References – chapter two
"Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over." - Gloria Naylor
Fin walked in to the squad room, sipping from his coffee cup as he walked to his desk. Glancing up he smiled as he saw who was sitting in the chair next to it.
"You can't stay away can you? Every time I think you're gone for good you keep coming back," he said as Munch rose from the chair to greet him. They embraced and patted each other's backs enthusiastically.
Munch gestured to the cup in Fin's hand. "I put on a pot and you're drinking this swill."
"Swill or not it's better than what you call coffee. What are you doing here anyway?"
Munch sighed as he lowered himself carefully back into the seat. "I decided to hand myself in before I was found," he said cryptically.
"What are you on about?" Fin asked, frowning.
"I received a voicemail from Olivia that was half gratitude, half kicking my ass last night. So I thought I better come and see her before she found me."
Fin's frowned deepened. "What did you do?"
"I interfered, my friend, and I don't think it was completely appreciated."
Realisation dawned on Fin's face. "She got called in by Judge Linden yesterday," he told Munch.
"And she found out about the references. Well one in particular anyway."
"Why would she mad at you about it? Who did you ask?"
Munch was prevented from answering because Olivia stepped through the squad room entrance and paused when she saw who was sitting there. Fin looked between his friends, watching the silent standoff.
"What are you doing here Munch?" She asked tensely.
"For the lovely reception," Munch replied sarcastically as he grabbed his cane to help him stand. "You seemed quite eager to talk on the phone, but I thought talking in person might be better."
Olivia stared at him for a beat before nodding her head in the direction of her office and without another word walked through the door leaving it open for Munch to follow her. Munch shared another look with Fin before taking a step in that direction, but Fin placed leant forward and placed a hand on his forearm to stop him.
"Who did you ask?" He asked harshly.
"Elliot," Munch said as he shook of Fin's hand and followed Olivia, leaving Fin at his desk, wide eyed and flabbergasted.
Munch shut the door behind and watched Olivia looking through her bag for something. She pulled out an envelope and placed it on the desk. Her head rose and he didn't shy away from the stare which intimidated many a suspect. She was angry and upset, he didn't expect any less when he'd tracked Elliot down.
"You had no right to interfere. Why did you?"
"Because someone had to," Munch shrugged. "It's gone on for long enough."
"He made that choice, not me," Olivia said brokenly.
Munch nodded. When he met Elliot he witnessed the guilt first hand. He blamed himself, and regretted the decision; it was eating away at him. He had no idea how to fix it. He didn't believe Olivia wanted it fixed. This wouldn't have affected her if she didn't want it fixed.
Olivia sighed, her expression softening. "I appreciate what you've done, I do. No one has ever done anything like that for me before. The letters were all lovely, but why would you go to him?" She asked almost pleadingly.
"Because he knows you better than anyone else."
"He hasn't known me for three years," Olivia shook her head. "He made it very clear that he doesn't want to."
"But he knows how much you want a family," Munch replied. Elliot hadn't told him that, but it was obvious with the longing in the other man's eyes as he readily agreed when Munch told him about the references.
That struck a chord and Olivia was silent again, searching his face, pondering. Munch schooled his features to not give anything away. Olivia had talked to him about children, asked him about regrets because he had let the chance pass him by. It was obvious she didn't want to let it pass her by.
Munch knew the subject came up with Elliot. Sometimes it was the underlying cause of the tension between them. He watched them from day one, knew how close they were, how protective they were. Even after Elliot left Olivia would defend him even though he broke her heart.
Olivia sighed, her head tilted back as she closed her eyes. "Why?" She said out loud. "Why would he do this? After three years of nothing?"
Munch squinted at her, realising it wasn't his question to answer. She didn't want the answer from him anyway. When she brought her head down to face him he could see the unshed tears building. "He wanted to do this for you."
"He shouldn't have," Olivia said, suddenly angry. "I didn't need him to do this."
Watching her now was like watching her back then. Angry, confused and heartbroken. Whatever Elliot had put in that recommendation must have stirred up those feelings for her. Munch knew it would happen when he'd tracked Elliot down.
"How is Noah?" Munch asked hoping to redirect her attention to happier things.
Her lips lifted. "Teething. You could come meet him, you know."
Munch shrugged his shoulders. "Me and the little tyke? I suppose no one is too young to find out the truth about how the government is watching our every move."
Olivia's smile widened as she shook her head. "I'm sure he would love to meet his Uncle John." She sobered again. "I always thought he would be here for this," she admitted quietly.
Munch heard the ache in her voice and he felt for her. "I think he expected to be as well," he consoled her. He cleared his throat, taking a small step towards her desk. "He misses you. And you miss him."
Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips nervously but she didn't say anything to refute his claim. "You went to him, he didn't come to me," Olivia told him.
"He wants to."
Olivia shook her vehemently. "I tried to talk to him and he ignored me."
"I watched you and Elliot for thirteen years. I've seen you fight, shout and scream at one another. But I have never known two people who understand each other better. You chose him to be a part of your family and I know he broke your heart. He doesn't know how to fix it; he thought this would go some way towards apologising. You asked me if I have regrets and I do. And I know that you will always regret it if you don't sort this out."
"Did you read it?" Olivia asked quietly nodding at the envelope, folding her arms over her chest protectively.
Author Note – Curious to know what Elliot wrote? Thank you all for your lovely comments and your follows and favourites. I must say Munch is a hard character to work with, and this gave me a greater appreciation for Richard Belzer than I had before and believe me that was pretty huge. I hope I've done him justice. Let me know what you think.
