Sorry! Got a little behind on posting! Double post for today!

Elliot somehow found himself squished in the backseat of the car between Noah and Olivia. Not that it bothered him at all, but he felt a little bad for Fin who was relegated to chauffeur.

When Noah arrived at the hospital he ran straight for his mom at first, but for the rest of the afternoon he was all but glued to Elliot. Shared trauma appeared to be a potent bonding material.

When they arrived at Fin's SUV, Olivia offered Elliot the front seat so she could sit with Noah, but then Noah wanted Elliot to sit with him too, and somehow in the mix and jumble he ended up with a pair of Benson's using him as a pillow.

Not that he minded. It was actually the best thing that had happened to him in a long time. Noah drifted off first. Poor kid didn't even make it 20 minutes into the ride home before he basically passed out on Elliot's lap. Olivia made it a little longer, almost an hour, until her head dropped on his shoulder.

So now he sat, with one hand on Noah's upper arm, and his other wrapped around Olivia's fingers and set on her knee. His neck was killing him, and he wanted to shift his weight, but he didn't want to disturb the obviously tired pair.

Elliot tried to close his eyes, and drop his cheek against Olivia's head, but his mind was too busy to sleep, and too worried to relax. It didn't help that Fin kept peeking in his rear view mirror at him with a knowing smile. How the hell did that man know everything…all the time?

Besides the awkward looks periodically, Fin stayed silent, letting the weary group rest in the back seat.

Even while Elliot's mind stewed and worried about the kids, there was something peaceful about having Olivia and Noah with him. Relying on him. It had been a while since anyone needed him like this. His kids were grown, and while they had their own issues and problems, they didn't need him like this anymore. Adjusting to that new role proved difficult for him, and maybe that's why sitting in the back seat with two people he cared about, fulfilled him in a way he missed so desperately.

The drive felt shorter this time around. Probably because he wasn't babysitting a bus of twelve year olds…and having Olivia snuggled to his side didn't hurt. Fin parked at Olivia's building and helped them unload the stuff.

"Need help gettin' it all to your apartment," he asked as he pulled the last bag from the back of the SUV.

Olivia pulled him into a hug and patted his back, "No we got it." She pulled away. "Thanks for everything Fin."

"You know I got you Liv." He ruffled Noah's hair, "and this little dude." His eyes met Elliot's. "I'm hopin' you can take care of yo self man…"

Elliot chuckled, "Yeah I'm good."

Fin directed his attention back to Liv, "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I might be a little late, but I'm planning on coming in."

"Good. You were right. That Lucas kid and his dad lawyered up, but they are coming in for an interview tomorrow."

"What time? I want to be there for that one." Olivia insisted.

"I double check, but Velasco said 11."

"I should be in before then, anyone else throwing red flags?"

Fin chuckled. "Look Liv, I'd talk shop all day, but your kid looks like he might fall over."

Sure enough, Noah was basically teetering against Elliot. "Right right. I'll be in a little before eleven so I can catch up on where we are with interviews."

"That sounds like a better plan," Fin praised.

"Yeah yeah," she waved him off. "Get out of here." She smirked.

"Yep. Call if you need somethin'." He said over his shoulder while getting into his car.

After he drove away, there was a little bit of silence between everyone. Elliot felt a little awkward. He was obviously going to help her get all their stuff to the apartment, but then what. He planned to stay for a little bit, but he wasn't sure what his expectations should be. She straight up asked him to come home with her, but that statement could have a myriad of meanings. After a moment, he lifted all the bags he could carry, and decided to just let the evening play out however it would.

-000-

Olivia had Elliot just pile the stuff in the living room. She said she was too tired to deal with it all right now, and it could wait until the morning. She basically pushed Moah into the shower. He complained the whole time, insisting he was too tired and he could shower in the morning. She won the battle in the end.

Once Noah was showered and in pajamas, Olivia got him settled into his room for bed. The kid could barely keep his eyes open. The emotions of the last few days were catching up to all of them.

She was shuffling around his room, picking up some stray clothes that didn't make it into the basket. She hesitated to leave him alone to sleep. She knew he would be fine, but her heart couldn't quite let him out of her sight.

Noah pulled his blankets up to his chin, and watched her putter about, "Is Elliot going to stay with us tonight?" Noah's eyes were hopeful. Honestly, she was hopeful too.

Her eyes moved over to Elliot, casually leaning in the doorway to Noah's bedroom. "That's entirely up to him." She wanted him there. Her son wanted him there. She desperately hoped he had already figured that out because she wasn't sure how to encourage him.

"Well…I think it's mostly up to your mom." Those damn blue eyes met hers. "She's the boss," his eyes twinkled, and her mouth hinted at the smile she tried to hold back.

She gathered a little courage. They had never been straight with what they wanted from each other. Maybe it was time to change that. "I think," her eyes darted to Noah and then back to Elliot, "we would both really love it if you would stay tonight."

She dropped her eyes, a little nervous about his potential response. "If that's the case, I'm definitely staying."

Elliot's smile was almost as big as Noah's. "And you'll be here in the morning?" Noah asked.

"Sure thing. I'll be here when you wake up." Elliot reassured him.

"Okay."

Olivia leaned over and kissed his head, "g'night baby."

"Goodnight mom."

Olivia flipped the light off and shut the door. She hated how fast he was growing up. It felt like overnight he suddenly became taller and leaner. Her boy who always wanted to snuggle on the couch, seemed more interested in his phone than her some days. Still, he liked routine and thankfully he hadn't given up his bedtime routine. She needed it.

Once the door shut, she leaned into the wall a bit and shut her eyes. The last few days had been a never ending nightmare. Worst of all, her baby was struggling, and that hurt in a way she wasn't prepared for. Watching him hurt was much worse than anything she had experienced on the job. It was soul crushing.

She felt Elliot slide his hand down her arm and tug on her hand. Her eyes flicked open and he was standing just in front of her, a concerned look plastered all over his face.

"I'm fine," she sighed.

"You don't look fine…" he observed.

"Gee thanks," she said sarcastically. He seemed to be interested in an explanation so she gave him one. "I hate this helpless feeling." She began, "I hate watching hurt, knowing there isn't a damn thing I can do to make it better."

He nodded solemnly. "You can't protect them from everything."

She laughed a little ironically, "Interesting coming from you," she kept her voice light, not wanting the conversation to spiral.

"I know." Her eyes must have looked accusing because he elaborated, "I know," he chuckled, "do as I say not as I do. You watched me with my kids. I did everything in my power to keep them safe…to keep all the bad things away from them." He shrugged sadly. "It found them anyway."

She found herself reaching out for his upper arm with a light comforting touch. "You're a great dad." He squirmed under her praise. "And I know you're right…but it's just…" she blew out a breath, "hard. It's hard and I know hard things will make him strong, but…"

"It's hard to watch." He finished.

"Yeah."

"I know. Look at Kathleen though. If there was ever a child I thought I'd royally screw up, it was her." A soft smile crossed his face, "But she's doing incredible things. Life kicked her down a few times, but she grew. She thrived." His eyes dropped to their laced hands, "He'll be okay. Not right away, but he has a good mom," he grinned, "and a good uncle Fin who would put a bullet in anyone who tried to hurt him." He squeezed her hand. "You've created an amazing support system for him. He'll be okay."

She felt herself tearing up. She bit her lip in an attempt to keep control. "Thanks El." She whispered.

He lifted a hand to her cheek, letting his thumb brush away an errant tear. "I got you Benson." He smiled. "Always have and always will."

-000-

They stood in the hallway. His hand on her cheek. The moment felt frozen in time, but eventually someone had to break the spell. He dropped his hand from her face and took a small step back. They were both a little emotional at the moment, and she always needed space when she felt vulnerable. "Uh," he rubbed the back of his head. "You need to sleep, Liv."

"You do too," she returned softly. "Don't get so busy taking care of me and Noah that you forget to take care of yourself."

"Liv, I have always been a selfish son-of-a-bitch… I don't think you need to worry about me taking care of myself." He was trying to use some self-deprecating humor, but she wasn't amused.

"You're not selfish." She raised an eyebrow, "at least not all the time."

"Agree to disagree," he gave her a weak smile.

"Fine." She agreed.

There was an awkward moment where he wasn't quite sure what she wanted him to do. His heart pounded. She wanted him to stay, he knew that, but the logistics of it all felt…intimidating.

To his surprise she began to tug on his hand, and stepped towards her room. When they crossed the threshold to her room, he paused. She must have sensed his hesitance. She turned towards him and put her hands on his hips. His breath caught.

"I'm not making you sleep on the couch. It's not comfortable, and I…" he felt her hesitation. This was hard for her. He knew that. This was an extension of trust. A sacrificial offering he could not squander. Her eyes dropped to the floor, "it's just been a series of godawful days, and…" he could feel his heart rate kick up as he waited for her to finish her thought. "I'm always alone." Her warm eyes drifted to his, and he could feel the hesitation and fear there. "I'm tired of being alone. Just," she pulled him more into her room. "Just stay with me here tonight." She kept her eyes locked on his. "I'm exhausted. You're exhausted. Let's just get some sleep and worry about all the implications later."

He hesitated, not wanting to take advantage of the emotionality of the situation. But her beautiful soulful eyes, filled with the desperate sadness of the past few days held his, and he couldn't refuse when her voice softly said, "Stay."