The sun was starting to set, and Elliot was still not home. Olivia felt her blood boil. Allie made it clear that she wanted to say Good Bye to her Dad before she left the country for 3 months. Allie sniffled and tucked herself into her mother's arms.

"We can't wait any more," James Wilson said, looking at his watch.

"Will you tell Dad I love him?"

"Of course, sweet heart," Olivia said. She gave her a final squeeze and pulled away. She lifted the bags into the tunk of the car.

"Give him a hug and a kiss for me."

"Allie-"

"Please, Mom?"

"All right."

"Hey, Allie," Alexander called. "I got a new portable DVD player. Want to watch a movie on the flight with me?"

"Sure."

"That's everything," Olivia said, as Allie put the last suit case in the car. She hugged her mom tightly. "Stay safe, honey. Call me when ever you can, day or night. Okay?"

"I promise, Mom." Jimmy opened the door to the back seat of the cab for his daughter.

"Thanks, Olivia," the man said. They hugged quickly and he climbed in with his daughter. Olivia swore out loud as she watched the cab pull away. Elliot wasn't there to say good-bye to his daughter. Another case, probably. Olivia understood what it was like, but she hated it some times. It hit her full force why they weren't together. He wasn't there for her or their children. Work came first, always. Just because she understood it, doesn't mean she accepted it.


Don and Casey watched Ron work the checker board in his favor. They'd learned a lot about the boy; he was kicked out by his mother a few weeks ago, he'd stolen food, lived in a trash can, and he had two little sisters. One was named Rebekah, the other was Ruth. Rebekah was 6 and Ruth was 3, almost 4. Casey knew in her heart who the boy was, even though he'd never said his name. Elliot gave her the Okay to go in.

"Can you tell me your name, kid?" Ron asked.

"You're a stranger."

"My name is Ronald Joseph Cragen."

"Jake. My name's Jake."

"Jake?" she called, choking on her words. The boy looked up. "Brigham Jacob Novak?"

"How did you know my name?" asey sat on the bed, across from her son. She pulled out a picture from her purse.

"See that?" she said, pointing to the two people. "That's me, and that's you, when you were about 2. It was right after Rebekah was born. There's your dad and mom in the back ground." Jacob took the picture and stared at it. "Your dad was my older brother."

"What's your name?"

"Casadee Novak Cragen." The boy looked at the picture and loked up at her. He bit his lip. "I was staying with your Grandma when I met you. Carol Lynn."

"I remember Gramma. She made cookies for me," he said smiling.

"Jacob, I'm your aunt. We're here to help you."

"You won't take me back to Mom, will you?" He hands were shaking. Casey shook her head and stroked the boy's hair. "We gotta get Rebekah and Ruth. Rebekah is sick."

"Where are they, sweetie?"

"They live in Birk Shire apartments." Casey nodded. Birk Shire was for very low income people; mostly drug addicts lived there, along with low-level dealers. Kathy nodded and lef the room to tell her ex-husband where the boy's mother was.

"Elliot," Kathy called into the hall. "Birkshire apartments. Take Dickie; one of the girls is sick."


Elijah waited until his clock ticked over to 6:00am before squirming out of bed. School was out, and in a little over 4 hours, he'd be on a plane to Seattle to see his sister Kathleen, before starting summer camp. His suitcases were already packed, Ron was asleep above him, and his mom was in the kitchen. Eli grabbed his clean clothes and made a mad dash for the bathroom. For the first time in longer than he could remember, he didn't have to wait for a shower.

"Eli," Liv called into the hall. "Keep is short, Ron needs to shower, too. We leave in 1 hour!"

"Got it Mom!"

"Liv?" Ron called into the hall way. Olivia padded down the hall to her son's room. Ron was a frequent overnight guest, as Elijah hated not having him around. Eli spent as much time at the Cragen house as Ron did with his 'sister.' They were almost never apart. Basically, school and showers were the only time the two weren't together.

"What's up?" Liv met the open room by two furry paws up on her chest. "Down Rookie!" The dog whined and wandered away. "You okay, Ronny?"

"Is it time to get up?"

"Yes."

"Shower open?"

"No."

"Glasses?" Olivia handed off the wire-framed glasses and the boy climbed down from the top bunk. "Thanks."

"No worries."

"Dad and Elliot never got back from Jacob's case," Ron said, thinking hard on the subject.

"Jacob? They found your cousin?" Ron nodded. "Is he okay?"

"He's pretty banged up. He was homeless. His mom tossed him out on the street, and Rebekah and Ruth are still there. Rebekah is sick." Olivia felt a lump in her throat. Elliot missed his Good-byes last night because he was helping Don and Casey. "He's really skinny, and has red hair like me. Same green eyes, too."

"Regular clone."

"Totally."

"Shower's free," Eli called headed into the bedroom. Ron nodded and took his clothes into the next room to clean up. "You look pretty freaked, Mom."

"I've just got a lot on my mind." The boy put his arms around her.

"Mom," Eli started. "Allie will have the time of her life in Australia, I'm going to have a kick-ass time in music camp in Seattle, Ron's going to have a blast, and you and Dad can talk things out. Only good can come of having free time." Olivia chuckled.

"True, but he's a Captain in a busy squad-"

"So are you. Talk to him."

"Its-"

"Its complicated. I know. I am not asking you to get back together with him. I'm asking you to talk to him, Mom.I know you guys are nice to each other, and its all friendly and stuff, but you could be a lot more than 'nice.' You could just end up as friends through this."

"I'll talk to him."


Elliot yawned and slipped the paperwork into the folder. It was 7:45. Olivia would be leaving to take the boys to the airport about that time. He'd missed saying goodbye to Allie and now Eli, too. He sighed heavily. They'd be able to talk on the phone, but one last hug meant the world to him. Casey and Don would be by to tell him how the girls were doing. They found the apartment, and the body of Casey's sister-in-law, Eve, dead. There was still a needle in her arm, and the girls were unconscious. Eve left a suicide note. It wasn't an accidental overdose. Casey didn't shed a tear for the woman who'd kidnapped her nephew and neices.

"El?" came a soft call. Elliot looked up to see his ex-wife standing in the door with two boys.

"Eli!"

"Hey, Dad. Mom drives like a psycho, y'know," he said, hugging his father. "Just wanted to get here in time to say good bye."

"Have a great summer, kids," he said, hugging both boys. "Call me when you land in SeaTac, okay?"

"Promise. I'll steal Kattie's cell."

"Be nice to your sister."

"Always."

"We need to get going," Olivia said, leaning on the door frame. The boys hugged Elliot once more, and headed toward the elavator. "I heard about Jacob."

"We found the girls. Rebekah is stable but in critical conditon. Ruthie is dehydrated, a little banged up, but she'll go home with Casey in the next day or two. Jacob will be with them tonight or tomorrow." Olivia hugged Elliot tightly.

"Tell Casey I'll be at the hospital in an hour."

"Thanks, Liv."

"Anytime."

"I mean for the boys. Thank you." Olivia smiled and left for the airport, two boys in tow.

SVU
SVU
SVU

Jacob opened his eyes, unsure of where he was. It was dark in the room, and pretty cold. But there was something around him; soft, clean blankets. He wasn't hungry, thristy, or freezing. The boys started to shake. He was scared; the room had noises he wasn't used to, and voices could be heard all around. He climbed out of the bed, and started for the door when the light turned on.

"Jake?"

"No!" he cried, covering his head and cowered into the corner. "Don't hit me," the child pleaded. Don gently uncovered the boy's face.

"Look in my eyes, Jacob." The boy, terrified, obeyed. The man's voice was soft, and not threatening, but Jacob couldn't help but fear him. "I will never hurt you. You don't ever have to hide from me, son." Don took a step back and pulled the blanket from the bed. "Its cold. I'm putting a blanket around you, and moving you back into your bed."

"Too dark." Don draped the blanket around the boy and lifted him carefully onto the bed. "Too dark in here."

"Would you like me to open the blinds?" The boy nodded. Don opened the shades, spilling sun light into the room. "Breakfast should be here soon. Aunt Casey is bringing bagels and hot chocolate." The boy peeked out from the blankets a little. Don met him with a smile. "We spoke with your grandparents. They're flying in tonight. You'll see them tomorrow."

"What about Becca and Ruthie?"

"Becca is sleeping now, and Ruthie is in the next room, with Maureen Stabler, chatting up a storm."

"Becca's okay?"

"She's pretty sick right now, but she's going to get better very quickly here." Jacob relaxed into the bed, and yawned loudly. "Get some sleep, Son. Aunt Casey will be here in about 45 minutes."

"Kay," Jacob said again, snuggling into the clean sheets. Don leaned back into the chair and studied the boy. He was asleep very quickly. Don loved the boy; he loved all of his wife's family. But now he had no one. Carol Lynn and Caleb were retired, and didn't have the energy to raise three more kids. Casey and Don were, legally, listed as the children's guardians when Rebekah was born. Kale and Jacob were going to be less than 2 month apart in age. Don Cragen decided firmly in his mind, that he and Casey were going to give these children the home they deserved, as John had done for Hannah and Hope, Olivia had done for Lizzie and Dickie, and Elliot had for Allison.

Jacob looked like Ronny in many ways. Jacob was thinner, had smaller ears, and his smile was more like Casey's where Ron had his father's grin. When Casey came, Don wanted to see the other girls. He'd never met Rebekah, and no one even knew about Ruth. Don would have to clear out the office for the girls. He would have to get Casey to agree, first of all. 'I can't see her sending her brother's children away,' Don thought to himself. 'Don, Casey, Ron, Jacob, Rebekah, and Ruthie Cragen. Big family that Casey always wanted.' He sighed and loked at Jacob. He was tossing in his sleep, scared. 'The boy is broken. Maybe...maybe having a family who loves him and wants him will fix his broken spirit. And Casey's.'