A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! Sorry about the gap in updates. Here's a little something for you guys! Oh and spoilers for the episode "Blinded". I haven't seen that episode in quite awhile so if I'm a little off, forgive me. :)

Chapter Ten: Habits

Lulu folded her arms in front of her chest. She kept her eyes on the phone in her sister's hand, almost angry at herself for being unable to look Casey in the eye. She was afraid of the lack of remorse she'd seen in them before.

"Lulu, it's late..."

"Was it worth it?" the girl interrupted hotly.

Casey remained silent. She seemed to mull over the question. She found herself trying to determine if her—whatever one would call what happened with Elliot—deserved to be given value or rated, if its benefits out weighed the sum of guilt and shame she felt crawling around the bowels of her conscience.

She fell short when she realized she couldn't bring herself to name what happened with her married coworker in the very bathroom she was standing in pondering yet another lie to protect herself instead of the teenager in front of her.

Old habits died hard.

"Well?" Lulu pushed, her voice suddenly nervous.

Casey cringed at the hope dancing behind the question. Casey turned around and faced the mirror, though she was unable to meet the haggard green eyes of the woman staring back at her. Instead, she numbly brushed her fingers across the phone's cool metal before tucking it in the pocket of her slacks.

Staring down at the white sink she was gripping with both hands, Casey found herself ashamed of the sweet relief the lie brought to her tongue. "Nothing happened. He gave me a ride, we went over a case..."

"And what? You tripped, fell and landed on his..."

Casey whipped around, her eyes suddenly flashing. "Careful."

"Of what? Your pride? Your feelings? Because you've done a damn good job of screwing those up yourself."

"Lulu, I understand you're upset. Why, I have no idea because: nothing happened!"

Lulu let out a cynical laugh. "It's so easy for you isn't it?"

Casey groaned. "What is?"

"You really don't know?"

"Oh do tell me, 'ol 'enlightened one'."

"Lying, bending the rules to get what you want. As long as the end justifies the means, so long as its for the greater good, it doesn't matter who you have to step on, what you have to sacrifice, as long as..."

Casey didn't bother listening to the end of Lulu's tirade. Didn't have to. She just rubbed at her temple, massaging away the headache the truth in her little sister's words had given birth to.

"Goodnight."

Lulu silently stepped aside, shaking her head and smirking as she watched Casey make her way to her bedroom.

"Hey, Casey?"

She placed her forehead on the white door, the wood's frosty temperature pricked her skin and nestled comfortably in her bones. Rubbing her hands down her arms, she didn't bother to turn around.

"No sense in beating a dead horse, Lulu."

"Is this the only thing you're lying to me about?"

Casey closed her eyes and pushed open the door. "Yes."

Monday morning was colder than Casey Novak expected, though it had little to do with the weather.

She and Lulu said few words outside ones of necessity. Sure, it bothered her, seeing Lulu look at her the way she looked at Evelyn, but she welcomed the silence. She couldn't listen to her sister's lectures and answer her litany of questions. Maybe it was because she had no answers or logical reasoning to defend herself or maybe it was because of how afraid she was of the lack of fear inhibiting her from making the mess all over again.

Shivering, Casey tightly gripped the files in her hand and pushed open the door to her office.

"Morning counselor."

She let out a startled squeak, much to her dismay, before her fingers relaxed their grip on the files they'd been holding.

"Really? Really Elliot?" she groaned, stooping down to retrieve the folders that thankfully had not spit out any loose papers.

Elliot Stabler was sprawled out, making himself at home in her chair, feet up on her clean desk, hand behind his head, as he sat there, contemplating the world.

Her world.

He was so annoying.

"Hangover gone?"

She narrowed her eyes at him before shutting her office door. No need for the gossip mill to start manufacturing rumors based on the argument she knew was about to come. "Get your ass out of my chair."

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "At ease, Casey."

She shook her head. "It's too early, Elliot."

"Actually," he tugged at his tie. "This isn't a social call. I came to talk to you about Picard."

Her shoulders, which she hadn't realized were stiffened, suddenly relaxed. "What do you need?"

"I need you to understand that when we get a lead, we'll follow it."

"Fine," she said simply, though she frowned when she realized he had yet to get up.

He cleared his throat. "Still avoiding?"

She closed her eyes and allowed her self a slow, deep breath. Running her tongue across her teeth, she slowly opened her eyes, though she kept them trained on the grayness of the city running and breathing behind his head.

"I haven't had my coffee yet."

"Really?" a mischievous smiled took a hold of his face and waltzed across his eyes. "Well it just so happens," he bent down and produced two white paper cups from under her desk. "I brought you a little pick me up. Three sugars, a little bit of cream."

She couldn't help but smile. She folded her arms and placed her weight on her left side. "You're really annoying."

"Been dipping into my jacket again?"

She shook her head and reached for one of the cups. She sipped it slowly, gingerly watching him over the plastic rim. "I really don't wanna talk about this, Elliot," she looked over her shoulder toward the door, staring at the backwards, black letters announcing her job and her name. "Especially not here."

"Where then?" he said calmly tapping his hands against his cup. "I tried calling you. I even thought about stopping by."

"It's a good thing you didn't," she sighed. Swallowing, she eased closer to her desk and leaned against it. She reached into her pocket and shivered as his phone's chilling metal embraced her palm. She freed it from her pocket and held it out to him. "Lulu found it in my room."

He didn't immediately reach for it. "Does she know?"

"She suspects."

He cursed under his breath. He looked her up and down. "Are you going to tell her?"

"No."

He nodded. "One hell of a position to be in," he shook his head and cursed again. He scrubbed his fingers over his head. "She wouldn't mention this to Lizzie, would she?"

Her eyes widened. "That's probably the last thing she'd do. She's good at keeping secrets. She learned from the best."

He looked up at her. "You're right," he stood up and brushed off his slacks. "This can't happen again."

She scoffed. "So kind of you to notice."

Hadn't there been a sense of calm and decorum in his eyes a moment ago? The blue in them darkened to pit of black eyes and Casey found herself afraid to move for fear she may fall in. "I've noticed a lot," he said quietly.

They were in each other's personal space and neither felt compelled to move or bid the other farewell. He leaned forward and she didn't stop him.

The sound of a clearing throat, however, did.

"Well isn't this cozy?" Talon Abbot IV removed his Prada leather gloves and closed the door. "A piece of at advice: the next time you decide to go over a case, as you call it, it would behoove you to lock the door."

Casey whirled around. "What the hell are you doing here, Talon?"

"Me?" he smirked, this time removing his Loro Piana scarf. He glanced between the two of them. "I just came to talk."

Elliot didn't like the wealth and entitlement the other man oozed. Talon Abbot seemed to sweat puissance and a sickeningly arrogant sense of superiority and Elliot found himself wanting to smack it off the other man's face.

Talon seemed to sense it. "Casey and I need to talk. So Mr. Stabler, if you wouldn't mind."

Elliot folded his arms and pulled his lips back to expose two rows of perfect teeth. "I mind."

"Elliot it's fine."

He stared at her a moment before moving to leave. Brushing his shoulders against Talon's he stopped short of the door and turned around. "She doesn't owe you an explanation."

"Oh, like you don't owe your wife one."

Both of Elliot's hands suddenly became fists. "Excuse me?"

"The ring, or have you forgotten about it already?"

Elliot laughed. "I didn't get the memo: when did this become your business?"

Talon's eyes suddenly darkened, his jaw twitching as he closed the gap between him and the detective. With their noses touching he said: "Whatever concerns my little sister is my business. See, I happened to catch wind of your tête-à-tête. You want Lulu to keep your little secret, keep your family intact. I won't let you do that to her."

"We're as sick as our secrets, Talon," Elliot said. "You seem a little unhealthy."

"Stay away from Lulu."

Elliot shook his head. "Who here is a saint Talon, huh? Who here?"

And with that, Elliot step around the other man and went about his business.

"Lets get one thing straight..."

"I didn't sacrifice my entire life for this, Casey!"

"Talon..."

"You promised me you'd protect her."

She closed her eyes. "You aren't the only one who made sacrifices, Talon."

"No...no I'm just the one who has to live with them."

"And I don't?"

His eyes softened and he reached for her, feeling defeated when she shrugged away his touch. "I'm sorry."

"Every second of every day."

He smiled. "Fair enough. What time does Lulu get out of school? I'd like to see her before I return home."

"I'm probably going to regret doing this but," she walked around her desk and retrieved her cell phone. "I'm texting you her number. Keep in touch with her, but only if she wants."

"I'm just trying to protect you, Casey."

"I don't need you to protect me."

"Old habits die hard." He brushed his fingers across her shoulders before leaving.

"It's not brain surgery Lizzie," Dickie reached over and picked piece of pepperoni off of his sister's plate. "You get Lulu to tutor Shane in physics and I don't post pictures of you in your birthday suit, flying around in my superman cape on Myspace."

"You do realize there are laws against child pornography?"

"And I'm sure the consequences for breaking them won't even amount to the punishment Dad's gonna dish out when he finds you how you've really been spending your Wednesdays...alone with Chad Westerbrook...at his house...with lack of supervision..."

"Okay!" she yelled, cringing as the eyes of several of her fellow students landed on her shoulders. "Okay, fine," she whispered, shoving her glasses up on her nose. "You have won this round, but remember, when you fall, I'll be waiting in the wind, ready to use your pain and suffering as ammunition for my blackmail gun."

"Pleasure doing business with you," Dickie reached across the table and ruffled her hair.

"Sorry to interrupt the bonding moment, but I suggest you guys do more eating and less talking. Lunch is almost over."

Dickie looked up from his tray, smiling between his sister and her best friend. "So, Lulu, you didn't happen to see Shane around, did you?"

"Uh, yeah," she tossed her tray onto the table before easing onto the bench. "He's in line, chatting up some guy."

Suddenly Dickie's eyes dimmed. Lulu and Lizzie followed his narrowed gaze to Shane and another guy talking by the metal doors separating the cafeteria from the hallway. Dickie folded his fingers into a fist before slamming it on the table.

"He promised me," Dickie said, slamming his fist again.

"Use your words, Dickie," Lizzie rolled her eyes and stuffed her fork in her mouth. Around a mouth full of applesauce, she asked: "Your boyfriend can't even have a conversation with someone else?"

"He isn't just someone else," Dickie managed through clinched teeth. "Brogan's his dealer."

Lulu returned her eyes to Brogan and Shane's conversation, a conversation the latter didn't seem to be enjoying.

"You told me he was getting clean," Lizzie shook her head.

"It's hard, you know, letting go of a coping mechanism that keeps you from really living with yourself."

Dickie looked sharply at her. "You're not into that too..."

Lulu shook her head vigorously. "No. I just...I just understand."

Dickie held her eyes a moment before he nodded, almost satisfied. He frowned. "Here he comes."

"Hey Richard," Shane smiled, playfully slapping his best friend upside the head. "Ladies."

Lizzie rolled her eyes and pointed to the seat next to Lulu. "Don't stand on ceremony."

Shane looked warily at Lulu who immediately patted the chair reassuringly.

"So, I finally found a solution to your physics problem."

"Really? You got somebody to hack into Mr. Sandoval's database and change my grade."

"I decided to take the legal route."

"That's debatable," Lizzie mumbled.

Dickie tossed a piece of stale crust at her before he continued. "I found you a tutor."

Lulu, who had no interest in the conversation, realized the Stabler twins had suddenly taken great interest in her face. "What? Oh, no. Hell no! Come on...Lizzie..."

"Oh come on, Lulu, what's the big deal?"

"What's the big...?"

Her words were suddenly devoured by the lack of air available to her lungs. Her eyes widened and she gripped at her chest, silently willing herself to calm down. Doing so proved to be difficult as the cafeteria decided to do a pirouette around their table.

"I'm really not all that bad of a guy," Shane smiled in her direction, unsuccessfully trying to bring calmness to the situation.

"Stop grinning like the idiot we know you are and get her a glass of water," Lizzie practically shoved her brother's friend out of his chair.

Wide eyed, Dickie watched the scene unfold, suddenly worried. "We can always find him another tutor, Lulu."

Shane returned with the water and she sipped it slowly all the while half annoyed at all the attention she was getting. Only when her breath returned to normal and the nausea abandoned her stomach did she try to speak. "Sorry about that."

"What the hell just happened?" Lizzie asked.

The ringing of Dickie's cell phone cut off her answer.

"Hey...Mom? Mom...Mom slow down. Dad? Shit...sorry...she's with me. We're coming. No, no we'll find Kathleen," he hung up the phone and shoved it into his pocket before throwing himself out of his chair. He barely looked at Lizzie. "Get your stuff. It's Dad. Mom says its bad."

Backpacks flew onto shoulders and the Stabler twins flew out of the cafeteria, their respective best friends on their heels.

Lulu and Shane watched as the Stabler siblings huddled around their father's partner, all waiting for their mother to push through the ER's double doors with news about their father.

"I shouldn't even be here," Shane kicked invisible dust with his dirty Chuck Taylors. "Mr. Stabler doesn't like me very much."

"You're here for Dickie."

"Richard," he corrected.

"What?" she turned to look at him, her brow arched.

"He likes to be called Richard. You know, how you like Lulu over to Tallulah."

"How'd you..."

His eyes lit up as the corners of his mouth twitched. "I know a lot of things."

"Except physics." She happened to look at the entrance and frowned at the sight that greeted her.

In came Casey Novak, power walk and poker face in tact, briefcase sashaying in her pale hand.

"Excuse me," Lulu nodded at Shane and made her way over to her big sister and used herself as a barrier between Casey and Elliot's family. "Why are you here?"

"Isn't it a little obvious?"

"You shouldn't be here."

"Lulu, not in the mood."

"Casey come on..."

"Lulu, really, not in the mood."

"I'm just saying, after what happen this weekend..."

Casey reached out and grabbed Lulu's shoulders, her nails dinging into the skin. "Let it go."

"How do you expect me to do that? Lizzie's my best friend."

Casey released her grip. "Not here, Lulu."

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and frowned at the number. "Whatever, I gotta go. Tell Lizzie to call me if she needs anything."

"Lulu...just wait..."

But she was already out the door.

Casey stepped over to the row of chairs, unaware that she'd piqued Olivia Benson's curiosity.

He was waiting on the steps of her building when she got home.

Lulu stopped and watched him get up.

"I'm going back home and I wanted to talk to you. That is, if you don't mind."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

He smiled. "Yes, I suppose you are. So, shall we do lunch?"

"Talon, what is it that you really want?"

His smile didn't fade. "Not one for pleasantries. You really are an Abbot. You want it straight, all right. There's some things about your sister and I that you need to know and I think I should be the one to tell you."

No you guys, I'm not pairing Lulu with Shane—or I might not. I don't know. I developed a soft spot for him after he showed up in "Turmoil" and I wanted to include him.

Oh and Lulu was having trouble breathing for a reason.

Tate and Evelyn aren't going anywhere and neither are the secrets Lulu and Casey are keeping from each other.

Well folks, thanks for reading. :)