Olivia Benson met Melissa Murphy in Brooklyn, 2004, when Melissa was 18. Olivia was visiting Nathan Murphy, an old academy and college buddy. Nathan was down from Massachusetts to visit his brother, Frank and his daughter, Melissa. Melissa was originally from Anaheim, California but brought to New York once her mother died.

Over the years, Olivia watched Melissa, or as everyone called her, Sparky, change from a shy tomboy into a mischievous rowdy young woman as she hung out with the neighborhood boys and her father's friends.

Before Nathan passed away from his illness in late 2009, he told Melissa that when he died to go back to New York and that Olivia would take her in while she found her our place and a job at an auto repair shop. Olivia promised Nathan that she would do anything for Melissa.

2010, and Melissa now 24, was back in New York, but without any family - Olivia felt a sense of obligation not only to Nathan, but to Melissa to make sure that she did not end up like Melissa's father. Nathan entrusted his academy buddy to help his niece out when he passed away. Nathan left Melissa with a small trust fund and his 1949 Mercury. The Murphy's Amherst, Massachusetts property went to other relatives in the Murphy family, so Melissa was without a home.

Olivia kept her promise and took Melissa into her apartment, although all she could offer her was the couch, Melissa welcomed it. And within a month, Melissa was employed at an auto repair shop.

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Manhattan

McSorley's Old Ale House

March 17, 2010

2 pm

Olivia and Elliot walked into the small, old bar with all the St Patrick's Day chaos erupting. Beer stench, Celtic music blaring, men laughing. It was 2pm and Melissa already had 3 beers in her. She fit right into the testosterone filled environment.

Olivia wanted to drop in and make sure that Melissa wasn't getting into trouble.

"Are you okay with making a stop here?"

"Yeah, no problem, Liv."

"I just want to make sure she isn't…"

"Yeah, I know."

Melissa had substituted her usual St. Patrick's day in Boston for the celebration happening in Manhattan. Earlier in the day, Melissa text messaged Alex Cabot to meet her, Elliot and Olivia for drinks at 6pm. Alex responded that she was eager to meet with Melissa and Olivia and Elliot.

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Melissa met the ADA while visiting Olivia in the squad room in 2009. Olivia introduced them to one another and Alex took an immediate liking to Melissa. Alex was discussing a case about an automobile accident with a valve found at the crime scene. Melissa knew valves like the back of her hand and asked Alex to see a photo of it. Melissa eventually ended up helping Alex with the valve identification which led to a shop outside Staten Island, where the perp worked and was eventually prosecuted.

At Alex and Melissa's initial meeting, Olivia became tinged with jealousy. She felt her space was being invaded; space that had taken Olivia 5 years to build. Even though Olivia and Alex had been done for a several years, Olivia knew Alex was looking at Melissa the same way Alex used to look at Olivia– admiration, intrigue, desire, and lust.

Melissa and Alex had since met inside the squad room a second time leaving Olivia on edge. Olivia and Melissa were sitting at Olivia's desk. Melissa brought Olivia a "lunch" at 7pm – one of Olivia's longer days. After court, Alex came into the squad room to deliver a report to Dr. Wong. Upon seeing Melissa, Alex stopped at Olivia's desk and began talking to Melissa. Olivia stood up, moved in between the two, and blocked the conversation with the excuse of a leg cramp. It was a poor excuse, Olivia knew; however, she knew it wouldn't be long before Alex tried a move on Melissa.

The third encounter, of which Olivia had no knowledge, took place at Olivia's apartment. Olivia had left early in the morning to attend court; Melissa not yet up for her own work. Alex went to the apartment and asked for Olivia because she had additional information for a court case. Melissa was surprised Alex would even stop by. Surely, Alex knew what time court was, and being it was only 45 minutes until the start, Alex could have called Olivia's cell.

Barely awake, Melissa invited her into Olivia's small, dark, apartment. Melissa was petite, yet muscular in the upper body; she had blonde shoulder length hair, blue eyes, and a few tattoos on the lower inside of each arm. Melissa was wearing black hot shorts and a black wife beater- her usual bedtime attire.

Alex:

You just woke up didn't you?

Melissa:

Does my outfit give it away?

Alex:

I think your outfit is cute.

Melissa and Alex sat on the couch in the silence of the apartment. Only the street noise and occasional car horn floated through the room. Alex looked down on the couch at the bed sheet and blanket.

Alex:

Do you always sleep on the couch?

Melissa told Alex she spent most of her nights on the couch; the nights Olivia did not come home because of all nighters, or nights she crashed at the precinct, she slept in Olivia's bed. Alex had shifted slightly at the mention of Melissa sleeping in Olivia's bed. Melissa noticed Alex's unease.

Melissa:

That doesn't happen too often.

Alex uncrossed her legs and took a breath to make that move. Alex lifted her hand and drove her arm slowly toward Melissa's thigh.

CELL PHONE RING

Alex Cabot? Yes, I can make it. The original time was 10. Okay, thanks.

Alex stood and took a final look at Melissa in her outfit.

Alex:

Court time was moved up.

Melissa:

Okay.

Alex walked out of Olivia's apartment. She tried, and technology ruined it.

[]-[]

Olivia saw Melissa talking to a man at the bar as they made their way through the bar.

"Elliot, isn't that Lionel Granger?" Olivia asked.

"Yep." Elliot chirped back.

The defense attorney was facing Melissa, looking as though he was in court giving her the questioning he does to Cabot's witnesses. Olivia watched as Melissa turned her whole body on the bar stool towards Granger; Melissa cocked her head to the right and let out a brief two words. Olivia knew what those famous two words were.

Granger held up his hands in defense, Olivia read the words on Granger' mouth, "Now wait…"

Melissa interrupted Granger and now audible to Elliot and Olivia as they were closer, "Listen, asshole, I don't know who you are."

Elliot turned to Olivia, "Problems?"

"Yeah." Olivia and Elliot walked faster towards Melissa.

Olivia and Elliot stopped at the pair and Granger turned towards the detectives, "Oh, hello, detectives. Excellent timing. This young woman is belligerent."

Olivia turned to Melissa. "What's going on, Melissa?"

"Oh, so you know her?" Granger asked. "We were just reviewing her family history. I became well acquainted with her father through the system. Did you know the bastard didn't give a damn about her and sold her out to his friends?"

Olivia, stunned, did not move or speak. Melissa immediately lunged from her stool and punched Granger in the face with her right fist. The momentum of Melissa's lunge and punch carried both her and Lionel to the floor. The rowdy bar patrons turned and cheered at the fight.

Olivia immediately dived for Melissa. Olivia grabbed hold of her waist and yanked on her. Melissa got three more punches in on Granger before Elliot had to place himself in front of Granger to stop the hits. The men cheered even louder at the final two hits. Olivia finally pulled Melissa off of Granger and held her by the waist.

"Arrest her, damn it. I'm pressing charges, Detectives!" Granger yelled. He wiped blood from his cheekbone and stood up while adjusting his suit jacket. He looked around the bar at the patrons staring at him and laughing. Granger tried to collect himself and appear not embarrassed that a young woman had just got 4 clean punches in on him.

Olivia dragged Melissa out of the bar by her waist as a man yelled out "Nice hitting!" Olivia raged at Melissa's behavior and the encouragement she was getting from total strangers. This is exactly what she did not want Melissa to end up doing out here, or anywhere. Olivia slammed Melissa up against a wall.

"What the hell, Olivia?" Olivia pressed her harder against the wall.

"Don't resist, Melissa." Melissa tried to turn around and release her arms from Olivia's firm hold, but Olivia's strength kept her pinned against the wall. Melissa's right shoulder dug into the brick wall as Olivia pressed harder. Olivia pulled out the cuffs from her belt with her left hand, she pressed them onto Melissa's wrists and cranked them as close to her skin as possible.

"Olivia, you're actually arresting me?" Melissa incredulously asked while trying to turn backwards to look at Olivia.

Olivia kept her hold on Melissa's wrists with her left hand and had her right hand placed on Melissa's upper left back. "Melissa, this is bull."

"What's bull is what you are doing to me!" Melissa's voice choked a bit as her adrenaline started to come down from hitting Granger.

"You did this to yourself, Melissa. I knew at some point you would lose control down here." Olivia said.

Melissa fell silent for a few seconds then quickly seethed at Olivia's accusation that she couldn't possibly grow up from the rowdy 19 year old version of Melissa that left New York in 2005.

Melissa, infuriated, tried to wiggle her wrists violently out of Olivia's firm grasp. Olivia's rage burst over completely – she pulled Melissa roughly back from the wall then forcefully walked her over to their Squad car. Olivia, still with her right hand on the cuffs, pushed Melissa forward onto the hood of the car with her left hand- so forcefully that Melissa's face hit the hood.

"Olivia! What are you doing?" Elliot bursting out of the bar ran towards the two. Elliot ripped Olivia's hands from the cuffs and pushed Olivia back. Melissa free from Olivia's control stood up and turned away from the hood of the car and spit out blood. She looked to Olivia with disbelief that the one woman she had ever trusted in her whole life would do this to her.

"Liv, you need to cool off. Go finish up with Granger inside." Elliot demanded. Olivia shook her head as if coming out of a trance and looked at Melissa's bloody lips.

"Am I under arrest Elliot?" Melissa barely spoke.

"Unfortunately, yes." Elliot replied.

"For what, Elliot?" Melissa said, using her own right shoulder to wipe blood away from her lips.

Elliot sighed deeply, "Well, Lionel Granger wants to press charges and if Olivia wants to, you resisted arrest."

"Please, look at me, she messed me up!" Melissa yelled in Olivia's direction.

"Let's go, I'm sorry Melissa." Elliot said as he lightly led Melissa by her handcuffed wrists into the Squad car.

The drive to the squad room was torture for Olivia. She knew that within an instant she had blown years of a developing relationship with Melissa. Olivia turned around to the back seat to look at Melissa, "I had no choice, Melissa." Melissa instantly jerked her head to the left window, the furthest she could get her sight away from Olivia.

Elliot looked in the rear view mirror and saw blood dripping down Melissa's lips.

"Liv," Elliot motioned with his head to the back seat. Olivia dropped her head lower and saw the blood. She pulled a Kleenex out of the glove box and reached back to wipe it off.

Melissa jerked her head down and as far away as possible, "Don't touch me."