OCCB Babysitter

~oOo~

Olivia was enjoying her Saturday afternoon off with her nine-year-old son, Noah. She'd been working even more than usual, between SVU and lending her squad to the OCCB for a joint task investigation. She was happy to do it, of course. She'd wanted to help since the moment Sergeant Bell had reached out. But it had taken more time away from her time with Noah, which wasn't enough as it was.

So, today, she and Noah had gone for lunch at a pizza place just past the Queensboro Bridge. It was a nice day, so they'd eaten outside, laughing and talking as he filled her in on everything going on in third grade. His teachers had said he was doing well socially and it showed. He was his bright, happy self.

"Mom?" he asked as she was signing the check.

"Hmm?" She looked over her glasses, which were pushed down her nose.

"Is Elliot working today?"

Olivia handed the billfold back to their server with a generous tip and a smile before looking down at her phone. She and Elliot had been texting back and forth and Noah had only seen him a handful of times, but as she'd predicted, he was attached. He'd been talking about Elliot nonstop since their first interaction, when they'd quite literally run into each other on Mother's Day.

"You know what? I think he is," she replied.

"We should bring him lunch!" Noah enthused.

"Uh–excuse me!" She called their server over and asked for a to-go box, adding a "Thanks."

"Can we?" Noah asked again, fidgeting in his chair.

"Yeah." She looked down at her phone again. "Let me just text him and–"

"Let's surprise him!"

Noah bounced up out of his seat and Olivia laughed, trying to box up the leftover pizza. She was surprised he even remembered where Elliot lived or worked, but he was a pretty perceptive kid, and admittedly, a good judge of character.

"Good idea." She ruffled his curls and followed him out onto the sidewalk.

~oOo~

"Elliot!" Noah tore into the OCCB Headquarters, turning the heads of everyone there.

"Hey." Elliot looked up from a conversation with Detectives Cho and Maldonado with an ear to ear grin "What are you two doin here?"

"Came to surprise you!"

"Well, it's a great surprise," he replied, offering his hand for a fist bump and looking up at Noah's mom, his blue eyes twinkling mirthfully as he greeted her. "Hi."

"Hi." She offered the cardboard box. "Leftover pizza? It was Noah's idea."

"Yeah?" Elliot's brow raised and he leaned closer to Olivia, his tone dropping. "I'm starving."

Their eyes met and just then, they were interrupted. Of course. It seemed they were always interrupted by someone or something, and this time it was Elliot's CO and Liv's partner on this joint task force case.

"Stabler." Bell's tone was serious and she didn't immediately notice Liv or Noah, but when she did, her look was one of surprise. "Captain," she greeted her. "I need to borrow–actually, both of you, if possible."

"Of course." She shifted gears easily now, able to balance more than one role at a time, calling "Noah!"

"Sloot!" Elliot added.

It looked like Noah had struck up a conversation with tech genius and hacker, Jet Slootmaekers, and his nonstop enthusiasm was already starting to wear on her. Elliot looked at her and she rolled her eyes, nodded and waved them off, annoyed. She had already assumed correctly that it was Captain Benson's kid.

"Sloot?" Noah repeated. "That's a silly name."

"You can call me Jet." She frowned. "And what do I call you…little boy"

"Noah Porter Benson." He offered his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Back atcha."

Jet looked toward the open windows of Sergeant Bell's office. It didn't look promising, but she was hopeful she'd soon be relieved of the boy if they needed to get out there for this case. The door swung open, and not a moment too soon. She was ready and waiting when Bell announced:

"We caught a lead and we gotta move, I'll fill you in later."

"Okay. Bye Noah." Jet went to grab her bomber jacket off her chair when Stabler's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Just us for now.," he said apologetically.

"You and Bell?" she asked.

Not surprising. They often worked together, more partners than Sergeant and Detective. Bell acted as a partner to everyone she worked with, including her, which was nice.

"Actually–"

"Jet," Captain Benson appeared beside Stabler, "we were hoping…"

No. no, no no she screamed inwardly, knowing what it was the Captain was about to ask. Jet had always been both intrigued and intimidated by the presence of this beautiful older woman who commanded respect without doing anything while being kind, empathetic and even witty. But even now, in jeans, a soft quarter sleeved t-shirt and tennis shoes, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, her presence warranted her unwavering attention.

"...that you might be willing to stay with Noah, for an hour at most." Adding, "I can compensate you for your time, of course. It just sounds like–"

The sergeant was waiting impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah." Jet said quickly. "Just, uh, whatever."

"Thanks so much!" Benson kissed the top of her son's curly head. "Noah, we'll be back soon. Best behavior okay? Listen to Jet." He nodded and she turned to Jet, saying. "Thanks again."

"Thanks, kid," Stabler added, slapping her shoulder.

Watching the two of them take off with the energy of two enthusiastic rookie detectives half their age, Jet shook her head and mused they were partners before I was even–

"Jet? Jet!" The little anklebiter was demanding her attention.

"What?"

"What do you wanna do?"

"Uh…" She noted his backpack. "You have homework or something?"

"It's the weekend."

"Right."

She looked around at the headquarters. It was pretty cool, structurally, so she decided to give Noah a tour, taking him through the open concept building with its high ceilings, beams and exposed brick, pointing out what could be seen from the large windows. There were lots of little passageways and hidden stairways and a hallway in front of a large fan where she'd once glimpsed Benson and Stabler in what looked like a passionate liplock, skulking away before either of them could notice her presence. There was a holding area downstairs, and two cells. She snickered, thinking she could take him down there just to freak him out but decided against it. She was almost certain it had been Stabler's idea to get her to babysit.

He was bored and more interested in talking to her anyway. Jet gestured for Maldonado and Cho, who had just come back from grabbing lunch, to join them and they pretended not to notice. They could've picked her up something to eat, she fumed inwardly, or they could take this kid off her hands for a few minutes–

"I like this." Noah had grabbed the tie-dye stuffed octopus off her desk, tossing it up and catching it. "Why is he angry?"

"He's not."

The second time he tossed it, Jet caught it first, putting it down on her desk with smug satisfaction.

"Are you angry?" he asked, accusatory.

"No." She frowned. "I'm happy. All the time."

"Cool." He pushed himself up, sitting on the edge of her desk without her permission. "Do you have a vending machine?"

"We passed two." She rolled her eyes.

"Can I have a soda?"

"You have money?"

Noah opened the front zipper on his small backpack and retrieved two crumpled up one dollar bills, offering her one, so they could both have a soda. She smirked.

"Thanks."

The other two detectives were busy so she told him to wait there while she went to get a soda, two sodas, a coca-cola for the kid and a diet coke for herself, but when she came back, Noah wasn't where she left him. He was at her computer.

"Bro, what the fu–" Jet stopped herself and asked him to step away and she'd give him his freakin coke. Noah happily complied and she popped the top on her own, taking a long sip. It wasn't the healthiest lunch, but she had half a bag of sour patch kids in her top drawer. She looked over at Stabler's desk, eyeing the to-go box and contemplating whether or not she should steal a slice of his pizza. He probably wouldn't eat it, and she figured she deserved it. Her head turned when she heard a loud burp.

"Scuse me," the kid said quickly.

"Excused." She laughed watching him gulp it down. He must be thirsty, she thought, or– "Hey, are you allowed to have soda?"

"No." He lowered his gaze, mumbling, "I don't wanna get in trouble."

"Neither do I," she replied. "Let's keep it between us."

"Okay," he agreed. "So, what's on your computer?"

"Important stuff for work, intel–"

"Do you have video games?"

Jet shrugged. This kid wasn't so bad. He was kinda fun, and cute, almost. His big blue eyes lit up with excitement when she told him, "I have some."

"Really?"

She sighed and sat at her desk with Noah standing over her shoulder as she scrolled through her video game selection, trying to decide on something age appropriate. He looked to be ten, maybe twelve. He was tall.

"Uh…Minecraft, Sims. I can download Super Mario Smash, or–"

"Fortnite!" he exclaimed

"Okay." She shrugged, figuring a little gun action wasn't too big a deal. Presumably, he had always been around cops.

~oOo~

When Benson, Bell and Stabler finally returned to headquarters, the lights were dimmed and they found desks pushed together and what remained of the squad shouting and passing video game controllers back and forth. Jet had used their whiteboard and an old school projector and now three adults and one child were engrossed in a loud and seemingly violent video game.

"Ahem." She cleared her throat and Jet's head snapped in her direction as she fumbled for the pause button.

"Sarge," she sputtered, "I– We didn't hear you come in."

"I wonder why." Stabler looked amused.

"What are you playing?" Benson asked, looking less than amused.

"Fortnite Battle Royale," Cho intoned.

"Oh?" Her brow raised and she looked from Jet to Noah.

Her son clearly hadn't noticed that she was back, sitting cross legged on one of the desks, wearing headphones and working the controller with impressive dexterity, a soda can and a bag of gummy candies at his side.

"Noah," she said, speaking louder "No-ah."

He finally looked up and pulled the headphones off, a guilty expression on his face.

"Hi, Mom," he said. "How'd it go?"

"Fine." She sighed. "But we have to get going so the detectives can go back to–" her eyes scanned the squad room before finishing, "work."

"Hey, Captain," Jet spoke sheepishly, noting Stabler was hanging back a few paces behind her. "He was really good for me."

"Yeah?" Olivia took Noah's hand. "Did you have a good time?"

"I had a great time!" he enthused.

"Well, I appreciate you doing it, Jet." She offered a smile, almost forgetting— "Oh! Can I write you a check?"

"Uh…don't worry about it." Jet felt uncomfortable taking money from Captain Benson, even though she'd earned. Then Stabler stepped in, taking a crisp $100 bill out of his wallet and handing it to her.

"Thanks." She grinned, having no problem taking his money.

Bell was standing in front of her office door, again, waiting.

"Think you gamers can take a minute to debrief?"

A chorus of: yeah, sure, and of course followed as three out of four of them trudged to their sergeant's office.

"You can clean this place after," she added, looking over at Stabler's desk. "You joining us?"

"Just a sec." He leaned in and whispered something to Liv, out of earshot and smirked at the color rising in her cheeks. "Thanks," he said before turning to Noah. "And thank you for holding down the fort."

"Welcome!" Noah fist bumped him.

"Good man."

"Okay, let's go." Liv hustled him out and he waved over his shoulder, as did she.

Elliot smiled. It had been a nice surprise on a Saturday stuck at work, which had turned chaotic but ended well. Liv had brought her son to see him without him asking and he had been able to spend some one on one time with her, even if he hadn't been able to steal a kiss this time. Only now it was dinnertime and he was starving. He moved the mess on his desk around, frowning when he couldn't find the takeout box.

"Sloot!"