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Olivia and Rachel walk into the squad room a few minutes later.
"Hey Rachel." Elliot said.
"Hey Stabler." Rachel replied as she sits at Olivia's desk.
"Rach, this is John Munch and Odafin Tutuola. Just call him Fin." Rachel nods.
"Hi guys."
"Guys, this is Rachel Harrison and she's staying with me for a few days." Olivia said.
"So, where are you from?" Fin asked.
"Boston."
"Oh, Beantown. Nice." Munch said.
"Boston is known for their sports teams." Rachel said as she pulls out a book and starts reading it.
"El, you find anything new from last night?" Olivia asked.
"Nothing. Finances haven't been touched in three days. Our perp should be running out of cash soon." Elliot said.
"Unless he has a Cayman Island account and withdrew an ungodly amount of money to last him for weeks." Rachel said without looking up from her book. Olivia and Elliot look at each other.
"Did we find a Cayman Island account?" Olivia asked.
"Ah ha. Looks like the young child has revealed something in our mist. He does have a Cayman Island account and cleared out his account three days ago." Munch said.
"How much was in it?" Elliot asked.
"15,000 dollars." Everyone looks at Rachel, who looks up from her book.
"What?" Rachel asked.
"You good. Really good." Elliot said.
"I would check with local hotels and bars around the city, but who listens to a thirteen year old?" Rachel asked.
"Olivia, my office." Olivia looks at Rachel.
"Stay there." Rachel nods while Olivia walks into Cragen's office. He shuts the door and faces her.
"Am I hearing this correctly? You have a thirteen year old here?" Cragen said.
"Sir, with all do respect, I found her last night. Getting off a bus from Boston when she drops a huge bombshell onto me."
"What, like, she's your sister or something?" Olivia is silent.
"She's really your sister?"
"I found one of my mother's pictures from right around the time Rachel was born and I didn't even notice she was pregnant." Olivia said.
"She needs to go back to her adoptive parents -"
"Cap, you did not see her back. Her mother beats her with a belt. She has welts from the belt buckle all over her back from neck to the hips. I'm not sending her back with them." Olivia said.
"Olivia, that's not your call."
"She's old enough to know who she wants to live with. She would live with Alex, but -"
"What does Cabot have to do with this?" Cragen asked.
"She's Rachel's cousin."
"Now, I've heard it all. Ok. Let Rachel decide who she wants to live with." Olivia nods.
"You're not suppose to be here for another two days." Olivia heard Rachel say. She looks out of door and sees Alex standing across from Rachel, who was still sitting at Olivia's desk.
"Looks like I need to find out. Fast, since Alex is here. Possibly going to take Rachel back to Boston." Olivia said then walks out of the office.
"I know, but you are in major trouble with your parents." Alex said. Alex is wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt and sneakers.
"No, I'm not going back there." Rachel said as she stands up.
"Rachel, you're a minor -" Alex started to say. Rachel shakes her head.
"You don't know what they do to me!" Rachel said. Olivia walks over and stands in the middle of the cousins.
"What is going on?" Olivia asked.
"Olivia, she needs to go home." Alex said.
"Alex, have you seen her back? There is no way I'm letting my little sister go back to them."
"Your sister?!" Everyone called out.
"Alex, I am old enough to know who I want to live with. I get that you're my cousin, but you're a connection to them. Olivia is not and she understands me. And I want to live with her."
"Rachel -" Rachel shakes her head and leaves.
"Rachel." Rachel ignores them and runs down the stairs then outside. She makes it to an alley a few blocks away, leans up against the wall and silently cries. She wipes her eyes then walks towards a familiar building and heads inside.
Rachel walks down the hallway and stops outside an office and sits down on the bench and closes her eyes. She feels her phone vibrating and sees Alex calling her. When it stops vibrating, Rachel turns off her phone.
Casey walks out of the courtroom and answers her phone when it's ringing.
"Novak."
"Casey, I'm glad I caught you. Listen, have you seen a girl, thirteen years old, about 5'6, brown hair, hazel eyes in the courthouse?" Olivia asked.
"No, I haven't. Who is it?"
"Her name is Rachel Harrison and she's my sister." Casey stops walking.
"Wait, you have a sister?"
"Casey, I'll explain later. She ran out on us an hour ago."
Casey walks down the hall while on the phone when she spots Rachel.
"Let me call you back. Are you Rachel Harrison?"
"Yes. Who are you?"
"I'm Casey Novak. Olivia called me and asked if I had seen you." Rachel sighs then looks down.
"I'm not going back to Boston."
"I didn't say anything about you going back to Boston. At least come into my office." Rachel nods her head and follows Casey into her office. Rachel sees a softball bat as Casey texts Olivia.
She's with me in my office. safe and sound.
"I use to play softball. I was very good at it." Rachel said.
"What made you stop?" Casey asked.
"A bunch of things. Mostly my family. They never supported me on anything. Except for Alex."
"You know Alex Cabot?"
"She's my cousin. She's the only one in my adoptive family who loves me."
"Gotta love your family." Casey said.
"My don't." Rachel said then sits on the couch.
"Everyone has family problems."
"Well, my family thinks they can buy their way out of their problems."
"And that makes you uncomfortable."
"Yeah." A few minutes later, Olivia and Alex walk in. Alex pulls Rachel to her feet and hugs her.
"God Rach, why didn't you tell me about what your mother did to you?" Alex asked.
"Because you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Rachel said.
"Why in the world would I not believe you?"
"Alex, you deal with victims and suspects lying through their teeth." Rachel said then hangs her head in shame. Alex cups her cousin's chin and has Rachel look into her eyes.
"Hey, hey, hey. No matter if you were lying to me, I would believe you on anything. And Olivia has something to tell you."
"Even though it's gonna take months, I filed custody papers for you." Olivia said.
"You want me?" Rachel asked.
"Rachel, who doesn't?" Olivia asked then Rachel face falls.
"Hey, I'm here in the city and you can see me anytime." Alex said.
"My parents will probably be thrilled that they're getting rid of me."
"And you are staying with me until the whole custody arrangement is situated." Alex said. Rachel looks at Casey.
"Do you mind if we go to the batting cage sometime?" Rachel asked.
"It's no problem. Thinking about playing again next season?" Rachel nods.
"I'll make a deal with you. We'll go to the batting cages together and you stop running away from Alex and Olivia. Deal?"
"Deal."
Two weeks later, Rachel sits beside Casey in a Boston court room while her parents sit with their family attorney and Olivia sits with Trevor Langan. Rachel turns around and looks at Alex with a worried look on her face.
"It's gonna be ok." Alex said softly. The door to the judge's chambers opens and a judge walks in and sits down in his chair.
"Well, it's no doubt in my mind that this young lady as been through a lot during her first thirteen years of her life. And I have to commend her for telling someone about the abuse she has suffered for years. Which is why I am ordering her to be placed in the care of her older sister, Detective Olivia Benson. Effective immediately. This case is closed." The judge said. Rachel smiles then hugs Casey. Olivia walks over to Rachel and hugs her.
"Lets go pack your stuff up." Olivia said.
They arrive at Rachel's childhood home. Olivia and Casey stare at the mansion while Rachel and Alex walk towards the front door.
"Guys? Are you coming?" Alex asked and they follow them into the house and upstairs to Rachel's room.
"Liv, is it ok that most of my stuff goes to Alex's place? No offense, but you're apartment is very tiny and there's only one bedroom." Rachel said.
"It's no problem. Alex lives in a palace compared to me."
"No, this is a palace." Casey said. Rachel and Alex roll their eyes as they pack up Rachel's stuff. Casey finds a box of trophies and pulls out one.
"Massachusetts Little League Softball State Champs?" Casey asked. Rachel looks over and sees the trophy with the medals around it.
"That was two years ago. We made it to the finals of the little league world series and lost by one run to Mexico." Rachel said.
"Wow. That's really impressive."
"No one was there from the family." Rachel whispered. Alex looks at her cousin and silently sighs, realizing that she missed a lot while in WITSEC.
Rachel looks at Alex, who is looking at Olivia bending over, and tries not to laugh at her. She takes a roll of tape and throws it and hits Alex in the chest.
"Ow!" Alex turns and sees Rachel packing. Behind Alex, Casey is trying not to laugh at the cousins. Alex continues to pack and Rachel walks into the bathroom and tries not to laugh, but is failing.
"What is up with her?" Olivia asked.
"I have no idea. She usually gets this way when she did something when no one is looking." Alex said. Casey tries not to laugh while there's a sign on Alex's back that reads 'I just got caught staring at Olivia's endless legs.'
"Maybe the sign on your back might help." Casey said while chuckling as she walks out of the room with two boxes in her arms. Alex grabs the sign and reads it then grumbles under her breath.
"Sometimes I wish I didn't tell her about Olivia." Alex grumbled.
"But then I wouldn't be getting out of here, now would I?" Rachel asked her cousin as she walks by with a box from her bathroom and heads down to the mini van that Olivia rented. As she reaches outside, a male teenager around her age storms over.
"What the hell are you doing?" He asked. Rachel sets the box into the car and faces her brother.
"Consider me gone Mike." Rachel said. Mike shoves Rachel up against the door and places his forearm against her throat. Rachel tries to fight it, but she can't.
"Let...go...of...me." Rachel said while struggling to breath. Casey, Alex and Olivia run out and pull Mike off of her. Rachel falls to the ground. Olivia and Casey check on the teen while Alex looks at her cousin.
"What the hell were you thinking? You could have killed her!" Alex said angrily.
"She's a nut job and doesn't belong in the family."
"At least I have someone who will take care of me and will look after my welfare. Unlike your precious mom and dad, who are never around. Trust me when I say this to you. I'm so fucking glad I'm leaving. Who wants to live with a child abuser? Oh and you. You pigheaded, lowlife, child molester." Alex, Casey and Olivia's jaw drops in shock when they hear this from Rachel's mouth. Mike clenches his jaw then leaves.
"Rachel, did he -"
"We will talk about it later. Lets just, finish up here and get out of Boston for good." They head back inside.
Once Rachel's boxes were in the car, Rachel looks at her childhood home one last time then gets into the van. She sits in the back with Casey while Alex sits in the passenger seat.
Alex hears Casey and Rachel laughing in the back.
"What are they doing back there?" Olivia asked.
"I have no idea. But it's good to see her smile." Alex said.
"It's good to see you smile too Lex." Alex looks at Olivia then looks out the window again.
Rachel watches them interact then looks at Casey.
"I got an idea on how to get Olivia and Alex together. You wanna help?" Rachel softly asked.
"Yeah. You could feel the sexual tension between them from back here. So, what happened back there with your brother?" Rachel takes a deep breath.
"I was in my bed when I was twelve. The door opens and my brother was drunk and got into bed with me and started kissing my neck. I tried to fight him off of me, but he was strong for his age." Rachel said and a tear falls down her cheek. Casey reaches over and wipes it off.
"Did he...?"
"No. He put his hands between my legs, but I kicked him in the face. My mother heard the noise and she, as always, blamed me for my brother's wrongfulness. That's when she grabbed one of my father's belts and beat me with it. I showed up to school the next day with blood dripping down my back and onto the white floors and no one did anything about it." In the front, Alex had tears streaming down her face. Olivia removes one hand from the steering wheel and wipes some of the tears off Alex's face.
"Thanks." Alex said. I just want to hold her hand for the rest of my life. Alex thought to herself.
That night, after unloading and returning the van to the rental company, Rachel pulls out a purple dress from Olivia's closet and sets it down onto Olivia's bed and pulls a pair of purple heels. Olivia walks in and leans against the door frame.
"May I ask what you are doing?" Rachel looks over and sees her sister.
"Casey made dinner reservations for you, me, her and Alex tonight. So, get dressed."
They arrive at the Water Club restaurant and Olivia, wearing the dress and shoes, and Rachel, wearing a red dress and matching heels, sits down next to her sister. Olivia looks over and sees Alex, wearing a blue dress and matching heels, walking over. Olivia stands up and pulls the chair out for Alex.
"Thank you." Rachel covers her mouth and looks out the window at the East River. Her phone vibrates and she reads the text from Casey.
Is she there?
She just arrived. Olivia pulled a chair out for her. Where are you?
Aww. That's so cute. And outside, waiting for you.
On my way.
Rachel stands up.
"Sorry guys, I need to get going. The girls from the basketball team are having a meeting and it's mandatory that I be there. Stay. I can get a taxi." Rachel said then leaves. Alex and Olivia watches her leave then they look at each other then realizes something.
"I think we were set up on a blind date. With each other." Alex said.
"I think so too."
