Chapter 18: Elliot and John To the Rescue

Ok this is chapter 18 but it is really an extension of chapter 17 because I just couldn't leave John and Elliot hanging there waiting for their kids to show up so this the part where well just read the damn story ok! Also I went back and was reading and realized that I was letting John and Casey have another baby well, I figured I better get my poop in a group and make sure that they had that baby, so she's in here now but since babies can't do much she just gets mentioned.

As soon as Elliot and John finished discussing what they were going to do and getting some men gathered up to help them search for their lost children they both went back to their wives to let them know the status of the situation. Olivia had no idea what was going on and Casey only knew that two children were missing as the boys had come and interupted John's dinner. Oliver was just making his way up to the house when John arrived there and he ran up to his father. "Have they found Ethan and Emily yet Papa?"

"No son, they haven't. So I need you to be a good boy and stay with Mama and Alexandra for the afternoon alright." John said to his son. Oliver was younger than Emily by a couple of years and as rolly polly as Emily was whispy. Then there was the new baby girl, born the night before Halloween, Alexandra.

"Yes, Papa." the boy answered.

He followed his father into the house and when Casey saw that just Oliver was with his father she burst into tears. "One of the children that was taken was Emily wasn't it John?" she asked through her tears.

John wrapped his arms around her and said, "Yes my dear. I'm afraid that Emily was one of the ones taken. She and Ethan were eating lunch together, I guess as they do everyday. Don't worry dear we'll find them. Between Elliot and I we'll find them."

Casey began to cry again, "I just keep imagining all the horrible things that can happen to them."

Oliver came and wrapped his chubby arms around her then. "It's ok Mama. I know that Ethan would never let anyone hurt Emily."

Casey hugged her youngest child, "Thank you Oliver. That makes Mama feel so much better. Come along, we need to make Papa some sandwhiches so that he has something to eat while he looks for them."

While John gathered his rifle, and put on more warm clothing Casey made sandwhiches for him and the children.

Elliot went directly back to Percy's store, when he walked in, he knew that from his face that Olivia could tell that something was gravely wrong.

"Elliot," she said the moment she saw him, "What's wrong?"

"Someone took them, Liv. Some one took Ethan and Emily from the school grounds while they ate their lunches."

Olivia's hands flew to her mouth and fluttered there and then back down to her skirts which she clutched in both hands before she went to her husband of barely two months and she wrapped her arms around him. He did the same to her and they clung to each other. "Will they be alright Elliot?" Olivia heard herself asking. It was if they were living in a dream, or worse a nightmare. This morning had been all about joy and happiness over them finding out that they were expecting another child, only for the afternoon to bring the worst possible situation, their son was missing.

"I would expect so." Elliot said. "I know Ethan is a smart boy but I worry that he will go to the extreme to protect Emily." He swallowed then, imagining the worse, "He would even give his own life, I expect to protect her." Olivia began to cry then and Elliot made his way with her in his arms to a chair that Percy had brought out. "But that won't happen Liv. John and I will find them. If I know my son he was watching the land carefully, something I taught him to do from the time he was tyke. I also expect that he tried to leave a mark on the trail they took so that John and I will be able to track them more easily. I know our boy, Liv, he'll pull through."

"Oh but Elliot. He's so young." Olivia said and cried harder.

"Shh. Darlin' everything will be fine. I want you to stay here with your grandfather until I get back. John and I are going to look for them along with some others."

"Ok." Olivia said through her sobs.

Elliot stood and looked at Percy who said, "Don't worry about Livie, Elliot. I'll take good care of her and the little one until you get back."

"Thank you Percy."

Elliot and John met shortly after that in the street, each of them were taking five men and they would split up on the trail, granted they found a trail. John and Elliot were both quiet as they set out. A man never expected to have to go and find his children and the person responsible for taking them, nor did he ever want to.

It was when they were at least five miles from town when one of the search riders in Elliot's group came along a piece of material with small flowers on it. He brought it over to Elliot and showed him. Elliot decided that it was most likely dress material from a little girls dress and they continued along that trail following the pieces of calico.

Ethan was starting to get tired now. He didn't know how long he had been walking but he decided that it would be easier if both he and Emily rode the horse. "Emily, I'm going to get on and ride now, I'm just about tuckerd out."

"Ok Ethan. Ethan do you think that man will come looking for us."

"I sure hope not. I hope Pa and Mr. John find him first."

"Ethan, I'm starting to get really cold."

"I know so am I but we have to keep going. Let's sing, real quiet like and try to keep warm." Ethan suggested. He also hoped that him riding behind Emily would help keep her a little warmer as well.

John and his group were on nothing more than a cold trail and he hoped that Elliot and his group were faring better.

Elliot and his group continued to follow the trail of small pieces of material and broken branches until they heard it. It sounded like singing, children singing. Elliot motioned for the other men to stay behind him and he continued forward. He remained quiet and listened and hoped with all his heart that he had just found them.

"Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb" Elliot heard.

He urged his horse forward and continued to listen until he topped the next hill and there he saw them, ridding an old bay horse double, singing. He continued on down and hoped he didn't frighten them with his approach.

Ethan and Emily were consumed with signing and trying to keep warm so they did not see or hear the other riders approach until he was right upon them. Emily let out a small scream and Ethan pulled up their horse. He recognized the rider. It was his Pa. "Pa! Pa!" he said excitedly.

"Ethan!" Elliot cried, pulling up on the reins and jumping down from his horse. He pulled both children down and once and hugged them to him. "Oh we were so worried that we would never see you again."

"We were scared too Pa. But that man that took us, he got drunk when he stopped to eat and passed out so I told Emily that we were getting out of there."

Ethan said.

"Smart boy." Elliot said to Ethan. "Well let's get you back on that horse and home it's late enough as it is."

John was still following the same trail when he came upon a sleeping figure in a clump of trees. John and his group of men rode up and surrounded the figure. He instantly recognized the man. It was Max Johnson Keevler. John stepped off his horse and went over to Keevler. He kicked the man.

Keevler rolled over and groaned. "What the hell are you doing?" he grumbled.

"What in the hell did you do with my daughter and her friend?" John growled.

"What?" Keevler said.

"What did you do with my daughter and her friend?" John growled again.

"They were here I don't know where they went!" Keevler cried.

"Get up you piece of shit." John said.

Keevler stood and went to his horse and saddled it. When he just stood there, John hit him with the rifle and said, "Get on your god damn horse."

Keevler got on his horse and John cuffed his hands behind his back, then took the reins to his horse and got on his horse. "Lets go boys."

They hit the trail at a fast lope and soon they had reached Elliot and his group and much to John's relief Elliot had the kids. "Elliot, I have Keevler." John said.

Elliot looked at John and smiled, "I have the kids."

"Good, lets go home."

When they returned to town John took Emily home and Elliot took Ethan to Percy's store. When they walked in Ethan ran up to Olivia and said, "Ma!"

Olivia took Ethan in her arms and hugged him tight. "Oh Ethan! I missed you so much my precious little boy."

"Ma, I'm not a little boy any more." Ethan said using the most grown up voice he could.

"Oh really? You were a little boy when you left for school this morning." Olivia said, playing along.

"No. Ma, I took really good care of Emily while we were gone though."

"You did. I'm so proud of you." Olivia said. She hugged him again. "I'm glad your safe though. By the way where is your father?" She looked around but didn't see Elliot.

While Ethan and Olivia were having their reunion, Elliot walked back down to the jail house to question Keevler with John.

"Max, what were you thinking taking our children?" John asked. They had Keevler setting in a chair, his hands cuffed behind him and his ankles shakled.

"I only wanted his kid." Keevler said, motioning towards Elliot with his chin. So far Elliot had been quiet leaning against John's desk, his arms crossed over his chest.

"So why did you want Ethan Stabler?" John asked.

"I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to hurt him for taking Olivia away from me. For sending me back to jail." Max growled.

"Wanted to hurt who?" Elliot asked, moving away from the desk and closer to Keevler.

"You." Keevler snarled.

"Why?" John asked.

"Because he took Olivia away from me."

Elliot was beginning to get angry and he got into Keevler's face. "I did not take Olivia away from you! She chose to be with me! She wants nothing to do with trash like you Keevler, nothing!"

Olivia was coming down the street when she heard what she was sure was her husband screaming from inside John's office. She rushed in and grabbed Elliot's arm. "Elliot!" she shouted.

Elliot calmed and looked at Olivia, "Liv what are you doing here I thought you were with Ethan?"

"I was and he's ready to go home now. I think John can question this man on his own. Now come on before you end up in the cell next to him." Olivia said.

"I'll come in and see you tomorrow John." Elliot said.

"Yes, I just want to put this scum bag into a cell for the night. I'll let Gordon take care of him tonight." John said. "I'm ready to go home and assure myself that Emily is ok."

Elliot went out the door and down the street with Olivia. "I'm sorry about that Liv."

"It's ok dear. When do you want to tell Ethan about the baby?" she asked, changing the subject away from the incident with Keevler.

"I think tomorrow will be ok. I don't want to send him to school and I believe that school will be closed for the rest of the week so that everyone has time to settle down." Elliot said.

"I agree. He had an awful lot of excitement today."

"Yes he did. I was proud of him though how he handled the situation. Do you know he made sure they had a visible trail that they could follow out or that John and I could use to find them?"

"No. That is very good for a boy his age." Olivia said.

Ethan fell asleep on the ride home between his parents and Olivia couldn't help but think about how small he looked nestled between them.

At the Much house as soon as Elliot dropped her off, Emily ran into the house and into her mother's arms. "Oh Mama, I was so scared!" she cried.

Casey gathered her daughter into her arms and held her tight. "I'm so glad that your home safe honey."

"So am I Mama. I owe Ethan Mama, I owe him so much." Emily said.

When John returned home Emily ran into her father's arms. "Papa!"

"Emily, my sweet girl." John said, gathering her up in his arms and hugging her close. "Emy are you ok?"

"Yes, Papa. Ethan took good care of me. He gave me the water from the canteen that the man gave to us and he made sure we had a path to follow in case we could get away. Then he watched the man and he said that the man was getting drunk and would pass out and then we could get away." Emily told her father.

John set her down on her feet again. "I see you ripped your dress."

Emily looked down, somewhat ashamed. "I'm sorry Papa."

John knelt down in front of her, "Emily, honey, I don't care that you ripped your dress. I'm just glad that you're ok."

"I'm glad too Papa."

When the Stabler family arrived home, Elliot carried Ethan into the house and laid him in his bed and then left Olivia to put his night shirt on him and tuck him in.

Olivia was careful to not wake Ethan as she removed his pants, jacket, shirt and shoes. Because it was somewhat cold in the house, especially upstairs she left his socks on him. She had just finished pulling the quilts up around his chin and kissing his forehead when she heard Elliot come in. She left the door open and then went down the stairs to her waiting husband.

"Is he all tucked in?" Elliot asked.

"Yes." Olivia replied. "All snug and warm and safe the way any nine year old boy should be."

"That's good." Elliot replied. He sat down heavily in a chair and removed his boots, setting them in front of the stove. "It's going to get cold tonight and I think that it could maybe even snow."

Olivia went and sat down on his lap, laying her head on his shoulder. "I never want to experience that again, Elliot."

"Neither do I." Ethan said. He wrapped his arms around Olivia. Feeling her slightly bumped up middle. "Just think by early next summer we'll have another little one."

"I know." Olivia said, a smile on her lips. She couldn't wait and she couldn't wait to tell Ethan in the morning.

The next morning Olivia was cooking breakfast and Elliot was out milking the cow. They had awoke to what Elliot assumed was three inches of snow. It only the first of November and Elliot told Olivia that snow that early would easily mean that it was going to be a tough winter on the plains. He decided that it would be safe, since Keevler was in jail, for him and Ethan to go out and bring the cattle in a little closer to the house. They could be fed off the back of the wagon as Elliot had put a good feed supply the summer before.

Ethan came down the stairs dressed but with sleepy eyes and a cowlick standing up on the back of his head. "Morning Ma." He said.

"Good morning sweetheart. Are you hungry?"

"Yes ma'm." Ethan replied. "Ma would you like me to set the table?"

"Yes if you would." Olivia said turning back to the stove.

Ethan gathered the dishes from the cupboard and was just finishing when Elliot walked back into the house stomping snow from his boots. "Ethan are you ready to go out and help me move cattle today?"

"Isn't there any school today?" Ethan asked.

"No. There won't be any school for the rest of the week to let everyone calm down a little after yesterday."

"Yippee!" Ethan shouted, then more quietly said, "Yes Pa. I'll help move the cattle in."

Olivia set their breakfast on the table and motioned for them to sit. They said grace and then Olivia looked at Elliot. Elliot decided that he would just go ahead and tell Ethan that he was going to be a big brother in the late spring. He looked at Ethan and said, "Ethan, your Ma and I have something to tell you."

"What?" Ethan said before taking another bite of pancake.

"Your going to be a big brother next spring." Olivia said, helping Elliot out.

"Really?" Ethan asked. "We're really going to have a baby?"

"We're really going to have a baby." Elliot mimicked.

"Great." Ethan said and went back to eating pancakes.