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drghostwrite · 10 months

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Something to Fight for…

Pairing: Olivia Benson x reader

Summary: Tricia is a nurse who lost her license, she ran an underground ring and would kill the girl’s that got pregnant. Captain Olivia Benson and her team caught this killer and took everything but after a good lawyer comes around and releases her she goes after what Olivia loves most, and that means you(her wife) and your unborn baby.

******************************************************** “My phone!” You turned back towards your bedroom knowing you forgot something.

You saw it laying on Olivia’s side of the bed and went around to grab it, catching a glimpse of yourself in your bedroom mirror. You stopped running a hand over you 30 week bump, you felt your baby push a foot against your hand.

“A month and a half, and we finally get to meet you baby girl.” You felt another kick, you could hear Olivia in your head saying but wait we don’t know that yet, and Noah cheering about wanting a brother. One thing was you were so happy about having the baby that you didn’t care as long as it was healthy but you had a feeling, you always had a feeling.

Your phone started ringing and you quickly answered, “Hey Gina what’s up?”

“Not much, just checking in your assistant said you weren’t in yet and you do have that appraisal in 30 minutes.”

“Oh I knew I forgot something,” you scrambled and heard her laugh on the other end.

“I knew it, blame it on the hormones!”

“Girl I’ll be there in 20!”

“sounds good.” You heard the dial tone of her hanging up and you raced to grab your bag and keys. You heard your phone ringing again and answered not looking playing it between your shoulder and ear running out of the house.

“Girl I said I’ll be there in 20 I won’t be late, just prep everything for court later.”

“Y/N?” You heard Olivia’s voice. “Tell me you’re gonna be late.” She chuckled.

“Liv!” You whined, “I told you.”

“No, I recall you moaning my name this morning and asking me to stay.”

“Ugh, you’re not wrong.”

“I just wanted to call and check in, I was gonna swing by the office and see how my girls are doing.”

“your girls?” You poked with a smirk.

“what can I say it’s growing on me.”

“Well… I mean…” suddenly you felt a pinch turning you saw someone behind you, Olivia said something on the phone but it all went blurry and you felt an arm come around you and your bump.

Y/N, Y/N, love what’s going on? that’s the last thing you remember hearing before it all went black.

——— time jump———

You heard someone shuffling around and you tried opening your eyes but you felt drowsy, that was until you felt a hand ghost along your pregnant belly and then a sharp pain, a scalpel slid across the taught skin.

“Stop!” You groaned out.

You were propped against pillows supporting your back, you tried to reach out but your hands were tied to the bed rail you pulled the unrelenting restraints, something cold tapped your arm you looked up to see an IV bag hanging the tube hooked into the crease of your arm, you tried to kick but she sat next to your hip it wouldn’t be any use. You took in the woman before you about your height, and you were on the taller side only two inches shorter than Liv, she had fit features, brown eyes and dark raven hair.

“Whaa… what’s going on who are you?” You strained against the bed frame.

“Hmm funny you don’t know who I am, do you?”

“Should I?”

“Oh darling see I was one of your wife’s biggest cases, she took everything from me. I had a nursing career and a good operation going and all the sudden gone.” She ran fingers along you belly, you watched the scalpel in her other hand propped on her thigh, you winced at a slight cramp feeling but brushed it off.

“See I ran an underground refuge for girls that got pregnant, they could come have their babies, I would help with deliveries and then we would put them up for adoption.”

“You killed all those poor girls.” A tear escaped you eye.

“Hmm see that’s a harsh term more like released or set free. It was good for awhile but in comes Captain Benson and the SVU to save the day. They put me in prison and destroyed everything.”

“Sounds like y… yo… Oh God!” You felt a contraction roll through your body. You watched her reaction as you tried breathing, “wha… what’s happening?”

“Well you see that IV in your arm, that’s pitocin made to induce labor quickly, I figured it would be helpful.”

“why are you doing this?” You felt another contraction, wincing and pulling against the ties on your wrist.

“I lost everything, my baby, my dream job, my life all because of your wife so I’m going to take what she values most.”

“No, no you can’t, please you can’t…” you begged another contraction coming on, this one caught you off guard and you gasped as you felt liquid between your thighs.

You felt her place her hands under you thighs pulling them up, “Well there goes your water only a matter of time now.” As you fought through another contraction you saw as she quickly left coming back in scrubs, she put on gloves, and you heard the sounds of metal assuming it was other instruments. She came back scalpel in hand, she ran her fingers over the long slice from earlier the blood on her finger. “See this? If you try to fight or escape I will cut this baby out of you, understand?” You slowly nodded.

———time jump———

You felt two hands forcing your knees apart, “ Please you can’t do this.” You begged tears rolling down your face, sweet coated your stained features and hair stuck to your face, you fought the pressure, the urge to push unbearable.

“Push Y/N.”

“It burns so bad.”

“It’s because you’re crowning, now push.”

“I can’t it’s too early.”

“Push dammit, if you don’t you both die.”

“I…” you screamed another contraction coming over you, you pushed feeling the baby shift down. You glanced over her shoulder seeing slight movement as she was focused between your legs. It was Sonny and that meant Fin and Olivia weren’t far behind. You felt relief, until another contraction came and you pushed again. You heard Sonny call out and then a gunshot, hating a thud and then heels quickly enter. You felt a hand on your cheek and someone’s forehead met yours, you opened your eyes to be met with Olivia you let out heavy breaths as tears fell between you, she pulled away.

“You’re safe I got you.”

“Liv, I…” another contraction interrupted the small moment and fear entered her eyes, she quickly undid your hands pulling out the IV, she tried to move you.

“babe we have to get you to the hospital.” She urged.

“no, no time, she’s coming, this baby is coming.” You groaned through another contraction.

“um okay, okay” she looked around, “Amanda!” She called out, and the blonde agent came right in, the sight before her was wild, you propped on pillows legs up on the bed fighting a contraction, Olivia next to you walking you through it.

“Liv?”

“I need your help.” Olivia said meeting her eyes.

“I see that” she came closer to you rubbing a hand on your leg.

“Look we can’t move her.”

“so you want me to do what?”

“deliver this baby,” you spoke up through gritted teeth, “those boys aren’t coming near me like this, all you have to do is catch.”

“Um, what, no… I, no Liv , I can’t.” She protested

“Please for me.” Olivia pleaded, as you let out another moan, Amanda thought and then quickly agreed. You heard Olivia then yell to Fin telling him to get paramedics there quickly, Sonny kept other rookies and cops out of the house.

You pushed as Olivia and Amanda cheered you on, “wait Y/N wait.”

“what… what’s wrong?”

“I think it’s just the cord, just let me check.” You threw your head back trying not to push on this next contraction and what you didn’t see was the hand she held up for your wife to see, fingers coated in dark red blood. Olivia’s face shifted from excitement and worry to stone cold and you could sense something was up by the way her muscles tensed.

“what’s wrong?” You said between breaths.

“I…” Olivia sat unmoving a tear escaped her eye, she can’t lose you or this baby, she wouldn’t be able to live.

“Y/N there’s a lot of blood.” Amanda explained.

“Is the baby okay though?”

“Y/N” Olivia tried to reason.

“Amanda is my baby okay?”

“I…I think so but I can’t be sure.”

You nodded and pushed with the next contraction, you felt the head fully out and then shoulders before you knew it Olivia was holding your new baby. Paramedics rushed in and started with you pushing Olivia and the baby away, they quickly got you in an ambulance, Olivia and the baby coming with you.

“boy or girl?” You asked pulling down the oxygen mask.

“girl” she answered as she watched you fight the urge to pass out, paramedics trying to give you blood and check you out. Tears fell down her cheeks, as she held your baby.

———time jump———

Four hours later you were safe and sound in the hospital room, you felt a pressure on you left hand and looked, there was you wide hand in yours head resting on your arm.

“Liv?” You watched as she slowly lifted her tear stained face and looked at you, she realized you were awake and quickly pulled you into a kiss.

“I was so scared.”

“I know babe, I was to.”

“Oh God Y/N I can’t lose you.”

“Olivia Benson, I’m not going anywhere that easily.”

#x yn #pregnancy #olivia benson #law and order svu #olivia benson x reader #svu x reader #giving birth #pregnant reader

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cabotwife · 3 months

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i need a comfort fic and I never see any of this topic🥹

if you could please write a Olivia/daughter reader or Olivia/reader!!! Preferably Olivia catching on to them restricting/failing into an Rd and comforts them about it!!!

City of Angels

Olivia Benson x Foster Daughter!Teen!Reader

warnings: ooc liv? kinda mention of an eating disorder, not proofread

word count: 1788

a/n: this is actually so bad i wanna rip my hair out.

living an easy life wasn't something you were entirely familiar with. for the last two years your life had been a chaotic whirlwind, being shuffled from one home to another.

the idea of an easy life becomes complicated when your existence has been laced with a constant stream of pain and the need to run from everything good. it's challenging to imagine such a life when your reality has always been like this.

even before you found yourself lost among the countless faceless children within the foster system, all you had known was a life filled with fear and adversity.

but now, you have your Olivia.

your Olivia who tells you she loves you, but who’re you to believe her? how could she possibly love a child that’s not hers?

this is the question that haunts your thoughts during your countless long, sleepless nights. the painful realization that you're just a charity case to the brunette detective, a lost delinquent she's taken under her wing to "fix" is something you can't shake. she’s never said it outright, but you can see it. it's there, hiding in the depths of her eyes.

—

you've been living with Olivia for almost half a year now. during this time, you and her had been growing closer, your defensive walls have started to crumble, allowing the other woman to step into your world and take you into her arms.

everything seemed to be going well, or at least that's what you thought. but one day, everything took a turn when Olivia brought home Noah.

Noah, an undeniably adorable little boy.

the moment he was brought into the apartment, you could sense a shift in the atmosphere. at first, you managed to adapt to the change. but then, you found yourself being pushed to the side, overlooked for Noah.

the moment you found yourself sidelined, your defensive walls shot back up, leaving Olivia and now Noah on the outside.

and once again, you were alone.

the love you can see in Olivia’s eyes when she looks at the little toddler is a kind of love you've never experienced for yourself. it's a stark reminder of the unfair differences between your experiences and his.

it didn't even take a month for Olivia to officially adopt Noah.

things took a turn for the worse rather quickly.

it began with you avoiding shared meals with the two brunettes. you started eating later or earlier, making sure to finish before Olivia got home. but recently, you found yourself skipping meals altogether.

Olivia had noticed you pulling away from her, but she chose not to do anything in fear of worsening the situation. despite your growing distance, she continued to reach out, hoping to assure you that you're welcome in her life. but your actions have been making it increasingly difficult for her.

—

in the midst of a typical day at work, Olivia sifts through the details of her most recent case, surrounded by the familiar hum of activity in the precinct. the sudden ring of her phone disrupts the rhythmic tapping of her fingers on the keyboard.

answering the phone in a questioning voice, she says, “hello?” the unknown number on the screen does nothing to prepare her for the conversation ahead.

a professional, yet strained voice responds from the other end, “hi, is this Olivia Benson?” the question hangs in the air, causing Olivia to furrow her eyebrows in confusion. she straightens up in her chair, her police instincts kick in.

the change in her demeanor catches the attention of Fin, who is now visibly alert. “yes, it is. who’s asking?” Olivia responds, her tone guarded yet curious.

the voice on the other side of the line calmly explains, “you’re listed as y/n l/n’s emergency contact. i’m calling to inform you that she is currently with us at Mercy General Hospital.” the words are delivered with an air of professional detachment.

the brunette springs up from her desk, grabbing her jacket hurriedly. her mind is a whirlwind of questions. “what? why? what happened?” in her panic, she barely notices Fin rising from his desk, his eyes locked with hers in shared concern.

briefly pulling the phone away from her mouth, she manages to choke out to Fin, “y/n’s in the hospital, i have to go.”

the severity of the situation is evident in her voice, “i’ll drive,” the older detective quickly offers, swiftly grabbing his keys and ushering Olivia out of the precinct, the hum of activity fades as they rush out to his car.

by the end of the call, Olivia is left with a sinking feeling of dread. despite the explanations given, she can't fully comprehend what is happening. her mind is filled with concern for her little girl.

before she knows it, Fin's car screeches to a halt in front of Mercy General Hospital and without a moment’s hesitation, Olivia jumps out, her heart pounding as she practically sprints through the entrance. once the brunette reaches the front desk she slaps her hands down on the counter, “y/n l/n, what room is she in?” she demands, her voice strained with urgency.

the desk attendant looks up, her gaze questioning as she scrolls through the records on her computer. “I’m sorry, who’re you?” she inquires, her head tilted slightly in confusion.

taking a moment to collect herself, Olivia responds, “oh, Olivia Benson. i’m her foster mother, her emergency contact." she leans over the desk, trying to catch a glimpse of the room number on the screen.

the woman hums in response, scrolling for a few more seconds before finally speaking, “y/n l/n is in room 281.” she looks up, meeting Olivia’s desperate gaze.

mumbling a quick ‘thank you’, Olivia speeds off towards the room, her heart pounding in her chest. when she finally reaches the room, she is met with the sight of you, lying in the hospital bed with an IV drip in your arm and a small, untouched cup of red jello on the bedside table.

“y/n.” Olivia manages to breathe out, making her way over to the bed. her voice is soft and filled with concern, “what happened? are you okay, baby?” she gently takes your hand in hers, her touch as soft as her voice.

you simply hum in response and pull your hand away from hers, settling it back in your lap. “yeah, ‘m fine.”

Olivia’s eyebrows furrow as she looks down at you, her maternal instincts kick in. “you are not fine. you’re in the hospital. now, are you going to tell me what happened or do i have to go ask a doctor because i can’t trust my own daughter?”

for the first time, your eyes snap to Olivia, finally meeting hers. “i’m not your daughter, Olivia,” you retort, rolling your eyes.

the sharpness of your words takes Olivia by surprise. her frown deepens and her eyes soften. “what’re you talking about, y/n/n? of course you’re my daughter.” her voice is gentle, filled with warmth as she squats down beside the bed to be at eye level with you. “what’s been going on, sweet girl? you haven’t been yourself.” she takes your hand again, her thumb soothingly rubbing the back of your hand.

you just mumble in response, avoiding Olivia's gaze and instead focusing on the wall, which has suddenly become very interesting. “nothin’..”

sighing, Olivia stares at you for a moment before standing back up. she leans down and presses a tender kiss to your hairline before heading towards the door. “i’ll be back. i’m going to go find your doctor since you won’t tell me anything.”

as she reaches the door, your voice stops her in her tracks. “wait, Olivia,” your voice is louder than you intended. you look up at Olivia, your eyes teary and pleading. “i’ll tell you, please, i’m sorry.”

the older woman turns around, her arms crossed as she waits for you to speak. “okay. i’m listening.”

"you know, i've just been... i don't know how to say it..." you mumble, searching for the right words, the right way to phrase what happened.

Olivia sits on the edge of the hospital bed, by your knees. her gaze, full of concern and empathy, watches you as you struggle to articulate your thoughts.

"i've been struggling with eating recently.." you admit in a whisper, your words barely audible in the sterile silence of the hospital room. heat rushes to your cheeks, a mixture of embarrassment and shame. "i passed out while i was with Luka. he brought me here after i woke up.. i'm sorry, Liv, i know how expensive it is and i know you’re mad-"

"oh, my sweet girl," Olivia interrupts, her voice filled with love. she surges forward, wrapping you in a comforting embrace. when she pulls away, her hands cup your cheeks, her words a soothing balm. "my sweet, sweet girl... no, i’m not mad. I'm just happy you're okay," she whispers, her eyes locked onto yours.

and in that moment, you see it — the same love you've always seen in her eyes when she looks at Noah. but now, it's directed at you.

a silence descends on the two of you, heavy but not uncomfortable. Olivia leans forward to hug you again, and you find yourself lost in your thoughts.

after a few minutes of quiet reflection, you break the silence. "hey, Liv?" you whisper, your voice barely audible.

"yes, y/n/n?" she replies after a moment, pulling away to look into your eyes.

"why... um, why did you adopt Noah and not me? are you going to send me back?" you ask, the words tumbling out in a rush, a slight rasp in your voice revealing your fear and uncertainty.

Olivia's eyes widen in surprise before they soften. "oh, honey... i'm not sending you back. you're my daughter, you understand? it's just... it's a little more complicated when your biological mother is still alive," she explains gently. "i've been trying so hard, you have to believe me. it's just that these things... they take time."

you stare at her, tears welling in your eyes. after a moment, you lean forward, hugging her gently and burying your face against her shoulder as you try to hold back the tears. "i'm sorry, Liv."

"you have nothing to apologize for, okay? we're going to get you the help you need. we're going to sort everything out, and we'll be a family," she promises, her voice soft and reassuring. she kisses your hair as she wraps her arms around you in a comforting embrace. "how does that sound?"

"good... sounds good," you whisper back, a sense of peace settling over you.

#olivia benson #olivia benson x reader #law and order special victims unit

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ficsofabotchedmind · 29 days

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What is lost, will always be found

Summary? No.

Warnings? Yes, but only a little; hurt/comfort, reader needing their moms, depression, feelings of abandonment, this was self indulgent.

Alex x Olivia x their kid!Reader

———————————————————————————

Things had been going ok, but at the same time things were also going to shit.

Y/n had been exhausted every day, putting on a mask of happiness, lying their way through everything.

They sighed and thought as they walked to Olivia’s door, “Why did I agree to this dinner with mom and Noah? All I want to do is go home, curl up and cry. Although I should be grateful, at least they remember me and include me.”

Knocking and hearing a ‘hold on!’ coming from inside, Y/n took one last shuttering breath and prepared the mask that they wore so well.

The door swung open and there stood Olivia, Y/n’s adopted mother and one of the only people to genuinely love and accept them, and with a wide smile, “Sweet baby come here! I’m glad you could make it, come in!”

As soon as they entered a smaller body collided with their own, looking down they could see a head of unruly curls and a wide smile, “Y/n! I missed you!”

For the first time in days, the smile on their face became real, “I missed you too, Bud! How was your day at school?”

Noah grinned even harder and pulled back, “It was good! We did an art project in class; I get to bring it home Monday!”

Olivia smiled as she watched the interaction between her two children and walked to where Alex was, “They don’t even notice you yet, let’s see how long this will continue before you’re noticed.”

Alex laughed quietly, “Deal, but I’m sure Noah can keep them busy for a while.”

Liv giggled quietly and looked to Alex, “Thank you for coming back, Alex. Speaking of, have you given any thought to- “

Alex gave Olivia a look, “I still have my license, I never lost them but Olivia, if I do come back, keep Elliot away from me. Got it?”

Liv pulled a face, somewhere between shock and humor from the looks of it, but said, “I will try my best, but you know we work cases with Organized Crime.”

Alex sighed and was about to grumble but the timer went off, it was time to eat.

Olivia and Alex bought everything to the table before Liv called everyone to eat, “Alright you two, let’s go. Y/n, can you hand me the glasses please?”

Y/n smiled but as they turned around, their jaw fell open and there stood Alex Cabot in the flesh wearing a wide grin.

Y/n felt a tear slip down their cheek and as they dove into Alex’s arms, they spoke softly, “Mama! Wha-what are you doing here?”

Alex smiled and held them tight, “I’m coming home, I got sick of Florida, and I wanted to be near some of my favorite people, so I decided to move back home.”

Y/n pulled back with tears and a certain look in their eye but before Alex could ask them what was wrong, Y/n pulled away completely and said, “Let’s eat!”

Alex watched them carefully and then turned to make eye contact with Olivia confirming if she saw it as well and once Alex saw the look, they knew something was going on and now both women were suspicious.

They would leave it alone until later, for now it was time to have some family bonding.

Talking amongst each other and going about how their days were and what they all did, dinner quickly ended.

Liv smiled at Noah and told him it was bedtime and to say goodnight to everyone but of course he didn’t want to go to bed yet but with one look from his older sibling, he compiled and told everyone goodnight.

Liv gave Alex a look that told her to get started and she’d be back soon, and Alex complied, “So let’s go ahead and dive in, no bullshitting. How are you really, sweetheart?”

Y/n faltered slightly with the dish in their hand, “I-uh I’m fine, why?”

Alex sighed and put everything down, “Listen to me, I know I haven’t been here like I should have for quite a few years but I’m coming back and I’m going to be here and around you quite a lot. So, tell me now and I won’t have to use my lawyer skills on you.”

Y/n took a shaky breath, trying to speak the truth but the burning lump in their throat wouldn’t cooperate and all that came out was a broken sob, quickly covering their mouth and turning into the arms that came around them, they let all the pain out.

Alex held Y/n tightly, one hand on the back of their head and the other rubbing their back, “Let it out, little bear. It’s ok, I’m here. It’s ok.”

Y/n cried hard into Alex’s shoulder, holding themselves close to her and let out a few broken words, “I’m so tired, mama. It’s so fucking hard.”

Olivia heard those words as she came around the corner and immediately wrapped her arms around the two and held them, letting a few tears at the obvious pain their little bear was in.

After a while Y/n pulled back, Alex and Liv had more questions but kept quiet and led them into the living room.

After a while longer, Liv spoke but kept a tight grip on Y/n’s hand, “What’s going on, sweetheart? Tell us, please.”

As a hand went carding through Y/n’s hair, they broke again and spilled it all, “When is it going to be me? Everyone is leaving me behind, moms! All that happens in this life for me is I help people, but when it comes to getting help in return, I get ‘I’m sorry, I’m busy’! When am I going to be placed first!? When am I going to get helped in return!? When is it going to be ME?”

Alex and Olivia both felt tears streaming down their faces at the obvious pain and turmoil in Y/n’s voice, they could see clearly in their body language and their face how tired they were.

Olivia immediately drew her eldest in for a hug, squeezing them tight, cradling them. Alex immediately came in behind and wrapped herself around the two, holding both Olivia and Y/n, they cried with their child.

While Alex wasn’t legally Y/n’s other mother, she sure as hell thought of Y/n as her child as well and damnit, she was going to help bring the light back to their eyes.

Sitting on the couch for quite a while letting Y/n get some of their pain out, Olivia spoke, “Listen to me, we may not be your friends or your coworkers, but we are your mothers and as long as we are here, we will never forget you. Little bear, neither of us care what time it is, where we are, what we are doing, come and find us and we will be there. Ok?”

Alex made a noise of agreement, placed a soft kiss upon the back of Y/n’s and said, “Listen to your mom, she’s a wise woman. We’re here, sweetheart. We are here, we always will be.”

Y/n made a noise of acknowledgment and nodded against Olivia, and they said in a broken voice, “Thank you, please never leave me.”

Alex squeezed harder and said, “Never, we will fight to be here by your side for the rest of our lives. You are our child, we will never forget, never leave, and will always make time for you.”

They continued to stay in their little pile they made for a couple more hours, keeping their child sandwiched between them and cocooned in safety.

With Y/n drifting to sleep, the last thing they heard and felt was Olivia’s voice and Alex squeezing tightly, “No matter how far you roam, we will always find you. What is lost, will always be found.”

Alex chimed in, “If we even let you out of our sight, you are our baby, and we swore to protect you. We love you, Y/n. Please never forget.”

Drifting to sleep within the warmth and safety of their mom’s arms, Y/n was finally at peace.

———————————————————————————

Bonus: The next morning

Y/n was groggy when they awoke, rubbing their eyes, raising up to find where the voices were coming from, they spotted their mothers locked in an embrace and made a slight face before speaking and scaring both women, “Ew but fucking finally, it’s about damn time and I would continue but I want more sleep, just don’t be too loud if you have sex. Two impressionable children in the apartment.”

Both women gaped at Y/n and shook their heads while Y/n fell back asleep with a soft smile on their face and a soft huff of a laugh escaping their lips and thinking as they drifted even farther into sleep, “Fucking finally, it only took them 24 years.”

#alex cabot #alex cabot x reader #olivia benson #olivia benson x reader #olivia benson x alex cabot #alex cabot and reader and olivia benson #they would make wonderful moms your honor #hurt/comfort #law and order svu #svu #l&o svu #law and order special victims unit #special victims unit #mariska hargitay #stephanie march #noah benson

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idontplaytrack · 1 month

Text

Bad Rep

olivia benson x teen daughter reader au(sans noah)

warnings: typical svu episode-type of content, mentions of violence, homophobia.

in which, the squad meets reader, captain benson’s daughter under less than ideal circumstances.

“Benson.” With her phone held between her shoulder and ear, Olivia was looking through a case file and looking up information on her laptop. However, what she heard on the other end of the phone caused her to stop all her work.

“I’m on my way. Thank you for calling me.”

Fin was standing by her door, about to knock. “Everything okay, Liv?”

“Uh, no. I just got off the phone with y/n’s school. She got into a fight with someone.”

“Your daughter. Who’s never acted out before.” Fin stated.

“I know that, Fin.” Olivia hurriedly grabbed her coat, “It’s more than that. The school said it was because a student called her names and…hit her.”

“You want me to come with?”

“We might actually have a case.”

“We?” He asked.

“We’ll talk as we move.” Olivia sighs, rushing out of her office and hastily telling Rollins to hold down the fort for a couple hours.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you guys more when I get back.”

Fin held the elevator door open for her. She gets in, shoving her phone into her coat pocket.

Fin offers to drive and Olivia let him, knowing that she was upset so he wouldn’t let her drive anyway. “Okay, you wanna fill me in?”

“I’m betting that it’s a…hate crime.”

Took Fin a few seconds, but he got it. “Okay. y/n’s gay?”

“She came out to me a few months ago. Though she didn’t need to- I always kinda knew and I just didn’t really care. As long as she was happy, and healthy. Safe…which she isn’t, now.”

“I won’t say anything until she brings it up while we take her statement. Though, officially…”

“All clear on that, Fin. We both know how that works.” Liv exhales, leaning her head back in her seat.

————

“The guy punched me first.” You said, holding your cheek in your hand.

“I’ll need names, y/n.” Fin says.

“Names? This isn’t a police matter.”

“Ms. Allen.” Liv put her hands together as she spoke, “My daughter has never been violent with anyone. This isn’t the first time she’s gotten injured on school grounds.”

“So you’re pushing the blame on my other students?” Ms. Allen retorted.

“No one’s blindly blaming anyone. y/n who punched you?” Olivia asked.

“Jamie Morrison.” You revealed. “Today, and last month. Six weeks ago, he vandalised my locker and called me a ‘motherfucking sinner’.”

Fin was appalled, Olivia was simply at a loss for words. She had no clue what exactly went down during the previous instances, but knew that you’d gotten hurt at school.

“Did he say why?”

“What do you mean?” You bit back a scoff, “He said to leave his sister alone. All I did was go on a lunch date with his older sister Vanessa one Saturday- which she asked me out for.”

“Vanessa? The senior in your AP History class?”

“Yes, Ms. Allen. That’s her.”

“Alright.” Ms Allen nodded, “You may go, but if he does try to attack you again, report it to a teacher immediately.”

“No, no, Ms. Allen- we need to talk to the boy now.” Fin stopped her, “His sister as well.”

“Very well, then.” She sighs, calling for a staff member to get Jamie and Vanessa to the office.

“y/n, come on. I’m signing you out early.” Olivia took you by the hand to the front desk while Fin stayed behind to talk to Jamie and Vanessa Morrison. Your Mom tells you she was taking you to the doctor but you refused. But of course, she insisted and you knew she’d win. After getting checked out by a doctor and your mother learning that nothing was broken, she finally quiets down and let you drift off.

————

“Mom, please. You can go back to work, I’ll be fine.” You dropped your backpack down by the TV console after kicking your shoes off.

“I’m going to, just- wanted make sure you were settled.”

“I think I am, so please just-”

Liv got the hint, throwing her hands up in mock surrender, “Okay, I’m gonna head back to the precinct. If you want anything to eat, either call for delivery or if you want to cook - please be careful.”

“I’m alright, just have a swollen eye and cheek. I’m not dying.” You shooed her away.

She nodded, “Okay. Alright, I’m leaving. Love you, sweet girl. Get some rest.” You forced a smile and she turned to leave. The front door shut with a significant thud sound and you waited several seconds until she was out of earshot before you let the waterworks begin and curled up on the couch.

“Captain, you’re back.” Holiday noticed. Rollins looked up from the paperwork pile on her desk, “Liv. Where’s Fin?”

“Talking to a couple students at y/n’s school. She got punched earlier today and we just found out there’d been other incidents. Same student involved.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Holiday replied.

“What happened? It’s our case?” Amanda questioned.

“Yeah, and officially, I’ve got to recuse myself so let’s just wait for Fin to get back so he can fill you guys in properly because I didn’t talk to the kids- he did.”

An hour later, Fin returns to the precinct. And he immediately gave the whole squad- Liv included, everything. “y/n’s the tip of the iceberg. Vanessa’s a good kid, really likes y/n. But Jamie, the younger brother who’s in y/n homeroom, he’s had a history of violence. He’d been expelled from his old public high school in freshman year, then again the next year. Last year, he got enrolled at Willow Academy.”

“What’s his sister gotta do with this?”

“He’s been after y/n after he found out Vanessa went out on a date with her.”

“And what’s wrong with that? His sister should be able to do whatever she wants. How’s that his business.”

“Probably can’t accept his sister’s gay and likes girls. A homophobe, really.”

“Did you talk to any other students, Fin?” Liv glances at him.

“Talked to his classmates, his basketball team. All of them only had praises for him, girls said they found him cute.” Fin informed the squad, “We need to talk to his girlfriend— Nadine Skinner.”

“She wasn’t in school?”

“Don’t know. She doesn’t go to Willow Acad.” Fin shrugged, “Kid coughed up her address. Lives in midtown.”

“He’s in the system.” Holiday spoke up, “Shoplifting, assault and battery.”

“Okay, Rollins. You’re going to talk to Nadine, find out how he’s like. Then we’ll see where to go with this. “From the looks of it, its a misdemeanour.”

————

“No way he’d do that.” Nadine shook her head.

“Well, see…but he did. Multiple times over the course of the last five years. He’s violent and angry.” Rollins said.

“I’m sorry that happened to y/n but he’s never done anything to hurt me.”

Rollins was about to say something but someone came home. “Jamie.” Nadine’s eyes widened. “Hey.” He greeted, “Who’s this, babe?”

“Detective from SVU.” Nadine told him, “I can’t believe you would do something like that to that girl, Jamie.”

“It’s not worth it.”

“So you really did that?” Nadine’s mouth was agape.

“Does that matter?”

“Yeah, actually.” Nadine scoffs. “You need to go. I don’t want to be with someone like that- hurting someone innocent and claiming to be protecting your sister? Get things clear- your sister’s life isn’t your business. Who she likes doesn’t concern you as much as it does her.”

His jaw clenched as he left without saying a word.

“Do you have anymore questions, detective?”

“No, thank you for your time. If he ever comes back to bother you, call me.” Rollins handed Nadine a name card before leaving.

When Olivia returned home that evening, the house was quiet. You were asleep in your room and there was box containing half a pizza on the dining table. She’d bought your favourite banana pudding on the way home, in an attempt to lift your spirits, but she put that into the fridge and got changed before tidying up the place some.

Helping herself to a glass of red wine, she found herself in front of the TV, but it wasn’t long before you woke up. “Mom, you’re home.” You saw her sitting on the couch when you walked out from your bedroom. “Hi, baby.” She had her hand on the low of your back, “How’s the pain?”

“Bad, but I’m managing.”

Liv nodded emphatically, “I assume you already ate? I bought you banana pudding.”

“Yeah, thanks Mom.” You sat down beside her, grabbing the TV remote from the coffee table. You turned it on, subsequently squinting at the brightness of it after being in a dark room for the past…three hours. “Did you eat yet?”

“Uh, no.” She says, “I’m gonna go heat up some of that pizza you bought.”

“Mom, can I tell you something?” You interjected.

“Of course, honey.” Olivia responded as she laid out a small sheet of foil and placed two slices of the pizza on it. Sprinkling some water onto the slices, she popped them into the air fryer.

“Vanessa came by earlier to check on me. She brought the pizza, though I was about to order the same thing.”

“That’s okay. Very nice of her to do that.”

“I really like her, Mom. Jamie’s making it so difficult for us.” You fought pack the urge to sigh.

“We have a case against him, he has history- but it’s a misdemeanour according to the ADA.”

“I know- people at school know he has a history of violence and stuff. It’s not hard to find out when he’s the most popular guy in school having his name Googled every other day.” You revealed. “But what? Because Vanessa’s the ‘queen bee’, she can’t like someone who isn’t in her social circle?”

“Important thing is, Vanessa likes you. And you like her. And let me do my job to go after Jamie- it’s our job to make sure he takes responsibility for what he does.”

“He’s hit Vanessa before. Did she tell Fin that?”

“No…” Olivia bit her cheek, searching for her phone, “I’m text him.”

“She showed up to with scratches on her cheek and her jaw…it was bruised. She didn’t want to tell me, but eventually, she did. It happened after we went on our first date- he saw that I gave her a card and this cheap bracelet I made.” You explained, “Sorry, I didn’t mention this. It- I was out of it.”

“It’s okay, I get that.” Olivia assured right as the air fryer went off. “Babe, do you want the banana pudding now?”

“Sure.”

You spent the rest of the evening watching sitcom reruns with your Mom, something you absolutely cherished. It wasn’t very often she was home this early. “You wanna take tomorrow off?” She asked casually.

“Would be nice.” You shrugged.

————

“He’s given all the people he attacked, bad reps.” Liv says.

“We figured.” Holiday crosses her arms.

Carisi walks into the precinct, “We can charge him with simple assault. He faces up to a year of jail time, or if he takes a deal- community service and mandated anger management classes, therapy.”

“Did he take the deal?”

“Of course. He agreed to it before his attorney could say anything.”

Liv scoffs, “Okay, well. That’s the best we can do.”

“How’s y/n, Liv?” Rollins asked.

“She’s…fine? Had her stay home today.”

“That’s probably for the best.” Fin glances at her, “Alright, I’m gonna go get lunch- who wants what?” While squad chattered away, discussing about what to eat, you enter the precinct. Unannounced. “y/n.” Fin noticed, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. It’s lunch so I came to see if I could join mom.”

“Of course.” Liv saw you, “Hi, sweetie.”

The rest of the squad took care of you like you were their own. You were really grateful for them, and that your Mom had such great company at work. “Hi, y/n.” Rollins, Carisi and Holiday echoed one another.

“Hi, guys.”

“Okay, last call, y’all- lunch orders. Otherwise text them to me.” Fin announced. Carisi offered to tag along. And, off they went. Rollins suggested Chinese food, which the rest of you agreed on.

“So…Vanessa, huh?”

“Amanda.” Olivia chided.

“Yep.” You laughed lightly, “Anyway, Mom? Vanessa asked me out for lunch and a movie this weekend.”

“Go ahead. Have fun.”

“God, I miss being young.” Rollins sighs.

#olivia benson #svu25 #alternative universe #mariska hargitay #amanda rollins #law and order svu #fin tutuola #female reader #reader insert

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australiancarisi · 2 months

Text

Olivia Benson x Sonny Carisi ~ Halfway House

A little benisi drabble. All fluff. Based on 17x19. @homerjacksons enjoy Warnings: I haven't written anything for like a year. I also just wrote this, haven't checked it lol Words: 687

Liv was going through the mountain of paperwork on her desk when Amanda came storming into her office.

“I told you we should of pulled him out” Amanda said as Sonny followed her in. Sonny was currently working undercover at a halfway house for sex offenders after there had been a strong of rapes in the area.

“What happened?” Liv asked standing up

“Nothin’” Sonny waved her off

“It’s not nothing Carisi! Nomaks attacked him!” Amanda exclaimed. Liv’s eyes widen and looked to Sonny. When he didn’t say anything, Amanda continued “Him and some of his friends recognised Sonny and attacked him with baseball bats as he was walking back to the halfway house”

“Carisi you are holding your back are you sure you don’t need to go to the ER?” Liv asked concern written all over her face.

“No, I’m fine okay? It’s just a bruise it’s not broken” Sonny said sitting down at the chairs in front of Liv’s desk while Amanda sat on the couch in the corner. “Think they were just trying to scare me”

The three continued to talk about Sonny’s undercover work but Liv was only half listening, her mind going back to Sonny being attacked. The pair had been dating in secret for the past 6 months, no one knew besides Barba, Tucker at IAB and McCoy – it was a need-to-know basis. When Sonny had offered up to go under cover Liv was not a fan. Sure, it wasn’t an overly dangerous assignment but seeing the man she loves slumming it in a halfway house with known sex offenders was not her idea of a good time. Liv’s attention was brought back when Fin came in and updated them on an eyewitness.

“He told me he was with his wife when Sofie got raped” Sonny said

“He told me the same thing; we’ve left her messages” Amanda added

“Okay so go see her” Liv directed to Amanda and Fin who quickly left her office, shutting the door on their way out “And Carisi you’re ‘friends” with Caskey now? Get friendlier”

Sonny nodded and headed towards the door. Just as Liv thought he was about to open the door to leave, he closed the blinds on the windows, giving them more privacy. Liv sighed.

“Stop worrying, I’m fine” Sonny smiled at her.

“Do not tell me not to worry. You’ve just been beaten up by a victims family because they think you are a sex offender. You shouldn’t even be in that house” Liv moved around the desk to stand with Sonny. “How bad is it actually?”

“It’s tender okay” Sonny rolled his eyes as Liv lifted the back of his hoodie up to get a look. She pressed her hand to his lower back, making him hiss quietly.

“I don’t like this Dominick” She whispered

“I know but who else was gonna do it?” Sonny moved Liv’s hand out from under his hoodie and spun around to face her. He won’t deny that he loves how concerned Liv is about him. Every time he’s come into the precinct the last couple of weeks he cane tell she worrying more and more. “If it gets too much for me, I’ll let you know okay?”

“What if it’s too much for me?” Liv whispered, looking down at their hands which had now become intertwined.

“Hey now” Sonny lifted Liv’s chin to look up at him “it was a couple of baseball bats, I’m completely fine. Trust me”

“You know I do, I’m just worried”

“I know” Sonny lent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead “I can’t wait to be back in a comfy bed”

“Noah misses you”

“Just Noah?” Sonny smirked

“Of course not… as soon as I can get you out of there I will” Liv leaned up and found Sonny’s lips for a quick kiss. Even though the blinds were closed she was worried, anyone could walk through the door. “Be safe Dominick”

“Always am” Sonny kissed Liv again. “I love you”

“I love you too” she said as Sonny headed back out to the halfway house.

let me know your thoughts!

#sonny carisi x olivia benson #benisi #svu imagines #law and order svu #law and order svu fanfic

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slothquisitor · 6 months

Text

Haunted House

The gang goes to take on Cazador, and Astarion has to make a choice. Title comes from Haunted House by Noah Gundersen. Canon-typical violence and things. Astarion x Liv, mostly angst, 7k (this is so long, and I regret nothing). Also, anon it didn't go down the way you outlined, but I haven't forgotten you! Keep an eye out this week!

Also on AO3.

Szarr Palace is full of ghosts. Liv feels them in the walls, in the disquiet of this place. She sees them in Astarion, his crimson eyes bruised with echoes of his past. He walks stiffly here, with none of his usual composure. Instead, his shoulders ride up near his ears, and whether he knows it or not, his words are quieter too, as if he’s glancing over his shoulder at every turn. The further they get into this ghastly monstrosity of a house, the further he retreats into himself.

At first, she thinks the worst of this place might be the stench of death that surrounds them, the bodies in hidden rooms and caskets, the casual violence inflicted on everyone who called this place their home, whether by choice or not. But she’s wrong. The worst of it is the detached way Astarion describes the rooms, and their uses, his voice a hollowed-out thing. He tells them that these are the dormitories, the favored spawn room, the guest room, the kennels . As if the occupants had been animals and not people. It’s one thing to have heard Astarion tell her these things, to drop these tragic and heartbreaking moments into her lap as casually as he talks about the weather, it’s another to see this place, to let the puzzle pieces of this brutality inflicted on him and his siblings fall into place.

So when she and Astarion stand before Godey, the gleefully sadistic skeletal construct, it is a miracle that she doesn’t burn him to ash the second he brings up how sweetly Astarion screamed at his torture. She restrains her magic until they’ve gotten the information they need and the signet ring, and then she sends rays of flame his way, expending a spell she probably should have saved for Cazador. But as the smoldering pile of bones crumples to the ground, she finds she doesn’t really regret it at all. Godey will never lay a skeletal hand on anyone ever again.

Astarion looks somewhat surprised at her actions, but he schools his expression and shrugs. “He deserved far worse.”

She can’t help but agree. When this is over, perhaps letting Karlach set the place aflame wouldn’t be the worst thing.

When they finally descend into the depths of Cazador’s lair, she watches as Astarion realizes that for the two hundred years he spent here, he still doesn’t know all the secrets of this place. The elevator leads them down into a cavernous hallway, flanked by tall doors. Built or discovered by Cazador, they’re not sure, but it seems like the appropriate place for this cursed ritual. Their exploring leads them to Cazador’s room, and there they find a scroll containing the ritual in full, trapped within the skeletal teeth of the vampire who spawned Cazador.

As they read the scroll, all Liv can think is that of course, this ritual required more than Raphael would ever tell them. It’s not just the souls of Cazador’s seven spawn required, but seven thousand souls. Astarion looks just as horrified and wonders aloud how the hells Cazador has managed to hold onto that many souls.

That question is answered a bit further in this place, down the hallway. In this room, there are golden-barred cells, the bars pulsing with magic. The cells themselves are dark and dank, but she cannot help but approach them, realizing that there are people inside. There is so little movement from within, that Liv is sure they’re all dead, these souls that Cazador has claimed, but then she realizes that the inhabitants are watching them, each set of eyes a dull, red glow. The glow of vampire spawn.

“Who are these people, Astarion?” she asks, voice barely above a whisper. There is a stink of decay coming from the cell like they’ve been forgotten. Their clothing is frayed, disintegrating at the seams.

“I…I don’t know…” Astarion’s eyes are wide, lost.

“You. I know you.” Inside the cell, a hand reaches out, and twists around the bars. “You’re the one from the tavern. You smiled and joked and got me drunk.”

Astarion leans away from the cell, but his eyes never leave the man standing there. “You…no…you’re dead.” The words sound strangled as they leave his throat.

The man’s clothing is discolored and stained, old and outdated. He looks emaciated and haggard, and Liv realizes with a distinct sense of horror that Cazador has never allowed these spawn to feed.

“You called me so many sweet things. My name sounded like a lyric on your tongue.”

“Sebastian.” Even with his head bowed, brows pressed together, Liv thinks it does sound like a lyric to some broken down song, two hundred years dead.

The man looks up at his name. “You remember me.”

Astarion’s voice is quiet as death. “You were handsome. Shy. You’d never been kissed.”

The words look like they physically hurt Sebastian. “You taught me how, and then you destroyed me. You took everything from me!” The man explodes, hands clawing through the bars of the cell. It’s so sudden, so unexpected, Liv can’t help but flinch. Sebastian collapses in a heap, leaning against the bars for support.

It is Astarion’s broken voice that breaks through the stillness that settles. “It can’t be.”

She notices then, the same sigil on Astarion’s back carved into Sebastian’s skin. They had spent so long studying that contract, trying to learn the words. She’d recognize it anywhere.

“They’re bound to the ritual,” she says, voice barely louder than a whisper. “They’re branded just like you.”

“What? No! It can’t be!” Astarion says, but even as he says it she can see the acceptance in his eyes. This is the true cost of the ritual. The seven thousand souls? They must all be here, waiting to die. Liv can scarcely comprehend the number, the enormity of it.

She doesn’t know what to say; she doesn’t know what to do. She looks to Astarion who looks haunted and hunted in equal measure. “I know these faces. They’re…my conquests. I pursued them, seduced them, then brought them to Cazador. He told us he was feeding on them. But he turned them to spawn. He turned every last one so he’d have souls for this cursed ritual.”

She looks back at the group of spawn huddled in the cell, watching their exchange with Sebastian with rapt attention. Men and women who were taken in by Astarion’s charm or beauty or perhaps it had less to do with him and more to do with their own loneliness. Some of them might have wanted to love him, as she does. She knew of their existence, of course, but it’s another thing to stand in front of them, to realize just how precarious a thing life is.

“How long?” Sebastian asks, the question so small and so broken.

“What?”

“How long have I been down here?”

“One hundred and seventy years…you were one of my first.” Astarion’s answer is almost automatic in nature, and she wonders if he remembers each of his victims with such clarity.

The strangled cry that escapes Sebastian rips through the air. “My family, my friends. They’re gone. You took them from me, you took everything from me!”

One hundred and seventy years, he has been trapped, turned to spawn, and then discarded, awaiting this ritual, starving the whole time. She’s been against this ritual from the beginning, but knowing all of this, being directly faced with this suffering, how could Astarion possibly justify the cost now? How can he see any of this and still want to ascend?

She steps closer to Sebastian, unsure how to offer comfort in the face of so much suffering. “Cazador plans to use you for his ritual. That’s why he branded you. Let us help.”

“Help? Help? There is no helping us while that monster lives.” The despair in Sebastian’s voice is almost too much.

“That’s why we’re here. To destroy Cazador,” Astarion promises, voice firm.

Sebastian sobs. “You can’t. It’s not possible.”

But they will. They have faced worse than this, right? “We’ll find a way.”

Sebastian doesn’t look hopeful, he just looks exhausted and afraid. “And then, what happens to us?”

At least that answer is simple. “We’ll set you free.”

“Free? Free from this nightmare?”

Astarion nods along with her. “I promise you. I know that feeling all too well, but it can be done.”

Sebastian’s expression is bleak. “Whatever you do, just do it quickly. I can’t go on waiting.”

Astarion. “We’ll be back. You have my word.”

She is so relieved to hear Astarion’s promise. He has been uncompromising in his desire to ascend, but now that he knows what it really means, she is glad that he is going to choose differently. She knows how afraid he is, and how much comfort the idea of this power brings him, but she also knows that no amount of power is worth this . Nothing good comes from power, and it will not set him free. For the first time today, hope rises in her. They can do this. They can set them all free.

***

There is a gravity to this place. It keeps pulling Astarion down. Down, down, down. The humiliation of showing this place to Liv, to their companions, of having them see where he spent two hundred years. The kennels, the dormitories, the guest room. This is where he lived, where he suffered, where his skin was carved. Where he was beaten, lashed, and cut. Where he lay on his back for crumbs and lost faith that anyone would ever save him. And now they’ve all seen it. He hates that they’ve seen this.

It’s bad enough that Liv is here, and she already knew about so many of the horrors. He has told her about this life, whispered the memories into the stillness, and let her carry them with him. But still, it is difficult to meet the eyes of any of his companions, including hers. He doesn’t want to know what weakness they see in him here, what deficiency they will find. He no longer fears exploitation at their hands; they’re all too good, too heroic for that. What he fears more now from his companions, from Liv, is that they will look at him now and see only this place. He doesn’t want to be reduced to what happened to him, to the violence and the blood and the pain. He wants to be a whole person. Is that too much to ask?

It’s funny how every single one of their companions insisted on coming to help take down the evil vampire lord. It’s probably more for Liv’s sake than his own; she is the glue that keeps all of them together, after all. He knows he should be grateful, but he’s so fucking frustrated instead. Where were they two hundred years ago? This band of adventurers who have somehow decided that his pain is worthwhile now . What about his pain in those early days made him unworthy of this only to be worthy now that there’s a tadpole in his head? He’s good at what he does, sure. Shooting from the shadows, lockpicking, and disarming traps along the way. But there are others just as good, just as adept. They don’t need him.

He is…expendable.

It’s a bleak thought, and one he’s sure is influenced by the oppressive aura of this house, of these hallways and bedrooms that hold so much pain. He can walk freely here now, but he still can’t seem to shake the ghosts of his past, the way the memories seem to dog his every step. Liv keeps looking in his direction, a question in her eyes that he can’t bring himself to answer. Not with his sins on such wanton display.

Every last one of his conquests is here. He recognizes their faces. Knows their names. It makes him ill. It makes him want to move on. To rush down this hallway towards Cazador. To end this before it can get any worse.

A dark, twisting voice inside him speaks, They’ll never help you now, boy. Not now they’ve seen what you’ve done.

“Hello? Is someone there?” a voice calls in the darkness. It is quiet, a child’s voice. And that slick, sickening feeling inside him turns to lead. Oh Gods, oh gods, not this. Anything but this.

But Liv is already approaching the bars of this cell, and he wants to pull her back, pull her away. He doesn’t want her to see this . Because he knows now what they’ll find. Cazador kept Sebastian. He kept every soul Astarion brought him over the last two hundred years. Believing he had killed the Gur children feels silly now. Of course, he turned the children too.

Liv kneels so that she is at eye level with the little girl. Her voice is soft, calming. “Hello, there. What’s your name?”

Astarion cannot bring himself to approach but cannot seem to look away. The little girl’s eyes glow in the darkness, and her brows are stitched together in pain or hunger or both. It’s…monstrous.

“Chessa,” the little girl says, words unsure. She doesn’t approach the bars like Sebastian did but hangs back as if they might shock her if she gets too close.

“Hello, Chessa,” Liv says. And the girl’s eyes flutter closed as if it is a relief to hear her own name said aloud. “I’m Liv. Do you know how long you’ve been here?”

Chessa’s eyes reopen, and they are awash with confusion. “I…I don’t know. I’m so hungry. But you…” her eyes meet Astarions. “I remember you. You were at the camp, you brought us here.”

Liv glances back at him, heartbreak in her eyes, and he hates this. He hates this. “Chessa, what camp? Are you from the Gur camp?”

The little girl nods, and then, as if some other power has taken over her she begins to yell at him. “You did this to us! You took us from our families! I’ll kill you!”

Astarion has been threatened many times in his life, but he knows this well-deserved threat of vengeance from a little girl will haunt his dreams for the rest of his wretched life. He’d almost managed to forget about these children whom he had helped kidnap and deliver here. It was a deviation from his usual, to capture not lure. He doesn’t like to think of that night, at least with the people he lured here, it was always their choice. That had granted him some measure of absolution, but he had no such excuse with these children. He doesn’t even remember feeling anything the moment he handed them over. He wishes that were true now.

Liv’s voice is steady and reassuring. “I’m sorry for what happened to you, Chessa. We’re going to get you out. Your parents sent us here to find you.”

The anger fades immediately like a switch being turned off. “Our…our parents? I miss them I think, or it might be the hunger. But they can’t…they can’t see us like this. All the monsters I ever met were in books. I never even made it to the adult hunt, but now I’m one of them.”

“You’re not monsters, Chessa. We’ll help you. Do you know how to open these cells?”

Chessa nods, eyes bright with hope. “Yes, it’s the staff he carries, with it he controls everything.”

“Thank you. We’re going to come back for you, alright?”

The girl stares at them in desperation. “Please, please come back.”

Liv turns away, brow furrowed, and looks at him. He can’t take it, can’t take the way she looks at him, or the way she and all of their companions know all these shameful things he’s done. He takes Liv by the elbow, and leads her away from the cells, away from this miserable scene. He’s not sure what to say, what to do.

“Gods above, he kept Sebastian - and the children. I should’ve known what Cazador was capable of. Ugh. He’s played us all for such fools! Not just seven spawn to placate the devil. Seven spawn, and seven thousand souls bound to them in blood. Everyone who ever trusted me enough to let down their guard. Innocents, idiots, and the unlucky,” he says. “Between all seven of us…we must have brought in a thousand over the decades. They’re all lambs for his slaughter. And if I was to take his place…they’ll all die by my hand.” As he says the words, it suddenly sinks in, the true cost of this ritual, of what he must do in order to ascend. “It doesn’t matter. I will need to sacrifice them all if I want to perform the ritual.”

Liv’s eyes go wide in disbelief and horror. “They’re…they’re children. You just promised Sebastian you’d help him. You gave him your word. You could save them!”

He’s not sure why this hurts him to see the alarm in her eyes, to hear it in her voice. He has been clear with her about his plans since he learned of the ritual. Besides, what does it matter? He knows what it is to feel a fraction of their hunger. They’re lost, feral. They’ll attack any mortal on sight.

“What’s the point? They’re as good as dead. I thought they were dead! If they are unleashed, they will cause incredible carnage. They will be ravenous. They must die. Better they serve a purpose.”

Liv shakes her head. “You got out. You got better. They deserve a chance. Just like you did, don’t they?”

The comparison is disgusting. He is not like them; he’s never been like them. “They’re in a state far beyond anything that ever happened to me. Decades of hate will have piled up inside of them. I can’t even begin to imagine.”

Liv stares at him in silence for several moments before finally speaking. “Are you afraid of what they’ll do to others or what they might do to you?”

He can protect himself from these weak, decrepit things. He just wishes she didn’t know of their existence. It’s an effort to keep his chin high, his voice even. “That weakness in me is dead! It’s dead . I have a higher purpose! I don’t want to see these scraps of misery ever again. I don’t want the world to know my shame.”

“This shame is far more Cazador’s than yours,” Liv says. Her voice is gentle, cautious.

“Try telling them that,” he says, gesturing at the cells. “See if it matters to them.” Because he’s not sure if it matters to him.

“I know you didn’t have a choice before, Astarion. But you do now.” There is a hint of heartbreak in her voice. Her belief in him has been misplaced from the beginning. She is wrong; ascension is the answer.

“I..I know, I do…don’t..don’t hate me for this. I just did what I had to.” But even that tastes like a lie. That dark voice is back, it sounds like Cazador. But you enjoyed it, didn’t you, boy? It might have been my command, but it was your hunger .

He turns away from her. Shoves that voice away; he can’t afford to be distracted now. Not when they are so close. Liv presses the signet ring to the last door, speaks the words, and the gigantic doors open, revealing a dark space with a sunken platform and thousands of cells in the darkness. This is the defiled chapel built upon violence and suffering for Cazador’s ritual, and the vampire lord stands in the center, staff in hand awaiting their approach. As if he always knew they would come. As if all this time, he was waiting, planning for it.

Cazador’s sarcophagus sits in the middle of the platform, like an altar. Around it, his siblings are suspended in red-tinged magic, the sigils on their backs bared and glowing. His own scars ache in response, but he’s not sure if it’s real or imagined. Ghouls and werewolves stand by, awaiting Cazador’s command. He’s quickly tallying up enemies against his allies, and he’s not heartened when he realizes that he’s the one who is outnumbered here. It’s fine. This is happening. This is his chance. He will be the victor.

“Who stands before us? Is this truly our prodigal son?” Cazador asks as they approach, his voice carries a poisoned sing-song lilt. Astarion knows how quickly that voice can shift to something far more dangerous, but still, he’s unprepared for the way Cazador’s eyes narrow, for the anger. “Do not slouch before me, boy. Have you no respect for yourself?”

His shoulders straighten, unbidden. He suddenly feels so small. It’s as if the months of freedom haven’t happened at all. Compulsion or not, Cazador orders and his body responds as it always has.

Cazador’s expression evens out, the calm demeanor back in a flash. “Look at you, crawling back after abandoning your family. You should be begging our forgiveness.”

He wants to laugh. “Forgiveness? You’ve never forgiven anything. Every mistake, every slip was punished.” Sometimes they were even punished without cause, just because it pleased him.

Cazador smiles. “I strove for perfection in all things – even those as imperfect as you. A pity you amounted to so little, despite my efforts.”

“No! No, fuck you, and fuck everything you’ve ever done to me!” He knows his outburst is a mistake the moment the words leave his lips from the way Cazador grins. He’s fallen for the bait. Cazador is enjoying this.

“We’re here to stop you,” Liv says, fury behind her teeth. He can feel the crackle of her magic. It’s a comfort, even here.

“I will not speak to cattle. This is between me and the boy.”

He explodes. “You son of a bitch.” It’s time to end this, so he lurches forward at Cazador, ready to punch the smug look right off his face. But as he throws the punch, his body freezes, as if overtaken by a compulsion, but it’s not that, it’s magic binding him. He’s stuck, paralyzed while Cazador gleefully jeers.

“You truly forgot my power. You truly thought that our bond as creator and creation was all that stopped you from killing me. You are weak, my child. You are a small, pathetic little boy who never amounted to anything.”

Astarion is trapped. Cazador leans in close like a lover, his face just a breath away. “But today, you will finally do something worthwhile. You will burn and I will ascend.” Power pulses in the room, bursts of blood-red power. And then like a puppet on strings, he is yanked away, thrown into the empty section of this awful altar, his armor and clothes ripped away as the scars on his back begin to burn.

He won’t give Cazador the satisfaction of his screams, but he’s caught, suspended, about to be sacrificed. All he can think is how stupid he was to believe, to have hope, when all it ever does it lead to the same end.

Even if he had believed he could be a hero, this appalling tour through his sins has shown him that everything he’s done is far, far worse than he ever believed. And he can’t even bury those ghosts because they’re still alive.

Cazador stands in the center of the platform, smiling in victory. “Witness the birth of the Vampire Ascendant. Ecce dominus!”

***

When Astarion gets jerked away, Liv points her finger at Cazador and casts a bolt of lightning through him and as many ghouls as she can. She doesn’t even hesitate. It doesn’t seem to have quite as much effect as she would have hoped, but still, it buys Karlach and Lae’zel just enough time to rush forward, to flank Cazador while their other companions throw spells and shoot arrows from further away. She can feel the soft weight of Shadowheart’s blessing settle on her shoulders, and so she seizes the opportunity to misty step over to Astarion.

It’s a crowded arena filled with werewolves and ghouls and bats, but Liv can’t think about how their friends are faring. She just needs to get Astarion free. He’s struggling against the magical bonds that hold him as she appears from the mist. It takes just a moment to dispel the magical aura keeping him in place. He nearly collapses when he’s released, but she is there pulling him forward while a sphere of daylight erupts in the middle of the platform, casting out the shadows.

“Thank you,” he says as he grabs for his weapons and joins the fray. Liv does the same, dodging firebolts and eldritch blasts and arrows while she unleashes every spell in her arsenal.

The battle isn’t long, they never are, but in the moment, it seems to stretch, to last an eternity until finally, finally, Cazador falls, returning to his sarcophagus. She is breathing hard, her magic nearly drained. Karlach is leaning heavily on her great-axe, slashes from werewolf claws bleeding fluently onto the ground. Shadowheart and Halsin are administering healing to Lae’zel and Gale, while Wyll supports Jaheira as she limps over to the group.

Liv takes a moment to catch her breath; they’ve done it.

Astarion is singularly focused on the sarcophagus in the center. He flips the lid off. “No, no. No healing sleep for you. Wake up!” He rips Cazador from his sleep, throwing him to the ground. Liv has almost no magic left, but she readies it and notices the way Wyll and Karlach rush forward, ready in case there’s more fight left in the vampire lord.

“Get your hands off me, worm,” Cazador spats.

“I’m not the one in the dirt,” Astarion sneers, picking up Cazador’s dagger. “One last thrust and I’ll be free of you. I’ll never have to fear you again. But if I finish the ritual you started, I’ll never have to fear anyone, ever.”

Cazador grins. “You think me a fool? That I would allow anyone to usurp me, speak the words, and ascend in my place? Mmm? The runes I carved into your flesh bind you and all seven thousand souls to the ritual. Complete it and those bearing the scars will be sacrificed - you included. You are simply a means to an end. I made you to be consumed!”

“I am so much more than what you made me!” Astarion says leaning over Cazador before turning to her. “I can do this, but I need your help.”

And this is where she fears she has lost him forever. After all of this, he still wants to ascend. “Astarion, if I help you complete the ritual, it will kill all these people.” She is begging him to see reason, to see that this is the wrong choice. He cannot mean to do it.

He shakes his head. “These people died years ago, trust me on that. All that’s left are feral spawn, desperate for blood. If we release them, how many people will they kill? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? But if I complete the ritual, think of the power I’ll have. With me by your side we can save the city - we can save ourselves!”

But she hadn’t only seen feral spawn. She’d seen a scared little girl who missed her parents and a man who still mourned his. They were desperate, yes, and starving. But she did not believe they were without hope. They deserve a chance to live, to decide for themselves. She cannot help him with this, and she knows that if this is what he decides, one way or another, she’ll lose him forever. He won’t forgive her if she simply says no, and she cannot love a person who would pick this kind of power.

She holds his gaze, trying to intimate why he is so set on this path, and not knowing if she can dissuade him from it. He has been afraid for two hundred years, and he finally has the chance to rip power away from his former master, to be more powerful than ever. But being ruled by fear is just another sort of bondage.

“I know you think this power will set you free, but it won’t. This power will trap you just like it did Cazador. I want you to live a life you’re proud of. I want you to be happy. This…this won’t bring you that.” Her words sound steadier than she is, and she watches them land, watches Astarion realize that here, at the end of this, she’s not with him.

She has believed in him at every turn, believed that there was more to him, believed that he has deserved better than what he has gotten. She’s not sure that it’s enough. No one she has ever loved has made the right choice when power was on offer. She wants to believe that this time is different.

The moment suspends. If there is a sound in the room, she cannot hear it above the pounding of her heart. But then finally, Astarion nods.

“You…you’re right. I can be better than him.” He says the words with a sort of awe. As if finally, after all this time, he has realized they’re true. He turns back to Cazador, still sprawled on the ground. “But I’m not above enjoying this.”

With the dagger in his hand, Astarion grabs Cazador by the hair and begins to stab him. Over and over and over again, screaming louder with each knife thrust. Blood spatters over his exposed arms and chest, his face. He stabs and keeps stabbing until Cazador is a bloodied mess. Astarion’s screams subside as he collapses to his knees, and as all signs of life leave Cazador, his gasping sobs fill the cavern. He throws his head back and cries, two hundred years of hurt and pain, and it’s all over in this instant, and all Liv can do is watch.

She feels utterly useless at this moment. She has nothing to offer. She wants to rush to Astarion, to check him for injuries, to tell him how proud of him she is. But she hangs back because this moment is not for her. There will be time later for them to celebrate the nobility of this moment, the way he has ended a true evil while keeping his own soul intact, but that moment is not now.

With Cazador dead, the magic from the ritual fades, and the other spawn are free. Dalyria is the first to approach Astarion, who still kneels while Cazador’s blood pools around him.

“Is…is it over?” Dalyria asks, voice shaking. “Is..he?”

Astarion stands, it seems like it is an effort. “Yes. He’s gone.” There’s no triumph in his tone, but instead, it is tinged with grief and sadness and exhaustion. Liv feels like an unwanted witness as this scene plays out, the way tears stream down their cheeks. There is no celebration, only the quiet relief that the nightmare is over at last. She averts her eyes, trying to afford them the privacy they’ve certainly never been granted before. The room is silent while Astarion and his siblings stand over the man who spawned and abused them, now gone forever.

Finally, Petras speaks up in a panicked voice. “What does that mean for us?”

Astarion sighs. “It means you have a choice. You can hide here, living in the shadows like parasites, or you can be more than what he made us to be. You can choose differently of course, but the consequences are on your head.”

“And what does it mean for them?” Dalyria asks, looking around at the still-locked cells.

“Now that’s a better question. Seven thousand spawn, from ancient conquests to stolen children.” He picks up the staff, and finally, meets her eyes. He doesn’t look away from her as he speaks. “The poor wretches in the cells are innocent. They shouldn’t have to suffer just because I - lured them here.” His voice catches on the word lure as if he still can’t quite face it.

She’s never been more proud of him as the cell doors open.

He glances back at his siblings. “They’ll need someone to lead them. Take the tunnels into the Underdark, find somewhere…well, not safe, but less perilous?”

Petras’ eyes go wide, and Astarion holds up a hand. “Just try to keep them out of trouble.”

Liv steps away then. She is sure that they will all need a moment. She busies herself gathering Astarion’s clothing and armor. He’ll want it soon, whenever he’s ready to leave this place. The pieces are scattered all around, Cazador’s magic having ripped them from his body. It’s a miracle he was able to find his weapons during the fight. As she picks up the last piece, she realizes that he’s standing a few feet away, bloodstained, tired, but still beautiful.

She’s not sure what to say, so she holds out the bundle of his things but is instead surprised when he wordlessly pulls her into a hug. She can barely return the embrace around the clothing and armor in her arms, but she tries because she can feel the desperation in the way his fingers grip the fabric of her robes. It is as if he is looking for something to anchor him. The hug is just this side of too tight, but she leans into it, into him, hoping to convey all of the words she doesn’t know how to say.

When he eventually pulls away, his eyes are wide, almost unseeing. “That’s it. He’s gone. After all these years - these centuries - it’s really over.” His voice is hollow, far away.

“I’m proud of you,” she says. “You did the right thing.”

He looks ill. “I’m glad you think so because I’m not so sure. I just feel numb. It’s…all so much. And gods, all those spawn, free in the Underdark. I need some time, I think. Just to let it all sink in.”

“You can have however long you need,” she says.

He takes his things from her but keeps looking at his bloodstained hands as if he’s unsure what to do with them. She keeps her voice to a whisper. “I could take care of that if you’d like?”

She knows he doesn’t mind being elbow-deep in gore, but there’s something about the way he looks so lost, that she’s sure this is one battle he’d rather not wear so visibly. “Please.”

It’s a simple incantation to prestidigitate the blood away. It’s not the same as being clean, the essence lingers, but he seems steadier. As he dresses, she doesn’t mention his shaky hands or the extra time it takes.

“Let’s…let’s just go. This place reeks of death, and I want to feel alive again,” he says once the last strap and buckle is in place.

She nods. “Let’s go.”

***

Astarion sits on the roof of the Elfsong, alone. The sun is setting and the sky is a vibrant mix of oranges and purples and blues. Music drifts out from the tavern into the quiet air of the city, awash with light and people. His life has irrevocably changed in the course of a single day, and yet, the city and its people just go on. It’s one part comforting, and one part infuriating.

Every emotion feels at once too big to hold and somehow muted. He wants to name them to know exactly how he is feeling, but everything is too muddled, too jumbled. He’s supposed to be happy. Victorious. He’d smiled and said he was fine and that he was happy the bastard was dead when asked how he was feeling in the aftermath by his companions. The words are true enough he supposes, but he knows that real happiness doesn’t look like sitting alone on the rooftop, drinking wine straight from the bottle.

The truth is that even once he’d shrugged off the comments of his companions with smiles and sharp words, he could still feel their concerned glances his way. Everything they said about or around the events of the day felt like too much. He had forced himself to stay with them, to endure their company just long enough that no one would be overly concerned when he slipped away.

Still, he is not surprised when there is movement off to his left, near the hatch that leads to their rooms. But he is relieved when he sees that it’s just Liv. Her dark hair is still damp as if she’s come straight from cleaning up to find him. He thinks he might be glad of the company, but he’s not sure.

“It’s quite the spectacular view,” she says, an echo of his own words when he found her atop the ruins at Wyrm’s Lookout.

“I’m not brooding.” He says, an echo of her own words. He’d tried for a playful tone, but it just comes out resigned.

“Liar.” But the words aren’t an accusation. “If you want to be alone, that’s okay. I just wanted to check-in.” Her words are gentle and hold no expectation. He knows if he tells her to go, she will, no questions asked.

He looks up at her, trying to fathom what on earth he did to deserve such kindness. “I’m…all peopled out for the day.” He says, and she nods, already making to turn and leave. “But you’re not people, thankfully. So you can stay.” He tilts his head at her and summons a smile he does not particularly feel.

She sits down beside him on the myriad of pillows and blankets that are scattered around. “You know that whatever you’re feeling, however you’re feeling, it’s all okay, right?”

“Yes, of course.” He turns away, his attention back on the setting sun. What would she say if she knew he doesn’t even know what it is he feels? He wants to tell her, he does. He’s just not sure how. He tries anyway. “I’ve spent so long hating him. Thinking of him. I have all of this anger and blame and now he’s gone and there’s nowhere to put it.”

This thing inside him feels like grief, and he hates it. He doesn’t want to mourn anything to do with Cazador. He only wants relief and triumph and happiness and freedom.

“Give it time,” Liv says.

The laugh that escapes him is a joyless thing. “Time? It’s been two hundred fucking years, and he’s finally dead and….and…” his words fall away to the quiet. And he’s not sure what he is without Cazador.

“And it will take some time for it to feel real, to feel truly over.”

There’s a suspicious sort of burning in the corners of his eyes, so he doesn’t look at her, doesn’t risk glancing her way. “I don’t think I want to talk about this right now.”

“Alright.”

There is no judgment in her voice. In some ways, it might be easier if there was. It would give him someone to be upset with other than himself. “Don’t you ever get tired of it?”

“What?”

“The waiting? Waiting for me to be ready for this?” He gestures between them, at whatever they are. There were moments today where it felt tenuous like this could have been yet another thing lost to Cazador, to that haunted house.

Liv’s expression is soft and open. “You will always be worth the wait.” He can tell she means it, her eyes are shining with the truth of it.

“But you may always be waiting.” Waiting for him to be better, to be kinder, to be able to have these difficult conversations with her like a real partner.

She shakes her head. “I think waiting might be the wrong word. That would imply that I’m somehow dissatisfied with the way things are. I’m not. I…you’re enough just the way you are.”

Her words are a balm, a comfort against the chaos in his head. They do not banish the ghosts of this heavy day, and he does not feel quite anchored back into himself. But it is better than it was, and that is enough for now. He leans into her, resting his head on her shoulder. And they watch the hues of the sky deepen, the stars winking into the sky.

“Come here,” Liv says and rearranges them so that he can settle into the circle of her arms, head pressed against her chest, with the comfort of her warm, steady heartbeat below his ear.

“Stay here with me tonight,” he whispers into the darkness. He can’t go back to that shared room with their friends, with the heavy curtains over all the windows to block out morning sunshine. To the sound of sleeping bodies, sharing a space that would feel too much like the dormitory. Tonight, he needs to be here, beneath the stars and the moon. He needs the openness, the freedom, the promise of the morning sun on his skin to wake him. He knows now that mornings filled with sunshine are finite, without the ritual, there will be an end to them. Someday, he will have to return to the shadows. Perhaps with his freedom, it will not be so bad.

Her arms tighten around him, and he feels her press a kiss to the top of his head. “It’s been a while since we’ve spent a night under the stars.”

This night is so very different from the last, and he doesn’t know much of what he feels, but he knows he’s glad for at least that.

#astarion #astarion x tav #baldur's gate 3 #fanfic #astarion x liv #this one is very chonky #but i didn't want to cut it #so here have it ALL #bright lost things #slothquisitorwrites

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whocares-meapparently · 1 year

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Olivia NEEDS a NEW friend

A friend that is just hers - exclusively. Someone she doesn't share with Spencer or Jordan or the v****x. Someone she doesn't have a complicated history with

Layla is a sentimental friend. Davita is cool but she's Spencer's friend, so she's tainted. Noah has a crush on her... so that's cancelled. We need a fresh face with good vibes.

We hardly get to hear Liv's honest/unfiltered thoughts because she has no one to vent to, esp when she's emotional. Imagine what she would have told her homegirl about the breakup or when Coop was playing in her face.

The breakup highlighted that Liv has outgrown the v****x. Without Spencer, she was like an outsider again. And while it's adorable that Spencer was her best friend & lover, we saw how devastating that loss was. And THOSE ppl talked shit & rubbed it in her face. Yeah... new friends, immediately!

I know it's unlikely but I'm delusionally hopeful. They introduced Skye & Jaymee for side characters when nobody asked, so why can't Liv have a new friend?

#all american #olivia baker

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smoothdogsgirl · 1 year

Text

January - First Kiss

Pairing: Olivia Benson x Rafael Barba

Warnings: Friendship

Words: 1500

Summary: This is an alternate ending to the episode "The Undiscovered Country."

The opening dialogue is paraphrased from the episode.

In a Discord group I belong to, there was a post for a "Year of the OTP" challenge for 2023.

Disclaimer: This is fanfic work; no money is being made from this story. All recognizable characters belong to their respective creative authors, studios or producers.

Masterlist

Olivia walks up to Rafael across the street from the courthouse, “I’m so sorry.”

Rafael looks at her perplexed, “why, what did you do?”

“I called you about the case. I brought you into this.”

Rafael turns and looks at the courthouse, “ You know, when we first started working together, what was it five years ago?”

Olivia chuckles a little bit, “try six years.”

Rafael inhales deeply and lets his breath out slowly. “The world was an old movie. It was all black and white. And it was high noon. I was Gary Cooper.”

A smile breaks out on Olivia’s face at his words.

“I was absolutely sure, absolutely… on who were the good guys… who were the bad guys. And then you… you came into my life. You started to weasel your way into my world, and the black and white became different shades of gray. Don’t say it.” Rafael pauses and looks at Olivia sheepishly. “Before I knew it, there were blues and greens and yellows and reds. I’m you now, Liv. You opened my heart. And I thank you for it.”

“And?” Olivia asks cautiously, unsure what he is trying to tell her.

“I’ve got to move on.” He tells her.

A small sob escapes Olivia, her lips tremble, and tears form in the corner of her eyes.

Rafael leans into Olivia he places a kiss on her lips. When he tries to pull back, Olivia wraps her arms over his shoulders and kisses him back. Several minutes later, they pull apart, and he rests his forehead against hers, both of their breaths coming in fast and unsteady.

“Don’t leave Rafa,” Olivia quietly begs.

“Liv…” Rafael starts.

“Rafa, I understand you cannot stay at the DA’s office. But please don’t leave Noah and me. We need you.”

Rafael hugs her, unsure of how to respond to her statement. Olivia looks him in the eye and notes his uncertainty. “Come home with me. Noah will be happy to see you, and after he’s gone to bed, we can talk.”

“I can do that.”

************************************************************************

The sounds of laughter greet them as Olivia opens the door to her apartment. Noah is curled in a ball on the couch, and Lucy, his nanny, is tickling him. Rafael gently closes the apartment door behind him to avoid disturbing the scene. As he stands behind Olivia, she leans into him.

Suddenly Noah looks up and lets out a yell. He scrambles off the couch and runs toward them. Olivia steps out of the way as Noah’s body collides with Rafaels. “Uncle Rafa, you’re here! It’s been forever! I’ve missed you so much! Are you staying for dinner?” Noah fires the questions off in quick succession.

Rafael can’t help the laugh that escapes him, “Breathe, mijo, and I will answer your questions.”

“How about before you interrogate Rafa, you let him come into the apartment, let him take off his coat, and get comfortable. and while he is doing that, you clean up your stuff.” Olivia suggests.

Noah sighs but turns to follow her request.

“Hi, Liv,” Lucy states as she finishes shrugging on her jacket, “he hasn't had dinner, he wanted to wait for you. He finished all of his homework, and I’ve checked it all.”

“Do you want to join us for dinner?” Olivia asks Lucy.

“Not tonight; there’s a study group at the library tonight that I want to go to,” Lucy states as she shoulders her backpack. Lucy then heads out, waving a quick goodbye to Noah.

Rafael sits on the couch, relaxing as he settles into the seat; soon enough, Noah joins him. He is surprised when Noah leans against his side, snuggling in. So that both can be comfortable, he raises his arm, allowing Noah to slide in closer. “So, to answer your earlier comments. It has been a while, and I’m sorry for that….”

“Mom said that it was adult things,” Noah grumbled.

“She’s right, but I will talk to you about that eventually.” Rafael decided that he would need to talk to Olivia about how to approach this. “I’ve missed you as well, mijo.” He states, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. “Yes, I’ll be staying for dinner… Now it’s your turn. How are you? How’s school? And how do you like ballet?”

“I’m good, uncle Rafa, even better now that you’re here. School is ok. I really like the art class; we’re using clay now. It’s kinda messy but lots o fun. Mom told you I’m taking ballet classes? And you don't think that's weird?” Noah asked hesitantly.

“She did…Of course not. As long as you are enjoying the class and having fun, that is all that matters….” Rafael pauses for a moment, “has someone said something?

“There is this kid Mark in my class, and he’s been calling me names and making fun of me. He says ballet is for girls.” Noah tells him.

Rafael turns in his seat a little to look Noah in the eye. Ballet is not just for girls. Anyone who thinks that is ignorant. As for the bullying, and yes, name calling and making fun of you, is that. Have you told a teacher, Lucy, or your mom?”

“No…I don’t want to make it worse.” Noah mumbled quietly, looking away from Rafael.

“Noah…Mijo.” Rafael states, pausing until Noah looks at him. You have done nothing wrong. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Just like, liking and taking dance doesn't make you weak. So I really think you should tell your mom. Ok?”

“Ok, uncle Rafa I’ll tell mom.” Noah acquiesces and hugs Rafael tightly around the waist.

“Everything alright in here?” Olivia asks as she enters the room, “I’ve order pizza for dinner.”

“All good,” Rafael answered.

Olivia then turned to Noah, “go take a shower and put on your pj’s. Pizza will be here by then.”

“But mom…” Noah started to argue.

“Noah, please do as your mom asked. I will still be here when you are finished.” Rafael interrupted, wanting to prevent an argument.

“Fine,” Noah sighed, getting up from the couch and trudging to his bedroom. Olivia ruffles his hair as he passes, suppressing a chuckle.

************************************************************************

Later that evening, as Olivia is tucking Noah into his bed, he grabs her hand. She pauses what she is doing, “is everything, ok sweet boy.”

Noah lets go of her hand, snatches Eddie, the elephant, and hugs him tightly.

“Noah, you can tell me anything. I love you, sweet boy.” She says, trying to reassure him.

“I know, uncle Rafa…” he stopped, not wanting to get the man in trouble.

“Did uncle Rafa tell you to talk to me?” Olivia asked gently. At Noah’s corresponding nod, she squeezed his hand. “Neither one of you is in trouble. I’m glad you felt comfortable talking to uncle Rafa about what is bothering you. And when you are ready to tell me I’m here, just remember, no matter what, I will always love you, my sweet boy.”

Noah thought about her words for a few minutes before he began to speak in a low, muffled voice, Eddie still partially obstructing his face. “There is this boy Mark in my class. He’s been calling me names and making fun of me for taking ballet classes.”

Olivia takes a calming breath to quieten her inner mama bear, “honey Mark is wrong; there is absolutely nothing wrong with you taking ballet classes….”

“That’s what uncle Rafa said!” Noah exclaims.

“And uncle Rafa is right. As long as you are having fun and it makes you happy, that is all that matters. Do you want me to speak with Mark’s parents about this?” She asks Noah how he would like to proceed before he steps in.”

“Can you, mama?” Noah asks.

“I will speak with your teacher tomorrow and contact Mark's parents.”

“Thank you, mama,” Noah says as he sits up and hugs her.

Once he’s settled back in the bed, Olivia hugs him back as she readjusts his blankets, tucking him back in and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. “Love you, sweet boy.”

“Love you, mama,” he mumbles as his eyes droop shut.

Olivia rises from his bed and walks across the room, flipping the switch to turn off the bedside lamp. She leaves the door slightly ajar and returns to the living room.

There she notes that Rafael cleaned up the remnants from dinner while she was gone. He is sitting on the couch with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled past the elbow as he scrolls through her Netflix account for something to watch. An open bottle of red wine and two poured glasses are on the table. She joins him on the couch, snuggling into him and pulling the throw blanket from the back of the couch, wrapping it around them both. “Thank you for loving us, Rafa.”

Rafael pulls her close and kisses the top of her head, “te amo mi amor.”

#“Year of the OTP” challenge for 2023 #Law and Order: SVU #Rafael Barba x Olivia Benson #Noah Porter Benson #Lucy

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