A/N: Your life is a reflection of how effectively you balance potential and kinetic energy.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the show or the characters, but, oh, how I wish I did.

March 31st, 7:00 AM

"Okay," Olivia closed her eyes, exhaled, and gently scratched the skin around her tattoo, avoiding direct contact. Then, blinking, she stared at Fin. "I haven't slept, I haven't had any real coffee, Novak pissed me off twice already since sunrise, so my brain isn't operating at full capacity. Explain it to me like I'm five."

Elliot chuckled, eyeing her adoringly. It was one of the million moments that made him fall in love with her all over again.

Fin inhaled and rubbed his eyes with balled fists. When he looked up, he tilted his head. "Match came back to three people," he looked at Elliot. "But those three people are all the same person."

"So he had to have popped in three different searches," Elliot said, squinting. "System would've spit out an error message or had multiple names listed for a single match if they were all in the same …"

"Way ahead of ya," Fin said, patting Elliot on the shoulder to shut him up. "Got a hint in the federal system, guess he's an agent. Doug Romano. In the state system, hump named Lionel Wallace," he handed Olivia three files, "And he popped in Missing Persons as Scott Solomon. It turns out, a woman in Iowa reported her husband missing four years ago. According to the database, three names, same DNA." When he looked back at Olivia, he could see the gears turning, and anticipating her next words, he held up a hand. "Already got Morales on all three names. Hopefully, he'll find out which name is legal and which two are…" he cringed, "Not so much."

"Maybe not," Olivia said, biting her lip. "The federal hit…" she looked at Elliot. "He wasn't in the employee database." She held out the file and turned toward Fin. "He was…"

"What the hell did I tell you?" Cragen barked, marching into the middle of the room. "Why am I getting angry phone calls from federal fuckwads, throwing hissy fits because the two of you ran a search on a protected witness?"

"Woah," Elliot furrowed his brows and crossed his arms. "We didn't run anyone through the system! We just got back from the hospital, the girl's gonna be okay, thanks for asking, and her father decked me when I asked him for a cheek swab!"

Cragen, still red-eyed and huffing, glared at him. "I told the two of you to stay off of this case, that you were not to be…"

"Cap," Fin interrupted, as calmly as he could, "The only search we ran was the DNA from under Blair Carlisle's fingernails. Munch is on Ryan's ass about the evidence from that pro hit; the scene was clean." He hummed, then took a good look at Cragen's face. "You sayin' these cases are related?"

Slapping his hands against his cheeks, Cragen grunted once and then ran his palms down the sides of his neck. "Shit, yeah," he exhaled and shook his head. "Lia and Al Antonaci were killed by the same person who...apparently...killed Blair Carlisle. And that person has now been tipped off that we're onto him, because the search you ran sent up a flare and his handler warned him." He snapped his head toward Olivia. "Before you ask, yeah, the feds know that one of their guys is in on it, and no, it's not Porter."

A scoff escaped, her lips twisted upward, and her forehead crinkled. "I wasn't even gonna ask if…" She was stunned when Cragen interrupted her again, and she shot Elliot an annoyed, curious look. Rolling her eyes, she let out a hard sigh and leaned back against the nearest desk, only half-listening to the lecture Cragen was giving Fin. As he eyes closed, she felt her pulse race, her lungs burn, her chest tighten.

Your partner back in New York - does he find you as annoying as I do?

Dean Porter's face blurred into Bartley's, Ibold's, and so many others whose names she couldn't remember. But she remembered the misogyny, the deceit, the corruption. The people who had crossed their fingers as they'd sworn to protect and serve only to turn around and hide behind their badge, use it to fuel their wrath, lust, and gluttony.

Hey, who's Elliot? You've been mumbling the name "Elliot" all night.

She heard Hope's voice, the still-present echo of the case that seemed to be a lifetime ago. A case that had ripped her away from everything that mattered, everyone she loved. If she had turned down the offer and told them to take someone else, then she would have been home when Elliot was waffling back and forth with his priest and a stack of divorce papers. She would have been there when Dickie broke his leg, and Kathleen pierced her own belly button. She would have been home and stopped it all from happening because she was always the one who stopped them from doing those stupid-teenager-type-things. Shit, and she wouldn't have been roped into going undercover again at that hellhole Sealview because she wouldn't have had the experience that made her the right person for the job.

Trust me. I've had a bad couple of weeks, here.

His tired eyes came to life in her memory, along with the gravel in his voice as he'd told her how he'd spent a month on the couch, calling her cell and leaving emotional voicemails, then begging Morales to delete them before she came home to listen to them.

"Hey," she heard his voice again, clearly and less grating, and her eyes opened. He was less than two inches in front of her, both of his hands on her shoulders. Inhaling deeply, she tried to smile as her fingers trembled in her lap. "I'm fine," she nodded at him. Looking into his eyes, she whispered, "Did Cragen…"

"No, you…" he inhaled deeply. "I wanted to snap you out of it before it got bad, but you wanna tell me what happened? You haven't had one of these in a couple of days, was it…"

"Forget it, I'm fine," she said more firmly, eyeing him in a way she hoped told him that she'd tell him everything as soon as Cragen wasn't around, as soon as she was in the only place that she felt safe: home. Wiping her palms on her knees, she bit her lip and sighed. That word had never meant much to her. Home had always been just a warm bed, especially in her youth. Life with her mother was a roller coaster, her college dorm was a place to stay between classes, and her apartment was merely where she slept when she wasn't at work. Now, she had a home. A home that held nothing but love. Elliot's kids, a kitchen that she and Elliot cooked, baked, and danced in almost every night, and a bed that has become the only place she'd ever slept with a man she loved, one who had her entire heart and soul in his hands.

With another deep breath, she looked up into Elliot's blue eyes and smiled. There she was. Home. Smiling at him, she straightened herself up and crossed her arms. "Did he say anything while I was…um…"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Elliot held up a hand and shook his head. He scratched his chin and said, "Told Fin to call some fed and straighten out this mess, told me to keep running the case because he wasn't about to kick another one up to the FBI, then told me he couldn't tell me anything else. He stormed into his office, mumbling something about my Uncle Finnegan." He chuckled and nudged her with his elbow. "Now that he's not around, wanna tell me what he said that knocked you for a loop?"

"He said…" she licked her lips and pulled on the hem of her shirt. Looking at it for a moment, she remembered the first time she wore it, how her mother said it made her look more like a history teacher than a cop. "Look, you know nothing happened between me and…"

"You were thinking about what happened in Oregon?" Elliot asked, his voice low, soft. "Because he mentioned Porter?" As he watched her nod, he chewed on the inside of his cheek. He'd heard about the smarmy agent as soon as Olivia got back, already didn't like him, and when they officially met six months later, dislike became loathing. Porter was selfish, arrogant, discompassionate, and only concerned with how to further his career. The fact that he had an infatuation with Olivia added fuel to the fire, but as Elliot smirked, he claimed a victory there. "You hate him almost as much as I do," he whispered to Olivia.

She rolled her eyes and laughed softly, her arms dropping and her hands falling. One palm landed on his right knee, the other on his left arm. "It's okay, all of that...is over. I'm home." Her eyes met his again, and she watched them glint and sparkle. "With you."

"Yeah, you are," he said warmly, placing his left hand over hers on his arm. "We, uh, we should call the hospital, see if any test results came back on our girl. You wanna do the honors?" He slipped his hand away, instantly missing the feel of her under his touch. He watched as she moved toward the phone on her desk, his eyes traveling up and down her body as though it was a scenic highway, taking in every curve, eying every tight muscle. Licking his lips, he tugged on his belt and tried to get his mind out of the deep gutter it had just fallen into. Suddenly, he felt his left hand tingle, his ring finger burn, and he knew exactly what it meant. Thinking about another man having feelings for Olivia made him sick to his stomach, and knowing that there was, at the moment, nothing tying her to him more permanently terrified him. Only half-listening to her conversation with the doctor, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and fired off three rapid text messages: one to his son, two to his oldest daughter.

"Someone," Tucker's unmistakable voice barked into the squadroom, "Tell me we can work this case without involving the federal assholes or getting ourselves shot by some Italian kingpin!" He turned as he fully entered the bullpen and glared at Elliot. "Cragen told me it wasn't you, this time."

"Nope," Elliot chirped with a smug attitude. "Wasn't Liv's either. So don't try to accuse me of having…"

"I'm not," Tucker interrupted, then crooked a finger and eyed Olivia carefully. In a much lower tone, he spoke to Elliot as if they were friends. "How's she doing? I know I never ask. I should…I should ask more, I know that."

"She's okay," Elliot nodded and shoved his sleeves up a bit higher. "Thanks." He looked over his shoulder at his partner, couldn't help smiling, and sighed. "She's doing great, actually." When he looked back at Tucker, he quirked a brow. "Why?" he asked accusatorily.

Tucker huffed and angled his eyes downward. "I'm concerned, ya fuck." He slapped Elliot in the arm and shook his head. "Now, uh, I'm not supposed to read you in on this until the feds find their mole, but I know you, and I know Benson." He held up a finger and stared at him for a long beat. "Your perp is not just a slippery son of a bitch, he's also got enough money to buy off anyone who's tried to keep him down in the last decade. He gave up his own brother to the feds. Not because he had a change of heart, not because he wanted to legitimize himself…"

"But because the entire empire would belong to him," Elliot interjected, sticking his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels.

Tucker nodded and then kept speaking. "When he went into WitPro, it was no secret where he went or who he'd become, and he ran his businesses like nothing had changed." He squinted slightly. "One of those businesses…"

"Trafficking," Elliot assumed, and when he watched Tucker nod, he closed his eyes and rubbed a hand down the front of his face. "Shit. That explains the branding on her arm."

"The mayor wants the two of you front and center on this, thank your good looks and charm and the fact that Munch reminds people of the damn Grim Reaper." He elbowed Elliot and said, "I can't give you more than that, man. Not yet. But once you get a twenty on this guy, you know you have to…"

Elliot let out a heavy huff as he held up a hand. "Press conference, I know, I know." From behind him, he heard a loud click and turned fast. "What'd they say?"

"Traces of Rohypnol in her system," Olivia said, and then she gave Elliot an apprehensive look. "Seven broken bones, torn ligaments in her shoulders, and rape kit came back positive." She blinked once. "Not a match to the sample from under her nails." She took a moment to breathe. "We're not just looking for Romano." She noticed Tucker, nodded once, then glanced back at Elliot. "He's got an accomplice."

"Wonderful," Elliot griped, but then he noticed Olivia's eyes widen slightly, and he turned to see what had startled her. His heart dropped into his stomach, and he tried to recall if he'd forgotten something, missed a message, or something. He swallowed hard, scratched a spot behind his ear, and said, "Hi, Kathy."

"I know, uh, this isn't a great time," Kathy said, trying to keep her focus on Elliot despite her desire to glare in Olivia's direction. She shrugged and offered a smile, swiped her hands down her pink top, and said, "I probably should have told you when I called, but I…"

Elliot grabbed Kathy's arm and pulled her into a corner, and as calmly as he could, he said, "Yeah, you should have told me, I would have saved you the flight. You flew all the way out here. Why?"

Kathy looked down, her gaze firm on his hand and the way it wrapped around her wrist. It wasn't tight, he wasn't angry, and she heard something new and unfamiliar in his voice, almost as if he was more concerned than irritated. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked at him. "I thought we should talk, face to face, before this whole thing between us is, um, finalized." She let out a hot breath. "I shouldn't have said...what I said to you on the phone yesterday." One of her hands dropped over his as the other picked at the fabric of her pants. "I wanted to blame her for all of it, ya know? But I can't. I know none of this was her fault. It wasn't intentional." She bit her lip again."You're realizing this a few years too late, Kath," he scoffed, peeling his hand out from under hers. "You're damn right, though, now why the hell are you…"

"And I didn't mean it when I told you that I thought you…" her words interrupted his, but then caught in her throat. Wavering slightly, she tried to smile. "You're an incredible father," she whispered, a cry in her voice. "You were always such a devoted father." She swatted at a tear before anyone else noticed it was rolling down her cheek. "Elliot," she said sharply, and then she closed her eyes. Her tongue darted out and ran over her lips, and she exhaled before blinking and looking at him again. "I didn't want to say this over the phone, okay? We owe each other enough to say goodbye...face to face." She reached one trembling hand into her purse and pulled out a thick, white envelope. "The kids' birth certificates and social security cards, Baptismal certificates and Communion records, um...Maureen and Kathleen's confirmation…"

"You took all of this to Seattle with you?" Elliot's eyes popped as he spat out the question. "Christ, what if something happened? What if I needed these?"

"I know, I know," she whispered with her eyes closed. "Also, um," she exhaled and opened her eyes. "Checks, made out to cash because I don't know if you and Olivia have a joint account yet, or…"

"We do," he cut her off, then pulled the small slips of paper out of the envelope. "What, exactly, are you paying us for?" He raised one brow, waiting for the vindictiveness to strike.

Kathy slung her bag over her shoulder again and exhaled, trying to calm herself down. She flicked her blonde bangs out of her eyes and said, "You took my name off of all the charge accounts, so this is...my share of the bills, I guess. While you were out saving the world, I singlehandedly kept Nardo's in business." She laughed and tried to smile. "I, uh, have some other accounts to close out, I have to get all of my records from my doctors and my dentist, so I'll be around for a while. I, uh, wanted to ask you if I could take the kids to dinner tonight, explain everything. I didn't really...God, I fucked everything up, didn't I?" She wiped her now streaming eyes, and she sniffled as she said, "I thought if I got as far away as possible, it would hurt less." She titled her head. "I was so wrong."

After he shoved everything back in the envelope, he slapped it against his thigh. "Yeah, but you had to do what felt right," he said. As he looked across the room, he caught sight of Olivia, wrapped in a conversation with Melinda Warner and two lab techs. "That's what we're doing," he said with a grin. He looked back at Kathy. "I don't have a problem with you taking the kids to dinner, but I'm not forcing them to go. I'll ask them when they get home from school, and if they don't want to see you," he shrugged and flatted his lips.

Kathy nodded. "Fair enough," she said, and then let out another loud and heavy sigh. "You look good. " Smiling, she added, "I haven't seen you this calm in a long time, either. You look...happy."

"I am happy," he said to her. "Very." He squeezed her shoulder as he said, "I hope you'll be happy out there, Kath. We both...God, we deserve to be fucking happy." He nudged her toward the door with a soft chuckle. "Thanks for this," he waved the envelope at her, and they shared a broken glance as she backed away. "Bye, Kathy," he whispered, the remnants of a life half-lived creeping up behind a curtain of emotion after all. He cleared his throat as soon as she left, and once he composed himself, he walked toward his desk. He opened a top drawer, tossed the envelope into it, and shut it as he said, "Okay, what'd I miss."

Warner turned to him, folded her arms, and said, "I just got a delivery. A woman was found in a loft uptown. She was brought in by Homicide, but as soon as I looked at the body, I knew I had to bring it to you."

Elliot eyed her curiously, then looked at Olivia. "Why?"

Olivia held out the photos that Warner had given her. "Woman had the same branded scar on her arm. But we have rock-solid DNA evidence, this time." she said, and then she clenched her jaw, gritted her teeth, and shook her head. "Because she was pregnant."

Elliot's nose twitched and his eyes burned. He looked toward one of the lab techs and pointed at him. "Run it, call me as soon as you get a hit." He grabbed the keys off of his desk and said, "Come on, Liv."

"Where are we going?" she asked, but she didn't hesitate at all in following him out of the room.

With a fire in his eyes, he said, "To find out what Tucker and Cragen aren't telling us."

A/N: A break in the case, and a night alone. Next?