A/N: Greetings to everyone. Blessings onto all as Christmas approaches.

This is the second to last chapter of this story as we wrap it up, but I have some exciting news. As a Christmas present to someone I care about very deeply, I will be writing an Xmas themed two shot about El and Liv. It will be published this weekend and I'd love to hear what ya'll think of it :)

Disclaimer: I do not own SVU, but if NBC were to give me the best gift for Christmas… ;)

Anyway, here is the morning after. Enjoy and please review.

Chapter 6: Return

"Wake up Detective Benson," the muted voice spoke. As if muffled by a sheen of glass, it registered as a faint one. But nothing could mask the malevolent edge that tinged the words – as if death himself spoke them.

Lids heavy, a fog shrouding Olivia's mind, it took several moments for her to lift them from her eyes. A soft questioning attempted to leave her lips but they wouldn't respond. Something was forcing them closed.

"Ah, welcome back to the party."

Suddenly the fog was lifted, clarity returning to Olivia – something she would have rather done without. Such clarity exposed reality, and that reality being one of the vilest character. Eyes focusing, this vileness manifested itself in the form of William Lewis, the man that had held her hostage for the past two days.

"I went out to get us supplies." His demonic chuckle – said in a soft tone of a lover but barely hiding the sinister intent underneath – filled her ears as he lifted a bottle of vodka between his fingers. "Now we can continue where we left off." Her eyes snapped closed. Olivia willed anything into her mind to block out the coming pain.

Through her lids, a pulsing brightness changed the blackness into a vibrant red. Squinting, Olivia could make out the light that consumed Lewis. It shrouded him. Erasing him.

"Olivia," a familiar voice said, almost ethereal.

Closing her eyes once more, the new voice swept a wave of calm through Olivia's system.

Olivia's lids fluttered open at that moment, disoriented from the rather strange dream still forefront in her mind. The beginning had been familiar, one of the many that had wracked her since the terrible days at Lewis' mercy. Still acclimating to wakefulness, Olivia was puzzled as to the latter part. She had never seen the light before, and none of the nightmares ever resulted in a gradual escape from sleep.

At the first registering of the form directly to her front, everything became clear to Olivia. Resting on his side, face the epitome of peace, was a fully naked Elliot Stabler. His arm was drooped around her waist, holding her close to him as if the slightest distance would hurt him immensely. The touch send a warmth from his palm to her entire form.

Watching him from below, her head perched right on his chest as the rhythmic heartbeat performed its soothing drumming in her ear, Olivia couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips – or the little catch in her heart. For so long she had to deny her feelings for him. Not anymore.

Slowly easing her arm from underneath his embrace, Olivia reached forward to softly stroke his cheek. Just barely brushing it with her fingertips. The skin was rough, stubbly with unshaven pricks of salt and pepper hair – neither of them had time for pre-sleep hygiene rituals after all, she admitted with a blush at why. Olivia's index finger shifted along the deep stress lines. These were clearly from the ordeal he had suffered, that had done its best to kill him and his spirit. They marred what had been the most striking face she had ever seen.

To Olivia he was still the most handsome man in the universe. The man she loved with all her heart.

It was at that point she noticed his eyes softly fluttering open, revealing the radiant blue that often starred in her dreams. He was the light that banished the pain from the past, of this she was clear.

Met with the most stunning sight, Elliot felt his entire soul warm at Olivia Benson's smile. The pain and anguish of his life had all been worth it for leading him here, to this moment. "Morning," he croaked, voice still hoarse from sleep.

Not changing a single curve in her lips, Olivia leaned forward to press them against his. She would never get tired of kissing him. "Morning."

Mimicking her, he reached his hand to cup her cheek, instead stroking a line along the curve of her jaw to her chin. Olivia sighed at the touch, his fingers shooting sparks through her. "You are so beautiful Liv," he whispered, a catch in his throat. It was clear to her that he never expected to be this way with her. She felt the same. "I love you."

This man had the uncanny ability to make Olivia fall in love with him more each moment. "I love you too." She pulled herself to him, nuzzling his chest and inhaling his scent. "I love this," Olivia murmured. "I never want to sleep without you again." Lips began pressing soft kisses onto Elliot's chest. The need to be as close as humanly possible manifested itself within her. "I was lost without you." It was true.

Elliot felt hot tears blaze scalding trails down his cheeks. His arms wrapped themselves around her, tugging tightly on her silky skin. "It was like I couldn't breathe without you Liv. Only the need to come back to you kept me alive, kept me from laying down my life to the sweet release of death." He was surprised by his own eloquence – but he did spend two years planning exactly what to say to her if he came back. Something came to mind. "Liv… promise me…" He remembered the pain in her eyes as he told his story. She blamed herself and he knew it. "Promise that you won't blame yourself for what happened."

Olivia sighed – no matter the amount of time that had passed, their connection had never wavered. She and Elliot had always been in tune with one another, each understanding on a subconscious level what the other needed or wanted. 'And he is that selfless, always the Elliot Stabler I love and fell in love with.'

"El…" she began softly, apologetically.

She was cut off by two fingers gently pressing on her lips. God, it took all of Olivia's self-control not to suck them into her mouth – last night had ignited a fire deep within her that couldn't seem to be quenched.

"Don't Liv. I know what you're going to say and those words should never have to leave your lips." Hands guiding themselves to grasp her hips, with a yelp from her Elliot tugged her to straddle him. He stared into her brown eyes, struggling not to lose himself in their beauty. "We each blame ourselves for this Liv, I know that. Terrible things happened. Due to our love for the other we can't help but heap the blame onto ourselves."

Olivia bit her lip, knowing he was right. "I don't want you to be pained that way El." Even the briefest flicker of pain in those blue eyes absolutely shattered her.

Her unconditional love for him hit his very soul. She was amazing, truly one of a kind. "I don't want you to be pained either." Unable to resist the enchantment of Olivia Benson, Elliot wrapped a hand around the back of her head and brought her down to him, their lips colliding in a torrent of passion.

Moaning upon first contact, Olivia felt that familiar pull from between her legs. Years of lovers, countless sex acts had never been like this – never been so quick to arouse or powerful enough to render her speechless. Elliot was different though. Even after only one night together he could excite feelings she never knew existed.

Detaching, ego stroked at the way Olivia's cheeks were flushed, eyes hazy, and breathing erratic after only one kiss, Elliot began to kiss and lick a trail from the sensitive spot behind her ear to her ample chest. "Delicious. All mine Liv, mine."

"Yours," Olivia breathed, squirming at his expert tongue and touch. Each kiss, each lick, each nip send an electric shock to her core, reducing the proud Olivia Benson into a pile of aroused mush. No other had ever bothered to truly pleasure her, get to know her body as she would have to do theirs. But Elliot seemed to revel in it – enjoyed giving her pleasure. She loved him so.

Reaching the bronzed skin surrounding dusky nipples, Elliot's eyes saddened, despair filling him. There were the scars – those left by that monster. Ones to forever remind Olivia of him. She thought them ugly, eyesores that left her disgusting. Not to Elliot. "You're beautiful," Elliot whispered, gently kissing each of the round burn scars.

A tear fell from Olivia's eye at the choked words, the love in them evident. He found her beautiful. Each kiss reminded her of that pulsing light in her dream, the one that banished Lewis from her. Slowly, surely, Elliot was cleansing her soul of him and his malevolence.

Deciding it was time to shift course, Elliot smirked and wrapped his mouth around a dusky nipple, tongue shooting out to flick at the tip quickly and intently.

"Oh my God!" Olivia screamed at the first flick, biting her lip and clasping the back of his head with her hands. "Don't stop baby," she hissed. Fingers speared into greyed hair. "Take it El. Take me!" Suddenly she felt his fingers stroking up and down her slit. Olivia bucked in response, the teasing slowly killing her.

After hearing what she had moaned, Elliot knew he had to be inside her. "Jesus Liv, you are so wet." She was clearly ready for him. "Ready baby?"

"Yes! God yes!" Hips ground into his member, the feeling rippling through her. Olivia knew she could never deny Elliot Stabler anything. "Make love to me El."

Unable to resist her, Elliot aligned himself at her entrance and pushed in, growling at the tightness he found himself buried in. "Fuck beautiful. So fucking good."

Olivia's eyes rolled to the back of her head, the wholeness of Elliot's massive dick inside her and the lust-tinged profanity turning her on to no end. Wanting more, needing more, she lifted her hips almost completely out of him and slammed them down. The audible smack of skin on skin mixed with the joint groans of the two lovers.

"Uhh," Elliot ground out, Olivia's eagerness turning him on further – if that was even possible. Digging into her hips, his fingers left bruises as Elliot began slamming into her, holding her in place. His member glided in and out in a furious pace. Letting go of her luscious nipple with a pop, he watched in a hungered wonder as Olivia's breast's bounced above him. "God!"

Panting, Olivia bucked her hips and matched him thrust for thrust. Mewls rumbled from deep in her throat at the sensations Elliot was wakening inside her sensitive spots. Brian, Dean, Kurt, Nick, David, all were washed away by this man below her, Olivia able to feel him completely at last.

A moment of clarity penetrating the lusty frenzy overtaking both of them, Olivia reached down and perched her arms on Elliot's chest. Delicate fingers ghosted along the scars dotting, crisscrossing the strengthening muscles just beginning to acquire their former hardness. The meaning was clear to both. She loved him, all of him.

"I. Love. You," Elliot breathed before slamming once more into her, feeling the sweet release.

"I. Love. You. Too," Olivia ground out before she fell into the same oblivion.

EO EO EO EO EO EO EO EO EO EO

"Kids!" Elliot exclaimed, hugging each of them as they streamed inside. He hadn't seen all of them together in weeks – he missed them.

"Wow dad, you're looking much better," Maureen observed, shooting a thankful glance to Olivia over her shoulder at the door.

Olivia smiled back, nerves calming after nearly a day of biting fear. What if they didn't like her? What if they blamed her? What if the dinner they had prepared for ended up in some kind of stony silence? Once Lizzie and Dickie – both dashing in their West Point cadet uniforms – threw their arms around her in a tight embrace, little Eli wrapping his arms around her legs, the fears dissipated.

"There's something different here," Kathleen stated, the blonde tapping her index and middle fingers on the soft skin of her chin. "It's almost as if…" Suddenly her jaw dropped. "No. My. God. You two are together?"

Feeling heat pool in her cheeks, Olivia shrank slightly. She was certain a blush adorned her cheeks.

Such a reaction was a clear affirmative to Kathleen. "Eeeeee!" she squealed, more iconic of someone half a decade younger. Without warning she threw her arms about the both of them. "I'm so happy for you!"

"It's about time dad," Dickie grinned, him and his sister joining the group hug. "Right Liz?"

"Oh most definitely," Lizzie concurred. "We waited long enough for this."

Blinking, Olivia was shocked. "You… you're ok with this?"

"Well of course we are," Maureen said. "Aren't we munchkin?" The eldest Stabler girl bounced little Joshie in her arms.

Joshie giggled. "Wivvy, Wivvy!"

Too stunned at the near perfect development, Olivia could only help think that nothing better could ever happen to her. This was almost too good to be true.

"Stop acting so surprised Liv," Elliot chuckled, though beneath his calm, cocky façade lay a pit of churning apprehension. His kids' response to his next statement would be crucial. "You were always like a second mother to them, right kids?" The gale increased in tempo.

Only to immediately calm at the spate of acknowledgements from all of them. Even Eli, whose bond with the amazing brunette had begun the moment he was born. "Love you Mommy Livvy."

It took all of Olivia's strength not to cry at this. Wordlessly, she picked Eli up in her arms and squeezed him tightly. Ever since the case ending yesterday with the unknown baby, she had been thinking so much about motherhood, whether she'd be a good mother or one at all. That Elliot's kids all loved her as much as their father did filled her heart with reassurance and joy.

As it did Elliot, the former detective summoning the courage to do what he had agonized over since declaring his love for the beautiful Olivia Benson. "Liv, my kids love you, as do I. Since they are ok with all of this, then I think it's time we stop waiting. We've waited enough." All eyes trained on him, he reached into his pocket to the straining bulge no one had noticed. Out he pulled a small box.

Olivia's eyes widened as wide as they could. 'Was he?'

To gasps from his children – matched with huge grins – Elliot flicked open the box to reveal a glittering ring. "Olivia Benson, will you do…"

"Yes."

Thousands of things were going through Olivia's mind, but all intersected at one underlying fact – she wanted to be with Elliot forever. Had since first laying eyes on him all those years ago. All else mattered not. As he said, they had waited enough. She was sure for the first time of her life.

Elliot blinked. "Yes?"

"Yes?" echoed the kids, shocked at her lack of hesitation as well.

"Yes," Olivia repeated with the largest smile, leaping forward into Elliot's arms in a passionate kiss. Soon after, each of the ecstatic children pulled the happy couple into a massive hug.

One family.

A/N: Whooo! Bet you weren't expecting that at the end!

One more chapter to go. Have to tie up a few loose ends. And now I'm off to a weekend of Star Wars! Cannot wait!

Please review :)