"Wow, F.A.O. Schwarz," Olivia said as they pulled into a parking space.
"How many times have you been here?" Elliot asked, half humorously, half serious. Her mother better have taken her here…
"Only once," she said quietly, staring wonderingly at the huge store. "It was my best friends' daughter's birthday, and I wanted to get her something special. And to think I actually had enough money…"
Her mother hadn't taken her here…if she had still been alive, he would have given her a good talking-to. To compensate, he looked down and scowled.
After a few seconds of silence, he looked up. "Okay, here's the plan," Elliot explained. "We'll split up. You look for girl's toys, and I look for stuff for the boys. We'll meet at the register in…" he checked his watch, "half and hour."
"You sound like you're back in the Marines," Olivia grinned. "You don't have to worry. I'll be fine."
"Yeah, I do sound like and idiot, don't I?" he said. "I'm just remembering a few times when I almost forgot to get stuff for my friend's kids, and had to rush to five different stores at the last minute…"
"Okay, I get it," she smiled at him, but then her smile faltered and a look of pain crossed her face. She tried to hide it, but it was not lost on Elliot, who never failed to notice her moods.
"What? What? Is something wrong? Are you okay? Do you need anything?" he asked as he put a hand on her shoulder.
She took in a deep breath. "No, I'm good," she said quietly. "Something I ate must not like me."
"How could it not like you? You have a very nice stomach, if I may say so myself," he cracked a joke to lighten the moment.
"Why, thank you," she said, the instant of pain gone. "Now let's go shopping."
Olivia wandered through isles and isles of toys for girls. She never imagined that there could be so many different choices of brightly colored playthings.
"Hmmmm…." she mumbled to herself. "What about this Barbie?"
She turned the box over and read to back. Then she noticed the small warning: "Small parts. Not for children under 3 years of age."
"Dammit, El," she swore under her breath (in a children's store, no less). "You forgot to tell me how old the kids are, you big lummox."
She began making her way through the isles of pink and purple toys. Who designed this store? She wondered to herself. It was impossible to find her way around; she kept ending up in an isle filled with dollhouses.
"There you are, El!" she raised her voice when she saw the back of his head. She'd know the back of his head anywhere because he would step in front of her when he thought a perp would become dangerous.
"I couldn't find you anywhere! I always thought you were too big to…" she trailed off as she came around the corner. There stood Elliot, and next to him was a man. The man was pointing a gun at Elliot's head.
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