Disclaimer: If you've seen them on the show, they're not mine. They belong to Dick Wolf.

This is a post-911 oneshot. I personally thought this was one of the best episodes in the history of the show (along with Fault and Undercover and, of course, Guilt, Loss, and Ghost – because we all love Alex). Major spoilers if you haven't seen the episode. What happens after Olivia rescues Maria?

"She asleep?" asks Fin as I walk down the stairs into the squad room, wiping my forehead and leaning against the wall in exhaustion.

"Yeah," I reply, stifling a yawn. "It only took three hours, but then again, can I blame her? She's terrified Richard's going to hurt her again."

He nods. "You going to stay here with her tonight? 'Cause you look dead on your feet."

"Yes, Elliot, I am going to stay here with her. She wants me."

Fin chuckles and grabs his coat. "Okay, okay. See you tomorrow, Liv."

"Olivia?" A soft voice with a Honduran accent makes both of us glance up.

"Oh, hey, Maria," I say. The little girl looks small and vulnerable in the t-shirt and jogging shorts I've found for her and I kneel down in front of her. "Are you okay?"

She shakes her head and wraps her arms around me. "I'm scared. I had a bad dream. Richard was going to hurt me."

"Oh, baby." I lift her into my arms and stroke her hair gently. "It's okay, honey, it's okay. He's never going to hurt you again, Maria. I'm here."

She buries her head in my shoulder and starts to cry.

I sigh. It's going to be a long night. "Let's get you back to bed."

Her eyes widen and she stares at me. "Don't leave me!"

"I won't," I assure her, shifting her in my arms. "Bye, Fin," I say as I carry the little girl back up to the crib and lay her on a bed.

She refuses to let go of me. "Please stay with me, Olivia," she begs. "Keep Richard away."

I hold her in my arms, rocking her gently back and forth and rubbing her back in small circles. "Richard's never coming back, baby. He's never going to hurt you again. I'm here. I'll protect you. I promise."

Closing her eyes, she sighs and rests her head on my shoulder. As I rock her, I murmur a lullaby in her ear. "Rock-a-bye baby on the treetop. When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall and down will come baby, cradle and all."

I can tell she's starting to drift off to sleep in my arms, but then she mumbles sleepily, "Olivia, is my mommy coming tomorrow?"

I sigh, gently stroking her hair. "Soon, baby, soon."

Finally, she's asleep, and I tuck her into one of the beds. I sit by her side all night, keeping a bedside vigil, not sleeping for one moment. I'm just as terrified to leave Maria as she is to leave me.

Around 7:00, I hear a knock on the door to the crib and Elliot enters the room. My face breaks into a weary smile when I see that he's carrying two cups of coffee and another cup containing an unidentified substance. One of the coffees is for himself and I assume that the other is for me. "'Morning, sunshine," he says with a smirk, sitting down next to me on the bed.

"Coffee!" I groan, reaching out to snatch it.

He grins and raises it above my head. "You want it?"

I make another grab for it. "Not funny! Give it to me!"

He surrenders the coffee and I drink it eagerly.

"So this is Maria?"

I press my finger to my lips, not wanting to wake the little girl. "Yeah."

"Cragen told me you had a date last night," he comments.

I roll my eyes. "Don't start."

Suddenly Maria stirs and sits up in bed. Her eyes widen in fear when she sees Elliot. "Don't hurt me!" she cries.

I glance at him and then back at her. "Hey, Maria. Maria, it's okay. I'm here." I reach out to grasp her hand and squeeze it comfortingly. "This is my friend, Elliot. He's a police officer too. He's not going to hurt you. We're going to help you."

"Is my mommy coming?" she asks me, still trembling in Elliot's presence but gradually calming down.

"Yeah, baby. She'll be here before you wake up tomorrow morning, okay?"

Maria yawns and rests her head on my knee. It's amazing how she feels so comfortable with me when she barely knows me. We had a three hour long phone conversation yesterday and I spent the night with her, but that's it. Already, though, she's identified me as someone she can trust, and I have to admit that I'm impressed.

Elliot leans toward Maria. "You know what, honey? I have something for you."

This is probably the wrong thing to say because Maria recoils and whispers, "What."

"I'm not going to hurt you, Maria," he assures her. "No one's ever going to hurt you again. I have some hot chocolate for you." He hands her the unidentified cup in his hand.

She glances at me for permission and I give her an encouraging nod. She takes a sip and looks up at Elliot, a blissful expression lighting up her face. "Thank you, Elliot."

He smiles. "Have you never had hot chocolate before, Maria?"

She shakes her head. "No, but it's yummy!"

Both Elliot and I laugh.

Maria takes another sip of hot chocolate then turns to me. "Can I stay with you today, Olivia?"

"Of course," I agree. "You know what? I was thinking we could go out to the zoo today. Would you like that?"

She nods enthusiastically and I smile.

"Okay. Why don't you get dressed and then I'll take you out for breakfast?"

She nods again and runs to get ready.

"You know, Liv, you're a natural with kids," comments Elliot.

"I know," I say sharply. He's said this same thing to me on many occasions, but this time, I know it to be especially true.

* * *

That evening when we return to the precinct after a day at the zoo, Elliot is standing in the squad room, waiting. "Hey," I greet him. "Miss me?"

He grins. "Yup." Then he kneels down so he's eye level with Maria. "Hey, did you have a good day today?"

Maria nods, wide-eyed.

"That's good. Well, Maria, there's someone here to see you."

"Who?"

Just then, Fin walks into the squad room with a dark-haired woman. The woman stares at Maria, tears rushing to her eyes as she runs to the little girl. "Maria!"

Maria's face lights up in joy as she throws her arm around the woman. "Mommy!"

The two of them begin speaking in rapid Spanish. There are tears in Mrs. Rassinos' eyes as she hugs her daughter, kissing her head over and over. "Ti amo," she repeats.

Finally, they break apart. Still clutching her mother's hand, Maria turns to me. "Mommy," she says, switching back to her gently accented English. "This is my friend Olivia. She took me away from Richard."

The woman all but falls to her knees at my feet. "Thank you," she whispers. "Thank you so much. You brought me back my little girl."

I watch Maria and her mother's retreating forms as they exit the precinct. Maria turns back and waves to me over her shoulder. "Bye, Olivia!" she calls.

Blinking back tears of happiness that I've reunited this little girl with her family, I wave back. "Bye, Maria."

Elliot puts his hand on my shoulder as we watch them leave. "Come on," he says. "Let's get dinner. In honour of Maria Rassinos and my courageous, dedicated partner."

He's so full of it, but I love him anyway.

Hope you enjoyed this oneshot. Review if you did!