Semper Fi

Waiting

This was the first week in a long time that Elliot's days didn't start off the exact same way. Since he was back in town, he decided to head up to campus and be there for Lizzie as much as he could. He knew she would be pissed if she knew exactly how much he was hanging around but he didn't care. She thought he was only around at night but he was actually shadowing her to each class. He also had a talk with her and her friends at their apartment about being safe and always checking in with each other. Lizzie seemed annoyed at the gesture but she knew why her dad was so protective of her. He wasn't going to lose another child.

"Hey dad"

"Hey Lizzie, what are you up to?"

"Nothing on my way home from class. It's been a horrible midterm week. I'm so tired. I'm going to go home and take a nap."

"Ok, well I was going to come over but I guess I wont."

"No dad, you don't have to. I'm fine. Ill call you later."

"Ok."

He watched his daughter as she walked up to her apartment complex and climbed the stairs to the third floor. She had no idea that he was following her the block from her last class to her apartment. With Lizzie safely inside he drove off to Kathy's to pick up Eli for the night.

It had only been a year since he and Kathy's divorce was final and the family was trying to get back to whatever version of their normal was. They managed to remain amiable and they both knew that the divorce was the right thing to do. Kathy had her assumptions about why the marriage didn't work and he was tired of hearing it so they settled into a cordial truce.

"Elliot, your heart isn't in this marriage. We both know where it is."

"How long are you going to keep denying it?"

"It's clear to all of us that you don't want to be here."

Elliot shook himself out of the memories of Kathy's words to him just as he was walking up to the door. It was still weird for him to knock on the door of a house he lived in for such a long time but they had clear boundaries and he was going to make sure that he respected them.

"Hey. He will be ready in just a second. He has to get all of his action figures ready. You know he can't be without them."

"No he cant," he lightly chuckled.

"Have you talked to Dickie lately?" Kathy asked with a look of concern on her face. It bothered her that the two were once again on strained terms.

"I called him. We talked...briefly."

"Elliot—"

"It's going to take time Kath. We will get there don't worry. At least he is answering my calls now. He didn't do that a few months ago so it's progress."

"Ok. I hope so."

Kathy was still concerned and he didn't to break her heart anymore over their family situation than he already had. She had put up with so much over the years and he may not have been able to be a good husband to her but he was determined to be a good father.

"Daddyyyyyy!" Eli screamed as he made his way in the kitchen.

"Hey there buddy. You ready to go?"

"Yep. All set."

"Ok, give mommy a kiss and a hug."

"Bye mommy"

"Ill have him tomorrow around noon."

"Ok"

Elliot and Eli went to get ice cream and rode around for a bit before heading back to his apartment. While they were riding around Elliot found himself on a block that had become very familiar to him over the past year and a half...the block where Olivia lived. When he left the unit he checked in with her just here and there in the beginning but since his divorce and getting word of her being attacked by that psychopath William Lewis his visits became more frequent. Sometimes he wouldn't see anything but other times he would see her from a distance walking down the street with her son. He knew more about her life than she would probably ever be comfortable with. On this particular day, there was nothing to see and he figured she was at the squad room.