Chapter 4

Olivia pushed open her front door. Delivering bad news to family was always hard. She'd managed to get to the precinct before George left and he promised that he'd refine his thoughts and get back to her as soon as he could. Now as she locked her front door, thoughts swirled in her head.

"Hi Mom," Noah set down his tablet, got up from his spot on the couch, and gave her a hug.

"Hey kiddo. You finish your homework?" She asked.

"I even double checked it," Lucy smiled from her spot in the kitchen. The ever-loyal babysitter was doing the dishes, indicating to the Captain that she'd fed Noah.

"Much appreciated. I guess I didn't realize how late it was," Olivia checked her watch.

"You're only an hour later than you said you'd be. I figured you might want some dinner, so the leftovers are in the fridge," Lucy was still smiling.

"Thank you. I don't know how we'd manage without you," Olivia smiled back.

"Noah is my favorite. Well behaved and fun. Some of the kids…" the babysitter rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I can imagine," the Captain smirked.

"Good night, Noah," Lucy said as she dried her hands. The eight-year-old went over and gave her a hug before heading back to the couch. He picked up his tablet and started playing his educational game again.

"Thanks again Lucy," Olivia smiled and went with her to the door. They said good night to each other, and the Captain made sure they were locked in for the night. She had only made it halfway back to the fridge when her phone rang. Grabbing it out of her pocket, she picked it up without looking.

"Benson,"

"Stabler," he chuckled. Some things had not changed. She still answered her phone the same way.

"Hey Elliot. I just got in. We weren't meeting tonight, were we?" She asked.

"No. I was just checking in. Your case made the news," he told her.

"Oh, that's just great," Olivia said sarcastically. It wasn't great. She had been hoping to keep it under wraps for as long as she could. The last thing they needed was for their perp to know about their investigation.

"I take it Chief McGrath is a fun guy," Elliot said.

"There are some words I have but fun isn't one of them," she admitted.

"I figured. You enjoy your night with Noah. We'll talk soon," he told her.

"Thanks El," Olivia said. With that the call was over.

"Everything ok Mom?" Noah asked from his spot on the couch, setting his tablet down. Olivia walked over to him, leaned on the top of the couch, and gave him a smile.

"I'm home with you. Everything is great. What did Lucy make for you?" She asked.

"Lazy lasagna," Noah smiled.

"That sounds fantastic. I'm going to heat some up," she told him, heading to the fridge.

"Do you need some help?" He offered, now kneeling on the couch so he could see over the top of it.

"I could really use a glass of water," Olivia admitted. Noah got up and went into the kitchen, grabbing a clean glass from the drying rack on the counter. While he was filling it up, his mother put the covered dish into the microwave. A few minutes later, they were back on the couch, Olivia enjoying her dinner, and Noah just sitting next to her. They chatted about his day and the day he had coming up tomorrow. It was almost time for him to go to bed when her phone rang.

To Be Continued…