I know we're in season 16 for SVU, but I recently watched a repeat of Lunacy and the idea for this story came to my mind when Cornel Finley asked Liv out. This will be an EO story.
Thanks to my Beta The Congressman; if you haven't already check out his story Prey, its awesome.
Reviews are VERY much appreciated, so don't be shy.
Enjoy and Review!
Chapter 1
"Dad if you looked up to the Cornel, how come you didn't become an astronaut?" Dickie asked, glancing over at his father as they made their way up the brick walkway towards the house.
Elliot gave his son a slight shrugged as they made their way up the stairs. "Trust me I wanted to but your mom was pregnant with Maureen so my priorities changed."
"I thought you and mom got married after you came back from the Marines," said Dickie looking at his father with a confused glance as he got the mail. Elliot averted his eyes, knowing he had been caught. "Dude, you knocked up mom. That's classic! Wait till I tell Lizzie."
Elliot pulled his son into the house. "Look son, I had responsibilities that I had to attend to back at home so some dreams had to be shelved," Elliot explained not without some regret. That was one thing that he had to learn quickly, family came first. Because of that fact some of the things you wanted to do had to either be put on hold or changed completely. As a young kid he always wanted to travel to space and walk on the moon but he had to change that plan when Kathy told him that they were going to have their first child together. Ever since then everything he did was for his family, because his family meant everything to him (well, his family plus one).
"Yeah," Dickie laughed, "All the old astronauts I read about were in the Air Force. Imagine you as a flyboy."
"You got that right!" the elder Stabler laughed with his son. The Air Force was often the butt of many a joke in the Navy and Marine Corps, the jarheads having such whoppers as "Chair Force" and "Colorado Springs Clown College" to describe their comrades in the air.
Shaking his head as he set the mail down on the coffee table, Dickie began to muse out loud. "I don't know dad, I would do anything to be able to travel to the moon."
"Really?" Elliot questioned, eyebrows furrowing as he looked at his son.
"Dad, it's the moon! Anybody would," Dickie said, setting the model rocket down next to the mail before heading upstairs.
Watching his son for a minute, Elliot picked up the rocket, lost in thought. His son was right, many people would do anything to travel to the moon. Someone he knew would do anything to travel to the moon.
Eyes wide in realization, the detective grabbed his keys off the table before yelling to his son upstairs, letting him know that he had to make a run.
*SVU*EO*SVU*
Fingers gripping the steering wheel, Elliot drove to the lab with the rocket in hand hoping, praying that he was wrong but deep down he knew that he was right. Once his fear was confirmed Elliot made his way to the Marriot to confront the person, his fallen idol.
Reaching the room on the third to highest floor, Elliot banged on the door as his rage started to get the best of him. In his anger and determination he had shunned backup, wanting to confront the person himself, get answers that he desperately wanted. When there wasn't an answer the first time Elliot slammed his fist on the door repeatedly, not caring if he woke up the entire floor. Not surprisingly, a couple of seconds later the door opened slowly to reveal Dick Finley, the white haired man zipping up his pants. "We need to talk." Elliot said with a sigh as he pushed his way into the room.
Finley cocked an eyebrow at the detective as he closed the door. "Look Elliot, I'm sorry. I know I should've checked in with you before asking Olivia out, but if you weren't going to make a move then I was," the older man, said with a smirk on his face, his patented charm front and center.
Fist's clenching, Elliot turned towards Finley and was about to speak when he heard someone behind him. He swiveled his body around to find Olivia standing there in a silk robe, a very thin silk robe. "Liv," Elliot breathed as his eyes quickly roamed her bare legs and slightly exposed chest, quickly looked away knowing that if he didn't he would embarrass himself.
Olivia wrapped her arms around herself, a mix of emotions swirling around inside her, namely confusion and embarrassment. "El, what's going on? Is everything ok?" Olivia questioned, feeling disconcerted at the moment as she looked at the facial expression on Elliot's face; by his expression she knew that her partner figured out why Finley took too long to answer the door.
"No Liv, everything is peachy," he said sarcastically, glaring at Finley. "Your, buddy here went to extraordinary lengths to make sure he had a spot on the next shuttle going to space." He turned, looking straight into Olivia's eyes, silently communicating to her like they always did; Elliot knew she understood what he was saying when her eyes went wide.
Narrowing eyes at Finley, Olivia slowly made her way to stand next to Elliot. "You murdered Margret," Olivia ground out, not believing she just slept with a murderer. Everything started to make sense to her now. Why Finley wanted so badly to help out with the case; what she thought, what they all thought was a noble sense of chivalry was a smokescreen to throw them off his trail.
The older man chuckled as he rubbed his chin. "You two've got quite an imagination there. Why would I murder Margret? We were friends, colleagues." Finley said setting a hand on his hip.
Elliot walked over to Finley, "You murdered Margret because she took your spot for the next trip to space; she was the new hot shot. You knew they threw you a bone, promising you a spot eight years from now; you knew that was a long shot a sop they threw for an old, aging veteran. You wanted to go to space and the one person standing between you and the moon was Margret," Elliot seethed, stepping closer and getting right into Finley's face. "That's why you got involved in the case, pointing us in all the wrong directions to make sure we never looked your way."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Finley rolled his eyes, turning to Olivia. "He was always kissing someone's butt when we were in the Marines together," Finley chuckled dryly, pointing towards Elliot. When he saw Olivia wasn't buying his charm like before his demeanor changed, the charm morphing into a rage that mirrored Elliot's. "I didn't want to hurt the poor guy's feelings but he was never cut out to be an astronaut. You were, and still are, weak and pathetic," Finley yelled, pushing Elliot.
Elliot flexed his shoulders, "I'm pathetic? You were the one who wanted to go to space so badly that you murdered Margret. You left a perfect thump print on the model rocket you gave my son that matched the one on the pendant perfectly!" Elliot yelled back, his face turning a deep, dark red. "You had the nerve to accept my son's handshake!" Elliot screamed, pure venom dripping from his mouth before punching Finley square in the nose, causing him to stumble backwards with blood gushing out.
Olivia moved to pull Elliot back, but was to late when Finley went after Elliot, punching him in the nose in retaliation. She tried to pull them apart but was unsuccessful as she was knocked backwards, falling against the wall and hitting her head in the process.
Dodging a right hook, Elliot heard Olivia hit the wall. "Liv!" he yelled, summoning all his strength and smashing an uppercut at Finley's jaw. Not in the mood to take prisoners, he kneed him in the crotch and added a left hook to the cheek for good measure, the older man crumpling to the ground in a heap. Knowing Finley was down and out, Elliot ran over to Olivia and pulled her up gently. "Liv, are you ok?" Elliot asked, looking at her head making sure she didn't hit it too hard. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to Olivia.
Breathing hard, Olivia nodded as she rubbed the back of her head. "I'm fine El," she assured him, smiling softly.
Letting out a breath he didn't even realize he held, Elliot checked Olivia over once before walking back over to Finley, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. "Cornel Dick Finley, you are arrested for the murder of Margret Jansen," Elliot said from memory as he pulled him up, slapping the cuffs onto his wrist. "Meet you outside by the car," he said to Olivia, giving her a reassuring smile to let her know he didn't think any less of her. He received a relieved nod from Olivia before escorting Finley out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Olivia ran a hand through her hair; her night started off so well but ended horribly in finding out that the man she slept with had murdered their victim. She sighed deeply before walking back into the room where the bed was grabbing her clothes to put back on. This was officially one of her worst dates ever, which was saying something.
When Olivia made it outside to meet Elliot, she watched as he put Finley in the back seat of a police car before closing the door and watching as the car drive off. She gave him a sympathetic smile when he turned to look at her. She couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been for him to arrest the man who he looked up to for so many years. "You ok?" Olivia asked, walking up to him. When he shook his head she was shocked, honestly expecting him to deflect say he was ok. Knowing he shouldn't be alone Olivia asked "Wanna grab a drink?"
Elliot nodded again, a drink sounding really good right now. He walked over to his car and opened the door for Olivia before making his way over to the driver's side. Getting in, he proceeded to their usual watering hole.
At the bar, they took their seats in a booth rather than the normal barstool, both nursing a beer in silence. Elliot looked up at Olivia as he took a swig of the amber liquid. "Sorry for ruining your night," Elliot said softly, smiling appreciatively at the waitress who set another beer down in front of him.
His partner shrugged, "El, you of all people don't have to apologize. I kind of wish you came sooner before, well, you know," Olivia responded before taking another drink from her beer. It was all so humiliating.
Elliot nodded in understanding, knowing what she meant. "I thought you were supposed to meet Dick around eight this evening," he stated, thinking at the time he would beat Olivia there when he made his way to the hotel to confront Dick.
Olivia nodded as she took a long sip, swallowing. "I was, but he called asking if I wanted to come early for drinks. I had one glass of wine before he kissed me; that quickly turned into a make-out session, one thing led to another and well you can fill in the rest," Olivia confessed with a little laugh. "God, how am I going to explain this to Cragen?" Olivia wondered as she put her face in her hands, dreading the conversation with her boss and de facto father figure.
"I'm sure Cragen would understand. Dick wasn't even on our radar regarding the murder. All you knew was that you were going out with an astronaut," Elliot tried to reassure Olivia, reaching out and rubbing her back softly.
After another round each Elliot and Olivia made their way out of the bar. Being the gentleman and close friend that he was, Elliot insisted on taking Olivia home first, making sure she made it up to her apartment before calling a cab (he'd pick up the car the next day). Safely alone in the backseat, Elliot knew that when he got back he would have to deal with a very angry Kathy for coming home so late. It was worth it though, keeping Olivia safe.
*SVU*EO*SVU*
When Elliot entered the squadroom the next morning, he set a cup of coffee and a bagel on Olivia's desk. "Morning," Elliot said to her as he made his way over to his desk.
Olivia turned her attention from Cragen's office to Elliot. "Thanks," Olivia replied graciously as she took a sip of the delicious hot liquid. Her partner was too good to her.
He smiled at her, munching on a piece of his bagel. "What's going on in Cragen office?" Elliot asked once he swallowed his food. He had notice the door and blinds closed, which was only done when Cragen was in a meeting with someone.
Glancing at the office, Olivia bit her lip before looking back at Elliot. "Tucker is in there with Cragen. He came in here ranting about wanting to suspend me for sleeping with Finley," Olivia told him just as the door flew opened, Tucker storming out of the office. As he walked out of the squad room the IAB chief glared at the two detectives. Olivia was brought out of her thoughts when Cragen called her into his office, glancing at Elliot before slowly standing up.
"Don't worry Liv, they can't suspend you; you didn't know that Finley murdered Margret when you went there," Elliot said, trying to reassure his partner.
Olivia nodded as she gave him a small smile before walking towards the office. She walked in nervously as she sat down in a chair in front of Cragen's desk. "You wanted to see me Cap," Olivia said clasping her hands together and setting them on her legs trying to prevent them from bouncing nervously.
Cragen nodded as he sat forward in his chair, setting his arms on his desk. "Tucker just informed me that IAB will not be going after you for sleeping with Dick Finley. Tucker of course wants to put your head on a platter but he has no grounds; I told him that if you had known that Finley had any involvement with the murder of Margret you wouldn't have went out with him." Cragen smiled at seeing relief wash over Olivia's face. He knew that for the past three days his best detective had been worrying about what IAB would decide.
Glad that this whole mess was over, Olivia could finally put this behind her. "Thanks Cap for everything."
Cragen nodded, "Liv you don't need to thank me; I know you and I know you would never jeopardize a case like that. I always have your back. Now go get back to work, the perps don't stop because we want them to," Cragen quipped, watching Olivia exit his office with a smirk before getting back to some much needed paperwork.
Content for the first time in days, Olivia sat back down at her desk feeling her partner eyes on her; she looked up to meet his blue eyes. "IAB cleared me," Olivia grinned, already knowing what he wanted to know.
Elliot leaned back in his chair setting his hands behind his head, smiling at her. "Good; Alex just called saying that the grand jury came back with an indictment on all charges," Elliot mentioned. They shared a knowing look before they got to work on their DD5's for the case.
*SVU*EO*SVU*
'It can't be.' Olivia looked down in disbelief, not comprehending how this was happening to her. The brown-eyed detective tried to ignore the signs for weeks now but she no longer could ignore them anymore. All her life she had dreamed of this moment but the knowledge of who gave it to her sullied what should have been the happiest moment in her life. This wasn't at all how Olivia wanted this to happen, especially not with him. "Please God," she breathed, looking up to the ceiling. "Help me."
Olivia was brought out of her thoughts by a knock at her door. She stood up, looking through the peephole and seeing her partner on the other side. "El what are you doing here?" Olivia asked, opening the door and moving to the side to allow her partner in.
"Cragen said you still weren't feeling good" he said, holding up a grocery bag, "So I brought you some soup, crackers and tea." Elliot walked in and set the items down on the small dining room table. "Also, I came by to let you know that Finley received 25 to life for murdering Margret and life without parole for the witnesses." Not hearing her response, Elliot turned to see his partner run towards the bathroom, followed by the sounds of her emptying the contents of her stomach. Knowing what to do, he walked in, leaning down to hold her hair back for. "Liv, maybe you should go see the doctor," he suggested.
"I already made an appointment for this Thursday," Olivia said, leaning against the wall after flushing the toilet. She gratefully accepted the cup of water from Elliot; however taking a sip of the liquid only caused another bout of vomiting.
Once Olivia was done emptying her stomach Elliot helped her to her room, laying her down on her bed. "I'm going to go grab the saltines. Do you have any ginger ale in the fridge?" Elliot asked, receiving a nod from Olivia before walking back out towards the kitchen. After grabbing the items, Elliot was making his way back to Olivia's room when something on the coffee table caught the corner of his eye. Reading what was on it, he nearly collapsed from shock and anguish for his best friend. Everything was starting to make sense to him now.
Olivia looked over at Elliot when he walked back into her room. She watched as he set the items down on night stand next to the bed, his demeanor changed somewhat. "Thanks Elliot," she told him, afraid to ask what was wrong.
Elliot nodded before holding up the object he found. "Liv, you're pregnant?"
TBC
Well should I continue it or scrap it. I have some things planned for this story. I would love to hear from you guys. REVIEW, Thanks.
