Ahh! I know! Two weeks! I'm sorry! I come bearing a long, lovely chapter. This is the final one in this story, but I think it gets ended sweetly. This story, honestly, I think could have gone on forever. I could have kept going and going but because I'm leaving for Spain and won't be around to give nice regular updates (this update was already 2 weeks in the making) I needed to end it here. I leave next Wednesday (so just over a week from now) and I'm crunched for time. I'm working 10 hour days to try and earn some money last minute so, that, coupled with trying to pack, buy what I need, say my goodbyes, find an apartment, sort my affairs here, and squeeze in time with my lady is just getting to be too much. It's not fair to you guys, so I've had to end this story here. I'm still happy with the ending because it's a happy ending, but I hope you guys aren't let down or feel like this ended too abruptly.

A BIG thank you to all my loyal (and patient) readers. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past two weeks.. I'm sorry I didn't send you an official thanks, so I hope you accept this one!

This chapter is still based on the episode Inheritance.

Olivia left the courthouse. She felt terrible. She had so many things going through her mind, so she hopped in her car, deciding to go for a drive to sort through the thoughts.

She had always said she joined the SVU because she didn't want to be like the man who fathered her. She wanted to protect people; she wanted to save women and children from the predators of New York City. But now, she had doubts. She didn't know. What if she took this job because she was inherently attracted to the violence, to the predators… all because of who her father was… because of her genes. What if she was predestined to have this type of job? Nothing other than law enforcement had ever sounded appealing to her. Was this the reason why?

Olivia drove around and before she even realised it, she was parked in front of Huang's office. She sighed, ran a hand through her hair, and got out of the car. She walked into the building and made her way to his office, knocking on the door before entering. She didn't know what she was doing here, but she felt she had to talk to someone.

When she walked into his office, she could feel the tears burning in the corner of her eyes. Huang greeted her, his soothing voice drawing out all of the things she had been keeping to herself. She voiced her fears, even though she was used to keeping everything to herself. They talked, but when Olivia left his office ten minutes later, she didn't really feel any better. She felt lighter for having shared her burden, but she didn't feel alleviated.

She let the tears stream down her face. She felt scared and confused, and she couldn't help shaking. By the time she reached her car, she was sobbing.

Olivia opened her car door and got in the vehicle. She sat in the driver's seat and wiped at her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. She bit her bottom lip and forced back the tears. She needed to collect herself. She hated losing it like this. She was not an emotional person. She didn't just lose it like this. She forced herself to take a deep breath and started the car, rolling down her windows to let the cool air hit her face.

Olivia had started off driving to her own apartment, but eventually she deviated from her path and made her way to Alex's. She hadn't seen the woman in weeks and she really didn't want to be alone right now. Being with the ADA sounded really good, so Olivia made her way there instead. When she pulled up in front of the building, she stopped the car and waited, tapping the wheel.

"Okay. Enough."

Olivia forced herself to get out of the car. She needed to talk to Alex. She owed her an explanation for what had been going on in her head the last couple of weeks. She had been avoiding her while she dealt with her thoughts, and she owed the woman an explanation. Besides, she really wanted to be in the comfort of Alex's arms. The woman made her feel so calm, so safe, and she needed that right now.

Olivia made her way into the building and rode the elevator up to Alex's floor. When she got to the woman's door, she felt herself getting weak. She felt emotional again. She was scared and she felt guilty for pushing Alex away. She wondered what the blonde had been doing all this time, and she could feel herself losing her nerve. Being this close to the woman brought up all the emotions she had been pushing down and Olivia could feel herself wanting to bolt. But, she knew she had to talk to her.

Before she could change her mind, Olivia raised her hand and knocked quickly. She could feel her stomach turning and she felt like she was going to vomit. So many things were going through her mind but before she could let them overwhelm her, Alex opened the door.

The blonde was surprised to see Olivia, and she was concerned at how disheveled the detective looked. She hadn't looked good earlier in the courtroom, but now that she saw her up close, it was far worse than she had first noticed.

"Olivia. Come in."

The ADA could see something was going on with the woman before her, so she moved out of the way to Olivia could enter her apartment. Olivia could feel tears spring to her eyes and felt the knot in her throat return. The blonde's gentle voice made her feel so safe and all those feelings of security with her returned. They made her want to leap in Alex's arms to hide from everything that had been hurting her lately. She wanted to cry and apologise, but most of all, she just wanted to be comforted.

She avoided looking at Alex, but when the woman moved to stand before her and placed her hand on the detective's forearm, she couldn't take it anymore. She lost the battle within herself. Olivia looked up at Alex and the minute their eyes locked, she broke down and starting crying.

"I'm sorry, Alex."

Guilt flooded the detective, breaking all control she had over her emotions.

"Oh baby."

Alex pulled Olivia into her arms, wrapping herself around her protectively. She held Olivia close, holding her firmly in her embrace. Olivia tried to fight the tears, but she felt too protected in Alex's arms. It was so comforting to be held like this, to be so close to the woman. She had been tormented by her thoughts for weeks now. She needed someone to comfort her. She needed Alex to comfort her.

The blonde led the way to the couch, pulling Olivia's head into her lap and stroking her hair as the woman let out all the fear and pain she had been feeling for the last two weeks. Alex held her gently, whispering soothing words and doing her best to comfort Olivia. The brunette clung to her, letting it all out and eventually slowly calming down.

"I'm really sorry, Alex. I know I didn't-"

"You're here now, Olivia. That's all that matters. Don't worry about the rest.

Alex ran her fingers through the brunette's hair, wiping her cheeks as the tears fell. Olivia sighed heavily several minutes later, calming down enough for the tears to stop falling. Alex waited patiently for the woman to start talking. Her mind was reeling. What was going on? Olivia couldn't possibly be this upset just because she had been distant for the past couple of weeks. Something else was going on, but the ADA didn't know what.

Alex waited, but when Olivia showed no signs of talking, she prodded her gently.

"What's going on, Liv?"

Olivia stayed so quiet that it was almost as if she hadn't heard the question. It took her several minutes, but she finally licked her lips and cleared her throat.

"Did you mean what you said in the courthouse, Alex?"

"When?"

"When you said that Guan had a choice and that the idea of passing down violent genes to your kids isn't possible."

Alex nodded, until she realised Olivia couldn't see her because she was looking at the wall.

"Yes. He made those choices out of his own free will. Even if it were possible to pass down certain genes to your kids, like making them more prone to being violent, those people have a choice whether or not to act on those impulses. You're taught in life how to be a human being and how people act in society, if not by your parents then by teachers, relatives, friends. He knew what he was doing. And he chose to do it."

"You don't believe parents can pass down behavioural traits to their kids?"

"I think a lot of it has to do with environment. The only time I'd agree that genes are to blame is when it comes to problems or diseases that are inherited by the child."

"But aren't some people just inherently evil?"

Alex grew quiet, gently stroking Olivia's head.

"What's this really about, Olivia?"

She watched as the woman chewed on her bottom lip. Olivia sighed heavily before turning onto her back.

"When my mom was 23, she was raped. 9 months later, she gave birth to me."

The woman's voice was monotone as she spoke. Despite feeling deep empathy and wanting to say she was so sorry, Alex resisted the urge to let her emotions control her reaction. She reflected on what she should say, but she was having trouble. It was always difficult to come up with things to say (that weren't to prosecute someone), especially if her emotions were involved. Eventually Alex decided to try to draw more information from the brunette.

"You really related with this case."

Olivia nodded against her leg, still looking up at the ceiling.

"What if it's true, Alex?" She said, daring a glance at the blonde. "What if we don't have a choice? What if one day these genes just wake up and take over? I mean, it happens with cancer. One day you're fine, normal and the next –bam- you're sick. What if he… what if he passed something down to me."

Alex shook her head.

"I don't believe that, Olivia. Not for a second. Even if it were possible to pass down these genes to your offspring, that child still has a choice. You may feel the urge to hurt someone, but you can fight it. Unless someone is holding a gun to your head, you always have a choice when it comes to your actions. Having cancer is different. There's nothing you can do to prevent that or to reverse it, not without medical intervention."

Alex paused.

"Maybe it's the same for people who are sick, like Darrell Guan was. If he had this rage because of his childhood or, for argument's sake, because of his genes, he could have sought the aide of a professional. He chose not to and that is the difference. You would have, Olivia. If you had these violent tendencies, which you don't, you'd seek medical help, wouldn't you?"

When she received no response, Alex brought her index finger to Olivia chin and gently moved her head to look into her eyes.

"Wouldn't you?"

"Probably…" she said softly.

"Olivia, you're one of the kindest, gentlest, most caring and comforting people I know. Victims gravitate towards you because you genuinely care and people can sense that. You offer comfort to these survivors and you offer them hope," Alex cupped the woman's cheek with her right hand and continued. "You always believe them, you want to help them, and you put your ass on the line in most, if not all, of your cases. You seek justice in every one of the cases you are given and you do it from the heart. Someone like that can never be a monster. You fight the monsters, Olivia, you are not one of them."

Alex pulled the woman into her arms when the tears started to flow. This time, she joined her. Both women shed tears and held the other tight, taking comfort in the other woman's embrace.

"Thank you, Alex," Olivia whispered into her shoulder.

"I'll always be with you, Olivia."

"I'm sorry I didn't come to you," she said, pulling away to face the ADA. "I was ashamed, and I just needed time to myself to think."

Alex nodded.

"I understand that, honey. I'm glad you came to me now to explain yourself. It helps when I know what's going on. If you can, next time just give me a head's up that you need space. I can give that to you; I just like to know what to expect and I like to feel like I know what's going on with you."

"I'll try."

"Okay. That's all I ask. I know this is new for you and I know that it's hard. Thank you for trusting me and coming to me this time."

Alex reached out and gently stroked her cheek.

"It's not hard to trust you, Alex. You make me feel safe."

The blonde smiled widely and pulled her into a hug.

"Good."

Olivia pulled back, looked into Alex's eyes, and then glanced away. The blonde could tell she wanted to say something, so she waited patiently as the detective worked up the courage to say what she wanted to say.

"I can see myself really being happy with you, Alex."

The ADA smiled widely.

"I'm glad you do…because I can see myself being very happy with you too, Olivia."

The women sat silently, Olivia sending the woman a shy smile.

"I know this thing between us is new, but I feel like we've been seeing each other for so long."

Alex nodded in agreement.

"I know what you mean."

Olivia reached up and ran her fingers through Alex's hair. She looked into the woman's eyes and smiled, and when she received a smile back, she felt her heart swell.

"I really love you, Alex."

Olivia's eyes grew wide when she realised what she said. She had been thinking it, but she definitely hadn't meant to say it. Alex, seeing that Olivia had slipped, sent a comforting smile.

"Don't worry, Olivia. You're not the only one who's in love."

The detective's eyes, which had glanced away in embarrassment, shot back to the blonde's as soon as the words were spoken. When she looked in her eyes, she saw nothing but happiness, safety, love, and promise. She leaned forward and kissed the woman, pouring everything she felt into the kiss. She felt Alex grab her arm and lean into her, kissing her with fervor. Tears fell from Olivia's eyes. She had never felt this way before. She had never been so easily accepted, comforted, cared for, loved. Alex made her feel things she had never felt before. Olivia was an independent person, she always had been, and yet she felt herself needing Alex. She wanted to be with her, around her. The blonde offered her the safety and comfort she had been searching for so desperately but could never find. She offered her love, something Olivia had been lacking so completely most of her life.

When they finally pulled apart, Olivia was gasping for breath and feeling a million different emotions. Alex smiled comfortingly, wiping the tears from her cheeks and placing one last gentle kiss on her lips.

"You're safe here, Olivia. You can always come to me."

"Thanks for giving me a chance, Alex. Thanks for being so understanding."

"I want to. I want to see where this goes. I can't wait for what's to come."

The brunette nodded.

"I know what you mean. You make me excited for the future, something I've never felt before. I know we'll have ups and downs, but I think we make a pretty good team."

"We make a very good team."

Olivia pulled the blonde into a hug and squeezed her gently.

"I love you, Alex."

"I love you too, Olivia."

The women held each other close, reveling in the other woman's touches. They stayed there for a long time, until Alex suggested they move to the bedroom to sleep.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I think we could both use it."

Olivia nodded, her belly tightening in excitement. She knew nothing would happen, but she was just happy to hold the blonde.

She followed Alex into the bedroom, sliding behind her under the covers. She pulled the woman close, inhaling deeply when the ADA's hair was right in front of her. She wrapped a protective arm around Alex's waist and kissed the back of her head as they settled into a comfortable position. The blonde intertwined their fingers, smiling when she felt Olivia nuzzle the back of her neck.

"I could get used to this," the detective stated.

"So could I."

"I look forward to our future sleepovers."

"Me too," she answered softly.

Alex yawned, squeezing Olivia's fingers as she felt herself starting to drift off.

"Goodnight my love."

"Goodnight, Olivia. Thank you for coming to me tonight."

"I might not come right away, but eventually, I will always find you."

Alex smiled gently.

"I love you, Liv."

"I love you too Alex."

With that, the women, smiling, drifted off to sleep.

Fin.