A/N: I apologize if any of the legal terminology is incorrect. Thanks for reading!
"I suggest you start talking." Fin stared down the man before him, but the man didn't flinch. The stocky man sat silently next to his lawyer with a bored expression on his face as though he had been through this before.
"That's fine," Fin said changing topics, "You don't have to say a word. The victim-" Fin frowned at the word, "Already identified you and we got evidence, namely unknown fingerprints all over the crime scene. What do you wanna bet your prints will be a perfect match?"
This news spurned a reaction and the man turned towards his lawyer-a shabbily dressed middle aged man with an air of sleaze around him, who scowled at the information Fin had given him. "I need a moment with my client," the lawyer barked, displeasure apparent on his face.
Across the hall, Munch was having similar fortune. Ben sat before him looking more like a scared kid than the ruthless man Munch knew him to be. His attorney was not much better. An overeager young man who seemed a more like a graduate of Jr. High than law school sat clutching his briefcase. Munch noted with annoyance, that the man also had difficulty sitting still.
"Just what exactly is my client being charged with?" The lawyer jumped to his feet the moment Munch entered the room, clearly ready to put all his newly learned skills to use.
"Burglary, Accessory to a crime, Rape, Criminal Threats, Aggravated assault, and Attempted murder of a police officer, just to name a few," Munch replied dryly, crossing his arms to match the lawyer's stance.
The lawyer's eyes widened and he quickly glanced at his client. This was clearly a lot more severe than he had expected for his first case. His fidgeting increased and he subconsciously placed a little more distance between himself and Ben, electing to stand rather than take the seat next to his client. The lawyer fumbled with his briefcase atop the table and shuffled through a few papers before shutting the lid. The lawyer's voice shook. "In light of these recent allegations, I would like a moment to confer with my client," he squeaked.
Munch only raised his eyebrow before walking out of the room leaving the young lawyer to sweat.
30 minutes later Casey waked out of the interrogation room with a satisfied smirk on her face. With the amount of evidence piled up against them, the younger man had practically jumped at the plea deal at the insistence of his lawyer while the other man grudgingly accepted it. Still, Casey couldn't care less about their attitudes. The point was that there would be no need for a trial. Victoriously swinging her briefcase, Casey set off to find Olivia and tell her the news.
Olivia sat on the stiff mattress with her arms wrapped around a pillow. She snuggled further into the blanket Fin had brought her as she tried to wrap her mind around the prior events. The lineup itself was unusual. It had been odd being on that side. Normally she was the one encouraging victims to take their time and reassuring them that they did fine. Instead Fin had stood beside her and offered his silent comfort.
She wasn't prepared to see them although all the preparation in the world wouldn't have made her ready. There was something deeply unsettling about seeing the men who raped her and having her team in the same room. It was too much.
She wanted Elliot, and she wanted to go home, but at the same time all she wanted was to stay right where she was and be left alone. At that moment, the door opened and her decision was made for her.
"Hey Liv, you alright?" Fin hovered by the door gauging her reaction to his presence. Olivia didn't startle so he stepped into the room, lightly shutting the door behind him. He made his way over to where she was and Olivia sat up straighter and hastily loosened her protective grip on the blanket trying to appear at ease.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Olivia covered her mouth as a yawn slipped out. "Just a little tired, I didn't sleep well-" Olivia blinked and abruptly trailed off. She hadn't meant to mention that, knowing what Fin would infer. She glanced away, waiting for him to ask about her nightmares, but he didn't.
"Olivia, look at me," Fin took a seat on the bunk in front of her. He waited until he had her attention then continued. "I know you're strong; you don't ever have to act tough for me or for anyone. I know you wanna be but you're not Wonder Woman, you're allowed to feel hurt."
Olivia nodded, taking his words to heart. "I know Fin, I just-I want to feel like me again," she admitted, folding her hands in her lap.
"You will Liv. You know I'm here if you ever want to talk. Besides, I miss having you around. There's no one to intercept when Munch goes off on one of his tangents." His comment got a laugh out of her and Fin smiled.
"I don't know about you, but I've never been able to get a decent rest on these hard mattresses. You want me to find Elliot so you can go home?" The thought of sleeping in her own room made her feel sick, but she kept her face neutral.
"Sure Fin, that would be great. Thanks."
"Of course Baby Girl," Fin reached over and pulled the blanket back around her shoulders before walking out of the room.
Hardly a minute had passed before there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Olivia called, expecting to see Elliot. Instead a familiar shock of red hair peeked through the doorway.
"Casey, I didn't know you were here." The lawyer's presence temporarily confused Olivia until she realized why she was here. "But I mean I guess you would be because of—but I guess I just thought," Olivia stammered. Fortunately Casey understood what Olivia was trying to say.
"You thought someone else would try your case." Now it was Casey's turn to be tongue-tied. "I'm sorry I thought that you would want- but I shouldn't have assumed. I can get someone else to."
"No, no it's fine." Olivia interrupted, "I just wasn't really thinking about the trial at all much less who would be involved."
Setting her briefcase on the floor, Casey assumed Fin's empty spot. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. There may not be a trial."