Wishing it was all a dream, Elliot wiped the tears from his face. His son was dead and he should have stopped it. Somewhere there had to be a sorry heart, maybe it was Apple. Maybe it wasn't. What the hell did she mean 'look in your heart, not your files'? Feeling a hot flush of anger wash over his entire body, the detective, the mourning father stood up, walking to the door, Kathy screeched at him.
"Elliot, I need you. Where are you going?" her face remained dry.
"Out". Picking up his keys he swung open the front door, the night air crashed in to his lungs, colliding with fury he felt a sickly feeling arise.
/
Ian pulled the body of Eli Stabler in to his car, a tear slipped from his right eye. Getting in the front of the car he wiped the mucus from his upper lip, feeling his nose burn slightly, he lined up a single line of cocaine and snorted it.
Driving the fifteen miles to the Stabler household, Ian pulled up. He stared in to the house, the lights were on but there was no movement. He wondered how they were coping. He was playing God, but on someone else's command. Snorting one more line of cocaine, he had nothing else to lose now. He dragged the child's body out of his car; where should he lay him down. She told him to dump him, but it seemed so wrong.
'A free man is only free from his own convictions. With crime comes punishment. With life comes death' Ian thought to himself.
Laying Eli's little body on the porch, Ian was shocked as the front door opened, he was confronted with Elliot Stabler himself. The rage was evident in the detective's eyes; Elliot looked at the man, then to the ground where his son lay. Like an angel, Eli lay peaceful. He was free of worthless life convictions.
Ian forced a folder in to Elliot's arms; he didn't react, he was face to face with the man who was killing innocent people. Face to face with a serial killer.
Ian had made his choice, he had never been a fighter, so he ran. Pulling his gun Elliot shot in to the darkness; three shots later, Ian was dead. A piercing scream filled the street, Kathy fell to the floor cradling her son in her arms.
/
"What happened?" Olivia asked Elliot. Patrol cars filled the street, an ambulance carried Eli Stabler to the morgue.
"He came here. The bastard who killed Eli, I opened the door, he was right there. Standing there, mocking me. Eli was at my feet". Elliot took a sharp breath of air in to his lungs before releasing it slowly. Trying to speak his voice quavered, "He killed my baby" Elliot broke down, the anger diminished, raw, tender emotions filled every fibre of his being.
Olivia stood helplessly watching her partner, her lover fall apart. A ringing broke the awkward, helpless tension, Olivia answered it. A couple of 'Okays' later she hung up.
"The missing Elliot's, all of them from the webpage have been released and found".
Elliot nodded slightly; "That's good".
Olivia embraced her partner in a cuddle, the love flowed between their touching bodies, the pain lessened ever so slightly.
A jealous Kathy ran to the detectives, looking up from the embrace, Olivia felt the harsh, sharp pain of Kathy's hand slap across her face.
Grasping her cheek Olivia jumped back slightly.
"I know what you did!" Kathy screamed, "You seduced my husband. It's all your fault. My baby is dead and it's all your fault".
"Kathy, I" Olivia started.
"Don't tell me your sorry Olivia, you home wrecking whore".
"Kathy, this is not the time" Elliot tried but Kathy was not stopping.
"Don't get me started on you. You shacked up with your office wife whilst I slept in an empty bed. Looking after your kids. You could have stopped all this. How could you do this to me?".
Elliot's heart became heavier. She was right.
/
"Captain, I've gone through this whole folder, cover to cover" Fin informed Cragen.
"The one Ian gave to Elliot at the scene?" Cragen questioned.
Fin nodded, "Ian has a clean record, just a regular guy. He was an outcast at school, a total nerd".
"Anything to connect him to Elliot or Olivia?".
"One thing, he attended the same high school as Kathy Stabler".
"And that's all you have?".
"There are photos of the missing kids, dead and alive. Photos of Elliot, Kathy and Olivia, a few notes, scribbles that don't make a lot of sense. They're all on post it notes".
"Okay, thanks Fin".
"Captain" Fin replied as he left the office.
Entering the squad room Olivia looked drained, everyone around her was dying, crying or lying.
"You got anything?" she asked Fin.
"Other than photos, nothing" pausing, he realised, the post it notes. "Liv, maybe you can solve this" putting the eight numbered post its in front of her, she studied them. Nothing made sense.
She put them in order on her desk reading them silently.
' 1 Elliot, my partner. Thank you. Hearts easily annul, reality tests strength'.
' 2 Don't ever antagonise the honourable'.
' 3 Fighting relentlessly every day. Obfuscation. Mindless'.
' 4 Always seek Karma'.
' 5 Killing alternates to hunting you'.
' 6 For only refuge'.
' 7 Till hunting ends'.
' 8 Torture really united them helplessly'.
Sighing, Olivia made no progress. They were just scribbles, notes that meant nothing. Standing up she looked down at her desk. Suddenly, the notes started making sense, grabbing a pen and pad, she started furiously writing.
"Liv you sussed it out?".
Olivia didn't look up, "Yeah, I think so. Check this out". She had finished writing, she read aloud; "Empty hearts. Death. Freedom. Ask Kathy for the truth". She looked at Fin who stared confused and bewildered at her. "I took the first letter from each word on each note. Ian left us a message".
"You really think Kathy's involved in killing her own son?" Fin asked, he thought it was far fetched, but it made sense. "You sure this isn't a desperate attempt at framing her?".
"I don't know, what have all the messages throughout this whole case said? Look closer to home, look in your heart. It has to be her".
Fin shook his head, "I don't know".
"It's too much of a coincidence Fin".
/
Pulling the silver from behind her back Kathy felt a wave of excitement rush over her body; seeing her husband mourning their son, she had made him realise who was more important.
"I bet you wouldn't cry like this if it were Olivia who died" she said blankly, her tone held a smug intent.
Elliot turned around; she removed the blade from his sight, "What are you talking about?" he was confused by her actions to say the least. She hadn't cried a single tear.
Taking the knife out from behind her back, she smiled curiously; running her finger up the blade she admired it's dangerous beauty. "I made you realise didn't I". Her eyes grew with excitement. "I knew I could do it. You're so caught up with all your emotions, you couldn't see what was under your nose the whole time" a small excited giggle left her lips. Elliot went for his gun. He didn't have it.
"You'd really shoot me?" she smirked staring at him, his vulnerability sent shivers down her spine. "I thought you loved me Elliot". Kathy's tone changed, her spite bubbled in her throat; leaning in to her husband she spoke in his ear, "till death do us part, hubby".
/
"Damn it Elliot, answer the phone" Olivia moaned in to her cell phone. Olivia paced a couple times in the squad room before grabbing her coat.
"Liv! Wait!" Fin shouted.
"I can't!".
Both Fin and Olivia got in to the SVU owned car, "Don't you think you're being a bit too hasty Liv?" Fin asked trying to deter her.
Olivia was slightly leant over the steering wheel placing the key in the ignition, looking over her arm at Fin she stopped, "Kathy is the mind behind all this Fin. Elliot's next".
/
"Kathy, stop it. You're just upset. You don't have to hurt yourself, he's dead".
Laughing at Elliot's ignorance, Kathy leant over the back of the couch, with one hand she pulled back his head, sneering in his ear, she spoke again. "You really don't get it do you Elliot. Ian isn't the master mind behind all this. He was collateral damage. This is about you and Olivia, you jackass". She wiped the blade across Elliot's neck gently, leaving a small graze. "Flinch. I dare you".
"It was you" Elliot finally realised.
Laughing even louder than she had before, Kathy forcefully pushed Elliot's head forward, "You finally get it! Well done detective". She began wondering, looking at the blade she smiled a grim smile once more. "You know what I don't understand? Throughout this whole thing, you never once looked in your heart. Well" she paused, "you did" smirking again, sarcasm hooked her every word, "you looked in to Olivia's heart. I saw the pictures. She really needed you, didn't she".
"Don't talk about Olivia like that" Elliot retaliated.
"Touch a nerve did I?".
"You have no idea. All you care about is yourself. If you wanted me to look in my heart and find you, you should have been there when I needed you. Then, Olivia wouldn't have had to be".
"I gave you the best years of my life, I gave you children. I even put up with the same boring sex for years. I wasn't in your heart, because I'm in your pants".
"Elliot" Olivia called out.
Kathy grinned, "And it ends tonight".
Elliot advanced on his wife but stopped as she pulled out a gun she'd concealed, waving it from side to side she smirked, "No, No Elliot. This is my game. We play by my rules". Taking a deep breath, Kathy screamed.
Fin burst through the door, Kathy pulled the trigger. Realising she'd missed her target she turned to face Elliot. "Say goodbye sweetheart", pulling the gun up to Elliot's chest, a lasting smile of mockery placed itself firmly on her lips.
/
"A single gun shot was fired" Olivia said.
"Detective Benson, we're investigating a death. We need more detail in to this shooting".
"I fired one shot directly in to Kathy Stabler's back. She died".