LAST CHAPTER!

It is kind of hard to say good-bye to this one, as it has helped me through some trying times lately. Funny how a fanfic can be theraputic for you, and how it can hurt to let it go. This might be my shortest story ever...only ten chapters...but I never intended it to be very long.

Anyway, I hope this ending is all you've been hoping for. Enjoy, and leave a review if you want to make me happy. :)

Fourteen Weeks Later…

Elliot was alone in the squad-room, having agreed to stay as the rest of the gang left to visit Detective Rollins and her new baby boy at the hospital. Elliot smiled thinking about how he and Olivia had gone over the lunch hour to see the little guy, Daniel Murphy Rollins, and how Olivia's eyes had widened when she saw the baby. She'd been sure her former partner Nick Amaro was the child's father, but looking at the 8 pound boy with red hair and green eyes convinced her she was wrong. He couldn't help but grin as she held the tiny boy, cradling him in her arms against her own baby bump and then tearfully handing him back to his mother. On the way home she'd said she had felt an overwhelming sense of concern for the younger detective and her new son, though Elliot suspected she was feeling overwhelmed at the impending arrival of her own child. No matter how much he tried to help her, she seemed to push him away, and she'd dealt with most of the pregnancy on her own.

He looked up from his desk as Olivia pushed open her office door and walked slowly to the vending machine in the corner of the room. The strain of the pregnancy weight forced her steps to resemble more of a waddle than a walk, and even though he felt terrible for her suffering, he couldn't help but smile a little. She was so big, much bigger than he ever would have imagined, but it had been a difficult pregnancy and in spite of the fifty some pounds she'd put on he thought motherhood looked beautiful on her. The doctor had diagnosed her with gestational diabetes, which seemed to contribute to the weight gain, and the baby was bigger than average as well, so Olivia was struggling with appropriate food choices and Elliot knew it wasn't easy for her, so he didn't take it upon himself to remind her that food from the vending machine wasn't a wise choice. She took her time deciding what to buy, and then slipped the change into the slot and pushed the button, bending over to pick up the bottle of water she'd purchased, and letting her hand rest on her back as she stood up again. Elliot nodded approvingly at her choice, then watched her as she opened the bottle and took a sip, noticed as she moved her hand to her side while her face contorted with an uncomfortable look and she exhaled slowly. He'd seen the same look a few times throughout the day, but when they'd been at the hospital visiting Rollins she'd sworn to him she was fine. Now he wasn't so sure, but he knew if he asked she'd be stubborn and refuse his help again.

He stood up and walked over to her, and he knew she was startled by the way she jumped when he put his hand on her shoulder. "Elliot," she gasped. "Why are you still here? Go home."

"I'm just finishing up some paperwork," he explained. "Are you doing okay? You want me to give you a ride home?"

She shook her head no and took another sip of her water, "I have a lot of work to finish up," she sighed, walking back into the squad-room while he trailed behind her.

"Don't you have to get home to Noah?" he asked, hoping she'd agree to go home and rest. She didn't look good and he was worried about her.

"No, actually," she gave a slight smile. "He is spending the night with Brian's mom…out in Brooklyn." She cringed a little and rubbed her hand over her stomach, exhaling again with slow even breaths.

"Brian's mom…really?" he asked. "How's that going?"

"Pretty good surprisingly," Olivia sat her water down on the table and leaned against the door. "She took me to Lamaze the past few weeks. She wants to be a part of our family…and I owe her that much. I mean, I never thought she liked me much when Brian and I were dating, but she's excited to be a grandma and she includes Noah just as much as this baby…and we need a family too, you know. So why not let her?"

"So, she's gonna be there…when you have the baby?" he asked, feeling a bit relieved because he was sure she was going to try to go through labor and delivery all on her own. So far she'd refused to let anyone accompany her to doctor's appointments, ultrasounds…anything. At least if Brian's mom was there she wouldn't have to face giving birth alone.

"I mean she wants to, so…" Olivia closed her eyes as her voice trailed off and Elliot rushed to her side.

"Liv…" he said. "I think we should get you home."

"Elliot, I told you…I'm fine," she groaned, pushing open her office door and walking to her desk, lowering herself slowly into her chair and opening up her laptop. "You go home. There are plenty of unis here and I can call Fin or Carisi back if something comes up. Go home…" She put her hand back on her stomach, pushing slightly.

"Liv…is she moving a lot," he asked nervously. "Because you don't look like you feel well, and I'm not leaving unless you come with me."

Olivia rolled her eyes, "Elliot…I'm fine…she's fine…" she sighed. "I'm huge and I'm 36 weeks pregnant. I have aches and pains and I'm exhausted. It's perfectly normal. Why do you worry so much?"

"Because, you're in pain, and you're in denial," he said. "Out in the squad-room, you couldn't finish your sentence about Brian's mom coming to the hospital because of the pain. I'm right, aren't I?"

She bit her bottom lip, "The baby's just all over the place," she explained. "And when she gets like that…I have contractions…but they're not real ones...just Braxton Hicks. I'd know if it was something to worry about."

"I'd feel better if we went to the hospital," he argued. "Just to let them check on you…and her…"

"No," she insisted. "I'm fine. I'm tired, but I'm fine. I'll go home…will that make you happy?"

"Only if you let me drive you," he looked out the window behind her desk. "It's raining."

Olivia rolled her eyes, "Fine…you can drive me home, but then you go. All right? I'm okay, but I'm tired and if I have a night away from Noah I'd love to just sleep."

"We'll see how you're feeling when we get there," he said, grabbing her coat and helping her into it.

"You don't give up, do you?" she sighed, as she walked toward the door.

"Never," he winked at her.

"It's getting icy," Olivia said, looking at the rain that had turned to sleet as she climbed into the car. "I hope the roads aren't bad."

"Yeah," Elliot agreed, starting the car and pulling out onto the road. "At least we're not far from your place."

"True…" she said, her hand caressing her stomach as she bit her lip nervously. "Mmm…" she moaned, trying to keep the sound from escaping her lips and failing. She scrunched up her face and tried to breathe through the pain, as Elliot pulled the car over to the curb.

"Liv…" he put one hand on hers and used the other to rub her shoulder until the pain passed. "You all right?" he asked, and she nodded without speaking. He brushed the hair back from her face, staring at the fear in her eyes, "We're going to the hospital," he said and she knew better than to argue.

He'd tried to time her contractions on the way to the hospital, but the icy road conditions and the fact that she was trying to pretend like she wasn't actually in labor made it difficult. He could only estimate, but with the roads getting bad it had taken over an hour to get to the hospital, and he knew she'd had at least five contractions in that time, possibly more that she'd kept under wraps. "You ready?" he asked, walking over to her side of the car and opening the door.

"No…" she sputtered. "I can't have her yet. It's too early."

"It's not that early," he promised. "She wants to meet her mommy."

"I'm not ready," Olivia argued as he pulled her from the car seat and helped her walk toward the entrance. "Maybe they'll stop the contractions?" she suggested hopefully.

"Maybe they will," he offered, though he was sure they wouldn't. She was going to have that baby, ready or not.

"Ohhh," Olivia stopped, bending a little to ease the pain and then gasping as her eyes widened, "El…"

"You're okay," he assured her. "Just breathe…"

"El…" she cried. "My water just broke," she looked down at the puddle forming at her feet. "Nooo…"

"It's all right," he said, holding her tighter as he guided her toward the door. "Let's go have a baby."

Two Hours Later…

Elliot was in the waiting room, flipping through magazines. His blood pressure was through the roof and he could feel it rising with each passing second. Olivia was in labor…she was having a baby…and she'd banished him to the waiting room, choosing instead to go through the contractions alone until Brian's mom could arrive. He'd been shocked, to say the least, but it was even worse when she'd told him to just go home and she'd call him later. He wasn't leaving, no matter what she said, but it hurt more than he'd ever imagined. He tossed the magazine aside, "Dammit Olivia," he cursed, standing to his feet and pacing back and forth in the waiting room like a father-to-be in a 1950s movie.

"Mr. Stabler?" he turned and saw a young nurse staring at him. "Are you Elliot Stabler? The one who brought in Olivia Benson?" she asked, and he rushed over to her.

"Is Olivia okay," he asked. "Did she have the baby already?"

The woman gave a gentle smile, "She's doing fine…no baby yet, but she asked me to come find you. It's getting harder, and she said she wants you. Do you feel comfortable coming back?" Elliot didn't take time to answer, dashing off toward the door, and the nurse followed after him.

He stood in the doorway and watched as an older nurse with gray hair and Winnie the Pooh scrubs helped Olivia breathe through her latest contraction. Olivia's face was pale, frightened and he waited for her breathing to steady and the contraction to let up before lightly tapping on the door. She turned to look at him, and he smiled, "You want some company?" he asked, and she nodded tearfully. He walked over to the bed, and sat in the chair next to her. "You're doing great. The nurse said so."

She shook her head, "I'm scared…I can't do this."

"Yes you can," he assured her. "I know it's scary, but you're going to meet your little girl soon, and that's a reason to stick with it." He smiled. "Brian's mom should be here before too long. I'll stay in the waiting room with Noah and she can help you through the contractions, but I want to stay with you until she gets here. Okay?"

Olivia shook her head, and at first he though she was going to send him back to the waiting room, but she didn't. "She's not coming," she sobbed. "The roads are too bad. She tried, but she just called and said it's really icy and she's scared to make the drive, especially with Noah…" she sniffled. "So I told her to just stay home and keep safe. She went to Lamaze with me…I need her…"

"I'm here," Elliot promised. "And I've been to a Lamaze class or two in my day," he smiled.

"I didn't want you to see me like this," she cried.

"You asked the nurse to come get me," he reminded her. Then he took her hand and held it, feeling her grip tighten as another contraction overtook her body. "Breathe…" he reminded her and she panted through the pain until she was finally able to release her grasp on his hand, and he brushed her hair back from her face, "See…we can do this." He smiled.

"I'm sorry El," she sighed, breathlessly. "For making you stay in the waiting room before. I was just scared and I didn't want to push you into a role you weren't ready for…that neither of us are ready for…"

"Who says I'm not ready?" he asked. "That we're not ready?" He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Let's not worry about any of that, okay? Let's just focus on getting this baby girl into the world…nothing else matters right now."

"Okay," Olivia nodded tearfully. "Thank you…"

"I don't need thanks," he whispered. "I just need to be here."

An hour later they were walking the halls of the maternity ward, at Elliot's insistence. He was sure it would help move labor along more quickly and Olivia was so miserable she'd given in just to try to speed things along. "El…" she gasped, stopping and leaning against the wall, but he grabbed her and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Lean into me," he insisted. "It will help. Breathe…" The contractions were getting stronger, and lasting longer, and he wanted to comfort her as much as possible. "You're doing great…" he encouraged her. "So great, Liv…it's almost over…"

"I'm tired…" she moaned, coming out of the contraction and letting her body fall limp against his. "I need to lay down…Elliot…Please…"

"Okay…" he rubbed her back and let her rest for a minute. "The contractions are getting really close together. Let's get you back to your room…" but before they could make it a few steps another contraction left her unable to move or speak. "It's okay…" he said gently. "Put your palms against mine and push, hard, I won't let you fall. Just push into me and breathe…" and as much as she wanted to yell at him for telling her what to do, she didn't know what else to try so she did as he said, and it did help a little.

When the pain finally eased a little, she gasped, "My room…now…" and he helped her as quickly as he could back to the room and into bed.

A few hours later, Elliot was standing behind her, holding her body upright while she pushed with all her strength. "Come on…you're doing it…" he said as she grunted and pushed even harder. "I can see her head…look at her hair..." and tears filled his eyes because no matter how many times he'd seen a baby come into the world, the beauty of it never ceased to amaze him. "She's so pretty…" he said, and Olivia pushed one more time, digging her nails into his skin as her daughter slipped out from her body and into the world.

The doctor held the baby up, and Olivia tried to catch her breath, staring in awe at her new daughter. "Is she okay?" she asked. "She's so little…" she turned to Elliot, "I thought they said she was gonna be big...isn't she too little?"

"She looks perfect," the doctor smiled, "Do you want to cut the cord?" he asked, looking at Elliot, and he wasn't sure how to answer.

"Uhm…" Elliot stumbled over his words, but Olivia interrupted him.

"It's okay…" she whispered. "You can…if you want to…" So he cut the baby's umbilical cord and the doctor placed the squirming, crying little girl on her mother's chest. "Oh my God…"Olivia's voice quivered, "Look at her…" she cried. "She's perfect…"

"Yeah," Elliot looked at Olivia, cuddling her new daughter and the love he felt for both of them was overwhelming. "She looks like her mama."

Olivia kissed the baby's wet head and held her close. "I love her…" she looked at Elliot. "So much. I can't believe I almost…that I didn't want her…"

"No…" Elliot stopped her. "Don't do that to yourself. You've loved her from the second you knew about her, Liv. She knows that…"

Olivia nodded, letting her tears stream down her cheeks. "Thanks…for helping us…I couldn't have done it on my own…"

"Thanks for letting me be here," he smiled, running his finger along the baby's soft pink cheeks. "So, does this little beauty have a name?" he asked.

Olivia nodded, "Her name's Cassidy," she said softly. "Cassidy Brianne Benson." She smiled, "I think I'm gonna call her Cass. It suits her, don't you think."

"Yeah…" he smiled. "Welcome to the world, Little Cass," he leaned over and kissed the tiny girl on the cheek.

The Next Morning…

Light was shining through the window when Olivia opened her eyes. She was sore, and it hurt to move, but she forced herself to sit up and glanced over at the baby's isolette, only to find it empty. She was ready to panic when she turned her head to the other side of the room and saw Elliot, sound asleep in the recliner with the baby resting comfortably on his chest. She smiled instinctively, watching him comfort and protect her daughter, the way he'd always been there for her, and she bit her lip while she took in the sight, not wanting to wake them, but longing to hold her precious child again.

"Elliot…" she said softly, and he opened his eyes and looked at her.

"When did you wake up?" he asked, sitting up straight and cradling the baby in his arms.

"Just now," she smiled, "Was she crying…and I didn't hear her?"

Elliot shook his head, "No…not really. She was just fussing a little, and you needed some sleep. She just needed to feel the warmth of someone close to her. It's kind of scary out here in the cold, harsh world." He looked down at the sleeping baby and smiled. "I hope you don't mind…"

"No, I don't mind," Olivia smiled. "But can I have her back now…I miss her…"

Elliot laughed, "You don't have to miss her. She's right here," he stood up and walked over to the bed, placing the baby in her mother's arms. "She's gorgeous, Liv. God, she's so perfect."

Olivia nodded, "Yeah, I think so too." She felt her eyes welling up with tears. "I can't believe she's mine."

"Well she is," he smiled, "All yours." He sat next to her on the bed and brushed the hair out of her face, kissing her gently on the cheek. "I'm so proud of you. I know this wasn't easy…doing all this by yourself…but you got her here safe and sound."

She leaned her head against his chest, "I wasn't by myself," she sighed. "You were always there. I'm sorry I didn't let you in more. I've been so scared…afraid of all of this…hell, I still am."

"I know," he agreed. "But I'm not going anywhere, Liv."

"I think she looks like Brian," Olivia said gently. "I mean…she has my dark hair, but her eyes are his." She looked up at him, "I can't pretend like he isn't her father, Elliot. It wouldn't be right. She should know."

He nodded, "Just because I'm not her biological father…doesn't mean I can't love her. You love Noah, right…"

"That's different and you know it," she argued.

"No…it's not," Elliot insisted. "Olivia…I love you. And I love Cass and Noah too. I'm not saying we have to jump into anything. I know right now you need to focus on the baby…on your son…on your family…" he sighed. "I'm just saying…that I love you…all of you…and I'm gonna be here."

"I love you too," she whispered, just as the door opened and Noah ran across the room, with Brian's mom trailing behind him, holding flowers and pink balloons.

"Mama…" Noah squealed, rushing to the bed and trying to climb up, so Elliot picked him up and sat him in his lap. "Baby…" the little boy said is awe.

"This is your little sister, Noah," Olivia said, taking her son's hand and kissing it softly before placing it on the baby's chest. "You're a big brother."

"Ohhh…let me see my granddaughter," Brian's mother said, sitting the flowers on the nightstand. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here…" she said tearfully, and Olivia handed the baby to her. "She's beautiful," the older woman cried. "She looks like Brian when he was a baby…" she held the baby close, sniffing in her new baby scent. "Does she have a name yet?"

Olivia reached over and grabbed Noah from Elliot, eager to help her son feel loved and comfortable in the presence of his new sibling. "Her name's Cassidy Brianne," she said softly.

The woman's eyes widened, "Thank you for that…" she leaned forward and hugged Olivia close. "He'd be so proud of his little girl…and of you. I want you to know that."

"I do," Olivia forced a sad smile. "I know he loved us."

Later that night, Brian's mother had left for home, promising to come back the next day to help Olivia get settled at home with the baby and Noah was asleep in the recliner, while Elliot changed the baby's diaper and brought her to her mother. "You're gonna have to put her back in her little bed," he said gently. "She's gonna be spoiled."

"Says the man who held her all night," Olivia chuckled.

"Well she was brand new then," he teased. "And now she's almost a whole day old."

Olivia laughed, "El…about earlier…when you said you loved us…"

"I meant it," he said seriously.

"I know," she nodded. "And I meant it too. I do love you, but everything is so complicated right now…"

"I know that too," he agreed. "And I meant it when I said you need time to focus on Cass and Noah. No pressure, Liv. Okay? I'm here…regardless…"

"Thank you…" she whispered.

"I should take Noah over to Fin's," Elliot said, standing to his feet. "He said he'd watch him until morning when you get released. That way I can stay here and help you with the baby."

"You don't have to," she insisted. "I mean, Cass and I will be fine alone."

"You are tired and sore," he reminded her. "And you need some sleep. You're gonna let me help."

"Okay…" she gave in, as he gently woke up Noah and she gave him a kiss good-night. The nurse walked in, just as they were leaving and Olivia stopped them, "Wait, El…" she called and he turned back around. She looked at the nurse, handing the woman her phone from the nightstand, "Do you mind? I'd really love a picture of all of us before my son has to leave."

"No, of course not," the woman smiled as Elliot sat Noah on the bed next to his mother and sister. "All right, Daddy…you can either sit and hold the big brother or stand behind them," she smiled.

Elliot wasn't sure how to respond, but he didn't have to, because Olivia did instead. "Why don't you sit here and hold Noah," she suggested, and he smiled and nodded. The nurse snapped a couple of pictures, and Olivia kissed Noah good-bye once more and watched as Elliot carried him out the door.

The nurse checked her vitals and checked on the baby, "You have a lovely family," she said with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, I do…" Olivia agreed with a smile. "I've never felt so blessed in all my life. I love them all, so much. I don't know what I'd do without any of them," she held her daughter close, and let her nurse, feeling a bond like no other. The nurse left them alone, and Olivia looked down at her daughter, who was staring back at her with wide-eyes. "You have so many people who love you, Cassidy" she whispered. "You're one lucky girl," she sighed, "We both are." And for the first time in a long time, Olivia Benson was at peace.

THE END

(Thanks for taking the time to read my random thoughts. I hope you enjoyed it.)