AN: This was part of a challenge. Several writers were bemoaning the episode Paternity, and how it should be rewritten. Check out version from WriterKC, FragileVixenFic, , JustAnotherBookworm78, AlexisDawn and MrsWellRested. You can find the other stories by using #PaternityRedux. Thanks!

EOEOEOEO

Olivia was leaning over the bathroom sink, washing the make-up from her face, when she paused. She turned off the water and listened. She had been right when she thought she'd heard her buzzer. She grabbed the towel and wiped the water from her face, wondering who could be here at this time of night. She could count the number of possibilities on one hand, but she'd just left all the usual suspects at the station a couple of hours ago.

Most likely it was just someone that hit the wrong button or was trying to find anyone to let them in the building. "Yes?" She said as she pressed the button situated below the speaker on the wall.

"Hey."

Olivia was surprised to hear Elliot's voice. He had taken off for home at the same time she had left the station. He should be safely ensconced at his home in Queens by now.

"Elliot?" She asked, just to make sure it was him.

"Let me in."

Olivia heard his brusque reply and it was clear that his mood hadn't improved since he'd left the station. She wondered if he was here to talk through their differences of opinion on the case they were working on. It seemed unlikely, as that wasn't the way they usually handled their disagreements. But she honestly couldn't figure out any other reason for him to be here.

She supposed she would find out.

She hit the button that unlocked the security door downstairs and made her way over to her door, disconnecting the safety chain and unlocking it. There wasn't an opportunity to change out of her leggings and tank top, but she rushed into her bedroom and grabbed a zip-up sweatshirt to put over the tank, since she'd been ready to climb into bed and had shed her bra. She was just zipping it up when she heard a light knock.

When she swung the door open, she saw Elliot standing there. He had clearly been home, as he was now wearing jeans and a t-shirt. She could tell that he was feeling uncomfortable, almost as if he weren't sure if he should be here or not.

"Were you sleeping?" Elliot asked.

"Not yet." Olivia replied, zipping up the sweatshirt a little more as Elliot assessed her clothing with a quick perusal. She furrowed her brow. "Is everything okay?"

Elliot shifted on his feet but didn't answer, and now she was worried.

"Is everything okay with the kids? Or Kathy? Did something happen?" Kathy was almost eight months pregnant and it was a higher risk pregnancy, and she knew he worried about that. Of course, if something had happened, he wouldn't be standing on her doorstep.

"Everyone is fine". Elliot loved and hated that his family was always front of mind with Olivia. "I just need to talk. Can I come in?"

Olivia stepped back and pulled the door open more completely, waving Elliot inside. "Of course. I wasn't sure why you were here but...sure." She closed the door behind him. "Do you want a bottle of water?"

"Do you have a beer?"

"Um...sure. I think so." Olivia veered off into the kitchen and ducked her head into the refrigerator. Luckily, she had a couple of bottles inside and she snagged two and carried them into the living room. She saw that Elliot has situated himself in the oversized chair. She handed him one of the beers and watched as he twisted off the lid and chugged half of it without taking a breath. Now Olivia was a little more than worried; it was unusual for Elliot to be here under any circumstances, and he was acting completely out of character. But she knew she wasn't going to be able to push him. Olivia situated herself on the couch, tucking one leg beneath her, and waited for Elliot to take the lead.

Elliot found that he couldn't look at Olivia and he wondered why in the hell he had decided to come over here in the first place. "I think I made a mistake." He said, finishing off his beer and setting it on the coffee table.

"In the Garvin case?" Olivia asked, her curiosity piqued by his statement. She was surprised that he would show up here to confess that he'd been wrong about the case.

"What?" Elliot looked at Olivia in confusion, but then it clicked into place. She thought he was here about the case. Of course, why else would he be here? It only confirmed the conclusion he'd already reached. "It's not the case." He said, looking back at her. "I meant that I made a mistake in coming here." He clarified. He started to rise out of the chair. "I should go."

"But you just got here." Olivia stood up. "Don't go." She said quickly, placing a hand in his arm. Elliot wasn't much of a talker, and if he left his house in Queens and drove all the way back into the city, she knew it must be something monumental. "Talk to me."

Elliot paused, unsure of what to do. When he'd slammed out of his house, he'd had only had one destination in mind. He had practically blurted out his news the moment she had opened the door. But seeing her standing there, a victim of his choices, it hadn't been so clear. "I don't think I should drag you into this." Even though she was at the core of it.

Always had been.

"El. It's me." Olivia said softly. "We've been through a lot of shit together. Whatever it is, you can talk to me." He was starting to scare her a little. She couldn't imagine what could be so horrible that he didn't think he could talk to her about it.

Elliot shook his head. What she had said was true, but this was different. "Liv…" He pulled his arm back, forcing her to drop her hand. "I can't." He started towards the door. "I shouldn't have come." His mind was racing…the implications of every choice he'd made over the past year raining down on him.

Olivia felt almost panicky, driven by the distress she saw in Elliot. "Elliot!" She said sharply as he reached for the doorknob. If her pleas weren't going to work, she'd try anger. "You drove all the way home and all the way back here just to talk to me and now you're going to just leave? Don't do that to me." If he walked out that door, she was going to be up all night, worrying about him.

"Christ Olivia." He said, reacting to her anger, his brimming just beneath the surface. He saw only concern on her face, and he softened a bit. "This isn't about you." He lied. He scrubbed his hands over his eyes and down his cheeks, emitting a sound of frustration.

"Then what? What is so terrible that you can't talk to me about it?" She watched as Elliot lifted his head, his eyes searing into hers and she hated the distress that was so evident on his face.

"It's the baby…" He paused, still dealing with his own emotions. He strode past her and back into her living room, not stopping until he reached the windows. He braced his arms against the frame of the window, staring out at the lights of the city.

Olivia followed him, sitting on the edge of the couch to give him space. Her mind was all over the place, wondering what he was going to say. He had already confirmed that everyone was okay, so it wasn't that. She wondered if his pending fatherhood, with starting all over again, was weighing him down.

"It'll be fine Elliot." She said, sitting down on the edge of the couch. "I know this baby wasn't planned but…"

Elliot let out a snort. "Yeah, it wasn't planned." He spun around and crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the window. "And it's not mine."

Olivia shrank back in surprise, blinking rapidly as she tried to process his comment. "What?" She just tossed it out there, because honestly, she was at a loss for words.

"The baby isn't mine." Elliot repeated.

"That can't be right." Olivia said. She couldn't imagine that Kathy would lie about something like that. "Are you sure? You…but you said…" Olivia didn't know if he was dealing with facts or conjecture. "How do you know?"

"She told me."

"But you can't be sure." Clearly Elliot had slept with Kathy during his separation, since he had thought he had fathered the baby. The day he'd told her about the pregnancy was one she'd never forget. It had been in the middle of a case that had shaken the entire squad, and the shock of it had rendered her speechless. They'd been interrupted before they could even really talk about it, and they had avoided it after it.

It was the beginning of a change in their relationship between them.

Elliot had tried to show enthusiasm for moving home and family life, dutifully leaving the squad at a reasonable time to make family dinners and keeping her at arm's length. She had started dating again with a vengeance, trying to bury her anger and feelings of betrayal.

"I'm sure." Elliot said, interrupting her thoughts. "We got into a fight tonight about me being late." He shook his head, remembering her accusation that he wasn't going to be there to support this baby either. It had only escalated from there. "She told me I didn't have to worry about it and then…" He let out a heavy sigh. "She told me that it wasn't mine."

"Maybe she just said that because she was angry." Olivia suggested, still in disbelief over what he'd told her.

"It's not mine." He said in frustration.

Olivia pushed herself off the couch and walked over towards him, trying to figure out what to say. "I'm sorry. It sounded inadequate.

Elliot shook his head. "Don't be." He said, dropping his arms to his side. "I'm not."

Olivia furrowed her brows, confused by his comment. "El…" She said softly. She knew he was in pain and was trying to cover it up by pretending that he didn't care.

"I think a part of me knew." He said. "Or, at least, questioned it." He said. "I only slept with her once." He knew that sounded stupid. How many times had he told his kids and others that it only took one time? But for some reason, he needed Olivia to know that he hadn't been sleeping with Kathy the entire time they were separated.

Elliot saw her look away from him and out the window. "I know you don't want to hear that but…" He let out a heavy sigh. "One night, and it fucked up everything." He saw Olivia look back at him. "It cost me everything." His voice was strained, as he tried to keep his emotions in check.

Olivia saw the intensity in his stare, as if he were trying to tell her something, but her mind was reeling.

"You never looked at me the same way again." Elliot said, his defeat evident in his voice.

Olivia's sympathy starting ebbing as the reality of what he said started to sink in. She couldn't believe Elliot was standing there, acting like the victim, when all of the choices had been his. He had broken her heart on that day in the courthouse and she couldn't pretend that he hadn't. If he were looking for comfort or reassurance from him, he'd come to the wrong place.

"How could I?" All of the pain and confusion she'd pushed deep down inside was threatening to bubble to the surface and she wasn't sure how long she could hold on before she lost it. "Don't you understand what that did to me?"

Olivia's words slammed into him. "I never meant to hurt you."

Elliot's words sounded hollow to her and she turned away from him. "Well, you did."

Olivia couldn't look at him. She sat down hard on the couch and leaned back, resting her head against the back of the couch, and looked at the ceiling. She closed her eyes, remembering back to that day in the courthouse. "You know what hurt the most when you told me that Kathy was pregnant?"

Olivia's voice was small, and Elliot braced himself for the impact of her words.

"That I'd been so naïve. That I let myself think that maybe…this was our time. We were getting along so much better. We seemed to be working through everything and I thought, finally, there was nothing standing in our way. And then, I find out that you'd been sleeping with Kathy the whole time." She paused. "I felt like such an idiot, thinking you'd ever chose me over her."

"It wasn't a choice between you and Kathy." Elliot said, and Olivia's head shot up.

"How can you say that?" She didn't mean to sound petulant, but she wasn't sure how he could sit there and tell her that he hadn't made a choice.

"I didn't mean for anything to happen." He walked towards her and sat in the chair adjacent to the couch, leaning forward slightly as he continued. "It was that night…the Royce case. I went to the house to see my kids and it just…" He remembered that night so clearly. Kathy's unspoken invitation. He didn't know how to explain that he'd just needed some comfort…to make a connection. "It wasn't a conscious decision." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized that he'd spent the last seven months blaming everyone else, when he was the one that had crawled into Kathy's bed. He hung his head. "You're right." He said with a sigh. "I made a choice. It was an escape. I didn't want to think about it."

"That's a cop-out Elliot and you know it. We always work through these tough cases together. We always have each other's back. You've always said you can't talk to Kathy about those things." She laughed a sarcastic laugh. "But I guess you weren't doing much talking that night."

He knew he deserved it, but that didn't mean it stung any less. "I made a mistake." Elliot could feel her slipping away from him. "I can't change it." He leaned forward a little more. "I wish that I could turn back the clock. I'd change so many things." He said with a sigh. "But I can't."

"No. You can't." Olivia said, hearing conviction in her voice. "So, I don't know what you want me to say, or why you even came here tonight." She was at war with herself. Her rational mind was telling her to keep up her defenses and toss him out. But her heart was fighting it, wanting to hear what he had to say.

Elliot had been so wrapped up in the conversation that he'd almost forgotten the reason he'd shown up on her doorstep tonight. But now, after everything that had been said, he wasn't sure if he could even tell her what had been on his mind on the drive over. He dropped his head and looked at his hands again.

"I don't want you to say anything." Elliot said. "I just need you to listen." Elliot hesitated again. The conversation hadn't unfolded as he'd thought, and he needed to be cautious. He didn't know if she was ready to hear the truth. He lifted his head and looked at her, staring back and forth between her eyes, but he got no indication of where he stood right now. She was tensed, as if prepared for a fight, but he couldn't do anything now but be honest with her. "When Kathy told me that the baby wasn't mine, you know what I felt? I felt relief." He said. "The only thing I could think about was that I was free. I couldn't get out of the house fast enough. I wanted to come here and apologize for all the ways I fucked up. I wanted to tell you that…" He debated his next move, but he had to move forward. He really had nothing to lose. "I love you."

Olivia shrank back, as if he'd slapped her. "You don't get to say that."

"But it's the truth."

Olivia shook her head, fighting the emotions that were bubbling up at hearing the words she'd wanted to hear for so long. "It's too late for that."

"It's not." Elliot said, shaking his head. "It's never too late."

"I don't love you."

Elliot didn't expect that he would walk in the door and she'd fall in his arms, but it hurt to hear her say that. He nodded, knowing that he wouldn't still be here if that were true. She would have kicked him out a long time ago. "I know we have a lot to work through, and that I have to earn your trust, but I think there's a future for us still."

Olivia popped up from the couch and walked over to the window. She needed some space. "No. No." She muttered beneath her breath, and she wasn't sure if it was for her or for him.

"Olivia, please. I know I put you through a lot, but can't we just try to figure this out?"

Olivia spun around. "Are you delusional?" She asked. "I just told you that I don't love you anymore."

Anymore. Elliot caught the word, but he didn't comment on it. He stood up and walked over to where she was standing. "I don't believe you."

"I don't care what you believe." She said, but she was finding it hard to breath. The possibilities were laid out before her now. I love you.

Elliot wanted to reach out, to touch her in some small way, but he kept his hands to himself. She was fighting him, and she knew she wouldn't back down easily. "I love you." He said, moving a tiny bit closer. "And I'm going to keep telling you that until you believe me."

Olivia wrenched her hand out of his grasp. "It's not that I don't believe you Elliot." She leaned in, her face only inches from his. "I just don't care." She said, summoning up as much bravado as she could.

"You care." Elliot said confidently. He knew if she didn't, he'd be out the door by now.

"I don't." Olivia said, but she could hear the weakness in her own voice. Goddamn him.

"Okay." He said simply. He reached out and braced one arm against the window, leaning in closer. "But you need to know that I'm not giving up." He said softly. "I'm going to fight for us. Like I should have done a long time ago."

Olivia could feel his warm breath against her face and his proximity was throwing her off. His demeanor, his intensity, just the emotion behind his words were weakening her resolve.

"Unless…" Elliot didn't want to put a voice to his worst fear, but he felt he owned her an out. He had hurt her more than he'd thought, and he'd have to live with that. If she really didn't see a future for them, he wasn't going to make it harder on her. "You're really done with me."

Olivia could hear the vulnerability in his voice. He had really bared his soul to her, and she knew that wasn't easy for him. His emotion seemed genuine, and the fact that he was willing to let her go spoke volumes. She had a decision to make. One that would impact them forever. But she knew the decision had already been made. She had told him she didn't care. That she didn't love him. But they both knew those were lies. "I'm not done with you." She whispered, barely able to believe she'd said it out loud.

Elliot couldn't believe his ears. "You're not going to regret this. I'm going to work so hard to make up for everything I put you through." He gave her a genuine smile, seeing their future laid out before them. "I mean it."

She had trusted Elliot with her life for years. She hoped that she could trust him with her heart. She wouldn't survive another heartbreak. "I hope so."

"I'll do anything to prove it to you." Elliot said, desperate to make her believe. "Just tell me what I can do. Where to start."

"I'll leave that up to you to figure out." She said, giving him a small smile. "But dinner would be a good first step."

"Anything you want." Elliot said. "Name the place and the time."

"I'll get back to you on that." Olivia swallowed hard, seeing the way Elliot's eyes were searching roaming over her face before landing on her mouth. He was close…so close…and it would have been easy to lean in and capture his lips. But she wasn't ready for that. She reached out, placing the palm of her hand on his chest and pushed him slightly. His eyes popped up to hers. "We're going to need a few dinners before we get to that."

Elliot let out a laugh, happy that the tension between them had eased a bit. He dropped his arm and straightened up. "I'll take you to dinner every night this week."

Olivia pushed past him, forcing him to take a step back. "I think it's time for you to go." She headed for the door, turning to face him as she held it open.

Elliot hesitated, but he couldn't ask for anything more. He headed for the door but paused when he reached it. "Good night Liv."

"Night El." She said, watching as he headed down the doorway. Right before he reached the stairs she called out. "Hey." She said, loud enough so he could hear her but not loud enough to wake the neighbors. "A blueberry muffin in the morning would be fantastic."

Elliot smiled, feeling like he could breath for the first time since he'd left the house tonight. They were going to be okay.