Sadly, I own no one. If I did, I'd quit my job and indulge these characters in their fantasies day in and day out. Dick Wolf owns all; I just take them out for a spin.
A/U…how to explain this…set 5 years after "Undercover." In this version, Olivia and Fin developed a relationship in the aftermath of Olivia's assault. I don't want to give too much away, as the back story will be told. Suffice it to say, cannon up until Undercover, then I take over. Oh, and in my world, Elliot never left SVU.
Original story by Bellatrix wannabe 89; rewritten solely at her request. Enjoy!
Warning: This story has a racial theme, so racist language may be used. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE OFFENSIVE, merely to make the characters believable. As always, don't like, don't read…that's what the "Back" button is for.
Rating: M
Chapter 8
Olivia's hands trembled as she held the card in her hand. Her eyes surveyed the room, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, everyone was going about their business paying no attention to her. After all that had happened, she was sure that her comrades must see her as being weak, and the last thing she needed was for them to overreact about something as silly as a threat. Besides, she was a cop. She got multiple threats on a monthly basis, mostly from disgruntled perps. The serious ones were dealt with, but the vast majority were just hoaxes, which had to be what this one was, too. She jammed the card back in the envelope and shoved it in the back of one her desk drawers. Her desk phone rang and she answered immediately.
"Special Victims Unit, Benson," she said into the phone.
"Liv, it's Melinda. I've got the DNA results from your case. You need to see this," Warner said.
"It's not in your report?" Olivia asked, confused.
"Not these. I sent you the preliminary report, but I had to wait for the DNA. It's better if we talk in person," Warner answered.
"Ok," Olivia said, rubbing her temple. "I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up the phone and went in search of Elliot, running into him in the hall.
"Hey, grab your coat. Warner wants to see us," she said. Thirty minutes later, they were standing in Warner's lab.
"Please tell me you've got something we can use to nail this guy," Olivia said to Warner.
"I wish I could. The words written on the walls at both crime scenes are a match to both of Kimberly Akintola and Anne Owusu," Warner began. "Your perp was careful. He didn't leave any evidence of himself behind. All I found was spermicide."
"So he's using a condom," Elliot said. "So, what was the point of dragging us down here to tell us you've got nothing?"
"I'm not finished," Warner added. "Kimberly Akintola was gagged with a pair of panties. It was a long shot, but we tested for DNA on those, too, and we found two different samples."
"Two?" Olivia asked. "Then the second one's gotta be our perp."
"Guess again," Warner said. "The second one belongs to you, Detective." She was staring directly at Olivia. Olivia's jaw dropped. How could her DNA have gotten to a place she had never even visited, even during the processing of the crime scene?
"My DNA? Are you sure?" Olivia asked.
"I've run it three times. The chances of that DNA matching anyone else are one in billions. The only reason your DNA is in the system at all is because it's popped before," Warner explained. She was referring to the time when Olivia had been framed for murder, and she had requested that Warner run the DNA for comparison.
"Do you still have them?" Olivia asked. Warner nodded and handed her a plastic labeled bag containing a pair of black lace panties. Olivia studied the package in her hand.
"Have you seen those before?" Elliot asked her.
"They look like a pair I have, but they're not mine," Olivia said. She was sure of it.
"Have you seen them recently?" Elliot asked.
"What are you suggesting? That someone broke into my home, left everything completely undisturbed, lifted a pair of my panties, and left? Also leaving no sign of forced entry?" Olivia asked. Elliot knew she was right. It sounded completely absurd.
"Well, how else do you explain your DNA being present?" Elliot asked.
"I have no idea. But I'm going to find out," Olivia said. "Is there anything to suggest we're dealing with more than one killer?" she asked Warner, wanting desperately to deflect attention away from her.
"Yes, the stab wounds indicate a methodical pattern as well as a frenzied pattern. From the evidence, I would say one is controlled and the other is more of a passionate killer," Warner explained.
"Great, now we have two psychopaths to hunt down," Olivia said. With this new information, Olivia and Elliot headed back to the precinct, after grabbing lunch on the run.
"Liv? You're awfully quiet today," Elliot said in the car.
"I've just…got a lot on my mind, that's all," she answered.
"And Warner didn't help any," he said.
"Nope, she didn't," Olivia answered.
"Hey," Elliot said, reaching over and placing a hand on her knee. "No one thinks you had any part in this. It's gonna be ok," he said.
"Like it was on the Brady Harrison case?" she asked.
"Ok, in that case, your DNA was found on the murder weapon. We'll explain this. There's absolutely nothing else that points to you. At this point, it could still be a lab error," he said.
"Elliot, when was the last time Warner made a mistake?" Olivia asked.
"Exactly. She's due for one sometime, or else she's just not human," Elliot answered. Olivia couldn't help but smile.
"Do we have time to stop for ice cream?" she asked. "I have an insane craving for a hot fudge sundae." Elliot pulled the sedan into a parking space near the precinct, and they two stopped at an ice cream parlor half a block from the precinct to indulge Olivia's craving. She picked at the sweet treat as the walked back to the building.
"How is it?" Elliot asked.
"It doesn't taste right," she answered. They headed for the bullpen, and Olivia was almost at her desk when she realized what her sundae was missing. She walked to the break room, picked up the salt shaker, and proceeded to heap salt into the cup.
XxXxX
Fin had spent several more hours in the gym after Elliot had left. He screwed up, and he knew it. As he continued his circuits around the gym, the case before him crept into his thoughts. Mosi Akintola, African-American. Kimberly Akintola, Caucasian. Kwame Owusu, African-American. Anne Owusu, Caucasian. The words at the crime scene. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. He showered quickly, dressed, and headed back to his desk to check his facts. Liv's interview with Jenna was there as well as Elliot's preliminary crime scene report. And Sophia's last words: race traitor.
"He's a white supremacist," Fin said to Munch, out of the blue. Munch turned his head to the side and regarded Fin for a minute.
"Who is?" he asked.
"Our perp. It makes sense," Fin said as he proceeded to walk Munch through his conclusion. About halfway through the conversation, they brought Cragen into the theory. Piece by piece, the evidence started to make more and more sense. If you operated from that assumption, everything that had happened fit without making absurd stretches.
"Don't you get it? This is why Sophia died and Jenna didn't. In fact, Jenna was told that she had 'committed no sin,'" Fin said. "She was white."
"So were the other two female victims," Munch said, looking over his glasses at Fin.
"But they were married to black men," Fin countered. Munch took a moment to consider this statement.
"That's actually not bad. During the Holocaust, German women who married to Jews were treated harsher than Jews themselves," Munch observed. "They were considered to be soiling the purity of the German race."
"And our white victims would be soiling the purity of the white race, if we think like the perp," Cragen added. "Run with it. See if you can get a lead from any of the known white supremacist groups known to be operating in the New York area." As Fin got going on this new lead he noticed Elliot and Olivia returning from Warner's office.
"Tell me you two have good news," Cragen said. Olivia quickly excused herself and headed to the break room.
"What's with her?" Cragen asked. Elliot glanced over to her.
"Aw, she's just having a bad day, that's all." Elliot decided to keep Cragen's attention off of Olivia by telling him what Warner had informed them. He hesitated about adding the last part, but decided that Cragen could be trusted. He knew Cragen would do everything in his power to protect Olivia, if it came down to that.
Fin knew he needed to talk to her, and now was as good a time as any, especially while Elliot was busy with Cragen. He made it as far as the breakroom before he stopped.
"Hey," he said. Olivia turned to look at him, her face void of emotion.
"What do you want?" she asked flatly.
"Just to see how you're doing…is that salt?" he asked as he saw what she was doing to her sundae.
"Uh, yeah," Olivia answered. She took a bite. Yep, that was what she was craving. Fin shook his head. She had done the same thing when she was pregnant with Tina.
"Can we talk?" he asked.
"Here?" She was shocked. Usually, except for that one quick kiss in the morning when they arrived, they kept their personal relationship out of work. Fin shrugged. "That's probably not a good idea," she said. Fin nodded slowly. Apparently, he had hurt her more than he thought he had. He started to walk away.
"Tonight," Olivia called to him. He stopped and turned around. "After Tina goes to bed. We can talk tonight."
"Why don't I drop Tina off at my mom's, and we can talk after work? She's been bugging me for 'Grandma-time' lately anyway," Fin suggested.
"Your mom? C'mon, she hates me enough as it is," Olivia protested.
"I'll take care of it. You won't even have to talk to her. Besides, my mom's not that bad. Have you ever met Alex's mom? She makes mine look downright friendly," Fin told her. And it was true. Alex's mother had a nasty streak that was unparalleled. Olivia couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her face.
"Ok, but only as long as I don't have to deal with her," Olivia conceded.
"Done," Fin said. He paused for a second before turning back to her. "I love you," he said softly. She nodded, afraid her voice would betray her, and he went back to his work, hoping that he would be able to patch things up with Olivia. She agreed to talk to him; that was a good start.
"I love you, too," she muttered, so softly, only the ice cream in her cup heard her.
So, are these two lovebirds going to make it? Only time will tell!
Love it? Hate it? Review it! Follow me (BensonFan711) on Twitter (SVUEncyclopedia) as well as my fabulous co-author, Bellatrix Wannabe 89 (OneSixMHChick89)
