Summary: Eli had a sinking feeling in his gut because this…this…looked eerily similar to the early days of his Dad's PTSD. Post Trick-Rolled and An Inferior Product.

(Eli's POV on the impact of Liv's revelation on Sketch in Lost and Found). Second in a three-story arc.

Characters: Olivia Benson, Jet Slootmaekers, Eli Stabler, original characters, mentions of Maureen Stabler, her husband Carl, and Elliot Stabler

A/N: This is the second in a three-story arc, so you should read the story before this one to understand what is going on.

Mentions intervention scene and Eli moving out to live with Maureen as that was the original plan after the attempted kidnapping. But this was never stated directly because Elliot just mentioned him living with his sister.

Reference to Liv convincing Elliot to get help is based upon she noted he "looked better" in An Inferior Product which was after the garage scene in Trick-Rolled. I addressed this in Part 7 of series entitled "Falling Apart".

In what has become his daily routine (except on Sundays of course), Eli waved to Carl after being dropped off in front of the Queens Public Library at Glen Oaks just as it opened. Stepping through the glass door, he paused in the doorway and waited for his brother-in-law to pull away before exiting the building and beginning his trek to the subway for the almost 1.5 hour commute to the Corner.

Moving in with Mo after the intervention disaster had been an adjustment. After having the freedom to come and go as he pleased while living with his dad, it'd taken him a bit to come up with the means to get out from under Mo's constant, hovering presence, so he could still hang out with Sketch and Blaze. The yelling, screeching, and running around of the twins had been the perfect excuse for him to beg to be allowed to go study at the library. After discussing it with his dad regarding the risk, he'd been allowed to do so only if he kept his phone on, agreed to be driven there by Carl, and stayed in the library at all times.

Of course, he eagerly agreed, keeping his fingers mentally crossed behind his back. After all, what he actually did between the time he was dropped off and picked up…well…that was no one's business but his own, right? It'd been working out fine until Sketch called to explain that he and Blaze wouldn't be able to get to Queens much right now because they needed to pick up work to help Paco repay a debt he suddenly owed to Father Miguel for covering the balance of his rehab bill.

So if they couldn't make the trek to see him, he figured he'd go to them. The juggling of timing was a pain in the ass, especially given the library's weird hours, but he figured it was worth it if he wanted to spend time with his friends. Besides, he figured that he was still within the confines of the rules given that he was always with Sketch, Blaze, and/or the other people at the Corner, and the Corner was just as good a place as any to get his school work done…in fact better if Sketch was around to help him.

Worry about Sketch had begun to eat him, as he'd noticed his bloodshot eyes becoming increasingly underscored by purple bruises and his friend's clothes starting to fit looser. Eli had a sinking feeling in his gut because this…this…looked eerily similar to the early days of his dad's PTSD. If the Crew didn't figure out what was causing this and get Sketch help soon, Eli worried that they very well could see their genius of a friend crash and burn, possibly never to be the same again.

Just before he went down the subway, his phone pinged with a group message from Jez. "Meeting about Sketch. Diner. 8pm tonight". It was as if she'd read his mind, and a sense of relief spread through him at the realization that the others had noticed as well.

"Can you make it earlier? Gotta be back in Queens by 8," he wrote back.

"5pm works better for me anyway. Got called in to cover for someone," Vinny chimed in. Multiple pings of agreements, and the plan was set.

Scanning the room for Sketch and Blaze when he got to the Corner, he shrugged when he didn't spot them and headed to the study room, figuring they might be tucked away in there. They weren't there either, but his eye spotted piles of sketches haphazardly strewn across Sketch's desk, which was odd given that his friend normally kept them in his book until they were sold or given away. In fact, it looked like the paper had bred overnight, as the piles seemed to have doubled since yesterday.

Heading over to take a look, he frowned as he found many not at all to his friend's exacting standards. Cityscapes that were once focused upon trying to show the beauty of the city had become darker, gringier, more edgy. Landscapes that once depicted New York life during good weather were now barren park scenes, and the reflections of buildings and blue skies in bright waterfront city views now were muted by overcast and even gray clouds.

"Eli," Father Miguel said, surprised. "The boys are at the dance studio, double-checking the size of the space for the piece Sketch has been commissioned to do."

"That's right. I forgot that was today," he responded, extremely happy that Sketch was getting new business, "Where is it? Maybe I can help?"

The father looked at his watch. "Oh, don't bother heading over there; they're on their way back. They had to do it before one of the classes started."

Looking down at the drawing in his hand, Eli said, relieved, "I know he's a bit stressed trying to pay you back, so I'm glad that he's getting some stuff lined up."

Father Miguel took the sketch out of his hand with a frown. "Business has been picking up; seems like word's got out somehow. But I'm not so sure that this is just about the debt," he quietly confided, a look of concerned worry coming over his face as he waved the drawing in the air.

"What do you mean?" Eli asked, disquieted by the admission. The dread that had been building within began spread.

A contemplative look came across the father's face as if he was weighing his words carefully. "Something happened, and now he's more quiet, locking himself away in here more often. And if Blaze's sudden out of control behavior is an indication, he's worried too."

Eli nodded, absorbing what he'd just been told before looking back at the kind man in front of him. "There's a meeting about Sketch tonight; I'm pretty sure it's about this." Dropping a hand on the father's arm, he aimed for reassurance despite the worry burning its way through his stomach like acid. "We've got this, Father."

After spending some quality time with the guys getting some of his school work done and helping get things ready for Sketch's upcoming art project, Eli made his way to the diner. Stepping through the door, he marveled at the fact that this was the first place he'd met Sketch and Blaze. Was it only a few months ago? It'd felt like he'd known them all forever.

"Wally, you want your usual?" Krissy asked as she passed by with plates of food.

Heading towards their usual table, he called over his shoulder, "Yes, please." His stomach rumbled at the thought of a reuben sandwich, fries, and the daily pie special.

Rounding the corner, he spotted Blaze, Jez, Paco, and Vinny, each in a different phase of making their way through their food. "'Sup, guys?" he said, greeting each with a fist bump before squeezing in beside Blaze.

Jez put her food down and bluntly stated, "Something's up with D."

Eli blinked at her for a moment, wondering if there would be any further observations or insights coming. But no. That was it. Nothing else. "Yeah, Father Miguel said the same thing to me earlier."

Blaze buzzed with agitation before he blurted out, "He's ain't sleeping that's for damn sure. He barely eats. He ain't playin' with the kids. All's he does is draw and go out to get more stuff to draw. I can't tell you how many times we've been out wandering streets at night cuz he claims to need night pictures. How the hell can he see with just a headlamp I don't know." He huffed out a breath, tired, bloodshot eyes gleaming with concern. "He's like a machine." His fingers began shredding the napkin in his hand, and Eli could feel his leg bouncing restlessly. "What the fuck we gonna do? We gotta fix 'im."

Ever the cop, Vinny began to treat it like a police investigation. "Anyone know what caused it?"

Paco glanced down at the table with shame, his thumbnail picking at the black nail polish on his pinky finger. "It's my debt, I know it is."

Eli shook his head. "I don't think so. Father Miguel wouldn't be such a hardass about how much we pay back when. I think there's something else going on, and he does too."

Paco looked up, frustrated. "But what else could it be?"

Vinny looked around. "Anyone got any idea?"

Everyone looked at one another, thinking about it. "It started after we worked with Captain Bensonon the cases of Paco and Purple Magic," Jez noted pensively.

Eli sat there in shock as the light finally dawned. "You're Sloot," he whispered, remembering his father mentioning to Mo that he'd helped get a young, crack-shot female hacker onto his team.

"You're behind in the game, ace." She smirked before taking a bite of her food.

"You work with my dad," Eli muttered absently as he sat there and with that truth, came the knowledge that his dad had worked with Liv again. Yes, the recent changes he'd noticed in his father since that case made sense now. They were subtle like a piece that had been missing had clicked back into place, and that piece's name was Olivia Benson. There was a lightness now…a sense of peace…that had been missing, like a weight had been lifted off of his father's shoulders and equilibrium in his world had been restored.

At the same time, he'd noted a deeper level of sorrow and regret in his father's bearing too. When he'd asked about it, his father's eyes had watered a bit as he'd put a hand on Eli's shoulder, had cleared his throat, and had said in a husky voice, "Don't be a coward and cut yourself off from the people you love. Make an effort even if it's long-distance…even if it's painful. Be present for them. Be there for them. So they can lean on you whatever may come."

The gains in his father's mental health seemed to be a combination of Liv and not having him underfoot all the time, the latter reinforced how much of a burden worrying about him must be. Maybe I should just live with Mo permanently then, he fretted, a feeling of despair filling him. He'd be willing to do it to prevent any hardship upon his father…anything to prevent him from sliding backwards.

Vinny's excited voice penetrated his thoughts. "Hold up, you're related to Stabler…like Elliot Stabler of Benson and Stabler?" He said it was like peanut butter and jelly…a natural pairing that always went together. Sure, they were each okay on their own but put them together, and you've got an unstoppable combination. It was something that he'd heard before, and after seeing the connection between them for himself, including the fact that she was the only one with the magic words to get his father to accept help, he knew that it was true. The return of Liv to his father..to them..was just another positive in the "move back to NY" list.

Eli eyed him with concern at how much he was fanboying right now. "Umm…yeah…"

"Oh, man! That's so cool! They're the reason I became a cop."

Vinny then squinted and stared at Jez. "And you! You work with Stabler? AND you're saying that…that…Benson and Stabler worked together again, and you got to work with them?"

Jez shot him a knowing look and nodded with a self-satisfied look on her face.

He threw a fry at her. "Why didn't you tell me? That must've been so cool. I'd heard on the rumor mill that they might've partnered up again on a case." He rolled his eyes. "But I never believe what I hear about the two of them." He picked up another fry and pointed at her with it. "You and me, we're gonna talk about this level of betrayal."

Krissy shot her boyfriend an exasperated look. "Getting back to Sketch. Blaze, did anything strange happen during the time of the investigation?" she probed.

Blaze stared down at the plate of food he was picking at, lost in thought. "After the trial, he went out to some park that he was excited about checking out cuz he'd never been there b'fore. I couldn't go with 'im cuz I had to work. When he came back, he was quiet, different. Eyes all red and puffy like he'd been cryin', ya know?" He glanced up, and everyone nodded, though they all seemed perturbed at the idea of their normally stoic friend being so emotional. "I tried to get 'im to talk to me, but he just shut me down." Looking down again, he whispered, sadness bleeding through every word, "Shut me out." A lost puppy dog look came over his face. "He's never done that b'fore."

Krissy threw in, "Whatever it is, I can't get him to talk about it. Every time I try, a black cloud comes over him, and he snaps at me before stalking off." Knowing the level of love and respect Sketch had for this woman, this was a shocking revelation.

"I tried too," Jez said, "Same thing." And that's two-for-two.

All of these out of character revelations caused alarm to spread throughout the group like wildfire.

"What can we do?" Paco asked as his teeth nervously mouthing his mouth ring. "Maybe he just needs to work through it?"

Everyone looked at one another, and the table went quiet.

"Anyone going to help with the art project on Saturday?" Vinny asked.

Jez groaned, "I have to work."

"I'm on shift, and Vinny is too. What about you guys?" Krissy asked, turning towards Blaze, Eli, and Paco who all nodded to indicate they were going.

Vinny leaned forward and suggested, "Try to get him to eat and drink something other than coffee. Maybe we can try to get Father Miguel to talk to him or help find someone else he'd be willing to talk to."

Sounds like an intervention, Eli thought with dread, his mind casting back to the complete and utter failure of the one they'd tried to hold for his dad. He had a feeling this would be equally successful, but he didn't want to say anything and dash the hope that now gleamed on everyone's faces.

That Saturday, Eli was relieved that the art project seemed to be going well. Sketch had created a paint-by-numbers-like activity for the young dance students to feel a bit of ownership over the four-panel piece. Since more gaps than anticipated remained due to the fact that some registered participants never showed, the arrival of the last group was going to be the key to getting it done today.

Spotting a movement out of his eye, Eli glanced up from his station to watch in concern as Sketch headed for the coffee station that had been set-up for what seemed like his millionth cup of the tar they called coffee. He'd yet to see his friend touch any of Sandy's much-sought after baked goods that were laid out for the taking. That alone confirmed that they all had cause for worry.

At the sound of the Corner's door opening, Eli turned his head and blinked a few times when he saw Liv walk in with a hand on the shoulder of a young boy with curly hair.

"Liv?" he called with surprise as he got up from his assigned station to greet them. Seeing her here…in this place that for so long had been exclusively his…an oasis from the loneliness, loss, and hovering protection of his family…was discombobulating. In his mind, he felt the reverberations as the carefully constructed wall between his two worlds…his two families…was suddenly and irrevocably obliterated by the presence of this woman and her young son in this space.

Her chocolate brown eyes stared at him in shock. "Eli? What are you doing here?"

Gulping hard, he rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms on the thighs of his jeans. Shit. He really should've thought before he said anything. His dad and Mo were going to find out and he'd never be allowed to leave the house again. Shit. Shit Shit. His breath picked up a bit, and his heart began to pound. He'd just ruined everything. His mind scrambled to find an excuse that might pacify her, leading him to mumble lamely, "Umm…Heard about it at Mass so thought I'd help out." He just prayed that the half-truth didn't come back to bite him later.

"Mom?" A little voice questioned, and Eli looked down stunned to find himself looking into blue eyes that could've been in the face of any of his siblings. Shooting Liv a surprised look, she shook her head slightly. He scrutinized her face for deception and found only the light of truth.

Giving her a nod of acceptance, he crouched down and stuck his hand out. "I'm Eli. Our parents are friends."

Reaching out to shake Eli's hand, he said in a very adult way, "I'm Noah Porter Benson. Nice to meet you."

Pretending to scrutinize the lithe, little body in front of me, Eli teased, "Let me guess…you're an astronaut."

Noah giggled and shook his head, curly hair bouncing.

"No?" Eli pretended to think hard. "Umm…a firefighter?"

"No, I'm a dancer!" Noah announced with a laugh.

"Ah, okay, then you're in the right place," Eli said dramatically, "Come with me, Mr. Benson. I'm going to introduce you to a friend of mine. His name is Sketch."

At the sound of Liv's breath catching, he shot her a look and noticed her gaze focused upon someone on the other side of the room. Following her line of sight, he found her eyes glued on Sketch who was kneeling next to a very determined little girl painting with her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth. When the little girl shot the teen a grin, the exhausted look on his face was temporarily eased by a small smile before he patted her on the head and went to check on the progress of the panels at the other stations.

Blue eyes gleamed with excitement. "Sketch is here?" The little boy began to look around before landing on his friend.

"Sketch!" He called, causing the teen's head to shoot up. With a small smile, he was about to wave him over until he noticed Liv's hand on the little boy's shoulder. A shuttered look came over his face for a second before he resumed his rounds.

Eli looked between the two of them in confusion, noting the flash of disappointment on Liv's face. From all that he'd heard from Jez, Paco, and Blaze, he'd thought Liv and Sketch had gotten along well during Paco's case, so what the hell was that? Could Liv be related to what was wrong with Sketch?

Liv glanced down at Noah in curiosity. "You know him?"

Noah tilted his head back until his chin rested on her stomach. "Yeah, he's the artist that came to fix the recital backdrop after the other guy got sick, 'member?"

Liv nodded, a hand absently running through his curls. "That's right. A local priest referred someone to Miss Allison."

Eli chimed in, "That was Father Miguel. He'd heard about it through the church grapevine and recommended Sketch. It's how he landed this gig."

Noah bounced a bit as he shared, "Sketch is cool! He hung out with me a few times when I was waiting for Lucy. Get this. Get this. I had to teach him what Tik Tok is so I could show him the coolest dancing videos. Can you believe that?!" He acted like it was the most scandalous thing that could ever happen.

Eli smiled. Sounded like Sketch. He probably didn't care a lick about the dancing videos but was willing to put up with them just to keep this little boy from feeling lonely while waiting to be picked up.

Puppy dog blue eyes stared intently into chocolate brown. "So, can I go now? Puh-leeze."

Despite a slight hesitation, she ran a hand through his curly hair and agreed in a low voice, "Okay, sweet boy. Give me your coat and then go ahead and head over with Eli."

Stripping off his jacket, Noah looked about ready to jet off, but Eli grabbed his shoulder. "Slow your roll, my friend. Sketch gave me the job of walking today's young artists to their stations, so please let me do my job." With a fake pout, Eli held out his hand. "Don't make me get into trouble."

With a big smile, Noah put his hand in Eli's hand, and Eli laughed as he allowed himself to be pulled towards where Sketch stood, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I didn't know you were gonna be here!" Noah declared excitedly, his blue eyes alight with affection and joy. "That's so cool!"

"Hey, little man," Sketch said with a small smile and a fist bump. Knowing his friend, Eli could read the effort he was making to seem happy rather than exhausted. "Yup, this is my project. Ready to get painting?"

Noah nodded eagerly.

"Okay," Sketch surveyed the work stations, finding an empty spot. "Follow me." As they turned away, Eli watched as his friend set aside his fatigue to listen to the little boy's chatter and gently walked this little boy through his task for a day.

Casting a look back at the door, he saw Father Miguel meeting Liv and the other newly arrived parents standing by the door, and as Eli approached, he found him telling them the story of how this place came to be. "Welcome to Sketch's Corner or as the kids call it the Corner. This facility is a center for children who are homeless or at the risk of homelessness; the volunteers here care for the kids while their parents try to find or work jobs. Feel free to join one of the groups or join me on a very short tour."

Intrigued by the father's spiel, Eli decided to follow along as most of this was new to him. Father Miguel began pointing out the study room, nursery, and other areas while saying, "Sketch," he pointed towards where Eli's friend's head was bent over Noah's curly one as he pointed to something on the canvas in front of them, "is the 16-year-old artist commissioned to do the piece through his company, Artistic Minds NYC."

That set off an impressed murmur in his small audience consisting of Liv and few of the other parents. He pointed to the mural on the Corner's wall. "That also was done by him, by the way. He was reluctant to have his name blazoned across the wall like that." With a twinkle of affection and mischief in his eyes, he grinned and said, "We sicced a few of the little ones on him, and he soon changed his mind. For a street kid, he's really a softie."

Eli snickered. "I'll tell 'im you said so, Father."

Sparkling brown eyes turned towards him, "And I'll tell him you abandoned your post."

"As Sketch would say, touché," Eli said, with a laugh.

Father Miguel turned towards the amused crowd. "Now, you may wonder why this place is named after him, and if you'll indulge me, I'll tell you a little story. A few years ago, I'd just finished a chess game in Central Park, and as I was about to leave, this scruffy homeless teen stopped in front of me to ask for a game. Within minutes, he'd beaten me and, during our rematch, had also started up another game with someone at the next table over. I mentioned to him that we had a food kitchen, and he stubbornly refused 'charity'. Thinking fast, I offered a trade, food for labor. At first he was suspicious, but after a few more games - each of which I lost by the way -, he agreed to come."

The elderly gentleman chuckled as he led them into another facility, one laid out with cots and blankets, "One day, when I walked into our homeless shelter for families, I saw Sketch sitting in that corner over there…" He pointed to an area free from foot traffic but with a clear line of sight across the room, "...with Brian, one of the shyest kids we had at the time. Sketch had pulled out paper from his own precious stash and had found a box of crayons somewhere to do what he's doing with your children now, coloring and creating."

Father Miguel led them through the various nonprofit spaces and the cafeteria. "The next day, a handful of children were waiting for him in the area of the shelter that became known as 'Sketch's Corner' to all the residents. Soon, paper, crayons, a stash of board games and playing cards began to appear. When we kept hearing from parents about child care being a barrier to getting work, we knew that this kind of place was needed. From that day forward, Sketch and his friends manned the Corner until we could get the funds to build this place."

The tour ended with their return to the main room, finding it filled with high pitched laughter and the din of children's voices. Eli noted that Paco and Blaze continued to work with children still painting their pieces, while other volunteers monitored the kid playing with toys while waiting for their parents to return. "You're the last group, so please feel free to stay as long as you'd like."

The other adults thanked the Father and went to join their kids, leaving only Father Miguel, Eli and Liv to stand off on the sidelines.

"Is it worth it, Father?" Liv asked as she surveyed the room before her.

"What's that, Captain?" He asked, turning his attention to her.

Eli turned to see Liv's gaze fixated where Noah was enthusiastically telling Sketch a story about something. Sketch's gaze was amused, and he grabbed at the paint brush before it made a mess before nudging the small shoulder next to him. A peal of laughter erupted and came across the room, bringing a joyful smile to Liv's face; love glowing in her eyes as she watched the two of them interact. "The risk of not reporting the teens to the proper authorities."

Eli tensed wondering if Liv was actually going to turn in all his friends. Would she really do that? Would she break apart his little family?

Father Miguel turned toward her sharply, "You look at that boy and tell me. He's been on the streets for five years. Ran away from almost every placement. But here, he's out of the elements and is settled. He's so smart. Probably would've graduated early and be in college if things had gone in his favor. Now, he's trying to figure out his GED and helping to tutor the kids. Look at what he's doing. So much talent that he's sharing with so many, and the kids love 'im." Giving her a hard look, he demanded, "Why? You planning on turning us all in?"

She shook her head, her eyes gleaming with sincerity. "No, I'm not, but others may be tempted which could place your parish and other programs at risk."

A light fueled by indignation and determination flamed in his normally kind, gentle eyes. "He's worth it," Father Miguel replied furiously, "They're worth it."

"Yes, they are," she agreed with a smile.

Satisfied that the tension had eased, Eli moved to head back to his panel group but stopped when he heard Father Miguel say to Liv in a low voice, "Have you taken a good look at that boy? I don't know what you did, but you better fix it before it's too late."

Angry concern drove him to do it. That was the only explanation. There was no other. Maybe it was his father's words echoing in his head urging him to "be there" for those important to him. He didn't know, but whatever it was, it drove Eli to hurry around the corner, startling the two adults, and demand, "What'd you do to Sketch?"

"Eli…" she started, a flicker of guilt in her eyes.

"You did do something, didn't you," Eli breathed in disbelief, "I had a feeling, but I didn't wanna believe it." He glared at her, indignant on his friend's behalf. "What could you have possibly said to him that would lead him to stop sleeping and eating…to almost drive himself to the brink of a breakdown, huh? And why the hell would you do whatever you did to him after he helped your investigation?"

Eli ran a hand through his hair and dashed into the nearby door of the study room to grab a handful of the sketches laying there. "You know what? I don't care. You just better fix it…fix this." He said as he shoved the papers into her hand.

Flipping through the images in her hand, her mouth dropped open, a mournful sigh escaping from her lips. "I tried to tell him something, but the approach was all wrong."

Shooting a tremulous smile at the two people standing there glaring at her with ferocious concern, she promised, "Don't worry. I'll figure out how to fix this by the end of the day." With a determined nod, she headed off to join Noah's table, but as soon as she got there, Sketch popped up and moved on to another station, causing both Benson faces to fall.

At the end of the day, all panels were thankfully complete, and when Sketch put them all together, everyone who remained, including Liv, gasped at the shadows of dancing children and the name of the studio surrounded by bright colors. The clicks of camera phones were soon followed by the loud echo of a round of applause as people went up to scrutinize the final product.

Eli walked up to his friend and clapped him on his back. "It's awesome, dude!"

Sketch turned to him with a shrug and muttered, "Just hope the client likes it."

Liv turned to him with a hesitant grin, her hand on Noah's shoulder. "I just texted her a picture and…"

A loud ringing resounded throughout the room. Sketch dug out his cell phone and opened it. "Hello, Mrs. Michaels." At the name, the silence in the once noisy room became deafening. "I see…uh huh…okay. No problem."

Everyone in the room waited with bated breath for him to hang-up. When he was about to walk off, Eli nudged him and whispered, "Everyone's waiting, Sketch."

"What…" Startled bloodshot, amber eyes looked around to find everyone's gaze locked on him, even the kids. He shifted his feet uncomfortably and said, "Oh…umm…she liked it and asked us to hold it for a few days."

Liv chimed in, "She didn't just 'like it'. She 'loved it'. I believe the word of her text was 'are you freaking kidding me?!' with lots of heart emojis."

A brief look of confusion clouded Sketch's eyes. Eli huffed out a laugh at how lost his genius of a friend was when it came to technology and leaned in to whisper, "Emojis are icons for emotions in texting." His helpful mutter was covered by the loud cheer that went out from the crowd at Liv's announcement.

One-by-one, the parents came by to shake Sketch's hand before they herded their children towards the exit. Soon, there were just the volunteers, Liv, Noah, and the Crew members.

Sketch turned tired eyes to Eli and said, "I'm gonna need a minute."

"Head to my office," Father Miguel offered, "You'll have more privacy."

"Thanks, Padre," his friend muttered with a relieved smile and a small wave of his hand before turning towards the door. Each step seemed to be getting heavier and heavier the farther he got to making his exit.

Liv watched him with concern, and with a determined nod, she turned to Eli and asked, "Can you watch Noah for just a minute?"

Shock, pride, and affection ran through him at the realization that she trusted him with her precious boy, and turning to watch where Noah was showing off some of his dance moves, he gave her a small smile. "Of course."

With a relieved look, she turned to follow Sketch's shuffling march towards the Father's office which was located near the church's nave. As Eli watched her go, a spring of hope bubbled in his heart. Liv had somehow gotten through to his dad, so maybe she could do the same with Sketch. I guess only time will tell, he thought to himself as he went to join Noah.

A/N: The Queens Public Library at Glen Oaks does exist, and in my verse Maureen lives in their old house, the address of which I got off a fanpage on the internet.

Diner referenced is from Part 1 A Sliver of the Light from the Darkness.

Last part: Sketch and Liv talk, and Sketch meets Noah.