Disclaimer: …Oh gawd, I'm depressed Dx

Chapter: 27

Title: Yesterdays & Tomorrows

A/N: 401 reviews already? Have I told you all how much I love you? ;) You really are the definition of inspiration! If it weren't for all the lovely reviews, I would never update. So, thank you all! No more long A/N's, so without further ado…

xoxo, Crisis.

Read. +Review+ Enjoy!

It was hard to believe. Yesterday, everything was so hectic. One minute things were fine, then they were hell. If shit didn't happen, Elliot wouldn't know what to say about it all. Olivia was awake, finally. After being comatose for the most frightening few hours of his life. One would think he would have felt more for his wife when she passed. He mourned. He still could feel the pain from it. But in the past eleven years; so much had changed. He and Kathy had been on the rocks since before Olivia even became his partner. They'd never wanted to acknowledge the fact that because of their early start with their relationship, the years had diminished the love that was once there. The kids had been their only glue. He'd spent more time at work than he ever had at home. Something that was both a good and bad thing. The root of all evil. And when Olivia had come into the picture, nights he stayed away from Kathy had been longer. And Kathy had known. Had confronted Olivia about it during Elliot's separation with said blonde. Though, Elliot didn't quite know about that.

Elliot sighed to himself as he bent over to retrieve the item from the vending machine. Liv had asked for a soda, and he was going to get her one. Even if she was in a hospital bed, he knew she would make good on her threats of kicking his ass. She was his partner after all, she could hold her own against any perp.

The thought made him smile. The simple fact that Olivia Benson wasn't like any other female police officers. She could handle the dangers, the pain that came along with the job. She could chase a perp in heels during undercover missions. And she wasn't afraid to get down and dirty. She did what she had to. And she was a Angel when it came to the victims.

When it came to the children…

His work shoes clicked against the floor as he headed on back to her room, her awaiting soda in hand. Cragen had left to speak with Fin and Munch about their break in the case. Elliot had been ordered to stay behind and take care of Olivia. Good choice. If he got a-hold of the bastard doing this to his Liv, there'd be no need for a trial. The bright lights of the hospitals hallways shined dashingly upon its marble floors. Each time he passed a door, a room, he wondered just who was on the other side and what were their conditions? Sometimes the doors were open, and he would gander inside casually. He'd seen an old couple a door down from her room. And he stopped. Gazing in the watch them. The roles were reversed opposed to his situation. The man was in the bed, hooked up to several machines while the woman sat at his side, hand in hand they talked. Tired smiles on their worn out faces. He wondered, if he and Liv would be like that. Hopefully different circumstances and situations.

Shaking his head with a small smile, he walked on, and came to a stop just before he went to push the large white door leading into his partners room open. The kids were there. They'd been there all morning. His eyes feasted upon the sight of his future. The twins stood at the end of the bed, while Kathleen and Maureen stood side by side on the window side. They were laughing about something, hands moving. He knew they were gabbing to Olivia about a guy. They usually resorted to hand gestures when it dealt with that department. Olivia had requested to sit up earlier that morning. Being the stubborn detective, she had persuaded the nurses into lifting the damned thing. He had been waiting for her to threaten to shoot them if they didn't comply. The memory caused him to chuckle lightly. Little Eli laid cradled in Olivia's arms, and she slowly rocked him gently. Elliot could never believe why she would think she wouldn't make a good mother. Because of her job? The job she was great at? The job where she helped children cope constantly? The job which showed how pure her heart truly was. She was beautiful. Nothing short of amazing.

A small giggled interrupted Elliot's thoughts. His eyes focused in on the scene only to see Olivia's smiling face laughing at her niece.

Synthia.

The niece she never knew she had. The family. Elliot could never imagine what that must have been like for her. What she must have felt. And all this time, she spent her days and nights alone. If it weren't for her job, she'd have no one.

"Dad!" The grown voice jolted his mind once more and Elliot shook himself from his reverie and pushed the door open. "What took you so long?" Maureen chided, folding her arms over her chest as she mustered an annoyed expression. Elliot chuckled and stepped over to Olivia, handing her her awaited beverage.

"Yeah, its about time. What'd you do, get lost?" Olivia smirked softly as she popped the top of her coca-cola and took a long refreshing gulp of the sugary liquid. Elliot raised a brow as he reached over to stroke the head of his sleeping child who rested in his lovers arms.

"I thought you gave up soda?" He asked, his inquiring grin making her want to kiss him silly. Though she knew she had to test her restraint given the fact they had the kids in the room with them. It had touched her deeply when Elliot told her they came to see her. They'd been there nearly all morning, and it was going on noon. To think that yesterday she had them all afraid made her feel slightly guilty. She never did like the idea of being the center of attention. She was the type who enjoyed watching others be happy. Even at the cost of her own. Perhaps that was the reason she had often went home alone only to watch a late night talk show or head straight to bed. She had had barely any social life. And when she did have one, or tried to have one, it ended in failure. The only thing she had ever seemed to be good at was her job. Or at least, that was what she thought. What she believed. But Elliot…

Elliot made her feel so much more than any of that. They connected well. Just like she did with the rest of the guys. Being apart of their team made her feel welcomed. And truth was, she was the only woman they would allow in their unit with them. In their little SVU clique. That was what she liked to call it. She had heard many rumors that while Dani Beck took her place, the guys weren't so warm to her. They constantly ignored her, and Elliot, even though he wasn't like that, he had used her. Or rather, she manipulated him.

In any case, the girl put a bad taste in her mouth, and she had hated her from the moment she saw her. Olivia Benson rarely hated anyone other than rapists and abusers.

Coming back to present, Olivia felt the small tug on her hand and her soft brown eyes met those of little Synthia. The girl she had an appending adoption for. Funny how that she had all these wonderful children with her right now, yet not a single one of them were hers.

"Mommy Livia!" The small girl bounced on her heels as she reached into the pocket of her little sun dress and pulled out a small flower. "For chu!" She giggled happily. Olivia laughed openly as she looked up to Maureen.

"Could you…?" She asked, lifting her arms and the sleeping Eli squirmed when she shifted. Maureen gave a small smile and a nod as she leaned down to pick up her sleeping baby brother. Olivia turned to her niece and took the flower from her with a large smile. "Thank you." She stated, slipping the flower behind her ear. Synthia smiled and crawled onto the bed beside Olivia who just shifted to make room. The small girl laid back against her and began to ramble about what she wanted to do when her 'mommy' got better. And the only thing Olivia could do was rest her head against the young girls and listened with a smile on her face. She wanted a baby, a child. One of her own. One she could look at and see herself and Elliot. One she could have the memory of from the time they were born. Her eyes closed as she wished it so much, her heart ached. She felt Elliot's hand on her own and her eyes opened slowly, glancing over to him. He nodded his head to her, and she knew he understood her. The smooth patterns he was tracing over her skin with his thumb made her shiver and she smiled at him. She didn't know what she ever did to deserve such a wonderful man. Even though he was brash and hard headed at times. They fit. And for once, she felt as if this were right.

"…An we can get a doggy!" Synthia exclaimed suddenly, making the other children laugh as both Elliot and Olivia jumped from her abrupt outburst. "Mommy Livia, were chu listing?" Olivia smiled as she brushed the small girls hair back, nodding her head. She loved how the small child tried to pronounce words and speak as though she were a lot older.

'They really do wish to grow up so fast when they're so young.' Olivia thought, 'Was I ever like that?'

"So… Liv," Kathleen began as she tipped forward on her toes. The twins both had a smirk on their faces, and Olivia began to wonder what they had been scheming while she was zoning. "…we were wondering when you two were going to…"

"Get hitched." Dicky smirked. Both Elliot and Olivia exchanged glances, and Olivia's face turned slightly red. Though, Elliot seemed to be calm about it. His hand squeezed hers and she glanced over to him. Yesterday, he'd told her sleeping form that he wanted to marry her. But she had thought that that was just a spur of the moment sort of thing. Could it be that he was serious? Anything was possible…

"I, ah, I don't know." Olivia stated as she glanced from Elliot to Kathleen. "What brought that up?"

"Dad has always talked about you before. For the past eleven years, all we ever really heard at the dinner table was 'Olivia this, Liv that'."

"We learned after a while when Mom used to get mad that maybe we shouldn't ask Dad how work was," Lizzie laughed.

"Or how you were." Maureen added as she gently bounced Eli in her arms. Olivia smiled at the thought that she had been on her partners mind even after they left the office. Did he even know how much he was on hers every single day?

"Really?" The tone to Olivia's voice was that of curiosity and sultry, sarcasm laced with its own repetitive slur.

"Well…" Elliot was ready to defend himself, but looking around, he didn't really have any allies to back his defense. The twins both had encouraged him to date Olivia back when he'd first separated from Kathy. Dick may have been a bit opposed to it; he'd had a crush on her since she first became his Dad's partner. Though, he did like the idea of having the hottest Mom on the roster. Definitely a way to make him popular. With the guys anyways. He could swoon girls using the charm he got passed down from his father.

"Give up Dad, we all know Olivia was the reason you normally never ate when you got home."

"Hey, working long hours makes you hungry. We went out for dinner as partners. And usually, we ate in the bull pen." Elliot lifted his finger at Maureen who rolled her eyes and looked to Olivia. Said brunette didn't even want to comment. She and Elliot had gone out for dinner away from the bull pen plenty of times as well. They'd just be getting off and he would ask her if she wanted a bite to eat. She never questioned the fact that he could get a free meal at home. She had always shunned it off as none-of-her-business. Though, it was, wasn't it? If he was having troubles at home, he knew she was there for him. Though that was the reason she remained quiet about it. If he wanted her comfort, he'd get it.

"Is that true Liv?"

"I plead the fifth."

The laughter resounded in the small room. This felt good. Despite the fact that she was stuck in a hospital bed, and she didn't know when she would get out, the moments they shared were important to her. Perhaps tomorrow, things would be different. Tomorrow, hopefully she would be out of this place. Free to go home and finish living. Continue on as if this never happened. Wasn't that how they had always done it?

After Gitano, they had a rocky start. A uneasy relationship. Mostly because neither knew what they should do about their feelings. While they had been trying to hide the emotions they held for each other for so many years, that one single case brought it all out in the open. And the only result was them shattering. Like broken glass. But, wasn't that just it? Things that were broken could be fixed. Mended. And that's what had happened. Even after she infiltrated. After Beck, after Porter, and Kathy. And after this. They would move on.

A knock to the door alerted them to the white coat entering. A folder in his hand as he smiled to the family and his eyes fell upon Elliot and Olivia. "Sorry to interrupt Ms. Benson, but…we have some things to discuss." At least he was cordial about it.

"Ah, Maureen, Kathleen, why don't you guys all go out for dinner tonight?" He stated as he stood, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his wallet.

"No, Dad, that's alright." Kathleen insisted as she lifted her hands to him and shook her head. She turned to her sister to take her brother as Maureen reached for her keys.

"We'll come back later to visit." She smiled, holding out her hand for Synthia. The small girl squirmed as Elliot went to lift her up.

"Nuuuuo." She muttered, hanging onto Olivia. The detective smiled and kissed the girls head as she whispered something to her. Synthia wasted no time in jumping up and taking Maureen's hand. "Otay!" She smiled cheerfully. "Love you mommy!" Synthia blew a kiss Olivia's way, and she pretended to catch in her hand, and then blew one back in return. The small girl caught the kiss in her hand and held it to her heart before waving bye.

"Love you too, sweetie." Olivia called out after her. The door closed and Olivia sighed softly. "Kids." She smiled to the doctor.

"I know." He chuckled, stepping forward, pen and clip board in hand. "My name is Doctor Feldman, I'm a radiologist. We need to take some x-rays of your abdomen and chest."

"What for?"

The doctor glanced to Elliot, and Elliot only looked down. He hadn't said a thing to Olivia about her condition. She hadn't asked, and he didn't want to bring it up. He just wanted to spend each moment in bliss with her, not in agony of what could happen. Yesterday had been enough torment. He didn't want that for tomorrow. He wanted a fresh new start. Cragen and Fin would have the man behind bars for good, and Munch would continue to ramble about government conspiracies. They would have a case and come home to a house full of kids. That's what Elliot wished for. What he wanted to envision.

"Ms. Benson…" Dr. Feldman began as he pulled up a chair and took a seat. He folded his hands together, leaning forward as he narrowed his eyes. "You're bleeding internally, you need a blood transfusion. We don't know what the cause of this is; which is why we need to take extra precautious measures. We need to rule out any severe injuries to your abdomen and chest. It could be a minor thing. But we first need to have you checked out." Lifting his chart, he scribbled down a few things before setting the chart on the bed beside her and giving her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Your husband has offered to be the blood donor."

Olivia's eyes drifted to Elliot's, and she tightened her grip on his hand. She tried to not let the fear show. But it was obvious. She nodded her head to the doctor.

"The nurse will be right in to prep you for the transfusion and then we'll get started on the x-rays. It shouldn't take too long. Hopefully, we'll find a minor injury, repair it, and have you on your way home in no time." Patting her leg, Dr. Feldman stood, his knee's popping and cracking. "By the way, those are a lovely group a kids. Hard to believe you have so many at your age." He stated, moving towards the door. Olivia's brows furrowed. She was nearly pushing fifty, what did he mean? She shook her head of the thoughts and sighed.

"Sorry I didn't say anything." His voice was low and soft, and it caused a subtle smile to appear on her face. She knew he was considerate.

"At least your not giving me a kidney." She mused, laying her head back as she inhaled a much needed breath of air. Elliot chuckled.

"Why's that?" He asked, bringing the back of her hand to his lips as he placed a small kiss to her smooth skin. His eyes seemed to sparkle as she turned to gaze at him. His baby blues making her feeling tingly. She wondered if he would always have that effect on her. She figured so. Eleven years and he still had the charm to swoon her over and over again. Bless the man and his magical ways.

"Because…" She trailed, tugging on his hand. He seemed to read her mind as he lifted from his chair to lean over her.

Her heart skipped a beat.

She didn't know why, but whenever he was above her, it made her feel giddy. It brought the butterflies back to her stomach, made her pulse race and her face flush. It made every part of her body tingle. And she figured it was because of his dominant nature. The way he was the alpha. And she had no problem surrendering control to him. Even though she enjoyed being the authority in everything. She was strong and independent and if he had been any other lover, she wouldn't relinquish the control. But he was Elliot, the Stabler.

Olivia could remember the several bets she had going with not just Casey, but Alex and Melinda over just how good he was in bed. Little did she ever know, however, that they had had they're own little bets going. She'd only learned of them after they found out about her and Elliot. There were a couple bets that made her want to shoot them for being so damned nosy. One being when they would first figure out they're love for each other. And the other bet, who would toss in the towel and jump the other. They had all bet that their first time would be in the bull pen. And Olivia could remember Casey's exact pun about said station house.

"They'll both be acting like a bunch of horny bulls in the pen at some point. Can't hide what you feel forever, Liv. That's just how it is. Even if it sucks."

Chuckling at the memory, Olivia knew Casey couldn't have been more right. And she didn't care who won or lost the bet, she got her prize. Her mind fuzzed over and she felt all warm inside the moment her partner dipped his head down, and was now looming inches above her face. She could feel his breath against her lips, and her tongue darted out to moisten the dry surface. Elliot's eyes followed her appendage, and his eyes grew dark. She knew that look. It was the look he had when he wanted something. Something…intricately belonging to her. Her eyes mirrored his own as her chestnut brown orbs grew to a dark chocolate.

"Because you're going to give me yours first, right?" He whispered, his lips brushing against hers in the process. Olivia chuckled lightly as she pushed up for the first small peck to his lips.

"Exactly." She muttered, laughing at his irate growl. Though her laughter died when his lips crashed down on hers, his tongue immediately seeking entrance which she courteously provided. Their tongues stroked in a slow motion against each others as they lips massaged each others. It was a slow, passionate kiss. They wished it would've lasted longer, though the intruding nurse cleared her throat and forced them apart. Olivia had the interesting notion to shoot the woman, though restrained herself as she smiled up to her man.

His blue eyes smiled back.

God she loved him.

"Alright." The nurse inhaled as she raised her brows to Olivia. Olivia only grinned as she licked her lips and glanced to Elliot. He couldn't even hide his grin. "I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside, I need room to get her up, and into the wheelchair."

Olivia nearly laughed at that, though she knew she couldn't argue… "Is that really necessary?" Well she could asked, right?

"With the way you were light on your feet yesterday, its procedure." Olivia never thought she would get tired of hearing that. Rolling her eyes unwillingly, Olivia nodded and pushed herself up as Elliot walked on out of the room. He was surprised to be greeted by Munch and Cragen. His eyes glanced into the room to see the nurse helping Olivia into the chair. They seemed to be talking about something, and his ears were ringing…

"How's Olivia?" Munch asked, removing his glasses as he took a look inside the small door window.

"They're prepping her for the transfusion now. Said they'll take some x rays and hopefully she'll be out of here tomorrow or the day after." Running a hand over his head, Elliot exhaled and set his hands on his hips. "So who was it?"

"Olivia's neighbor."

Elliot's eyes narrowed as Cragen lifted the folder under his arm and handed it to Elliot. The brute opened it to see photo's and pictures of Olivia on his wall.

"He was stalking her for a while, and we never even knew."

"Yeah, ever since she moved next door to him, he'd been taking pictures of her and putting them on his walls." Munched reached over to flip through the pictures to a wall shot. "He had them everywhere. Newspaper clippings, articles. Everything about our baby girl."

"That sick son-of-a-"

A hand was placed on his shoulder and the door to Olivia's room swung open.

"Now's not the time, El." Cragen stated softly. Elliot nodded his head as he handed the file back to Cragen. "For now, your first priority here is Olivia. We'll take care of cleaning up the pin and any other mess this guy left in his wake."

"Thanks Cap'n." Elliot nodded.

"Captain, John." Olivia smiled brightly as she seen them. The nurse wheeled her to a stop in front of them and smiled to Elliot. He got the message and took over the handles behind her.

"I'll be right back, I just need to retrieve both of your files."

Nodding to her, the detectives attention never once turned from their co-workers and friends.

"Hey, how are you doing in here?" Cragen asked with a small smile. Though they never actually said anything, everyone knew how Don felt about their baby girl. He thought of her as a daughter. And she thought of him as a father. The father she never had. At least he cared for her.

And instead of raping women, he protected them. Ran a whole force whose sole purpose was to put pervs behind bars.

"I could be better." Olivia smiled. "You get any leads?"

"We'll talk about that later." Cragen nodded as he tucked the folder he had further behind him. "We'll be back to check up on you. For now, just be strong, Liv. I need you back out there in the field. These other detectives are killing me." He smiled, knowing she knew it was his humor talking. She knew him better than anyone, better than Elliot knew him, even. He'd allow her as much time off as she needed. Though, she never liked taking time off. It used to be time she spent alone. Though, now she might just be inclined to take him up on any said offers. As Cragen turned, Olivia muttered her small bye, raising a hand to wave as she smiled.

"Oh and Liv, I'll have a fresh new pot of coffee made, just for you." Munch grinned as he turned and walked away. Olivia could only laugh. Did he really think his coffee was that great? Or did he know it was more than horrible?

"See Liv. A speedy recovery means you can drink John's cup of tar."

"A speedy recovery means I can run from his cup of tar." She shot back. Just the thought of drinking the mans coffee made her stomach churn.

"Fine. When you recover, I'll take you out to that little restaurant on the beach you've always wanted to go to." Olivia chuckled and glanced up at him.

"Aren't you sweet." She mocked, laughing with him.

"Alright. If you would both follow me, we'll get started on the transfusion right away." The nurse smiled to them, walking passed them swiftly. Olivia always wondered why they moved so fast. Maybe it was because they wanted to rush the time. And she didn't blame them. As Elliot wheeled her down the hall, she could only sit back and watch the many doors and lights go by. She could only hope that tomorrow would be better than yesterday.

A/N: Gotta love Munch and his Starbucks knock off, right? Any-who. You know the drill! Click that button and leave me some feedback ;) Please?