AN: everyone - re: "Alex's tattoo"... I've been waiting a while to reveal that other tattoo. Even before ch27 when I first mentioned it ;-). Guest/ trace619/ Bkwrmchar - re: "Intimacy/ Liv's steps/ Alex and Olivia reconnecting psychically"... will continue next chapter :-) Those little steps will get them to where they both want to be ;-)
AN2: The dates given regarding NYPD Captain and Lieutenants exams in this chapter are/were correct. The actual Sergeants exam for NYPD was October 19, 2013 but I knew that date wasn't able to be used seeing it was too close to when Liv was rescued, hence why I made it December 3 in the story :-). Shoutout as promised (these may sound vague right now, but I don't want to spoil the chapter). Shoutout toBkwrmchar for the idea. At the time the idea was suggested I hadn't the faintest idea what to do until another reader said something in their feedback several chapters later. Shoutout to Jbcjazz for some feedback that helped me realise what needed to be done for the suggestion to come to fruition ;-). I will clarify better at the end of the chapter :-) Hope you both and all readers enjoy :-)
"C'mon, stay a little longer!" Elliott implored as Olivia shrugged into her jacket. "Look at all the food Kathy, Maureen and Kathleen cooked. We're going to have leftovers for a week!"
Olivia laughed, "El, with the number of Stablers and the few extra boyfriends and girlfriend that Maureen, Kathleen, Lizzy and Richard have, I doubt that very much."
Alex added, "We would love to stay longer Elliott, but we're having a small Thanksgiving dinner with Gloria, Joe, Rafael, and Gloria's new gentleman friend this evening."
"Gentleman friend?" Kathy said as she headed for the kitchen.
Liv called out, "Doom says Gloria told him that he's new to the retirement home and they became more acquainted on the last coach tour upstate. So she's invited him the join us for dinner seeing Doom and Barba have had Thanksgiving lunch with Barba's family."
Kathy reappeared with a round, flat dish covered with foil, "Here. Take this pecan pie for your dessert."
"We can't do that, Kathy."
"Yes, you can. We still have a sweet potato and a pumpkin to get through," insisted Kathy as she handed the pie to Olivia.
"As least it'll survive the journey back to the Upper East Side being pecan," Alex retorted with a chuckle, resulting in a glare from Liv.
"Glitter tits! Cabot and Benson are here!" Doom called out as he headed for the brownstone door.
"Joseph!" Rafael chastised, closing the oven. "You promised to behave!"
"Rafi, I promised I'd behave when they got here. Not before though," Joe said with a cheeky grin. He smiled broadly when he opened the door to greet Alex and Olivia, "Ladies! Happy Thanksgiving! How's my little Oey?"
"Happy Thanksgiving! Oey's great, Doom. We had our regular Thursday appointment yesterday for obvious reasons, and we brought the DVD with us. We know how Gloria's always wanting to see her each time we catch up," Olivia replied as she and Alex placed their coats on the stand by the door.
Joe took the round dish from Alex's grasp, "Mom's not here yet, so you'll have to wait to show her."
Olivia was surprised, "Not here yet? Gloria's always early."
"Tell me about it. I think this new gentleman friend is a bad influence on her," Joe replied with a laugh while he indicated for them all to head for the kitchen.
"You don't like him?" Alex asked as she and Olivia greeted Rafael with hugs and 'Happy Thanksgivings' and Joe placed the pie on the bench.
Joe shrugged, "I dunno. I've never met the guy and I don't know his name either. All I know from Mom is that he's moved up from Florida; he lost his wife some years ago; his 4 children are in various part of the US and the world which is why Mom's invited him for Thanksgiving; and he seems to be making her happy. If he makes her happy, then I'm happy for her. She's been alone for some time after she and Dad got divorced."
Rafael handed Joe his bottle of imported beer, "I hope you don't mind some Cuban inspired Thanksgiving dinner and side dishes courtesy of the Barba family. My nearly 90 year old abuelita tends to go overboard each year and she thinks I'm not eating enough home cooked meals, so she made a few extra dishes especially for our dinner."
"Like?" Alex asked, wrapping an arm around Olivia's waist.
"Lechón Asado... Pavo relleno con congrí... Sorullitos de maíz... Fufú de plátano... and traditional green bean casserole."
Joe pouted, "Rafi, I love when you speak Spanish, but you know I didn't pay attention in class. You had to translate everything your family was saying to me."
"Perhaps you should've listened is class?" Rafael retorted.
"Perhaps if the teacher had been as handsome as yourself, I might have! But I gotta say, the moustache Señorita González had was mighty impressive! It definitely put my high school peach fuzz to shame!"
Rafael mock sighed, "We're having Roast Pork; Turkey with a orange and herbed marinade, stuffed with rice and black beans; deep fried corn meal sticks, plantain fufu, and the last one I don't have to translate."
"What was that fufu one again?" Joe asked, searching his memory.
"Cuban comfort food," Rafael simply said. He wasn't sure how Joe would react to the thought of eating not as sweet cooking bananas, onions, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Most people recoiled at the very thought of those foods combined when they were told what 'fufu' was. But when they were told it was just comfort food...
"Oh yeah! That mash was soooooo good!" Doom indicted both women, "You gotta make sure you try some of it."
"Ladies, what would you like to drink?" asked Rafael.
Alex turned to Olivia, "Do you mind if I have one?"
"Not at all, sweetheart."
"I'll have gin and tonic if you've got it, thankyou."
"I can make that." Rafael turned to Olivia, "Liv?"
"Umm... a juice of some sorts will be fine."
"Would cranberry juice be 'Thanksgiving-y' enough for you?"
"Yeah, thanks."
"Rafi? What was your granny saying about my arms as we left?" Doom asked.
"I don't remember," Rafael brushed aside the comment as he poured Alex's drink.
"Sure you do. She grabbed my biceps and squeezed them, said something about them, then you were all... kinda weird."
Barba avoided eye contact, "My abuelita commented on your músculos."
"My muscles, see! Was she impressed with my 'guns' or something?" Joe flexed his left arm.
"Well..." Rafael handed Alex her drink, "... she asked me if your biceps were indicative of your other..." he kept a straight face as he glanced at Joe's crotch, "...muscles."
Alex and Olivia burst into fits of laughter.
Doom covered her face with his hand, "Your granny was asking about my... size?! Geez, Rafi!"
"What can I say? She likes you!" Rafael shrugged.
"By commenting on my manhood?!"
Rafael gave him a pointed look, "I don't know why you're getting all upset. You're the one who had no qualms about talking about parts of our sex life in front of his own mother, Olivia and Alex. Joe, you're the first man I've taken to a family gathering that she's commented about like that. I think it's her way of saying that she approves of you... approves of us."
"She approves of me?" Joe asked, almost disbelievingly.
Rafael nodded, "She does. She told me years ago when I came out to her that all she wanted was to see me happy, no matter who I loved... and she said she saw that happiness today."
Olivia and Alex saw the look of love and adoration shared between Rafael and Joe before Doom discreetly kissed Barba near the corner of his mouth. Like Olivia and Alex, Joseph and Rafael weren't ones for overt displays of affection in public, but were comfortable enough with people that knew and accepted their relationship. Each one had their little quirks, Barba with his love of colourful ties, socks, pocket squares and pant braces, and Dumas with his love of sports, rock concerts and different beers. It was those little quirks from both men that complimented each other. Most people assumed Doom was all brawn, and if he had to be like that with perps, he would be. But only those that truly knew Joe Dumas, under all that brawn was a charming and sensitive guy. It was that softness and empathy that hid behind the beef and muscles that helped the child victims open up to him while Olivia had been absent from SVU... and was what Rafael Barba had fallen in love with.
A knock at the door indicated that Gloria had arrived.
"Hey Mom!" Joe greeted his mother with a kiss.
"I apologise for my tardiness, Joe. Happy Thanksgiving!"
Joe looked out the door, but noone else was there. "Where's your gentleman friend? I was looking forward to meeting him."
Gloria's mood darkened, "He's back at the retirement home, and I don't ever want to see or hear of him again."
Joe closed the door and lead Gloria to the kitchen. Everyone greeted her with hug, a kiss and a 'Happy Thanksgiving'.
"So what the hell happened? I thought you were really liking this guy," Doom asked.
"I was... until we were getting ready to leave to come over here. He stopped me and asked, 'Is what you've told me about your son true? Is he really one of those homo fags?', then he made a limp wrist gesture and blew me a kiss. I reacted..." Gloria searched for the right word, "... poorly."
"What did you do?" everyone seemed to ask at the same time.
"I, ahh... I slapped him across the face and said in no uncertain terms not to ever use those terms describe my son or his partner. Another resident at the home called the police... Your old work partner, Sutton, from the 94th Precinct came and let me off with a warning."
Doom rubbed his temple while he shook his head, "Mom!"
"Joe, I know it was the wrong thing to do, and I'm ashamed to say that I used those terms myself when you first came out to me in your early 20's... but noone will ever call my son those terms in my presence. I am nothing but proud of you, Joseph, and I'd rather be alone for the rest of my life than be with a man who's charming towards me but doesn't accept my gay son and his male partner. I shudder to think what he'd have said with regard to the mother of my granddaughter and her female partner. Now, I'd like a stiff scotch to calm me down, I've never had the police question me like that!"
Once Barba had poured the drink, Joe and Rafael let Gloria, Olivia and Alex catch up while they set the table and checked the food for their Thanksgiving dinner.
"How was the ultrasound yesterday?" Gloria asked once they were settled in the leather chesterfields.
Olivia rested her hand on her stomach, "It was good, Gloria. Oey's grown more and-"
"Oey?"
Alex explained, "We're transitioning from calling her Brianna to Oey seeing it's down to Zoë or Chloe. Didn't Joe tell you?"
Gloria looked toward the kitchen and raised her voice, "No, he didn't! He told me that he and Olivia will be work partners at SVU, but that's all. Nanna's need to know these things, Joseph!"
"Sorry Mom!... Hey Mom! Brianna's now being called Oey. Now you know, and you can't say I didn't tell you!" Doom gave his mother his patented charming boyish smile.
Gloria just rolled her eyes then focused her attention back to Olivia and Alex as Liv resumed, "We had the ultrasound at the hospital my OBGYN's affiliated with like normal, then Alex and I went up a couple of floors to the birthing suites afterwards and had a tour of the facilities. And before you ask, I'm choosing the birthing suites inside Mount Sinai Roosevelt so if there's any complications, the specialists and medical support are just a floor above."
"Are the facilities nice?"
Alex nodded, "Yes. We like them because not only are they quite modern, we can have a private suite which allows for a partner to stay as well."
"We also like it because I can have up to 2 people in with me during the birth, as well as my OBGYN... but I don't think I want anyone else in helping me other than Alex and my OBGYN at the present time," Liv added, sipping her drink.
"In my opinion, I think less is better. Don't be like when I gave birth to Brian. I was in labour for 28 hours with him, surrounded by nurses and a doctor."
"28 hours?! Don't wish that on me," Olivia blanched at the thought.
"Hope for how long it took me to give birth to Joe instead."
Alex asked, "How long?"
"Just 2 hours... and I gave birth to him alone in the bathroom of the hospital ward after the doctor said I still had several hours to go, not 10 minutes beforehand. A nurse found me a few minutes later... the doctor was shocked to say the least!" Gloria reminisced. "As long as you let me be the first call you make after the birth of my granddaughter, then I'll be a happy Nanna."
"Gloria, you'll be the first call we make when Olivia's waters break," Alex corrected.
Olivia asked the question that had been niggling her thoughts for a while, "Are you going on any more coach tours, especially in the new year? I'd be disappointed if you were away and I did give birth early."
"The retirement home has another coach tour on December 9 to 15. I'll be going on that one because we'll be going all the way to Ottawa, but that's the last one I'll go on. I want to be home for the holidays and I especially want to see both your faces when you see what I've bought for Brianna... Oey... on my travels. Don't worry, it's just clothing and maybe a special Nanna gift... but you'll both have to wait and find out what it is."
"Ladies! I'm sorry to interrupt, but dinner is ready," Rafael approached and offered his elbow to escort Gloria to the table. Alex stood up and helped Olivia to her feet before they entwined their fingers and followed.
Joe and Rafael sat on one side, Olivia and Alex on the other, with Gloria at the head of the table. Each raised their glass and said, "Happy Thanksgiving!"
"You nervous?"
"Hell, yeah! You?"
"I'm already peeing enough being pregnant... now I'm peeing even more with how anxious I am to get these exams out of the way!" Liv replied before standing up.
"Where you going?" Fin asked.
"Bathroom."
Tutuloa teased, "You sneaking study notes again?"
"I'm peeing, again. You wanna hold my hand?" Liv retorted with a wink.
Fin waved Olivia away. They had studied together for several evenings at Alex and Olivia's apartment, with Cragen giving Fin from Thanksgiving through to the weekend off to concentrate solely on studying for the Sergeants exam. Exams, to be more accurate. With multiple choice questions devoted to 2 different memory recall photographs, spatial and written comprehension; written exams regarding delegation and giving orders; and even oral exams reacting to mock situations would make up the NYPD Sergeants exam over the next 6 hours with breaks every hour within the Gramercy Park NYPD Academy. Olivia and Fin knew this was their only chance for promotion as the next Sergeants exam wouldn't occur for another 3 years. Captains exams would be next on September 13, 2014 and Lieutenants exams would be April 18, 2015. Fin knew he had a couple more years left in him at SVU, but would he want to take the exam in 3 years time? Nope, it was now or never.
Olivia reappeared a few minutes later, then she and Fin headed for the desk to find out where each would begin their exam. They had to wait for several other detectives before it was their turn.
"Surname, first name, badge number and precinct, please."
"Tutuola... T-U-T-U-O-L-A... Odafin... O-D-A-F-I-N... Badge number: 3-1-9-8... 16th Precinct," Fin reeled off his information and showed his badge like the other detectives before him.
The male desk clerk typed in the information, "Detective Tutuloa, you will start your exam on... the 7th floor, room 3-0-6. Next!"
"Thanks." Fin turned and gave Olivia a pat on the arm before heading for the elevator, "Good luck, Liv!"
"You too, Fin."
The desk clerk cleared his throat in a sign for them to hurry up, "Surname, first name, badge number and precinct, please."
Olivia flashed her badge, "Benson... B-E-N-S-O-N... Olivia... O-L-I-V-I-A... Badge number: 4-0-1-5... 16th Precinct."
"Detective Benson, you will start your exam on... the 2nd floor, room 5-9. Next!"
Olivia remained where she was, "I'm over 6 months pregnant, so I may need to use the bathroom apart from the designated times during the exams. Is this going to be a problem?"
The desk clerk sighed heavily, "You have a certificate or paperwork from your doctor to prove it?"
"Yes," Liv said. She felt like adding a snarky comment about having a baby in her uterus and a swelling stomach to prove it, but she held her tongue. She wondered why this NYPD officer was a desk clerk because he had no people skills whatsoever.
"Should anyone need to use the bathroom during any part of the examinations, you'll be escorted to the bathroom by a officer of the same gender and you'll have leave the door open to prove you're not trying to cheat. Same rule applies for everyone taking any NYPD exams. Next!"
Olivia didn't bother thanking the clerk as she headed for the elevator. She was grateful that she had overcome her fears of being in elevators after what Lewis Williams had done, but she was still cautious. She allowed the other detectives to enter first before she did. She would have preferred to be at the back, but being the last in, she couldn't. Liv turned on an angle so the elevator door and the other occupants of the elevator were all in her vision for the short journey. When the doors opened, Olivia allowed the other detectives to depart first before she exited. It only took a minute to find Room 59 down the corridor.
As Olivia was assigned her desk, she pointed out her pregnancy to the uniformed female Lieutenant, who was a lot more courteous and understanding than the desk clerk. However, even though she said she could see that Liv was pregnant, and understood the need to urinate more seeing she had 3 children of her own, she still had to see the certificate from Olivia's OBGYN for verification. The Lieutenant said she would escort Olivia to the bathroom, should Olivia need to go during this part of the exam, and to just raise her hand.
Olivia sat down at her desk and waited.
A uniformed Captain walked to the front of the room and spoke, "Detectives, on my first signal, you may turn the exam booklet over and write your name, your badge number, the room number, and your seat number... NOTHING ELSE. You may read the first page ONLY. Read it thoroughly! It is a basic outline of what will happen during this part of the exam and what I am telling you right now. You will be given 5 minutes to do this. At the second signal, you will have 10 minutes to study the photograph inside the yellow envelope on your desk. This will be the ONLY thing you will look at during those 10 minutes. You CANNOT and WILL NOT not take notes. On the third signal, you will put the photograph back in the envelope and seal it closed before you may open your exam booklet and answer the questions pertaining to the photograph you just studied. After that, you may continue with the rest of the exam. Anyone disobeying any of the instructions I am giving you or the ones found on the front page of the exam instruction booklet will be disqualified and receive a zero on the entire test! This includes writing when you're not supposed to, reading when you're not supposed to. Do I make myself clear?... You may turn the exam booklet over. Good luck!"
Olivia quickly wrote her name, badge, room and seat number on the indicated area before placing her pen down and reading the instructions thoroughly.
There was no turning back now.
"BENSON! MY OFFICE!" Don bellowed from his office door before he closed it louder than expected.
John looked over at Olivia from his desk and cringed, "Geez, Dad's mad at you!"
"I can't have screwed up anything because I haven't done anything yet! Hell, I've only been back at work..." she looked down at the Breitling watch on left wrist. Today, December 3, was the first time she had put it on since Lewis Williams had removed it. The pink, blue and purple rubber band bracelet was still on her right wrist and was only ever removed when she showered, "...5 minutes, and half of that was to go to the bathroom!"
The brunette got up from her desk and entered the Captain's office, being mindful to close the door, and took a seat. She studied Cragen for a moment, noting a small NYPD flag pin on the lapel of his jacket. The flag consisted of 3 green and 2 white horizontal stripes, a navy blue top left corner and 24 stars in 3 circles representing all of the cities, towns, and incorporated villages that were amalgamated into the City of Greater New York back in 1898. She hadn't noticed the other occupant of the office until she saw movement out the corner of her left eye.
Lieutenant Tucker.
He must have arrived when she'd gone to the bathroom, the SVU detective surmised. Olivia knew she had nothing to worry about. She and Alex had declared their relationship with the DA's office and the NYPD. They had followed procedure and done everything by the book. If Tucker was going to try and revisit what he had insinuated during the IAB interview in Winthrop, she was going to let him have it with both barrels.
Tucker's voice couldn't contain his glee as he skimmed his eyes over the open manila folder in his lap, "IAB has information regarding an incident that occurred in SVU's squad room that wasn't reported, as per protocol. Detective Benson, did you or did you not hold a gun to the back of Detective Amaro's head?"
Liv felt the blood drain from her face while simultaneously a heavy, sinking feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. Don had told her that no complaints had or would be lodged. Had Nick decided otherwise because they weren't going to be partners any longer?!
"Answer the question, Benson!" Tucker prompted with a satisfying smirk.
She looked at Don, searching for answers regarding what to do. Should she be asking for a PBA representative right now? However the look Don was giving her indicated that there was no use denying it and that she should tell the truth.
"Y-yes," Liv choked out.
Realisation began to sink in. Her career with the NYPD was over. Her time studying and sitting the Sergeants exam was a wasted effort. The only detective shield she would carry from now on was the vicious burn on her right scapula. She should have stuck with her original decision and quit the force, securing her NYPD pension.
"Lieutenant Tucker, I think we could come to some sort of..." Cragen searched for the right word with a wave of his hand, "... arrangement."
Tucker raised an eyebrow slightly, "Arrangement?"
"An understanding of sorts to make this little misunderstanding go away... permanently," Don rummaged around in one of the upper desk drawers, then placed a thick business envelope on the desk in front of him. The window made the contents and the brown currency strap clearly visible. "That's 5. How much more?"
Tucker eyed the envelope but remained impassive.
It took a moment for Olivia to register what Don was doing, "Captain!"
Cragen stood up from behind his desk, "Benson, you're done for now."
"No! You can't-"
"Detective, stand down right now or I'll make sure you not only lose your badge but your pension!" Don hissed before throwing open the door, "Sergeant Munch! Escort Detective Benson to her desk and make sure she stays put until I've finished fixing this clusterfuck of her doing with Lieutenant Tucker."
"Captain, no! You can't do this!" Liv pleaded. She would willingly fall on her sword. Everything Tucker had said was true and the Captain was going to bribe Tucker to make it go away. She couldn't let the man she thought of as a fatherly figure break the law like he was going to do. Even though he was nearing retirement, Captain Cragen would lose everything. He wasn't a crooked cop. He shouldn't and couldn't break the law like that for her.
Don just gave Olivia a tight smile as Munch guided her back to her desk and made her sit down.
Olivia cried out, "He can't do this, John!"
Munch leant closer and whispered, "Do you trust Cragen?"
"Of course I do! But-" Liv tried to stand but Munch kept a hand on her shoulder.
"But nothing. Sit down and keep quiet! Got it?"
Don closed the door and tilted the blinds before resuming his seat, "Back to business. How much will it take to make your investigation against the allegations of Detective Benson... disappear?"
Tucker avoided the question, "You've never been one to ask for my... help. Why now?"
"You and I have been around long enough to know that little things can get blown out of proportion, and even though I'll be retiring in September next year, I want this unit to look superb upon my retirement. I don't want any blemishes on my watch for the last year of being Captain. I'll do what I have to do, and if that involves..." Don indicated the envelope on the desk, "... a little helping hand from yourself, I'll take it."
"Are you bribing me?" Tucker challenged.
"Are you seeing it as a bribe?" Cragen retorted. "We both know that our pensions won't cover everything when we all eventually put in our papers... Or is what I've heard about you from the Captain from the 12th Precinct just all filibustering bullshit?... Oh don't look surprised, Tucker. Us Captains talk amongst ourselves. Sure, there are crooked cops... but what cop doesn't take care of himself or his colleagues in some form or another?"
Tucker rebutted, "Only the crooked ones get caught."
"Exactly. Now if you play ball with me..." Don pushed the envelope a little further across the desk, "... I will be able to put in a very favourable request for Lieutenant Tucker to become the next commanding officer of Manhattan's SVU when I retire."
"I scratch your back, you scratch mine?" Tucker said, eyeing the envelope again.
"I know how much you've wanted and tried to get an SVU posting all these years. Here's your chance for that wish to become a reality by helping this little incident disappear."
Cragen watched as the blueish grey eyes of the IAB Lieutenant landed on the thick envelope in front of him.
The corners of Tucker's lips curled, "Another, say... 20... should make everything of Detective Benson's alleged assault... disappear."
"$25,000 in total?"
"And a recommendation for me to become Manhattan SVU's next commanding officer."
"Of course!" Don agreed as he removed 4 more envelopes from his desk and stacked them beside the original one.
"Do you always happen to have all this money laying around?" Tucker continued to eye the envelopes.
"You might be IAB, Lieutenant, but I knew this day would come the moment the incident with Detective Benson occurred. I've had money put aside for just such an incident, though I always though I'd have to use it on Elliott Stabler before he retired... and I also had an inkling that you'd appear the day of Detective Benson's first official day back on the job, although I thought you might have arrived after lunch."
Lieutenant Tucker stood up and placed 4 of the cash filled envelopes in his briefcase, the other inside the breast pocket of his jacket. He extended his hand, "Pleasure doing business with you, Captain."
Cragen shook Tucker's hand firmly, "Always."
Olivia watched as Tucker gave her a satisfying sneer and headed for the elevators. The IAB Lieutenant was taken aback when the doors opened and IAB Sergeant Cole Draper exited with 2 additional IAB Sergeants.
Sergeant Cole Draper kept his voice even, "Lieutenant Tucker, please come with me... I'm sure you don't want us to make a scene."
Tucker snorted, "What are you talking about, Draper? You're supposed to be over on Staten Island investigating the 123rd Precinct regarding that shooting."
Draper stood his ground in front of Lieutenant Tucker as the 2 other IAB Sergeants moved to stand behind the Lieutenant and removed the briefcase from Tucker's grasp. Sergeant Draper took a step closer before he pulled the left side of Tucker's suit coat open and removed the thick business envelope from the breast pocket.
"Lieutenant Edward Tucker, you are under arrest for bribery solicitation. You have the right to remain silent..."
Tucker saw Cragen standing near Olivia's desk, "You set me up, you bastard!"
"... Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney..."
"Draper, you should arrest Cragen too! He's the one trying to cover up an incident of Benson's doing!" Ed Tucker yelled. If he was going down, he'd take Cragen with him.
"... If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?"
"Yes!" Tucker spat.
Sergeant Draper tilted his head, "Cover up? I don't think so. Captain Cragen's been working with us to uncover your little... side business." Draper waved the envelope in front of Tucker's face. "You've been under investigation by IAB for some time. Get him out of here! And the $25,000 needs to go back to Major Case as soon as possible."
As Tucker was led away, Sergeant Draper held out his hand which Don Cragen placed the NYPD flag pin in.
"You got everything?" Don asked.
"Everything was caught on the camera hidden within the stars of the pin, and the microphone on the back. The technology these days makes these investigations that little bit easier. Thankyou for helping in our investigation, Captain... Lieutenant Ed Tucker is going to lose his badge and his pension, and maybe do a little jail time too, I'm going to make sure of it... Detective Benson, very convincing acting in the office regarding the fake assault."
"But-" Olivia began, but was cut off when Don spoke.
"She's had time to practice while she was studying for her Sergeants exam. I'll take the time to debrief Detective Benson as per our arrangement, Sergeant Draper. Detective Benson, please wait in my office."
Cragen began explaining to Olivia as soon as he closed the door, "I told the higher up's at 1PP about Tucker's little vendetta against you and his conduct regarding the IAB interview in Maine. During that meeting, it was revealed that Tucker was under investigation for numerous vendettas, 'cooking the books', making allegations disappear, and taking bribes. IAB had been trying to work out how to get Tucker when I approached them with an idea. I suggested that information be forwarded to Tucker after you returned to duty that you had assaulted a fellow police officer and there had been a cover up of the incident."
"But I did assault Nick."
"1PP still doesn't know that, and they never will. I'm the one that suggested to IAB a false incident against you after you unofficially confirmed to me that you were returning to SVU on November 19."
Liv's eyes widened, "You lied and yet told the truth at the same time?"
"It was easier this way to help bring Tucker down. NYPD doesn't need someone like him on the force any longer than necessary... and sometimes you have to lie, or bend the truth a little, to protect people you care for."
"Cap, what would have happened if I hadn't returned to SVU?"
"We'll never know, will we?" Don opened the door, "Now that pile of DD5's won't write themselves, Detective."
"Delivery for a Detective... Olivia Benson?"
Liv turned to see a tallish, well built man holding a large bouquet of long stem yellow roses in a tall vase. Somewhat wary, Olivia took in his attire as he fumbled with his hand held scanner. She could see that his polo shirt was embroidered with the florist's logo, as was his knit cap; he had a photo ID lanyard around his neck that bore the name of the florist; and the logo on the ID card matched the logo on his shirt and knit cap. As he looked up from his scanner, she knew it wasn't Lewis Williams.
"That's me," Liv gave a small acknowledging wave.
"Ah, so you're the illusive Detective. I've been delivering flowers here each week for months and you've never been here to personally receive them. Looks like today's the day. Sign here please," the delivery guy placed the flowers on her desk, then handed over his proof of delivery scanner and electronic pencil. As Olivia signed for the flowers, she noted that the number of roses was 3 dozen. She handed back the scanner to the delivery guy who turned to leave.
"Oh! Almost forgot! You have a card as well," he opened his backpack and removed an envelope from a clipboard folder. "Have a great day!"
She waited until the delivery guy had disappeared behind the closing elevator doors before she opened the envelope. Inside was a stylish gold and silver embossed card with flowers. Olivia opened the card and recognised Alex's writing immediately.
Olivia,
No more Mixed Zinnias because you're not an 'absent friend' any longer. Today, a bouquet of Yellow Roses for you.
In Victorian times, they symbolised jealousy. Today, these flowers can mean joy, happiness, friendship, delight, and above all... 'welcome back'.
All my love, Alex.
PS: Yellow Roses also mean 'I care', which I most certainly do.
OXOX
She smiled and placed the card in front of the vase before resuming working on the DD5. A few moments later, the familiar telltale sound of high heels approaching from the elevators made Olivia smile even more. The brunette kept her head lowered when the click-clacking stopped beside her desk.
"Counsellor," Olivia looked up and her heart skipped a beat.
Alex shifted the paperwork before perching on the corner of Olivia's desk and crossing a long, pale leg over her knee. The blonde couldn't help but smirk, "Detective."
Olivia's eyes zeroed in on the bare leg that was so tantalisingly close. With her libido suddenly spiking, she leant back in her chair for a better look, her fingertips itching to reach out and caress the flesh before her. Instead, her brown eyes travelling down the slender calf before they wandered back up towards Alex's thigh. After the exhaustive 6 hour Sergeants exam yesterday, they hadn't made out like they had planned. Instead, they had just cuddled and interacted with a boisterous Oey for a while before Olivia had drifted off to a nightmare free slumber. Her eyes lingered on the top button of the ADA's blouse near her cleavage before they darted up the blue eyes behind the black framed glasses, "You didn't wear a skirt when you left for work this morning."
"I know. I put it on just for you before I left the DA's office. I bought you a few things before I take you to lunch... Cragen's orders."
"Oh?"
Alex reached into her attaché bag and handed Olivia a silver keychain, "I've held onto this since the day you were found in Maine, so I thought I'd better give it back to you. Although, you were supposed to get rid of it!"
It was the Wisconsin State Quarter keyring that held Olivia's spare locker key.
Busted.
Liv couldn't help but grin, "You and I both knew I had no intention of ever getting rid of it."
Alex removed another item from her attaché bag, "I also thought you might like to have this on your desk."
"Our desk," Liv corrected.
"Our desk," Alex reiterated, handing Olivia a framed photograph. It was a copy of the photo taken in Winthrop of Alex, herself, Vanessa, Alan, Melanie and Kelly.
"I think that's a great item to have on our desk," Liv placed the silver frame to the right of the photo of herself, Elliott and Alex. "Anything else from your carpet bag, Mary Poppins?"
With a cheeky smile, the blonde removed one more item and placed it in front of the brunette.
A peanut bar.
"Just in case you can't wait until we get to the sandwich shop," Alex waggled her eyebrows.
Olivia huffed, "I'm not craving any longer."
"You aren't? Alright then, I'll eat it myself!" Alex shrugged and began unwrapping the bar.
"Gimme that bar!" Liv snatched the bar, took a large bite and moaned wantonly.
"You're never going to admit craving, are you?"
"Never!"
END NOTE: To clarify... Shoutout to Bkwrmchar for the 'getting Tucker' idea during ch25/26 AN's. Honestly, I was still trying to decide if Liv was going to quit SVU or not when you suggested that possibility, and it actually made me lean towards Liv quitting because I had no idea how to 'get Tucker' in the story. UNTIL...
Shoutout to Jbcjazz for the feedback you left in ch34 for helping me realise what was needed to 'get Tucker' ;-). When you wrote what you did, it just clicked for me what needed to be done. For everyone trying to figure out how long ago that was: I've only been waiting since January 31 (it's now early October) to post this 'get Tucker' plot line because that when I sent Jbcjazz a very vague PM thanking her for the idea. Yeah, I've planned parts of this story THAT far ahead.
Next chapter: Alan's award ceremony ;-)
END NOTE 2: Voting between Chloe and Zoë continues. The poll is on my lookup, so please take the time to make your vote count :-)
