A/N Short update, but I needed to get started on this again! I shaaaaaall update again soon, and hopefully it will all get a little less confusing!
And remember, reviews are one of your five a day :-)
PART TWO
1992
Blame
Things were not going well.
The hard metal of the cell cot dug into her shoulders as Casey stared sleeplessly at the grey, pockmarked ceiling and the thin, scratchy fabric of the blanket she'd been issued was scant protection against the cold. She guessed warmth was considered too good for convicts.
Well, technically, she wasn't a convict; she had yet to be 'convicted' but she had been indicted for assault and thus was enjoying the hospitality of a juvenile facility. Bail hadn't been set too high, but she had insisted her Mom didn't get her out, money was tight, and her mother, despite her vigorous protests, couldn't afford it.
Though after lights out, listening to the raucous shouts, rattling doors, occasional screams, Casey was beginning to regret her own valour.
Just as exhaustion was beginning to settle in, dragging her into sleep which had seemed desperately elusive due to the racing of her thoughts, a room shaking knock sounded on the cell door.
"Novak! Get up!" A burly female guard barked in an unsettling baritone. Kicking the blankets off, Casey wearily rose to her feet. The door swung open, and the Guard nodded down the hall. "your fairy godmother's here to rescue you."
*****
"Welcome to the family!" Shay said, clapping Casey on the shoulder.
As it turned out, her sister, unbeknownst to their mother, had snuck out to bail Casey out.
"Thanks, I feel all warm inside," Casey said, crossing her arms, but reserving the glare. Shay had trekked all the way out there in the middle of the night, and whilst she was slightly pissed at her sister for her strident attitude, she was also unspeakably grateful, "how'd you raise the money to bail me out?" she asked, as the reception clerk sifted through boxes, attempting to locate Casey's belongings.
Shay shrugged, "a few hours on a street corner."
"So you're getting paid for it now?" Casey jibed, earning herself a playful shove. Her sister wasn't really in the business of hooking, but her morals were a little more…flexible than Casey's.
"Glad your incarceration hasn't damaged your sharp wit," Shay said, "anyhow, apparently I'm not the family slut…why didn't you tell me about you and Mr Harrison?"
"Because there was no me and Lucas…"
"Oh, so it's Lucas now…
"Will you shut up for a second? Nothing happened, everything just got screwed up somehow, and I don't know what to do."
"So you didn't..." Shay started.
"No," Casey said, with finality.
"Well, this lawyer chick Mom found is supposed to be pretty good, she'll get you off," Shay said. Whilst Casey herself was a law abiding citizen, the same could not be said of Shay. She'd been to juvy a couple of times, nothing major, shoplifting, vandalism. But this was a whole new experience for Casey, and then there was the fact that…
"Someone is setting me up," Casey explained, "there were forged papers, and photos…I'll tell you about it on the ride home."
*****
Elliot was sat in the SVU bullpen, eyes straining to focus on the computer screen as he typed up his reports. He'd amassed a backlog through sheer avoidance, but now the captain was on his back and admin was no longer optional.
On the upside, he'd get a hell of a lot more shut eye on the all-nighter he'd have to pull to finish up than he would at home with his newborn adorably screaming up a riot the second his head hit the pillow.
Without warning, a voice sounded behind him and he started, he hadn't even realized someone had walked in,
"Stabler, we're dropping the assault charge against the Novak kid," ADA Donnelly said, taking the empty seat opposite him.
"New evidence?" Elliot asked, rubbing at his eyes in an attempt to rouse himself.
"No," the Lawyer said, her expression grim, "we're charging her with manslaughter, baby Connor had a stroke. He passed away in the hospital an hour ago."
