Chapter 1
The Stabler household was busy Friday morning. Dickie and Lizzie got up late, and Kathy tried to get them dressed as quickly as she could. Maureen was being stubborn, and was angry at her mother. Kathleen had unfinished homework she needed help with. Kathy needed to get to work early that day, and Elliot needed to get down to the office. As Elliot made lunches for everyone, while he helped Lizzie get her breakfast, Kathleen came up to her dad. She tugged on her fathers coat to try and get his attention.
"Not right now" he said.
"Dad!" Kathleen nagged.
"What is it!" he shouted after a minute of her calling his name.
"I need help with my math" she pleaded.
"Why didn't you do it last night!"
"I didn't know how!"
"Why didn't you ask your mother?"
"She told me to ask you!"
"Well why didn't you ask me last night?" He shouted as pulled a cup down with one hand for Lizzie, and kept spreading mayonnaise on the sandwiches with the other.
"I waited up for you! But you got home too late!" Kathleen pleaded again. Elliot sighed.
"Ok" he said. Kathy took over making sandwiches, while Maureen helped Dickie out. Elliot sat at the kitchen table with Kathleen.
"What is it?" he asked. She put the packet of paper in front of him. Before he could really look at it he spotted Dickie throwing food at Maureen.
"Dickie!" he shouted as he got up.
"Dad!" Kathleen followed him with the packet in hand.
"We can't do it right now" Elliot told her as he wiped food off of Dickie.
"But I need to turn it in this morning!"
"Kathleen!" Elliot shouted at her. She didn't like it when her dad yelled. She took a step back, he could see fear in her eyes. He wondered why she was so afraid of him, but didn't have time to dwell on it.
"We'll do it in the car" He told her quieter as she backed away to get her backpack.
"I'll take them to school" Kathy told Elliot over the noise the kids were making.
"No I promised to help Kathleen with her homework, you take Maureen and the twins I'll take Kathleen" he told Kathy. She nodded.
"Thanks" Kathy told him. She did need to get to work.
"Come on!" Kathy shouted as Maureen, Dickie, and Lizzie piled out the door. Kathy went to kiss Elliot on the cheek, he tried to do the same, but it felt awkward.
"Have a good day at work" Elliot told her taking a step back.
"You too" she said before running out the door. Kathleen came running down the stairs as Kathy pulled out of the driveway. She ran to the doorway and sighed.
"Mom forgot me again" Kathleen said. Elliot smiled.
"She didn't forget you, I'm taking you to school so we can figure out this math packet" Elliot said nicely as he sat down at the kitchen table tired.
"Your mom would never forget you" Elliot told her as Kathleen still looked out the doorway.
"How would you know" Kathleen muttered as she went out to her dad's car. Elliot let out a sigh before he got up. After he locked the house door he went to his car. He could tell Kathleen had been crying, he didn't know about what, but he figured it was better to leave her alone for right now. After he got on the road Elliot spoke up.
"So what's the trouble with your math?" he asked.
"I don't understand it. I never understand it." She told him frustrated.
"Well I'll help you out with this for now, but maybe we need to get you a tutor. A math tutor could really help" He told her. Kathleen expressed no emotion.
"…So what's the first problem?" Elliot asked.
"Ok, it says two hundred and forty-five, divided by six hundred and twenty-eight. But then you have to graph it on…" Kathleen was interrupted by Elliot's beeper.
"Hold on a second" He told her as he called the number that beeped him.
"What's going on?" Elliot asked.
"Get down here right away" Cragen told him.
"I'll be there in a few minutes" He told Cragen as he sped the car up.
"We're going to have to do this later, just tell your teacher to call me if she needs parent consent or whatever" Elliot said as he zoomed to her school. Kathleen sighed and got out of the car. He had gotten her to school late. Once she walked into the building the principal saw her and took her to the office. Elliot was long gone by then.
TBC