Alone for the Holidays
~oOo~
Part 2
Christmas 2001
"Where's Liv?" Elliot frowned at the empty desk still holding the cup of coffee that he'd gotten for her. "She call in sick?"
"Took the day off. I figured since she was working Christmas to let the rest of you schmucks have the day. You could suffer without her today." Cragen grabbed the extra cup of coffee and disappeared into his office.
It was the third year of their partnership. They'd been stuck on cases the past few Christmases. He still remembered the long nights that led to him missing all of their family traditions. Olivia hadn't seemed bothered by it—a first sign to him that his partner's childhood had perhaps been as rough as his own.
Worse, even.
When Elliot found a moment at lunch, he drove over to her place to check on her. He was surprised to find her not at home. She answered his call and told him to meet her at the Rockefeller Center.
"You hate tourist shit," Elliot remarked as he took a seat beside her on the bench.
"I do."
"So?" Elliot gestured to the brightly lit tree and at the crowds surrounding it. "Why are we here?"
Olivia stared down at the cup of hot chocolate in her hands. "I can't ever remember celebrating Christmas as a child. We never had a tree. There were rarely presents. There were never decorations."
"Liv."
She continued on, ignoring his attempt to offer comfort. "I think I was nine or ten when I began my own Christmas tradition. I came down here on my own. I'd stolen a few bucks from her purse. I bought myself a hot chocolate, and I sat by the tree for longer than I probably should've. It was freezing, but…I wanted to feel the happiness that the other kids seemed to experience."
His heart broke for little Olivia. Elliot could see a tiny wisp of a child sitting forlornly on a bench all alone in the city. He wanted to wrap her up and promise her things would get better. Promise her that she'd grow into a magnificent woman and that she'd be loved.
It felt especially poignant this year of all years. The city was still reeling from 9/11. He'd lost one of his best friends, and he'd been shown once again how tragically short life could be.
"I did this every single year. Sometimes, I could afford hot chocolate. Sometimes I couldn't. But I always came to sit and enjoy the lights." Olivia studiously avoided his gaze. "It's my only real holiday tradition."
"Then let's make a new one." Elliot got to his feet. He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her up off the bench. "Come on."
"Where are we going?" Olivia stumbled after him. "El? Slow down."
"We're going to add a tradition to your list." He dragged her away from Rockefeller Center until they found a place that made custom ornaments. "Stay outside."
"Elliot."
"Just…wait for me." He ducked into the shop and immediately began hunting for the perfect one. In the end, he chose two. He had 2000 and 2001 added to them before asking for them to be wrapped up. It wasn't a massive gesture, but Olivia wouldn't take something like that. "Here."
"El? What is this?"
"A new tradition."
The author of this SVU - Heart for the Holidays story will be revealed in January