:)

Dick Wolf owns everything

Lion Tamer

Elliot had just ordered take out for him and Noah. They had spent some time out in central park throwing a baseball around after lunch before they went back to their apartment.

Elliot had asked Noah if all his homework was done, and then to jump in the shower so he would be ready for bed later after dinner. Noah had begged him to watch a movie after they ate and El told him only if it's not too late.

He was putting his clothes away, the ones that would fit in the drawer she gave him and used a few of her extra hangers to hand his suits. He didn't have a lot of clothes, but he didn't want to move too much of her stuff around without her being here. Not that he didn't think she'd mind, but he just wanted to intertwine their lives with her here… together.

He had stacked a few of his boxes in the hall closet, and while he was in her closet in her bedroom, he was shifting her things and heard something start to shift in the back. He carefully tried to move stuff so whatever it was didn't fall but he was unsuccessful. A box came tumbling down and a few things fell out. He picked up the box and the frame that was face down on the floor.

It was the framed picture of him and Eli when he was little.

The one that had sat on his desk at SVU.

This was a box of his stuff from his desk and locker.

He felt the wind get knocked out of him a little.

He wondered if she was the one who had to clean it up. Cragen probably complained about the desk space and more than likely it fell to her to clean it up. She probably didn't want to have to do it, but knowing her she wouldn't have let anyone else touch it.

He sighed looking at his old things he hadn't seen in over ten years. She had kept them. She had kept all of the things from their past. Clothing… pictures… some of his old case notes… his pens. He lifted the old sweatshirt up to look at it.

Her scent hit his nose.

He brought it to his nose and smelled it. It smelled like her. His cologne was still there as well, but he smelled her. She had worn it.

She had worn it when he was gone.

He felt his heart clutch in his chest and the tiny little fractures that were still there from having to make that decision seemed to splinter a bit. He took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. He pictured her face, her beautiful smile, the way her eyes light up his world and the pain started to ebb.

He opened his eyes and looked around. He was standing in her closet hanging his suits because they were now living together. This box was their past. He would never stop feeling guilt for leaving her, but they were moving on, with each other and neither one of them had to live in this box anymore. He put all the things back in and put it back where it had fallen from.

Then he got out his old gym bag and pulled out the ring.

He looked at it and he felt the splinters heal.

He put it in his pocket.

Now was the time.

Time to have the conversation with the one person he needed to have before he could officially ask Liv to marry him.

Noah.

He made his way out into the living room where Noah was sitting on the couch watching tv.

"Hey Noah, I have something very important I want to talk to you about."

"Ok, what?" he asked. Elliot sat down on the coffee table in front of Noah, putting his elbows on his knees.

He took a big breath. This was important. Probably one of the most important conversations of his life.

"So… you know I love your mom, right?" El said.

"Yup." Noah said smiling.

"And I love you too." He said.

"You do?" Noah asked, his eyes wide.

Elliot realized that was the first time he said that out loud to him. And he did love Noah. He fell in love with him the second he met him.

"Yea bud. I do. I really love spending time with you. You're a great kid." El said smiling at him.

"I guess I love you too Elliot." He said, his little half smile causing a dimple on his cheek.

Elliot chuckled at his choice of words. "You know Noah, it would be ok if you didn't. I mean, if you aren't ready to say that, it's ok." El said making sure Noah knew that his feelings mattered and if he wasn't ready or maybe didn't love him yet, he would be ok with that.

Noah nodded and looked down, clearly thinking things over in his head.

"I have a really good time with you, and you make my mom really happy. Like really happy… and I know she loves you… so… I love you too." Noah said.

The biggest grin from came across his face and he nodded. He couldn't argue with the kid's logic.

"Speaking of your mom…" he said taking another breath, "I want to ask you something."

"Ok El, what?"

"I want ask your mom to marry me… but I wanted to ask your permission first." Elliot said, and then waited on bated breath.

Noah sat there, his eyebrows knitting together, and he looked up at Elliot.

"So that would mean… you'd be my stepdad?" Noah said eyeing him carefully.

"Uh… yea… stepdad… dad… whatever you want." El said.

"And then I would have brothers and sisters too, right?"

"Yup… and two nephews… my oldest daughter Maureen has twin sons."

"Really? I'd be an Uncle?"

"Yup" El said smiling.

"That's cool…" Noah said smiling. Then a questioning look crossed his face.

"Wait… so that means… you're a grandpa?" He said and started laughing.

"Yea… I am." Elliot said chuckling at Noah's amusement.

"That means of my mom says yes, she would be a grandma? Oh my god that's funny…" Noah said giggling again.

"Uh… yea, it would." El said huffing out a laugh. He had always pictured them, with their grandchildren, taking walks in the park, going to recitals and games… another dream that was going to be a reality.

Noah's laughter died down and he eyed El suspiciously.

"You have a ring?" he asked serious now.

El chuckled as he pulled the box out of his pocket and opened it showing him, he meant business.

"Wow that's pretty. Mom is gonna love it."

El felt warmth spread over him. "Yea? You think so?"

"Yea, I know so. So how are you gonna ask her?"

"Well, I have some ideas," El said and then glanced at his watch. Just then the door buzzed. It was their takeout. He put the ring back in his pocket.

"How about we talk about it later. Your mom will be home soon and we gotta keep it a big secret ok bud?" El said getting up to answer the door. He took the food and paid the delivery guy.

"Ok cool… our secret." Noah said getting up and coming over to the dinner table. Elliot put the bag down, and then heard his phone ring. He walked over to pick it up, hoping it was Liv letting him know she was on her way home.

He looked at the caller ID

It was Fin.

His heart stopped.

He quickly answered, turning away from Noah.

"Fin… what is it? Is she ok?" he said trying to control his voice, but it came out breathy and quick.

"Stabler, she's fine, Liv is fine… but you and Noah need to come down to the station."

"What's going on?"

"Just come man… She needs you." Fin said. Elliot felt all the air whoosh out of his lungs.

"We'll be there as soon as possible." He said and hung up the phone.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Elliot had Noah by the hand as they got off the elevator. He was trying not to run, trying not to make Noah worried.

He had told him immediately that his mom was ok, but she needed them and they had to go quickly to meet her.

On the car ride he did his best to tamp down all the crazy things running through his mind that could have happened, but kept assuring an anxious Noah that everything was fine.

Amanda met him as he rounded the corner.

Her eyes were wide and sharp.

Elliot felt a sting in the pit of his stomach.

"She in her office?" He said not stopping as he past her, Noah still holding his hand.

"Yea… Fin is in there with her."

He glanced at the glass windows and the shades were drawn. He felt and icy shiver spread over him.

He sung open her door his eyes looking for hers immediately.

"Liv!" He said and the second he saw her standing by the edge of her desk his heart relaxed. She was ok. Like Fin said, but his mind needed to see that.

"El… Noah…" she said moving to them. Elliot wrapped her up in his arms, and Noah brought both his arms around them.

"Mom… are you ok? El said you needed us. I was worried." He said looking up into her eyes.

"Oh, yea sweetheart… I'm much better now that you're here with me." She said moving from El's embrace to hug Noah.

Elliot huffed out a big breath and looked at Fin. They nodded to each other, acknowledging the thankfulness… just like old times.

Liv kissed the top of his head and ran her hands through his hair. He was wearing his pjs and a coat.

"Did you eat sweet boy?" She said looking at him and then to El.

"The takeout had just gotten delivered when Fin called. I should have brought it with but… I just…" he said stumbling with the last part. His mind was still racing, and he wanted to know what was going on but clearly it couldn't be explained in front of Noah.

His eyes darted around her office looking for something to clue him in and all he saw was a white box on her desk and black satin.

He swallowed hard, squinting.

"El, it's ok. Don't worry." She said stroking his arm and brining her hand to his interlocking their fingers.

"Rollins!" Liv shouted, and in a second Amanda was there.

"Yes Captain?"

"Can you take Noah to get something from the vending machine… and maybe order something to get delivered?"

"Sure… come on Noah." She said holding her hand out.

"Carisi is on his way over… I'll call him and ask him to pick up a pizza or something."

Liv let out a big breath ad she nodded and smiled tightly at Rollins brining her hand to her forehead as her son and Amanda walked away, shutting the door.

"Liv… what's going on?" El asked concern in his eyes.

"Well, I was getting ready to leave and Fin came in with this…" and she pointed to the box on her desk.

El moved letting go of her hand to her desk.

"The Uni downstairs said it came from a courier. There wasn't anything else with it." Fin said as El lifted the top of the box.

He moved the tissue paper and saw the note and what was under it.

His heart stopped beating, and rage shot through him. It swept through his veins like a venom, taking over every vessel in his body, charging and ripping… thirsty for blood.

He felt like a lightning rod in the middle of a swelling furious storm. His skin was burning, and his ears were ringing.

Olivia felt the charge in the room spike, she knew how he could get when his family was involved, when she was involved, and she saw it happening the instant his mind understood what he was looking at.

She needed to do something before he lost himself to the destruction that was happening within him.

"El…" Olivia said as she touched his arm carefully.

His head snapped up to her meet her eyes, her voice bringing down the heat, her touch taming the wild lion-like rage inside him. Her eyes were full and open, staring at him with the kind of intensity that could make the foundation of a building crumble.

He felt the throbbing in his temples start to lessen. His breathing tapered down to a slower, more manageable rate. Just by the sound of her voice, and the touch of her hand, she had brought him back down to earth.

How did she do that? How did she always seem to do that?

And she hadn't been afraid of him. Not even a little. He had, in times like this scared himself. It terrified him how he could so quickly lose control. How he could… almost become a different person.

But not Olivia. She always knew he was there, underneath the anger, the rage, the heat. Her Elliot… and she always brought him back.

He took a deep breath in and let it out slow giving a look to Fin, who looked like he was ready to either draw his gun, or duck and cover.

"Wheatley…" was all he could say at the moment.

"That's what we figured." Liv said. She squeezed his hand in hers, and Elliot moved into her, hugging her. He just needed to feel her against his body, feel grounded again.

"I'm sorry Liv… this is… this is all my fault."

"El… it's not. Wheatley is a criminal. He just can't help himself. And…" she paused, pulling back to look at him. "There's more…"

"What… what is it?" he wondered, starting to feel the pricking under his skin.

"He took… photos…" Liv said, swallowing hard, and reached behind him to the envelope on her desk. She handed them to him, and he opened them.

He flipped through them, faster and faster, till he stopped at the ones of him and Noah from today.

Liv and Fin were ready for him to go off the deep end again, but he didn't. Once Liv had brought him down the first time, it was easier to keep a little semblance of control. He could do that now, because of her.

"He's not going to hurt Noah… or you Liv. I'd die before I let that happen." He said putting the pictures back in the envelope.

"El… I know…" she said, and he cut her off.

"He's doing this to get to me, to hurt me. He knows you're the love of my life." He said.

Fin's eyes widened at that last remark surprised to hear El actually say it out loud and then he just nodded to himself like yea, that sounds right.

"El…" Liv said, but he cut her off again.

"We have to protect Noah… and my kids… my mom…" he said, his brain was spiraling through all his family, and everything that was going to need to be done now that Wheatley had all but verbally threatened Liv and Noah. He couldn't let his guard down; he couldn't be too cautious.

Richard Wheatley was… diabolical. And so was everyone else with the last name Wheatley.

"Elliot…" she said in her captain voice. And he stopped in his tracks and looked at her.

She put her hand up to tell him to slow down. Take a breath.

"El, were not even entirely sure it's him." She saw the look on his face that told her he knew she was wrong, but he wasn't going to argue with her on that right now.

"Look… there's not a lot we can do tonight… Carisi is coming, let's wait for him, CSU is on their way to dust for prints. Wheatley is still in jail, so it wasn't him who took these photos and bought this…" she said pointing to the open box on her desk.

"We're going through security cam footage and Fin and Amanda are going to be on this all night, and you and I and Noah are going to have a squad car take us home."

Lion Tamer

Elliot looked up at her as if to argue and he opened his mouth, but this time she cut him off before he could speak.

"Listen… you and I… we cannot investigate this…. If it is Wheatley… we can't cross the lines El… it has to be by the book. I've already called the chief, he's on his way, and they will decide where this is going to go. There is nothing you and I can do right now."

Elliot huffed out a breath. She was right. She was always right.

"Don't worry El, were gonna nail the son of a bitch." Fin said.

"I'll call Noah's school tomorrow, and we can figure out where were going from there. I'll call and have someone pick up your mother, you can call your kids…" she said, and then she moved to put her hands on his face.

"Everything is going to be ok El… we're in this together. We're stronger together." She said, and her eyes softened, melting the fight he had left in him.