-6-
On Tuesday, the pieces all came together for Benson and Tutuola. They'd both finally crashed from about 3:30 until 6, when something tickled Olivia's brain, waking her. She went downstairs and re-read a few things, and then woke Fin to run her theory by him.
Alex called briefly at 7, to wish Olivia good morning. She didn't stay on too long—she sensed from the detective's voice that they were on to something. And they were. They'd found the piece of the puzzle that let all the rest fall into place. The case was surprisingly uncomplicated when it came down to it, and when it broke, it all made perfect sense. Despite the fact that only the cook had noticed it, there was trouble in paradise. Mr. Flaade was not eager to pay out a third massive divorce settlement, and hired out the job.
The red elastic band used to strangle the victim was a cute if uninspired attempt to cast aspersions on the trainer, but it was more banal than that, in the end. Flaade found someone to pull off the job, staged it to look like a liquor delivery for a party they'd had planned for that week. Kids out of the house, cook off work, no one around. Looked to be easy, until fingerprints turned up where they shouldn't have. Something wasn't right about the liquor delivery, the timing, the fact that the couple always used a party planner to handle those little details. The perp turned on Flaade in under 10 minutes.
"Amazin', ain't it, Liv? These people got millions of dollars, wanna scrimp and save on a hitman?" Fin marveled at their good fortune in putting this to bed so quickly. "You get a pro, sure, you pay a bit more, but no fingerprints, no confession. Where he's going won't be anything like Sutton Place."
"You know what they say, Fin," Olivia replied. "That's how the rich stay rich—nickel and dime you to death."
They were leaving the precinct on Tuesday afternoon, amazed that the whole thing had been cracked in just two days. Flaade was barely unpacked from Oslo when they arrested him at his office.
Alex called as they were walking down the stairs.
"Benson."
"Hi there. Just left the DA's office."
"How did it go?" Olivia didn't turn away from Fin, or make any attempt to hide the call, but her voice was soft. He noticed the change in tone as much as the change in volume.
"Fait accompli."
"If you're going to speak French to me, could you come up with something a little more..."
"Je ne sais quoi?" Alex was laughing. "Oui, I can, and I will. What's going on?"
"Well, you'll never believe it, but the Fin and Liv Show has ended after a two-day run. We've got not one, but two, people in jail."
"Amazing," Alex answered. "Congratulations to you both. How about dinner to celebrate?"
"Both of us?"
Alex's voice dropped, became instantly seductive. "If you don't mind Detective Tutuola getting a show, you're more than welcome to bring him along, but you might want to make it known that I don't share. It's been on my report cards since kindergarten, and the problem's only gotten worse."
"Just me, then," Olivia said, quickly, causing Alex to smile.
"You're too easy, babe. Meet me at Torrisi in an hour. I'll try to keep my hands off you long enough to treat you to dinner."
"Can do."
"And Olivia?"
"Yeah?"
"Bring your stuff. You're not getting out of my sight tonight."
Olivia had stopped at the front fender of her car to finish the call. Fin was parked a few spots down but had stayed nearby until she hung up.
"You're glowin', Benson."
"What are you talking about?"
"You got a look about ya. Getting some?"
Olivia was used to dealing with these men, who could be as protective of her as anything, but would subject her to their locker-room talk with no hesitation. She wouldn't have it any other way, though.
"Not just some," Olivia smiled. "I'm getting everything."
"Good for you, Liv," Fin said. "It suits you." He turned and headed on toward his car, and when he was a few feet away he called back to her.
"Tell Cabot I said hi, and she owes me dinner."
She yelled out at him. "Hey, hold up." He stopped, turned with a huge smile on his face. "How?" That was all she could say.
"Jesus, Liv, it's about damn time. You'd have never gotten so pissed at me that day if you weren't drowning in it," he said. "But you're gonna owe me 50 bucks now."
"How do you figure?"
"I got a longstanding bet with Munch, and now I just lost."
"He thought that we..." Olivia had been completely unaware that her crackling chemistry with the ADA had been noticed by anyone but them.
"We all thought, sooner or later.. I just made the mistake of taking the sooner part of that bet, so I think you're in for half. You wasted too much time, cost me money," he laughed. "But don't worry. I won't pay up 'til you're ready to come clean. Have a good dinner."
She just stood there as he walked off, shaking her head. She'd gladly pay the $50 if she could ever figure out how to keep a secret from anyone in that damn precinct.
The next several weeks went by very quickly; Alex had accepted the job in Major Case, and so was frantically trying to tie up loose ends on her SVU cases. The DA's office had formally announced the promotion a week after Alex accepted, and the squad was happy for her, but feeling in a bit of limbo again. At least they'd have Casey this time, and not have to deal with an untested newbie. Making the transition from non-violent crimes, or from homicide, to dealing with live victims was always a hurdle for a new ADA and no-one enjoyed walking them through their first few cases.
Alex would, as expected, have a couple of weeks off before her first day on the new job. And she knew how she wanted to spend it.
"It's time," she said to Olivia one night, as they lay in bed after a bit of fairly athletic sex.
"Alex, Jesus, I can't keep up with you," Olivia said. "We're in our forties, I need just a few minutes to rest."
Alex laughed, a hearty, contagious laugh. "First, we are not in our forties, you are..."
"39," Olivia said. "You're 39, so knock it off."
"Still," Alex said, "That's my thirties. But that's not what I meant. It's not time for that, not for 15 more minutes, at least."
"Then what's it time for?"
"Baltimore."
Olivia sat up. "Okay. When?"
"The second week I'm off, I think. I've got some stuff to do the first week, but before I start the job, I want to do this."
"Alright. Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am," Alex said. Her voice was firm and unwavering. "A lot has happened, and I'm starting a new chapter. I'm going to close that one, completely."
"Can I come with you?"
"I was hoping you would," Alex said. "You'd mentioned you had some time coming. Is it convenient for you?"
"Actually, I'd already talked to Don about it," Olivia explained. "I wasn't sure what your plans would be but I hoped we might spend a little time together. I guess Baltimore's as good a place as any, right?"
On Alex's last day at SVU, the Munch had planned a going away party for her at Donagan's. She was going to wrap up things at her office, and meet them all at the pub around five. That morning, Alex had seemed a bit melancholy as she dressed for her last day. As Olivia drank her coffee and waited for Alex to finish getting ready, she realized she'd been so busy she'd forgotten to share the little tidbit Fin had let slip after he'd told her he knew they were an item, and she knew Alex would get a kick out of it.
"Just so you know, babe, the guys had a bet of some sort, about us."
Alex was putting on her makeup. She looked in the mirror, smiling over at Olivia, sitting on the edge of the tub. "Really? A recent bet?"
"Oh, no," Olivia said. "This one has cobwebs on it. Apparently it wasn't a matter of if we'd sleep together, but when."
"That's too delicious for me to even be offended about it," Alex laughed. "Guess they're more perceptive than I'd given them credit for."
"Well, to hear Fin tell it, he had the sooner time window, and John the later. Now, Fin's ready to pay up, as soon as we feel like going public."
"Did you tell him about that night, when I was back for the Connors trial?"
"Hell, no," Olivia laughed. "His gambling losses aren't my problem."
"Wonder what Elliot had?" Alex mused.
"Probably the never—he thought you were out of my league."
Alex strode over to the tub, and leaned over, planting a memorable kiss on Olivia's lips, then smiled at her. "I love the way you look after I kiss you with fresh lipstick," she laughed. "And, just for the record, Elliot was an idiot. You are definitely in my league."
Luckily, work didn't keep anyone from the part. It was the umpteenth time Alex had left SVU, but really the first time that circumstances had been appropriate for a party, and the squad was glad to have a chance to send Alex off to Major Case with a fitting goodbye. All of the detectives were there, with Cragen, and Cutter and Novak joined them as well. There was a bit of an impromptu roast, much to Alex's chagrin, and it involved more than a few good-natured jokes about her impenetrable demeanor and demanding nature. Even Brendan, the bartender and witness to more than a few after-hours gatherings of the 1-, got in on the act. Don wound it up on a kind note, though, along with a few humorous jabs of his own.
"You're one of the two best ADAs this squad has ever seen, Alex," he said, raising his glass to both her and Casey. "And we'll miss you. And if you recruit Novak away from us, too, we'll kill you, so get out and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."
They all laughed and toasted, and Alex felt a few tears behind her eyes, but kept them there. This was all unexpectedly moving for her. She'd left this group for WitSec, for appeals, for Africa—moving to Major Case was hardly a big deal in comparison. But this time she felt pretty sure she'd never be their ADA again, and that was the hardest part of the whole thing. She enjoyed every minute of the evening with them.
As the party wound down, Olivia noticed Alex stifling a yawn, and she caught her eye across the room.
"Home?" she mouthed. The slightest nod told her that Alex was ready to leave, and would need to be rescued from a debate between Amaro and Munch. She sauntered over, her interruption welcomed with grateful looks from Alex and Nick.
"What's the conspiracy du jour, John? Nazi moon base or the Bilderberg Group?"
"Neither," Nick answered. "Tupac."
"Well," Olivia said, "that one doesn't get much play. What's the prevailing wisdom?"
"Obviously, he's living on an island somewhere, being visited semi-monthly by his dear friend, Jada Pinkett Smith," Alex supplied, nearly causing Olivia to spit out her drink as she laughed. "He's laying low until the time is right for a comeback. You think the hologram at Coachella was amazing? He's replacing Biden on the Democratic ticket this fall, and just wait until you see him show up as a contestant on Project Runway this season."
Olivia and Nick were laughing so hard there were tears coming out of their eyes, while John just fixed Alex with a look that was somewhere between anger and adoration. The attorney stood up.
"Gentlemen, my two-week vacation from responsibility officially begins tomorrow, but it won't do me any good if I've turned into a pumpkin. I hope you'll excuse me," she said, then gave Olivia a wicked smile. "I think you're going my way, Detective Benson? Share a cab?"
"I'd love to," Olivia replied, and stepped over to the nearby booth to grab their things. She handed Alex her purse, and the light jacket she'd worn, which Alex draped now over her arm.
They said goodnight to the two men, and started to walk toward the door, but Alex put her hand on Liv's arm, stopping her mid-stride. "Hang on just a second, I need to take care of something." She retraced her steps, returning to the table where Munch sat, still wearing a confused expression, and she put a hand on his shoulder.
"John, I forgot to thank you. I know you organized the get-together, and I really appreciate it," she said, and leaned over to hug him. She held the hug just a second longer than one might expect, and whispered in his ear before standing up. "By the way, Detective Tutuola seems to think that he owes you $100 on some kind of bet. Between you and me, that happened a long time ago, so it's really you who should pay up. But I won't tell if you won't."
With that, she raised up to her full height, turned and walked back to Olivia, and leaned over to kiss her—briefly, but unmistakably—on the lips. One last smile to Munch, and they left. For the first time since Amaro had known him, John Munch had absolutely nothing to say.