AUTHOR'S NOTES: i want to thank magnolia_dex on a03 for pointing out some plot holes i had done in the story. i usually write these anywhere from 3am to 5am in the morning when i am off work, so sometimes my brain isn't functioning as it should. so just to clear up at this point, olivia doesn't actually know who delany is, like i had implied in chapter one. sorry for mixing things up, but hoping to have things more straight going forward. i also don't do beta readers, i just publish as i write them. i have gone back and fixed some of these, so i appreciate you pointing them out! i am sorry this chapter took so longer. i have been having a really hard time concentrating lately. it is like my brain only wants to do one thing or another instead.
\O.o/
Olivia had actually started to grow a little concerned when she hadn't heard from Elliot in three days. He was supposed to reach out to her about the date that they were supposed to be doing. The one where she was supposed to kill him, which she was starting to grow weary of. Each day that went by she felt more and more conflicted about following through with it.
She had poured over the file that was sent to her on all of the information. The few interactions that Liv had with Elliot didn't read like the man that was portrayed in this file by any means. Her eyes burned as she blinked a few times, trying to clear the tired feeling from them. Her hues glanced to the digital clock on the nightstand seeing that it was nearly 1 am and she should have gone to bed already, but she found herself reading his file for what felt like the millionth time. To find something, anything that would make her more comfortable completing the job, but she didn't.
A sigh escaped her lips, as she tossed the file on her nightstand, next to the clock. Leaning back on the bed, her back against all her pillows, as she lazily draped one of her arms across her eyes. A soft vibration on the nightstand broke her from her thoughts as she blindly reached her arm out, as she kept her other draped over her eyes. Without her eyes, she searched about for a moment, before her hand finally reached her phone.
She tilted her head as her eyes went to the text message, as she sat up, seeing Elliot's name on the screen. Her finger hovered above the iMessage for a moment as she was still fighting against herself about the job. Before her brain told her to just click on the message.
Liv.
Her heart shuddered at the use of a nickname from him. It felt oddly personal and that he somehow knew her better than she knew herself.
Sorry that it took me so long to get back to her. I have been working on a new novel and inspiration hit like a ton of bricks and I really needed to meet my deadline. Are we still on for the date you won at the auction?
Her eyes quickly read over the text message as all of the days that he had spent writing, she had been at war with herself about if she could actually complete this job. She wasn't admitting to feelings towards Elliot, but there was something about him that just made her hesitant. She gently chewed on her bottom lip as she raged with herself. Whoosh, the sound of another text incoming rang from her phone.
Hey, I saw you read the message and wasn't sure if you are saying yes.
He innocently texted again. Fuck. She swore to herself about letting the message show that she had read it.
Yes, we are still on! I was just trying to think about what I was going to need to wear.
She easily lied as she tapped the send button, a deeper whoosh sounded as it indicated that her message has been sent. it almost instantly that she can see the bubble that shows that Elliot has already started to reply, as she lays in her bed, pulling her blanket to cover herself as she stares at her screen.
She doesn't know why she is feeling some schoolgirl with a crush right now, as she tries to shake the feeling, but it seems to have attached its claws to her.
Perfect! How about we meet tomorrow at 6 pm? I can pick you up. No need to dress up, wear something casual.
She quickly acknowledges as she doesn't know what he means by casual and she doesn't like to not know where they are going. She was hoping she would be able to plan for anything. Have some escape plans ready, but it seemed like she was going to have to wing it and she didn't like that plan.
How is your night going?
Liv is surprised by the follow-up text, as she had expected him to end the conversation where they made plans for the following day. As Liv nibbles on her lower lip again. She knows that he can see that she had read his message, but she is still raging with herself if she really should delve into small talk.
She admits that she has taken a shine to the novelist that she shouldn't, but replies to his text message.
My night has been alright. I am warm in my bed and about to sleep. How is your night? At a crazy party?
She doesn't know why she adds the last part, there had just been so many reports that he was a partier and had been known to break the law and somehow always get out of it. Which reminded her she had a contact in the NYPD and she wanted to check up on him again. Though, after tomorrow it probably wouldn't be needed since he would be dead.
If you consider taking care of a sick child having a party then I am having the wildest party in NYC right now.
A chuckle escapes her lips as he says he was out partying. A smile continues to grace her features as she can feel her eyelids start to get heavy. She isn't even sure if she responds to his text message before her eyes finally completely close and she is fast asleep with her phone laying on the bed.
\O.o/
The morning light streams through the windows as Olivia presses her face into her pillow and lets out a groan. She lays in the same position for a beat before sitting up, running her fingers through her head, and seeing her phone laying on the bed. Her delicate hands pick up the object to realise that she didn't lock it or put it on the charger before passing out. She groans again, picking up the cable from the ground, and plugging in the electronic device.
It takes a couple of minutes for it to charge enough that she can turn it on. Once she pulls up her messages she sees that she had never responded the night before. Not that she needed to explain, but for some reason, she felt like she needed to. She quickly typed out a message apologising for falling asleep last night and that she is looking forward to tonight.
Quickly she pulls on a pair of jeans and a graphic tee to start getting ready for the day. Originally, she wasn't going to reach out to her contact in the NYPD before the date, but for some reason, she wants to. Maybe it is her way of trying to know that he is a bad man before the date. A quick text is sent as she tosses her phone on the bed, and works on her makeup. It isn't anything over the top, as it is mostly nude lipstick, eyeliner, and mascara.
When she looks at her phone, she sees a reply telling her to meet at the office. Normally, she doesn't do that, but since she has known this person for almost her entire life she was willing to meet. She slips her phone into her back pocket, as the heavy hotel door closes behind her. The subway doesn't take too long, as she opted for just taking one to the precinct. The big lettering above the door is daunting to her, and she lets out a huff of air.
She already knows the way as she climbs into the elevator. No one yet seems to give her a second look as it is almost like she blends in with all of the other cops that are milling around the precinct. Getting off on the third floor she walks with purpose like she belongs toward all the desks that are littered around the floor. Olivia can see the room with giant glass windows and sees her friend sitting at her desk with the blinds open.
Before she can make her way towards her she is stopped by a detective asking if she needed help with anything. She nodded her head and gestured to the Captain that she was here for her. Skeptically the Detective looked her up and down and almost questioned if she could really be here for the Captain. It could have been the ACDC shirt that she had opted for this morning that wasn't screaming professionalism.
Luckily for her, she didn't have to say anything else before the Captain was opening her office door and called for Olivia. Closing the distance between the two of them, Liv wrapped her in a hug as it has been years since they had last seen each other.
"Kate, it has been so long," Liv admitted before letting her go from her grasp. The two of them follow each other into her office, where they each take a seat. "I see that you are Captain Beckett now. Congratulations. Last I knew you didn't want to move up," she smiled at her friend. They used to be best friends when they were in college together. That was actually where they had met each other.
"I am. That is why I was so confused to hear from you this morning," Kate seemed to cut right to the chase. Olivia hadn't really thought about how she was going to ask what she wanted. She had no reason to answer anything she asked.
"Uhh- well, I just wanted to ask about someone," she started as she kind of paused there. Kate arched an eyebrow at her. It was very out of character for Olivia to be wanting to ask about someone. "Elliot Stabler, the novelist," she blurted out. She hadn't planned on saying it quite like that.
"Oh no. You want to stay away from that. Everyone in the department knows that," Beckett spoke as she got up from her seat. Olivia let out a breath she didn't even realise that she was holding. It made her feel so much better than everyone knew Elliot was a bad guy and now she could have a clear conscious doing what she was going to be doing.
"Delaney is crazy. Don't do whatever you think you want to do," Liv blinked a few times in confusion as she had thought that this was going a completely different way. The look of confusion isn't missed by the Captain. "Listen, Delaney works for the NYPD, but that is only because it is hard to get rid of a cop. Especially, if every time charges are going to be brought on her Mr. Stabler drops them," she speaks almost painfully. "She has a temper and isn't known to try and hide it. She knows that he loves her and isn't going to file charges when she hits him," she shrugs as Olivia doesn't understand what she is hearing.
The file said that Elliot was doing all of those things to her, not the other way around. "Because they don't believe that men can be the victim of DV?" she questions, as she gets up from her seat as well. It feels like an injustice is happening and that people just don't care.
"It isn't that we don't care. There are some people that just think that men can't be the victim of Domestic Violence. It is the world we live in. I don't even work in Special Victims, so I am not sure what they all do. I've spent my entire career in homicide," her friend remarks as it still doesn't sit right with Olivia that just because a man is going through something they wouldn't try harder. If like the file had said and Elliot was the aggressor they might have been more willing to try and get him behind bars.
"It was just, I own an auction they had to go on a date with him tonight," she spoke as she wasn't sure why she had shared that information. A look of shock was on Kate's face as she turned to her friend.
"Don't do it. I am not joking when I say she is crazy. She will probably freak out and go after you or him. Who knows!" her friend warned her.
"If she is so bad, why does she still have a job? There have been so allegations against him?" Olivia questioned as she crossed her arms.
"I am not her Captain. I have no control over what happens in their precinct. All I know is the rumours that fly about her and trust me when I say that none of them is good." she responds before getting into the second part. "Allegations? What do you mean? The only bad thing I have ever heard about that guy is he got naked once and stole an NYPD horse and was riding it in Central Park and the Mayor made it all go away," as her eyes ask her what this is all about. It was starting to get into territory that was starting to raise questions in Beckett.
A knock interrupts them as one of her Detectives comes in. Liv gave her apologies that she was distracting her from her work and would let her know what ends up happening. Everything that Olivia has just learned makes her feel like she can't go through with the contract. It feels like everything that was in the file was a lie.
Normally, she would have just ghosted and left town, but now she is invested in finding out who hired her to take care of him when he hadn't even done anything wrong. She also didn't want to admit that she didn't want to risk the person having someone else take the job and complete it. It seemed now she had a side mission of finding out who hired her to kill an innocent man.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: i do hope to update again soon as i am going to be going on vacation next month and won't be around for almost half the month. which is also exciting because my birthday is on the 7th! I have a few more ideas of where i want to take this fic. we still got date for liv and elliot coming up next chapter too!