A/N: A new fic; basic idea given to me by Niki31. She requested I use Bernie in a more major way. So, I figured, why not use all of their "Mother Issues?" As always, it's a one-shot unless reviews approve/request a chapter 2. Bernie will play a major role in this fic, if it continues. Hope you enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters used in the entirely original story written by TStabler©.

"Maybe God remembered how cute you looked as a carrot." Or something like that. That's what Olivia had said to him. That one spoken thought, from her lips, in her voice, had been ringing through his ears and reverberating in his head since she'd said it. She went to see his mother.

The possibilities of things she discovered, while talking to his mentally unstable mother, were endless and they terrified him. As he showered, ignoring his wife's attempts to heat things up, he couldn't help but wonder what was said or done. He swatted his wife's hands away from him, turned and shut the water off, and got out of the shower, bolting into his bedroom with a towel half-wrapped around his waist.

"Elliot!" Kathy, his wife, yelled from the now waterless shower.

He didn't answer her. He dressed quickly, grabbing his badge, gun, and keys, and he ran out of the house, shouting rushed goodbyes to his children. He hopped in the car and drove, fast and reckless, to her apartment. He needed to know. He needed answers to his endless questions. He needed…to answer his cell phone.

"Stabler," he spat into the device, turning off the bridge into the heart of the city. "Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, I'll meet you there," he said. He hung up and made a sharp U-turn. Heading for the crime scene, he took a deep breath. Why was what Olivia thought so important to him? She was just his partner. Just his friend. Wasn't she?

He turned down the street, seeing the flashing lights of the squad cars, and then he saw her. She was wearing the shirt his children had picked out for her birthday last year, a pair of pants that made her legs look incredible, heeled boots that would force any man into submission, and a waist length leather jacket, brown, that matched her hair and her eyes and made her look both sexy and tough. He shook his head, not letting himself think so strongly about his partner, and got out of his car. He walked over, smirked at her as she handed him a cup of coffee, and asked, "What have we got?"

"Dead girl," Olivia said, sipping her coffee.

"Thanks," Elliot said with a scoff.

Olivia smirked. "Anytime, Stabler," she said. She walked, and he fell in step with her, over to the medical examiner who was kneeling next to the body. "Okay, Doc," she said. "What are we dealing with, exactly?"

Melinda Warner, M.E, looked up and said, "Seventeen year old, clear evidence of sexual assault. Her clothes were torn with a sharp-edged tool of some kind, most likely a razor blade. She was literally crushed to death," she said, pausing. She turned and pointed behind her. "Found her behind that dumpster, sandwiched between it and the wall of the building."

"Ouch," Elliot seethed. "Can we get a time of death, ya think?"

"Liver temp, now, tells me she's been dead for about six hours," Melinda said, standing. "But she could have been out here longer. Her body was shielded from the cold by the dumpster. I'll know more when…"

"You get her on your table," Elliot and Olivia said together, finishing the examiner's sentence.

"You two have been doing this too long," Melinda said, rolling her eyes.

Olivia chuckled. "Don't I know it," she said, sipping her coffee. "Thanks, Mel," she said, nodding at the woman. She turned to head back toward the police station, when Elliot stopped her.

"When did you go see my mother?" Elliot asked.

Olivia froze, his words stopping her. She turned to look at him and said, "Does it matter?"

"Yeah, actually," Elliot said, walking only the two steps toward her that would keep them at a respectable distance. "When, Liv?"

Olivia rolled her eyes and sighed. "Over the weekend," she said.

Elliot was trying to understand. "You went to see my mother, a woman you've never met before…"

"Whom you let me think was dead," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow.

Elliot scoffed. "Whatever," he said. "Point is, you didn't know what you were walking into, Liv! You didn't know what she was gonna tell you, or do, or…what did she tell you?"

"She told me what I needed to hear," Olivia said, looking at the ground. She looked up at him and said, "What I needed to use to help Kathleen. I wouldn't have gone if your daughter didn't…"

"I know why you did it," Elliot interrupted again. He sighed and pulled on her arm, leading her toward his car. "Get in," he said.

Olivia, not wanting to argue, got into the car and ran a hand through her hair.

"What, exactly, did she say to you?" Elliot asked.

"She told me…about the car accident," Olivia said, hesitating. She watched Elliot start the car, and as it began to move, she said, "About chasing snowflakes."

Elliot sighed, closing his eyes. "Is that it?" he asked. He was hoping it was.

"She told me about your father," Olivia said.

"She did?" Elliot asked,pain in his eyes.

"Yeah," Olivia said, nodding. "Why didn't you tell me, though? About your parents?" she asked. She narrowed her eyes and said, "You know almost everything about my past, my family. I've always been so open with you, and you hid all of this from me?"

Elliot dropped his eyes and sighed, again. "Liv, I didn't want you to think…"

"I wouldn't have thought any less of you," Olivia said. "I actually would have loved…" she paused, clearing her throat. "I would have loved to hear about it. It would have made me feel less alone."

Elliot shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "I was embarrassed, I guess. Ashamed. I was trying to keep you out of that…I didn't want you to think I was…I'm just sorry," he said, tilting his head.

Olivia shrugged a bit. "She showed me pictures, El. She told me stories and jokes, and she let me into parts of your life you never told me about. And she told me…how proud she was, and still is, of you. Of what you've become."

"Wow," Elliot whispered. "Uh, that's…wow. Wonder why she told you and not me."

"She knew I'd tell you," Olivia said, pointedly.

Elliot smiled at her. "Did she say anything else?" he asked, suddenly worried again.

Olivia smirked. She sipped the last of her coffee and said, "She said she can see why I scare the pants off of Kathy."

Elliot's eyes widened a little and his mouth and throat went dry. "Damn it, Mom," he muttered under his breath. He heard Olivia chuckle, and he turned to her. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"She just jumped right in there, El. She said that right after I introduced myself," Olivia said, smugly. "She thinks I'm hotter than your wife, Stabler," she joked.

"My mother was always very, uh, blunt," Elliot said. "And honest," he added. It was his way of telling her it was true. "I'm sorry if she made you feel uncomfortable, or…"

"El," Olivia said, looking at him as they parked at the station, "Don't apologize. Your mother is an amazing woman. She has a few quirks, but…she loves you, and she's your mother, and you have the chance to have a real relationship with her. El, she's still here." She opened her car door, and just before she got out, she said, "As much as I hated her growing up, I'd give anything to have my mother back." She closed the door behind her and headed into the station, unaware that Elliot was staring at her as she walked.

"That's why you scare the pants off of Kathy," Elliot mumbled to himself, shaking his head. He got out of the car, followed in Olivia's footsteps, and met her at the elevator. "Liv," he said, getting her attention, "What are you doing tonight?"

Olivia looked at him, took a moment to study his eyes, and said, "I have a date."

The small smile faded from Elliot's face and he furrowed his brow. "With who?" he asked.

"Not this again," Olivia mumbled stepping into the elevator. Elliot was right behind her and when he pushed the button for their floor, she said, "None of your business, El. Every time I tell you, I show up and they tell me someone from the IRS called. I'm not letting you run a background check on this guy, or call him, or…I'm not even telling you his initials. This guy, El, he actually doesn't have a problem with my work hours or with my partner, so…" she trailed off, shutting up.

"What?" Elliot asked.

Olivia looked at him blankly as the doors opened and she stepped off the lift. "El, you always find a way to screw things up for me, whether you know it or not," she said in a harsh whisper. "I think…he might be it. I can't let you ruin it this time. He's...just it."

Elliot looked at her for a moment. "You can't…how did…why have I not met him? Do I even know him?"

Olivia looked back at him. "You're not the only one who can keep a secret, Elliot." She turned and walked into the squadroom of their unit, not looking back.

Elliot swallowed hard, trying to figure out how he could get through to Olivia before it was too late. He needed a plan. He needed his mother.

A/N: Oh, boy! What is gonna happen next? Plans involve Bernie, and Kathy, and...Serena? Should something happen next? Let me know, here or on Twitter: TMG212