DISCLAIMER: I do not own Law & Order: SVU, the characters involved with that show or anything else. I am using the characters, settings, and show title for entertainment purposes only and I am making no profit off of this piece of work. Any names, places, and dates that correspond with anyone else's life is pure coincidence.
A/N: This is a one shot that I'm writing on top of Not a Day Goes By…because before I finish that, I need to tell my story. That's just how it's gonna work today. There may be a few similarities in the stories…but that's okay. So, here goes nothing!
This Uncivil War
A woman with reddish brown hair and brown eyes sat typing away at her computer as a young, teenage girl stood in the doorway of the squad room at the 1-6th precinct in Manhattan, New York. The working woman was chatting with the dark haired man across from her as she tried to focus on the task at hand. As she looked beyond the man she had been talking to, her eyes linked with the teenager's green ones and she slowly stood from her desk. The man turned and saw the girl, but the older woman held up a hand, signaling him to stay put. He shrugged and returned to his work.
The woman slowly knelt in front of the girl, bruises and cuts covered her face, dried blood matted the teenager's dark brown hair, and her green eyes showed signs of fear at every movement from another person. Slowly the older woman spoke in a calm, reassuring voice, "I'm Detective Benson," she stated. "You can call me Olivia though. Can I help you?"
The brown haired teenager nodded slowly. Olivia smiled warmly, "What's wrong?"
"I need to report a rape," the girl whispered.
Benson rose from her position and placed a consoling hand on the teen's shoulder, "Why don't we go somewhere more private?"
The teenager nodded and Olivia led the way to a small room with a large glass window. As the teenage girl walked through the door, the detective followed and motioned for the girl to take a seat. Benson started to size her up, she looked about seventeen or eighteen, average build – maybe an athlete – and was wearing torn up jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. She had an oversized coat wrapped around her shoulders and was clinging to it for dear life.
"My friend," the teenager whispered. "Jackson, he was in the lobby waiting for me."
"I'll send someone to get him," Olivia stated reassuringly. "I'll be right back with my partner, okay?"
The young girl looked around as the door was shut, pulling the dark green coat closer to her frail body. She glanced at the window, but realized she couldn't see to the outside. Understanding that it was a one way window, she looked to the walls. Shivering, the girl hung her head and sat, unmoving, until the detective returned.
As the door opened, the brown haired girl looked up sharply, wincing as the movement caused discomfort. She scooted the chair back as a man entered the room. Olivia sat across from her, "Hey, it's okay. He's my partner, Elliot Stabler. He just wants to help you. All right?"
"Jackson," she whispered, trying to question where her friend was.
"I sent someone to bring him up here."
"Thank you."
Olivia smiled. She wanted to ask the girl questions, at least get her name, but could tell from the teenager's body language that pushing anything could result in her shutting down, and that was the last thing that needed to happen. The door opened and she watched as the green eyed girl saw her tall, brown haired friend. Jackson walked over to her and knelt beside her. He kissed her forehead.
Benson nodded, realizing that Jackson was probably the first person this girl had told anything to. She watched their interactions for a few more moments. The boy was the first person in the room to speak, "Kaiti, are you doing all right?"
The teenager, now known as Kaiti, nodded. Olivia cleared her throat and looked into the green eyes of the younger woman as she gazed at the detective. Offering a look of kindness, Benson spoke, "Kaiti, right? I need you to tell me what happened."
Kaiti looked at Olivia as Jackson gently held her hand. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak, "I was at a movie with a group of people from my church. It was kind of the goodbye party for all of the kids heading off to college next week." The teenager's voice wavered as she told her story. She wanted nothing more than to stay strong, but knew that it was too hard. A single tear fell down her cheek, but she did not acknowledge it. She continued, "We went to Spiderman Three and I loved it, but I seriously had to pee. So I went, and thought nothing of it. There weren't many people at the theatre, and even though I know better than to go anywhere alone, I've done it a million times before and nothing ever happened."
The sound of a pen scratching out notes on a piece of paper could be heard. Kaiti turned to see Elliot writing down her words. With a squeeze of her hand from Jackson, she started to talk once more, "So I went into the restroom and I guess he followed me, because after I finished, I opened the stall and he pushed his way in, locked the door, and, well, you can guess what happened from there."
Olivia looked at the teenager, "I can guess, but you need to say it or we can't do anything about it."
Kaiti shook her head, adamant about keeping quiet. Jackson was whispering something that the others couldn't quite make out, but the teenager kept shaking her head, indicating a very strong tendency to clam up.
Slowly, Benson stood up and walked to Elliot. Kaiti watched, wondering what was happening. The brown haired man nodded and left the room. Then, the female detective came over to where Jackson was kneeling and got down next to him. She smiled softly and spoke in a clear and decisive tone, "You should meet my partner outside. He'll get you something to drink and has a few questions for you. All right?"
Jackson looked from his friend to the detective. He glanced back at Kaiti, "You all right with that, Kait?"
The battered teen locked eyes with Olivia, who slowly nodded to signal her safety. Taking in a deep breath, she broke eye contact with the adult and focused on her friend, "Go, Jackson. I'll be fine. I promise."
The brown haired boy looked into Benson's brown eyes, he glared at her for a minute before speaking, "Don't hurt her."
"I won't," Olivia assured him. "I won't and no one else will be able to either."
The detective watched with curiosity as the teenage boy kissed his friend's forehead. Kaiti seemed to fall into his touch, but as he left, she settled herself back into the chair and waited for further prompting. Eventually, Olivia asked another question, "What happened after this person pushed his way into your bathroom stall?"
Kaiti took a deep breath and ran a hand through her tangled hair. She quietly answered the question, "He pulled my clothes off and threw them on the ground. He told me not to scream, or he'd kill me. I was scared, he's stronger than me, it didn't matter how much I pushed, hit, kicked, or cried, he would still get his way." The teenager broke off with the last word and stared intently at the table.
"What happened after he took off your clothing?"
"I tried to push him back again, but he shoved me against the toilet. My head hit the wall, hard. He told me that I deserved everything I was getting," Two tears trickled down her cheeks again. Kaiti desperately tried to wipe them away before continuing, "He made me tell him that it was my fault, that I deserved it. Then, once he was satisfied that I knew my place, he raped me. Afterwards, he kissed me, told me he loved me like a little sister and promised that he wouldn't have been able to touch me like that if he didn't love me. Then he took me home, made me tell him it was my fault again, and let me go."
Olivia nodded as the teenager told her story. When she stopped, the detective prompted for more information, "Did he say anything else that you think would be important?"
"He said not to tell, that it would be my word against his. He told me that no one would believe me and that I was just a little slut who deserved it. I know it's true."
"Kaiti," Olivia whispered, "listen to me Sweetheart; this is not your fault. It never could be. What this person did to you, it's wrong. But you'll get through this, and we'll get him. I promise. I need you to tell me his name."
"What happens after that," Kaiti questioned, a look of fear in her eyes.
"You and I," Olivia whispered, "We have to go to the hospital for a rape kit examination so that we have any evidence to pin this on him."
"He used a condom," the brown haired girl quickly protested.
Olivia quickly started to ease fears, "That's all right. He may have left hairs or other DNA behind. And you fought, so you could have scratched him and gotten something under your fingernails." Watching Kaiti visibly relax, Benson kept talking until she appeared comfortable, "Also, the rape kit will allow for a physician to check your injuries and make sure that you're safe."
Sighing softly and looking back at the desk in front of her again, the green eyed teenager spoke softly, "Okay."
Still sensing some apprehension, Olivia offered one more suggestion, "Jackson can probably stay with you too."
"I'd appreciate that," Kaiti answered genuinely. "But you can't tell my parents! Please, don't tell them. I told my mom that I was staying with my friend Erin last night, but that's not true. After he dropped me off, I sat outside and called Jackson. He picked me up and I stayed at his house. We came here first thing this morning. Please, they can't know. They'll hate me."
The desperation in the young woman's voice made Olivia's heart break. Benson cautiously rested her hand over Kait's and offered comfort, "I promise they won't find out unless you want to tell them. I am not allowed to tell them without your permission."
"All right."
"Now," Olivia stated gently. "I need to know the name of the guy who did this to you."
"Adam," Kaiti whispered, her voice shaking.
Benson took in a deep breath, "What's his last name, Kaiti?"
"Adam Rife," she whispered again. "He raped me."
As the admission slipped from the younger woman's tongue, tears began streaming from her face. Olivia gently wrapped Kaiti in a hug as she cried out everything that had happened from the night before. As the teenager slowly calmed down and pulled away, Olivia stood up. She assisted the younger girl to rise and walked out of the room with her.
"I will be with you the entire time," Benson eased as the teenager moved forth.
Jackson saw her and walked over to her side. Kaiti grabbed his hand gently, searching for the comfort that would pull her through the horrors she would continue to endure. Olivia slipped on her jacket and Elliot followed suit. As Jackson and Kait stepped out of the squad room, Elliot pulled his partner aside and asked about the rest of the interview.
"I have what we need, call Casey and get a warrant for Mr. Adam Rife, we'll have a rape kit performed after we're done in the ER. I'll meet you by the car, the kids are coming with us."
Elliot nodded and pulled out his cell phone as they all walked to the elevators. Kaiti pulled the green coat tighter around her body as she held herself close to Jackson. Once Olivia stepped near them, she moved closer to the adult she was starting to trust. Benson gently squeezed the green eyed girls shoulder as she looked down at her.
Kaiti smiled gently, obviously still uncomfortable, but seeing that somehow, people cared enough about her to help her heal.
The four stepped onto the Elevator as Elliot hung up his phone. The female detective was the first to break a rather awkward silence, "Kaiti, we will get him, I promise."
"I know," she whispered, "and thank you."
"I'm just doing my job."
Kaiti shrugged gently and pushed herself against Jackson's strong frame. She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck and sighed softly, "I really hope you're right, though."
"What do you mean," Olivia questioned.
"I hope this will all be okay."
Olivia closed her eyes, trying to assure herself that all of the heinous acts she saw each day were capable of being overcome. "It will, Sweetheart," she whispered back. "One day, it will all be okay."
With that, a bell rung and the doors opened. They stepped out together and, one by one, vowed to make this right.
Kaiti struggled with her fears, but allowed herself to remember that one day she would overcome the loss of childhood and life. The seventeen year old knew that she would heal. She knew that everything would be okay.
A/N: Horrible, I know, but it's my story. My life. My moment. Liv reminds me a lot of the woman who took my statement when my friend Jackson sat with me that day, and I couldn't keep letting Olivia tell my story in Not a Day Goes By….because those were my demons to fight. So that's how I started healing…and it's been one hell of a road…but that's okay. So there we go. Please review…if you do, I'll update Not a Day Goes By soon!
