Disclaimer: Dick Wolf owns Law and Order SVU and the characters. I only own this idea for the story and the new characters.

Chapter 25: The squad's pet

Hannah actually talked about school like a four year old after her first day. She told the entire squad about what she'd learned and showed her notebook to practically everyone in the building: the security guards, Melinda and everyone at the coffee machine. Until a very confused officer from Homicide showed up with Hannah, saying that he had no idea who this kid was, but apparently she was very happy with her notebook. Hannah stuck out her tongue at him as soon as he had turned his back. But the detectives at the Special Victims Unit wanted to hear all about her day. They gathered around her and listened and promised her not to tell Cragen she'd gotten into a fight with her teacher; she was scared he'd get mad at her.

Elliot could tell she was tired and he saw the same exhaustion in Olivia's eyes, therefor he offered to drive them home. Hannah was used to walking and Olivia sometimes did as well, but this was easier.

'I thought she'd never stop singing 'shut up and drive'.' Elliot said, as he walked with them up the stairs to Olivia's apartment. Hannah had already gone and ran ahead. They could hear her feet stomping up the steps above them.

'Can't believe I used to think that song was just about cars,' Olivia said, 'but I never really listened to the lyrics before…' She laughed at her own ignorance.

Upstairs Hannah had started singing again.

''…. Can you handle the curves,

Can you run all the lights.

If you can, baby boy,

Then we can go all night.

From zero to sixty,

In three point five.

Baby, you've got the keys,

Now shut up and drive!''

'Not just about cars I think…' Elliot said slowly. He looked at Olivia and laughed. 'Let's hope she doesn't know that.' But Olivia looked at him, obviously doubting that.

'I'm sorry if she annoys you. I know she can be a handful.' Olivia said.

'O, she doesn't,' Elliot said quickly, 'I just really hate that song. Kathleen used to sing that as well. All the time.'

Olivia opened the door and Hannah dropped her bag on the floor, feeling perfectly at home. Olivia did the same with her stuff. Elliot noticed this and suppressed a smile at the similarities between the two. The girl flopped down on Olivia's bed and opened her book.

'Do you want something to drink?' Olivia offered.

'I should go…' Elliot hesitated.

'To Kathy and the kids?' Olivia said.

'No, they're visiting Kathy's mother tonight.'

'Then, stay. Have a beer. You deserve it, after we solved that case in record time.' Olivia opened her fridge.

'Textbook.' Elliot said, as he took the bottle from her, 'Thanks.'

'What're you reading, kid?' He called out to Hannah.

'A book.'

'Don't get smart with me. What book?'

Hannah looked up: he wasn't angry. 'It's called 'Charlie and the chocolate factory'.'

'I used to read that to my kids.' Elliot said, smiling at the memory.

'Did you like it?' Hannah asked.

'Yeah!'

'I do, too. But this Willie Wonka person is really weird…' She continued reading.

'Has ACS come yet, for a checkup?' Elliot asked Olivia.

'No, not yet.' Olivia said, 'They said they'd come some time next week.'

'Hannah sleeps in your bed?'

'Yeah…' she sighed, 'she still gets nightmares every night.'

We all have those, Elliot thought. He still dreamt of his kids, buried under the floorboards and him unable to get to them in time. It was haunting. He knew Olivia had them, as well, but there was no point in making her uncomfortable by saying it out loud.

'She needs a bed of her own, Olivia. This social worker dislikes you and they will grab whatever reason they have to take her away from you. When they see Hannah hasn't even got her own bed, they'll say you're not taking care of her properly.'

Olivia rubbed her forehead. 'You're probably right. She'll have to start sleeping in her own bed sooner or later.'

'Just pretend she does, when ACS comes here. You'll be fine, Hannah's a good actor.' Elliot reassured her.

'Where did I put my beer?' Olivia looked around for it, 'Give me that!' she yelled, grabbing the bottle from Hannah's hands.

'I just wanna taste!'

'Don't even try that trick with the big eyes!' Olivia said, 'You're nine. That means no alcohol for at least another ten years.' Hannah looked angry and bored.

'Alcohol destroys your brain cells.' Elliot explained, sternly.

'Alcohol helps you sleep, that is all I know.' Hannah shouted.

'You don't need help with that, do you?' Olivia said, 'you always sleep in a second.'

'Only because your bed is so soft…' Hannah said, 'I meant outside.'

'But you're not sleeping outside tonight, sweetie.' Olivia said, kneeling down to her.

'We're not mad at you,' Elliot explained, also bending his knees, 'it's just that alcohol is really bad for kids and we want to protect you.'

'Okay.' Hannah said, softly.

'You want me to read to you?' Elliot asked her and Hannah nodded, with a smile forming on her face.

'Okay,' he smiled back, 'I just have to use the bathroom real quick.'

Olivia picked Hannah up and put her on the counter in the kitchen. Olivia looked at her and tucked a strand of hair behind the little girl's ear. 'You wanna hear a secret?' Olivia said to her, 'I'm actually nervous about going back to the principal tomorrow.'

'So am I!' Hannah said, 'I thought he was only scary to kids.'

'O, no. No, he still scares me.'

'Because you got send to the principal's office a lot as a kid?' she smirked.

'Of course not!' Olivia had a look of fake hurt on her face.

'Did you get send to the principal a lot, Elliot?' Hannah asked when he came back.

'Never.' He said with a straight face.

'You both suck at lying…' Hannah hopped off the counter and got her book.

The next morning, Hannah was ready for school an hour before Olivia had even opened her eyes. When she did, she saw Hannah sitting on the bed with her book, fully dressed with her backpack packed.

'Look at the little schoolgirl!' Olivia exclaimed, laughing. 'Are you ready to face the principal?'

Hannah looked up. 'You can hold my hand, that way you won't be scared.'

Maybe it was because Hannah was holding her hand, but the conversation with the principal went fine. He talked to Hannah for a little while about how they planned on helping her get into 4th grade and about how she should behave in school. Hannah nodded obediently at all the rules. Just wait until she has to actually follow them, Olivia thought. After that he wanted to talk to Olivia again and send Hannah off to class. The principal asked her about Hannah's background, but Olivia only told him what she said before: that Hannah came from a problematic background and that she'd never been to school before. She didn't want everyone to know Hannah's business; it could make her feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. He left it at that.

After school Hannah walked to the police building. It wasn't that far and Olivia hadn't found an after-school program yet for her to get into. Besides, she doubted Hannah would agree. With her red backpack bouncing on her back, Hannah strolled into the squadroom again that afternoon.

'What did you do all day?' she asked Olivia.

'Interviewed a lot of people.'

'Bad guys?' Hannah concluded.

'Victims, actually.' Olivia said.

'You need to be interrogating the bad guys.' Hannah said, thinking Olivia was doing it all wrong.

'The victims come here after they've been attacked. We have to write down everything that has happened to them.' Olivia explained.

'We'll get to the bad guys tomorrow.' Elliot promised.

'Good.' Hannah approved.

'Olivia, Elliot!' Cragen came walking out of his office. 'We got a call. A neighbor heard a couple fighting, the wife was screaming her head off, at 12, 45th street.'

'We're on it, Cap.'

Olivia looked at Hannah, but before she could open her mouth Hannah said, 'It's okay. I can read my book.' She really didn't mind.

'See, the perfect child for a police officer.' Cragen smiled. Elliot and Olivia quickly rushed out the door.

'How are you doing?' he asked Hannah. 'No fights in school today?'

She quickly shook her head, shocked for a second that he'd found out after all. 'No, and I did all my schoolwork, but now they gave me even more to do at home.' she seemed annoyed by that.

'It's called homework,' Fin said, 'and it never stops.'

'Not if you become a cop.' Cragen said, staring intently at Fin's mountain of paperwork. He quickly got back to work.

'Start on your homework.' He said to Hannah, 'and come to me if you don't understand or when you're done.'

'What do you have to do?' Fin asked her, after his Captain had left.

'Math.' Hannah sighed. 'And this thing about plants…' she showed Fin her book.

'Coloring these plants is your homework?' he called out, 'man, you're gonna miss this kind of homework when you get older…'

'I have to write down the names as well.'

Half way through her math she got bored and started tapping a rhythm on Olivia's desk with her pencil. Munch looked at her, as she'd started to hum a guitar riff to go with it.

'I know that song.' He said to her, after a while.

'No, you don't.' she laughed.

'How do you know?' Munch turned to face her.

'You're old!'

Munch looked over at Fin with a sigh, who had a big grin on his face. And he asked, 'What are the lyrics again?'

Hannah stopped humming and took on the role of lead singer, with the beat of her pencil still guiding her.

''Well, I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind,

I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time,

But I've watched the world float to the dark side of the moon,

I feel there's nothing I can do.'

'I do know that song! And it's about as old as I am, so the question should be: how do you know it?'

Hannah still didn't believe him and her eyes spoke volumes.

Munch sighed and said, quoting the next line.

''I really don't mind what happens now and then…''

Hannah's eyes lit up, and she finished the line for him.

''… as long as you'll be my friend at the end.''

'You do know it!'

Munch bend forward and glared at her from over glasses, 'Not so old after all, huh?'

'I have no idea what you two are talking about.' Fin shook his head.

Hannah laughed and then looked at Munch again. 'You're my friend, right?'

'Sure.' He nodded, with what looked like a tiny smile on his face.

The songs Hannah is singing are 'Shut up and drive' by Rihanna of course ;)

and 'kryptonite' by 3 Doors Down

Let me know if you're still with me reading this!