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So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

Pink Floyd

Elliot has parked at the prison before he finally looks at her, Liv, don't move, this isn't settled. On balance she seems to decide to let him talk.

"I'll cover for you," he says awkwardly. "If, you know, you don't want to go in there."

Olivia tilts her head, a challenge in her eyes. "Do you want me in there?"

He does, really, because he has a feeling Emma will trust her. Usually they can both tell, within a few minutes, which of them will get through to anyone. Usually they look to each other, communicating with eyebrows and nods, before moving in for the kill. He knows. This one is hers.

But if he can possibly keep her from being hurt, he'll be damned if he doesn't try.

"Here's the thing," she sighs. "I'm a coward. That's why I'm going in."

"Huh?" he says blankly, but she's already slammed the car door behind her.

So far, so good. He makes sure to stay close to his partner as they are led to a conference room, because it's the one thing he knows how to do. She's tense, but she's all right.

That is, of course, what he thought last time.

When Emma Taylor enters the room in her orange jumpsuit, he feels her stiffen further; he leans forward across the table, brushing her arm in the process. "Hey, Emma. Remember me?"

"I'll never forget," Emma says, sinking down across from them. She looks curiously at Olivia.

"This is my partner," he says. "Detective Benson."

Olivia smiles at the girl and slides across their photo of Joseph Saltzman. "How well do you know him?"

"That's Garrett," Emma says slowly. "My – my boyfriend."

"And your supplier?" She manages the words so gently that Emma just nods, as though she'd said "tutor."

"That too." Biting her lower lip, she looks between them. "Did – did he kill Anna?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Elliot says.

"You don't seem surprised," Olivia adds.

Emma sighs. "Anna always asked me why I was stickin' with him. I used to tell her – I'd say something like, you spent two hours watchin' TV today, didn't you know you shoulda been doin' your homework? And she'd say yeah, but I couldn't stop. And I'd say, it's like that. So no. I'm not surprised."

"So your sister didn't like him?" Olivia asks.

"She hated him. We got in huge fights about him all the time…" Emma swallows hard and looks at Olivia, who nods. "She didn't like when I hung out with him instead of her. She just had a feeling, she said. When… when she found out that I was usin' again, she guessed that I was gettin' it from him."

"She didn't know all along?"

"I tried to hide it. She was doing so good, you know? She was gonna graduate and everything."

"Okay," Olivia says, nodding. "So she found out. Then what happened?"

"She flipped. Said she was gonna go to the police, turn him in."

"Did Garrett know that she said that?"

"Yeah. I told him to run."

"Okay. When did all this happen?"

"The day I got busted. I was so distracted thinkin' about Anna that I ran a red light. Cops found my stash in the trunk."

Olivia lets out a breath and glances at Elliot. It's pay dirt: if he remembers right, Emma was arrested last Thursday. The day before her sister's murder.

"Emma," Olivia starts again, and he settles back to let her run the show.

"Let's take a detour." She makes sure not to phrase it as a question. She will call these shots, dammit.

Elliot looks at her sidelong. She can tell that he badly wants to say something along the lines of good job, but they both know that nothing was remarkable about that interview except its location within the walls of Sealview. So instead he just doesn't argue. She does love when he's predictable.

"Hey," she says to the CO stationed at the end of the hall. "Mind if we take a walk through B block?"

The woman squints at her. "Do I know you?"

"Sure you do," Elliot says from behind her. "She arrested one of your captains a while back."

"Lowell Harris? Bastard." The CO shakes her head and lets them in.

For a long moment Olivia can't move, can't make herself step into the familiar rows of cages. She can feel Elliot, silent at her back. It's okay, she tells herself, hating herself at the same time. He's here. Nothing can happen.

I'm unarmed.

It doesn't matter. You're a cop again. Who's the bitch now?

She takes one step forward. Then another. Elliot's heavy footsteps follow hers. She can do this.

She pauses by her former cell just long enough to ascertain that Amber no longer lives in it. Then a shout of "Kat!" draws her attention. She glances at Elliot, who appears to be sizing up the cage that he now knows to have been hers, and follows the voice down the catwalk.

"Kat!" Shauna yells again, hanging her arms through the bars. "Is that really you?"

"In the flesh." Olivia clasps her hand quickly. "How are you?"

"All right. Girl, I been wanting to talk to you. The stories flyin' around are incredible."

"It's been a year since I was here."

Shauna rolls her eyes. "Yeah, but nothing that interesting ever happens around here."

"Good point."

"So you're a cop, huh?"

Only here could she possibly feel guilty about that. "Yeah."

A smile unfolds across Shauna's face. "Finally. A cop who makes herself useful."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"And who's he?" Shauna jerks her head at Elliot as he stalks past them. "He looks pissed."

Olivia watches her partner situate himself at the far end of the catwalk, hands behind his back, at his most intimidating. "That's my partner. Elliot. And… maybe I hit him pretty hard yesterday."

"Huh."

"He deserved it, I promise you."

"You should dump him."

"No, no, he's a good guy. Just stupid."

"Whatever." Shauna turns her attention back to her. "Is Kat even your real name?"

"No. I'm Olivia."

"Olivia," Shauna repeats. "You ain't ever been a junkie, have you?"

"No. I am, however, addicted to chocolate and self-pity."

Shauna laughs. "I think you just described every woman in New York."

"Probably." Even small joys are infectious; Olivia smiles back. "My turn. Where's Amber?"

"Out, the lucky bitch. It's Denise and Maria in that cell now."

Olivia accepts this. Sealview itself has moved on further than she has with regard to it. "How are things around here, really?"

"For real? A lot better since we got rid of Captain Touchy-Feely."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I hear everything. None of them take what's not given anymore. If you know what I mean."

She looks around at the lines of women, nodding to herself. This is what she has to remember: that yes, she put herself in harm's way when she came here. But she did it for a damn good reason.

"Liv!" Elliot calls. When she glances down at him he's speaking rapidly into his phone.

"I gotta go," she tells Shauna.

"I didn't think you'd let him tell you what to do."

"Oh, believe me, I don't. But we are supposed to be, you know, doing our jobs."

"Right. Kat? I mean – "

"It's okay."

"Habit, you know. In the stories you're always Kat. Anyway. I get out soon. Can I…" Shauna trails off, clearly uncertain.

Olivia rummages for one of her cards and a pen, then scribbles her cell number on the back. "Here. Call me, okay?"

"Liv!" Elliot yells again.

"Bye," both women say at once.

"Cragen wants us back," he says as they finally step out into the sunshine. "Break in the Hickley case."

Olivia nods and folds her arms tight across her chest. He goes to touch her shoulder, to make a start at fixing this without words, but she flinches away violently as soon as he gets close. Elliot steels himself and steps ahead, leading the way to the sedan. "Liv, are you – "

"Don't, Elliot." She catches up with him in a few quick steps; when he glances sideways he can tell that she's shivering despite the sun. Nevertheless she fixes her famous glare on him. "Just don't."

Getting off prison grounds comes first, he decides. Then they can talk. He makes this his plan, unaware that what she's thinking is, Don't pretend like you give a damn.

TBC...

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