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Chapter One-Hundred-Ninety-Three



Meanwhile in Kevin, Elenore, and Josh’s room when Brian, Kevin, Jackie, and Detective Stabler walked in they found both Josh and Elenore already in their pajamas and lying in bed ready to be tucked in.


“Wow Elliot, you should stay with us more often, I’ve never had Ellie in her pajamas and in bed this quick before, this is usually the most trying time of the day.” Kevin commented and Detective Stabler chuckled as Brian agreed with his cousin. He went over and sat on the edge of the bed then and he bent down and kissed the top of Elenore’s forehead as he pulled the blanket up on her and Josh.


“Are you going to be here when I wakes up?” Elenore asked hopefully.


“Mhm, and I’m even going to be here when you wake up again the next day after that too.” Elenore gaped at him and he laughed.


“Kevy can I ride home in Elliot’s car on Monday, please?” she asked eagerly and Kevin chuckled.


“That’s all up to Elliot baby, his car is an important Detective’s car.” Elenore’s eyes grew huge with excitement and all four of the adults laughed this time – even Jackie, who was still slightly unhappy about earlier events.


“Can I ride withs you Elliot, please? Please?”


“Maybe for some of the ride home,” Detective Stabler answered with a small grin.


“I just haves to see what it’s like to ride in a Detective’s car, I just haves to!”


“And why is that?” he questioned amusedly.


“Because I’m going to be a Detective some day that’s why.” Detective Stabler smirked.


“Oh yeah?”


“Uh-huh’s! An’ not just any detective, Elliot but a Special Victims one just like you.”


“Ohh I see. And what made you want to be a special victims detective like me, hmm?” Detective Stabler questioned and even though he is smiling Kevin, Brian, and Jackie can all tell he is trying to keep his emotions together.


“My daddy,” Elenore answered simply and he raised his eyebrow. “I wants to be a special victims detective so that I can stop other daddies like mine from hurting their daughters. Just like you.” That did it. Detective Stabler’s eyes welled up with tears at how passionate she sounds. He gave her a small smile and he ruffled his fingers through her hair.


“Well I will tell you what sweetie. You hold onto that dream with all your might and work very hard and I’ll bet you would make an amazing detective.” Elenore beamed.


“Yeah?”


“Mhm I will even help you if you’re serious about it. When you get old enough I will give you the best connections I know.”


“You promise?” Elenore asked excitedly.


“I promise. How would you like to take a tour of a real police station and see what it’s like for me to do my job? Would you like that?” Elenore’s eyes once again widened with excitement.


“I would loves that lots!”


“Then it’s settled. You and Kevin can come to work with me some day. But for now how about we let Kevin and Brian sing you two rugrats to sleep hmm?” Elenore giggled and nodded.


“Okay,” she agreed and after hugs and kisses were shared between Elenore and Detective Stabler he got up and allowed Brian and Kevin to do their routine. After they sang to the kids Jackie had a talk with her grandson to reassure him that she will be all right and gave him hugs and a kiss on the cheek. When they all finished they turned out the lights and walked out of the room closing the door just a crack and Brian patted Detective Stabler on the back.


“Are you okay man? I guess the saying is true. If you want to see a grown man cry…hand him a baby. Or in your case, a five year old.”


“You could’ve warned me that, that was coming.”


“I felt that you should hear it from her.”


“It’s okay Elliot, it happens to the best of us. You’re not officially close to Ellie until she has made you cry,” Kevin insisted.


“She is an amazing kid Kev…I don’t know what you’re waiting for.”


“The right moment,” Kevin answered while winking at him. Detective Stabler raised his eyebrow as he noticed a hint hidden behind the wink. Brian however, who hadn’t seen the wink rolled his eyes and lightly punched his cousin in the arm.


“The right moment is now. You never know when she is going to be snatched away from you.”


“I assure you she is not going to be snatched away from me.”


“You can’t be sure about that. Nick thought he was sure and look what happened…he almost lost Kota. I thought I was sure, and then Josh was kidnapped.”


“She is not going to be taken away from me.”


“The only reason you can be sure about that, is if you personally tell Brooke to keep people away.” Brian insisted, and then he suddenly came to an abrupt stop, grabbed hold of Kevin and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.


“You did that, didn’t you?” Kevin grinned and shrugged.


“What are you not telling me?”


“You have to promise me this secret stays between the four of us – and Howie, since he already knows.”


“You confided in Howie before you confided in me?” Brian asked slightly offended.


“He is the one who talked me into it.”


“Talked you into what?” Brian asked while raising his eyebrow.


“I’m adopting Ellie on Christmas Eve,” Kevin answered, his voice dropping so only the three of them would be able to hear. Brian gaped at him.


“And the reason I know that no one is taking her from me, is because yes – I talked to Brooke ahead of time. She knows.” Brian threw his arms around Kevin for a tight hug.


“That’s great Kevin!” He told him while patting him on the back. “And here I was beginning to get very frustrated with you.”


“No one else is to find out about it until Christmas Eve or I will kill you.”


“Pffft…don’t tell AJ then or the whole world will know – literally.” Kevin shook his head smiling.


“Yeah I know,” he replied while wrapping his arms around Jackie and Brian and he began steering them downstairs.


“What do you think Aunt Jackie? Do you approve?”


“Of course I approve. I love Ellie to death and I can’t wait until she is officially apart of our family.” Kevin grinned. When they all made it downstairs Detective Stabler spoke up again.


“Brian, Kev…I want to talk to you two for a moment.” Brian looked at him and then at his mom.


“Mom go ahead and go in there without us – we will be right there.”


“Okay,” Jackie replied while eyeing the three of them suspiciously, and then she walked into the kitchen shutting the door behind her. When she did, Brian and Kevin looked at Detective Stabler curiously.


“What’s up?”


“The CSU team and I are pretty sure that the fingerprints left on the window belong to the intruder, and we’re also assuming – but they aren’t sure yet, that he left them on the evidence from Abbie’s incident earlier too. They wanted me to see if I could get your mom to talk to a sketch artist about what he looked like.”


“I think she’ll be okay about doing that after a nights rest…”


“Yeah, I won’t make her do that now, she’s already under a lot of stress. But Kevin we also need a picture of Sean too,” Detective Stabler replied and he gave Kevin a look that he understood right away.


“I…don’t know about that…”


“It’s really important…if we had a picture of him we could broadcast it everywhere and he wouldn’t be able to step one foot outside his door without being recognized.”


“Ellie is already traumatized enough.”


“You can’t protect her from it forever Kev…” Brian insisted.


“I most certainly can she is my five year old little girl.”


“But she has to face it some day and it might as well be now. If she goes through with it, instead of avoiding it, it will help her out a lot. Otherwise she is going to end up being eighteen years old and not able to face it. Sound familiar to you?”


“She’ll be fine…she wants to be a detective right? We could just tell her this is important detective’s work.” Detective Stabler spoke up. “And all she is doing is telling us what her father looks like. We’re not asking her to relive what she went through with him.”


“Though I think a professional, should” Brian spoke in an undertone and Kevin narrowed his eyes at him.


“We’ve been through this already.”


“Obviously not enough.”


“She is not seeing a therapist.”


“And I am not living with you forever!”


“Good luck with prying the kids from each other,” Kevin replied amusedly. Brian scowled at him.


“It wouldn’t be a problem if you gave Ellie the help that she needs.”


“Ellie isn’t the only one who needs help.”


“Yes, that’s right, and at least I’m willing to admit that and give Josh what he needs!”


“I didn’t know living with me was such a problem!”


“All I’m saying is, I’m not going to do it forever. I love you and all, but what if Riley and I get married? Are we all just supposed to live together in one big house?”


“Well why not? The two of us together can afford it. And I always thought we did just fine together.”


“So you’re just going to let them share a bed even when they’re sixteen years old? That will be okay with you?”


“So we’ll gradually work on getting them to have separate beds – but in the same room.”


“This is ridiculous Kev…”


“Why?”


“Because Ellie and Josh need to talk to someone. And I’m not just saying this because I don’t want to live with you forever, I’m saying this because I care about them and I don’t want them bottling all of this up inside of them forever. It’s not good for them.”


“So they can talk to us…not a complete stranger.”


“I’m sure Dr. Huang wouldn’t mind talking to them. Ellie liked him enough didn’t she?” Detective Stabler spoke up.


“For a few moments and then she got upset and said she was finished.”


“So he can talk to her for a few moments each day…let her set the limit. The more she talks about it, the easier it will become.”


“Exactly…It’s not like anyone’s going to sit there and ask questions and demand answers right away Kev, it’s not like that.”


“It wouldn’t be an interrogation at all. It would just be a conversation between friends.” Kevin looked at the both of them skeptically.


“I’ll even sit in on them with her. She’d like that.”


“I’m okay with living with you for as long as needed Kev, but we can’t just sit back and pretend nothing is wrong. We need to help them get through this…for them.” Kevin sighed heavily and then after a few moments he nodded.


“And the sketch artist?” Detective Stabler questioned.


“If she is up to it. But you have to ask her…and if she tells you no, then don’t push her.”


“I wouldn’t dream of it.”


“Maybe Ashley will be willing to help…she’s gotten a lot stronger lately and has been fighting her situation. She knows what he looks like, so why not?”


“Yeah but Bri, we don’t know how strong she is. The littlest thing could upset her and take her back a step.”


“I think she is getting to the point where she needs to face it whether it upsets her or not. It’s almost as if it were therapeutic for her.”


“Well we’ll let Nick be the judge of that…he knows her better then any of us.”


“Is that so?” Detective Stabler asked while narrowing his eyes some, as he is still slightly pissed off at him.


“I meant in a non-sexual way.”


“Are you sure about that? This wouldn’t be the first time you’ve covered up or him, Littrell.”


“He has never slept with her. Not once.” Brian replied in a somewhat firm tone. He looked Detective Stabler straight in the eyes as he did in order to make him see he is not hiding anything. “And don’t you give him any grief either, he’s gotten it enough.”


“Watch it Brian…don’t forget who you’re talking to,” Kevin warned.


“He isn’t going to arrest me.” Detective Stabler raised his eyebrow amusedly.


“Are you testing me? I could always lock you up for the night just because you said that.”


“Go right on ahead. Do it.” Brian replied while holding his hands out as invitation for him to handcuff him. Detective Stabler rolled his eyes and Brian smirked and put his hands down.


“See? Told you Kev. He is too close to us to arrest us – just like he is with Nick. You trusted him before you knew he was dating her, it shouldn’t be any different now.”


“If we’re so close and you all are obviously not worried about me arresting him then why couldn’t he tell me the truth in the first place? that is what pisses me off about the whole thing.”


“We couldn’t risk your captain finding out.”


“Ah…and it never occurred to you how much trouble it would be to cover up for your asses when he DID find out!”


“We covered up our own asses thank-you very much, if you haven’t noticed Ashley is adopted now so everything is fine. According to the world she’s been adopted for a week now.”


“Well gee, thanks for including me in on your plan!”


“We’re sorry we left you in the dark, we thought we were doing what’s best at the time.”


“Just don’t give him anymore grief then he’s been given…please,” Brian added.


“Kevin has been on his case sense the moment their relationship even began, him and I got into a huge fight the first day we arrived here in Kentucky, Kori doesn’t trust him, jealous fans all over the world are making rude comments…he’s suffered enough. Let him be.” Kevin nodded.


“That break down he had earlier tonight upstairs was not all guilt for what happened to Jackie. Your glares were not helping him in the least bit. He’s had to constantly prove his love for Ashley and if anyone opened their eyes they would see it for themselves. He loves her.”


“And if he hadn’t fallen in love with her like he did, she wouldn’t have gotten as far as she has.”


“Fine…but just trust me for now on okay? I thought we were closer then that…” Kevin and Brian nodded their agreement and the three of them wrapped up their conversation and walked into the kitchen where they found Jackie, Harry, and Riley baking and everybody else sitting around talking. Brian walked up behind Riley and he slid his arms around her waist and placed a soft kiss on the back of her neck.


“Can I please steal you away for awhile?”


“It depends…what do you plan on doing with me?”


“Taking you upstairs to our room…and then we’ll just have to see what happens.” Brian answered mysteriously. Riley smirked.


“That sounds fun…”


“Mhm,” Brian answered and he placed his hand under her legs and swept her up off her feet and he carried her out of the kitchen. Everybody rolled their eyes in amusement as they watched them leave. Harry shook his head.


“Man my little brother has guts…I would never ever get frisky in my parents house.”


“Harry!” Jackie scolded and she whacked her son in the arm with an empty biscuit container.


“Hey…” he pouted. “Well that’s what he’s doing, you do know that right?”


“Yeah? So? He’s in love.” Harry shook his head.


“You would never let me do that…”


“Well we love Brian more then we love you Harry you might as well get used to it,” Harold replied and everybody knew he was teasing.


“I knew it!”