A/N: Wow! Four reviews on the previous chapter...I guess the cliffhanger worked. *winks* So here's Part 2 of chapter 15. Again Liv may seem a little out of character but I promise she redeems herself by the end. Also, the name of the mall is totally made up – it was the first name that came to mind. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy. xxx

Elliot arrived at Sunnyside Mall in record time, not even bothering to park his car in a legal fashion. He went to enter but was stopped from stepping over the thresh hold of the large building by three mall cops. "NYPD. Let me through." El demanded as he flashed his badge.

"No can do, Sir. A lady detective has ordered us not to let anyone in or out of the complex. Something about a missing kid." The largest of the three shrugged as a way of an apology.

"I'm well aware of the situation. That 'lady detective' happens to be my partner and the kid is her daughter, you prick." Elliot seethed into the man's face.

"I'm sorry, Detective but like I said-"

Elliot had looked over the security guards shoulder after spotting a glimpse of familiar brunette locks. He would recognise that exact shade and style of hair anywhere in a crowd. "Liv!" He yelled out and tried to push pass the three men who were preventing him from going to the love of his life. One of the guards attempted to restrain him but he quickly shook him off. "Get your hands off me, you bastard!"

"Elliot?! Let him in! He's my partner! Let him through, God damn it!" Olivia had heard the commotion coming from the direction of the front entrance and ran over as soon as she heard El call out her name whilst he continued to struggle against the security that was blocking his path.

"You know this man, Ma'am?" The big guard, whose security badge said his name was M. Hawkins, turned to Liv who was pulling on his arm in an attempt to get El into the building.

"Yes. That's Detective Stabler. I notified him about my daughter's disappearance. Now, please, let him pass." Olivia explained.

The guards stepped aside and Elliot rushed through the automatic doors. He pulled Liv into his arms and rocked her as she once again broke down into heart wrenching sobs. "Oh, El...it's all my fault. I should never have-"

"Shh. It's not your fault, Liv. These things happen." Elliot soothed.

"Yeah but not to me, Elliot. I'm a cop. A cop that let her own baby be snatched from right under her own nose." Olivia sobbed out. She was relatively level headed once she had located a security guard right up until the point when she heard Elliot call out for her. That's when she suddenly found the floodgates opening up again and now she couldn't seem to calm herself down.

"Liv, what happened?" Elliot asked as he led her over to a store's window, away from the rest of the onlookers. His girlfriend didn't need an audience when she was at her most vulnerable.

Olivia took a deep breath as she ran her fingers through her hair, a clear sign of how stressed she was. "We were about to get lunch. Maria wanted McDonald's. She loved - loves that shit." She spat the profanity out in disgust. "There was a long wait and Maria, she, she got whiny and I knew her poor little feet must have been aching after traipsing around this hell hole all morning. I-I saw a free table right next to where we were in the line. It was in clear view. I just knew I would have been able to see her the whole time I was in the queue so I told her to go and wait at the table-"

"So you let her walk away from you?" Elliot asked, slightly confused. That didn't sound like something Liv would do.

Olivia felt as if though his tone had a sense of accusation in it and snapped at him without a second thought. "I watched her the whole time up until...until you called. You distracted me. This never would of happened if you hadn't of-"

"Oh so now all of this," Elliot gestured to their manic surroundings before finishing his rhetorical question, "is my fault? I wasn't the one who let her walk away."

Olivia once again broke out into sobs, covering her face with her hands. Elliot took a deep breath before pulling her back into his arms. Them fighting wasn't going to help with their search for Maria. "Oh, Liv. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that. Please forgive me." He murmured as he rocked her back and forth. Thankfully, she didn't push him away but instead clung onto his shirt in desperation.

"What if we never find her, El? I can't lose my baby girl. I don't know how-"

Olivia stopped abruptly when a shrill voice called out. "Mommy!" Liv's eyes widened unbelievingly, thinking that she was just hearing things. That was until the voice was heard again. "That's her! That's my Mama!"

Olivia and Elliot both turned in the direction of the ruckus and gasped when they saw Maria running towards them with one of the mall's security guards. "Oh my God, my baby. Maria." Olivia whispered as she met the child halfway. Not wasting any time, she scooped Maria up into her arms and held her in a bone crushing hug.

"Mommy, I was so scared." Maria's voice was muffled in the crook of Liv's neck.

Elliot walked over to the reunited pair as Olivia lowered Maria to the ground, making sure she didn't lose any physical contact. Liv ran her hands over the little girl's face and pushed up the sleeves of her shirt, checking for any injuries she may have sustained in her absence. "Oh, Sweet Girl. Are you ok? Are you hurt?" She asked.

"I'm not hurt, Mama." Maria reassured her mother who once again pulled her into a tight but loving embrace. At first she thought that Maria was shaking but when she felt Elliot place a hand on her back she realised she was the one who was violently trembling.

Olivia stood up, Maria safely attached to her hip, and turned to the guard she had been with when she seemingly appeared out of no where. "Thank you so much. I don't know how I will ever repay you." She told him earnestly.

"Just doing my job, Ma'am." He claimed. "Poor thing. I found her hiding behind a trash can by the kids play area on the top floor. Perp must have left her there when the alarm rang. I imagine he was planning to escape through the parking lot that is accessible from there."

"Is that what happened, Maria? Did a strange man grab you and take you away from the food court when Mommy wasn't looking?" Elliot asked as he ran his hand over the top of her head.

Maria frowned and looked between Elliot and Olivia. "What man?" She asked.

Olivia gasped as she looked into Elliot's eyes. A look of realisation was exchanged between them. "Was it a lady who took you then?" Liv asked. It wouldn't be the first time a kidnapper turned out to be female. They had seen it plenty of times in their line of work.

"No. No one grabbed me. I just got lost." Maria shrugged innocently.

"Honey, how did you get lost? You were sitting at a table in the food court. You were waiting for your lunch. It was packed and the wait was long so I asked you to save a spot when I saw an empty table, remember?" A sudden thought occurred to Olivia and she began to panic. "Maybe she got hit over the head and that's why she doesn't remember anything. El, we should get her to the hospital ASAP."

"Mommy, I told you I didn't get hurt and no one grabbed me." The five year old insisted, wondering why her mother wasn't believing her.

"Uh, I'm going to tell the rest of the security staff that your daughter's been found." The guard dismissed himself, deciding that the kid was in good hands with the two NYPD officers who were looking at the little girl with identical looks of confusion.

"Liv, why don't we sit down and we can figure this out together." Elliot suggested as he gently led Olivia over to a seating area. The unconventional family unit sat down with Maria in between the two adults. "Maria, can you start from the beginning? What happened after your mom told you to wait at the table?"

Maria looked between the grown ups either side of her and sighed. "I sat for a really long time and then I got bored and then I remembered about that toy store that Mommy wouldn't let me go into and how fun it looked."

"Maria, don't tell me-" Olivia began as she stiffened, an expression of awareness taking over her previous look of puzzlement.

Elliot, sensing that Maria had more to say, stopped his partner from saying anything more. "Let her finish, Olivia." He looked at Maria who now had her head bowed as if she were ashamed. "Go on, Maria. Tell us what happened after you remembered the toy store." El attempted to encourage her to continue with her story.

"I...I can't. Mama will be mad at me..." Tears filled the girl's eyes and not once did she look at her mothers face, afraid of what she might find there.

"Why, Angel Face? Why will Mama be mad?" Elliot continued to question gently.

"Because...because she told me not to leave the table but I did. I wanted to have a quick peak at the toy store but then there were lots of people and then I didn't know where I was going. There was a loud noise and I got scared so I hid until that nice man found me and said Mommy was looking for me. I'm sorry, Mama. Please don't be angry. I was just going to have a quick look and then go back to where you were." Maria began to sob and when Olivia didn't react, Elliot sighed and lifted Maria into the safety of his arms.

Olivia stood up and didn't even glance at either her daughter or her boyfriend as she spoke. "I...I think it's time we went home. El, I'll meet you by the car. I have to collect the things we purchased this morning from the reception." Was all she said before heading towards the information desk.

The car journey to Olivia's apartment complex was blanketed in an awkward silence. Elliot looked between his partner and Maria every couple of minutes. Liv possessed a stony expression whilst the child in the back seat had a constant look of fear in her eyes. After not moving even an inch for the entirety of the ride, El realised that the woman in the passenger seat was in some state of shock.

At one point Elliot attempted to cut through the tension by calling over to Olivia, his tone low. "Liv-"

"Not now, El. I'm really not in the mood to talk." Olivia cut him off and continued to stare out of the windscreen. After that, El gave up on trying to get her to converse with him. She only spoke again when they arrived at her building. "Thanks for the ride." Liv went to climb out of the car but was stopped in her tracks when Elliot spoke.

"Do you need me to pick up your car from the mall after I'm done at work?" He asked.

Olivia shook her head in the negative. "No. I'll call the mall's office a bit later and tell them what happened. I'll go and collect it myself tomorrow. Thank you for offering though. I appreciated it." She smiled in gratitude and planted a soft kiss to his cheek. "I must really be going. I have some things to discuss with Maria."

At the mention of her name, the five year old stiffened and quickly averted her eyes away from her mother who took a quick glance at her. She didn't move when Liv climbed out of the car and opened the back passenger door. Olivia unbuckled Maria's restraints and waited somewhat impatiently for her daughter to climb out.

"Maria, come on, we need to go inside." Olivia spoke when Maria remained rooted in place.

Maria looked at the back of Elliot's head rest when she spoke, ignoring her mother's command. "Elliot, can I stay with you?"

Elliot turned to look at the five year old and went to respond but didn't when Olivia suddenly barked out, "You most certainly cannot!", causing Maria to flinch.

"Liv-"

"Not now, Stabler." Liv hissed. She only called him by his surname when she was riled up. "Maria, move. Now."

"But-" Olivia didn't even wait for the child to speak and instead firmly yanked the little girl by her arm out of the car.

"Mama, you're hurting me!" Maria squealed as she tried to release herself from her mother's tight grip.

Elliot immediately jumped out of the car and glared at his partner. "Liv, you really need to calm down. Think about what you're doing!" He exclaimed she watched the two struggle against each other.

"You aren't my father, Elliot , so stop acting like you are. I'll see you Monday morning." Olivia said stiffly before stalking off with a defeated and crushed looking Maria trailing slowly behind her.

Olivia and Maria stepped through the door of their apartment and Liv waited until the girl had taken off her shoes before she broke the prolonged silence. "Go wait in your room. I'll be in there soon to have a talk with you."

Maria didn't respond verbally but instead complied with the instruction given and traipsed towards her room. Olivia watched her walk down the hall and once Maria was out of sight, she broke down into tears. Now that Liv was behind closed doors and alone she felt like she could finally release the pent up emotions that had been inside her all afternoon. She silently poured out the overwhelming fear and grief that had made her heart feel so heavy. However, as soon as her mini breakdown began Liv was just as quick to pull herself together by sniffing and wiping at the tears that had escaped from her chocolate orbs.

Not quite ready to have a talk with her daughter, Olivia wandered over to the kitchen area and began to make coffee. Moments later she was stood against the kitchen counter sighing and closing her eyes in relief as she took her first sip of the caffeinated liquid. She began to reflect on the days events only for her eyes to snap open abruptly when she recalled her actions downstairs outside her apartment building. Particularly she remembered the rush of anger she felt and Maria's yelp when she had practically dragged her own child from the back of Elliot's car.

'Oh my God. I-I'm a monster.' She couldn't help but think to herself. 'She must hate me so much.' Liv closed her eyes with regret but was able to push back the tears that threatened to make a reappearance.

"Mama, you're hurting me!"

"...hurting me..."

"Mama..."

Before she could torture herself any further, Olivia made the decision to go and finally have a conversation with her daughter. A conversation that should have happened before they had even left the mall.

Liv walked down the hall of her two bedroom apartment and stopped in front of her child's bedroom door. She traced the pink and purple lettering that spelled out her precious baby girl's name and smiled at the memory of the day the sign had been put up. Maria was so happy to finally have something that was actually hers and Olivia had just made that safe space more of a prison than anything else. Why didn't Olivia just tell her to wait in the corner like she normally would have done?

Olivia rested her forehead on the door and took a deep breath before knocking and calling out to the child who inhabited the room. "Maria? Can I come in, Baby?" Her tone was soft and loving. It was a complete contrast to how her voice sounded both down at the car and then when she had coldly banished Maria to her room.

Olivia didn't get a reply but instead heard rapid shuffling before a small 'thud'. Worried, Liv decided to investigate the strange noises by opening the door and stepping into the pink bedroom only to find herself alone. She frowned and took a brief look around the room before kneeling down by the bed and looking underneath it for any sign of Maria. Having no luck there, she stood up and once again called out. "Maria?"

That's when she heard it.

Olivia turned towards the closet after hearing heartbreaking muffled sobs. She walked over to that area of the room, her footsteps light, and slowly slid the closet door open. Liv felt her heart tear in two when she saw Maria rocking back and forth in the back of the small space. Her little knees were pulled up towards her chest, her head buried between them.

"Oh, Baby." Olivia whispered as she sat on the floor cross legged.

Maria looked up briefly before resuming her position and began whispering something along the lines of, "Please. Please don't hit me. Please."

Olivia bit her lip to stop herself from openly sobbing and this time allowed one single tear to fall down her cheek. "Maria, Honey, can you come out here to Mommy please?" She spoke once she was sure her voice wouldn't crack from emotion.

Maria shook her head and continued to repeat her mantra. Guilt flooded Olivia's veins as she watched her child cower away from her. She didn't know what to do. Sure, she was used to seeing victims behaving like that all of the time but Maria wasn't just another victim. She was Olivia's little girl. Her little girl who Liv had unintentionally hurt with her harsh words and actions.

"Baby, please come out. I would never hurt you on purpose. I love you with all my heart."

Maria ceased her rocking motions but still did not look up at her mother. "I want Elliot." She mumbled somewhat incoherently but Olivia heard her loud and clear.

Liv sighed in despair and made the decision to slowly move into the closet herself, ensuring she didn't make any sudden movements. It was a tight squeeze but she managed it anyway. She laid a gentle hand on Maria's back only for the five your old to flinch and attempt to scoot away from Olivia who quickly retracted her hand.

Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat when she realised that she was caught between a rock and a hard place. How was she ever going to make up for the mistakes she had made? Then the idea suddenly came to her as if she had just had a light bulb moment. She remembered the one tactic Elliot used on the occasions when he had been present for one of Maria's horrific nightmares. Remembered how he would sing to calm the little girl down. So that's exactly what Liv did in that moment of uncertainty.

"The other night dear, as I lay sleeping,

I dreamed I held you in my arms,

But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken,

So I hung my head and I cried,

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,

You make me happy when skies are gray,

You'll never know Dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away"

Olivia had just managed to get through the first verse and chorus but that seemed to be enough as Maria slowly came to a halt in her back and forth movements and looked up into her mama's eyes. Liv smiled gently and moved a piece of hair out of her eyes and stroked Maria's cherub cheek, wiping her tears in the process. Relief coursed through Olivia when the child didn't jump away from the light contact.

"Mama?" Maria whispered in the darkened closet.

"I'm right here, Sweet Girl. Mama's right here and she's so sorry. So sorry." Olivia said in a hushed tone not wanting to speak too loudly.

Without a second thought, Maria dove into her mother's arms and buried her head into her chest. Olivia sighed and closed her eyes in relief as she slowly wrapped her arms around her baby girl. "Oh my precious angel." She breathed as she held onto the back of Maria's head in a maternal gesture.

They sat in the closet before in silence for few moments until Olivia began to feel her legs cramp up from being crossed for a considerable length of time. She began to shift which caused Maria to cling onto her tightly and whine out a protest. "Maria, baby, I need to get out of this closet and stretch my legs. How about we sit on your bed and talk about what happened today?"

Maria nodded and loosened her grip, allowing Liv to vacate the tiny closet. Without stalling, the child crawled out after her and followed her over to the bed. They sat in silence for a while until Olivia decided it was finally time to have the important discussion. "Maria, why did you wander off at the mall today?"

Maria sighed and looked down at her lap as she tried to explain her actions. "I wanted to look in the toy store." She whispered.

"I know you did, Honey, but I told you we would go back there after lunch. There was no need to go off on your own like that. Do you know how scared I was when I looked round and saw that your weren't at that table? I thought someone had taken you from me. I was so worried that they were going to hurt you." Olivia softly lectured and hoped that her fear would explain her somewhat harsh treatment.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Mommy. The line was so long and you said you didn't want to miss the movie so I thought I could just quickly have a look on my own before lunch. I was afraid that after we ate it would have been too late to go back." The five year old tried her best to describe the 'predicament' she had found herself in.

"Oh, Maria. Even if we didn't have time before the movie, I would have taken you to look after it was over. I would do anything for you and don't you ever forget that."

"You really mean that?" Maria asked uncertain.

"I really do. I love you, Baby Girl. All I want is for you to be happy." Olivia told her. "Can I get a proper hug now? A happy one?"

Maria nodded and climbed into Olivia's lap. This time, Liv was the one who began to rock back and forth out of habit. "Mommy?" Maria looked up at her worriedly after they sat embracing for a few seconds.

"Yeah, Kiddo?" Olivia asked before kissing the little girl on the forehead.

"Are you going to punish me?"

Liv sighed and braced herself to answer the question. "I think on this occasion I'm going to have to. What you did today was really dangerous. I know it didn't happen but someone could have taken you away today and I might not have been able to ever find you." She began. The detective hated to punish her daughter but she felt like in this instance it was necessary in order to prevent a repeat performance. "On the way home I thought about it a lot and I decided that for one week there will be no TV or desert after dinner. As soon as you come home from school you are to finish any homework you may have and then help with any chores. I also think you should have an earlier bedtime for the time being that way you will have more time to reflect on your punishment. Does that seem fair?"

Maria nodded in acceptance and Olivia smiled. "Good. Now your first chore is to fold and put away all the things we got for you today. I'll go fetch the bags." Olivia had just reached the door way when Maria called out to her.

"Mommy?"

Liv turned around and gave Maria an expectant look. "What is it?"

"You're a really bad singer. Elliot is way better." Olivia glared playfully but couldn't help but laugh herself when her five year old burst into contagious giggles.

Later that evening, Olivia was sat on the couch with a glass of wine hours after she had gotten Maria to bed. She still had some guilt weighing on her shoulders after the days events.

After Maria had finished putting away her new clothes Olivia caller her out into the living room to ask her an important question. Liv had remembered the way she had pulled the little girl out of the car and was worried that she had hurt her physically. However, she had nothing to worry about as Maria said her arm wasn't hurting and that she was only in pain for a very short while. Still, Olivia felt like she had to check for injuries and rolled up the sleeve of Maria's shirt only to sigh in relief when she saw no marks and that the child could move her arm normally.

Yes she still felt guilty over her actions but she also felt guilt over how she had treated Elliot. The man who never failed to be there for her. The man who had dropped everything to be with her in her darkest hour of need. And how did she repay him? By snapping at him and just by being a cold hearted bitch in general.

She sighed into her empty living room as she dialled her boyfriend's number and lifted the phone to her ear once it began ringing.

"Hello?" El spoke groggily into the phone.

Olivia looked up at the clock on the wall and kicked herself when she saw that it was gone midnight. "Oh, I'm sorry, El. Did I wake you?"

"It's fine, Liv. What's up? Are you and Maria ok?" He brushed off her apology and sat up in bed.

"We're both fine. Maria's sleeping soundly and I'm attempting to relax with a glass of wine. I couldn't sleep with all this guilt I'm feeling."

"Guilt? What-"

Before Elliot could question her, Olivia interrupted. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you at the mall and on the ride back to my place. You were just trying to help and I wouldn't let you. And...I definitely shouldn't have blamed you for Maria going missing. I should never have-"

"Olivia, today was no ones fault. It's like you said – you would have been able to see her the whole time. She was just being a normal kid who wondered off and got lost. It happens all the time." Elliot tried to get Liv to see the situation from his point of view.

"It's not just that, El. God, I laid a hand on my child out of anger today. I could have tore her arm from the socket. We're up against monsters like that everyday. How am I any different to them?"

"Did Maria complain about her arm hurting at all tonight?" Elliot questioned her, knowing what the answer would be.

"No but-"

"Then you have nothing to worry about do you understand? You are nothing like those sick fucks we have to deal with day in and day out and I don't want to hear you ever liken yourself to them ever again, is that clear?"

Olivia took a breath before responding to her partners firm voice. "I hear you, El. Thank you for being there for me today. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Don't be stupid, Liv. I'm your partner - in and outside of work. It's kind of my job to have your back. I'm just glad to know that both of my girls are ok."

The couple continued to converse for about fifteen more minutes. They decided that they would take Maria to the park for a picnic the next day for lunch as they both had the day off. Elliot assured Olivia that them allowing this wouldn't be going back on Maria's punishment. It would just be a lunch out in the fresh air. They didn't need to go to the playground. Olivia soon began to yawn and it was then that they decided to call it a night, wrapping up the phone call with a couple of 'Goodnight's' and 'I love you's'.

A/N: Please review with your thoughts on how I handled this chapter if you can. I would love to know what my readers are thinking. xxx