Elliot: Do you or do you not own SVU? Huh?
Me: Actually, I do.
Elliot: *Glares menacingly*
Me: Okay! Okay! I don't own! Please don't shove me into a wall!
NOTE: Updated for grammar, spelling, and all of that jazz, thanks to my new beta. New and improved version thanks to TangoSVU. Claps for Taryn!
It was chaotically quiet, to say the very least, when the two detectives pulled into the parking lot of the precinct, tired but happy seeing as they had just solved a tedious and rather radical case. The fact that it was six o'clock in the morning and add in that the two were running on virtually no sleep in the past three days didn't help. Elliot turned the key 180 degrees after parallel parking in front of the precinct to turn off the engine. But instead of getting out, the couplet cops relaxed for a few seconds, savoring the peace of the muffled bird chirps outside the window.
"Well, that does it, I'm officially exhausted," Olivia muttered from the passenger's seat, eyes still closed and head resting on the top of the seat.
Elliot groaned a noise of agreement before they both returned to silence for a few more moments.
"I hate to say it, but if we don't go inside, we're both going to fall asleep," Elliot said, making the first move to head to their workplace.
Olivia sighed, and followed cue, dreading anything requiring thought or movement of any sort, wanting only to sleep. Reluctantly opening her eyes, she slid out the door and onto the road beside her, trudging through the amnesiac feeling she still contained.
If it hadn't have been for the things they've heard and seen in some of the interrogations and files that had you pleading to be blind and deaf, the precinct building actually would have looked rather beautiful this particular early morning. The sun reflected off the windows leaving glares and reflections that boldly meshed with the wispy, creamy clouds and crowned the royal blue sky. Unfortunately, there was little time for admiration of nature for the couple of detectives. Still groggy from sleep (or lack thereof), Olivia stumbled at first before gaining balance and began to walk at an ordinary pace on the cement sidewalk bridge engulfed by the well-manicured broccoli-colored lawn and well-kempt delicate daisies next to the two-floor limestone workplace.
When they got to the entrance, Elliot and Olivia were greeted by the usual hubbub and hullaballoo of normal early-morning office activity.
"Well good morning, Sunshines. Don't you look smashing," Fin said taking one look at the tired two and handing them each a cup of coffee.
"More like they've been smashed into a wall," Munch added in, empathizing while still poking fun at the battered-looking two.
Olivia glared at Munch, but quickly returned her attention to Fin. "You're a life saver," Olivia replied, happily and hastily accepting the cup of artificial energy. Elliot nodded in agreement before taking a sip as well.
They both slumped down in their leather chairs at their desks, each greedily downing the caffeine-laced beverage before logging onto their computers and checking their e-mails, passing the time before the inevitable next case came up. It wasn't that they didn't enjoy their jobs, and of course they were exciting enough, but it could really weigh on a person.
"I hate to say it, but I'd actually welcome paperwork with open arms right now," Olivia said to Elliot. Not a moment later the Captain burst out the door, clad in his usual attire and carrying a file stuffed with documents, obviously not there to grant Olivia's wish of a quiet day of boring form-filling.
Olivia winced without even having to turn around, knowing from the sounds of Cragen's large footsteps behind her they had a new hit.
"What's it this time?" Elliot asked, exhaust that could easily be mistaken as irritability seeping through the pores of the words he spoke. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking brawny in his attire of a blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up contrasting with the charcoal black of his dress pants and belt clips with gun and phone attached along with a variety of other instruments that could be vital in the middle of a crime scene.
"See for yourself," he said slapping the manuscripts in front of Olivia, and forcing Elliot to walk a few steps until he could see the file as well.
"Alice Jones, fifteen, a sophomore at Roosevelt," Olivia rambled off from the little information they had on the girl next to the picture of a teen with silky blond, French-braided hair, perfect toothpaste commercial smile, and sparkling green eyes.
Elliot took a split moment to sort out his thoughts and regain his composure. Cases like these were always the hardest.
"Found deceased at the Suites de Luxe in the room she checked into with a loaded debit card at eleven o'clock yesterday. Found by the maid when she entered in to clean the room for a routine cleaning," Olivia finished the miniscule bit of information left on the report page.
"Where is she originally from?" Elliot asked, intrigued and curious.
"It says here Manhattan," Olivia replied.
"Prestigious place. Any ideas why she was in that hotel?"
"Not sure. According to witnesses she checked in with her mother though, and carried a lot of baggage and dry cleaning."
"Did we figure out what she was doing anything earlier in the day?"
"We haven't gotten in touch with the mother yet, but it says here that security cameras show her and her mom having a fight in the lobby, but then going into one of the ballrooms."
"Anything unusual going on with this girl before yesterday?"
"Not sure. Here, check her transcripts and I'll see if I can figure out any of the witnesses we may need to interview," Olivia said handing Elliot the sheet with her grades and school activities.
"No need," Elliot said not a moment later, "I'm almost positive I know why she was at the hotel. It says here she was in the Future Daughter Leaders of the World."
"Which has to do with what exactly?"
"It's some big pageant they hold every year. The girls put on a fashion show and compete for some big money. Some of these girls grow up to be large-name models. It's a pretty intense thing."
Olivia lifted an eyebrow and stifled a laugh. "How do you know all that? I'm almost afraid to ask. I mean you think you know a guy..."
"My daughters always go and then beg me for money for the ridiculously priced designer things they wear," He explained.
"Ah. I was going to say, I never thought you to be a pageant guy, Stabler."
"So anyway," Elliot steering the conversation back on track, "how are we going to pin the perp?"
"That's a good question," the Captain said emerging from his office again, joining in conversation now that the detectives were all caught up on what they were dealing with. "We obviously need to interview the people that knew her, ask them about potential old boyfriends, past instances, things like that."
"Who do you want us to talk to first?" Elliot asked.
"Well not so fast. Munch and Fin can cover that much. I think the easiest way would be to get on the pageant scene, but we need to be discreet. I doubt these people would be comfortable or hospitable for us giving them a bad name. The media is already surrounding them; giving them bad press isn't going to us a great name with them."
"Especially if it has nothing to do with the program," Olivia finished his thought.
"Exactly, which is why we need to lay low, not make our presence known."
"So an undercover," Olivia stated, understanding.
"Precisely; Elliot, you'll be the concierge at the check-in desk and, see if there's any suspicious looking people coming in and out of the hotel, while we need a female to be the eyes and ears of the pageant.
"And since Liv's the only woman here I'm assuming that's her," Elliot prompted, trying to get a clear picture of what their mission was going to be.
"Yes, is that okay with you?" The captain asked turning to Olivia. Though the final decision maker, Olivia thought it was nice that he asked her her opinion on the matter, knowing he didn't want to put her in an uncomfortable position.
"That's fine, but I'm a little confused, what exactly am I going undercover as?"
"You're going to register under a fake name as a mother of one of the competitors so you can spot possible suspects and talk to others that may have known Alice on a more personal level. Get them comfortable and see if anything comes out."
"Okay then," Olivia said, a bit overwhelmed at the boatload of information they'd just received. "There's just one problem, how can I register without a kid?"
"Looks like we're going to have to find you a daughter," Cragen said, "I'll make some arrangements and be right back with the results," he said steering himself back into his office and onto the phone.
"Well this is bound to be…interesting," Olivia reasoned, trying to find an appropriate adjective.
Elliot gave a slight chuckle, knowing full well that chasing criminals and interrogating perpetrators was more in her comfort zone than schmoozing and poise. He especially took special notice in the way she looked when the Captain had said daughter and how she avoided mentioning the fact of spending that much time around an adolescent. He patted her gently on the back. "Welcome to the life of pageantry and parenthood. Hold on tight, Benson."
Hello readers! In the past couple months I've become obsessed with SVU. I've had this idea in my head for awhile and wanted to try it out. Suggestions and comments are thoroughly appreciated good and bad. Like/dislike something specific? Want to see something particular happen? Enjoy and review! Your opinions matter so much to me, and I hope you had a good time reading. I had a fun time writing!