AN: First major SVU fic...any feedback is appreciated.
Summary: After a girl is found seems to resemble a younger version of Benson, she and Stabler both find themselves involved in the case more than they originally expected. EO.
Please, hold up my heart, give me a reason for this empty silence.
Brown eyes gazed down at the hollow, empty set of purple contact lenses, her eyes searching the abnormal colored pair for an answer. She had her hands stuffed into her pockets, her mind only half registering the words being spoken to her, and she gave herself a small shake to bring herself back to the moment she was stuck in. As she raised her gaze from the cold stare on the paint, stained wood porch, she let out a small sigh, hoping that the others around her didn't hear her. But even of they did, she didn't care about it, and she lifted her head a bit, forcing herself to turn from the girl covered by the blanket.
"Where's Stabler?" Munch stood a ways off, a beat-up pencil tucked awkwardly behind his ear, and he stuffed the small spiral notepad into his jacket. "I called him just before I called you and he's much closer than you are." He rolled his eyes, making his way towards Benson, keeping his tone light, "I know he's stuck with goodness knows how many kids right now, but surely one of his older kids can watch them." His humor was light, and even though he attempted to ease the mood, Benson's nonchalant expression didn't change. Of course Munch knew that it wasn't the best time to be cracking a joke or two about their partner, but he wanted to wipe the slate of Benson's features.
"Someone say Stabler?" Elliot Stabler crossed the lawn, taking the front steps two at a time so he could stand besides his partner. He tugged the notepad from Munch's grasp and scanned the addresses written on the paper before looking towards Benson. "What happened Liv?" He fought to keep his own expression straight, and he passed the notepad back to Munch, "You look as if you've seen a ghost."
"Yeah, well, in this profession, half the witnesses who first see the body probably think they are seeing a ghost." Olivia Benson let her brown eyes turn to meet her partner's blue ones, and she let out another sigh before curling her fingers around Stabler's bicep, pulling him along the porch, towards the side deck. She glanced at him, remaining silent as he pulled his arm from her grasp, and managed to swallow her disgust as their shoes stopped inches from the pool of dried blood on the oak wood.
"God...she's got to be, what, seven?" Stabler looked sideways at Benson, not taking his eyes off the black morgue sheet, and he suddenly reached over, grabbing Benson's hand in his. "I see..." he trailed off, realizing why his partner was so pale, and after a few moments, he pulled her from the immediate scene. "How can you look at her?" He asked softly, his blue eyes locked on Benson's brown ones.
"She...she just becomes another victim then, that's when I have to tell myself that we aren't going to play God and stuff." Swallowing, Benson blinked sadly, looking away for Stabler, and she bit her lip. "Maybe I should sit this out, just cause it's a bit startling when you're stuck trying to find the murder and rapist of a perp who chose to go after someone who looks like your younger self." Giving her shoulders a shake, she looked back up to meet Stabler's eyes, before darting her gaze around at the rest of the units around the building.
"It's okay Liv, we do our best each and every time." Stabler tried to crack a smile, in hopes of reassuring her, and he looked down, before pressing his lips quickly against hers. "I think it's time to tell the rest of the unit about us." Blinking fondly at Benson, he froze as Munch gave a dry cough, and both Stabler and Benson jumped before whirling around to face their coworker.
"You two are going to have to do a lot of explaining to Cragen once we get back, because, well you both know the rules. I don't need to remind you every single rule about interpersonal relationships in the unit," he stopped at seeing the icy stare that Benson had directed at him, and Munch moved his gaze to his feet. Stabler looked between his partner and Munch, unsure of how to break to silence between them.
"Let's stop by the mother's office," Benson pressed a pink business card into Stabler's hand, then into Munch's. "The next door neighbor's teenage daughter had a spare key and was able to let us in. She got us the business card from the girl's mother's purse, said that her family watches the house when the family is away. How about you take her down to the station Munch?" She nodded towards where a slim brunette stood, looking nervously around, "She's Alexandra Simons, and she said he's been out in her backyard the whole afternoon, it's possible that she might have heard something. I mean, she's a teen, so who knows exactly how much attention she was truly paying to the surroundings outside her own property. She also claims that she's done some babysitting for Maria, our vic, even since she was born."
"Fine," Munch pocketed the business card and went to turn, "And you two, if neither of you talk to Cragen by tomorrow, then I will." He flickered his gaze between the two detectives, "I don't want to do that, but I know you two get wrapped in the cases sometimes, and the last thing that should happen is that your relationship comes out because you two get too wrapped up in the cases to talk about anything else." Wiping his hands on his jacket, he gave a quick shrug, "Just don't let it slip your minds."
"We know," Stabler glanced at Benson, "But we wanted to wait until we were both sure that we would actually be able to work out as a couple first." He twirled the business card between his fingers, "Let's head over to the mother's office, maybe we'll be able to bring her down to the hospital to see her daughter after ..." He paused and let his sentence trail off, seeing Benson dart across the lawn, her eyes narrowed in either anger or suspicion at the EMTs who stood by Alexandra.
"See you later then...?" Munch couldn't help but keep the laughter from his voice at the way Benson was so alive, watching in slight amusement as she bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet, talking with one of the EMTs. "I'll bring Alexandra down to the station, you and Benson talk to the mother, then drive her to the hospital they bring Maria too. I can phone either of you with the number once she's admitted." Heading off in the opposite direction, he waved Alexandra along after him, his eyes watching the action unfold.
Stabler headed across the lawn, his eyes trained on his partner's bouncing movements, and he couldn't help but let a smile slip onto his lips as she met him halfway across the lawn. Benson reflected the smile on Stabler's lips, sticking her hand into his face, waiting quietly as he looked between the black pen and the look on her face. Pulling the pen from Benson's clean hand, he copied the address and number onto the back of the mother's business card before looking up at her.
"It's the ex-husband," Benson shifted her feet, so she could look towards where her and Stabler's squad car sat. "Alexandra mentioned that the vic's parents just went through a bitter divorce, maybe it would make sense that we swing by his place after we see the mother." She nudged her partner lightly in the side of the ribs, her eyes hollow, and she let out a slow sigh, leaning against his shoulder for support.
Glancing around, Stabler dropped his hand to rest lightly on Benson's waist, and he turned his head slightly to look her in the eyes. He rested his chin on her forehead for a few moments before pulling back and glancing down at the Queens address where the mother's office was located, before returning the gentle nudge in Benson's ribs, "Let's go love."
"Okay," Looking down, Benson leaned into her partner's side, not bothered by the gaze she knew Munch had on the two of them, and she managed a quick wave at him and Alexandra Simons. She fingered the business card in Stabler's jacket pocket and let out a quiet sigh as pulled it out, looking at the printed ink. "You have neat handwriting," she commented, looking up at the side of his face, "Get much practice whenever you get yourself kicked to desk duty?"
"Cute Liv," Dropping his arm from around her waist, Stabler unlocked the car and circled it to her drivers side. He smiled at her pout and pulled open his door, catching the keys as Benson tossed them to him, "But no, I'm not going to open your door, that's only too suspicious now." Leaning over, he unlocked the passenger side door and glanced over at her as she dropped into the seat, burying her head in her hands. Sighing quietly, Stabler leaned over, his hand resting on Benson's knee, "Liv, can you look at me, please?"
"El … I'm not sure about this one," she swallowed, and when she turned her head towards him, her eyes shown with a few tears. Reaching for the hand that rested on her knee, she squeezed his hand back, using the back of her sleeve to wipe her eyes, "Just look at this case so far … she's almost like me. Hell, Elliot, I looked like her when I was that age." Pausing, she pushed the notes she had gotten into his lap, and leaned back against the seat, "Please, El, just take me back to the station, I'll stay on desk duty until this case is closed, even if it's a long one."
"I can't do that Liv," Elliot Stabler wrapped his arm around Benson's shoulders, looking her into the eyes, "You can do this case." He paused, "You've worked insane cases before, even ones as spooky as this one is, there's no reason that you can't do this one. I know she looks like how you did when you were her age, but that doesn't mean that you need to run from the case, and if you ask me, you need to stay on the case." Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, Stabler started the engine of the squad car, and turned to look at Benson out of the corner of his eye, "If anything, you being this older woman, who looked like her daughter, then it will only help show that her daughter will be able to make it through."
"I'm not … going to be used like that Elliot," Benson pulled her hand from his, and she slouched in the chair, but she did manage to nod. "I will, though, agree to come with you to see the mother, it might be easier." She shifted so she could sit on her hands, and glanced up as Munch headed past them in his car, Alexandra Simons along for the ride. Sighing, she nodded, pulling her hands out from under her, and she grabbed Stabler's hand, "Let's go see Maria's mother."
"Okay love," Stabler smiled as Benson kept his hand in her grasp, and he nudged her gently, nodding towards the radio, and he eased his hand out of hers to turn it on. He let his fingers tap the volume button up just enough so the quiet rock music eased the tense mood in the car. After the song and volume was perfected, Stabler took Benson's hand again, letting their clasped hands rest on the edge of her seat, smiling. The two of them continued in silence, their hands clasped loosely, and waited out the ride to Maria's mother's office.