"Look, Detective Benson is very busy right now. If you would like, I can leave a message for her." Munch grumbled into the phone. Just like the last five times, the line went dead, the dial tone beeping his ear. "Damn it." Munch muttered, slamming the phone onto the receiver.

Fin looked across his desk, eyeing Munch. "What's got your panties in a twist this time?" He asked. Munch leaned back against his chair, annoyance present on his face.

"This person keeps calling and asking for Olivia. As soon as I tell them she's busy, the line goes dead. Then they'll call again in the next minute assuming she'll suddenly answer the phone." Munch explained.

"Glad I don't have that problem." Fin replied, smirking at Munch. Immediately, his line began to rang.

"You spoke too soon, partner." Munch grinned as Fin quickly brought the phone to his ear.

"Manhattan SVU, this is Detective Tutola speaking." Fin greeted, ignoring Munch and his smug face.

"Is 'Livia Benson there?" The person on the other side of the line asked. Fin shot a glance at Munch then pulled out his notebook.

"I'm sorry, but Detective Benson is currently out on a field assignment. Can I leave a message for you?" Fin asked but like the last six times, the line went dead. Fin cursed under his breath as he put the phone back on the receiver.

Fin looked up to Munch, seeing Cragen zooming past him. "Cap't!" Fin called out, making Cragen stop in his tracks. "Liv back from the field?"

"Yeah. She's left her suspect on ice for about 20 minutes. Why?" Cragen answered, walking towards Munch and Fin.

"We have a caller requestin' to talk to 'Livia."

"And only her." Munch grumpily added. Cragen let out a sigh, sticking his hands into his pockets.

"Okay. I'll get her out here quick." He agreed, nodding his head as he turned on his heels. He headed towards the interrogation room as he listened to the phone ring in the background.

He slammed his knuckles against the glass, making Olivia and Nick exit the room. "Are you serious? He was just about to spill!" Olivia complained as Nick leaned against the door, about to protest with her.

"I know, I know. But we have a caller that's desperately trying to talk to you." Cragen argued.

"Are you kidding me? Munch and Fin can't handle it?" Nick scoffed. Cragen shook his head, shrugging his shoulder.

"Apparently not. So Liv, go check it out and you stay and try to get more out of Hank before he says the magic word." Cragen commanded. Liv groaned and headed to the front room while Nick went back to grill their suspect.

Liv entered the room, marching towards Fin's desk. "Okay! You got me out of an interrogation. Where's this caller?" She declared, propping her hands on her hips.

"Here." Fin stated, handing her the phone. Olivia took a deep breath, trying to calm her anger. She didn't want to scare away a victim. "Detective Benson." She breathed.

"'Livia Benson?" They clarified. Immediately, Olivia could tell it was a child.

"Yes." She replied, her voice going softer and slower. Children were unpredictable. She wanted to try to do everything to keep this kid talking so she could help them.

"I'm scared." They stated.

"Of what, sweetie?" She asked, pulling out her notepad and laying it on Fin's desk. He handed her a pen. She scratched it in the corner of the paper, making sure it was working.

"My dad isn't home yet. He's usually home by now. An-and he told me to call you if something happened to him. What's happened to him?" They questioned, fear present in their voice.

"It's okay. Your dad is okay."

"Please come! I'm really, really scared, 'Livia!" They hiccuped, sobs beginning to echo in the phone.

"Where are you? I'll be there as fast as I can." She quickly promised as the child's cries broke her heart. She had to help them and now. Who knew how long the child had been alone?

xxx

Olivia and Fin pulled up to the address. Looking at the house almost gave her a heart attack. She got out and swallowed down her fear. There was no way this was his house. Olivia pulled out her notepad to check the address, quickly realizing why she knew the way here.

Olivia knocked on the door, silently hoping that he had moved out years ago. "This is Detective Benson!" She declared. Immediately, the doorknob jiggled and the door opened.

She looked down, meeting a pair of familiar blue eyes. His face was red, puffy, and streaked with tears. "Have you found him?" He sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

Fin's eyes widened as he realized where he was and whose kid this was. He watched Olivia bend down and wipe away his tears. "Don't worry, Eli. We're going to find him." She promised.

Eli looked up at Fin, pointing to him. "Who's he?"

"That is my friend, Detective Tutola. Don't worry, he wants to find your dad too." Olivia explained. Fin knelt down, gently rubbing Eli's hair.

"Hey, Eli," He greeted, softly smiling at him. Eli giggled, smiling just like his father. "How old are you now?" Fin asked.

Eli held up five fingers, counting each one. "I'm five years old! I just started kindergarten this year!" He proudly grinned. "Come inside, I'll show you my room!" He explained, grabbing Olivia's and Fin's hand.

They followed him inside, Fin following him upstairs as Olivia glanced around the house. Something didn't feel right. The atmosphere didn't feel like it usually did. It didn't feel like a home, like it was missing a key role in the family.

She glanced at the walls, taking her time looking at each and every picture. What was wrong with them? What was missing?

She tripped over a pair of shoes, quickly identifying them as Dickie's since she knew Elliot would never own a pair of Air Jordans. She kept her brown eyes down, looking at the shoes scattered all over the entryway. She spotted Elliot's gym shoes, Elliot Jr.'s tennis shoes, Lizzie's cleats, Kathleen's sandals, and Maureen's heels. But where were-

"'Livia, do you know when my daddy will be back?" Eli asked as he hopped down the stairs, keeping a tight grip around Fin's hand. His face was back to its normal color and seemed happier now that there were adults around.

"One of my friends will call me when they find out." Olivia replied, making Eli awe and nod his head.

"Are they policemen like Dad?" He asked.

"Your daddy still a policeman?" Fin fired back, ignoring Eli's question. Fin, along with Liv, figured Elliot had left the force sometime last year. Actually, they assumed he had left the state after everything that had happened.

"Yup," Eli grinned, wandering off into the living room to grab a few Legos. "He goes on special missions and sometimes I don't see him for a couple of days. But when he gets back we make sure to spend lots of time together." He explained.

Liv looked to Fin and sat down on the couch, watching Eli take apart the Legos and try to build something new. "Where do you usually go when your daddy goes on special missions?" She asked.

"I stay with Maureen. She takes good care of me. Sometimes Lizzie and Dickie will stay with us, but they like to be with their friends more. They say that they get to school easier that way." He answered, never bringing his eyes up from his toys.

"Was Maureen supposed to watch you today?" Liv questioned.

Eli shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Daddy usually tells me when Maureen will take care of me. But today I came home and no one was here. So I did what he told me. Call his cellphone and if he doesn't answer then go down the line," He explained. Liv and Fin furrowed their eyebrows. Eli groaned and stood up. "Come on. Follow me."

He led them to the kitchen, standing up on a chair and opening up the cupboard door. On the side was a piece of paper with a list of phone numbers. Eli trailed his finger down the list, stopping the SVU hotline. "He said to call this number and not to stop until I got 'Livia Benson."

Liv softly smiled, flattered that Elliot still kept her as an emergency contact. She figured he won't want anything to do with her after everything that happened. She assumed he tried to forget about her and the squad since he even said goodbye to them, not even to Liv.

Suddenly, the lock on the front door jiggled. Liv quickly covered Eli as she pulled out her gun, her protective mood taking charge. Fin pulled out his gun too, waiting for the suspect to enter.

The door opened, showcasing Elliot. A look of confusion washed over his face as he widened his blue eyes and raised his arms up. He looked back and forth between the two guns facing him. "I'm not armed." He breathed.

"Daddy!" Eli shouted, jumping out from behind Liv. Quickly, he ran to Elliot's side, enveloping him in a hug. "I was so scared." Eli stated as Elliot picked him up.

"Really? Why was that?"

"You weren't here when I came home. So I called Maureen like you said and she wouldn't answer. I got all the way to the bottom of the list until my new friend 'Livia answered the phone and come to watch me." Eli explained, a bright smile on his face. Elliot awed, nodding his head.

"I'm sorry, bud. Dad got caught up in work. Mo was supposed to be here, but she must have forgot." Elliot apologized, gently kissing Eli's temple before he set him back on his feet.

"It's okay, Dad. I wasn't afraid once 'Livia and Fin came." Eli smiled before he ran off to go play in the living room.

Olivia and Fin walked towards Elliot, their arms crossed in front of their chests. "Look, I can explain." Elliot started.

"Please do, El. Because you left Eli here all alone, which you know is not safe. Who knows what could have happened to him if we hadn't shown up?" Olivia scolded.

"Look, before you get all bent out of shape, there was nothing I could do. I was sent undercover with one call. I called Mo but she obviously forgot, okay?" Elliot defended, his blue eyes looking with Liv's brown ones.

"What about Kathy? Why didn't you call her?" Olivia questioned, furrowing her eyebrows together. Immediately, Elliot's face softened and he tucked his lips in, biting on them.

"Kathy...um.." Elliot stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kathy passed away six months ago. She was involved in a car crash and died on impact." Elliot slowly explained, shaking his head.

Olivia gasped and covered her mouth. Kathy died?

"I'm sorry." Fin softly replied. He always thought Elliot was a stuck up bastard, but knew he was a good cop. They were close enough coworkers that Fin felt guilty for not knowing about her death.

"It's alright." Elliot nodded, his lips slightly turned up.

"How are the kids taking it?" Olivia asked, tears forming in her eyes. Why didn't anyone tell her this?

"They're all dealing with it in their own ways. Maureen spends most of her time helping out around the house. Kathleen keeps to herself by studying. Dickie and Lizzie hang out at their friend's house and Eli likes collecting pictures of her," Elliot explained. "Which is why there are no pictures of Kathy anywhere on the main floor." Elliot slightly chuckle, wiping away at a tear.

"I should have been here," Olivia stated. "Why didn't you call me? Why didn't you tell me?" She begged.

"And show back up at SVU?" He fired back, his voice sounding defensive. "I can't stand even the thought of being back in that room. Do you know how hard it is to enter the room where you ended the life of a young girl?" He questioned.

"You could've called! You didn't have to come in person." Olivia argued, tears forming her eyes. Her fists tightened up, slightly shaking as she held them against her body. "Did you think that we forgot about you, or-or that you didn't matter to us anymore?" She stuttered.

"No! That's not it at all!"

"Then why didn't you tell us what happened? Why did you shut us out of your life?" Liv demanded, walking closer to Elliot, her brown eyes locked with her blue ones. "Why didn't you say goodbye to us? Why didn't you say goodbye to me?" She softly added.

"Liv...I...I just thought it was easier," Elliot muttered back, blinking away his tears, standing inches away from her face."You know I don't well with goodbyes." He gently finished.

"I know," she nodded. "And you knew I needed a reason, yet, you left me without one."

He gulped deeply, then licked his lips. She watched as his blue eyes became glossy.

He rapidly blinked his eyes, trying to hold in his emotions.

But one tear escaped, trailing down his face. "I'm sorry." He croaked. "But it was the only way out."

~~~~~~~~~~
Hey guys! Long time no see!! Do you want me to add more  to this? I'm not sure exactly where I was going with this one shot, but it came to my mind in chemistry class a couple days ago and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Anyhoo! Hope you enjoyed!