My first shot at a fan fic, I usually don't care for them. I maintain this as more of a character study than anything. I tried to make it open-ended (i.e no closure) for a reason. Hopefully you all will pick it up in the story. It's pretty short, I know no one really has a prize attention span these days. It's also a pretty raw work. No cold readings or anything, so there're bound to be some mistakes. And no, I don't own Stabler. It would be nice to own Chris Meloni, though...
Enjoy,
Fillie
Detective Stabler stepped out into the sharp, freezing wind. Fog hung over the city like a lazy cat on a windowsill. He rested a hand on the railing momentarily before making his way down the stairs and to his car. Fumbling for his keys, his mind began to reel. He might have continued to fumble for ten minutes had he not realized he wasn't paying attention. Stabler unlocked the door, opened it, and got in, but didn't start the engine.
His job may be considered depressing to most people, but all it did to Elliot Stabler was cause him to worry. Worry about his kids, his wife. Maybe they didn't worry, but he knew - he knew what went on in the city after dark, when not a soul was around. That is, excluding the tainted ones. He hated to wonder how he would react if it was his family in the position of those families he came into contact with every day. How could the confirmation of a criminal ever bring closure? Sure, the family knew who harmed or even killed their loved ones, but that didn't save the victim. The suffering and pain remains even with the comforting thought that the perpetrator has been incarcerated. What makes that seem like closure? Elliot thought. He wouldn't be satisfied with knowing who the perp was if it was his daughter that had been violated. He clenched his teeth, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. Why? Why did he have to put himself through this?
To prepare for the possibility.
It was so painful to even think about any harm ever coming to his family.
Bad things happen to everyone. No one's singled out. No one is safe.
His family was safe, he was there for them.
No one is safe.
Although his job never left him much time to be. The more time he spent on that job, the more reasons he had to be worried.
Or determined?
He took this job to keep his family safe.
Then why was he worried?
This job –
- kept his family safe.
- made him more aware of crime than he would like to be.