My usual disclaimer that this is story is a parody and not for Tuckson fans applies. With thanks to my beta, Joanie.
This is just a little one shot to provide a quick fix.
Olivia's phone buzzed in her pocket as she stood waiting for the elevator. Noah's small hand was grasped in hers and his other - was held tightly by Ed Tucker. Noah squirmed and twisted, and tried desperately to slip from Tucker's grasp, but he held firmly to the little boys hand.
"Long way up Olivia," Tucker said as he looked up, (ignoring the fact that Noah was fighting harder and harder to get away from him) - already having climbed a flight of stairs he was just beginning to realise how far up the eiffel tower they had left to go. He glanced down at the squirming, agitated child who was making every effort to get away from him. "Noah's really starting to like me."
"Yes…" said Olivia as she looked away and rolled her eyes at his idiocy. She felt a familiar comfort at the buzzing of her cell phone. She knew who was messaging her without even having to look.
The reassuring vibration of her phone reminded her that her case was almost over. She had faced many horrors over the years, she could do this, this last stretch. Later tonight, she would be be debriefed with Elliot, in a building somewhere in the city. It was the end of a long operation - one that had been difficult for Olivia to stomach.
Of all that she had faced in almost two decades of working Special Victims, this case had been the hardest. It wasn't just the atrocious crimes that Ed Tucker had been so interwoven into. It wasn't even the fact that he had grown to run the whole disturbing operation. It also didn't have that much to do with the fact that he had been so incredibly manipulative, playing the good guy all of a sudden. Or the fact that his mere proximity to her produced an instant feeling of repulsion.
It wasn't any of that.
It was the dates - the kisses, those were the hardest things she had even faced. It was hard not to vomit - sometimes she felt like she was going to throw up right into his mouth when she had to kiss him, but she reminded herself of the bigger picture - they were taking him down, and his whole corrupt operation along with him.
"Olivia, you know I trust you - and that's all that really matters. You need to trust me too - what more could two people want than what we have? You should feel special - knowing that I trust you."
Olivia marvelled at his narcissism. "You're right Ed - I am happy that you trust me. Very happy."
"Maybe Liv," he said, as he stepped closer and whispered into her ear, his breath on her neck sending a shiver up her spine. "If you lay off the wine tonight, you might not fall asleep so early...then we can finally have sex."
Olivia felt sick. She hated drinking so much, but it afforded her an excuse to be too tired to go any further with him. The thought of it made her skin crawl.
Olivia glanced at Noah, noticing his increased efforts to slip out of Tucker's grasp, and silently cheered him on. She trusted Noah's radar - and the warning bells along with her own, which had been ringing right from the start, showing her that Tucker was even creepier than she had first assumed.
Elliot had been right - it had been very easy to gain Tucker's interest in her. He obviously had an unhealthy obsession and building on that was not difficult in theory.
She had realised this from their first date, when she went back to his apartment with him. Thankfully wearing a wire, with reassurances from Elliot that if 'that son of a bitch so much as puts a hand on you, he's dead.'
His apartment seemed normal at first until he showed her his spare room...she tried not to show her alarm and appear flattered, in order to gain his trust, when he proudly showed her the walls - decorated excessively with her photographs, newspaper cuttings, IAB interview notes, even photos be had sneakily taken of her inside the precinct. It was the weirdest thing she had ever seen.
As they entered the elevator, Tucker turned to her, Noah ceasing his struggle as he stared at Tuckers hand, considering whether to just bite and run. "It was looking windy but the weather is settling. Just like us Olivia. Isn't that romantic? Just like the wind, you have little option left but to settle for me."
"Yes" she replied, doing her very best to control her urge to slap him, "that's just about the most romantic metaphor I have ever heard."
The elevator doors pinged open and she felt the urge to wrench Tuckers grip from Noah's hand, but instead observed them.
Noah wriggled and fidgeted, looking over his shoulder with a brief moment of worry that he was going to be abducted by this strange man, as Tucker walked ahead of her. Once he realised that Olivia was definitely following him, he relaxed.
Another flight of stairs - climbing higher and higher, until Tucker wanted to take the elevator again. It annoyed her - she was in far better physical shape than him and he really did slow her down. She swore she felt like she'd aged ten years since she had started 'dating' him.
"So while we're away Olivia, i've just implemented a few changes to SVU - don't worry though - we trust each other, remember?" smiled Tucker, his smile seeming pasted and not reaching his eyes.
"Changes?" Olivia said, as they exited yet another elevator, almost at the top.
"Yes, but don't let it concern you - you're in Paris! It's romantic - us here together, me trusting you, you drinking just enough wine that you'll kiss me but not pass out before we consummate, your son growing closer to me…"
Olivia raised an eyebrow in amusement at his delusional words as her eyes fell on Noah, who clearly also took exception to the strange man's plans for his mother. He took that moment to make his move, and kicked Tuckers shin hard, almost escaping his grasp.
"Yes...he's a good judge of character." she said.
Finally at the top, they stood in the cool breeze. The weather had settled - it was calm and clear and Olivia could finally see for miles.
She glanced at Tucker warily, "so tell me about these changes?"
"Olivia," he said, his face betraying little - "just a few staff and operational changes, nothing you need to concern yourself with - you're in Paris! With me! You are so lucky to be here with me!"
As he slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him while she visibly tensed in disgust, he suddenly yelped as Noah's teeth sunk deep into his hand.
Releasing his hand on reflex, he stared at the indentations Noah had left on his hand.
Olivia laughed.
She couldn't help it.
Tucker flashed a shocked look in her direction and she pulled herself together quickly - "Are you ok Ed?"
"Yes," he lied, pretending that he wasn't in excruciating pain, "i'm fine. Just trust me Liv - have I ever done anything that wasn't in your interests?"
"Well..yes." she said, the act of playing along with him pissing her off more and more with each moment.
"Oh Olivia, if you're referring to that time I interrogated you and arrested you for murder, then you must realise now that I only did that because I liked you. I just wanted to get close to you. Couldn't help it - I went after Stabler for that reason too - anything to be near you."
Olivia tensed, Tucker really was undoubtedly creeping her out.
"People who trust each other, tell each other anything Ed...don't they?" she asked.
"Yes, they do Olivia." he said.
"So tell me one thing - the key you keep with your car keys - what is it for?" she said, as she stepped closer, slipping her arms around his neck, swallowing down the nausea.
"If you tell me - i'll make sure that tonight, I am stone..." she slid her hand up into his hair, "cold.." her lips brushed against his neck, "sober."
Ed Tucker could stand it no longer, it was more than he had ever hoped for that a woman like Olivia, who he had obsessed over, secretly stalked and creully used her sexuall assault against her, was interested in him!
"It's a lock up," he said, his hands slipping around her back, pulling her closer to him.
"Where Ed?" she said, her voice low and sultry, "where is it?"
"Right here, sort of an ulteria motive for bringing you here….i'll show you, but I should warn you, " he said with a sinister chuckle, "you might stay there for a long time…"
"I'll go there with you right now Ed - but what's the address?" she said, kissing his neck as the bile rose in her throat, as she lowered her voice to a seductive whisper, "I love it when you talk French to me."
Tucker's unjustly inflated ego swelled at her words, he leaned in, his mouth close to her ear, "86, rue de Gergovie," he said in an appalling attempt to sound sexy.
Olivia stepped back - "so sexy," she said, doing her best to appear sultry and turned on and not in the slightest bit disgusted at their close proximity.
"I must check on Noah."
She had everything she needed. The case was over. The FBI could move in and arrest him now, and the nights of drinking to dull her disgust and fake drunken sleep could end.
As soon as they arrived back at the bottom, all she needed to do was give a nod, and he would be arrested. The she could have some downtime - take advantage of the fact that she was in Paris and spend some much needed time with her partner and boyfriend.
In seconds though - everything changed.
"We should look into boarding schools for Noah - I've taken the liberty of selecting a few, it'll be good for him to be away from home, and I can have you all to myself."
Olivia glanced at Noah, who was silently observing the conversation, a look of disgust on his face. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small stuffed dinosaur - while Olivia watched, confused.
Noah threw it into the air over and over again, until eventually it became stuck on top of the railing.
Tucker walked over, climbing up part of the way so that he could reach it easily, grabbing hold, he remained there for a moment as he looked down at Olivia with a gloating expression, "Noah will be gone and you will be all mine. It will be perfect Olivia."
Olivia didn't see it coming. In all of her years as a cop, she was not prepared for the rage of a small child hearing that he could be sent away from his mother.
Noah charged at him like a miniature bull, running full speed until he connected hard. Tucker tumbled, and Olivia barely had time to react, (although in all honestly she would have needed a moment to decide whether she actually wanted to intervene.) He flew over the railing, his arms and legs flailing in a comical, almost cartoon like fashion through the air.
Olivia stared at Noah who simply smiled sweetly at her as his toy dinosaur fell back down to the ground, landing at his feet.
Scooping him up, his hand reaching out to grab his dinosaur before she lifted him high into her arms, she held him close and kissed him.
This time, when the phone buzzed, she answered.
"Elliot - we have a problem"
NEW YORK
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT
THREE WEEKS LATER
Munch sat his desk, his eye firmly fixed on Olivia and Elliot's desks. Olivia glanced over periodically, she knew he was watching her, and he knew she wouldn't hold out much longer.
"Hey Liv," he said, noting the hesitance as she turned to look at him.
"Yeah Munch?"
"So Tucker fell retrieving a toy? Quite the hero…" Munch said.
Fin laughed, "that's what I like about you man, your sarcasm."
"That's what the report says Munch, can we drop it now, we both want to just move on from that op," Elliot said, agitated.
"Huh, the report, of course," Munch said, as he glanced around ensuring the coast was clear.
Standing up, he moved over to Olivia's desk and sat on the edge, smiling.
Elliot reclined back in his chair, his arms folded and his tension obvious. "What is it Munch?"
Munch chuckled, "I was tasked with pulling the tapes. Don't worry...some of the footage was 'lost in transit'."
Fin laughed, "Kids gonna be a quarterback Liv."
Olivia's eyes widened in alarm. "Did anyone else see?"
"Relax Liv, just Fin...and Casey Novak...come to think of it there were a few old faces in the bar that night. But don't worry - Casey assures me he can't be held responsible at his age." Munch said as he eased himself off of her desk. "If he asks for ice cream before dinner though - you might wanna consider it…"
Fin laughed, "Nah he's a good kid - he knew he couldn't trust Tucker. Saved the courts hours of paperwork and the prison system thousands. I hope you took him out for pizza after."
"Pushing people to their admittedly timely and justified deaths, is best not rewarded with pizza." Munch said with a serious expression.
The detectives all stared at him until the silence was broken by Elliot laughing, followed quickly by the others.
"The most bizarre thing in this Liv, is that Tucker ever thought he stood the tiniest, remotest, most miniscule chance with you." Munch laughed.
The detectives all broke into a chorus of laughter as they sat at their desks reflecting on the absurdity of Olivia ever settling for Tucker.