Author's Note: I winced and cringed when I saw the last updated date for most of my WIPs was in December so today is a day of catching up. There's been a lot of upheaval in my life lately. From my mother's septicemia at the end of January to one of my favorite instructors at school passing away on the 3rd, the motivation to write has been virtually nonexistent.

The motivation returned yesterday after I finally cleaned my black hole of a closet and changed my language on Facebook to Pirate English. If you haven't done it, I highly recommend it. It's wonderful for a laugh.

Disclaimer: "Honestly, it's not mine!"

Kathy Stabler was miserable.

Her husband had dropped her for his hussy of a partner and by the end of the afternoon, she wouldn't be Kathy Stabler anymore. She would be Kathy Ryan again, a role that she hadn't played since that fateful night under the bleachers. She had known exactly what she had been doing that night. She had wanted Elliot Stabler since the 9th grade and getting pregnant with his baby would be a surefire way to keep him and to keep her in New York City.

Her parents had wanted to move back to Iowa after her graduation and Kathy knew that she wouldn't have been able to ever get back to New York so she had set out to seduce Elliot, knowing that he'd marry her and take care of her, securing her place in the big city.

He had even fallen in love with her on his own, making her plan a double success.

Now, it was all ruined. Manhattan SVU had ruined it all. Kathy had lost him to the NYPD and his goddamned partner. She couldn't even talk to her kids, now!

Kathleen was languishing in Rehab and none of her other kids had any support for her. They had taken Olivia's side, as always. And her lawyer, who had guaranteed sole custody and child support, was now looking nervous. Why was she looking nervous?

A knot of dread filled her as she began her ascent to the courthouse, a heavy unyielding dread.

"Look, Kathy, I want to be real with you. You're not getting sole custody or the house but if you keep your head down, I can get you visitation rights but only if you keep cool. What happened yesterday cannot happen today. Hum a song, twiddle your thumbs, pop a Xanax, I don't care. Just keep calm enough for me to salvage this." Heather greeted as they climbed the courthouse stairs.

"But you said that you had a solid case! You said that I would keep my babies! My house!" Kathy protested while whirling on the woman, grabbing her by the arms.

No. No, it wasn't fair! Elliot couldn't get his whore and the kids! He had thrown away everything for that damned job and that slut! It was only just that she get the kids and the house to raise them in. This was unacceptable!

"I'm sorry, Kathy. I didn't expect for this to happen…" the lawyer entreated.

"Didn't expect for this happen?! That's all you can say for yourself?! I hired you to do your job and you couldn't! Nothing you say can fix what your incompetence has done to my life!" she screeched hysterically.

A throat cleared ahead of her and Kathy saw Elliot looking at her with disdain. The breeze blew his trench coat, revealing his toned and muscled body to her predatory gaze. Why did he have to look so damned good all the time? Why did he have to be so happy without her?

Why did you screw things up so badly, Katherine? None of this would've happened if you had just used the brain you used to be so proud of…

Fiercely, she squashed her voice of reason. She needed to stay angry at everyone. If her reason cooled her anger then she'd have to face the fact that she failed, that she had let her own issues ruin the best thing that could've happen to the poor girl from Iowa

She couldn't stomach the thought.

"Fredrickson's waiting for you and your lawyer to stop making asses of yourselves long enough to make his ruling." he informed her flatly before going back inside.

"Fine!" she huffed, stalking away from the lawyer.

She would put on a brave face and deal with the consequences of a bad lawyer and a biased judge, namely the loss of the case.

If Elliot thought that this would make her go away for good, then he was in for a rude awakening.

It wasn't over.

///////////////

This time, both Lizzie and Dickie almost sent him to the floor in a hug.

Frederickson had granted him sole custody of the twins and Kathleen, sending waves of relief through him like fire. He still had to deal with the charges against Kathleen but he didn't have to worry about losing his kids.

After a second, Dickie pulled away and tried to piece together his manly facade again, much to Elliot's amusement.

Not just his. Olivia was shaking with silent giggles as Dickie cleared his throat and said in a (practiced) deep voice, "That went well."

"Quit it with the He-Man bullshit, Dickhead. It's okay to be happy." Lizzie scolded, not loosening her grip on her daddy for anything.

"I am happy! I'm also a man!" he snapped defensively.

"You're 14!" she laughed incredulously.

"I'm still a man!"

"14, Richard!"

"I have to shave my balls, Elizabeth! I'm a man!"

"Ewww…" she squealed, causing Dickie to laugh manically.

"Okay, you two, knock it off.", Liv cut in. "Come on, we'll go get some dinner and then you guys can call Mo."

Elliot watched them walk out bickering and shoving as usual and smiled as Liv hugged him.

"Told you that it would be okay." she said while peppering kisses to his cheek.

He let out an agreeing moan and tilted her head so he could get at her lips. She had on a pink lip balm that tasted like apples. He liked apples. He liked them better on her…

"Daddy, Maureen's going to meet us at- really?"

"What?" he grumbled good naturedly as Lizzie shook her head between chortles.

"You two are making out in a court of law. There's a joke in there someplace…"

"Probably more than 100. Go on, Lizzie. We'll be there in a minute."

"No sex without safe sex." she said with his own shit eating grin.

"Elizabeth!"

She ran off laughing madly and Olivia grinned against his lips as she pulled his coat on.

"Definitely a Stabler. Now come on, I'm hungry." Liv insisted in the kittenish tone that made him crazy.

His eyes were glued to her plump little ass, swaying fluidly as she walked.

Elliot was hungry too and not just for dinner.

As soon as he got her alone, she would be his dessert.