Well, it seems that all the best E/O fights were before season 10 so I decided to use and older case for this epilogue, to see how they will deal with a professional disagreement. In my opinion, this one was their best fights ever (that wasn't personal on some level), about a case they would never agree on. We never even got the jury's verdict in the end. How will they cope with this after work? Enjoy the final final chapter of this journey. It's been interesting!
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"Doubt" - Epilogue
8 months later.
The man had been brutal. Olivia had stayed with Myra the entire time while the rape kit was being done. All her cuts and bruises had to be documented and they were extensive. Myra was a mess, showing all the classical symptoms of a victim. She did manage to give a full account of her evening though, right up until the moment she'd hailed a cab, and the cab driver refused to take her home. Frustrated, she had smashed the rear window with an empty bottle. That's when the cops had arrived and she had told them she had just been raped.
The suspect, Ron Polikoff, had come forward immediately and Elliot had spoken to him while Melinda did a full physical exam on him. Somehow, the men must have bonded during the exam and interview because Elliot was questioning the rape story. Polikoff maintained that the sex had been completely consensual but rougher than what he was comfortable with. Myra had wanted it that way, he had told Elliot. Myra said it wasn't consensual and that Polikoff had become rough when she asked him to stop. A classical he said / she said. Still, Olivia was convinced that all of the injuries on both parties were a result of a rape, not wild sex. Elliot wasn't.
The night of the alleged rape, they had been fine. A second DNA sample on Myra's underwear had cast some doubt on her story but they would get to it the next day. They had spent a quiet evening at home, without even mentioning the case. Today had been, well, different. Polikoff turned out to be a recently divorced father with a sixteen year old daughter and Elliot clearly sympathized with the man. Granted, Myra's history with men wasn't very flattering for her but still. She fit the picture of a victim completely and Olivia believed her.
They were going over the case with Alex in the break room when they finally exploded.
"So Warner says that the other DNA sample on Myra's Teddy is indeed Justin Wexler's," Olivia told Alex, referring to Myra's boyfriend.
"Good. I don't think that's gonna hurt us with the jury too much," Alex replied.
"The fact she wore sexy silk underwear to Polikoff's sure will," Elliot interjected.
He was standing, leaning on the table she and Alex were sitting at.
"That's not an invitation for rape," Olivia shot back, looking up at him. Surely he knew that. How long had they both been doing this job anyway?
"Maybe she didn't even see it as rape until he told her to leave."
"Elliot ..."
"Guys," Alex cut them off. "I can't prosecute this until you agree. Call me when you get on the same page."
With that, she left them alone and Elliot started to walk off as well. Olivia jumped up and went after him.
"What is your problem with Myra?" she asked him.
"She's neurotic," Elliot replied, taking a few steps away from her. "Look, she chased after a guy whose life is falling apart."
"So that gives him the right to force her to have sex?" Come on Elliot. You know better than that.
She didn't mean to raise her voice but she was getting pissed.
Elliot scratched his chin as he walked back over to where Olivia was standing. Raising a finger, he pointed out to her that Myra was the one who wanted to have sex.
"Really, did she wanna be strangled too?!"
She was beginning to yell and he was still speaking quietly. Even that was getting on her nerves now.
Elliot stopped in front of her.
"A lot of people do," he said, still calm but she knew he was challenging her judgement.
"Elliot, what's wrong with you?"
He walked away from her again while he answered and started walking around her in circles as they continued their discussion.
"What's wrong with me? Myra hasn't told a consistent story yet. She lied about when he looked at her portfolio."
"Hey, maybe he lied! It's her word against his!" She was yelling full on now and finally, Elliot raised his voice as well, still walking around her.
"Yeah, but her words can put him in prison for ten years. She hails a cab instead of calling the cops? She doesn't even mention rape until she's about to be arrested!"
Why couldn't he see the whole picture here? She stepped in front of Elliot so their faces were close and she tried to stress her words to make him come to his senses.
"Elliot, rape victims are in shock! They're in denial. You know that. You've seen it."
He finally stopped walking and told her quietly,
"I've also seen liars."
Before she could respond, and she didn't even know how to respond to him calling a victim a liar, Cragen called them.
"Elliott! Olivia! My office!"
They stomped down the stairs and past their desks to the Captain's office. He had probably heard their entire argument, just like everyone else in the squad room.
"Close the door behind you please," Cragen said to Olivia as she entered right behind Elliot.
As soon as the door was closed, Cragen wanted to know what was going on.
"Alright, let's hear it. I've stuck my neck out for you two to keep you here, so please tell me that this 'discussion' you were having just now is strictly case-related? If not, I'm afraid I may have to revisit your latest evaluation and think about it again."
Olivia's eyes had gone wide and she glanced at Elliot. He still had the same stubborn look on his face and he told the Captain curtly that it was indeed strictly case-related.
"It's a classic he said / she said Captain, and Liv believes her while I'm inclined to believe him. That's it."
Olivia's blood was still boiling that he could even consider believing Polikoff after she'd seen first hand how shaken Myra had been, how she had flinched when she'd been touched unexpectedly and how disappointed she'd been in her hero. Besides, who would want to be choked that hard? She knew there were people who were into that. She just didn't want to believe her victim was one of them.
The Captain was looking at her now, clearly expecting her to speak up.
"Yes. Yes Captain. Elliot's right. It's strictly about the case, nothing else."
Cragen was looking at both of them, wondering what to make of it. They'd been in his office many times after fights like this but it was the first big disagreement they'd had on the job after disclosing their involvement. So it was different and the Captain had to make sure their partnership still wasn't suffering because of their relationship. He asked them to share details with him about the case and the evidence that was making them disagree, and after he was satisfied that their yelling match had indeed been purely about work, he let them go.
"Alright. Go home, get some sleep and look at all the facts again tomorrow. Alex needs something to work with and she can't unless you give her something solid."
The both nodded, not looking at each other.
"Dismissed."
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The drive back home was silent. They had both said all they wanted to say and they weren't going to see eye to eye on this. Olivia took a deep breath and tried to relax. They could agree to disagree, right? They would pick up the case tomorrow. Right now, they were going home. She had worried a little about keeping the job and their personal lives separated but it had actually gone very well over the past months. Cragen had been very content and Tucker had even smiled at them once. She had barely managed to hide her surprise, especially when she saw Elliot staring at the Lieutenant of IAB in disbelief. But they weren't complaining.
Today had been different. To say the least. And now what? Elliot was still staring ahead, a stubborn look in his eyes and his jaw set, ready for another argument if she were to say another thing about the case. Even though she still felt the tension about his attitude in her belly, she decided against it. They were going home and would probably not talk about it at all. That was how they used to deal with these arguments anyway, before they became lovers.
They walked up the four flights of stairs to their apartment, still not speaking. After their first positive evaluation in March, Elliot had asked her to move in with him. Why keep two addresses when they were spending every waking and sleeping moment together anyway? Right now, some distance might have been wise but this was home. It was where they both lived so they would just have to deal with it.
Only she didn't really know how to do this. What did regular couples do when they disagreed? Just give each other the silent treatment until a distraction came along? That's what they used to do as partners. How did lovers do it? She'd never been in a relationship long enough to find out. She took a deep breath when Elliot put the key in their front door and opened it. They were home. Now what?
"Dad! Please tell your sons to leave me alone! They've been terrorizing me the whole time I've been trying to make dinner for all of us!"
Dick came running by with Eli in tow, yelling something about finally not being a minority anymore and the boys disappeared into one of the bedrooms. Olivia glanced at Elliot and she was amazed at how his facial expression was changing. It was almost as if there was an invisible screen at their front door, and as soon as he'd stepped through, he was a different person. He was smiling at Elizabeth, who had clearly been busy in the kitchen and walked over to his daughter to give her an encouraging pat on the back.
"We've chased them away honey. You're safe now. What are you cooking?" he asked his youngest daughter.
He was looking in all the pots and pans to see what she was making and winked at Olivia, who was still standing in the doorway with her mouth slightly open.
"Actually, it's two different dishes dad. One is pasta and the other one is a mix of fish and vegetables. I love to cook and your kitchen is just great."
Elizabeth was right. The kitchen was pretty impressive with lots of room to work and all the appliances one could wish for. Olivia finally closed the door and took off her coat. She walked into the kitchen as well and took in the delicious smell of pasta sauce. Elliot stood beside her and put a hand on her back. She looked at him, slightly surprised at the gesture. She felt a warmth spread throughout her chest when she saw the look in his eyes.
"Hey, relax," he said softly. "We're home. No shop talk anymore okay?"
She didn't know what to say. Was that was regular couples did? Leave it all at the front door and focus on their family life as if they hadn't just had a huge fight on the job? Elliot sensed her confusion and guided her out of the kitchen into the L-shaped living room.
"Let's give Liz some room to work," he said and Elizabeth smiled at them.
Elliot took her hand and led her to the couch.
"El ..." Olivia started, but he shushed her by placing a finger on her lips.
Elliot sat down and pulled her into his lap. Olivia sighed and leaned against him contently. She didn't know what he was going to say but the mood had changed so much already that she was beginning to relax.
"Liv, I don't want the job to come between us at home. Ever. The case will still be there, whether we worry about it tonight or not. We'll probably get into it again tomorrow but for now, we're here. The kids are here and I just want us to be a family. Do you think we can do that?"
Olivia bit her lip, trying to understand what had just happened. It was as if the day was just sliding off of them. They were in a completely different world now, where there was love, light and laughter. They no longer were sex crimes detectives, they were Elliot and Olivia, best friends and lovers. They had come home to this apartment together many times before but it had never hit her the way it did this time. After their fight. After getting caught up in a case they still didn't agree about. She finally nodded and smiled at Elliot.
"Yeah. I think we can do that."
Elizabeth announced that dinner was ready and the boys came charging out of the bedroom again. They all sat down at the dinner table and Elizabeth asked if they would be silent for a minute so she could say grace. Olivia listened silently at the sixteen-year old's prayer.
"Dear Lord, we thank you for the food we are about to eat and I thank you that you brought dad and Olivia home safely today because we really need them here with us. Please bless this dinner and our family. Amen."
Olivia didn't know where to look. They short prayer had moved her to tears and she tried to hide her trembling chin until she felt Elliot's hand on her knee under the table. She put her hand over his and squeezed it, smiling without looking at him. She had been accepted into the family. This was where she belonged. No matter how much ugliness they might see in the world during the day, this was where they were going to return each night. She was with the man she loved more than life itself and with a family that had always been close to her heart. This was how they were going to do it and she was learning. She was happy. She was home.
The End
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A/N: Want more? Check out my others stories! And please leave a review about this happy ending.