A/N: So I know people are divided about "Spooked" but I had to post this. I chose the title because it was the one line I thought was missing from this episode. Thanks Chels for previewing this and making some suggestions. You're awesome!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned SVU or its characters, Olivia would have been happy at the end of this episode. NBC and Dick Wolf are the ones who want to see her lonely and miserable.


Cragen tells them, orders them, not to arrest Dean Porter. Not because their captain thinks he should get away with what he's done, with committing murder and being excused for it, but because the orders come from a higher place on the bureaucratic chain of bullshit.

They have to bend over and take the FBI's rank pulling. They have to give in, give up. They can't arrest Porter. The higher-ups have made him untouchable.

Fuck that.

Elliot walks out of the interrogation room because if he stays there any longer he's going to put his fist through something. The table. The wall. Porter's face. So, to keep himself under control, he leaves. But he doesn't get very far before he turns around and goes back.

Only Olivia and Porter are in the room now, and Elliot hears her accusing him of lying to her.

"I trusted you. Why didn't you tell me?"

Maybe it's wrong for Elliot to spy on their conversation, but he can't force himself to turn away from the moment unfolding in front of him. Olivia's unraveling. Elliot needs to see how this plays out.

"Why didn't you trust me?"

"Our feelings don't matter," Porter responds coldly.

Elliot's blood heats as he watches her struggle with this statement. Olivia had—has—had feelings for Porter. Elliot can see the anguish in her squinted eyes as she fights against the tears of betrayal.

It's obvious now that she cared for Porter. A lot.

And now Porter's gone and spit in her face, on her feelings.

"Rat bastard," Elliot swears under his breath, fists clenched at his sides. He wants to kill Porter. He'd do it for a number of reasons, but the expression on her face as Porter turns away makes it justifiable to him.

The FBI agent comes out of the room, not bothering to look at Elliot. He holds his head high and acts as though he's unaffected by what just happened. Elliot wants to deck the prick right there, but his boss is still watching him closely; Cragen probably expects that kind of violent reaction. Elliot wonders if his captain would stop him after the first punch or if he'd be able to get in two or three jabs before he was pulled away, for propriety's sake.

But Elliot's still focused on his partner. He sees the pain of Porter's final words etched in her face.

Olivia realizes there isn't even a slim chance for her and Porter anymore. It's over.

She's staring at the two-way mirror and Elliot wonders if she can sense that he's on the other side, watching her. She doesn't move or cry, just stares at her reflection in the mirror—at him—and he stares back. He's torn between going in and comforting her or going after the dick that left her in that state.

His feet move in the direction of the stairwell.

He catches up to Porter in the parking garage; he's standing by his government-issued BMW. Terri is already in the car, but Porter isn't. He hears Elliot's quick footsteps and turns with his hand on the snap of his holster. Porter drops his hand when he sees the detective, but his wary expression remains. He's heard all about Elliot's reputation and he doesn't want any kind of confrontation.

"Detective Stabler, you should go back inside. There's nothing else to say."

One side of Elliot's mouth tugs upward in a cocky smile as he walks right up to Porter's side. The schmuck is too confident and too stupid to expect Elliot's next move.

Bam. His fist connects with Porter's jaw and it hurts his hand like hell, but it feels so good.

Porter may have been made untouchable in the eyes of the law, but from Elliot's perspective, he's still just a bastard who hurt his partner and needs his ass kicked.

The woman in the car lets out a shriek, but Porter waves his hand in her direction to keep her quiet, to tell her the situation is under control. Recovering, Porter straightens. His eyes are wide and his hand touches his cheek tentatively.

Elliot shrugs, continuing to smile, only bigger. "You're right. I don't have anything to say to you. Not anymore," he says smugly.

Elliot hopes Porter will retaliate, but he doesn't raise a fist.

"If you don't have anything to say, can we stop the pissing contest now?" Porter asks. His cheek is already swelling.

"What pissing contest? This isn't between me and you."

"You're telling me you didn't punch me for coming between you and Olivia?"

"You didn't come between us."

The beauty of that statement: it's true.

"I punched you because you're an ass and you deserved it."

He deserved it for hurting Olivia years before and for doing it again a few minutes ago. He deserved it for bugging the squad's phones. He deserved it for covering up a murder and getting off scot-free. Most of all, Porter deserved it for taking that shot at the airport and risking his partner's life.

Elliot would've never taken that shot. Porter could've killed her. Just the thought of the airport hostage incident makes him want to hit Porter again, but the coward is already opening the car door and starting the engine.

Through the rolled down window Porter says, "Whatever you say, Detective Stabler." There's no emotion in his voice; he doesn't believe that Elliot's slug was justified.

"Just remember why you wear that ring on your finger."

The car drives away, taking the scum of the Earth with it.

Elliot can still hear Porter's mocking tone from that last comment and his anger boils up again.

He looks down at the gold band on his left hand and curses under his breath.

Because Porter is right. Because he's married. Because, dammit, he doesn't care.


I'd love to know what you think, so please leave a review! Thanks!