Chapter Text
Residence of Olivia Benson
Manhattan
Wednesday, January 21
Olivia was exhausted. At least the mess with Nick's family had been sorted. Now all Olivia wanted was to stay in this moment with Noah and cuddling with him until he fell asleep, hear his soft baby breath in her ear. It was very comforting.
The way Olivia saw it, her family would only ever be her and Noah. True, they were still in the fostering period, but the boy was on the right track to becoming a Benson for good. Olivia just didn't know if she had any prospects for herself. As in... a person in her life she would consider spouse material. So here they were. Olivia and Noah, Noah and Olivia. That's the way it was. And they were happy.
DING DONG!
Mother and son were startled out of their bonding time. Who could be calling?
Olivia rose and sat Noah on her hip as they headed to the front door. "Why don't we see who's here?"
Noah just yawned and laid his head on Olivia's shoulder. He was ready for sleep. Olivia laughed softly as she opened the door, but her eyes widened in shock at the sight of the person before them. None other than Alex Cabot was before her.
How...?
Alex Cabot, whom she'd known and had cared about for more than twelve years now. Alex Cabot, whom she hadn't seen in over a year. Alex Cabot, who was looking scared and like she'd just taken a recent beating. Alex Cabot, who... had a baby girl on her hip? What?
"Alex, come and sit down!" Olivia stepped aside to let her enter. "I'm happy to see you, but what's going on? Who's your little hitchhiker?"
Alex entered the abode, but words failed her. She could only take noisy breaths. Like she was attempting to reassure herself that she wasn't dreaming. Olivia shut the door behind them, relieved Alex of the bag on her shoulder and helped her visitors to sit on the couch. Her night had just gotten much longer.
Alex finally gained the courage to speak at this point after she and her tiny sidekick had something to drink. "I'm sorry it's been so long since I've even seen you. But... I didn't have a choice."
"Whoever did this to you," Olivia gently cupped Alex's face in her hand as she examined the varying red, purple, and yellowing bruises on it. "Is a bad guy."
"Liv," Alex told her carefully. "It was my fiancé, Jude."
Olivia was immediately taken aback by her friend's bombshell. "You're getting married?"
Alex wrenched her engagement ring off her finger and stuffed it in Olivia's pocket. "Not anymore. I can't marry a monster."
Trying to lighten the mood as best as she could, Olivia inquired again about Alex's companion. The little one was yet asleep.
"Who's the little one you've got with you?" Olivia touched a hand to Noah's back as he tried to stay awake in her lap. "This is Noah. I'm his foster mother."
Alex kissed her little one on the top of her head, smiling when she snuggled closer in her sleep. "This is Beverly. She's a year old now. And she's mine."
Beverly looked like a miniature version of her mother, down to the hair color. She was even wearing a pair of purple toddler-sized glasses that even matched her pajamas. Olivia was instantly smitten.
"Wow." Olivia marveled. "She is gorgeous, Alex."
"Thank y..." Alex then performed an abrupt full-body shudder. "Oh. That's weird..."
Olivia immediately went on high alert. "What's the matter? Are you going to be ill?"
But now Alex's body had grown cold, leaden. She also felt dizzy but couldn't place why. Even her controlled breathing tactic wasn't working well.
"T...take her." she mumbled heavily to her friend.
Olivia promptly relocated Beverly and Noah to the far end of the couch, out of harm's way. She turned back to Alex just in time to lower her to the floor as her body began seizing. The next thing Olivia knew, Alex was out cold and unresponsive. But she had a strong pulse. So Olivia pulled out her phone and dialed for help.
"911 operator." came a cool, collected tone. "What is your emergency?"
"This is Sergeant Olivia Benson, badge number 01139!" she responded urgently. "I need an ambulance to 203 West 89th Street, apartment A5: we have an ADA who has just had a seizure, and... oh..."
The operator said carefully, "Sergeant?"
While they'd been talking, Olivia had removed Alex's jacket and undone the buttons on her shirt. The surprise came when Alex's middle was exposed. Why? She was met by a sight she hadn't been expecting.
"Sergeant?" the operator prompted Olivia a little harder this time.
"I have Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Jasmine Cabot here," authoritativeness returned to Olivia's voice. "But I have just learned that she is pregnant!"
The operator kept their cool. "Do you know how far along she is?"
Olivia felt bewildered. "No!"
From there, the operator implored Olivia to do everything she could to get Alex back with it. She stayed on the phone with her until the proper help arrived to take over. Noah and Beverly were both freaked out by the sudden commotion. But Olivia scooped them both up in her arms, grabbed two blankets from Noah's crib, and flagged a down a passing uniformed officer down to bring them to the hospital that Alex was headed for. Everyone was in for a long night.
Saint Vincent's Hospital
8:47 PM
By the time Olivia had finished giving her complete statement of the events as they had been so far, she was emotionally drained. All she wanted was to sleep until morning. But she couldn't. Two babies, confused and whimpering, sat on her lap. And one of them? She knew nothing about her at all. How she wished for help. From anyone.
A newcomer's voice broke through her thoughts. "Liv?"
The sergeant looked up at the sound of her name. But for the second in an hour, she received a surprise. Nick, Amanda, Fin, Carisi, and even Melinda were standing around her in a tight semicircle. What was this night?
Olivia voiced her puzzlement. "How in the world did all of you get here?"
Nick spoke again. "A nurse recognized you and called me. I called Amanda and Fin. They called Carisi and Melinda."
Olivia murmured, "Okay..."
Amanda sat next to Olivia, taking Noah into her lap when he crawled into it. "What's happening? None of us know. But we each dropped everything immediately."
Olivia said, "It's about Alex."
Melinda voiced the question first. "Olivia? Was she shot again?"
Melinda and Fin both held their breath as they waited for an answer, while Nick, Amanda, and Carisi all bore genuine 'what the fuck?' expressions on their faces. Yet all of them remained quiet.
Olivia shook her head. "No, thank God, but..."
Yet one more new voice entered the conversation. "Olivia?"
Her heart now bottomed out in shock when she saw who was hurrying towards her now, so she sputtered, "Casey?"
Olivia's favorite redhead had somehow appeared. Just as she hadn't seen much of Alex lately, the same could also be said of this woman. Wild. And was it her imagination, or was Casey sporting a baby bump?
"Just breathe." Casey sat on Olivia's other side and gently rubbed her back. "Fin called us. We hurried straight over."
Olivia now spoke in actual confusion. "Pardon? Who is the extra person in your 'we' and 'us'?"
"Rafael 'Slowpoke' Barba," Casey quipped. "And he'll be appearing in three... two... one..."
Right on cue, Barba rounded the same corner that Casey had just used. "I resent that 'slowpoke' remark..."
Barba stopped short when he saw exactly who was gathered in the corner of the waiting room. Casey just smirked, absently caressing her distended middle while everyone else could only stare in surprise.
"What?" Barba protested. "Casey and I are friends! Deal with it!"
Choosing to be the mature adult now, Nick knelt in front of Olivia. "Hey. We're all here to help. Just talk. When was the last time that you saw Alex?"
"Not for more than a year. She just showed up at my door about forty-five minutes ago," Olivia touched a cheek to the top of her little charge's head in indication. "With her daughter Beverly in tow. Alex also looks like she had the stuffing beaten out of her."
Casey wrinkled her nose. "Was it Jude?"
"That's what Alex told me. Why?" Olivia said in surprise. "Do you know him?"
"Just by reputation." Casey admitted. "He is the Henshall at Henshall & Langan."
Olivia hung her head in defeat. "Let's just keep rubbing salt in the wound."
Henshall & Langan was the law firm that their 'enemy' and part-time ally, Trevor Langan, worked for. Great.
Another new voice cut through the tension. "Family of Alex Cabot?"
Olivia and associates turned their attention towards a doctor who had just come out from behind the double doors to their left.
"Here we are." Olivia rose and secured Beverly in her arms. "Is Alex okay?"
The doctor came closer. "You are Sergeant Olivia Benson, the one who called the paramedics about this in the first place?"
"Yes. My associates are here with me. I'm holding Alex's daughter." Olivia said seriously. "Please: is Alex okay?"
The doctor beckoned for Olivia to follow her. "Please come right this way."
Beverly in her arms, the doctor Olivia followed the doctor to the hallway just past the double doors. Now they are closer to Alex's room. Olivia felt a smidgeon of relief.
She said to the doctor, "What's the damage?"
Choosing her words with care because of Beverly's vigilance, the doctor answered, "Aside from the fresh marks on the councilor's face, there are also quite a variety on her arms and shins."
Olivia winced. "Are any of those ones fresh?"
"All of the marks on her arms and wrists are about an hour-and-a-half-old, but they are consistent with defensive wounds." the physician reported. "I can also assure you Miss Cabot was not violated. There is one thing in particular that surprises me about the wounds on her arms and legs, though."
Olivia grew even more concerned. "What would that be?"
"Miss Cabot is in wrist braces right now. But she also wouldn't be walking if it was any worse." the other woman replied to her. "And she would be in actual plaster casts."
Olivia blanched at the thought before looking through the room window at Alex. She was now dressed in a hospital gown and hooked up to various wires. Bandages covered the wounds that the casts didn't. The best thing was that she was awake. A uniformed officer from the 16th precinct was at her bedside, taking her statement.
"If she's awake and talking," Olivia looked back to the doctor. "Then that means that the seizure wasn't a very bad one."
"Yes." the doctor said. "Miss Cabot had a myoclonic seizure. Do you know what type that is?"
Olivia gave it some thought. "I think those are the kind where the body goes through a series of twitches and jerks, but only for a minute or so. Right?"
"That's two for two. As for Miss Cabot's baby, it's in perfect health," continued the doctor. "But from what she told me about how her health has been recently, it sounds like the seizure was brought on by stress and lack of food in her system. Do you know if she is in an abusive relationship?"
"To be honest," Olivia shuffled her feet. "I haven't seen Alex in over a year until tonight. But she did say that she's engaged."
"And how many years have you known Miss Cabot?" the doctor pressed.
"Fifteen." Olivia realized with a jolt. "I've known Alex Cabot for fifteen years."
"Sergeant?" Finished taking the statement from Alex, the officer had exited and he was before them.
"Yes?" Olivia said to him.
"Miss Cabot is done and asking for you and her daughter now." the young man reported.
Olivia turned to the doctor. "Is there anything else I should know?"
"Not now." the doctor shook her head. "Uh-uh."
"Alright." Olivia bobbed her head as means of an acknowledgment display. "Thank you."
As the officer excused himself away, Olivia finally entered the next room as she said, "Allie?"
The younger woman looked up at the sound of her nickname because there was only one person left who called her that. "Olivia..."
The older woman sat with her. "I brought Beverly back, too."
Alex held Beverly close when she was put on to the bed. "Good evening, baby bird. Mama loves you so much."
Beverly let out a contented sigh and fell asleep immediately, sucking her thumb as she rested her head on Alex's chest. Watching it all made Olivia's heart melt. She was the only one who had always know that Alex wanted to be a mother, but it had never been the right time. Or person. But then time had inevitably marched on. And even though Alex's world had turned upside down tonight, seeing her as a mother now just made sense.
It was a moment before the ADA spoke to Olivia again. "I am so, so sorry I never told you about Beverly. Even Casey doesn't know. And I see her all the time."
"It's all okay." Olivia said gently. "And Casey does know about Beverly now."
Alex furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "How?"
Olivia didn't miss a beat. "Because she's out in the waiting area."
Alex continued to be surprised as she said, "Really?"
"Mhm." Olivia nodded. "Casey, Barba, Melinda, Nick, Fin, Amanda, and even our new guy, Carisi, are all out there. They dropped everything when they heard what was going on."
Alex's bottom lip trembled. It had been far too long since she'd been shown sincerity or affection from an adult and believed it. Those feelings at this hour was a little overwhelming. Jude was a mean abusive control freak.
But the ADA gave a hiss of pain when she wiped the tears falling down her face. "Damn... I can't even wipe my own tears without hurting myself."
Olivia did it for her. "I've got you now. You're okay."
Alex mouth her thanks before taking Olivia's closest hand in her own and held it against her middle. Olivia felt her heart skip a beat. Her friend been through hell this evening but still had the capacity to be gentle.
Alex told Olivia, "I'm pushing ten weeks now. There isn't anything to feel from the outside yet but you're the only person I'd really let touch me like this because you're good and kind."
Olivia's heart skipped a beat. "I'm honored you think so highly of me. How I've missed you."
And in a move that was out of pure affection because of the length and depth of their bond, Olivia kissed Alex on the forehead.
"I've missed you." Alex whispered while wishing Olivia could have kissed her on the lips. "Can I tell you something?"
"You can tell me anything." Olivia said honestly.
"Jude hurts me. A lot." Alex heaved a sigh. "The only good things that have come from being with him are Beverly and the baby."
"Children are a blessing." Olivia reflected. "Have you ever loved Jude?"
"I did at first. But then... I started falling out of love with him. There is nothing left here. Not anymore." Alex let out a shakier breath."That being said... I love you, Liv."
Olivia's heart did jumping jacks when she heard this. Before she could say anything, she noticed Alex turn paler than she already was as she shifted her attention to the room's door. When she followed Alex's gaze, she saw a grim-faced Casey in the doorway. Alex instinctively pulled Beverly closer to her.
Using their friend's formal name, Alex began, "Cassandra? What's the matter with you?"
Casey spoke slowly. "Alexandra, you need to give Beverly to Olivia."
Alex returned sharply, "Why?"
Casey's dread only grew. "Please just do it?"
Beverly felt confusion when she was placed back in to Olivia's arms and made it known. "Mama?"
"I love you so much, baby bird." Alex's hand shook slightly as caressed her daughter's cheek. "But you have to go with Livvie now."
Beverly registered the undertones of her mother's words and whimpered, "Birdy go?"
Alex nodded and gave Beverly one last kiss. "Yes, and I'm sorry. Be good."
While Beverly began to sob, Casey called out in a warning tone, "Alex..."
Crying hot tears of her own, Alex gave Beverly's hands a few more kissed before Olivia backed away with her. And her heart grew heavy. Now Olivia looked as confused as she felt.
Alex asked Casey, "What's going on?"
But Casey said, "I am so sorry."
This was all she could manage before the one and only Sergeant Ed Tucker from the Internal Affairs Bureau and two of his cronies entered. He even had his handcuffs at the ready.
"Ed Tucker from IAB?" Alex exclaimed. "What in the holy he..."
"Alexandra Cabot," Tucker's words were cold. "I suggest you stop talking right now."
Ever the rebel, Alex toed the line. "Why?"
"Because," he said as he closed one of the cuff plates around Alex's wrist and the other around the bedrail next to her. "You are under arrest for the murder of Jude Henshall."