Title: Fallin' In Love

Author: Ebony-Jayne

Notes: The case comes to an abrupt and messy end. But not for Olivia…

Again, very little time. Sorry!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show or the storylines on the show. I do, however, own the characters that I make up so please don't steal them. Any resemblance to anyone or anyplace is a coincidence.

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Chapter Three: Olivia and Mollie

"The foster parents are dead," Casey Novak announced when Olivia and Elliot walked into the Squad room.

"What!" Elliot asked.

"How!" Olivia asked at the same time.

"Car accident. On the way home from work," Casey announced almost gleefully.

"You seem a little too happy about it," Elliot commented with a small smile.

"Eh. One less case for me to prosecute," she shrugged impishly. Olivia grinned at Elliot and shook her head. Casey had really opened up over the last few weeks revealing the lighter and infinitely funnier side of her personality. They had found that she really was a lot of fun to be around.

"That's lovely Casey. Those kids aren't going to get the closure they really need though," Elliot said solemnly.

"Yeah," Olivia agreed. "Anyone else hurt in the accident?"

"Yeah, one guy got taken to hospital with minor injuries. He'll be fine," Casey, who was sitting on Olivia's desk, replied.

"That accident was a just a real good example of why seatbelts were invented," Fin commented. Munch sniggered in the background.

"Well I guess we should go tell the kids," Elliot said to Olivia.

"Mmhmm," Olivia agreed.

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"LIVIA!" the source of the loud shriek bowled across the room at full speed and flung itself at the Detective. Thankfully Olivia had seen Mollie coming and managed to catch her.

"Hey Mollie," she laughed.

"Hi 'Livia! You came back!" Mollie said excitedly. She leaned over and wrapped her little arms around the Detective's neck. "I hoped you would come back," she mumbled into her shoulder. Olivia had cuddled a lot of little girls in her lifetime but somehow this little girl was different. She just seemed to fit perfectly in Olivia's arms, like she was made to be there.

"Why did you hope I'd come back sweetie?" she asked curiously.

"I like you. You let me look at your badge. You're nice. Not like the Harmons," Mollie replied.

"The Harmons?" Olivia asked curiously.

"Liv? I'll go talk to Amber if you'd like," Elliot said softly. She nodded in agreement.

"The Harmons came to see if they could find a kid to take home. They said they wanted me. Then they changed their mind because they wanted a baby instead. Everybody wants a baby instead. Nobody wants a little girl like me," Mollie told Olivia sadly. Olivia could feel her heart breaking for the little girl whose tears she could now feel soaking through her shirt.

"I'm sorry honey. I'll find someone who wants to take you home Mollie. I promise," she said softly. Mollie pulled back to look at her and at the sight of her tearstained little cheeks Olivia knew exactly what she was going to do. Now how to go about it…

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At home that night Olivia sat down and wrote a letter to her landlord advising him that she was moving as she had found another place to live, She had done some quick calculations and realized that if she was a little more restrained she could make this work. She factored in all of the additional expenses that this would incur and realized that she could comfortably afford to take in a child. She smiled to herself. She just had the feeling that this was so meant to be.

She lay in bed a little later on and contemplated how she was going to tell her partner. She knew that the chances were that Elliot would be less than impressed. But she really could care less what Elliot thought at that particular moment. She couldn't help but grin at the thought of how he would react when he heard that she would be moving in a few blocks away from him. 'Probably think oh god now how am I going to get away from her,' she thought. She was on cloud nine and she couldn't help but laugh out loud at the feeling.

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At work the next day Olivia nervously cornered Elliot in the locker room.

"Can I talk to you for a second Elliot?" she asked. Elliot looked at her. She was chewing her lip and fiddling with the two necklaces she always wore. She was nervous.

"Sure," he already knew what was coming but decided to let her squirm. "I just wanted to let you know first. I'm um…I'm going to foster Mollie," she blurted. Elliot watched her tense as if waiting for him to tell her what a bad idea this was.

"I know. I think that it's great Liv," he watched as she relaxed and then stepped forward, pulling her into a tight hug. "Congratulations," he whispered.

"I'm moving to a little house a few blocks away from yours," she told him pulling back to look at him.

"Oh holy crap. Now how am I going to get away from you?" he asked. Olivia laughed, remembering her thoughts from the night before.

"You'll figure out a way," she told him.

"Yeah. You told Cragen yet?" he asked.

"Just about to," she replied with a grimace.

"Good luck," he tossed a smug grin in her direction as he left the locker room. She flipped him off before following him out.

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Olivia was sitting in Cragen's office awaiting his response to her news.

"Well I have to say your timing is perfect," he told her. "I've just had another Detective assigned to us so you can relax your hours and she can pick up your slack," Cragen smiled, actually smiled at Olivia. "Congratulations. I think this is wonderful and you can breathe now," he told her. Olivia let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Thanks Captain," she smiled. As she left his office she couldn't help but think that this was going perfectly. As Olivia would soon come to realize, those were famous last words…

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