DISCLAIMER: I do not, in any way shape or form, own the characters from Law & Order: SVU. They are created by Dick Wolf and I will forever love him for it. I am using these characters and the basis of this television show purely for entertainment and am not making any form of profit off of the writing of this piece. (AKA: It's not mine. Don't sue. Thanks.)

A/N: First and foremost, the reviews are all greatly appreciated. I love knowing (a) that people are reading, (b) what they like and dislike, and (c) what I can do to improve. So again, I request constructive criticism after you read this chapter. Also, if you didn't review, but you read, thank you! Just review this time…not that I can force you, but I will beg shamelessly.

My Little Girl

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Chapter Two: Don't Tell Anyone

After a restless night, Olivia allowed Kathleen to take a long, hot shower and lent her a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. Numerous nightmares had woken the teenager through the night and each time, Olivia consoled her until she fell asleep once more.

She was reading the newspaper at her kitchen table when the water stopped running. Within a few minutes, Kathleen emerged. Her wet hair was pulled into a ponytail and Olivia's clothes covered her bruised body. A deep purple bruise surrounded her right eye and there were a few scratches covering her face. Liv smiled softly before approaching her, "Do you want breakfast, or should we just go?"

Kathleen sighed, "I just want to get this done with."

The detective nodded, "I'll call your dad on the way to make sure he'll be at home. All right?"

The teenager shrugged. Olivia smiled and led her from the apartment. They approached her vehicle and Olivia began the drive to Queens. A few minutes in, she pulled out her phone and quickly hit Elliot's speed dial number. She held the phone to her ear until she heard his voice answer. "Hey, it's me. Yeah…Look, how about I give you a ride to work today. No reason. I'm already on my way over, actually," she paused, listening intently to his voice before speaking again, "I just want to talk to you about something. All right, I'll be there soon. Bye."

She hung up the phone and set it back down before talking to Kathleen, "He'll be waiting for us. Your mom's already at work and he said the twins have gone to school. Was your friend supposed to take you to today?"

Kathleen nodded, "Yeah."

Olivia heard the tears that threatened to fall from her one word response and suddenly felt the gravity of the current situation hit her. Elliot's daughter had been raped and she was going to deliver the news. She made an attempt to comfort the frightened teenager, but it was almost more of a way to calm her own anxieties, "It's going to be all right."

"I know," the blonde sighed.

The rest of the ride was made in silence. Kathleen rested her head against the window and watched as trees and houses rolled by. Once they parked in the Stabler driveway, Olivia turned off the car and opened her door, she glanced at Kathleen, who was unmoving. Sighing softly, she spoke, "We're here."

"I can't tell him."

"Then I will," Olivia answered softly, her voice caring and comforting, "but your dad will want to help you with this. He'll want to know that you're hurting."

"He'll beat himself up for it," Kathleen offered in a small voice.

Olivia shook her head, "I won't let that happen. Now let's go."

Kathleen responded to her final words, running a hand through her hair and releasing her body from the restrains of the seatbelt. She opened the door and walked to the front door with Liv, letting them both in. The blonde led the way to the living room, where Elliot was sitting on a couch watching the news. Olivia stood close behind, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket and a solemn look on her face. The teenager cleared her throat, and Detective Stabler finally took notice of the two women standing in the entrance of the room.

At first, his blue eyes took in the sight that stood before him. His partner's stance resembling that of a protective mother hen, his daughter bruised and scraped. Kathleen was slouching – an uncommon trait – and her eyes were cast at the carpet before her. He let out a deep breath and spoke, "What's wrong?"

"El," Olivia started, her voice soft, but demanding. "We should go sit, all of us, and talk."

He shook his head, ice meeting chocolate, "What happened to my daughter?"

The urgency in his voice made Benson nervous. The last thing Kathleen needed was a reason not to trust her own father. Slowly she stepped past the blonde and walked over to Elliot. She spoke in a firm tone, but her voice was soft enough that only he could hear her words, "I'll tell you everything, but you need to stay calm. Not for me, not for you, but for your daughter."

"Right," he answered, rubbing his eyes. "Let's go to the kitchen."

Kathleen led the way and quickly hopped onto a counter, sitting cross-legged, her hands folded in her lap and her eyes staring at a cabinet across from her. Elliot leaned against the counter adjacent to where his daughter was sitting and Olivia sat on a stool across from the two of them. She glanced at Kathleen for confirmation, but received no response.

When her partner cleared his throat, ending an awkward silence, Olivia spoke, "Around eleven-thirty, Kathleen called me from the Film Forum. Laney was sick and she needed a ride. I got there and asked what happened, and she informed me that she had been raped."

Elliot's eyes shut as he tightly gripped the counter with both hands. He took a deep breath and looked at his daughter, "Why didn't you call me, Kath?"

"I was scared," she whispered, her eye contact with the cabinet never breaking. Slowly, he walked over to her and stood in front of her face. He ran a hand over her pulled back hair and through the blonde pony tail before kissing her forehead and pulling her into a tight embrace. Kathleen's arms instinctively came up around her father's body and her head rested on his chest as she began to cry softly. Elliot rubbed gentle circles along her back and whispered soothing words. At some point, Olivia slipped from the room, not wanting to invade the father daughter moment.

Elliot held his daughter until she finally pulled away and looked into his eyes, "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"Kathleen," he whispered, "don'tbe sorry. This isn't your fault."

She nodded slowly. Elliot smiled as softly and caringly as he could, "I wish I could have protected you."

"Daddy," she whispered. "I don't blame you."

"I know," he answered.

They sat together, unmoving, and in silence, until Kathleen slipped her legs from under her, "I need to take a shower. Go talk to Liv, she knows everything."

Elliot nodded and watched his daughter walk up the stairs, "Just call down if you need something."

Silently, the teenager nodded and continued walking away. Elliot turned from his spot at the foot of the stairs and walked to the Living room, where his partner was sitting uneasily on the couch. He plopped into a recliner and rubbed his head in his hands, sighing gently, before looking at her.

"You didn't think to call me last night?"

Olivia closed her eyes, "I should have, but she begged me not to. I was more concerned with getting her medical attention at that point. I'm sorry."

He nodded, "My kid calls my partner when she's raped. She doesn't even call me."

"I'm sorry," was all that tumbled from Olivia's mouth.

"What can you tell me?"

She took in a deep breath and leaned foreword, resting her elbows on her knees and clasping her hands together, "She was raped, had a kit done, Cragen knows and we'll start investigating today. It was a stranger. She's shook up, scared, and thinks that she let you down."

"She didn't," he breathed out.

"Just show you love her," Olivia countered. "I'll need her to come by the precinct later today to give her statement and work with a sketch artist. Hopefully she got a good look at him."

He nodded slowly, "I wish you would have called. I wish I could have held her last night, told her I loved her; that it would be okay."

"It was hard enough getting her to agree to tell you at all."

Elliot nodded his head, his blue eyes revealing the shock and hurt that Olivia had just caused. She stood abruptly and smiled down at him, "I need to get in and see what CSU found at the crime scene. If either of you need me-"

"We'll call," he finished for her, standing up. "Thank you for taking care of her, Olivia."

"I'd do anything for you or your kids, and you know that."

He walked over and hugged her gently. Olivia held him tightly, trying to gauge the pain he was feeling and take some of it away. She could tell he blamed himself, but he'd never tell a soul. He pulled away and smiled softly.

"This will be okay," she reassured him.

He nodded and showed her to the door, "Can you tell Cragen that I won't be coming in."

"Consider it done," she smiled.

"And you'll call?"

"The moment I know anything," she answered sincerely.

"Thanks, Liv."

"Anytime."

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A/N: Short, kinda pathetic, but it's all I could manage after a week of being sick and out. I'll try to update weekly, but I make no promises. I know that nothing really happened…I'm gonna get into some nitty gritty stuff next chapter though . Please review! It encourages me so much!