[7]

The morning after Olivia was given full custody of her son, she woke up and couldn't stop smiling. She no longer had to fear that her son would be stolen from her. That she would lose her only child to the man that stole everything else from her. Not long after she woke up, Cade started to whimper and then cry from his crib. Olivia climbed out of bed slowly before moving to where her son laid.

"Oh, sweetie. Please don't cry... Mama is here and I'm never leaving you. I promise." Olivia cooed as she lifted her son up slowly before holding him to her chest.

She swayed back and forth as her son cried, and as the door opened.

"Oh, I'm surprised that you are awake. I was going to come in and steal him so you could sleep longer."

"We are fine, Alex. He's hungry anyway... I don't think that I want to sleep any longer." Olivia smiled, before moving over to her bed and sitting down. Alex grabbed a blanket before passing it to her friend. 

Once Olivia was situated, and Cade was eating, Alex spoke again.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Alex asked softly. Olivia smiled as she shrugged slightly.

"No idea, Alex. I just know that I'm going to be making sure every moment with my son is amazing. After everything we have gone through in the first weeks of his life I know that I have to make every single day good."

"Olivia, you don't have to make up for the first... what sixteen days of his life. He is just going to be lucky to be your son and to my nephew." Alex smirked. Olivia rolled her eyes as she smiled softly.

"Alex, I feel like Cade is going to be the only man in my life." Olivia spoke.

"Maybe. Or maybe you will learn to trust men again, because not every man out there is Elliot. They don't just want to take and take."

"I hope so."

///

Three Years Later

"Mama!" Cade screamed, as he came barreling into his mother's room on his third birthday. Not long after Olivia had been rewarded custody of Cade, she and Alex moved into a house in Queens. It was bigger than their apartment and Cade got to run around and explore his backyard no matter if it was day or night.

"Woah." Olivia yawned, as Alex lifted Cade up and onto his mother's bed.

"Mama, wake up!" Cade huffed, as he climbed onto his mother's body and got all up into her face. 

"I'm awake, Cade. And you are too loud for it being before seven." Olivia yawned, as she wrapped her arms around her son's body before sitting up slowly.

"But it's my... what is it Auntie?"

"It's your birthday, Cade. You were chanting that all this morning while we were getting you ready." Alex chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm three!" Cade smiled, as he wrapped his arm around Olivia's neck and hugged her tightly. Olivia smiled as she felt as Cade started to play with her hair.

"Thank you for getting him up, Alex... but if you want to go back to bed I can take care of him now." Olivia spoke.

"Nah, I have to head to my office and get some work done before his party."

///

Olivia got her son ready for the day and had him watching a movie in her room while she showered and got dressed. Today, she and Alex were throwing Cade a party and mostly just the crew were going to show up. Alex had been transfered to another unit so the new ADA was going to be coming too.

It was the third year that Cade didn't have Elliot in his life, and every year it just got easier. Cade was doing great being raised just by his mother and Aunt, and it was as if Elliot actually never existed. 

"Mama, what are we doing today?" Cade asked, as Olivia came out of the bathroom completely dressed and ready to leave to pick up Cade's cake.

"We are going to the bakery this morning to get your cake, and then we are going to celebrate your birthday later tonight." Olivia smiled.

"What kind of cake?" The little boy mused, as he put the iPad down before jumping off the bed. Olivia ruffled her son's hair as she searched for shoes and smiled.

"Marble with chocolate frosting. Your favorite." Olivia grinned. Cade cheered before running around the room a few times as Olivia tied her sneakers. She then grabbed her son by his waist before carrying him from her bedroom and into the living room.

She was just about to kneel in front of him to put his shoes on, when the doorbell rang. Olivia sighed before standing and moving to the door.

"Yeah?" Olivia asked, as she opened the door.

"Hey." 

"I was just thinking about you." Olivia frowned, as she ran her hand over the back of her neck.

"Miss me?"

"I haven't missed you at all. Just thinking about how thankful I am to not have you in my life anymore." Olivia smiled.

"Liv, c'mon. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have Cade." Elliot spoke softly, as he tried to look past Olivia. He wanted to catch a peek of the son he hasn't seen in three years.

"Cade is honestly the only good thing that you have ever given me. But I will never thank you for everything else you put me through."

"Can I see him? Wish him a happy birthday?" Elliot breathed.

"No, you can't. So please, leave. Today is a busy day."

"Let me watch him while you do whatever is making you busy. Then he can meet me and-"

"Mama, can we go get cake yet?!" Cade yelled, as he moved past the door and stood in front of his mother so he could look up at her. Olivia frowned deeply, as she watched as Elliot lowered his eyes and laid them on his son.

"Elliot, meet Cade. My son." Olivia frowned.

"Liv-"

"My son."