Disclaimer- characters are not mine.

She didn't know how long she had been there. She knew the sun had been up when she first sat down but now the cold of the night chilled her skin. The tears on her face had long since dried and she clutched the flowers in her hand that she couldn't bring herself to set down.

The evening was quiet but she was use to the silence so it didn't bother her as much. Things were always quiet, always empty, always alone.

She heard him walking up behind her long before he sat down and she closed her eyes in relief. For this moment, just this one moment, she wasn't alone.

"I thought I might find you here." He said. He was behind her but he could see that she nodded. It was the only indication that she heard him. "Its freezing out. Why don't you come with me and we'll get some coffee, warm you up."

He heard her breathing hitch and could tell she was about to cry again. He looked at her, even in the dark he could see her that arms were lined with goose bumps. He didn't know what to say to her, so he did the only thing he knew would comfort her at that moment; he took off his jacket and place it around her.

She tightened the fabric against herself and sniffled. "Thanks."

"Your welcome." He heard the crinkle of the plastic that was wrapped around the flowers as she finally set them down. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he stared at the headstone before them.

Sirena Benson, Beloved Mother.

Those words seemed so bitter now. Even to him, they were hard to read. He could only imagine how it was for her.

There was another noise, a soft crinkle in her hands as she unfolded a piece of paper.

His heart hurt for the woman sitting beside him. From where he was sitting he could see the vibrant colors on the page and the painted-on signature of Calvin Benson.

"I miss him." She sobbed.

He nodded. "I know."

She turned back to look at him, unashamed of her tears. She never had to be in front of Elliot. "And I miss my mom."

The sight broke his heart. Her cheeks were red from tears and the cold. Her eyes were bloodshot and filled with pain. Her lips trembled as she fought to keep her teeth from chattering. Even still, she was beautiful.

"I'm all alone, Elliot." She turned to face the headstone and let out a sob. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Elliot furrowed his eyebrows. "For what?"

She was quiet for a minute, before she folded up the paper in her hands. "That your seeing me like this, listening to all this."

Elliot sighed, they had had this conversation before, a few years ago, in a car, in Jersey. "You don't need to be sorry." He said. "Family is everything."

She nodded and willed herself to not start crying again. He scooted up beside her and placed an arm around her shoulder, pulling her to him to rest her head on his shoulder. "Have you talked to Simon, recently?" He asked

She shook her head and he bit his lip. He didn't want to pry. He knew things with Simon were rocky at best and if they weren't talking then there must be good reason. He reached for the paper, still clutched in her hands and unfolded it, once more. "Calvin Benson?"

She let out something between a sob and a laugh. "Yeah. It was his idea." She paused. "He said it was because I rescued him." She ran her fingers over the place where he signed his name. "I wonder how he's doing."

"Vivian said he was going to live with his grandparents for a while. Nice couple, no criminal back round, I'm sure he's fine, Liv."

She nodded. "Do you think he's happy?"

He sighed and he could see his breath steaming from the cold. "I don't know. I think he's safe. I think he misses his mom, his school, I think he misses you."

She lifted her head from his shoulder to face him. "Really?" She asked. "Its been a while. You think he still misses me?"

Elliot nodded. "I would." He saw a sad, small, smile on her face. "I know I missed you like crazy when you went undercover with those eco-freaks."

She looked at him questioningly. "Elliot that was almost five years ago."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but still." The arm that was wrapped around her moved to rub her back in small, comforting, circles. "Your not as alone as you think you are, Liv, a lot of people care about you."

She nodded. She didn't disagree, she knew that she had friends but her heart still longed to be surrounded by the one thing she never really had. "Thanks, El." She said.

He nodded and stood up, holding his hands out to her to help her up from the ground. "C'mon", he began, "lets get some coffee and you can come over for dinner."

"Are you sure?" She asked. "Kathy and the kids wont mind?"

"Nah", he said, "Your like family."


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