"Alright, what is so important that it couldn't wait until morning?" Olivia asks as soon as she reaches Fin's desk in the bullpen, around 4:00 a.m.

"Oscar Papa was murdered in his sleep," he answers deadpan.

"Shit," Olivia exhales.

"Yeah. Exactly. Shit."

Olivia shakes her head and looks around the room, just now taking in several detectives she doesn't recognize.

"What does this mean? And who are all these people?"

"Gangs pulled in everyone on this immediately. Based on BX9's brutal history, they asked if we wanted help from a couple of their detectives, figuring that we would be getting calls soon."

"Within hours of Oscar Papa's death?"

Fin nods. "Apparently this coup has been in the works for a bit. Sampson, the de facto leader, has issued new orders calling for sexual assaults of their enemies' women including girlfriends, wives, sisters, etc."

"He wants to start a gang war," she offers.

"Looks that way. Gangs thinks so. They're doing all they can to quell tensions, but they aren't sure they'll be successful."

Olivia eyes him, able to tell he's holding something back. "What else?"

"Uh… Our sources were less solid on this lead, but there's some talk of Sampson renewing a few former green lights that Oscar Papa canceled. Something about no longer appearing weak."

"You mean…" She can't get the words out. Oscar Papa swore to her that she was safe and that her son was safe. But now, Oscar Papa is dead, and his word died with him.

"We don't know yet, but it's a possibility," Fin answers her unfinished question. "You and a few more of New York's finest."

"Shit," she exhales for the second time in just a few minutes, the word starting to lose all its effect. This time, she collapses in the chair next to Fin's desk.

Fin reaches for her, placing a hand on her thigh. "Liv, we will handle this. This is being given number one priority. But until it's sorted out, you're going to need to be under 24/7 watch, and Noah–"

"Noah," she whispers, followed by a much louder, "Goddammit!" as she slaps the desk.

A few officers turn and look in her direction but quickly look back when Fin eyes them.

"I know. Can he go back to the McCanns?"

"I'll have to call," she answers, lifting her cell phone.

Fin reach outs. "Not now. It's too early. Maybe there's something else we can do. Maybe you all can just hang at home for a bit. He can do his classes online, right?"

"Maybe. I just… I thought we were past this threat. I need to see him."

"Where is he right now?"

"At home."

"With Martha?"

"No." She shakes her head, before adding, "With Elliot." Her look dares him to say something snarky or sarcastic.

Fin's eyes widen quickly, then he just smiles and chuckles softly. "He's safe then."

Olivia matches his small grin. "You're worse than Amanda," she says thinking of the way Amanda looked her up and down with a knowing smile when she'd picked up Noah yesterday morning. She'd made Olivia promise another coffee date with all the deets before she'd let her take her son home. "I can't do this right now."

"You're right," Fin agrees, but doesn't drop the subject completely. "But don't think that I'm going to forget this."

"I would never," she mutters as she scrolls through her contacts to pull up Elliot.

"Look, Noah's safe right now. So let him sleep and you can call Stabler and fill him in later once we know more and have a plan."

Olivia looks at him and her fear is ever present in her eyes.

"Stabler's got him, Liv," Fin says encouragingly, in a low voice only she can hear. "We don't even know if there are orders out yet. For now, he's perfectly safe at home, in his own bed, with baldy watching over him. You can call once we actually know something."

"Alright." Olivia inhales deeply, then nods and claps her hands on her thighs and stands, ready to get to work (mainly to distract herself from and take control of her worry). "So, what do we need to do right now?"

"Joint conference with Gangs at 0600 to get our marching orders. But I figured we could start by reviewing our BX9 files to get a feel of this Sampson guy."

Olivia nods again and heads towards her office. "Good work, Sarge."

"I know you slept in my mom's room last night," is the first thing Noah says to him in the car on his way to his apartment.

The boy had been pretty quiet when he woke up, groggy really. He'd grumbled a quick, "Good morning," to Elliot before shuffling to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice. And then he'd showered and dressed without any prompting, all while Elliot drank coffee on the couch and waited for any sort of update from Olivia. Elliot knows Noah likes him, but he can't help but feel as if Noah is skeptical about spending the day alone with him or is maybe just suspicious of him.

"Uh… Okay. Why do you think that?" Elliot asks, not meeting Noah's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. You weren't on the couch then, but your shoes were still by the door."

"O-kay," Elliot draws out, his eyes narrowing as he thinks of what to say to that. He doesn't want to lie to the kid, but he doesn't want to go back on what Olivia wanted. "How do you feel about that?"

"Dunno." Noah shrugs. "My mom hasn't really had anyone stay over before."

That you know of, quickly crosses Elliot's mind, but he bites his tongue and waits for Noah to continue.

"She likes you. But she gets really sad when you leave. She doesn't say anything, but I can tell."

"I know. I'm trying to get home as fast as I can," Elliot promises as he locks eyes with Noah for a brief second before looking back to the road.

"That's what she said."

"And you? How do you feel about me and your mom?"

"It's okay, I guess," he shrugs again. "I like hanging out with you."

Elliot's heart swells at that admission. "That's good. I enjoy hanging out with you, too. But we'll see if you can still say the same after you spend a whole day with me and some of my kids."

"Hello?" Elliot answers his phone on the first ring, relieved to finally be getting a call from Olivia.

"Hey, El, how's the morning going?"

"Not bad," he says suspiciously, anxious that her voice is overly calm for the way the day started.

"Noah's not causing any trouble, is he?"

Still waiting for the other shoe to drop, Elliot answers her question and tells her about their day so far. "No, he's great. Maureen and the boys came over, and they're playing some card game I've never heard of. I was thinking about taking them to the park later. We'll have to go get Noah's skates first, and then maybe we can–"

"Actually," Olivia jumps in. "Can you just keep him at your place? No excursions?"

Hearing nerves in her voice, he asks, "Liv, what's going on?"

He hears her take a deep breath and sigh before answering. "Oscar Papa was murdered last night."

"That asshole gang leader that put the hit on you?"

"The one and only," she confirms.

"And what does that mean?"

"A coup and a new, more aggressive leader taking over BX9."

"And?" Elliot pushes, knowing that there has to be more.

"And they think he's going to reissue some greenlights on cops."

"On you?" he asks, his volume rising slightly.

"We aren't sure yet."

"Why the hell not?" he shouts.

Her voice is soft as she pulls him back. "El…"

"Sorry. I'm just –" Scared is what he wants to say, but he can't bring himself to admit it.

He can hear Olivia exhale again through the line. "You and me both."

"So, what now?"

"I'm not sure. Just keep Noah safe with you for now, and then I'll have you bring him to the precinct once we have a concrete plan in place. We're trying to decide whether to keep him in the city or send him up to the McCanns."

Elliot scrubs a hand over his face, anger starting to race though his body that he knows he needs to control right now. "That's a tough call."

"It is. Either way he's going to be pulled from school and dance for a bit."

Elliot's heart breaks for the boy, knowing how hard this is going to be on him. "He's going to be devastated. His recital is in just a few weeks."

"Tell me something I don't know, Elliot."

"Sorry." Elliot apologizes at her frustrated tone. "I'm not trying to make this harder."

"I know."

"Do you want me to stay with you?" He makes the offer without thinking, only wanting to stay with her and Noah, to keep them safe.

"You can't do that. You fly back tomorrow." Her voice is steady, but he can hear a tinge of disappointment in the reality that they face, or maybe he's just hopeful that she's as disappointed as he is.

"Not if you need me here," he answers resolutely.

"I can't ask you to do that. You'd lose your job if you refused to go back, especially this close to the end."

He pushes back. "You don't know that. I can call Bell and make my case."

"Don't. You need to go back, and I'll figure this shit out here."

He knew her well enough to know that this would be her response, and he can't fault her. But his heart is pounding with anxiety at the thought of leaving tomorrow. "You aren't alone in this, Liv."

"I know," she answers quietly.

It's not enough for him. He wants to make sure that she really knows that she's not alone, even if he's back in Rome. But he drops it for now.

"You'll call me when you want us to come up?"

"Yeah. It will be later this afternoon. Just please keep him safe."

"I will. You know I will."

"I do."

"So, was that your girlfriend?" Maureen asks teasingly as soon as Elliot sets his phone down on the counter.

He rolls his eyes, but answers solemnly. "It was Olivia."

Maureen's tone changes immediately at her father's response. "Is everything okay?"

Looking past his oldest daughter, Elliot confirms that Noah's attention is still on the game with the boys before he responds. "Uh, no. I don't know how much I can say, but Noah might have to get out of the city for a week or so."

Maureen's eyes widen. "Oh."

"Yeah. So, we're going to just hang tight here for a bit until we get directions from her."

"I'm so sorry. Can I do anything?"

"I don't think so. It's just…"

"A fucking mess?"

Elliot's eyes budge at her response. Maureen is usually the most even-tempered and mild-mannered of his children, and cursing is a rarity from her.

She shrugs and laughs. "I figured a more drastic approach might bring you back down."

Elliot chuckles softly. "Yeah. It's a fucking mess. Olivia might be in danger; Noah might be in danger; Kathleen is recovering from a serious accident; Ma is, well, Ma; and I'm on a plane back to Rome in 24 hours."

"Dad," Maureen starts calmly, placing a hand on his arm. "Kathleen and Grandma are going to be just fine. I'm here, and Liz and Rich are here. We are all happy to hang with them."

"I know, sweetheart. But it shouldn't be your responsibility."

Maureen eyes him. "We're family. We are always each other's responsibility."

Elliot nods at his daughter's words.

"And now, well, for always, really, Olivia and Noah are our family, too. But we'll let you focus on them for a bit. It sounds like they need you."

"I don't know about that. Olivia doesn't need anyone."

"She does," Maureen counters quickly. "Everyone does. I just think she hasn't had the opportunity to actually trust that those she needs will really be there."

"Ouch."

"I didn't mean–"

"I know. But you're right."

"So, you're going to be there for her now, right?"

Elliot nods. "Absolutely."

"Good." Maureen looks back over at the boys, again confirming that they're still distracted. She turns back to her father with a sly smile. "So, do you want to tell me how your dates with Olivia have gone on this trip home?"

Elliot matches her grin and shakes his head. "Why? So, you can go gossip with your siblings behind my back? Hell, no."

"Come on," she whines a bit. "You know you want to share."

"Our dates have been good. Very good. But that's all you're getting."

Elliot and Noah arrive at the 1-6 by mid-afternoon with Noah's suitcase, bookbag, and dance duffel in tow. Olivia and Fin have decided that sending Noah to the McCanns for now is their best choice. They've already made arrangements with the McCanns and with the Woodstock police department to have a uniformed officer outside the home for the next seven days, potentially longer. Olivia makes a note to call Noah's school first thing in the morning to either get him set up for online schooling or get his school assignments from his teachers.

"Are you sure you don't want me to make the drive with you?" Elliot asks again as he joins Olivia in her office.

"You need to spend time with your family before you leave."

"I was just with them all day. I'm sick of them, and they are definitely sick of me," he jokes with a soft grin.

"Elliot," she huffs, lacking the energy to fight him.

"Fine," he agrees gently, taking a step towards her. "But I'm going to offer once more to call Bell and ask to stay, at least for another week."

Olivia's eyes close and she takes a deep breath through her nose. She wants nothing more than to have Elliot, her most trusted partner, with her for this next week. But she just can't. She doesn't want him to risk his job for this, for her. And deep down, she wonders if it would just be easier for him to go now rather than getting even more accustomed to his presence before he has to return to Rome.

"No, please," she whispers before opening her eyes to hold his gaze resolutely. "I just… You need to get back and do your work. I know you're close to finishing this assignment, and I don't want this to prolong it."

"Liv–" he starts as leans in closer, standing only inches apart.

"No," she cuts him off firmly. "Elliot, don't make this any harder than it already is."

He whispers against her cheek. "I want to make it easier."

"You can't. Nothing about this is easy. My son–" she starts, but her voice begins to tremble.

Elliot wraps his arms around her tightly. "Hey, hey. I got you. You don't even know if there is a hit on you yet. This is all just precaution. And Noah is going to be safe. Honestly, he's probably going to spend the next week gorging himself on Ginny's cookies and playing that dead-man video game."

Olivia laughs softly and takes a deep breath. "Red Dead Redemption."

He chuckles with her. "Yeah, that's the one."

She pulls back, nodding. "I know. It's just… this whole week…"

"Your life has been flipped upside down," he finishes for her.

"In more ways than one."

"I'm gonna go tell Noah good-bye, and then I'll get out of your hair so you can get on the road."

Olivia bites her lip and looks over his shoulder into the bullpen. "Thank you again, for everything," she says quietly and then pulls him in for a soft kiss.

"You never need to thank me Liv. I'm here for you, for good." He kisses her again before squeezing her hand and leaving the office.

Elliot finds Noah in the breakroom angrily punching in the numbers on the vending machine.

"Hey, tough guy."

Noah's head whips around quickly. The fear of being caught by an officer dissipates quickly when he sees Elliot joining him, and he's got a smile on his face.

"Hey, Elliot," Noah answers before turning back to the vending machine.

Elliot takes a few steps into the room, standing a little behind Noah. "Did it eat your quarters?"

"Yeah. The chips got caught, so I put in another dollar…"

"But it didn't fix it?"

"No."

Elliot steps up further and puts a hand on Noah's shoulder. "Let me."

Noah steps aside and watches as Elliot pushes up the sleeve on his Henley and gets on his knees, which crackle on the way down.

"If you laugh," Elliot grumbles as he pushes his hand through the door at the bottom of the machine, "then I will keep all the stuff I get out of here."

Noah grins, as if he's thinking his old-man jokes might be worth it, but instead he just bites his lip and nods.

Elliot sweeps his hand up a couple of rows, pulling down the stuck chips and snagging a candy bar on the way out.

"Here," he says as he holds out one of the bags of chips and the candy bar to Noah, keeping the other bag for himself.

They both take a minute to open their chips and eat a few before Elliot starts again.

"So, you're gonna go to your brother's house for a while. That should be fun."

Noah shakes his head. "I don't want to miss school or practice. Not when the recital is so close."

"I know bud, but–"

"I already know," Noah interrupts him. And then adds in an annoyed and mocking tone, "It's for my safety, and just in case… blah, blah, blah."

"You've heard the lines too many times, eh?"

Noah just nods.

"It just sucks, huh?"

Noah nods again, before finally just letting it all out. "It's so stupid! I just want a normal life! I don't want to stay with the McCanns! I don't want to miss dance! I just want it all to stop! I don't understand why this always happens!"

Elliot lets him shout, hoping that Olivia is still in her office with the door closed.

"It is stupid, Noah. And it is unfair. It's unfair to you and your mom."

"Then why doesn't she just quit? Can't she retire? She's old enough."

Elliot grins at that. "Those are valid questions. Though, never let your mom hear you use 'old' to describe her."

"I didn't mean-"

Elliot puts his hand up to stop him. "You're old enough now to hear some hard truths. A few of them, I think you already know. Life is not fair, and it sucks sometimes. It really sucks sometimes. I know that there were a lot of times that my kids were so mad at me because my job made their life unfair and sucky."

"Then why did you do it? Why does she keep doing it?" Noah asks again, so obviously desperate for answers.

"Because someone has to. The world can be a very brutal, scary, and dark place. And your mom is one of those people that brings light and safety and security to so many who have to suffer. You know the type of cases that your mom works on, right?"

"Yeah," Noah nods, looking into his chip bag. "She's told me."

"Then you know it's a very serious job and that she helps a lot of people."

"Yeah. But she's been doing it for so long. Why can't someone else do it?"

"There are some people who probably can do it. But your mom has done it for so long that she is one of the best people out there for this job. You are right, though. She is getting older," Elliot whispers and looks around, "and she probably won't keep it up forever."

Noah sighs. "I know my mom does important work. I just… it's so unfair sometimes and I just want…"

"I know, bud. And that's fair. You get to be unhappy and angry sometimes. And maybe on your trip up to Woodstock you can talk to your mom about it."

"I don't want to make her mad."

"You won't."

Noah eyes him skeptically.

"Noah, your mother loves you more than anything. She wants to hear what you have to say. And I know she's not happy about any of this, either. This past year has been really tough, and she's angry too. Maybe you guys can be angry together for a bit. But she's not mad at you and she won't be mad at you for having feelings about all of this."

Noah shrugs and eats another chip. "Maybe."

Elliot lets him think on everything for a minute and finishes his own bag of chips before reaching into his pocket and holding the object up for Noah to see.

"I have something for you."

"A necklace?"

"Not just any necklace. It's a St. Christopher medal."

Noah reaches towards it, turning the small pendant towards him. "What's that?"

"Well, it's a necklace that some people wear, mainly Catholics, for protection. St. Christopher is a Saint for protection, especially when embarking on journeys."

"I'm not Catholic," Noah says dismissively before unwrapping his candy bar.

Elliot chuckles and waves off Noah's concerns. "I know. But that doesn't matter. My dad gave me one when I was about your age, and I gave one to Dickie and Eli when they turned 13. I think it's time that you have one. That is, if you want it."

Noah looks at the necklace again and then at Elliot before reaching out. "Yeah, I want it."

Elliot smiles as he watches Noah place the chain around his neck before holding the pendant up for a closer look and then slipping it under his shirt.

"One last thing."

"What?"

"I want to make sure you have my numbers in case anything happens or just want to reach me."

Noah nods and pulls out his phone.

This time, when she calls, Elliot's sitting in his back patio sipping whiskey in his sweats. He hasn't heard from her for hours, not since he kissed her cheek before she got into her car to drive to Woodstock.

In that time, he'd come home to relieve Liz (who'd taken over Kathleen and Grandma watch duty), eat, and pack a small carry-on for his flight. And for the last hour or so, he'd anxiously checked on Kathleen, showered, washed dishes, and then finally resorted to alcohol to calm his nerves.

"You almost back?"

"Yeah," she answers. "About fifteen minutes out from the city."

"Do you want me to come over?"

"Actually, can I come to you?"

"Of course. I'll be right here."

Olivia knocks on his door over an hour later with a small overnight bag resting on her shoulder. She collapses into him the second he opens the door.

"Liv, everything okay?" he asks into her hair as he lets her weight fall into him.

She pulls back, dark circles visible under her eyes. "Yeah. It's just been a very long and hard day."

"I know," he answers as he slips her bag from her shoulder and pulls her gently into his apartment. "Do you need to eat or are you just ready for bed?"

"Bed. I stopped for something quick on the drive back."

"Alright then, let's get you to bed."

It doesn't take but a few minutes before they are stripped down, him to his briefs and her into cozy pajamas she brought with her, and crawling into his bed. Quietly, they come together in the middle, Elliot on his back with her head on his chest.

"Kathleen doing okay?"

"She's fine. I mean, she's healing, but she's in good spirits and her doctors are very optimistic."

"Good, that's good. And you've made all the care arrangements necessary?"

"Yes," he answers, rubbing a hand up and down her arm. "We have a nurse coming every day during the week from 9 to 3, and then the rest of the kids are taking turns stopping by in the evenings and on the weekends."

"It's so great that they have each other."

He hears the hint of a shake in her voice. "Liv?"

She turns her head back and forth, burying her face into his chest, and taking a deep breath. "It's just so nice, you know, that they all have each other."

"It is," he agrees softly, waiting for the rest. When it doesn't come, he prompts, "Are you worried about Noah?"

He feels her nod into his chest and can tell that she's still fighting tears as she answers.

"Today was so hard on him. He didn't say much on the ride up, but I could just tell that he was upset. He's trying to be so grown and tough, but it hurts me that he doesn't have anyone else. He doesn't have anyone to vent to or turn to."

"He has you–"

She cuts him off. "You know what I mean. Like your kids have four siblings to turn to, to call in times like this."

"He has me, too, Liv."

"I know…"

"I mean it. And he has my kids now. And he has Connor and his friends."

He feels her take a deep breath, readying herself to argue with him.

"I know what you mean, but there are single parents and only children all over the world. We make our family, Liv. You know better than anyone that blood doesn't make family."

Still tucked into him, Olivia exhales defeatedly. "I just want to give him everything, and I can't."

"You are giving him everything you can, and that's enough."

"Is it? Is it really enough?"

His arms squeeze her tighter, pulling her to lay over his chest completely. "Yes. It is. I know in moments like this, it feels like you're drowning–

"Failing. I feel like I'm failing him." Her words are muffled as she still refuses to look at him.

"But you aren't."

"I had to send him off to a different family, Elliot."

"No. He's with another part of your family. Just like he was with family this morning at my house. You've given him all of you and so many others."

He feels cool tears begin to fall onto his chest. He rubs up and down her back for a couple of minutes as she cries quietly.

With a hand under her chin, Elliot lifts her face to his and wipes the remnants of tears from her cheeks.

"I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but you're doing the right thing by your son, Olivia. You've given him an amazing life. He is loved and healthy, and he's a normal teenage kid. Sure, his life is unfair sometimes, but so is everyone's at times. You're not failing him, not one bit."

Olivia doesn't answer him but swallows and nods.

Elliot leans up and kisses her lips softly. "I love you, and everything is going to be okay."

She nods again and tucks herself back against his side.

"I'm sorry I've ruined our last night together. This isn't very sexy."

He laughs at her apology. "You haven't ruined anything. And this isn't our last night together. Just our last night for a little while."

"Yeah."

"Plus, you've sexed me up so good the last two nights, I'm not sure I'd be any good for you anyhow."

Olivia gives him a faux-angry look as she smacks his chest and laughs.

He catches her hand and holds it against his heart. "I'm serious. I'm in this for good. That means for all of it. You got it?"

"I got it," she nods and lays her head back down on his chest.

He presses a quick kiss to her crown. "Good. Now get some sleep."

He feels her relax into his side even further and her breath starts to even out.

"I love you, too, El."