SVU: The One Shots

Orphaned: Final Part

TerriDavis5150 as you requested! This will be the final part, so I hope you all enjoy!

As Jesse got older, she started to truly accept the fact she didn't have parents. Declan had officially fallen off the face of the Earth, and Beth Anne had halted all communications. Through this all, Olivia, Dominick, and Fin stayed by Jesse's side. 

They cheered her on at all of her sporting events and interrogated all the boys that wanted to date her. Olivia even traveled six hours to see Jesse at a huge debate meet where she won first place. The three of them even sat together and cried as Jesse graduated from high school as number three in the student ranking. They were so proud of Jesse and how much she had accomplished with the shitty start to her life.

"Can you believe that I'm finally done with high school?" Jesse asked, as she sat beside Olivia in their living room. Olivia had her arm wrapped around Jesse's shoulders and was holding her close. 

"It's been a very long and eventful eighteen years," Olivia smiled, even if she was so sad. She hated Jesse was going to be leaving her soon. She was planning on going to Harvard in the fall, and she didn't know if she'd ever come back.

"Are you okay, Auntie?" Jesse asked, as she looked over at her. Olivia swallowed hard and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just late," Olivia lied. She turned and kissed Jesse's temple before standing up slowly. 

"You say that I'm a terrible liar, but I feel you are worse than me," Jesse said with a weak smile. She stood and grabbed Olivia's wrist and tugged her to a stop.

Olivia looked at her niece and swallowed hard.

"You are moving over three hours away at the beginning of August, Jess. That is a lot of distance from your hometown and-"

"And a lot of distance between me and you," Jesse frowned.

"I don't want to make you feel bad, so please know that it isn't my intention. It's just that the last eighteen years of my life, you've been living in my spare room. I have been your favorite person... the one to kiss every bruised knee and soothe every fever. Knowing that I can't wake up every morning and see you makes me very sad," Olivia whispered, as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"You will forever be my favorite person, Aunt Liv... No one can change that," Jesse breathed, as she reached out and tugged Olivia closer.

"There will be someone else. A boy will change your mind and I'll have to accept that. You are too special to keep locked up here forever," Olivia sighed. She brushed tears from her cheeks before tugging Jesse into a hug.

"I love you," Jesse spoke.

"I love you too, baby. That will never change."

///

It was hard for Olivia to watch as Jesse boxed things up and put them in the storage room in the basement. Olivia knew that when Jesse left, it would be for the best because she was going to an elite school with students that were smart just like her. Jesse would be happy there, but Olivia wasn't sure if she'd be happy here.

As June faded into July, Jesse stayed out a little later than usual and kept asking for information from Olivia. She asked a bunch of random questions, but Olivia ignored why those questions were being asked.

"Aunt Liv!" Jesse exclaimed, as she walked into the squadroom. Olivia stood by a junior detective's desk and tried to help him with some paperwork.

"Jesse? What are you doing here?" Olivia questioned, concern covering her expression.

"Can I talk to you real quick? It's very important," Jesse spoke. Olivia nodded slowly and looked at Fin.

"Would you mind helping him? I'll be back."

They went together to the coffee cart that was outside the building before sitting on the front steps of the precinct. Jesse held her iced coffee tightly in one hand as she spun a ring around on her other hand.

"Is everything okay? You said there was something important you needed to discuss, and I'm getting worried about what that could be," Olivia sighed.

"I've been doing a lot of research on adult adoption," Jesse spoke.

"Adult adoption? Is it for one of your first semester classes?" Olivia questioned. She knew Jesse had been busy doing summer reading and lots of discussion questions, so she wasn't surprised if that was part of it.

"No, it's not for school. Uh, it's for us," Jesse smiled weakly.

"Us?"

"I went to talk to Rafael about the possibility of you adopting me. I'm an adult now, so you don't have to ask Declan for permission, nor my grandmother. We just have a lot of paperwork to fill out, and you'd have to agree to adopt me."

Olivia stared at Jesse in shock. She was very touched that Jesse even wanted to get adopted by her, but she wasn't sure this was a good idea. Keeping Amanda alive in the heart of her daughter was hard when Amanda had been dead for years, so she didn't know if adopting Jesse would make that any easier.

"If I adopted you, your last name would change. You would no longer be Jesse Rollins... My name would be on your birth certificate and I'd be your legal mother."

"I know, Liv. I want that, really bad. When I graduate from college, I'd love my degree to have Jesse Benson on it... Or even Jesse Rollins-Benson. It's just that you are having such a hard time with me moving away, and I know that you are scared that I'll just ghost you. Maybe if I'm your daughter, that will make you realize that I'm never going to stay away for good," Jesse beamed. 

Olivia took a shaky breath before reaching out and caressing Jesse's hair.

"Are you absolutely certain that you want this? If you change your mind, it's fine. I just don't want you to regret being my kid," Olivia sighed.

"If you didn't regret raising me, I really don't think I could regret having you be my mother."

///

Right before Jesse was supposed to leave for college, she and Olivia stood in a courtroom. Sitting on the benches were Fin, Dominick, and Barba. They watched as Olivia finally became a mother to the not so little girl that she raised from birth.

The judge looked over the forms and signed where she was required to sign. Olivia was holding Jesse's hand and trying to not panic. She didn't want to have missed a signature or find out that the courts would not approve the adoption.

"Liv," Jesse whispered. Olivia turned to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"The judge is talking to us."

Olivia turned her head quickly and smiled.

"I'm sorry, your honor."

"Don't worry, Captain. By the looks of these forms, I am happy to move forward and approve this adoption."

"R-really?" Olivia asked, as tears poured down her cheeks.

"Yes, Captain. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to tell me the full name of your daughter."

Olivia turned to Jesse as felt her love grow for the girl she watched grow up.

"This is my daughter.... Jesse Marie Rollins-Benson," Olivia whispered.

"God, that sounds great, Mom!" Jesse cried, before flinging herself at Olivia.

They stood and embraced warmly for several long moments.

"I'm not long an orphan," Jesse whispered.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Olivia teased, as she squeezed her daughter even tighter against her body.