Thank you all so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites for Chapter 1! I am truly humbled and appreciative. Please keep them coming. I'm loving "hearing" everyone's thoughts on the pairings. I took them in to account as I wrote this chapter.

AO dominated the reviews last chapter, so I'll begin the chapter with some AO…

Author's Note: In my story, Nick is currently doing anger management classes, but he was not demoted. He is still a SVU detective.

A knock on Olivia's office door interrupts her thoughts. She glances up as Odafin Tutuola sticks his head into her office, "Cabot's here." He says simply and returns to the bullpen. She glances through her blinds and sees Alex standing at her old desk unloading bags of takeout. She can see her detectives hovering around Alex trying to get some of the food that she is passing out.

Olivia rolls her eyes fondly at them. Some things never change. Even though Alex had left SVU over two years ago, Alex still has the 1-6 wrapped around her little finger.

As Olivia stands up from her desk, she feels her naked upper thighs brush against each other. She blushes slightly remembering her time with Alex earlier that day. She hopes Alex has brought her panties as well.

Leaning in her office's doorway, she asks Alex, "What'd you bring this week?" Ever since Olivia's return after her ordeal with Lewis, Alex has made a point to visit the squad almost weekly- and Alex never comes empty-handed. Olivia suspects this is Alex's way of checking up on her and making sure she is well after the attack. Part of her resents that Alex feels the need to check up on her as if she is somehow weakened by what Lewis had done to her.

Or maybe Alex's visits are just as much about her as they are about you. Maybe she needs to reassure herself that you are there and still well. Dr. Lindstrom had countered when Olivia had brought it up during a session.

Olivia still does not know if these visits are more about her or Alex, but she knows her squad greatly looks forward to Alex's visit. And maybe the less cynical, less defensive part of Olivia looks forward to these visits as well.

It has been two weeks since Alex had visited the squad room. She knows her observant detectives have noticed Alex's absence. They have not said anything to her about it, but she knows they have noticed. Especially Nick.

Alex smiles teasingly at Olivia, "I bought something Italian." Olivia struggles to control her blush. She knows Alex is unsubtly referring to her La Pearla panties.

"You have a Caesar salad?" Amanda Rollins's southern drawl saves Olivia from certain death by embarrassment.

Alex smiles at her flirtatiously and hands Amanda the salad, "I would never forget my favorite detective's order." Amanda blushes and ducks her head.

Unfazed, Olivia laughs, "Don't let Nick here you say that."

"Because everyone knows I am Alex's favorite detective- since Liv's promotion." Nicholas Amaro says as he comes back in to the squad room. He hugs Alex. Olivia rolls her eyes at the pair. Alex and Nick have gotten close since her ordeal- to the point where Olivia has caught them texting back and forth on several occasions. Olivia is fairly sure they are using each other to keeps tabs on her, "Where ya been, Cabot?" Nick asks reaching for his dish, "You missed all this week's excitement."

Realizing that Nick is referring to Elliot's return and visit to the precinct, Olivia narrows her eyes at him, "Nick," she says warningly.

Nick ignores Olivia warning, "We had a visitor."

Alex looks between the former partners trying to figure out what she has missed, "Who came to visit?"

"Nick-" Olivia tries again.

"Liv's ex-partner," Nick drops the bomb with a smirk. Olivia tries to mentally calculate how many years she would get if she kills him.

Both of Alex's eyebrows shoot up, but her face is otherwise unreadable, "Stabler?"

"Yep." Nick confirms as he begins to dig in to his lasagna with feigned casualness.

With an unreadable expression, Alex turns slowly to look at Olivia, "And what did Stabler want?"

"I don't know, but he sent her some flowers. They're in her office." Satisfied, Nick takes his food and wanders over to his desk. Olivia is convinced that she will get away with his murder- any jury would be sympathetic.

"Damn, Amaro. Run tell that much?" Fin murmurs through a mouth full of fettuccine, but he is watching Alex closely for a reaction. Olivia knows that Alexandra Cabot is too well bred to cause a scene. Alex merely returns to unloading the takeout, but Olivia can see the lines of tension in Alex's body. Alex and Olivia have had many arguments about her relationship with Elliot over the years, and Olivia is not looking forward to another round.

"Would you all mind disrupting this gossip session with a little bit of work?" Olivia snarks. She turns and walks back into her office leaving the door open for Alex to follow. Alex follows calmly a few minutes later and closes the door behind her.

Ding Ding.

Alex eyes the flowers on her desk, "Oh that's nice, the corner bodega was having a sale." Round 1 goes to Alex.

"Alex," Olivia frowns.

Alex leans back against the door as if bracing herself for this fight. "Were you going to tell me about his return?"

"That's what I came to tell you earlier." Olivia returns calmly. She is having a hard time reading Alex. While Alex is rarely one to cause a scene, Olivia had expected Alex to be less calm about Elliot's return.

"Ok." Alex says simply. She moves from the door and sits down.

"Ok?" Olivia repeats shocked that Alex concedes so easily.

"What does he want?" Alex repeats her earlier question as she sits Olivia's food on her desk.

Olivia looks away from Alex's probing eyes and shrugs. She honestly is not sure what Elliot wants. She knows what he thought he wanted before their horrible date, but now…though he had sent the flowers this morning.

"White roses- I'm sorry flowers. What's he apologizing for?" Alex opens her gnocchi. After more than twenty years on the force, Olivia has always prided herself on her ability to read others, but her prowess is currently failing her.

"Nothing and everything," Olivia answers evasively. Alex rolls her eyes.

"Fine." Alex begins to eat. Olivia is not sure if this argument is over or if this is a tactic to get her to lower her defenses. She had seen many people underestimate Alex through the years, a mistake that had cost them dearly. Olivia eyes her papardelle hungrily. She had worked through lunch in an effort to get as much done, so she could get home to Noah as soon as possible. Olivia glances at the photo of him on her desks. She smiles gently.

Alex's sharp eyes miss nothing, "How is your son?" Olivia's eyes snap to Alex's eyes. It is the first time someone had called Noah her son. Her foster son, yes, but not just her son. Tears well up in her eyes. He is her son. She is his mother. "You love him." Alex whispers in awe. It is a statement not a question. Emotionally overwhelmed, Olivia looks away from Alex's intense stare, but she nods. It has been only two weeks, but she loves Noah…her son. She swallows past the lump in her throat. Putting down her food, Alex reaches her hands out to Olivia. Olivia clasps Alex's hands. "He makes you happy?" This is a question.

"Yes." Olivia whispers shyly. Alex squeezes her hands.

"Tell me about your son."

Olivia glances at the picture again, "He's… perfect." It is the only word that she can think of to sum up her son.

"I bet he is." Alex smiles. Olivia is suddenly reminded that Alex still has not come to meet Noah. She pulls her hands back. She is…hurt, angry, disappointed.

"You would know if you came to visit," Olivia reminds.

Alex sighs, "I need more time, Liv."

"Time?" Olivia mocks.

"The same time you asked for when you moved out of my apartment." Alex quips back.

"Are we still on this?" As soon as Olivia says it, she wishes she could take it back. She knows her rash decision to move out of Alex's penthouse apartment two months ago has hurt Alex deeply. She does not mean to be dismissive of Alex's feelings, especially after how supportive Alex has been of her.

After the attack, unable to return to her apartment, she had moved in with Alex. Alex had held her through her panic attacks and calmed her when her screams woke them both. Alex had kissed each one of her many scars, and told her how beautiful and strong she was. Battante. Survivor. Alex had murmured over and over as she made love to Olivia. Their relationship had deepened to level neither had expected or thought possible.

Olivia had been…happy. And that had scared her shitless. So she, logically, moved out. With two days notice to Alex. To say Alex had been furious was an understatement. Furious and hurt. Olivia had hated to hurt Alex, but it was for the best. If experience had taught Olivia anything, it was that that level of happiness was unsustainable.

Alex's gray-blue eyes go frosty, her calm composure finally cracks, "Yes, we are still on this. How did get here, Olivia? How did we go from two months ago you not being ready to live with me to you wanting us to raise children together? Aren't there some missing steps in the between those two extremes? "

It was a fair point. One that Olivia does not yet have a counter to. So she tries an old, favorite excuse of hers, "I'm not sure I'm ready for a long-term-"

"Long-term?! It's been 14 years, Olivia!" Olivia flinches. She now remembers why she avoids arguments with Alex. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Alex continues more quietly, "This is just a more creative version of you running. You're running. "

"What?" Olivia is shocked by Alex's blatant hypocrisy.

"You're running, again." Before Olivia can open her mouth to counter, Alex holds her hand up and stops her, "I know that I have been the one that runs more often than not in our relationship: dating Trevor, not returning your calls after I got back to New York, going to work in Africa-that's why I can recognize what you are doing. I've run before, yes. But I am ready now. I am here now. And I'm not going anywhere now."

Taking a quick breath, Alex continues, "You want to be a family, then move back in. I will convert the third bedroom to a nursery. You want more kids- I'll buy you a house. Anything you want, but you have to come home to me." Alex pauses for a moment to gives Olivia a chance to speak. Olivia is not sure what to say. Alex sighs disappointedly and continues.

"But I will tell you what I will not do. I will not go to your apartment, play house with you and your son, and then return home to my lonely apartment. I will not."

Alex reaches for Olivia's hand again. Olivia gives it to her.

"Apparently, you didn't believe me when I said this before, so I will repeat it. I love you, Olivia Benson. I would say that I will love you until the day I die, but I've already been dead- technically, and I still love you. Nothing you can and will ever do will change that. So run, I will be here when you are finally tired of running, ok? And if you ask nicely I might even give you a foot massage. "

She leans across the desk and gives Olivia a chaste kiss on the lips. Olivia is not sure if it is her own tears or Alex's tears she tastes on her lips. Alex smiles sadly. She slips on her coat and then leaves.

Olivia takes out her keys to open her apartment door. What Alex had said earlier to her is heavy on her mind. If she is honest with herself, living with Alex, she had found a peace that had always eluded her.

Olivia had been pleasantly surprised to discover that politically ambitious, shark lawyer Alex was quite the homemaker. Every night Olivia had come to the dining room table set with an exquisite, home-cooked meal. She had been even more surprised when Alex had told her about the summers she had spent at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris earning various cooking degrees. One night after a particularly delicious meal and a few delicious orgasms, while Alex held her in her arms, Alex had shyly revealed to her that she had been interested in learning to cook, because there had never been home-cooked, family meals in the estate she had grown up in. Olivia had learned more about Alex in those five months that they lived together than in the nearly 15 years they had known each other.

Olivia sighs, she wonders if she has messed up a good thing. Again. She inserts the key into lock. She will figure that out another day, right now, all Olivia knows she wants is Noah- her son. She is so wrapped up in her thoughts that she does not hear someone approach behind her.

"Liv," Olivia unclips her gun and pivots towards the intruder- finger on the trigger, ready. She hesitated once before and had been abducted and assaulted, she will not hesitate again, especially with her son a few feet away.

Welcome home, Detective Benson.

She clicks off the safety.

"Woah! Woah!" Elliot holds his hands up. " It's me, Elliot!"

"Elliot?" Olivia whispers. She can barely hear him over the rush of blood in her ears and the erratic sound of her heartbeat. Almost as if having an out of body experience, Olivia wonders if he can hear her heartbeat as well. It is so loud.

Over two decades worth of dealing with victims kicks in, Elliot inches forward slowly with both his hands up. In soothing tones he says, "You're ok. You're not in danger. You're safe." She can read the concern and fear in his eyes. The pity.

She steps back pressing herself against the door, not because she is scared, but because she is embarrassed. She is not a victim.

"I'm fine," she snaps. Her voice sounds shaky, she knows he notices. She hates that he notices. She is not a victim, especially not in front of him. She does not show weakness in front of him, at least not this weakness.

She can see relief flutter through his eyes, this Olivia he knows and recognizes. "Aren't you always." He murmurs. It's half joke, half-truth. In light of all they had been through together and separately, it is a morbid half-truth.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. She is apologizing for pulling her gun on him, apologizing being weak, but most of all she apologizing for proving him right.

I can't be looking over my shoulder, making sure you're okay.

He had left and she had gotten herself abducted and assaulted. Good job, Benson.

She looks away shamed as puts her gun away. Her hands are still shaking. She tucks them into her pockets.

"Don't apologize." He mutters gruffly. The door opens from behind Olivia causing her to stumble slightly.

"Sorry," Lucy apologizes. She steps out into the hallway with Noah balanced on her hip. As soon as Noah sees Olivia, he reaches for her. Olivia can tell he has been crying. Almost immediately everything else fades away and nothing else matters. She takes her son from Lucy. Noah snuggles into her chest immediately. "He heard the keys and you didn't come in," Lucy explains.

"Hi, my sweet boy." Olivia whispers softly as she takes him inside her apartment. He gurgles back at her happily. She kisses both his chubby cheeks and wipes his tears away. She breathes in his baby scent. This is her center. She can feel her heart rate finally returning to normal. Her hands stop shaking.

"He didn't eat much when I tried to give him dinner, I think he knows dinner time is your two special time." Lucy says as she begins to gather her coat and purse. Olivia is secretly pleased. She had made it home almost every night in the last two weeks to feed Noah dinner and to make sure to have mother-son time. She is glad to know that their special time is as important to him as well.

"I'm sorry, I'm late. You hungry, Noah?" He looks up at her and just smiles. Barely able to take her eyes off her son, "Thank you Lucy. We'll see you tomorrow." Olivia tries to put Noah into his high chair, but he refuses to go. He holds on tightly to her. Her boy has a hell of a grip. Instead she cuddles him closer. Noah lets out a content sigh.

"Liv," Elliot says softly afraid to ruin the moment between mother and son. Also, he is probably afraid of setting her off again. Olivia glances at him having forgotten that he was there. She also notes that Lucy has left and the door is closed. Elliot is staring at Noah fascinated. Olivia is sure that is how she looks when she stares at him. "You have a baby?" There is so emotion in his voice.

Olivia merely smiles at him enigmatically. She carries Noah to the fridge to get him dinner. "What do you for dinner tonight, my sweet boy?" Noah points to the row of baby food jars, "Yes that's Noah's food. How about some sweet potato and pears tonight? That sounds yummy." She grabs the two baby food jars, a baby spoon, and places them on the kitchen bar. She tries again to seat him in his high chair.

"He's not gonna go," Elliot predicts. Noah shakes his head and holds on tighter to her. "He's got that Benson stubborn streak." Elliot says like it is the most obvious thing in the world.

"He's not a Benson… yet." She whispers as she sits at her kitchen bar with Noah on her lap. Elliot shifts his position slightly so that he can see Noah better. Noah notices the movement and looks at Elliot. The two of them examine each other curiously. Noah then looks up at her as if to say 'who is this guy?'. Olivia gives him a reassuring smile.

Elliot's eyebrows furrows as it does when he is trying to figure something out, "He looks like you…Adopted?"

"He's my foster son. In a year, if everything works out… I will get to adopt him." She tries to open the sweet potatoes with the one hand she has free. Elliot steps slowly closer to them, still cautious. Olivia barely resists the urge to throw the jar at his head. She is fine. She calmly hands him the jar. He opens the jar and reaches for the other jar to open it as well.

Olivia dips the spoon into the sweet potatoes. Noah reaches for the spoon. "Don't worry this is for you. Open up. Ahhhhhhh." Noah laughs and mimics the noise, which causes him to open his mouth. Olivia feeds him the sweet potatoes. "Mmmm that's good, right?"

"Mmmmmmmm," Noah mimics again. Olivia laughs. Elliot watches the moment mesmerized.

"I'm glad the adoption agency finally got their head out of their ass-"

"Watch your language." Olivia chides while still feeding her son.

Elliot smiles dreamily at her. "I always knew your were prime parent material." Her words from nearly six years prior hang heavy between them. Their eyes lock. When she had given up on her dreams of being a mother, Elliot had still believed. He had still believed in her and her dreams; he had never doubted that she would be a mother and a good one at that. Because he had never stopped believing, Olivia had never let herself give fully give up on her desire to be a mother. And now she is a mother. And like in her dreams, Elliot is there to see it.

Caught up in the past, she has stopped feeding her son. Noah taps her hand that holds the spoon. "Would you like some more, Noah?" He looks up at her and nods heartily, "More, please." She repeats as she feeds him.

Finally acknowledging unexpected Elliot's visit to her home, "What do you want, Elliot?" And just like that the warm fuzzies that they had just shared are over.

"Are you going to introduce me to your little boy?" Olivia ignores the question. As much as she had always dreamed of Elliot getting to witness her as a mother, he has hurt her too much for her to share her son with him yet.

"What do you want, Elliot?" She repeats. She dips the spoon in the pears and feeds it to Noah.

"If I knew, I wouldn't have given most of my pension to a shrink." He laughs self-deprecatingly.

"Why are you here?" Olivia tries again as she continues to feed her son.

"I owe you…" an apology.

"Several," She corrects.

He rubs the back of his neck nervously. "This isn't easy for me."

"Ok," She acknowledges. She is not going to make this any easier for him.

"You deserve… answers…"

"How generous of you," She quips.

"I left Kathy," he blurts out. Olivia looks at him in surprise, "You said… it's not 'cus I am lonely. I left her…she deserves someone who… wants to be with her."

"Oh." That's all Olivia can say. She is stunned in silence for the second time that day. He had left his wife… in large part for her. What the hell is she supposed to say to that? Thank you?

There had been a time that she had hoped- not actively, of course- for him to say those words to her, but she is no longer the same, hopeful woman. Or maybe that that woman still exists in her- deep, deep inside. She does not know.

He continues, "This isn't because I'm lonely…or some mid-life crisis- or who knows maybe it is." He jokes lamely. He puts his hands into his pockets and shrugs.

"I'd suggest getting a motorcycle. It's less dangerous…" than getting involved with me. She deflects. This moment is far too deep and intimate for them. They do not do deep and intimate. They do deflection and longing stares.

"Don't say that…" he trails off. Silence reigns between them. Noah shakes her head as she tries feed him more.

"All full?" She asks Noah. Noah pushes away the spoon. "No more." Elliot grabs a paper towel and hands to her so she can wipe off her son's mouth, "Now it's bath time for Noah." Noah claps his hands excitedly.

Elliot glances around her apartment trying to ascertain which door is the bathroom. He deduces that the left door leads to the bathroom and heads to it. It is then that Olivia is reminded that Elliot had not known that she had moved, "How did you know where to find me?"

"I always know where to find you." He says absentmindedly as he enters the bathroom.

It wouldn't have taken him four days to find you. She cannot help thinking without some bitterness. She tries to expel those thoughts from her mind. She wants no negativity to taint her moments with Noah.

She follows him into to the bathroom with Noah on her hip. She is totally unprepared for what happens next. Elliot is sitting on the bathtub edge, holding Noah's bubble bath mix.

"First take you the faucet and you turn it- you turn it. " Elliot sings as turns on the faucet. Olivia's mouth drops open. Olivia feels like she has been living in an alternate reality for the last few weeks, this moment just confirms her suspicions.

"First you take the faucet and you turn it-you turn it." Elliot repeats. Noah squeals in delight. He is clearly enjoying Elliot's singing, "Bubbbbbble Bubble Bath."

"What are doing?" Olivia asks him incredulously.

"The Barney Bubble Bubble Bath song." He says like it was the most normal thing for a six-foot plus, muscular, nearly fifty year old man to be singing Barney songs.

"Of course."

"Hey, all my kids loved this song." Noah whines because the entertainment has stopped, "And so you don't, don't'cha Noah?" Noah gives him a wide smile revealing his four tiny teeth. Elliot smiles back at Noah. "Then we put in bubbles in the water- the water!" Elliot pours the bubble bath into the filling tube. Bubbles start to appear. "Then we put the bubbles in the water- the water!" Laughing, Noah claps his hands together.

Elliot stands, "Can I?" he gestures to Noah. Olivia bites her lips nervously. He is asking her to trust with something even more precious than her heart. Noah makes the decision for her, he leans towards Elliot. Elliot looks at her for consent, he does not reach for him. The severity of the moment is not lost upon him.

"Elliot, this is… my son, Noah Porter." Recognizing that she has granted him consent, Elliot beams as he takes Noah into his arms. Noah babbles at him happily.

"Hi, little man. You have no idea how long this moment has been in the making." His voice is thick with emotion. He kisses Noah on the head. Olivia eyes well up with tears, "I've been waiting a long time to meet you. Almost as long as your mommy has."

Together they bathe her son. Elliot teaches her two more bath time songs and Noah smiles, laughs, and splashes as they sing together. This moment is even more precious than what she had imagined it years before.

While she towels off Noah, Elliot tells her, "I have Eli for Christmas Eve, you should bring Noah over to my apartment… It'd kinda be like old times." She remembers the many Christmas Eves she had spent with the Stablers through the years. Elliot had been determined to never let her spend a Christmas Eve alone after her mother died. So every year without fail, she turned up with gifts for all to spend the day listening to the Stabler kids sing carols, or the latest family gossip and who's dating whom, or on the years that they had a white Christmas, going sledding and building snowomen with them. She would always leave as they left for midnight mass.

She smiles softly at the fond memories, "I'll think about it."

He nods and smiles as if she has said already said yes. He is used to getting his way with her. His smile fades and a pensive look takes a hold of his face.

"Liv, I fucked up. Badly. I almost missed out on this," He gestures to Noah, who yawns and rubs his eyes sleepily. They have tired him out.

Elliot continues, "You deserved better than how I treated you. I'm… I'm sorry. Really and truly. " In their 13 years, it is the first time he has ever apologized for hurting her. It wasn't much of an apology, but for a man who never apologizes, it is something.

Maybe you can teach an old dog a few new tricks.

Thanks for reading! Review please! Tell me your thoughts, suggestions, critiques, etc.

In the next chapter Melinda and Casey weigh in on AO vs EO. It will be no holds bar! I will even try to incorporate some you guys' thoughts into the dialogue. So tell me your thoughts and you may see them in the next chapter!

My thoughts on this chapter: I always found one of the most endearing parts of EO was how supportive he was of Olivia being a mother, so I had him meet Noah first and share that moment with her. Don't worry, I've got a very special meeting planned for Alex and Noah in two chapters. I can't wait to write it up.

AO has the early lead; there are still plenty more chapters coming and more opportunities to weigh in. Let the AO vs EO war continue.