Chapter 6

Elliot's phone buzzes, it's Cragen. Olivia and Maureen both look at each other and then him.

"I have to take this. Can I use your bedroom?" Elliot asks Olivia quietly. She nods. He gets up calmly and closes the door of the bedroom behind him.

Olivia and Maureen continue to sit on the couch awkwardly. A few long moments of silence continue until Maureen speaks up.

With her head hung low, "I'm sorry, Olivia. It wasn't my intention to offend you."

Olivia gave one of her surprised eye-brow lifting looks, the girl sobered up fast.

"I know. But I don't know how I'm suppose to feel," She shook her head back and fourth until she felt the tears started to welt up in her eyes.

"For a long time I wanted my parents to just be happy, because I thought it'd make me happy. In college I finally realized that was unrealistic. Ever since then I wondered about you two. I looked back into my own life and found that you were there for me too. I knew I could talk to you about my life, I just never did. I think I was afraid I'd like you as much as dad does…" she smiled, "well not as much, but a lot."

Olivia's tears started to dissipate; a small smile began to form on her lips. "Maureen, I felt guilty that I had feelings for your father. And then I felt lonely when I forced myself not to do anything about it. And now… I feel guilty."

"No!" Maureen said loudly and faced Olivia, they finally looked each other straight in the eyes. "No Olivia. You can't feel guilty. My dad and I have our problems. We always will. But do you think that at any point in my life my dad sat down and listened to what I had to say? Do you think that any point he listened to my mom? He didn't! He listens to you," she paused, "he listens to you."

Olivia nodded and felt the tears coming back. Maureen slid next to Olivia and wrapped her arms around her softly. Olivia cried into Maureen's shoulder and held on to her for dear life.

Elliot remained in the bedroom. He had long ago stopped talking to Cragen. He just sat at the end of the bed thinking. His eyes were red, his cheeks moist. He put his elbows to his knees and his head into his hands. He rubbed his eyes and wiped away the drying tears.

A knock came at the door. He sat up real straight and put on his serious face. Maureen slowly entered the room.

"Hey dad," she said warmly. He nodded.

"Can I sit beside you?" He nodded.

They sat awkwardly at the end of the bed.

She began, "I don't hate you. And I don't hate mom. I think that some of your decisions were stupid. Just being honest. But you can't make another stupid mistake. I broke down because it had been building for a long time. I think you broke down last night," she swallowed, trying to get the image of him and Olivia in bed together out of her head, "once you hit bottom you can start rebuilding."

"What are you saying?" he mumbled.

"This is your life. Don't let mom, or me or the stupid police department tell you what to do. Throw caution to the wind, dad."

"I did. And looked what happened."

"Well who said it was going to be easy?" she smart mouthed him. He didn't have the strength to argue it.

"What do you want?" she desperately asked.

He sat there quietly for awhile.

"Sometimes the things we want aren't what we should have."

"Man. You really psyched yourself out. There's a woman in that living room waiting for you. Waiting to hear if what you have together is real. Is it not real?"

"You know, I don't really think I wanna discuss this with my daughter."

"Fine. Don't. But if you walk out of this apartment and say it's over… Than it's over. You lose her. She won't take being hurt again. She's too smart for that… I have to go to work." She gets up and heads out of the bedroom, leaving the door slightly open behind her.

Olivia looks up at her from the couch; Maureen makes eye contact and then walks down the hall.

Liv tries not to look into her bedroom from the open door. But it's hard to resist. Slowly she hears it squeak open, as it does occasionally. She cautiously turns her head and looks into her bedroom which is now in full view. Elliot is on the end of the bed staring back at her. They stare at each other.