DISCLAIMER: I own none of the characters from Law and Order, not Mariska, not Chris, not Stephanie, not Dann, not Ice, not Richard, not Judith….all I got to my name is a scratch off lottery ticket where I won a buck! WooHooooo!! Dollar & a dream *sigh*……
Originally this story was created to be kind of an extended one shot….but if you guys like it and want me to continue, I will….P.S. I need to finish Reflection…I'm at a standstill with that one….anyway you will see that I branch this story from "Guilt" (one of my favorite episodes). Enjoy and please review!!
Flashback
In a small hallway just outside of Cragen's office, Olivia lurks near the water cooler as she pretends not to listen to yet another heated debate Alex is having with the Captain over Roy Barnett, a child predator the SVU team is so desperately trying to put away. Never has a case brought so much tension to the squad, and Olivia will be glad when it's all over. As she cautiously peeks her head around the corner and presses her ear to the door, it flies open with such force it causes Olivia to hurl backwards. Barely hanging on, she quickly pulls herself back into the hallway hiding from the two. Olivia watches the tall blond ADA storm away from Cragen, and can hear her elevated and awkwardly sexy voice boom: "He is as bad as his client! Hoping the victim is too traumatized to testify. He's lucky I didn't knock his teeth down his throat!" Olivia places a hand over her mouth and can't help but chuckle. She loves the large pair of balls Alex shows around the precint from time to time. She's glad to see that after the incident that took place in the bullpen just a couple of days ago, Alex has restored her fire and confidence. She watches as Cragen steps into the hallway looking after Alex, and he mutters just over his own breath seeming somewhat amused: "I'd pay real money to see that".
Although spunky and full of vigor, Alex is much calmer and level headed today than she was two days ago when she was arguing relentlessly with the squad. She got under the skin of Elliott, like a bad splinter. Olivia heads to the locker room and recounts the days past events and wonders if Elliott will ever lift the grudge she knows he is festering against the passionate ADA. She sits quietly on a bench with her head in her hands and reflects…..she reverts back to seeing Alex's face turn a bright crimson and noticed the veins throbbing on either side of her neck as she debated a prosecution strategy with the unit: "Elliott…you were sitting right across the table from him! Just based on that, do you think he will make a good witness?" Elliott enjoying the ping pong effect, snaps back: "Make him a good witness". Olivia sits on top of her desk and realizes this passionate debate has now taken a personal turn for the worst, and bites her lower lip in angst almost knowing what's next to stream from Alex's mouth. "I can't make his priors disappear Elliott….besides, that case would never get past a Grand Jury." Touche. Olivia keeps a score board in her head…1 point for Alex, and looks to Elliott for a response. "Oh ok, I see how it is…so what…all of a sudden you just take cases you can win?" Alex glares at Olivia, hoping she will step in, stick up for her, tap Elliott on the elbow to let him know that he needs to quit while he's ahead, but she doesn't, and this angers Alex even more. She focuses on Elliott and goes for the jugular: "I try cases I am handed by this squad!! You don't like the evidence I've got….then find me some more! I can't do your jobs too!" Olivia winces and knows this may come to blows. Elliott clenches his jaw and then laughs at the insult in an attempt to save face: "Can't do my what?" Cragen who had been silently watching, now steps in…almost like a concerned father warning his daughter: "Out of line Alex….." She reels on him like a cobra and clearly has lost all control at this point. She carries on like a spoiled child having a temper tantrum. "I'm not out of line and I don't. work. for. you! You work for me at my discretion! Your soul purpose in this process is to bring me a case I can prosecute….not one I have to fix!" Alex was screaming at the top of her lungs. The squad room fell silent, all movement stopped and centered around the livid ADA. Olivia was floored and her mouth agape in amazement. She knew this wasn't the time nor the place, but couldn't help the intrusive thought. God damn she is beautiful when she's angry! Olivia feels her groin start to burn and all she can think about is grabbing Alex by the arms and kissing her…hard. Shaking her head back to reality, Olivia looks to the Captain who calmly steps up to Alex and in a voice that almost seems to take pity on her… cooes: "Fine…..then you tell us Counselor, how can we help you put this man away? What would you like us to do……?" There is a long pause of uncomfortable silence. Alex pants out of breath like a dog on a hot day, looking around the room wide eyed, quickly realizes she just shot herself in the foot. Elliott furrows his eyebrows and opens his mouth, but decides to be the bigger person and simply walks away with his hands up in the air as if waving a white flag. Alex looks at Cragen, then at Olivia and hangs her head in defeat as she cracks just above a whisper: "Nothing……you've done all you can." She walks away and tears stream down her flushed cheeks. This was the last image Olivia saw of the woman she loves so dearly, and she couldn't do a damn thing about it.
Olivia gets up from the bench and punches the door to her locker closed. Her heart aches, but not from this case or the young victims it's affected…she attributes it to her feelings for Alex. She knows she can't do this much longer and decides that soon she will make her move and let Alex in on her secret, but for now, they have a pervert that needs to be put behind bars and she tucks her emotions away.
TBC…..