Chapter 3

~oOo~

Elliot and his squad found themselves neck-deep in a trafficking case. The case involved a gang that trafficked humans, weapons, and drugs. SVU was working the same case from the sex trafficking angle. The gang's leader, Johnny D had everyone terrified of him. He had very disturbing ways of torturing and killing anyone who dared to cross him. SVU had found his lair and rescued the girls he was holding as sex slaves, but Johnny D himself had escaped in the chaos. Though he had been wounded by the now Lieutenant Benson herself, during the rescue of one of the younger girls, Johnny D apparently had connections everywhere and had managed to disappear without a trace. That was, until now.

Organized Crime had managed to track him down and it was time to raid his warehouse. Elliot, Bell, and the rest of their team spread out and searched the building.

They heard a racket coming from the main part of the warehouse. They followed the sound and found none other than Johnny D standing over a petite blonde woman. The woman was bruised and bleeding, and from where Elliot stood, she didn't appear to be moving.

"Johnny D, NYPD! We've got you surrounded! Hands up!"

But Johnny D wasn't about to surrender. There was no way he was going to prison.

Looking Elliot and the rest of the squad straight in the eyes, he lifted his knife to his throat. Shouts arose from Elliot and Bell and their detectives.

"No! Don't do it, Johnny! Put down the knife!"

Before anyone had time to stop him, Johnny D drew the sharp blade swiftly across his throat, slicing a main artery. He fell to the floor in a pool of his own blood. Bell holstered her weapon and ran over to check the gangster's pulse before looking at Elliot and shaking her head. Johnny D was dead.

Elliot was already kneeling before the victim on the floor. She was awake and alert but barely.

"P—please. S—save my…son," the injured woman whispered weakly.

"Call a bus!" Elliot ordered before turning back to the battered woman.

"I'm Sergeant Stabler, Ma'am. I'm here to help. Can you tell me your name?"

"E—Ellie. Ellie… Porter. Please. M—my son. You…have…to find…him," the woman gasped out.

"What's your son's name, Ellie?"

"N—Noah," came the weak and barely audible reply.

"We'll look for Noah, Ellie. We'll find him and keep him safe until you can do that."

"Don't…let his…father…get him," Ellie pleaded.

"Who is his father? Would he hurt the boy?" Bell asked from behind Elliot.

Ellie coughed and managed to rasp out,

"Joh…D. Dangerous. He'll…kill 'im."

"Johnny D is dead. He can never hurt you or Noah again," Elliot assured her.

At that moment, a soft cry was heard from a nearby room. It was the distinct sound of a baby. Bell stayed with Ellie while Elliot rushed into the other room. There he found a baby boy who could only be Noah. The baby was nestled in a pile of blankets in a drawer. He looked to be about six months old.

Elliot approached the baby softly and spoke gently.

"Hi, little man. It's ok. I'm here to help. You're safe now."

He carefully lifted the baby into his arms and carried him out.

Continuing the soft tone, he said, "Ellie, I found Noah. He's just fine. We'll take care of him for you while you work on getting better."

"B—bring h—him…to me," she requested.

Elliot knelt down next to her and held Noah out to her. She reached up to stroke her baby's soft face before kissing his cheek.

"I…love you… Noah. A—always."

That was all she could say before passing out.

The medics got there right at that moment so Elliot stepped aside. Ellie was loaded into the ambulance and Elliot got in holding Noah.

At the hospital, Ellie was taken to surgery and Noah was examined by a doctor. Elliot called Olivia to tell her what was going on.

"I have to stay with the baby because he's in protective custody. CPS has been notified, but I feel responsible for the little guy, Liv."

"Stay as long as you need to, El. I get it," Olivia reassured him.

A few minutes later, Noah was pronounced uninjured but slightly malnourished. He was hooked up to an IV to hydrate him and was given supplements to nourish his little body. They wanted to keep him overnight, then a social worker would take him to a foster home in the morning.

An hour later, Elliot and the squad got sad news. Ellie Porter succumbed to her injuries. She had made it through the surgery, but had died in recovery.

Elliot headed home feeling dejected and guilty. He knew he had done everything right, but Ellie Porter had still died and now her infant son was left an orphan.

All Elliot wanted to do now was hug his own young son. Olivia had somehow predicted that and called Kathy to convince the woman to let Eli stay with them for the night.

It was just what the Sergeant needed. Eli's infectious laughter and pure innocence lifted Elliot's spirits instantly.

After the little boy had been tucked into bed following a game of Chutes and Ladders and a Disney movie, Elliot pulled Olivia into his arms and held her tightly.

"Thank you. For knowing exactly what I needed."

Olivia pulled back just enough to kiss him before looking into his eyes.

"I love you, El."

"I love you too, Liv. So much," Elliot replied, before pulling Olivia close once more.

Over the next few months, Elliot couldn't get the baby boy off of his mind. He attended every placement hearing for him, and Olivia was always there by his side. There were four placement hearings before Elliot decided to discuss a proposition with his girlfriend.

"Liv, what if we were to take him? You're still certified from when you took Calvin in and I could get certified. This baby boy needs a home. What do ya say?"

Olivia's eyes widened.

"El, are you serious? I've been down that road before. I was told I wasn't prime parent material. What about Eli? Would he be upset to share us with another little boy?"

"Eli would be fine. He'd be a great big brother. And this time you wouldn't be alone. We'd raise Noah together. C'mon, Liv. Let's at least look into it," Elliot urged.

Olivia pondered this for a moment. It was something she'd dreamed of for a long time. Raising a family with Elliot. Even when she had no right to dream, she couldn't help it. Now she was finally getting the chance to make that dream a reality. She couldn't miss this opportunity. Taking a deep breath she said, "Ok. Let's do it. We can talk to the judge tomorrow. I'll meet you at the courthouse."

Elliot's response was to pull Olivia close and kiss her deeply. He had shared Olivia's dream for a long time. Hopefully soon, he would be the father of six and Olivia would finally realize her dream of being a mother.

The next day, they met with Judge Lindun in her chambers. As it turned out, she had seen something in the couple from the moment she had seen them in the courtroom for the hearings. Something in her gut told her these were the parents baby Noah needed in order to thrive. In fact, she felt both the couple and the child needed each other.

"I was actually going to call you later today and ask if you'd consider fostering Noah Porter with the option to adopt. Due to the special circumstances, I can fast track the paperwork and cut through the red tape. I'll give you a week to prepare and then you can pick Noah up from the Family Services and take him home."

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other in shock before turning back to the judge.

"Thank you, Judge Lindun," Elliot said, with Olivia adding, "Thank you so much! We'll be ready by Friday."

The three of them said their goodbyes and Elliot and Olivia headed out of the courthouse.

That night they made some calls. Over the next few days, the older Stabler kids, Fin, Amaro, Carisi, Rollins, Bell, Barba, as well as Cragen and Munch helped prepare Olivia and Elliot's place for the newest member of the family. Even Kathy helped by handing down Eli's old baby clothes and supplying several packages of diapers. Fin and Amaro helped Elliot and Richard and Carl set up the crib and the changing table. Rollins helped Olivia and the three Stabler daughters with the decor. Elliot and Olivia had decided on a vehicle theme. Before they all knew it, Friday had arrived. It was finally time to bring Noah home.

There was a party to welcome the baby boy. Everyone was excited to meet him. Eli warmed up to his new brother right away, much to the relief of Elliot and Olivia. Noah was showered with gifts and lots of love, but the party was a short one. Nobody wanted the small boy to be overwhelmed. Finally, it was just Noah, Olivia, and Elliot In the house. The three of them sat on the sofa together.

"Hi, Sweet Boy. Welcome to your new home. We're your mommy and daddy. You also have older brothers and sisters that don't live here. You'll still see them a lot, though," Olivia began.

Elliot continued, "You also have a grandmother. She's already planning all the cookies she'll bake with you when you're old enough. You have several aunts and uncles that aren't blood-related but they're still family. You met them all earlier."

Noah was smiling up at them, but his eyes were starting to droop. Olivia decided they should get their son to bed. She took him to his room and put him in his pajamas. Then she laid him in his crib. Elliot put a light blanket over him before kissing him on his little head. Olivia kissed Noah as well before following her boyfriend out of the room. As the two stopped in the doorway for one more peek, Elliot put his arm around Olivia and whispered into the peaceful darkness, "We love you, Noah."

Olivia laid her head on Elliot's shoulder and added softly, "Very, very much."

The author of this SVU: The Rewrite story will be revealed in July