Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Dick Wolfe and NBC. Contains spoilers for Perverted and Uncover. Beginning dialogue taken from the show but I changed a few things around.
As Olivia was being escorted by Sargent Tucker down the stairs she felt the temperature in the room rise about a hundred degrees. She stared hard at the floor in front of her to try to stop the room from spinning and concentrated on taking deep breaths. She was well aware of the squad room of co-workers who were gawking at her and she refused to let them see her have a panic attack.
"Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law." the Sargent continued.
"Tucker, ever hear of professional courtesy?" Cragen barked. "You could've picked up a phone. Arranged a surrender."
The Sargent half dragged Olivia past the captain and continued reading her rights.
Suddenly Fin appeared on her right. "Don't say anything to the rat squad, Liv." he said. "I'm calling the DA's office for a lawyer."
Olivia could hear five different voices shouting things at the same time but couldn't make out what any one person was saying.
Then Sargent Tucker stopped suddenly and jerked Olivia's arm. "Do you understand these rights?" he demanded.
Olivia managed a nod and Tucker pulled her along.
"You're taking her to central booking?!" Olivia heard Munch exclaim.
"You know the drill." Tucker said dryly.
The ride to central booking was a blur. Olivia was vaguely aware of being escorted from the car by Tucker and a uniformed officer.
As they approached the building, Liv found her voice. "Wait! Just wait." she said shakily. "I've been locked up twice undercover. This..This isn't right."
Tucker pushed on but Olivia stopped to face him. "I didn't do this." she said panicked. "Just talk to me. Please."
Tucker stopped and faced Olivia. "Are you waiving your rights?" he asked.
Taking a few seconds to catch her breath, Olivia looked around. "Is there an interview room open?" she asked.
Sargent Tucker rolled up his sleeves as the uniformed agent handcuffed one of Olivia's hands to her chair.
"Now where were we?" the Sargent asked.
Olivia looked up and met Tucker's eye. "You were trying to put me in an alley where I wasn't" she said matter-of-factly.
"Okay." the Sargent said casually.
Tucker took a seat across from Olivia.
"Why did you see a psychiatrist last year?" Tucker asked in an innocent voice.
Olivia's head snapped up. "Excuse me?"
Tucker smiled slyly seeing that he had gotten Olivia's attention. "Rumor has it, it was for post traumatic stress." he continued.
"Wow," Olivia said feigning shock. "Munch was right... Big brother really is watching..."
Tucker's voice softens almost sincerely. "Hey you didn't get shot in the line of duty or anything..."
Olivia straightened her back in the chair. "I got help for an issue that I was having." she stated.
Olivia paused. "...I didn't see a company shrink. Where did you get this information?"
"You deal with an awful lot of rapists on this job..." Tucker said ignoring her question. "Did one of them attack you? Overpower you?" he said a little too aggressively.
Olivia reflexively stiffened and took a quick breath. "That has nothing to do with this case." she countered.
"It does if you had a flashback." Tucker said quickly. "People with PTSD get them all the time."
Tucker leaned in. "Is that what happened to you? Clyde attacked you in an alley and it triggered a flashback?"
Olivia's shook her head and cleared her throat. "No, you're wrong." she whispered.
"You were right back in that position of complete helplessness" Tucker pressed. "He had his hands all over you. He was taking your clothes off. He was going to violate you again and you couldn't let it happen."
Olivia started visibly shaking despite her best efforts. "I never let that happen." she said raspily. "Now stop playing games and tell me what you think you have on me."
Seeing that the moment had passed, Tucker leaned back in his chair. "Your DNA was a positive match to the DNA on the knife." he gloated.
Liv stared at him and then grabbed at her shirt with her free hand. "There are no cuts on me." she said loudly. "Where did the blood come from?!"
Tucker pushed his chair back and put on his jacket.
"They'll document all your wounds during your strip search at intake." he said before nodding to the uniformed officer and leaving the room.
"Goddammit" Alex cursed as her uneaten pretzel slipped from her hand and bounced off the sidewalk outside the police station. Alex groaned and shifted her stack of papers and travel mug to one arm so she could awkwardly bend down to pick up the pretzel. Her stomach growled in hunger as she chucked the pretzel into the trash can. She was mentally cursing the lieutenant whose testimony review had caused her to miss lunch when her cell phone rang. Groaning again she balanced her papers in the other arm and fished her phone out of her bag.
"Cabot." she barked on the third ring.
Alex had to pull the phone away from her ear as noise and shouting filled the line.
"Fin?" Alex asked after a moment. "Is that you?"
"You know the shit show those DEA lawyers run, Cabot." Fin shouted over the noise. "Our girl needs better than that".
"Fin?" Alex tried again "Wait. Start over. I missed the beginning. I can barely hear you. Where are you?"
Alex tried to turn up the volume on her phone but could only make out "Benson" and "Better get over here". Then the phone went dead.
"Ugh!" Alex sighed and turned on her heel to head back into the station. By the time she got inside the commotion seemed to have died down. Elliot was leaning up against Fin's desk rubbing his brow. Alex noticed Fin gave him a pat on the back before sitting down.
"Fin... what on earth is going on here?" Alex called as she walked up to the detectives. "This had better be good if this station is going to keep me from dinner too".
Elliot looked up, startled for second.
Fin ignored the bite to Alex's remark. "It's Liv, Alex" Fin started. "Rat squad just took her away."
Alex shook her head. "What are you talking about?"
Elliot looked up. "They arrested her. For the biker killing. ...I'm not sure how but... all the evidence points to her".
Elliot rubbed his hands over his head. "They've got her DNA, Alex."
Alex stood there for a moment in shock.
"We've gotta get her a lawyer." Elliot sighed. "They're going to arraign her first thing tomorrow"
"She's not going to make it until tomorrow" Fin interrupted.
Fin looked past Elliot's questioning gaze. "You've gotta get her out of there, Alex"
"What?.." Alex started "Fin, Liv's my friend too and I don't like the idea of her spending a night in lock up anymore than you do but there's not much we can do about it at 7:00 on a Tuesday night..."
Fin stepped forward and looked Alex in the eye. "Alex, trust me" Fin said emphatically. "She can't stay there".
Alex and Elliot both looked at Fin questioningly.
"What are you trying to say, Fin..." Elliot asked.
Alex sighed and looked at her watch. "Look, I'll try to rush over there now. If I get there soon I might be able to see her for a few minutes."
Fin started to speak but Alex interrupted "No promises, Fin. If she's been arrested for murder there isn't a whole hell of a lot I can do..."
Olivia shakily drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her free arm around her leg. Her other arm was now chained to a pipe above her head as she sat on the bench in a hallway outside the main cell. They kept her outside of the main cell block because she was a cop. Even the rat squad wasn't evil enough to throw a cop into a cell of alleged criminals she had helped to arrest.
Still... now.... alone in that hallway... restrained...
She could hear the shouting of detainees but more prevalent was the shouting of officers... barking orders over the banging of something indiscernible against the metal cells.
Each sound made her jump and try to retract further in on herself.
Her arm chained above her head made her feel exposed. She pulled against the handcuffs as more of a panicked reaction than an attempt to break free.
The steel cutting into her wrist made her breath catch in her throat. Even as her eyes welled with tears she fought to swallow the rising panic. She closed her eyes briefly only to jump a second later when she heard an officer down the hall growl "Shut up and do as your told!".
"I said, excuse me!" Alex shouted as she rapped on the finger smudged glass.
Slowly the duty officer turned around with a thoroughly disgusted look on his face. "Look lady, you wanna post bail for your crackwhore sister or your deadbeat father, bondsman's office is across the street. They open at 5:00."
Alex looked sharply at the officer and pulled a crisp business card from her purse. "Alexandra Cabot. DA's office." Alex said succinctly. "I need to speak with a detective in your custody. Olivia Benson."
The officer glanced briefly at the card before tossing it back to her. "Listen, I don't care if you're the fucking mayor of New York. No visitors."
Alex reached into her bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"I have a signed court order from a district judge granting me access to the accused as part of an ongoing criminal proceeding." Alex stated.
Alex had visited three other judges on her way to central booking before she found one that would agree to sign a court order for a scenario that Alex had loosely based on a true case.
Alex pressed the documents into the officer's hand.
"Open the door" she demanded.
The officer snarled and walked out haughtily from behind his desk to escort Alex to the cell block.
From a distance Alex could see a figure curled up against the metal wall.
"She's being kept separate from the rest of the detainees." the officer said apathetically.
Alex gasped as she drew closer and saw Olivia trembling.
"Uncuff her" Alex snapped.
"I can't" the officer replied "it's against-"
"I said uncuff her" Alex demanded.
Either Alex's tone told the officer she meant business or he just didn't care because he pulled his keys from his pocket and moved to unlock Olivia.
Alex wasn't sure Olivia had even registered anyone presence but as the officer moved toward her Alex could see her visibly cringe and start shaking her head.
"No, please" Alex thought she heard Olivia plead.
Alex took a step closer.
"Olivia?... It's Alex..." Alex said hesitantly.
As the officer reached up to uncuff Olivia from the pipe, the buttons on his jacket grazed her face.
Instinctively, Olivia pulled her hand free and shoved the officer away from her. Before Alex had a chance to react, the officer forced Olivia up against a wall and pinned her arms behind her back. Tears were now visibly streaming down Olivia's face as she tried to break free.
"Please don't hurt me... please don't hurt me..." Olivia repeated.
"Stop!" Alex yelled. Without thinking she ran up and grabbed the officer's arm in an attempt to pull him off. "You're hurting her! Back off!"
The officer shrugged Alex away.
"Let her go now or I'll have you charged with brutality" Alex demanded.
The officer hesitated but ultimately released his grip.
Olivia immediately darted to the far corner of the room.
"Call an ambulance." Alex called behind her as she ran a few steps toward Olivia.
"Olivia?..." Alex said as she got closer.
When she was only a couple feet away she knelt down ignoring the fact that she was kneeling on the floor of a jail in a $5000 suit.
"Liv?..." she tried again. "Can you hear me sweetie?"
Alex noticed Olivia's shaking turn to trembling but she could tell that she recognized her voice.
Alex reached out and put her hand on Olivia's arm. "Liv, it's Alex..." Alex said softly. "Are you with me?"
Olivia slowly raised her head but didn't respond. Alex quietly slipped off her jacket and moved in closer to Olivia as she draped the jacket over her shoulders. Olivia slowly sunk into Alex's embrace and silently clung to the attorney until the ambulance arrived. Alex didn't dare try to ask Olivia just then what happened but as they waited for the ambulance her mind was spinning as she started to put the pieces together.