So this is a story I've been wanting to do for a while, and I finally got around to it. This is just the start, just kind of a lead in to where this is going. It may start out a little slow, but it'll pick up soon, promise. Enjoy!
Amanda walked into the 16th precinct, a box in hand. It was her first day in the Manhattan Special Victims Unit and she was both nervous and excited. She walked off the elevator, seeing her new captain stepping onto the elevator. "Oh, Captain, Captain Cragen?"
"Excuse me?" he asked, obviously in a rush to go wherever he was off to.
"I'm Detective Amanda Rollins, you interviewed me last week."
"You picked a hell of a first day. I'll fill you in later."
"You can fill me in now." She turned and handed her belongings off to a uni. "Hey, stash that somewhere for me hon, thank you." She stepped onto the elevator standing next to her captain who seemed stunned she was ready to jump in. "I'm ready to work." She followed her captain to the crime scene and instantly started investigating.
"Got something."
Melinda, the medical examiner walked over to where she stood. "What?"
"Could be blood," she said, pointing to the red smear mark on the dark floor.
"Let's shoot this," Melinda told her team.
Amanda reached into her pocket, pulling out a quarter. "Hold up, let's get some scale here." She placed the coin next to the smear, allowing the tech to capture the image with the camera. She picked the coin back up and went back to investigating the crime scene.
This is what she was known for in Atlanta. She had a degree in forensics and an eye for detail. She could pick up on something as miniscule as a frayed thread on a bed spread. She hadn't yet gotten to meet the rest of her team, which is what she was most nervous about. Not only would she be working with one of the greatest units of detectives in the city, she'd be working with one of the best detectives in the country, Detective Olivia Benson.
She looked up to Detective Benson. She was looking forward to getting to work under her and learn from her. The woman wasn't just a role model, she was her hero. Olivia's name made national headlines with many of the cases she closed, and she'd studied some of the work that she did for cases she had in Atlanta that were similar.
Amanda stood in the captain's office speaking with John Munch and Fin Tutuola, looking in on their perp, Roberto Distasio, talking about how the famed Elliot Stabler would have loved to bust this guy, had he been there. "Who wouldn't?" They turned the speaker off when his attorney, Marvin Exley, walked into the room.
They continued to look at the suspect and his attorney. Amanda heard heels clicking on the floor and she turned to see a tall blonde walk into the office. She listened to her colleagues talk to the woman who apparently had been working in the Congo for some time. She stepped forward to offer up a small tidbit of evidence. "And we found a mixture of semen and saliva at the scene. M.E. pulled out a nice juicy cocktail from the drain."
Cragen looked between the two blondes. "A.D.A. Cabot, Detective Rollins."
"Nice to meet you," Amanda said, offering a small smile.
"Pleasure."
Amanda sat at her desk doing paperwork as a load of suits met in Cragen's office. The box of her belongings still sitting on the corner of her desk, she didn't have time to organize her things yet to her liking. They would have to wait.
She heard another female voice. "We're going to—" the entire room went silent as Detective Benson entered the room with the maid, their victim.
Amanda looked up at her. It was truly her. THE Detective Olivia Benson was in the same room as her. Amanda thought she was going to die. Stay professional, Rollins. She scolded herself. Olivia set their victim at a table and started walking towards the captain's office. Amanda flew out of her chair to catch her. "Detective Benson?" The Brunette turned to face her and Amanda smiled. "Hi, Amanda Rollins," she offered her hand.
"Right, the transfer from Dallas, right?" she asked, shaking the younger woman's hand.
"Yeah, well, Atlanta actually." She saw the woman starting to walk away. "You like Distasio for this?"
"Uh… he was there." She said turning back to walk into Cragen's office to fill him in.
"Well I just—I just wanted to let you know I'm really happy to be here. I um, I studied a lot of your cases. I used some of the stuff you did on the Brown case, the infant homicide."
"Yeah, yeah, I haven't briefed the Captain yet so… Thank you." She waved at the blonde and walked into her Captain's office.
Amanda gave a small smile and walked back to her desk, making sure all her 't's were crossed and her 'i's dotted. Once the commotion of dealing with Distasio calmed down a little bit, Cragen called a short meeting.
"We all know there is a bullseye on SVU from the top down. We work this case by the book, like our jobs depend on it."
"DA's office is putting Miriam and her kids up in a hotel, keep them away from the circus."
Amanda stood listening to the goings on of the meeting. Once they dispersed she walked back to her desk, since her paperwork was done and Olivia and Fin were taking Distasio to the hospital, she started to organize her desk. She didn't have much, just a few things that reminded her of home, a cowboy boot pen holder and a few pictures, not of anyone in her family, but of the scenery in Atlanta, what she would truly miss.
Amanda was a loner all her life, until she joined SVU in Atlanta, then she started hanging out with her co-workers, her superior officers. She started gambling. It all led to trouble, and she had to leave, she heard Manhattan SVU was looking for a new detective and she jumped at the chance and was given the job almost on the spot, giving her time to make the move from Georgia to New York.
It wasn't long until Cragen walked out into the squad room and told the remaining detectives to go home for the night, there was nothing more they could do that day. Amanda sighed and picked her keys up, walking out to her car and driving back to her apartment. She walked into her small, one bedroom, nearly empty apartment. She looked at the clock. It was early and she realized she hadn't eaten dinner yet. She pulled out her phone, looking for a good Chinese place around to order from. Once she called and placed her order she quickly showered and changed into shorts and a lose t-shirt, her hair up in a bun. She curled up on the couch, flipping through the channels on the television.
Once her food arrived she sat, alone, in her apartment eating and watching TV. When she finished dinner she cleaned up, turned off the TV and walked into her bedroom, crawling under the covers. She turned the TV in her bedroom on, just loud enough she could almost hear it, but not too loud and she drifted off into a light sleep.
The next couple days were filled with trying to get information out of Distasio, his arraignment, the hand off when his bail was taken back and he was put on house arrest. Everyone went out to the bar, Olivia was already there. They all got a drink when Cabot walked in telling them the good news, that the DNA was a match to Distasio.
"Well that puts him there. He'll probably plead consent."
"Hell yeah, sex is power to him. Whatever happened in that room, he doesn't see it as rape." Amanda said with a roll of her eyes. She noticed that Olivia was distant, but they'd only met a few days ago, she didn't feel as though she knew Olivia well enough yet to ask if she was okay. She was talking to Fin, so at least she wasn't bottling things up inside. She of all people knew that talking and self-care was important.
When Mike Cutter walked in and told them that their victim was in it for the money, producing a copy of The Ledger with full proof. They questioned her on it and decided if Distasio's legal and P.R. team were going to dig up dirt on their victim, they would dig up dirt on him. Olivia was on the phone with someone in Italy, who didn't want to go on the record, and Amanda was talking to someone in Buenos Aires, who said he had a similar charge against him there.
They got him.
Olivia picked up the phone to call Cabot and looked over at Amanda. "Rollins, nice work."
Amanda fought to hide the grin that wanted to spread across her face. Olivia Benson, the woman she looked up to, the woman she looked at as her own personal hero just said that SHE did a good job. She was just about ready to die.
Finally the trial ended, the jury took what felt like forever. Amanda was in the squad room when Olivia came back in and looked over at the young blonde detective. "We handed the jury a mess and they split the baby."
"He's going to appeal, claim that perp walk was prejudicial."
She shrugged. "I'll take a hit."
Captain called Olivia into his office and she followed, closing the door. Amanda looked at John and Fin, then back at her computer hoping Olivia wasn't in trouble, and if she was, it wasn't too much. When she walked out she looked as if she had seen a ghost. Fin looked at her. "You okay?"
She nodded and spoke, unconvincingly. "Yeah."
"We have a ten thirty four, who's catching?" Munch asked looking at Olivia who was looking at her desk. "Fin, take Rollins."
"No, I'll go. Give me five minutes and we'll roll," she said, trying to keep her composure.
Amanda looked at her and nodded. Olivia walked off, no one knew where exactly she was going, but they all knew better than to follow her. She was a private person when it came to emotions. She didn't want to show weakness. Amanda completely understood this, because she was the same way. It was part of the job, and being a woman. These men had to trust that you would have their six and not break down over something small. How could they do that if you were crying? Neither of the women wanted to be coddled by their male colleagues.
Olivia walked out a few minutes later and her and Fin took off. Amanda sat at her desk, her hands behind her head. She closed her eyes. This was it. This is where she wanted to be, where she needed to be. She survived her first case with Manhattan SVU, and managed to do it without making an ass out of herself.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed it, please review, here or on Twitter, UnbrokenBarista. And if you couldn't figure it out, this is an Amanda centric fic, so telling me to make it less about Amanda would be futile.