Kathy had been killed in a car accident when Eli was 6 months old. Olivia stepped in to help Elliot take care of his kids. Maureen 12, Kathleen 10, Dickie & Lizzie 8, and Eli 6 months. About a year and half later they got married. It was a simple courthouse wedding but it was everything Liv had ever wanted. After the wedding Elliot talked Liv into adopting his kids, that way incase anything happened to him they wouldn't be taken away from her. A few months into their marriage Liv found Noah in a dresser drawer while working a case. And that's how Noah came to join the Stabler family.

On Noah's 1st birthday they found out Liv was pregnant. Everyone was so excited, Elliot was beyond excited. He was beaming for days after finding out. The first 6 months of the pregnancy went as smooth as they could. Life was amazing and everything Olivia had ever wanted. And that's when everything fell apart…….

Elliot was sent into what was supposed to be a routine drug bust. Well, things didn't go as planned. The building exploded, 9 officers were killed and the body of 1 was nowhere to be found. Elliot was nowhere to be found. No one gave it a second thought. It was almost impossible for anyone to have survived the explosion - no one had…. Telling their kids was the hardest thing Liv ever had to do. How do you tell your kids "Daddy's dead and we don't even have a body to say a proper goodbye?"

~~~~~~~~ 3 months later~~~~~~~~~~~~~

April 2nd, Mercy Hospital, Manhattan

Olivia felt every emotion as she looked down at the tiny, 6lbs 5oz bundle wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms. She felt full of love, joy, hope, happiness…. but along with those she felt sad, scared, angry and alone. Definitely alone. "This isn't how today was supposed to be" Olivia whispered as one of her tears dropped onto Ella's check.

Ella Hope - big blue eyes and dark brown hair. She was absolutely perfect. Olivia had always hoped if she and Elliot had a baby they would have those blue Stabler eyes. "Your Daddy was supposed to be here. To cut the cord, do skin to skin with you and to be here with me…." How could God be so cruel? thought Liv as she drifted off to sleep.

Liv was laying in the hospital bed nursing Ella when there was a knock on her door and in came Bernie, Maureen holding Eli's hand, Kathleen carrying Noah, and the twins. "Mama, what's that?" Eli asked looking at Ella as Mo sat him next to Liv in the bed. "This is Ella, baby, she's your new sister" Liv said. "Oh" was all Eli said as he started rubbing her head. "She looks like Daddy, Mom" Maureen said with tears in her eyes as Liv nodded in agreement as she reached to pull her oldest into a hug.

"Time for a family picture" Bernie said as she started to arrange the kids. Liv held Ella in the middle of the bed with Noah and Eli on either side of her. Kathleen and Dickie stood on her right side while Maureen and Lizzie stood on the left. "Smile!" said Bernie as she snapped a lot of photos. "Why don't you go ask a nurse if she'll take one with you in it Bernie?" asked Olivia. "Oh, that's a good idea Dear. I'll be right back!" Bernie called as she was already halfway down the hall looking for a nurse. Lizzie spoke for the first time since they arrived "Mommy" she said softly standing at the foot of the bed. This made Liv's head snap up. The kids started calling her Mama or Mom almost immediately after the wedding. But Kathy was always Mommy so Liv knew something was up. "What's wrong, sweetie?" asked Liv looking at Lizzie who was about to cry with concern. Liv handed Ella to Kathleen as Lizzie threw herself into Liv's waiting arms. "I… I can't…. I can't lose.. you too Mommy!" Lizzie managed to get out between sobs. "Oh Honey, was it because when you woke this morning I wasn't at home?" Lizzie just nodded - it wasn't the first time she panicked because she couldn't find Liv within minutes of waking up. Lizzie usually ended in Liv's bed sometime during the night since the explosion.

Liv managed to calm Lizzie down, Bernie came back with a nurse to take the picture and then she and the kids left. "Well Ella, it's just you and me tonight… tomorrow we get to go home with your grandma and siblings!" she told Ella as she laid her down for the night.

It was 11:11 pm when she felt a piece of her heart healing, a piece that belonged to one person. "Elliot, I miss you so much" she whispered into the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

April 2nd, a hospital somewhere in Pennsylvania.

Dr. John Carter looked at the patient he was presenting on rounds that morning. "John Doe" had been in a coma 3 months. He had shown up one night with a terrible headache and slipped into the coma the night he arrived. No one was sure why he was in a coma, all of his scans had come back normal. After he told the attending, Dr. Mark Green there had been no changes - Carter looked at Green and asked him how much longer they would keep him on the ventilator. Green looked at him with a sad look and said if there were no improvements by the end of the day that they would pull the plug the next day.

Carter went to check on John Doe one last time, everything was quiet when he walked into the room. "I wish I knew if you had a family" Carter said to him. He stood in the room and just as he was about to leave all the monitors started going crazy…. Carter looked at the clock 11:11 pm. That really must be a lucky number he thought to himself.

They took John Doe off the ventilator, and he was fine. John Doe turned out to be Elliot Stabler. Elliot remembered the explosion but had no idea how he ended up in a Pennsylvania hospital. "How long have I been here?" he asked suddenly. "My wife, my kids… I need to see my wife. She was 6 months pregnant when the explosion happened!!". "You've been here almost exactly 3 months" Dr. Green told him. At that moment Carter and Green both knew there was no keeping this man from getting back to his family that day. There was no reason to keep him that they could find so they discharged him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

April 3rd, 4:47 am Mercy Hospital, Manhattan

Elliot and Liv always had a special connection it started the very first day they were partners at SVU. They always knew how the other felt and knew what the other was thinking. Elliot KNEW Liv was at Mercy. He could feel it in his bones. He rushed to the front desk and demanded to know what room Olivia Stabler was in. "Sir, visiting hours don't start until 9 am" the nurse Carol Hathaway calmly told him. "You don't understand, I've been in a coma 3 months, my wife most likely thinks I'm dead. I have to see her. NOW.". "Mr. Stabler, if you calm down I'll do everything in my power to get you to your wife." Carol said. Elliot looked at her with tears in his eyes "Thank you" was all he could whisper.

Liv was sound asleep when she suddenly woke up. She could feel him close. The hairs on her neck were standing up. She pressed the call button and waited for a nurse. "Lily, could you please call the front desk and ask if there's someone here to see me? Liv asked. "Mrs. Stabler, it's not even 5 am, I'll call but I doubt they'll let anyone up here even if there is someone there" Lily replied. "That's all I ask, thank you Lily" said Liv.

Carol had gotten permission for Elliot to go see Liv. Elliot ran up the 6 flights of stairs it took to get to the maternity floor. He was a few doors down when he heard Liv call out "El!!", "I'm here, Liv" he called back.

She flung herself into his arms as soon as she could reach him. "We….we all thought….thought you died" she told him between sobs. "I'm so sorry Livia, I'm not sure I should even be here". Liv pulled back from their embrace to look into his eyes "El, you're exactly where your supposed to be with me, your mom, your kids. Do you want to meet your little girl?" Liv asked. El nodded with tears still running down his face. She reached into the bassinet and lifted out Ella and placed her in Elliot's arms. "I never thought I'd get to do that" Liv whispered as she leaned her head on his shoulder as they looked at their baby girl.

They feel asleep wrapped in each other's arms. They were awoken by a startled scream "Elliot" Bernie said, as she fell to her knees crying. Liv had forgotten Bernie was coming with the other kids before school the next morning. Elliot rush over "it's okay Mama", she looked over at Liv smiling through the tears that were slowing up "Guess we have to redo that family picture I took yesterday Sweetie". Olivia laughed, a genuine laugh Bernie hadn't heard from her in months. "Yeah Mama, I guess we do!". "What are we going to tell the 6 in the waiting room?" Asked Bernie. Elliot looked at Olivia "I'm leaving that decision up to you Liv, you've been through what they have the last couple months. I'll do whatever you think is best for them." Liv smiled a sad smile at him "I think…. I think Bernie should go get them and she can tell them I have a surprise for them. They might be stunned but they are going to be so happy to see you. I'm not making you wait any longer to see them, El."

As soon as Bernie opened the door there were screams and squeals of "Daddy!" They all ran and jumped into his arms, Elliot explained what had happened as he held Noah who had just about doubled in size since he held him last. "Picture time!" Called Bernie as she grabbed her camera, Liv and Elliot sat on the bed holding the three littles, the twins stood on either side of them and Maureen and Kathleen stood behind them. "Now this is what a family picture should look like" said Bernie smiling with tears in her eyes.

Elliot and Liv leaned over Eli's head and shared a sweet kiss which Bernie caught on camera. It was then that they both knew they could survive whatever life threw at them.

It was a very tight squeeze but somehow all 9 Stabler's ended up piled in Liv's bed with Bernie sitting in the chair next to it. They stayed that way until Liv and Ella were discharged that afternoon. "There's never going to be another moment as sweet as this" Liv whispered into Elliot's ear as he carefully pulled her closer to him under the pile of kids. "Nope" he whispered back as he gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead and they both fell asleep.