AN: Aww, thanks for such sweet reviews once again, you guys! I feel so loved! Here is the long-awaited next chapter. Sorry it took me so long- INSANE writer's block! And homework, and life in general have made it hard!

Okay, I've come to a conclusion. This story is NOT going to be E/O, but I WILL write one soon! For those of you who were hoping for it, please keep reading and try not to hate me.There was some negative reactions to it, a lot ofpeople told me to go with my gut, and in this, I really just want to keep them as friends,and, well something happens in this chapter that sort ofprevents it from happening. Someof you cough cough will hate me for. Others will probably like it.

I know they aren't the exact ages of Elliot's children, but I decided to make the twins 12, Kathleen 16 and Maureen 21. I think that's pretty close…

Elliot sighed as he pulled into the driveway to pick up his children. He missed them. He missed Kathy. He missed having a home instead of a house. Walking up to the door, he braced himself for the worst, but Kathy answered before he could knock, smiling, which took Elliot by surprise.

"Hi, Elliot." She said.

"Hey Kathy."

"I was just watching the news. I heard about the case. It's terrible. I'm sorry. Is there anything I could do?"

"Pray." Elliot said, joking more than commenting.

Kathy didn't see the humor.

"I did pray. For you. For the case. For those children. Right after I confessed something to Father Matthew. Do you have a minute to talk, Ell?"

"Sure." He said, trying to keep his cool.

He walked into the living room, bracing himself, again for the worst. But he never would have thought Kathy would say what she said next.

"Elliot…I want to give our marriage another shot."

Elliot blinked, staring.

"Excuse me? Did I just hallucinate?"

Kathy laughed.

"No, Ell. I want to try again. Look, I watch the news. I read. I've walked around this city. I've seen the horror. And I can understand why you wouldn't want to tell me what goes on at work, but…I'm your wife. You have to tell me at least some of it. You can't keep me completely out of your life. You were wrong to not tell me," She said, taking a deep breath before she said, "But I was wrong to expect everything I did from you. I expected you to be a perfect husband; a perfect father to our children when I'm not a perfect wife or a perfect mother. And I don't have to work as much as you do. So…will you…I want to go home. Will you let me?"

Elliot felt joy flood him.

"Yes."

Kathy burst into a smile. She and Elliot kissed before Kathy turned her head to look upstairs.

"Kids," She called, "Get your stuff together! We're moving back home!"

Casey Novak walked into her apartment, exhausted from such an emotional day. Mary, Matthew and Rebecca were being kept overnight for observation, but then what? She didn't want to entrust them to foster care. If anyone knew what could happen in foster care, she did…

She'd been eleven when they'd taken her away from her parents, who had been too poor to be able to raise her. Her foster parents had been emotionally abusive, even to the present day Casey couldn't help believing the things they'd said…but some of it, she had proven wrong.

"Slut!" LeAnn, her foster mother had screamed at her, "You're a whore! You're worthless! You'll never be anything except a hooker for five cents on a street corner!"

LeAnn had been wrong. Casey was an ADA; she had brought justice to victims. But Matthew, Mary and Rebecca were more than just victims to her. She knew them. She wasn't going to entrust them to a cruel, violent system like that. No. Never. They'd suffered enough.

She wouldn't let someone hurt them again.

Saturday, Casey walked into the room the three siblings were sharing, to find Matthew and Mary hovering over Rebecca. Mary had the little girl on her lap, and Matthew was whispering something to her. Mary heard the door close, and her head snapped up.

"Just me," Casey said, "What happened?"

"Bad dream." Mary explained. "'Becky, it's okay, it was just a dream."

"Felt real…" Rebecca whimpered.

"I bet," Matthew said sympathetically.

"So," Casey said, smiling, "Your doctor told me that you guys are getting released tomorrow. Is there anyone you guys want to live with?"

"I don't want to go into foster care," Mary said, shuddering.

"Neither do I." Matthew said, quick to agree with his big sister.

Casey sat down beside them.

"Would you guys like to live with me?"

"Really?" Mary asked, her face brightening.

"Really!" Casey said, laughing, "I talked to a social worker last night. If you guys want to, you can move in with me."

"Matthew? Rebecca?" Mary said, looking down at her younger siblings, "Do you guys want to live with Casey?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Unanimous!" Mary said, closing the vote.

"Great." Casey said. "I brought a board game. Who's up for Monopoly?"

Casey smiled as they sat up the game, looking at the children that were going to be hers. God, they were perfect.

I'm going to turn these kids lives around. Casey thought, joy filling her, as she realized, This is exactly what God meant when he said 'it is good.'

On Sunday morning, Elliot, Kathy, and their children were sitting in their usual pew in, five minutes early for nine o'clock mass, when Elliot heard a familiar voice from behind him.

"Hey, are these seats taken?"

Elliot turned and saw Casey, with Mary, Matthew and Rebecca around her.

"Woah. When'd you become a Catholic mother of three?" Elliot joked.

"Since a social worker approved me. And I've been Catholic as long as you have!" Casey said, pretending to be indignant about the Catholic part.

"You guys this is Ms. Novak," Elliot said, for Maureen and Kathleen's behalf.

"Casey." Casey quickly corrected Elliot, "save the formalities, Mr. Stabler."

"And this is Mary, Matthew, and Rebecca. Mary, Matthew, Rebecca, this is my wife, Kathy," Elliot said, bursting into an even bigger smile at the word wife, "And our kids Maureen, Kathleen, Elizabeth and Dickie."

"Hi," Mary and Elizabeth said shyly at the same time, whereas Matthew and Dickie instantly started talking about how much they hated wearing suits to mass, getting a warning glance from Casey and Kathy.

Elliot watched as his children and Casey's started what was seemingly going to be an instant friendship. Kathy and Elliot glanced at each other, and Kathy nodded at what she knew Elliot was silently asking her.

"Do you want to come out with us for brunch after mass?" Elliot asked Casey, "We're going out to celebrate…the fact that we're no longer legally separated."

"Oh!" Casey said, "Congratulations. We'd love to come."

The service then started, and all conversation came to a halt as everyone started singing the opening hymn.

"Wow, you have the best voice!" Kathleen said, looking at Mary at the conclusion of the hymn.

"Thank you…" Mary said, unsure of how exactly to react to such a compliment. God knew she hadn't got many in life.

Casey smiled down at both hers and Elliot's children, whispering one of the only verses she remembered from Catechism.

"God's love is eternally present to all who fear him, making everything right for them and their children…"

"Psalm 103." Elliot hissed in response.

Mary smiled at Casey, who hugged her in return. It's going to get better now…Mary realized. The woman standing by me wants me to call her mom…I'm surrounded by friends.

I'm surrounded by angels. And we know that all things will work together for good to those who love God, and are called according to his purpose…Mary remembered the verse that had got her through these last few years with her sanity ad faith intact.

And every word rang true.

Alright, people! Let's see some reviews! The two Bible scriptures were from Psalms 103 and from Romans 8:28, and if they seemed weird, that's because I was using a Bible that's completely in contemporary English. By the way, obviously I do not own the Bible, because God owns the Bible, and in no way am I even close to being like God, let alone the actual God.