Quick note: I know the cliff hanger sucked so pushed this out quickly. It is gonna hurt. It was always in my story outline but I pushed a back a little bit because I new it would be difficult to write and just as difficult to read. However, I wanted this piece to feel authentic, and to accomplish that, I can't soften the blows. Its gonna hurt, but there is some level of catharsis with the pain.

She thought she should be used to these calls. She got them everyday. Everyday for twenty five years. But this one hurt. It hurt a lot.

"Last night her stats dropped. We kept an eye on her, but…" Olivia held her breath and waited. "Her femur break threw a clot. Since she was already comatose there was no way to know what had happened until it was to late." The speaker on the other end gathered courage. She knew the drill. You had to be clear with notifications. There had to be no room for misinterpretation. "She died about an hour ago. There was nothing more we could do."

Olivia felt herself nodding, but not saying anything. Her voice caught, making her sound almost hoarse. "Thanks um. Thanks for letting us know."

"I'm truly sorry captain. I heard you were close to this case. I'm sorry for the loss."

"I am too." That's all she could say. She hung up the phone and stared blankly at the empty desks and office chairs. How the hell was she going to tell Noah? Or Elliot for that matter. She couldn't stop her mind from creating a list of people to inform. Elliot. Noah. Her team. Jace. Oh God, Colton. She had to tell Colton.

She felt the room closing in on her and she suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. Damn it. This was not the time. She needed a minute. Her eyes searched around for any place that could house her impending emotional breakdown. She rushed to the single person bathroom and locked the heavy door behind her. With her back to the door she slid to the floor and dropped her head into her hands. Damn it. She hated this day.

-000-

"Hey? You seen Cap anywhere?" Fin gestured towards the empty office.

Churlish spun her chair around, "I was in her office, talking to the principal of Abby's school. That girl is pretty messed up. But the Captain took a call. The hospital I think? She said she'd be right back, but…" Churlish shrugged her shoulders. "I eventually just recorded the Principal's statement so Cap can play it back when she gets back…from wherever she is."

Fin clicked his tongue while he took a minute to think. Liv never ran off on a phone call unless it was an emergency. Noah was with Elliot so he was fine. The hospital called. Probably about the injured girl. Oh shit. He glanced around the squad room. He checked the locker room first before happening upon the single bathroom. The door was locked. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. "Liv?" He called. "Come on Liv, I'm gettin old, and I don't wanna have to bust down any more doors before I die." Silence. "Seriously. You gotta make a sound so I know your not dead."

"I'm fine." Her voice was tense and strained. He knew that voice. He was one of the select few who knew what her voice sounded like after crying.

He slumped down to the floor on the other side of the door. She might want to be alone, but he sure as hell wouldn't leave her alone with this. So he sat. He leaned his head back against the door and talked loud enough for her to hear. "He'll get through this Liv. He's a strong kid."

"He's never dealt with anything like this. I know it's going to wreck him. And I can't be there for him." Her voice tightened and he knew she was trying to contain the emotion erupting from her center.

"He's never dealt with this, but that kid survived hell after he was born, and you helped him through that. You'll get him through this too." Olivia was a force of nature. Had been since the day he met her. But even this whirlwind of power and social poise needed reassurance. She needed to be lifted up, because God knew she couldn't handle all this shit alone. Even if she wanted to.

"I can't be there for him like I should be through this. He needs his mom, but I have to be here." She sniffed back some tears.

Fin thought for a moment. He knew what she was talking about. He knew the guilt. He knew what if felt like to put the job over his family. He told himself it was for the better good. It was, but it cost him dearly, and it took him years to repair the damage.

"You don't have to do this yourself. You have this pretty shitty habit of taking over everything and not letting others pick up the pieces for ya."

"I know. But I don't know how not to do it." He knew the predicament. He lived the predicament. Every good cop he knew struggled with the balance of it all.

"You know how you're always telling me I need to do all this different new agey mental health shit?"

She chuckled, but it still sounded thick with emotion. "We'll turn the damn tables on yourself. Sets some damn boundaries and limits. It's not another person runnin you down, it's the job, and if you dont own it, it's gonna own you."

"It already owns me."

"I would say that isn't true but we both know I'd be lying." He chuckled to himself. "Look, this case is bigger than we thought it was gonna be. You have detectives. They can do the leg work, and you can get home at reasonable times to see your kid."

She remained quiet behind the door and he hoped she'd really consider his words.

"Elliot's staying with us for the week…"

Holy shit. She did not just admit that out loud. He was a little stunned, and wasn't really sure how to respond to that deeply personal admission. He tread carefully, Olivia Benson did not extend trust easily, and he didn't want to mess this up. He played it off like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Yeah? Bell givin him time off?"

"Forcing him is more accurate." He listened to her hesitation and was rewarded for his patience. "He wants to help me with Noah…because I can't be there all the time. He wants to be there for him."

"That scare you?"

She chuckled with mirth, "what do you think?"

"Oh I know it scares the shit out of you, but I've never been more proud," he admitted. It was true. For all her professional accomplishments she'd never allowed anyone into her life. Allowing Elliot to be with her son? That was huge, and something she worked extremely hard to do.

"I'm doing the right thing, right?" She was the queen of second guessing when it came to anything with the name of Elliot Stabler.

"You know that man would happily take a bullet for you, and your kid. He's got your back, and he's got Noah's. At some point your gonna have to let him help you." He hesitated. "And babygirl? This might be the time."

He heard her sigh, and he could almost feel her fear washing away. She'd had her emotional moment. She'd cried her tears and voiced her fears. Now it was time to tuck Olivia away, and bring out the lioness that was Captain Benson.

"Want me to bring you your purse?" Her known her long enough to know there was an emergency makeup stash tucked away somewhere in the bottom of her purse. He knew she wasn't about to face the world with red puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks.

"Yes. You're a Saint," she praised.

"I don't know about that," he laughed. "I'm not entirely sure I'm making it to heaven."

"If they don't let you in then I'm not going. Hell sounds pretty good if the company is right."

He laughed out loud at her dry humor. "Be back in a sec," he promised. Everything popped as he lifted himself from the floor. "Damn, when did we all get so damn old," he muttered as he headed for her office.

-000-

Olivia wasn't about to give this news to Elliot or Noah over the phone. She had to be there in person. She needed to be there for the two men she loved. She employed her neat emotional trick of boxing up her emotions on a situation and tucking them away until she had time to deal with them. There wasn't time. She had too much shit to do.

With her makeup revitalized, and her tears dried out, she strode into her squad room with all the confidence in the world. Elliot's earlier text passed through her mind. You got this Benson. She did. She had this, and it was time to get crap done.

-000-

"Alright, what'd we get from Lucas?" She directed her question at Fin.

"Not much, his advocate lobbied for a break. I'm close though." She could almost hear the end of the sentence. I'm not gonna let the little bastard get to me.

"Churlish? Cliffs notes version on the conversation with the principal. I'll listen when I can, but give me the highlights."

"Uh basically this girl is horrible. After a bunch of little squabbles and what people considered mild bullying, Abby upped the ante. She printed a picture of Ella changing for PE. Braless but in her underwear. Printed the thing and shoved them into the lockers of the entire sixth grade."

Fin let out a low whistle. "That's real cold."

Churlish nodded solemnly.

"Anything criminal filed?" Olivia asked.

"No. The parents wanted it all to go away, and Ella just wanted to forget the incident ever happened and move on. The school obviously expelled Abby, and her mom did contest the expulsion, but it was a pretty cut and dried case."

"You're meeting with Ella and her parents later today?" Olivia clarified.

"Yes," Churlish confirmed. "I'll fill you in on what they give me, and pass along the info to Bruno."

Bruno heard his name and his ears perked up.

"You are going round two with Abby and her mother this afternoon right?" She directed the question towards Bruno.

"Yeah. I've just been looking through the custody situation, and any other miscellaneous stuff that might be beneficial to keep in our back pocket."

Delegate, she reminded herself. "And sit in for Churlish's interview with Ella. Maybe you'll hear something you can bring up later."

"Yes Cap," his eyes dropped down to his notepad where he kept notes.

Olivia's eyes scanned the squad room. "Where's Velasco?"

"He's sitting on that Marcus dude. Gotta make sure he doesn't decide to take a little road trip," Fin provided.

"Good call," she nodded at Fin in appreciation.

Now that she had been debriefed she felt a little more in control, a little more secure. "Get to work on everything," she turned back towards Churlish. "Those DNA results will be in around noon?"

"That's what they told me," she confirmed.

"Great. I want to know the second they come through." She needed those results so she could get Velasco back into the squad room, and so they could get Marcus in the hot seat.

"Copy that Captain."

She took a breath, and calmed her pounding heart. "One more thing," she stated. "I spoke to the hospital this morning." She let out her breath slowly. She struggled to keep steady. "They uh…Clem didn't make it. They lost her this morning."

She watched the faces of her staff fall, and she knew their hearts bled along with hers. But that was the job, and now they needed to get justice for that sweet little girl.

Let's get some justice for Clem!