AN: I don't usually write stories after S13…after Elliot left. I think I've only written one. But I thought I'd try it again. This is set in early season 14. Definitely not canon. Let me know if you like it.

EOEOEOEO

"Liv."

Olivia looked up from her desk, and saw Nick walk into the squad room, carrying a vase full of red roses. She pushed her chair back as walked over towards her. "Aw Nick. You shouldn't have." She said with a smile.

Nick chuckled and gave her one of his disarming grins. "I didn't." He said as he set the flowers on her desk.

Cragen walked out of his office. "Amaro bought you flowers?" He asked as he stopped by Olivia's desk.

"It wasn't me." Nick chimed in quickly before Olivia could even answer. He raised an eyebrow at her as he rounded his desk and faced her. "But someone's trying to impress you." He sat down in his chair. "Two dozen roses ain't cheap."

Fin and Munch walked into the squad room and caught Nick's last comment. "Must have been one helluva night." Munch quipped as he sat down at his desk, and he shot Olivia a lascivious grin. "Care to share the details?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. She hadn't said a word and they already had her hiding a lover. If they only knew how close to the truth they were. "You wish." She teased, playing along. But then she turned her attention back to the flowers, wondering who could have sent them. It wouldn't have been Brian…things were too new, and they had agreed to keep things under wraps. Sending a bouquet would lead to the kinds of questions she was getting right now. Besides…she didn't really think Brian was the type to spend a lot of money on flowers.

"I know I don't wanna hear about it." Fin said, sitting down across from Munch. "And I don't care who they're from." He opened a file on his desk and started shuffling through the papers inside.

John looked back at Amaro. "You should have read the card."

Cragen looked back at Olivia. "Would you please read the card, so we can solve this mystery and get back to work?" He asked pointedly, letting his gaze move around at the group of detectives seated around him.

Olivia hadn't realized a note was enclosed, but now that the Captain had mentioned it, she stood up and looked for one. A small white envelope was nestled deep in the foliage, and Olivia plucked it from where it was attached. She slid it open and pulled out a matching white card. It had a gold foil stamp with the name of the flower shop at the top and the note was written in black script.

No hard feelings.

Olivia furrowed her brow, confused by the message. She had written Brian off already, and the message confirmed that. They hadn't had a fight…they'd only just reconnected and there hadn't even been time to disagree about anything.

She thought about the message again and wracked her memory for someone that had crossed her path that would feel the need to apologize…or that she owed an apology to. She had dated a few men in the past year, but never agreed to a second date with any of them. There was no unfinished business there. The dates had been fine, but nothing special. She hadn't had much enthusiasm for starting a new relationship since…

David Haden.

There was no reason David would be sending her flowers; their relationship had ended painfully, but on good terms. Although…it was a change in his career that had pushed him to choose the job over her. It had wrecked her because for the first time in a long time, she had opened herself up to love…she had let herself fall for him. It was the most vulnerable she'd been in a long time, and the relationship had sprung up unexpectedly, at a time that she was still reeling from the loss of…

Elliot.

Olivia read the card again, and sat down hard in her chair, holding the small white note in her hands. She thought about his last day in the squad room. The way he had looked at her from across the room. The dozens and dozens of text messages and voicemails she'd left for him.

All unanswered.

She remembered vividly the crisp white envelope that had arrived months later, with the words Semper Fi and the medal he'd sent. She had worn that around her neck…wedged between her breasts…like a broken schoolgirl. She had cried a million tears…until there was nothing left.

And then the anger had come, and she had ripped it from around her neck. She wasn't going to accept his consolation prize. She had decided she wasn't going to pine after Elliot Stabler any longer. All those years, she had thought she had meant something to him, but he had left her without a word. He had shut her off completely; hadn't given her any opportunity to talk to him…and then he'd sent her that stupid medal. As if that meant something.

Once she'd gotten over her grief, she realized that he had shown her exactly what she meant to him.

Nothing.

There was no reason Elliot would be sending her flowers now.

"Not going to reveal your mystery man?"

Olivia looked up. She had been so lost in thought, she hadn't even seen Nick walk over to where she was sitting. "Huh? Oh. I don't know." She gave him a small smile. "It's not signed. I don't know who they're from." Nick didn't look like he believed her, but he let it go.

"C'mon." he nodded towards the door. "We got a call. Vic is at Mercy."

Olivia stood up and slipped the note back into the foliage. The mystery would have to wait for now.

EOEOEOEOEO

Elliot snagged the mail out of the mailbox before he unlocked the front door and slipped inside. It was quiet and dark inside the house; something he could never quite get used to. Eli was still at school, but even when he got home, the din would be minimal compared to earlier times. All the other kids were out of the house…working or going to school. They were living their lives, and he saw them when he could. But it would never be the same.

Sometimes he regretted the time he missed with them. The time he spent at work. But mostly he was at peace with it. He'd done what he had to do to support his family, and what he'd felt obligated to do…to try to make the world a better place.

Elliot tossed the mail on the table, on top of a pile that was already sitting there. He grumbled as the added weight knocked the myriad of envelopes to the floor. He knelt to scoop it up, and saw a heavy, white envelope, addressed to him. He scooped up the rest of the mail and set it back on the table, but he held on to the item with his name on it.

He turned the envelope over, but there was no return address and no other markings on the envelope. No stamp or postmark…which means it had been hand delivered.

Someone was under the impression that he still lived here, even though it had been almost a year since he and Kathy had split for good.

Elliot heard the front door bang open and realized he had missed meeting Eli at the bus.

"Mom!"

Elliot pushed up from the table and left the envelope behind as he walked quickly into the front room. "Hey buddy." He said, and he smiled when he saw the big grin on Eli's face.

"Hi Daddy!" Eli said, rushing over and wrapping his arms around his thighs.

Elliot lifted him up and gave him a big hug. "I missed you."

"Me too." Eli said. He squirmed out of Elliot's arms. "Where's Mommy?"

"Mommy went away on a little trip with Aunt Susan…remember? Daddy is staying here for a few days until she gets back."

"Oh yeah." Eli said, dropping his backpack on the floor. "I'm hungry. Mom usually lets me have cookies for a snack after school." Eli said as he headed for the kitchen.

Elliot laughed, trailing behind him. "Nice try." He said. "How about an apple and some peanut butter?" He heard Eli sigh when he realized he wasn't going to get away with much, but Eli got over it quickly. Elliot had to admire him for trying, but he knew the routine. He and Kathy had been able to manage co-parenting pretty well.

Not that it was easy. They'd come so far since that fateful day he had walked out of the squad room. He'd had a lot to overcome, and the first six months had been really rough. Months of counseling had give him the skills to cope with the nightmares and the loss.

So much loss.

Loss of life, his job, his confidence and…her. Olivia.

There wasn't a day that passed that he didn't still think about all those things, but he knew how to cope with them now.

Couples counseling had made he and Kathy realize there was no failure in admitting their marriage was over. Neither had shed any tears. They had put all their energy into figuring out how to move forward.

And a year later, things were better than he ever could have imagined they would be. Elliot spent a fair amount of time at the house, with and without Kathy, so that the parenting duties didn't all fall on her.

Eli sat at the table, chattering about his day and his teacher and his friends while Elliot got his snack together. Elliot sat down across from him as he ate and peppered him with questions to fill in the blanks, and they discussed options for dinner and their evening together.

….

Elliot scooped all the Legos into the bucket, smiling at the fun they'd had building forts and towers. He wandered into the kitchen to clean up the mess from dinner, and when he was done, he grabbed a beer out of the refrigeration. He always appreciated that Kathy still kept some of his favorites for when he was there.

He started towards the living room, when he saw the white envelope still sitting on the table. He snatched it off the table as he passed and plopped down on the couch. There wasn't much on TV, but he finally landed on Rangers hockey game. The game was just starting, and Elliot focused on the screen as he opened the envelope.

"Damn it." He cursed as the paper sliced into his finger. Elliot pressed his finger against the paper cut, cursing as he slid the white card stock out from the envelope. There was nothing on it and Elliot flipped it over.

How are Kathy and the kids? Good I hope.

Elliot furrowed his brows, puzzled by the message. There was no signature…nothing to indicate where the note had originated from. He grabbed the envelope and examined it again. But it was as he remembered…no stamp and no cancellation mark from the post office.

Elliot read the message again. Even though there was no direct threat, the words made him uneasy. He slid his cellphone from his pocket, and dialed Kathy's number.

"Hey." Kathy answered on the second ring. "Is everything okay?"

Elliot could hear the alarm in her voice. "Everything's fine." He said, wanting to reassure her quickly. "Is everything okay there?"

"Yeah…everything is fine." Kathy said.

Elliot could tell she was still wary. "Kath. Everything is fine. I just…I needed to check."

"OK."

One thing they had both learned was not to try to read too much into what the other was saying, and to take things at face value. He could tell she understood that for whatever reason, he just needed to hear her voice. "Having a good time?"

They chatted for a few moments, and when he hung up with her, he called each of his kids in turn. Everyone seemed to be doing just fine, and he felt more at ease just hearing their voices. He focused on the hockey again, writing it off as nothing.

But a few minutes later, he picked it up again.

How are Kathy and the kids? Good I hope.

Who in the hell would have sent it? Elliot looked at the envelope. It was addressed to him here at the house, so it was someone that didn't know that he didn't live here any longer. So, that ruled out anyone from the past year and a half.

That ruled out family and neighbors and common friends. Friends of the kids.

That gave the note a more ominous tone. Although, if Elliot was honest with himself, his mind had already gone there. It was the reason he had called Kathy and the kids.

A handwritten, plain white note with no signature wasn't from someone that was genuinely concerned about his family's welfare.

His cell phone rang, and the sound startled him. He hadn't realized how quiet it was in the house with the sound muted on the TV and Eli sound asleep. He snatched the phone off the coffee table, and saw Kathleen's number on caller ID.

He should have expected she would call back. Of all his children, she was the one he was the closest too. Kathleen had helped convince him to go to therapy, and they'd spent hours talking. She knew there was something behind his call to her.

"Hey Kathleen." He answered, trying to push the sound of worry from his voice. He leaned back on the couch, settling in for the conversation. "Tell me what's going on in your life? How're things with what's-his-name?"

"Things with Joe are good. And nice try changing the subject…" Kathleen said. "Tell me what's going on."

Elliot debated about what to share with his daughter, but they'd reached a point in therapy where they'd agreed to leave the bullshit behind them. "I got a strange note with the mail today…"

"And your spidey senses were tingling?" Kathleen said with a small laugh.

"Something like that." Elliot said. "I just needed to check in."

"I understand." Kathleen said.

"You haven't noticed anything strange?" Elliot asked.

"Nope." Kathleen said. "But you know we're all careful Dad. We learned from the best. Don't walk home alone…pay attention to your surroundings…" She started to rattle off, but Elliot cut her off.

"Yeah, yeah." Elliot said with a smile. He had hated that the darkness he had seen on a daily basis had made him overzealous sometimes.

Kathleen's took on a serious tone. "Seriously Dad. We might give you grief about it, but we were paying attention. And we took it seriously. We take it seriously. If we noticed anything, we'd call you."

Elliot nodded, even though Kathleen couldn't see him. "I know sweetheart."

"You good?" Kathleen asked.

"Yeah…I'm good."

"Alright. Gotta go." Kathleen said. "Love you!"

Elliot started to tell her the same, but she was gone. He leaned against the back of the couch and turned back to the hockey game. The Rangers were on a power play, and he tried to focus. But seconds later, he looked back at the note on the coffee table. There had to be some meaning behind it, but he couldn't imagine who it was from or what it was about.

He picked it up and analyzed the words…the writing.

It wasn't handwriting he recognized…and the words were innocuous. It could literally be from anyone.

Anyone from his past.

It made him think about his days in the NYPD…about how often his family had been threatened. About all the rough cases and the impact on him. And on Olivia.

As usual, an image of her came to him instantly. He closed his eyes and let himself indulge in his memories for a moment, but then he forced his eyes open and tried to clear his mind. Thinking about her wasn't something he let himself do with any great frequency. He had let her go…

At least that's what he told himself.