High School

Chapter 1: Two Lives Meet Olivia Benson, age 15

Walking towards the giant building known as one of Manhattans' high schools Olivia was deep in thought. Thinking about her sad and all too real life she lived and how it would be a relief when, four years after this she could finally move out of her moms gloomy and lonely apartment.

She was walking up the steps leading to the doorway to the school and realized that college would be no different from high school, no one would pay any attention to her and even if they did she would push them away much like she did now. Whether or not she was out of her moms house was very irrelevant, she would know exactly where her mom would be, a bar or at home yelling at someone or else seducing them. And, walking through the crowded and noise filled hallways she suddenly knew that beyond the abuse she would always be slightly different, slightly invisible. No, there was a truth behind that, she didn't altogether mind the way life was. In fact it was quite easy. All she had to do was wake up to a screaming and drunken mother then she would go to school without anyone there to bother her, and finally she would go to work and earn some well needed money. She knew kids had it much harder no matter if she knew them or not.

After a long and boring lecture the last period teacher had given she left school and walked swiftly to her job. If she hadn't been in such a rush she would have caught a boys gleaming blue eyes headed in the opposite direction, but she didn't and both continued on with their dreary and lonely day.

Elliot Stabler, age 16

Elliot Stabler was having one of those days, where everything he did seemed to go wrong in one way or another. It seemed however that he always had those days, and when passing a beautiful girl he knew life could not be much better in hers, and in some sick way he felt reassured by that.

He wished he knew her story and what made her look so solemn and sad, however she never looked his way too preoccupied and immersed in her thoughts. Walking home and facing his angry and disappointed dad was not on the top things of what he would pick to do, but he did 

he walked in the door and like always was screamed at for doing one thing or another wrong. But Elliot thought of the girl walking through the city quite as alone as he was and he smiled (which in itself was a rule broken to his father).

Sitting in his room, just lying there hopeless and vulnerable he made a promise to himself, he wouldn't be like his dad he wouldn't hit a single woman or child as long as he lived. He knew what it felt like and he couldn't bear seeing someone else going through the same thing he was.

John Munch, age 19

He was away on a trip to New York, right after his father had committed suicide and the poor little girl had been thrown through the large window by her terrible mother. He wasn't thrilled to be here where even more crime was committed than in Baltimore but he wasn't all to excited to go back to the house where he could still see the blood even when the floors had been cleaned and the body had been moved.

They were staying in a hotel for now, only a week but long enough for John Munch to begin to get restless. He decided that the smelly bed and stained wall would still be there when he returned so he left for a short walk. This was the first time he saw them, they glanced at each other as if a routine, smiled to themselves and walked on without a word.

They had obviously seen each other before… wait, he was being too curious it wasn't that important and so he walked on glancing sideways at the boy who did the same and then up towards the girl who was walking the same way as he was, he decided to follow. She seemed to know this street by heart since her head was down so he could only assume this was the way to her house.

The girl walked up the steps of her apartment and turned immediately to her right, her key turned in the door and it opened silently. Obviously the silence wasn't enough for someone since a bottle came whizzing millimeters from the girl's head, who upon seeing it ducked. She closed the door again and walked back out of the house muttering curses under her breath.

Olivia Benson, age 15

She stopped short upon seeing a strange gangly teenage boy with coal black sunglasses on.

"I'm sorry do I know you?" There was confusion in her wavering voice but also a certainty she didn't.

He smirked, "Only in your dreams." It was a light joke probably to ward off the concern and devastation in his mind, only his eyes were the tell.



She realized he was joking but something about him was telling her there was something more she wasn't seeing, she knew the signs of abuse backwards but it wasn't like that and yet the air around him seemed to hold the same sadness as an abuse victim, and she felt the urge to talk to him, like the boy with glowing blue eyes and yet both she let slip away from her that day as with one tiny smirk she left him.

Elliot Stabler, age 16

He turned to see the older boy follow her up the street, he even talked to her. Slightly envious of this mysterious kid he turned and walked at a much faster pace than before. He needed to talk to her, somehow get up the guts and say 'hi'.

He felt violated in some way because he's seen this girl for months and he felt a strong connection even without the use of words, this random asshole just did what he was planning on doing for a long time. And Elliot Stabler despised him for it.

El was definitely not going home, if he came back with an unjustifiable anger the beating would be worse than when he came home in justifiable anger. He thought about going to the park but he wasn't that stupid so he continued to walk wherever his feet led him. In mid-Queens borough he saw two young girls chatting on the other side of the street. One had dark red hair who he found unidentifiable, the other had brown hair bleached blond who he knew to be Kathy.

Kathy was the only one he ever met that he could confide to, they were dating and he felt guilty and slightly angry at himself for not being able to tell her about this amazing girl he saw everyday, this amazing girl he saw everyday that wasn't her

John Munch, age 19

John saw the look the boy gave him as he turned the other way, it was a look that said 'if you weren't so far away and I had a better reason I would beat the shit out of you right here, right now.' It was the most possessive look he's ever seen someone give him and he wondered if the kid was so jealous why had he then not talked to her himself? He looked back towards the girl and decided there was something special about her but who could possibly be so special someone would give him such a look as he did then

Olivia Benson, age 15

She walked toward central park. Olivia knew the dangers, but being murdered would be a blessing at the moment. The running path seemed to go on for miles and split up at different times just to join together again. It reminded her of wanting to run away, pick her own path, so 

Olivia ran that track zooming swiftly taking the left fork in the road and then taking a right at the next one.

Soon she began to realize she was lost, though she hardly cared she just kept running unable to stop even when she felt herself gasping more and more desperately for air. She felt nothing, not the cold, or the pain in the bruises she just recently received.

Every stride she made seemed to lift a huge burden off her shoulders more and more. Liv knew she had to go home sooner or later; the guilt of leaving her mother for good smothered her every time she even thought of running away.

Olivia also knew that just because she had to go home didn't mean she had to go home now.

Elliot Stabler, age 16

Elliot saw her running as they all walked back to Kathy's house in Manhattan, it was starting to get dark and even colder than it was before. He saw her struggling to grasp even the slightest breath and knew she was pushing herself too far.

Eventually he saw her trip over her own feet from exhaustion and fell to the hard ground below her. By now he had stopped and Kathy and the mysterious other girl who claimed herself as Casey stopped just a few feet away. Kathy asked in a confused tone what was wrong but he ignored this question, waiting for the strange girl to emerge. When she never did he raced to the entrance of the park, careful to keep his eyes on the spot where she fell.

Casey and Kathy followed calling his name repeatedly and asking what was wrong. It took all of them about ten minutes to get as far into the trail as she was. She was laying on the ground face down and her arms suggested she was about to do a push up or at least get up but he highly doubted it would take ten minutes to get up if she was fine. He grabbed both her arms by the crook of her elbow and lifted her up to a standing position.

Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and he stood in front of her to see if she was hurt. "Uh guys you better go I'm going to help her and its cold out. Go home and I'll see you tomorrow."

Elliot could tell Kathy was hurt by banishing her to help this other girl by the strain in the air but she said in a terse tone: "Fine Casey come on."

And they left.

 Olivia Benson, age 15

Olivia could tell who it was despite her swollen eyes. He was concerned and he seemed to know who she was but he didn't speak. He led her to a park bench about a yard away, careful and delicate and he helped her to sit.

"What's your name?" he whispered, though there was no need to she understood in some way and answered back in a quiet sniffle "Olivia. I – I've seen you before, everyday."

He smiled as she made it known that she recognized him, "Yeah, yeah my names Elliot."

She caught a sort of twinkle in her eyes and said, "Nice to meet you Elliot." He just smiled and stood up.

Elliot led the way to Olivia's house, giving her his coat and putting his arm around her shoulder to keep her warm. Olivia was puzzled he knew where she lived and found it a bit creepy but she was also endeared by the gesture so she said nothing.

"Well I guess this is where I leave. Be careful next time just because I know your name now doesn't mean I'm glad this happened."

She gave him a smirk telling him she knew that in a way he was glad but she just walked up the steps and, without turning around said, "see you tomorrow Elliot." He smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets and left for home.

Preview

I doubt Elliot and Olivia ever realized they would be saying that many years later as Elliot sat on her couch in gloomy self pity his hands on his head and Olivia being assertive and telling him he needed to leave saying the exact words 'see you tomorrow Elliot.' She had added a 'go apologize to your wife' somewhere in there but since Elliot is yet to have a wife that's beyond the point. In the next chapter: alcohol is brought home by a particular captain, jealousy is acknowledged, and two people hook up for the night and its not who you expect.

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