Elliot woke up at 1:00am for his turn with 'security'. Each parent took a two hour shift wandering around the campsite at night. The school added the requirement after some idiot boys snuck off and hitchhiked to the nearest gas station for snacks. After a flurry of teacher panic and irate parents, it was decided the kids needed more supervision throughout the nights.

Middle school security detail felt akin to a low stakes stake out. The chaperone conducted quick tent checks at the beginning and end of their shift. In the time in between parents were just supposed to keep an eye on everything, making sure nothing or no one exited camp.

Elliot's shift was mind numbing and uneventful. Which was exactly what one would want for a campsite full of young middle schoolers.

The first tent check went quickly with nothing, and no one, out of place. It had been a long time since he'd been able to spend this much time in a forested area. Like Olivia, most of his recent experiences in the woods involved serial killers and dead bodies. The last time he camped with one of his kids was when Dickie was in Boy Scouts, and that was nearly an eternity ago.

Elliot wandered around the outside of the camp, allowing his flashlight to light up the tree line. The chirp of crickets and a night sky created the perfect environment to think about everything.

His mind wandered over his conversation with Noah, and he prayed he said the right things. He would give anything to be that kid's dad. Funny, the universe decided to bestow a child to Olivia that looked like them. I'm every daydream, every fantasy, their child had her brown hair and his blue eyes. When those eyes looked to his, he was taken to a universe where Noah was his, and he and Olivia were a family. In that universe things were as they should have been. What could have been. He wished things were different. He wished he'd made different choices, but wishing could never change the past. And Noah could never be truly his.

He tried to push away the depressing thoughts and focus on the now. She was letting him know Noah. She was letting him into the most precious part of her life, and while she still held a stiff wall around her heart, she was allowing him access to her son's. And that was something.

As he wandered past the school bus, his phone pinged. There seemed to be one specific spot in the entire campsite with adequate cell service. He pulled his phone from his pocket and pulled up his messages. Jet.

J: Emailed you what I found when doing that deep dive.

Elliot wasn't sure when she sent the message because of the dead zones in camp, so he waited to answer until after he pulled up the email. The email was timed stamped at 1:20am. She was probably still awake.

E: Pulling it up now. Also. Do you ever sleep?

J: It's only 1 am grandpa.

E: How do you ever show up for work on time?

J: Tomorrow's Sunday…sooooo….

E: Just give me the highlights of the report. I'm too tired to read the whole thing.

J: Dude's kinda SUS

E: I'll need more than that I think.

J: His background check cleared. I looked deeper, and everything looked clean. Almost too clean.

E: New identity?

J: Probably. It was very well done. Way deeper background than I create for cases. Problem is, no one is that clean. Not even a parking ticket. You live in New York you have to have gotten at least one.

E: So whoever created it made it too clean, forgetting the minor stuff.

J: Yeah. And his financials were weird too. Too uniform. Obviously staged.

E: Any ideas on his actual identity?

J; Not yet. I'm going to try facial rec. Maybe we'll get lucky.

E: Thanks Jet

J: This is actually interesting. Of course you'd find something like this on a school field trip.

E: Believe me. I'd rather this not be happing right now. I just wanted a fun weekend with Liv's kid.

J: It can still be that. You got this Stabler.

-000-

Elliot's shift ended, and he gave a wave to the next parent on duty. He climbed into the tent to see all three boys sleeping soundly.

He pulled off his boots and slid into his sleeping bag. His pillow sat askew so he straightened out before settling in. He watched Noah, for just a moment, while silently hating himself for everything he had missed. Right then he made a promise to himself, and to Noah. He wouldn't miss anything else. From now on, he'd be there for everything. He couldn't bear the idea of missing any more important moments in his life.

-000-

The blaring alarm on his phone ripped him from the warmth of his unconsciousness. He let out a groan and reached for the device. He couldn't reach it on the first swipe, but grabbed it on the second. He silenced the alarm, but not before all three boys were groaning, "Turn it off!"

Elliot just chuckled, and dropped back into his pillow. The boys quieted, but he couldn't let them fall back asleep, "Hey! Schedule says we need to be up at 6am sharp!"

He was met with more groans. Elliot all out laughed when Noah pulled his pillow over his head in sheer annoyance. Apparently Noah wasn't a morning person. He would try to remember that.

The boys slept through his yelling. He assumed they were awake but trying to ignore him. "Last person out of this tent will be sent to the back of the food line!"

The threat of waiting a few more minutes for food was enough to send the boys into a frenzy. Elliot stepped out of the tent and stretched while he let the boys changed. The morning air felt cool on his face, and the smell of pine filled his nostrils. He wished he had time for a run. The trails were bound to be beautiful, and the terrain challenging. Maybe he would come up here with Noah again. They could spend some time hiking, and Elliot could run some trails. The thought made him smile.

A minute later, three boys' bodies stumbled out of the tent, tripping over each other as Jace yanked open the zipper. "Okay okay we're up!" Jace was breathing heavily like their rushed dressing and less than graceful exit had exhausted him.

"Great! Go hit the bathrooms and gather up what you need. I think there's a list of stuff you need to pack in your bag for the day."

All three boys nodded eagerly and rushed to the bathrooms. While they were there Elliot quickly changed and tracked down the supply list for the day. He unzipped the tent and stepped out just as the eager boys stepped out of the bathrooms. Elliot smiled at their antics as Jace cracked a joke that left Noah in a puddle of giggles.

When they got closer Elliot held out the list for one of them to take. "Found the list. Get those bags packed up. I think I'm smelling pancakes."

The boys sniffed the air, and grinned. Elliot heard the rustle of backpacks as papers were tucked into pockets and pencils shoved into cases. "Jace? Did you take my water bottle yesterday?" Elliot heard Noah move his sleeping bag as he searched the tent floor.

"Nah. I think Colton did. He probably shoved it in his backpack without thinking." Jace said as he zipped up his backpack.

A curly mop of curls popped out of the tent and a pair of blue eyes found Elliot's, "Hey El, can I run over to Colton's tent? I think he's got my water bottle." Elliot's heart swelled at the boy's causal use of a nickname that was really only used by his mother.

"Yeah. It sounds like they are awake over there." Elliot glanced over at tent four, where obvious movement was taking place.

"Thanks," he said happily, and he bounded over to the tent.

Elliot watched him approach and someone unzip the tent, but Jace and Danny demanded his attention. "We're good!" Jace bounced excitedly. This kid had more energy than the energizer bunny. Danny stood quietly behind him. Elliot wasn't sure he had heard more than two words from the kid for the entire 24 hours they had been there.

"Go ahead and line up then," Elliot glanced over his shoulder to see Noah still standing at the tent opening talking to someone. He turned back to the boys, "Go on ahead and I'll make sure Noah's okay."

The boys all out ran to the covered area next to the picnic tables. Elliot's eyes returned to Noah, who's body language concerned him. He hurried over.

Just as he stepped up to Noah, a hand with a water bottle protruded from the tent. "This yours?" Lucas said gruffly.

"Yeah," Noah answered quietly and took the bottle from his hand. "Where's Colton?" He dared to ask.

"I don't know. Bathrooms probably. If you see him, tell him to keep his crap in his backpack. It spilled all over my stuff."

"Okay," Noah's eyes dropped to the dirt as he meekly walked away.

"What's up Noh?" Elliot laid a reassuring hand on Noah's shoulder.

"Just Lucas being Lucas. He wouldn't tell me where Colton was, and when I kept bugging him for my water bottle he dug it out of Colton's bag himself. It was weird that he just dug through his bag without asking."

"Yeah you're right." Elliot agreed. "He needs to keep his hands off other people's stuff." For some reason Elliot felt weird over the exchange. Maybe he needed to talk to Colton. At least to make sure he was okay. He was seriously tempted to ask the science teacher if Colton could sleep in their tent. It would be a little tight, but he would feel better knowing that Colton was safe with him and his brother. Elliot glanced around looking for the science teacher, and found him standing by the bus, talking on the phone. "Noah, why don't you see if you can track down Colton and find out if he wants to sit with us at breakfast." He pointed over to the place where Mr. Jones stood. "I'm going to talk to your teacher for a minute, and then we can sneak into the food line."

Noah nodded, and his curls bounced. The boy still looked worried, but he took off to the bathroom to see if he missed Colton when they were in there earlier. Elliot watched him, and couldn't shake the strange feeling in his gut. Something didn't feel right.

As he turned back to find the science teacher he felt a hand on his elbow. "Mr. Stabler?"

He turned to find one of the moms who was chaperoning the girls. "I was wondering if Clem was with the boys. She knows she needs to tell me when she wants to hang out with you guys, but she was gone when we woke up. She wasn't in the bathroom so I wondered if she was with Noah or the twins."

Elliot's stomach sank. Something was wrong. He could feel it. Everything inside him was screaming. Two kids were unaccounted for. Something was definitely wrong.