Around 1 AM, Elliot's cell phone trilled throughout he and Kathy's bedroom, interrupting and startling their deep slumber. He was used to receiving late night phone calls, being called out to a case in the middle of the night, so he didn't even bother to look at the caller ID when he answered.
"Stabler," he answered, groggily.
"Elliot?" Lana's soft voice whimpered out. It sounded as if she was crying.
Elliot quickly sat up in bed, suddenly very awake and alert once he heard the girl's troubled voice. He looked over at Kathy quickly, it appeared as if she were still asleep, so he kept his voice quiet.
"What's wrong?" He asked softly. "Are you okay?"
"Come get me," she cried into the phone, slightly slurring her words. "They took my purse."
"Who did?" He asked, getting up out of bed gently. "Where are you?"
"Morningside Heights – 110th at the park," she told him, sniffling. "They took my purse; I can't get home."
Elliot sighed. "Stay right where you are. I'll be right there."
He tried to remain quiet as he quickly threw on some clothes, so he wouldn't wake his sleeping wife. He didn't want to have to explain where he was going, since it was quite clear from his side of the conversation that he wasn't being called into work. But Kathy was already awake. She had heard the female voice on the other end of the phone as she pretended to be unconscious, knowing exactly where her husband was going, but she was too tired to start a fight or worry about it, so she kept her mouth shut and remained still until he left.
Elliot managed to make the 30-minute drive in less than 20 minutes as he rushed to Lana, steadily worrying about her wellbeing. He wondered why the hell she was so far away from home, probably drunk and high, and who had taken her belongings. He wondered what the hell had happened.
He pulled up onto the curb down 110th Street right in front of Morningside Park then jumped out of his car and began searching blindly for the girl. When he spotted her leaning against the rod iron fence that surrounded the park, he quickly jogged over to her.
She was slightly slumped over, and her clothes hung off of her body loosely. Her makeup was all over her face and her hair was disheveled. Being a sex crimes detective, he immediately feared the worst.
"Lana!" He called as he ran over to her.
With a delayed reaction, she picked up her head lazily and looked at him as he rushed over to her.
"Lana, baby, are you okay?" He asked frantically as he cupped both sides of her face.
"They stole my purse," she stated softly, dazed.
Elliot dropped his hands and looked around him but didn't see anyone else on the street. Though he knew whoever took her purse was most likely long gone, he looked around for possible witnesses or anyone who could explain the situation to him – sober, at least.
"Lana, look at me," he grabbed her chin lightly and held it up so she was looking him in the eye. "Who took your purse?"
"I don't know, they just knocked me down and took my purse," she answered simply.
"Did they do anything else to you? Did they hurt you?" He asked, silently praying she wasn't raped or attacked otherwise.
She shook her head, and his heart filled with relief.
"What are you doing way out here anyway?" He asked with a sigh as he dropped his hand from her face.
"I was at a party," she told him.
His mouth curved into a disappointed frown, though he wasn't surprised by her answer. "What are you on? And how much did you drink?"
She looked down then shook her head again, afraid to answer him.
He sighed loudly, figuring he probably didn't even want to know what kind of chemicals were in her system. He grabbed her arm and relented, "Come on, let's get you home."
She nodded and stumbled slightly as he guided her down the sidewalk.
"I was too scared to walk all the way home, and I had no money to get a cab or take the subway," she said, suddenly feeling the need to explain why she called him for him.
"It's okay," he told her as he opened the passenger door to help her in. "I'm glad you called me."
He shut her door then got into the driver's side and started the car. Though he was glad she called him instead of trying to walk home, which would've taken hours, especially due to her intoxication, he was still slightly unnerved by the fact that he had to drive into the city very late at night to save her ass...again.
The silence made Lana very uncomfortable as she felt she was inconveniencing Elliot greatly. And she was.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"It's okay," he repeated simply, knowing it was too late, she was too drunk, and he was too tired to let things escalate into a fight.
"You're mad," she commented as she glanced over at him.
"I'm just tired," he replied with a sigh. "It's late."
"I should've just walked home," she stated, mostly to herself.
"No, you should've just stayed home," he spat. "I don't know why the hell you felt the need to go to a party on a Tuesday night. Who the hell parties all night on a Tuesday?"
It was like taking care of a child sometimes. His heart pounded in his chest when he realized that his daughters were going to be teenagers and young adults one day, and he prayed that they never acted out like Lana did.
"Why not?" She shrugged.
"Jesus Christ, we come from entirely different worlds," he scoffed as he shook his head at her.
She could feel the disappointment and self-righteousness radiating off of Elliot's body. Tears welled up in her eyes – since when did he judge her so harshly? And why the hell did he think he was so much better than her? Who was he to make that call?
She sniffled slightly as a few tears fell from her face.
"Don't cry," he told her softly.
She didn't respond.
Her inebriated mind was spinning. She was embarrassed that she had to call Elliot to save the day. And she was even more embarrassed when her knight in shining armor was simply disappointed that he had to save her – he made her feel inferior.
She didn't know why she was so out of control. Elliot made her want to be a better person, but she began to wonder if it was only because he made her feel so small, not because she truly wanted to be better for him.
Her feelings began to bubble up inside of her. She felt many different emotions, trying to suppress them all, which only made her feel worse.
They didn't speak for the rest of the ride to Lana's.
When they walked through the door of the overpriced, oversized apartment, Elliot stood in the kitchen as Lana continued a few more feet into the living room, not saying a word.
"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned by her silence.
She tried to reply with a fake 'yes' but instead, she just snapped. Every emotion she was feeling suddenly turned into anger. She wasn't okay – far from it. She tried incessantly to cover up that fact, mostly with drugs, but suddenly it was all on her sleeve.
Out of nowhere, she felt a violent urge and angrily shoved an expensive vase off a table next to her in her living room. The vase shattered on the ground, erupting through the silence of the night.
"What's wrong with you?!" Elliot asked, stunned by her sudden outburst.
"I don't know!" She screamed. Tears fell down her face, though she didn't realize she was crying. "What the hell is wrong with me?!"
He felt helpless as he watched the girl lose her mind.
"It's not fair! I just want to feel normal!" She screeched as she pushed the table over on its side; the loud crash made Elliot jump slightly.
Her mind bounced back and forth from being sad to angry back to sad then back to angry. She looked so frustrated and overwhelmed as she continued to knock things over and break them.
Elliot's heart began to ache in his chest as he watched her release her frustration. All of the anger he had ever felt toward her dissipated instantly. It was as if he could see straight into her soul. He could see her pain, her despair, and her loneliness. It was no wonder she constantly self-medicated. For a moment, he understood and didn't blame her for her bad habits.
He slowly approached her, not wanting her to do too much damage or hurt herself. He grabbed her arm to hug her, but she pushed him away roughly.
"No!" She yelled at him.
"Lana, baby, stop," he begged her as slight tears stung the corners of his eyes.
"No!" She repeated. "It's not fair! I just want my life to mean something!"
When she said those words, his heart shattered. He realized, right then and there, that she knew everything – everything he had thought and felt about her life being meaningless and unproductive, she thought and felt as well.
He grabbed her arm again, this time standing his ground and pulling her close even though she tried to fight him off and push him. He struggled to hold her as she punched him in his chest over and over again until she just collapsed in his arms, sobbing.
"What's wrong with me?" She cried just above a whisper, barely able to stand.
He shut his tearful eyes and pressed his lips into the top of her head loving as he held her up. He hugged her tightly, holding her close to his body, wanting her to know she was not alone – ever. His warmth sheltered her and his love embraced her. Her mind was still reeling, but she could feel his sadness as well.
She looked up at him with her hazy brown eyes. His green eyes were red and wet as he glanced back down at her.
Again, he felt as if he could see into her soul. Sometimes he wondered what the hell he was doing with the chaotic girl and how the hell they got so involved in each other's lives, because they came from opposite lifestyles and childhoods. Sometimes he just couldn't make sense of it.
But at that moment, he knew what he was doing with her. He loved her more than he ever thought possible, and that's what one does when they're in love – remain by their loved one's side and help them get through the toughest times of their life.
He leaned forward and pressed his lips onto her sweetly. She accepted his kiss and kissed him back, pouring all of her emotion into him instead of into the destruction of her apartment.
He brought a hand to the side of her face, cupping it gently and caressing her cheek with his thumb lightly. He kept his other hand on her back, keeping her close to him as if he was afraid she'd try to fight him off again.
It seemed like an emotional light switched was flipped, and their pitiful dejected emotions turned into sweet affectionate ones.
Elliot removed his lips from Lana's briefly then quickly brought his hands to her waist and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist then pressed her lips onto his again. It was odd how neither of them felt hot and heavy. They simply felt...romance.
As he carried her blindly into her bedroom, Lana couldn't help but be thankful for his existence. She knew she unintentionally treated him like shit sometimes, and he should've hated her for that, but he didn't. And even when he put space between them, he kept coming back around. She didn't deserve him or his love, but she needed it. She needed him.
In her bedroom, the atmosphere was entirely different. They left all their negativity and anger in the living room.
Elliot carefully laid Lana down on her bed, staring into her eyes. As he began removing her clothes, she felt meek and shy, like it was her first time being naked in front of him. It certainly wasn't, but it felt different to her, as if she was a lot more exposed and naked than any other time before.
When her clothes were off, he hovered over her, kissing her lovingly, doting on her and admiring her body. His hands gently caressed her sides as he kissed her chest.
She was surrounded by her soft white comforter and pillows, which looked and felt like clouds around them. It was peaceful in her room. Everything moved slowly and softly and appeared quite vivid.
Lana felt relaxed as she focused on his movements. She ran a hand through his hair and down the back of his head then rested it on the back of his neck as she watched him kiss between her breasts.
The growing tightness in his pants was beginning to distract him, so Elliot stood up and quickly shed his own clothes. As he moved to resume his place on top of her, he kissed a line up her thigh to her hips. His lips kissed the spot where her hipbone protruded beneath her skin, loving the little bulge it made. He continued kissing up her stomach, doting on the little protrusions from her ribcage, similar to the ones her hipbones made.
She felt immaculate while he adored every inch of her body. As a girl, she naturally felt flawed and self-conscious about every aspect of herself, but she was melting over the fact that Elliot was admiring even the things she hated about herself. But it was genuine, as there was not an inch of her body he wasn't in love with.
As his lips finally made their way up her neck and back to her own, he positioned himself between her legs. His thick head was throbbing at her warm entrance. Their eyes locked as he slowly pushed into her, and though they had been in this exact predicament numerous times before, this time was very different.
It wasn't lust or sex or hunger for each other. It was love. Simply love.
Elliot kissed her deeply as he began to slowly pull out and push back inside of her, finding a gentle yet appropriate pace, causing a sigh escaped Lana's lips.
"God, I love you so much," he sighed as he kissed the soft skin of her neck.
"Mmm, I love you too," she replied softly as the passion began to overwhelm her.
When he brought his face back up to hers, she rested her hand on the back of his neck again as their hips moved in unison. It was the first time they truly made love, instead of just having sex, causing their relationship to grow that night.
