Olivia closed her phone, shutting it off, she couldn't risk someone else from SVU calling her right now. She turned off the main street down a side street, quickening her pace. It was evening, the sky was rapidly getting dark as the sun set, drawing long shadows out of the buildings. Olivia knew this wasn't protocol, but she didn't care, well, she did care, but she had already decided to meet her here. She couldn't just abandon Valessa, she knew what it was like to feel hopeless and alone, and she wouldn't let Valessa go through that when she had the power to help her. When Valessa had asked her for help.
Olivia took a deep breath, suddenly feeling really anxious, she wished there was an easier way. She hurried along, stepping over discarded newspapers that rustled in the vespertine wind. She reached the end of her shortcut. Olivia peered out onto Clancey Ave to a well-trafficked nighttime coffee shop called The Night Shift, where she had told Valessa to meet her.
Olivia looked at her watch. 7:52. She was early. Olivia hesitated, and decided to loiter in the cover of the alley and wait for Valessa to arrive, who had frantically called her an hour before and begged to meet with Olivia as soon as possible. Olivia had literally no free time, but agreed out of her empathy and understanding.
These were the cases that Olivia hated the most. She could deal with criminals, sex offenders, pedophiles, rapists, anyone, so long as her hard work put them away no questions asked. But as soon as politics and bureaucracy began to get in the way and prevent perps from getting what they deserved, that's when Olivia began to cut corners, even if it frequently meant at her own risk. Sometimes at the risk of just her job, sometimes at the risk of more. Valessa was one of these cases. Valessa was only seventeen, and fortunately so, because if she had been any farther away from reaching the legal status of an adult she would have run away a long time ago and gotten into who knows what kind of trouble.
There she is, Olivia thought, as Valessa's form materialized from beyond The Night Shift, approaching cautiously. Olivia left the cover of the alley to greet her, not sure of what to expect. From what she knew of Valessa's life, well, absolutely anything could be on the table right now.
"Valessa," Olivia started, once close enough.
"Oh thank god," Valessa replied quickly. "Olivia, I- Olivia-" Valessa rushed up to Olivia and embraced her, shaking.
"Valessa, Valessa, calm down, it's all right honey, what's wrong, just calm done," Olivia soothed, attentively massaging Valessa's back.
"It's… It's…."
"Just breath, honey, breath."
Valessa composed herself, and stepped back, looking at Olivia. Olivia could see that she was terrified. "Something, something bad has happened," Valessa finally stammered, "I've… I've done something really bad."
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT
One week earlier.
Olivia got up and left her desk. Elliot had just left to grab some food so she had a chance to do what she had been putting off for so long. Olivia walked towards the elevators, determined to speak to Huang. She was nervous, but she had to follow through with this. A few months ago Huang had come out to announce that he was gay, after meeting a man whom he had hit it off with and starting dating, Zach McArthur. The team had been surprised to hear about Huang's orientation, because it came as such an unexpected shock, especially from the psychologist who should be such an advocate of self expression.
Well, that turned out to be the reason Olivia was seeking Huang's advice. She had been sorting out her feelings for so long, but by now she was sure of her it.
"Damnit," Olivia said under her breath, unsure of why this was causing her so much distress. She stepped off to the side and took a deep breath ten feet before the elevator door, mentally recuperating.
'I hunt down and arrest some of the worst of the worst criminals, and yet I'm scared of what my partner and friends will think if I come out. Damnit Olivia pull yourself to-' Olivia's inner dialogue ceased as the elevator doors opened and Alex Cabot stepped forward. Olivia's chest became tight, and she simply stood frozen as the attractive lawyer walked swiftly forward.
"Hello Olivia," Alex greeted her. "How's work going today?"
"Uh, um… fine, yeah, fine." Olivia stuttered in reply, shamming a smile on her face. "How's your work?"
"Busy as hell as usual and getting busier, my respect for your beloved Casey Novak grows everyday." Alex laughed and smiled, and continued, "all right, see you around Liv!"
"Right, see you." Olivia took a deep breath as the butterflies left her stomach. Olivia clenched her fists, she couldn't stand her situation. Yes, she was crushing on Alex Cabot, she couldn't deny it any longer. First the daughter of a rapist, now gay, what next, mutant children? She couldn't stand always being so singled-out by her fate like that. She suddenly became irritated and angry at herself for thinking that she could just 'talk to Huang about it and everything would be butterflies and flowers.' She did need to talk to Huang first to admit that she was lesbian, and second to discuss her feelings for Alex, and third to decide what the hell to do about it all, but she couldn't stand the stress of it all right now. Like some many times before, Olivia whipped around to storm away from her problems as if anger could evaporate them all away.
"Oof," Olivia blubbered as she collided straight into George Huang's crisp orange dry-cleaned dress shirt. The pair stumbled about, as George precariously attempted to balance the clipboard and papers he was carrying, momentarily suspending them in the air before they spun out of his hand and across the hallway, clattering about.
"George I am so sorry!" The contrite Olivia burst out, rushing to collect the mess.
"Oh, it's all right, just a lot of psyc evals, don't worry yourself over it," George replied. "Nothing important," he winked.
Olivia was glad George was so gracious. He had always been tactful and kind, but even more so after meeting Zach, and even, dare she say, a little more flamboyant, and growing at that. His shirt was bright orange. That would never have happened with the old George.
As they gathered the papers together George said, "oh and Olivia, it's perhaps good that I ran into you- or, you into me- I just came from Cragen's office. He was looking for you. He said, and I quote, 'I told those damn idiot detectives that their lunch breaks DO NOT COINCIDE, what I am supposed to do when we have an urgent case and they're both out cramming their faces!'"
Olivia's face tensed into a skittish medley of different features. "Oh jeez, I didn't even- I was just… Oh damn it all! George, I need to talk to you about something, sometime, err.. soon, I guess." There she had said it. It was out.
"Of course, Olivia, you know you can schedule times to speak with my about your work anytime you need it," George replied nonchalantly.
Damn it, Olivia thought, he didn't understand what she meant at alll. "Err.. well, this is, a, more personal matter."
"Oh," George said surprised, "well that's fine as well, what do you say to coffee tomorrow afternoon around three, if getting away from the office will make you feel more comfortable?"
"Um, yes, that would be fine, great actually!" Olivia said, realizing that so much of her trepidation stemmed from being near the people she was afraid of being judged by. "Yes, tomorrow at three, at… The Coffee Bean?"
"Certainly," George replied positively, "now get off your lunch break!"
"Oh, right!" Olivia whirled and bolted back towards her office. She hadn't even considered what her momentary absence would look like, she had only planned to be gone for a minute or two. Well, she was glad that she had finally talked to Huang, one way or another. Reaching the office space Olivia sped in to be greeted by a rising whistle from Munch's desk, and an "oooohhhh she's in for it" from Fin.
"I'll deal with you two later," Olivia murmured discretely, turning to Cragen's door.
"Wait, don't-" Fin began, but Olivia had already turned the handle on Cragen's door, only to meet an arching, colorful hat, bordered with wispy golden curls of hair turning to reveal a middle-aged woman, and now exposed behind her, a pair of fuming Don Cragen eyeballs. The eyeballs said enough, and Olivia quickly muttered an apology and stepped back out.
"That's Ms. Eldridge," Fin said slyly, as if to imply that the subject of his sentence could hear him through the wall and would pounce on him. "She's got some old history with the boss, and she would have been talking to you about her daughter but you decided to book it out of her just before she walked in."
"What? Why couldn't either of you talk with her?" Olivia inquired, gesturing at Munch and Fin incredulously.
"Well, the Johnson case is top-priority, and Cragen didn't want to divert us," Fin winked, "all right, Munch, what've you got?"
Munch turned away from his computer screen and threw an overly cautious glance at Cragen's door. "Okay, turns out Ms. Eldridge and the cap went to college together at NYU, in 1978, graduating class of '82."
"Whew…" Fin whistled, "the man IS old."
"and, get this, both were in the accelerated Honors Program, which spent all four summers on special alternate educational trips. I'll bet there's some old-time romance between the two of them!" Munch chuckled.
Fin laughed heartily, "good work pal," they clocked their knuckles together.
Olivia's eyebrows were raised, "okay…. top priority Johnson case? Give me a break guys, if I wasn't so concerned with saving my own ass in a minute I would so tell Cragen about this, and you'd both be in for it."
"Speaking of your own ass…" Munch said, and Olivia looked at him, wide-eyed. Munch would never say something so… "Turn around princess," he continued.
Spinning, Olivia saw that the infamous Ms. Eldridge had risen and was departing from the office. Olivia quickly stepping to the side to avoid any sort of interaction with her- she had the overall impression that this was a very unpleasant woman- and waited for her to leave.
Ms. Eldridge opened Cragen's door and stepped out, the wide brim of her outrageous hat leading the way. In addition to her headgear, she sported a blue skirt and fluffy white snowball coat, an altogether excessively extravagant outfit. Her clothing was so immoderate that Olivia thought her range of her vision would be limited to a small wedge in front of her eyes, which were guarded by silver spectacles, but apparently this was not the case, because the flashy women stopped and rotated to stare cynically at Olivia, before pouting her lip and marching out of the office. Olivia nodded, unsure of what to make of that but sure she had made a sour first impression on that women.
"O-LIV-I-A!" Cragen's voice boomed forth, once Ms. Eldridge had departed. Olivia rushed in, apologizing effusively.
"Captain, I'm sorry, I haven't been out I lunch, I would never cross your-" Cragen's upheld hand and iron face silenced her.
"Olivia, I will overlook your absence as long as you handle this case and prevent me from ever having to personally deal with that woman again."
"Um, yes, Captain."
"All right, good, here's the case. Ms." Cragen grimaced, "Eldridge, has a complaint about her daughter's boyfriend. She claims that he has raped her. I did not press for details but I can assume that any intercourse was probably consensual, but at that most likely never even occurred. Frankly, though, I really don't give a damn, I just want you to sort out her childish issues and ask Alex to get a restraining order keeping her away from the precinct, that is, me."
"Got it," Olivia affirmed, eager to return to Cragen's good side. "Although, I can't guarantee the restraining order part."
"Sure, just do your best." Wow, Cragen must really dislike this women, Olivia thought.
She left his office and was ready to leave for the Eldridge's when Elliot returned, carrying a bag of Chinese Take-Out.
"Hey Liv, what'd I miss?" He asked casually.
"Um, a LOT." Olivia replied. "And, El, Chinese Take-Out, again?"
"What?" He replied, an expression of innocence on his face. "You don't like?"