Disclaimer: Will they ever be mine? Probably not. I apologize for such a long delay, I had an idea of where I wanted this story to go, but no idea on how to get there. I guess one good thing about the season finale, despite the whole Elliot and Kathy thing, is that I finally had an inspiration to continue my story!
Olivia quickly turned and headed out the door of the squad room, seeking refuge in the cribs. She sat down on one of the beds, putting her hands over her face, willing the sting of threatening tears to go away.
"Are you ok?" Elliot said, leaning on the doorframe of the room.
"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine," she said as she rubbed her hands over her eyes.
"It's just the two of us in here right now, you don't have to put on the hard ass act for me. I don't want to know if Detective Benson is ok, because I know that she will be...I want to know if you, Liv, are ok. Talk to me, please," he said sitting down beside her on the bed.
"No, is that what you want to hear? That I almost lost it downstairs, that I'm weak and emotional? Do you think that I like causing people's deaths? I know that its not me doing it, but its because of me, so I still feel that guilt, and don't even tell me that I shouldn't feel that way, because we both know how you felt after the whole Gitano thing. You blamed yourself so much that we almost lost our partnership for good."
"That was different."
"No, that was the same and you know it. You didn't kill that boy, he did, but you still felt guilty. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a case to work on."
She stood up from the bed as Elliot grabbed her arm, "Liv, wait,"
"Don't touch me, got it?"
With that, Olivia wrenched her arm free and stormed out of the room and back to her desk, where Cragen was looking over another package.
"Another one?"
"Afraid so, just came in."
"Do I even want to know what's inside this one?"
"Another eye. No one's reported a crime scene fitting this description yet, so for now, I'm going to have Warner run some tests on this to see if we can ID the vic."
Later that afternoon, Munch and Fin had returned with nothing from the first crime scene, but an investigation of the second crime scene had produced a substantial lead. Although the perp was good at covering his tracks, he had left a couple of hairs behind, enabling DNA tests to be done. A couple of days had gone by without the perp attacking again, when Cragen delivered the results of the test. "Ok guys, DNA's back on the Hammurabi murderer, it belongs to a male and that male is a partial match to Blake Carson."
"That's impossible, he's dead!" Fin said.
"Apparently he's come back to haunt us. You know, in certain religions, the afterlife..."
"Shut up John" the group simultaneously responded.
"Wait, Melinda only found that it was a partial match. I was a partial match to my brother, so this has to be one of his closer relatives."
"Does he have any brothers, cousins?"
All four detectives spent the next hour researching Blake Carson's family tree, when Elliot finally came across something.
"He has a brother in New Jersey"
"Let's go" Olivia said jumping up from her seat.
As the pulled up to the house, they found Brian Carson sitting on the front porch with a gun in his hand.
"I was wondering when you would come," he said sneering, "so you got my gifts, right?"
"Put the gun down Brian."
"Not a chance. I didn't want to kill those people. I wanted to kill you, for what you did to my brother. I was just practicing on them, so I would know exactly what I wanted to do to you. Didn't you pick up on the fact that both the women looked exactly like you?"
"You're sick Brian, and you're never going to get away with this."
"I am, Detective Benson, and by the end of the day, I'll be mailing your eye to your captain. I'm sure he'll appreciate something so brown and gorgeous."
Luckily, their backup had managed to sneak in the back of his house and right as he pulled the trigger to shoot at Olivia, they shot him in the leg, bringing him down, causing him to drop his gun. The officers rushed over, cuffed him, and took him to the hospital to receive medical attention before being well enough to be transported back to New York.
Elliot and Olivia arrived back at their precinct, exhausted, with the promise that their perp would be transported back to New York City in a couple of days.
"I'm going to take a long hot bath when we get home," Olivia said, stretching out her back muscles.
"I think we should just order some takeout for dinner. I'm too tired to..." Elliot stopped mid sentence as he spotted his ex-wife sitting at his desk.
"Elliot," she said quietly
"Kathy, is everything ok?" he said approaching her, his brow furrowing with slight worry.
"I need to talk to you."
"ok", he led her into the cribs, " the kids alright?"
"they're fine," she said letting out a little sigh.
"but you're not?"
"Elliot, I know what we did a couple of months ago was a one time thing when we here visiting, but ..." she looked at the floor, hoping for an escape, "I'm pregnant."
"You're...?"
"Pregnant, Elliot, pregnant. What are we going to do? I mean, I live in South Carolina now, the kids are happy there, but I don't want our baby to grow up without a father."
"Are you sure it's mine?"
"Yeah, there hasn't been anyone else in the past 6 months at least," she said her eyes filling with tears.
"Shit, are you sure you're pregnant?"
"Yes, Elliot, how many times do I have to say it? I'm pregnant and you're the father," she said raising her voice, "come home with me Elliot, come to South Carolina, we'll be close to my parents and the rest of the kids are there. I need you to take responsibility for your part in this and come home." She knew using the 'responsibility card' would work with him. No matter how many times they fought, he was always responsible when it came to family matters. "Of course this is going to throw a slight kink in your relationship with Olivia, oh yeah, Kathleen told me about that, but I think , my ex-wife's having my baby, will go over nicely," she said with a little smirk.
"How can you be so sure that I'll come home with you and be a family again?"
"Because I know you, you'll do the right thing. I'm staying at the Hilton. Here's my room number, and I have my cell with me, I'm leaving in the morning to go back home, and I hope you're on that flight with me."
She turned and left the room, leaving him to contemplate why his world had suddenly fallen to pieces.
After she had been gone for a couple of minutes, Olivia came into the cribs in search of Elliot who was lying on one of the beds staring, fingers crossed behind his head, staring at the ceiling. The two sat for a couple of moments in silence, when Olivia finally broke the barrier.
"El, everything ok with Kathy and the kids?"
"Yeah, Kathy's fine and so are the kids. She just wanted to tell me some news she found out."
"Well, what did she find out?"
About that time, Kathy walked back into the room, ignoring Olivia, and tossed a sonogram on his chest, " oh yeah, I thought you might like to see proof of our baby," then turned abruptly and left.
Olivia stood up, silently staring at the place Kathy once stood.
Finally, after a few moments, she remembered how to speak, "Baby? Your baby?"
"Olivia, don't start, now's really..."
"If you're going to say that now's really not a good time, I suggest you find something else, because if she is pregnant with your child, now is definitely a good time, and I sure as hell hope for your sake that it's not yours," Olivia shouted standing directly over him.
"Its mine. I slept with her before you came home from Oregon, before the whole Dani thing. She and the kids were here for her neice's wedding, and while the kids were out catching up with old friends, well...you know."
"No, actually I don't know, why don't you enlighten me, Stabler," she spat out his name.
"I invited her over just to see how things were going, and one thing led to another and now we're having baby Stabler number 5."
"So what are you going to do?"
"Do you even have to ask me that?"
"Elliot, we're living together. I gave up my apartment when I moved in with you. You're seriously just going to up and leave."
"I made a mistake and now I have to pay the consequences. I made a mistake 20 years ago when I got her pregnant the first time and I took responsibility for it. Do I regret my kids? No, never. Will I regret this one? Of course not. I'm a responsible man, and even if its not what I necessarily want to do, it's what needs to be done. You've always known that my kids are my first priority, that goes without saying, and now that includes baby number 5," he said standing up, only inches from her face.
"What about me?"
"I'm so sorry, I really am. I wish there was a better way. I've wanted to be at home with my kids ever since the divorce, and now Kathy wants me to be there for them. This is my chance at being a family again, at righting my wrongs. Look, I'll pay any deposits you might have to put down if you choose to move to a different apartment, and I'll hire a moving company to box it all up for you, you can have any of the furniture that you want, I won't need any of it. I don't love Kathy, I love you, and this doesn't change that. It's always been you, Liv, please remember that."
"How can you even say that? You're leaving. You're giving up our partnership, our friendship, our relationship, everything that matters to me and you think that paying for me to move and donating your furniture to the cause will make it better? If you have to go, then go, but don't sugar coat it like its going to be ok," she walked away from him, standing with her arms crossed looking out the window, as tears ran down her cheeks.
"Well, then I won't. Good bye Olivia," he whispered as he turned and walked out the door.
Taking a deep breath to collect himself, Elliot knocked on Cragen's door.
"Come in. Elliot, everything ok?"
"Captain, I need a transfer, effective immediately to South Carolina."
"Whoa, wait everything has been running wonderfully around here. Why the sudden urge to jump ship?"
"Kathy, sir. Kathy's pregnant, and I'm the father. She wants me to move to South Carolina to be with her and the kids."
"Does Olivia know?"
"Yes sir."
"And?"
"And there's nothing to discuss sir. I have a responsibility to my children, one which I am going to fulfill. Olivia is strong, she will be fine."
"When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow if possible."
Cragen sat, staring at his desk, and slowly nodded, "Go tell Munch and Fin, and take the rest of the day off to get your business in order. I'll call you in the morning with your reassignment," he slowly stood from his desk, "you're a good man, Elliot. Congratulations, we'll miss you," he said extending his hand for a handshake.
"Thank you sir, I'll miss you guys too. Good bye."
Elliot exited the office, when Munch approached him, "Olivia just left crying, maybe you should go check on her."
"It's ok, I already know what's wrong. Guys, I'm leaving SVU. Today is my last day actually."
"Wait, what?"
"How long have you known you were leaving?"
"Where are you going?"
"You're not serious, are you?" Munch and Fin bombarded him with questions.
"Sorry guys. Kathy stopped by today and told me that she is pregnant with our baby. I'm going home with her to South Carolina to take care of the family."
"You son of a bitch," Fin said, his fist colliding with Elliot's jaw.
"I deserved that," Elliot said, rubbing his hand along his face.
"No, what you deserve is..." Fin said rushing toward him in a fury, only to be intercepted by Munch.
"Fin, back off man, just cool it. What about you and Olivia?"
Elliot shook his head, "take care of her guys, she's strong, she'll be ok. I'll e-mail you guys every once and a while to let you know what's going on."
"So that's it? There's no other option?"
"No, I wish there was, but..."
Elliot spent the next half-hour packing up his desk and his locker. He approached the door of the squad room one last time, boxes in hand, to say goodbye to the guys.
"I'll see you guys around."
"Take care, Elliot"
"Bye."
The next morning, Elliot finished packing his personal belongings, a sense of loneliness washing over him with every item of Olivia's that he saw. She hadn't come home the night before, and the only any information any of his friends would give him as to her whereabouts was that she was safe. His plan was to leave all the furniture there, taking only his clothes and personal mementos. As he stepped into the bathroom to pack his toiletries, his eyes filled with tears as he caught glance of her pink razor sitting on the edge of the sink next to his, her bathrobe, his toothbrush, his deodorant, her lotion, all nestled in with one another, completely in sync, as their lives had been until yesterday. He picked up the can of shaving cream off the cabinet and threw it at the mirror shattering the glass.
"I can't do this," he said sliding down the wall until he was seated on the cool tile floor, sobs controlling his body. After a few minutes, he pulled himself together, grabbed his luggage, and took one last look around the apartment. He closed and locked the door, sliding the key underneath to the other side for Olivia to turn into the super when she moved out, and walked down the hallway toward the exit, never turning back.