THE RETURN

Chapter 68

Like he always did when they showered together, Elliot undressed her completely. From pushing her suit jacket off her shoulders to pulling her underwear down her legs. She watched him through hooded eyelids as his lips leaned in to kiss her expanding abdomen lightly. When he whispered, "Daddy loves you" to their daughter, she wrapped her hands around the back of his head and closed her eyes briefly.

Their daughter. Her and Elliot's daughter. After their last doctor's appointment, her fear of something being wrong with the baby had decreased significantly. Her fear of something going wrong during the pregnancy had decreased some and she had come to terms with the fact that the farther along she got the less scared she would be. But after the day she had, she had a whole new fear. A fear that stemmed for all of her and Elliot's children, the one growing inside her just one of them. The world was a bitter, hateful, disgusting place and it was their job to ensure that their children never had to see it the way they had to. However, the harsh reality of it was that even as much as they tried to protect them from it, it still existed. It still walked the same streets they did. It still breathed the same air they did.

His lips placed a few more kisses to her bump before he stood to be eye level to her once more. "I love you."

She smiled at him gently and slid her hand against his cheek softly, "I love you too, El. I really, really do."

As his lips leaned in to kiss her, her hands busied themselves in unbuttoning his jeans and pulling down the zipper. Their lips detached long enough for him to pull his shirt over his head, while she pushed his pants and boxer briefs over his hips.

When they were both bare in front of one another, he led her back towards the shower. He took a second to turn on the water, adjusting the temperature perfectly before assisting her into it.

As soon as the hot water hit her in between the shoulder blades and the glass door closed behind him, her body fell forward into his. Her left cheek successfully landed on his upper right shoulder, her breasts pressed up against him and if it wasn't for her day, the feeling of his chest hair against her overly sensitive nipples would have caused her to moan. His hands wrapped around her back to hold her to him and his lips placed a kiss on her head.

Once her arms wrapped around him as well, she spoke, "12 girls, none over the age eight, found in a storage unit. All severely malnourished, all severely abused. The two that were in critical condition, didn't make it. Still haven't had any luck in not only locating their families but also the sick bastards who had them." Her head lifted from his shoulder, to look at him, "So, so young, Elliot. The youngest is three. They're innocent babies."

His fingers weaved through her wet tousled hair, "I know, baby. People are evil, they always will be. But you, what you do, brings those people down. One less of them in the world, makes a huge difference. And you will find the girls justice, because you won't stop until you do. It's what makes you amazing. You will push and fight for them. You will make a difference in their lives. They will see, through you, that good does exist in this world."

She nodded, "I want to find them all." She not only wanted to find the person who was in charge of the operation, she also wanted to find every sick bastard that had laid their hands on them.

"I know. And you will. I know you will."

Her head nodded once more before she pulled her body far enough away from his to rest her hands on her abdomen. When his hands rested on top of hers, he said, "We'll protect her. We'll protect all of them."

She couldn't help the tears that escaped her eyes, "We can only protect our own, Elliot. They all deserve to be protected. All children deserve to be protected."