SVU One shots

Heartache pt 2

Kathy let out a sigh as she looked at her husband. Three months ago, he left his job, a job he loved. He promised he would find something somewhere else, but he hadn't moved from his chair in weeks.

She hadn't seen Elliot this depressed ever, even back when she filed for divorce, even when she filed for sole custody of the kids. Elliot was a strong man, but something, something big was eating away at him.

She heard tiny feet pattering behind her, quickly zooming past. "Eli! Stop!" She whispered as she reached out for the kid, but missed. Before she could chase after him, he had already jumped into Elliot's lap.

He let out a groan as his son adjusted himself, leaning closer to Elliot. "Hi Dad." Eli grinned. Elliot gently smiled, running his fingers though Eli's hair as he took a deep breath.

"Hey, champ. Whatcha up to?" He replied, raising his eyebrows as he took long, slow blinks. He was asleep until his youngest son decided to have a nice chat with his dad.

"Well, I was playing with Dickie," he answered, nodding his head. Elliot awed, smiling at him. "But I wanted to play with you." He explained, placing his hands on his lap. Elliot chuckled, sitting up.

"Well, I would love to play with you," he started, making Eli grin. He rubbed his chin, which hadn't been shaved in weeks. "But Daddy, well, he just needs to finish a few things, okay?"

"But-"

"Don't worry, I'll play in a half hour," he added, trying to fix his son's frown. "Go play with Dickie." He encouraged, placing Eli on the floor. Eli nodded his head as Elliot gave him a quick tap on the butt, making Eli giggle.

Kathy walked into the living room, her arms crossed across her chest as she bit her lower lip. Slowly, she walked towards Elliot, unsure what to say. "Your beer belly is showing." She teased, pointing to his stomach.

He softly smiled back at her. "Funny."

She shrugged her shoulders. "You're getting a dad bod as Elizabeth would say."

He chuckled, shaking his head. Kathy slowly picked up a few of his beer cans. This time, it was more than usual. She let out a little sigh, fighting her conscience about what to say to him. "So, are you sleeping well out here?" She asked.

He shrugged his shoulders, both of them feeling tension rising. "As best I can." He answered, his face stern, his eyes glossing over as he stared forward. His lips slightly twitched as he concentrated on something in the distance. His eyebrows began to furrow as he sunk deeper into his thoughts.

Kathy gently touched his shoulder, making him jump. "Ya know, if you want to talk about something, I'm here, Elliot." She comforted, looking into his blue eyes.

"I know, Kathy, I know," he replied, nodding his head. "But this is different." He softly mumbled.

"Elliot, you can tell me anything." She fired back, concern growing on her face. Her heart began to fill with fear. Was he cheating on her? Was someone threatening him? What was going on inside his head?

He shook his head, his face dropping. "We decided that work was never going to be discussed at home." He answered. Kathy furrowed her eyebrows, wanting to know. He was in pain. She wanted to be the one to help him.

"Why not? If that's what's bugging you, then tell me," she demanded, leaning closer to him. He opened his mouth, about to protest. "I want to help you. I love you." She added, cutting him off.

"I don't want to bring that world here. This is our home. This is the only place left that keeps me sane," He answered, his blue eyes pleading with her. She took a deep breath, unsure what to do. "Please, Kathy. Don't make me fill your head with those images. I love you too much." He softly added.