New York City was already awake.
At 6:12 on a Friday morning, the streets below the Benson-Stabler apartment pulsed with life. Taxi cabs crawled through traffic. Delivery trucks unloaded supplies for restaurants preparing for breakfast crowds. Somewhere in the distance, a siren briefly cut through the city's endless soundtrack before fading away again.
The city never truly slept.
It simply rested its eyes.
Inside the Benson-Stabler apartment, however, the morning was unusually quiet.
Too quiet.
Which immediately made Olivia Benson suspicious.
Standing in the kitchen with a mug of coffee in one hand and a case file in the other, she paused and listened.
Nothing.
No music.
No television.
No footsteps.
No complaints about school.
No requests for food.
No evidence whatsoever that her sixteen-year-old daughter was awake.
Olivia narrowed her eyes.
That was never a good sign.
After sixteen years of motherhood, she had learned an important truth:
Silence usually meant Amelie was doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing.
Or had already done it.
As if on cue, a tremendous crash echoed from down the hallway.
Olivia closed her eyes.
"There it is."
A second later, Elliot Stabler emerged from the bedroom carrying a gym bag.
"You hear that?"
Olivia stared at him.
"The sound of property damage?"
"Yeah."
"Hard to miss."
Elliot nodded thoughtfully.
"I think our daughter knocked over another lamp."
"That's the third one this year."
"Fourth."
Olivia looked up.
"Fourth?"
"The one in the living room."
"That wasn't her fault."
"She was practicing soccer inside."
"Good point."
Before either could continue, another loud thump sounded.
Then Amelie's voice drifted down the hallway.
"I'm okay!"
Neither parent had asked.
Elliot pointed.
"Definitely another lamp."
Olivia laughed.
The sound felt warm.
Comfortable.
Home.
For years, Olivia had wondered if she'd ever have moments like these.
Not detective moments.
Not courtroom victories.
Not headlines.
ESTÁS LEYENDO
The Daughter They Took
FanfictionFor sixteen years, Amelie Grace Benson-Stabler has grown up surrounded by detectives, police officers, and the family found within the walls of Special Victims Unit. As the daughter of Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, she's learned how to read peop...
