A/N: You've shown me the meaning of life (Meaning of Life - Kelly Clarkson)

DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©

November 20, 2007

"For the record," Trevor Langan began, pacing back and forth in front of the bench, "One more time, Detective Stabler, just so we're clear…" he turned on his heels and grinned at Elliot, folded his hands, and asked, "Did the defendant invoke his right to counsel before he confessed?"

"No," Elliot said firmly. "As my partner already testified, and as I have said twice now, Carpenter didn't ask for a lawyer until we told him we'd get him a public defender. He said he had a lawyer on retainer, wouldn't need one from the city." He looked over at the man, his jaw tightened and a vein in his neck popped out a bit. "He wrote down everything he did to those...innocent little kids...on his own."

Trevor frowned and let out a soft growl. "No further questions," he spat out, and he strolled back over to the long defense table, plopped into a seat, and shook his head. He knew as soon as he saw the names of the detectives on the case, he was fighting a losing battle. He eyed Alex, standing to cross examine, and sighed again. Not only was he losing miserably, he was losing to his wife.

"Where are Benson and Stabler?" The new captain looked around the packed squad room, checked his watch, and then shoved his hands into his pockets. "They can't still be in court, that case was a slam dunk."

Fin hung up the phone and spat out, "Parent-teacher conference," before immediately picking up the ringing phone again. "Special Vic...what?" He grabbed a pen and started scrawling something down on a page in his notebook. "Thanks."

Munch looked at him quizzically, laid his hands on his desk, and asked, "Something you wanna tell us?"

Licking his lips, Fin tore the page out and handed it to Munch. "Gang Squad ID'd the tattoo on our vic's hand. Group of girls outta the Bronx, calls themselves the Red Queens." He looked over at his new boss, Thomas O'Hara, and raised an eyebrow. The man had been on the job less than a month and was already pissing off everyone in the unit. "Brooklyn SVU has another girl in their morgue, same tat."

"We thinking retaliation? A gang war, of some kind?" O'Hara scratched his head and bit his lip. "Rival gang's initiation?"

Fin shrugged and said, "No idea. But, uh, we're waiting' for a CI to call with a lead."

O'Hara smacked one palm against the side of his head and complained, "Not what I thought it was gonna be." He turned and headed into his office, leaving the door open.

Fin shot a look at Munch and said, "When the hell is Cragen coming back?"

"No idea," Munch replied. "Said he needed to take time off to handle personal shit. I do know one thing: O'Hara isn't gonna last much longer around here."

Fin glanced at the open office door and narrowed his eyes. He hoped Munch was right.

"I'm trying," Kathy said, flicking a cigarette as she stood on the porch of her parents' house. "I know I screwed up, my entire life is a mess, I know, I don't need you yelling at me like I'm a child!"

Her father shook his head and dragged a hand down his face. "I'm not yelling at you, I am just...concerned. Joe's new lady has spent more time with your kids than you have. They're getting attached to her, and you're not making any attempt to get your family back or to move on." He looked out at his car, seeing his wife in the passenger seat, and he said, "We're staying with Elliot and Olivia for the holiday. Please, consider coming to Thanks…"

"No," Kathy said firmly. "I'm only gonna be in the way." She took a drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke out of the corner of her mouth. "I don't really have too much to be thankful for, now, do I? But you…" she waved a hand at him. "You go right ahead and spend the holiday with the person who is responsible for the pile of shit I am sitting in right now."

"Kathy," her father sighed. "Liv didn't do anything, neither did Elliot. The only one to blame for the mess you've made is yourself. Use this time alone to...find a job, date, and get your life together." He walked down the steps and got behind the wheel of his station wagon, heading it to Queens to spend Thanksgiving weekend with the rest of his family, hoping his daughter would come to her senses before the turkey hit the table.

"What the hell did we miss?" Elliot tossed his jacket over the back of his chair and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt as he walked further into the bustling squadroom.

Olivia crosses her arms and eyed Cassidy. "What's going on?"

"We stepped on a land mine," Brian said with a huff. "Our girl is a banger, and since we figured that out we got word that four other members of her crew were raped and killed, dumped between here, Brooklyn, and the Bronx."

"Shit," Elliot hissed, running two fingers along his forehead. "We gotta kick this over to the Gang Squad or Major Case," he said sternly. "This isn't clear cut Special…"

"I think I get to decide who we kick what over to," O'Hara cracked, nodding at Olivia and Elliot. "All go well with the kindee-garden teacher?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, apparently the twins are little geniuses," she said. "They're reading above grade level, they're counting higher than the other kids, and they're excellent little nappers." She shot Elliot a look and her eyes fell. She was grateful that O'Hara was making an effort, but it wasn't the same as it would've been if it was Cragen.

Elliot nodded, understanding her, and he looked over at the captain. "I know you think we need to handle this because the girls were sexually assaulted, but if they're all members of the same gang, we have to assume it's…"

O'Hara held up a hand. "Assume nothing, this is our case, our glory," he commanded. He looked at Cassidy, Fin, Munch, and then turned back to Olivia and Elliot. "Our case."

"We aren't equipped to handle gang wars," Olivia said, her fingers drumming along her arms. "We don't have the intel or the street cops to investigate this as closely as we would…"

"You will do what you have to do to work this case," O'Hara barked, "Or you can't be in this unit!"

"Are you threatening my detectives, O'Hara?" An angry voice from the doorway broke into the harsh admonishing.

Olivia and Elliot turned, their faces lighting up as their eyes took in the sight of Ed Tucker and Don Cragen, wearing matching pissed-off expressions. "Dad?" Elliot whispered on a soft breath.

Cragen stepped further into the center of the room, his piercing gaze set at O'Hara. "You would risk their safety, willingly send them into a situation they don't have the training or arsenal to handle, just so you could be the man at the helm of taking the bastards off the streets?" He sneered and shook his head. "Not on my watch."

"You're back?" Munch asked, hopeful.

Cragen nodded but still glared at O'Hara. "I'm back."

Cassidy slapped Elliot's back with a relieved slump, and then peeled up as he asked, "So where the hell were you?"

Cragen turned to him, then gave a slight nod at Tucker before looking in Elliot's eyes. "On my honeymoon."

A/N: we knew he wouldn't be gone forever, right? But how do things go on Thanksgiving?