Hi readers! This has truly become an International story. I'm here in Puerto Rico now, and really wanted to get this chapter out tonight before I get too busy. I know that some people were surprised to see Manning show up, following Olivia. This is going to be another interesting chapter as Olivia struggles a little bit with how things have changed in her life (not sure she has the answers yet), and Manning makes another appearance (kind of). I hope you continue to hang in there with me, despite the twists and turns. Thanks!
EOEOEOEOEO
Olivia felt like a criminal, sitting in the back seat of the squad car as they drove to her apartment. She didn't know these two young officers in the front; she'd been gone too long. But they obviously knew Elliot because they were acting very deferential towards her, constantly checking to see if she was alright. Like a civilian; like a victim. She felt like yelling at them and telling them that she used to be a cop and she could kick their asses from here to Sunday.
But she wasn't a cop anymore and she didn't feel like the badass she used to be. Thoughts were swirling around in her head the entire trip back to Elliot's. Thoughts about why she hadn't reacted to Manning, why her years of training didn't kick in and get her out of that situation, why she'd let her guard down and blew off the threat in the first place. She knew better.
The most worrisome thought though; the thing that kept overriding everything else, was Elliot was going to do if he caught up with Manning. Because she had no doubt, even if a uniformed cop found him, that somehow Elliot would be there, face to face with Manning. She was glad that Fin was with him; that might keep things from getting dicey.
The pulled up in front of the building and the female officer opened her door and walked with her into the apartment building. She felt bad; she couldn't even remember her name. But she had too much in her head already for details like that. She stopped outside the apartment door and took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure so she wouldn't worry the girls when she walked into the room. When she thought she had schooled her features to look fairly neutral, she motioned for the officer to stay outside while she turned the key in the lock.
She let herself in quietly, and saw Liz look up from the couch as she walked in. Elise was curled into her side and appeared to be half-asleep. The Little Mermaid was playing on the TV, and Olivia made a mental note to give Elizabeth some kind of extra reward for having to sit through it for the umpteenth time. Liz smiled at her and put her finger to her lips, giving her a clear indication that she thought Elise was almost asleep and not to disturb her. Olivia motioned to the bedroom and Liz nodded that she understood.
Olivia walked down the short hallway to the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She went into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face. She braced her arms against the edge of the counter and stared at herself in the mirror. She saw the face looking back at her; she looked the same as she always had. Maybe a little older…but it was still the same person she'd been staring at for years.
She thought about her reaction to Manning again.
Just a couple of weeks ago, she had offered herself up as bait to catch him. When Elliot had brought up the risks with her coming back to the city, she had blown him off, telling him clearly that she could take care of herself.
Like she had many times before.
When she'd been partnered with Elliot, she'd been fearless. Reckless according to Elliot. Maybe she thought she was invincible. Maybe that's just the foolishness that comes with being young. But she knew it was more than that.
She had wanted to keep him safe. She considered his well-being to be more important than her own. Elliot had a wife; a family. It was her responsibility to make sure he made it home safely every night and she took that responsibility very seriously. If she didn't make it home, there was no one there to miss her. She was alone.
But she wasn't alone anymore.
She moved her hands down to her stomach. She had a daughter, and another baby on the way. She had Elliot. She wasn't expendable anymore. The thought of Elise growing up without a mother was like a dagger in her heart. She wasn't going to let that happen.
So maybe despite all of her bravado in telling Elliot she could handle it…when it came to the reality of the situation…when she saw Manning right there… when the potential risk had been real…she realized she wasn't invincible after all. For once in her life, there were other people to think about.
She looked back in the mirror. She had given up being Badass Benson when she left five years ago. She thought she was the same person, but she wasn't. Would she defend her children or Elliot? Absolutely. With her life. But she was done taking stupid risks.
She was shaken by her thoughts by a knock on the bedroom door. She walked out of the bathroom and opened the door to see Elizabeth standing there.
"Hey Liv." She said brightly. "Elise is sleeping." She walked in and sat down on the edge of the bed. If she saw any sign of Olivia's inner struggle on her face, she didn't show it. "Did you find an apartment?"
Olivia thought about the apartment she had found and groaned inwardly. If they didn't catch Manning, then he would know exactly where they lived. She couldn't have that. And even if they did catch him, was it bad luck to take it? Would she always think about that incident (that was really a non-incident), when she walked through the front doors?
Maybe it wouldn't matter. There was a good chance Gooden wouldn't lease to them anyway after she'd brought the police screeching up to the front door and ruined the peace and quiet there. She would have to call him and apologize for that; and for the cops shoving him up against the building so roughly.
"Olivia?"
Olivia looked up at the girl. "Oh, sorry. Yeah, I may have found a place but I have to get your dad over there to see it and who knows when that will happen and then it may be gone." She was trying to make excuses for why they might not lease it, just in case.
"Tell me about it." She said.
Olivia sat down on the bed next to her and Elizabeth scooted back against the headboard and crossed her legs like a pretzel. "So?" she prompted.
Olivia proceeded to tell her all about the place, and got more excited about it again as she did. It really was the ideal spot for them. When she got done with the description, Elizabeth was excited too.
"Then I don't have to share a room with Elise." She put a hand over her mouth as she said it. "I mean…"
"No, it's OK." Olivia said. She had never really thought about it, but when they were here, Elise kind of took over. Her things were all over that spare room, which of course used to be there for Elizabeth and her brother and sisters. "I'm sorry that I never thought about the fact that Elise took your room. I'll have her sleep with us tonight."
"It's fine. Really. There are two beds in there. It's just sometimes, I need a little privacy." She gave Olivia a smile. "It will be fine until we move."
"It's no problem. She can sleep in here. The bed is big enough for the three of us." Olivia said. She wasn't sure how happy Elliot was going to be about that. Or her for that matter. If a teenager in the house made things difficult, a child in your bed meant a real end to their sex life.
"Liv. I said it's fine." She giggled. "Besides, I don't think you guys really want Elise sleeping with you." She blushed slightly as she said it, and it almost made Olivia blush as well. Was she really referring to her and Elliot's sex life? She would have expected that from Kathleen, but not Liz.
It's always the quiet ones.
Liz kept talking. "What? You're surprised? I hate to break it to you, but it's no big shocker. Did you really think that I thought you and Dad weren't having sex? I mean…hello. You're pregnant." She said, pointing at Olivia's stomach.
Now Olivia did blush. "I don't think I want to have this conversation with you." She said.
"We're not having a conversation. I'm just saying that I can share a room with Elise." She hopped off the bed. "It's settled."
Olivia laughed, happy to have a reprieve from the turmoil going on in her head. She stood up. "Let's go see if we have anything for dinner."
EOEOEOEO
It had been a couple of hours and Olivia still hadn't heard a word from Elliot, Fin or Cragen. She was going out of her mind, checking her phone every few minutes, just in case she had missed a call or text.
Elizabeth was in their bedroom, getting some alone time, and Olivia was trying to play Go Fish with Elise.
"Mommy, you're not doing it right." Elise complained when Olivia drew a card without asking Elise if she had anything she needed.
"Oh, sorry. Do you have any fives?"
"You can't ask me now." Elise said, a sound of frustration in her voice. "You already took a card." She threw her cards down on the table and slid off the chair. "I'm going to go play something else."
Olivia snagged her daughter's arm before she could get away. "Hey." She said, as Elise turned around to face her. "I'm sorry honey. Mommy is having a rough day." She expected a smart retort from her daughter, who didn't have much time for anything that didn't revolve around her, but she was surprised when Elise moved a little closer and put her little hand on Olivia's cheek.
"It's OK Mommy." She said. "Sometimes I have a bad day. It happens."
Olivia didn't know whether to laugh or cry. To see her small daughter trying to comfort her almost brought her to tears, but the fact that Elise thought she had anything close to a bad day made her want to laugh. If she only knew.
She settled for a smile. "Thanks." She pulled Elise towards her and wrapped her arms around her, giving her a kiss on the head. Elise gave her a quick hug back, but then fought against a lingering hug. She was full of energy after having had a nap, and she wasn't in the mood. Olivia released her and watched as Elise disappeared into the living room.
She checked her phone for what seemed like the hundredth time and saw that she had actually missed a text message from Elliot. Figures.
"Still on the trail. Stay put. Be home as soon as I can."
Olivia let her head fall back. She wanted to pick up the phone and call him. Get all the details. But she knew she shouldn't bother him right now. She pushed herself up from the chair and walked into the kitchen, hoping she could distract herself by making dinner.
EOEOEOEO
It was almost 11PM by the time Elliot texted her and told her that he was on his way home. Elise was sound asleep and when she'd last checked, Elizabeth was watching a DVD in their bedroom, half asleep herself.
Olivia was pacing back and forth in the living room when she heard the key in the door. She rushed towards him as he came through the door, but stopped short when she saw him. He had a black eye and his bottom lip was cut and swollen. He had changed his clothes, so Olivia assumed, based on looking at him, that they'd been torn and bloody. She couldn't get a good look at his hands, but she knew they'd be torn up.
Elliot walked up to her, stopping just a foot away. "Manning is dead." He said quietly.
Olivia didn't know what to say. That wasn't what she had expected to hear. Locked up. In custody. In the hospital. Any of those. But dead? She'd been worried about what would happen if Elliot came face to face with Manning, but she didn't expect him to end up dead. She felt a thread of fear work itself up her spine.
"What did you do?" she whispered, bringing her left hand to her mouth. "Oh my God."
Elliot didn't like the look on her face. It almost bordered on fear.
Olivia took a step back; she wasn't sure she wanted him to tell her.
"You don't have to worry about him coming near you ever again." Elliot said, either not hearing what she said, or ignoring her question completely.
Olivia shook her head. "What happened?"
Elliot wanted to wipe that lock from her face. He reached for her, but Olivia focused on his torn and bruised knuckles. She grabbed one of his hands with hers and ran her thumb over the cuts lightly.
Olivia looked up at him, afraid to hear of he had done in the name of protecting her. "Elliot…" she whispered again, looking back and forth between his eyes, as if she could read what he was thinking about. She broke eye contact suddenly. She moved back towards the couch, tugging him along with her. She pushed him down so he was sitting, and then moved past him. "I'm going to get some ice."
Elliot didn't stop her. He didn't know if telling her what happened would make her feel any better. He watched her walk back into the room, bags of ice in both of her hands. She was avoiding direct eye contact now, focusing instead on his injuries, placing the bags of ice on top of each hand as he rested them on his thighs.
"Liv." He pushed the ice to the side and took her hands in his. "That's not important."
She met his eyes again. "Are you going to tell me what happened? What really happened?" she asked, her voice still quiet.
"Do you want me to lie to you?" he asked. It was a sincere question; he thought she might. "Or I don't have to tell you anything at all." He ducked his head down slightly, trying to capture her eyes again. "Maybe that would be best."
"No." She said sharply. "I need to know." She said, a little more softly. All the evidence pointed to the fact that he'd been in a physical fight with Manning. Could he have killed him with his bare hands? She knew he was capable physically…and she'd seen his anger erupt in very violent ways before. She waited him out. It was his story to tell.
Elliot thought through the sequence of events; what had gotten him to this point.
He and Fin had gotten to the last known address, but Manning was gone. They spread out with six uniforms, but no one saw which direction he had gone. They'd spent the next couple of hours searching the area, but nothing panned out. Frustrated, they started to head back to the precinct. Suddenly, the got a call from a bar owner, claiming he recognized Manning from the TV bulletin that had gone out.
Elliot and Fin raced to the bar. Fin went around back and Elliot went in the front, and sure enough, the bastard was sitting at the bar. When he looked up and saw Elliot walking towards him, he took off out a back door, and Elliot chased after him, assuming Fin would catch him coming out the back. He burst out into an empty parking lot, but there was no Fin in sight. He realized they had come out some side door, and there was an alley; Manning was racing away from him. He tore after him, losing sight for a few seconds as he rounded the corner.
Elliot tore around the corner after him and saw Manning was boxed in by a dead end; a brick wall in front of him. He turned quickly when he heard Elliot come up behind him. Elliot was only about ten feet away, never losing momentum as he rushed towards him. He saw a flash of metal, and realized Manning was pulling a gun. Before he could even think, he put his head down and barreled into Manning with his head and shoulders, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him to drop the gun. It skittered across the uneven payment in the alley.
Elliot pulled back as Manning doubled over. He raised a fist and punched him in the jaw, causing Elliot to lose balance slightly. Before Elliot could get another hit in, Manning swept Elliot's legs with his, knocking him to the ground. Manning lifted a leg to kick him, but Elliot was too quick. He grabbed his foot and twisted, bringing Manning down hard onto the pavement. Manning rolled over before Elliot could get on him, swung his leg and kicked him in the mouth. Blood spurted from Elliot's split lip and he let out a growl. Manning got back on his feet before Elliot could pin him to the ground, and they circled each other like prizefighters, each landing several good punches.
They were breathing heavily now, Manning bleeding from a broken nose and Elliot with a black eye. Elliot hit Manning with another hard shot right on his jaw and it sent Manning sprawling on the concrete. Elliot stood in place, slightly bent from exertion, as Manning writhed on the ground. He was obviously stunned and trying to clear his head.
"Stabler!" Elliot turned to see Fin running into the alley. As he watched, Fin raised his gun and Elliot dove, hearing two shots ring out.
He rolled over and turned towards Manning, instantly seeing blood seeping from a wound in his chest. He scrambled to his feet and rushed over to where Manning lay on the ground. He leaned over and felt for a pulse in his neck, but he couldn't find one. He looked back at Fin, who was walking towards him. "He's dead." He said, surprise in his voice.
"Looks like it." Fin said.
"Why'd you shoot?" Elliot asked. Manning had been down on the ground.
"He was goin' for his gun." Fin said. "He was gonna shoot you."
Elliot furrowed his brow and looked at the gun on the ground. It was several feet from where Manning lay. Close enough, but Elliot wasn't sure Manning could have reached it. But he hadn't seen. He had turned to look at Fin when he called his name. He'd made a cardinal mistake, looking away like that in a dangerous situation. Still…
Fin leaned over and checked Manning's pulse himself. He stood up and looked straight at Elliot. "He's a rapist. He was goin' after Liv." He said. He shook his head. "No one's going to cry over him."
"Fin." Elliot said.
"He was going for his gun Stabler. That's how it went down." Fin said, standing in place, staring at Elliot. "You didn't see how close he was. You looked away. I couldn't take a chance."
Elliot stared at Fin for a moment, listening to what he was telling him. He nodded and they called it in, waiting until Cragen and IAB showed up. They repeated their story again and again, until IAB signed off and Cragen sent them home.
And now he was here and he saw the question in Olivia's eyes. It bothered him that she could think he would kill him in cold blood; but she had his history to rely on. She had seen him in action. She also knew he would do anything to protect her, so he guessed he couldn't blame her. But he also knew she wouldn't want to believe that he, or anyone she cared about, would do something like that. Mostly, he just wanted to take the look of apprehension of her face. He wanted her to feel safe again. Manning was dead. That's all that mattered.
"I didn't kill him." He told her. He saw some of the tension leave her body in the way she dropped her shoulders slightly. "I chased him down an alley. He pulled a gun but I barreled into him and he dropped it. We fought and I had him down on the ground. But Fin came and I turned my back and Fin saw him go for his gun. He shot him."
"Fin saved your life." She said breathlessly.
"I don't know if he would have shot me or not." Elliot said. It wasn't a lie.
"It's over." She said. "He's not going to be out terrorizing any more woman; ruining any more lives." She said, shaking her head. She looked at Elliot and saw something flash across his features quickly, and then it was gone. She didn't have time to analyze it before Elliot took her hands in his.
"It's over. We don't have to worry about him anymore. He's not going to come anywhere near you." He swallowed hard. No one is going to miss him.
"Are you OK?" Olivia asked, sensing something was bothering him.
"I'm fine. It's just been a long day." He lifted his hands, looking at his swollen knuckles. "And these are starting to hurt like a son-of-a-bitch." His effort at distraction worked as she lifted the bags of ice and placed them back on his hands. He didn't want to think or talk about Manning any longer. Olivia was safe and they'd taken a horrible man off the streets.
He leaned back on the couch and lay his head on the back. He closed his eyes, realizing how truly exhausted he was. "I don't want to talk about any of this anymore." He said. "I want to hear something good." He opened one eye and looked over at Olivia, who was still sitting beside him holding the ice on his hands. "Did you find a place for us to live?"
Olivia furrowed her brow, surprised by the sudden change in subject. "We can talk about it tomorrow." She said. Truthfully, there were lots of things to talk about. She wanted to talk about what had happened to her when she saw Manning. She wanted to talk about the apartment. Now was not the time. She was worn out too; emotionally, mentally and physically. "We need to get you cleaned up and into bed."
"I'm only going to agree because you mentioned going to bed. I'm never going to turn down an invitation like that." He teased, happy to be moving on from the events of the day.
"First…we're going to get this blood cleaned up and get some antiseptic on these cuts. Then we'll see if you still like me." She said getting up from the couch. "And then we have to get your teenage daughter out of our bed."
Elliot groaned. "Why is there always a kid in my bed?" he grumbled. His frown turned into a grin, which disappeared quickly. "Ow." He said, putting his fingers on his lip. He had forgotten about the cut. It hadn't hurt while he was talking.
"I think I need a nurse." He said, starting to push himself up off the couch.
Olivia leaned over and kissed him very lightly on the lips. "I'll take care of you." She smiled down at him. She knew she told everyone she could take care of herself, but she had to admit that she felt a huge relief that Manning wasn't on the street any longer. For herself and for all of the other future victims of his out there. "You earned it."