After All This Time

A Long Day And An Even Longer Night

It was Monday morning which meant it was time for Elliot to go back to his unit. Away from Olivia. If he were being honest, he was sad to not be working with her again. They had fallen right back into place as partners and he didn't want it to end. Yet, it was.

Rolling out of bed, Elliot yawned and stretched, feeling his bones crack and pop slightly. He finally had to admit it. He was getting older...and he hated it. Stepping into the shower, he couldn't stop thinking about his time with Olivia and Noah over the weekend. He had the time of his life and he couldn't believe that he finally got the chance to tell her how he felt and kiss her. He smiled, feeling his heart rate increase by just thinking about her.

Finally done with his shower, Elliot put on a suit and blue tie, one that perfectly matched his eyes. He made his way to the kitchen and poured himself some coffee then a bowl of cereal. After he was done, he washed his bowl and mug out then clipped his badge on and holstered his gun, making his way down to his car and to his unit.

It was a slow morning; he wished time would go by faster. He wanted to stop by SVU and ask Olivia if she could join him for lunch. He didn't think he could go one day without seeing her. It was finally almost noon and Elliot made his way to his car after telling his squad he would be back after an hour and he drove to SVU.

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"Come in." Olivia said after hearing a knock on her office door. Once it opened, she smiled brightly. "Hey, El." She greeted, gesturing for him to sit in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"Hey, Liv." Elliot replied, smiling back at her. "How's your morning going?" He asked.

Olivia shrugged. "It's been slow, thankfully. What about you?" She asked in return.

"It's been slow with us, too. I actually came to ask if you'd like to join me for lunch." Elliot offered nervously. He didn't know if she already had plans or not. He silently hoped she didn't.

Olivia smiled brightly once more. "I'd like that." She replied with a smile, getting up to put her coat on. Elliot grabbed it before she could and helped her put it on. "Oh, thank you." She blushed lightly. He was such a gentleman and she loved that about him.

"No problem." Elliot replied, smiling. Just as he opened her office door, they saw a frantic woman and a man who looked to be in his late twenties at the front desk.

"Kathy? Dickie?" Elliot and Olivia asked, in unison, their eyes wide.

"Oh, thank God! Olivia!" Kathy exclaimed, making her way over to Elliot and Olivia with Dickie following her. She hadn't seemed to notice Elliot; she was solely focused on Olivia.

"Kathy, what's wrong?" Olivia asked, concerned as she closed her office door once they had all entered.

"Wait...Elliot?" Kathy asked, as if she just noticed he was there.

"Hey, Kathy. Hey, Dickie." Elliot greeted, shaking his son's hand firmly. "What's going on?" He asked worriedly as everyone sat down.

Dickie took his mother's hand as she started to cry. "It's Kathleen. She came home this morning looking like she was out of it, like she was in shock or something and...there was blood between her legs that had seeped through her jeans." She swallowed hard as Dickie squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't bear to think that one of his sisters was hurt.

"What?" Elliot asked quietly, his eyes widening and his heart breaking.

"Where is she?" Olivia asked, looking at Elliot sympathetically then back to Kathy and Dickie.

"She's home, laying in bed. Maureen is with her. I tried to get her to go to the hospital but she wouldn't. She hasn't even told me what happened. She's barely even blinked." Kathy replied, another tear rolling down her cheek.