I own what I make up, but nothing else.

And this story was inspired by one of my favorite X-Files quotes: "Time passes in moment; moments which, rushing past, define the path of a life, just as surely as they lead to its end. How rarely do we stop to examine that path, to see the reasons why all things happen, to consider whether the path we take in life is our own making, or simply one into which we drift with eyes closed. But what if we stop, paused to take stock of each precious moment before it passes? Might we then see the endless forks in the road that have shaped a life? And, seeing those choices, choose another path?"

Olivia Margaret Benson had been through more in her life than she would ever wish on anybody, all the way from finding out at too young an age that she was the product of her mother's rape, to enduring her mother's drunk and abusive ways until they were both at a place where they could work on mending their bridges.

There was also the Simon mess, along with which had come finding out the truth about her father, one Joseph Hollister.

She would also be remiss if she overlooked what had happened at Sealview, and the PTSD that had come in its wake.

She would also be remiss to overlook everything that had happened with Alex getting forced into Witness Protection, and poor Casey, who had also gone through many things during her time as the SVU's ADA, too numerous and traumatizing to mention in one go. Though none of those things had happened to Olivia directly, she still remembered them all, and the memories that they carried.

There was also the downfall of Dana Lewis. Putting her away had broken Olivia's heart.

Then there was William Lewis, and all of the devastation he'd caused to her body and her mind. Olivia would never ever forget any of that because she wasn't the same person that she had been before he had entered her life. He was dead now, and she had healed, but she still wasn't the same person as she had been before.

Elliot's desertion still hurt, and he'd already been gone for four years. Nick's departure also hurt, and she still missed him every day.

Olivia had also seen a lot of death in her life. Sonya Paxton, who, while redeeming herself after a few mishaps, had passed away in her arms after getting savagely attacked by the person they'd been chasing. Mini-Dodds, whom she had just started to really like, gone too soon because of a string of tragic events that shouldn't have happened in the first place. Ellie Porter, the biological mother of her precious baby boy, dead because the world just wasn't fair. Even Olivia's own mother, Serena, had been gone since 2000, although her death had been a tragic accident.

Yet, Olivia remained.

Her extraordinary, crazy life had also been touched profoundly by children over the years, too. Eli Stabler, and his arrival into the world still held a high spot on the list, but there was also Olivia's darling angel-baby, Hope, put into her guardianship by Gladys Dalton, a particularly memorable victim. She'd been born with a number of problems, but Olivia had loved her immediately and named her, holding her and singing to her and talking to her until she passed away after being removed from life support. Calvin Arliss, Mackenzie 'Mack' Burton… Olivia would never forget them, either, or the life lessons they had taught her without even meaning to.

But now there was Noah, her little baby boy, whom she would move mountains for. She loved him so much, and she really loved being his mother.

And though definitely not a child, there was Amanda, too. She was as dear to Olivia as a daughter.

There was also Casey and Alex. The first was the closest Olivia had had to baby sister, while the other, Olivia was sure had been her wife in a previous life. Olivia missed them both terribly, and she would do anything to see them again.

As far as Olivia's love life was concerned since joining the SVU, there'd been quite a parade of men over the years. Now, she was with Ed Tucker, the head of the Internal Affairs Bureau. She thought that he was going to be her happy ending, but after a conversation that they'd had on their vacation to Paris over the summer, Olivia was beginning to have misgivings about Ed, and that scared her because she'd known him for a very long time now.

Everything from the past eighteen years taken into account, however, Olivia still had one secret that only one other person had ever known about: twenty-five years ago now, she'd gotten pregnant and given birth to a beautiful baby girl, whom she'd named Sophia Rose. Unfortunately, Olivia had never known the name of her daughter's father, having jumped the bones of the first guy who had bought her a drink; she'd been looking to forget a bad day. She never saw the guy again, and she'd never learned his name.

When Olivia discovered her pregnancy, she hadn't yet joined the Police Academy—it was quite a few years down the road at that point—so she had no way to provide for her child, and she wasn't about to bring her into a home where her own mother was always drunk or else angered by the sight of her.

So, in the end, Olivia held her daughter long enough to name her and give her last-minute kisses and cuddles before handing her to a nurse and signing papers that would ensure a closed adoption.

Not a day went by that Olivia didn't think of her daughter, and lately, she'd started to think about looking for her, just to see how she'd turned out.

The only person who knew about Sophia was Alex, and that was only because on Sophia's tenth birthday, Olivia had shown up on Alex's doorstep, extremely weepy and very drunk, looking for someone to spill her feelings too. Alex had taken care of Olivia that night and had listened sympathetically to her, promising to never tell another soul about her daughter.

Sophia had just been crossing Olivia's mind lately because this week had marked her twenty-fifth birthday.

"Olivia? Hello?"

She jumped when she realized she was being spoken to, and when she came back to her senses, she saw Amanda standing in front of her at her desk, watching her curiously.

"Are you alright?" asked the blond. "You've been really different since you came back from Paris."

"I'm okay, Rollins. What is it?"

"I just got a call from Doctor Larom at Mercy General."

Olivia had known Doctor Jane Larom for the entirety of her run at the SVU so far, having worked closely with them on many an occasion. She was an all-around good person, and very loyal to the SVU, in spite of her being the cheif of the Intensive Care Unit, the hospital's busiest and most time-consuming department. To have her call the SVU directly was nothing to sneeze at, and it was most definitely raising a red flag in Olivia's brain.

"What did she want?"

"She said a case has come in that we will definitely want."

"Was doc any more specific?"

"Only that a female presence is strongly recommended, and since that's you and me…"

Olivia stood, secretly pleased to have Amanda as a partner because it had been awhile.

"Gotcha. I'll meet you by the elevators in five minutes, but here."

Olivia found the keys to her Crown Vic and tossed them to Amanda.

"You can drive."

Used to being the passenger most of the time because Fin and Carisi both preferred to drive when she was partnered up with one of them, Amanda caught the keys and grinned, thanking Olivia as she left for the bullpen to gather her own things.

In truth, Olivia had given her the keys because her mind was still on Sophia.

MERCY GENERAL HOSPITAL

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

365 WEST 32nd STREET

MANHATTAN

When Olivia and Amanda reached the hospital, they went straight to the ICU, where they were immediately spotted and greeted by Doctor Larom.

"What do we have?" Olivia asked her.

Normally very forthcoming, Larom seemed almost hesitant when she answered.

"I'll explain things in a minute, but there are some people who are chomping at the bit to see you; they were the ones who brought the case to my attention first."

Olivia nodded in understanding, so Larom turned to Amanda.

"Detective Rollins?"

"Yes?"

"You should stick by the lieutenant on this one. I know you always do, but this is really important."

"I understand."

Larom nodded approvingly and motioned towards a door they were standing beside in the hallway. "Just through here, if you please."

Larom let them in and closed the door behind them. When Amanda turned and looked at the other occupants of the room, she felt her stomach bottom out in surprise, although it had to be nothing compared to how Olivia was feeling.

Standing before them were none other than Alex Cabot and Casey Novak.

Now, Amanda had met both of them before, but not at the same time. She immediately knew they were in for a ride, but she just wasn't sure if the world was going to end, now that the attorneys were in the same room again.

When she looked over at Olivia, she saw that the older woman had a look of shock on her face: she knew that her friends' paths crossed on occasion because they had her and the SVU in common, but the last time that she'd seen both of them together, it had been 2005, and Alex had returned from Witness Protection to participate in a trial concerning the people who had caused her to enter it.

Seeing that Olivia's mind was in the process of shutting down and rebooting, Amanda took the reigns.

"Alex, Casey, what's happening? What are you two doing here?"

"It's a good thing you're here." Alex told her.

"Yes." Casey added. "Olivia will need you right now."

The woman in question found her voice. "Alexandra, Cassandra, be straight with us: what is happening? The last time I saw the two of you together, it was eleven years ago, and it was on the wave of the first true darkness that the SVU saw. Is that happening again?"

Alex approached her friend and cupped her face in her hands. "She found us, Liv."

"I beg your pardon? You don't mean…?"

Alex nodded. "I do."

Olivia's legs gave out immediately and acting quickly, Amanda caught her and lowered her onto the floor, sitting with her.

"G-give me your hand, Amanda." Olivia held out one of her own. "Please?"

Amanda took Olivia's hand in hers. "Here I am."

Olivia practiced some breathing exercises. "Th-thank you."

Bewildered, Amanda looked to Alex and Casey, who had joined them on the floor. "An explanation?"

Alex looked to Olivia. "Can I tell her? Casey has already figured it out."

"You might as well."

Alex looked back at Amanda. "Twenty-five years ago, Olivia got pregnant and had a baby daughter named Sophia Rose Benson."

Amanda had a sudden urge to go home and hug her own daughter. "What happened? Was she given up for adoption?"

"Yes, and it was closed."

Olivia found her voice again. "Sophia's birthday was two days ago, and I've thought about looking for her."

"Where is her father?"

"I never knew his name or saw him again." Olivia sighed heavily. "Even though I didn't raise my daughter or see her grow up to become a mother, I still love her as much as I love Noah."

Being a mother of a daughter, herself, Amanda nodded understandingly. "Of course. I could never stop loving Jesse, even if I didn't see her again for twenty-five years or longer because she's my child, and because she grew inside of me."

Olivia found Amanda's words comforting, so she plowed on. "I told Alex about Sophia in 2001, but I never told anyone else about her, not even Elliot or Nick because I wasn't at a place where I felt comfortable enough to. I know that's wrong because they were both paired up with me and I spent a lot of time with both of them, but it's just the way things went. What I'm trying to figure out is how Casey learned about her."

Casey promptly turned red. "I was having lunch with Alex in her office, and Sophia randomly showed up."

"Did Sophia say anything?"

"Just that she was looking for Alex and I because we're apparently easier to track down than you are. She probably sought us out to ask for help to look for you."

"But she didn't say anything else past that she was looking for you two?" Olivia pressed.

Casey shook her head. "No, because she collapsed in the doorway and had a seizure."

"You're forgetting the other thing!" Alex hissed suddenly.

Casey practically tripped over her words as she spoke again. "Sophia isn't exactly alone."

Heart hammering in her chest, Olivia asked, "Excuse me, Cassandra?"

"She has a kid, Liv, and another one on the way. You're a grandmother, and that makes Noah a baby brother to Sophia, but I think an uncle to her kids."

Olivia put her hand over her heart. "What's my grandbaby's name? Where are they?"

"You have a three-year-old granddaughter named Melissa, and she's currently sleeping off knockout drugs in a private room in the kids wing."

"What the hell happened to Melissa?"

Alex answered this one. "She had a full-blown panic attack when she saw Sophia go down. I caught her before she went too ballistic and held her while the paramedics put her under sedation. I'm also acting as her guardian until Sophia wakes up so we don't have to get CPS involved."

"Thanks, Alex. That's really nice of you."

"Anything for family."

Olivia nodded and turned to Casey. "Was my daughter raped?"

"Even if the doctors do know," Casey replied in a tone of dejection. "They would tell you and Rollins first because you're the cops, and we're the lawyers. Last we heard before you two arrived is that she'd recovering from the seizure and sleeping off knockout drugs, because she had a panic attack, too."

"What brought it on?" Amanda wanted to know.

"She freaked right out when the paramedics tried to help her sit up. She wouldn't let them touch her below the waist."

Amanda wrinkled the bridge of her nose. "Then something has definitely happened. Is the baby okay, at least?"

Casey nodded. "Everything is perfectly fine where that little one is concerned."

"Thank God." Amanda turned to Olivia. "What do you want to do?"

"I-I want to check on my family, but I need help getting up."

Olivia's companions all stood and helped her up, then following her out to the hall where Doctor Larom was waiting.

"All caught up now, lieutenant?"

Olivia nodded, still feeling dazed. "Have the conditions of my daughter or either of her children changed since my friends brought them in?"

Larom shook her head. "No, thankfully. Would you like to see Sophia? She's nearby."

"Let's go."

Even hooked up to an oxygen supply and an IV-line supplying her with saline, Olivia still noticed that Sophia was her spitting image, but twenty-five years younger. Olivia also noticed that her daughter had a litany of injuries, especially bruises on her arms and legs, as well as defensive wounds on her knuckles, and scrapes on her cheeks and hands. Clearly, she'd been through something and fought back against her assailant. Olivia felt a burst of pride at that.

She felt even more proud when she saw her daughter's pregnant belly. Exposed and hooked up to different wires and monitors that were tracking the baby's health and safety, the fleshy bulge was round and taut. Olivia's littlest grandchild was growing away in there, perfectly happy and healthy. If Sophia wanted Olivia in her life, then this meant that she was going to be able to see her go through pregnancy. When Olivia had carried her, she'd come to realize that seeing her daughter pregnant was one thing she'd never be able to see since she was giving her up. Now, Sophia already had a daughter and had another child on the way; it was like Olivia was getting a second chance.

Wow, the lieutenant thought. I can't believe this is happening.

Olivia had to fight a strong impulse to hug her daughter because that would contaminate any evidence that the rape kit would pick up, but still, she moved closer and sat on the edge of Sophia's bed, speaking to her in a whisper.

"I'm so happy to see you again, baby girl, even if you aren't doing so hot right now. You are so beautiful and I am so proud that you've become a mother. I'm also extremely proud that you survived and escaped whatever it was that's happened to you—you're a survivor, just like me. And by the way, going to find my friends was a very smart thing to do. I don't know how you even managed to track Alex and Casey down, but I'm so glad you did, because they are both good people you can always count on when you're in trouble."

Sophia stirred slightly in her sleep, but didn't wake, although Olivia definitely saw a ghost of a smile flicker across her lips.

"You have a baby brother at home, you know." Olivia continued. "His name is Noah, and I adopted him a little while ago. He will be absolutely over the moon about you and Melissa, but he's just a little guy, so you'll have to be patient with him. He's the sweetest little boy that you could ever want to meet."

Olivia could have stayed with Sophia, talking to her for ages, but she still remembered that the others were waiting.

"I have to go, Sophia Rose, but I promise to come back when you're awake, alright? I love you more than you could possibly know. I always have."

Regretfully, Olivia stepped back into the hallway.

"How are you, Liv?" Alex gave her a back rub with one hand, while with her other, she wiped a few of the older woman's tears for her. "Be honest."

"I'm topsy-turvy. Sophia is just beautiful, and I really hope she wants to get to know me, but I'm absolutely heartbroken that someone hurt her."

"We'll find the person." Amanda vowed as Alex and Casey nodded in agreement. "I called Fin and Carisi and told them to come here so we can explain the situation. We won't bring them to see the girls right away, but they do need to brought in so we can start looking for Sophia's attacker."

"Smart move, Rollins." praised Olivia.

Doctor Larom stepped forward. "I'll contact you when Sophia is awake and sociable, but would you like to go meet Melissa now? I've been told that she's awake."

Olivia lit up. "Show me where she is!"

When they got to Melissa's part of the children's ward, they all knew it was going to be bad because they heard her before they saw her.

"What is going on?" Larom asked an intern who was hovering anxiously near Melissa's door. "You're called Stevens, right?"

Stevens nodded. "I've been assigned to Melissa by Doctor Coleman, and Melissa just woke up. She won't let me touch her—she screamed bloody murder when she saw me. If she screams any harder, she's going to lose her voice."

"Is Melissa asking for anyone?"

"She keeps crying for Allie and Casey." Stevens turned to Olivia and her posse. "Does anyone here belong to those names?"

Olivia looked to the attorneys. "Allie? Casey? I think that's your cue to go pacify my grandbaby."

Alex and Casey immediately hurried forward and sat with Melissa on her bed. The little girl's cries immediately lowered a few tones.

"Hey, little one." Alex cooed, pulling Melissa into her lap and giving her a hug. "You're okay, you're okay. We just had to go for a few minutes, but we're back now. Yes, we are."

Casey reached over and stroked Melissa's cheek with her knuckles, careful not to upset the oxygen line that she was hooked up to. "Deep breaths—Auntie Casey and Auntie Allie are back now."

Olivia watched in fascination as her friends tag-teamed to calm the toddler down, and found herself impressed by their skills because while neither of them were coldhearted, neither of them were known for being maternal, either. Seeing them turn a weepy, anxious toddler into a giggly, puddle of mush was a very beautiful sight.

That being said, in the very next second, Olivia felt jealous. Though Ed got on well with Noah and vice versa, there were still times when Olivia got the vibe that fatherhood wasn't a main priority in his life and that he would still pick the job first.

In the second following that, however, Olivia wondered if Alex and Casey were a couple now. She knew that Casey was bisexual, just as she was, and that Alex was 'gayer than a rainbow,' as the saying went, and she would be happy for her friends if they were together now, but she'd still feel as though she'd really missed her chance with Alex.

Olivia's thoughts were derailed completely when she realized Amanda was waving a hand in front of her face.

"You're a total space cadet today." Amanda remarked when Olivia returned to her senses. "You didn't hear anything I just said, did you?"

"No, I didn't."

Amanda gave her CO a sympathetic smile. "The boys are here, so I'm going to go find them and bring them up to speed. It also looks like you can go into Melissa's room because she stopped crying."

"Okay. Thanks."

As Amanda left, Olivia turned and entered Melissa's room, having a start when she did. While Olivia had observed that Sophia was her spitting image but younger, she noticed immediately that Melissa looked exactly as she had when she was that age. At the moment, she was dressed in hospital pajamas, yawning, and rubbing her eyes as she sat in Alex's lap.

When Olivia drew closer, Melissa's mouth dropped open in surprise.

Casey reached over and closed Melissa's mouth for her. "Use your words, kid, but at least close your mouth so you don't catch flies first."

Melissa forgot her bewilderment and let out a joy-filled snorting giggle as she spoke to her friends about Olivia.

"She looks like me and mama!"

Olivia squatted in front of Melissa and spoke gently to her. "Melissa, my name is Olivia, and I'm your mama's mama."

"Really?"

"Mhm."

The little girl became bashful. "You're pretty."

"So are you."

Carefully, Melissa slid out of Alex's arms and held her arms out wide. It was clear what she wanted.

Moving closer and getting on her knees, Olivia took her her granddaughter into her arms and hugged her.

"Hello, sweetheart." Olivia told her. "I'm so happy to meet you."

Melissa said nothing but returned Olivia's hug. She and her mother had always been alone, but maybe now this meant that things were going to be different.

Olivia held her for just a little bit longer before letting her go.

"I'm going to do everything I can to help you and your mama." Olivia told her. "Do you know who hurt her?"

The happy smile Melissa had had on her face dropped immediately, but she nodded. "Yeah."

"Will you tell me?"

Melissa looked up at her in a small voice, "He won't get us?"

"He won't." Olivia promised.

"It was daddy."

"Where is he?"

Melissa shrugged. "I don't know."

She made a face like she was about to cry, but she also looked sleepy, so Olivia set her back in Alex's lap.

"You stay with Allie and Casey, okay? They're my friends, too, and they've always cheered me up when I get sad."

"Really?"

Olivia nodded and stood, giving Melissa a peck on her forehead. "Really. I'll come check on you later."

Feeling reassured, Melissa turned her attention to Alex and Casey, who immediately began fawning over her.

Out in the hallway, Larom gave her a kind smile. "Are you okay, Lieutenant Benson? All things considered, I mean?"

Olivia let out a gusty sigh and nodded. "Yes. Could you hear my conversation with Melissa?"

"No. Did she say something important?"

"She said her father hurt Sophia."

Doctor Larom looked thoughtful. "Well, I've only seen the councilors looking after her and Sophia, and we looked through her belongings to see if there was anyone we should contact to let them know their family is here."

"There was no one?"

"Yes."

"Did you see anything like a wedding ring?"

"No, but she has a tan line where one would be, so she's separated from her husband, or else divorced, but I'll leave you and your people to ruminate on that."

"Of course." Olivia nodded. "Anything you need to tell me before I go?"

"The intern I assigned to watch over Sophia just paged me to say that Sophia is awake now, if you want to see her."

"I want to."

"Is there anyone you would like to come with you?"

Amanda still hadn't returned, but when Olivia looked back at the others, she saw that Melissa had moved from Alex to Casey, and that Casey looked like she was in Heaven, having a little girl in her lap to cuddle and talk to. Alex was watching fondly, but her lap was vacant.

"Alex!" Olivia called. "I need to borrow you!"

Curious, Alex took leave of her companions and walked up to Olivia.

"What is it?" she asked her friend as they followed Larom away.

"Sophia is awake, and Larom is brining me back to her."

"And you would like me to come, too?"

"I need you to come with me."

"I am happy to come with you."

"Thanks, Alex."

As they walked along together, a few feet behind the doctor, both women's heads were filled with thoughts of each other.

They'd been in each other's lives for eighteen years now, and even after all this time, although their paths had gone different ways, neither of them could keep denying that they still felt something for each other.

Alex was also filled by thoughts of how to tell Olivia about the reason she'd been having lunch with Casey in the first place. If anyone deserved to know, Olivia did.

Meanwhile, the sergeant was trying to think of how to explain Sophia to Ed. Telling Noah about her was going to be easy because he loved everybody, but telling Ed was going to be flat-out hard, especially after what had gone down in Paris.

"Olivia?"

She turned at the sound of her name being said and saw that they were back at Sophia's room

"Yes?" she said to Alex.

The blond gestured towards the door. "Go say hello to your daughter."

Olivia turned again and saw that Sophia was watching her with the same kind of awe that Melissa had regarded her with.

"Mom?" she asked, eyes wide in surprise. "Is that you?"

In even more of a daze now, Olivia moved forward, towards her daughter's bed.

"Yes." Olivia's voice was barely above a whisper and she was teary-eyed. "It's me."