Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They belong to Dick Wolf.
If you want more, please review!
Alex got the phone call around 5:00. "Lex," whimpered Olivia. "I need you to come over. Now. I did something bad and I need your help."
She didn't even ask what. "I'm on my way."
She ran downstairs and out the door. "James, I need you to take me to 189, East 44th Street. Olivia's in trouble."
* * *
When Alex knocked on the door, Olivia answered, white as a sheet. There were fresh bruises on her face and arms and her eye was starting to blacken and swell. She led Alex into the family room where bottles were strewn all over the place. Suddenly, she felt as if her feet could no longer support her and fell into Alex's arms. "Lex, oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God, Lex."
"What happened, Olivia?" asked Alex.
"I killed Jason," she whispered. "Oh, Alex, Alex, he got so angry. They both did. They were hitting me, hitting me over and over and over and over. And he took me to my room and he pulled off my clothes and he – he raped me. He had his gun and he said she'd shoot me if I didn't let him so I did but then there was the gun and it was right on the bed and it was just there and I was looking at it and I knew this was my chance and I lifted it up and I shot the bastard. I shot the fucking bastard!" she shrieked, then burst into tears. "My mom ran, ran to me, ran to him, tried to wake him, he was dead. She hit me. She wouldn't stop. She put her cigarette out on my arm – look." She showed Alex the fresh mark. It made Alex sick to see, but she couldn't tear her eyes from the gruesome sight. "Then she left. She said she was never coming back. Oh, Lex, Lex, Lex! I killed him! I killed the bastard! I killed him, I killed him, I did and I'm not sorry but, oh, Lex, Lex, I'm gonna be in so much trouble! I shouldn't have done it, I know, but there was nothing else to do, and I couldn't, couldn't!" She let out a strangled sob and buried her head in her hands.
Alex reached out to rub her friend's back comfortingly. "Shh, Liv, it's okay. It's all going to be okay."
Olivia looked up, her face stained with tears. "I killed a man, Lexi! I killed a man."
"He was raping you, Liv," Alex reminded her. "It was self-defense."
Olivia leaned against Alex. "You're gonna be a great lawyer someday."
"Thanks, Liv."
They stayed like that for several minutes, holding each other close. Finally, Olivia whispered, "What do we do now?"
"I'm going to call the police, Liv," said Alex quietly.
"No!" she shrieked, leaping up. "You can't! They'll arrest me."
"No, they won't," Alex assured her. "It was self-defense. We just need them to know that so you don't get into any trouble later."
Olivia let a whimper escape her lips but nodded shakily.
* * *
"Olivia, can you tell me what happened?" said a friendly-looking police officer. They were at the station, Olivia clutching Alex's hand for support.
Olivia took a shaky breath and blurted out the whole story. She told the police officers about the abuse and how she finally couldn't take it anymore and shot the bastard who'd raped her. Then she began to cry, sounding for once like the child she'd never had a chance to be. "I don't wanna go to jail!"
"You're not going to," the police officer assured her. "It was self-defense."
Olivia looked up, more vulnerable than anyone could have ever imagined. "Then where am I gonna go?"
"Do you have any relatives you can stay with?"
Olivia shook her head at the same time as Alex said firmly, "Yes. She's coming home with my parents and I."
"You can't tell them," whispered Olivia.
"Liv, I might have to. But you can stay with us for as long as you need to."
Olivia sighed and put her head down on the table as Alex took out her Blackberry to call her driver to come pick them up.
* * *
Olivia silently climbed into the limousine after Alex. She was in shock. Tomorrow a social worker from ACS was going to come visit her. Olivia was frightened of foster care, but she didn't want to impose on the Cabots any longer than she had to.
Neither girl said anything on the ride back. Olivia closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, wondering about her future. It was the first time she'd allowed herself to think past the next day – her worries were always more immediate. She worried about how she was going to survive the next day, not about what she was going to do when she grew up or what subjects she was going to take next year.
They reached Alex's house and Olivia followed her friend back up to her room. She lay down on Alex's bed and closed her eyes, willing away the images of Jason that flooded her mind.
Finally, Alex broke the silence. "Liv, are you okay?"
Olivia turned over onto her side. "Peachy."
Alex's lips turned up at the corners. "I guess that was a stupid question."
"Yeah."
Alex climbed up next to Olivia. "They're never going to hurt you again, Liv."
"Right. 'Cause I killed him. If you're trying to make me feel better, drop it. It ain't working."
Alex rolled her eyes. "Why do you talk like that? You know how to speak properly."
She shrugged. "'Cause I can. Does it annoy you, o prestigious one?"
Alex hid her smile. "See, there you are."
Olivia closed her eyes and leaned back on the pillow. She didn't say anything for a long, long time.
Alex's door opened and her mother burst in. She raced to Alex and threw her arms around her. "Alexandra, are you all right? James said he picked you up from the police station?"
Olivia glanced at Mrs. Cabot's perfectly manicured nails and platinum blonde hair, not one strand out of place. She hoped Alex wouldn't tell her mother about what Olivia had done because this woman would surely kick her out, not wanting a murderer around their daughter.
"I'm fine, Mother," replied Alex, wriggling out of her mother's grasp.
"Then why were you at the police station?"
Alex glanced at Olivia, whose body had visibly tensed. She turned back to her mother. "I had some business to take care of."
"At the police station? Don't you lie to me, Alexandra."
Alex sighed. "Everything's fine, Mother. I don't want to talk about it."
"Alexandra, did you do something wrong? Do you –"
"Mrs. Cabot," interrupted Olivia quietly. "Alex was there to pick me up."
Mrs. Cabot's eyes got so large that Olivia feared they would explode. "Why were you there, Olivia?"
Olivia looked at the ground and didn't say anything. She knew that if she told the truth, even partially, Mrs. Cabot wouldn't believe she was a suitable friend for her daughter and would make her leave.
"We're doing a school project on what we might like to be when we grow up," Alex jumped in. "Olivia thinks she might want to be a detective so she was talking to some police officers to do some research."
Olivia shifted under Mrs. Cabot's sharp gaze as she took in Olivia's bruised face, but she didn't press the issue. "What are you doing for this project?"
"I need to talk to a prosecutor, probably a district attorney. That's what I want to when I grow up."
Mrs. Cabot gave her a disapproving look, then said, "Fine. I'm glad you're all right, Alexandra. I will see both of you for dinner in two hours." She glanced meaningfully at Olivia's stained t-shirt. "Please be changed by then – both of you."
As Alex's mother left, Olivia gave Alex an amused look. "Nice comeback there. That was a good one."
Alex smiled. "Thank you." She walked toward her closet and tossed Olivia another outfit. "I think my mom means it about changing for dinner, though. Here, put this on."
Olivia changed quickly into the outfit. Alex tried not to stare at the bruises that covered her friend's body.
"Lex," said Olivia softly when she was done changing. "Thank you." It was the first time in a long time that she had thanked anyone this sincerely for anything and the words tasted strange in her mouth. Then again, it had been a long time since anyone had done anything for her that merited such sincere thanks.
Alex smiled ruefully. "They're just clothes."
"No, Lex. That wasn't what I meant."
Alex sighed. "I know."
Olivia suddenly looked frightened. "Lex, what would your mom do . . . if you told her?"
Alex shrugged. "I don't know. It's hard to tell sometimes when it comes to my mom."
"Lex, I'm sorry about all this. I didn't mean to get you involved."
Alex squeezed Olivia's hand. "It's okay, Liv. It's not your fault."
"I killed a man!"
"A man that was raping you."
Olivia shook her head as if to clear it. "That doesn't excuse it."
"I know, but it explains it. Severe emotional distress, Liv."
Olivia smiled wanly. "You're gonna be a great lawyer someday. You're gonna save the world."
Alex beamed. "Thanks, Liv."
Review for more!
