A/N: Taking a little different tack with this one. Wrapping up this story soon. :) Thanks for reading!

Chapter 31

"They're removing the detail from watching the apartment today," Elliot said as he put on his blue button-down shirt. He was fresh from the shower and still had a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Well, it's been almost a week since we figured out who was behind the crime and there hasn't been hide nor hair of Peter Bell. Command wasn't going to pay for a stakeout that was any longer. He always was prepared. It was part of what Alex loved about him," Olivia said. She had finished buttoning her own red shirt and sat down on the bed to put her dress boots on. The black leather boots with two-inch heels were surprisingly comfy and went with most of her outfits so they had been an easy purchase.

"Yeah, but Cragen still wants people to keep an eye on Alex in case this guy pops up somewhere," Elliot said, unabashedly removing his towel before grabbing some boxer shorts off the nearby dresser.

"I don't think he'll come for her. Something in his brain must have flipped after he and Alex broke up. I never would have expected this from him," Olivia heaved a sigh from her spot on the bed. They had waited until the morning after discovering who their suspect was before issuing a tri-state APB, which included warning the Canadians that he might be heading for the border. Now with the detail being called off, the alert would go nationwide, and would include alerting the Mexican border.

Elliot pulled on his pants and zipped them up before sitting down next to her. Taking her hand, the one that was looking much better now after her incident with the locker, he smiled slightly at her before leaning in and kissing her temple.

"It's possible or it's possible he hadn't shown her that side of him yet. There are quite a few cases of women finding out their partner is a serial killer or rapist, after they've been married for a long time," he pointed out.

"Well at least I won't have to worry about you," Olivia told him as she leaned into his side. Elliot pulled her close before saying,

"Nope. You already know everything about me." That's when they heard the shower turn on.

"Calvin is finally getting ready. He's been dragging his feet the last couple of days," she said, not sure why her young ward was doing that.

"That he has. He seems off though huh? You think he misses his grandparents?" Elliot wondered.

"Could be. I've tried talking to him, but he always changes the subject. I've told him we can move as soon as we find a place, but he says that it isn't the apartment. I thought maybe because of what happened…" Olivia trailed off.

"Sally is home and doing well. Fin has been helping her as much as she'll let him," he chuckled which made Olivia chuckle too.

"Yeah, she isn't one for lying around, no matter what the doctor told her," she said before pulling herself away from him and getting up off the bed. She headed out into the hallway and down to the kitchen. There she found the coffee maker had already been started. Grabbing some mugs out of the cupboard, she poured two cups of the hot liquid.

"Calvin made coffee?" Elliot was surprised as he walked up to her.

"Guess so," Olivia shrugged before handing him a cup. She hadn't even gotten the chance to bring her cup up to her mouth when her cell phone rang. Setting it down, she quickly answered it. Elliot watched her face fall as the person on the other end of the phone talked and knew that whoever it was, was delivering bad news. He also made note of hearing the shower turn off.

"I understand. Thank you Chief," with that the phone call ended.

"Chief?" Elliot asked.

"Chief Hall. They sent an ambulance out to Clint and Ethel's ten minutes ago. Ethel passed away," Olivia's shoulders slumped as she delivered the news.

"Didn't Calvin talk to her last night?" Elliot asked. He was confused how this could have happened considering that Calvin had not mentioned his grandmother looking ill. Ethel had been valiantly fighting the cancer that was ravaging her body and at last report was supposedly winning the fight.

"He did. I did too for a little bit before you came over. She looked good for the first time in a long time. The Chief said they'd be ordering an autopsy," Olivia heaved a sigh.

"Morning," Calvin said as he walked out into the kitchen. He could see that something wasn't right.

"Cal…" Olivia then explained what had happened and held onto the young man as he broke down.

To Be Continued…