A/N: This was a suggestion from HMG2000. Al, Justin and Ed are all still alive and Amanda, Kat, Chief Garland, Jay and Antonio are all still around. This is a little long but I wanted to get this into one chapter. I don't own any of the characters except my own.
Jumping to Conclusions
Olivia had gotten into it with a perp. She had a black eye and bruises on her face. The perp had a broken nose as well as bruising on his face. Olivia was pissed at herself for letting it happen in the first place. She was the Captain of SVU and should have been able to maintain her composure better than she had. She was almost sure she was going to be suspended but that was up to IAB to decide.
Besides having a bad day, Hank had been in Chicago since the beginning of the week helping his former unit with a case. It seemed like every time he was in Chicago helping with a case, something happened to her. She missed him terribly and so did the boys. They had adopted 6-year old Miles about a year ago and Noah loved being a big brother to Miles as well as an uncle to Daniel and Vanessa. She loved being a mom of 4. She loved Justin and Erin as much as she loved Noah and Miles. She just wished they had seen Justin, Olive and the kids more often. Justin and Olive bought Hank's house in Chicago when he moved to New York 5 years ago. Like his dad and his grandfather, Justin had become a cop and was with Intelligence.
The rest of the squad had gone home and Olivia was about ready to do the same when Chief Garland came in.
"You ok?"
"I'll be ok physically but I let my emotions get the best of me. I shouldn't have punched the perp."
"I talked to everyone who was there and they all basically said he deserved it. That included Captain Tucker."
"He would have taken my badge when he was with IAB though. I am prepared to face suspension if that's what it comes to and have Fin take over in my absence."
"If I have my way, you won't be suspended."
"You know what? It really doesn't matter anymore. Hank is retiring in a few months and a part of me thinks I should retire along with him. However, if I leave, Fin and Rollins may do it too. That only leaves Kat and Velasco."
"I'll support whatever you choose to do."
"I don't really know what I want to do right now."
"I'll let you get home to your family. Have a good evening, Captain."
"You too, Chief."
Christian left and then Olivia grabbed her stuff. Just as she was about ready to leave, Elliot came in."
"Hey, Liv."
"Hey."
"What the hell did he do to you?"
"Who?"
"That idiot you're married to. I knew it was only a matter of time before he started smackin' you around."
"He's not."
"You of all people should know how assholes like him are."
"What the hell are you talking about? I got into it with a perp. Hank would never hurt me."
"I know spousal abuse when I see it."
"Just drop it!"
"I can't do that."
"For your information and really, this is actually none of your business, but Hank has been out of town most of the week."
"Trouble in paradise?"
"You would love that, wouldn't you?"
"You bet I would. When are you gonna realize that you're in love with me?"
"When are you going to realize that I'm happy?"
"I know you."
"Not as well as you'd like to think you do. I'm not as naïve as I used to be."
"I'll never leave you again. I promise."
"Your promises mean nothing to me. I'm so tired of you acting like you're so much better than everyone else."
"I'm better for you than that asshole you're married to."
"Don't flatter yourself. Hank is more man than you will ever be."
"I've loved you for a long time. I still do and I always will. I wanna protect you. Come stay with me."
"What part of I'm married do you know get?"
"Then I'll come stay with you."
"No, you will not!"
"Afraid of what might happen between us?"
"No because nothing will ever happen between us. I need to get home to my sons."
Olivia left and headed home. Elliot left and headed to Hostage Negotiation. Something told him Olivia was covering for Hank and he was going to get to the bottom of it.
When he arrived at Hostage Negotiation, he went up. Tucker was the only one there and he was getting ready to head out.
"What the hell do you want, Stabler?"
"Where's Voight?"
"He's out of town. He's helpin' out his former unit with case that was similar to an old one. He's been there all week."
"Coverin' for him too, I see."
"What the hell are you yappin' about now?"
"I think he's abusin' Liv and I don't like it."
"You talkin' about the black eye and bruisin' on her face?"
"Yeah."
"She got that from a perp."
"That is total bullshit!"
"Is it? I was there when it happened, dumb ass and so was her entire squad."
"Her squad would say anything she told them to."
"They know the truth. You're the one that jumps to conclusions and assumes the worst because she has bruises on her face. I know Hank. Yes, he has a reputation of bein' a hothead but he gets the job done and we get along just fine. He would take a bullet for her and I know for a fact that if he had been here, what happened to her wouldn't have happened. Unlike you, I have been with Olivia. I knew she had doubts about our relationship and honestly, so did I. I transferred out of IAB for her. I knew she had feelings for Hank and that was part of the reason it never worked out for us. I accepted it and moved on. I suggest you do the same."
"I can't. I care about her too much to allow her to get hurt. Someone needs to protect her and it needs to be me. I know her better than anyone."
"She's not the same person she was before you left. She came into her own after you left and she's had a lot she's had to deal with in the decade you were gone that made her a lot stronger than she used to be. I still care about her and Hank knows that. He knows I keep an eye on her when he isn't around just like Fin does. I want what's best for her and I want her to be happy. You claim you love her but have you ever once considered her feelings? Have you even asked her about anything that she went through in that 10 years you were gone? My guess is you haven't because you only seem to be concerned with your own feelings or tryin' to ruin her happiness."
"She doesn't know what she wants and she had to have been desperate to even consider bein' in a relationship with you."
"People change but obviously you haven't."
"I don't trust the guy."
"I don't trust you. Never have and never will. If it had been up to me, you would never have been brought back to the NYPD. Don't think IAB isn't watchin' you because they are."
"They should be watchin' Voight and not me. Unlike him, I haven't done anything."
"You're still in my office."
Elliot stormed off and then Ed left. Elliot decided to find out whatever he could about Hank Voight.
Olivia, Erin and the boys had just sat down for dinner.
"Mom, are you ok?"
"It hurts a little though. My former partner thought Hank did this to me."
"Why would he think that?"
"Because he thinks he's in love with me and will do anything he can to break Hank and me up."
"I don't like that Elliot guy, Mom."
"Me neither."
"Same with me."
"Things were much less complicated until he came back into my life."
Then the doorbell rang.
"I got it."
"Thanks, Erin."
Erin went to answer the door. It was Ed.
"Hey, Erin."
"Hey. Come on in."
"Thanks."
The two of them went into the kitchen.
"Hey, Uncle Ed."
"Hey, guys. Liv, Stabler came to HNT askin' where Hank was."
"Even after I told him he hasn't been around all week."
"Apparently he thinks Hank did this to you."
"I told him he didn't. I seriously don't think he'll give up until he gets what he wants, which is to get Hank out of the picture. Are you in a hurry to get home?"
"Nah. Patty's workin' tonight and the boys are doin' their thing with their friends."
"Do you want something to eat?"
"Yeah, sure."
Noah went to get another place setting, while Ed sat down. He then helped himself to some food. He also told them about the conversation he had had with Elliot. All Olivia could do was roll her eyes.
"From your experience, do you think I'm going to get into trouble for what happened today?"
"I'm sure they'll investigate it and everyone there today will have to talk to them, including me. Personally, that son of a bitch deserved it. I know as well as you do that Hank would have done a lot more than break his nose."
"He probably would have broken his arm or hand. Hank knows I don't like that behavior but I love how protective he is of me. He wouldn't think twice about getting into it with Elliot either."
"If he continues this BS about thinkin' Hank did this to you, he'll be dealin' with me too. I may have mentioned to him that you have been through a lot in the time he was gone but obviously he hasn't."
"Thanks for the warning but I don't care if he ever finds out what happened to me."
"That's your choice. I also told him that IAB is watchin' him but he of course said they should be watchin' Hank and not him. He never does anything wrong."
"Of course not."
"After we ended our relationship, I told you I'd be there for you and I meant that."
"Thank you and I appreciate that. Fin still thinks he's full of it and Velasco doesn't like him very much either. Neither do Amanda and Kat. Honestly, I don't think Carisi does either. Elliot told me to come stay with him and I said no. He then said he'd come stay here and I said no to that too. I am so glad you and Hank get along so well."
"Honestly, I'd rather work with Hank than Stabler any day. Stabler said he didn't trust Hank but I told Stabler I don't trust him. I never have and I never will."
"You even turned out to be a better man than Stabler. If he hadn't left, I may not have had the chance to see that."
"He said you must have been desperate to get involved with me and you don't know what you want."
"He is so full of it. He's even tried telling me who I should and shouldn't be friends with. Hank doesn't even do that. Hank can't stand Elliot."
"I had nothin' to do with that."
"I know. When I told Hank about how he just up and left, he said it sounded like he had issues."
"I never even met the guy and I don't like him. He messes with my family, he messes with me."
"I hear the same thing from Justin too."
Olivia got a text from Elliot with the info of what he found out about Hank. All she could do was shake her head and roll her eyes.
"Now what?"
"He thinks he 'discovered' all this info about Hank."
"The thing with Matt Casey and Justin and the stuff at Yates' trial? That's all old news."
"Yeah, I know."
"Even I knew about that."
Olivia's phone rang. She noticed it was Elliot, so she picked it up but she had it on speaker. The boys were done eating, so they went to watch a movie.
"What?"
"What do you see in this guy?"
"I already know all this. We have no secrets from each other."
"Does IAB know?"
"I don't know but Tucker knows."
"Tucker is an idiot. Once a rat, always a rat. It's so unlike you to be in an abusive relationship."
"Again, I'm not in an abusive relationship. Hank isn't even in town. Tucker even turned out to be a better man than you and I never thought I'd ever say that."
"You always did have bad taste in men. If I was you, I'd get the hell out of there while you still can. Divorce him and then we can go live in Rome. I know you'd love it there."
"I'm not going anywhere with you and I can take care of myself. Besides, I have my squad. Fin has had my back for more years than you have. Please leave me alone."
Olivia hung up.
"I knew what he had done when I was with IAB. I looked into Hank and his entire unit the times when you worked with them. The IAB Tucker probably would have had the entire unit shut down if they were here but now that I've gotten to know him, I understand why he's the way he is. He definitely does not have the ego that Stabler does."
"No, he does not."
"I admit CPD Intelligence for the most part doesn't like to follow the rules, some do and some don't. I tried but Hank was my mentor and surrogate father, even before I knew he was my dad. I made some dumb mistakes too. Olinsky and Ruzek follow Hank usually. Halstead tried to be more by the book than I was but he sometimes does what he wants. So does Upton from what Hank has told me. Antonio has had his moments and he and Hank didn't always see eye to eye but Hank knew what he was doing when he left him in charge of the unit when he came here. The entire unit is a family. I'm glad he decided to come here."
"Oh, me too. I don't get why Elliot is assuming Hank is hitting me. Sure, he can be a little rough around the edges but he is always protective of the people he loves the most and I know he wouldn't hurt me. Elliot doesn't think he hurt me when he left? Of course not. He's too busy judging Hank."
"I asked him if he has ever taken your feelings into consideration but it seemed like he was only concerned about his own feelings. He got away with way too much in my opinion. That time I arrested you, I told him I didn't have anything to get him on, at least yet."
"Langan made a comment that he always thought it would be Elliot he'd run into in central booking and not me."
"I would have loved to have seen his ass in jail. I still would. I have had no issues with Hank since we've been workin' together. When I asked him if he would take the Lieutenant's exam, he didn't have a problem with it."
"When you said Nick wouldn't have been promoted because of his issues, does that also apply to Elliot?"
"Definitely. Even more so with him."
They finished dinner and then the boys joined them for dessert. Olivia cleaned up after Erin and Ed left and then she made sure the boys had their homework done. They said it was and then they went to get ready for bed. She tucked Miles in and said goodnight before she went to say goodnight to Noah. She then went to get ready for bed herself before Hank contacted her for a video chat.
"Hey, Honey."
"Hey, Babe."
Hank noticed her face.
"What the hell happened?"
"I got into it with a perp. He looks a lot worse as he has a broken nose."
"That's my girl! Are you in trouble?"
"I haven't heard yet. Ed doesn't think I did anything wrong. He was there, since it was a combined case with HNT."
"Every time you get physical with a perp, I seem to miss it. You did with that George guy from what I heard."
"I did."
"What aren't you tellin' me?"
"Elliot is back from being undercover and stopped to see me at the Precinct. He's assuming you did this."
"Why would I? When you said he had an ego, you weren't kiddin'."
"Nope and I know you would never hurt me."
"You're right. I wouldn't. I will hurt him if he keeps this up though."
"He thinks he 'discovered' all this info on you, like the thing with Matt Casey and Justin and the stuff at Yates' trial. I told him I knew all about it and so did Ed."
"Obviously it's ok if he's the one that does it."
"That's true and at least you and Ed get along. He still can't stand Elliot and I completely understand why."
"I'm comin' home tomorrow."
"That's great! Did they finally get their guy?"
"Yep. It was one of those cases that was a pain in the ass from the beginning because the guy kept coverin' his tracks. We probably could have used your help too. This guy murdered and raped entire families."
"It sounds like it was a bad week for you."
"It was. All I could think about was you and the kids but at least I got to spend some time with the rest of the family."
"Good. Give everyone our love."
"I will. They send theirs back."
"I wish you had been here for this case we had today."
"Were you held hostage again?"
"Pretty much. Not quite as bad as the time I was held hostage by Joe Utley though but this guy was a real ass."
"Did you go to the hospital?"
"No. I put ice on it though. Elliot wanted me to stay with him and when I said no, he tried inviting himself to stay here. I told him I took my marriage vows seriously. When he called to tell me about what he had "discovered", he told me to leave while I still could. I could then file for a divorce and then he and I could go live in Rome because I would love it there."
"If he shows up again, then threaten to arrest him."
"I will but he'll probably think it's a big joke."
Olivia started yawning.
"Go get some sleep."
"I will. I can't wait to have you home. I have missed you so much and so have the boys."
"I've missed all of you too. That includes Erin."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Olivia ended the call and then she went to finish getting ready for bed. She went downstairs to double check all the doors again. She looked out the window and saw a car sitting outside. She grabbed her keys and her coat and went outside. Elliot got out of his car.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Keepin' an eye on you. I need to make sure you're safe."
"I don't feel safe with you stalking me."
"I'm not stalkin' you, Liv. I love you."
"I don't need protection from you."
"Did you know he was in prison?"
"I told you we have no secrets from each other. If you don't believe me about what happened to me, then look at the Incident Report. I wouldn't be in a relationship with someone who was abusive and controlling. I also wouldn't get involved with you. I still haven't forgiven you for the 10 years you were gone."
"Then let me make it up to you. Even it takes the rest of our lives, I wanna make that happen. I want everything with you."
"I'm not sure I will ever be able to forgive you and I want nothing to do with you. I want you to stay out of my life and leave me the hell alone, so I can be happy with my husband, who I love more than life itself. I know he loves me because not only does he tell me every day but it's also the little things he does for me. He sends me flowers for no reason and even after working all day, he comes home and cooks for me. Now please leave or I will get a Patrol car over her and have your ass locked up for stalking and harassment."
Elliot still wouldn't leave.
"That asshole husband of yours better not show his face here again. I'll make sure he never hurts you again."
"HE IS NOT THE ONE HURTING ME!"
A Patrol car happened to be driving by and stopped. Montero got out of the car.
"What's goin' on, Captain? Everything ok?"
"She's fine."
"He was speaking to me, not you and I am quite capable of answering for myself. Detective Stabler is stalking and harassing me and I want it to stop."
"Her husband is beatin' her."
"Lieutenant Voight? I doubt it. She got her bruises from a perp and Lieutenant Voight is out of town."
"You know this how?"
"I was at the scene. I'm workin' a double shift."
"I'll go but you haven't seen the last of me."
Elliot glared at Montero and Montero glared right back at him. Olivia stood there with her arms crossed and rolled her eyes. She was completely annoyed by Elliot. He finally got back into his car and left.
"Thanks."
"No problem. Are you ok from earlier."
"Yeah."
"If you want, I can sit outside your house for a while."
"If you want to, that's fine. I think I need to contact ADA Carisi about getting a Restraining Order."
"Have a goodnight, Captain. If you need anything, call."
"You too and I will."
Olivia went back inside and Officer Montero got back into his car and sat outside the house for a while. Olivia decided to call Carisi. Amanda answered."
"Hey, Liv."
"Hey. Are you answering your hubby's phone for a reason?"
"He went in to take a shower and his phone rang. I saw it was you, so I answered it. What's goin' on?"
"I need to get a Restraining Order. I'm getting tired of Elliot harassing me. He saw my bruises and immediately assumed that Hank did it."
"What the hell? He wasn't even around."
"I know that and you know that but he doesn't care. He's still trying to get Hank out of my life. He told me to stay with him and when I said no, he said he'd stay here. When I went to make sure the house was locked up he was parked in front of the house. When I asked him what he was going, he said he was protecting me. He'll wish he had protection when Hank gets a hold of him and I won't stop him."
"I don't blame you. Those are some pretty strong accusations."
"Exactly. He was sitting outside the house and I went out to confront him. I told him that haven't forgiven him for the 10 years he was gone and when he said he wanted to spend the rest of our lives making it up to me, I said I wasn't sure I would ever be able to forgive him."
"Good for you."
"I threatened to call for a Patrol car if he didn't leave. Montero was driving by and stopped. Elliot finally left and Montero is sitting outside the house. I'm afraid Elliot is going to do something to Hank."
"When does he come home?"
"When I talked to him a little bit ago, he said tomorrow. It's only been since Monday but it feels like an eternity. Another thing Elliot did was called me to tell me he found all this stuff out about Hank. All the stuff that I already knew about."
"The thing with Matt Casey and Justin and the stuff from Yates' trial?"
"Yep. I should let you go."
"I'll have Sonny call you when he gets out of the shower."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"We got your back, Liv. We all do."
"I know that. Goodnight."
"Night, Liv."
Olivia hung up. When Sonny got out of the shower, Amanda told him what was going on and then he called Olivia. He said he would take care of it first thing in the morning. She thanked him and after she hung up, she went to sleep.
The next morning, Olivia had gotten up and went to get into the shower. Once she was out of the shower, she went to make sure the boys were up, so they could get ready for school. She got their lunches ready and got the cereal. They boys came downstairs for breakfast and then once they were done, everyone went to brush their teeth. Olivia dropped the boys off at their respective schools before heading to the Precinct. Everyone including Carisi was there.
"Manda filled us in."
"Thanks. I think I'm more afraid of Elliot doing something to Hank. I don't want him near me or my family."
"I already got the Restraining Order. He can't be near your home, here, Voight's Precinct, which we know won't upset Tucker, the boys' schools and pretty much anywhere any of you are within the city. I told the desk that if Detective Stabler comes into this building, he needs to be taken into custody."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. I now get to go over to Organized Crime to deliver this to Stabler."
"I'm sure he'll think this is all a big joke."
"Even if he contacts you by phone, email or text, he can be taken into custody. He is to have no contact with you what so ever."
"I appreciate it. I'm actually considering getting my number changed."
Carisi left and headed over to Organized Crime to give Stabler his copy of the Restraining Order. Ayanna told him he wasn't there. She told him he called and told her he was taking a personal day. Carisi then headed over to Elliot's apartment but he wasn't there either.
Little did anyone know was that Elliot was on his way to Chicago to deal with Hank. He had left on the first flight out. However, Hank was already at the airport to return to New York on an earlier flight, since he wanted to surprise Olivia and he had hoped to spend a few hours with her without the boys around. Hank was actually still at the airport when Elliot's flight arrived. Elliot's plan was to go unnoticed and then go back to New York. He only cared about Olivia. Elliot had gotten a car and headed to the District.
By the time Elliot arrived at the 21st, Hank's flight to New York had already taken off. When he got there, he had found a place to park, so he could watch for Hank to come out. He knew Olivia loved him and she was only kidding herself if she thought she loved Hank. He knew could give her so much more than anyone else ever could.
Elliot had been sitting outside the District for over an hour and so far, there had been no sign of Hank. Maybe someone else had gotten to him first. He couldn't wait to have Olivia all to himself and then go back to Rome. Trudy had noticed that he had been sitting out there for a while, so she came outside and walked over to his car. Elliot had seen her, so he pretended like he was talking on the phone. She knocked on the window and he held up a finger that he would be done in a minute. After he was done with his "call", he put the window down.
"What can I do for you, Sergeant?"
"You've been sitting here for a while and this are is actually for police vehicles only."
"Oh wow! Sorry. I hadn't noticed that. I was supposed to be meetin' someone in this vicinity and I must have been in the wrong place."
"There is a sign right over there."
"I honestly did not see that."
"License and registration please."
Elliot pulled out his driver's license and the papers from the rental agreement and handed them to Trudy. She looked at it and noticed his name. She made a phone call and then the entire Intelligence Unit had their vehicles surrounding Elliot's. They all got out of their vehicles but Al and Justin were the one that approached Elliot. Justin opened the door and grabbed him by his coat. He put his handcuffs on him and threw him in the back of Al's car. They had also blindfolded him and put duct tape over his mouth. They all got back into their vehicles and headed to a remote area of the city. Elliot's phone was still in his car. When they arrived where they were going, they got out of their cars and Al took Elliot out of the back of his. He took the blindfold and duct tape off but left the handcuffs on.
"We heard you were accusin' our friend and former boss of givin' his wife a black eye and bruises."
"That's right. He's a piece of shit and should be locked up."
"You're the piece of shit who needs to be locked up. My pop would never hurt her."
"Then you don't know him the way you think you do."
"I've known him longer that anyone and bein' abusive to the woman he loves is not something he is capable of doin'."
"I've known him my entire life and we may not have always gotten along but he would never abuse the woman he loves. Ever!
"She just can't admit that he's the one hurtin' her and she also can't admit that she's in love with me."
Justin punched Elliot in the nose, shoved him down and then kicked him in the stomach.
"Don't you ever talk about my mom like that again! You hear me?"
Everyone else tried not to laugh, since they all knew Hank would be doing the exact same thing
"She's not your mom."
"She may not be on paper but I made the choice to call her Mom when they got married. She's also Grandma to my kids."
"Didn't he rape someone?"
"No!"
"From what I saw he did. It was mentioned at some trial."
"So, you're gonna believe a psycho rapist and murderer who murdered and raped someone else we cared about? He cared about her too."
"Maybe a little too much."
"You're dumber than you look if you believe that."
"Voight and I may not have always seen eye to eye but I was at that trial. He was hurt by those accusations that he was forcing himself on Nadia. Even though he never admitted it until a few years later, he was in love with Benson even then. That was obvious."
"Oh yeah, he was and he told me that. The only people he could really confide in were me, Platt and Lindsay. Even Justin knew how he felt about her. He regrets not tellin' her sooner. She loved him a lot longer than she was willin' to admit too."
"Based on her reaction to what Yates was accusing him of at the trial, that was obvious too. She looked pissed."
"Maybe she was pissed because he raped that girl."
"How many times do I need to tell you that he didn't rape anyone?"
"From what I also understand, he has gotten physical with perps."
"From what we've heard, so have you, so don't even go there. When he tells Olivia he'll do something for her, he means it and she knows he does. He's a man of his word. Hank doesn't allow too many people to put him in his place but Olivia can and she can get away with it."
"I'm also a man of my word."
"Didn't you tell her you'd behave in the Interrogation Room when you were in there when she told you not to be in there while questioning the person of interest in what happened to your wife? Who walked out on her for 10 years without so much as a phone call and then only comes back into her life when he wants something? The best thing you could have done was stayed the hell away from her."
"I'm glad I'm back in her life. Someone needs to protect her from that psycho she married."
"To us, it sounds like the only person's feelings you really care about are your own. If Pop didn't care about her, even as much as it hurt him, he wouldn't have stepped back and allowed her to see if her relationship with Captain Tucker was goin' to work out. He let her make the decision and told her he would always be there for her no matter what. At the time, they had a friends with benefits relationship and neither one wanted anything more. I think he realized before she did that he loved her. After the relationship with Captain Tucker ended, she gave it time and came to Pop. You only think she can be happy with you and you seem to think you have to make her decisions for her. She's a strong woman."
"I'm well aware of how strong a woman she is but she can be very naïve when it comes to the men in her life. I still don't get why she ended up with Tucker."
"He's always been nice to us. They invited him to their wedding."
"Tucker doesn't have a nice bone in his body. Liv needs a good man."
"Hank is a good man."
"No, he's not."
"You don't know him the way we do."
"I don't wanna know him. Why would she wanna be with someone who's been to prison?"
"Pop made some stupid decisions because of me and we both ended up doin' time. Neither of us could deal with my mom's death."
"He probably had her killed."
"You did not just say that!"
"Yeah, I did."
"You picked the wrong family to mess with."
Justin kicked Elliot in the leg this time.
"You won't get away with this. I'll make sure you all get fired."
"You're in our city now."
"Just wait until the next time you're in MY city. I will get Voight out of the way and out of Liv's life for good."
"No one messes with our family. You got that?"
Al kicked Elliot again and then the other guys did too, while both Upton and Burgess just glared at him. They all meant business. No one messed with their family and that also included Olivia's unit. Al put the blindfold and duct tape on Elliot's mouth again and then he put Elliot back in his car. Then they all headed back to the District. When they got back, they put Elliot in the Cage.
Hank was arriving back in New York. He got his stuff and then he got a cab to the 16th. When he arrived, he went in and everyone was at their desks. Ed and Ayanna were in Olivia's office.
"Hey, Lieutenant."
"Hey. Is your Captain busy?"
"Probably not. Captain Tucker and Sergeant Bell are in her office."
Hank went over to her office and knocked on the doorframe.
"Come on in."
"It's only me."
Olivia practically jumped out of her chair and ran into Hank's arms. Then she kissed him.
"I missed you so much."
"I missed you too. She behavin' herself?"
"Does she ever?"
"Nope. I leave for a few days and she gets into it with perps. What's with the uniform?"
"I got in this morning and was told that we had to do a press conference about that one case we had, so then I had to go home and change."
"Have you done it yet?"
"Unfortunately, no but you can stick around if you want. Ayanna is in on it as well."
"If you want, you can participate, since you were helpin' out anyway and you made the actual arrest."
"I made the arrest but I was just helpin' at Olivia's request. I don't look to be recognized for the stuff I do. I do it because it's my job unlike a certain Detective with OCCB that feels he needs to be the center of every case."
Ayanna and Olivia both rolled her eyes and Ed shook his head.
"You're not wrong. He told me he was taking a personal day, so I'm glad he's not here."
"He can't be around us anyway."
"That's true and I will make sure he follows it."
"Stabler can't come near us?"
"No. I had Carisi get a Restraining Order. He has to stay away from us and the boys everywhere in the city."
"Ok. I guess I need to go change then. I'm takin' our SUV."
"Ok. It's in about 30 minutes."
"I'll be back."
Hank kissed Olivia again and then he went home to change.
"Detective Stabler still didn't understand why Lieutenant Voight was involved with that case."
"Maybe it was because the perp had done something similar in Chicago several years ago when Hank was still there and Liv asked him to help out because he was familiar with him. He has also had the experience with Organized Crime. He dealt with that in Chicago."
"I know that and you know that but Elliot doesn't like someone else stealing the limelight from him and in this case, he hates that it was Hank. He seems to think that he's entitled to recognition for every case we solve. Some end well and some don't."
"Exactly. Hank does not like getting special recognition for important cases."
"He'll probably have a fit when he finds out part of this is to give him a commendation for the case."
"I can almost guarantee he will. I don't want him to be mad at me for not telling him. He is very modest when it comes to his job. Elliot is like that even with cases that aren't even his."
While Hank was at home, he got a call from Al telling him that Elliot had shown up. He, Justin and everyone else had roughed him up a bit and they had him in the Cage. Hank couldn't help but laugh. He was proud of his oldest son for defending him and Olivia. He told Al he would call him back later, since he had to get back for a press conference about the case he had helped Olivia with. Once he was ready, he went back to the 16th and went up. Olivia, Ed and Ayanna were in the Squadroom.
"Lookin' good, Lieutenant."
"Thanks, Rollins."
Hank ended up telling all of them about his conversation with Al. Ayanna covered her face with her hand and shook her head and Olivia looked a little surprised. Neither Ed nor Fin seemed too surprised at all. In fact, they both tried not to laugh.
"I told Al I would call him back later but I will put the phone on speaker, so you can hear the conversation."
"I love that your former unit is so protective of everyone."
"It sounds like it was mostly our son though."
"I always liked your former unit and Justin is a good kid."
"He hasn't always been but he is now."
"I guess I'll have to go to Chicago to see if they will release Detective Stabler to me. I swear, that man needs a babysitter sometimes. I'm actually considering sending him on a permanent undercover assignment just to keep him out of my hair."
Hank wrote down the directions on how to get to the 21st District from both airports and gave them to Ayanna.
"Thanks."
"Sure."
"Honey, we need to talk for a minute."
"Ok."
Olivia took Hank into her office and shut the door.
"Is everything ok."
"Everything is fine. Part of this press conference is because you are being given a commendation for that case. I know this isn't your thing but this is a big deal. I wanted to tell you sooner but then I knew you wouldn't show up."
"Who's doin' this?"
"Chief Garland will be here too but we agreed that I can be right by your side. I think Ed may be the one to actually present it to you because he's your Commanding Officer."
"What if I hadn't come back?"
"Then I probably would have accepted it on your behalf. I swear to you that I did not know about this until this morning."
"I hate this."
"I know you do. I just want you to know that I am so proud of you."
"Thanks."
"As soon as this is over, we can go home and spend some time alone before the boys get home. I already told Fin that I was taking the afternoon off. I love you so much."
"I love you too and I love the way you think."
Olivia kissed Hank and then they joined everyone in the Squadroom. Chief Garland arrived and then whoever else that was going to be there got there as well. Olivia had called Erin to tell her and she showed up as well. The press conference itself started and everyone that played a part that wanted to speak, spoke at it. It was time to present Hank with his commendation, so Ed had joined them. Chief Garland spoke and then handed the medal to Ed to present to Hank. Hank accepted his medal and thanked them for it. Erin had gotten the ceremony on video, so she could send it to Justin and everyone else in Intelligence. She was also going to send it to Olivia, so she should show Noah and Miles later. After everyone pretty much left, Ayanna went to make the arrangements to go to Chicago the next day, Erin went back to work and Hank and Olivia went home.
When they arrived at the house, they went in and headed upstairs. They started kissing and began removing each other's uniforms. They got on the bed and made love. Afterwards they were both out of breath as they were wrapped in the blankets and each other's arms.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"I missed this."
"I did too. Knowin' I had you, Erin and the boys to come home to is what gets me through these trips to Chicago."
"It seems like every time you go to Chicago, something ends up happening to me but most of it is because of Elliot. That car accident I was in was because of him, since it involved the Wheatleys, Elliot showed up while he was supposed to be undercover to talk about that damn letter and I probably got shot because of him too. He wasn't around when this happened though."
"I hate that I wasn't here though and I hate havin' to go to Chicago so much."
"I don't blame you or Antonio. I do know that the perp wouldn't have done what he did if you had been here though. I'm so happy you're home though."
"Me too. I missed you and the boys like crazy."
"We missed you too."
"I need to call Al back."
"Why don't we video chat with him."
"We could do that but maybe we should put some clothes on first."
"You're probably right. We don't need everyone knowing what we just did."
Olivia kissed Hank, got out of bed, grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom. After she was done, Hank did the same thing, while she found all the pieces to their respective uniforms that had been tossed on the floor and hung them up. Hank came out of the bathroom and then they contacted Al.
"Hey, man."
"Hey. The Boss is here too."
"Hey, Olivia."
"Hey, Al. Thank you for handling that situation."
"You're welcome. Let's just say Justin has a lot of his dad in him. Stabler was sayin' some stuff about Olivia and Justin told him not to talk about his mom like that again. Stabler said you weren't his mom and Justin's response to that was you may not be his mom on paper but he made the choice to call you that when you married Hank."
Olivia had tears in her eyes.
"It's true."
"His Sergeant said she will probably head out there to see if you will release him to her."
"That shouldn't be a problem. He's having a fit, since I made him watch the video Erin sent. Congratulations on that."
"Thanks. You know better than anyone that I don't do it for the recognition."
"Oh yeah, I know. Everyone here thinks it's great."
"Tell them thanks."
"I will."
"So, you really took Elliot to a remote area of the city?"
"Yeah. Hank told us what he was sayin' and we had seen him sittin' outside the District in the area for police vehicles only. Platt went out and talked to him and asked him for his license and registration. When she saw the name on his license, she called me and we came around with the cars. Justin grabbed him out of the car and put his cuffs on him. He was then blindfolded and had duct tape on his mouth, so that way he would have no idea how we got to where we were. We roughed him up. Justin punched him in the face, shoved his down onto the ground and kicked him in the stomach. Justin was gettin' into his face. Stabler said somethin' about the thing with Nadia that pissed Justin off, so he kicked him in the leg. Very much like his dad. I kicked him and Dawson, Halstead, Ruzek and Atwater all kicked him too. We told him not to mess with our family. He threatened to get us all fired but we said he was in our city. He said to just wait until the next time we were in HIS city."
"His city? Yeah, ok. More like MY city."
"Now, that I can believe."
"You're welcome here anytime. We're fine with you being here and so is Ed. When Hank told us what had happened, Ed told Hank that he has always liked his former squad."
"How often does my boy act like me?"
"This was actually the first time he's gone off on anyone but I think it was more because he was defendin' his family. He saw it as a threat to his family, which he of course took personally and he told him he picked the wrong family to mess with. You can't blame the kid. That Stabler guy clearly has issues and is in denial."
"He definitely does and I told him that I couldn't forgive him for the 10 years he was gone. He said he wanted to spend the rest of our lives making it up to me and he wants everything with me. I said I didn't think I would ever be able to forgive him.
They talked for a while longer and then they decided to go out to lunch. They went home and took a nap. By the time they woke up, it was time to pick up the boys from school and they were happy to have Hank home. They went home and the boys did their homework, while Hank and Olivia decided what to fix for dinner. Erin came over again and they told Erin what happened in Chicago. She could not be prouder of her brother. They all spent a quiet night together as a family. Justin did a video chat and they all got to talk to Olivia, Erin and the boys. Olivia told him she was grateful for what he did and Justin said Stabler picked the wrong family to mess with. Spring Break was coming soon and all the kids had the same break, so they were all planning to go somewhere as a family. After the movie was over, the boys went to bed and Hank and Olivia did as well.
Ayanna had left the next morning to head to Chicago and she was not happy with Elliot. Hank had given her Antonio's number, so she could let him know when she was there and someone would meet her. Antonio was the one that had met her.
"Sergeant Bell?"
"Yes. You're Sergeant Dawson?"
"Yeah."
"I wanna apologize for Detective Stabler."
"Voight filled us in. We're still pretty protective of him and his family."
"I can understand that. He doesn't seem to know when to quit sometimes and he seems to be very obsessed with Captain Benson since he returned to the NYPD."
"Voight would never hurt her like he's claimin'."
"I know he wouldn't. I'm not sure why Detective Stabler thinks he did other than the fact that he's jealous. He wants something he can't have and will stop at nothing until he gets it. I'm almost thinking I need to have him go on a permanent undercover assignment but a part of me thinks he'll start screwing things up for our cases. I'm thinking a suspension may be more appropriate. I get to tell him that he has to stay away from Olivia and her family, which I'm sure he won't pay attention to."
"Did she file a Restraining Order?"
"She did and honestly, I don't blame her."
"I don't either."
"I can tell you one thing, if he gets thrown in jail for real for ignoring the Restraining Order, I will not be bailing him out. I don't think his family will either. I have spoken to his kids regarding his behavior and they don't seem to understand why he can't just let Olivia be happy. They do know about the Restraining Order but want to stay on Olivia's good side."
"Hank is not someone he wants to mess with either and apparently neither is Justin."
"I know that too. I've gotten to know them quite well and I met Justin and his family at Christmas time. I do know Olivia has him on a short leash regarding his behavior."
"I believe she threatened to arrest him when they first met. He has respected her from that moment. It just seems to me that Detective Stabler does not respect anyone, including Olivia."
"That sounds about right. I completely understand why Captain Tucker doesn't like Elliot."
Antonio told Ayanna what Elliot had said to them and all she could do was shake her head. He took her down to the Cage.
"We roughed him up pretty good, although it was mostly Justin."
"That's what I heard. I'm used to it."
They got downstairs and then Ayanna stood in front of the Cage with her arms crossed.
"You know, it really serves you right."
"I was hopin' Liv would be the one here."
"Captain Benson does not want anything to do with you. I have a copy of a Restraining Order that she had ADA Carisi file. You cannot have any contact with her or her family. You get arrested for ignoring it, I will not be bailing you out and neither will your family."
"She filed it against the wrong guy. I'm not the one that hurt her. That punk son of his should really be locked up too."
"Are you still on that? Justin didn't do anything that you didn't deserve. Get the hell out of my face and stay the hell away from my family. You show up in this city again and we won't be held responsible for what we do. You got that?"
Antonio opened the Cage and then he took the handcuffs off. Elliot glared at Antonio and had a smirk on his face as he and Ayanna left. They headed straight to the airport in the car Elliot still had at the District. Antonio called Hank.
"Hey, Antonio."
"Hey. Sergeant Bell just left with Stabler but he glared at me and had this smirk on his face when he left. Just be careful. He didn't seem to care about the Restraining Order."
"Olivia went to get a new phone and had her phone number changed. I will give that to you, so you have it."
"I had a text message from her that I haven't looked at yet."
"Maybe she did include all of you in the message. Thanks for dealin' with that."
"No problem. I told him to stay away from our family and if he ever showed up in our city again, we won't be held responsible for what we do."
Hank couldn't help but laugh. He hung up and told Olivia what Antonio had said.
During the next several hours, the flight from Chicago to New York had taken off. As hard as it was going to be for Elliot to not be in the same city as Olivia, he decided that he was going to turn his badge in once again and return to Rome. He told that to Ayanna and a part of her wasn't surprised.
When they arrived in New York, Ayanna took Elliot home and he handed her his badge before she left. After she left Elliot's, she went straight to Olivia and Hank's. She rang the doorbell when she got there. Noah answered it.
"Hi Sergeant Bell."
"Hey, Noah. Is your mom here?"
"Yeah, they're here. They're in the kitchen with her squad, Uncle Sonny, Uncle Ed, Aunt Patty, Erin and the Stabler Family."
"Thanks."
Ayanna went with Noah into the kitchen. Noah then joined the rest of the kids in the family room.
"I see you're back from Chicago."
"I am and Elliot turned his badge in."
"I'm sure it's because of me."
"Probably but he said he was going back to Rome."
"I wonder when he plans to tell us. Again, we can't tell you how sorry we are that he does this."
"It's not your fault."
"I'm actually not really surprised that he made this decision. Like I told you yesterday, I was about ready to send him on a permanent undercover assignment after a suspension of some kind just to keep him out of my hair but then I was also thinking that he may start screwing stuff up for cases. I can't have that. I can get someone else to go undercover."
"I've done undercover. I'd be willing to help if it's ok with Captain Benson."
"It's fine with me if she ever had a need for a female to go undercover."
"I will take that into consideration. Thanks, Detective Tamin."
"You're welcome."
"Can we get you some coffee?"
"Sure."
Olivia got up from the table and got Ayanna some coffee, while Ayanna sat down. Then Olivia handed her the mug of coffee and then sat back down next to Hank.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. By the way, did you get my text?"
"I looked at it while Elliot was asleep, since I figured he was the reason you changed your number."
"He basically was the reason. I do need to let 1PP know though but I gave it to whoever I thought needed to know."
"The fact that he couldn't have any communication with you at all was in the Restraining Order."
"That's just how he is."
"We can agree with that."
"All I have to say is Justin is a lot more like me than I'm willin' to admit sometimes."
"I am too."
"Yeah, you are."
"We don't blame Justin or your former unit for what happened to Dad. He obviously got what he had comin' to him and if anyone threatened my family like that, especially my sisters, Eli or Grandma, I would have done the exact same thing. Yes, I'm a Stabler but I can control my temper a lot better than he can. We've all tried telling him that he needs to let Olivia be happy but he seems to think he's the only one that can make her happy. She seems very happy now."
"Thank you and I am. Amanda, have you gone to see your sister lately?"
"Nope. She doesn't even know about Nicky or that I got married unless Mama has written her. We haven't even seen Mama since she came up when he was born. I know you're off for Spring Break, but we'd like to take the kids down there then."
"It's fine with me if Fin is ok with it."
"I'm good with that. Me, Velasco and Tamin can handle things by ourselves."
"Where are you going?"
"We are going to Washington DC. We are so glad the kids were all off at the same time. Erin is trying to arrange a tour of the FBI building for all of us."
"That sounds like fun. How many grandkids do you have?"
"Just the two. Daniel will be 9 in May and Vanessa will be 7 at the beginning of July. She is just a few days younger than Miles. His birthday is at the end of June. Vanessa has her papa wrapped around her little finger and he has a hard time saying no to her."
"I have a hard time sayin' no to you too."
"Yes, you do."
Olivia leaned over and kissed Hank. Everyone talked for a while longer and then Elliot had sent his kids text messages that he needed to see them. They already knew what it was about, so they all left. Ayanna left shortly after the Stablers did. Everyone else decided to have dinner together, so they picked a place and went to have dinner.
The weekend went too quickly as they usually did. Erin was leaving Monday to head out of town, so she had to finish packing. Olivia loved the time she spent with her family and friends outside of work. It made her happy to know that Elliot was going back to Rome and would no longer be trying to interfere with her life.
As always, reviews are appreciated.