A/N Sorry for the epic, epic delay, been busy and also lazy…anyhow, it's still not quite the last chapter, but oh so very nearly!
Oh, and as for the lack of Casey/Elliotness… well the timelines ought to have converged roughly the fourth chapter, bringing them back together…didn't quite turn out that way due to an utter lack of plotting from me. On the upside, they shall both be reunited for the follow-on story, plus I'm a quarter way through another, slightly less complicated Casey and Elliot based story which I'll likely post when it's totally completed, saving the epic delays this ones had. Anyhoo, on with the story!…
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Best of Intentions
TWO WEEKS AND SEVERAL DAYS EARLIER
THE RESIDENCE OF HANNAH AND JOSHUA NOVAK
"Hannah, can I bother you ladies for a second?" Casey's father called from the kitchen. Hannah nodded apologetically to Olivia and replied,
"Come in Josh!"
Casey's Father rolled in, neatly dodging between the sofa at the coffee table, handing Hannah a few pages of hand written text on lined paper,
"Can you have a check over this for me? I'm just about to head over to the post office," He said, beaming a wide grin, "and I've made a pot of coffee, I'll bring it on in when you ladies are done with 'girl talk'." With that, he propelled himself back into the kitchen, and Olivia had to admire his grace, considering he was flitting about in a massive metal contraption.
"Letters to his old soldier buddies, some are out in Iraq now," Hannah explained, "he's dyslexic, like Casey, I just go over it and make sure it's presentable for him."
"I didn't know she was," Olivia said.
"Yes, severely, school was a nightmare for her. But she's nothing if not stubborn about it," Hannah said, with an almost proud smile, "I swear to god, that girl became a lawyer just because it was the most difficult profession she could think to take up with her problem. "
TWO WEEKS AND SEVERAL DAYS LATER
THE OFFICE OF ADA CASEY NOVAK
"Your Mom told me," Olivia admitted, "I don't remember how it came up, I thought if I spoke to McCoy it might help…"
"Help?" Casey said, mouth tugging with a wry sort of smile which didn't reach her eyes, "do you have any idea how people try to 'help'?"
"No," Olivia said timidly. Casey leant forward,
"Do you know how it feels to sit in an exam after the bell has gone, all the rest of your classmates are leaving, and the teacher's glaring at you from her desk for making her stay an extra hour because the Principal has told her she has to make 'special allowances' for a single kid in her classroom."
"Casey, I just thought…"
Clearly, Casey's rant was not over, "the reason I was reticent to tell McCoy about my dyslexia, is because it's not a big deal, but I knew he'd make it one. Now I have a meeting with personnel to look forward to, which will no doubt result in lots of special 'considerations' to help me out since clearly, despite somehow managing to fluke out and score myself a law degree and pass the bar on my first attempt, I obviously can't even make out a D from a B or spell my own name in a hurry."
"I'm sorry…" Olivia said, for what felt like the hundredth time in a very short stretch.
"Oh don't worry, your thank you card is in the mail," Casey snapped bitterly, "though don't be surprised if it doesn't arrive, it's likely I spelt the address wrong."
Olivia sucked in a deep, even breath, calming herself. As infuriating as the attorney's verbose sarcastic lecture was, it wasn't entirely unjustified.
"I'm mystified Olivia," Casey continued, "what exactly has brought out this new altruistic side in you toward me?"
Olivia had been wrestling with this for days, and whether it was the anger brought on by Casey's frankly ungrateful outburst (she had only been trying to help, and had saved the woman's life less than twenty-four hours ago), or just her own need to get the secret off her chest, but either way, she reached into the inner pocket of her leather jacket and produced a neat white envelope which had been burning a hole there for days, handing it to Casey.
"And this is…?" Casey asked, appearing thoroughly confused.
"You wanted an explanation, I'm giving it to you." Olivia shrugged.
"Well gee Olivia, this isn't how it works, aren't you supposed to hold up three and let me pick one?"
"Casey, shut up and listen for a second," Olivia snapped, catching the ADA off guard with the abrupt change in her demeanour from apologetic docility to assertive irritation, "you asked me why things have changed, and inside that envelope, you'll find an explanation."
Casey rolled her eyes and immediately turned the envelope so that the sealed fold faced her, her thumb readying to open it there and then. Olivia caught her wrist.
"Wait, before you open that, you need to know: You really don't want to know what's in there."
"Is it anthrax?" Casey asked with admirable sincerity.
"Casey, I mean it. There are some things we're better off not knowing, but I thought it best to leave the choice up to you. Now you can open it, but don't say I didn't warn you." Olivia said.
The young lawyer stared, blinking slowly, then shook her head with a soft sigh, sliding open a drawer and dropping the envelope inside, "is cryptic time over now? Because I have work to do."
"I'll go," Olivia whispered, taking her leave and wondering if she hoped Casey would open the envelope or not.
*****
"Knock, knock!" Came a familiar voice from the other side of Casey's office door. Before she could deny entrance to her unwanted guest, Brian Peluso sauntered in, making himself comfortable opposite her at her desk.
"What do you want Brian?" Casey asked wearily, still moderately pissed off from her earlier encounter with the now mystical Detective Benson who had landed her with an ominous envelope she was curiously hesitant to open. She continued to type whilst he spoke, hoping her clear disinterest would shine through, and he would leave.
"Nothing much going down in Vice at the minute, thought I'd check out how you're doing," He said.
"I'm catching up, slowly," Casey muttered, gesturing to the ever growing stack of case files she had managed to corral inside a large plastic tray set upon her desk.
"Oh," he nodded, "I heard Jack called you in this morning…" Casey halted from her work, turning to glare at the other Lawyer. He was always looking to pick up office gossip, but Casey sure as hell wasn't about to give him his latest scoop.
"You know what Brian, if you have so little to do over in vice, how about you go down the street and grab a me a coffee, and whilst you're out there, how about you get yourself a life too…"
"Jeez Casey, you're busy, I get it," He said, quickly getting to his feet, holding his hands up playfully in surrender, "oh, and by the way, I had something come through from my squad, I think it might be pertinent to one of your cases. I'll send it over…" he took one last look at the near malevolent look on Casey's face and quickly added, "…by e-mail of course."
THE SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT SQUAD ROOM
Olivia was still tugging her jacket off when her desk phone began to ring. She hadn't even had time to pour herself a coffee. Halfway wishing the caller would ring off before she got there, she took her time hanging her brown leather jacket on the rack and strolling to the desk at a leisurely pace. No such luck. With a sigh, she picked up the handset and let out a lethargic,
"Benson,"
"It's Casey, I need you to come over to my office," the Lawyer barked down the line in a curt fashion. Olivia froze, nearly dropping the receiver. She must have opened the envelope. Still, Casey's voice sounded too calm. Olivia would have thought even Casey's normally resolute stoicism would crack with the weight of the news the letter held.
"What for?" Olivia asked, nonchalantly, even as her pulse picked up.
"It's about Elliot, I think I've got a lead."
Olivia had never made better time getting to the DA's office.
EIGHT HOURS LATER
"Well the lights are on, but it doesn't look like anyone's home," Olivia concurred. She and Casey sat in yet another different car, this time it was the temporary replacement Casey's insurance company had furnished her with after her Audi had been assassinated by Beck, although apparently all it needed was a replacement windscreen and drivers seat. They were staking out a house one of Casey's colleagues had suggested. The squad he was assigned to had earmarked it as a location where illegal poker games were being held by none other that Mr Nick Vander himself, and as such, it was highly likely that some of his other, slightly less innocuous illegal activities might also take place there.
"I'm gonna take a look around," Olivia said, drawing her sidearm and reaching for the door handle. Then she paused for a moment, recalling the last time she had left the attorney unattended. "On second thoughts, come with me."
Olivia quietly took to the porch stairs, gun pointed toward the ground and Casey in tow. Just as they had made it to the top of the stairs, the lock sounded. Someone was coming.
"Quick!" Olivia whispered, nodding to one side of the doorframe whilst she swiftly sequestered herself on the opposite, flattening her back against the outside wall. The door swung open, and before she could catch a look at the home occupier, she heard Casey say,
"Elliot?"
She turned just in time to see her Partners back, as he rather illogically clocked Casey in the head with the rear end of his sidearm, sending the lawyer thudding unceremoniously to the floor. Before Olivia could mutter so much as a 'whatthehellareyoudoing?' Elliot spun around and gave her exactly the same treatment, sending her vision black.
