This ficlet takes place after S16 Pornstar's Requiem (between Producer's Backend and Padre Sandunguero). I'm taking Tucker's "Sergeant, we gotta stop meetin' like this" from Padre as a clue that OMB and IABET had previously met for drinks. Let's see what may have happened before that ridiculously hot 47 seconds in the bar when Tucker suggested bourbon and I was all, like, OMFG, NO! HE'S THE ENEMY! But then OMB was like, ok (cue eyebrow), and then that's when I started to be jealous of her and I still am to this day. #Tuckson
…..
Olivia ended the call from Carisi and turned to the tear-streaked face of Lisa Barnes. The Sergeant sat down and informed her that Evie was, indeed, in New England, but she hadn't gone to her favorite vacation spot. She fled Hudson University and was apparently moving forward with her career as Roxxxane DeMay. Mrs. Barnes begged Olivia to have the detectives bring Evie back to New York, but Benson shook her head.
"Evie's eighteen," she explained softly, "Legally, she can make her own decisions."
"What do I do now?" The devastated mother asked.
Olivia took one of her hands, "Go home. Take care of your husband. Keep calling her. Eventually, she may come around."
Lisa blinked back more tears, gathered her things, and walked slowly out of the squad room. Fin eyed her until she was in the elevator and then poked his head in Olivia's office.
"Chief Dodds calm down?"
Olivia rolled her eyes, "He warned me about confusing what he perceives as my political agenda with my job as a cop."
Fin scoffed, "He should look in the mirror. You meanta tell me he doesn't have an agenda?"
"Oh he does," Olivia said assuredly, "But we don't get to question it."
Fin screwed up his face, acknowledging the chain of command. But, there was a finality to the whole thing. Without Evie, Barba's promise to appeal Judge Briggs' ruling held no weight. There was nothing else SVU could do. "Rollins and Carisi back yet?"
"No, they'll be a few hours at least."
"Alright, well, I'll see you tomorrow unless we get a call."
"Have a good night, Fin."
With her index finger, Olivia traced the outline of the picture frame on her desk and smiled at Noah's beaming image. After his most recent health scare and the discovery of the serious injuries he'd endured in foster care, he was finally feeling better and back to normal. Olivia sat back in her chair, still keeping her eyes on the photograph. The pressure of commanding a unit and being a single mother weighed on her daily. Some days it was all she could do to keep her head above water. Chief Dodds' unrealistic expectations and unfair criticism didn't help matters.
With the exception of Carisi, she wasn't sure her squad respected or recognized her authority. So far, she had managed to successfully juggle everything, but she was hanging on by a thread. Noah's caseworker, Ms. Jackson, was increasingly critical of Benson's capability to care for him, and her lack of understanding both terrified and angered Olivia. Noah had never been loved or cared for in his life until she took custody of him. Now, he was safe, well-fed, and getting the medical attention he had been deprived of during his early months. However, Ms. Jackson didn't seem satisfied unless Benson was by his side every hour of every day. Olivia tried, unsuccessfully, to ignore the intense scrutiny and focus solely on Noah's well-being, but Ms. Jackson's words echoed in her head and bred feelings of inadequacy and incompetence.
Olivia's phone pinged. It was Lucy, reporting that Noah was well and fast asleep. The babysitter didn't typically provide mundane updates like this one, but since he'd been discharged from the hospital, Olivia requested them. She told Lucy she would be home in an hour.
…
Five blocks away from her apartment, tucked between a nail salon and an electronics store, was one of New York's less-frequented cop bars. It was popular with veteran NYPD officers, and the owner knew most patrons by name. Olivia ducked in, wanting a quick respite before she reentered real life. To her relief, it was busy enough for her to have a drink inconspicuously, and she didn't recognize anyone there.
The owner was tending bar, and, although he didn't know Olivia's name, he recognized her and offered a warm greeting. She ordered wine, he apologized for the lack of options, and Olivia sipped slowly as she processed the past few days.
Her discontent existed on several levels. Hudson University's decision to expel Evie and do nothing to discipline her attackers infuriated her. The plain fact that this poor girl felt compelled to make pornography to pay her college tuition was rooted in systematic failure. Evie's parents' lack of support was tragic. Judge Briggs' decision and vicious comments directed toward her in open court functioned as her death blow. Evie was all alone in the world.
Olivia took a long drink.
All alone in the world.
Sounds familiar.
She quickly finished the first glass and ordered a second, mentally berating herself for being a bad mother and then immediately making excuses. Noah was sound asleep and well; it was perfectly ok for her to take an hour for herself to unwind, to disappear for a little while. All parents did this…right?
Her disappearing act didn't last long.
"Serrrr-geant Benson."
Olivia hadn't been paying attention to who was coming and going through the squeaky door, but she recognized all too well the voice of the person who took the stool next to hers. Gravelly. Accusatory. Confident. Maybe a tiny bit threatening.
Tucker.
Olivia said hello in the least inviting way, remaining hunched over her drink and refusing to look him in the eye. She didn't hear Tucker order anything, but the bartender brought him something brown.
"Rough day?" He asked.
Olivia debated. Be honest or aloof?
She went with honest.
"Sort of."
"Me too."
Olivia was skeptical and muttered a sarcastic, "Right."
He screwed up his face, "I can't have rough days?"
"I can't imagine why you would."
Tucker sipped in silence for a minute. Alcohol clearly hadn't loosened her up at all. He was a little disappointed at the chilly reception, after all, he got Amaro reinstated for her. "Well, Sergeant, I do," he insisted, "But, enough about me. What happened?"
The compassion in his voice startled Olivia, particularly since, during their last one-on-one interaction he'd been so indifferent and dismissive when she showed him the dash cam footage proving the allegations against Nick were false. Nevertheless, Olivia replied. "Judge Briggs set aside a guilty verdict, totally without merit, and then proceeded to basically tell our vic that the rape was her fault."
Tucker furrowed his brow, "That's unusual."
"Yeah," Olivia huffed, "And then I got reprimanded for having a political agenda because I met with Hudson's President. That judge…somebody in the city is in his head…or his pocket. There's no way an objective judge could sit through that trial and make that decision."
"Barba going to appeal?"
"He said he would, but, without a cooperating victim, it's a dead end."
"Where'd she go?"
"Well, the judge shamed her in court in front of everyone, Hudson expelled her, parents basically disowned her…so she's in New Hampshire…pursuing other things…"
Tucker had seen the headlines. He knew what Olivia meant.
"That's tough." He loosened his tie.
"Yeah."
"How's everything else?"
Olivia felt Tucker's eyes on her, when she turned to reply, his face was different. The rugged cheekbones were still there, but somehow the defining lines had softened. His lips were slightly apart, as if he were about to say something else, but it added a layer of innocence. There was also a certain degree of kindness, maybe even concern, in the expression. Benson had only seen that look once before—when he told her IAB accepted her version of the events surrounding the death of William Lewis and wished her good luck.
She took a deep breath. "It's good to have Amaro back and have a full squad, thank you, but they sent me this new guy who's been everywhere but the Bronx…so that's my latest project." Maybe it was the wine, but she felt comfortable and at ease talking to him. She rolled her eyes and forced an incredulous smile, "I feel like…someone's making things intentionally difficult for me. I ask for a detective with experience and empathy, and they sent me a newbie who, apparently, has been…discarded by three boroughs."
Ed shot her a knowing smirk, "Yeah, One PP will do that. But, you never know, he may end up fitting in. Sometimes it takes these young guys a while to find their sweet spot."
"That's optimistic." Yet another unexpected development…Tucker looking on the bright side?
He shrugged, "And if he doesn't, you can get him outta there."
"Good point."
"Your son doing ok? I, uh, meant to ask when I saw you last, but—"
Olivia sharply interjected, "You were having a rough day?"
Ed cringed, thinking about how rude he'd been the last time he saw her. There was no way he was going to tell her the real reason he acted the way he did. He was busy, but he was also reeling just a bit from seeing Rita again. He assumed she'd relayed to Benson the details of their brief and embarrassingly unsuccessful relationship. The insolence was his go-to defense mechanism.
Ed's eyes pleaded for forgiveness, and Olivia caved, "Noah's good, thanks for asking."
"You want another round?"
Olivia shook her head, "I do, but I have to get home."
"Well, have a good night, Sergeant."
"You too." She felt like she needed to say something else since the brief conversation with her adversary hadn't exactly been the worst thing in the world. "Um, it—" She spoke too soon and got caught searching for words.
This time, he finished her sentence, "It was nice talking to you, too."
His eyelids fluttered a bit as he offered something between a smile and a smirk, and she felt blood rush to her face. It was time to get out of there. She dipped her head and darted towards the door before Tucker could see her blush.
…
I think I'll occupy hiatus time with more of these "fill-in-the-blanks!" It's fun to speculate and it gives me an excuse to watch #SVU (not that I needed one). I think I'll set the next one after Chicago Crossover…
#Tuckson
#September21
#SVU