At first, Casey Novak thought the scathing look she was getting from her former bureau chief was due to the fact the former ADA was late for their breakfast meeting. When Elizabeth Donnelly remained unmoved after Novak explained her reasons for being late had to do with an unexpected call from Judge Walter Bradley, Novak knew Donnelly's barely contained hostility had to do with something more. than Novak's tardiness.
Novak waited until the waitress had taken her order for breakfast before trying to add a bit of humor to break the tension.
"Come on Liz, lighten up. You look like you found out I killed somebody."
"You haven't, but I'm about to," Donnelly shot back, in a tone so icy Novak didn't have to ask who Donnelly's victim was about to be.
Barely controlling her fury, the judge glanced around the crowded restaurant and threw some money down before drinking the last of her coffee.
"Damn it Casey, not only did I excuse myself from listening to your case because we worked together; I did it so that I could try to salvage what's left of your career! Then you turn around and pull a stunt like-," she hissed as she stood; abruptly smiling broadly and holding out her hand as the current Bar Association President and his wife moved towards them. After several minutes of nauseatingly pleasant small talk, the couple moved on and Donnelly shot Novak a dagger look. "I can't do this here!"
"Shit," Novak murmured under her breath as she jogged around the rows of tables to catch up to Donnelly beforee she reached the door. "Liz, please! Whatever I did, I'll make it right. Just tell me happened!"
By the time Novak returned from the restaurant with breakfast in a box for each of them, Donnelly was sitting a few yards away on a bench watching the passersby as they moved across a small bridge and into Tavern on the Green. Although she looked calm and relaxed in the pale blue pantsuit she wore, Novak could tell even with her eyes concealed by fashionable sunglasses, Donnelly was far from calm.
As Novak approached, Donnelly stood and motioned for her to follow.
It took them several minutes of speed walking before Donnelly was satisfied she'd found a place in the park that was secluded enough to ensure they would not be over heard or disturbed by anyone. She sat down on the bench and stared at the grass that surrounded her while she waited for Novak to catch up.
She still couldn't believe what she'd been told, just minutes before she was about to leave to meet Novak. She had almost let the machine get the call. But, then she remembered her daughter was back in town. Her pregnant daughter, who might be calling with a problem or a question that couldn't wait.
When she impulsively grabbed the cordless phone off of her desk, the last person she expected to find herself talking to was a former NYPD officer who was not only working for her ex-husband's current wife, but was asking questions about a case that no one was supposed to know existed.
"What was it Casey," Donnelly demanded as she snatched the box the younger woman offered her. "Some cheap attempt to get back at me for doing McCoy's dirty work? For being stupid enough to try to cushion the blow before you had to face the DA yourself? Revenge, is that what motivated you to –"
"No! Of course not," Novak passionately declared as she instinctively squeezed the older woman's arm. "Liz, you're not just my boss… my former boss… I consider you a friend. I've never forgotten the way you defended Elliot and me in civil court… clearing your calendar, working for us pro bono… My God how could I ever want to hurt you after that?"
The struck look on Novak's face begged Donnelly to believe her and as livid as she was, Donnelly desperately wanted to.
Donnelly watched as the younger woman hastily wiped tears away from her eyes and began an explanation that confirmed much of what former SVU detective Monique Jeffries had told Donnelly earlier that morning. As Novak spoke, Donnelly's last conversation with DA Jack McCoy ran through her mind. Suddenly the reasons for the concerns he'd voiced about both their daughter and his current wife made much more sense.
"What exactly did Shalvoy threaten Jack with," Donnelly quietly asked as she solemnly handed Novak a small package of tissues.
"Mike didn't say. He knows how dangerous it is for Jack if more people know what's going on between Jack and the governor-"
"It's dangerous for all of you, not just Jack," Donnelly shrewdly pointed out. "Jack is at the end of his career. People like Connie and even Mike Cutter, are really just starting out. Shalvoy could destroy them as easily as he takes breathe. This is the last thing someone in your position should be involved in, Casey. Cutter should know that."
"It's my fault, not Mike's," Novak admitted as she wiped the last of her tears away. "I asked about the office. While we were talking, I noticed something's I shouldn't have on his coffee table. Mike tried to stuff the papers into his briefcase as soon as he realized what I was looking at, but I'd already seen Shalvoy's picture," she explained before shrugging her shoulders. "What can I say? All those years in the DA's office... I guess I was suffering from withdrawal. I know it's stupid, but I just wanted to…to feel like I was still part of the team."
Donnelly sighed. She knew all too well how addicting working for the DA's office was. Even now that she was a judge; there were times she found herself aching to be sitting in the prosecutor's chair. With a grimace, Donnelly set her glasses on the forgotten take out box and revealed her own shiny eyes before opening her arms.
"No matter how many times you screw up," she said with a smirk, as she held Novak as if she were her daughter. "You'll always be part of my team, Casey."
