Last chapter ! Thank you everyone for sticking through this all and I hope you liked it !
Enjoy (:

Elliot wandered the aisle of the small, no name supermarket, the one he had visited on a few occasions here in Philadelphia. When he was told that he wouldn't be allowed to be in the car with Francis and Powell when Olivia went to her meets alone with Carlos, he was furious. But, he didn't let that get in the way of protecting Olivia.

He glanced out onto the street, like he did every few minutes and noted that the detectives were still where they always were. Behind the wheel of the unmarked car, drinking coffee. They were a block away from Carlos's studio, and if Olivia was ever in trouble, they could be there in under a minute. Elliot would be there too. But no one needed to know that unless the moment presented itself.

While his eyes were still glued on the two detectives, he felt his phone start to vibrate in his pocket. He glanced at the call display, but didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" he asked, looking away from the window and heading towards a quieter area in the supermarket.

"Hello, is this Det. Elliot Stabler?"

Formal, he thought. Must be important. "Yes it is, and who am I speaking to?"

"Dr. James Harris, Mercy General Hospital. I am your wife's gynecologist. She asked me to call you and inform you that there had been a mix up with the paternity tests. An honest mistake sir, and very much not your wife's fault. If you need assurance, you can come see for yourself anytime. She explained to me the situation, and wants me to tell you that she is sincerely sorry. Again, I assure you, this is completely the hospital's fault. I'm sorry for the mistake."

Elliot stood wide mouthed in the middle of the store. "Are you saying…"

"I'm saying that you, Det. Stabler are not the father of Mrs. Kathy Stabler's unborn child."

Elliot nodded, too shocked to really voice what was happening. He then realized that the man on the other end of the line couldn't see him nod. "I… Thank you, Doctor."

He hung up, stood still for a few seconds, then let out a huge breath. He felt the weight lift off his shoulders. What the hell? He thought to himself. He couldn't believe it. It was as if some higher power, some upper force was giving him a chance.

He wasn't the father.

Kathy wasn't pregnant with his kid.

Olivia.

He needed to tell Olivia.

He needed to tell her that things could finally work between them.

That they could be together.

That he loved her.

That –

"Sean?"

He turned quickly at the name, having gotten used to, especially spoken by that voice.

"Carlos? I… What are you doing here? Don't you have a session with Kate?"

Carlos shook his head slowly. "No… David called me this morning to tell me that Kate had called in saying she wouldn't be able to make it."

Elliot shook his head. "I saw her leave this morning. I…"

His face went pale.

"Carlos, does it happen often that David tells you that one of your private sessions are cancelled?"

Carlos shrugged. "Once every couple of weeks. Twice this week. Lindsey was supposed to be in Sunday night…"

Lindsey. Sunday night.

Monday morning.

"Oh God!"

He left at a sprint, not even bothering to stop when Carlos called out for him. He ran straight to the patrol car and banged on the window, shocking both Kyle and Dylan.

"Stabler, what are you doing here?" Dylan asked when Elliot swung his door open.

"Please tell me Olivia's mike is on."

Kyle shook his head. "She usually only turns it on right before her session. It must not have started yet. Elliot, what's-"

"Shit!" Elliot exclaimed. "We gotta go!"

Both men hoped out of the car and followed Elliot at a sprint, trying to keep up with the man.

"What the hell is going on?"

Elliot yelled behind him. "It's David! The secretary! It was never Carlos. It's David!"

They burst into the building and noticed that the reception was empty.

Kyle tossed Elliot his second gun, not wanting the man to go in unarmed.

"This way," Elliot called over.

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"Once again," David said with a dirty smirk. "Success."

Olivia was out cold, still under the hypnosis David forced her into.

He was about to voice his next order when the office door burst open and three men with guns appeared.

"Freeze! PPD, put your hands where we can see them!"

David smirked. "Boys, relax. Forget what you see, forget what you think you know, for-"

Dylan clued into what was happening. "Shut up! We don't want to hear it! Keep your hands up, and your mouth shut!"

Kyle, gun still pointed, made his way around the table and started the ritual of reading the man his rights. "David Tweel, you are under arrest for multiple cases of rape. You have the right…"

Elliot rushed over to Olivia, not sure what had just happened. "Liv! Liv, are you okay?"

It took Olivia a few moments, but she looked up and noticed the worried look in Elliot's eyes. "El? What's going on? Where am I?" She looked around and recognized Carlos's office. "How… how did I get here?"

Elliot stood shocked. "Liv, you went to your session with Carlos. But Carlos wasn't here. David was. Do you remember what happened when you got here?"

Olivia shook her head. "I… I don't, I really don't. I remember parking the car, and heading towards the building, but as soon as I opened the door… I can't remember a thing."

"Hypnosis," Dylan said from behind Elliot. "I've seen that man in concert. He's a hypnotist, goes by the name Fusion. He's amazing, crazy skills. Didn't realize he could have power over people without them even knowing what was happening though."

Hypnosis. They had never seen that before.

"Olivia, we're gonna get you to the hospital, okay? Make sure he didn't do anything."

Olivia was paralyzed. "What are you talking about?"

Elliot could see the fear in her eyes. "Do you know… Liv, do you remember if you were raped?"

She went wide eyed.

Elliot brought her in to his arms as she shook violently. "Shh, it's okay. We'll figure it out, okay?"

He led her out of the building, just as Whelan, Lawrence and a few other cops arrived. "Kyle tried to explain to us what happened, but he's still not really sure. But you guys caught him?"

Elliot nodded. "I think so. Dylan, Dylan will explain it to you. I… I need to get Liv to the hospital."

Whelan went wide eyed. "Did he…?"

Elliot shrugged. "We don't know, she doesn't remember a thing."

"I'll take them," Lawrence said.

Whelan nodded and passed him the keys to the cruiser. "Let me know how it goes."

They both nodded and helped Olivia into the back of the cruiser. Before they knew it, they were pulling into the hospital parking lot and minutes later, Olivia was settled in an exam room.

"Det. Benson, I'm Dr. Mitchells. We're gonna do a rape kit, okay?"

She nodded slowly, still dazed. She seemed lost in her own little world.

That's when it hit Elliot.

"Doctor, I know this is gonna sound weird, but she was hypnotized. Doesn't remember the incident at all, and no one but the perp really knows whether she was… you know… raped… or not. But I… Is it possible that she's still under the hypnosis right now, I mean, if he didn't free her or whatever?"

Dr. Mitchells took a few seconds to take it all in. "I honestly don't know. I'm going to page one of our neurologists, see what they think, okay?"

Elliot nodded, and the doctor continued the exam for the rape kit.

Moments later, the neurologist arrived and began questioning Olivia.

Dr. Mitchells asked Elliot to follow her out into the hall so they could speak.

"Det. Elliot Stabler I presume?" she asked.

Elliot just nodded.

"Does Det. Benson have any family we could contact?"

Elliot shook his head. "No, she's alone."

The doctor nodded slowly. "Okay then. Well, as you are her medical proxy, I am legally allowed to discuss her state with you." She took a deep breathe. "After the initial exam, she appears to be banged and bruised, indicating that there was probably further assault. We'll do her vaginal exam once we know how her mental state is. Until then, I suggest we keep her calm and try to talk her into going through with the rest of the process."

Elliot just nodded, at a loss of words.

They both looked up when the neurologist came out. "She's mentally stable. She doesn't remember anything and her brain has been wired so that she won't ever remember it. However, she is otherwise completely fine and no longer under any hypnosis. You should be fine to continue."

The doctor nodded and went back into the room. Elliot thanked the neurologist and followed Dr. Mitchells back into the room.

"Det. Benson, are you alright to continue the exam?"

Olivia hesitated, but nodded.

"Okay, just give me a few seconds to go grab the swabs, and I'll be right back."

Elliot sat beside Olivia while the doctor headed out the door.

"Liv, how are you doing?"

She closed her eyes. "I… I honestly don't know what to feel. I can't remember a thing… But I'm really sore, and I'm afraid of what that means…" She looked over at Elliot and her eyes filled with tears. "What if… what if I was raped?"

Elliot took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. "We'll handle this Liv. And I'm here for you. We'll wait and see what the doctor has to say, then we'll deal with whatever we need to deal with. Get tests done, find out everything we can, find you support groups… Liv… Do you want me to ask about… about the morning after pill?"

Olivia shook her head. "No Elliot. Let's just wait and see if the doctor can tell us what actually happened first, then we'll deal with the rest, okay?"

Elliot nodded.

When the doctor came back with everything that she needed, Olivia looked over at Elliot.

"Hey El, do you mind going down to the cafeteria and grabbing we a bottle of water?"

Elliot knew she was politely asking him to leave. He understood.

He gave her a small smile. "No problem Liv. Anything else?"

She thought about it. "Yeah, could you call the precinct, see what's going on?"

He nodded. "Okay. If you need me…"

It was her turn to return the small smile. "I know."

As soon as the door shut behind him, she looked up at Dr. Mitchells.

"I… I'm pregnant. Only a few weeks along, but I want to know if anything happened… to the baby."

The doctor nodded. "I'll get a nurse to bring down an ultrasound machine, sound good?"

Olivia nodded. "Okay."

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"Det. Powell. How can I help you?"

"Hey, Dylan. It's Stabler."

Dylan sat at his desk. "Elliot, I was expecting to hear from you. How's Olivia?"

Elliot sighed. "It doesn't look too good. They are doing a more thorough exam now, but the bruising on her body…"

Dylan understood, and knew his fellow detective was hurting, that he could feel his partner's pain.

"Olivia wants to know what's happening on your side?"

Although Elliot couldn't see him, Dylan smiled. "It looks like we caught him. Carlos came in and his story, about having appointments cancelled, fits. He was able to tell us each of his cancelled appointments and they fit with the others who have made complaints. Some, however, were never reported, probably because they never knew it even happened. It all fits."

Elliot nodded. "Good. And with Olivia's incident, we can put David at the time and the place, making the rest of the incidents fit. Good, I'm glad we caught him."

"Me too."

There was a short silence before Elliot spoke up. "We'll swing by later, once Olivia gets out, if she's up for it. Pick up our things, then head back to New York for good."

"I'll let Whelan know."

Elliot hung up, grabbed the bottle of water he had picked up for Olivia and headed back towards her room.

As he turned the last corner, he noticed a nurse leave Olivia's room with an ultrasound machine. Elliot picked up his pace and burst through the doors.

"Liv? Are you alright?"

Olivia nodded, and he saw the faint smile on her lips. "El, I… I wasn't raped."

Dr. Mitchells took this opportunity to explain. "After doing the vaginal exam, there is no sign of fluids or lubricants, nor does there seem to be any trauma. I'd say it's safe to say your guy didn't get enough time before you caught him."

Elliot rushed over to give Olivia a hug, so glad that she wouldn't have to add this to the heavy load of baggage she already carried around.

"Thank you doctor," he said and she just smiled, leaving the two alone.

"I'm free to leave anytime," Olivia announced once they were alone.

Elliot nodded. "Okay. Do you want to head out now? Go get our stuff and head home?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. I want to stop by the precinct too, see how things are going, say our goodbyes."

Elliot smiled. "I talked to Dylan. It looks like David is the perp after all."

"Good. I'm glad we were right about Carlos," Olivia said as she grabbed her bag.

"Me too," Elliot agreed as he escorted her out of the room. He then remembered the ultrasound machine. "I saw a nurse leave your room with an ultrasound machine. I take it there wasn't any internal damage if they're letting you go."

Olivia just shook her head but stayed quiet.

"That's good."

Just then, Lawrence appeared from around the corner.

"Det. Benson! Everything alright?"

She nodded. "Everything is good. Glad it's over."

"I'm just glad to hear you're alright. Do you want me to bring you guys back to the apartment?"

Elliot looked over to Olivia before answering. "I think we'll head over to the precinct first."

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"I just wanted to say it has been a pleasure working with the two of you," Whelan announced, and Lawrence, Kyle and Dylan nodded. "You guys did great work, and I apologize for the situation we put you in Det. Benson, but I'm glad everything is alright in the end."

Everyone cheered as they said their goodbyes.

"I'm sure Capt. Cragen will be delighted to hear he's getting his detectives back," Whelan said as he escorted them to the doors.

Elliot laughed. "I'm sure he hasn't minded not having to deal with us for a few weeks."

Olivia smiled. "Yeah, we can sometimes be a handful."

Whelan laughed. "Well, anytime he needs a break, tell him I wouldn't mind taking you guys back on."

With that, they headed out the door and into the parking lot. Dylan had driven Olivia's car back to the precinct, so they wouldn't need to return to Carlos's studio. As they were about to get into the vehicule, they heard a voice call out for them.

"Sean! Kate!" They spun around to see Carlos shake his head. "I mean, detectives. I… Your captain explained everything. The undercover operation, me being the suspect. I… I just wanted to apologize for everything. I had no idea, absolutely no idea, that any of that was going on. I hope you guys don't hold anything against me."

Olivia smiled. "We had a hard time believing it was you from the beginning. I'm just glad we were able to clear your name."

Carlos smiled as he shook both detectives' hands. "If ever you guys are in town again, you know where to find me. And if ever you need my services, I'd be glad to have you as customers. For real this time."

He gave them a wink before leaving them dazed in the parking lot.

Once they were both settled in the car, Elliot looked over to Olivia. "Are we that obvious?"

Olivia just laughed. "Maybe we're just really good actors."

Elliot smiled as he leaned over the console and kissed her on the lips. When he pulled away, he began to speak, but Olivia cut him off.

"Can we wait until we get to the apartment?"

Elliot nodded, understanding the need to be somewhere private.

The drive, although they had expected it to be quiet, wasn't. They chatted about how they couldn't wait to be back at the precinct with the guys, tell them the entire story, now that they could and get back to what they were used to doing. They also talked about calling Lindsey and Zach personally, and telling them what had happened. They hoped that this would encourage them to go back, now that they would know it wasn't Carlos's fault.

Before they knew it, they were back to their apartment, although this would be their last time there. They picked up the few things that were laying around, wanting to leave it just as they had found it.

"Come take a seat Liv," Elliot said, having cracked open a bottle of champagne to celebrate this event.

He poured them each a glass and raised his for a toast. "To cracking yet another case!"

Olivia smiled, but her smile slowly disappeared as she looked at her glass.

"Liv? Are you alright?"

She nodded, but looked up at him and Elliot could tell she had something important to say.

"El… I, these last few weeks have been crazy. With the case, with us… We're going back to New York now, and things aren't going to be the same anymore. I… I mean, we'll still be partners at work, and I know we decided to not go forward with whatever was happening between us but -"

Elliot cut her off, setting his glass on the coffee table. "Woah Liv. Not going forward? I… I don't remember having decided that…"

Olivia gave him a look of confusion. "But, last night? I mean, with Kathy and the baby, I thought…"

Elliot scooted closer to her and rested his hand on her leg. "Liv, what I meant when I said I need time was that I needed time to figure out how I was going to raise this kid and start a life with you and deal with it all while not overwhelming you and making you feel like you were stuck in the middle of all my crazy life. I never wanted it to sound like I didn't want it to go anywhere. I want nothing more than to start a life with you."

Olivia was shocked, not having expecting that at all. She wasn't ready for what Elliot had to say next.

"Plus, I got a phone call this morning from the hospital and I was going to tell you as soon as I saw you but with everything else happening… Liv, there was a mix up with the paternity tests."

Olivia went wide-eyed. "A… A mix up?"

Elliot smiled. "I'm not the father. There's no more me and Kathy raising another kid. Other than Eli of course, but you already knew that from the beginning. Olivia, there's just you and me now."

Olivia shook her head. "Not quite…"

Elliot gave her a puzzled look. "What… what do you mean?"

Olivia let out a breath. "The ultrasound machine today, it... I… I'm the one who asked for it. I… I found out on Monday that I'm… uhhh… I'm pregnant El."

Elliot looked her deep in the eyes. "Preg… pregnant?"

She nodded. "Elliot…"

He shook his head. "I only have one question, and I want the honest answer. I've had too many doubts about paternity lately. Am I…"

Olivia nodded. "You're the only one in the past year, at least. There's no other –"

Elliot cut her off with a kiss that left her gasping for breath.

"El! What was – "

"I love you Olivia Benson. I have for the longest time. And I can't wait to start my life with you."

Olivia couldn't help but smile in response to the look Elliot was giving her. "El, I love you too."

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Three hours later, they entered their own precinct, hand in hand. They had had enough time on the drive to discuss how they were going to play this out. They knew that they weren't going to be able to hide their relationship from their coworkers, especially since Olivia was going to start showing and questions would be asked. Rather than have to come clean about everything two months from now, to do it right away seemed like the more logical explanation. At least they wouldn't get in trouble for hiding it.

They would be open about their relationship, even though that meant they probably wouldn't be able to be partners anymore. They had discussed that too and had come to terms with it. They would be partners in life, and that was much more important. And maybe if they were lucky, they'd still get to work together in the same precinct, and they could settle with that. Soon enough, they'd have a baby anyway, and after the baby was born they wouldn't want to be put in situations where both their lives were on the line at the same time anyway, so they figured it would be better in the long run if this was the end of the road for their long lasting partnership. The dynamics would change at the precinct, that was for sure, but they were okay with it all.

However, they were going to keep the pregnancy to themselves for a little while longer. They knew they needed to tell Cragen, and that Olivia was probably going to have restrictions here on out, and that people would start to clue in, but they'd wait for it to play out. In the meantime, they were going to enjoy sharing the news with only the Captain an Elliot's kids.

"Look who has arrived!" Finn exclaimed from his seat. "If it isn't Kate and Sean!"

Olivia and Elliot laughed. "Kate and Sean are no longer amongst us. The case has been pretty well closed. Other than court of course, but we will then be acting as Olivia and Elliot. I figured you guys would have heard by now?"

John smirked. "Oh we did. Sent back Galloway and Benet already. But clearly," he said pointing down to their coworkers intertwined hands, "you guys haven't gotten the message yet."

Elliot smiled down at Olivia. "Actually, after having spent the past few weeks engaged to this wonderful woman, I've decided that I can let her go."

Olivia nodded. "I agree."

Finn and John exchanged looks. "Hold up. Does that mean…?"

Elliot nodded. "Yes, after twelve years, we finally figured it out."

Olivia continued. "So whoever had twelve years in the betting pool wins."

Everyone in the precinct exchanged glances, pretending they didn't know what was going on.

Finn rolled his eyes. "Liv, you do realize no one betted on twelve years, right?"

"Nope, but the newest round started at the beginning of your undercover assignment. And it looks like I won."

They turned around to find Cragen smirking.

"For real?" Elliot asked.

Cragen shrugged. "Figured if you can't beat them, might as well join them right?"

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After leaving the precinct to cheering and laughing, the two of them headed to the Stabler house. Kathy wasn't due out of the hospital for another week, so Elliot had the house to himself until then.

Well, to himself wasn't the right term to use.

"Dad and Liv are here!" Lizzie yelled out from her spot on the living room couch next to the window that faced onto the driveway.

This caught Maureen's attention. "Liv too?" she asked, coming out of the kitchen.

"Oh my God! And they're holding hands!"

Instantly, all the kids raced to the window to get a look at the happy couple.

As soon as the door opened, the all rushed to greet them.

"Dad! Liv! You guys are back!" Lizzie herself at them.

"Things are looking good between the two of you," Kathleen said with a wink.

"Philadelphia has done wonders on the two of you!" Dickie said with a laugh.

Maureen just stayed quiet, keeping her eye on Liv and observing her.

When Liv caught the oldest looking at her, she smiled and nodded. That was all Maureen needed.

"I'm so happy for you guys!"

Everyone laughed, Liv being the only one who knew the true sentiment behind that statement.

"So is it official?"

"You guys are together?"

"When did this happen?"

"How did this happen?"

"Is it because of the case?"

Elliot couldn't help but laugh at the enthusiasm. "Slow down guys!" He pointed towards the living room. "Let's all go sit down and talk."

They all took a seat and stayed quiet.

"Yes," Elliot started answering their questions one by one. "It is official, we are together. Things started to develop with the beginning of the case, but we only decided today that we'd make it official."

Olivia continued. "The how is kind of complicated, because you all know that these past few weeks have been crazy. But I want to assure every single one of you that this is as much real for me as it is for your father. And I'm not trying to take anyone's place, and I hope you guys are all okay with me being in the picture, because if not –"

They didn't let her finish that statement. "You're crazy Liv," Kathleen argued. "You're already part of the family."

"And besides," Lizzie continued. "If you guys couldn't figure it out for yourselves, we were planning on finding a way to make you's figure it out. We want nothing more than for you to be a part of this family."

Elliot smiled. "Good. Because there's something else we need to tell you guys."

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That night, Elliot and Olivia lay wrapped in each other's arms after having made love.

"El, how come it took us so long to figure this out?"

Elliot kissed her behind her ear. "Let's not worry about it. We're here now. That's what counts."

Olivia nodded. She spun around so that she would be facing him.

"The kids took it really well."

Elliot smiled. "They took it amazingly well. A baby… I still can't believe it."

Olivia shook her head, but she continued to smile. "Me neither."

"Maureen didn't seem surprised when we told them," Elliot stated.

Olivia gave him a worried glance. "It's because she already knew..."

Elliot was shocked. "She… what?"

Olivia explained to him what had happened Monday morning. He stayed quiet and simply listened.

"If it wasn't for her, I don't know if I would have told you as quickly. You should thank her."

Elliot smiled. "That I will."

They stayed quiet for a few moments, just enjoying each other's presence.

When Elliot thought Olivia had fallen asleep, he slipped out of the bed. He was pulling on his sweatpants when Olivia stirred.

"El? Where are you going?"

He smiled. "Just going to check on the kids."

He stretched upwards to pull on his t-shirt and that's when something caught Olivia's glance.

The tattoo.

She let out a small gasp.

"What is it Liv?"

She shook her head. "Your tattoo! The one I had asked you about… It's…"

Elliot didn't bother hiding it this time. "It's what Liv?"

She spun over and reached into her purse. She pulled out the necklace Maureen had given her. "It's the same."

Elliot looked at the charm and smiled. "Darn, you figured out my secret."

Olivia couldn't get over it. "How… how long have you had it?"

"Years. Probably six or seven now. I don't remember."

She couldn't get over it. "Maureen."

Elliot gave her a funny look. "What?"

Olivia looked up at Elliot. "Maureen's the one who gave me the necklace. Explained it, the significance. But it always meant more. She knew about the tattoo."

Elliot laughed. "She's quite the girl that one."

"All the kids, really. They… they just knew what to do."

Elliot took the necklace from her and hooked it behind her neck. The charm landed just beside her heart.

"There. Now, you'll always have me and the kids close to your heart, no matter what."

Olivia smiled as he leaned down and kissed her.

She looked into his eyes when he pulled back, and rested her hand on his tattoo.

"And I'll always be by your side."

All done ! (: Thanks for reading !