A Case of Mutual Attraction
(A/N: In the episode "Intent" ,season 19, episode 8,, Carisi and Amanda almost share a moment as they solved a case together in West Virginia. However, the situation turned awkward the next morning when Carisi stumbled upon a bartender leaving Amanda's motel room. This is the aftermath of that)
Chapter 1
Amanda has been having some strange feelings lately, and they all centered around Sonny Carisi.
Unfortunately, ever since she and Carisi went to West Virginia to work on a case, things have become uncomfortable between them.
And now she'd find herself watching him at times when he wasn't looking. And then when her back was turned, she'd get this sensation that he was watching her.
She didn't understand why the awkwardness happened but she knew when. The West Virginia trip had started out great with shared laughter and drinks between them, and they even got into a fun bar fight with other patrons. That, in addition to meeting Derek the bartender as well as solving the case, made the trip quite memorable.
But all the good memories ended when she and Carisi drove back to New York City the next morning. Carisi had acted cold and barely spoke to her the entire trip back.
Why?
Now once again in the present and from her desk, she observed Fin at Carisi's desk. They weren't talking about anything substantial—just about last weekend's football game.
Even looking at Carisi for that second, Amanda got a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. And when he laughed at an insult Fin made about one of the pro football players, Amanda found herself totally hypnotized.
So much so that she didn't hear the sound of Olivia's office door opening.
"Rollins..." Olivia called out, poking her head out. Getting no response, she repeated herself, "Hey, Rollins..."
Amanda snapped out it, embarrassed to be caught daydreaming, "Did you want to talk with me about something, Liv?"
"Yes...in my office...now, " Olivia head-gestured before disappearing into her office again.
Fin and Carisi had stopped their talking to watch the short interaction.
As Rollins pushed out of her chair, Fin teased, "So Rollins, whatcha do this time to upset Benson?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Amanda stated, trying not to look Carisi's way. She didn't need to be distracted by him. Yet even though she didn't make eye contact, she could feel his steely eyes watching her.
But he didn't join in the teasing. Instead, he looked down at his desk and pretended to be busy with work. Even Fin noticed Carisi's strange behavior, but he didn't say anything as he merely shrugged and walked back to work at his own desk.
.
.
"Shut the door," Olivia brusquely told her the minute Amanda walked in.
Amanda looked concern as she closed the door and took a seat.
"Everything alright?"
"I'm not here to lecture you, if that's what you're worried about," Olivia solemnly stated as Amanda breathed a sigh of relief.
"So...what's up?"
Olivia's face clouded,"I have some news regarding Susan Langley."
Susan Langley had worked in the Robbery Division up until two years ago. Although she was Amanda's age, she had abruptly quit with no explanation.
"Sue Langley? Haven't heard her name for awhile," Amanda looked befuddled, "What about her?"
Olivia tried to be as gentle as possible, "I'm sorry to have to tell you, Amanda, that Susan Langley was found murdered at her place this morning. Homicide over at Sussex County just called."
"Oh, poor Sue..." Amanda reacted. She blinked quickly, trying to absorb the news. When she recovered, she asked, "When? Why? What happened?"
"That's all I know for now; Sussex County officers wanted to give me a heads up since Susan had worked in our precinct," Olivia explained, "I remembered you two used to go out to lunch together."
Amanda nodded, "We went out for lunches a few times, but I wouldn't say I actually knew her all that well. Once she left her unit, I rarely saw her."
"But you knew her better than most. According to her supervisor, Susan didn't socialize much with the all-male group of detectives over there. You seemed to be the closest thing she had to a work friend."
"That part's true. Sue told me she often butted heads with the male detectives in her division. She was rather outspoken, although I liked to call it spunk," Amanda recalled with a half-smile, "so I guess that's why we clicked from the start. Go figure."
Olivia's eyes were sad, "I'm sorry, Amanda, for your loss."
Amanda nodded. She was silent for a time before she then asked, "So are we on the case?"
Olivia lifted a brow as if to say, You should know better than to ask that.
"No. You obviously know we have no jurisdiction," Olivia decisively stated, "Homicide in Sussex County is working it since that's where Susan lived."
"But this case should be ours!" Amanda argued, "Sue worked at this precinct! We KNEW her. I knew her!" She then leaned in to make her point, "Liv, let me work the case! We owe it to Sue to get her murder solved right!"
Olivia's face looked doubtful, "It's not for me to say, Amanda."
"I don't have an active case on my desk right now," Amanda pointedly stated, "And you've already stated the I knew Sue better than anyone, so we have the inside track on the investigation!"
"Everything you've said is true..." Olivia leaned back and considered the matter, "and the detective working the case should be questioning you anyway..."
As always, Amanda jumped the gun, "Great! I can get started on it right away!"
"Hold it right there, Amanda. I didn't say you were on the case," Olivia warned her, "You know how protective cops could be about their jurisdiction. Sussex County may not want New York City's SVU division breathing down their necks."
"Couldn't you talk to them, convince them otherwise?" Amanda pleaded.
Olivia thought about it, "I suppose I could use the angle that you're one of the few people Susan considered a friend and therefore, you could give the lead investigator some insight into her as a person..."
"-Can you make the call now?"
"I suppose," Olivia considered, "It might be perfect timing, in fact. The detective who is heading up this case, Detective Wilkerson, was still processing the crime scene at Susan Langley's place when he called me. If you hurry, you may catch him. Meanwhile I'll call him to let him know you're on your way."
"Got it, thanks, Liv," Amanda stated as she popped out of seat and headed for the door.
"Don't mention it...but...don't you need Susan's home address so you'll know where to go?" Olivia asked as she began to scribble something from her computer screen onto a piece of paper and held it out.
Sheepishly, Amanda walked back to retrieve the paper with the address, "Thanks."
Olivia then added, "-and, Amanda? Take Carisi with you."
Amanda paused. The last thing she wanted to do was spend any time alone with Carisi.
At least not until this weirdness stopped between them.
"I can work this case alone," Amanda stated with certainty.
Olivia tilted her head, wondering what was wrong with Amanda lately.
"It's just a precautionary measure," Olivia explained, "If Detective Wilkerson DOES protests your presence, you'll appreciate some kind of back-up from our side."
Reasonable answer, but Amanda still hated the idea of Carisi partnering with her.
"I can take Fin with me," she volunteered.
Olivia lifted a brow, "Something wrong with taking Carisi?"
"No!" Amanda quickly assured her as she heard herself rambling, "it's just...I haven't worked a case with Fin for awhile, and...and with no ongoing case pending, he seems pretty antsy at his desk...in fact, just the other day, he made the comment that getting stuck at his desk all day was crushing his inner soul!"
"Fin really said that?" asked Olivia in disbelief.
Amanda backtracked from her lie, "Not...exactly in those words, ..I'm paraphrasing."
"Well, your paraphrasing is lousy," Olivia deadpanned.
"Yeah, okay, maybe...so...can I take Fin with me?"
"You can...but ...I want you to take Carisi," Olivia was wondering why Amanda was questioning her authority, "...You SURE you don't have a problem with him?"
"No. I don't have a problem with him," Amanda truthfully answered, knowing that it wasn't true the other way around.
"Fine," Olivia nodded, "Then you and Carisi are up..."
Amanda looked flabbergasted, "But-"
Olivia cut her off by pulling rank, "That wasn't a request, Detective. Let me know how it goes." She decisively stated and then picked up her pen and began writing, signaling to Amanda that their meeting was over.
Amanda knew when she was being dismissed. With pursed lips, she turned towards the door again and walked out of Olivia's office.
.
.
Carisi was driving while Amanda sat in the passenger seat as they headed to the crime scene. Amanda told Carisi what little information she knew about Susan Langley's murder.
Unfortunately, beyond that, they had nothing to talk about, so they sat in silence as Carisi continued driving.
After he made a right hand turn, Amanda finally worked up the nerve to confront him.
"So you want to talk about it?" she asked.
Carisi scowled, "Didn't we just finished talkin' about the case?"
"Not about the case..." Amanda stated with trepidation.
"What then?"
She took a deep breath, "About...why, ever since we got back from West Virginia, you've been acting like you've got your briefs all up in a bunch!"
Carisi' s scowl became more pronounced, "What? My briefs in a bunch? What if they were boxers?"
Amanda suppressed a smile. At least he was back to joking again.
"You know what I mean!" she said, "Ever since we left West Virginia, you've been not...you. Did I do something to upset you?"
Carisi remained quiet, which made her impatient. At the red light, he braked the car.
Turning towards Amanda, he was surprised that she had been intently watching him the entire time.
Something tingled low in Carisi's belly at the idea that they were alone in an enclosed area.
So he turned back to stare straight ahead and admitted at last, "I... saw him..."
Amanda was baffled, "Him? Him who?"
Green light.
Carisi pressed his foot on the accelerator. At least now he could concentrate on the road.
"...the bartender..." Carisi awkwardly admitted, "In the early mornin' before we left West Virginia. I saw him...leavin' your motel room..."
Understanding now crept into Amanda's mind and she surprisingly found herself blushing as she recalled that night.
Derek was flirtatious and she was willing. Sure, she was slightly inebriated, but she was well aware of what she was doing, and she enjoyed his company. So if two consenting adults got together, what 's wrong with that?
Carisi had no right to make her feel guilty about that night...and morning.
"What's it to you, anyway, Carisi?" she defensively asked.
Carisi hadn't been prepared to discuss this, but she did deserve an explanation for his strange behavior lately.
"Hey, I'm not judgin' you personally, Amanda, it's a professional comment. You can do whatever you want on your free time, but meanwhile, we were right in the middle of an investigation and therefore, you shouldn't have been so...so...distracted!"
Amanda hated Carisi's reasoning because it made sense.
"Stop being such a boy scout, Carisi!" she lashed out, "If you haven't noticed, I'm a grown woman, and if I want to be 'distracted' during my off hours, I have that right! So lay off!"
The air was thick with tension in the car.
He bitterly responded, "You were the one who brought up the subject."
"Yeah, but that was before I knew you were going to get all up in my business!"
Carisi opened his mouth to argue further, but decided it would be useless. After all, it really was none of his business.
It's just that he cared. Maybe a little too much. And he knew he shouldn't.
"Yeah, sure. You do whatever you want," he mumbled, giving up.
He said it more to himself, but she definitely heard it.
So they once again sat in silence, each thinking they couldn't get to the crime scene fast enough.
.
.
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(A/N: Hello! I had such a great reaction with my first SVU story "Mixed Signals", that I decided to write another Carisi/Rollins investigative romance! Hope you enjoy it!)
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