Miracle Chapter 6, a law and order: svu fanfic

Olivia tossed and turned in her sleep, plagued by memories of her kiss with Elliot and unfulfilled desire. Suddenly she jerked awake and sat up, listening for what had roused her. She heard a shuffling from down the hall and soft crying. Worried, Olivia checked to make sure Jacob was still sleeping before she padded down the hall. The noise seemed to be coming from Maggie's room. Olivia pushed the cracked door open further and looked in. Illuminated by the pink Christmas lights, she saw Maggie standing, clutching her doll and bear whimpering softly with tears rolling down her cheeks while Brian tugged at the blankets on the bed.

"What's going on?" Olivia asked gently, her voice still thick with sleep.

Maggie let out a frightened yip and ran to the corner of the room, pushing herself as far into it as she could and curling into a protective ball.

"Maggie had an accident," Brian said nervously. "I'll clean it up."

Olivia shook her head. "You can go back to bed, Bri. I'll take care of it."

Brian paused but Olivia nodded pointedly at him. "I promise, we'll be okay. Maggie needs to get used to trusting me."

Brian nodded and reluctantly left the room. Olivia walked over and crouched down in front of Maggie. She reached out a hand, but when she touched Maggie's arm, the little girl flinched and drew back further. Olivia tried to ignore the stab of hurt, knowing that Maggie didn't mean it. But it was the first time that she'd ever shied away from her. Olivia sighed, realizing that this must be how Elliot felt, having all of his attempts to gain Maggie's trust ignored.

"What happened, Maggie Mae?" Olivia whispered gently.

Maggie whimpered. "I wet the bed," she whispered softly.

"Well that happens sometimes," Olivia responded, resisting the urge to reach out again. "Why don't you come here and we'll get you into some dry clothes?"

"You'll hurt me," Maggie responded in a barely audible whisper.

"No baby, I won't ever hurt you," Olivia whispered.

Maggie raised her face which had been buried in her arms, tears running down her cheeks. "You're not mad?"

"Oh no honey, I'm not angry. It's partly my fault, I forgot to make sure you went to the bathroom before bed. Lots of kids have accidents. It's not a big deal, we can wash everything."

Maggie stood up slowly and wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck tightly. Olivia picked her up and held her closely, rocking back and forth. She winced slightly when she realized that Maggie's nightgown was soaked and now they both needed to change their nightclothes. When Maggie was calmer, Olivia helped her into new pajamas, then stripped Maggie's bed, thankful that she'd put the plastic sheet on it. Olivia ran the laundry down to the washing machine before she tucked Maggie into her own bed and changed into different pajamas, throwing her own laundry into the wash as well. She sprayed the plastic sheet with 409 and remade the bed with clean sheets.

When Olivia was finished she went back to her room and found Maggie sound asleep in the middle of the bed. Being careful not to wake her, Olivia carried Maggie back to her own room and tucked her in.

As she kissed Maggie's forehead gently, Maggie mumbled, "Love you, Livvy."

"I love you too, baby." Olivia tiptoed out of the room and peeked into Brian's room, seeing him sitting on the bed.

"Is Maggie okay?" he asked worriedly.

"She's fine. We cleaned her up and I changed the sheets. She's sound asleep, which is exactly where you should be."

"Mom used to get mad when Maggie wet the bed," Brian said softly. "She said that only babies have accidents."

Olivia sat down on the bed. "Lots of kids have accidents, especially at night," she explained. "It's not Maggie's fault." Brian nodded wisely and Olivia drew him into a hug. "You're a great big brother, Brian. But you don't need to be Maggie and Jacob's parent. That's what I'm here for."

Brian hugged her back tightly. "I like living with you, Olivia. Can we stay here for forever?"

"Nothing would make me happier," Olivia answered.

Brian lay back down and Olivia kissed him goodnight. "I love you, Brian."

"I love you too, Olivia."

Olivia tiptoed back to her room, flopped on her bed and, too exhausted to worry about the shift in her relationship with Elliot, fell into a sound sleep.

The next day Olivia brought all three children with her to Brian's school. She wanted Brian to have a chance to meet his teacher and Olivia also wanted to talk to her about the situation. The secretary, a grandmotherly woman named Marie Durning, led Olivia and Brian to the teacher's classroom. They were meeting during morning recess so they would have about 45 minutes. Brian held onto Olivia's hand tightly as they walked.

Ms. Durning knocked on the classroom door, then left. Olivia smiled slightly at the woman who answered.

"Hello, Ms. Benson. I'm Angela DeFranco, Brian's teacher."

"Nice to meet you," Olivia replied, shaking Angela's hand.

"And you must be Brian," Angela continued. "We're very excited to have you join our class. Why don't you come in and have a look around?"

Olivia pushed the double stroller into the room after Brian and sat at a round table while Angela showed Brian around the room while Olivia read a book to Maggie. After a few minutes, Angela returned to the table after showing Brian his desk and his textbooks, leaving him to organize his desk.

"Mr. Martin, our principal, told me that there are special circumstances surrounding Brian that you would explain to me?"

Olivia nodded and lifted Maggie out of the stroller. "Why don't you go look at the fishies, honey?" Maggie hurried off towards the aquarium and Olivia called after her, "Keep your fingers out of the tank!" She turned her attention back to the teacher. "Brian is my foster son," she explained. "He hasn't been in school since before Christmas because his mother forced him to stay home and take care of his brother and sister. She also abused him. I'm a detective with the Special Victims Unit. Here's my card and I want you to call me if anything, anything at all, happens."

Angela nodded. "Of course. Brian seems like a sweet boy."

Olivia smiled. "He is."

As they left at the end of recess, Olivia squeezed Brian's hand gently. "What do you think of Miss DeFranco?"

"She's nice," Brian said softly. "She said that if I need help catching up, she'd help me."

"That's good. Are you excited to start school again?"

Brian shrugged. "I guess. Where will Maggie and Jacob be when I'm at school?"

"Maggie and Jacob are going to daycare right down the block. And you're going there too, before and after school. We're going there next so you and Maggie can meet your teachers."

Brian looked thoughtful. "Maggie doesn't like strangers," he said finally.

"That's why we're going over there now, so she can meet her teachers and they won't be strangers on Monday." Olivia knew that Maggie probably wouldn't be happy about staying at daycare while Olivia went to work but was hoping that meeting the teachers would help, at least a little.

They walked into the daycare and introduced Maggie and Brian to their teachers. After a tour of the rooms, Brian seemed comfortable but Maggie had insisted on being carried the whole time and only unburied her head from Olivia's neck when they pointed out the pet rabbits. All of Olivia's attempts to set her on the ground or introduce her to the other kids her age had been ignored, Maggie just shaking her head.

When they left, Olivia loaded them into the car and drove to Panera, 10 blocks away from the station and a restaurant that the other detectives didn't frequent. Elliot was waiting just inside the door and grinned when they walked in.

"Hey, Bri," he said, ruffling the boy's hair as he made eye contact with Olivia over his head. "How was school?"

"It was okay," Brian answered.

"Did you guys hit the daycare, too?"

"Don't wanna go," Maggie whimpered, her face still hidden in Olivia's neck.

"We met the very nice teachers," Olivia said, obviously trying to cheer Maggie up. "And Maggie's class has bunnies in it."

Elliot stroked a hand over Maggie's back, smiling to himself when she didn't flinch as much. "That sounds like fun, Maggie. Why don't you want to go?"

"Livvy's gonna leave."

"But then I'll come pick you up after work and after you've had lots of fun, playing all day with your new friends and we'll go home and make dinner and play and read a story…" Olivia looked slightly desperate. Elliot could read the worry in her eyes clearly and figured it might be a good idea to take Maggie's mind off of the idea of school and subsequent separation from Olivia, who seemed to be her main security blanket right then.

"What does everyone want for lunch?" Elliot asked.

"Can I have ham?" Brian asked hopefully.

"Of course. Maggie Mae? What about you?"

Maggie shrugged into Olivia's shoulder. "Dunno."

"Do you want some soup?" Olivia asked, bouncing her slightly.

"Okay," Maggie answered.

"Do you want to share with me or get your own?" Olivia had a feeling that Maggie couldn't eat an entire thing of soup herself.

"Share."

"Uh…I guess we'll get the you pick two thing with broccoli cheese soup and a turkey sierra sandwich. What are you getting?"

Elliot thought for a moment. "I think I'll just have roast beef."

Olivia glanced at the children. "Do you want to take Brian to wash his hands and I'll take Maggie and Jacob? Then we can order."

Elliot took Brian into the men's room while Olivia managed to maneuver the stroller and Maggie into the women's. When Olivia reemerged, Elliot and Brian were already sitting at a table with drinks in front of them. When Olivia was situated, Elliot pushed a soda in her direction.

"We thought we'd get a head start on ordering."

"Elliot said I could have root beer!" Brian exclaimed, holding up the IBC bottle.

Olivia sighed. "I guess one soda's okay. What did you get Maggie?"

"Apple juice. Do you like apple juice, Maggie Mae?"

Maggie nodded and held out her hands. Olivia suddenly looked at Elliot suspiciously. "Did you pay for lunch?!"

"They kind of frown on not paying," Elliot teased.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I was going to pay! You bought dinner last night and lunch yesterday."

"Trust me, it's not a problem." Elliot was saved from further argument when he heard their order called and he and Brian went to pick it up.

When Elliot got back, $30 was sitting on the table in front of his seat. He shook his head and slid the money back to Olivia as he set the tray down. Olivia scowled and tried to hand him the money again.

"Take it, El."

Elliot shook his head and handed Olivia her soup. "No Liv, you're not paying. I asked you. Anyway the company more than makes up for it." He smiled tenderly and Olivia sighed, a small smile appearing on her face as well.

"Fine, but I'm taking care of lunch tomorrow."

Elliot nodded. "That's fine."

They began eating, Brian telling Elliot all about his new classroom and teacher. After about ten minutes, Elliot realized that Maggie was staring longingly at his bag of potato chips. She'd eaten about half of the soup and half of the turkey off of Olivia's sandwich so Elliot didn't think a little junk food would hurt.

"Do you want some of my chips, Maggie?"

Maggie nodded and Elliot beckoned her over. Slowly, keeping one eye on Olivia, Maggie walked over to Elliot and climbed into his lap. She began removing one chip from the bag at a time and eating them slowly. She kept watching Olivia, making sure to be able to see her, but leaned back against Elliot's chest as she ate. Unconsciously, Elliot wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her safely. Olivia had watched Maggie's progress and saw the delighted grin on Elliot's face when she climbed into his lap.

"She came to me," he mouthed.

Olivia nodded and smiled back, proud that Maggie had done that on her own. When they'd finally finished eating and Maggie had polished off the rest of Elliot's chips they stood up and began gathering everything so they could leave. As they started towards the door, Olivia pushing the stroller and Elliot carrying Maggie, Elliot reached down and caught Olivia's hand in his. She turned and grinned at him. Elliot stopped at the counter and bought three giant oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They walked to a bench and Elliot handed a cookie each to Brian and Maggie, then held the third cookie up to Olivia's lips. She took a bite, blushing slightly as Elliot tucked an arm around her, pulling her close.

Brian watched two boys, who looked to be in high school, playing some buckets like drums. Olivia handed him $5 to drop in the money jar and Brian approached them slowly. He carefully placed the money in the jar and stared at them in rapt fascination. One of the boys noticed and grinned at Brian, holding out his drumsticks in offering. Brian sat down nervously and picked up the beat quickly, banging on the cans. He continued to play, a smile growing on his face until Olivia motioned him back over. Brian handed the sticks back and thanked the boys before hurrying to Olivia's side. She pulled him into a hug and Elliot clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good job, Bri," Olivia said with a smile.

"Yeah, really great," Elliot added.

Brian beamed with pleasure and finished eating his cookie.

Maggie began to bounce up and down on Elliot's lap. "I wanna play too! Can I, Livvy? Please?"

Olivia smiled but shook her head. "No sweetie, you're too little."

"Why?" Maggie whined.

"Because you're too little yet," Olivia repeated. "But after your nap why don't we find a bucket and you can play with that?"

"I wanna play here," Maggie muttered as she took another bite of the cookie.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "And on that note we should probably head home. It's n-a-p time."

They walked back to Olivia's car and she settled the kids into the backseat before turning back to Elliot. "Thanks for lunch. I owe you, El."

Elliot grinned. "How about a date? Next weekend?"

"Sounds great," Olivia answered with a smile. "Are you going to tell your kids about them?" she asked, nodding at the car.

"I thought I'd tell them at least the basics. They don't need to know the details. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah. I'd rather have them understand than be surprised if Brian or Maggie say something."

Elliot nodded and reached out, cupping the back of her head. "I've been wanting to do this again since last night," he whispered, lowering his mouth to hers. Her lips parted eagerly, welcoming him into her mouth. Olivia leaned into him, inviting him to take more as she reveled in the taste and texture of him. They finally broke apart and Elliot brushed his lips gently over her temple. "I'll call you when the kids go to bed and we can figure out tomorrow," he said huskily.

Olivia nodded. "Tell them hi for me."

"I will. I'll miss you, Liv."

"I'll miss you too," she answered with a smile.

After getting home, Olivia put Maggie down for her nap and fed Jacob, also laying him down. She then sat at the kitchen table with Brian and started helping him with some worksheets Miss DeFranco had given them to work on to help Brian catch up.

When the phone rang, Olivia stood up to answer it. "Hello?"

"Yes, I'd like to speak with Ms. Olivia Benson?" the voice responded.

"Speaking."

"Ms. Benson, my name is John O'Connor, I'm the caseworker assigned to Brian, Margaret, and Jacob Allen."

"Yes?" Olivia tried to ignore the jolt of fear that shot through her heart.

"I'd like to schedule a home visit?"

"Of course."

"Would this afternoon around 3:00 be alright?"

Olivia paused. "Maggie and Jacob should be up from their naps by then."

"I'll see you then."

John O'Connor hung up and Olivia was left clutching the phone. She turned to Brian and forced a smile. "How are you coming with that addition?"

"Okay," he answered, looking up. "What's wrong? You look scared."

Olivia sat down next to him with a small smile. "You're too smart, Bri. The man on the phone was John O'Connor. He works for DCFS and he's what's called a caseworker. He's going to come by later today to see if I'm taking good care of you guys."

Fear flashed in Brian's eyes. "Is he going to take us away?"

Olivia sighed. "Not unless he thinks that you're not safe here or that I'm not taking good care of you."

Brian stood up and climbed into Olivia's lap, wrapping his arms around her. "Don't worry, Olivia," he said softly. "You're a good mom, you're taking really good care of us. Maggie and me like it here. We won't go with him."

Tears filled Olivia's eyes as she hugged him back. "I love you, Brian. Let's not worry about it though, okay? You need to finish your math and I need to make sure that the house is picked up."

Olivia took the cordless phone into the other room and while she double and triple checked that everything was picked up and baby proofed she dialed someone she knew would help.

"Stabler."

"El, it's me," Olivia's voice hitched slightly.

"Liv? Honey what's wrong?"

"The kids' caseworker just called. He's coming for a home visit this afternoon."

"You knew that was going to happen, Liv. You know the system."

"I know, I guess I thought I'd have more time to prepare for it."

"There's nothing really to prepare for," Elliot pointed out. "The house is baby proofed, the kids are doing great, you'll pass with flying colors."

"What if I don't?" Olivia whispered nervously. She didn't want Brian to hear how scared she was. "What if he takes them?"

"If he does, then we'll fight and get them back. Do you want me to come?" Elliot offered.

"No, no you don't have to," Olivia said. Part of her wanted him to be with her for this and knew that she needed him. But she didn't want to make him take off work.

"I'll be there in 20 minutes," Elliot answered.

He stuck his head into Cragen's office. "Liv's social worker is coming over. Mind if I head over there for moral support?"

Cragen shook his head. "Go on, tell her good luck for us."

"Thanks, Cap." Elliot turned out of the doorway and grabbed his coat. As he hurried out the door, he almost ran over Munch and Fin who were coming back from talking to anyone who might know where Zapata was.

"Hey, slow down," Munch grumbled.

"Where you off to in such a hurry, man?" Fin asked.

"The caseworker for the kids is coming in a few hours and Liv's nervous. I'm going over there for moral support."
"The knight in shining armor," Munch sneered.

"Yeah, you let Liv catch you saying that and you'll be the one needing armor," Elliot shot back.

"How are the kids doing?" Fin asked.

"Pretty good. She took them to Brian's school today and the daycare so they could meet the teachers."

Fin nodded. "Tell her to bring them in again. They're cute."

Elliot laughed. "I'll do that. Did you guys find anything?"

"No, unfortunately," Munch grumbled. "People in that neighborhood aren't very forthcoming with answers."

Elliot nodded. "You'll find him, I know it. But I have to run. I'll see you guys on Monday!"

He hurried out the door and his fellow detectives watched with speculative looks on their faces.

"You think anything's going on between those two?" Fin asked as he watched Elliot's retreating back.

Munch shrugged. "It wouldn't surprise me, especially since Elliot's divorced now. They do seem to be joined at the hip."

"Or something else," Fin snickered.

Munch smacked him on the shoulder. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to get your mind out of the gutter once in awhile."

"Just because you're too old to get with the ladies doesn't mean we all are," Fin shot back.

"Regardless of whether I can still 'get with the ladies' or not doesn't mean I would broadcast it, or that I want to hear about you doing it," Munch shot back as they entered the squad room.

"What did you learn?" Cragen asked, effectively ending the argument.

Elliot arrived at Olivia's townhouse twenty minutes later. It shouldn't have taken so long but traffic was bad. He knocked on the door and it was thrown open a few seconds later by a very worried Brian.

"Hey buddy," Elliot said with a smile, then stopped, slightly surprised when Brian hugged him tightly around the waist. "What's wrong?"

"Olivia's scared," Brian said softly.

Elliot squatted down to his eyelevel. "Why do you think she's scared?"

"She's cleaning everything a million times and she's talking to herself and when she hugged me she was shaking and almost crying."

"Do you know why she's scared?"

Brian nodded. "She said that a man was coming and he might take us away and make us live somewhere else. She said that we shouldn't worry about it…"

Elliot pulled the boy into his arms. "And she's right, you shouldn't worry about it. The caseworker doesn't want to hurt you, he just wants to make sure that you and Maggie and Jacob are safe. And Olivia and I are going to do everything we can to keep you guys here with us. Okay?"

Brian nodded. "I love you, Elliot."

Elliot smiled and fought back tears. "I love you too, Bri. Now why don't you help Olivia out by running upstairs and making sure that your room is all picked up?"

"Okay." Brian raced up the stairs and Elliot followed his instinct and walked upstairs into the bathroom. He found Olivia on her hands and knees, scrubbing the bathtub. "Liv?" he asked gently.

Olivia turned and a relieved smile spread over her face. "Hey," she said softly, standing up. "Thanks for coming."

Elliot closed the gap between them and pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. He could feel that she was holding on by a very thin thread and shaking. "He's not going to take them, Liv. We won't let him. You're a great mother. Just relax, Liv."

She took a deep breath, breathing in the smell that was uniquely Elliot and exhaled slowly. "I'm okay," she said at length.

"Okay. How can I help?"

Olivia paused. "I don't know. I just keep double checking everything a million times."

"Want me to go over it with you?" Olivia nodded. "Okay. Is everything baby proofed?"

"Yeah. All of the cabinets have locks on them and the drawers too."

"Okay. Where's your piece?"

Olivia stared at him blankly. "What?"

"Your service piece? Where is it?"

"In the lock box on the top shelf of my closet in my room."

"And the key?"

"No key, it's a combination."

"Great. Are the open sockets all covered?"

"Yep."

"Is everything little put up?"

"I think so. I figured anything smaller than my fist…"

"Good test. Where's your razor?" Olivia stared at him blankly. "For shaving?"

"Oh. Uh…here," Olivia held up the razor that had been on the counter.

"Okay, that's going in the drawer." Elliot pushed down the safety latch and tossed the razor into the drawer. "All cleaning supplies and medicines out of little hands?"

Olivia nodded. "I put everything in a cabinet and put one of those door handle protector things on the linen closet."

"Dishes done?"

"Yep, in the dishwasher."

"Is Maggie's room picked up?"

"Pretty much. I can't do anything in there until she wakes up from her nap."

"And your room?"

"Clean. Jacob's a heavy sleeper. I have to tackle Brian's room," Olivia tried to step around Elliot to the door but he stopped her.

"Brian's taking care of it. When does Maggie wake up?"

Olivia glanced at her watch. "Not for about half an hour."

"Okay, let's go downstairs and have something to drink and calm down."

"Elliot, I can't drink before the caseworker comes over!" Olivia exclaimed, shocked.

Elliot laughed. "I didn't mean alcohol. I meant water. Just something to calm you down a little. The kids are going to know that you're stressed and it'll stress them out."

Olivia nodded. "You're right. Okay, let me put this stuff away and we'll go."

They headed downstairs and Elliot got both of them glasses of water. Upstairs, Brian was picking up his new dinosaurs when he heard Maggie stirring in her room. Wanting to talk to her before Olivia got her, Brian hurried into her room.

"Maggie? Are you awake?"

Maggie nodded. "Where's Livvy?"

"With Elliot. Maggie, a man's going to come and if he doesn't think that Olivia's a good mom, he's going to take us away and make us live somewhere else, so you have to be really really good."

Maggie's eyes grew wide with fear. "No Livvy?"

Brian shook his head. "No Livvy. And no Elliot and no Jacob and no me."

Tears filled Maggie's eyes as she grabbed her Cinderella doll and climbed out of bed, racing down the stairs. "Livvy! Livvy!" she wailed.

Elliot ran to the stairs, worried. "Maggie, what's wrong honey?"

Maggie threw herself into Elliot's arms. "I don't wanna leave! I don't wanna leave Livvy!" she wailed, tears pouring down her face as she clung to his neck.

Elliot held her close, rocking slightly. "Sh baby it's okay. Sh…you'll only have to leave if the caseworker doesn't think that Olivia is a good mommy."

"Livvy's a good mommy," Maggie hiccupped, still crying. "I don't wanna leave!"

"I know she's a good mommy," Elliot said, hoping to calm Maggie down. "And the caseworker will see that too."

Olivia raced out of the bathroom, alerted by Maggie's cries. "What's wrong?! Maggie? Are you hurt, baby?"

Maggie all but dove out of Elliot's arms and into Olivia's. "I don't wanna leave you!"

Confusion etched itself on Olivia's face as she turned to Elliot who shrugged. "Sweetie, who told you that you were leaving?"

"Brian," Maggie whispered, clinging desperately to Olivia's neck.

Olivia scowled slightly. "Brian!" she called up the stairs. Brian appeared at the top, looking nervous. "Come on down here, we need to talk," she said firmly.

Brian walked down the stairs slowly, looking very nervous. Once he reached the bottom, Olivia looked at him hard.

"Did you tell Maggie that the caseworker was going to make you live somewhere else?"

Brian paused. "I said that he MIGHT make us live somewhere else…"

"Brian, Maggie's only three. She doesn't understand things like 'might.'"

"But she needed to know so she'd be really good! I don't want to leave!"

"Okay, first, this was for me to explain to Maggie, not you. Second, making Maggie afraid of the caseworker will only make it harder on everyone. And third, I know that you will both be wonderful because you're great kids."

"Are you mad at me?" Brian asked softly, tears filling his eyes.

Olivia handed Maggie back to Elliot and squatted down so she was looking Brian in the eye. "A little. I'm more disappointed that you would say something to scare your sister like that. But I understand why you did it and I still love you."

Brian threw his arms around Olivia's neck. "I love you, too. Am I gonna be punished?"

Olivia shook her head. "No. But I want you to promise me that you won't say things that will scare your sister again, okay?"

Brian nodded. "Okay."

"Good boy. Now run up and finish cleaning your room, okay? Then you can have a snack."

"Okay!" Brian raced up the stairs and Olivia stood back up, stroking Maggie's back gently.

"You okay, Maggie Mae?"

Maggie nodded. "Uh-huh. I can stay here?"

Olivia sighed, not wanting to make a promise that she couldn't keep. "I will do everything I can to make sure that you can stay with me."

"Forever?"

"Forever," Olivia answered.

Maggie nodded. "Can I have a snack?"

"Sure. How does a banana sound?"

"Okay." Before Olivia could turn towards the kitchen, she heard Jacob crying upstairs. "Honey, Jacob's awake. Can Elliot get you your banana?"

Maggie seemed to think about it for a second before nodding. "Okay."

Elliot carried Maggie into the kitchen while Olivia hurried upstairs to the crying baby. She picked Jacob up and rested him against her shoulder, bouncing slightly. "Hey big boy," she cooed. "How was your nap? Are you all ready to meet your caseworker?"

As Jacob stopped crying, she laid him on the changing pad and quickly changed his diaper. Before she resnapped his onesie, Olivia bent and blew a gentle raspberry on his stomach. Jacob kicked his legs and squealed so Olivia did it one more time. When she picked him up, she nuzzled his neck gently. She checked on Brian and saw that his room was picked up and he was working on his math problems at the desk.

As Olivia walked down the stairs, she heard Maggie's squealing giggle coming from the kitchen. She walked in just in time to see Elliot toss Maggie slightly up in the air, catch her, and tip her upside down. Maggie squealed again, laughing hysterically.

"Elliot!" Olivia exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"

Elliot and Maggie both turned to her, smiling, and Olivia was struck by how natural it felt for them to be there, together. "Don't worry, Liv, I was being careful," Elliot assured her. "And Maggie likes it, don't you sweetie?"

Maggie giggled and nodded. "You do it too, Livvy! Make Elliot throw you!"

Olivia had to laugh. "I'm too big for Elliot to throw, Maggie."

"Oh, I bet I could manage," Elliot said with a slow grin.

Olivia felt her insides melt as she walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle for Jacob. "Have you had your snack yet, Maggie?"

Maggie shook her head and Elliot looked at her sheepishly. "We got kind of distracted."

Olivia rolled her eyes but smiled as she grabbed a banana and tossed it to Elliot who caught it with one hand. Brian came down a few minutes later.

"I'm all done with the math worksheets. Can one of you check them over after the caseworker comes?"

"Sure," Olivia said with a smile.

They finished their snacks and Olivia cleaned up the kitchen. Then she turned and surveyed the children. Brian was still clean but Maggie's clothes were all wrinkled from her nap and there was a spot of soup from lunch on her shirt. Jacob was still only wearing his diaper and an onesie.

"El, can you get Jacob into some clothes? I'm going to take Maggie to get changed. And please, no tossing the baby."

Elliot laughed. "I know better than to toss Jacob." Elliot took the baby from Olivia and they headed upstairs. In Olivia's room, Elliot found Jacob's drawer after only opening three that belonged to Olivia. He pulled out a little pair of navy blue overalls that had teddy bears embroidered on them and shuddered slightly. He also found a little red turtleneck that matched and a pair of impossibly tiny socks.

As he dressed Jacob, Elliot grinned down at him. "Jacob, we've got to get you some cooler clothes, man." Jacob just gurgled and kicked his legs, which Elliot took to be agreement. "How about something with the Yankees on it? Or maybe the Nets?" When Jacob was dressed, Elliot noticed the smallest pair of gym shoes he'd ever seen. "Do you think Olivia expects you to wear these?" he asked the baby. Jacob waved his arms around and Elliot sighed. "That's what I figured." He managed to get both shoes on the baby's feet but when he tried to tie them, he ran into problems. He couldn't get them tied!

"Liv!" he called. "I'm having a problem here!"

Olivia entered, followed by Maggie who was wearing pair of purple jeans and a pink and purple top with pink sneakers and her hair tied in pigtails with purple ribbons. "Yes?" Olivia asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I can't get his shoes tied," Elliot said, clearly frustrated.

Olivia laughed as she bent over the baby and, making funny faces at him, tied the shoes quickly. "Your fingers are too big," she explained.

"Not for some things," Elliot whispered suggestively in her ear.

Olivia felt her face burn and her stomach clench with desire as she turned her head an inch and kissed him briefly. "Later," she whispered.

Elliot nodded as she picked the baby up off the table, telling him how adorable he looked. Elliot rolled his eyes and felt an impatient tugging on his hand. He looked down to see Maggie staring at him with the same expression Olivia used when he'd forgotten something she wanted. It made him wonder just how much of a child's personality was genetic and how much was environment.

"Yes, honey?"

"Uppie, please," she said simply, lifting her arms.

Elliot grinned and hoisted Maggie up onto his shoulders. She squealed in delight and held on tightly to what she could of his hair. He carried downstairs and gently flipped her onto the couch. Elliot could tell that Olivia was starting to get nervous about the visit again. She paced back and forth in front of the couch, talking to Jacob and biting on her lower lip.

"Brian, why don't you go get your Harry Potter book and we'll read until the social worker comes?" Elliot suggested. He sat on the couch and caught Olivia's hand, pulling her gently down next to him. "Relax," he whispered in her ear.

"My stomach's in knots," she whispered back.

"I know," Elliot rubbed her arm gently. "Mine too."

Brian came racing back down the stairs, holding his book. He handed it to Elliot, who opened it to the page that Olivia had dog-eared the night before. As he read, he slipped his free arm around Olivia's back. Maggie crawled up into his lap so she could see the pictures at the beginning of the chapters and Brian snuggled under his other arm.

Olivia smiled as she listened to Elliot read and felt the ball of tension in her stomach dissolve slightly. As Elliot read about the Dursley's house being flooded with letters addressed to Harry, the doorbell rang. Olivia tensed as Elliot closed the book and set it on the end table.

Olivia stood and smiled at Brian and Maggie, both of whom were staring at her with wide, frightened eyes. "It's going to be okay. Just tell him the truth, okay?"

Brian nodded and Maggie reached up for Olivia. Olivia handed Jacob down to Elliot and picked Maggie up in her arms. When she reached the door, Olivia took a deep breath and answered it.

The caseworker smiled slightly but there was no warmth in it. "Hello Ms. Benson. I'm John O'Connor with Children and Family Services."

Maggie buried her head in Olivia's shoulder with a whimper and Olivia stroked her back gently. "Mr. O'Connor, I'm Olivia Benson. This is Maggie Allen."

"Hello, Margaret," Mr. O'Connor answered. "May I come in?"

Olivia stepped to the side, allowing the caseworker to follow her in. As he surveyed the house, Mr. O'Connor made notes in a notebook. Olivia would have dearly loved to get her hands on it, but knew that was impossible. "Brian and Jacob are in the living room," Olivia said instead, trying to keep from being sick from nerves.

Mr. O'Connor walked into the living room and glanced around before his gaze landed on Brian who was still sitting with Elliot and Jacob. "Hello, Brian. I'm Mr. O'Connor."

Brian stood up and thrust his chin out. "I don't wanna leave Olivia and Elliot and you can't make me!"

"Brian," Olivia chided slightly. "That's not polite."

"I won't leave," he stated sulkily.

Mr. O'Connor decided to ignore the outburst and turned to Elliot. "And you are?" he asked, voice dripping with disdain.

Elliot stood and held out his hand. "Detective Elliot Stabler, Manhattan SVU."

Mr. O'Connor shook it with a curious look. "Do you live with Ms. Benson?"

Elliot shook his head, hating the man instantly. "No. I'm Detective Benson's partner."

"And you're here because…?"

"I'm here because I've been around all three of the children. Since they were placed in Detective Benson's care, I've seen them everyday."

Mr. O'Connor nodded, then turned to Brian. "Brian, would you like to show me where you sleep?"

"No," Brian answered crossly, glaring at Mr. O'Connor.

"Bri," Olivia said with a warning note in her voice.

"Fine. It's upstairs." Brian trudged up the stairs with Mr. O'Connor in his wake.

When they were gone, Elliot looked at Olivia. She was fuming. "Who does he think he is, coming in here and patronizing me?" she hissed.

Elliot walked over and rubbed her back gently. "He thinks that he's a pompous ass who's doing his job."

"I don't like him," Maggie said softly, still clinging to Olivia.

"I know, baby," Olivia answered. "But you have to be nice to him, okay?"

"Okay," Maggie grumbled.

Upstairs, Brian let Mr. O'Connor into his room. The caseworker looked around carefully. "What was it like living with your mom, Brian?"

"My mom's dead," Brian answered crossly. He hated that this man was trying to take them away. "Olivia's my new mom."

"Ms. Benson is your foster mom. I know that your real mom died. But what was it like when she was alive?"

"I couldn't go to school because I had to take care of Maggie and Jacob. My real mom used to hit us a lot. Sometimes with her cigarettes."

"Mm-hm," Mr. O'Connor made another note in his book. "Does Ms. Benson smoke?"

Brian shook his head. "No. I've never seen her and she's with us all the time."

"Is Mr. Stabler here a lot?"

"Elliot? Yeah, he comes by after work and we meet him for lunch."

"Why do you think you spend so much time with him?"

Brian shrugged. "He's nice. He's Olivia's best friend."

"Is he her boyfriend?"

Brian shook his head. "No. Olivia said that he's not."

"What's it like living with Ms. Benson?"

"I like it. She's really nice and she said that I don't have to take care of Maggie and Jacob anymore because that's her job. She said that I should just worry about being their brother. Before, I didn't have my own room or anything. And Mom used to leave us alone a lot when she worked. Mom used to get really angry about things like Maggie wetting the bed, but Olivia said that it was normal and she doesn't get mad."

"Mm-hm. Are these your toys you brought from home?"

Brian shook his head. "Olivia bought them for me because she said that we should have things to play with. She bought us new clothes too and she let me pick what I wanted in my room."

"How do you think your brother and sister like living here?"

"Maggie loves it, too. She's not even afraid of Elliot anymore."

"She was afraid of Mr. Stabler?" Mr. O'Connor asked suspiciously.

"She's afraid of all men. My mom used to make her do to bad things to men. But Maggie likes Elliot. She lets him hold her and stuff. Jacob doesn't cry as much now. And Olivia doesn't get mad when he does. She tells us all the time that she loves us."

"Do you think Ms. Benson would ever hit you like your mom did?"

Brian shook his head violently. "Never. Olivia promised that she'd never hurt us."

"And you believe her?"

Brian glared up at Mr. O'Connor, hating him with a passion. "Yes."

"Well you have a very nice room here. Why don't we go downstairs and see your sister?"

"She won't like you," Brian answered protectively.

"Sure she will," Mr. O'Connor answered.

Brian rolled his eyes and followed Mr. O'Connor down the stairs. Once they were back in the living room, Mr. O'Connor smiled at Maggie.

"Margaret, would you like to show me your room?"

"Her name is Maggie," Olivia snapped protectively. She couldn't stand staying quiet and letting him walk all over them.

Mr. O'Connor rolled his eyes. "Margaret is her given name."

"But she goes by Maggie." Seeing that the caseworker didn't look convinced, Olivia turned to the little girl in her arms. "Which do you like, honey? Maggie or Margaret?"

"Maggie," she whispered into Olivia's neck.

"Fine then, Maggie, can you show me your room?"

Maggie kept her grip on Olivia's neck. "Livvy too."

"No Maggie, Ms. Benson has to stay here."

"Livvy too," Maggie repeated stubbornly. "I want Livvy to come."

"Sweetie, I have to stay here. But I promise I'll be waiting for you when you get back," Olivia said, hating that she was being forced to do this.

"Can Elliot come?" Maggie asked softly, obviously scared. Olivia was still holding Maggie protectively, not wanting to relinquish her to a strange man and Elliot was doing his best not to glare daggers at him.

Mr. O'Connor sighed but remembering what Brian had said nodded. "I suppose Mr. Stabler can come too."

Maggie let Olivia pass her to Elliot and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tightly. Elliot shifted Jacob into Olivia's arms and led Mr. O'Connor up the stairs. Once they were in Maggie's room, Elliot tried to set Maggie on the ground but she refused to let go.

"Maggie, what was it like living with your mom?" Mr. O'Connor asked.

"She was mean," Maggie said softly, her face still hidden in Elliot's neck. "She hit."

"What's it like living with Ms. Benson?"

"Who's Ms. Benson?" Maggie whispered to Elliot.

"Livvy," Elliot whispered back.

"I like Livvy. She's nice."

"How is she nice?"

"She gives hugs and reads to me and play with me. Livvy teached me to use a phone."

"Does Ms. Benson hit?"

"Her name is Livvy," Maggie picked up her face and glared daggers at Mr. O'Connor. Elliot had to hold back a laugh, knowing that Olivia was making the exact face downstairs.

Mr. O'Connor rolled his eyes. "Does Livvy hit?"

"No," Maggie answered firmly.

"Does she get upset when you wet the bed?"

"No. She hugged me and said it was okay."

"What kinds of things does Ms…er…Livvy do with you?"

"She tooked us to the toy store and to McDonalds. And she letted me make pancakes."

"By yourself?!"

Maggie gave Mr. O'Connor the same 'you are such an idiot' look that Olivia had. "She helped."

Mr. O'Connor reached over to the bed and picked up the Cinderella doll, hoping to that Maggie might open up more. He felt like he was being interrogated by a toddler and didn't like it. Maggie immediately squirmed out of Elliot's arms and marched over to Mr. O'Connor, grabbing the doll from him.

"That's my Livvy doll. You can't play with her."

"Why is she called your Livvy doll?"

"Because that's her name," Maggie answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She stalked back to Elliot and he lifted her into his arms with a proud smile on his face.

"Maggie, do you like living here with Livvy?"

"Yes. I want to stay here."

"Do you like Mr. Stabler?"

"Who?" Maggie whispered again to Elliot.

"He means me, honey," Elliot whispered back.

"Yes," Maggie answered. "He throws me."

"He throws you?" Mr. O'Connor asked incredulously.

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Like this." He tossed Maggie slightly in the air and caught her, tipping her upside down. Maggie giggled as Elliot righted her.

"Does Mr. Stabler make you do things you don't want to do?" Mr. O'Connor asked.

Maggie shook her head. "Can we go find Livvy now?"

Mr. O'Connor sighed, but nodded. "Alright." He'd checked both children's rooms for safety errors and hadn't found any.

When they got back downstairs, Jacob was swinging contentedly and Maggie reached her arms out to Olivia, who took her and hugged her gently. "See? I'm right here," she soothed.

"Ms. Benson, can we talk somewhere in private?" Mr. O'Connor asked.

"Of course. El? Can you take the kids upstairs?"

"Sure. Come here, Mags. Let's go play with your dollhouse." Elliot took Maggie back and Brian followed them up the stairs.

Olivia gathered Jacob to her and turned to Mr. O'Connor. "Would you like something to drink?" She was determined to be polite if it killed her.

"Water would be nice." He followed Olivia into the kitchen and sat at the table. "I see you're a detective with the Manhattan SVU also."

"Yes."

"How long have you worked there?"

"Seven years."

"Mm-hm. Your job requires you to work fairly irregular hours, doesn't it?"

"Sometimes," Olivia ground out, hating having her life under a microscope.

"And what do you plan on doing with the children when that occurs?"

"During the day, Brian's at school and he, Maggie, and Jacob will go to daycare afterwards."

"What if you get a call in the middle of the night?"

"If and when that happens, I have a babysitter lined up."

"And how well do you know this person?"

"I've known her for seven years."

"You trust her with the children?"

"I wouldn't leave them with her if I didn't," Olivia snapped, irritated.

"Right. Where's your gun, Ms. Benson?"

"My service piece is locked in a lock box in my bedroom on the top shelf of my closet with the safety on. And I explained to Brian and Maggie that they are never, under any circumstances, to touch it."

"I see in my notes that your mother was an alcoholic?"

"Look, I don't know what that has to do with what kind of mother I am to these children," Olivia said harshly. "I've never had a drink around them and, as my mother died several years ago, she's not a threat. But she never hurt me and would have never hurt them, even if she was alive."

"Both children seem to have developed quite an attachment to Mr. Stabler."

"Elliot's been a great help. He's given them a positive male role model and because of him, Maggie's not as afraid of men as she was."

"She seemed pretty uncomfortable around me. Maybe that's because you scared them into thinking that if they didn't give the right answers, they'd be taken away?"

"I explained what the purpose of your visit was, to determine if this was a suitable environment for them. And all I asked was that they be honest with you. Right now, I'm the only stable home that they've ever experienced. I love these kids and they love me. Of course they're not going to be happy with the idea that they could be taken away. I'm sorry if you have some problem with me but I think that I've done a damn good job with them so far. Yes, I work. So do many other mothers. I also am determined to give them a warm loving home and I'm sorry if you have a problem with that."

Mr. O'Connor raised his eyebrows. "You seem to have a bit of a temper, Ms. Benson."

"Maybe that's because you came in here and immediately looked down on us. I don't know what problem you have with me but I've dealt with many caseworkers and I've never seen one so stuck on themselves as you are. Not only am I going to go down to speak with your superior on Monday, but also I am going to request a new caseworker. I believe that in order for children to make a smooth transition from one home to another, the caseworker and foster parent must work together. And most importantly, the children need to be able to like their caseworker. So far, neither Brian nor Maggie likes you. And neither do I."

"If that's what you feel you must do," Mr. O'Connor answered stiffly. "But as far as this visit goes, I have found no physical reason to remove the children from your home. They seem happy and I've seen no signs that they are being abused."

"Because they're not," Olivia wondered if beating her head against the table in frustration would be a bad idea, then decided it probably was.

"You'll receive your first check in about a week."

"Wait, my what?" Olivia stared at him, slightly confused.

"You'll get $6000 a month, $2000 per child," Mr. O'Connor finished.

"Thank you," Olivia bit out. "Would you like to say good-bye to Maggie and Brian before you leave?"

"No, that'll be alright." Mr. O'Connor started towards the front door and Olivia followed, carrying Jacob in the infant seat. She shut the door behind Mr. O'Connor and leaned against it as relief washed over her and a grin spread over her face. "Looks like you're staying here, baby," she whispered softly.

Olivia hurried up the stairs and stood in the doorway of Maggie's room, beaming. She set Jacob down against the wall and watched the scene before her. Maggie and Elliot were playing with Maggie's dollhouse and Brian made one of his dinosaurs stomp into the house, knocking over a toy couch.

"Brian!" Maggie exclaimed indignantly.

"It's their pet Tyrannosaurus Rex," Brian argued.

Deciding to defuse the argument before it went any further, Olivia cleared her throat. Everyone looked up at her at the same time.

"Is he gone?" Brian asked hopefully.

Olivia nodded. "He said that everything looks fine and that you get to stay here."

"Yay!" Brian and Maggie abandoned their toys to run over and hug Olivia, who squatted down and gathered them close.

"Can we stay with you forever?" Maggie asked hopefully.

"Forever," Olivia replied.

She stood up and beamed at Elliot, pure joy written on her face. Elliot froze, taken aback by Olivia's sheer beauty. Her eyes were sparkling and a huge smile lit up her face. Elliot walked forward slowly, wrapping his arms around Olivia's waist.

"We get to keep them," he said softly.

Olivia nodded. "We get to keep them," she repeated.

Elliot bent down and met her lips with his. The kiss was slow and gentle, a celebration and promise both. They broke apart and Elliot drew her into a hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. They stayed like that for a minute before Olivia pulled away slightly. Maggie pulled on her arm and Olivia lifted her up, holding her on one hip.

"My Livvy," Maggie said protectively, wrapping her arms around Olivia's neck.

"That's right," Olivia said with a smile. "Yours and Brian's and Jacob's."

"And mine," Elliot whispered with a smile.

"Of course," Olivia answered, kissing him gently. She straightened and smirked slightly. "Elliot, what time is it?"

Elliot glanced at his watch. "Uh…5:00."

Olivia nodded. "And who are you picking up at 5:30?"

Elliot's eyes grew big. "Thanks, Liv! I'll call you tonight!" He kissed her briefly, said good-bye to the kids, and hurried out the door. Olivia watched him go, shaking her head and laughing.

As he drove from Manhattan to Queens, Elliot chastised himself for almost forgetting to pick up Kathleen, Dickie, and Lizzie. But the visit with the caseworker had somehow muddled his sense of time. He pulled into the driveway and walked up to the door. Before he could knock, the door was flung open and Lizzie jumped into his arms.

"Hi Daddy!" she exclaimed.

"Hi sweetheart," Elliot replied, hugging her. "Are you all ready to go?"

"Yeah! Dickie and Katie are taking FOREVER though!"

Elliot laughed. "Why don't you run upstairs and see if you can hurry them along?"

"Okay!" Lizzie raced up the stairs two at a time.

"She's really excited," Kathy said, coming into the entryway.

"I'm glad," Elliot responded.

They paused awkwardly for a few minutes before Kathy said, "Tell Olivia thank you for the thank you note she sent. It was really nice of her."

"I will," Elliot responded.

"How are the kids doing?"

Elliot smiled. "They're doing well. Liv's got them all registered for school and daycare. Actually, we were thinking that the kids might like to get together this weekend."

Kathy raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"We thought they'd get along and have fun. Brian hasn't been around kids his age much."

Kathy nodded. "That could be fun. It might actually be good. Kathleen has a photo project due next week. She's supposed to take candid pictures."

Elliot nodded. "That sounds like a fun project. Anything else coming up that I need to know about?"

Kathy pursed her lips. "I don't think so. Lizzie has a history project due in two weeks, but that's it. Dickie got 97% on his math test this week."

"That's great," Elliot said with a smile.

Dickie and Lizzie raced down the stairs and Dickie hugged his father. "Katie's coming. She's being really slow."

Elliot laughed and crouched to whisper in his son's ear. "Get used to it. Women are always slow."

Dickie laughed and Kathy raised an eyebrow. "What did you just tell him?"

"Nothing," Elliot said innocently. "Just man talk."

Kathleen came down the stairs dressed all in black with black lipstick and dark black eyeliner. Elliot did his best not to roll his eyes at his daughter's clothing choice.

"Hey honey," Elliot said, forcing a smile as he hugged her.

"Hi Elliot," Kathleen responded.

Elliot leaned back and raised his eyebrows at Kathy. "Elliot?" he questioned his daughter. "What happened to Dad?"

"Fine, Dad."

The kids began to load their things into the car and Elliot looked at his ex-wife. "What's going on?"

Kathy shrugged. "I think it's a phase. She tried to call me Kathy the other day."

"You didn't let her get away with it?"

"Of course not. I think something's bothering her. Wanna see what it could be, Mr. Detective?"

"Sure. Anything else I should know about?"

Kathy shook her head. "What time will you bring them back on Sunday?"

"I wanted to have them for dinner, so is 8:00 okay with you?"

"As long as they get their homework done, that's fine. Have fun."

Elliot climbed into the driver's seat. "I thought we could eat at home tonight. You guys feel like burgers?"

"Yeah!" Dickie exclaimed.

"That's cool," Lizzie agreed.

"Katie?"

"Sure," Kathleen answered.

As they sat around finishing up dinner that night, eating cookies that Elliot had bought at the grocery store (he tried to make them…they burned…badly), he decided it was time to tell his kids about Olivia and her kids. "So, who's weekend is it?" he asked with a smile.

"Mine!" Lizzie exclaimed. "And I know what I want to do!" After the first few weekends of Lizzie, Dickie, and Kathleen arguing about what they wanted to do, Elliot came up with the plan that on Saturdays, he chooses the activity and the kids alternate Sundays. The last time he had them, Dickie had wanted to go to a Knicks game.

"What's that?" Elliot asked, praying it wasn't a teenybopper concert of some kind.

"Can we go roller skating? My friend Josie's mom owns the rink and on Sunday they're having 80's day! It'll be so fun! The music from the 80's is so bad!"

Elliot laughed. "Sure. But I think I'll just watch."

"Aw Daddy, why?" Lizzie asked, clearly disappointed.

"Sorry sweetie. Your old man isn't very good on skates."

"So we're skating on Sunday," Kathleen said. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

Elliot smiled nervously. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you guys about that. Earlier this week, Olivia was running through the park and she found three kids who were abandoned."

"Oh my God, that's awful," Kathleen said, horror on her face.

Elliot nodded. "We found their mother's body a two days later in a dumpster. Olivia applied to be their foster mother."

"What does that have to do with what we do tomorrow?" Dickie asked, not unkindly.

"Well, I was thinking that we could have a picnic in the Park with them."

Lizzie looked thoughtful. "How old are they?" she asked.

"Brian's the oldest, he's 8. Then there's Maggie who's 3, and Jacob is two months."

"Their mother abandoned them and they were that young?" Kathleen looked shocked.

Dickie's brow furrowed and in that moment, he looked exactly like Elliot. "Why would she do that?"

"We don't know, Dickie. But Brian's a great kid and a lot of fun. I thought you guys might be friends. He likes soccer and Harry Potter."

Dickie nodded. "Okay, I guess that's cool."

"Lizzie?"

Lizzie nodded. "Sounds good."

"What about you Katie?"

Kathleen shrugged. "Okay. The kids will probably give me good subjects for my photo project. I tried taking pictures of Lizzie and Dickie, but they're too boring," she teased.

"No we're not!" Dickie exclaimed.

"Yeah, you're just not good enough to catch us doing anything fun!"

"Okay, that's enough," Elliot intervened. "I was thinking that we could meet Olivia and the kids there about 11:00. Play around a little, have some lunch. Just relax. But since we have such a busy weekend, why don't you guys get started on your homework now?"

"Aw, Dad," Dickie whined. "It's Friday!"

"I know. But I promised your mom that you'd do it before you went back there."

After tucking Dickie and Lizzie into bed that night, with most of their homework done, Elliot sat on the couch next to Kathleen. She turned away from the television where she was watching a documentary on Nazi children and looked at her father.

"What's the real story about Olivia's kids?"

Elliot blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Dad, I'm not stupid. There's something that you're not telling Dickie and Lizzie. I figure that you're not telling them because they're too young. But I'm not."

Elliot sighed and slipped an arm around his daughter's shoulder. "Brian and Maggie and Jacob's mother was a prostitute. She abused them pretty badly. Brian's had to take care of the other two since they were born."

"How can people do that to their own children?" Kathleen asked softly.

"I don't know, KatieBug." Elliot kissed the top of her head. "Your mom lent Olivia some of your old baby things, the portacrib and stuff."

"What's going to happen to them now?"

"Well, the caseworker came to visit today and the kids are going to stay with Olivia. She's filing for long-term foster care right now." Elliot paused. "What's going on with you?"

Kathleen looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Calling me Elliot, calling Mom Kathy…"

Kathleen shrugged. "Nothing. Just thought I'd try it."

"You know if you want to talk about anything, I'm here."

"I know, Daddy." Kathleen leaned up and kissed his cheek. "You seem to know Olivia's kids really well. Do you see them a lot?"

Elliot shrugged. "I've been helping Olivia out a little. Brian's never had a father so I'm trying to be there for him."

"Are you dating Olivia?"

Elliot almost choked. "Why would you ask that?"

"I've seen the way you look at her Dad. Especially since you and Mom split up. And it sounds like you've been spending a lot of time with her."

Elliot shook his head. "We're best friends, Katie. You spent a lot of time with Jenna."

"Not anymore," Kathleen responded, bitterness coloring her tone.

"What happened?"

"She decided that being 'popular' means that she's too cool to hang out with me. But I don't care, she was a bitch."

"Katie," Elliot said softly. "What happened?"

Kathleen shrugged and buried her face in Elliot's shirt. "It's my fault," she mumbled. "I was stupid."

"Now you listen to me, Kathleen Ann Stabler. You've never done a stupid thing in your life."

"There was this guy. Seth Anderson. He's in my Chem. class, he's a junior, plays soccer…we got along really well. So I asked him to Turnabout. He said yes. But Jenna got mad because she liked him. She started spreading these rumors that I'm a lesbian and that I don't shave…stupid stuff. I hate her. Seth said he didn't want to go to the dance with me and now everyone hates me. Jenna said that he was only going because he felt sorry for me because I'm ugly and not cool…"

"Oh, baby," Elliot pulled her closer and rocked her back and forth like when she was little. "That was awful of Jenna to do. You're not ugly. I promise you. You are absolutely beautiful."

Kathleen sniffed. "You have to say that, you're my dad," she whispered.

"I might be your dad, but I've never lied to you and I'm not lying now. Jenna's probably jealous because you have so much going for you. You're smart, you're beautiful, you made varsity soccer your freshman year…didn't you say she was still playing on the JV team?" Kathleen nodded into his chest and Elliot began to rub her back. "You take great pictures…Kathleen, everyday I'm amazed by how talented you are. And if Jenna's too narrow-minded to see those things, then I feel sorry for her."

Kathleen sniffed again. "I love you, Daddy."

Elliot kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, KatieBug." Elliot yawned. "I'm exhausted. Are you coming to bed soon?"

Kathleen shook her head. "I thought I'd wait for Maureen. What time did you say she'd be back from her party?"

"Curfew is 1:30, so hopefully by then."

Kathleen laughed at that. "She's in college and still has a curfew?"

"Hey, I know what goes on in this city. I just want to keep you all safe."

"I know. Night, Daddy."

"Night, baby." Elliot walked into his room and grabbed his cell phone, hitting number 2 on speed dial. It rang twice before Olivia picked up.

"Hey," she said warmly.

"Hey yourself," he replied. "How're you doing?"

"We're good here. We played for a little while, I checked Brian's homework, we had dinner, then I took them to the playground down the street."

"Are they asleep?"

"Yeah. Well, I'm holding Jacob but he's out like a light. I think the day was pretty busy for them."

"Not just them," Elliot pointed out with a smile.

"True. How are the kids?"

"They're good."
"Katie still going through her Goth phase?"

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Yeah. It sounds like she's been having a hard time with some of her friends."

"High school sucks," Olivia agreed. "Did you guys come up with a plan for tomorrow?"

"I thought we could do a picnic in the park. This warm streak isn't supposed to last much longer and I thought it would be a fun, casual thing."

"Picnicking sounds good. What time?"

"Is 11:00 okay with you?"

"Yeah, that's perfect. I'll pick up lunch on the way. Where do you want to go?"

Elliot explained the area by a playground that would work. "Kathleen asked me if we were dating today."

Olivia laughed. "What is it with our kids? What did you tell her?"

"Well you didn't want to tell the kids so I told her that you're my best friend."

"Did that satisfy her?"

"I think so. But be prepared tomorrow, in case she asks you."

"Will do." Olivia smiled gently. "I miss you."

"I miss you too," Elliot responded warmly. He heard Olivia stifle a yawn and grinned. "You better get some sleep, Liv. I'll see you tomorrow at 11:00."

"Okay. Sleep tight, El."

"You too honey." As Elliot hung up the phone, he smiled at the ceiling, thinking just how lucky he really was.