A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! Keep 'em coming! Glad to see there are so many other SVU fans who appreciate kitten literature. What can I say? Kittens bring out the best in everyone-even the popo.
Just a little side note. I had a little bit of trouble writing this chapter, as is evidenced by the fact that I was a little drunk when I wrote the last few pages. Do with that what you will and enjoy...
Olivia finished recording the Iphone video of Donut dragging her butt across the floor and sent it to Amanda. It had been a few weeks since her birthday and they had just closed a particularly grueling case involving the gang rape of a teenage girl. On the few nights she'd slept at home, her furry pal greeted her at the door and slept next to her head, easing her into peaceful sleep with her rhythmic purring. Amanda was right—it was nice to have a buddy to come home to.
She did feel a little bad about coming onto her so strong. She still wasn't sure what had made her do it. She wasn't one to behave irrationally when she was tipsy—not after growing up with her mother. Maybe she was just going through that time again—sometimes she enjoyed female companionship and it had been awfully nice of Amanda to get her a kitten. She knew the blonde had been going through a hard time after her sister set her up for murdering her boyfriend and sacked her apartment. And she couldn't deny that she was fond of Rollins at the very least, and had felt for her through the whole ordeal.
Her phone buzzed and she set down her coffee to look at Amanda's reply. I just roflmao'd when I saw this. Olivia grinned. Amanda hadn't been making it any easier. After her birthday, the younger woman had taken to avoiding her at first. Then she was fluttering around, peering at Liv when she thought she wasn't looking, making up reasons to Cragen as to why they should be partnered together as much as possible. Now she simply blushed whenever Benson walked into a room.
It was endearing, to say the least. Benson had to wonder if Rollins even knew she had a crush. It wasn't that she thought the southerner was naïve—you couldn't work at SVU for two days and be naïve, let alone the nearly two years Amanda had been on the squad. It was just that she was a tad younger than Liv, and probably less experience with such sophisticated things as the complexities of female sexuality.
Donut stopped dragging her butt across the floor and lifted her paw in the air, batting it at Olivia. "I'm sorry, you little stinker, but I have to go. I have to keep the streets safe, you know. For cats everywhere." She stroked her kitten under her chin and left for the precinct, texting Amanda as she did so. You've turned me into an old crazy cat lady, Rollins.
She was in the elevator of the 1-6 when the reply came a little bit later. Naw, you have to have at least three cats to be considered a crazy cat lady. Besides, you were crazy before I ever got you a cat.
Olivia chuckled as she reached their floor and saw Cragen and the rest of the gang huddled up together in the squad room. They beckoned her over and Amanda, who had two cups of coffee in her hand, handed Olivia one. "Lots of sugar," she said and her sky blue eyes glowed with admiration and something else.
"Thanks," Olivia said. "What do we got, cap?"
"Dancer was murdered at a topless dive bar. Another dancer named Summer and her friend found the body about an hour ago."
"I know her," Fin piped up. "Nice girl. She's dancing her way through school. Doesn't get herself into too much trouble."
Amaro raised his eyebrows. "How do you know her?"
Fin checked himself. "Uh… I was undercover…"
"Funny," Cragen said, frowning slightly. "I don't remember you going undercover in this particular bar."
"Anyway," Totuola said quickly, and the other detectives suppressed smirks. "She'll probably be helpful."
"Okay," Cragen nodded. "Benson, Rollins go talk to her and her friend. They're still at the club waiting for us to show up. Amaro and Fin, go check out her friends and family, see if anyone had it out for her."
The squad dispersed and Amanda and Olivia headed out to her car. Despite the slight wind chill, it was a balmy day, and Liv watched as Amanda shed her jacket, admiring the way her stomach muscles clenched underneath her shirt. "How's Donut doing, besides the butt rubbing?" she asked as they headed to the topless bar.
"She's wonderful and I adore her. I don't know why I didn't get a cat sooner." Olivia told her. "She sleeps either on my head or right next to it. She really likes my head for some reason."
"I like your head too," Amanda replied. Olivia glanced over at her and Amanda quickly looked away. "I mean… because it's so full of, uh… information and...stuff"
"Right," Olivia said.
"Ah… I do miss the furry little monster," Amanda added after a brief pause. "Tell her Aunt Mandy said hello."
"You can tell her yourself, you know," Olivia said as they pulled into the parking lot of a dingy looking strip club. It was small, with bars on the tinted windows. Passerbys probably couldn't tell outright that it was a topless bar, but it didn't look like a place you brought your kids to. "You should come see her tonight when we get off. She misses you." And maybe her mom misses you a little bit too, she added privately.
"Yeah, okay," Amanda said, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. "I'll bring wine this time."
They got out of the car and spotted a pair of girls sitting on the pavement in front of the club's entrance. The one that was probably a dancer was busty with a head full of bronze curls, dusky skin and a fox-like face. She leaned slightly on the other girl, who looked to be a little bit older. Her hair was dark and her face was kind and pretty. They both had cigarettes hanging from their lips, puffing deeply.
Rollins and Benson approached them and the scent of perfume, incense and marijuana filled their nostrils. "Summer and Sophie?" Olivia asked.
The girls looked up. "That's us," the dark-haired one said. "Are you the fuzz?"
Olivia flashed her badge at them. "I'm detective Benson, and this is my partner, Detective Rollins. Can you tell us what happened?"
"I left my phone here last night after work," the fox-faced girl who was clearly Summer said. Her eyes were red-rimmed through the cloud of smoke surrounding her and Sophie's heads. Sophie took her hand and squeezed it. The two were obviously close. "I was stopping by to pick it up before we went to class, and I noticed the patio door was open a little bit, which is weird because the place wasn't open yet. Just to be safe I had Sophie come with me to check it out, and we found Presley's body."
"Did you know of anyone who might have had it out for Presley?" Amanda asked in her southern drawl. "An ex-boyfriend or a coworker, maybe?"
Summer shook her head. "I honestly don't know her very well, because she works the day shift and I work the night shift. The few times I have talked to her have been enlightening, though. She is… was… all kinds of fucked up. I don't know what she was on, but she would just jibber and say off the wall shit all the time. She always looked cracked out, lit up like a Christmas tree and buttered up as a piece of toast."
"Do ya think maybe one of her dealers was comin' to collect?" Amanda asked.
Summer shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. I'm really sorry I can't be more help. If it makes you feel any better this ordeal made me fall off the wagon." She held up her cigarette by way of explanation.
Sophie tugged on one of her friend's curls and tucked it behind her ear. "Don't beat yourself up over it, Summer."
A small smile curled in the corners of the dancer's mouth and she leaned into her friend's palm. It was an affectionate gesture, and Amanda saw it and glanced at Olivia, suddenly very fidgety. "Well, I'll just go interview some of the other dancers then, Liv. See if they know anything."
She shuffled off and Summer and Sophie observed this, suddenly distracted from their trauma. They exchanged sly grins. "I think your partner has a confusion boner for you, Detective Benson." Sophie giggled.
"A what?" Olivia asked, raising her eyebrows.
Summer lifted her head up and let out a squeal of laughter. "Holy shit, I see it too! Where is Shugah Honey Darlin' from anyway, Detective Benson?" She put her palm on her cheek and pretended to fan herself mockingly. "Ah do declare," she said in an exaggerated version of Amanda's accent. "That Detective Benson does indeed give me the shivuhs!"
"Why yes," Sophie joined in. She thrust out her wrists dramatically. "Arrest me officuh! I've been naughteh and I do believe I need a spankin'!"
The girls chortled together heartily.
Olivia couldn't help but chuckle. "All right, behave yourselves."
"We will as long as you don't," Sophie snickered.
"Just call me and let me know if you think of anything else," Olivia said, grinning as she handed them her card. "Both of you be careful… and stay in school."
"Will do, detective," Summer replied. "And say hello to Fin for me."
Olivia turned to go find Amanda and heard Summer sigh behind her. "I hate to see her go…"
"…But I love to watch her leave." Olivia heard Sophie finish for her, and they both were off laughing again.
I might not be twenty-two anymore, but I've still got it, Olivia thought to herself smugly as she went into the bar. The inside wasn't quit as shabby as the outside, but it was close. A single disco ball hung above a stage with two spinning poles surrounding by shabby, uncomfortable looking chairs. The "VIP section" was a roped off round table in the corner, and only one dancer could be seen giving a table dance to a fat old man in a shadowy corner. Typical.
She found Amanda talking to Melinda Warner on the back patio. The body of the dancer Presley all ready had a sheet over it as Melinda filled out some paperwork. She looked up at Liv as she approached. "You must have told those girls a few knee slappers, Liv. We could hear them giggling from in here."
"Just a little gallows humor," Olivia said as she looked at Amanda. "Did you get anything from the other girls, Rollins?"
"Yeah, from a couple of the dancers up in the dressing room," the southerner replied. "Turns out Summer was right. Presley was all kinds of messed up. They mentioned drugs she was on that I ain't even heard of. And I'm a recoverin' gambler, so I've heard of quite a few."
"Presley was brutally murdered and raped," Melinda added. "Blunt force trauma to the head, tearing in the anal and vaginal passages. Whoever killed her wanted her to suffer."
Amanda nodded. "One of the girls upstairs said she saw Presley with a shady looking fella yesterday, someone she thinks gets her drugs. They were arguin' and Presley looked upset. The girl said she used to sleep with him a few years ago before he got too caught up in the lifestyle, and she told me where he lives. We should go ask him a few questions."
"We should, Georgia Peach," Olivia agreed. "See you in the lab, Melinda."
By the time they got to the address in Queens that the dancer had given Amanda, she wondered if they had been played. That Dancer had looked pretty spun herself. As they passed a building that was partly caved in from decay, she couldn't help but wonder if they were chasing the imagination of a woman too whacked to even remember where she lived, let alone some drugged up former lover.
"What a dumb lead," Amanda muttered to herself.
"There's no such thing," Olivia told her. One of her hands left the steering wheel and she put it on Amanda's knee. There it was again. A flush spread through her body as a result of the contact from the older woman. Either it had been way too long since Amanda had been with anyone or Liv was turning her gay. "The worse than can happen is this car gets stolen, and it was a mistake to buy this car in the first place, so no harm done."
"It could be a dumb lead if a touched stripper sent us into a crack den."
Liv shrugged. "Than we get to bust a crack den." Through the car window behind her, Amanda could see a three-legged dog with yellow puss dripping from its mouth hobble past the mustang.
"Let's just stay in here for a sec, Liv… just to be safe," Amanda said warily. "I just have a bad feeling."
Olivia nodded. "That's all right." A few thuds sounded on the mustang's windshield and a rumble sounded overhead. "Looks like they were right about that thunderstorm coming in… I hope Donut doesn't get scared."
Her mention of the kitten eased Amanda's nerves a little bit. "A little rain wouldn't scare her. Come on, lets go in and question this guy before it starts to pour."
Another rumble turned into a clap of thunder as the detectives rushed up to the apartment building the dancer had sent them to. It was an unfortunate looking complex, with yellow shutters that probably used to be green half hanging off their hinges, a small brown front yard with bits of cement strewn too and fro and peeling paint. They reach the front door underneath the porch just as it started to torrent.
The man's apartment was on the bottom floor. Liv pounded on the door with the rush of rain roaring quietly from the front door. "This is the police! We want to ask you a few questions! Open up!"
No answer. They waited a few moments before Amanda kicked open the door. "Cover me?" she said to Olivia and put her hand on her gun holster to reassure herself.
Olivia nodded and the two of them stepped inside. It looked like a scene from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Random objects like toilet seats, aluminum cans and rubber tires were strewn everywhere. The only decorations were a plain, sagging black futon and a Hannah Montana poster on the wall. Half of it was missing and what looked like teeth marks wrinkled the corners.
"Good Lord," Amanda muttered.
"He's not here." A man appeared from the entrance to the kitchen. He was wearing a pink bathrobe and had a pair of glittery fairy wings tied to his back. On top of his head was a santa hat that said "bah humbug." Even though he probably wasn't any older than thirty-five, his beard was completely white and his pupils were extremely dilated, so much so that the whites of his eyes had practically disappeared.
"Are you all right, sir?" Olivia asked him, her hand hovering over her gun holster. "We just wanted to ask you a few questions about a dancer named Presley. She was murdered late last night or early this morning." Her voice had taken on that soft, persuasive quality that seduced many a criminal into spilling their guts to her.
"Presley?" The man's mouth twitched and his jaw contorted. "I bet you'd know where she was before me. Aren't you the angels of death?"
"No," Olivia said quietly, stepping towards him cautiously. "We're detectives… do you need me to call anyone? An ambulance, maybe?"
He looked at his hands and began waving his arms erratically. "Did you see that?"
"See what?"
"The artic fox," he replied as though it was obvious. "You've invaded his territory."
"Or maybe he's invaded ours," Amanda suggested. The man turned to her and narrowed his eyes as Olivia crept closer to him.
"The baroness will not be pleased by this," The man muttered. "She lives inside the TV screen. If we're not careful, she'll come out and scold us."
"I bet she'd be more quick to scold the baron," Amanda said earnestly. Her experiences with Kim had taught her that the best way to talk to someone who was tripping this hard was to play along with them. "I hear he's been foolin' around with Presley. You know anything about that?"
"That whore," he spat. "I taught her a lesson."
"Yeah?" Amanda encouraged. "I bet you did…"
"The baron… he…" the man suddenly turned and looked at Olivia. Amanda's instincts kicked in. She ran towards him as he pulled a hunting knife out of the pocket of his robe and lunged at Detective Benson.
Olivia had seen it coming too, but only had time to hold her arm in front of her face before the knife gauged her. It cut into her arm and Amanda caught his wrist before it could cut into anything else. She felt warm blood and he shrieked and jerked away from her.
"Olivia!" Amanda turned quickly to her partner, who was holding her forearm, her face contorted with pain as blood streamed through her fingers.
"I'm fine, go get him Amanda!" she said, her face pale. "Now!"
Cursing, Amanda reluctantly peeled away and tore after the man who'd just stabbed Olivia. Luckily, she was quick on her feet. He had a few seconds on her but she caught up to him in the kitchen. He took one wild-eyed look at her before he jumped through the window next to the fridge and onto the fire escape.
Glass shattered and exploded onto the floor in tiny shards. They crunched under her boots as she climbed through the window after him, furious adrenaline coursing through her. The fire escape rattled as he climbed up, yelling something about bears and matricide. "The male bear will never know if her cubs are really his!" He screeched.
Amanda took the fire escape stairs two at a time, rain pelting her face and thunder clapping overhead. She wiped her wet bangs from her eyes in one swift motion as she easily caught up to the shivering, twitching man near the top and tackled him.
The metal beneath him rattled and he struggled furiously, but Amanda was too pumped to let him get away. She pinned him facedown to the stairs with her knees and dug them into his back as hard as she could while she forced his hands behind him.
"You have the right to remain silent," she said through clenched teeth. "Anything you say can or will be used against you in the court of law…"
She dragged him back down the fire escape with one hand as he shouted random nonsense and grabbed her radio with the other after she finished mirandizing him. "I need a bus out her… got an officer injured."
When they got back into the apartment the man collapsed and passed out underneath the kitchen window. His face was pressing into the broken glass and cutting it up badly, but Amanda dragged him back to the living room where Liv was anyway and tossed him aside carelessly. He went limp and lay like a lump on the rug.
Olivia was bleeding badly. She smiled shakily at Amanda as the younger detective took off her shirt without thinking and wrapped it around her arm to slow down the bleeding. "Nice job, Rollins."
"Never mind that," Amanda said quickly. "You're losin' blood. Do you feel dizzy?"
"A little," Olivia replied, looking pointedly at Amanda's nearly naked torso. Her pupils were slightly dilated. "But I don't think it's because of blood loss."
Amanda looked down at herself and blushed furiously—she was doing that a lot lately. She'd forgotten that she'd put on that lacy bra and pantie set with the ice cream cone cartoons on it this morning. Kim had gotten it for her a few years ago. Figured. "Just… just make sure you squeeze that to your arm while I find somethin' in this lunatic's apartment to put on before the ambulance gets here."
It only took her a minute to find a Selena Gomez and the Scene concert tour T-shirt strewn over a large plastic eminem. "Dunno what it is with this weirdo and Disney stars," she muttered, feeling flustered as she tossed it on. Her heart was pounding and she turned to see Liv still watching her contentedly.
"You could always just leave it off 'till the ambulance gets here… just a suggestion," Olivia purred. Amanda felt herself turn into vapor.
"Well… you know, uh… I'm actually… a big Selena Gomez fan…" Amanda stammered. She pulled the collar of the raggedy shirt away from herself, suddenly finding that it was sticking to her. "Lord, is it hot in here?" She tried fanning herself with her hand. "I'm just… just swelterin' all of a sudden."
"It is hot in here," Olivia agreed. "Come back over here and sit with me."
Despite her pleas, Cragen made Olivia take the rest of the day off, even though it was stupid to make her go home when she'd only needed a few stitches and the painkillers they'd prescribed her were relatively mild. The cut had been deep but it hadn't pierced through muscle or bone—thanks to Rollins. She let herself wallow in the memory of the blonde dragging a hulking man hopped up on PCP, MDNA and meth into his living room and taking her shirt of—soaking wet to the bone, raindrops clinging to her fair, firm skin… you'd have to be dead not to appreciate a sight like that.
Fin had called her a few hours after she'd gotten to her apartment to tell her that Amanda had gotten a full confession out of her attacker, who turned out to be a frequent strip club patron named Ryan Floyd. He had waited until the club was closed and tricked the Dancer into meeting him for a drug deal. He'd subsequently trapped her on the back patio and ganked her. Finding a motive hadn't been a problem either—it didn't take long for Melinda to discover that Presley was pregnant with someone else's baby.
Olivia was thoroughly pleased when her phone buzzed early that evening and a text from Amanda said, I'm coming to check on you in a couple hours. Just gonna go get a shower first. See you soon n_n.
Donut hopped on her bed with her and pawed at the wrap around her forearm. She looked concerned—if it was possible for cats to look concerned. Her whiskers twitched anyway, and she licked her nose.
"Just a flesh wound," Olivia reassured the kitten and rubbed her head. "Aunt Mandy saved me. We should give her lots of cuddles when she gets here."
Donut purred and rubbed her head against Olivia's side before snuggling up to her. "I agree, we should do something nice for her," she said thoughtfully. "I'd cook for her, but that would be more like punishing her for something… I'll order her some barbeque wings. People from the south like wings and that sort of thing, right?"
Donut abandoned snuggling up to her side and opted to climb onto Olivia's belly and settle there instead. She put her paw on Olivia's cheek and blinked at her slowly. "All right, I give in. I'll take a cat-nap," Olivia said, yawning. She sent out an order for hot wings online and dozed off.
When she was awoken by the doorbell, Donut jumped off her belly and ran to the door. As Olivia groaned, adjusted her stiff but pleasantly numb arm and hobbled to the foyer, the kitten galloped all around the apartment, a furry blur that the senior detective tried not to trip over as she opened the door.
Amanda was wearing a pink sweater and a bashful expression. It was really very sweet. "Liv? How you feelin?'"
"Good," Olivia said with a placid grin.
"A little hopped up on them pain pills?"
"Not too much… but a little. Come in, sweetheart," Olivia opened the door wider and let the younger detective inside as her kitten continued to gallop around the house happily.
"Is that Donut?" Amanda asked, smiling as she bent down and offered the kitty her hand to sniff. Donut stopped and approached Rollins with her tail sticking straight up in the air. "You takin' care of her like I told you to?" Donut purred loudly and arched her back with pleasure from the blonde's pets.
Amanda picked her up and scratched her underneath the chin. Olivia admired the lovely sight for a moment—blonde-haired, blue-eyed detective Rollins holding the purring kitten—before pouring them both a glass of wine. "Wings should be here soon."
"You didn't need to do that Liv," Amanda said. "I brought wine too." She put Donut on the kitchen counter and pulled a small bottle of Moscato out of her purse. "And are you sure you should be drinkin? You look a little buzzed all ready."
Olivia chuckled. "I'll be fine, mom. One glass won't kill me."
"It's just that you gave me a scare today, Liv," Amanda muttered.
"But I'm fine, thanks to you." Olivia took a step closer to the blonde and reached out to touch her arm. "You're a good detective, Rollins. I know I can count on you, and that means a lot."
"I'll never be half the detective or the woman you are, Liv," Amanda replied, looking up at her through her eyelashes.
They looked at each other for a few moments and Olivia contemplated the best way to continue. Obviously, Amanda had a crush on her, but she didn't want to overwhelm her or confuse her. Rollins was a vulnerable, recovering addict and she had no intention of taking advantage of that. "I don't agree," she said finally.
The doorbell interrupted them. Olivia grunted with annoyance and went to the foyer again. It was the deliveryman with her wings. She tipped him and found Donut still snuggling with Amanda when she went back into the kitchen.
"Hey, you're gonna make me jealous!" Olivia said. Donut rolled on her back and showed them her belly.
Amanda grinned. "You snooze you lose, Liv."
Olivia feigned indignation. She bent down to whisper in the kitten's ears. "Don't trust her. She's an ally of dogs."
Amanda's southern drawl was strong as she put her hand on her chest. "Such accusations! Don't go off with your pistol half cocked, Liv!"
Olivia laughed. "It's hilarious when you talk like that." She stepped close to her again and played with the tips of her hair.
"Well..." Amanda said slowly. "I might be from Atlanta but I didn't fall off a turnip truck."
"No, I'm guessing you flew here," Olivia cracked.
"Liv, what I mean is I'm not naïve… what's goin' on here? Am I crazy or have you been flirtin' with me? Or…"
"You're not crazy Amanda," Olivia said, lowering her voice. She still couldn't keep the mirth out of it, though. Had she really been like this once? "I feel it too."
The blonde's baby blues widened. "I… I don't understand. I've never been attracted to a woman before... Not really, anyway…"
"It doesn't mean you're in the closet, Amanda," Olivia reassured her. "It just means you're in Narnia. I've always dated men, but that doesn't mean I haven't occasionally felt an attraction to someone of the same gender. There are just times in a woman's life when intimacy with other women is something that happens."
The younger detective's eyes didn't leave her colleague's dark and deep ones. "So, you've had experience with this kind of thing?"
"Sure," Olivia replied. She stopped playing with Amanda's hair and leaned back slightly to sip her wine. This was something she hadn't really talked about with anyone, except maybe Stabler. "Alex Cabot and I used to flirt with each other. I didn't really realize it was flirting until later, but she got sent into the witness protection program for a while so nothing ever really came out of it. The one day, Casey Novak and I had an argument about a case. She confronted me in the ladies room, and then out of nowhere she jumped me. It ended up being… a surprisingly enjoyable experience."
Amanda stared. "You're tellin' me… Cabot and Novak? I always wondered why they sat on the edge of your desk with their legs practically spread wide open, just danglin' themselves in front of you."
Olivia shrugged. "It's something that's usually so subtle, no one notices. It's much easier to keep that kind of relationship out of the workplace." She smiled a little bit as she recalled some of her wilder romps with the red headed ADA.
"Was there anyone else besides them?" Amanda asked.
"No," Olivia shook her head. "Not really. I made out with Melinda Warmer one year at our Christmas party, but that was it. After Novak got censured it never really came up again."
Amanda stared for several more seconds before she herself inched closer to Olivia. "I feel like… I don't know what to do. I can't fake it, like normal," she added with a smile. "Dang."
Olivia lifted her hand stroked the blonde's jawline gently. "Don't worry about that, Amanda. I'm not going to try to make you do anything you don't want to do."
Amanda's eyelids fluttered. "Well… you could always just do me first."
Olivia felt her blood grow hot. She let her long fingers slide gently down the blonde's neck and leaned forward. It was Amanda who closed the few inches of distance between them and kissed her gently, her mouth as soft as a pair of rose petals. Olivia sighed and slid her tongue across her bottom lip.
Amanda moaned quietly and broke away. When Liv pouted, she whimpered and kissed her again. Olivia played with the tips of her hair before running her fingers through it and tilting the blonde's head to the side to kiss the spot behind her ear.
Rollins broke away again, taking a step back this time. She drew a ragged breath and ran her own hands through her hair. It slid back in place from when Liv had mussed it, save for a single blonde lock, which hung over one of her blue eyes. "I-I should probably think about this," she stammered.
Olivia nodded and smiled placidly again. "Okay."
Behind her, Donut purred.