Summary:
This is a version of Olivia and Ed's romance, the way it might have been acceptable for me on SVU, with a build-up that I believe could have worked for a lot of fans. I am an avid E/O shipper & writer, but to be honest, I can see Olivia move on. Feel free to ignore if you don't feel the same way. If you're open to something new, start off by disliking Tucker and see where my story takes you. If you're into Tuckson, have fun!
Knowledge of the episodes from January 2014 forward is assumed. Using existing scenes and adding a few of my own. Some (parts) of the episode summaries are courtesy of Wikipedia.
Setup of the story:
I will use scenes from the show and I will add a few of my own, which I feel would have helped to make the 'ship' acceptable for much more people. I think this would have helped for me. There are rather large time jumps in the beginning, because Benson and Tucker didn't run into each other that often over the years.
Each scene is introduced with details of the episode it is related to.
Sometimes it is not linked to a specific episode, which will be indicated at the beginning of the section.
Bold print are direct quotes from the actual show. No copyright infringement intended.
-SVU-
Chapter 1: January - June, 2014
-SVU-
January, 2014
Amaro's One-Eighty - After leaving a dinner party at Cassidy and Benson's apartment, Amaro and Rollins witness an officer in the chase of a suspected drug dealer. A standoff leads to gunfire and a teenage boy is gravely wounded. When the evidence shows that the boy was unarmed, the SVU squad struggles to keep IAB Lieutenant Tucker and recently assigned Detective Cassidy from jumping to conclusions. When the case is finally behind them, Cragen announces his retirement from the NYPD and asks Benson to become acting commander of the unit once he leaves.
-SVU-
Olivia had had no choice but to call in IAB again after someone had shot at Nick's house while his mother and daughter were with him. Tucker needed to see the whole picture. The man had actually shown a glimpse of humanity when he commented on Nick going after the witnesses slash lookouts of the shooter with a baseball bat. Told him that he would have done the same thing, or worse.
After the grand jury decided that Nick would not be indicted for shooting the 14-year old boy, Olivia ran into the IAB Lieutenant again. She didn't exactly feel like going home because Brian would be there. He had been a quite active participant in the investigation into Nick and that stung her. She hated getting caught in the middle, again. Conflicts of interest sucked. So when Tucker asked her if she had time for a drink, she accepted. It couldn't hurt to get a better read on the man, now that she was going to head up SVU and Tucker was Brian's boss on top of that.
"I'm glad it didn't go to trial," Tucker told her once they were seated with a drink at the bar of a small café a few blocks away from the 1-6.
"Really?"
Olivia was genuinely surprised. Tucker smirked and took a sip before setting his glass of Bourbon down.
"Yeah, really. I knew right off the bat that it was an honest mistake."
Olivia squinted and looked at the man next to her more attentively.
"You could have fooled me."
Tucker leaned his elbows on the bar and clasped his hands under his chin.
"The media pressure was huge on this one," he told her, not looking at her.
"You weren't any more or less annoying than usual," Olivia said, deciding not to mince words with the man now that he was apparently in an honest mood.
Tucker chuckled and picked up his drink again. He drank slowly and finally looked at her.
"I'm trying to show your boyfriend the ropes. We can't be biased one way or the other."
"You mean you can't show that you're biased one way or the other."
"Same difference."
"Hardly," Olivia countered. "It would really help if you'd show some understanding every once in awhile, even if it's off the record."
Tucker nodded and seemed to contemplate her words.
"I know Nick won't tell you himself," Olivia added, "but he really appreciated your words when we were at his house."
"I meant what I said," he offered. "I don't have any kids myself, but I can understand wanting to kill anyone who gets near the ones you love."
Somehow the word love sounded very strange coming from the mouth of her life-long, seemingly emotionless adversary. Also, his remark about not having kids made her curious about his family.
"Didn't you ever want kids?" she asked him as casually as she could while tracing the rim of her glass with her finger.
Tucker took another long sip from his drink, emptying his glass. He signaled the bartender for another one, glancing at Olivia's wine glass in the process. She had hardly drank anything yet and gestured that she was good for now.
"By the time I began thinking about starting a family, my wife had already decided she didn't want that with me."
He had sounded so bitter that Olivia almost put a hand on his arm to comfort him. She caught herself just in time. This was Tucker, after all.
"What happened?" she asked him instead.
"Let's just say that I had a hard time trusting anyone after … that."
The bartender refilled Tucker's glass and he grabbed it to continue drinking. Olivia picked up her glass as well and took a sip of her red wine. This was turning into a weirdly personal conversation. Tucker having trust issues made sense. He was the most suspicious person she knew, even when in her eyes there was nothing to be suspicious about. She had difficulty trusting people herself, only she tried not to bother other people with her issues. She had simply locked her heart away from the world and never let anyone in. Not even Brian, although he had tried. Lately, he seemed to accept that things weren't going to get any better than they were now. So had she.
The few times she'd tried to trust someone, it had always backfired. It had all started with her mother, of course. And then the man that should have rescued her from her mother betrayed her by walking away when things got tough. Many men had followed in his footsteps after that, until Olivia just hadn't expected anything else anymore. Elliot walking out of her life after twelve years of friendship had almost destroyed her. David dumping her for a promotion had only confirmed to her that no one could be trusted with her heart. Not even a driven ADA with the same sense of justice she had. And she knew it was only a matter of time before Brian would leave her too. So having a hard time trusting anyone resonated with her.
Tucker seemed to be done with the personal revelations and sat up straight, turning slightly towards her.
"So. I hear Cragen has asked you to take the helm at SVU after he retires. I didn't know you had aspirations to move up in the ranks."
Olivia grinned and took another sip of wine before answering him.
"Neither did I, actually. But when he asked me to take the Sergeant's exam a while ago, I warmed up to the idea of taking on a new role. Flexing a new muscle. Maybe it's time, after so many years on the streets."
Tucker agreed and they toasted on her new position. After finishing their drinks, they went their separate ways. Olivia was glad she'd gone with Tucker because she'd gained a tiny bit of insight into the man behind the stoic mask. And that could never hurt when dealing with IAB.
-SVU-
April, 2014
Post-Mortem Blues - Benson is rescued by the squad moments after Lewis' final act and IAB Lieutenant Tucker investigates Benson's actions.
-SVU-
They were going with the absolute truth. Lying had gotten her in trouble before and Olivia was glad that Murphy was backing her up on this. She was still shaking after her second run-in with William Lewis. He'd almost raped her and had ended up shooting himself in the head after a game of Russian roulette. The final bullet had been for her, but he'd turned the gun on himself instead. The team had not gotten to them in time to witness his suicide and they were not going to lie about that. Olivia was glad. The truth would set her free. Wouldn't it?
She had been alone with her nightmares all night and she wished now that she hadn't broken up with Brian just yet. She knew he wasn't what she needed in a man in the end, but at least he'd been used to seeing her walk around like a zombie. At least she wouldn't have been alone with her thoughts.
She could see the judgment in Tucker's eyes even before he started his interrogation. Unbiased, right? He wasn't and she knew it. He knew it too. He thought she had shot Lewis. She zoned out for a few moments after giving Tucker and his partner Draper the details of her contact with Lewis during the days leading up to the confrontation at the granary. She was pulled out of a disturbing flashback by Tucker's voice.
"Sergeant. Sergeant. Do you need a moment?"
"No," she said quickly, not wanting to seem weak. "I'm sorry. What ... what was the question?"
"Did you at any time notify your commanding officer of your location or intent?" Draper asked.
"I did not," she responded, and went on to explain that she didn't want to endanger the life of the young girl Lewis had abducted any further.
When they got to the part where Lewis had given her a choice who would be raped first and she told them what her choice had been, she looked Tucker dead in the eye.
"I told him to rape me."
He was staring at her, unblinking. His partner continued asking her questions but Tucker was silent, until Rita Calhoun came in and interrupted the interview.
Rita rattled her quite a bit. She might have to go to trial for Lewis' death because of her public confession about beating Lewis. People would believe she had killed him point-blank. She could lose everything. This couldn't be happening. Lewis was getting his way after all.
It was frustrating to no end, and when she and Rita went back to IAB the next day, she realized that this really wasn't going to go away. They didn't believe her. Tucker actually turned the camera off after she'd stressed that Lewis had deliberately switched hands before shooting himself, to make it look like she had shot him.
"Let me get this straight, Sergeant," Tucker said. "With seconds to live, one bullet in the revolver, the rest of your squad rushing to your aid ... you're unarmed, you're tied to the table ... he points the gun at you, but instead of firing, he turns the gun to his head and ends his own life?"
"That's exactly what happened."
"What's going on?" Rita asked, but Tucker asked her to hear him out.
"Rita, please. Look we have no problem with Lewis being dead, but your insistence on telling us that this was a suicide, makes it start to sound like a bad cover story."
"And I'm telling you the truth," Olivia maintained.
"The GSR, the prints... The fact that he was shot in the left temple... all consistent with your having shot him with your right hand," Draper said.
"I didn't shoot Lewis."
"I mean, is it possible that there was a struggle for the gun? You were trying to save the little girl?" Tucker asked, almost looking hopeful.
"That's not what happened."
"If there was a struggle for the gun and you pulled the trigger to save your life or the life of the little girl, that's a case IAB can close," Tucker said earnestly.
He was handing her a way out on a silver platter. He was actually being sympathetic, but she couldn't. She just couldn't. So she took a deep breath and told them again,
"That's not what happened."
Tucker sat back in his chair, actually showing something that looked like frustration. Olivia gave him a defiant glare. She was not going to lie. Not again.
-SVU-
To top it off, Murphy was now urging her to 'line up her story with the fact patterns', as he so tactically put it.
"So appearances are more important than the truth?" Olivia asked him.
"Truth doesn't always set you free, Sergeant," Murphy countered. "IAB wants to do the right thing. Let them."
"With all due respect, I don't trust IAB," Olivia said. "And I'm not sure that I trust you either."
She was disappointed in the man. And in Tucker, too. She hated when cases were buried by the higher-ups and she wasn't going to be a hypocrite and let them bury this case too. She wasn't even certain that it wouldn't backfire on her eventually. Justifiable homicide. It would go on record and into her personnel file. It wasn't true. That was not what happened.
IAB called her and Rita in late at night so they headed over there, not knowing what to expect. Olivia had a feeling that she wasn't going to like it.
"Sergeant, we both want to make sure you fully understand the repercussions of your account of this incident," Tucker told her as soon as they were all in the interrogation room. No one had bothered to sit down.
"My account? Lewis shot himself," Olivia fired back.
"And we're prepared to confirm that, but if we do, it may not go away," Draper told them. "The new Brooklyn DA might look on this as an NYPD cover-up."
Tucker asked her attorney,
"Rita, do you want to talk with your client?" but before Rita could answer, Olivia responded.
"No, we're fine. I am not going to admit to justifiable homicide."
Tucker nodded, staring at her.
"Okay."
His eyes softened just a little, showing something resembling respect, but Olivia turned around immediately and started walking out of the room.
"Brooklyn DA is waiting for us to call him back," she heard the Lieutenant say, and she stopped, her hand on the door handle. "We'll tell him we have not found sufficient evidence to dispute your version of the events."
Olivia needed a moment to digest what that meant. They believed her? They were clearing her? She looked at Tucker again and he added,
"Good luck to you, Sergeant Benson."
She exchanged a glance with Rita, and they left the room together. Rita was as surprised as she was and admitted, off the record, that even she had doubted Olivia's account of what had happened.
Olivia shook her head as she walked into her apartment. Did everyone have trust issues these days? Or had it always been like this? She took a long, hot shower and changed into sweats and an oversized sweater. She curled up on the couch under a blanket and switched on the television. She still didn't sleep well and hoped she'd doze off with the background noise of some boring talk show. She really wanted to go back to work but Murphy had ordered her to take care of herself first. She sighed. She'd been taking care of herself her whole life. She just wanted to keep busy so she wouldn't have time to think too much.
(I know there was more to this episode, but it's not really important for this story, so I skipped the rest.)
-SVU-
June, 2014
No episode – Benson is in charge of SVU again after Murphy has left the unit for a new undercover assignment. She visits Chief Dodds at One PP once again to ask for at least one extra detective for her team.
-SVU-
"We know you're understaffed, Sergeant, but I'm afraid you're not the only one. You wouldn't believe the number of people we have in therapy for PTSD right now. It's almost like a plague … no offence."
Olivia felt like strangling Chief Dodds. With the condescending attitude he was giving her right now, she was surprised he was even keeping her on as acting commander of SVU. He was looking at her like she was a fragile girl in stead of a strong and dependable leader of her squad.
She insisted once more that her team couldn't be as effective as he or the mayor wanted it to be with just two detectives in the field, not counting herself. It just couldn't be done and with the press buzzing around each time they found a link between two or more assaults, surely he saw the urgency for SVU. To his credit, Dodds actually wrote something down and promised her he'd get back to her within the week. Olivia suppressed a sigh and walked out of his office frowning. She couldn't fathom how Cragen had managed to do this for so long. She didn't want to waste her time on these meetings but it came with the job.
"Politics," she mumbled under her breath while rounding a corner and literally bumping into none other than IAB Lieutenant Ed Tucker, dropping her bag in the process.
"Sergeant," Tucker huffed, taking a quick step back.
"Lieutenant," she replied quickly. "Sorry, I didn't see you."
"I gathered that. Are you okay?" Tucker asked her, and she frowned at the question.
"Sure, thanks," she mumbled quickly while scooping up her bag.
She wanted to sidestep Tucker and be on her way but he asked her, nodding at Dodds' office,
"Tough meeting?"
Olivia stood still, politeness overriding her urge to get away from Tucker for the moment.
"I'm still understaffed," she answered. "But he promised to get back to me within the week, so that's something at least."
"I see. Well, I hope he comes through for you. How are you doing as commanding officer over there?"
Olivia stared at the Lieutenant for a few moments, trying to find an ulterior motive behind his question, but nothing came to mind.
"It's … different but I manage," she replied after a beat. "You don't think I'm up for the job?"
There had to be a reason for his question so she might as well go for the direct approach.
Tucker held up his hands defensively.
"I'm not saying that, and I'm not implying it. I was just wondering how the new position fit into your … process. I can imagine it would help to be in the field a little less."
Process. Well, that was a nice way of describing what she was going through. Only she wasn't in the field any less at all.
"Maybe it would," she said, "if I could actually be in the field a little less. But unless I get another detective, that won't happen any time soon."
Tucker nodded, and Olivia took a step away from him, letting him know she really had to go.
"Well, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for you as well."
Olivia's eyebrows shot up and Tucker actually gave her a half smile when he noticed her surprise. She knew it was too soon for Nick to come back after his demotion, so she wasn't going to mention him, but Tucker seemed to have no ulterior motive at all with his offer to help her out. Or maybe he just wanted to plant a mole in her unit … She scolded herself mentally for being so suspicious.
"That would be great," she managed to say.
Tucker's phone rang and he apologized before answering it, tapping her arm before turning away from her to take the call.
Olivia left, shaking her head. What had gotten into him lately?
-SVU-
To be continued.