A/N: Wow. I haven't updated in what seems like a year. I feel terrible, but high school is pretty rough. And to top it off, EXAMS are this week. SHOOT ME! haha i hope you enjoy this chapter!

disclaimer: I don't own SVU or any of its characters.

Previous Chapter

"Olivia!" Rachel yelled, bursting through Elliot's door.

Olivia and Elliot both jumped out of their chairs. When they noticed it was just Rachel, they both sat down again.

"Rachel, seriously, you need to stop," Olivia said to her friend, who was breathing incredibly hard as if she had just run there. "This is really getting annoying."

"Liv, this isn't for the sake of you two," she said, catching your breath. "It's your mom."

Olivia's eyes widened, and the cup she was holding in her hand fell. "Wh-what happened to her?"

"Olivia," Rachel said slowly. "You're mom…you're mom was killed."

Chapter 13

"Wh-what?" Olivia asked slowly, standing up.

"You're mom. She died last night," Rachel replied.

Olivia shook her head. "How?"

"She fell down the subway stairs," Rachel told her sadly. "Liv, I'm so sor-"

"Don't be," Olivia interrupted. She slowly sat back down. "She didn't do anything for me when I lived with her."

Neither Elliot nor Rachel knew what to say. Olivia sat in the chair, thought sketched all over her face. Not one tear dropped down her cheek.

Elliot stayed quiet, waiting to see what Olivia's next move was. He watched her quietly, as did Rachel.

After a few minutes of quiet, Olivia looked back up at Rachel. "On the news, did they say anything about…about me? Did anyone mention me?"

Rachel shook her head, then swallowed. "Liv," she said slowly, "I don't…I don't think anyone knows you're gone. On the news, they said that you're mom had no children. They never mentioned you."

Olivia nodded, partial relief spreading through her body. If they didn't mention her, that means no one was looking for her.

Olivia stood up, quickly followed by Elliot. "Liv," he stated calmly, "everything's gonna be okay."

Olivia shook her head. "El, I'm fine. I just…I just need some air." She quickly walked out the door.

Elliot quickly attempted to go after her, but Rachel stopped him. "Let her go, El. She needs time to herself."

Elliot thought for a moment, then nodded. "You're right."

Rachel sat next to him. She watched as he looked down at his lap, his face etched with pain. Olivia's pain.

"You really love her, don't you?" Rachel asked him.

Elliot looked at his girlfriend's best friend and nodded. "More than anything in the entire world."

Rachel touched his knee and nodded. "I can tell she means the world to you, Elliot. And believe me. She thinks the exact same thing about you."

Elliot nodded, then looked up at Rachel. Rachel noticed tears in his eyes.

"El, what's wrong?" she asked, frowning.

He shook his head, then put his head in his hands, mumbling something.

Rachel shook her head. "Elliot, I can't understand you."

He looked up, a tear slowly gliding down his cheek. "I have to go back," he stated quietly.

Rachel's frown deepened as she tried to figure out what he was talking about. "Back? Back where?"

Elliot watched as Rachel suddenly figured it out, her confused frown turning into one of sadness. "The Marines," she whispered.

Elliot nodded, standing up. He disappeared into another room then came back out, this time with an envelope in his hand. He placed it in front of Rachel on the table, motioning for her to read it as he sat back down in the seat.

Rachel picked up the envelope, which had the U.S. Marines logo on the front, and opened it, retrieving the paper inside. On the paper was a typed message. She slowly read it.

Elliot Stabler,

The time of your absence has come to an end. You are to report back to Iraq next month. If you do not, we will send officials to retrieve you. Thank you for continuing to serve with the U.S. Marines.

Master Sergeant Ricardo

Rachel shook her head. "When did you get this?"

"This morning," Elliot replied. "When Liv was in the shower. It came in the mail."

"B-but why? Why do you need to go back?" Rachel asked, suddenly getting angry. "Do they need you that bad? If they could handle not having you there for this long, they can certainly handle not having you there at all!"

Elliot shook his head. "Rachel, it's not that easy. I signed up to be in the Marines for a certain number of years and I have to serve the country for however long I signed up for. It's not their fault." He paused. "It's mine."

Rachel thought about this for a minute, then nodded. She completely understood. Her brother had been there for what seemed like an eternity. She hadn't seen him in years.

Elliot shook his head, which brought her out of the trance. "I can't leave her," Elliot stated, standing up and pacing. "I just can't, Rach."

Rachel watched him, trying to think of the right thing to say. "El, she'll completely understand though."

"No," Elliot said to her. "She won't. I need to be there by next month. Next month!"

Rachel thought for a minute. "El, why don't you-"

"We had sex last night Rachel." He stopped pacing and looked at her. "For the first time. And she told me she loved me. How could I leave her after that?"

Rachel looked at him. "El, you need to-"

"Do NOT tell me to calm down, Rachel," he stated, starting to pace again. "I can't calm down. This is not a good time for me to calm down. I can't just leave her after last night. What am I supposed to say to her? How am I going to tell her? Rachel I don't know what to-"

Rachel stood up and made her way to him, stopping him in his tracks. "Elliot," she said harshly, grabbing his shoulders. "You need. To calm. Down."

Elliot paused and let out a breath. Slowly, he managed to calm down enough to sit back in his chair, his face going back into his hands.

Rachel followed him and sat down next to him. "Elliot, listen to me."

He brought his head back up, his eyes lined with tears once again.

"Elliot," Rachel began. "Olivia loves you. She loves you more than you could imagine. And if I know Olivia, I know that she would never get mad at you for leaving. Sure, she'll be sad. Of course she will! But how could she get mad at you for serving our country? You should hear all the times she brags to the people at the bar about you. About her boyfriend who 'bravely serves in the Marines'. There's not a day that goes by when she doesn't thank God for giving you to her. Of course she'll be sad. But she'll know the good that you're doing for this country…for her! I'll still be here for her. It's not like you'll be leaving her completely alone. She still has me, and all of the workers at the bar who adore her. She won't feel alone. And sure, she'll miss you. She'll miss you so much. But you guys have so many ways to keep in touch."

She paused, catching her breath.

Elliot thought about what she said, and nodded his head slowly. "You know, you're right. I'm sorry."

Rachel shook her head. "Don't be. I can completely understand your pain, Elliot. When John left, I cried every night and day for a week. But I know he thinks about me and whenever I get a letter from him, I know he's safe. I promise you that I'll watch over Olivia until you get back."

Elliot wiped a tear on his cheek. "Promise?"

Rachel nodded. "Promise."

Elliot nodded, then stood up. Rachel did too, and Elliot enveloped her in his arms. "Thanks, Rach," he said quietly.

Rachel nodded. "It's what I'm here for," she replied.

He let go of her and sat down just as Olivia walked back in the door.

Rachel saw her and immediately ran towards her. "Are you okay?" she asked her friend, hugging her tightly.

Olivia nodded. "You know what, yeah. I am," Olivia said, hugging Rachel back. "I was thinking about it, and I realized that there's no point in missing her. She never did anything for me. My past life is nothing now. I have you and Elliot, and that's all I ever really need."

Rachel nodded, but Olivia noticed the sadness in her eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked her friend, frowning.

Rachel shook her head. "Nothing," she replied, feigning a smile.

Olivia's frown grew. "Rach, there's something wrong." She looked at Elliot, whose face also showed sadness. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

Elliot stood up and walked towards his girlfriend, immediately surrounding her in his hug. "I love you so much," he told her.

Olivia's frowned stayed glued to her face, but she hugged him back. "I love you too, El." She pulled away. "But can you please tell me what's going on?"

Rachel looked at Elliot, who swallowed deeply. "Liv, this is really hard for me to tell you."

"What?" Olivia asked quickly. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Elliot nodded. "I'm fine."

"Then what's wrong?"

Elliot looked at his girlfriend's pleading face. Sighing and attempting to hold back tears, he told her.

"I need to go back to Iraq."

A/N: I don't know about you guys, but if my boyfriend told me that, i'd ball my eyes out. thank you so much for staying with me on this story. And thanks for the wonderful reviews i'm getting! I'm not kidding, it's you guys who keep me going. Thanks for reviewing!