A/n: Captain Curry is the new IAB Captain who was introduced in season 22. I was in love with her since she first showed up. I thinks she has had three scenes in the series so far? Anyways, I'm taking these five minutes and running with it.
"Did you have lunch?"
Amanda appeared at her door seemingly out of nowhere. Olivia was trying to gather all her things as fast as she could to try and get out of the precinct. She had a meeting at IAB at 3:20pm and it was already 3pm. She'd never get there on time
"What?" She asked, confused. What was the blonde detective about?
"The meal we eat in the middle of the day," she explained slowly, "did you have it today?"
To be honest, Olivia had to stop and think about it. Did she have lunch today?
"No, I don't think so. I had to get to Noah's school 'cause he forgot his science project and then this case I -"
"It's 3pm, Liv," Amanda cut her.
"I know," she said exasperated, ``I'm late for that IAB interview already. I swear this day will never end."
"You're leaving now?"
"I'm late, Rollins. I should be arriving there by now. Captain Curry already hates me as it is, I'm pretty sure she's going to be thrilled by me being late."
"If you're already late then stop to get something to eat on the way."
"That's what you do when you're late for work?"
"Hey! I haven't been late in ages," she said, throwing her hands in the air.
She looked around her table in search of her phone. It was missing, of course. "You were late last week, Amanda."
"You saw that?"
She finally spotted the phone underneath a pile of files.
"I see everything. As does Captain Curry. Leave me a message if something happens with the case, I'll check it as soon as I leave IAB," she said while leaving the office in a rush.
"That's not healthy, Liv!" Amanda called as she passed through her, "people need to eat!"
"Bye, Amanda!," she shouted from the precinct's door.
Lunch would just have to wait. It was fine, she was used to it.
She had messaged Captain Curry on her way in that she'd be late and that she was so very sorry. When she arrived at the IAB bureau she could feel sweat coming down from her head. It was an unusual hot day in New York City.
The IAB Captain was already waiting for her in the interview room with the camera set up ready. At least there was a good air conditioner inside.
"Here we are again," Captain Curry sighed as Olivia sat down in front of her
"I don't understand why this keeps happening," Olivia began.
"I do," the other woman grumbled.
She was trying hard to get into the Captain's good side but destiny wasn't making it easy for her, "Captain, I swear -"
"I don't need you to swear, Captain. I just need you to answer my questions truthfully. Let's begin? You already know the drill," she said matter-of-factly.
This time around Olivia has no doubts her team had done the right thing. It was just a matter of misunderstanding. It was fine, she thought. She'd just answer a couple of questions. Captain Curry wasn't her fan but she wasn't unfair. Then, she'd be free to get out and have something to eat which would probably improve the headache she started to get on the way to the interview.
A couple of minutes in she wasn't so sure about anything anymore. Her head was pounding even more and the room started to swirl. Weird.
She probably missed a question because Captain Curry was looking at her expectantly but she couldn't remember what they were talking about.
"Are you ok, Captain Benson?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I'm sorry. Could you repeat the question, please?"
"Why don't we take a break?" The other woman suggested, "I know I need it."
Normally, Olivia would've wanted to power through but the room was moving faster now and she didn't know if she would be able to answer anymore questions.
"Ok, thanks."
Curry shut off the camera and stood up, "Do you want some water?"
"Please."
Rollins was right. She should have eaten something before coming here. Well, now it was too late.
The last thing she thought before the room stopped spinning was that she hated when Rollins was right.
Then it was all black.
"Hey, girl. Taking a nap at IAB?"
She heard a voice but she couldn't quite place who it belonged to. IAB? Why was she laying down on an uncomfortable couch at IAB of all places?
"What?" she asked, confused.
She tried to stand up but the person who the voice belonged to pushed her down again;
"Welcome to the land of the living," she chuckled.
Olivia finally recognized the person roaming over her: Ayanna Bell.
"Ayanna? I don't understand what's happening."
"You passed out. We're in the IAB interview room," she explained.
"Oh, shit." Memories came flooding back. The lack of food, Amanda's foreshadowing, the interview, the room spinning. The only thing missing was Ayanna.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, hello. Nice to see you too," she joked,"I was around, saw the commotion. Just hanging out now."
"This is weird," she commented.
The door opened and they saw Captain Curry walking in with a worried look on her face and a glass of water in her hand."
"Oh good. You are alive," she exclaimed, "drink the water," she said, trusting the glass into Olivia's hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit," she said honestly. She sat up and took a big gulp of water.
"Yep, that sounds about right," Curry murmured.
"Hey, you guys called?"
A paramedic stuck his head in the room.
"Oh, God," Olivia moaned. She was already embarrassed enough and now they had called the paramedics?
"Captain Benson passed out a couple of minutes ago," Curry said, rushing the man in, "Just came to."
"I'm fine," Olivia mumbled.
"Famous Benson's last words," Bell laughed.
The paramedic kneeled down to Olivia's level and started taking his things out of a bag, "Did you eat today, Captain?"
"I - humn, maybe?"
He smiled kindly and asked for her arm to take her blood pressure.
Some ten minutes later it was clear that Olivia was fine. Dehydrated, and with a low pressure, but fine.
"I don't need to go to the hospital," she said firmly after he had suggested it.
"You should be fine," the medic relented, "just rest, have plenty of water and please, have some lunch."
"Copied that," she smiled, happy that hey wasn't making a big deal out of it.
When the paramedic left she finally looked over at the other women who were sitting on the side of the room waiting for the consult to be over. They both looked unsure of the paramedic's actions.
"I'm serious, I don't need the hospital," she said, almost pleading. She couldn't take anymore embarrassment. She just wanted to go home and forget this day even existed.
"Ok," Curry said, "but we're doing lunch."
"I'm-"
Curry didn't let her plea her case, "Captain, we're having lunch. You too, Sargent."
"I'm not complaining," Bell said.
"What about the interview?" Olivia asked.
"There's always tomorrow," Curry said, shrugging her shoulders.
Twenty minutes later, the three women were sitting at a café close to the IAB bureau. Olivia had ordered some juice and an already made sandwich. It was probably the best meal she had had the entire week. Or maybe it was just hunger.
Ayanna and Renee, that was Curry's first name, were apparently friends. She had let the two do most of the talking so far. She was glad just to watch for now. Even though her headache had diminished considerably she was still so tired. And hungry.
"So, what's the deal with the new task force -," Ayanna started asking Renee as they waited for their coffee order.
"Nope, I don't want to talk about work," Renee cut her off before she could finish, "I don't talk about work during my lunch hour."
"Technically, this is Captain Benson's lunch hour," Ayanna pointed out.
"My afternoon tea hour then, whatever."
"Alright, fair. Wanna hear about my baby?" Bell suggested.
"Ayanna, please!"
Olivia watched the two bickering with amusement. She had never seen Captain Curry like this. In her defense, the only time the two had anytime together she was usually in some kind of trouble.
"Renee doesn't care much about children," Ayanna explained to Olivia.
"I just find them a little bit boring."
"Olivia has a child too," Bell continued, "but he's older, right?"
"Almost nine," Olivia answered.
"Single parent plus a SVU Captain! No wonder you're exhausted," Ayanna commented.
"I know. It's a lot but I love it. And it's not usually this bad. Today was… I don't even know," she sighed.
"What about you, Renee? Ever think about getting married and having children?" Bell joked. It sounded like she already knew the answer but she was having fun with it.
"Ew, no."
"Renee is against marriage," Ayanna chuckled.
"I don't believe in that institution," Renee remarked.
"Marriage is overrated," Olivia added. At this point in her life, Olivia had given up on that idea. Maybe that was something she actually wanted in the past but now? She wouldn't mind a relationship, though.
"There's only one scenario I'd be willing to get married," Renee started as their coffee order arrived.
"Picture this,"she said gesturing at an empty table next to them, "a tall blond woman, doesn't speak a word of English. She's from Russia. We meet in this same café. Instant attraction. She slips me a note, we meet in the bathroom. We make passionate love," She stopped for a second. Ayanna was laughing at her coffee while Olivia was trying hard not to.
Curry continued, not minding the laughter, "I know she's my soulmate because I had seen a shaman just last week who had told me so. She uses the phone to tell me via translator that she knows I am the one too but she has a secret. She's a mail bride. She's married to this old white man who owns half of New York's buildings. She tells me not to worry about it, she has a plan. Do I trust her? Yes, I do but I tell her I'm in the force, you know? She says everything will work out, I just have to give her a week," she finishes in one breath.
Before Ayanna or Olivia could comment on the wild imaginary situation, Renee started again with renewed energy.
"A week goes by and I'm in my house. I turn on the TV and there I see it: the millionaire old man has died! Odd circumstances but the police can't figure out what happened. I don't feel bad about it. The guy was an old crook who treated his employees like shit and his beautiful wife like a maid. I'm anxiously waiting for a sign of my one true love. Has she forgotten about me now that she inherited a fortune? The very next day I get a letter under my door. No sender. I open it, it's a one way ticket to Athens, Greece for the next day. I have work but I couldn't care less. I don't even call in sick. I arrive in Greece and there's a chauffeur waiting for me at the airport. He takes me to the most beautiful restaurant, a patio with an ocean view. The place is empty but for one person. Bathed by the Greek sun there's my Russian lover. I realized right there I don't even know her name! It doesn't matter. She has learned one English sentence during this time we were apart: Will you marry me? and I say yes .
She finishes her monologue with a smile, "That 's it. That's the only way I'd ever get married."
Ayanna and Olivia are quiet for a moment before one of them finally gets over their shock. "Yes, I have a question," Ayanna starts, leaning on the table and looking very seriously at Captain Curry, " what's wrong with you ?"
Renee smiles even brighter, "So many things!"
"You are scaring Olivia," Ayanna says, "don't mind her, Olivia. She likes to say crazy shit."
"I - Well, that was a very thought out scenario," Olivia managed to say as she finished her sandwich.
"Thank you," Renee answered, pleased.
"You're probably used to what I like to call work Renee. Which is also known as bicth Renee ," Bell explained.
"How dare you?" Curry exclamed.
Bell laughed and threw her hands in surrender, "we're in afternoon tea hour, it's alright!"
"I don't laugh at work," Renee explained, "it's just my thing."
"Yep, multiple personalities is also a thing," Ayanna taunted.
"Shut up!"
"No, I get it. Being a Captain it's not easy," Olivia added.
"You know it. How are you feeling, Captain?" Curry asked.
"Much better," she said truthfully.
At that moment her phone rang. She excused herself to answer the call.
"Yes, Rollins?"
"How come I just heard you fainted at IAB?" She heard the detective scream at the other side of the line. She could see that Bell and Curry could hear her too.
"I have no idea what you're talking about Rollins," she said calmly, "I have just finished with IAB and now I'm having lunch with some friends."
She heard Amanda mumble something under her breath.
"What's that, detective?"
"Since when you have friends, Olivia?" Amanda asked.
"Rollins!"
"Are you really ok?"
"Yes, Amanda. I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
"Ok. But you're not coming back here, right?"
"Nope. Going straight home after picking up Noah."
"Good. Well, someone is making up rumors about you because -"
"People talk, Amanda. Don't worry. Thanks for calling, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Take care, Captain."
"Smashing the rumors, I like it," Ayanna commented as she hung up the phone.
"She worries too much."
"Well, you did faint," Captain Curry pointed out.
"Ah, yeah. But she doesn't need to know that."
"Fair. Would you like a piece of cake, Captain? That 's on me," Renee offered.
"I'd love it."
"So, Liv" Ayanna started, "tell us all about how you don't have any friends."
"Ha, very funny, Ayanna."
"Women in power, it's a lonely place," Curry commented.
"Doesn't have to be. Look at us!" Bell exclaimed, "Just some overworked powerful women having lunch together at 5pm. Do you want anything better than this?"
"I guess not," Renee offered.
"To the beginning of a great friendship!" Bell exclaimed, raising her empty cup of coffee. The other women laughed but soon followed her lead and cheered with their empty cups.
"To friendship," Olivia beamed
"And women!," Ayanna added
I guess this is not very interesting to anyone but me but I've been trying to create Captain Curry's personality in my head for a while and I finally managed to put it in words today. I love to be able to write strong black women and Curry and Bell give me that ability so: yay!
Pls tell me what you think?