?" Elliot grilled her.

Liv looked up sharply and glared. "Don't you dare try and guilt trip me. I made sure the feds cleared everything up with ACS. They assured me I would be back in time to sign the papers." It was then when the room fell into another uncomfortable silence. She felt tears in her eyes when Elliot sat on the end of their bed in defeat. They were both clearly tired of fighting.

Olivia slowly walked towards her husband and stopped just in front of him. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave. Please, just talk to me as your wife and not your enemy. Please don't hate me." The tears were finally rolling down her cheeks. Tears she had been holding back the whole plane ride back to New York.

Elliot looked up and Liv was shocked to see tears in his own eyes. "I could never hate you, Liv. You're my wife. I love you." He sighed and looked down at his lap. "I'm just scared."

Liv wiped at her face before cupping El's cheek in her head and lifting his head. "What are you scared of?" She asked tenderly.

"I don't want you to ever go off like that ever again. I didn't even get a even a phone call. I was so worried." Elliot finally admitted. "I can't raise two little girls on my own, Liv. Not without you. I need you by my side."

Instead of responding verbally, Olivia ducked down and kissed his lips. Relief filled her when he responded in kind by wrapping his arms around her waist. Getting lost in the moment, Olivia straddled his lap only to let out a squeal when he abruptly turned them around and threw her onto the bed.

Olivia scooted up on the bed and waited impatiently as Elliot crawled on top of her. "You're not leaving this bed until I say you can." El growled into her ear before ripping off her shirt with his bare hands. Liv gasped in excitement and pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt. They continued to kiss passionately all the while undressing each other.

The next morning, Olivia woke up in the arms of her husband and had to blink a couple of times until she remembered that she was home. She smiled in content and snuggled deeper into Elliot's chest. Liv giggled when she remembered their passionate sex they participated in before finally passing out in each other's embrace at around one AM.

Olivia's eyes closed softly when she felt a pair of lips kiss the top of her head and only looked up when she heard Elliot's voice. "Morning, Sexy."

Liv bit her bottom lip and kissed him on the mouth. "Morning, Stud." She giggled. Before either of them could say another word, a little voice called out from across the hall.

"Daddy?!" It was Maria and she sounded pretty upset.

Olivia and Elliot sighed as they sat up. Liv climbed out of bed and after she had put on her robe, she went to head in the direction of her daughter.

Elliot came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. She could tell that he had dressed in boxers and a vest. "I'll get her. Why don't you go and make coffee. I was thinking we could go out for breakfast." He murmured into her ear before kissing her neck.

Olivia stiffened and turned. "El, I want to-"

"Shhh. We can surprise her. Plus...I don't think she will quite believe it if you suddenly appeared out of nowhere." Elliot explained. He knew she was desperate to see their daughter but he felt like it was too sudden. He was hoping that this way, Maria wouldn't go into a state of shock if her absent mother was suddenly in her room.

Olivia sighed and pushed back her new bangs before tying her hair up into a pony tail. "Ok. But be quick. I just want to hold her." She told him before leaving the room and making her way downstairs as quietly as she could.

Ten minutes later, Olivia found herself basking in the sunlight shining through the French doors of the dining room area. There were two mugs of coffee and a glass of orange juice on the table just waiting for her husband and daughter to enjoy.

Footsteps were heard in the entryway which prompted Olivia to look up and smile when she saw Maria and Elliot. "Hi, Baby." Olivia whispered out emotionally. Her smile dropped when her daughter froze and backed up into her father who rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Can Mama get a hug?" Liv tried once again by holding out her arms as if just waiting to accept the child into them. She remained in her seat at the dining table and watched as Elliot lent down and whispered something into Maria's ear.

The girl looked at her father briefly and he gave her a single nod. Maria then turned to look back at her mother who still held her arms in the air. She walked tentatively over to the table and stopped very briefly in front of Olivia before diving into her arms. Liv felt tears in her eyes as she wrapped her arms tightly around Maria's small frame and lifted her onto her lap.

"Mama." Was all Maria was able to get out before she broke down, tiny sobs causing her body to shake. Olivia felt guilt flood her as she rocked back and forth, whispering soothing words into Maria's ear.

It took a while but soon Maria calmed down and was reduced to sniffling slightly as she backed up a little. Olivia gave her a watery smile and used the sleeve of her robe to wipe away her little girl's tears. Maria studied her and stroked Olivia's face before reaching to the back of Olivia's head and taking out her hair tie. She messed with her hair for a while and frowned.

"You're hair is different." Maria squeaked out curiously as she brushed her tiny fingers through Liv's bangs and slightly curled hair. Not only was the style different, but Liv also had some blonde highlights added to her hair.

"I know. Do you like it?" Olivia asked as she ran her fingers through Maria's own hair. She made a note that she should get it trimmed a little when she realised that the dark locks had some split ends at the bottom.

Maria nodded and gave Liv a small smile. "It's pretty." She said.

Olivia smiled and wrapped her arms around Maria a little tighter. Resting her chin on the top of her daughter's head, she shot a little smile at her husband who had joined them at the table. Elliot reached out and took a hold of Liv's hand and squeezed it comfortingly, giving her a little wink in the process.

Later that morning, the family of three were sat in a booth at a diner not far from where they lived. Conversation flowed easily amongst them but the moment was broken when Elliot's cell phone rang.

Elliot sighed and put his fork down on his plate before answering the call. "Stabler." He nodded at whatever the person on the other end of the line was saying and his shoulders slumped. "Ok. I'll be right over." He said before hanging up.

El looked over the table at his wife and daughter before heaving another sigh. Olivia gave him an understanding smile. "Work?" She asked although she already knew the answer.

"Afraid so." Her husband replied as he got up from the table and placed some cash down. Elliot kissed the top of Maria's head before kissing his wife. "Hopefully this new one is open and shut. Why don't you two go out for the day? No point in us all being miserable." He suggested.

Olivia nodded and wrapped her arm around Maria's shoulder. "Hurry back!" She called out as she watched him leave the diner.

Liv then looked down at Maria. "So...it's just you and me, Baby. What do you want to do after we're done with breakfast?" She asked. Maria shrugged and took a mouthful of pancake. "Ok, how about we take it easy today? We could head over to the playground for a little bit, have some lunch at home and then watch some movies? That sound good?" The six year old nodded in the affirmative as she continued to enjoy her breakfast.

The two Stablers found themselves in the park not far from the house about half an hour later. Olivia had just gone to walk over to a bench whilst Maria climbed up a ladder to go down the slide when a little scream stopped her. Liv turned on the spot to see her daughter running over to her with tears streaming down her face.

Olivia crouched down just in time for Maria to fall into her arms. She rubbed her daughter's back gently before pulling back. "What's the matter, Sweetie?" She asked concerned as she checked Maria for any injuries.

"I...I thought...you were going to...leave me." Maria stuttered out through her sobs before diving back into her mother's arms.

Liv sighed sadly and stood up with the child still clinging to her before making her way over to the bench. She let Maria calm down before she spoke again. "Maria." The little girl refused the come out from being buried in her mother's chest and clung onto Olivia tighter. "Maria, Honey, look at Mama." Olivia's tone was firm but not scolding.

Reluctantly, Maria pulled back and looked at her mom. Olivia once again wiped away her daughter's tears. "I'm sorry I left but I didn't want to leave you. I had to help find some bad people...that's what I do remember?" Maria nodded and used the sleeve of her coat to wipe her nose. Normally, Olivia would have scolded her for doing so but let the action slide on that particular occasion. "I will never leave you or Zoe or Daddy for that long ever again, ok? Do you think you can forgive me?"

Maria contemplated her mother's words before throwing herself once again into Olivia's body. "I forgive you, Mama." Her little voice was muffled but Olivia heard her loud and clear. Their little moment was disturbed by another little voice.

"Wanna play with me?" A little boy around Maria's age asked as he looked between the mother-daughter pair.

Maria lifted her head and looked between the kid and her mom. Olivia nodded and fixed a piece of Maria's hair back into place. "Go on, Baby. I won't move from this spot." She assured the little girl.

Maria sighed before climbing off of Olivia's lap and followed after the boy who led her towards the sandpit. Liv watched her daughter play and didn't fail in waving at her when Maria looked up every so often from their game.

Olivia knew it would take time but she was sure Maria would get used to the idea that Liv wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon.

It wasn't long after Olivia's return that their adoption of Zoe was finalised. They were all living on cloud nine when the day finally came to welcome their new addition into her new home. The four of them were all shocked when they returned from the Wilson's to find all of their family friends waiting for them in their formal living room. Their house was decorated with banners which read 'Welcome Home Zoe' and of course, it wouldn't have been a party without food and presents

Olivia and Elliot were both exhausted by the end of the day and were just about to call it a night when there was a small knock on their bedroom door. The person, or people, on the other side didn't wait for their response and the door was opened to reveal two small figures in the entrance.

"Mommy?" Maria whispered out before stepping in the room. Next to her was Zoe who looked tired but otherwise happy and healthy.

"Girls? What's wrong?" Olivia whispered out after sharing a look with her husband.

Maria didn't say anything until she was stood by Olivia's side of the bed. "Can we have a sleepover with you and Daddy? We can't sleep."

Olivia and Elliot happily agreed and Liv climbed out of bed so that the two girls could get under the duvet. Maria had no trouble climbing onto the bed but Olivia had to lift Zoe as she was a little too short to copy her older sister. Liv got back into the bed and covered them up. She suspected that Maria was the one who couldn't sleep as Zoe had no trouble falling back into a deep slumber, her body lying on top of her new mother's. The two detective's didn't care though. They were just happy to snuggle with their two children and soon all four Stabler's were fast asleep, blissfully unaware of what lay ahead of them...

A/N: Not completely satisfied with the ending of this chapter. It's just a bit 'choppy' in my opinion and it also hasn't been thoroughly proof read but I just really wanted to get Zoe where she belonged as well as Olivia back with her family. Still, I hope everyone gets some sort of satisfaction out of this instalment. x