Elliot drove down to the cemetery after work. He placed a red rose on Olivia's grave and put his head in his hands. "Liv," he whispered. "You know what? Dani came back. She's not a bad detective, but she's not you. I don't think I can do this, Liv. I need you back."
"Elliot?"
He jumped and turned around. "Whoa, Dani. You scared the shit out of me."
"The captain said I'd find you here," she said, playing with her braid.
"Yeah."
"So, um, I talked to Jack Stevens – you know, the boyfriend?"
"Uh-huh."
"I think he might be telling the truth."
"Uh-huh."
She peered even closer at him. "Aren't you going to ask me why?"
"What?"
Dani snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Get with the program, Stabler!"
He jumped. "Get off my case."
"Are you even listening to me?"
"Yeah, yeah. Why?"
"He told me that Jenna had told him about the stepfather's abuse."
"Yeah, so?"
"She also said something that led him to believe that her little sister was being abused."
Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Wait a sec. I didn't even know Jenna had a little sister."
Dani looked proud of herself. "That's why you need a partner."
"I had a partner," Elliot snapped.
"You have a partner," Dani corrected. "You know, I don't give a damn whether you love me or hate me. We have a job to do. Let's get to it."
He sighed. "Fine. Let's go talk to her."
"Already did. It took a couple hours, but she finally admitted the abuse."
"She admitted it?" he asked skeptically.
"Yes, she did," snapped Dani defensively. "What, you think I bully four-year-olds into making this stuff up? Jenna told her boyfriend about her stepfather and told him that the stepfather said she was getting too old for him and she was worried that he'd hurt her sister."
Elliot raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Good job."
That stopped her in her tracks. "Elliot Stabler, did I hear you correctly?"
"What?"
"Did you just say 'good job'?"
He rolled his eyes, not in the mood for her banter. It had been years and he wasn't ready to fall back into that old pattern. "Leave me alone, Dani. Just – did you arrest the guy?"
"Yeah. He's at the station. I thought you'd want to help me do the honors."
Elliot nodded, slightly surprised at the courtesy. "Yeah. I'll meet you at the station in ten minutes, okay?"
Dani left and Elliot turned back to Olivia's grave. He traced his hands over the familiar words on the stone. "I miss you, Liv," he whispered, before getting up, going to his car, and driving back to the station.
