Olivia hadn't anticipated spending the night, and she forgot to replace the clothes in her emergency bag after a particularly grisly crime scene. She dug around the trunk and back seat of her SUV, hoping for some sort of clothing miracle. Wedged deep under the seat, she found a pair of black leggings that must have found their way out of her gym bag at some point. They smelled clean enough, but she would have to swipe a top from Elliot.

He got out of the shower first, allowing her a little space while he tried to track down something clean to wear. A few minutes later, he popped back in. "I had an extra shirt." He set the shirt he had folded with her leggings on the counter.

She rinsed his body wash from her body before shutting the water off and sliding open the shower door. She reached for a nearby towel while he scooped her bra and underwear off of the floor. He set them on the other side of her neatly folded clothes, a little smirk teasing the corner of his lips.

She wasn't sure she wanted to know what he was thinking, but as she wrapped her towel around her, she raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know what you're thinking?"

He chuckled to himself and stepped away from the counter. He pressed a quick kiss on her lips before shaking his head. "Just wondering if you plan on rewearing these." He slid his palm over the counter, bringing a lace-trimmed pair of panties into view. She tried to snatch them from his hand, but he pulled back a little. "Or if you're planning on going without."

She rolled her eyes and held her hand out. "You are fifteen years old; you know that, right?"

He held her panties just out of reach and smiled younger in cheek. "Humor me, Benson."

She groaned and tried to snatch the panties once more unsuccessfully. His eyes danced with mischief, and she knew either way he would win in this game, so she figured she might as well play too. She sighed as if she had finally acquiesced . She leaned in close so her lips brushed his ear. "Without," she said in the most suggestive voice she could muster.

She laughed when his breath caught and used the distraction to snatch the panties from his hand. Honestly, she could care less that he had them, but she would rather Dickie or Eli—or, god forbid, Noah—dig through Elliot's pockets for keys and find something else entirely.

"Hey!" He complained.

She dropped a quick peck on his lips. "Now get out of here before the boys get back." She shewed him out the door, shutting the door behind him.

-000-

The bathroom door clicked shut behind him just as a keycard beeped and the motel door opened. Dickie clumped in first, with the other two boys following closely behind him.

Elliot dropped his hand from the bathroom door, but Dickie smirked. "Really, Dad?" Dickie crossed his arms and, in a reversal of roles

Eli bumped into Dickie's shoulder, breadstick in one hand and his phone on the other, completely oblivious to the world. Noah tagged along behind him, but he was more alert than Eli. "What?"

Dickie chuckled but didn't fill Noah in. Elliot rolled his eyes before he walked over to one of the beds where his duffle bag sat. He unzipped his bag, found a shirt, and tossed it over his head.

Noah glanced around the room then asked, "Where's my mom?"

Elliot tilted his head toward the bathroom door. "She just finished showering. She'll be out in a minute."

Noah nodded. "Cool," he said as he bounced into the bed next to Eli. He pulled out his phone and settled with his back against the headboard. "What's that app called again, Eli?"

Elliot's phone buzzed, pulling his attention away from the boys. He picked it up from its resting place in the desk near the TV.

D: Really, Dad? We were all five seconds away from hearing that quickie in the shower.

Elliot's ears burned as he lifted his eyes to give his son a well-deserved glare. He quickly typed out a response.

E: Wasn't my idea if it makes you feel better.

D: Ew. No! It doesn't help. The last visual I need in my head is my second mother coming on to you in the shower. I'm going to need a brain scrub.

E: You're the one who brought it up. I can give you details if you want.

D: God no.

Just then, both of their heads jerked up at the sound of the bathroom door opening. Olivia stepped through the door while trying to wrangle her semi-wet hair into a claw clip. Her eyes scanned the room, noticing all of the boys' attention on their phones. "Real mountain men here," she jabbed lightly.

Elliot turned slightly and almost laughed out loud when he saw Dickie's eyes focused on the floor. Olivia noticed too and discretely pointed her finger in his direction, a look of confusion etched on her face.

He shrugged like he had no clue what Dickie's problem was and reached for the pizza. "Hungry?" He asked as he grabbed a napkin and opened the box.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Dickie retreating to a chair in the corner near Eli.

"Yes, please," she said eagerly.

Elliot picked a pizza up and deposited it on a napkin. The boys didn't think to grab plates, so it looked like he and Olivia would be using napkins. He smiled as he handed a piece to her. The gesture felt familiar. It echoed a time when they were two broke ass detectives who were too cheap to buy plates during a stakeout.

He continued watching her as she took her first bite, the cheese stretching as she pulled the pizza from her mouth. It was the least graceful thing he'd ever seen her do, and it was pretty damn adorable.

She must have felt his eyes on her beause once she swallowed that bite she quirked an eyebrow in his direction and asked, "What?"

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss against her temple. "You're just beautiful is all."

She rolled her eyes. "I think you've been in the mountains too long." She tilted her head towards the open pizza box. "Eat your pizza, Stabler."

"Yes, Captain," he said with a wink. It earned him another eye roll, but he caught her holding back a smile.

He grabbed a piece of pizza and led Olivia over to the edge of the bed so they could sit. Once they were seated, Eli lifted his head from its hunched position over his phone. "What's the plan? I've got a flight late tomorrow, and I have like a million things I need to get done before then."

Dickie smacked his arm. "Way to just ease into it, man."

"What? We have to make a plan, and we all can't stay here forever. I'm sure you have, I don't know, a job to get back to," Eli snarked.

Elliot fought the urge to pull the boys apart by the collars. They had been bickering off and on throughout the whole trip, and he was getting to the end of his patience for the pair of them. Elliot wasn't completely blind. Eli had been distant, and instead of approaching it delicately, Dickie bulldozed in like he always did. "Both of you stop," Elliot said firmly.

The arguing abruptly stopped, but Noah's voice broke the silence. "I'm staying. If you two have to stay, then I'm staying too."

Elliot glanced in Olivia's direction, deciding to let her field that request.

She shook her head. "You have school," she said gently. "And dance and drama club. You need to get back home."

He folded his arms, but his face remained neutral. "I haven't missed any days this year. I can take some sick days."

"What happens when you actually get sick?" She challenged.

He rolled his eyes. "I barely missed a day last year. I'm not going to miss too many days."

"You don't know that. It's the beginning of the year. I would be fine if you missed tomorrow, but Elliot and I may be here much longer than that. You can't stay that long."

Noah's careful composure began to fracture. She blocked his first few attempts, and he looked like he was getting more desperate. "Come on, Mom. Please. I'll never ask for anything else again. I'll do extra chores. Like, all of my work is turned in online anyway. Please let me stay."

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Elliot could tell her patience for this negotiation was wearing thin. "Noah." She dropped her hand, and Elliot could sense the strain in her voice. "We have no idea what's going on right now. I don't know if it's even safe for you to be here. What do you think you will do while Elliot and I are working? Because I'm surely not letting you stay in this god awful motel on your own. I know you want to help her, but the best thing you can do to help her is be safe so I can do my job."

Tears formed in Noah's eyes as he sat back against the headboard with a huff. Kid was persuasive and stubborn; unfortunately, his mom was too, and after the BX9 incident, he would never argue when she pulled the "safety card."

Dickie spoke up. "Why don't I take Eli and Noah back to the city with me tomorrow morning?" That gives Eli most of the day to prepare for his flight, and that way Noah can see Hannah before we go."

Noah sat up a little straighter at the suggestion that he could at least see his new friend in the morning.

"That might work," Olivia thought aloud. "I need to coordinate with a few people. I'll see if Amanda can take Noah for a couple days." Her eyes lifted to Elliot's face. "I can't stay here more than a couple days. I'm not sure how long she will be here, but I can't leave Fin in charge for forever."

He slid an arm around her shoulder. "I'll stay. We are mostly in the research phase with our current case, and I can do that anywhere. I'll check in with Ayanna to be sure, but I think she will be okay with me taking some of my vacation days if it comes to that."

Olivia nodded. "Okay then. That's the plan, then. Dickie will take the boys home. We will stay here for a couple days and go from there."

-000-

Later that evening Elliot accompanied Olivia to the only store in the area—a local Walmart— since she couldn't run around town in her boyfriend's shirt and ratty pair of exercise leggings. Her hair had completely frizzed out with only Elliot's shampoo and no conditioner. If she planned on looking professional on any level in the morning, she needed to find clothes that didn't make her look like she crawled out of the swamp.

She was able to find some passable pieces that weren't exactly the quality she was used to, but they only needed to last a couple days. She had never been to Walmart, and Elliot teased her about it the entire time.

By the time they made it back to the motel, Noah had crashed on one of the queen beds. Dickie sat on the other side, watching a rerun of a cooking show. Eli sat in a cheap armchair in the corner, predictably on his phone.

Dickie hit the power button on the TV, and the screen went dark. "Get what you need, Liv?" He asked with a yawn.

"Yeah. Not my first choice, but it will work for the next couple days."

"I think I'd pay money to see you—Olivia Benson— pushing a shopping cart around a country Walmart." Dickie grinned.

She rolled her eyes. "You're just as bad as your dad. You guys realize I'm a cop, right? I promise I've been to a lot seedier places than the local Walmart."

"Sure, but have you shopped in those places?" Dickie shot back goodnaturedly.

She opened her mouth but shut it quickly, knowing that he got her there.

To her left, Elliot laughed out loud, and she couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. "You guys are the worst," she said with a faux grumble.

Elliot leaned in and kissed her temple. "But you love it."

She turned her face and pecked his lips lightly. "I do."

Dickie cleared his throat and lightly hit Eli's arm. "Let's go next door. I'm tired."

"Yeah, okay," Eli yawned in response.

Dickie slapped his knees as he stood. "Just call us when you guys are ready to go in the morning." He made his way to the door, Eli close behind.

"See you in the morning," Olivia said as they slipped out the door.