A/N: Who killed Nick? Why? How is Maureen connected to it all? Does the case pull Elliot and Olivia closer or push them apart?
DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.
"Calm down," Cragen barked, watching Elliot pace back and forth in the squadroom.
"Don't fucking tell me to fucking calm down," Elliot spat. "I'm not, repeat, not, at all, helping you find the man who killed the kid who hurt my daughter! You have real balls if you think for one second I'm taking this case! Shit, I would like to shake the hand of the man that killed Nick McCann!"
"You don't have a choice!" Cragen yelled. "You were told, long ago, that emotions and personal issues are to be set aside, Stabler! We don't get to pick the vic, and right now no one cares that this kid hurt your daughter! Last time I checked, it took two to make a baby, kid! Place some blame on your own child and do your damned job!"
Olivia's eyes were wide. "Okay," she said, looking around the bullpen. "Who ordered the McBastard with cheese?"
"What was that Benson?" Cragen yelled at Olivia. "You wanna be in just as much shit as your partner? Keep talking!"
"Captain!" Olivia yelled, "All Elliot wants right now is a little understanding. You have no idea what he's going through! His sixteen year old daughter is pregnant with our vic's baby, so forgive him for not wanting to find his killer!" She took a step forward, her eyes narrowing. "If it was me, would you make him work the case?"
"What?" Cragen asked, taken aback.
Olivia blinked once, bit her lip, and said, "If Dean left me pregnant, scared and alone, then turned up dead somewhere, would you make Elliot work the case?"
Cragen's eyes narrowed. "That's different," he mumbled.
"How?" Olivia asked.
"It just..." Cragen paused, realizing what she was telling him. His eyes widened slightly and he took a breath, letting it out slowly. "You're right," he said. "Elliot, I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to do this. Your family should come first."
"It does," Elliot said harshly. "It always will. My priorities have always been my kids and Liv, then my job. You can't tell me I'm wrong!"
Munch smirked. "So Olivia and your kids come as a set now?"
"Damn right," Elliot said as he gritted his teeth, turning to give Munch a glare. "Is that a problem, John?"
"No," Munch said, widening his eyes and backing away.
Fin, stepping forward and clearing his throat, said, "Okay, man, you and Baby-Girl go take a couple'a cold showers. Munch and I will work this one. We will call ya if anything comes up."
Elliot, still huffing, nodded. "Yeah," he said. He grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her out of the squadroom, unaware that Cragen now knew, without a doubt, they were more than just partners.
Three in the morning found them back home, back in bed, both staring at the ceiling. "You still awake?" Olivia asked, knowing he was.
"Yeah," Elliot said. "I can not believe I yelled at Cragen like that. I can't believe you...you called him a bastard, Liv."
"He deserved it," Olivia said. "He really thought that you would be okay having to investigate the death of..." She was cut off by the shrill sound of a ringing phone. She reached over to the end table and grabbed her phone, tapping the screen to answer the call. "Benson," she said. "Yeah, I am. Yes, on the couch," she said rolling her eyes. Lying. "What? Yes, Maureen has been here all night. She isn't exactly in peak physical condition, Fin, she couldn't have run to Manhattan, killed him, then got back...we were with her all night. Two, why? They were both here. Katie's fourteen, and Lizzie's twelve. They had nothing to...oh, my God. Fin, I think...maybe. Call us back, huh?" She tapped the phone again, ending the call, and she looked at Elliot.
"Why was Fin asking about the girls?" Elliot asked, his eyes tense. "He doesn't think they had anything to do with this, does he?"
Olivia ran a hand through her hair. "Melinda found blood on Nick's jacket. She tested it, and it wasn't his, but it came up a partial match to Maureen."
"Who's in the computer because Melinda ran the tests in her office," Elliot said, sighing. "But it was partial. They think it's a relative, so...so, what, I'm a suspect, now?"
"No," Olivia said, shaking her head. "The blood was definitely female, and not an exact match. That's why Fin was asking about sisters. When I told him they were both here with us all night, his mind went right to..."
"Kathy," Elliot said, low voiced and serious.
Olivia nodded. "They're gonna call back if they get anything solid." She shook her head. "I don't think Kathy is the kind of person who would kill for her children."
Elliot picked up his phone and dialed. "She's not," he said. "She is the kind of person who would kill the kid responsible for ruining her perfect life, though." He waited for Fin to pick up, then told him what he thought. He hung up, tossed the phone back to the table, then rolled over, pulling Olivia close to him. "If you weren't here, I'd go nuts. You know that, don't you?"
"You've told me that a lot in the past few days," Olivia said, nuzzling close to him.
"It's the truth," Elliot said. "I love you," he whispered to her as his eyes closed.
Olivia, holding him close to her, knew he meant it. "I love you, too, El," she whispered back. They drifted off to sleep, content, at least for the moment.
Awakening to the smell of frying bacon, Elliot rolled over, confused to find Olivia's side of the bed empty. "Liv?" he called. He got up, walking out into the kitchen. He found her standing in front of the stove, frying eggs and bacon, and mixing pancake batter. "What are you doing, woman?"
Olivia laughed. "Making breakfast," she said. "We have to be at work in an hour, the kids have school, and Maureen has been up since four, worrying about her favorite jeans not fitting. She's in the bathtub, now, calming down."
Elliot shook his head. "I don't know how you do it," he said. "This is coming so natural to you."
"What is?" Olivia asked, starting to make the pancakes.
Elliot raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Motherhood," he said.
Olivia turned and looked at him, momentarily forgetting about the food. "I'm not trying to be..."
"I want you to be," Elliot said, stepping forward. "That's what I was trying to tell you, to ask you last night." He brushed the hair off of her face and gave her his warmest smile. "Liv, in a few months, when things around here settle down, and we figure things out...I think we should..."
"I'm starving," Dickie said, running into the room. "Oh, that smells amazing, Liv!"
Kathleen, who followed her brother into the room, simply grunted. "Granola bar is fine," she said. "I have to be at school early to finish a project with Janine." She kissed her father on the cheek, then left.
"She's driving me crazy," Dickie said, rolling his eyes.
Elliot looked at his son. "How come when I really need you guys, you're never around, but when I absolutely don't want you interrupting me, you're right there?"
"We're your kids," Lizzie said. "We're supposed to be obnoxious like that."
Olivia chuckled, then turned to flip the pancakes. She looked back at Elliot and asked, "What were you trying to ask me?"
Elliot smiled sadly at her. He shook his head as he told her, "Never mind. I'm gonna go get dressed." He kissed her sweetly, then left the room as he silently cursed his children for having the worst timing in the world.
They walked into the squadroom, Elliot put a large plate of leftover pancakes near the coffee pot, and then turned to Cragen's office. He took a breath and knocked, opening the door when Cragen said, "Come in."
"Cap," Elliot said, taking another breath, "About last night..."
"Technically, it was this morning," Cragen interrupted. "And it's fine. I would have done the same thing, I know that, and I'm sorry for trying to force your hand. However, uh, if you and someone else in this unit have anything they would like to tell me, now would be the time."
"What are you talking about?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow.
Cragen cleared his throat. "You...and Olivia," he said. "You two are..."
"Partners," Elliot said. "Friends, Cap. She's important to me, yeah, but..."
Cragen rolled his eyes. "Elliot," he began. "I've tried to be subliminal with all of this, but when she called me, what was it?"
"A McBastard with cheese," Elliot said, snickering.
"Yeah," Cragen said with a curt nod, "And then she asked me what I would do if it were her you were...I knew that my suspicions were right. What is really going on between you two?"
Elliot ran a hand down his face. "Nothing," he said. "Nothing big yet, I mean, I've been trying...she's just helping me through this thing with Maureen."
"You love her," Cragen said. "Don't you?"
Elliot sighed and looked down. "Cap, I..."
"Because she loves you," Cragen said. "I see it every time she looks at you, and she's giving up a lot to be with you now. You know she left Dean because..."
"I know," Elliot said, looking up. "And it means everything to me that she did. We just...I don't know what's going on with us right now, and every time I try to talk about it, tell her that I want her to...one of the kids barges in and I can't say it, and then we're busy with work, and Maureen," he said. He paused and said, "I can't tell her."
"You have to," Cragen said. "You two can't work together unless you're on the same page, and you agree to keep in the hell out of work."
"Yeah," Elliot said, clearing his throat. "You're right. Hey, uh, did Fin and Munch..."
"No," Cragen said. "They don't know yet. None of the results were conclusive, and until they find Kathy, who, by the way, they can't find, the case is frozen."
"Frozen?" Elliot asked. "Cap, you can't just..."
"I know how to find her," Olivia said, from the doorway.
Elliot turned and Cragen stared. "Liv," Elliot said, taking in a breath. "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to know they can't find Kathy," Olivia said. She was there longer, but she wasn't going to tell him that. "I know someone who can," she said, folding her arms.
Elliot tilted his head. "Who?" he asked.
Olivia closed her eyes, exhaling. She opened them, looking at Elliot, and said, "Dean." She saw the look in Elliot's eyes, and she crooked her finger, calling him to her.
Elliot walked over, Olivia led him out of Cragen's office, and he said, "I don't want him involved in this."
"El, he can help," Olivia said. "I'm not gonna be alone with him. He'd be working with Fin and Munch. And what have you been trying to tell me that's so important?"
Elliot shook his head. "Liv, now isn't really the time...
"We aren't gonna get interrupted here," Olivia said. "It's obviously bothering you so why don't you just..."
"I want to have a baby, Liv," Elliot interrupted, starling himself and Olivia with the words. "I want to get married, and have kids. With you. Not right now, obviously, but..."
"Are you...are you serious?" Olivia asked, breathless.
Elliot nodded. "You said it yourself, when you thought about kids, you wanted me to be the one..."
"I know what I said," Olivia said, a smile spreading across her face. "You're serious. You want..."
"You," Elliot said. "I want you, Liv. All of you. And I just need to know if that's what you want. If you can tell me, right now, that it's what you want."
Olivia looked around, and satisfied no one was looking or listening, she kissed him quickly and said, "You know it is."
Relieved, Elliot said, "Good, so, uh, go call...him."
"He'll find her, El," Olivia said, walking away to make a phone call that would bring her past into her present, and perilously close to her future.
A/N: Does Dean help them? Does he try anything? More family moments, and a conversation with Maureen. And Elliot and Olivia finally get a moment alone. Want it? Let me know. Here or on Twitter: TMG212
