I don't own Law and Order SVU.

Pre-Warning: In later chapters I write in script form, not because I am lazy or I can't write in direct/indirect quote format but I am used to writing scripts and thats the way I keep myself organized. Sorry to all those who are upset about this. If you can get over that, read my story, a lot of time and effort was placed into it. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1: How life changes in the spilt of a second

January 2006

A couple years ago, his marriage to Kathy had turned a wrong corner and life together was beginning to take a toll on everyone involved. Maureen was 8, Kathleen was 5, and Lizzie and Richie were still in diapers. After having the twins Kathy had changed, she felt as if she was too young to be a stay at home mom raising four kids with an absentee dad who only tucked them in at night and was gone before breakfast. She was upset at the state she had let her life become. When she became pregnant in college with Maureen, she and Elliot had a quick shotgun wedding. Back then she had dreams of growing old with Elliot but now she could hardly stand just looking at him.

That was the first of many times, Kathy kicked him out of the house. After a year of many short term separations, they finally decided enough was enough and agreed to begin the divorce process.

Elliot moped around the bullpen every day. His partner tried everything she could to get his mind off of his broken family. He knew he did not love his wife the way a husband should anymore, but his heart was breaking at the thought of missing his kids grow up. His best friend and partner, Olivia was worried about him. She cared for him so much. She considered him and his family the only family that she had.

In the last year, he had showed up to her apartment drunk and in tears many times. He knew that she was the only one that he could cry on. As they sat cuddling on the couch she began to feel as though she wanted him to rip off her clothes and take her right there on the couch but she knew that, he was not there for her but he was there for his pain.

June 2006

After a couple of months of feeling sorry for himself, Elliot finally got his shit together and found an apartment where he could live and his kids could sleep over whenever they wanted to. By this time Maureen was 9, Kat was 6, and the twins were 1. He knew he had leaned on Olivia way too much and he felt like he had to repay her for allowing him to crash on her sofa and just for being a shoulder to cry on. To thank her for all she had done during the rough time her decided to take her out for dinner.

Olivia agreed and that was the night their relationship changed forever. He knocked on her apartment door with a bouquet of roses. She opened the door and let him in as she was putting on her earrings. When he laid eyes on her, he could not believe that it was the same woman that he was around almost 12 hours a day for the last 8 years. She looked stunning in an emerald knee length flowing dress and beautiful sliver accessories. That night they saw each other in another light. Yes they were best friends and they were partners but he had never seen Olivia as the sexy, beautiful woman that she was. As they talked over dinner and connected he began to feel something that he had not felt before not even with Kathy. He saw something in her, the loved she felt for him not as a partner or a best friend but as a man. That night ended in an intimate connection that they would never forget.

After going on a couple more dates, they discussed their long term relationship. They both knew they wanted to be together even if it meant giving up their partnership at work. She had always bonded well with his kids and they accepted her as part of their lives. After announcing their relationship to their boss, he said as long as they kept it professional at work it would be okay until they were married.

June 2007

For the first year of Elliot's and Olivia's relationship, everything had gone fine. Although Kathy and Elliot were still legally married, both Kathy and Elliot had moved on and were pursuing relationships with other people. Kathy's relationships were nowhere as serious as Elliot's and Olivia's but she had gone on a few dates with a couple of her guys friends. Their divorce was still in the works but the judge that oversaw their case was determine on keeping the couple together even though they both knew there was no hope.

Liv and Elliot did not fight much but when he brought up her mother, he touched a soft spot and Olivia got extremely defensive and angry. They had a huge fight and Elliot left. Right after leaving he received a frantic call from his soon to be ex-wife that she had been embarrassed at a restaurant when a guy that she had gone out with got up and left the table and never came back after finding out how many kids she had. He went to the house to console her. He was hurt and she was hurt so they decided to drown themselves in liquor. One thing led to another and they ended up having sex that night.

When they awoke the next morning they were both angry that they let themselves loose so much control, they both agreed that it was a huge mistake and that it would never happen again. Elliot crawled home to Olivia and explained the events that took place the night before. She was angry and she felt betrayed but she knew that if Elliot said that it would never happen again, it wouldn't. After a couple of days she got over it and life went back to normal. They were pretty much living together. His apartment was filled with Olivia's stuff and her apartment was almost bare. They decided that once the divorce was finalized they would move into a house together so that they had enough space so that all the kids could have their own rooms.

About a month later after the affair, life had gone back to normal when the divorce papers finally arrived at Elliot's apartment. Elliot and Olivia were excited and decided to sign the papers over a nice dinner for themselves and Kathy. They acted more like friends raising their kids together rather than the complicated situation that it was on paper. Olivia made chicken cordon bleu for dinner and set the dishes. Elliot answered the door as Kathy arrived. She didn't look as excited as he thought she would. They had spoken many times about this day and she always seemed excited to get it over with. Before they had dinner Kathy had something to share that would change the course of the whole night. She announced that the affair that occurred about a month ago had left her pregnant and that she had found out right after Elliot had called to announce the arrival of the divorce papers. Both Elliot and Olivia took a step back as the shock of what they just heard shook them. Liv went running out the room crying and so did Kathy. Elliot stood at the table dumbfounded by what he just heard.

Dinner was silent and awkward but after dinner was served, they got down to business on what was to happen next. By the end of the night the divorce papers were signed and they decided that they would handle the pregnancy as a unit, Liv had become a vital and permanent part of the family and Kathy had no objections. Over the last year, Liv and Kathy had become close friends. They were a big complicated family that was bound together by 4 little people, well now 5.