AN: I got this idea listening to "If I die Young" by The Band Perry. It originated really as a one shot and grew when I couldn't sleep. Totally AU, but I can dream…

"Uncle Elliot" a high pitched voice called, racing down the steps of Olivia's building. It would always be her building, no matter what happened.

"Hey Marie" Elliot said, scooping up his daughter in his good arm. He was always surprised by how delicate she was. She was just like her mother, tough exterior, but an entirely different reality.

"Uncle El, don't be sad" Marie said, wiping away one of his tears just like her mother used to do.

"I'm not, love," he said, forcing a smile. "You ready to go? Granddad Cragen's waiting in the car"

"Is Aunt Kathy coming to the church with us?" Marie asked as he put her down. She quickly reached for his good hand and swung their entwined hands between them.

"Uhm, she and mommy aren't really-" he broke off, not wanting to shatter the innocence of his six-year-old daughter. "No Marie, she's not. But Lizzie, Mo and Katie are"

"No Dickie?" she asked. "But he always gives me candy" she lamented, affecting a pout. "Why?"

"He would if he could, love, trust me" he said, avoiding the fact that Dickie had refused to come because he didn't want to cry in front of everyone. Marie gave a huffy sigh.

"Are you at least going to tell me what happened to your arm?"

"The monsters got it" Elliot teased, smiling at his daughter and ruffling her dark brown hair.

"Did the monsters look like this?" she asked, crossing her blue eyes and sticking out her tongue. Elliot chuckled, a foreign feeling after the events of the past few days.

"Exactly like that" he smiled, buckling her into the car.

"Granddad" she squealed when she saw Cragen.

"Hey Marie, how's it going?" Cragen asked, glancing at her in the rearview mirror and seeing the very image of her mother.

"Great! These shoes hurt though" she said, dangling her flats off her heels. "I told mom they're too small, but she forgot to get me new ones before she went on vacation." Cragen shot Elliot a look as they drove down Fifth Avenue.

"Really Elliot? Vacation?"

"What did you expect me to say? 'A serial rapist shot mommy because I was a coward? Now she's dead, gone forever'" he whispered.

"You should have told her the truth" Cragen said after an awkward pause.

"I couldn't even tell her that Santa Claus isn't real, how do you expect me to tell her that Olivia's, that Liv's-" he broke off, unable to say it. It was still so surreal to him. Olivia wasn't supposed to die, let alone die young and leave the entire world behind. Leave him behind…