By the time Captain Cragen finally got back to the station house, it was late- almost eight-thirty. Olivia and Elliot had taken Emily to the hospital and then out to eat. They all seemed to be getting along pretty well. All Cragen cared about was the fact that Emily was smiling when he came back.

"Are you ready to go?" The Captain asked Emily. She sat in Elliot's chair, swiveling the chair from the left to the right. "Sorry I'm back so late."

"Not a big deal." Olivia reclined in her own chair.

"I need to tell Elliot something before I leave." Emily stood slipping on her shoes which were lying next to the desk. She hurried out into the hallway.

"How was she?" Cragen asked Olivia.

"Great. She's a really great girl, Captain." Olivia spoke.

"And the examination?" Cragen continued.

"Taken care of. I have the documents right here." She tapped a folder on her desk. She picked them up and offered them to him, but he waved her hand away.

"I'd rather not." He muttered. Olivia set the folder back down. "I'm still concerned about tonight."

"What's tonight?" Olivia sat forward in her chair.

"Just having her in my apartment. I've never had kids." Cragen looked to the floor. Olivia could tell this was all taking a toll on him. His attitude was changing but she couldn't blame him. The whole situation was overwhelming.

"You had her last night. Wasn't it ok?" Olivia asked.

"All she did was sleep last night. And when she woke up she took a shower and we came here. I didn't really have to say anything. I don't even know what to talk about with her." Captain Cragen thought back to when Emily was younger. How they never had trouble concoction some sort of conversation- whether it be about the bad guys Cragen caught at work or her upcoming dance recitals.

"She'll talk about anything, Captain. She's been talking to Elliot and me all day." Olivia didn't know if she was helping or making Cragen feel worse.

"I don't know her anymore." Cragen shook his head.

"Get to know her all over again. She needs you." Olivia patted Cragen on the back.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

"Elliot!" Emily smiled as she spotted him by the soda machine. He slid a green bill into the slot and pushed one of the buttons.

"Hey! What's going on?" he asked her. "I saw Captain on his way into the squad room. Bet you're excited to finally get out of here."

"Yeah, he's here to pick me up. But I wanted to tell you something before I left." She stood next to him.

"Sure. What's on your mind?" Elliot faced her and pulled her gently to the side of hallway as a group of detectives came running down the corridor.

"You remind me a lot of my dad." She grinned at the floor, almost embarrassed to be admitting it to him. Olivia had told Emily all about Elliot's brave encounters with pedophiles and murderers. Emily particularly loved the stories where Elliot got physical with the suspects. He was like a hero from comic book or something. She'd thought the exact same thing about her father.

"Thanks, Emily." Elliot wrapped his arm around her shoulder. It was a genuine compliment and he knew she meant it.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

"I like that your apartment has a pool." Emily stated as Cragen grabbed a duffle bag filled with her clothes from the trunk of his car. The pool was placed neatly in the middle of the apartment complex's courtyard. "Do you ever swim in it?"

"No." Captain answered plainly.

"Have you ever wanted to swim in it?" Emily asked trying to continue the conversation.

"Not really. I'm usually busy working. And when I come home I like to relax." Cragen locked the car and started leading Emily down the side walk. Emily eyed the pool the whole way up the stair case and down the outer balcony of the apartment complex. Even though it was February, there was no cover on the pool. The water for the most part was clear despite its greenish tint.

"Emily," Cragen called. She hadn't even realized he had unlocked his apartment door and gone inside. She took one last quick glance at the pool before hurrying in.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

It was late in the night when Captain Cragen awoke to the sound of a closing door. At first, he didn't realize what was happening, but after thinking for a second- he knew. The captain frantically jumped from his bed and grabbed a t-shirt from the floor. He dodged stray objects and sharp corners as he scrambled through his apartment. He glanced to the couch- just as he suspected, Emily was gone. Once outside, he looked down the balcony but was greeted only by the silence of the other tenant's doors. He flung himself towards the rail and looked down into the courtyard. When he finally spotted Emily, she was standing at the ledge of the pool. She eyes the water carefully.

"Emily!" The captain called but the words escaped his mouth too late. She had already leapt into the frigid, green water. Next thing he knew, he was running. Around the balcony. Down the stairs. Across the courtyard. When he finally reached the water, Emily had emerged and was struggling to pull her self over the concrete side. Her body shivered and shook. Cragen grabbed her underarms and yanked her out of the pool. She fought his grip and rested her body face up on the concrete. Her pajamas were drenched, not to mention the cast on her arm.

"Jesus Christ!" Cragen yelled. He was surprised none of his neighbors had come out of their apartments to see what was going on. Emily didn't say a word. "What the hell were you thinking?" She just laid there. Cragen scooped her up off the concrete and carried her back up to his apartment. He gently set Emily down on the carpet and hurried to get a towel. She was still weak from her head injury and this certainly wasn't helping. When he returned with the towel, she hadn't moved. He sat her up and wrapped the towel around her cold body.

"I just wanted to do something spontaneous." Emily muttered as she shivered under the towel. Captain Cragen didn't want to be mad at her. So instead of watching helplessly as she fought the shaking, he hugged her. He held her in his arms until his body heat started to warm her and until she stopped shaking and composed herself. And even after, he continued to hold her- because it felt nice to have a child to hold.