Throw Me to The Wolves & I Will Return Leading the Pack
Summary: Morgan, the newest member of SVU hasn't had much luck with men, but her new partner might just be the one for her, if only she could let Sonny Carisi know. Men come much easier to her friend Riley, who's maybe not prepared for the challenge that Peter Stone provides.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Law and Order SVU, Morgan and Riley however are all mine.
Chapter 20:
Riley sucked in a breath and knocked on Peter's door. When he called for her to 'come in', she opened the door and stepped inside, looking every bit the woman that he knew her to be. She was decked out in a tight-fitting skirt paired with a light dress shirt that hugged her in all the right places, but what had his attention were her infamous 'fuck me' heels that she was wearing.
"You're supposed to be painting." Peter said with a smirk. "Not that I'm complaining, especially when you come here looking like that."
"Sonny invited me to Derek's trial." Riley confessed. She hadn't told him about it the night before, instead choosing to think long and hard about whether or not she was even going to show up. She wasn't going to let Derek Delmonico scare her anymore though, and if it meant forfeiting a day of painting to watch him go down, it would be worth it.
"Why?" Peter leveled her with a look but she shrugged at him, not entirely sure why Sonny had wanted her to be there. She just knew that he had asked her to come and she was going to show up for moral support. "You didn't tell me."
"I didn't know until an hour ago if I was actually going to show up." She nodded. "If you don't want me to go, I won't."
"I'm not going to tell you what to do." Peter stated quickly. A smile formed on her face and she wandered closer to him, hauling her butt up onto the edge of his desk, sitting right in front of him. "Okay, I might tell you to come find me when you're done because you can't show up here looking like that and not expect me to want to do things to you."
"It's the shoes right?" She laughed, crossing her legs tightly and poking him in the knee with the toe of her shoe.
"You sure you want to be a part of Delmonico's testimony?" He asked, resting his hand on her ankle. "What he did to you-"
"I remember him being the one on the floor in a ball." Riley cut him off. "I'll be fine."
He gave her a reassuring smile and she slipped off the edge of the desk to sit on his lap, his arms wrapping around her middle once she was settled. She couldn't help but feel a lot surer about this now that she was sitting with Peter. She wanted to help Sonny any way she could and if her simply being at the trial meant she was helping him, then it was the least she could do, right?
"I love you." Peter murmured, Riley running her fingers through his hair with a smile.
"I love you too." She replied. "I should go before I decide to stay here with you instead."
He let out a chuckle and loosened his hold on her, "promise me you'll come see me before you leave?"
"I promise." She beamed.
Hesitantly, she stood up off him and walked out of his office, pausing in the doorway to smile at him once more. She wandered down the hallway in search of Sonny, who was just coming out of his office as she approached. He tossed her a smile and she fell in stride next to him, allowing him to lead her to the courtroom without a word shared between them.
She didn't want to break his concentration nor did she want to find out what his real motive for her being there was. She just knew that she was willing to help him and this was as simple a task as she'd ever been asked to do.
When he led her into the courtroom, he pointed to a spot next to Rafael Barba, who let her sit next to him with a smile of his own. She felt him give her knee a gentle pat and before she knew what was going on, Derek Delmonico was sitting across the courtroom with who Riley assumed was his lawyer.
God, he looked so smarmy, so slimy and sleezy. His dark hair was slicked back and he was wearing a suit that looked just a little bit too tight on him, but what completed his look was the cocky smirk plastered on his face. She wondered what had him so happy, considering he was on trial for rape, she figured he'd be a wee bit more concerned.
Apparently not though.
Riley remained silent and watched intently as court settled in and Derek Delmonico was called to the stand. His own lawyer questioned him and Derek seemed calm, cool and collected throughout.
Was he going to walk? Did he stand a good chance of getting off? Huh, was that why Sonny had asked her to come, so she would be able to watch him lose?
He had to have a trick up his sleeve, right? Surely, he wasn't just going to play nice and let Derek get away with what he did.
Once Derek's lawyer took a seat, Sonny was quick to stand, wandering around the small table he was sitting at. He didn't look quite as good as Peter did in court but Riley was most definitely biased. She was still entranced by him though, wondering what he was going to do to get to Derek Delmonico.
She watched carefully as Sonny gently pressed the man on the stand on his ability to get women, but he did so in a way that made him seem genuinely interested and not at all ready to strike. Sonny knew how to ask the questions in just the right way that no objections were called, not to start with anyway.
When Derek let out a small sigh of irritation, Riley stiffened, knowing that this would be the moment she'd strike, if she had been the one up there instead of Sonny.
"What were you doing in the bar that night?" Sonny asked, looking directly at Derek, who stared back at him with a smug smirk on his face.
"I went to the bar for a date." Derek answered innocently.
"And that date just happened to be Parker McMohan?"
"Yes. We had a date and then we had sex, it was all consensual, a nice time, I was the perfect gentleman."
Sonny paused and placed his hands on his hips, "Consensual, sorry, I'm having a hard time believing that. She's clearly a ten and you're well…you're barely registering as a three on a good day. Are you sure she said yes, or is that just what you wanted to hear?"
"She said yes, she said she wanted it."
"She wanted it? Because from where I'm standing, it seems like it's all about what you want, right? And how dare she not give it to you?" Sonny closed in on the box and leaned in close to the man, wondering if this was how the women felt when dealing with Delmonico.
He was a bully, a rapist, and if Sonny had anything to say about it, he was going to get what was coming to him. He just had to make it though the next part.
"Objection." Derek's lawyer called out but Sonny's concentration remained unbroken. Nothing was going to stop him now, not seeing as he was on a roll.
"She owed you, right? You paid for drinks, it's only fair you get something in return."
"I…uh…"
"So what happens when they don't want to give you what you want?"
Derek was seething by this point and his eyes found Riley in the crowd. She merely held her ground though and stared back at him, Sonny immediately stepping in between Derek and anyone else, blocking his view of Riley. He didn't need to look at her, he didn't need to see her falter if she happened to.
"They don't have a choice!" Derek growled, even going as far as to lean forward in the box, and Sonny took a step to the side, moving out of the man's way in case he reached out towards him.
"But the girls never pick you, do they?" Sonny paused for a split second. "Why would they, look at you; your hair's too greasy, you're not charming, you're certainly-"
"Objection." His lawyer barked and Sonny was quick to withdraw. It didn't matter though; Riley could easily see Derek was fuming. Was that what Sonny was trying to do? Was he trying to get him mad and emotional?
"I can see that you're mad Derek," Sonny wandered towards the stand yet again but stopped just a few feet before getting to Derek and turned away, facing the jury instead. "Mad like you were at the girls for rejecting you, aren't you? After all, who are they to deny you?"
"They're bitches who don't know what they want!" Derek screeched. "They don't know what's good for them, so I take it, I take what they won't give me."
"You rape them?" Sonny asked, trying to stay calm on the outside, even thought his insides were practically vibrating.
"Yes! She had it coming, she was asking for it! Bitch doesn't get to turn me down..."
Derek's voice continued to yell in the courtroom but all Sonny could do was walk back to his chair and casually lower himself onto it. It didn't matter what happened next, he had gotten him, Derek Delmonico had confessed on the stand, he had won.
Stealing a glance behind him, he shot Riley a smile and she shook her head in amusement. It had been a little scary for her to watch Derek blow up like that, but it was too good to see him now, all crazy on the stand and clearly going to jail.
It was worth it for her, and for Sonny.
Everything happened next in a blur and Riley found herself out in the hallway standing next to Rafael Barba, who looked quite pleased by what had just happened. When Sonny came striding out of the courtroom, she went right for him, enveloping him into a hug and squeezing him tight, knowing that this man was a friend of hers for life.
When she pulled back, he smiled at her, but she could tell that he was relieved. The weight of the world was currently no longer on his shoulders.
"You did good kid." Riley remarked and he let out a chuckle.
"I'm older than you."
"If felt like the right thing to say." She grinned. "Jesus, I can't believe he did that, you got him to just- kaboom, Derek bomb went off in there."
"I had some help." Sonny stated, shooting Barba a knowing look.
"Unbearable, but good lawyer." Barba stated. "You should be proud."
Sonny couldn't wipe the smile off his face and when Riley grabbed his hand, he let her. She tugged on it and the two of them wandered back towards his office, waving at Barba as they did so. She carried on past his office and marched right into Peter's, waiting as he finished his phone call.
As soon as the phone was hung up, he looked up at the two of them, a questioning look on his face.
"Promote this man." Riley demanded with a smile.
"Uh?"
"She's kidding."
"Not kidding, he needs to be promoted." Riley seemed adamant but when Peter stood up, she cocked her head at him, wondering what he could possibly say to her to get her to change her mind.
"Give him my job?" Peter asked and Riley let out a soft growl. Okay, so maybe there wasn't room to promote Sonny, at least she had tried.
"Okay, don't promote him, just give him a pay raise. Why do you have to complicate things all the time?" She shook her head at Peter but Sonny let out a laugh. "Seriously, Sonny here did great in there, Derek confessed."
"What?" Peter looked between the two of them.
"Yeah, he just kept pushing his buttons until he snapped. God it was a beautiful sight." Riley looked up at Sonny with a dreamy look on her face. "Dude was amazing, although I'm sort of sad, I was really looking forward to getting my very own street justice on him."
"I uh, I should get back to my office." Sonny announced. Riley gave his hand a final squeeze and let go of it.
"You did good." Peter called out, watching as Sonny stalked out of his office, leaving him alone with Riley. "He really confessed?"
"Sonny was all 'you take what you want, you rape them right?' and Derek was all 'Yes' like a freaking mad man. God I am so turned on right now." She sighed and looked at Peter.
"You're a strange kind of grown up." He teased.
"Strange but fun. Come on, I didn't wear my 'fuck me' heels for Derek Delmonico."
XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX
Sonny had shown up at the apartment with a grin on his face and Morgan knew instantly that he had done well in his court case. She didn't have to ask in order to know that, he was way too happy, a much different look to him than the night before when he had come home from the bar sulking and defeated.
Barba had apparently managed to talk some sense into him and for that, Morgan was grateful.
"So?" Morgan posed from her spot on the couch. She was lounging on it in her pajamas, flicking through the channels as she tried to find something good to watch. "You do good today?"
"I almost got promoted." Sonny joked and took his jacket off, hanging it up in the closet at the front door. He closed in on her and sat down next to her, Morgan immediately draping her legs over his.
"What?" She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and he let out a laugh, recalling how adamant Riley had been on his alleged promotion.
"Well I won, I managed to get Delmonico to confess on the stand, and Riley hauled me right into Stone's office demanding he promote me."
Morgan couldn't help but smile, picturing her best friend doing just that. She leaned towards Sonny and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her nose against his.
"He confessed?"
"He certainly did." Sonny tipped his head and pecked her on the lips. "I pushed him, he got angry and you know what happens when people get angry."
"Ooooh emotions erupt!" She squealed and felt his hands press against her sides. "Did Derek blow?"
"Like a volcano." Sonny grinned.
"Oh Sonny Bunny, that's great! I'm so proud of you." She pressed another kiss to his lips, this time lingering though, not just some quick peck. When she pulled back, she ghosted her fingers through the back of his hair. "My sexy ADA."
"With his first win." Sonny pressed and jerked her body forward, her chest pressing tight against his. "I'm so excited, you know?"
She gave a gentle nod of her head and held on to him, not wanting to get too far away from him. She was so proud of him, so happy that he had managed a win on his first case. It was a much better Sonny for her to be with than the 'down on himself, what happens if he fails' guy that had been around a lot more lately.
He was confident now, and Morgan couldn't be happier for him. She liked this guy a lot better, he was the Sonny she loved, the Sonny that she wanted to marry.
If this was how Peter Stone went home after his wins, it was no wonder Riley had stuck with him.
"I can't believe he confessed right there on the stand." Sonny had a look of wonder in his eyes and Morgan giggled. "He said the women deserved it, like they owed him for something."
"Some men aren't as great as you." Morgan cooed.
"Some men are a disgrace to males everywhere." Sonny pointed out and Morgan's smile fell. She knew all too well about men being disgraces.
She worked for SVU, she had brought down a serial rapist who bit his victims. The world was full of shitty men who wanted nothing more than to ruin women and destroy their innocence. It was nice that Sonny got to finish what her and the SVU started.
"You're a good guy though." Morgan said softly. "Don't ever forget that."
He bowed his head, pressing their foreheads together. She stared into his bright blue eyes and let out a soft sigh. Sonny Carisi was a great man, she'd remind him of that as often as he needed it because he was one of the best.
He treated her right, along with most other women. He had been raised to be a good boy and he always seemed to do the right thing. She loved him for that and she would love him until the day she died.
He was perfect in her eyes and she hoped that he knew how truly special he was.
"I love you so much." Morgan murmured, feeling his fingers dig into her sides. "No matter what. Whether you win or lose your cases, I will always be right there to support you and love you."
"I love you too Mo, so much." He whispered back.
"I can't wait to marry you ADA Carisi." She purred.
He hauled them both sideways, pulling her on top of him on the couch, her legs straddling his hips as he rested his hands on the outsides of her thighs. Her hands were pressed against his chest, holding her just above him as she looked down into his eyes, which were still filled with excitement from the events of court.
Part of her wished she had been there too but she had a job of her own. In fact, the only reason Riley had been there was because she had been off work painting the house, seeing as the four of them had accomplished very little the night they had been together.
Maybe she was a bit jealous that Riley got to watch Sonny work, but she was aware that there would be plenty more opportunities for her to do the same. He'd be a great ADA for a long time to come, she knew that much. She just hoped that he'd carry his newfound confidence to each and every case to come.
When he moved his hand towards her face, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she shuddered.
"We should celebrate properly." Morgan said in a low, husky voice.
"How's that?"
"Hmm, you and me, with no clothes on, preferably in our bed but honestly, if you want to celebrate right here, I would not be opposed." She grinned and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against his again, this time quick and teasing. His hands drifted up from her thighs to her waist, slipping under the hem of her t-shirt.
"That is the most romantic thing you've ever said to me Mo." He teased and sat up, making quick work of getting to his feet. She remained on the couch for a split second before he hauled her into his arms, bridal style, and carried her into their bedroom.
Morgan couldn't wait for him to win again and again.
Sonny deserved it, he was a great man, and a great lawyer.
XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX
Painting was getting near the end and Riley thanked god for that. She was tired of painting, but she knew that once she was done, it would be worth it. They still needed to buy some new faceplates for the light switches and electrical outlets, but that seemed easy enough, a minute repair that she could handle on her own.
Their bed was even set up in the bedroom, dressers and all.
In fact, all of the upstairs rooms were done being painted and all of Riley's things from her apartment had been moved over, not necessarily unpacked, but she was out of her old place. It had been a bittersweet feeling, but without Morgan there with her, it was easier than she had anticipated. Peter's apartment had been emptied too and they were both officially living in the house, mainly the upstairs, seeing as the downstairs wasn't completely done, but all Riley really had to finish was Peter's office.
That was a job for tomorrow though, for now, she needed dinner, and she needed something to drink.
She was hungry, tired, thirsty, but she was so close to having everything done so that they could actually start unpacking things like her books and knick knacks, most of her clothes were still packed up, and her shoes- god her shoes had been haphazardly thrown into two boxes and at this point in time, she wasn't sure where exactly her favourite high heels were located (though she knew they were in a box somewhere in the house).
She had taken a week off from work to finish painting as much as she had and when Peter had offered to do the same, she had been adamant that he needed to work because bad guys didn't take time off.
In all actuality, she didn't trust herself alone with him and a paintbrush, because honestly, their paint fight had been fun.
Tonight, she found herself in the kitchen when he got home, the front door sounding out as it opened and then shut. She had a glass of orange juice residing on the island and a plate of leftover spaghetti and meatballs that she had heated up minutes before he had gotten home.
As soon as he met her in the kitchen, his dress shirt already unbuttoned at the top and the sleeves rolled up, she grinned at him, stabbing a meatball with her fork.
"All I have left is your office." She announced.
"Really?" He looked at her, impressed at how quickly she had gotten to work painting their home. Riley wasn't a quitter though, he knew that much about her, so honestly it wasn't really that surprising. "Hot pink right?"
"Sonny Carisi blue." She teased back and took a bite out of the meatball, setting it back on her plate. She was decked out in the same painting outfit she'd been wearing since she started, this time she had thrown a light sweater over top of her tank top. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and her feet were bare.
"Is there a Peter Stone colour?" He joked. She cocked her head sideways and studied him, taking his question very seriously. She had no idea what to say in response, so she shrugged at him and stuffed the remaining forkful of meatball into her mouth. "Sexy."
"Balls are my favourite thing to eat." She laughed once she had swallowed.
"I knew that already."
She continued to laugh and wandered to the fridge, pulling out the carton of orange juice and offering it to him. He took it but instead of getting a glass of his own, he took hers and drank down a good third of it, then he filled it up and handed her the carton back. Riley set it back in the fridge with a roll of her eyes, but when she looked back at him, he was looking at her plate of food.
"I should've taken time off and helped you." He confessed but she snorted at him.
"I'm way more productive without you around to be all sexy and cute."
"We could've put ourselves in different rooms." Peter pointed out.
"Yeah, like that would've stopped me from sexing you up every ten minutes." She stared at him with a grin. "You're so sexy."
"I still feel bad."
"Nah, don't." She shrugged. "I'm good, perfectly okay, not mad or upset with you at all."
He studied her, looking for a flaw in her statement, but she was smiling at him, happy as could be. Was she really not upset that he had left her alone to do most of the painting? It was supposed to be their home and so far she had spent way more time in it alone than with him.
That wasn't exactly what he wanted to happen, but she honestly seemed okay. Riley wasn't the type of girl to hold animosity inside either, if she wasn't pleased with him, she'd let him know. Currently she was perfectly fine.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." She smirked. "Don't get me wrong, I missed you but I'd miss you whether I was here painting or at work."
He gave her a solid nod and leaned his elbows against the island, letting a blanket of silence fall over them so that she could eat. Her plate looked delicious and before he knew what was happening, she had a fork out of the drawer and was poking him in the wrist with the tines. He took hold of it and speared one of the meatballs, quickly putting the whole thing in his mouth.
She speared another meatball of her own but bit half of it off, not wanting to shove the whole thing in her mouth like he had just done. When she had it chewed and swallowed, she set the fork on the edge of the plate.
"This weekend we can actually get to unpacking everything." Riley stated. "I want to get my books on the shelves."
"I can help with that."
"Yes you can." She beamed. "And I need to find my heels."
"They're missing?" He feigned shock and she nodded her head.
"They're in a box somewhere." She explained. "No worries."
He nodded his understanding and forked some of the penne pasta onto the fork, shoveling it into his mouth. God he was hungry, he had come home later than he planned and he hadn't eaten since lunch, which had just been something small. He wanted to finish the whole plate of her pasta and Riley seemed to realize that as she grabbed her fork and tossed it into the sink.
"I can get my own."
"It's okay, I was more thirsty than hungry." She said. It was true, she had stopped for a sandwich earlier and wasn't really that hungry, but the meatballs looked too good when she spotted them in the fridge. "You enjoy those balls."
He laughed at her blatant innuendo and she leaned against the edge of the counter watching as he continued to eat. She couldn't help but smile, wondering if this was how their life was going to be. She loved having him come home to her, though it wasn't always as late as he had gotten home tonight. She liked having dinner with him and going to bed with him, then waking up next to him in the mornings.
It was nice, and she was glad she had agreed to move in with him, but more than that, she was glad she had given him a chance way back when.
He easily could've been a one-night stand, like the rest of the men in her past, but Morgan had pushed her, and she would forever be thankful.
"Hey, so legit, I want to get some pictures for the walls and I think we should do something with your baseball career." Riley suggested and he finished the mouthful he had before looking at her.
"As short-lived as it was?" He quipped.
"Baseball pants Peter." She laughed. "You look so cute in your pictures on google. Oh hey, actually, I got something for you the other day."
"What, like a present?"
She nodded her head and took off out of the kitchen. He was quick to finish the plate of pasta, setting the plate and fork in the sink to be washed later. He then waited patiently in the kitchen, looking around at the freshly painted walls.
She had done a great job on the paint, and he believed the walls would stand up for years to come. This was definitely their home, he just needed to make things even more official.
When she reappeared at the island, he stared at her and noticed that she was holding something small in her hand, it was no bigger than his phone and when she held it out for him, his eyes widened at the sight of his MLB Rookie Card.
She beamed with pride and when he took it, the card tucked inside a thick plastic case, he couldn't help but stare at the picture of him on the pitcher's mound, ready to throw a pitch. He flipped it over and looked at the stats inscribed on the back, wondering where the hell she had managed to find this particular rookie card.
He had one at one point in time but through his moves to law school and to his many residences, it had gotten lost, along with a lot of items from his past.
"Riley…" He trailed off, mesmerized by the card in his hand. God, he loved it, it was so simple but so meaningful, and for her to have decided to even look for it, let alone manage to find it, was amazing.
"You know a guy who played for the Mets, I know a guy who was a Cub's fan that I met at M.I.T. that owed me a favour." She shrugged, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "Easy enough."
"No." He shook his head and she opened her mouth to question him, but he jerked his head up and looked at her. "No it wasn't easy, don't even pretend it was."
"Okay I won't." She joked.
"Riley…"
"What, it's for me just as much as it's for you. Baseball pants Peter, look how sexy you look all ready to throw a strike. Super attractive, even if you are wearing a Cubs jersey." She grinned and he lifted his hand up to her, signaling he needed one minute.
He gingerly set the card on the top of the island and left the kitchen abruptly. She followed him with her eyes until she could no longer see him, then she stepped towards the card and turned it so that she could get a better look at it. Honestly it was just a playing card, but apparently, he was impressed by it.
It had been a lot of work, but it was worth it.
Peter came bounding back into the room and he barely stopped himself before he ran into her, Riley taking a step back so as not to stumble. He shoved his hand into the pocket on the front of his pants and when he pulled out a small box, she gaped.
"No." She shook her head. "No you did not go to Tiffany's."
"I did."
"No." She backed away, but her eyes were wide and full of excitement. "You did not."
"I did." He grinned and set the small blue-green box on the counter, sliding it towards her. She stared at it for a few seconds and when she made no move to take hold of it, he flipped the lid open, revealing the simple heart shaped diamond set in a white-gold band. Her hands moved up to cover her mouth, which was gaped open in pure shock.
Marriage was logically the next step, and she probably should've seen it coming, but she felt totally blindsided. It was perfect though, the diamond shaped like a heart, the fact that the band wasn't gold (because she hated gold)- had he really managed to pull this off without her knowing?
"Marry me?" Peter asked softly and she nodded her head yes so very slightly that he barely noticed. "Riley?"
"Yes." She breathed, her hands falling away from her mouth. "Obviously."
He freed the ring from the box and she held her hand out, letting him slide it onto her finger, where it slid on perfectly. She looked from the ring to his eyes and couldn't help but smile at his giant grin.
"I wasn't planning on asking you tonight but that rookie card…it seemed like the right time."
She ran a shaky hand through her hair and grabbed his hand, hauling him forward and colliding with his body. When she pressed her lips against his, he kissed her right back. This was perfect; the moment, the rookie card, her saying yes- it was just right.
"God I love you so much." She whispered, resting her palms against his chest. "So much."
What more could he ask for? There was nothing in the world that would make him any happier than at that very moment.