Chapter 7: Breathe In . Frou Frou


What part of no don't you understand I've told you before
To just get off my case this isn't happening stop this now
And I where was I? I have to be somewhere
Now where did I put it?

A week barely passed when the calls started. Alex had resumed her place by Olivia even though both of their trusts had been shaken for one reason or another. Then again, no one in this world has rock solid trust right?

"3:20 a.m.? Liv? It's your cell. Liv," Alex shook the shoulder of the exhausted detective.

"God damn," she answered groggily. "Benson… What? Are you alright? Calm down. Yeah, I'll come get you. Where are you? Ok, ok, alright just calm down for me okay?" The detectives mind snapping awake instantly.

"Who was that?" Alex, now wide awake, inquired.

"This girl came into the station a week ago. It's been, uh," Olivia scratched her head as she stood up, swiping pants off a nearby chair.

"What? What happened to her?"

"She's some girl I met in bad circumstances and she came in and reported a crime. I felt bad, and I took the case. Now she says her sister is missing and she's freaking out. The girl probably just ran away." Olivia pulled a sweater on and grabbed for her shoes.

"Are you going to call Elliot?" Alex wondered.

"Nah, I think I can handle it."

"Do you want me to come with you? I'll probably end up getting this case anyways," Alex offered but Olivia was oddly distracted.

"No, no, that's fine. One of us should get some sleep. I'll see you later." Olivia bent down and kissed the confused blonde.

Lucia was a mess when Olivia got to the apartment. For starters the girl was drunk off her ass. Her apartment looked like a war scene. Clothes littered every surface and pizza boxes lined the coffee table.

"Lucia, are you alright? Have you been out of the apartment lately?" Olivia asked, observing the scene.

"No, I'm not going out and no one's coming in! Mia is gone, she left me here!" Lucia slurred her words as she dropped back onto her couch.

"I thought you said Mia's missing? Do you think she ran away or do you think something is wrong?" Olivia needed to get these facts straight.

"Well put this together, my father is missing also. Mia wouldn't just leave like that. She has school and she was trying to get into college. She wasn't about to fuck up her life… even though our father has done plenty of that already." Lucia said, starring at the blank TV screen.

"How did you find out they were missing?" Olivia asked. She was hoping this was all just Lucia's drunken delusion.

"I've been calling Mia all day today and finally I called the house. My mother answered. She had just got home from work and said that no one was home."

"What time was this?"

"Seven this evening," Lucia said angrily.

"Lucia, don't you think they could've just been out? It's a little early for a missing persons report."

"Really? Then why did my mother call here a half hour ago, looking for Mia?" Lucia's eyes burned into Olivia.

"I'll tell you what. I know you probably won't want to do this, but I need to come down to the station. We'll call your mother and have her meet us down there too. I'm going to have to speak with her also." Olivia said uneasily. She could only hope Lucia would cooperate in her inebriated state.

"Another statement? Is that all you people do? Make us write novels on the shit that happens to us? Bullshit." She said angrily, getting off the couch and disappearing down the hall.

"What are you doing?" Olivia asked, getting to her feet.

"Getting my fucking coat," she answered.

It turned out that Mia and her father, Joseph, really were missing. The squad had been looking for two days before Alex had to be involved. Elliot had tried everything to avoid it, knowing what it could do to the relationship Alex and Liv were trying to patch up.

"What do you need the warrant for?" Alex said as she rounded Elliot's desk to approach the two detectives.

"Lucia claims abuse but the case is too old for her. Her sister still lives in the house and Lucia wants to get her out so she can get guardianship of her sister." Elliot explained.

"How old is Lucia?" Alex asked. Elliot glanced at Olivia, who was 'busy' with her computer.

"She's 31," Olivia answered, never tearing her eyes from her screen.

"So what's the warrant about?"

"Well," Elliot continued, "Lucia said that when she was being abused, her father took pictures. She's never seen any of her sister but she's convinced that they are there."

"I can't do anything on that. It's only a guess. If she can prove they were taken of her then maybe I can do something with that," Alex argued.

"Excuse me, are you the A.D.A.?" The three turned to see the disheveled Italian girl.

Olivia's heart sank as she watched the curve of Alex's jaw just drop. She closed her eyes for a minute and Alex turned to look at her. The detective just shook her head innocently. What could she do? She couldn't drop the case. She didn't know how to tell Alex. Things were just getting worse for her.

"Olivia, a word." Alex's harsh tone hung in the air as Elliot quickly whisked Lucia upstairs to talk to her. Neither detective needed Lucia at the station for anything and her presence had floored the room in seconds.

"Alex," Olivia started but no words followed. Alex was fuming.

"Did you forget to tell me something?" Alex face was inches from Olivia's as her angry whisper assaulted the detective.

"Alex, I didn't know how," Olivia confessed honestly.

"Why is she here? Did she follow you?" Alex's jealous was easy to spot.

"Oh come on, Alex. She walked into the station one night. She was just as surprised to see me here as I was to see her. This is a real case here. We have a real situation." Olivia tried to make this about business but it wasn't working.

"You bet your ass we have a situation," Alex started but Olivia wouldn't have it.

"Look, I know why you hate her and you can all you want but listen to me for minute. The girl is a mess. She's a victim and it's my job to protect her." Olivia would never pick who to help. Any person that came to her, she would do anything for. This person was no different.

"Were you protecting her a couple nights ago?" Alex asked, wincing at her own ugly comment.

Olivia stood there starring at the angry blonde for a moment. Alex's face registered embarrassment and she sighed. "If you have to ask me that, then we have a problem." Olivia said as she felt her face turn red with anger.

"Girls," Elliot came up to them. He could see the tension and anger. He gently placed a hand on each of their shoulders and gently guided them apart. "Liv, I need you here. We got a call from the father to the mother from a New Jersey line. Cabot, Cregan needs to see you in his office." He eyeballed the women who's eyes never left each others faces and decided to step away from the potential line of fire.

"I was out of line," Alex admitted in a tone no softer than her accusing one.

"Yes you were," Olivia answered back with a hard look. How could Alex even insinuate that she was cheating? After going crazy without her she was never going to screw it up again.

Alex let out a sigh and broke the eye contact first, "I was just surprised. I'm sorry, you do your job and I'll do mine."

Olivia watched Alex walk over to Cregan's office and disappear behind the wooden door. She looked up at the ceiling as her eyes misted. She willed all emotion away. Were things going to keep going like this? She only feared they'd be getting worse.