Fuck.
That's all Amanda could say as she slammed the drawer to her desk, pissed, frustrated, and most importantly starving. Going without food was expected especially working on a case that was leading to nowhere since three in the morning, and sadly every snack break was interrupted by a witness or a new lead which lead to nowhere. People may have questioned her integrity to victims or potential victims but she knew some women were that vengeful to fabricate a rape accusation. This case was a sad example of that and she had to refrain from the cliche 'I told you so' speech after it turned out her suspicions were right after constant rebuttals from Fin, Stabler, and Nick. Giving them a condescending smirk did help her ego.
After the constant stomach growling that's been in effect since noon, she expected at least a bag of chips in her desk, not a note from her partner apologizing for eating them.
My bad - Fin
Great.
Before she could snap at him, he had already made an escape with one of the CSU's clearly looking for any excuse to leave the squad room.
"Learn to lock your desk, Rollins," Cragen said, clearly witnessing the detective's dilemma. "I've already ordered pizza….and don't worry you get an extra slice,"
They both shared thin smiles before the veteran took to his office, shutting the door behind him.
Amanda sat at her desk ,contemplating just which pizza store he ordered from and how long was the trip to the precinct going to be. Besides the sound of the nearby broken coffee machine the squad room was relatively silent, considering she and Fin were the only ones staying this late to find any lead they could, everyone else going home. Unlike Fin, Rollins wasn't entirely grief stricken about staying at the precinct to work, her main reasoning being not wanting to see an empty apartment.
Amanda lied her head on her desk, hoping to get a few minutes of sleep before the pizza arrived, knowing that there weren't gonna be anyone to distract her, especially at 11pm. Despite the cool metal against the side of her face, sleep came easy.
It felt like she only had her eyes closed for a few seconds before someone shook her shoulders, feeling someone's nails through her shirt. Sharp ones she felt digging into her skin at that, already annoying her.
"What?" she snapped, sitting up and leaning back in her chair.
"Excuse me," a woman said.
Looking at the woman, Amanda studied her. Tall, blonde, and dressed as only could be described as an escort, her nails were too nicely done, hair nicely styled, and clothes too expensive for her to be a streetwalker.
"May I help you?" Amanda sighed.
"I'd like to report a rape," she mumbled, and without being told, sat in the chair beside the desk.
"Yes, I assume that's why you're here," Amanda said sarcastically.
The woman's eyebrow rose, clearly unimpressed. Amanda, mentally scorning herself watched the woman stare at her for a moment. In a haste, the woman quickly stood up, ready to walk out.
"Wait!" Amanda exclaimed, and grabbed the woman by the wrist. Clearly a wrong move, once the woman glared at her snatched her wrist back.
"I apologize," Amanda sighed, "I haven't eaten all day and that was rude of me….please sit,"
The older woman looked at her a moment, and although her face was blank Amanda could tell she enjoyed seeing her uncomfortable, punishment for her impatience most likely.
The woman sighed and sat back down in the chair, arms crossed. She opened a purse and threw a candy bar on the desk.
"That might help with the attitude," the woman snorted.
Unable to reply, Amanda just nodded and let out a breath.
"Okay," Amanda said, sitting back down, "Now tell me what happened,"
"I wasn't raped," the woman hissed.
"I don't underst-"
"Someone I know was raped," the woman interrupted, "I can't go into full detail...but go to this address…,"
The woman pulled a card from her bra and handed it to Amanda.
"Lunar Experience?" Amanda read from the business card, "the exclusive escort service,"
"Go there, and ask for Daniel,"
"Was she the one that was raped?"
"Go there," the woman repeated, annoyed and impatient, "and ask for Daniel,"
Before Amanda could question any further the woman stood up and started to walk off. She was already down the hallway, her long legs carrying her farther than Amanda expected her to do so quickly. Finally the detective raced after her, shocked the woman was already at an elevator.
"Wait, can I at least get your name?" Amanda asked. As she stood closer to the woman in the fluorescent lighting of the hall, seeing her clearly, the detective could make out streaks of brown hair sneaking from under the now clearly recognizable wig.
The woman quickly stepped into the elevator even before the doors were all the way open, as she stepped on an annoyed pizza boy stepped off, blocking most of the woman.
"Pizza for..Cragen," the boy said.
Dammit.
Amanda slightly pushed him away struggling to see her over the boy's shoulder.
"Name?" Amanda called.
Before the elevator doors closed she caught the glimpse of hazel eyes looking back at her.
And she heard the woman's husky voice, hesitant and low but her name was said clearly.
Olivia.
The elevator doors closed, taking the mysterious woman with it.
"Ma'am….the pizzas,"
Amanda sighed and turned to the young boy, her mind still confused by the woman who walked into the precinct this late.
The next day she walked into the precinct, the squad nor the captain was nowhere to be seen. For once she had been here before everyone else, although with a few hours of sleep her energy came easy, something Fin constantly announced he envied her for.
Amanda walked to her desk and threw her keys and purse there, contemplating if she wanted to spend an hour in the weight room before everyone else got here. Deciding against it and the body stench that could come with it, she sat down, hoping to catch up on paperwork.
"I hope you've gotten to the Jensen case," she heard.
Looking up, she saw Alex Cabot, hair cut to the shoulder for a change but still dressed impeccably as usual.
"Alex Cabot," Amanda sighed, "transferred back?"
"Just for the month detective," Alex snorted, leaning against Nick's desk diagonal from hers. "After the last case it seems Barba has decided to take a breather…..must of been that bad a case,"
"It was," Amanda nodded. She didn't wanna elaborate just how awful the case was, especially when she had been affected as well. However, when Barba personally knew the vic and had his career threatened because of political backlash, his vacation seemed like it was forced by superiors rather than himself.
Now I need a fucking vacation.
Amanda shook her head, and pretended to work on her files, hoping Cabot would leave her alone. She had only met the other blonde once and worked only on case with her, but though the older woman's political ambitions seemed inspirational to others, to Amanda it was nothing less of pretentious. Alex Cabot thrived on appealing to how others perceived her and wasn't too shy on flaunting her family money be it blunt or subliminal, and Amanda couldn't imagine living a life like that or even support it. Amanda already was barely following the codes as a detective and definitely not worrying about the public's views of her.
Amanda let out a breathe when she heard Alex beginning to leave, until she heard the contents of the woman's purse spill out on the squadroom floor. Annoyed but chivalrous nonetheless, Amanda quickly got up and went to help her.
A few papers, a couple of pens, a pack of gum, and...a picture of her.
The woman was brunette just as she suspected, her grin wide showing off perfect teeth, and dressed in a sundress. The arm wrapped around her waist belonged to Cabot herself, also smiling at the camera, looking more happy than she's ever seen her. Amanda mainly focused on Olivia, she said her name was, and those deep brown eyes.
Her study was cut short once the older woman snatched the picture from Amanda's hand, and when Amanda looked at her, it was clear she was upset.
"Who is she?" Amanda murmured. After piling remaining clutter into the woman's designer bag, they both stood up.
"My wife," Alex sighed, "well ex wife,"
Alex looked at Amanda, clearly waiting on her reaction to finding out her sexuality and her marital status to another woman. Amanda looked shocked, eyes wide, and she knew she gave off the impression she was shocked at the older woman's sexuality. Amanda had heard the rumors of the other woman's conquest of the same sex, another reason for disliking Cabot, leading on many woman to no avail for political reasoning. However, she'd just play it off like she was shocked about the woman's sexuality, not the fact she was shocked she had seen the woman's wife...ex-wife, the very night before, in the very same room.
"What's her name?"
"Olivia," she sighed, "Olivia Benson,"
"What happened to her?" Amanda asked, leaning against her desk.
She could tell Alex she had seen her ex-wife, but with how the woman was dressed last night and how she acted, she wasn't so sure she wanted to screw the woman over. No matter how important her reasoning was, she couldn't blindside the unknown woman. She knew Cabot would be upset, if it did come down to her telling Cabot she saw her wife, seeking help at escort service no less.
"She actually helped here," Alex sighed, "rape crisis counselor until…..something happened,"
"What was it?" Amanda prodded.
"Some...one ruined our marriage,"she sighed, "I said..things...I still don't know the truth so I don't regret saying them…..cheating was involved...her part,"
"Where is she," Amanda said, and while she was grateful for the extra information she noticed the woman never really answered her previous question.
"I put her in rehab," Alex admitted, "filed for divorce while she was in,"
Are you serious?!
Amanda bit her tongue, but nodded nonetheless, and besides she couldn't judge how Alex handled her marriage when she didn't know Olivia and how she may have acted….hell she barely knew Cabot. Everything being said she had inferred Olivia became a drug addict and cheated for either money or drugs, and to keep her image clean, Cabot divorce her in secret. The picture told Amanda that Alex still felt something for this woman, and once again putting the job before a loved one lowered her impression with the younger woman...again.
"Last I heard," Alex continued, "she was living off the street,"
Or so you think.
Amanda wanted to assure the woman that her ex-wife seemed to be living well...or it appeared so. Amanda remembered the thick curves, so clearly the woman was eating, and the expensive clothing. She only hoped the woman was actually clothed that well beyond certain nights, already suspicious to the fact Olivia may already be an escort herself. She wouldn't tell Alex that...for now. She also wondered what drove the woman there and if Alex had even tried to help her ex, divorce or not. Amanda couldn't imagine leaving someone you love on the streets especially not in a dark city like New York.
"Ever tried to help her again?" Amanda asked.
"Last time I saw her was three years ago," Alex admitted, "tried to take her to a diner, she looked like she was barely eating….I left with my left cheek stinging,"
Amanda bit her lip and looked to ground, uncomfortable silence filling the room. Amanda returned to her seat, still not noticing the other woman.
"Well I'll be damned," she heard her partner say when he walked to his desk, "I know you not here before I am this morning,"
"What?" Amanda snorted. "Did you get laid the one time I don't?"
"Maybe," he laughed. He noticed Alex uncomfortably standing there, clutching her purse rather tightly. "You okay, counselor?"
"Fine, detective," Cabot said, "just informing you I'm replacing Barba until he's back..don't worry just a few weeks,"
"That's good," he nodded.
Fin had all but knew the pain Barba was feeling from their last case, but Fin was also not one to dwell and persist in other people's personal business. Still, he was more worried about the current tension going on between Alex and his partner.
"Work hard, detectives," the ADA said. She rushed off before they could return her goodbye, and then looked at each other.
"She okay?" Fin said, getting his own files out his drawers.
"Yeah...yeah" Amanda shrugged. It was a moment of silence until she couldn't go without asking. "Hey…did you know Cabot was married?"
Fin froze a moment, taking a deep breath, and looked across his desk at her.
"Oh yeah...Benson," Fin said, "I remember that and if you ask me…..Alex screwed up,"
Amanda looked shocked, and she knew Fin was blunt and to the point with his feelings, but he genuinely seemed upset with how Cabot handled her marriage at this moment.
"Who cheated?"
"Olivia didn't cheat," he snapped, then sighed when he saw Amanda raise an eyebrow, "sorry….it was a case...with some..guy. Sick ass,"
"Care to elaborate?"
"No," he shrugged, "happened years ago and too bad a memory…..why you askin'?"
"Nothing," she shrugged herself.
Amanda looked back down continuing her paperwork but still felt his eyes on her. It was clear he was both upset and shocked at why she was suddenly asking about a former college...and at his obvious defense of Olivia, an old friend.
"We got any cases?" he asked, still never taking his eyes off her.
"We may have something," Amanda sighed, "got a witness say someone was raped at Lunar Experience, some escort service,"
"Let's go," Fin said, and both of them simultaneously grabbed their jackets and walked off to the elevator.
-tbc
-blnkloona