Chapter 7
It was a cool 5am Monday morning, winter had nicely settled in and Christmas was just around the corner. A few more days to go and Liv just realized that she had not gotten any of her shopping done. Well, not that she had a whole lot of shopping to do anyway. She wanted to spend a little more time this year to try and find the perfect toy for Nevaeh and something special for herself. Oh well, she thought, it would have to wait.
Nevaeh was eating her eggs while she placed some calls to try and locate the best day care for her. At least till she found a babysitter that would be willing to compromise with her work schedule. Her first shift started at 8:00 am, and she would have to leave her somewhere. Finally, she found the local daycare center open 7 days a week and overnight. Liv just prayed that it was a nice place. The last thing she needed was to leave Nevaeh in a dump.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. It was Jack.
"Good morning Ms. Benson." He smiled.
"Good morning, and please, call me Olivia." She offered. "What can I do for you?"
"Well actually I was hoping that I would be able to help you out today. Since you have to go to work, and obviously need a sitter, Mr...uh," He cleared his throat suddenly. "Well the gentleman who took care of your home needs, he also hired a nanny for your daughter. That is, if you approve of her of course."
"Really?" Olivia asked in disbelief. "I can't believe this; I am beginning to feel like someone really loves me up there."
"Oh, I believe that he really does!" Jack said.
"You've met him then?" She wondered when Don would have had the time to come here.
"Well actually, I've met him a few times. He is a rather charming fellow."
"I think so too, but I don't know where Don found the time to come out here once, let alone a few times." Olivia said thoughtfully.
"Don?" Jack asked confused.
"Don Cragen. That is who you mean right."
"Uhh, yes, that's it. Pardon me, Don Cragen, quite a gentleman." He stammered trying to recover his error. He had been specifically told by Mr. Odafin Tutuola to keep his name under wraps.
Olivia looked at him and wrinkled her brow, 'what was the matter with him, too much coffee or something.'
"Well where is she? I really need to get to work."
"She should be here any moment. Her name is Maria. She raised 4 or 5 of her own already, so I assure you that she is quite capable of taking care of Nevaeh " Jack assured her.
"Well that certainly helps, but I still..." She was interrupted by a knock on the door. "That must be her."
She opened the door, "Come on in." She smiled warmly at the blond haired woman who appeared to be around her age.
"Hi, I understand that you need a sitter for your daughter." Maria smiled.
"Yes, thank you for coming. Can you wait just a moment please?" Olivia asked as she walked Jack out the door.
"Thank you Jack; I really appreciate your help."
"I am just doing my job dear. And trust me; I am sure that Maria will be a wonderful nanny for your daughter." With that he walked to the elevator.
Closing the door behind her, Olivia offered to take Maria's coat, and hung it on a hook. They discussed everything from the town of Roanoke to family. Finally, after half an hour, Olivia was convinced that Maria would be perfect for Nevaeh.
"I just want to make sure that if you need anything, you can reach me with this pager number. No matter what, if Nevaeh needs anything, you call me." Olivia scribbled a number on a piece of paper and handed it to Maria. "Thank you again, Maria, but I was wondering what you would like to be paid."
"Oh, don't worry Ms. Benson, I have already been paid thank you. For six months anyways. And I must say, rather generously too."
Well this was getting to be too much for Olivia, she was going to have to call Don and tell him so. She was determined to make it on her own and wasn't going to take anymore handouts. The apartment was enough. "Well, ok then, I had better go for a quick shower. Why don't you and Nevaeh get acquainted and I will get ready for work." She headed for the bathroom as Maria and Nevaeh sat on the couch and stared at each other.
When Olivia came out of the shower, she was delighted to see Maria reading a book to Nevaeh. She seemed totally engrossed in the story as she snuggled up close to her. Maria seemed to have a way with kids alright.
As Olivia drove to the precinct, her mind wondered back to Nevaeh's birth. What a wonderful day that had been. Of all the heartache she had been through, finally there was hope, a reason for living again. Though her heart still ached for Fin, she knew that she would never be able to go back again. No, it would be too risky! Tristan Tutuola had made sure she was certain of that.
Olivia recalled the day that he showed up at her door with a couple of beefed up bodyguards. Bodyguards! What did he expect she would do to him? Cry him to death? That was after all, all that she could do when he threatened to kill her if she didn't stay away from Fin.
"He is a Tutuola, and a Tutuola blood does not mix with white trash." He'd snarled at her as he grabbed her arm and held her tightly. "Stay away from him, you here, or Jim and Max here will pay you a visit that is not going to be this civilized." And with a flip of his hand, he threw a package on the floor and left as quickly as he'd come.
"Civilized," he'd said. The racist pig, he didn't know the meaning of the word." She'd thought as she quickly packed her bags to leave town. Her plans had been slightly delayed when Fin showed up. Full of fear, she was grateful though to at least be with him one more time. The next morning while Fin still slept, she quietly took Tristan Tutuola's money and left New Jersey, and her life with Fin behind.
One month later, she discovered that she was pregnant. What a glorious day that was. A baby! Fin's baby. With the thought of having Fin's baby in her heart, she was able to carry on, make a life for herself and for her baby. When the baby was born, Olivia was thrilled when the doctor told her that it was a girl. She had brown skin like her fathers and shining brown eyes. One would never be able to tell that her mother was white.
She would name her after the heaven's because through it all that what she looked up to. She carefully filled out the birth certificate, Nevaeh Denise Benson,' insuring that she could not be linked to Fin and certainly she hoped to keep his horrible father, Tristan, away.
The very idea of her child having Tristan Tutuola for a grandfather had made Olivia sick to her stomach and she had had to rush to the bathroom, vomiting till she was convinced that every fiber of her being was rejecting the idea as well. If she never saw or heard that man's name again, it would be too soon.
When she'd cleaned herself up, she continued to fill out the birth certificate. Deliberately writing 'unknown' next to the father's name, and with the help of Don Cragen, was able to alter the date of birth by a few months. So even if Fin tried to find her, at least he couldn't prove, short of a DNA test that Nevaeh was his. And this way she hoped that if Fin ever found out that she had a child with another man, he would stay away from her. Then she wouldn't have to live in fear of Tristan all her life. She shuddered at what might happen if he found out about Nevaeh.
Even though she and Fin had briefly met since, she was convinced that he would indeed leave her alone. She never even gave him a chance. As much as she had longed to remain in his arms, and to introduce him to his daughter, she knew that she had done the right thing. For Nevaeh's sake!
Olivia was aware that Fin was a very powerful man, that he could probably find her anywhere, and yes, even somehow find out that Nevaeh was his. She was counting on his love and respect for her not to pry into her life. Olivia knew that when it came to her, Fin was the perfect gentleman. He adored her, loved her, and would never do anything that he thought might hurt her, emotionally or physically.
No, she was convinced that Fin wouldn't stoop so low as to manipulate her life just to get her back. Unless maybe if he was desperate, but nah, not 'her' Fin, he wasn't like that! And it seemed to Olivia, that his lack of pursuit was a good sign that he would leave her alone.
When Olivia arrived at the precinct, she parked her car and entered through the front door. She was pointed in the right direction by the receptionist and after being introduced to the rest of the staff that she would be working with and was assigned to her desk.
"Well hello again." Elliot grinned with pleasure. "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."
"Well it is a rather small town and precinct." Liv said.
"That it is," he chuckled, "So your my new partner?"
"Well I guess I am" she pointed out.
During her lunch break, Olivia sat alone trying to get in some study time. A loud banging of the door made her jump.
A woman with blond colored hair stood before her, grinning from ear to ear. Olivia groaned inwardly, not really wanting any company at the moment.
"Whatcha reading?" She drawled.
"Oh, not much," Olivia closed her book. "Just catching up on case work."
"Bummer that is such a drag. Reports I mean." She plopped down on an empty chair.
"What can I do for you?" Olivia asked.
"Awe, nothing, just trying to be friendly. I am your ADA but just here helping out today." She extended her hand in greeting. "I'm Alex Cabbot."
"Olivia Benson." She said as she shook her hand.
"Well Olivia, I think we are going to see a lot of each other."
"That's great I guess. How do you like SVU?" Olivia wondered.
"It gets to me sometimes. Gets a little too rowdy some days. Most cases happen at a club." She smiled wickedly, as if she enjoyed the whole thing. "At least I get to occasionally insult most perps and then go for dinks after. I swear a couple of shots of whiskey helps push any problems of the day away."
"You don't say?" Olivia asked in dismay.
"Oh don't look so shocked Detective! The Holy Bible says 'a little wine is good for the stomach.' And who should know better than God himself, right?" Alex laughed at Olivia's horrified look. "Relax, I was just kidding. I know that as long as a body has insurance, you will try to keep them fit as a fiddle."
"Well I hope that isn't the case here in Roanoke." Olivia replied. "Insurance or not, I think that victim deserves justice equally."
Alex leaned closer and whispered, "Well some like to pretend. That ma'am is the way it is, but I know better. One way or another, someone always has something to hide."
Unnerved, Olivia suddenly stood. "Well it was nice meeting you...uh, Alex. But I have to get back to work." She gathered her books and tried to smile.
"Well maybe I'll catch you again later." She grinned as she got up to leave, "you take care Detective," with a quick wave of her hand she was gone.
Not knowing quite what to make of that, Olivia glanced around nervously. She breathed deeply and scolded herself, 'Relax Olivia, no one here knows who you are. You have nothing to worry about.' Finishing her coffee, she packed up her files and returned to work.
On the other side of town, in the Tutuola Mansion library, Fin had just made the last of a series of calls that he'd been making all morning. Everything was set. He was ready; ready to sweep Olivia right off her feet. With a devilish grin, he grabbed his car keys and headed for the garage. "Genius, Odafin, you are a genius. She won't be able to resist you this time." With a happy laugh he got into his car and sped off down the driveway.
In some remote part of the world a phone on a large luxurious oak desk rang shrilly. A hand reached out and grabbed it. "Yes?"
"I tracked her down in a small town called Roanoke." The voice on the phone said.
The hand slammed down in the form of a fist onto the shiny desk surface. "This is could ruin everything. We must deal with her. Immediately!" The man behind the desk snarled.
"Yes sir!" The voice said as the phone clicked dead.
