A/N: A shout out to SVUSHIPPER4EVER. Some hinting at EO coming... ;)
Chapter 3
They had taken her badge. They had taken both her duty weapon and her off-duty weapon. Tucker had tried to be reassuring but somehow, she just wasn't reassured, especially when she was placed on leave with pay. Driven home by a patrol officer, Olivia entered her apartment and collapsed on the couch.
Her stomach was in knots. Jenna was dead. Ronson and Greer were dead but somehow, she didn't care. They were two pieces of scum who got the real justice they deserved. Sister Peg – the thought of the helpful nun losing her life, when all she was trying to do was help – that made her stomach turn. A true innocent in the whole affair and she unable to be saved. Jenna had been that innocent, right up until she'd decided to bring that gun into the precinct. The teenager's life had been ruined the minute that Luke Ronson had decided to assault her mother Annette. And now maybe her life was ruined too.
There was a knock on the door and she heaved a sigh. She wasn't in the mood for company. She made the large effort to get herself off the couch and headed for the door. Checking the peep hole, a huff, and she opened the door.
"Shouldn't you be home? Isn't there a toddler waiting for you?" She asked.
"Eli is already in bed. I'm more worried about you," Elliot said. His partner hadn't let him in yet and he wondered if he should press to come in.
"What's there to worry about? I killed a teenage victim and now they've taken my badge," Olivia still did not invite him in.
"Can I come in?" he wanted to know. Olivia huffed but moved out of the way. She headed back to the couch, leaving him to close and lock the door. Elliot slipped his shoes off and made sure the door was locked.
"So did Mrs. Bernhardt let you in again, thinking it was the pizza boy?" Olivia wondered. Her elderly neighbor down the hall had a tendency to let people in through the buzzer system for the front door, always thinking there was a delivery for her. Many tenants had complained and the landlord had threatened to take away her buzzer. Obviously, he hadn't followed through.
"Yeah. So Tucker took your badge?" Elliot tried to turn the conversation as to why he was there. He gently lowered himself onto the couch next to her.
"Yup and my guns. I'm on leave with pay until he's done with his investigation. We all know where this is going. He's just delaying the inevitable," she said.
"You had no choice. She killed three people and wouldn't put the gun down," he said.
"Yeah and somehow I didn't notice that something was wrong. How could I not? Why did I not see that she was off? I mean how could she not be after everything that's happened?" Olivia shook her head.
"That's my point. The girl had lost her mother, right in front of her. She wasn't going to be ok and if she was, we'd be concerned. I don't see how you could have noticed. Certainly, no way that you could have known she had a gun," Elliot said.
"How the hell did she get a gun into the precinct anyway?" his partner wanted to know.
"My guess is that they knew she was a victim's daughter and just had her go around the metal detectors. I hate to admit it but Jenna's position made her uniquely able to bypass everything in her way. We've got a bigger problem. Tucker said that even if he can make an argument for everything that happened. He's not sure he can figure out a way around how you shot her," he figured the truth should come out now.
"You mean how I shot her near center mass instead of taking her out at the knees? I've been wondering about that too," she admitted. The truth of the matter was, she didn't wonder. Her eyes had gone toward her partner as he tried to save Sister Peg. She's seen what happened and just squeezed the trigger. There was no way she could ever tell him that though. He was married. Eli was turning four later that year. It was obvious that her feelings were not reciprocated. She had no idea why she was hanging onto these feelings – she would never act on them. She would never be that woman.
Elliot could tell that she'd gone into herself. He wondered what was going on in her head, but he didn't push it. It had been a very hard day and there were going to be trying days ahead. It wasn't the time to tell her that his marriage was falling apart, just like before. Eli had been a band aid of sorts, which he hated to say. He loved the little boy, he always would, loving Kathy on the other hand, well that just wasn't to be. They were back to arguing and purposely avoiding each other. Kathy put up no fight when he said he had to check on his partner. The last thing that Olivia needed was him confessing his feelings now though. Her job was more important than his feelings.
To Be Continued…
