A/N: Last little piece of writing before I take a break when online classes start. This is what I imagined in my head as the reason Kathy and Dickie were going to be in the season finale before the virus canceled it. Enjoy!

She glanced at the stack of files on her desk. SVU wasn't for everyone, so she wasn't surprised only 4 people had requested to join her squad. What surprised her was the name at the top of the stack.

Richard Stabler-Beat Cop-55th precinct-earned gold shield on 5/1/20

Stabler

Stabler

Shit.

Richard Stabler.

Dickie.

Her old partner's son.

Elliot's son.

She'd been fairly certain she'd never come across or hear that name again unless it was an obituary. Maybe not even then.

9 years was a long time to hold on to anger; it had worn off over time. Still, she wasn't sure she wanted to work with another Stabler. And Dickie? He was the last one she would expect would follow his father's footsteps.

Who would she partner him with? Not Amanda. She knew her detective had a history of being close to whoever she was partnered with, and she didn't want to cause her any more pain. After all, the Stablers may say they were always loyal and faithful, but they were pretty shitty at showing it.

Then again, denying him the job because of his family was hardly professional.

She put Dicke's file to the side; she'd decide on that later.

Her mind was too scattered for a Stabler right now.

15 minutes later she realized the universe did not give a damn.

She heard a commotion in the squad room and somebody yelling that they wanted to speak to the person in charge.

"Uh, cap?" Kat stepped into her office. "There's someone looking for you. She says it's urgent."

"Send them in." When she realized the woman she'd just told Kat to send into her office was a very frazzled looking Kathy Stabler, she wished she hadn't said those words.

"Kathy!?" She said in disbelief. The other woman looked older, but it was definitely her.

"Olivia? You still work here?"

"Yeah, and it's Captain Benson now."

"If you still work here you'll understand my concern. Dickie-Richard wants to join SVU and I need you to not allow it."

"Excuse me?" She was still stunned to see the woman in her office all this time; much less making such a request.

"Whatever you have to do; I can even arrange a lunch meeting if you want to talk to him. Actually yeah, you'd probably be better at talking him out of it than I am."

"Kathy you can't really expect me to-"

"Olivia please I'm at the end of my rope."

"Kathy I don't understand. I haven't heard from anyone in your family in a decade, and you want me to talk to your son like the past years didn't happen?" Then she carefully adds, "what does his father think about him being at SVU?"

"His father!?" Kathy scoffs. "Come on Olivia like you don't know."

"Considering I haven't seen or spoken to him in 10 years, no I don't. Look Kathy I get it; I'm a mother now too and there's nothing I want more than to protect my son, but Dickie is an adult. It's his choice." She's surprised to see tears in the blonde woman's eyes.

"I don't want to lose my son. I don't want this job to destroy him like it did Elliot." She emphasizes the name as if challenging Olivia to say it. "This job stole so much from him, from our family. I don't want my son to be another casualty of it." Olivia's heart stops.

"C-casualty?"

"He really hasn't reached out to you?"

"No." Her voice broke. "He left me when he left the job and cut us out of his life." She's afraid to ask but goes for it. "Is he-did he-"

"He's still alive; physically anyway."

"Oh thank god." She swallowed a sob of relief. She couldn't take any more death this year.

"Olivia...there are aspects of Elliot that I would love to see in our kids. This wouldn't be one of them. You were his partner for 12 years. You saw what it did to him. I'm begging you. Tell Dickie he can go into computer crimes or something, but when he applies to join this unit don't let him. Talk him out of this. Please."

"And if he doesn't listen to me?"

"You're the CO of this squad; tell 1PP he's not fit to join the unit. Tell them he failed a psych eval or something."

"Kathy I can't just lie to my bosses for you."

"Please at least talk to him?"

"Well all of the applicants have interviews coming up, so I'll be talking to all of them and making sure they have a good reason for wanting to join. I'll be evaluating their character, their work ethic, several qualities before I hire them."

"That won't help! He's got a big heart, so his intentions are good. You'll have to try something else."

"Kathy it's not my job to tell your son what he can and can't do. I'm not his mother. After the way your family cut me out of your lives, I'm not even his friend. I don't understand. Why now? Does Elliot know you're doing this?"

"That man doesn't even know what year it is Olivia. All he does is drink. He never leaves his apartment except to go to a bar, and his kids haven't heard from him in almost as long as you have."

"That doesn't sound like the Elliot I know." She shakes her head in disbelief, but then again, did she really know him anymore?

"Dickie's already got his father's anger issues. I don't want him to have this other crap too. He's been in and out of rehab, but nothing seems to work. He's turned into a worthless, miserable blob of booze. I'm trying to protect my son from becoming that." She replied bitterly.

"I don't understand why none of you told me about any of this? You know I would have helped."

"He didn't want you to see him like that because of your mother. He spent 2 months in a hospital under suicide watch because he tried to eat his gun several times." Olivia's heart broke at what she was hearing.

"Kathy, he saw me at my worst countless times over the years. I wouldn't have cared." Kathy made a helpless gesture.

"We tried to get him to call you! He loved you too much to put that burden on you. He didn't love me too much obviously. We got a divorce and I told him to quit moping around and get help, or he wouldn't see his kids again. He chose the booze over his family Olivia. I can't let that happen to Dickie."

"I-" She pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something on it.

"You want to see proof of just how badly Dickie needs to stay away? Here's Elliot's new address; until he gets evicted and has to go into a group home. Again." She rolls her eyes. "See for yourself what a miserable bastard your old partner is now."

A/N: I'm sorry that wasn't the usual happy EO I'm used to writing. I hate painting El in this light. He's one of my faves and I love him. But I needed an outlet for the anger I'm feeling right now, and writing is a good way to cope. This is just a oneshot; not a fic at this time. But the ending is open ended, so you get to decide what happens next. Does she go see him? Does she talk to Dickie? Or does she do something else? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the reviews :) Once I get settled into classes I may still have time to write occasionally. We'll see. Talk to you next time!