Manhattan surrounded the car and he could draw the route they were taking blindfolded, every street and alleyway was familiar. Much like the lines on his hands, and now his face too. Elliot knew that they would soon reach his old precinct that sat amongst brownstones and worn down buildings, in fact most of his old stomping ground seemed worn down but maybe it was just him that became worn down. Slowly the vehicle pulled up outside the SVU building and he traced it with his eyes, up and down. Before he could finish contemplating what stood before him the car door opened and a uniformed officer asked him to step outside.
"Please step outside of the vehicle Mr Stabler." the voice demanded. Elliot looked up at the young guy before him and it was almost like stepping into the past, before Olivia and everything dark and complicated about the special victims unit.
"It's detective." He answered stepping out and offering his wrists expecting to be met by handcuffs.
"Sorry. I'll leave the cuffs." The uniformed officer was now stood behind him and was leading him to the front doors, and into the elevator to the right. Elliot quickly became lost in thought as they were sent to the floor of his old squad, crammed in with other members of police and suits he felt out of place. It's not the first time he's taken this ride with bloodied clothes and knuckles, it's not even the first time he's done it without a shirt. Yet this was so different, when did a place so familiar turn to a place he felt estranged.
The doors opened and he let out a light chuckle seeing the desks and general layout to have remained exactly the same as when he left. Even Olivia's desk was in the same place, even if had moved he would know exactly which one it was. Her desk often had paperwork and discarded coffee cups left around, he could also bet dollars to doughnuts that the bottom draw was full of snacks. She hid them but he would go in a sneak a few when she wasn't looking.
Elliot was led to an interrogation room to the left past the desks and seated himself down. Even the door clanging behind him somehow felt familiar, he leaned back on his chair feeling the metal bars press into his bare back. He sighed, knowing that all too soon someone was going to enter and he had a lot of questions to answer.
A few hours later the interrogation door flew open startling Elliot, he must have fallen asleep during the wait without realising it.
"Mornin' sunshine." chirped Fin noticing that Elliot had been asleep just moments earlier.
Stretching he forced out a reply. "Fin."
"So. Stabler. We have got some talking to do." Fin sat down opposite Elliot with a rather light looking file in hand.
"I've no problems with what you did to this guy. But we've gotta be clear on how this went down." He flicked the file open and glanced over the preliminary reports, it was mess between his handwriting, Amaro's and the notes from the uniformed cops. "According to this you handcuffed the suspect?" He flicked his eyes up to meet Stabler's.
"Yeah. I did." Elliot began grinding his teeth, something he always did when his anger was bubbling up inside him. Next would be the flexing of his hands, and then the inability to sit still. He knew his pattern well. So did Fin.
"You weren't on the job? So where did you get the handcuffs?" Fin was taking everything in, watching for Stabler's body language and it didn't take an expert to deduce that he was getting worked up.
"I brought them with me." Elliot bit back quickly. "In my back pocket because I didn't know what I was gonna be walking into."
"Okay." Fin sighed closing the file. "I'm gonna level with you now Stabler. 1PP and IAB are trying to screw Liv on this. They're saying that Lewis was already handcuffed before you arrived and then you beat him. Basically they're saying it's excessive force."
Elliot's eyes stared down Fin's immediately, and he leant in close to the other detective, his fingertips almost brushing the closed file. "They have nothing on her. In fact she barely touched the guy. I walked in. I handcuffed him with my handcuffs. Then I beat the fucker." Elliot leaned back then letting Fin know the discussion was over, that was his version of events and even Fin wasn't stupid enough to think he would ever budge on that.
Several hours later Elliot was allowed to leave the precinct and go to Olivia in the hospital. Weaving through beige corridors and various departments to find her room, she was in her own room at the bottom of the ER corridors. Two uniformed officers were posted outside and he entered the room to Liv sat with a nurse. She looked up and saw a faint smile appear on her face until her attention was back on the nurse. The nurse looking at them both decided to give them some space and she left the room.
"Hey Liv." He lowered his voice and approached the bed, the nurse had already taken Olivia's clothes and patched most of her injuries up.
"Hey". She answered bringing her knees to her chest. "Listen you...". Elliot interrupted her knowing that the whole time she was in then hospital she would have been thinking about the investigation, the handcuffs and as always Elliot.
"You don't need to worry. Because those handcuffs were mine." He joined her on the bed and sat himself on the end, placing a hand briefly on hers giving it a reassuring squeeze. Olivia nodded and then pulled her hand away, her focus shifting on the next part of the process she had to endure, the part she had been dreading the most. The nurse had already talked her through what would happen during a rape kit, and she knew better than anyone what the process was. Yet being on the other side of the equation felt very unsettling.
Elliot had been watching Olivia the last few minutes, when they were together they had a strange sixth sense for what the other was going through. As they stayed in the partnership longer it morphed into knowing what each other was thinking, and even predicting what their next move would be. He knew what was behind the apprehension building up within her. "Liv, if you want I can wait outside whilst the nurse finishes up?"
She looked back at him then, taking in all his features, examining him for any sign of faltering or deception. Olivia was never sceptical of him before, even though he came when she called it still didn't seem real. If she was to reach out and touch him that he would just disappear again. Leaving her grasping at the embers of his heat. "Yeah. I'd appreciate that." The nurse filed in and Elliot made his way outside the door. She really did appreciate him staying, because even without him in room, having him so close, tangible, is more than she had for a long time.
The nurse had gathered the various instruments she would need and began with the procedure. Olivia's focus was on the door and everything else seemed to fade into the background. Elliot's shadow in the blinds brought a hint of reassurance and she grasped at it desperately hoping she wouldn't regret the olive branch she just extended to her former partner.