Once Olivia was sure that her office door was firmly shut behind her, she sat at her desk and called Alex from her desk phone.

Alex picked up on the third ring, smiling when she recognized Olivia's name on her Caller ID.

"Hey, Via! Can't go a whole work day without calling?"

Olivia let out a hefty sigh. "I've been having a hell of a day, babe, and I had to call and fill you in before things went too much further."

"Is it about the case?"

"Half of it."

"I am all ears."

Olivia shared everything… up to a point.

"What is it?"

"How many of Elliot's kids did you ever meet?"

"I know about all of them, even Eli, but I only ever met Dickie, although I'm sure he goes by Richard now. Why?"

"Kathleen came to see me today."

"Wow! How is she?"

"All grown up, married, and taking care of her family now. She also has a baby girl—named after me. I even got to hold baby Olivia, and she fell asleep in my arms."

"That's adorable." said Alex. "Although I'm sure you meeting your namesake isn't why Kathleen turned up out of the blue after how many years?"

"Almost seven."

"What did she want?"

Without any preamble, Olivia answered, "Elizabeth didn't come home last night, according to Kathleen. She has a history of running off, but I'm going to treat this as a Missing Persons case."

"I'll back your play, whatever it is." Alex told her immediately.

"Thank you. Kathleen didn't know who else to talk to, so she sought me out, but there's another thing, too."

Alex paused, steeling herself. "What is it?"

"Alex, Kathy left Elliot not long after he left the SVU—she was having an affair, and what's more is that she was pregnant."

"What?" Alex was flabbergasted. "Was Elliot the father?"

"No. The father was Kathy's boyfriend."

"Then what happened to the baby?"

"Kathleen and the others didn't have any idea about her until they found her on the doorstep of the Stabler house—Kathleen owns it now, and she, her husband, and all of the Stabler children and assorted second generation live there."

"Like some kind of clubhouse?"

"I guess, but stay with me." Olivia coached. "Kathleen didn't specify how old her sister was when she met her, other than that she was tiny. She was abandoned, but now Kathleen and her husband have adopted the baby, and now they've been raising her as their own."

Alex found herself keeping a hand plastered to her middle. "What's the baby's name?"

"Diane, although she's three now—I met her today, too."

"And what has happened to Diane's parents?"

"According to Kathleen, they were killed a month after Diane entered their lives. Want to take a guess who did it?"

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose. "Gunner."

"Bingo, but he was going by Satchel back then because that's his real name."

"What the hell!"

"There's also that, and that his favorite place to hang out is at a dive bar called The Main Event, near Grand Central. It's also the same area where Kathleen is sure Elizabeth was when she last heard from her yesterday."

Alex groaned. "That isn't even the cherry on top, huh?"

"Nope—I got Sophia to come back, and I asked her some questions about Gunner, when she first met him, and all that."

"Where was Kathleen?"

"In the kitchen, compositing a sketch of Gunner—she and her family know that Gunner killed Kathy and her boyfriend, but also that he got off on a technicality."

"Was this the sealed file that Amanda found?"

"Yes."

"I'll be sure to call Casey after this and ask her to come here."

Olivia felt a record scratch. "Not Rafael?

"That's a conversation for later today."

"Is everything okay?" Olivia asked in concern.

"Yes, and I promise there is nothing to worry about." Alex told her. "How did Sophia handle things?"

"Not well at first, because she never had any idea that Gunner had ever done anything bad or that that wasn't even his real name. She was able to calm down eventually, and I introduced her to Kathleen."

"Because she felt compelled to apologize to her?"

"Uh-huh, and Kathleen didn't hold anything against her because she believes that Sophia didn't know. She even offered her a clean slate, and to be friends with her. Sophia said yes, and now she and Kathleen are off somewhere, hanging out." Olivia smiled. "At least that she has a friend close in age to her now—she's a lonely soul, Alex."

"We're going to have to take things a little slow, especially because she grew up without anyone to love her and teach her about the world. It's going to be a little strange because she's twenty-five, but we can make it, Olivia. We will."

That bolstered Olivia's confidence. "Thanks, Alex. I really needed to hear those words."

Alex grinned, even though Olivia couldn't see her. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Olivia replied. "Before I go, and you have your powwow with Casey, there's another thing I need to talk you about. It just slipped my mind, what with everything that's happened."

"I won't judge you, but you can get a free pass on this one."

"When I was visiting with Sophia while she was in hospital, I invited her and Melissa to stay at the apartment. They need it."

Alex made an amused humming noise. "Then at some point before bed, you and I are going to have to start looking at real estate. I'm not sure how I'd be able to handle a house because I never lived in one until Witness Protection, and I did not like it because it was too big and lonely, but I won't say no to a townhouse."

Olivia breathed a sight of relief. "Thank you, Allie-cat."

"We're a family now—I'll support you, no matter what."

She paused, thinking about something, and Olivia noticed.

"I can't see you, but I can read you like a book. What are you thinking?"

Alex was the one who let out a shaky breath. "All of this, and you haven't said what Elliot does these days. Did Kathleen tell you?"

"Elliot took time off after he left here, but according to Kathleen, he's part of the Queens Narcotics Unit. He has a new partner named Yardley Chung, and they do a lot of undercover work—they're undercover now, in fact."

"Kathleen told you so?"

"She did. Her husband is a soldier and he's in Kandahar now, and she made it sound like they have some kind of legal guardianship over Eli now, but he hasn't seen Elliot or Yardley for awhile, and neither have Kathleen, Maureen, Richard, or Elizabeth."

"And if memory serves from the stories I've heard, whenever Kathleen has turned up to crack a open a case, intentionally or unintentionally, Elliot has never been far behind, right?"

"Right."

Alex recognized where Olivia's thought train was going and hopped along for the ride. "Now you're worried about what will happen if you run into him on this case?"

"He abandoned me after twelve years without so much as a goodbye, and then it was year after year of tailspins! Things didn't begin to slow down until after I found Noah!" cried Olivia. "If you get word in the next week that I slugged Elliot, then you'll know why!"

"Then just remember that you'll be coming home to me and the kids, and that all of us love you more than you could possibly know."

That made Olivia simmer down immediately. "Thanks, Alex."

"You're welcome, beautiful. I'll catch you later."

"Alright, babe. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Olivia hung up first, and immediately took care of another order of business: officially filing a missing persons for Elizabeth Stabler. Before Maureen had left with the kids, she'd provided a recent picture of her youngest sister and then worked with Kathleen to provide all the necessary details that they needed. Elizabeth would be found. Today.

Olivia also didn't care that this was technically crossing jurisdiction lines from Queens to Manhattan. After all these years, and after being involved with cases or extraordinary circumstances involving Kathleen, Elizabeth, Richard, and Eli, she felt obligated to help any Stabler who asked her. She was also ready to have a fight about turf with Captain Danforth from Narcotics, because she had a feeling that someway, somehow, she'd be hearing from her before long.

But if her loyalty was ever questioned, she'd say that she'd be doing all of this for Elizabeth, and for Sophia.

As Olivia settled in to wait for Amanda to bring her a report on Megan Franks, she found herself wishing that it was time to go home already.

She just wanted to be with her family.

THE WATERING CAN

777 5th AVENUE

MANHATTAN

The Watering Can was a very cute flower shop a few doors down from The Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue. It had been there for decades, and it had been in the ownership of Casey's parents for almost their entire adult lives. Because of that, Augustín and Violet Novak had raised their children in the apartment that ran the entire length overhead of the shop. The youngest of the Novak children still called 777 5th Avenue home.

Everybody in the neighborhood knew the Novaks and loved them and their flowers.

The shop itself was neither too big, nor too small, and everywhere you looked inside, there were all different kinds of flowers, potted plants, vases, cards, toys, and everything imaginable for gift-wrapping, all to make the perfect floral arrangement. A helium tank and a wide selection of Mylar balloons even stood in one corner. There were also row after row after row of different kinds of dried flowers hanging from the ceiling. Even the temperature of the shop was was at a constant humid temperature to keep the plants healthy. Going to The Watering Can always made Sophia feel as though she was in a forest, and she loved it.

When she entered, a bell tinkled somewhere overhead, and the first person Sophia saw was a redheaded girl in a school uniform of a white blouse, khaki jumper, white socks, and if Sophia wasn't mistaken, the little one was actually wearing Mary Jane shoes. She also had a dark blue snap collar under her shirt collar with the emblem of Saint Agatha's, a Catholic School in The Bronx that Sophia had gone to, around her neck, although at the moment, it was a little crooked. The girl's hair was also done up in double buns, tied off with ribbons that matched the collar of snap collar, but what stood out the most about this girl was that she was wearing a green apron over her clothes and moving around from plant to plant, watering them with a watering can shaped like a dinosaur.

This had to be Abigail.

"Are you Abigail?" she asked on approach.

The girl came back to reality, and when she saw Sophia, she smiled warmly. Sophia, on the other hand, immediately took a step back: this was definitely Abigail Novak, but she was Casey Novak en miniature.

"I am!" (Sophia immediately noticed that her new acquaintance had a noticeable Irish accent) "I'm Abigail, but everyone calls me Scrappy Abby, Scrappy, or just Abby!"

She pointed to the front of her apron, and amongst a number of decorative patches, the name 'Abby' could be seen stitched across it in yellow thread.

"What do you prefer being called?"

"Scrappy or Abby!" she laughed and then studied Sophia a little bit more, suddenly brightening. "Hey, I remember you! You have the baby girl who loves blue forget-me-nots! She's really cute!"

Sophia was instantly smitten with Abby Novak. "That's an incredibly nice thing of you to say about Melissa."

Abby giggled. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sophia, and I'm a friend of Casey's. Are your parents around?"

She bobbed her head in confirmation. "Uh-huh! One moment, please!"

Dinosaur-shaped watering can still in hand, Abby left Sophia in the front of the shop as she headed into a back room. She returned a few moments later, leading an older woman who was wearing a purple apron over her clothes. This woman had hair as red as Abby's, and she bore a strong resemblance to Casey, as though someone had simply pressed the fast-forward button on her.

This had to be Violet Novak.

Like her daughter had, she greeted her warmly and spoke with an accent slightly heave than Abby's. "Well, hello! Sophia Benson, right?"

The brunette nodded, pleased that she had remembered her from their previous encounters. "That's me!"

"Casey called and said that you might be stopping by."

Choosing her words carefully because Abigail was a few feet away, watering a cluster of begonias, Sophia asked her, "Did Casey say anything about why I'd be stopping by?"

"She said some things have happened to you that have turned your life on its head, and that these events have put you out of a job."

So as to keep Abby from overhearing anything she shouldn't, Sophia stepped a little further out of her hearing range and beckoned for Violet to follow her. Even still, she made sure her voice didn't carry as she spoke to the older woman.

"I was assaulted by my ex-husband, and in a particularly bad way." (Violet gasped softly when she realized what Sophia was driving at, but said nothing) "A string of events transpired after that, and one of those events has gone and put me out of a job. I really need one because in April, Melissa is getting a little brother or sister. I'm happy to be a mother, and I love my kids, but I don't know what I'd do if I can't support them."

Sophia patted her middle for emphasis, glad she was wearing a top that made it easy to show off the shape.

"I'm so sorry that these things have happened, but it warms my heart that you've made friends with Casey, and also that you're already working to do what you can for your children. May I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Are you connected with the special victims unit that Casey is affiliated with? You look just like their CO. I've never had a chance to meet her, but I know all about her."

Sophia blushed. "Olivia is my mom. She gave me up for adoption when I was born, but yesterday, with help from Casey and from another friend, my mom and I were finally reunited."

"That's lovely, and I'm glad for you." Violet said sincerely. "Have you ever worked with flowers before?"

"I've been a bartender for a bartender for my entire adult life, or else a dishwasher." Sophia admitted. "I do creative things for fun, though."

"Like what?"

"I knit, crochet, draw, paint, and write. When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time by myself, so I read books and taught myself those things."

Violet arched an eyebrow, even more intrigued by Sophia. "Did you teach yourself anything else?"

"I've learned American Sign Language, French, Italian, and Spanish. I'm fluent in all of them."

"Does Olivia know that about you?"

"Not yet, no. She invited Melissa and I to stay with her and her family until we get back on out feet. I guess she'll start learning more about me after that."

"And I'm sure that will be fun for all of you." Violet's eyes flickered upwards briefly, towards her homestead. "I was going to offer you and Melissa a home with us, in addition to a job."

Sophia's heart jumped. "Really? I know it's not like we just met, but… why?"

Violet gave her a gentle smile, the one of a mother who had been a mother for a long time. "You mean why the generosity?"

"Yes."

"Because I'm a mother of eight children, and I also know how to recognize when someone is in trouble." Violet explained. "It's also because you're Olivia Benson's daughter."

"I'm starting to get the idea that she's helped a lot of people during her career."

"She has, according to the stories I've heard from Casey… and Olivia helped her through a dark time eleven years ago."

"What happened?"

"Casey was attacked, and when she was in the hospital, the damage to her body turned out to be so bad that she needed physical therapy. We all took turns helping her, but it became hard for me after awhile because I was pregnant with Abby and had to be put on bedrest. Olivia, though, bless her, was always there for Casey, at every appointment that the rest of couldn't make it to."

"Wow." Sophia remarked in awe.

"Do you want a job here, Sophia?"

"I—what?"

Sophia had become so involved in what Violet had said about Olivia that she was a little startled by the abrupt change in topic.

"I mean, yes! Yes, I would love a job, here!"

"How does next Monday sound?"

That was exactly a week away.

"That sounds perfect!"

Violet beamed. "Then you're hired!"

Sophia felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Thank you, so much!"

"You're quite welcome, my friend."

Sophia looked around the shop curiously and saw that it was just her and the Novaks. "Why is it just you and Abby here?"

Violet chuckled. "Casey said that you were hospitalized and that she went for a visit to see you, but exactly how much time did you spend together?"

"Long enough to know that out of the whole family, she's the only one who didn't go into the floral business."

"Do you know that my daughter is expecting a baby, too?"

Again, Sophia blushed. "Casey and I are due on the same day, actually. She also told me everyone's names in the Novak family, and that she has a boatload of nieces and nephews, but didn't specify the number."

"Juinor has four kids, Ellington actually has triplets. Beatrix has two, and Virginia and Tiffany have one each. Casey has the one on the way."

"Woah." Sophia gasped.

"You said Casey told you all of our names?"

"Of the Fifth Avenue Novaks, yes, and in the right order."

"Show me you know us."

Violet was testing Sophia, and Sophia knew it, but she was happy to answer her.

"You and Senior are the exact same age—to the minute—but then Junior and Ellington are the oldest of your kids, after them are Beatrix and Virginia, then it's Tiffany, Casey, Savannah, and then Abby. Casey also said that you and Senior met at school when you were five. I, uh, went to Saint Agatha's, too."

"I'm impressed. Senior and Junior are out doing deliveries, but Ellington, Beatrix, Virginia, and Tiffany are dropping off a very large order for an event at The Plaza."

"So they're just down the block?"

"Yes, and they'll be back soon. Do you have any place to be?"

Sophia shook her head. "Not for a few hours."

"Then would you like to stay for tea?"

"Sure."

"I—"

Before Violet could finish her sentence, Abby came bounding over with two bunches of flowers, one in each hand: baby's breath in the left, and snapdragons in the right.

"What's up, Scrappy?" asked Sophia.

She brandished the flowers at her. "Pick one!"

Sophia pointed to the baby's breath. "I like these ones."

"Ha!" Abby crowed as she skipped back over to the other side of the store. "I knew it!"

"All of my children are so weird." Violet groaned. "This is what I get for not bringing her back to school after pulling her out for a doctor's appointment."

Amused, Sophia said, "What was that that she just had me do?"

"She subjected you to an Old Wives' tale from Ireland: if an expectant mother picks out snapdragons, the baby is to be a boy, but if she picks the baby's. breath instead, then the baby will be a girl."

Sophia gave her bump an absent rub. "Another baby girl would be fun."

"Last week, Abby tricked Casey into the same test, and she didn't pick the baby's breath."

Sophia's mouth dropped open.

Violet patted her on the shoulder. "I''ll go put the kettle on. Why don't you see what Abby is doing?"

Curious now, Sophia followed Violet's suggestion, and the next thing she knew, she was receiving an education on snapdragons and baby's breath.

She had a blast.

CENTRAL PARK WEST

5th AVENUE

MANHATTAN

5:15 PM

The rest of the Novaks were very happy to see Sophia again, and they all remembered her from her previous visits to the shop with Melissa. As it turned out, Savannah had even gone to the same school as her at the same time, but their paths hadn't crossed because they had had different teachers. To Sophia, her world was getting smaller, but she didn't mind because ever since she'd been reunited with Olivia, she finally had a place to belong, and not only that, but people who wanted to be friends with her just because they liked her.

The Novaks were also thrilled that she'd accepted Violet's job offer (they'd known about it beforehand and had been rooting for her to say yes), and by the time she left The altering Can, she'd been accepted into the family. She just wished that Casey could have been there.

Maybe she'd call her later.

Yes, that was a good idea.

Good thing she had her number.

Still having some time to kill before calling Olivia at five-thirty, Sophia decided to take a stroll through the Fifth Avenue area of Central Park.

She almost missed someone in the bushes, just off the walking path.

She heard the moans first.

"Hello?" Sophia called as she walked in the direction of the noise. "Do you need—oh, my God…"

Sophia had come to a small clearing in the brush, out of sight of the main path and felt her heart sink: on the ground, in the midst of the dirt, leaves, grass, brush, and twigs was a young Caucasian woman who was not that much younger than herself. She was dirty, bleeding, and looked like she had taken a beating. As if that wasn't enough, her left leg bright red and swollen, suggesting that it was broken. Even her eyeglasses were askew and smashed beyond repair. She was also fading in and out of consciousness, too.

It was all Sophia could do to not vomit.

"Can you hear me?" Sophia asked, kneeling down beside her.

The injured woman gave a nod and when she spoke, her voice was weak. "Yes…"

"I'm Sophia, and I'm going to call for help, but can you tell me your name?"

The other woman held out her hand, and even though it was dirty and bloody, Sophia took it and was rewarded with her question being answered.

"I-I'm E-Elizabeth."