I couldn't help myself after the premiere. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Not mine!

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"Olivia…"

Olivia couldn't get the heartbroken sound of her best friend's voice out of her head. She had not seen him in years, hadn't received so much as a phone call or a post card. After he shot the teenage girl, there was one night before he disappeared from her life completely. For weeks, she had hated him and loved him for that one night. Then…

"Mama."

Olivia smiled at Molly. She had tried to contact Elliot after she found out she was pregnant, but he never responded to her calls or emails. So she eventually gave up and tried to move on with her life. After all, she finally had the baby that she had wanted for so long. Still smiling, she unlocked her car and strapped Molly into her carseat. Then she closed the door and slid into the driver's seat.

The ride home was quiet, the only sounds coming from the backseat. Molly babbled happily to herself and giggled, lessening the ache in Olivia's heart. She was Elliot's child, and sometimes the pain of that knowledge was too much to bear. But sometimes, she could look at Molly and see every good thing she had done in her life.

Five minutes later, she pulled up to her building and got out. Then she retrieved Molly from her carseat and grabbed the groceries with her free hand. She was almost to her steps when she heard a breathless voice shout.

"Olivia!"

Stunned, she turned around and saw Elliot jogging up the sidewalk. Feeling sick, she set the groceries down and held Molly tight. "What are you doing here, Elliot?"

"I… I knew you wouldn't move," he gasped out, his eyes focusing on the little girl in his former partner's arms. He had no doubt she was his.

She took a step back, still holding Molly close. "I need to get inside."

"Olivia, please. Talk to me."

"About what?" Olivia snapped. "About how you abandoned me? About how you never so much as sent a postcard? About how I thought you were dead?"

He flinched in the face of her venomous words. "Liv…"

"No. You lost the right to call me that when you left me." Olivia looked at Molly. "When you left us."

"Jesus Christ, Liv, I didn't know." His face fell. "I never even thought…"

"Yeah, well…"

There was a long, awkward pause, and right when Elliot was about to say something, a door opened.

"Olivia? What are you doing out here?"

The lines on Elliot's face deepened as he struggled to identify the man who approached Olivia. It wasn't until he spoke again that Elliot finally recognized him.

"It's freezing." He removed his jacket and wrapped it around Olivia. Then he kissed her cheek lovingly before looking at the man standing on the sidewalk. "Stabler?"

Elliot swallowed hard. "Cassidy. Long time, no see."

From under the coat, Molly squealed and poked her head out. "Daddy!"

Brian laughed and welcomed Molly into his arms. "Hi, princess." He snuggled her for a moment, then kissed Olivia softly. "I'll take the cupcake and the groceries inside. I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do."

Olivia glanced at Elliot, torn between wanting to join her family and needing to get some closure on the abrupt ending of the longest, most stable relationship she had ever known. "Okay. I'll be in there in a minute." Leaning up, she pressed her lips softly to his.

He held her close until she finally pulled away. Then, after casting a look toward Stabler, he carried Molly and the groceries into their apartment.

Once Brian and Molly were inside, Olivia slowly stepped closer to Elliot.

Elliot watched her, hurting and knowing there was a time when she wasn't afraid to stand so close to him. "How long…?"

Her arms crossed defensively. "Since just after Molly was born."

"Are you…?"

"Married? Engaged? Does it matter, El?" But she noticed his left ring finger was suspiciously bare.

"Of course it does, Olivia." He swiped his hand angrily over his face.

"No, it doesn't. You disappeared from my life, from our lives. Molly loves Brian, and so do I."

"More than you love me?"

His simple question nearly brought her to her knees. Of course he knew she loved him; who didn't? But when he left her alone and pregnant with his child, that love changed, even though it didn't disappear completely. She would always love him for giving her Molly, but she had finally built a life separate from him and the memory of what they had, what they could have had.

"Answer me, Olivia," he begged.

"Yes," she finally managed. Her heart leapt into her throat, making it impossible for her to swallow. "I love him more."

He reached out and gently grasped her elbow. "Olivia…"

"I love them. They're my family." Her words were choppy and broken. "I'm sorry, Elliot."

"Olivia, just listen to me. I screwed up. I never should have left you. But please… please hear me out. I don't want to leave you again. I don't want to lose Molly."

"She's not your daughter, Elliot. She's Brian's."

"She's my flesh and blood, Olivia. She's a part of me."

"A part that you didn't want." The words that passed her lips were scathing and unforgiving. "You need to leave. Now." It no longer mattered what she wanted. What mattered was what was best for her family. She loved Brian, and the three of them made sense. She wasn't about to lose what they had because Elliot had waltzed back into her life looking to screw it all up again.

"Liv…"

"Go." Turning around, she took a step toward the building. But before she could move further, his hand shot out and grasped her elbow. He caught her offguard, and the next thing she knew, his lips were on hers. She struggled against him, but he held her tight, his hands firmly pressed against the small of her back.

The kiss lasted too long, and yet not long enough. Her hands went up to his chest, while his ran through her thick hair. All the pain and grief they had both experienced over the past three years, all the resentment and lost happiness, was present in that kiss. It was everything she remembered, and still it was nothing.

Finally she pulled away, avoiding his eyes. "I have to go." Her voice was rough. "My family is waiting for me."

Elliot could only stand there and watch as Olivia disappeared into her apartment building. He desperately wanted to follow her, but he was slowly realizing that he was no longer in that part of her life. He'd had his chance with her, and he had blown it. But out of that came Molly, and he couldn't regret her, even if he could never see her. He already loved her, but that love left a huge hole in his heart.

"Please…"

In the building, Olivia made her way upstairs and to her apartment, where her little family waited on her. Brian was on the couch, holding Molly and bouncing her on his knee. They were both laughing, and their laughter lifted her spirits. Somehow she knew Elliot was still standing outside; she could just sense his presence, a habit that hadn't faded with time. But for the first time, she ignored it and made her way to the couch.

Brian smiled up at her. "Is everything okay?"

She sat down on the couch and snuggled into his side, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Everything is just fine."

"Good." He kissed her forehead sweetly. "I love you, Olivia."

Her gaze briefly flitted to the window.

"I love you, too, Brian."

The End.

A/N: Really think that's the end, but who knows? Thanks for reading, and please review!