"In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories."

It comes with the Badge

__________________________________________________________________________

Last time:

After stopping by her apartment and grabbing some stuff, Samantha went to Alexandra's apartment. Ryan checked her e-mail as soon as she had arrived there and had plugged in her laptop. Nothing. Wishful thinking. Climbing in to the bed after locking the three locks on Alex's apartment door, she laid her head on the pillows, feeling bad about getting them wet. Everything smelled so much like Alex. She fell asleep immediately.

__________________________________________________________________________

Chapter Seven

Guilty until proven Innocent

Elliot groggily reached for the ringing phone and answered it with a heaving sigh. "Stabler."

The voice on the other line was feminine, but even more alarming, very formal. "Is this Elliot Stabler?"

He sighed. "That's correct." Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he tried to focus.

The woman replied gently. "This is Tracy from Mount Sinai General Hospital."

"What is it?" He immediately looked over his shoulder and saw Olivia sleeping peacefully. He let out a faint sigh of relief. 'At least it's not her...'

Tracy sighed. "There's been a car accident."

He sat up and woke from his sleepy state instantly. "What happened? Are the kids okay? How's Kathy?"

Her tone grew softer. "Your three children are fine."

Making a mental list of who could be hurt, he crossed off Maureen, Kathleen, Elizabeth and Dickie because she obviously thought he only had three children and there was no reason for Maureen to be at Kathy's anyway. "It's Kathy then." His tone was painful but firmly realistic. 'Oh God, what now? What happened now? Is she okay?'

"Yes."

"How is she?" Her tone alluded to his worst fears, but that couldn't be.

Tracy's tone was much softer. "I'm sorry to say this sir, but Kathy Stabler died at the scene."

'Dead? Kathy's dead? No, it can't be! Dead. Dead. Dead.' The word rang in his mind like a condemning Church bell. Dead. Elliot's voice was choked up; he was trying his hardest not to cry, fighting back tears. "I'll be right down to pick up the kids. Has their older sister been notified? Have you called Maureen Stabler yet?"

She responded with some kind of negative response, Elliot wasn't really sure what she was saying anymore.

"Okay, I'll call her. Thank you. Bye."

Hanging up the phone, he ran his hands through his thinning hair and wiped the thin trail of tears away from his eyes. "Olivia." He shook her softly. "Olivia, honey."

She sat up and glanced at the clock before lying back down. "What is it? It's too early Elliot, we don't have to go to work yet."

He shook his head. "I know." His voice was blatantly emotional.

Olivia immediately noticed the change in his voice and grew concerned. "What's wrong?" She rested her chin on his shoulder and kissed his neck softly. "Is everything alright?"

Elliot shook his head. "I have to get down to Mount Sinai Hospital."

Scooting closer, Olivia wrapped her arms around him. "Is everything okay?"

He got up and started to pull on a pair of pants. "No."

She pulled on a shirt over her bra. "Who's hurt? One of the kids?"

Elliot shook his head again. "There was a car accident. The kids are fine."

"And Kathy?" Olivia fastened her belt and walked in to the bathroom to do something with her constantly lengthening hair.

He pulled on an undershirt and started buttoning a blue collared shirt. He shook his head painfully as he watched her through the mirror. "She's..." He started crying again.

Olivia walked out and sat him on the bed. "What happened Elliot?" Her eyes stared in to his and she knew. 'Kathy did not make it. Kathy's gone. Oh, Elliot!' Embracing him strongly, she sighed. "I'm so sorry sweetheart. Do you want me to drive you down there?"

Elliot sighed. "I'd like it if you came, but I'd like to drive. Can we take your car? It'll fit all of the kids."

She nodded and kissed him softly. "It's okay sweetheart. You'll get through this. We'll take care of the kids. I have room in the house."

He looked up at her. "I can't ask you to do that. Your house is so neat, and trust me, with the kids it'd turn this place upside down."

Olivia kissed him and handed him her keys. "They're going to stay with their father and you aren't moving out so I'll just move them in here. I have two other bedrooms. One was really supposed to be a study but that's okay. We don't need a room for the baby until he's older, and then he can room with Dickie."

Elliot stood up and kissed her. "You're right." His eyes looked so sad, their usually mirth-filled blue glimmer was shadowed by pain.

She hugged him tightly. "It's okay Elliot. It will be okay."

***

Elizabeth, Kathleen and Dickie were all crying. Olivia hugged Kathleen and Elizabeth as Elliot picked up Dickie and held him tightly in his arms. Olivia smiled at the two girls. "It will be okay you two."

Kathleen shook her head. "Mom's gone Olivia. It won't be okay."

She hugged her tightly. "Shh. It's okay. You still have your dad..." She rubbed her back softly. "And I'll always be there for you. I know it won't be the same Sweetheart, but I will." Watching her intently, she smiled supportively. "And remember, your mom will still be watching over you from heaven Sweetheart. She's not gone."

Elliot hugged Kathleen gently and Elizabeth too in turn. Olivia had called Cragen on the way and told him what happened. They had the day off. She'd also called Maureen and told her to meet them down here. Olivia assumed that she'd call the hospital to find out what happened.

Elizabeth looked up at her father. "Are you going to move back to the house with us now?"

Clearly the children were trying to pretend their mother was just going to be in the hospital for a long time. That was okay, everyone needed to grieve in their own way. He shook his head. "Olivia told me you could all move in to her house and we'll live there. We'll pick up anything you all want from the house and go shopping for anything you need."

Dickie smiled at Olivia. "Thank you Olivia." His blue eyes were red from crying but he hugged her anyway. "Do I get my own room?"

Olivia smiled. "You bet." She squatted down somewhat nervously and smiled at him. "You get to share it with my son when he's born though."

He patted her stomach softly. "Another boy in the house finally."

Elliot picked him up again. "You still have your dad you know."

Dickie hugged him. "I know."

Kathleen frowned. "So what's going to happen with all Mom's stuff?" The poor girl looked traumatized, tired and very distressed.

Olivia smiled. "If there's anything of your mom's you want to keep, I'll find room for it."

Elliot smiled at her. Liz hugged Olivia. "Do I get to room with you?"

Laughing, Olivia shook her head. "You get to room with Kathleen unless one of you wants the basement."

Kathleen sighed. "I don't care. I want my mom back." Olivia tried not to look hurt; she knew that Kathleen was just in pain. All of these poor kids were in pain.

Olivia's smile faded to a supportively weak one. "Kathleen, I'm not going to try and be your mom. I'm just going to be there for you because I know what it's like to loose your mom suddenly. I wasn't expecting my mother to die when she did, and I missed her so much."

Kathleen hugged her tightly. "It's not fair. She shouldn't have died!" Olivia nervously hugged the crying girl and sighed.

"I'm so sorry Sweetheart."

Elizabeth frowned. "If Dad had been with her, we'd have lost both of you the doctor said."

Elliot hugged her. "You still have me and you know Mom will watch over you from heaven."

Dickie smiled. "Do you think she's an angel Dad?"

He nodded. "Definitely."

Maureen walked in to the hospital. "Dad? Is it true?" She was crying softly. Her eyes were red, alluding to the fact that she'd cried on the way here too. Olivia's heart broke at the sight of her pained blue eyes. Maureen had so much to deal with right now; Olivia couldn't help but feel grief. After being raped, Maureen had been strong and now she had to deal with loosing her mom.

Elliot hugged her tightly, with Dickie in his arms. Elizabeth clung to her waist lightly from behind. Kathleen unburied her head from Olivia's shoulder and nodded. "Mom's gone."

Olivia stood slowly; Elizabeth helped her to her feet. Walking with Elizabeth over to the other children, she hugged Maureen supportively. "You can stay with us for a while too if you'd like."

Maureen shook her head. "I can't with school and all." She hugged Olivia tightly. "Not to mention the house will be even noisier in a few months, am I right?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yes. Do you want to help everyone get moved in and pick up anything from the house you want though?"

Nodding slowly, Maureen sighed. "I can't believe she's gone. I'm so glad that Kathleen, Dickie and Elizabeth are okay though." She hugged her siblings quietly and sighed. "What about the house?"

Elliot walked up. "John and Alice* are going to sell it I suppose. I'm going to let them have whatever they want from it, it's only right. The house was in both of our names so I suppose I'll get some money from it for Kathleen's college fund. The twins' is coming along nicely too."

Maureen smiled. "Dad, I miss her already."

He hugged her tightly. "I know Sweetheart, I know."

Dickie looked at Olivia. "When's my brother coming out?"

Olivia laughed. "In four months or so Dickie. You're going to have to help me raise him to be big and strong ten-year-old** like you are."

Elliot smiled and helped Olivia stand back up after she'd squatted down again. "We're going to go over to the house now. Do you want to come Maureen?"

She nodded. "I'd like to help prepare the funeral too Dad, I know you're going to be busy with moving the kids in and work and all."

Olivia smiled. "Sounds good. I'll probably take an early maternity leave and help the kids get adjusted so you're welcome to come over any time Maureen."

Elliot put a hand around Olivia's waist, supporting Dickie on his other side. "I'll feel better knowing your safe at home too Olivia."

She frowned slightly but took Elizabeth's hand and started walking with the family. Kathleen and Maureen walked ahead of them. Olivia felt so bad; this poor family had seen so much pain. She wanted to make sure they felt safe again.

***

Ryan sat nervously in her chair. Huang smiled. "Hello again Ryan. How have you been lately?"

She smiled at him. "You know, same-old same-old."

He smiled. "Except for everything in your life it seems."

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, but that's expected in a cop's life."

"Not to this degree."

She shrugged. "No big."

"How do you feel about Casey Novak?"

Hesitating for a moment to fully think over an answer, Ryan smiled. "She's sweet. She'll never be Alex, but then again, she's not trying to be."

He nodded. "I heard about Jared. How do you feel about that?"

She laughed. "I majored in psychology too. I know what to say if I really wanted to, but, to be honest, I'm a bit unnerved by it. I'm slightly worried that I wasn't as attentive as I should've been. I mean, if I can harbor a criminal in my life for that long and not notice, what am I missing on the job that I should be catching?"

Huang nodded. "I see." George looked through some papers. "It seems you were quite the trouble maker when you were younger."

Ryan frowned. "Those are supposed to be sealed, and I was never convicted of anything. Not to mention, my last psych exam went over this. I'm fine."

"That's for me to decide." George filtered through the file. "Your rape case is in here too."

Samantha shrugged. "They never caught the guy."

He looked up at her. "You think they did."

Her grey eyes froze over a bit. "Jerry Hobson did rape me, just because he wasn't convicted of the charge does not mean he's innocent."

George frowned. "I thought it was innocent until proven guilty."

She nodded. "When you have no proof. That's correct."

"It says there was no DNA evidence, only a voice I.D. and MO match." He looked up at her for a response.

"That's also correct." Her voice was distant. "But I was the victim, I know who raped me."

George moved on. "Do you miss Alex?"

Ryan nodded. "Who wouldn't? She was a great ADA."

He took a few notes. "It's been rumored that you two were involved."

"So what. She's gone."

George looked at her for a long moment, watching her eyes change with her mood. "She died in a very tragic way Ryan, you should be grieving more than anyone, yet you didn't take even one day off work."

Ryan sat up straight. "If you look at my file, you'll notice the only days I've missed were ordered off. Cragen's orders, Doctor."

"I noticed." He smiled faintly. "You like your job?"

She laughed. "I see some of the most gruesome things that life can throw at one, but I put the bastards away. Of course I love my job. I make the streets safer for girls and children. Who wouldn't like that?"

George nodded. "Like the Simon Chandler case, open and shut. What about the Diaz case?"

Ryan turned serious. "That wasn't an SVU case, that was back from homicide."

"I know." He showed her the photos of the four murdered women. "You never convicted him."

She nodded. "That's right. The evidence was too circumstantial and I wasn't able to break him in interrogation. It happens Doctor Huang."

He sifted through a handful of papers. "Not on your cases evidently. You've worked over sixty cases in homicide and only one resulted without jail time."

Ryan nodded. "I recall. I'm a good cop Doctor, but sometimes you need more than that."

George put the pictures away. "Wasn't Jared your partner for those murders?"

Samantha shifted somewhat. "Yes."

"Could he have killed these women?"

Calculating measures showed in her eyes as Samantha relived the case. Blinking slowly, she shook her head. "We were at dinner at the time of the second murder. It's not possible. And he preferred to rape his victims anyway. Homicide was perfectly ready to hand it over to the SVU at the time, but there was no sexual disturbances and the case could not be considered a sex crime."

George smiled. "You're very perceptive Detective. How do you remember so well?"

She shrugged. "I just do. I was raised to."

"How do you get along with your family?"

Ryan sighed. "My father's dead. He died in the Iraq conflict a year ago as of last Monday. My mother's paralyzed from a car accident. I see her every week. My brother and sister...I haven't seen them since I went to Duke University for my degree."

He nodded. "How old were your parents?"

She smiled. "My mother is forty-six and my father was forty-seven."

"Why was he sent out to Iraq?"

Ryan gave a reminiscing smile. "He volunteered."

"How old are your siblings?"

She frowned. "My brother, Daniel, would be twenty-eight and my sister," she paused a moment but decided against giving a name, "She would be twenty-four."

George smiled. "How did you get along with your siblings?"

Ryan laughed. "The way siblings do. My big brother always picked on me; I was a total tomboy who admired him. I always fought with my little sister because she was too girly. Brother signed up with the Marines at eighteen. I went to Duke for my psych degree and then to the New York Police Academy at twenty-one. Never knew what my little sister got in to. I could ask my mother I suppose, but I was kind of estranged from the family until my father died. That's when I started taking care of my mother."

"You got your degree in three years?"

She nodded. "Yep. I was studious for a while." Laughing faintly, she looked up at him. "So, am I okay?"

He nodded. "I don't see anything getting in the way of your work. Cragen seemed really concerned that you'd be overly emotional."

Ryan shrugged. "You know how the mother hen is."

George laughed. "I do. So, you're free to go. If you ever want to talk though, you can talk to me."

Samantha stood up and smiled. "When I need to talk to a shrink, I talk to myself in the mirror."

He gave her a perturbed look and she laughed harder. "I'm kidding George, I'm just kidding."

Nodding slowly, he laughed too and smiled. "Have a good day Ms. Jamerson."

She waved and walked out.

***

Olivia smiled as Dickie struggled to carry the huge comforter bag. "I want this one!"

Elliot looked at it. "That will look great."

Dickie grinned and tossed it in to the cart. It was a denim patchwork quilt with red and white patches in it. It would look very nice in the white-walled room. He'd also packed a good deal of his paraphernalia that would bring the room to life.

Maureen returned with Kathleen and Elizabeth. Elizabeth had elected to keep her bedding because her mom had bought it for her last Christmas. Kathleen had a very nice comforter that was a combination of earthy desert-like colors in a geometric design. Elliot tossed it in to the cart also.

Olivia smiled. "Let's get you all matching curtains for the windows and then Kathleen, do you want to help me buy some stuff for your bathroom?"

She nodded politely. Olivia could tell she still was pretty set on never forgetting her mother, and Olivia was proud of her and not at all hurt.

Elliot took Dickie to pick out some matching curtains and such. Maureen was walking with Elizabeth and Kathleen was walking next to Olivia to make sure she was okay. "You sure you don't want me to take the cart?"

Olivia laughed. "You sound like Captain Cragen." She put a hand on her stomach. "I have another month or two before I start walking funny.

Elizabeth laughed lightly and then looked up at her. "Are you going to marry my Dad?"

Maureen started to scold her for asking such a rude question, but Olivia shook her head and smiled. She knew all the kids were curious. Olivia looked right in to the glacier blue eyes of Elliot's youngest daughter. "No. If your father asked me to marry him right now, I'd say no. I've never been married before, and to tell you the truth, I'm a little scared of the idea. Not to mention, now you're all going to be in my house and I think if I married your dad that it would be mean to all of you. To be entirely honest, if and when he does ask me, I'm going to let you all decide for me."

Getting back up with Maureen's help, Maureen thanked her quietly. "That was a sweet thing to say."

Olivia smiled. "It was the truth. I mean it Maureen, if any of you didn't want me to marry Elliot, I wouldn't."

Kathleen smiled and started pushing the cart before Olivia could get to it, this didn't go unnoticed by the expectant mother. Kathleen turned to her. "I think that's really nice of you Olivia." She smiled. "I also think after awhile I might like the idea of you and Dad married, just not yet."

Nodding, Olivia led them to the bathroom section of 'Bed, Bath and Beyond'. The girls decided on a pastel yellow and baby blue set that looked very cute. Olivia complimented them both on their taste. "Do you need anything for your dorm Maureen? I noticed you were pretty set up, but if you need anything, now's the time."

She smiled. "I'm fine. Thanks though."

Elizabeth ran up to her father as soon as they met up. Kathleen and Maureen grabbed some cute brick-red curtains that would go nicely with the desert tones in Kathleen's bedset. Elizabeth's was white, forest green and wine red. It was a pretty quilt Kathy had worked a long time on evidently. It would blend fine with the room.

Elliot kissed Olivia's cheek and smiled. "Dickie's all set. How are you girls?"

They all smiled. "We're good."

Maureen kissed her father goodbye, she had to get going and study for one of her classes.

Sighing heavily, Olivia sat down on a bench near the exit as Elliot checked out with her credit card. Dickie sat next to her and smiled. "Thank you for everything Olivia. You're really nice to us."

She hugged him slightly. "I hope so. I love you all so much. I'm so sorry about what happened to your mom, I'm glad you're all okay though. You mean so much to Elliot, and to me, I feel like it's my job to take care of you all now that Kathy's gone."

He nodded. "Kathleen really likes you. She always used to tell Mom that you were so nice."

Olivia nodded. "I know. She's just trying not to forget her mom Dickie. You shouldn't either, she's watching over you all."

Elliot joined them with Kathleen in tow and Elizabeth with the cart. "You ready?"

Nodding, Olivia got up easily, proving to everyone that she wasn't totally incompetent. Dickie asked for her to carry him and she sadly explained that she couldn't but took his hand tightly. "You want to help your dad load all the heavy stuff in to the car?"

He nodded. Elliot opened the trunk of Olivia's Ford Taurus and piled the stuff in. Elizabeth and Kathleen climbed in to the back and begged Olivia to turn the heater on. She did immediately, shivering herself. "It's awfully cold already."

Elizabeth laughed. "It is late November..."

Olivia shrugged and smiled when Elliot climbed in to the passenger's side and Dickie closed the rear driver's door and buckled up. "Not used to me driving, eh?"

He chuckled softly. "Not really. Everyone buckled up?" He glanced in to the back of the car.

Dickie nodded. "Yeah." Kathleen was staring out the window, crying again, but she had her seatbelt on. Elizabeth smiled and nodded back at Elliot.

Olivia turned the music down because she noticed Dickie and Elizabeth starting to nod off to sleep. She smiled at Elliot. "I could get used to this. I think I'm going to take my maternity leave starting tomorrow."

Elliot smiled. "That's good, seriously. I'm more comfortable knowing your safe at home with our son."

She sighed and pulled away from a stoplight a bit too quickly, waking one of the sleeping children. Olivia frowned. "It wouldn't hurt you to care about the baby-carrier too. Sometimes it sounds like you care about your son and that's it. Where do I fit in?"

Silence accompanied them the remaining two miles to Olivia's house. Elliot frowned. "Olivia, I love you. I really do. You mean so much to me, honestly." He kissed her cheek softly before getting out of the car in the driveway.

Olivia smiled. "I see." Turning off the car, she popped the trunk and grabbed two bags and a comforter while Elliot carried Dickie, with Elizabeth on his back, in to the house. Kathleen grabbed the remaining comforter and helped Olivia close the trunk. Olivia waited for Kathleen to get in the house before turning off the porch light and locking the wrought iron door and then locking both locks on the front door. Setting everything down, she smiled as the three kids explored the bottom floor.

Elliot grabbed the remaining comforter and bags that Olivia and Kathleen had set down while Olivia guided them upstairs. Veering them away from her very messy room, she smiled. "Dickie, your room is at the very end of the hall."

He took off happily. Kathleen and Elizabeth walked in to their room on the left and smiled. The bathroom lay between the two rooms to be fought over on a future occasion. Handing the girls their bedding and turning on the light, Elliot headed for Dickie's room with the remaining supplies.

Olivia hung up the curtains slowly and smiled. "You two should get some sleep, it's already nine o'clock. When does your mom usually put you to bed?"

Kathleen sighed wearily, fighting back more tears. "Nine-thirty for me, nine for Dickie and Elizabeth."

Elizabeth pouted. "Can I please stay up Olivia?"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Kathleen's waited five years to get to stay up later; she earned it. When you're that old you can too."

Kathleen grinned and helped Olivia put on Elizabeth's bedding.

Olivia stood up after both beds were made and smiled. "During Christmas break we can pick up some more things for you both. That's in about a week, right?"

Elizabeth sat on to her bed and smiled. "Two weeks." She clambered under her blankets and Olivia shook her head.

"You two have prayers to say, don't you?"

Kathleen nodded. "We usually say them with Dickie."

Olivia smiled. "Then lets go see if the two boys have managed to break anything yet." The fire truck-red curtains in Dickie's room were neatly hung and Elliot was folding down the comforter as Olivia walked in with the two girls.

Elliot looked at Dickie. "Are we going to say our prayers together?"

Dickie nodded. The three children and Elliot got on their knees around Dickie's bed. Olivia uncomfortably mimicked them. Dickie began. "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. God bless Grandma and Grandpa, Maureen, Kathleen, Elizabeth, Dickie, Dad and Mom. Amen."

Kathleen frowned. "Lord, please keep Mom safe in heaven. Amen."

Elizabeth crossed herself and stood up. Elliot conned Dickie in to bed and kissed his forehead, much to the boy's dismay. Turning out the light, he herded the other two in to the next bedroom.

Olivia smiled. "I'll have everything ready for your showers tomorrow morning. How early do you need to get up?"

Kathleen pondered for a moment. "Wake me up around 5 if you can. I need to shower, then I'll wake Liz, then Dickie."

Elizabeth was contently sleeping already when Olivia said goodnight to Kathleen and walked out. Elliot kissed them both goodnight and closed the door, trusting Kathleen to prepare herself for bed and turn out the light.

Olivia smiled. "I could get used to this."

Elliot smiled back and hugged her tightly, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Me too." He walked with her in to the master bedroom and closed the double doors. "Do you want to come with us to Church Sunday?"

She nodded. "I'm not personally Catholic...but I'll go."

He kissed her and began to undress for bed. "I understand that. I know you're pro-choice and I'm not pressuring you to become Catholic or anything, I just thought you might want to go."

Olivia smiled. "I know. I do believe in God, and Jesus, but I'm just not Catholic. I have my own beliefs. I'd be glad to go then." She took off her shirt and jeans, sitting down on the bed. Elliot kissed her softly, laying her back on the bed.

"I love you."

She kissed him back. "I love you too."

***

          Ryan nervously sat down on the queen-sized bed and brushed her wet hair out. The warm bath had done her a lot of good. A picture of Alex sat on the bedside table, and she smiled at it warmly. Getting on to her knees, she said her prayers and climbed in to bed, turning off all the lights. Lying in bed, she couldn't manage to fall asleep. Cragen had told her why Olivia and Elliot missed work today. She'd prayed for Elliot at mass and her mother had promised to pray for them too.

It was nice cooking for her mother again after such a hectic few weeks. The comfortable conversation had smoothed over her fraying nerves. She'd been very uptight lately, and withdrawn. Mainly due to the loss of Alex, Ryan hadn't been exactly sociable.

Talking to her mother about Alex was nice. Her mother made her promise to introduce her as soon as Alex came back. That'd be a while but it was still a nice thought. As she thought back to times she'd spent with Alex, she finally managed to drift in to a peaceful slumber.

***

Olivia sat up in the chair next to her bed, sipping hot chocolate. Elliot was fast asleep in the bed, looking very peaceful. She'd woken up after another nightmare, and was thankful Elliot had slept through it. As she headed downstairs to the kitchen, she heard crying. Creeping downstairs and preparing two fresh cups of hot chocolate, she walked back upstairs and opened the door to the girls' room. "Kathleen? Is that you?"

Kathleen sat up in the dimly-lit room and smiled faintly. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

Shaking her head, Olivia smiled. "Not at all, do you want to come downstairs and talk for a little while? I have hot chocolate and everything."

She smiled. "Okay." Climbing out of bed in a pair of royal blue satin pj pants and a white camisole, she took one of the cups and walked with Olivia downstairs.

Olivia handed her an afghan to wrap up in and the two sat down. "You miss your mom?"

Kathleen nodded. "Yeah. I dreamt about her, and when I woke up I couldn't help but cry."

Smiling and scooting her chair right next to Kathleen's, Olivia smiled. "Tell me about the dream. What were you two doing?"

She smiled. "I was remembering last Christmas. I was all stressed out about grades coming over the break and worried about how I'd done on my mid-terms but my mother wouldn't have it. She forced me to make cookies with her one afternoon. I ended up burning two whole batches before we got it right, but I think that was part of her plan. She definitely knew how take my mind off of it."

Olivia nodded. "My mom and I, every year for Christmas, we went shopping together and bought all we wanted for Christmas. I never wanted all the shiny new bikes and such, just clothes to keep me warm and the occasional doll." A smile crossed her lips. "Every year after shopping, we went to the same cookie store down on 1st and Broadway and we had hot chocolate and three cookies each. It was the nicest little tradition. It always managed to take my mind off not having a dad around for the holidays."

Kathleen's lips turned in a smile after she took a long gulp of hot chocolate. "Maybe we could go shopping this Christmas for stuff for the rooms."

After a comfortable moment of silence, Olivia nodded. "I'd like that. I'm really glad you aren't holding it against me that your dad and I are dating."

She smiled. "You're too nice a person Olivia."

Olivia laughed. "Thanks." Setting down her again, empty, cup she smiled. Standing and taking the cup in to the kitchen, Kathleen followed her.

"What do you want to name the baby?"

Turning to her and taking her cup, washing it, Olivia shrugged. "Elliot and I haven't really discussed it. I have been thinking about Kyle. Do you like that name?"

Kathleen smiled. "It goes with all the other names in the family. Elliot, Elizabeth, Maureen, Kathleen, Dickie and Kyle." She looked up at Olivia. "And Olivia."

Olivia smiled and looked at the clock. "It's half past eleven, you need to get some sleep kiddo."

She nodded and walked up the stairs with Olivia right behind her. "Thanks Olivia."

Watching her head in to her room and close the door, Olivia smiled. "Anytime kiddo." Olivia walked back in to her room and saw Elliot sitting up in bed, reading.

"Hello Beautiful."

Olivia grinned and climbed in to bed next to him, taking off the oversized t-shirt she'd been in. "When did you wake up?"

He smiled. "When I heard you offer Kathleen hot chocolate. You're going to make a great mom, Olivia."

She blushed softly and kissed him. "Thanks Sweetheart." He kissed her back and turned off the light.

"Is Kathleen asleep?"

Olivia shrugged faintly. "I'd assume so, why?"

"I don't want to wake her up again..." Elliot's sly grin was visible even in the faint moonlight. Olivia grinned back.

***

Ryan woke early the next morning and smiled happily. She'd slept well, without any nightmares, for the first time in a long time. Grabbing the case file, she headed to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. That's when she noticed the blinking light on the answering machine. She had yet to change her number, so it was probably for Alex, but she answered it anyway.

"Hey Alex, it's Sean. I was wondering if you happened to have Ryan's cell number. I lost it. Well, I guess you're at work. I'll see you around. Gimme a call when you get this at 555-6729. Thanks, bye."

A chill went up Ryan's spine. 'Sean?' What did he want with her cell number? 'Why is he calling Alex? Could he actually have known about Alex and me? Did he know Alex?' She shuddered. 'I have to talk to Casey about the entailments of a restraining order.' Getting in to the shower worriedly, Ryan frowned. If Alex knew him, maybe he was after her too. The warm water did little for her nerves as she washed her hair. 'I thought he was long gone. Bastard. I'll make him pay for what he did...'

***End Chapter Seven***

*((These are the names I've chosen for Kathy's parents, they are kind of random but oh well.))

**((I know SVU-obsessed said that the twins are 11 but I needed to lower it a year for emotional and maturity reasons))